Unraveling (After The End #1), Page 4

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  Lily’s bladder was screaming for a break after little more than an hour on the road. She was still almost two hours from her destination, but she couldn’t wait. There was a freeway exit for a tiny little town called Haven, so she pulled off to the only gas station. Lily took a moment to text Ethan about her unplanned stop before getting out. Hutch poked his head forward hopefully.

  “Not yet, baby. Let Mommy pee, and then I’ll take you for a walk.” She left the engine running for the A/C and took the backpack and remote, locking the SUV. The bathroom was around the side, and not too filthy, though she didn’t actually sit on the seat. When she was finished, she washed her hands and left, returning to the SUV to retrieve Hutch for the promised walk.

  The dog bounded out eagerly, and she took him for a walk around the perimeter of the parking lot. He finished quickly, and she turned back to the SUV. To her surprise, two men stood behind her car, peering in at her things without even a hint of subtlety.

  Lily hung back for a moment, deciding if she had reason to fear them. They were both big men, dressed in denim and flannel, despite the heat, with a menacing air. The handgun in the backpack was suddenly too far away as their appraising gaze fell on her.

  “Hello, little lady,” said the smaller one, though that wasn’t saying much. He was probably still at least six foot and three hundred pounds. “We was just admirin’ your stash.”

  She didn’t get any closer. “You never know what you’ll need for a camping trip.”

  “And it’s just you on the trip, ma’am?” asked the bigger one, who was probably three inches taller and another twenty-five pounds heavier than his companion.

  She didn’t answer. “Excuse me, but I need to get back on the road.”

  “Maybe you could give us a lift,” asked Smaller.

  Lily looked at the truck sitting at the pumps that hadn’t been there when she arrived. “What’s wrong with yours?”

  “Nothin’. That truck is ready for anything, but we’re light on supplies for the C-M-E.” Larger said it so casually, as though anyone would know what he meant. Lily just happened to be one who did. “We’re thinking you look pretty set, at least for a while.” His appraising look turned her breasts. “About the only thing you’re missing is male companionship.” Smirking, he added, “I guess we’d be giving you a ride. You can squeeze in between us.” They both snickered in juvenile fashion.

  “My husband isn’t far behind me.” How she hoped that was true.

  Smaller chortled. “Sure he is, darlin’.” They traded a nasty look. “You aren’t going to give us any trouble, are you?”

  She scowled. “You can’t just take someone. There are still laws.”

  “For a bit,” acknowledged Larger, “But you know that’s gonna go to shit when the storm hits.”

  Lily didn’t agree or disagree. Instead, she opened her mouth and shouted for help as they came closer.

  “Go on, darlin’. Let’s see that pretty mouth,” said Smaller. “No one’s going to help you. We took care of the old man running the store when he didn’t want to give us all his water.”

  She took several steps back as they eased forward. Hutch was pressed against her leg, shivering, and she wished she had a moment to soothe him. She also wished she had put the handgun in her waistband or something, and vowed it wouldn’t leave her body again if she got out of this mess.

  As she unzipped the backpack with clumsy fingers, Hutch emitted a sound she had never heard before. It was a low, lethal growl. She looked down in surprise to find his fur standing on end and his teeth displayed prominently. His posture was a clear warning to the men who meant her harm, and they were smart enough to hang back for a second.

  That gave her time to get the gun out of the backpack. Fumbling, Lily pointed it at them, knowing she was forgetting something. They stared at each other for a tense minute, each assessing the other side.

  Larger let out a loud laugh. “Know what I think, brother?” The smaller one shook his head. “I think she’s all bluster, and so is the mutt. The pair of them look like they’ve lived a comfy city life. She isn’t going to shoot us, and that dog won’t bite.” He gave Hutch a dark look. “If he does, we’ll add him to the supplies. Might get desperate enough to eat a lab before it’s over.”

  Smaller licked his lips. “Might get desperate enough to eat you, little lady. In more ways than one.” He guffawed at his own dirty joke.

