The Razor's Edge: A Postapocalytic Novel (The New World Book 6) (31 page)

Nicholas called out with a smile, “Hey, girl, I missed you. I couldn’t let you do this alone.”

Lexi raised her pistol.

Seeing her point in his direction, he gave her an odd look then realized someone was behind him. He turned but it was too late. The woman who was attacking came at him with a large knife and slit his throat.

Nicholas grabbed his bleeding neck and gagged.

Lexi shot the woman almost point blank as she closed on her fast and turned the pistol on the man and put several rounds in his chest.

Another man came screaming out of the house; his pants were on fire. He ran towards the barn.

Beau took off in pursuit.

“Beau, no,” Lexi cried. She looked over her shoulder and watched Beau go into the barn. A heavy thud sounded in front of her. She looked and saw Nicholas was down. “Nick,” she said and crawled over to him. Her face and clothes were covered in blood. She reached him and cried out, “Nick”

He lay motionless.

She rolled him onto his back, and her worst fears were proven true, he was dead.

The sound of flames came from the barn.

Lexi turned back and saw the barn was now on fire.

The wails and screams from those imprisoned inside were haunting.

“Beau,” Lexi called.

Nothing.

A heavy vertigo hit her. She lowered her head and took several deep breaths. “Get up, Lexi.” With all her strength, she rose to her feet only to again fall down, and this time she blacked out.

JANUARY 3, 2016

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” - Seneca

Sandy, Utah

Annaliese woke refreshed and didn’t hesitate getting out of bed. The sun hadn’t yet appeared, but the dark sky outside her window didn’t stop her from starting her morning routine.

The steam from the shower filled the small bathroom. She wiped the condensation off the mirror and paused as she stared at her reflection. She had suffered so much since society fell, yet she kept it together. She knew that most of that relied on the support and love of family. One person that left a gaping hole in her life was Sebastian. A moment came to mind of when they both were in that same bathroom, the steam of the shower filled the air, and there he was, standing right in the very spot she was. A pleasant smile lifted her face as she recalled that intimate moment. There he was shaving and there she was standing directly behind him. As the razor glided across his chiseled jaw, her eyes drifted over his body, admiring the muscular tone.
Oh, to have the ability to go back in time
, she thought. She wondered if she would ever find someone like him again. She then wondered if she’d ever love again. Never one to believe in absolutes, she did doubt that someone with his unique blend of strength and compassion would cross her path again.

She got dressed and immediately headed to the hospital. When she stepped onto the porch, the cool air washed over her. She zipped her coat to the top and shrugged away the chill.

The sun still hadn’t made its appearance, but a glow to the southeast foretold of its impending arrival.

Annaliese hurried across the compound and entered the darkened hospital. A few low-wattage lights provided enough illumination to work but were dim so the patients could sleep. She banked right and headed to the third bed on the right. When she arrived, she picked up a clipboard at the base of the bed and reviewed it. Happy with what she saw, she placed it back and took a seat on a stool next to the side of the bed.

Samuel, a notoriously light sleeper, woke when he heard her sit down. He rolled his head in her direction and asked, “Is it morning?”

“Yes, about seven forty-five,” she answered, taking his hand in hers.

“Ahh,” he said.

“How you feeling?” she asked.

Samuel had suffered greatly at the hands of Pablo but was on the fast track to healing, due to the great work and expertise of their doctors.

“I’m good, I just want to get out of this damn place. And the food, do we really feed these other poor souls that gruel?” he complained.

“Grumpy Uncle Samuel is a good sign that you're almost better,” Annaliese joked.

“I’m not grumpy, I’m just misunderstood,” he quipped. He squeezed her hand and continued, “I know I can be a hard-ass, or just an ass, but I do so only because I care for you. I know I was wrong about Sebastian, and like I said before I’m sorry for that. I know now I was wrong. He was a good man. It’s just been so hard for me to adjust. I spent all this energy and money on preparing for the end, knowing I needed supplies, tools and whatnot. I planned on the world changing, so I mentally prepared myself to adapt, but the one thing I didn’t change was my attitude. I allowed my old ways to interfere in your happiness, and for that I’m deeply sorry. I’ll actually always be disappointed with my conduct. I wish I could take it all back and embrace my nephew. I hope you can forgive me,” Samuel confessed.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “I forgave you a long time ago. I know you love me and only want what is best for me. But I have something to say too.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” Samuel said.

“I do, I do, I brought Hector…Pablo whatever his damn name is. I brought him close and he, he almost killed us. The moment we discovered who he really was, we should have demanded he leave,” Annaliese said, her voice cracking as she spoke.

“We talked about that, and we all decided it was for the best to let him stay. We feared he could turn on us,” Samuel replied, reminding her of the debate that raged at that time.

“But I could have sent him away anytime. I was blinded by this belief that someone so horrible, so heinous could be converted.”

“God tells us they can, but apparently he wasn’t one that could,” Samuel said.

“I’m confused now.”

“I can understand that. We’re told that only God judges and that’s true. When we go before him, he is the ultimate arbitrator, but here on Earth we have to realize that we need to use God’s given instincts to ferret out those who wish to harm us.”

“I just don’t want to send good people away because they’ve done something bad, you know, like make a mistake.”

“That wasn’t Hector. He was an evil man; he was twisted by hate. There was no reform for him.”

“Then how do we move forward?”

“First, by looking at the positives and celebrating our successes. We survived this. His army is leaving,” Samuel said, emphasizing that what was left of the army had packed up and was departing at first light. Their destination was Venezuela, whether they’d make it would be seen, but Luis was going to try.

