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chapter forty-four

Emily

Day Twenty-Five

It’d been five days since Layne and I had arrived in Cielo Hills. We’d been given a tour of every beautiful property, including the gardens and the chicken pens tucked away in tree-covered corners. The residents were lovely and welcoming, seeming to take comfort in each new face that arrived, another person to care for. Another extended family member to grieve the downfall of the world as we’d known and loved it. A team of sorts with which to link arms and face what was to come.

The owners of these homes were all retirees, mostly senior citizens who took us under their wings and doted on us in any way they were able. They’d also gathered a wonderful group of employees who were now so much more than that, many of their own families sharing space with the homeowners.

Before the solar flare hit, this community was stunning and luxurious, but now? Now it was an actual paradise sitting high on a hill, a gate at the front and unscalable cliffs surrounding it. I couldn’t help thinking of it as one of those medieval castles overlooking villages where those not as fortunate suffered and starved. And so, while I was deeply grateful to be safe and fed, I could not stop thinking of those who were not. The visions were agonizing because I knew the pain and terror I was picturing was actually playing out everywhere across the nation.

In five days, Tuck had not shown up with my parents. Which I prayed meant they were doing fine, and Tuck was taking a short breather—one he deserved. If something was wrong, he’d have come to tell me. He’d never withhold news like that or risk me returning someday to find that they’d been gone since the beginning. And if my parents needed this sanctuary, they would have been here by now. I didn’t let my mind wander further than that. I couldn’t. I could only picture them there, on their property, surviving and rebuilding with the resources they had. Thank God you didn’t move. Thank God you held on to what you had . The things the whole country was fighting for right now—animals, crops, land, and the know-how to tend it.

And the vision I conjured of my parents on their land brought me peace, but it also made my guts churn with longing. I was here, wandering through the gardens of others when I should be laboring on my family farm. It felt…wrong.

And I missed Tuck desperately. I felt hollow inside, like a vital organ was missing and I was just barely alive. Which, in the midst of paradise, felt deeply ungrateful. And yet, the feeling remained. My heart was twisted with too many emotions to manage. I stood on the cliff just past the house at the top of the hill and stared across the water, trying to picture Tuck. Was he still there in the San Fernando Valley? Or had he already left for Kansas? Surely he’d need at least a week to recover and gather what supplies he could before taking off again? Or, knowing Tuck, he’d be offering any help necessary to my parents and their community before he left.

I returned to Merrick Winchester’s home and went in the side door, avoiding the front room where I could hear voices and some soft laughter. Layne had moved into the house next door where Freddie had a room, but they were here now, visiting with Merrick. But I didn’t have any desire to socialize, I felt far too bereft. All I really wanted to do was sleep and shut off the deep loneliness and pain.

* * *

My eyes flew open, and I blinked groggily up at the ceiling, a sliver of moonlight offering the barest bit of light. Something had woken me—a distant crack. It’d sounded like gunfire.

There it is again.

My stomach tightened and I threw the blankets back and got out of bed. I knew that sound all too well. I’d heard it more times than I cared to remember in recent weeks.

My window faced the back of the house, my view mostly restricted by tall trees. And beyond that was the edge of a cliff that dropped down to the ocean. The gunfire—if that’s what it was—had seemed to come from somewhere down the hill. I’d need to look out a front window to see the street outside.

I slipped out of my room, using the moonlight coming in the tall windows to make my way down the hallway. I didn’t hear anyone else stirring from behind the other bedroom doors. If they’d heard the noise too, they were unconcerned.

It was probably coming from beyond the gate, echoing in the stillness of the night. Or maybe from the ocean far below.

I was paranoid. But then again, I had very good reason to be. We all did.

I padded down the stairs, my footsteps silent on the plush runner and when I got to the bottom, I heard tense voices from the living room.

I started to go in that direction, to see if someone else had heard what I did, when Merrick’s voice grew louder momentarily, clearly distressed. I paused, suddenly on guard and moving more slowly now.

