The Day After Never - Nemesis (Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller - Book 9) Read online

  “Sure. We’ll be along shortly. Scott’s horse is limping. Need to check its shoes.”

  “Be quick about it,” Elijah snapped. “I’m starving.”

  Benjamin watched him ride off, pushing past the fighters who’d been spared their companions’ fate and charging along the trail, heedless of any risk. That lack of self-awareness had been evident the entire trip back to Denver, where Elijah was determined to try to raise another army – which Benjamin believed would prove to be impossible. But Benjamin had kept his thoughts to himself, anxious to remain in good favor with Elijah so that he might live out the rest of his life in comfort rather than incurring the preacher’s wrath and being exiled…or worse.

  Benjamin swung down from the saddle and moved to where Scott was also dismounting while one of the other men held his reins, and wondered again whether he’d escaped Hell at the battlefield only to endure Purgatory on Earth at the hands of his megalomaniacal master.

  * * *

  Snake lay in the tall grass beside Clint and Eddy, his rifle trained on the approaching riders. When the group stopped by the brook where Snake had been watering his horse only minutes before, Snake whispered to Clint, never taking his sights off the men.

  “What do you think?”

  “Three against four, but we’ve got the element of surprise. Should be a piece of cake.”

  Snake nodded. “You want to wait until the horses are at the creek, or take them now?”

  “At the creek. I’ll creep over to that tree so we can catch them in a crossfire. Eddy, stay here and wait for my signal.”

  “What signal?” Eddy asked.

  “You’ll know it when it happens,” Clint snarled, and crawled away, leaving his brother and the ex-Crew boss to watch the horsemen.

  The ride west had taken longer than Snake had hoped. The trail left by Shangri-La had been difficult to pick up at times and kept testing Clint’s and Eddy’s tracking skills. Fortunately it hadn’t rained and wiped out the evidence of the group’s passing, but even so there had been a number of false starts, and everyone’s nerves were frayed from living hardscrabble on the trail, foraging for whatever they could hunt or scavenge. They’d managed to ambush two raiders almost a week earlier and had replenished their ammo and dry stock with the contents of the thieves’ saddlebags, but other than that, they hadn’t seen anyone on the journey since departing the hot springs until this bunch.

  Snake didn’t have a plan for fulfilling the Illuminati’s mandate, but he figured he could wing it once he saw where Shangri-La had settled and what defenses they’d mounted. He’d been loath to hire more mercenaries after signing the brothers on – doing so would mean more mouths to feed and possible discontent the longer the hunt dragged on. Clint and Eddy seemed fine with riding as far as it took and didn’t seem to have any problem with spending months in the saddle as long as the pay was good. Snake had given each a single gold coin from his stash after they’d set out, with another promised when their mission had been successfully concluded.

  The current ambush was a welcome reprieve from the boredom that had set in, and none of them had the slightest compunction about killing the four horsemen where they stood. In the wild it was the law of the jungle, and Snake and the brothers were determined to be the alpha predators whenever anyone came into sight. It was either that or be someone else’s victim, and all were sufficiently hardened to where a few more murders to sustain their journey barely gave them pause.

  “Hold your fire,” Snake cautioned, when Eddy exhaled impatiently.

  “What’s with the dude in the robe?” Eddy asked.

  “Who knows? Not our problem,” Snake snapped, irritated at the nervous chatter. He kept his rifle pointed at the nearest of the men, the tiny beads of perspiration glistening on his shaved head, lending the tattoos across his crown a slick sheen.

  Rifle fire exploded from Clint’s hiding place, and the riders dove for the ground. The nearest tumbled backward, a red blossom spreading across his chest as he fell. Snake and Eddy squeezed off a half dozen shots, but the tall grass that had worked to conceal them was now obstructing their aim, and Snake cursed under his breath and held off on wasting ammunition as Eddy took potshots at anywhere the grass moved.

