Apokalypsis | Book 5 | Apokalypsis 5 Read online

  APOKALYPSIS

  Book Five

  Kate Morris

  2020

  Ranger Publishing

  Copyright © 2020 by Ranger Publishing

  Note to Readers: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is not intended to provide helpful or informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk personal or otherwise.

  All rights reserved; including the right to reproduce this book or portions of thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, email: [email protected].

  Ranger Publishing and design thereof are registered trademarks of Ranger Publishing.

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  Cover design and ebook formatting by EbookLaunch.com

  Author photo provided by J. Morris

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file

  ISBN 13: 9798674562948

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you so much to all of the fans of Apokalypsis and The McClane Apocalypse. Thanks for supporting the new series and helping it climb on the charts. It’s your unfailing support and love that keeps me going in this pursuit.

  If you follow me on social media, you know that sex trafficking is a really important issue to me. Please follow Jaco Booyens and his organization, SHAREtogethernow.org, or check out his personal website, JacoBooyens.com. If nothing else, please share his information. His own sister was sex trafficked in South Africa where they were originally from, and she was recovered six years later. Six years she lived like that. He shares so much information for parents or anyone trying to keep our youth from being trafficked. His podcasts include tips for safety, internet safety, and how to prevent it from happening. You will be surprised at what you find there. I was. He also lists ways to get involved in fighting child sex trafficking. Anything we can do to help save one child is worth keeping up the fight.

  Sincerely,

  Kate

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter One

  Elijah

  Pain. It came in waves now. Elijah never knew there were variations of it, either. Some pain appeared in sharp stabs, some in dull aches, while others were like needles under his skin. For hours, they’d used him as a punching bag. Parts of him felt broken, other areas just bruised. His head was pounding like someone had crushed in the side of his skull with a two-by-four piece of lumber. He was pretty sure one of them had used the butt of a rifle to knock him out when he was trying to yell for Wren to run. He was strung up like a side of beef. His hands were tied and also duct-taped. He was attached with a chain to something above, a steel pipe or pipeline of some kind. Maybe a gas line. At least he wasn’t alone.

  “Don’t give them anything,” Jamie said through bouts of wet coughing and spitting of what Elijah cold only surmise was blood mixed with saliva. It was the same mixture he kept spitting.

  “I won’t,” he said and spat, as well. He tasted blood again. One of the cuts on his lips was bleeding. Hell, everything was. What difference did one more make? “Sorry we didn’t come for you, man. I wanted to. I felt awful for leaving you behind like that. I…”

  “No, I’m glad you didn’t. I’m glad your brother tried to stop you,” Jamie said beside him, who was also secured in the same manner. Only their feet were touching the ground and just barely at that. “Alex was right. It’s not like a normal situation, a military one, you know? Leaving a buddy behind kind of thing. This is different. The whole world is different. Nothing is the same. Probably won’t ever be again.”

  “I’m still sorry, man. She knew. She knew something was wrong.”

  “Yeah, she would. Wren knows I’d never leave her alone this long. They caught up to me at the trailer. I went back there to get something for Wren and to torch the place. I thought I’d lost them, but they somehow traced me back there.”

  It was dark, but the snow blanketing everything outside the building was so bright that the light coming through the broken windows all around the room illuminated the space sufficiently enough to see. What he saw was not good. There was a pool of blood beneath Jamie’s feet in about a three-foot diameter circle. He must’ve bled out a lot from something. Same as his own gunshot wound to his leg. However, it was only a graze. At least, he thought it was. If not, it wasn’t bleeding that badly. There wasn’t a puddle of blood around him on the ground, just splatters of it from being punched in the face.

  “We gotta get outta’ here, man,” he said to Jamie.

  “I know. I’ve tried these ties. I’m too weak now. If you can get loose, just leave me.”

  “No, I’ll free you, too,” Elijah said with a mixture of confusion and alarm.

  “No!” Jamie said a little louder and began coughing again. “I’ll slow you down. I’m done. They stabbed me yesterday. I think that one asshole with the face tattoos hit a main organ, maybe my spleen. Not sure. I’m bleeding internally.”

  “What do you mean? How do you know?”

  “They tried beating it out of me. Didn’t work. I wouldn’t tell them shit. Not where you guys were or the guns. Yesterday, before you came, they cut me up pretty good with a knife. One of them stabbed too deep a couple times. I’m done. I’ll be dead by morning.”

  “No, I’ll…”

  “Listen, Elijah. I don’t have long before I pass out. I’m getting weaker. I feel it happening. It’s okay. I don’t mind. I know you’ll take care of her if you get out of here. If you don’t, she’ll be okay. Wren’s a survivor. She’ll make it back to Alex.”