“That is a good thing.”

“Second, we need to understand that others like him might come. It is righteous for us to fight and defend ourselves, but God gave us a precious lesson, my dear niece, and we must heed it,” Samuel said.

“And what’s that?”

“I started this ranch as a refuge for my family; you have turned it into a refuge for God’s people, a safe place to come. We can grow this, but we can never again let evil enter disguised as a lost or wounded soul. How we do that exactly isn’t easy, but one evil person can destroy all the good we’ve done. We must not be afraid or be misguided to think we can’t use righteous violence to purge those who wish to destroy us and the good work we do.”

“That sounds like it’s the opposite of some of our teachings.”

“Not exactly, in Psalm 82:4 it says, ‘Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ That’s what we’re doing here.”

“But what about those who live by the sword will die by the sword?”

“We’re not living by it. Just because we possess it, it doesn’t equal wielding it. It is but a tool. The possessor determines its intent.”

Annaliese lowered her head and with her free hand wiped the tears from her face. “I’m so fortunate to have you.”

“And I you.”

“We’re going to survive this, aren’t we?” she asked with a hopeful tone.

“We are, but our strength lies in family. I love you and your mother, and I love this extended family we created. Together we can make this place better.”

She leaned in and gave him a firm hug.

“Ouch,” he groaned.

“Sorry.”

“Can you grab me some food from the house? I don’t think I can eat another meal of this stuff,” Samuel asked.

“Sure,” she said and stood up. She marched out of the hospital, and on her way to the house a bright green flash streaked across the sky. “Whoa,” she said. She stopped, closed her eyes and made a wish. When she opened them, she looked up and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve given me, God. Thank you for the family both here and with you, and thank you for Sebastian. I know he’s with you and I’m jealous of that. Tell him I love him and that life isn’t the same without him. And God, tell him to behave; I know how he likes to be mischievous.” She smiled broadly and without further hesitation headed for the house.

JANUARY 31, 2016

“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.” – Robert Heinlein

South of Joseph, Oregon, Republic of Cascadia

When Lexi woke, she didn’t know if the singing was in her dreams or real until she heard the sweet melody coming from the other room.

She hadn’t heard Katie sing before, and discovering she could hold a tune was a nice surprise.

Katie had been a Godsend. Like only a few before, Lexi came seeking help and a stranger stepped up and delivered.

The morning after the assault on the slavers’ property, Lexi wandered south. She was wounded, beaten and lost. Suffering and disoriented, Lexi saw Katie’s house and knew someone was living there by the clothes drying on the line. She made it as far as the driveway before passing out.

The next day, Lexi woke to find she was in a bed and in a house she’d never been in before. At first she panicked; then she looked out the window and saw clothes whipping in the wind. Recalling that she had sought help and was being cared for, she let the panic melt away.

Katie proved to be gentle, sweet and caring. She mended and cared for Lexi’s wounds without demanding repayment.

The days passed and Lexi got to know Katie a bit more. She found out that Katie was married but hadn’t seen her husband since before the lights went out. He traveled for work and had left the day before the attacks; she never imagined that he’d never return.

Each night, Katie would light a single candle and leave it in the window. It served two purposes, to let her husband know she was there if he suddenly showed up in the driveway, and as a spiritual guide showing him the way back to her.

At first Lexi thought her nightly ritual was silly but soon found it endearing.

The days became weeks and soon Lexi knew she’d have to move on.

Katie offered to let her stay, but Lexi wasn’t the settling-down type and told Katie she’d be leaving soon.

“You’re amazing,” Lexi gushed as she stepped into the kitchen.

“Oh, gosh, no, I just like to sing this or that; makes me happy,” Katie replied as she folded a shirt.

“No, seriously you have a wonderful voice.”

“You’re so nice.”

Lexi walked to the door and looked out. She missed Beau, and every day she hoped she’d see him in the front yard, rolling around in the tall grass. That night was hard on her. She'd lost Nicholas and Beau, but not knowing what happened to Beau was what upset her most, if that made sense. She got her head around Nicholas, it was final, she had closure, but Beau was just gone. She saw him go inside the barn but never come back. She assumed he was dead, but without actually seeing his body she couldn’t be so sure. Plus, there was something telling her that he was still out there terrorizing squirrels and other varmints.

“I made some eggs. I heard you rustling, so I figured you’d be out soon. I just finished cooking them only a few minutes ago,” Katie said, pointing to a covered plate on the table.

Another bonus of being with Katie was she could really cook. Lexi uncovered the plate to discover two eggs sunny-side up. A big smile stretched across her face and a fond memory of John from The Mohawk popped into her mind. She grabbed a fork and jabbed the yolks.

“You mentioned you were going to leave soon. Um, what can I say for you to stay?” Katie asked sheepishly.

“I just need to move on; it’s nothing personal.”

“It’s been real nice having you here,” Katie said.

“How old are you?” Lexi asked, the question out of left field.

“Thirty-seven.”

“You’re a young old thirty-seven. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but you’re youthful in appearance and mannerisms, but then I see you around the house and you’re an old soul.”

“Maybe I’m just schizophrenic,” she joked.

“Say, where did your husband go for business?”

“Riverside, California.”

“Hmm, interesting,” Lexi said.

“Why?”

“Oh, I’m thinking of heading south, going back into California, but then I think maybe I’ll head towards Montana, less people up there.”