The Survivors

Wyoming, near Kemmerer

February 24th

1

Kenn listened to the early morning chatter at the boss’s center table with half an ear–something he usually never did. He was searching for a way to tell Adrian about the coming storm. He had seen the snow drifts around the tarp covered outlines of two! vehicles, but he couldn’t convince Adrian without telling him about Angela.

It’s too quiet. Kenn glanced up to find everyone staring at him. “Sorry, what?”

Adrian frowned. “Supply list.”

Kenn handed it to him from the stack in his notebook, being careful not to let the stiff wind rip it from his fingers. “Here ya go.”

Adrian scanned it. “Who’s going?”

Neil handed Adrian a smaller sheet of paper as a bird call echoed. They all looked up at the grit-covered sky.

Tension gripped the crowd in the mess. Air horns came out...

When the bird wasn’t spotted, normal noises resumed. Wind blew, tarps flapped, dishes clinked, footsteps crunched, and vehicles rolled into line for a full day of travel. Adrian hated their jumpiness as much as he approved of it. “These names are good. Do you want…”

Kenn let their conversation fade away from him again. Angie is getting closer. I can almost feel–

Adrian slapped his cup on the picnic table.

Everyone jumped.

Adrian gave Kenn a hard stare. “Is there something I should know?”

“Yeah.” Kenn braced. “It’s going to snow tonight. We’ll be caught out in the open unless we get ready.” Kenn waited, dreading the coming questions that would force him to lie to Adrian.

“Snow?”

Kenn squared his shoulders. “From the south, at least a foot by midnight, maybe more. We need to hole up somewhere.”

Kyle, Doug, and Neil all gawked with open mouths.

“What do you suggest?” Adrian’s tone was thoughtful.

“We passed a mall in Green River, and there’s a roller rink in Rock Springs, but really, Kemmerer’s only a few miles away. It has a mall across from a bowling alley. We’ll hook up heat, maybe even get a few lanes going.” Kenn ignored the suspicious guards. Only Adrian’s opinion mattered.

Adrian was weighing the options. “You’re sure?”

“I must be.” Kenn’s face darkened. “I’m risking my new place here on it, right?”

“Yes, you are.” Adrian cocked a brow. “The bowling alley in Kemmerer?”

“Yeah. Sage Lanes. It could snow for a week, and we’d be okay there.” Kenn saw the snow-covered vehicles in his mind again. Not one, but two. Angie isn’t alone. What wife-stealing piece of shit agreed to bring her out here?

The other men at the table wanted to ask Kenn questions, but didn’t. They also knew it was Adrian’s call. They could feel him considering the choice.

All five men paused to watch a large number of tens go blowing by in the gusty Wyoming wind. Two of the men still felt the urge to gather the cash.

Adrian glanced around. They had a relaxing view of the Rocky Mountains, where grizzly bear and elk were no doubt hiding from the survivors, but down here in the basin, there were bodies of lizards and gophers scattered around mesquite shrubs and cactus. There were barbed wire fences, rows of unplowed fields, and garbage littered the area, but as for civilization, there wasn’t any. He could see two farms, but they were both boarded, as if they’d been condemned before the war. They were very exposed here. If Kenn was right, they were in danger. “Notebooks open. Plans have changed.”

The guards did it reluctantly.

Kenn gloated silently. A Gulf War Veteran, a State Trooper, and a Mobster all getting a taste of crow.

“We’ll need three generators, a full fuel truck, the big tool chest, and a crew for bathroom setups, since those scheduled for here already did theirs.” He gestured to Kenn as the wind blew a fresh wave of recent decay over their table. “You’ll do the hookups?”

Kenn nodded. “You know it.”

Adrian lit a smoke. “Go spend some time on the radio. Tell Mitch and Matt I want them.”

Kenn went right then. He heard it while monitoring the radio would be his excuse. While he was glad that he hadn’t had to lie to Adrian yet, he knew the questions would come. I better have an answer ready.

Adrian gave his closest men understanding looks, sure their beards hid suspicion and dislike. “I know you don’t trust him. That’s all right, as long as you trust me. Do you?”

“Of course,” came the unanimous answers, but all three men were indeed hiding disapproval under stubble and blank facades. They didn’t even like Kenn, let alone trust him.

“Good. We’ll see what happens.” Adrian finished his cold coffee and stood. “In the meantime, a day in a bowling alley with heat and real electric sounds good. Who wants to be on my team?”