  A head popped up, and Snake aligned his sights on it and fired, and was rewarded by a spray of bright crimson arcing through the fading sunlight. He grinned at the vision, his ears ringing from his rifle’s report, and waited for another target to present itself, the AK-47 warm in his hands. Eddy stopped shooting, and the clearing fell silent. The tension in the air was palpable as they waited for the remaining riders to make their move.

  Moments later, Clint’s voice rang out.

  “Show yourselves with your weapons in the air and we won’t shoot,” he called.

  Snake smirked at the obvious lie. Of course they would gun down the remaining two without mercy – there was no reason to hesitate and nothing to be gained by allowing anyone to walk away. But Clint was offering a slim if illusory hope, and with half their number dead in seconds, it was always possible that the survivors would fall for the trap.

  “How do we know you won’t shoot us?” a voice called from the grass.

  “You don’t,” Clint replied. “But we’ve got you surrounded. You don’t give up, you’re dead for certain.”

  “You have no idea what you’ve done,” a second voice yelled. “You’ll pay for this.”

  Snake looked over at Eddy, who shrugged. The warning was a new one on them, but talk was cheap, and the survivors were outnumbered and sitting ducks, whatever action they took.

  “Go on. Show yourselves,” Clint urged. “This is your only chance.”

  After a moment of hesitation, one of the riders slowly straightened, his gun held aloft so they could see it.

  “What about the other one?” Snake called.

  “He’s hit,” the standing man said. “He can’t get up.”

  Clint stepped from behind the tree, his weapon trained on the rider. “Toss it aside,” he ordered. Eddy scrambled to his feet, and Snake joined him as the rider hurled his rifle a few meters to his right. Clint’s face twisted into an ugly grin, and his rifle barked twice. The rounds caught the unarmed man in the abdomen, and he let loose a bloodcurdling scream as his hands flew to the wounds, groping at his stomach. His knees buckled and he sank as though in slow motion into the grass, gurgling faintly as he fought for breath.

  Clint was turning to where Snake and Eddy were standing when the crack of a rifle exploded from the trees and Clint’s skull vaporized in a shower of blood and brains. Snake froze at the sight as Eddy threw himself to the ground, and then a new voice rang out.

  “Freeze or you’re next.”

  Snake snuck a sidelong glance at where Eddy had disappeared into the grass. The younger brother was already dog-crawling away, the image of his brother executed only meters away apparently enough to take the fight out of him. Snake had no choice but to obey the shooter’s command, and he remained motionless, rifle pointed at the sky.

  “Drop the gun. Sidearm too,” the voice instructed.

  Snake played for time to give Eddy a decent chance of escaping, and slowly lowered the rifle before tossing it aside. He moved with deliberation and unbuckled his gun belt before holding it aloft so the shooter could see it, and then let it fall to the ground.

  “I’m unarmed,” he said.

  “Tell your buddy to show himself.”

  Snake looked around, hands in the air. “He bugged out. I don’t see him.”

  Silence greeted his words, and then Snake heard the soft thump of hooves from the forest behind him. Eddy had gotten to the horses and taken off.

  “How many of you are there?” the shooter demanded.

  “Just me now,” Snake replied, a dozen scenarios playing in his head.

  Quiet descended over the area, and then three men with assault rifles stepped into view.

  “Elijah! Where are you?” the speaker called out while the other t
wo approached Snake, staying low in the grass to minimize themselves as targets in the event Snake wasn’t being truthful.

  “Over here,” Elijah said. “Jake’s…dead.”

  “What about the others?”

  “I think they’re hit.”

  “You okay?”

  The man in the robe appeared from the tall grass and glared at Snake, eyes burning with fury. “Yes. This…animal…shot them in cold blood,” he said, raising his rifle.

  Snake exhaled and returned the man’s stare with indifference. If this is the way it was to end, so be it. He wasn’t going to go out begging like a girl or crying like a baby.

  “I have gold with me,” Snake said. “And more where that came from.”

  Elijah closed the distance between them, his stare never leaving Snake’s. When he reached him, he looked Snake up and down.

