“There it is. The white building. Well, what’s left of it.” Ed pointed down the street.

  “I see it. Looks like the elevator shaft is still standing. You said the safe was in there, right?” Ben flipped up his NVGs to get a broader, although darker, view of the surrounding area. There was no one else around, but there was no telling when or if another patrol would come by. Eventually, someone was going to wonder what happened to those two guys. Maybe no one would notice until morning, after Ben, Ed, and Joel were long gone. But the more likely scenario was that they were reporting to someone who would come looking for them sooner rather than later.

  It was now more important than ever to do this quickly. They were working against the clock now, only they didn’t know how much time was left.

  “It looks like we can get into the building on the far-left side. There’s a main hallway that runs down the center of the clinic, all the way to the elevator shaft. The hallway supports the second floor and was reinforced with steel headers to carry the load. It’s probably still passable if we can get inside.” Ed sounded convincing enough for Ben.

  “Let’s do it, then,” Ben urged.

  One by one, they covered the last hundred yards to the clinic, crossing the street and making their way to the side of the building. The place was in rough shape, like most of the other businesses and homes that were unlucky enough to be caught up in the fire that had ravaged this part of town.

  Ed led them down a side alley and to a steel door. Ben was impressed to see that it was still intact and locked. Ed produced a key and had the door open within seconds. The rubble from the building was piled overhead on either side of the door, but as Ed had predicted, the door and hallway beyond were passable.

  The smell of burnt wood and whatever else had gone up in the fire was strong and stung Ben’s nose. Max was hesitant to walk across the scorched and blackened composite floor tiles. Most of their edges had curled up in the intense heat, creating sharp but brittle points.

  “Can you get Max to stay here by the door and wait for us?” Ben didn’t want to risk the dog getting injured. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt having Max watch their exit.

  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Ed agreed and positioned Max just inside the door to the alleyway. Ben felt better knowing their backs were covered. And if anyone followed them in here, they’d have a big surprise waiting to greet them.

  They traversed the hallway in the same order they’d moved through town. It was like being inside of a crispy, dark cave. The curled floor tiles cracked and broke with each step. It was loud, but there was no choice in the matter, and to make matters worse, poor Joel could barely see. Ben kept one hand on his son’s shoulder, helping him navigate the hallway until they reached the end and another steel door. This one was not locked but was buried under several charred pieces of lumber.

  Since Ed and Ben were the only ones who could really see what was going on, they started removing debris as quietly as they could. Fortunately, none of the collapsed structure blocking the door needed to be hacked through with the axe, and in a matter of minutes, they had access to the base of the unfinished elevator shaft.

  The safe was there, just like Ed had promised, and in remarkably good condition. They hadn’t needed any of the tools they brought along to access the medicine after all, although they weren’t a total waste, seeing as how the axe had come in handy. Ed entered the combination into the mechanical lock, and they were in. It felt strange looking at all the clean, bright boxes and bottles stored inside. They didn’t waste any time loading the duffle bag with everything they could fit. Ben took the time to pull out the list Julia had given him and made sure they were gathering exactly what Emma needed.

  “That’s about it.” Ed stuffed a few more small boxes into the bag. Ben took the water bottle from his bag and drank what he could before giving the rest to Joel. “Finish it.” He wasn’t going to give up precious real estate in his bag to water when there was still more medicine in the safe. None of it was what Julia had instructed them to get for Emma; they had that already. But Ben figured they might as well take back all they could carry, and he was able to fit a couple more handfuls of medicine into his backpack. They weren’t going back empty-handed, not for all this trouble.

  Ben could no longer carry the axe on his bag; there was no room now that it was stuffed to the seams. Ed was in the same boat and had the duffle bag to contend with. They decided to leave the pry bars and axe behind. They shouldn’t need the tools from here on out, and what they would gain in mobility would be more advantageous than carrying the dead weight.

  All the way back down the hall, Ben cringed as the floor tiles popped and cracked under their feet. It was like walking over plastic scree. Just a little farther and they’d be back into the alley and out of this place, back to being quiet and breathing air that didn’t leave grit on their teeth.

  Max was faithfully waiting for them when they returned and wagged his tail as they approached.

  “Good boy, Max. Good boy.” Ed rewarded the dog for standing guard while Ben cracked the door and peeked outside. The night was still and the haze in the sky had briefly receded, allowing the partial moon to shine brighter than before. There was no movement anywhere.

  “All clear,” Ben whispered and led the way out into the alley. He took a deep breath and almost coughed, but he was able to stifle it. The taste of ash still lingered in his mouth, and he wished he’d saved a little of the water. Ben pushed his NVGs up and out of the way so he could wipe the sweat from his eyes. He was tempted to take the helmet off altogether but decided not to.

  Joel, Ed, and Max joined him outside, and they all hid behind a dumpster while making sure the route back to the RZR’s was still clear. All looked quiet, but as they started across the street, Max let out a sharp yelp and began biting at his hind leg. Ben was confused and had no idea what was causing the dog to behave that way.

  “Ahh!” Ed slapped at his neck as if he’d been bitten by a mosquito. Ben swung around with the MP5 ready to go, but it was too late. The sharp pain in his neck turned into a dull pressure as he felt his knees buckle. He managed to grab hold of the dart but didn’t have the strength to pull it out.

  “Dad,” Joel moaned and grabbed at the red-tailed tranquilizer dart hanging from his shoulder; he’d been hit, too. The last thing Ben remembered seeing was a group of dark figures approaching from the end of the alley.

  There was no telling how much time passed or how long Ben was unconscious for, but judging by the numbness in his hands due to the zip ties digging into his wrists, he guessed at least a few hours. He was also blind, thanks to the cloth bag over his head. It stunk of mold and gasoline and the material pulled at his beard when he moved.

  “Well, it looks like somebody’s awake. Go get the old man.” Ben heard a man speak, followed by footfalls. A short while later, he heard what sounded like two sets of footsteps approaching. Ben wanted to call out for Joel to see if he was there and if he was okay, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to give these dirtballs anything they could use against him.

  “Oh boy.” The disappointed voice sounded oddly familiar. Moments later, the bag was unceremoniously yanked from his head. Ben struggled to get his vision back. Whatever cocktail of chemicals he’d been drugged with wasn’t completely out of his system yet. The bright light being held inches from his face wasn’t helping any.

  “No need for that. Go ahead. Take that out of his face. It’s him.” The same voice spoke again. Ben still couldn’t picture the face, but he knew the voice for sure. Without the light in his eyes, his vision began to improve. He would have been convinced it was all a dream if not for the stinging sensation the tranquilizer dart left in his neck. But he wasn’t dreaming; his brain was simply refusing to accept what he saw.

  Ben tried to speak, but no words came out until his second attempt. “Vince?”

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  About the Author

  Bruno Miller is the author of the Dark Road series. He’s a military vet who likes to spend his downtime hanging out with his wife and kids, or getting in some range time. He believes in being prepared for any situation.

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  The Dark Road series:

  Breakdown

  Escape

  Resistance

  Fallout

  Extraction

  Reckoning

  Deception

  Restitution

  Desperation

  Forsaken

  Cloverdale series:

  Impact

  Survival

  Endurance

  Confrontation

 

 

  Bruno Miller, Forsaken: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival series (Dark Road Book 10)

 

 

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