Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (29 page)

Marcus realized he was moments away from death. "Okay,
you're right! I've done some bad stuff but I was just trying to survive. We
didn't have someone like you. We did the best we could."

Greg shrugged, "The best you could do was steal the
little food that people have? Even if some of that's true, it’s too late. I'll
leave her knowing there's one less piece of scum preying on people just trying
to survive." Greg stepped forward and plunged his machete into Marcus'
chest. He stepped back and Marcus' lifeless body fell to the ground.

Greg looked at the remaining bandits. "Take care of
them," he said to his men. "Let one of them survive. Maybe the story
they tell will stop someone else from trying this."

Greg made his way over to a semi-truck where the bandits had
been storing their goods. Laura had arrived and was directing several workers.
"Laura," Greg said as he walked up.

"Greg," Laura replied with a smile. "Are you
okay?"

Greg nodded, "I'll be alright. What's going on
here?"

"Doing some inventory," Laura said. "A good
amount has gone bad but they had a lot of canned goods so that helps."

"That's good," Greg replied. "I'll leave you
it." Greg left Laura and headed over to where the captives were being
held. Carol was overseeing some workers handing out food and water.

"How are they?" Greg asked.

"They're alive," Carol replied quietly.

"That bad, huh?"

"Those bandits did terrible things. Some of them were
thinking about trying to kill themselves rather than go through another day of
it."

Greg shook his head and knew he had made the right decision.
People like that couldn't be allowed to roam free. He couldn't stop everyone
like that but he could protect the people close to him. "Can they be moved
to the other camp?"

Carol nodded, "I've the thought some of them would
crawl over broken glass to get away from here."

About an hour later Greg and his inner circle were once
again ensconced in the Oates' dining room. They'd just finished a meal of
venison along with carrots and potatoes. "I can't thank you enough,"
Byron said.

Greg shrugged, "Some things have to be done. This was
one of them."

"I'd like to give you some extra food," Byron
said. "You'll need it if all those women are coming with you."

"Thanks," Greg said, "I appreciate it."
Laura would be happy to hear that. She had been going over their inventory
trying to figure out how they were going to feed all those extra people. Greg
had thought some of them might choose to stay with Byron but every single one
had refused. 

"How long will you be staying?" Byron asked.

"Just another day or two," Greg replied. "Laura
wants to give the women a chance to recover a bit before we get back on the
road."

"Where are you guys headed anyway?"

Greg shrugged, "I don't really have a specific
destination in mind. We're just heading north at the moment. Looking for a
place we can settle. Something remote, easy to defend."

Byron nodded, "That's not a bad idea. I'm not too sure
how long we'll be able to stay here. What's to stop another group of bandits
from coming through?"

"Come with us," Greg said. "You'd be a great
asset with your survival skills."

Byron looked thoughtful for a moment. "I may take you
up on that but not just yet. This place has been in our family forever. I'm not
ready to give it up just yet."

Greg nodded in understanding. Some people might say it's
just a piece of land and he should move on but weren't they looking for that
very thing? A place to call their own? He couldn't blame the guy if he wanted
to stay and protect what was his. The rest of the evening passed
pleasantly and Greg's group eventually made their way back to their camp. The
following morning they took it easy and the day passed uneventfully. The day
after that they got on the road early and continued heading north.

***

A few days later Byron was behind the inn dressing one of
his kills. The sound of a branch breaking caught his attention and he turned
around to see Kelly walking towards him with several men behind her. They were
all dressed in black fatigues with rifles slung across their backs. There was
one figure that stood out though. He was dressed the same as the others but he
carried himself differently. The others had this potential threat hanging
around them, as if they could explode into violence at any moment. This other
guy, he seemed...shifty. Byron wasn't sure if it was the beady eyes or
something else but he took an immediate dislike to him.

"What's going on?" Byron asked as he mentally
cursed having put his rifle away earlier. Not that he could do much against the
six of them but it would have been comforting nonetheless.

"These men are looking for someone," Laura
explained as she came to stand by him. She leaned against him and he felt
something poking his stomach. He shifted and placed his hand on the small of
her back and felt one of their handguns. Good girl! It wasn't much but they
would at least be able to put up a fight if it came to that.

"Who are you looking for?" Byron asked.
"We've got quite a few campers here and a large group left just this
morning."

"I'm looking for a woman," the pasty man said.

Byron spread his hands, "You'll have to be more
specific. Have you checked the campers?"

