EMP Antediluvian Courage : Book 3 Read online

  “They’s got two young’uns in there. Pitiful. I’m gonna go in. I’ll hand each of you a baby an’ you take ’em to the truck.”

  Both men nodded, their faces surprised, but said nothing. Boney turned and went to the front door. He had his long knife out and ready. He set his long gun next to the door. Stepping into the house, he was hit with a stench that made him gag. He swallowed it down, and kept his eyes on the two adults, who thankfully were out cold.

  He stepped over the garbage that littered the floor. Empty pill containers were scattered about. He placed his hands on the first child, then froze. His heart dropped into his stomach and the hairs raised on his body. The child was dead. His hands went to the other child, and the tears fell. The other was dead as well. He backed up from them and brought his shaking hand to his mouth, trying to silence the sobs.

  His head swiveled over to the man. He’d started moving, making signs of waking up. Boney stepped quickly over to the man, grabbed his mop of filthy hair, and pulled the man’s head back. Murphy’s eyes fluttered open, bloodshot. They opened wider when they focused on Boney’s angry face.

  Boney took his long knife and drew it across the man’s neck with such strength and force from the grief and rage that he nearly decapitated the man. Warm blood splashed across the table and onto Boney’s hand. The woman began to stir as the warm blood bathed her. Boney let go of Murphy’s head and shoved the body over. He stepped over to the woman, whose eyes opened, then opened even wider when she caught sight of the bloody stranger.

  He grabbed her by her hair and drew his knife across the side of her neck. She fell to the floor, clutching her neck, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood that was gushing out. Her eyes were uncomprehending, still high from whatever she’d injected into her veins. Boney felt a presence behind him and whirled around to see the twins crying. They were over by the two children curled up on the couch.

  “What kind of monsters are these people?” Ralph said, his voice breaking.

  “The worst kind. Let’s burn this place to the ground,” Boney said in a dead voice. He saw the nods of his friends and reached for the lantern. He stepped back, then threw it at Murphy’s body. The glass shattered and lamp oil splashed over the body and the table. The fire rushed after it. Boney stepped back, then went to the couch and laid a raggedy blanket over the children. It was the best funeral he could give them. He’d avenged their deaths on their careless and selfish parents.

  The three men exited the house as the fire spread quickly. There was a lot of trash for it to burn. Boney could hear the other men openly weeping as they stood in the yard, backing up slowly as the fire inside grew. Within ten minutes, the whole house was engulfed in flames.

  “Those poor little babies. I know they’s with Jesus, but it sure does break my heart,” Abram said.

  “Mine too, brother,” Ralph said, and put an arm around his twin’s shoulders. The men walked away from the burning house.

  It was a dark thing, Boney thought.

  They made their way back to the truck and sat in silence for a few minutes, gathering themselves. Boney pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose and wiped his eyes. He wanted the anger and rage to subsume the grief of it all and eradicate it. He needed that rage, because the grief was killing him.

  He started the truck and made a U-turn in the road and headed for Reece Archer’s house. He sure as hell hoped they didn’t have any children. Reece was in his early fifties, so the kids, if he had any, may not be living with him. He hoped so. They drove in silence, no one wanting to speak. From time to time, on of the twins would shudder out a sigh.

  It took twenty minutes, but eventually they pulled off to the side of the road. He looked at the twins. “If you boys wanna sit this one out, I’ll understand,” Boney said kindly.

  “Naw. We’ll go ta watch your six. I don’t mind kill’en,” Ralph said for both of them.

  Nodding, Boney got out of the truck. The twins followed and came around the vehicle. They were at a trailer park, and it looked like a graveyard to Boney. No signs of life. The men walked between trailers, working their way toward the one that had a light flickering like a beacon. Boney nodded for the men to spread out; he could see someone moving around. He set up his rifle, stuffing and old hat beneath to balance it on the roof of a car.

