The Last Orchard [Book Two] Read online

  The moment he stepped outside and put his boots on, the horns of war blared, signaling an incoming force from their guards on the perimeter. Charlie hadn’t expected this, and for the first time in a long time, he was surprised.

  After the talk he had with the blue clan’s leader, he never would have thought he would charge into the attack, but the fact that the clan was on their way meant that they had either already run into Dixon’s men and won, or Dixon had chosen not to advance. At least not yet.

  Evacuation procedures were already in effect as Charlie made his way through the retreating masses pouring between the crammed rows of trailers and RVs, all of them with their go bags in hand.

  “Keep moving to the tree line!” The sentries in charge of the evacuation shouted above the crowds, and while there was a general sense of panic, there were no stampedes, no disorder. They had all prepared for this. It was a worst-case scenario, one Charlie hoped that they would be able to avoid, but it was also one that they were prepared to face.

  Charlie made a beeline toward Doc’s house, the military post where everyone who had been trained with a firearm should be headed. It had been over a month since they’d run a drill, but he hoped that everyone would still follow orders. And he was pleasantly surprised when he arrived to see the line of men and women filing into Doc’s house to grab their weapons.

  Charlie bypassed the line of men, marching inside and finding Doc helping with the logistics of arming their militia. “Do we have a head count?”

  Doc passed off a fully-loaded magazine of ammunition to the next fighter in line, and then looked back to Charlie as he passed. “Seventy-three.”

  Charlie nodded. The two hundred fighters in their militia, plus the fifty full-time soldiers and guards that they had on duty, gave them a bulky force, but Charlie knew that the blue clan had double the numbers, though he wasn’t sure of their training or the quality of their weapons.

  Barriers were already set up on the road, sandbags loaded up, and guns aimed at the forest to their south in the direction of the enemy.

  Charlie headed toward the main post at the front line, which stretched the entire length of their property all the way down to the Bigelows’ farm.

  The sentry who reported the activity was already on scene.

  “What’d you find, Kip?” Charlie asked.

  Kip wiped the sweat from his brow, still winded from the run from his post. “I counted at least three hundred before I left. But they were still coming.” Kip shook his head. “I couldn’t see the end of their line of men.”

  “All of them armed?” Charlie asked.

  Kip nodded. “Shotguns, rifles, pistols. I counted a few automatic weapons and assault rifles, but most of the weaponry looked old. I didn’t see any heavy artillery. They were moving quickly though.”

  Charlie nodded, then clapped Kip on the shoulder. “Head to your post.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  After Kip darted off, Charlie lingered at the main post, Nick and Lee joining himself and the twins, while the rest of their fighters filed into place. Everyone knew their job. Everyone understood their role. Now it was only a matter of execution.

  Nick handed Charlie a pair of binoculars, and Charlie peered through the lenses

  “I knew all of that talk about cooperation was bullshit,” Nick said, then planted his elbows on the sandbags and dug in. “They made the wrong move.”

  Charlie lowered his binoculars, Nick’s words stirring something in the back of his head. It was the wrong move. After everything that he and the stranger had spoken of, the need for peace, the desire for something better for his people.

  War wasn’t the smart choice, especially not if Dixon had attacked, which from Kip’s report sounded unlikely. The stranger was doing the exact opposite of what he should do. It didn’t make any sense.

  “Shelly, Jason, send word down the line that no one fires unless fired upon,” Charlie said.

  The order was met with questionable expressions, and Charlie was forced to repeat himself before the twins did as they were told. The orders were echoed down the line, and while the fighters at their post might not be sure of his tactic, Charlie knew that they would be followed. Charlie’s word was law.

  A breeze brought with it the steady thump of boots against the earth, and Charlie dropped to a knee, rifle raised, just in case his hunch was wrong. He peered through the rifle’s scope, the vision even better than what the binoculars provided.

  Charlie lingered between a set of conifers, the crosshairs lined up perfectly perpendicular as he waited for the first figure to appear within the forest, and when they did, Charlie was surprised to find that they stopped.

  “I’ve got a visual,” Shelly said. “Enemy remains behind the trees.”

  Charlie pivoted the sight of the scope left, finding the rest of the fighters frozen in place. He peeled his eye away from the scope and frowned at the sight.

  “What the hell are they waiting for?” Nick asked.

  But while Nick was confused, that tiny spark of hope ignited in Charlie’s chest, and he stood from the barrier, both Jason and Shelly looking up at him with concern. “They’re not here to fight us.”

  “You sure about that, boss?” Shelly asked. “Because from the looks of it, they look like they’ve come for a fight.”

  “They have,” Charlie answered. “But it’s not with us.”

  A lone man broke through the trees, a white flag in his hand. Charlie raised his rifle, peering through the scope to find the stranger separating himself from his people, and almost immediately Charlie leapt over the wall of sand, Shelly and Jason the next to follow, with Nick and Lee bringing up the rear.

  Charlie turned back to the other lieutenants within eyesight and held up his hands. “Keep everyone on the line! And let’s keep our fingers off the triggers!”