“Put the gun away, Leon. This is wrong.”

My heart thumped with confusion and fear. I plastered my body against the wall. I could barely see into the large room with vaulted ceilings. Merrick was standing near the window and Leon was in front of him, a gun in his hand. What is happening?

“Asher came over the walkie-talkie,” Merrick said. “There’s been a breach. The others need—”

“Asher’s been taken care of.”

“Oh God. What did you do to him?”

“He wasn’t harmed. He’s just been temporarily restrained,” Leon said.

I pulled in a breath, the air barely trickling down my throat. Asher was the young man who lived in what had been the guardhouse near the gate. He’d been restrained? By who? Who breached the gate? What was happening here?

“Leon, why?” Merrick gasped. “I welcomed you here. I allowed you to bring others.”

“Consider your debt repaid.”

“My God, you’re a snake, Leon. I did owe a debt. To your father who was a good, honorable man. You can choose to be like him. I know you’re afraid, but you don’t have to do this.”

“My father’s dead. He died because he put others before himself, and if that’s honor then what’s the point? I’m not going to make the same mistake. The days of selflessness are gone. Now it’s about survival. Not just for a month or even a few, but for longer than that.

“The others are on their way up the hill. They’ll start from the top and make their way down. They’re taking over the homes, even now. It will go quickly. No one will be hurt as long as they cooperate.”

Oh my God. Leon had let armed men in the gate, and they were taking over these homes? Panic infused my veins causing my limbs to tremble. Other sounds met my ears now. Distant footsteps running. Voices from far away.

“The guards at the gate,” Merrick said, his voice choked. “They let these people in? You said we could trust them. You said we needed them.”

“Obviously you did. You created a government, Merrick, but you forgot that every small country needs an army.”

“But why? You were safe. You were being cared for and fed.”

“I’m creating space, it’s as simple as that. I’m preparing for what comes next.”

Creating space. What did that mean exactly?

Merrick let out a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a cough and Leon turned slightly so that I pulled in a breath and plastered myself more firmly to the wall.

“There are so many weaknesses here,” Leon went on. “And no weapons. If not my people, this place would have been taken over in a few weeks. Sacked by a violent horde who wouldn’t treat anyone with the dignity I will. How the fuck are you going to have a future with a community who will die off in a few short years? Then what, Merrick? All of you are such damn do-gooders. But a plan for the future is important too. Young people, strong people. Do you know how fucked the world is? No one needs to waste food on a bunch of senior citizens who can barely walk, much less defend the community. They do nothing for a world like this except use up resources. They’ll be dust in the ground soon enough and we need those resources now.”

Merrick took a few steps and sank down on a chair, his shoulders rolling forward.

“You’re not such a spring chicken yourself, Leon,” Merrick said, his voice weak.

“I’m a leader, however,” Leon said. “I get shit done. I make the hard calls that no one else is willing to make.”

My head was buzzing, lips quivering. My God, what Merrick had said was true—Leon was a snake. I’d hitched my wagon to a viper. He’d arranged with the guards at the front to let people he’d gathered come inside to take over these homes? Who were they? Desperate people he knew from the show business world who’d been offered a spot in exchange for this ? Told they could die outside these gates or take this community over? Given maps and numbers and… Oh my God.

“You said they wouldn’t harm anyone—”

“They won’t,” Leon said. “Not if it’s not necessary. These aren’t bloodthirsty killers. They’re going to gather everyone and those considered…non-essential will be walked out the front gate.”

Merrick’s shoulders sagged further. “It’s as good as killing them, Leon. You know that. And there’s no such thing as a nonessential human being.”

“Unfortunately, Merrick, that’s simply no longer true.”

The front door burst open, the sounds of a group of men entering the home and I startled, letting out a small squeak. My heart pressed against the wall of my chest as my stomach dropped. “Watch him,” Leon said to whomever had entered the house. Oh God. I turned to run, but Leon had heard me and before I could make it to the staircase, he was on my heels. “Stop, Emily.”