  They had brought a glass bottle of lamp oil with a rag sticking out. Abram was to throw the Molotov cocktail at the trailer door. Abram had the best arm, since he’d played a lot of ball in his youth. Boney watched as he got closer to the trailer. He saw a flicker of light when Abram lit it, then saw the man haul his arm back and throw the bottle of flame. It arced beautifully and hit the door square, spreading lamp oil all over the door.

  The people inside began to scramble around. The door shot open and Reece came out, a semi-automatic weapon spewing ammo. Abram had got down low behind a car and stayed out of sight. Boney took a breath and lined up the shot calmly. He pulled the trigger, and Reece dropped to the ground. Another man came out, and Boney chambered another round. He took aim and dropped the man.

  Someone inside broke out a window and began shooting. It was now dark inside the trailer. Boney looked over at Ralph, who was lining up a shot. He figured the man was lining up on the muzzle flashes from the shots. Two more shots came, then Ralph’s rifle barked, and all was quiet.

  Boney stood quietly, then after a few minutes, walked toward the trailer. Abram got up from the ground unsteadily.

  Boney listened but could hear nothing from the trailer. He walked to Abram, who was clutching an arm. He’d been hit, but otherwise seemed okay.

  “You okay, brother?” Ralph asked.

  “Just a scratch,” Abram grinned.

  “You boys stay out here and keep an eye out for anyone. I’m going in, see what’s what,” Boney announced.

  He clicked on his flashlight and walked over to the dead men by the door of the trailer. The fire had burned itself out, and he stepped over the corpses and up into the trailer. Cautiously he looked around the corners. There were cards on the table. He’d interrupted their game, apparently. He walked to the back of the trailer, and into the room where the shooter had been. A man’s body was slumped in front of the window. Ralph had taken a good shot. He whirled around when he heard a noise, and could have kicked himself for being so careless.

  In the corner of the room was a bed, and on it was a woman, crouched in the corner, her arm chained to the bed’s headboard. She was naked and crying, trying to curl in on herself.

  “Hush, young lady, it’s all over with. They won’t hurt you no more,” Boney said softly as he took the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around the shivering woman.

  “He’s got the key in his pocket,” she said, her voice trembling.

  Boney nodded and kicked the dead man over and patted his pockets. He found the key and went to the chain and unlocked the padlock.

  He helped her up and looked around. “Do you got any clothes? Any personal stuff?”

  She nodded and pointed to a closet. He went over and opened it, and found woman’s clothing on the floor of the closet. He picked it up and handed it to her. He turned his back so she could get dress.

  “I’m done mister. Thank you for saving me,” she said, still crying. But she was gathering her control, he could see.

  “I’ll take you home, honey, don’t you worry,” he assured her.

  “I ain’t got a home,” she said, then started crying again. “They killed my folks and they stole me. I ain’t got no place to go.”

  “Don’t you worry your head none. You’ll come ta live with me. An’ iffin that don’t suit, we’ll find another place for you. You ain’t alone. What’s your name, honey?”

  “Megan,” she said, and followed him as he led the way out of the trailer.

  “Megan, I’m Boney, and these here are my friends, Ralph and Abram. They’s good men.” Both men looked surprised, then nodded to her. Boney saw a truck parked by the trailer. He walked over a
nd patted each of the dead man’s pockets. Finding nothing, he went back into the trailer and came back out with a set of keys.

  “Ralph, you think you kin drive?” Boney asked.

  “Sure I kin. Come on, Abram, I’ll take ya ta see Doc. We’ll let them know the progress,” Ralph promised Boney.

  “Okay. Tell the women we’ll bring back their men, and tell Alan I’ll bring back his grandpa,” Boney said.

  He turned to Megan. “They’s going to a safe place. Did you want to go with them?”

  “No. I want ta stay with you, Boney. Is that okay?” she asked.

  “It sure is. My truck is down here a piece. We’re gonna head to another place to rout out some peckerwoods. Just like we done here.” He grinned at her.

  The truck with Abram and Ralph passed them and tooted the horn. Boney snorted. So far, only one injury. That was good. He would head over to the Bluemont and see what he could do to help.

