The McClane Apocalypse: Book Two (20 page)

“Alright, Kelly. Ok, I’ll stay here,” he responds with a grimace and a nod.

At just that moment, Hannah decides to put in an appearance on the back porch. This could get highly uncomfortable being as she has no sense of holding back her feelings or being guarded whatsoever. It is one of the things he likes so much about her, among everything else. Unfortunately he also doesn’t want her to try to kiss him or anything in front of her grandfather. He’d been about a nanosecond from throwing her down in the dirt and having sex with her in the barn earlier. He needs to keep his feelings for Hannah concealed. He needs to keep her at arm’s length, especially in front of her family. And, most importantly, he needs to move off of this damn farm.

“What’s going on? Is someone going somewhere?” she asks with her usual, freaky intuition. This is one thing about her that he’s not crazy about. Mostly he’s not crazy about it because she picks up too much about
him
when he’s trying to be guarded around her.

Derek helps her to the ground so she doesn’t take a tumble to which her grandfather frowns. Doc doesn’t seem to like it when anyone pampers Hannah. In Kelly’s opinion that is just too damn bad. Kelly doesn’t like her to get hurt and apparently neither does Derek.

“Yeah, Hannie. Cory and Kelly are gonna make a run and help out some people that John and Reagan are sending to the burbs near here,” Derek informs her just as Grams joins their group on the back porch along with Sue. If Kelly had been hoping to make a quick getaway, which he was, then this isn’t going to help.

“Oh?” Hannah asks with worry, her pale eyebrows pinching together. “That seems dangerous.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kelly answers her with impatience. He doesn’t need her arguing against this. Next thing he knows, she’ll want to tag along and that shit is definitely out of the question.

“They’ll be fine, Hannah,” Doc reaffirms to her and the other women. “They’re taking weapons, and it’s not far from here that they’re traveling. Don’t worry.”

She bites her thumb nail, and a frown puckers her full lips. Her slim arm extends out, and Kelly knows she’s reaching for him. There’s no way in hell he’s stepping into her hand like he does when they’re alone. What the hell? Practically the whole family is watching! She frowns harder and covers for her blunder.

“Cory?” she asks and his kid brother takes Hannah’s small hand into his dirty one.

“Yeah, I’m here, Miss Hannah,” his brother answers her and Hannah wraps him in a warm hug.

“Be careful. Look after Kelly for me,” she says with such serious conviction that Kelly’s gaze shoots immediately to her grandfather. He doesn’t seem fazed, though. Doc is probably more accustomed to Hannah’s openness than he is.

“No prob, Hannie,” Cory answers with a smile. Hannah makes everyone smile.

She pulls back and quickly reaches out and finds Kelly. Then she wraps herself around his midsection in a fierce hug. She even lays her head against his chest muscles.

“Be careful. Come back soon,” Hannah pleads so sadly.

And this time when Kelly looks at Doc, his gaze is trailing between Hannah’s bent head and Kelly’s eyes. Kelly knows what he’s looking for. He’s looking to see if this woman’s affection, his granddaughter’s affection, is being returned.

“Yep,” is all he replies. Kelly’s dark eyes dart away, and he gives Hannah a quick pat-pat-pat on the back before he steps away from her. He tries to be cool, nonchalant in the hopes that the doc will believe it. One furtive peek at Sue and he knows for certain that she doesn’t. The shitty grin on her pretty face tells him that she’s all too aware of what’s going on between him and Hannah. Fuck!

He has to get the hell away from the farm. This mission is turning out to be fortuitous, after all. Kelly tips an invisible hat to the group and nods to Derek.

Once he and Cory are on the gravel road and driving away from the McClane farm, he feels a big burden lift from his wide shoulders. They ride in companionable silence for the first few miles. He needed this. He needed to get away from her for a while. He needed to clear his head and not think about Hannah McClane for a few damn minutes.

“So, how’s the situation with Hannah? What’s the sit rep?” Cory asks with good humor and a chuckle. He’s been learning some of their military lingo and likes to use it when the guys are all together. Kelly thinks perhaps that it gives him a sense of belonging with them. Normally Kelly’s cool with it. Right now, it just pisses him off further. Cory doesn’t need a situation report on Hannah.