  Snake nodded slowly. “I said I have gold,” he repeated. “Some on me. Much more stashed.”

  “Really?” Elijah said. “Then why did you bushwhack us?”

  Snake glanced away and was readying an answer when the stock of Elijah’s rifle caught him in the temple. Snake’s knees buckled and the sky pinwheeled, and the light went out of his eyes.

  Chapter 3

  Provo, Utah

  The council was gathered in their meeting area in the basement of the theater, with Elliot as their guest. The men’s faces were grim and Elliot’s was drawn, the skin seeming to hang from the bone without support, as though gravity had won its battle just since he’d arrived in Provo. Glenn surveyed the gathering and rubbed a tired hand across the stubble that dusted his jaw, and then stood and faced the council.

  “By now, everyone’s heard about what happened. You know why we’re here,” he said.

  Elliot nodded. “Where are they?”

  “We’re holding them outside, waiting for your man Lucas to arrive with Art.”

  “I can assure you that–”

  Glenn cut Elliot off. “No need. We don’t hold you responsible.”

  “I’m sure I don’t even know the men who did this…unspeakable act.”

  “We’re not saying you do. But we want you here to help explain our position to Lucas and Art. As an unbiased third party.”

  Elliot nodded. “Which I’m happy to do. I just wish the circumstances were different.”

  “Don’t we all? It’s a tragedy.” Glenn swallowed hard. “One of the worst we’ve had to deal with.”

  Elliot shook his head. “You’d think that after all that’s happened…”

  Glenn pursed his lips in distaste. “I don’t know what to think.”

  A knock at the chamber door stopped Glenn, and he called out in a loud voice, “Enter.”

  The heavy wooden slab swung inward and Lucas stepped into the room, trailed by Art. Both of their expressions matched those of the councilmen.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly,” Glenn said, and indicated a pair of empty seats. “Take a load off.”

  “We heard,” Lucas said, his voice tight.

  “That’s right,” Art said. “And the men responsible will be dealt with.”

  Lucas and Art sat where indicated, and Glenn stared at them without wavering. “That’s one of the things we need to hash out.” He paused. “Early this morning, two of your men raped a thirteen-year-old girl from one of the outlying compounds. She was on her way into town to barter for some essentials for her family – the Olson clan. They’re good people, keep to themselves for the most part, live in the foothills. God-fearing and honest.”

  Glenn’s gaze shifted to Lucas. “They then beat her within an inch of her life and left her for dead. One of the family found her when she didn’t come home, and rushed her into town for medical treatment. Even though they broke her jaw, she was able to describe one of the men, whose face she’d scratched when she was fighting them off.”

  Lucas’s face darkened. “Unbelievable.”

  “Yes. They’re animals. Our lawmen went into your camp and found them, and we’ve taken them into custody. They’ll be tried and punished according to our rules.”

  Art cleared his throat. “First of all, let me say how shocked we are this happened. Will the girl…will she survive?”

  Glenn’s expression didn’t change. “Her condition is guarded, but she’s young and tough, so she’ll probably make it. But no doubt she’ll be reliving this morning for the rest of her life.”

  “Poor thing,” Lucas said.

  Elliot shifted in his chair. “This is a huge problem, Lucas.”

  “Of course it is,” Lucas agreed. “I’d just as soon hang them by their feet and whip their skin off. Leave them for the buzzards.”

  “Glad you see it our way,” Glenn said.

  “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” Art interjected. “They’re in our army. So we’ll have to deal with them, not you.”

  “That won’t work,” Glenn countered. “She’s one of ours. It happened on our turf. We’ll try them and punish them. The town’s already heard all about it. There’s no way you’re going to sneak them off. They’ll stand trial and face the music here.”

  “I completely understand, but the problem is that they’re in our service, so they’re our responsibility. It’s a matter of who has jurisdiction over our fighters. They have to understand they’ll answer to us, and they’ll pay the penalty.” Art coughed twice and continued. “We can’t have them answering to the locals. I’m sorry. But if you’re afraid that we’re going to give them a wrist slap, don’t worry. I’ll recommend capital punishment for them both.”

