The Gates of Byzantium (The Babylon Series, Book 2) Read online

  “Big guy? With a big nasty mole under his chin?”

  Gaby giggled. He thought that was the sweetest sound he had ever heard, and it made him happy for some reason. “Yeah, him,” she said.

  He frowned. His memories of Peter Brolin, aka Mole Man, were not filled with happy moments. In fact, they were downright torturous, and the only reason it took him a while to recall the kid was because Josh had purposefully scrubbed the guy’s existence from his mind.

  “What about him?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  “He was the one who came to my house that night,” Gaby said softly. “When everything first happened. He attacked my dad. He had changed a lot already, but I still recognized him. I don’t know if he came there on his own, or…for some other reason.”

  “You think he came to your home on purpose?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. He liked me,” she said, and he could see she was reliving that night all over again.

  So we share that now, too. Our mutual nightmares about Peter “Mole Man” Brolin. Fuck you, Mole Man.

  “Anyways,” she said, and that was it.

  It was quiet again, except for the sounds of crunching. Josh was already on his second bag. Even stale, the noodles tasted damn good. Or maybe he was just really hungry. It was in those long moments of silence that Josh finally remembered the radio. Betts’s radio, that he had grabbed before they left the semitrailer yesterday. He got up and went over to the backpack, opened it and took out the radio.

  “What’s that?” Gaby asked.

  “Betts’s radio.”

  “Why did you bring it? There’s no one out there but them.”

  “Exactly,” he said, and sat back down and turned on the radio. He made sure not to touch the frequency dial or do anything but turn on the power.

  They listened, but the only sounds they heard were static.

  “Are we supposed to hear something?” Gaby asked.

  Josh shrugged. “I was hoping to hear them talking over the radio.”

  “They might not know you took it,” Sandra said from across the room.

  Josh nodded. “Hopefully.”

  “And if they do?” Gaby asked.

  “Then they’ll probably try to trick us,” Josh said. “Lure us into an ambush or something. I don’t know. I just thought it might come in handy.”

  Gaby gave him an approving look. “It’s quick thinking.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can we use it to call anyone for help?”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t know where to begin. I mean, there are a lot of frequencies out there. For someone to hear me, they’d have to be tuned into the same frequency and listening at the same time, and what are the chances of that?”

  “Not very good, I guess.”

  Suddenly the static disappeared and for a second Josh thought the radio had turned off by itself. But it hadn’t. Instead, it squawked loudly, and he heard, loud and clear, Folger’s voice: “Are you done?”

  “I’m finishing up the subdivision now,” a male voice answered through the radio.

  Each time someone else talked, there was a loud squawk.

  “You took your sweet time,” Folger said.

  “Fuck off,” the other voice said.

  “Does anyone recognize who Folger’s talking to?” Josh asked.

  “Manley,” Sandra said. “I think that’s Manley.”

  “Which one is he?” Gaby asked.

  “The one with the scary eyes.”

  “Oh.”

  Josh said, “Shhh.”

  “They’re gone,” another voice was saying through the radio. Del, Josh thought, recognizing the voice. “We’re wasting our time. Let’s get out of here.”

  “This place is a gold mine,” Folger said. “We’re not going anywhere until we pick it clean.”

  “Who put you in charge?” Del wanted to know.

  “I did,” Folger said.

  Josh thought he heard Del snort, but maybe that was just static.

  They went back and forth like that for a while, further convincing Josh that Folger was only in command because the others didn’t want the job. Or didn’t care who had it. They didn’t respect him in the slightest; that was obvious now.

  They kept listening and discovered that Folger had the others running around town looking for them. Unless, of course, Folger had figured out that Josh had the radio and all of this was one big ruse for their benefit. Josh didn’t completely ignore the possibility. Anything was possible with men like Folger. So Josh reminded himself to be careful, to take everything he heard with a grain of salt. Even so, he started to feel better about their situation the more Folger and his flunkies seemed to be getting farther and farther away from them in their search.

  “They don’t know where we are,” Gaby said, looking as happy as he had seen her in the last few days.

  “Seems that way,” Josh nodded.

  “You think they’ll leave eventually?”

  “Eventually.”

  “How many of these did you find?” Gaby asked, holding up her empty bag of Kung Fu noodles.

  “There’s a stack of them in a drawer in the kitchen. I’ll go back up and get more later.”

  “More of this goodness?” Sandra said. “Do you think I’ll suddenly know Kung Fu if I eat enough of this stuff?”

  Gaby and Josh chuckled, and Sandra smiled. It was the first time they had seen the older woman smile, and Josh realized Sandra was actually very pretty. His friend Hank would say a woman like Sandra had “curves in all the right places.” Not that Hank knew anything about a woman’s curves other than what he saw on the Internet. Hank was a virgin when Josh knew him, and he probably died a virgin, too.

  Died? He wishes. He’s probably one of those bloodsuckers right now.

  Morning had turned into noon, and the sun outside ceased to feel soothing against their skin. The basement was turning hot again, and without an air conditioner or any ventilation, they started to sweat. They had been lucky last night, he realized, to find the basement just as it was cooling off in the evening. And then night had come and it had cooled off even more.