"She is distinctive," the man replied. "It's
possible she's been forced to disguise herself to hide from me. Maybe you
noticed the man she's traveling with.

He proceeded to give a detailed description and Byron
realized he was talking about Jackson. That meant the woman he was talking
about was probably Shirley. So what was this guy? Some sort of jilted lover? A
husband? And why look for her with a group of armed men that were clearly some
sort of military force? Byron wasn't sure but he felt that the truth sprinkled
with some misdirection would best serve here.

"I think I remember a man like that," Byron said.

"When did you see him?"

"He was with that large group I mentioned. I didn't
have a conversation with him, I mostly talked to their leader."

"Do you know which way they went?" he asked,
eagerness evident in his voice.

Byron shrugged, "You've gotta head north to get out of
the park. They'd have to go as far as Morton before they could head in another
direction."

The man smiled excitedly. "We're close then! Let's
get back on the road. We can probably catch them."

One of the men nodded and five of them left the area.
"I have a few questions," the remaining man said.

Byron nodded. He realized he would need to stick closer to
the truth with this one. The other man was clearly obsessed over Shirley for
whatever reason. Byron didn't think he'd be able to fool this one so easily.

"How big was the group you were talking about?"

"I'm not sure," Byron replied. "We had dinner
with their leader and his inner circle or whatever. I'm not sure how big they
were overall."

"Why were they here?"

Byron didn't like the way he was being interrogated but he
saw little choice. He was a decent shot but he had not doubt that this man was
a trained killer. "They were just passing through as far as I could tell.
Looking for a place to settle or something like that."

"Just passing through?  Did they do anything while
they were here?" the man casually rested his hand on his sidearm.

Byron nodded, "their leader said something about a
fight a few days back Maybe they were just resting up."

The man nodded, "What else?"

"What else?" Byron asked in confusion.

"You feel threatened from some reason. That's why your
woman came to stand next to you with the gun at the small of her back."

Byron did his best to keep his expression in check but the
man's smile showed that he must have failed. "I don't blame you," the
man continued. "Armed strangers come into your home, it's common sense to
protect yourself. But I think it’s something more."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Byron
replied.

"Please, don't insult my intelligence. My associate
gave you a description. A description you recognized. That tells me that you
spent time with that person. Maybe you didn't have a conversation with him as
you said, but he was at least nearby."

Byron hesitated, he didn't want to send harm Greg's way
but this wasn't going well.

"Let me help you," the man said. "You're a
nice person and you feel some sort of obligation here. But that's not gonna
serve you here. I'm not a nice person you see. I don't have a problem killing
you and everyone here," the man smiled as Byron's eyes widened in shock.

"In case you're feeling brave I want you know that by
the time you clear that pistol I will have shot your woman. When my men hear
the gunshot they'll go and kill everyone else. Do you understand what's at
stake here?"

"How do I know you won't kill us anyway?"

"You don't," the man said, "but I'll be
honest, while I don't mind killing I don't do it if it isn't necessary. Give me
what I need and I'll be on my way."

Byron nodded, "When they showed up we tried to warn
them away. Some bandits had set up camp nearby and were demanding our food.
Their leader helped us out in exchange for some food."

"How many bandits were there?" the man asked
thoughtfully.

"Around thirty or so."

"So this group was large enough, organized enough to
take on a group that size. Thank you, you've been helpful." The man turned
to leave but then faced them again as if he had thought of something.
"You're a hunter. The man I work for may be interested in your services.
If someone shows up, your cooperation will be expected." With that said,
the man turned and walked away.

"I don't feel safe here anymore," Kelly said once
they were alone.

"I know," Byron replied, "first the bandits,
and now this."

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll have to leave," Byron said sadly. This
place had been in his family for generations. He hated that it was during his
watch.

Kelly turned and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry. I know how
much this place means to you."

"I'll be alright, our lives are more important."

"What are we doing?"

"We'll head north and try to find Greg's group. He needs
to be warned about these guys and they're probably our best chance for
safety."

"Alright, we're leaving. What about the campers?"

Byron frowned, "We'll let them know we're leaving. They
can follow or go their own way. Either way, we're leaving."

Kelly nodded, "Why don't you break the news and I’ll
start packing."

