My dad was lonely. And he didn’t care who was there as long as someone was there.
I ran through the building to the front door. The sooner I could get into the shadows, the better.
But I didn’t make it into the darkness. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Eva had emerged from the darkness and stood in front of me. She held her umbrella over her head and scowled at me as the rain poured down over my head.
Her lips made a line across her face. “What are you doing here?”
21
Stevie
I pressed my teeth together. The tension in my jaw was so fierce I worried I might crack a tooth.
“You’ll never get away with this,” I spat with disgust. “You think you can just kill us all one by one?”
“Two by two, really,” Henry said. “We debated whether or not we should take three at a time. All we do now is go back and tell the others you made it safe and sound. You really made it easier for us since you decided to come with us. It makes the whole process so much easier.”
“They’ll know it’s a lie when I don’t return with you,” I replied.
Henry smirked. “Nah, you’re just so comfortable in your new home. You feel safe and warm. Why would you venture back out?”
“They’ll know I wouldn’t do that,” I said.
“You’re just going to take a small break,” Henry said. “Didn’t you ever take small breaks?”
My heart pounded inside my chest as I balled my hands into tight fists. I had no idea how I was going to defend myself against their guns.
“Who are you two?” I asked.
“You know those people to the north you’re worried about?” Henry asked. He held out his arms to each side. “We are them.”
Dammit.
I should have considered that possibility. How had I made such a careless mistake and put everyone in danger? I deserved whatever it was coming for me… although, the people back at the compound didn’t deserve what would happen to them next.
“Surviving is so easy,” Henry said.
His hands were at his sides — arms stiff and ready to do whatever he was trained to do. There was no escape for us. The area was mostly a wide-open space with a few bare trees scattered about.
“People are so gullible. All you have to do is tell them they’ll be saved and they’ll do anything, even if they have the greatest place left in the world. They always think there is something better,” Henry said. His lips curled and he chuckled softly. “It’s like taking candy from a baby.”
“So, you’re going to kill us?” Shawn asked.
“You’re not the brains of your operation, are you?” Henry asked.
The funny thing was, Shawn had been rather clever. I knew what he’d done in the past to earn money. He conned people. But maybe it was because he was charming… not because he was clever.
Shawn’s cheeks were red and it didn’t seem to be from the cold air. “They’ll figure it out. You won’t win this.”
“I think we will,” Henry said. “They’ll just keep thinking group after group makes it to safety. Everyone following blindly. Eventually, we’ll have complete control over your entire compound and all your supplies. I can’t wait to tell our group what we’ve found.”
“They don’t know,” I said, the words escaping softly from between my lips. It wasn’t a question… it was a statement.
The other people Henry and Clara worked for didn’t know what they’d found. At least, not yet. Which meant that if we could get away, there was hope for us.
A bright flash of lightning streaked the gray sky. Thunder rumbled for several seconds, shaking the earth harshly at the end of its roar.
There was a storm moving into the area. Henry’s brow raised as he looked up toward the sky.
“Guess we better get this show on the road,” he said.
Henry raised his gun and without much thought, I pushed Shawn as hard as I could. He stumbled and fell to the ground just as the shot rang out.
Shawn grabbed my hand and yanked me down with him. We rolled to the side and hid behind a massive tree. I placed my hand on the spongy bark and peeked out around the side.
Henry instantly shot again when he saw me.
I sucked in a breath as the bullet whistled past my face. His aim had been precise. I’d only barely been missed.
The sloppy footsteps in the mud were loud enough to give away their positions. They weren’t trying to hide from us so it probably didn’t matter to them.
Henry moved toward us from the left and Clara was coming from the right. I gestured toward a sizable log. Shawn reached forward and picked it up.
“Get down,” he whispered.
I crouched as he tightened his grip and swung the log back and forth, readying himself. He wouldn’t have a lot of time to swing.
Clara stepped into view from the other side. My fingers dug into Shawn’s calf.
Clara hesitated, knowing she’d caught us. Shawn took the opportunity to step away and swing the log into Henry’s face.
The gunshot was like a teen screaming at a horror movie. Blood splattered out from Shawn’s arm before he dropped the log.
He placed his hand over the wound. When he pulled it back, his fingers were coated in blood.
Clara grinned. “I never liked him anyway.”
I thought she was going to shoot us but she turned her gun toward Henry and shot him twice. Both times in the head.
Shawn started swinging the