There were boasts and offers, with Adrian in the thick of it. His inscrutable face didn’t hint at how much he needed Kenn to be proven right. It would cement the Marine’s place here, but more than that, the ability to predict dangerous weather was invaluable. Adrian hadn’t suspected the man of having skill.

The camp had no problem getting a break from the expected full day of traveling, but nearly all the Eagles cracked jokes about the calm skies and temperatures that were above freezing.

Kenn only told them to wait for it, but inside he was terrified. He knew Angela wasn’t trying to trick him, but if the storm had dissipated or changed course, he would lose his place. Kenn’s jaws hurt from forcing himself to laugh at the remarks, but through it all, he could feel Adrian’s thoughtful blue gaze on him, watching and waiting.

2

Kemmerer appeared to be empty. The narrow roads were surprisingly clear of abandoned traffic, but looters had done heavy damage. Even the animal population hadn’t been spared. The town pound was the site of a horrific battle that made Adrian drive faster past the decaying canine and human cadavers littering the courtyard of the brick complex.

Like the other towns they’d been through, Kemmerer also held dozens of rotting, gruesome corpses. The town itself housed burnt frames, broken windows, and looted stores, but no wrecked military vehicles and no kicked-in doors. Riots, not the draft, had conquered this American town.

The parking lot at Sage Lanes was deserted. Adrian steered into the hard breeze as he keyed his mike. “Back the mess truck up near the door. Supply trucks go in the rear. Double the duty guards. Eagles ten, seven, and twelve, secure our site. Eagle three, escort and assist Kenn. Everyone else, stand by.”

Adrian walked through the waiting vehicles while the Eagles cleared their shelter. He saw only bored people who were eager for him to let them out; he felt their fear, however. A night of fun is exactly what they need. Lying or not, Kenn had given him an answer to a problem he hadn’t known existed.

Adrian stepped into the building a few minutes later, sweeping arcades, cleaning machines, rows of welded tables and hard swivel chairs behind racks of heavy, dusty balls. The maroon carpet, with a fine layer of dust devoid of footprints, led to separate bar and food areas. Wooden counters in front of brick walls were covered in glittery signs and unopened party favors. Adrian’s sharp gaze picked out mouse droppings on the bar and a ceiling still pre-lined with canopies of New Year’s confetti. He sighed, tired of the heartbreaking reminders of a world that was gone. “It’ll do. Set us up.”

3

It took them an hour to get everything in and set up. Dozens of lanterns gave the spacious room a dim, flickering light and a harsh odor Adrian knew wouldn’t mix well with the other smells. He hung smoke detectors, air fresheners, and signs ordering the bathroom doors to be kept shut.

He went toward the basement door while the camp ate lunch and picked out sleeping areas away from the doors and windows. Adrian gestured at Kyle.

The stocky Eagle fell in step.

The two men stayed alert as they traveled the long, dark hall, flashlights on their belts casting eerie shadows.

“You been out since we got here?”

“Few minutes ago. Might be snow coming in. Temperature’s dropping fast.” Kyle wasn’t exactly gunning for the Marine, but he would never be one of Kenn’s many supporters. He liked it that the mean Marine had been behind the 8 ball, even if only for a few hours. “Don’t think it’ll hold till dark.”

“It won’t matter if Kenn can get the heat on.”

Adrian’s words were still hanging in the chilly air as a deep rumble started under their feet, rattling the building. It grew louder, drawing yells; dust flew from vents. It changed to a long, loud hiss that gradually faded.

A few seconds of tense silence lingered. Adrian stayed still in the darkness, hand on his holster as he listened to the unease of his people.

The rumbling came again, quieter this time. The two males got moving as dusty light bulbs flickered halfheartedly, then glowed bright and beautiful. They now had electricity.

A hearty cheer spread through the bowling alley, echoing to Kenn and Neil, who had heard steps coming and drawn their guns. No one else was allowed down here.

“Stand down.” Adrian came into view.

Kyle hung back to observe and guard.

Kenn flipped a switch as he holstered, killing the lights and drawing a loud moan of protest from upstairs.

Adrian joined him “What about heat?”

Kenn wiping stinging sweat from his eyes. “Our cords aren’t strong enough. We need something heavy duty. After that, it should just be a matter of bleeding out the system. We’ll have to make sure all the vents and ducts stay cleared.”

To Kenn’s pleasure, Adrian wrote it in his book while the Eagles watched.

“We rolled by a big laundromat on the way in. Wouldn’t they have the industrials?”