  This was earth-shattering. Jamie was the one they were relying on for surviving all of this. Between the mob, this pandemic, and the collapse of normal civil society, Jamie was the pillar, the light at the end of the tunnel on which they were all focusing. He and Wren were definitely pinning their hopes on Jamie. Alex was great, his brother and best friend, but he wasn’t very old and had never been in something like this, either. Jamie was used to adversity, used to keeping her alive no matter what, used to living on the run. It wasn’t doing much for Elijah’s deflating hopes when Jamie talked about giving up so easily.

  “Don’t talk like that, man. We’ll get outta’ here.”

  “Just listen,” Jamie stated firmly. “Whatever they do or say or threaten you with, don’t give them anything. If they get to those guns, they could build an army. I’ve heard them talking. They don’t have enough guns, not even
one for every man. But they would if they got our guns. They could run over entire neighborhoods in less than an hour. They could kill dozens of innocent people and take their supplies, take their women. I heard them talking like that, too. And if you tell them anything about us, they could find her. They’ll get it out of you if they think she’s the key to finding the guns.”

  That thought made him want to throw up.

  “If they search your pockets and find your wallet, they’ll get your address. She could be hiding at your house. Maybe she didn’t get any further than that yet.”

  “No, she was running. She’ll get out, and I don’t have my wallet on me.”

  Jamie coughed again. “When you were out, I heard one of them say that you looked familiar. Probably from your football days. If they figure out who you are, they could figure out who she is. We both know that these idiots aren’t her only problem.”

  “I don’t think the mob is the issue anymore.”

  “They’ll always be the biggest threat, the biggest problem. Don’t ever let your guard down. Ever. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged.

  “They’ll never stop coming for her, even if the world collapses further. This isn’t just about a court case or even the money. These Greeks want their revenge, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. What her father did to them has never happened before. Nobody has ever gone against them. It’s not just them, Elijah. This is a global crime network that goes back centuries. Wren and her father ruined it. If you get away, always sleep with one eye open. They’ll never stop looking for her. She’s…” he paused and coughed. “she’s the key to their money, too. It’s a lot more than she knows. A lot of secrets that should’ve never been revealed. It’s all there.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said as his bloody face dripped onto the floor again. He wasn’t sure if his nose was broken or not, but his ribs felt either badly bruised or broken. For a while, they were both silent, and Elijah worried that his companion had died. Then he heard a noise outside the building, probably one of them walking a patrol, which they seemed to do. “Jamie? Are you still awake? What do you mean about ‘it’s all there’? Jamie? Are you awake?”

  “Yeah, for now.”

  “Good. Stay awake, man. What did you mean?”

  Jamie coughed more weakly this time. “Listen to me. I left the directions to the farm in my vehicle. If they retrace our steps, these idiots could find Wren and your brother. Hell, maybe they already have. I’m not sure.”

  “Oh, shit,” Elijah blurted, truly worried about them finding those directions.

  Outside somewhere, one of those things screamed like they always did at night. Distant gunfire soon followed. He was pretty sure the men who’d taken them were adept by now at keeping the night crawlers at bay. That didn’t make him feel any better about their situation, but he wasn’t too keen on one of the night crawlers getting inside this building, either. Especially not with having his hands tied up and being completely vulnerable to attack.

  “The crawlers, they’re hunting in packs now. I’ve seen it. The night I got separated from you. I saw them on the way to our trailer. It’s as if an alpha male runs each small pack. If they ever band together, people are going to be in even bigger trouble.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  “If you get free, head straight for the farm. Do you know how to hotwire a car?”

  “No, sir,” he answered honestly and felt lame for it.

  “This is how you do it. It’s fairly simple,” he explained patiently between coughing. “Find an older model vehicle first. They’re less likely to have an alarm system. Or find something unlocked.”

  “I can get to my house. If Wren didn’t go there, my car is still in the garage,” Elijah said.

  “If,” Jamie reiterated. “It’s probably been stolen by now. Find something old if you can. If not, you’ll have to hotwire something newer.”

  “Yes, sir,” Elijah said as he listened to Jamie explain the finer details of hotwiring. When he was done, Jamie coughed and spat a mouthful of blood out in front of him. It looked like a lot, more than just from being punched in the face.

  “You have to figure out how to get loose. They will eventually let you down to piss in the corner. Try to stall. Wrap your binds around one of them from behind and choke him out.”

