He pushed us toward the hallway. We only made it behind the wall as the explosion shattered the front windows. The power from the blast threw us to the floor.
Screams and cries filled the air as the floor shook vigorously. After it stopped, Caleb helped us to our feet and hurried us down the long hallway past the numbered rooms.
“We have to get out of here,” Caleb said looking upward guiding us toward the door at the far end of the hall.
People behind us were calling for help. Begging for someone to get the doctor to save them.
“What about them?” I asked looking over my shoulder.
“They’ll have to figure it out,” Caleb said. “We don’t have time to help everyone.”
“They could die,” I said just as another explosion crashed somewhere else in the town.
Jenna whimpered. “We could die.”
“I know,” I said. My throat was so dry it was making it hard to breathe.
Robby was out there. I had no idea if he was alive… if he would come back to me. And even if he was alive, would he find me?
We stepped outside into the back parking lot. The dampness and chilly air forced me to cough sharply.
People were running this way and that, trying to stay hidden in the shadows. A man grabbed Caleb’s shoulders. There was blood dripping down the side of his face and his eyes were so glassy he appeared intoxicated.
“You have to hide!” he said in a loud whisper. “They’re here. They’re killing everyone.”
The guy let go of Caleb and ran off into the darkness. Caleb looked even more concerned as he looked around, trying to figure out which way we needed to go to find Marcus’s building.
“Where are Rex’s men?” Caleb asked without expecting an answer.
“I’ll wait here for Robby,” I said attempting to plant my feet into the pavement.
“The hell you will,” Caleb said easily jerking me forward. “Robby wouldn’t want that. He’d kill me if I left you here alone.”
“Come on, Joss,” Jenna said clasping her hands together as she pleaded with me.
I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn’t leave Robby but I couldn’t leave Caleb either.
“He’ll come,” Caleb said turning to look at me. “Maybe he’s already there.”
We turned a corner and a man grabbed Caleb, turning his body so he was facing Jenna and me. There was no hesitation before he pulled the trigger.
Caleb’s eyes bulged with fear and confusion before turning lifeless. The man with the gun unsympathetically let his body flop to the ground with a heavy thud.
Had someone screamed? Had it been me?
I had to be dreaming. What I’d just seen… couldn’t have been real.
The gunman took a quick step forward and pressed the end of the barrel to Jenna’s head. She reached over and took my hand.
“No!” I screamed in the man’s face. I’d barely noticed Clover jumping from my arms.
“Wait!” a voice from behind the man said. “Keep these two. They’ll make good prisoners for us.”
The gunman shook his head stiffly. “No prisoners. Those are the orders.”
“Look at them,” the second guy said. “We need more like these two. They’ll approve and if not, we’ll take care of it. Bring them to Arnie.”
“You bring them to Arnie,” the gunman snapped.
As they argued about who was going to do what, I bent over and picked up a rock twice the size of a softball. With both hands, I slammed it into the side of the gunman’s head.
He turned his gun toward me and his eyes rolled back. My body shook with the pop of the gun. I was almost certain I’d been hit. In fact, I was shocked when I hadn’t fallen to the ground like Caleb had. It was like I was just waiting for the second my legs would give out.
“What the hell?” the guy said turning to me.
I still had this rock but I couldn’t get it up before the second guy aimed his gun at me. Before I could tell Jenna to run, a gunshot rang out.
26
Adam
I shook Leah. Her eyes popped open instantly but she looked confused.
“Adam?” she said my name inside a sharp breath.
“They’re coming,” I said. “We need to go. Where is the bag?”
“I hid it,” Leah said as she sat up and pulled on her shoes.
The knock at the door was loud. We both froze. It was too late. We couldn’t run.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“What do we do?” Leah asked. “Climb out the window?”
“I don’t think we’ll get far. That could be worse for us if they catch us,” I said.
All the color had washed from Leah’s face. Our eyes met. She didn’t have to say it out loud… I could tell she was scared.
Whoever was outside our door knocked again. Leah stepped up beside me and I grabbed her hand.
“Open the door,” the male voice said. “We don’t want to break it down.”
Dammit. The door was the only thing protecting us from the outside world. We needed it. Especially considering we might have to run off with supplies from the resort.
We’d be stealing from them just like the town to the east had. If we’d get caught, I could only guess what they’d do to us and there probably wouldn’t be anything my dad could do to help us.
Leah followed me to the door. Her palm was sweaty but so was mine.
On the other side of the door was a clean-shaven man with hair that had been recently buzzed off. He wore sunglasses even though it was raining down on him and there was no sun.
“Your presence is required at the
