Yellow Heat - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 6) Read online

  “Don’t you think this will come to an end?” Molly asked with a hard swallow. “It can’t go on forever.”

  “Well, sure it’ll come to an end but will we be alive to see that end?” Peter asked not waiting for an answer. He let out a long sigh. “We have no reason to believe the attacks will end any time soon. So, we have to be smart and be safe.”

  Nick looked down at his feet for a long moment before looking back up at Peter. “But you also have no reason to believe that they won’t end soon, right?”

  “We’ve been watching what’s been going on as best as we can with our helicopters,” Peter said. “When there is an attack in one location, several miles away there might be another. With all these different bacteria and viruses… toxins that are everywhere we have no idea how any of us will survive. Can you imagine what this is doing to the environment?”

  “Helicopters…,” Nick said tapping his chin. “How are you still able to use them?”

  “Most everything is dead but somehow a few of them, some older ones, manage to still work. Maybe whatever they did to kill everything weakened,” Kellan said.

  Nick nodded. We’d been pretty sure we’d heard the helicopters, so it seemed as though they were telling the truth about them.

  “At what point will the air be so contaminated with everything they’re doing that we can’t breathe at all?” Kellan asked. “They probably don’t even realize how stupid they are. They’ll likely kill themselves with all this too.”

  “So, what’s your plan?” Nick asked. “If everything is as dire as you believe, what’s the point? Why should we even bother going to Winnipeg?”

  I already knew why we were going and there wasn’t anything that was going to stop me from getting there.

  Peter shrugged. “Because it’s the best chance any of us have. I know I’m not going to just lay down and die. We can keep moving, eventually, find a place where they won’t get us.”

  “These attacks can’t go on forever,” Nick said confidently. “I think more and more time is passing between each one the way it is. That has to be a good sign, right?”

  “I hope you’re right,” Peter said. “And when we get back up to Winnipeg, I hope that the experts up there will tell us the same thing. Anyway, I think you guys will like it up there. It’s safer and there are doctors.”

  “Doctors?” Molly asked. “Like plural?”

  Peter laughed. “Yeah, there were two when I was up there last. Some skilled nurses too. It’ll be safer there for you than it is here. At least for the time being. They have taken measures to ensure if an attack should land close by the city, they’ll be protected.”

  “Has there been any attacks there yet?” I asked.

  “Just two,” Kellan said looking away. “Two really bad ones.”

  Peter frowned. “The big one that wiped out more than seventy-five percent of the city.”

  “And then the second took out another fifteen percent give or take,” Kellan said. “We’ve lost a lot of people too.”

  “What kind of precautions have you taken to protect those that live there?” Nick asked.

  “We’ve collected masks, oxygen tanks, sealed doors and windows in various locations,” Peter said holding his chin high. “There are many underground locations where folks can go to wait out any attacks.”

  Nick shook his head. “That works if you know an attack is coming.”

  “That’s what our eyes in the skies are for,” Peter said. “Nothing is one hundred percent but we’re doing what we can.”

  There was a long pause where no one seemed to know what to say. The silence was making my skin itch.

  “You said you’ve brought others to Winnipeg,” I said.

  Kellan nodded.

  “Have you brought anyone recently? A man. He would have likely been traveling on his own,” I said feeling Nick’s eyes on me.

  Peter and Kellan looked at one another. “Last time we were up in Winnipeg was several weeks ago. It was a family of four.”

  I nodded. It didn’t seem as though Bronx had crossed their path. Did that mean he was dead or did that simply mean they just hadn’t seen him?

  “You’re looking for someone?” Peter asked.

  “Yes,” I answered. “He was headed north.”

  Peter nodded. “Well, hopefully, he’ll find his way to Winnipeg. There are signs along the way.”

  “Yes, hopefully,” I said.

  “Does that mean you’ll go with us?” Peter asked.

  Neither Nick nor I could answer. There was a knock at the door that put the room into a deep, nearly disturbing silence.

  Nick picked his gun back up and Peter pulled out a long knife. Nick glanced at Peter for a quick second over his shoulder.

  “Expecting someone?” Nick asked.

  Peter shook his head. “No.”

  Three

  There was another knock. Everyone was absolutely still as if hoping whoever was on the other side of the door would just go away.

  “We know you’re in there,” someone shouted. They pounded on the door again so hard the whole thing seemed to rattle the hinges and bow the door inward.

  “Yeah,” another voice said. “We’re not going to hurt you, we just want to talk.”

  Still, not one of us responded. I kept my eyes on Peter and Kellan more than I did the door. I couldn’t help but worry that at any moment they were going to turn on us and reveal it was some kind of elaborate setup.

  Before anyone could do anything about it, the door cracked and a hand stuck inside. Whoever was out there unlocked the door swiftly as if they’d done it hundreds of times.

  They were inside the room before I could take more than two steps back. There were at least ten men outside the door and five of them filed in through the broken door. Each one did something different as if their attack had been planned.

  One of them pressed me against the wall, another quickly disarmed Nick. The men who weren’t holding one of us in place were flipping everything in the room upside down, making sure we weren’t hiding anything.

