But hell, at least we had artificial lights, right? When I said that to Bish, he countered with, “Most people would say that isn’t enough.”
Most people will bitch about anything. Dad used to say it was out of fear and they bitch when something stays the same and when something’s different. I don’t think people know what they want at all, but the Chaos changed a lot of people’s perspectives. Because hell, how can you know what’s going on in the rest of the world when you can’t even make it to the next town.
So really, the Chaos kept everyone in their own little bubble. Hell, air travel was rare as hell and equally as dangerous, so even the Air Force had their hands tied as to what the fuck the rest of the world was dealing with when the storms first happened. It’s not like you could pull up fucking Google Earth.
Bish theorized that the PTB wanted it that way. It was a great way to keep people separate and scared, still thinking that the man held all the power.
You did not just call the president “the man.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
You gonna give me the peace sign and ask for flower power next?
“No, but I might join a commune and sleep with as many people as possible.”
And that’s different from your pre-Chaos life how?
Bish grunted a reply that was a cross between a curse and a laugh and I wondered how long before Bish was asking Jessa or Charlie whether or not his theories were correct.
All I knew was what Mississippi and Louisiana and a few places in between looked like now. And you couldn’t really give a shit about anything happening more than ten miles from you when you couldn’t know. It was all about survival, and that meant dealing with what was right in front of you.
I did a lot of things post-Chaos—it’s not that I was particularly proud of them. They just are. And if the lights ever come back on and all of this becomes a part of history, I can only imagine what people will think. Hell, I know what some people think now, those who can’t understand how Bish and I could do what we do. We’d talk about that sometimes, how we’d explain to our kids what we did if and when the world unfucked itself. Hell, it happened to us and we still couldn’t believe it. I’d never have imagined sitting back and opening the front door of my house and finding absolutely fucking nothing. Zero to sixty in the opposite direction. So to tell someone who hadn’t lived through it to imagine it, to realize your phone doesn’t work, you can’t get on the internet and the roads are gone... And even if you could find a road, you still wouldn’t know where you to get gas or food.
I’d tell them, Imagine that and tell me what you’d do.
Because I’d already answered it for myself, and for everyone else: you’d either survive, or you’d die. It’s that simple. There’s no more in between.
In the beginning, things sucked for most people. Bish and I were in mourning for our family but hell, we knew how to survive. It was amazing to watch how many people lost their fucking minds when they couldn’t get on the internet or watch TV.
The Chaos hadn’t so much changed me as it brought out my natural instincts at a much earlier age. Or at least let me run with them and not get arrested.
I’d been using a rifle since I was old enough to hold and handle one properly. Where I grew up, that started early. The military took my already-honed skills and used them to their advantage. It was three squares and a rack before but post-Chaos it was more like a rifle and good fucking luck. We were tasked with keeping order, keeping gangs like Defiance and the mafias from encroaching on U.S. laws.
Led families to some hastily set-up refugee camps. Tried to get more able-bodied guys to join the military instead of running wild.
“And then we became those guys who wanted to run wild,” Bish added. “And look at us now.”
With that, Bish went out of the warehouse to assess how bad it was outside and I told Jessa, Caspar’s going to want to meet you. He’s the president of the MC.
“What’s he like?”
I’ll be here with you.
“That bad, huh?” She said it with a smile, but she was nervous. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to pretend this wouldn’t happen. “Is it okay if I wash up?”
I motioned for her to follow, led her back into the warehouse bathroom, because I couldn’t let her wander the warehouse alone. I wasn’t supposed to let her out of my sight, for security reasons, but after bedding her, I’d be damned if I’d ever want to let her out of my sight.
She splashed water on her face, then patted it dry. I handed her a cup of coffee Bish had brought up and she drank it quickly. And then she went over to the big sink with other cups lined up next to it. She washed it out and dried it, placed the dish towel on the side of the sink.
Or she’d tried to, but it slid off the counter and onto the floor in a ball.
Company’s coming. An old Cajun superstition too ingrained in me to ever forget. It was innocuous—or it should’ve been. But anyone who showed up in Defiance mere hours post-storm I’d bet meant trouble.
I stopped. The storm was over and the air held that deadly quiet I hated. People were slowly starting to come up from the tubes, happy to be freed. But I stood out in the chill of the night and I stared into the darkness.
Something’s coming.
Not something—someone.
“Mathias?” Jessa gripped my arm as motorcycles rumbled the earth. There was no alarm sounded, but Defiance moved as though their lives depended on it. Women and children went back underground. Bikes roared out toward the gates to meet the intruders head-on.
Bish waited at the door of the warehouse and when he signed, They’re coming through the back gates, I knew there wasn’t time to waste.
I tugged Jessa and she followed easily. I led her back into the van and into the old trunk we kept in the van to hide guns, which was where we’d put Charlie earlier.
She backed away, shaking her head, but I caught her. Held her. Stroked her cheek, rubbed her back and stared into her eyes, trying to get her to believe me that she needed to fucking hide—all the while, prepared to shove her in with a gag in her mouth if she didn’t cooperate.
Because Keller was on his way here. And while it was too damned soon for him to miss his son, finding Jessa here would ruin everything.
Finally, she lay down in the trunk and let me close the lid. I swore I heard a soft sob when she heard the click of the lock and I clenched my teeth together and debated letting her out. But that was only for a second, because I knew the dangers inherent in that.
I stuffed the key in my pocket and joined Bish at the warehouse doors.
“Too soon for them to know anything,” Bish murmured as Keller’s truck came to a stop in front of the warehouse. The doors were still open, and now Caspar was up from the tubes and striding head on toward Keller.
We advanced behind Caspar, who had Rebel and Hammer flanking his sides. Bish’s eyes had gone stony, which was always scary and I knew we’d both have a hard time keeping ourselves in check.
But we would, if for no other reason than not to give ourselves away to Keller. Not yet.
Keller got out of the truck and marched toward Caspar. I’d only seen him once before, and as usual, he was trailed by bodyguards from his own compound as well as members of the LoV.
“LoV’s not welcome on my property,” Caspar told him. “Get them the fuck outside of the gates.”