  “I can do that,” Elijah stated with confidence. He wasn’t sure where that was coming from, though. He wasn’t exactly trained in something like that. His brother had been trying to find time to teach him some tactics for different scenarios just in case, but they’d been so busy lately at the farm. Instead of focusing on the negative, he kept pulling at the zip ties and duct tape around his wrists. He didn’t work out hard all those years for nothing. The abrading motion was tearing his skin open, but he didn’t care.

  “Get home to your brother. Don’t try to find Wren. Find Alex first.”

  More gunfire outside, closer this time, was followed by the nocturnal cries of those things, which sent a chill down his damp back. His shirt was soaked with his own sweat and probably some blood from the beatings he took. They’d confiscated his coat, hat, and gloves. The building was cold, but Elijah figured that was good since the cold was helping him stay awake.

  “Yes, sir. I will.”

  “Did Wren tell you where our arsenal was?”

  “Yes,” he admitted, hoping Jamie wouldn’t be angry with her.

  “Good. Get to the guns after you find your brother. There’s enough in there that you’ll level the playing field against these assholes. Then find her. They could get to her before you can if she’s still at your house. With just two of you, you’re going to need heavy firepower.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us about the guns before?”

  “They were my contingency plan. I figured I’d come back to the city after we got settled in at the farm to get them. I wanted to be sure the farm was going to be safe, somewhere I could trust taking her. If it wasn’t, I was going to come back, get the guns, and take her to Amish country. It seemed remote. Our evac fell through again. My contact said he was also compromised. The mob is here, Elijah. They will find the trailer soon. You have to torch it. The farm, is it safe?”

  Elijah assured him, “The farm is remote. I promise. It’s safe.”

  “Good, then get there. Then come back and find her. She might be at the farm by the time you get to it anyway. In the next few days, torch the trailer. The mob will trace us there, and then they’ll trace her to you and then your farm.”

  “How?”

  “They just will. They have contacts in the government, too. Wren is headstrong. She’ll want to leave you and your brother. Don’t let her. Get to Alex. He’ll help you come back for me if you guys even can. If you make it back and I die, burn my body, too. No evidence.”

  Elijah gulped at the thought. Instead of focusing on Jamie’s possible cremation, he said, “She’s probably already with Alex. It’s been hours.”

  “Maybe,” Jamie said and coughed.

  A few more minutes passed as he wrestled with the ties. It was frustrating because Elijah knew if his hands were down in front of him, he’d easily be able to bust loose. Jamie was quiet, so he took the opportunity to look around as he wiggled and shimmied his wrist around. It was moving more freely now.

  He wasn’t sure where they were because they’d thrown a black pillowcase over his head in the car that drove him to this location. They were definitely in the city, and from the short amount of time that had passed getting here, he guessed Canton. Whether that meant north or south or just downtown, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t that far from Massillon. Even though Jamie told him not to go back there to look for her yet, Elijah wasn’t sure if that was the right move. If she was lost or surrounded by people or monsters, she’d need his help.

  “Jamie, do you know where we are?”

  “No, in a city. I saw glimpses of buildings, manufacturing plants, and the like. That’s where we
are, too, in a machine shop or something similar.”

  “I think we might be in Canton.”

  “That’s probably right,” he agreed. Then as if he were reading Elijah’s thoughts, he added, “If we are, that would be too far for you to travel back to your house and then to your brother. Just get to Alex.”

  “There used to be a lot of industry in the downtown area a long time ago. It seemed like we were in the car for about twenty minutes. I think in the weather conditions, it would take about that long.”

  “Good, that puts you closer to getting out of the city and to your brother.”

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “Elijah, promise me you’ll go to Alex first. This group… they’re more than you can handle on your own.”

  “No shit, man,” he said and spat some of his own blood. “I know when I’m out of my league.”

  “You’ll need to go back to the trailer,” Jamie explained again as his words slurred slightly. “There are still loose ends to tie up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Under the floorboards in my closet…”

  “The trapdoor?”

  Jamie coughed and sputtered. “No, in the other closet, there’s a false floor. Lift the carpet. There’s a box in there. Get it and keep it safe. It’s for Wren.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “You’ll understand when you see,” he explained and then slurred, “loose ends, explanations.”

  “Okay, I will,” he promised. He gasped as one hand slipped. “I think I’ve got one of my hands out of the zip tie.”

  “Good, Elijah. Keep trying.”

  He tugged hard with all his strength. “I do!” he exclaimed as his left hand pulled free. His shoulder was sore and exhausted.

  Elijah clawed at the duct tape until he had it and the other zip tie broken. Then he fell to the floor and winced from the pain in his beaten body. His feet were duct-taped, too, so he went to work on them. They’d used so much.

  Suddenly, outside there was gunfire. A lot of gunfire.

  “Now’s our chance,” he said to Jamie, who didn’t answer.