***

Olson sat thoughtfully as they drove north. It looks like
the trip wouldn't be a waste after all. Jeremy thought they were out here to
find his errant female. Dray had only permitted the excursion due to the
influence the boy's father wielded. No, that was a complete waste of time.
Olson figured the woman had probably left him of her own accord. No, the real
reason they were out here was to take note any large survivor groups. Small
setups like the one they'd just left were fine. They could be easily
controlled. Larger groups could turn out to be a problem however. Dray was
building something and they didn't need the competition.

They were making great time because the group they were
following had to clear the roads. These guys were organized but he doubted they
could handle trained professionals. They could grab Jeremy's woman and maybe
drop the group's leader while they were at it. Near the end of the day they saw
their target on the horizon. They pulled over to wait for nightfall so they
could approach unseen.

***

Byron drove as fast as he dared. Fortunately, the roads were
clear so there wasn't much to worry about. He just hoped they reached Greg in
time for their warning to be of any use. Overall, he was kind of relived. All
of the campers had elected to stay behind. They probably didn't see the point
of going on the road when there was plenty of food at hand. He was still upset
about having to leave his place, and who knew what kind of condition those
campers would leave it in? But, he was taking Kelly somewhere safe and that
meant everything. 

Late in the day they reached Greg's caravan. The vehicles
were pulled over to the side and tents were pitched in the grass. A guard waved
them down and Byron quickly pulled over. "I need to talk with Greg,"
he explained when the guard came to his door.

"I'm sorry you had to leave like that," Greg said
as Byron finished relating the morning's events.

Byron nodded, "It's just not safe anymore. How long
'til someone else shows up?"

"I guess that's true," Greg replied. "I'm
happy to have you here though. The thought of regular fresh meat sounds pretty
good."

"It's no problem," Byron said, "it's the
least I can do."

"We're were about to have dinner," Greg said.
"Why don't you join us? It won't beat your table but it'll be
filling."

"That sounds great," Byron replied, "we
haven't eaten since breakfast this morning."

Greg led the way to where a folding table was set up. The
rest of the group was already there. "Hey guys," Greg said as they
seated themselves. "We've got some news."

"What's going on," James asked.

"Byron had some visitors this morning," Greg
explained. "The short version is that someone's looking for Shirley."

Jackson narrowed his eyes, "I have an idea. Pasty
looking fellow? Weak chin?"

Byron nodded, "That's him. Shifty fellow but
he didn't seem like that much of a threat on his own. The guys with him though,
they seemed dangerous."

Jackson sighed, "Should've dealt with him when I had
the chance."

Shirley laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's
alright. You couldn't have known."

"What happened?" Carol asked.

Shirley shrugged, "There isn't much to tell. Jeremy and
I were engaged. He was the city's favored son and I was an up and coming star.
The Collapse showed me the kind of man he really was so I ended it. He didn't
take it too well."

Laura smiled sympathetically, "Why is he coming after
you?"

Shirley shrugged again, "He's entitled, used to getting
what he wants. He had the mistaken belief that I belonged to him. I
thought I'd dissuaded him of that. If I see him again we'll revisit that convo
with a bullet," she finished fiercely."

"That's if I don't get to him first," Jackson
said.

"Alright," Greg said with a glance towards James.
"I want a guard on each of them."

"That's not necessary," Jackson protested.
"I'll stay close to her. We'll handle Jeremy if he shows up."

"I'm not really worried about Jeremy," Greg
replied. "These other guys though, they might be a problem. I don't want
to underestimate them."

Jackson nodded grudgingly, clearly not liking the
arrangement. "I'm sorry," Shirley said sadly. I thought I was done
with him. I didn't think I'd ever see him again. I don't mean to bring this to
your doorstep."

"Nonsense," Laura said, "you're family."

"That's right," Carol said with a smile,
"we'll deal with this together."

"Let's increase patrols," Greg said, "I don't
want to make getting in here easy for them."

James nodded, "I'll take care of it."

***

It had been dark for over an hour now. Olson was waiting for
Simmons to return with word of the camp's defenses. He wasn't terribly worried
but he figured some token recon wouldn't hurt.

"I'm back," a voice called out.

Olson turned to see Simmons walking towards him. "How'd
it go?"

"Someone over there has some idea of what they're
doing. Nothing insurmountable, but it'll take some caution. Patrols are pretty
tight."

"How hard would it be to get in?"

Simmons shrugged, "Don't think it'll be that big a
deal. Probably can't bring along the dead weight though.