Kenn was glad it had been Neil who suggested it. He and the trooper got along better now, but Kenn couldn’t make peace with Kyle at all. He had officially given up trying.

“Good. Give them lights, then go get what we need. The space heaters will hold us a bit longer.”

Kenn got another cheer when he flipped the switch.

The four men were happier as they went up the hall together under full neon bulbs for the first time in nine weeks, but it was an odd feeling. No one spoke until they got to the rear loading dock where the supply trucks were lined up.

The guards tensed when four men exited through the rear doors. When they saw Adrian, they scanned the landscape harder, paying more attention. Kenn’s words had drawn them to an awareness of their unique positions. They were protecting their leader. By doing so, they were also securing their own places in this new world. Kenn had guards on Adrian almost all the time now. Even the new guy, Seth, was doing it, and he wasn’t even an Eagle. The guards were all relieved when Kenn and Neil left, but Kyle and Adrian went back inside, where it was safer. As far as they were concerned, Adrian was the last of his kind.

4

By the time full darkness fell, dinner was half over. Those already finished were enjoying the twenty-five lanes Kenn had managed to get working. Beautiful, warm heat gushed out of the vents while snow fell heavily outside. Nearly everyone who’d cracked a joke earlier had now given Kenn apologetic words for saving them. If they had been caught out in the open, even a little snow might have cost lives. The story of hearing it on the radio had already spread through camp. Kenn was their hero.

Adrian, Kenn, Kyle, Doug, and Neil were at a round table on the top deck of the bowling alley. The Eagles were watching the games below, laughing, letting the camp have their fill first, but Adrian’s attention stayed on his right-hand man.

Kenn was playing with a deck of cards, fanning them out in different shapes and scooping them up like a professional. His face was pale. At that moment, Adrian found it hard to believe the Marine might be special. Loyal? Hardworking? Yes. A descendant? No, and it wasn’t because Adrian believed he was the last of his kind. He longed for one of his top men to have gifts, but he couldn’t place it with Kenn. Then how did he know?

The answer that came made Adrian grimace. Kenn was in contact with someone, and he was either lying or about to.

Almost as if Neil had caught Adrian’s thought, he turned to Kenn. “So, how’d you know?”

Neil’s question got the attention of the entire table.

Kenn dropped his head. “I’d rather not say.”

Neil frowned. “Why? You’re the hero now.”

“You won’t believe me.”

Everyone looked to Adrian in the thick silence.

Kenn understood his moment of betrayal had come when those sharp eyes dug into him, searching. He sucked in a breath. “I feel things. Sometimes.”

It was the answer Adrian wanted; it was the magic he’d been hunting for, but it fell awkwardly from Kenn’s lips. He’s right. None of us believe it.

“Oh.”

“Okay.”

No one questioned yet despite the disbelief. That was Adrian’s job.

Kenn chose a topic change when the silence continued. “Who’s ready to bowl?”

Everyone except Adrian rose, ready for a break from the tension. “You guys go on. I’ll catch up after I do rounds.”

Kenn opened his mouth to offer company. He snapped it shut, sensing Adrian’s unease. Let the boss man have some time to consider how big an advantage it would be to have a severe weather alarm that was never wrong. With that skill on his list, he would never lose his place here.

Until the real deal arrives.

Kenn pushed away that fear. Angela wouldn’t make it this far, even with help. None of her weak hospital friends would be able to keep two people alive through a thousand miles of hell. She might even be dead now. Kenn went to join the bowlers and bask in the admiration of his followers.

5

Adrian did continue to think about it–not about how great it would be, but about the lie he’d been told. He stood inside the front glass doors as the snow fell harder, feeling the guards scan him as he sorted through it. Kenn was in contact with someone, but he didn’t want that someone here. It was the only answer that made sense. Why would he do that?

Because they know the old Kenny. They knew whatever it was that Neil and Kyle suspected, so Kenn was leaving them out there to die.

Adrian’s face darkened. If that were true, he would have to change his plans for the future. By his own actions, Kenn would be unworthy. The one I gift leadership to must value life the way I do.

Thick, dark flakes fell harder. Adrian pushed Kenn from his mind for the moment as he scanned the town around them. His Eagles were doing Recon nearby–taking pictures and widening the perimeter as they’d been taught. He concentrated. A foot or more. Are we prepared for that?

No. Livestock trucks would have to be heated and covered; water and main supply trucks would have to be brought around front. Warmer clothes and shoes were needed, shovels too. Mind racing, Adrian went back inside and began putting his people to work.

