When they arrived at Hope’s Dawn, the gate was already open. The taillights on the car lit up and Jon slowed, as well. As they passed through the gate, Jon saw that not only was the gate open, but it had been broken. No one stood guard. The smoke they’d seen rose from one of the houses at the back of the camp. It had been set aflame.
Terrence stopped, leaving the car in the middle of the camp. He, Brooke, and Max all jumped out as Jon brought the motorcycle to a stop next to it. Brooke pointed to one of the houses ahead on the right. The camp had gathered outside in the yard. The group hurried that way.
Many from the settlement turned as they saw the group coming toward them. Hugo emerged from the crowd and met them.
“Hugo,” Brooke said, “what the hell happened?”
“It’s the Vultures,” he said. “They…”
He bowed his head, covering his eyes with his hand as tears came.
“What is it?” Terrence asked.
“Garrett… it’s Garrett. They shot him.”
Brooke covered her mouth. “Where is he? Is he in the house?” She tried to walk by Hugo, but he grabbed onto her arm.
“There isn’t anything we can do for him right now. We have other matters we need to discuss.”
“Like what?” Brooke asked.
Hugo sighed, lowering his eyes again and putting his hands on his hips. “They said they’re going to come back here and burn the rest of the place to the ground unless we meet their demands.”
“What are their demands?” Terrence asked.
Raising his head, Hugo’s eyes landed on Jon. The others followed his gaze as he licked his lips, shaking his head.
“They want him.”
28
Jon, Hugo, and Terrence walked in silence as they went to gather in Terrence’s living room, away from the rest of the people of Hope’s Dawn. Brooke had decided to go check on Garrett, assuring the three men that she would meet up with them as soon as she could.
Hugo and Terrence sat down on the couch while Jon opted to remain standing. He crossed his arms and paced back and forth, taking only a few steps each way before turning around.
“What exactly happened?” Terrence asked, finally breaking the silence. “I can fill Brooke in on the details later.”
Hugo put his elbows on his knees, leaning over as he exhaled. “They just showed up out of nowhere. Brought one of those big transport trucks they’ve got. Jess was guarding the front gate and was ready to open it, but the truck didn’t slow down. They drove straight through, nearly taking Jess out in the process. Fortunately, she dove away in time, and she’s fine.
“About a dozen people, mostly men, got out of the truck. They all had weapons. Guns, bats, knives. Everyone was armed. The leader, Judah, was the last one to step out. He came forward with one helluva smile on his face and called Garrett out. And with that bald head and goatee, the dude looks crazy. Like a skinhead or something.”
The description matched the man who Jon had fought with at his cabin. The man who had burned it to the ground. Jon’s jaw tightened.
Clearing his throat, Hugo continued. “Garrett came out to see what was going on. I was already outside playing with my kids. I sent them inside with my wife Rosa and joined Garrett.
“Garrett remained calm, not raising a fuss about the fact that those assholes had just destroyed our gate. He simply asked what was going on, and Judah came right out with it. All he said was, ‘I know he’s here.’”
Both men looked at Jon, who caught their gaze. He stopped pacing and took a seat in a nearby chair.
Hugo shrugged. “Garrett acted like he didn’t know who Judah was talking about, and Judah laughed as he moved closer to Garrett. He put his hand on Garrett’s shoulder, then punched him in the stomach. We all gasped, but the Vultures reminded them they all had weapons and not to try anything stupid.”
The three men turned when they heard the front door open. Brooke entered, her face red from having been crying.
“How is he?” Terrence asked.
Brooke shook her head. “Not good. Dennis and Beth are doing all they can, but they just aren’t sure. There isn’t really anything we can do right now.”
“Jesus,” Terrence said, putting his head into his hand.
“Keep going,” Jon said to Hugo stoically.
“Judah only gave Garrett a moment to catch his breath before he lifted his head up. He looked at me and I thought for sure he was going to ask me the same question. But then he repeated it to Garrett instead. Garrett again said he didn’t know what Judah was talking about, so this time he punched him in the face.”
Brooke eased into a chair, coming into the story late even as her face showed the shock of what she was hearing.
“It just got crazy from there, man. They started to scare people. I did all I could to keep everyone calm, but it was insanity. The Vultures scattered, a few of them eventually making their way to one of our storage houses and lighting it on fire.
“Then, with everyone screaming, all the Vultures but Judah loaded back into the truck. He told Garrett that he had twenty-four hours to turn ‘The Savage,’ as he called you, over to him or he was going to come back and burn all of Hope’s Dawn to the ground.
“He seemed like he was gonna leave, but after he stepped a few feet away, he turned around to Garrett again and shot him in the stomach. I hurried over to Garrett and Judah approached me. He aimed the gun at me and said, ‘Hopefully this gets the point across. But if he dies, I hope that you make better choices when you’re in charge.’ Then he loaded back into the truck and left.”
Other than labored breathing, only silence was heard for several moments. Terrence finally spoke up.
“So, what do we do?”
Jon
