Purge of Babylon (Book 3): The Stones of Angkor Page 10

  “Sounds like you have it all figured out.”

  Mike grinned. “That’s the trick, isn’t it? Making the plan work without everyone getting killed.”

  *

  WILL WAS INTIMATELY familiar with Archers Sports and Outdoors, a warehouse store that sold everything from fishing supplies to hunting gear and everything in-between. It was at an Archers in Houston where he and Danny spent the night after The Purge, making the very first batch of silver bullets. It brought back memories, along with the phantom smell of explosives, courtesy of Danny’s C4.

  “They’re in the back,” Mike said. “Away from the sunlight during the day. The last time we tried this, we got halfway inside before it became too dangerous. We did our best to stick to the light, grab what we could off the racks, but all the good stuff’s in the back.”

  Will nodded. Mike was talking about the guns, ammo, and hunting supplies. The majority of the store’s middle sections were reserved for clothes. With the windows mostly cleared of obstruction, sunlight filtered in across the long rows of cash registers and clothing racks visible from the sidewalk.

  Mike moved toward the front door, shotgun in hand. “I’ll go first. Will follows me, and the two of you watch our six.”

  Mike pulled the unlocked door open and slipped inside, shotgun moving quickly up to chest level. Will kept pace with him, allowing enough of a distance that Mike could turn a full 360 degrees if he needed to. He heard Johnson’s footsteps behind him, followed by the loud, laborious squeaks of Paul’s boots.

  I’m going into a ghoul’s nest with Paul Bunyan.

  They turned right immediately after entering the store, and moved along the aisle with the cash registers to their right and clothing racks to their left. Someone had actually taken the time to empty a couple of the registers for God knew what reason.

  The store, like all Archers, had smooth, tiled floors. There were old patches of faded blood, the color of dull brown scattered about them. The store’s racks were still mostly intact, with surprisingly very few signs of having been plundered over the last eleven months. Up ahead would be the hardware aisles, with fishing supplies in the right corner and hunting gear to the left, farther up the store. They stuck to the pathway, away from racks with too much darkness underneath and shelves that were just a bit too high.

  Soon, they turned left, and after a few more meters, Mike stopped.

  There was only darkness in front of them, sunlight from the windows unable to penetrate this far into the building.

  Mike gave Will a nervous grin. “Silver bullets, right?”

  Will nodded. “Silver bullets.”

  Mike gave him an “Okay, here goes” expression and turned back around. He flicked on the flashlight taped underneath his Mossberg and—

  Two ghouls, hiding in the darkness, were instantly illuminated by the bright light. They hissed and lunged at Mike, who fired instinctively, and the two ghouls were eviscerated in front of him. What was left of one creature flopped forward into the sunlight, its flesh vaporized into fine white mists on contact.

  Mike took a quick step back, and so did Paul and Johnson behind Will.

  The former army officer, breathing just a little too loudly, stared down at the white bones of the dead ghoul, the still-intact half of the creature lying in the shadows. Or mostly intact. The buckshot had torn its head clean off, leaving a decapitated body. The other one lay perfectly still in the shadows a few meters away.

  Paul and Johnson leaned forward to look at the damage.

  “Silver bullets,” Mike said breathlessly.

  “Silver bullets,” Will nodded.

  Mike gave him the strangest grin, then racked a fresh shell into the shotgun. “Let’s go shopping.”

  CHAPTER 8

  LARA

  SHE SAT AT the table on the third floor of the Tower, staring at the radio. Will had signed off more than thirty minutes ago, but Lara hadn’t been able to get up and leave yet. Maddie moved quietly behind her, shifting from one window to the next with night-vision binoculars. An LED lamp hung from the ceiling above them, keeping the darkness outside at bay.

  “Are you going to stay here all night?” Maddie finally asked.

  Lara sighed. “I don’t know. If it keeps me from making a decision, I might.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make the right one.”

  She looked back at Maddie. “Really? Because I’m not. Will wouldn’t have a problem with this. He makes these decisions by morning.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, Danny, Carly, and everyone else won’t second-guess you.”

  “Thanks. I think.” She got up and stretched. “I’m going for a walk, try to clear my head. You good?”

  “I’m good.”

  Lara left the Tower.

  Nightfall brought surprising coolness to the island, and it made her shiver slightly underneath her T-shirt as she walked across the grounds. The solar-powered LED lampposts that traveled across the island with the cobblestone pathways had lit up a few minutes ago. There were lights on inside the hotel lobby and bright floodlights along the sides of the building’s exterior.

  “We’re lit up like a Christmas tree” was an expression Will liked to use to describe how the island looked from land.

  Instead of entering the hotel from the back, which would have been quicker, she circled it, using the time to convince herself that she knew what she was doing, that she was capable of this, even if every ounce of her screamed that she was deluding herself.

  I’m a third-year medical student. What am I doing deciding who goes and who stays?

  This is crazy. I’m not ready for this responsibility. I might never be ready.

  Do I even want to ever be ready?

