Series: Sean Moriarty
Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
When I finally find it, the light comes on so harsh and bright it’s blinding.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I grumble, squinting my eyes against the glare.
“What now?!” Sonya demands.
It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light before I can look around. The safe room is pretty much a fallout bunker designed to withstand almost anything nasty that could happen. Boxes line the walls, full of supplies. There’s a single bed, barely big enough to fit two people. The walls themselves appear to be concrete, but they’re protected by metal on the other side.
Jude explained to me that it has a separate water and oxygen system from the house, buried deep underground and protected.
We could survive in here for weeks, if necessary.
I just hope it doesn’t come to that…
Taking in the stack of supplies pushed against the back wall, my throat tightens.
Jude truly thought of everything. There’s more than a month’s supply of formula, diapers, and baby food for Abel. There’s even a portable playpen with a few toys.
Rubbing Abel’s back to help calm him, I carry him over to the playpen, meaning to set him down.
But I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m so damn scared, so damn worried, I think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t feel him against me.
“What now?!” Sonya yells at me.
I jerk my head in her direction, ready to tell her I don’t know.
But I spot the security screens on the wall behind her shoulder.
Clutching Abel tighter, my shirt soaked with his tears, I walk around Sonya without answering.
She turns in a slow circle, following me with a look of disbelief.
Shifting Abel into one arm, I bend down and hit a button on a keyboard connected to the screens.
Nothing happens until my stupid brain finally finds the power button.
I don’t know why I’m operating the way I am…
My mind only able to process one thing at a time.
It must be the chaos making me stupid.
The four screens flash on, showing four very different pictures. The top left screen shows the area directly outside the safe room door. The basement and the bottom of the stairs.
The second screen shows the living room and the front door. James is in the living room, crouched below a busted window. A gun is clutched in his hands and his head is dipped down as he looks at something around his feet.
The third shows the upstairs landing and the doors that lead to the bedrooms. The fourth and final screen cycles between the front and back yard.
When the screen cycles to the front yard, I gasp.
“What?” Sonya asks and comes up behind me.
Staring at the screen, I shake my head in disbelief.
There’s no sound, but I can see everything happening out there in crystal clear clarity.
Three black cars fill the street behind my driveway. Angled as if the people driving were in too much of a hurry to park properly. Behind the open doors of the cars are several men I don’t recognize shooting guns at my house.
The big black SUV in the driveway is riddled with bullet holes and a body hangs out the passenger side door. In front of the SUV two members of the security team return fire.
The security team guy on the right leans to the side to take a shot at the cars then just drops to the ground a split second later.
Sonya gasps behind me.
Suddenly the picture on the screen changes, flashing to the empty backyard.
Not knowing how to cycle back to the front yard, we’re forced to wait for the system to cycle back itself.
“Who are those men? Why are they doing this?” Sonya asks shrilly.
“I have no idea…” I mumble, staring intently at the screen. Waiting for it to show the front yard again.
I truly have no idea who those men behind the black cars are. I’ve never met any of them before.
But I have a sinking feeling that all of this is somehow connected to me.
Connected to my deal with my uncle.
The picture on the screen finally changes, showing the front yard again. Now the second security guy that was in front of the SUV is down on the ground.
Leaving James alone to defend himself.
Sonya leans closer, squinting her eyes at the screen. “Are those guys Asian? They all look Asian to me…”
I lean closer as well, peering closely at the men we can see. They all have dark hair, but otherwise I simply can’t tell.
Not that it matters, anyway. All that matters is that they’re trying to kill us. Who cares who or what they are.
James suddenly straightens only to quickly crouch again.
Two men behind the black cars drop.
Leaving at least four men shooting at him. Four against one.
“He’s fucked,” I choke out and slap a hand over my mouth.
Wishing I could take that back.