The McClane Apocalypse: Book Two (48 page)

A short while after two o’clock, Kelly returns to the house, and she is playing with Isaac on the music room floor. She’s holding him in her lap, cross-legged on the soft carpet, her white dress billowing about her. She coos and talks in her musical voice to him so gently, so Hannah-like. Kelly takes two steps into the room meaning to bee line it straight for Hannah when Sue calls out to him from a window seat. Then he discovers Grams sewing in the chair next to the other window.

“Oh, hello, Kelly,” Sue says like she has some sly trick up her sleeve. “Were you looking for... someone?”

Shit! That’s his first thought, and then his second thought is: Did Hannah tell her about last night? But no, she wouldn’t. They’d discussed the importance of secrecy for the time being.

“Um, yeah... I was looking for... Derek?” he asks like a blubbering stupid ass. Why the hell would he be looking for Derek in the music room?

“Well, he’s not in here,” Sue tells him with the most knowing look on her face.

“Would you like something for lunch, Kelly?” Grams asks kindly. She is always the epitome of kindness and nurturing, just like Hannah.

“Uh... sure,” he says, though he’s not all that hungry. He’d eaten like a damn horse this morning. The exertions of last night, combined with the hard work of every day around the farm, had kicked his metabolism into high gear. The food selection doesn’t hurt, either. There’s usually either grits or sweet cornbread or biscuits and almost always some kind of gravy spiked with sausage or bacon and enough eggs for a small village and the jams, oh, the jams. However, he’d like Hannah for lunch but doesn’t think her grandmother would be too keen on that idea.

“Good. Hannah will take you and get something for you to eat, son,” Grams says with such firm dictation that nobody argues. Well hell, that was easier to get done than he’d thought it would be.

“Yes, ma’am,” Hannah says oh so subserviently.

Kelly helps her to her bare feet and takes Isaac from her. He’s still so small. Doesn’t seem right to Kelly but everyone has assured him that the baby is normal. He puts the baby’s forehead to his mouth and kisses him and then steals a whiff. What is it about babies and smelling so good? Everyone in the whole house kisses and dotes on Isaac. He’s bound to be a spoiled brat, and if Derek or Sue thought it strange that people not directly related to them kissed on their baby, they sure didn’t say anything. He hands him down to his mama who is still giving Kelly strange looks as if she is contemplating something in her mind. Sue is a little on the scary side sometimes.

“So what do you want to eat?” Hannah asks innocently when they get to the kitchen. Kelly takes a quick glance around and then wraps her in a hug from behind and kisses her neck.

“I’ve got a few ideas,” he tells her, earning a giggle.

“Kelly, don’t. Someone could see us,” Hannah whispers nervously.

“Nobody’s around. I wouldn’t be doing this if they were,” he says as he spins her around for a quick kiss.

“Kelly!” she hisses against his mouth which helps him cool his heels. “Let me get you some of the chicken from yesterday with a biscuit.” Hannah twists out of his grasp and reaches for the counter behind her, following the edge toward the refrigerator.

“Nah, I’ll just have an apple. I’m not really hungry. I just said that to cover for the real reason I came in,” he tells her and smiles.

“Oh? And what was that?” she asks coyly.

Kelly snatches her into his arms and kisses her thoroughly. His hand skims down over her back and bottom before she pulls away. Her cheeks are ripe with color.

“Thanks for lunch, Miss Hannah,” he tells her with a crooked grin.

“Cory’s coming in,” she says right as he is about to reach for her again.

A second later Cory bursts into the kitchen, startling Kelly who hadn’t heard his brother’s approach. Of course, Hannah had heard him before everyone else. It’s nothing new.

“Hey, man, Derek needs help with the tractor hitch. The hay wagon’s stuck on the hitch ‘cuz we got it angled funny in a ditch over in the field,” his brother says. His voice has gotten so deep this summer, and he’s filled out so much from the farm work that he’s as big as Derek already.

“Sure, bro. I’ll be there in a sec,” he tells him and the kid bounds out the door with the energy of a teen boy who isn’t being raised in front of a television or video game console. He comes back a moment later, though.

“Hey, John called in a few minutes ago. They’re one click out,” Cory reports.

“Oh, thank goodness. I’ll go and tell Grams and Grandpa and Sue,” Hannah exclaims.