  She spotted a lone figure on the front patio, and Lara recognized Mae leaning against the railing, looking off at nothing. No, not nothing. Back toward the shore. Mae had looked noticeably stronger throughout the evening, as if she were gaining strength with every minute on the island.

  The older woman looked over at the sound of Lara’s footsteps. “I never thought it would happen.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That I’d be able to stand out here, at night, and not fear for my life with every breath I take.” She smiled and breathed in the cool air. “Thank you, Lara. Thank you for this island.”

  Lara felt slightly embarrassed and proud at the same time. “You’re welcome, Mae. How are you settling in?”

  “It’s wonderful. This place is wonderful. It’s more than we ever hoped for.”

  Lara climbed the steps and stood beside Mae. She thought she needed some alone time to think, but maybe what she really needed was someone to talk to. Someone who hadn’t already put all their faith in her like Maddie, or Danny, or Carly had.

  God knows why they think I’m capable of this.

  “Are they out there?” Mae asked.

  “They’re out there,” she nodded. “You can see them moving around on land, along the shores. It’s impossible not to see the island, since we’re the only artificial light for miles around.”

  Mae gave her a grateful smile. “I never thought we’d make it here. It was Bonnie’s idea, you know. God bless her. She pushed us to come down here. There were so many times when we wanted to give up, but that girl…she kept pushing and pushing. Even when everyone wanted to quit, especially after we couldn’t hear the radio broadcast anymore, she wouldn’t let us. She was so determined. We argued about it. Over and over.”

  “Is that why it took so long for you guys to get down here?”

  “Yes. Whenever we’d find a good spot—a safe place—West and Brody didn’t want to leave. But she always managed to convince them. I don’t know how she did it, but we always kept moving.”

  “She’s a tough woman.”

  “She is. Especially considering what she did before all of this. She was a model, you know.”

  “I’m not surprised. She’s very pretty.”

  “She’s gorgeous, dea
r,” Mae said. “Not that you’re chopped liver.”

  Lara surprised herself by blushing a bit, and hoped Mae couldn’t see under the floodlights. “Thanks.”

  “I bet all the boys turn their heads when you walk into a room.”

  “There’s only one boy I care about these days.”

  “The mysterious Will. Oft-heard, but not yet seen.”

  “He’ll be back soon. You’ll like him.”

  “If he’s anything like Danny, then I’m sure I’ll like him. It’s very easy to be fond of your Danny. All the girls are smitten, and they’re heartbroken he’s already taken.”

  “Carly will be happy to hear that,” Lara smiled.

  “It’s fun, isn’t it?” Mae said, sounding giddy.

  “What’s that?”

  “To be able to talk about inconsequential things like this.”

  Lara nodded. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “What is?” a deep male voice said behind them.

  They both looked back at West, coming out of the lobby. He had showered, slicked his hair back, and changed into a new pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt.

  He smiled at them. “Am I interrupting something, ladies?”

  “Girl talk,” Lara said.

  “What about?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing important.”

  He walked to the railing and breathed in the air. “It’s a hell of a place you guys have here, Lara. When I heard the creatures—what do you guys call them, ghouls?—couldn’t get to it, I was skeptical. But it’s true. Look at us, standing out here in the dark, in the open, talking like we’re on someone’s porch. It’s amazing.”

  “It certainly is,” Mae said. “I was just telling Lara that.”

  “Aren’t you tired, Mae?” West said, looking over at the older woman. “You look tired. You should probably go get some rest.” Then to Lara, as if to explain, “We had to push it this afternoon to get down here. We were so close the ladies couldn’t wait. Heck, I think we almost ran out of gas. That right, Mae?”

  Mae nodded. “That’s right, West.”

  “You should go get some rest,” West said again.

  Mae looked at Lara almost apologetically. “I should go get some rest. Thank you again, Lara. This island…it’s everything we dreamt it would be, and more.”

  “You’re welcome, Mae. I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”

  Lara hugged her and was surprised by the strength in Mae’s embrace.

  “God bless you, dear,” the older woman said, before pulling away and disappearing back into the lobby.

  “I have to tell you,” West said, looking after Mae, “there were times when we didn’t think she’d make it. She’s not exactly a spring chicken anymore.”

  “She looks pretty strong to me.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, they’re a tough bunch. Brody and me didn’t think some of them would make it during the trip down here, to be honest with you. You know, we almost turned back after we couldn’t get your radio broadcast anymore.”

  It wasn’t our radio broadcast, she thought, but said instead, “Mae says Bonnie wouldn’t let you guys give up.”

  “Bonnie can be pretty persuasive.” He smiled to himself, like he was reliving a private joke. “She’s a tough one. But then, I guess you’d have to be to survive these days, right?”

  “It doesn’t hurt.”

  He looked around at the bright hotel grounds. “How many lights are on this island? I stopped counting after about twenty.”

  “There’s a lot.”

  “And they’re all solar-powered?”

  “Yup,” she said.

  He must have sensed the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. “I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot,” he said, looking at her. He was so much taller, with broad shoulders, that she felt like a child staring back at him.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling that I got. Maybe I’m wrong.”