“Don’t start,” he grumbles and takes a right hand turn onto the county road that will lead them to the condo community that Derek told him about. He’d not been with John, Derek and Reagan last week on that trip, but it sounds easy to find his way there.

“What are you so bitchy about?” Cory asks snidely. Kelly sees him in his periphery, and the kid looks hurt by his brusqueness, which makes him feel horrible.

“Nothing, Cor. Sorry, bro,” he placates. “We just need to concentrate and go over how to handle things if anything were to happen, ‘kay?”

“It’s cool, Kelly. We don’t have to talk about her. I can tell you have feelings for Hannah, but if it makes you feel better not talking about her, that’s ok. And don’t worry. I’ve been practicing for weeks with you guys. I think I can handle it if something happens while we’re out there,” his kid brother, who seems so adult all of a sudden, informs him before he switches to staring out the window at the rolling countryside.

“We’re only about five miles from that golf course, so be ready. I really don’t know what we’re walking into. John and Derek said they set the women and kids up in one condo, condensed them from living in two. It’ll be safer for them that way,” Kelly informs his brother of what they’re going to be dealing with.

“Yeah, this world is no place for women to try and defend themselves and their kids by themselves. Shit, it’s no place for anyone to try and go it alone, you know?”

“I hear ya’, man,” Kelly concurs.

There is a case of canned goods, a sack of rice, and one sack of flour, and yeast on the bench seat between them. Doc had copied Grams’s pioneer recipe for rising bread flour that can go day after day in a covered crock without needing a lot of new supplies to make it fresh. Hannah had tried to explain it to him once, but he’d been too distracted by her beauty and charm to pay much attention.

“We’ll get these supplies to them and help them get settled in. I’m not sure how many people we’re meeting, but they should be here soon,” Kelly adds as he carefully scans the rode for danger.

A few minutes later, Kelly pulls Doc’s pick-up truck into the condo village, driving over the downed wrought-iron gate. John had told him, after they’d come back that day, that he and Derek had tried to clear the area of most of the dead bodies that they’d found, and/or contributed to. He pulls up to the condo where the women and children reside and leaves the truck at the curb. He sure as hell hopes they don’t take a shot at him, but Derek had told the women not to shoot at this older model blue pick-up truck if it ever pulled in. Cory carries the crate of food items, and Kelly hefts the sacks of dried goods. As they approach the front door, he hears the lock disengage, and a young woman with short blonde hair warily peers out.

“We’re with the McClane family, ma’am. Don’t shoot!” he calls to her and holds up one hand to show that he’s not a threat. Usually menacing scumbag types don’t offer friendly waves and a box of canned goods with sweet, summer corn sticking out the top. It seems to do the trick as she opens the door the rest of the way and greets them with a smile.

Within minutes Kelly and Cory are welcomed inside to happy, smiling faces by all of the children and the two mothers who appear stressed beyond their limits. There’s a young boy, maybe thirteen or so, who holds a shotgun, but he doesn’t have it pointed at them. It’s good that this kid feels protective of his mother and siblings. It’s not a bad quality to have nowadays.

Kelly explains the situation to them as the children delve into a sack of cookies that Grams has obviously added to the box of canned goods. The women seem slightly apprehensive about letting strangers live with them but, after some convincing arguing done by Kelly, they recognize that it’s not the worst idea ever to have extra help in keeping them safe.

Twenty minutes later, the new family from the city arrives. At first Kelly is slightly uneasy because the dad has a few guns. But Paul explains to him that John took them from whoever he’d killed in a hospital to protect his family. Knowing his Army buddy like he does, Kelly knows that he has nothing to fear from this man or his family, or John wouldn’t have sent him this way in the first place. He introduces himself and Cory, and then they all relax and introduce each other.

“It’s important that you stick together now. Safety in numbers has never been a more important concept, folks,” Kelly explains as they all regard each other and finally nod.

“Right and maybe we can live in the condo next door soon,” Paul offers, but Anita jumps in.

“No, no. We’re glad for you to stay here. We have four bedrooms and a basement that’s finished. Nobody even sleeps down there. My husband had his office down there, and there’s a place for a guest bedroom down there that we never finished,” she explains. She has obviously seen the benefit of this new arrangement and the added protection from additional members being included into their group.