As Adrian got them moving, he noticed Kenn’s boy, Charlie, hanging around. When they were alone for a moment, the leader stepped over to him. The kid needs to eat more and have some fun. “You okay?”

The teenager nodded but said nothing.

Adrian lowered his voice. “You sure? I’m all yours right now.”

“No big deal. Just bored.”

Charlie’s expression said differently, though. Dark circles under the teenager’s eyes said he wasn’t sleeping well, but Adrian was encouraged that he wasn’t constantly standing at attention anymore. “Sounds like you need a job.”

Charlie agreed right away.

Adrian wondered if he should give the boy make-work or something that mattered.

Charlie’s head came up. “Something that matters?”

Adrian frowned slightly. “Everything matters now, son. I’ll change your schedule when I do the next set. In the meantime, how about some snow shoveling? We need to keep a clear path to the trucks.”

“Sure. Now?”

“No. We have to get some supplies first. You can beat me up at a game like your dad will.”

Adrian chose not to question the boy’s grimace.

Charlie forced a smile through the resentment. “Sure. Can I be on your team?”

“Absolutely. Lane 17, in half an hour. Bring coffee.”

Charlie shoved his hands into the pockets of the baggy, hooded shirt he wore over dusty jeans and left Adrian alone in the dim hallway by the main office.

Adrian was almost certain Charlie had wanted to scream something at him. That Kenn wasn’t his dad? Maybe. Adrian yawned and stepped into the cool darkness. It was yet another sign that something wasn’t right with his XO.

Adrian moved into the stale darkness of the office. Before he could flip on the light, a fake southern drawl mocked him.

“Avoidin’ people is bad for ya image.”

Adrian rotated with an annoyed scowl.

Tonya retreated from his glare of distaste.

“Not if they’re bad news.”

The sexy redhead gave him a knowing smile. “Wasn’t what ya were sayin’ when ya were between my legs.”

His body was tempted. It was peaceful right now, and the office was pitch black, but his face was emotionless as he returned her mocking tone. “Musta dreamed it. Never happened.”

Tonya gave him a sexy smirk, but her voice was unsure now. “We’re alone. Ya can’t deny it ta me.”

Adrian gave her a tight smile. “Yes, I can. Prove it.” He gave the door a gentle shove with his boot, unable to resist a parting blow. “Find someone else to spread those legs for. I’m busy.”

“Maybe I will.” Tonya’s accent faded as she returned to her sleeping bag near the basement door. “And maybe you’ll be surprised by who.”

Adrian was more worried about Tonya than he’d let on. He was glad no one had heard the short exchange. She was searching for a way to pay him back. Hell had no fury and all that, but even more, her kind had been a bitch before the war. That hadn’t changed.

Adrian tensed at the creak of steps outside the open door.

“Can I talk to you?”

Adrian flipped the switch, then waved Neil in. The small room held a chair, a messy desk, a single filing cabinet in the corner, and a layer of dust on the floor recording their tracks. Good thing I didn’t take Tonya up on her offer. Those heeled black boots she wore left unmistakable prints and his Eagles were getting sharper. “What’s on your mind?”

“Kenn.”

Adrian brushed at the layer of dust, then sat on a corner of the cluttered desk. “As in, how did he know?”

Neil was full of suspicion. “Exactly.”

Adrian had already gone down this road with himself. The camp would believe Kenn had heard it on the radio and that was what mattered. They would never hear the honest answer. “How do you think he knew?”

Neil shrugged, restless hands twisting his hat. “I don’t have a clue, and that bothers me. He saved our ass, that’s for sure, and these people love him now, but…” Neil paused before pushing on carefully. “Something isn’t right with him, Boss.”

Adrian lit a smoke, waiting.

Neil stared at the man he respected more than anyone he’d ever known, hoping he wasn’t about to make a big mistake. “I know he’s your choice, and you have my complete support, but I plan to keep track of him. You should know that.”

“Good.”

Neil blinked. “What?”

Adrian snickered. “Didn’t expect that, did you?”

The trooper’s normally stern face was confused. “No. I thought I’d be in trouble.”

Adrian’s voice sharpened. “I want to be told about the smallest thing that catches your attention, Eagle. The smallest thing.”

“You know it.”

“He knows what?”

Neither man flinched, but both were caught off guard. They turned with identical frowns and thoughts. What is it with women and lurking around doors?

“You need something?!”

Cynthia’s shrewd brown eyes lost some of their eagerness at Adrian’s bark. “Yes. Sorry. The door was open.”