  “What’s on your mind, West?”

  “Brody and me, we’re not bad guys. We’ll earn our keep around here.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  “I can’t promise the same thing about the company we came with. But you’re not going to have to worry about us. We’re not afraid of hard work. Never were, and never will be.”

  “I believe you.”

  “So in case you have any doubts, don’t. I get it, we need to earn your trust. And we will. You just have to give us a chance, that’s all.”

  “We’ll see,” she said.

  Lara gave him a smile that she hoped (prayed) was at least semi-convincing.

  *

  SHE HEADED FOR Danny and Carly’s room, next to the one Vera shared with Elise. The conversation with West continued to gnaw at her, ten minutes after leaving him behind on the patio by himself. It wasn’t just what he had said, but what he didn’t say. There was a tone in his voice that she couldn’t quite figure out.

  Was he warning me? Or maybe threatening me?

  She knocked on Carly and Danny’s door. “You guys decent?”

  “No, but come on in anyway,” Danny called from inside.

  Lara entered. Carly was folding freshly laundered clothes on the bed, while Danny was brushing his teeth in the open bathroom door, with only a towel around his waist.

  He winked at her. “Hey, Lara, like what you see?”

  “Oh, gross, babe, go finish your shower,” Carly said.

  “Shout if you want a piece of this,” Danny said, flexing his biceps before disappearing into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on a few moments later.

  Carly looked over at her. “The love of my life, Lara. Can you believe how charming he is?”

  “Mae says all the new girls are swooning over him.”

  “Of course they are. It’s the blue eyes and California good looks. Why did you think I jumped his bones in the first place?”

  “Oh, so the secret’s out now.”

  “Was it ever in?” Carly picked up a stack of shirts and walked to a dresser. “You’re worried about them.”

  It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t even have to elaborate on who “them” was.

  Lara sat down on the bed. “Yeah.”

  “Did you decide what to do?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about.”

  “I think it’s the right decision.”

  “I didn’t tell you what I’ve decided.”

  “You don’t think I can read you like an open book after all we’ve been through?”

  “So you agree?”

  “It’s the only decision. The other girls are terrified of them, especially the younger ones.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Bonnie told you she’s been able to keep the two of them away from the other girls and her sister Jo, right?”

  “She did, but she didn’t say anything about the others.”

  “She didn’t have to. It’s inferred, Lara.” She cocked her head. “Is ‘inferred’ the right word?”

  Lara smiled. “Close enough. Tell me what you mean.”

  “If you read between the lines, it means Brody and West have tried to do things with the other girls before. One of them is what, thirteen?”

  Lara nodded. Lucy was fourteen, and Kylie thirteen. They were both pretty girls, and she saw how Bonnie, Jo, and Gwen protectively watched over them. She imagined it must have been the same with her and Carly, and the girls.

  The shower turned off and a few seconds later Danny reappeared in the doorway, wearing the same towel around his waist, wet hair dripping onto the carpet underneath him.

  “Lara and I were talking about that thing,” Carly said.

  Danny grinned. “I get to be in the middle.”

  “Don’t be an idiot, babe. The cowboys.”

  “But we can still discuss the other thing, right?”

  “Maybe later,” Lara said. “What do you think, Danny?”


  He shrugged. “Just call it Brokeback Island.”

  “What does that even mean?” Carly said.

  “You know, that movie? Brokeback Mountain?”

  Carly and Lara exchanged a confused look.

  “You know what he’s talking about?” Carly asked.

  “Not a clue,” Lara said.

  “Christ, how old are you two?” Danny grunted.

  *

  SHE BARELY SLEPT all night. The queen-size mattress felt too big without Will, and she kept turning over on her side to look across the bed, expecting him to be there. His presence was always such a soothing reminder that everything was fine, that if Will was sleeping soundly, it had to be safe for her to do the same.

  She couldn’t count on that tonight.

  Instead, she lay awake, staring at the patio window. There was a nightlight in one corner, but most of the room was dark and she only had her conflicted thoughts to keep her company. It was cool outside, and she pulled the blankets up to her chest.

  Will they fight?

  Yes, they would fight. Brody and West were fighters. She knew that the second she laid eyes on them. The same trait that made them so valuable out there was what would make them a problem on the island. They were aggressive, daring, and most of all, willing to cross lines in order to get what they wanted.

  Even so, she couldn’t completely fight back the feeling of guilt about what she was about to do to them when the sun came up. Brody and West had saved the others. Bonnie admitted as much, regardless of what they may or may not have done to other survivors…

  I can’t risk it. If they did kill those other people…

  I just can’t risk it. Not with Elise and Vera, and the others…

  She turned over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Dark patches of shadow danced above her, mocking her.

  I can’t risk it…

  There was no decision here. There was only the one choice in front of her. It was obvious.

  Wasn’t it?

  She told herself her experiences with the Sunday brothers had nothing to do with this. No, she wasn’t punishing West and Brody because of what the Sundays had done to her all those months ago…