“We can move mattresses from next door over here before we leave if you’d like,” Kelly proposes to which they all agree. “Looks like you’ve met Reagan, Paul.” He notices the bright white, freshly-applied bandaging on the man’s arm.

“Yeah, got myself shot by some men in the city. Doctor Reagan’s a very talented woman. She didn’t even blink an eye. She just stitched me right up,” Paul explains and pats his arm.

“She’s like that. She’s kind of a badass if you ask me,” Cory says and then blushes for using a swear word in front of the women, but they both laugh.

“Uh, yeah, we met her, too. And she’s exactly like that. Good word,” Selena with the short hair explains.

She’s a very attractive woman, and perhaps in another time, Kelly might have asked her out. Another time, of course, meant that she wasn’t a widow, her husband likely killed by a band of renegade bastards. Another time before this shit all fell apart. Another time before Hannah.

“Yeah, she gave us medicine for the kids, helped Selena’s little girl, left us with supplies for them. She’s a really kind-hearted doctor. She’s very sweet,” Anita chirps in.

Cory looks to Kelly and gives his best “these chics are out of their freagin’ minds” look. Kelly just smirks.

“Mm hm, she’s a real Mother Teresa. You guys sit tight, get to know each other maybe, and me and my brother will go get those mattresses,” Kelly tells them and slings his rifle over his shoulder again. Cory follows him, and together they go next door.

The neighborhood seems like it was once extremely high-end and expensive, but now it just resembles the projects of any inner city. Weeds grow from every tiny crack in the cement and blacktop. Debris lay about in the formerly manicured yards. The club-house, meant for residents to use for large parties or gatherings, has graffiti spray painted on the stucco wall. The message is about anarchy. It’s time to restore some order to this damn place. Kelly’s sick of people living in fear. Women and children should be protected, coveted, not violated and abused.

Kelly uses the front door of the next condo because John has already told him that the other homes are all abandoned as he and Derek had done a thorough check before vacating this neighborhood. Together they carry three mattresses of varying sizes next door to Anita’s safe-house. Next they raid many of the other homes and steal food, bedding, clothing and any other supplies they can for the three newly-combined families. Over an hour flies by in a flash as he works with his step-brother on helping these families. It feels good to be productive and to be able to come to their aid.

“We may send more people like you to this neighborhood,” he tells Paul when they are finished making runs.

“Ok, yeah, that’s a good idea, Kelly,” Paul agrees to this plan.

“We need people to ban together, work together and protect each other. This place is in a pretty good location, being back from the main road like it is. You should work on getting those gates put back up. That’ll help with security,” he instructs calmly. They are seated in Anita’s sunken living-room with the expansive, sectional pit seating.

“Right, you’re right,” he agrees again. Paul winces as he reaches for a glass of water that Selena is extending toward him. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You and these two boys and the women need to work out watch duty. You can’t sleep through the night. Cockroaches and scumbags move around at night,” Kelly tells them. The women have also joined them and sit with rapt attention listening to the back and forth.

“That’s when that group came here. They came at night,” Selena offers with a sad nod.

Her eyes glaze over with nightmarish vacancy as she remembers. Kelly’s fairly sure that she was likely raped, her friend, as well. Men can become beasts in situations like this. Other men live by a code of honor. Unfortunately, they can’t watch over every woman left in America. A good .45 will do the trick, though, and he’s glad to see that each of them wear hip holsters containing pistols.

“We’ll get that worked out today, Kelly. Thanks again for all your help. If it wasn’t for your friend and now you, me and my family could be...”

“It’s fine,” Kelly finishes for him. “We’d better head out. Got a few things out there still to do before we move on.”

He stands and gives Cory a nod, who has been sitting at the bar in the kitchen with the other young boys discussing who knows what. Hopefully he’s giving them tips on how to stay alive. The kid had kept himself and Em alive for four days before Kelly got to him. Once outside, they say their good-byes, and Kelly instructs them to deadbolt the door again. Cory heads for the truck, but Kelly stops him.

“Hold up, bro,” he tells his younger brother, this kid he is now responsible for. “Let’s hit these garages. I need plywood and paint. Fan out and find some. Bring me whatever you find.”