  The stranger tossed the flag aside once Charlie was closer, and he turned around to the hundreds of men in the woods behind him.

  “Felt like taking a walk?” Charlie asked.

  The stranger nodded. “I needed to stretch my legs.” He extended his hand, and he and Charlie shook, and then another man emerged from the woods, this one carrying a box.

  Charlie raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t sure if you’d listen.”

  “I had more than just your voice advising me,” the stranger replied, taking the box from the man who brought it out, and that serious expression returned to his face as he looked at Charlie. “We need a place where we can talk.”

  Charlie glanced to the armed men behind the stranger. “And what do we do with them?”

  The stranger stepped closer toward Charlie and then clapped his free hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “After you hear what I have to say, you’re probably going to want them to stay put.”

  The box of computer components was open in the center of the table. They were all accounted for, but now they were the least of Charlie’s concerns. He sat at the end of the table, Shelly and Jason to his left, Nick and Lee to his right.

  The stranger was at the end of the table, alone, void of advisers, and standing with both palms flat against the table’s surface.

  Charlie bounced his leg, a nervous tic that hadn’t resurfaced since before the EMP. He finally peeled his eyes away from the box, that fucking box, the one box that was supposed to solve all of their problems, but instead only brought them more issues.

  “How many?” Charlie asked.

  The stranger shook his head. “Unknown. Should be here by this afternoon.”

  “Your scouts know where they’re going, but they have no idea how many are en-route?” Shelly asked, her tone laced with skepticism. “Yeah, I don’t buy that shit.”

  “You don’t have to buy it, sweetheart,” the stranger said. “It’s already been paid for. All we have to worry about now is making sure that they don’t reach Mayfield.”

  “Why wouldn’t they just go to Mayfield directly?” Nick asked. “Hell, that’s what I’d do. And I’m not ev
en that smart.”

  “No argument there,” Jason replied.

  “I second that motion,” Lee said.

  “It’s a diversion,” Charlie said, furrowing his brow as he stared at the box and the table. “They know about our alliance with Mayfield and the military, and if they attack a citizen-heavy area, they think Dixon will send military forces to help, making it easier for them to overtake the plant.” He nodded, running through the different scenarios in his mind. He looked up at the stranger. “You’re confident that your territory is out of their path?”

  “The scouts that confirmed the movement is far to our west,” the stranger answered. “The terrorists aren’t going to try and wade through our forces and waste resources. They have to know that Dixon is packing some heat, and they’re going to want to train everything they’ve got on that town and the power plant. This is their last stand.”

  Charlie stood. “Then all we have to do is hold them.” He glanced down at Shelly and Jason. “Have the post commanders coordinate with one another, and have the blue clan’s men help them reinforce the line.”

  Shelly raised her eyebrows. “Charlie, blue clan has killed a lot of our people.”

  “And you’ve killed a lot of ours,” the stranger answered.

  “You tell everyone that the first person to throw even a nasty word to a blue clan member that they’ll have to report to me,” Charlie said. “Whatever evil we’ve all done to one another has to be put aside. It’s the only way that we’re going to have a chance at anything other than the shit we’ve waded through for the past year.” He gestured to the box of components. “Let’s get that to Mayfield.” He looked at the stranger. “You’re coming with me.”

  The stranger smiled. “I can’t wait to see the look on Dixon’s face when I walk through that door.”

  “That makes two of us,” Charlie said.

  He left instructions with the crew, leaving them in charge, with Shelly as his right hand. Lee led the stranger to instruct his fighters to integrate with The Orchard’s forces. But while the stranger spoke to his people, Charlie headed for the tree line to make sure the evacuations guard were still on point. And after that, he found Liz and Adelyn.

  “What’s going on out there?” Liz asked, holding Adelyn’s hand.

  Charlie took note of the people that surrounded them, ears in the woods eager to hear anything from the front lines. He pulled Liz out of earshot to prevent any further panic or questions from arising. “The blue clan brought the components along with some intel.”

  “What?” Liz asked.

  “The terrorists are on their way,” Charlie answered. “They’re going to hit us first and try to draw soldiers away from Mayfield.”

  The corner of Liz’s mouth twitched, but it was born from frustration and anger. She shook her head, then after she regained her composure, she looked down to Adelyn and scooped her off the ground. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m heading to Mayfield now with the components,” Charlie answered.

  “And the clan?” Liz asked.

  “They’re joining us.”

  Liz paused, hesitating and voicing the one concern of doubt that lingered in the back of Charlie’s mind. “And you don’t think this is a ploy? We know they’ve had more fighters than us for a while.”

  Charlie nodded. “It’s not.” He kissed her and then kissed Adelyn. “Stay safe.”

  “You too.”

  Charlie turned, leaving the pair of girls he loved more than anything in this world, and he wasn’t going to come back from Mayfield without more fighters from Dixon. They needed to hold the line. One way or another, the old world ended today, and the new world would be born tomorrow.

  15

  The conversation was kept to a minimum between Charlie and the stranger on the way to Mayfield, the box of parts between them. And when Charlie pulled up to the first security gate, he caught more than a few jarring glares from the guards on duty. But when he flashed them the computer components, they were granted immediate entrance.