Adrian flipped from pissed to bored in seconds. He stared at the Asian American reporter with a cool smile. “Yes, it was. What can I do for you, Ms. Quest?”

Cynthia thought better of asking Neil to get the hell out. “I have some questions.”

“There’s a surprise.”

The dry tone made the normally unshakable reporter flush, then hesitate, unsure if she should go on. Adrian was a hard man to read.

“What, Cynthia? Tell me your deepest desires.”

The words hung in the dusty room, and now she was the one caught off guard, unable to give him anything except the honesty his tone had insisted on. “You. What kind of monster were you before? What are you atoning for?”

Cynthia missed Adrian’s flinch, horrified to hear the secret accusation spoken when she had no proof to back it up.

Neil noticed it. He felt the instant change in the man at his side. Neil scowled, automatically protecting his boss. “None of that old shit matters anymore, in case you haven’t noticed. Only our survival does. You should wake up before you piss off the wrong person and find yourself on the outs. See ya later, Boss.”

Cynthia retreated as the angry trooper stomped by her.

Adrian let her squirm for a long moment in the tense silence.

“You have questions?” he asked finally.

Glad he was willing to pretend she hadn’t crossed the line when they both knew she had, Cynthia took a small step into the dusty office. “Yes. I’d like to volunteer to teach a class when you get them going.”

Adrian’s cool eyes never left hers. She could feel his pull, woman’s body softening under his gaze. “Maybe a teacher’s aide or something?”

Adrian opened his notebook and wrote it down.

Cynthia stood there stiffly. She was hard too, an old dirt-digger, but she wasn’t immune to his spell any more than Kenn or Neil. Like them, she wanted to be by Adrian; she wanted to be useful to him.

“What class?”

“I’m quick at basic math. I have a Pulitzer Prize for my writing.” The reporter controlled herself, itching to ask, demand, trick, trap, or badger until he broke. She knew he wouldn’t. Even if she didn’t care about being banished, which she did, he wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t part of before, as far as she knew, so treating him as if he was wouldn’t work. “Those should be worth something, right? My contribution to your New America.”

Instead of correcting her wording as he might have done with anyone else, Adrian used the moment to pay back a little of what she’d just given him. “And what do you get out of it?”

She flushed. “The chance to teach a journalism class once we get settled somewhere.”

“You realize that’s a public vote because of the material?”

Cynthia shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “Why do you think I came to you? With your support, they’d agree to almost anything.”

He didn’t confirm or deny, but Adrian was pleased she knew that. Cynthia had been a Washington reporter before the war, a good one, and while she had only been in Safe Haven for a few weeks, she already understood how things worked. Then, there was Tonya. She’d been with him since Nevada, but still had no clue how to legally get what she wanted. “Deal. Maybe I’ll have more important things for you later. If you’re interested?”

Cynthia was instantly surprised, suspicious, and grateful. “I’d be happy to.”

He smiled at her, one of his genuinely beautiful moments that made her heart thump. Not a man in camp could compare.

“Anything else?”

She swallowed the drool, nodding. “Yes. I’d like to go to the mall across the street. I’m out of supplies.”

“Alone?”

Cynthia hesitated again, not wanting to tell him she hadn’t made any friends. She did have the interest of one of his Eagles, Jeremy, but he was on duty outside. He would never leave his post. “No one wants to walk in a blizzard for notebooks and pens.”

“It’s nasty out there. I might be able to find you an escort.” Adrian watched her hide the relief. He was glad to know the Ice Queen could feel fear. They had found her sleeping in a school bus, and she hadn’t hesitated to speak her mind even then, alone, with only one bullet left in the gun she hadn’t known how to use.

“That would be great. I’ll be ready when they are.”

He glanced at his wrist, wishing she wore less perfume. The office now reeked of flowers she’d probably never smelled in reality. “The truck leaves in ten minutes. Kenn and the Eagles are going out to collect our reserve. You’ll be expected to help. Do what you’re told.”

“No problem. Thank you.”

“Anything else?”

“No.” Cynthia left quickly, glad she’d heard good words about her future here, but also disappointed she hadn’t gotten anything new. She had no clue who he had been before and that mystery ate at her some nights. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll find out.

Adrian made a mental note to reward Neil for the unknowing distraction, but Cynthia wasn’t going to give up because of a warning or even a mysterious possible offer somewhere down the line. Cynthia was going to keep digging; he would have to be careful, because that female was smart enough to figure out his puzzle if given enough pieces.