Olson nodded, "He'd just be in our way anyway. Did you
see the girl?"

"I think so. I'm pretty sure I found their leader too.
I also saw that other guy that Jeremy described. There were two blondes there
that match Jeremy's description. I figure we just grab them both and sort 'em
later."

Olson nodded, that was probably the best way since they
wouldn't be bringing Jeremy with him. Speaking of, Jeremy bit back his
frustration as he heard clumsy footsteps coming their way. It could only be
Jeremy. 

"Did you find her?" Jeremy asked as he reached
them. "Is she there?"

"Olson found the man she's traveling with. I'm thinking
that unless she's parted ways with him she's still around."

"That's great! When do we go in?"

"Soon," Olson replied, but you won't be coming
with."

"What? Why not? How can you be so sure you get the
right woman?"

"These guys have a bit of training and all of their
guards are armed. You'd be a liability. As far as the woman goes, we've
narrowed it down to two possibilities. We'll just grab both."

Jeremy sighed in relief, "I suppose that would work. Be
careful. I don't want her hurt."

"Of course," Olson replied. "Now, if you'll
excuse us, we've some planning to do."

"Right, I’ll leave you to it."

"Where do you think he's going?" Simmons asked.

"Probably off to take another nap. Who cares? After
tonight we can send him back to Emerald Falls."

Olson gathered his men and they developed a plan to
infiltrate the camp. It was fairly simple. Olson would go for the women while
Simmons took out their leader. Meanwhile, Drake and Roberts would cause
distractions along the perimeter of the camp. Cimino would be nearby with the
vehicles so they could make a quick escape. Olson smiled as they completed
their planning. In about an hour's time they'd be done and could send Jeremy on
his way.

***

The sound of an explosion woke rocked Greg from his slumber.
Moments later he heard a flurry of activity outside his tent. No doubt someone
was coming to wake him.

"What's going on?" Carol asked as she sat up in
the bed.

"They're here. Stay in the tent," he said as he
stepped outside.

"Greg!" James called. "Explosion on the north
side of the camp!"

Greg nodded as another explosion lit the night. "That
was from the west. They're trying to distract us. Probably hoping we spread
ourselves thin."

"What do we do?" James asked.

"Go check on Shirley." Greg looked at the guards
who had arrived for instructions. "Split up. Check each side of the
camp." This was exactly what they wanted but he didn't have a choice. If
they were attacking his people he had to defend them. It just really bugged him
that he was playing right into their hand.

Greg was sure what alerted him. A shift in the wind? The
sound of a foot depressing the grass? All he knew was that someone was behind
him. He threw himself into a forward somersault and came up with his pistol at
the ready. A boot connected with his hand and sent the pistol flying away. His
attacker followed up with a downward thrust but Greg managed to catch the arm
and delivered to quick strikes to the abdomen. Standing, he grabbed the arm
with his other hand and flipped his opponent over his hip. His attacker
recovered instantly and Greg barely managed to dodge a boot aimed for his knee.
Greg drew his machete. He'd have to be careful, this guy could fight.

"Nice reflexes," the man said as he stood.
"They're not gonna save you though. Your men are distracted so no one can
save you," he said as he drew a long combat knife.

Greg smiled confidently, "I don't need saving. You had
your one chance to kill me and you failed. How about you save yourself some
pain and tell me what this is all about?"

The man chuckled, "It's not about anything. I have
orders to kill you, simple as that."

"Alright," Greg replied, "let's get this
done."

Simmons smiled and sprinted forward. Greg roared and
responded with a charge of his own. Despite the situation, he was excited. This
was going to be fun. There was no guilt holding him back here. No gray area as
to whether or not he should respond with force. This man had tried to kill him
and Greg would put him down.

***

Carol watched the fight unfold from the tent flap. She had
her pistol in hand but didn't dare use it for fear of hitting Greg. She kind of
felt helpless but she had to believe that Greg would be alright. They'd been
through far worse. The first day of the Collapse had been terrible but Greg had
kept her safe. She had to believe he'd be okay now. Carol heard
something behind her but didn't see anything when she turned to investigate.
This whole ordeal had her jumpy.