  “Maybe we can cover up the window,” Sandra suggested.

  “That might not be a good idea,” Josh said. “Manley drove past earlier today. He might have glanced at the basement and seen the window. What if he comes back and sees that it’s now covered, unlike before? It might make him suspicious.”

  “That’s a big if,” Sandra said.

  “It’s just something to consider.”

  Sandra seemed to think about it. “You’re probably right. Those creatures might notice a covered basement window, too. They’re not stupid. I used to think they were dumb animals, but they’re not. They’re clever.”

  Josh nodded. “They would have to be, to have done what they did.”

  “God, stop talking about them,” Gaby said. She wrapped her arms around her chest reflexively. “They already scare me shitless as it is. I don’t need to know they’re smart, too.”

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “How old are you, anyway?” Sandra asked him.

  The question caught him off guard. “Eighteen.”

  “You sound older.”

  “I do?”

  “You think older, I guess is what I mean,” Sandra said.

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “Like back there, in the semitrailer. I would never have thought of baiting Betts like that. But you did. How did you know he would fall for it?”

  “I guess I know how guys think.” He smiled. “We’re kind of sick motherfuckers, you know.”

  Sandra laughed. It didn’t take long for Gaby to join in.

  Josh smiled. He was glad to see them both laughing. He knew they had been through a lot, especially Sandra. The end of the world was one thing, but what had happened to her afterward—and almost happened to Gaby—was beyond anything he would ever experience as a man. Josh was ashamed of his species, and even ashamed of him
self whenever he thought of Gaby in an overtly sexual way, which was often.

  It’s the end of the world, and we’re still thinking exclusively with our dicks. Way to go, mofos.

  *

  THEY HEARD GUNSHOTS around one in the afternoon.

  First it was just one shot, then it was two, then three.

  At first, Josh thought someone was just shooting into the air. Maybe Folger and the others were bored or trying to lure them out. He wouldn’t put it past them. By now they would have gotten tired of driving all over town searching for them, and they might have decided a new tactic was in order.

  But then there was a series of gunshots, and Josh knew it wasn’t a trick. It was a full-on gun battle. After a while, he traced the sounds back to the municipal area, with the courthouse and the police department and the public library. Back to where they had been kept in the semitrailer. Sound tended to carry these days, Josh knew, without all the usual noises and distractions of a city filled with people.

  Josh walked over to the basement window, as if he could see what was happening if he stared outside long enough. Gaby and Sandra stood next to him, and they listened for the longest time, no one saying a word.

  It went on for minutes. Maybe five minutes.

  “Josh,” Gaby said suddenly, “try the radio.”

  “Oh, shit,” Josh said, and ran over to the radio.

  He had turned it off because no one was saying anything, but now he turned it back on and immediately heard Folger’s voice: “—we’re going around them.”

  “Hurry the fuck up, then,” another male voice said. It wasn’t Manley or Del. Josh would recognize them by now. How many were left? Two. Betts was dead. Or probably dead. That left the short man and the Hispanic.

  “Just keep them pinned down,” Folger said. “How many do you see?”

  “A lot,” the Hispanic said, “but only two seem to be shooting back. Dammit, they know what they’re doing. They’re not straying from the trucks.”

  “Shoot the gas tank,” Folger said.

  “It’s not that easy,” the Hispanic said irritably. “Just get over here already.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  There was suddenly a burst of continued gunfire, like someone was firing on full automatic. Then one shot—and a few seconds later, a second shot—and then it was quiet.

  “What happened?” Folger said.

  “Fuck, I think they got Hiller,” the Hispanic said.

  “Hiller? Hiller, come in.” It was Folger again. “Hiller! Shit. Is he dead?”

  “Well, he’s not shooting anymore, so probably he’s dead. Are you coming?”

  There wasn’t a reply.

  “Folger, dammit, are you coming or what?” the Hispanic asked again. He waited for a reply.

  Josh and the girls waited anxiously, too.

  “Folger? Folger!”

  There was no reply.

  They waited, but they didn’t hear anything else. The radio had gone dead.

  “It’s over,” Josh said.

  “What do you think happened?” Gaby asked.

  “Sounded like a gun fight. Maybe Folger and his buddies met their match.”

  “Maybe the new people shot and killed the fuckers,” Sandra said.

  “They killed one, at least,” Josh said. “Hiller. The short guy.”

  “How many does that leave?” Gaby asked.

  “Four. I didn’t hear Betts on the radio once. Either he’s dead or he’s not running around.”

  “Serves him right,” Sandra said, and Josh saw her exchange a look with Gaby, as if to say, “You did nothing wrong.”

  Gaby nodded back at the other woman, but said nothing.

  Josh glanced around the basement, then at Gaby and Sandra. It was such a small room, and it was so hot. They weren’t going to be able to stay in here forever, he knew that now. Hell, they might not even be able to last the day.

  So what other options were there?

  “Stay here,” Josh said. “I’m going to find out what happened.”

  “What?” Gaby said. “Are you crazy? You can’t go out there. Even if there’s only four of them left, there’s still four of them left, Josh.”