  ֍

  Yates looked up in surprise, and then the color faded from his face. Clay had his weapon aimed at his head. He moved in and then to the side, letting David in, whose weapon was trained on the other man.

  “On the floor, Yates. You know the drill better than anybody,” Clay commanded.

  “Don’t think about it, asshole,” he heard David say.

  Yates raised his head and came around his desk, arms raised. He got down on his knees, then down on his stomach. He put his hands up on the back of his neck and laced his fingers together.

  “Earl, pat him down, check his ankle, make sure no weapons,” Clay ordered.

  Earl came around, the AR15 pointed at Yates’s head. He carefully maneuvered, keeping behind the man. The barrel of the weapon pressed to Yates’s head. Clay’s eyes never left Yates. When Earl was finished, he pulled out the cuffs Clay had given him. Clay had showed Earl over and over how to cuff a man until Earl could do it in a smooth motion. He did Clay proud, cuffing Yates expertly. He stood back.

  “Go to his desk and get another set of cuffs,” Clay said, then looked over to the man David was guarding. Clay didn’t know him, didn’t care. David shoved the man to the floor, and when the man started to rise, David placed his foot in the middle of his back and put a considerable amount of his weight down, causing the man to cry out and put his hands on his head.

  Earl came over and patted the man down as well. He pulled out a knife from the man’s boot. Also, a small .22 from the man’s waistband. Earl stuck that in his back pocket. He then cuffed the man from behind.

  “So, what are you going to do, Clay? Shoot us while we’re cuffed?” Yates sneered.

  Clay started laughing, which caused Earl and David to start laughing. The men laughed so hard that Clay had to sit down. David followed suit, and found a chair to sit in. Earl sat on the side of Yates’s desk. It took a bit of time to get the laughter under control. Clay knew it was nerves and relief. But it was with the knowledge that these men wouldn’t die quickly.

  “Earl, got get the truck. Then we’ll load them up,” Clay said, wiping the tears away from his face, a giggle escaping now and then. He looked at Yates, who was bright red.

  He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. His hands hung loose between them, though he did have a good grip on his weapon. “No, Danny, we aren’t going to shoot you. We are, however, going to give you a dose of your own medicine.”

  David started humming, and Clay looked over, grinning. It was hard not to laugh, it felt so damn good. These men had tried to kill him and Katie. They deserved nothing less than a prolonged death.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean, you monkey’s ass,” the other man snarled.

  David stood, walked over and kicked the man in the ribs. There was an audible crunch and the man cried out in pain, rolling. He couldn’t do much with his arms cuffed behind him.

  “Shut up, or I’ll make it worse,” David said softly, and put his large boot up by the man’s mouth.

  Clay smiled. He knew David was a good guy, but he got the sense David was in love with Mary. When he’d talked about her, his face had fairly glowed. That was between him and Mary. If she cared about David, that was all that mattered. He knew Howard had loved his wife enough to want her to be safe and happy.

  Earl came back in, a huge smile on his face. He’d brought rope with him.

  “Figured we’d tie up their feet. Don’t want them runnin’ away afore we git to the fun part,” he sniggered.

  He went over to each man and looped the rope so it would hinder their strides. Then David and Clay picked each man up, taking them by the arm and leading them at a slow shuffle out the door. Earl ran ahead to the truck and put down the tailgate. Clay and David picked the men up in turn and slung them into the bed of the tuck, eliciting a scream from the injured man.

  “I’ll sit back here with them, make sure they don’t try anything funny,” David volunteered.

  “Sounds good. Come on, Earl, get in the truck,” Clay said.

  “Don’t gotta tell me twice,” he laughed.

  Clay pulled away from the building and accelerated fast. He wanted to get these men to the coal mine quickly. Harry and Boggy might need them. He pulled out onto the main drag and sped up. His heart was racing, and he felt exhilaration at the knowledge that he and Katie could live as husband and wife, free from this bastard’s tyranny.

  The loss of power had been brutal on everyone, there was no doubt, but Yates and his ilk had compounded the problems, causing fear and mistrust and death. They had exacerbated an already horrendous situation.