Olson slowly approached the woman from behind. He had to be
more careful, she'd almost discovered him before he could make his move. He'd
cut an opening into the tent but he must not have been as quiet as he thought.
He'd have to be careful here. The first woman had a surprising amount of fight
in her. Someone had been training her, she'd even managed to land a few blows
before he had decided to knock her out. He wasn't supposed to hurt her but he
wasn't gonna get killed dragging these women out of here. Olson crept closer.
What was the woman looking at? He heard the sound of metal on metal. Looking past
her he saw two figures fighting. Was that Simmons? That must be the leader of
this camp then. Was this his woman? Olson shook his head, it didn't matter,
he'd grab her just in case. He doubted they'd get another chance at this if
they failed here tonight.

***

Greg ducked under the man's swing and countered with one of
his own. The man leaned back just enough so the blade passed harmlessly in
front of him. Greg followed up with another swing but that was parried
harmlessly. Simmons swung with his free hand and Greg ducked underneath and
countered with a punch to his gut. Simmons stumbled back a few steps but was
otherwise unaffected. Greg continued his offensive, throwing swing after swing
in attempt to break through Simmon's defense. On his third swing, Greg scored a
solid hit that cut Simmons from his eye to his ear. Greg quickly followed up
with another thrust as Simmons roared in pain.

Greg ripped his machete free and Simmon's body hit the
ground. He knelt and quickly wiped his machete clean before putting it away. He
glanced around for his gun but realized that would have to wait until the
morning, there was no way he would be able to find it right now. He was about
to go check the camp when he heard a scream. A scream that sounded exactly like
Carol. He sprinted for his tent and saw a figure throwing Carol's unresponsive
body over his shoulder. Was she dead? No, she must be unconscious. There'd be
no need to carry her otherwise. The man turned at the sound of Greg's running
footsteps and drew a pistol with his free hand. Greg was forced to dive to the
ground as the man sent several shots in his direction. The man took off running
and Greg surged to his feet and quickly covered the rest of the distance to his
tent. He saw Carol's gun lying on the ground and grabbed it to replace his own.
He took after Carol, pushing himself as fast as he could go. 

He was grateful for all the training he had gone through. He
knew he'd have no chance of saving her if he had been in any less than peak
physical condition. He reached the edge of the camp and saw the man running in
the distance towards a waiting vehicle. He quickly glanced around and was
relieved when he saw his suv nearby. 

"Greg!" Jackson called from behind him.

Greg turned to see Jackson running towards him. "They
took Shirley! I have to find her!"

"Come with me, they got Carol too!" Greg led the
way as they sprinted towards his suv. They jumped inside and a moment later
left a cloud of dust in their wake. "You have your walkie?" Greg
asked.

"Yeah."

"Tell them to grab some men and follow. Have the rest
lock down the camp. The fight might draw in some infected."

Greg focused on pursuing the headlights in front of him as
Jackson relayed his instructions. They were off-road, parallel to the highway
as it was still littered with abandoned vehicles. Greg did the best he could to
find level ground and hoped they wouldn't hit anything that would end their
pursuit. They eventually reached a clear stretch of road and the driving was
much smoother after that.

The suv in front took and exit and Greg followed.
"Denton," Greg said aloud. "Let them know where we are."
Jackson nodded and began speaking into the walkie. Greg went over his gear in
his head. He had his machete, Carol's gun, and a clip of spare ammunition. The
rest of his gear was sitting back in his tent. It was unfortunate, but it would
have to do. It's not like there had been time to grab anything. Several
gunshots rang out in quick succession and Greg swerved, thinking they were
being fired upon.

"There's no sign of anyone," Jackson said.
"What are they doing?"

A chorus of howls sounded out n response and Greg realized
what they were doing. "They're trying to draw in the infected for
backup."

"They'll be trapped inside," Jackson replied.

Greg shrugged, "Maybe they're desperate." He
turned a corner and saw two suvs parked in front of a three story office
building. Greg quickly brought the vehicle to a stop. "It doesn't matter
why they're doing it," he said as he exited the vehicle. "We're going
in regardless," he finished drawing his weapons.

Jackson nodded. "I'm with you but should we wait?
They've got two suvs, so there might be quite a few in there."

Greg hesitated. He wanted to go in now but that could
be suicide if they were outnumbered. He glanced at the two suvs. They looked as
if they could each seat about five people. That meant they could be dealing
with at least ten people. Jackson was right as much as he hated to admit it.
"We wait. I don't want to but that's the best course."

Jackson nodded. He wanted to head inside right away too but
they wouldn't be helping anyone by getting themselves killed. Two vehicles
screeched into the parking lot and the men quickly took cover behind their suv.