“Thanks, Cory,” Kelly says to his brother who jams back out the door.

Hannah stiffens beside him and says, “Why is Molly barking like that?”

Kelly looks out the kitchen window over the sink and sees Molly in the middle of the driveway with her hackles raised, barking incessantly down the lane. He hadn’t even noticed her barking. She’s normally a fairly quiet dog.

“Hm, not sure. Probably a rabbit or something. I’ll check it out,” Kelly says and plunks a kiss to her worried forehead quickly before anyone can see.

“I’ll see you later, ok?” Kelly tells Hannah to which she nods, smiling at the ground.

Kelly is three steps off the back porch when a deep boom rumbles the ground, startling him into action. He sprints toward the front of the house. There’s a gray plume of smoke ascending skyward from somewhere along the drive. It’s one of John’s booby traps signaling that someone is coming down the lane. It means someone has hit the tripwire on the drive. There are two set up to alert the family in case one would fail. Four seconds later, another thunderous crack rocks the valley. Second trip hit.

Wayne Reynolds and his family know not to come down the drive ever again. Derek and John had gone over there to explain it about a week ago, and he and Cory had reminded them again the other day. They know to come through the old access road from the oil company that is overgrown and rutted or to walk in on foot and watch for the trip wires. This is not Wayne Reynolds or his family that has come calling.

Kelly grabs his rifle from the porch and clicks off the safety because it’s always locked, a round waiting in the chamber for moments just like this. Before he gets to the front of the house, Cory and Derek flank him with their rifles as they await whoever might be coming down that drive. Sue comes onto the front porch. Derek’s using Doc’s Mini 14.

“Sue, get upstairs with the kids and use that rifle in our bedroom if you have to. Tell Grams and Hannah to stay in the house,” the commanding officer barks. His wife is back in the house in a heartbeat.

“Cory, get around the other side of the house in those bushes and stay low,” Kelly tells his brother.

Derek radios John, “Black bear actual to yellow tail one, do you read me?”

“Yellow tail one, I’ve got ya’, Derek,” John returns steadily.

“We’ve got company,” Derek tells his brother.

A second later, his friend calls back, “I heard it, and I see smoke. I’ll be there within minutes. What’s the sit-rep?” He’s asking Derek for a situation report.

“Still unknown. Flank the rear, little brother,” Derek orders with the same equanimity as his brother and clicks off the radio again.

“I’ll take point over at the chicken coop. Kelly, you stay here at the front porch and don’t let anyone get in that house, man,” Derek commands.

“Yes, sir,” Kelly answers firmly as Molly continues to bark wildly.

Almost as if on cue, Doc comes onto the front porch, the screen door slamming into the front wall of the house with a clatter. He’s holding a shotgun, and he cocks it loudly with authority. He calmly sets his lit pipe on the top cap of the white railing that encircles the entire house and porch system except for where the mighty pillars stand. There is a new coolness to his sharp blue eyes and a serious set to his jaw. Nobody questions him or tells him he’s too old to be out here or orders him to go back inside. This is his home, and he’s going to defend it whether they want him to or not. And in this moment, Kelly has never had more respect for another human being on this earth. Kelly moves to the top stair of the covered porch and checks the safety on his side arm at his left hip. Doc hands him a second mag for his M16 and Kelly nods.

“Molly!” Doc calls to the mutt who simply stops her barking and comes to stand beside the doctor on the deck floor. Even she recognizes the authority of Doc.

An engine can be heard in the distance along with the chugging and wheezing of a second failing engine, and within a few minutes, two RV’s big and ostentatious enough to belong to rock stars come rambling down the steep, pothole-filled and rain-riveted driveway that leads straight to the circular portion in front of the farmhouse. Kelly has his doubts that the latest teen pop star is on board either of them. They both come to a stop on the other side of the circle farthest from the house which is fortunate for them, and the first one cuts its engine, followed by the second which backfires. Kelly raises his rifle so as to take out whoever comes down those stairs.

The door swings outward, and a man steps down hesitantly. He coughs once, hacks a few times and spits on the ground. His manner of movement is stumbling and slightly uncoordinated as if he’s drunk. He’s unshaven for days, maybe more than a week, his appearance haggard. He’s scrawny and lean, wiry. His white shirt is filthy and stain-ridden. He looks around as if he’s confused as to where he is. Derek fires a warning shot within inches of hitting the man’s toes. He screams nearly as high in pitch as Ari and jumps back.