  She thumbed the safety, realizing that was what she had forgotten. The handgun clicked when she readied it to fire. “Back off, or I will shoot you. Hutch will chomp your asses. It wouldn’t be the first time for either of us.” The words were complete crap, but empowering nonetheless. When they still didn’t move, she took careful aim for a spot near Smaller’s foot, intent on firing a warning shot.

  The gun had more kick than she’d remembered, and her wrist jerked while pain seared up her arm when she fired. Smaller let out a low cry, and she stifled her own cry of dismay to see blood blossoming through his jeans, midway down his calf.

  Larger lunged toward her, and Hutch acted completely against his typical personality. He launched himself at the other man, hitting his chest with a solid thunk of flesh against flesh. Her dog snarled viciously and ripped into Larger’s shoulder, making him scream in agony as he tried to pry him off.

  He hit her baby with his fist right on top of the head, making Hutch whimper, but he still kept his teeth firmly lodged in the nasty flesh. Motherly instincts stirred, and she stomped over to the fallen man, calling Hutch off with a sharp command. Standing over him, she held the gun even with his crotch. “You’re going to die today if you even think about moving before we get in the SUV and get out of here.”

  The crunch of gravel made her look away for a quick second, and her heart soared at the sight of Ethan’s sports car pulling into the lot. Hutch’s growl quickly returned her attention to the man on the ground, who had lifted his hand during her distraction. “Do you think I’m kidding?”

  He shook his head, looking nervous—and in pain, just like his brother, who had curled up into a ball of misery nearby, cradling his wounded leg. “No, ma’am.”

  Ethan was running when he reached her. “What the hell happened?” He reached for the handgun, and she gladly relinquished it.

  “These two scumbags either hurt or killed the storeowner and had decided they would highjack our supplies, along with taking me prisoner.” Lily glared at them. “I disagreed.”

  “Look, it was just a misunderstanding.”

  “When I go check on the old man in the store, am I going to misunderstand what I find?” asked Lily, drawing on her inner Ripley. She wasn’t really badass, but they didn’t know it. And she had a glimmer of the future, where she could be badass…where she’d have to be in order to survive and to keep her family safe.

  He looked away.

  “Lily, go check on the man and grab some rope to tie them up.”

  She ran into the store, hating to leave him alone with them, but reassured by Hutch still at his side, looking as fierce as ever. Who knew her baby had it in him? She was proud of both of them. She had been a badass mother too.

  Her self-congratulating ended when she saw the old man slumped over the counter. It was pointless to check his pulse, but she did anyway, despite the large bullet hole in his temple. Blood had spread on the counter, and she slapped her hand over her mouth, the gruesome sight fueling the first round of nausea she’d experienced since discovering her pregnancy.

  After a minute, she turned to get the rope Ethan had asked for. A quick search yielded a surprising array of mishmash on the shelves. When she saw three bottles of prenatal vitamins, she stuffed them in the backpack, along with all the analgesics and the bandages. The only rope she could find was for clotheslines, but she took it, along with zip ties, and ran back to the parking lot.

  Ethan handed her the gun and went to tie up the two men, zipping their hands and feet individually before twisting the rope
between the plastic makeshift cuffs, and then winding the cord around them to bind them together. He moved with quick efficiency and confidence, giving her the first peek she’d ever seen of the solider he’d been.

  “Do you have a cell phone?” he asked Larger after securing him. When the big man refused to answer, he shrugged. “I don’t have to call the cops. It doesn’t matter to me if you want to be out in the blazing sun with both of you bleeding. Someone will eventually come along.”

  With a glower, Larger nodded toward their old truck. Lily went over to it, opening the cab and quickly finding a cell phone on the dashboard. Glancing in the back, she saw several spare engine parts. Intrigued, she took the phone back to her husband and walked a bit closer to the men. “Earlier, you said your truck was ready for anything. What did you mean?” When they didn’t answer, she asked, “Is it hardened?”

