all.
Their destination, Bryce Valley City, was just off the state highway, and Sam could already see the sign for the turnoff just before the make-shift barrier. Unfortunately, the survivors had already seen them.
“Reverse,” said Sam.
“Yeah, I know,” replied Joshua, already wrestling with the gear box.
Too late, Sam spotted another group of survivors coming up behind them. It was a trap — a simple one, but all the best traps were. Up ahead, the first group were ambling towards the jeep, two of them dragging the crying girl between them.
“Stop your car and get out,” yelled a large man who had positioned himself in front the jeep.
Sam and Joshua exchanged looks. “Do what I do,” Sam whispered to him.
Josh shut off the engine and they climbed out cautiously. Sam left his weapons in their sheaths although his fingers ached to draw them. For his part, Joshua was armed with a baseball bat spiked with iron nails — an effective demon killer. Adam had explained he could not spare one of the machine guns and so had given him the weapon instead. Joshua kept the weapon in his hand but did not raise it. Many of these survivors were armed with hunting rifles and he was not about to provoke them.
As Sam and Joshua moved to the front of the jeep, Sam used the opportunity to assess the situation. Before him were five men; four had hunting rifles, although two of them had their hands full with the girl and had slung theirs over their backs. The leader — the large one who had spoken — had a shotgun. There were another four behind them, but only two had firearms. The others had improvised weapons like the one Joshua had in his hand. Nine to two. Seven to two if you discounted the ones with the girl. Still not very good odds.
The leader, a grizzled middle-aged man with a large paunch, eyed both boys. “Good to see some travellers around these parts,” he said, grinning. Two of his front teeth were missing. “Usually they scream when they see us. Often afterwards, too.”
“We’re just passing through,” said Sam.
“Well, you won’t be passing through here,” said the leader. “Have you seen the barricade, or are you blind?”
He laughed and his men laughed with them, although some of it sounded forced. A few of them were nervously eyeing up Sam. His large athletic build combined with his hood and the strapped-on swords made him an intimidating figure.
The leader stepped right up in front of Sam. He was a big man but Sam still topped him by a couple of inches. He stared Sam right in the eye and Sam got a wash of fetid breath. “So are you blind, boy?”
“No, sir,” said Sam, trying to suppress the urge to slice the man open. He needed to keep the situation as calm as possible.
“You will be in a minute when you find you can’t see your car.” He laughed, but this time none of the other men joined in. “Because we’re going to take it,” he explained to the others. They finally got it and sniggered half- heartedly.
“Right,”he ordered, “Steve, you grab the car. The rest of you search it and see if you can find anything useful. As you for,” he said eyeing up the swords on Sam’s back and hip, “we’ll take those nice-looking blades too.”
“No,” said Sam.
The man eyeballed him. “What did you say to me?”
“Did you not hear, or are you deaf? No,” said Sam again, shifting his feet ever so slightly.
The leader levelled his shotgun at him. “Give me the swords or I’ll put a hole in you so big, I’ll be able to drive this jeep through it.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam could see Josh watching him nervously. He gave him the stay calm signal with the palm of his hand. And then he moved. Fast.
It was over before it even began. Josh hadn’t seen how he’d done it, but suddenly Sam was behind the fat leader with his wakizashi at his throat. The terrified man hadn’t even had a chance to fire a shot.
“Stop, boys,” he yelled at his men as he saw them readying their weapons. “Don’t shoot.” He dropped his own weapon from suddenly nerveless fingers.
“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen now,” said Sam in his ear, quietly but enough to carry in the sudden silence. “Me and my friend are going to drive off down that road,” he said, nodding towards Bryce Valley City, “with my swords and everything in our jeep. And we’ll take the girl too. Do you understand?”
The man nodded very carefully, conscious of the razor sharp blade beneath his chin.
“You aren’t going to follow us and you’re certainly not going to shoot at us. Because, I’ll come back and I will be angry. Trust me when I say this: you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. Understand?”
The man nodded again, sweat running down his brow. A dark stain was spreading in the front of his pants.
Sam dragged him onto the battered rear of the jeep. The two men holding the teenage girl released her. She ran off and jumped into the passenger side of the jeep. Joshua got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. They drove off, the other rag-tag members of the gang watching helplessly as they took off with their leader.
When they were two miles down the turnoff to Bryce Valley, Sam ordered Joshua to stop on the side of the road. He kicked the fat man off the jeep where he lay sprawling in the dirt. The girl got out and kicked him, once, twice in the stomach. Sam flinched at her viciousness.
“And remember your promise,” said Sam, wagging a finger at him. “Don’t follow us.”
The man glared at him but kept silent. The girl kicked him again for good measure and then clambered back in the passenger seat. She still hadn’t said one word.
As they roared off down the road, Joshua started laughing.
“What?” asked Sam, slightly confused by his good humour.
“I can’t believe you said that.”
“What?”
“You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. Do you think you’re the hulk or something?” He laughed again.
Sam found himself smiling although he was just telling the man the truth. He wouldn’t like him when he was angry. No-one did.
Bryce Valley city wasn’t much of a city. In the tourist season, the population swelled to thousands. In the offseason, the residents numbered only one hundred and fifty six. Currently the population was six, not including Sam, Joshua and the girl they had rescued.
All six of them, the entire population, faced the three teenagers with loaded rifles.
The oldest of the men was carrying a heavy calibre machine gun. “Who did you say you were again?”
“I’m Joshua, this is Sam and this is, uh … “
“Grace,” said the girl.
“We’re from Black Ridge. Adam sent us. Told us to speak to Big Tom.”
The man nodded, stroking his silver beard. “That’s me alright.” He looked thoughtful. “Adam sent you, huh? He must have had good reason.” He turned to the five young men who were standing behind him. “Put your guns down, boys. If Adam said they were okay, then they must be. Blake, put the kettle on. Come on in,” he said to them, gesturing with his rifle.
He led the way into the stone block building. It was solidly built with iron bars on the windows and doors. It was also one of the few buildings still standing in the town. The others looked like they had burnt down.
Inside, the place was a veritable Aladdin’s cave. It must have been the general store before the Rapture, and shelves of supplies, mostly still full, were stacked up so high they touched the ceiling.
Big Tom led them to a large table and offered them chairs which they gratefully accepted. One of the young men, presumably Blake, set down a cup of coffee for each of them.
“So, what’s old Adam up to at the moment?”
Joshua shrugged. “The same as everyone else, I suppose. Trying to stay alive.”
“Why did he send you to me?”
“We need to get to Los Angeles,” said Sam.
Big Tom took a slurp of his coffee and looked at Sam sideways. “Why?”
“Adam thought it was important. Is that good enough for you?”
Big Tom chuckled. “You’ve got some balls, young man. Coming into my house and asking for my help without