  “We’re really sorry about this,” the man at the door said as he took Nick’s gun from the man handing it to him. He checked the shotgun and chuckled before throwing it on the floor. “Scare tactic? Is that working for you?”

  Nick’s veins were popping out of his neck as rage bubbled up inside of him. I wasn’t sure what he was more mad about… them taking his weapon or them revealing that it didn’t have any ammo.

  The man holding him grabbed him tighter and Nick reacted. He tried to jerk free but the man holding him twisted his arm tighter behind his back.

  “Look at this, boss,” another man said handing one of the bags to the man at the door.

  “Excellent,” the boss said. He looked at Nick and offered him an apologetic shrug. “Take them all.”

  “That’s our stuff!” Peter shouted, and the man next to him threw his fist into Peter’s jaw. “Jesus!”

  “I’m sure you’ll find new stuff,” the man they’d referred to as boss said. “Maybe you’ll find some chumps out there and you can take their stuff. Circle of life, bro. The secret to my success is to have my targets outnumbered. Oh, and of course, having actual bullets in your weapons helps too.”

  Peter snorted. “That’s all we need, huh? That’s the secret to being an asshole?”

  The guy next to him wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He chuckled before hitting Peter again.

  “You’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?” the man said nearly spitting in Peter’s face.

  Peter didn’t say anything, he just glared at the man. I looked down at his suddenly empty hands. I hadn’t seen what he’d done with his knife but it was gone and I knew the man hadn’t taken it from him.

  Kellan and Peter probably had their reasons for not doing anything to stop the men. The biggest reason was likely just that we were outnumbered. There was only so much they could have done with their knives.

  Every man insi
de the room that wasn’t holding one of us down walked outside of the door. The man they’d called boss held a pistol in each hand, one aimed at Nick and the other aimed at Peter.

  “Let’s go, boys,” the boss said jerking his chin to the side.

  Each man let go of us one by one with their fists in the air ready to knock us out if they needed to. They slowly left the room and the boss tipped his imaginary hat before he closed the broken door behind them.

  “Shit!” Peter said hitting the bed with both fists.

  “Should we go after them?” Nick asked picking his gun up off the floor.

  Peter shook his head. “Is it really empty?”

  Nick sighed. “I’ve been hoping to find some shells along the way.”

  Peter reached behind him and pulled the knife out from underneath him. He leaned forward pulling up the leg of his pants revealing a second knife. Peter removed the blade from his sheath and stood up.

  “It’s not great but this could come in handy,” Peter said flipping the knife around in his hand pointing the handle in Nick’s direction.

  Nick looked at it for a long moment. He nodded once and took the knife. “Thanks.”

  Peter unstrapped the sheath from his calf and tossed it to Nick. “I think you all should consider staying here for the night.”

  “Here?” Nick glanced at the door.

  “Maybe another room, you know, one that doesn’t have a broken door,” Peter said flicking a finger at Molly’s stomach. “But I think we should stick together. What that man said about being able to outnumber people… well, he was right.”

  Nick looked at Molly and then at me. I knew he wouldn’t trust Peter or Kellan any further than he could throw them but they seemed like they were good people… as long as they were telling the truth.

  “Maybe for the night,” Nick said.

  “What about to Winnipeg?” Kellan asked. “We can get you there.”

  “I think we’d prefer to travel alone,” Nick said.

  Peter scrunched up his nose. “Are you sure?”

  “Smaller groups draw less attention,” Nick said. He forced a tight-lipped smile first at Peter and then at Kellan. “We appreciate the offer though.”

  “Well, if you change your mind,” Peter said.

  Nick grinned but I saw right through it. “Yeah, yeah, if we change our minds, we’ll let you know.”

  We cautiously switched rooms although we speculated the group that had robbed us probably wasn’t that far away. They were likely watching us switch rooms, laughing at us as we moved with our heads down.

  It wasn’t like we had a lot of options at this time of day. Night had fallen quickly and we needed a place to stay. It made us all nervous seeing how easy it had been to break the door.

  If the robbers were watching us, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like they were going to come back and rob us again considering they’d already taken everything that Peter and Kellan had.

  “Maybe I should check to see if there is a vending machine. There could be some snacks that have been left behind,” I said peering out into the night sky.

  The moon was hanging there lighting the surroundings so brightly I could see all the way to the trees beyond the parking lot. If there were anyone out there, they’d see me moving about even without any other source of light.

  “No way,” Nick said. “You’re not going out there.”

  “I’d offer to go but there’s no point,” Kellan said. “We checked earlier and emptied what was left which wasn’t much.”

  “Damn,” Molly groaned rubbing her stomach. “The baby is hungry.”

  Nick rubbed her shoulders. “Just try to get some sleep.”

  “You guys take that bed,” Peter said pointing at the one closest to the window. “Kellan and I will take this one. How do you guys want to do this?”

  “Do what?” Molly asked sharply.

  “Should we alternate who keeps watch or do you not trust us?” Peter asked.

  Nick scratched his chin and shifted his eyes upward. “Sorry.”