  He and Audrey had destroyed the town with their notion of paradise. Surely anything built on hate could not stand for long. He and the remaining people would make sure that Yates and his kind never took hold of their town again.

  Earl was quiet in the truck. He kept looking around.

  “You okay, Earl?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I’m just watching to make sure no one stops us, Clay. We need ta make sure this animal is put down fir good.”

  “You see anyone in our way that wants to stop us, just wave hello to them with your AR15,” Clay grinned.

  Earl sniggered, and smacked Clay on the shoulder. Clay slowed down for a turn, then sped up once more. He kept checking his mirror but saw no movements from David. Then he made the final turn that led to the mine. Clay pulled up to the opening and pointed the headlights to the cage. He and Earl got out, and David jumped down from the back of the truck.

  Clay walked over and opened the tailgate and they pulled the men out by their ankles. They were still hobbled. David took the injured man and led him to the cage. Clay and Earl grabbed a now-struggling Yates and dragged him to the cage as well.

  “What the hell, Clay? What are you playing at?” Yates shouted. Clay didn’t answer until he’d shoved Yates in beside the other man and closed the cage. Earl went to the controls, David standing with him.

  “I’m sending you into hell, Danny, the same place where you sent women and children. You’ll spend the rest of your short life down there, in the dark and alone. Well, almost alone.”

  “What? What the hell. Take these cuffs off! You can take us out of town and drop us off. We won’t come back,” the man cried, looking from Yates to Clay.

  Clay nodded, and David and Earl started lowing the cage.

  “No, you’ll both die of either thirst or starvation. Or maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll fall down into a deep hole. You know, instant death,” Clay said.

  “Then kill us now, Clay, kill us now,” Sheriff Yates pleaded, his voice high with panic.

  David laughed. “Sheriff, I hope your death is a long and painful one. You hurt so many people. You killed loved ones without regard or care for your actions. Die slowly, Danny, die slowly.”

  “Bye, asshole,” Earl called, and laughed as the cage lowered out of sight.

  Both the injured man and Yates screamed from below, their voices fading. Their voices growing fainter, until the screech of the gears overpowering them. Then the gears stoppe
d. Clay and the other two men stood near the opening, but they could hear nothing. If the men were screaming, it didn’t reach them.

  “Oh dang, how is they gonna git outta that cage? Their hands are cuffed behind them,” Earl laughed suddenly.

  “I guess they aren’t,” David grunted.

  Clay spat down into the hole. He looked at David and smiled. “Rest in peace, Howard. We’ve avenged your murder.”

  “Amen,” David and Earl said together.

  ֍

  Harry had parked his truck a quarter mile from the bed and breakfast. Boggy and Wilber got out of the truck cab, while Bill and Richard climbed out of the back. Harry looked around, but there was no movement on the street. He could see candles flickering in windows, but only from a few houses. The rest were dark and quiet.

  Boggy walked around the truck, carrying a bag of dynamite sticks and blasting caps. The other men gathered around. Harry looked at them. He knew Wilber and Boggy could handle themselves, but he didn’t know about Bill and Richard.

  “Bill, since I don’t know you or Richard, you’ll be our backup. You’ll watch our six,” Harry said.

  “Watch your what?” Bill asked.

  “It means you watch our asses,” Wilber snorted in disgust.

  “Oh, sorry,” Bill said.

  “Clay and his group should join us, so don’t shoot them. Also, don’t forget about Boney. Stay down, stay quiet,” Harry ordered.

  Both the new men nodded, their faces illuminated with fear. Harry knew they were afraid – they were all afraid – but they were more afraid of living in this hell. It had to end, and it had to end now.

  In the distance, they saw headlights, and the group froze. Everyone disappeared into the trees or behind abandoned vehicles. Harry pulled his Glock. He saw Boggy take out his Ruger. Silently, everyone waited. The truck slowed down and drew closer. Then Harry stepped from the trees and holstered his weapon.

  Boggy followed, then Wilber. The truck pulled up beside the group. Boney leaned out and grinned.