“Son of a bitch. Don’t shoot just yet; I think I might know this asshole,” Doc whispers with angered disgust and lowers his shotgun a few inches.

“Hey, man, don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I know the folks that own this place. Don’t shoot. I’m family,” the coward shouts toward Derek who is hidden from view. The man holds his hand to his forehead to shield against the bright sunshine. “I’m family. I know the McClanes. Herb is that you?”

“Shit,” Doc says under his breath and lowers the shotgun the rest of the way.

“Yeah, see? I know them. Who’s shooting at us? We’re family, man,” the loser in the dirty clothes shouts toward Derek’s position. This deviant has no idea that Derek’s moved and will be at any moment alongside the house on the opposite side from Cory.

“What are you doing here, Peter?” Doc asks and picks up his pipe again, taking a puff.

“We needed somewhere to go, man,” Peter whines pathetically. No shit, the whole world needs somewhere to go, but this isn’t the place for him.

“How many are with you?” Derek barks as he comes around the side of the porch. He has not lowered his weapon at all.

“How many? Who are you?” Peter asks with an attitude that’s gonna get his ass kicked quick. He looks to be in his late fifties and a total drag on society- even before the apocalypse.

John comes storming around the other side of the house at just that moment with his rifle raised, as well, and he’s got enough pissed off on his face- probably due to the long ass horse ride that this moron doesn’t know he had to endure- to scare Peter into talking.

“Ok, ok,” the guy says and raises his hands in supplication. “There’s a few of us. We don’t mean no harm, though. We don’t have guns and shit. Well, we did, but we’re outta ammo.”

Kelly is getting more and more pissed off at this jerk by the second. He’s not giving direct answers to very simple questions. This got many a terrorist shot in his past. Kelly also can’t see inside either RV because of the sun glare and the tinted windows. There could be twenty armed men in there for all they know.

“Everyone get out of the RV’s! Now!” Derek shouts loudly. Doc is decidedly quiet and allowing them to run the question and answer phase of this family reunion.

“Herb, who is this guy? Why is he yelling at us like this? You don’t tell me what to do!” Peter the moron bellows.

Kelly can tell that Derek’s about to butt stroke him to the head. He’s getting closer and closer to the guy. Peter’s about to get a lesson in manners.

“We’re the ones holding the weapons, asshole. Get everyone out, now!” Kelly yells from the porch and takes a step closer to the edge of the platform. Apparently Peter had not seen Kelly on the porch, and he starts steppin’ and fetchin,’ a smart move on his part.

Three men, one African-American and two Caucasian and stoners by the looks of all three of them, come out of Peter’s motorhome as the second motorhome’s door swings open. Two more men, one of African-American and one of Hispanic origins descend and amble slowly down the stairs followed by two boys who seem to be teenagers. Two women also come down the stairs after the boys. One woman who has dark hair is smoking a cigar, and the smoke plumes into the air. She stomps out the stub in the gravel at her feet.

“No way, Doc,” Kelly says firmly. If his opinion matters for anything, he thinks they should throw them all the fuck out of here right now.

“Easy, Kelly. Let’s see what there is to see. If Maryanne comes out that door, we’re screwed. That piece of shit Peter is her youngest brother,” Doc explains quietly.

The men in the caravan basically stand near the big vehicles and make no move to come closer. Some of them look like they are former bikers but not the nice-guy types who took teddy bears to sick kids in hospitals on a charity run. Most of them look like meth cookers, tweakers and ex-cons.

“And the rest of ‘em?” Kelly asks Doc as he watches John move in closer to the point of the porch and give Cory an order. He trusts his friend implicitly with his little brother’s life. Kelly knows that if John has told Cory to do something, then it’s to keep the kid safe.

“Look like the types of people he used to run with. I’ll tell you all later,” Doc says secretively, and Kelly knows he means the men in the family.

“I don’t think we have the room here for you and your friends, Peter,” Doc calls from the porch. Thank God, Doc’s throwing them out.

“What do you mean? This place is huge! And we’re family, Herb. Where’s Mary?” Peter asks with a wolfish smile, revealing four missing teeth as he steps a few feet closer. Derek’s at him in a heartbeat, and Peter backs off again.