  Glenn looked to Elliot, who sat forward. “I see your point, Art, but this will look like you’re saying your men are above the local law. That won’t stand.”

  “It’s not that they’re above it. It’s that we have to be the ones to punish them, not you.”

  Thomas, one of Glenn’s deputies on the council, shook his head. “Your men raped and nearly killed a little girl. No way are they walking away from that.”

  Art nodded impassively. “You didn’t hear me? I said we’d go for the death penalty. That’s not exactly walking away.”

  “That’s what you’re saying now. But once they’re out of our custody, anything could happen.”

  “That’s not how we operate.” Art paused again. “Where are they?”

  “Locked up in the jail.”

  “I brought a guard detail. We’ll take them and arrange for a trial tomorrow. You’re welcome to attend,” Art said. “Both of you. They’ll be court-martialed and given a fair trial, and then taken out and shot. Is that swift enough justice for you?”

  “We don’t condone capital punishment,” Glenn said. “It’s against our rules.”

  “Well, then maybe it’s a good thing we’ll be dealing with them. Scum like that need to be erased from the surface of the planet as quick as possible,” Art snapped.

  “It’s a question of perception, Art,” Elliot interjected. “Even if you execute them, the town’s not going to be happy.”

  “That’s right,” Thomas said. “You showed up here uninvited and brought chaos with you. Most of us don’t want you here.”

  Glenn held up a hand. “Enough. We gave Elliot and his people permission to live with us. We didn’t okay an army to camp out in our front yard. You have to pack up and go.”

  Lucas nodded. “We intend to. Just as soon as the rest of the army arrives from Salem. Should be any day.”

  “Another stall,” Thomas growled. “We want you gone. Especially after this.”

  “Seems like you’re not very grateful that we showed up and saved your bacon,” Art said.

  Elliot sighed. “That force was after us, not Provo. If Glenn and the council hadn’t invited us to stay and refused to turn us over, no rescue would have been necessary.”

  “Maybe,” Art volleyed. “Or maybe they would have sacked the place just to do it. Never know, these days. Either way, we took care of the problem.”

  Glenn’s stare hardened. “We�
��re not asking to try them. We’re telling you we intend to.”

  Art stood. “And I’m telling you that you don’t have jurisdiction. They aren’t your men. And the crime didn’t happen in town, did it?”

  Thomas looked like his head was going to explode. “That’s beside the point.”

  Lucas rose as well. “Look, gentlemen. Far as I see it, the crime happened outside the city walls and involved two of Art’s soldiers and a girl from another area. Is that right?”

  Glenn nodded slowly. “Go on.”

  “So you don’t have a claim on the men. They’re Art’s responsibility, and he’s got his own setup to deal with these kinds of things. And since you’ve got issues with capital punishment, maybe that’s a blessing in disguise, because if somebody did that to my Eve, they’d already be dead, no questions asked.” Lucas hesitated. “I used to be a Texas Ranger, so I’ve got some experience at this. I’m not taking sides, but seems to me these military men need to be dealt with by a military court. Period.”

  Thomas pushed his chair back. “They’re your men too. That’s why you’re siding with him.”

  Lucas drew a deep breath. “How about everyone cool down and you turn the rapists over to Art, and we’ll watch the trial tomorrow and see whether you have any complaints?” Lucas turned to Art. “And then we can discuss how to compensate the family for the grief those men caused. Nothing will make up for it, but we should figure out how to try to make things right.”

  Art nodded. “I agree. If these filth are guilty, they’ll be dealt with by tomorrow night. More important is that the girl will live, and we’ll see what we can put together to make her life any easier.”

  “If?” Thomas snapped. “If they’re guilty? Here we go…”

  “A formality,” Elliot assured him.

  “Scratch marks don’t lie,” Lucas said.

  “Perhaps it would be more prudent to keep them in the jail until their hearing tomorrow?” Elliot suggested. “You don’t really have a holding area set up, do you?”