I skidded to a stop, looking slowly over my shoulder to see Leon standing there with the gun pointed in my direction. “I do not want to shoot you, but I will if I have to.”

I turned toward him, my mouth dry, heart pounding. “You’re not who I thought you were.”

“I’m exactly who you thought I was,” he said. “It’s why you wanted me on your team.”

I stood there, my mind filled with static, fear and disappoint ment cascading through my limbs. But maybe he was right. Maybe I’d liked the fact that he was a cutthroat businessman. I’d valued him for his dog-eat-dog attitude and ability to be callous. It’d meant he always got what he wanted and when he was working on my behalf, it meant I did too.

And evidently, he wasn’t afraid to up the level of “cutthroat” depending on the circumstances.

He gestured with his gun. “You’re valuable here, Emily. Don’t worry, you can stay as long as you cooperate. Go on up to your room. I’ll walk you there.”

I glanced up the stairs toward my room. What else could I do? There was nowhere to run, and he had a gun on me. And I didn’t think attempting to fight him was a good gamble. So, on shaky legs, I turned and ascended the stairs, Leon trailing behind. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to put a door between us and when Leon’s hand stopped me, I sucked in a fearful gasp.

“The world is burning, Emily,” Leon said. I glanced over his shoulder where a young man with a chiseled jaw wearing camo was turning down the hallway. “And this is a utopia. If I’d have told you every detail of what I planned beforehand, you might not have come. And that would have been a mistake because you’d have died out there.”

He allowed me to shut the door and I leaned back on it, letting out a shuddery breath.

Outside, there was an exchange between Leon and the young man. I didn’t hear every word, but it was clear that he’d directed him to guard my door. I flipped the lock, knowing that the flimsy thing wouldn’t help me much if a muscled dude decided to kick it down. But it was better than nothing.

I heard sounds that told me the men with guns were beginning to gather residents from their rooms. Then, I supposed, it would be determined who could stay and who could go. I was relatively safe up here, already guaranteed I’d be one of the chosen ones who could stay. But how could I remain locked in this room without at least attempting to warn the others?

I unlatched the window and looked down at the dark yard below. It was too far to jump. I turned, surveying my room for a moment, weighing my options before I moved quickly to my bed. I ripped my sheets off and expediently tied them together, giving a yank to ensure the knot was tight, my eyes darting to the door handle that I kept expecting to jiggle.

My heart pounded as I opened the window as wide as it would go and then threw the knotted sheet down. It was a significant drop but even if the sheet didn’t hold, I was hopeful it would slow my descent enough that I wouldn’t break my leg.

I heard another scream and then a few cries and more sounds of alarm as people were led out of their rooms. I only took a moment to slip on the clean jeans and sweatshirt I’d been given and a pair of canvas sneakers.

With trembling fingers, I tied the end of the sheet to the leg of a massive wardrobe next to the window, my heart rapping against my breastbone. I sat down on the ledge, took a deep breath, and then swung my legs over. Then I turned onto my stomach, the ledge digging into my ribs as I grabbed hold of the sheet and lowered my body. For a moment I simply dangled over empty air, gritting my teeth so I wouldn’t scream. Please hold, please hold. I went lower, my arms burning as I slowly descended.

And then the sheet gave, coming off the wardrobe above as I bit my tongue and went plummeting the rest of the way to the ground.

I hit hard, landing in a crouch with a staggered breath, and then doing a quick assessment of my limbs. Nothing broken. You’re okay. I got up and then I ran around the side of the house and plastered myself against the brick. I exhaled in relief. I was okay. I was free.

From the room at least.

And I only had limited time to warn others—to let them know what was going on so they could…what? Escape? There was no escape. The only choices were to hide…or fight back.

I turned, running through the backyard, toward the property next door, where Layne and Freddie were. I ducked among the trees and headed toward my friends to warn them that our castle on the hill was being stormed.