“Oh, and if you’re thinking of killing me in my sleep. Don’t. I’ve got a contingency plan that’s just waiting to kick in.” He laughed loudly and she seethed.
Chapter Thirteen
Some thought it would be a walk in the park, they were wrong.
The escaped group referred to as the hunters had been spotted in the city of Arcata. Scouts were sent out every day to nearby towns with the sole purpose of giving the city a heads-up on approaching trouble. They weren’t to engage but to stay hidden and report back by walkie-talkie on anything that looked out of the ordinary. Arcata, the second largest city in Humboldt, was located on the north side of the bay. It was a short fifteen-minute journey. Its colorful buildings were visible from afar on a clear day. Known as the home for Humboldt State University, the city of eighteen thousand had always had a vibrant and youthful appeal to it. Of course, that was before the collapse. Now, like Eureka it was a shell of its former self. In the four months since the power grid went down, rumors of gangs and aggressive refugees had abounded. It was hard to know what to believe anymore.
Before Colby had agreed to go on runs, it had always been the militia venturing out. After they were gone, it was left to volunteers and police, and all manner of rumors spread. Some said they were started just to make those who went out seem more courageous than they really were, others said it was to give them stories to tell around the fire at night. Truth be told, only those who ventured out knew. For the longest time, supply runs were only conducted in the six largest incorporated cities: Arcata, Blue Lake, Ferndale, Fortuna, Rio Dell and Trinidad.
Colby hadn’t been on runs to all of them. He also never knew where he was going until it was time to leave. That’s why Rachel had been so up in arms when he told the council he’d taken his group into a different county.
Colby stared at the AR-15 in his hands. He surveyed the bay as they headed north on Highway 101. His mind circled back to the past, to Skye, to life before leaving Humboldt then back to what his mother had said to Alicia. Everyone in the truck was focused and serious. They knew the danger every time they stepped outside the gates. There was a good chance they might not return. It was the reason why so few volunteered to go on supply runs. Him, well, the journey up from L.A. had taught him to stay vigilant. All manner of things could go wrong. That’s why Johnson had approved him going out. He said he was cut from a different cloth than the locals. Colby didn’t agree.
“Apparently Arcata is a ghost town,” Zeke said loudly over the noise of the engine. “Most headed to the FEMA camps, the rest came to Eureka because their city council felt it was better to align themselves with us than to try and go it alone.” For Colby, it had been years since he’d ventured into Arcata. The Plaza, which was the central hub of the town, was in ruins. The shops, boutiques and restaurants that once lined the Plaza had been looted, sprayed with graffiti and trashed. The statue of President McKinley was down. Someone had taken a truck and tied a big chain to the statue and pulled it off the concrete block. The lawn with pristine flower beds that once attracted hundreds of people at the height of summer looked like a farmer had tilled it.
As they got closer, Kenzo rose to his feet and began barking orders.
“Why was he put in charge?”
“Asher approved the trip. Said he was best suited to lead this.”
“I bet he did.” Colby looked at Kenzo. He didn’t know much about him but he had a good feel for a person’s character and the way he stepped up to Jessie, he clearly thought he was a level above everyone. “What do you know about him?”
Zeke liked to dig into people’s business. He was known for asking too many questions. Why? Who? When? His natural curiosity for life had helped the family tremendously. “Well, I did some asking around. New face and all. Especially when they put a stranger in charge of us. Apparently Asher and his wife adopted him from Japan when he was eight. He came from an abusive family.” He nudged Colby as Kenzo walked to the far end and got on the radio to speak with the other truck. Standing right in front of him, Colby could see scars peeking out from beneath his shirt collar. Kenzo returned to his seat. “I don’t know how much truth there is to this, but apparently his father took him, his sister and their mother out to Japan’s suicide forest with the intent of killing them and then hanging himself. He hung the sister and mother, but for some reason opted to douse Kenzo in gasoline and set him on fire. Batshit crazy, right?” Zeke went quiet as Kenzo looked their way. Had he heard?
Once he turned away, Zeke continued. “Anyway, he survived with third-degree burns. Some hiker found him. After getting out of the hospital he was placed into an orphanage and that’s where Asher and his wife come into the picture. International adoption. They paid for corrective surgery. Not that it’s helped his face. Ugly bastard.”
His face wasn’t burned.
“Damn.”
“Yeah, and I thought we had issues with our folks.”
“Zeke, who told you all of this?”
He leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Jules.”
“One of the council? How do you know her?”
He smiled, his eyes as wide as dollar coins.
“Oh, you’re kidding,” Colby said.
Zeke shrugged. “What can I say? She’s one a hell of a woman.”
“Yeah, and she’s ten years older than you.”
“I like a woman with experience.”
Dylan was listening and smirked. “More like she’s the only one that paid you