  “Nope, it’s all good,” Peter said flopping down on the bed. “Because we trust you. Kellan and I could really use a night off. When it’s just the two of us, I don’t get nearly enough rest.”

  “Tell me about it,” Molly said.

  Peter chuckled and closed his eyes. “Well if you change your mind, we’ll be here.”

  With that Kellan and Peter fell asleep nearly instantly. I took the first watch while Nick tried to help Molly fall asleep. It was always difficult for her to sleep when she didn’t feel safe and some locations were worse than others. Seeing the door busted open, surely hadn’t helped.

  Nick stroked her hair and occasionally whispered into her ear. I did my best not to listen and I was thankful when she finally fell asleep.

  The night seemed to drag on and when I finally got my turn for sleep, it didn’t come easily. When morning came, I was happy to see the sunlight even though I was beyond exhausted.

  Peter wore a huge smile as he stretched his hands over his head. “I haven’t slept that good in weeks.”

  “Me either, bro,” Kellan said with an equally big smile.

  “Are you guys sure you won’t be joining us?” Peter asked as he straightened his clothes.

  Nick nodded. “Positive.”

  Peter nodded much the same. He stuck out his hand at the men shook.

  “Safe travels to you all,” Peter said.

  “And to you,” Nick said.

  They turned to leave but stopped just as they were about to open the door. Peter spun around.

  “There’s something we should tell you,” he said.

  “What’s that?” Nick asked.

  Peter drew in a breath. “There’s a man you need to know about. A man that’s dangerous.”

  Four

  Nick cocked his head to the side. He let out an amused chuckle.

  “A dangerous man, huh?” Nick asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’d run into a dangerous man.”

  “This guy is different,” Peter said.

  Nick crossed his arms. “In what way?”

  “He tries to stop them from going north,” Peter said. “He’s convinced that the people that go to Winnipeg are killed on sight. The man can be very convincing.”

  “Why does he care?” Nick asked.

  Peter shook his head. “He believes he’s saving lives by stopping them from going. He thinks that they’re the ones behind all this.”

  “If you see him, don’t believe him,” Kellan said. “Thank him and keep going. Get away from him as quickly as you possibly can.”

  My stomach sank down so low my whole body felt heavy. I had to resist the urge to lean forward.

  I worried that maybe the man trying to stop people wasn’t crazy. What if he was the one telling the truth and Peter and Kellan were the ones we needed to worry about? Maybe Bronx was walking right into a trap.

  “We didn’t mean to scare you,” Kellan said looking at me. “You just need to avoid him at all costs. We probably should do something about him but we still don’t know how to handle it.”

  “Okay,” I said unable to find any other words.

  “Well,” Nick said his lips curling up at one end. “Thanks for the warning but we try to avoid everyone.”

  Peter nodded. “Good… good.”

  They walked out the door without giving us another look. Would they be there once we got to Winnipeg? It didn’t matter if we’d see them again or not but maybe they’d be there. Maybe it would have been smarter to travel with them.

  We watched out of the room window for several minutes waiting to see if anyone came out of one of the other rooms and followed Peter and Kellan. When no one came out, and Kellan and Peter were out of sight, we left.

  We couldn’t have been far behind Peter and Kellan, but we didn’t see them ahead of us. The two of them probably walked quicker and they knew where they were going.

  Molly walked slow and I wasn’t much fas
ter with my aching feet. We’d put in so many miles that each one took longer even though we were so close.

  There had been some homes and businesses near the motel but Nick didn’t want to check them. He’d been worried the men that had robbed us might be sticking around, and while they hadn’t killed us, he didn’t want to provoke them. Nick figured they probably had cleared the surrounding area anyway.

  It had been a good seven miles before we stumbled upon a home that had food. Nick found an old backpack and filled it with as much as he could. It had only been enough to fill about half of the bag.

  “We’re going to need water,” Nick said running his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t concerned for himself or even me for that matter, he knew that Molly and the baby needed it. “If we don’t find something soon, we’re going to have to boil some from a lake or river.”

  Nick chewed on a fingernail as he thought it over. We had crossed a small stream a mile or so back but he’d been worried it might be contaminated from the attacks.

  “I’ll boil it and try it first,” Nick said holding up an empty jug he’d found below the sink.

  I shook my head. “That won’t work. Even if you’re fine at first, we have no idea how long it could take for the poison to affect you.”

  “If we try it now, we’ll know in the future,” Nick said.

  “And if we try and find out it’s contaminated, we’re screwed,” I said.

  Nick sighed. “Not necessarily. It might just make us sick. It’s something we should know.”

  “I don’t know, Nick,” I said feeling the dryness at the back of my throat. Talking about water was making my thirst worse. My throat was dry and every time I swallowed, it felt like I was about to choke.

  “Do you have a better idea?” Nick asked.

  I shook my head. I wished I would have but I didn’t. Maybe he was right but I couldn’t let him be the one to try it.

  “I’ll do it,” I said.

  Nick laughed. “The hell you will.”

  “You have a baby on the way. She needs you,” I said looking into his eyes. “She doesn’t need me.”

  “We all need you,” Nick said.