  “Or maybe they’re running,” he said, trying to convince himself. “You heard Folger on the radio. He was supposed to go around and get into the gun battle, but he didn’t. I think he’s running. So that leaves the people they were shooting at.”

  “We don’t know who those people are, either. They could be just as dangerous as Folger. Or worse.”

  “She’s right,” Sandra said. “We don’t know who they are.”

  Josh nodded. They were both right.

  Not that it mattered. Whatever happened, they still couldn’t stay down here. Not forever.

  “I won’t let them see me,” he said. “I’ll hide, sneak around, keep a low profile.”

  “This is crazy, Josh,” Gaby said.

  He could see how worried she looked, but instead of making him relent, it only steeled his resolve. Seeing her like this made him more courageous, because he had to protect her. He couldn’t do that down here.

  I’m the guy…

  “We have to find out,” Josh said. “We can’t stay down here forever.”

  Sandra and Gaby exchanged a look, and he knew he had gotten to them.

  “Be careful,” Gaby said.

  “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  He headed for the stairs. He had Matt’s gun tucked into his front waistband. He touched the handle now, just to make sure it was still there.

  You and me, Matt ol’ buddy, all the way.

  *

  PROS AND CONS: What were they?

  Pros: He was still in one piece, and so was Gaby. They were in a place Folger and his people couldn’t find. He liked their chances of staying hidden for a while, living off food in the house. Eventually, they could probably do something about the heat.

  Cons: They couldn’t stay down there forever. Eventually they would have to come out. The food would eventually run out. The basement would eventually get too hot as summertime churned on. And cabin fever would eventually get to them. It was why they had never stayed in one town for too long, back when it was just him and Gaby and Matt, and why they had kept moving ever since the end of the world. Eventually, everything ran its course.

  Conclusion: He had no choice. He had to find out what had happened along Main Street. He had to find out if Folger and the others were still out there, and who the people they were trading gunfire with were. God knew he didn’t want to leave the basement, leave Gaby, but there was no choice. Sooner or later, they would have to venture back out into the real world.

  Or what was left of it, anyway.

  The good news? He had Gaby.

  Well, he didn’t have her, but he was with her, and that was a pretty good start.

  Josh moved through the subdivision slowly, taking his time. The heat was already becoming insufferable, and he didn’t want to think about how much hotter it was going to get in another few hours. He darted between houses, heading south, which would take him back to Chance Road, and from there he could pick his way toward the municipal area. It made sense that the new arrivals would stumble across Folger’s people there, and a shoot-out would erupt. It must have been like stumbling across a nest of snakes. He just hoped the new arrivals weren’t snakes, too, or it was back to the basement.

  He peeked into houses as he passed, filing them away for future reference in case they did have to stay in the basement a little longer. He saw empty homes, some with fading brown stains along the windowsills. Blood splatters. Josh was surprised that so many of the houses looked undisturbed, as if their owners had simply decided to abandon them. He liked to think most of them got away, but of course that was bullshit.

  He moved at a brisk pace, staying behind houses whenever he could, though there were long spots where he had to run across open spaces because there was no shelter or places to hide behind. He walked throug
h the tall, overgrown grass of the lodges and was relieved when he finally reached the more wooded areas again.

  Josh trudged through someone’s farm and skirted around a barn that looked just a bit too creepy. There was no telling what was hiding in there, watching him through holes along the rotted wall. Just the thought made him shiver involuntarily. Eight months later, and he still couldn’t get used to the idea of things hiding behind every window, in every building, waiting for the first hint of darkness to come out. How he managed to keep going, without going crazy, was a mystery, but he figured it probably had something to do with Gaby.

  He slowed down when he finally reached one of the half-dozen or so houses along Chance Road that sat directly across the street from the municipal area. Hiding behind a house with brown and white bricks, he could see the three buildings across the street, sitting side by side. It was quiet, and the silence unnerved Josh more than he wanted to admit.

  The first thing he noticed was that the semitrailer where he, Gaby, and Sandra had been held last night was gone. There were no signs of it, and he wondered if Folger and the others had in fact taken off after the shoot-out. In its place, there were two trucks he hadn’t seen before—one blue and the other black. They both looked shot up, with broken windows.

  Suddenly there was a loud explosion from behind him and Josh almost pissed his pants. He fell to the ground so fast he smacked his face into the dirt and stunned himself, but he quickly got over it because someone wasn’t just behind him, they were close to him. He felt sick to his stomach. How had he managed to walk all the way from the woods to the house without seeing them? Better yet, how had they managed not to see him?

  Josh kept very still, pressed flat against the warm dirt. The wall of the house was to his left, but there was only overgrown grass to his right. He prayed it was high and thick enough to conceal him when he heard footsteps approaching. He closed his eyes and willed his entire body not to move. He might have forgotten to breathe, though he couldn’t really be sure at the moment.

  Then the sounds of footsteps mercifully faded, and Josh finally managed to summon enough courage to force his eyes open again.

  He could see a figure moving in front of him. Away from him.

  Oh, thank you, God.