  Dixon was out to meet him once more, but the security that surrounded the commander was much more intense, and this time the guards trained their weapons on not just the stranger, but Charlie as well.

  “Did you two have a falling out?” the stranger asked, the pair still inside the Humvee.

  “More of a disagreement,” Charlie answered, and then stepped out of the vehicle, bringing the box of computer chips with him. He walked over to Dixon as the rifles trained on him followed him the whole way over. “We didn’t come here to pick a fight.”

  “No?” Dixon looked to the blue patch on the stranger’s shoulder. “Then why did you bring him?”

  “Because he brought me these.” Charlie shoved the box into Dixon’s chest, and the grizzly commander opened the top portion of the box and peered inside. He stared at the contents for a moment, and then lifted his eyes. “What happened?”

  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the stranger answered, maintaining the swagger that he’d displayed ever since the pair had met in the blue clan territory, and spread his arms wide. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Commander Dixon.”

  Dixon handed the box off to one of the men by his side. “Get these to the engineers. And tell them I want them to speed up the installation process. Round the clock shifts.” The soldier sprinted off, and Dixon pointed at the pair of men in front of him. “Let’s go inside.”

  The trio headed to Dixon’s office, and the stranger recited everything that he’d already told Charlie. Dixon remained quiet, soaking in everything the blue clan leader was telling him, and it wasn’t until they were finished that he finally stood from his chair and walked around the desk.

  It was just the three of them in the room, and the more the silence lingered, the less sure Charlie was of how the commander was going to react.

  “They’re on their way,” Charlie said, watching Dixon take a seat on his desk, arms crossed and concentrating on a space on the floor.

  Dixon remained silent, nodding to himself, and then finally raised his eyes from the spot on the concrete and looked to the blue clan leader. “You brought the computer components back because you were hoping to buy goodwill, but they were never yours to begin with.”

  “Dixon—”

  “And if you and the rest of your military brothers had done their job, then we wouldn’t even be here in the first place,” the stranger said, stepping closer toward Dixon. “So I think we’re way past pointing fingers. You need help. We need help. Let’s help each other.”

  Dixon exhaled, nostrils flaring as he cleared his throat, then pushed himself off the desk. He kept his arms crossed. “You’re sure that the terrorists will divert the majority of their forces toward The Orchard?”

  “Enough to make you want to come and help us,” Charlie answered.

  “I can’t give you any soldiers.” Dixon stepped around his desk and opened one of the drawers. “But I will give you one of our fail-safe weapons.”

  “Fail safe?” Charlie asked.

  “Six months ago, when the brass in Washington was able to establish better communications, they sent out packages to every major military unit across the states. It was listed as priority, and I didn’t even know what the package was until it arrived.” Dixon retrieved a small box from the drawer, which required another key to open it. “But because the second base to our south was wiped out, we received their package as well.”

  The hinges of the metal box groaned as Dixon opened it, and he plucked another key from inside. He pinched it between his fingers, staring at it with an almost longing expression, then headed toward the door. “Follow me.”

  Charlie and the stranger were led out of the office toward the back side of the hospital. Images of his father flashed in his mind when Dixon placed his hand on the handle and opened the door, but the anxiety that plagued him ended when he saw the innards of the hospital.

  The halls had been cleaned out, the scent of bleach still
clinging to the air, and Charlie followed Dixon down the dimly lit halls of the hospital, periodically stealing glances at the floor where so many corpses had laid after the terrorists had marched through and decimated everything in their path.

  The trio traveled deep into the hospital, and Dixon finally stopped outside of a door that was guarded by two soldiers and had two sets of locks on it.

  Dixon removed his key, and one of the soldiers on duty removed one as well. The pair inserted their respective keys into the lock, and then turned it, granting Charlie, Dixon, and the stranger entrance.

  It was dark inside, the room void of any windows, and it wasn’t until Dixon turned on a battery-powered lantern that Charlie saw the crates stacked around the room from floor to ceiling, leaving only a small space on the floor for them to step inside.

  “What’s inside?” Stranger asked, pressing his hand against the wooden crates, unable to decipher the meaning of the military-bequeathed moniker’s seven-digit number plastered on the side.

  “Something to give you an edge,” Dixon answered. “It’s my compromise for keeping my men here.”

  Charlie turned, forgetting the boxes that surrounded him, and shook his head. “We have over one thousand civilians at the orchard. If we break, then they won’t be spared.”

  Dixon raised his eyebrows. “Then don’t break.” He turned toward the door, leaving Charlie and the stranger, but then stopped before he left and spun back around. “I appreciate you bringing the computer components back. But even after this is all done, I’m not sure you’ll get what you want from my superiors.”

  Stranger nodded. “I’m sure a good recommendation from you wouldn’t hurt.” He cracked a smile, and even Dixon couldn’t suppress reciprocating the charm.

  “I’ll have some of my men help you load the Humvee,” Dixon said. “Good luck.”

  Dixon disappeared down the hall, the faint clack of his boots disappearing until they could no longer be heard at all.