  “Stupid bitch,” growled Smaller. “It’s too old to be affected, and we got spare parts if the C-M-E screws with the system.” He glared at her SUV. “You’re going to be sitting in the water with that pretty piece of expensive shit, and we’re going to be right behind you. When we catch up with you, you’re going to be sorry you were ever born.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “Give me the key.” Ethan walked over to stand behind her. “Give it.” She kicked Smaller in the injured calf, making him squeal in agony. Drawing back her foot, she said, “Give me the key.”

  Larger grunted. “Can’t give it to you, bitch. You tied us up.”

  “Actually my husband did. Which one of you has it on you?” She grimaced at Larger. “You seem like the controlling type, so I’ll bet you always drive.” Turning to look at Ethan, she said, “Please keep the gun on him while I go looking for his keys.” Her husband looked skeptical, but didn’t argue when she knelt to gingerly poke his pockets. The bulge of keys in the left pocket was a bit too close to his own bulge for her comfort, but she made herself slip in a finger to dig them out. “This is as close as you’re going to be to getting lucky for the rest of your miserable life.” Standing up, she clutched the keys.

  “Now what?” asked Smaller. “Did you call for help?”

  “Yeah, though it’s going to be a while. The cops from Ellensburg will be here to arrest your asses as soon as they can.” Ethan tossed their cell phone on the dirt near them, leaving it open. “They can track the signal, at least until the solar flare.” He rolled his eyes with the sarcastic comment.

  Lily frowned at him, annoyed that he still didn’t believe anything could happen. Even his decision to follow her was to appease her, or maybe even to gently point out she’d been wrong. Still, at least he was here now. “Help me transfer the stuff from the SUV to their GMC.”

  Ethan blinked. “Huh?”

  “Their vehicle might withstand an EMP. Mine definitely won’t.” Lily didn’t wait for a response as she strode over to their truck to climb inside. It fired up right away, and she was pleased they seemed to have taken better care of their vehicle than their bodies. When she brought it to the SUV, Ethan was still staring where she’d left him, mouth agape. With a sigh, she opened the SUV and began shifting things into the back of the truck.

  “What are you doing, Lily?” He came over, taking one of the boxes she’d just loaded and putting it back in her SUV. “You can’t just take their truck.”

  “Ethan, you don’t get it. None of that stuff is going to matter in the near future. Within several hours, the police will be too busy with real crimes to worry about someone who stole a shit-heap GMC truck.”

  He sounded exasperated. “I’m willing to indulge this nonsense, to a point, but I draw the line at grand theft auto.”

  “I love that game,” said Smaller.

  Lily actually grinned at his contribution. “I’ve never played it,” she said before turning back to Ethan. “Okay, you can follow behind in your sports car, until it dies. Maybe we’ll make it to…our location…before the superstorm, but if we don’t, I’d like to have a backup that doesn’t require walking for days.” She continued loading. “Come with me or don’t, but I’m taking the truck.” Looking at the men, she said, “You don’t mind trading, do you?”

  Larger glowered, but Smaller shook his head, his gaze on the gun Ethan still held. “No, ma’am.”

  “Didn’t think so,” she said with a sunny smile, though inside she was a little appalled at how well she was pulling off this end-of-the-world persona, taking it all in stride. She had a feeling she’d be collapsed in a heap and recovering from shock for at least a week after the adrenaline wore off.

  After a moment, he surprised her by helping to move the last of the things to the truck. Hutch came over to press against her leg, and she bent down to look him over. His eyes looked the same size, and he seemed alert, but they’d have to keep an eye on him to make sure Larger hadn’t hurt him badly with that fist to the head.

  “You aren’t going to insist we be good little citizens and wait for the cops?” she asked as he returned from his car, having retrieved his laptop bag. It would be a top-of-the-line paperweight in a few hours, but she didn’t remind him of that.

  He shrugged. “What’s the point, if you’re right?”

  “You can’t just leave us out here like this,” whined Smaller.

  “Consider yourself lucky.” Lily glared at him. “You could be lying dead like that poor old man in the store.” She climbed into the driver’s seat, not offering Ethan the option of driving, and spent a moment studying it. Though it had been years since Kenny taught her how to drive a stick, it all came back soon enough. They were on the road in no time.