No Ordinary Day , Tate, Harley [ebook offline .TXT] 📗

The woman from the woods stood in front of them with a rifle in her hands. “Both of you, out.”

Emma reached for Holly’s hand. Whatever was about to happen, it wasn’t good. “Cindy, please. We didn’t mean any harm. You can have everything we brought with us. Just let us go.”

“Too late. Get walkin’.”

Emma and Holly did as instructed, walking out into the middle of the gravel area.

“On your knees.”

Emma’s stomach lurched. “Why?”

Cold steel nudged Emma in the back. “Because I said so.”

She lowered to the ground and Holly followed. As they kneeled, the door to one of the cabins opened and Ma appeared. She strode up to the little group, nodding in approval.

Emma didn’t wait. “We are so very sorry for walking onto your property. We should have known someone owned this land. If you let us go, we promise to head straight back to the road. We won’t tell a soul you’re here.”

The wrinkles around Ma’s eyes deepened. “Who else do you know in the area? Are there more of ya?”

Emma scrunched her brow. “What? No. I just meant—”

“See? They can’t be trusted. Spewing lies in an effort to get away.” Ma reached for her belt and tugged a revolver free. “Since we’ve entered a new era for the United States with no power and no rule of law, we’ve declared our property subject to martial law.”

Holly whimpered. “What does that mean?”

“It means looters, trespassers, and any others we deem worthy will be shot on sight.”

Emma gasped. “You’re going to shoot us? We didn’t do anything to you!”

“Not yet.” She nodded at Cindy. “Show ’em.”

Cindy pulled John’s phone from her back pocket. “You aren’t some naïve little girls out here in the woods. This is a satellite phone. It’s hardened against not just tampering, but any kind of attack. Ordinary people don’t have these.”

Emma swallowed. It was further confirmation John wasn’t who he said he was. “It isn’t mine. We’re on the run. A man is trying to kill me and that’s his.”

Ma laughed. “Right, and we’re a bunch of country bumpkins too stupid to see right through you.”

“I had a look through that bag. You’ve got papers in there from some fancy laboratory. What are you, a government spy?”

Emma reeled. How could anyone take her for a spy? “No! I’m just a researcher in a lab. I’m not a threat to anyone.”

Cindy waggled the phone. “This says otherwise.”

“She’s telling the truth!” Holly blurted out. “My dad worked with her and someone killed him. We don’t want to hurt you; we’re trying to run away.”

“What about the dog?” The man asked as he emerged from the cabin. “Seems awful protective for just a family pet.”

“We rescued him from a car on the highway. His owner was dead.”

“Cause you killed him, probably!” He rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get on with it.”

“No! I swear—”

Ma stepped forward and leveled the revolver at Emma’s forehead. “Emmett wanted to use the shotgun, but no one wants to clean up that kind of mess. Besides, hard to miss at point-blank range.” She pressed the gun into Emma’s flesh, and pulled back on the lever. “Any last words?”

Emma couldn’t think, couldn’t comprehend what was happening. She’d escaped an elevator, an assassin, and now, out in the middle of the woods, she was going to die at the hand of a local family, all because she walked on their land?

“Is this really how you want to start life in this new world? Shoot first, ask questions later?”

“Seems the safest way.”

“What if someone could help you? What if the next person who comes along is here as a friendly neighbor?”

Ma tipped her head. “You got any skills we could use?”

Emma stammered. “I’m a hard worker. I-I used to run a research lab; I could tend to the animals.”

“So you can hop them up on funny pills and check their vitals?” Ma laughed. “No thanks.”

Emma’s mouth dried. They weren’t going to listen. Nothing she could say would change their minds. She tried once more. “At least spare Holly. She’s only fifteen. She didn’t have a choice in where we were going, I made her come.”

Ma turned to Holly. Terror paled the girl’s cheeks and wobbled her chin.

“That true, girl?”

“S-s-sort of.”

Ma looked her over. “You know how to sew? Tend to crops? Anything useful?”

Holly’s eyes darted back and forth. “I-I can cook.” She snuffed back a wave of snot. “And clean.”

“Might be something we could use,” the man offered. “For more than one thing.”

“Shut up, Emmett.” Cindy pointed her rifle at Holly. “I say we shoot them both. No loose ends.”

Emma’s stomach soured. They had to get out of there. She had to save Holly. Even if they ended up getting shot, she couldn’t just kneel there and let them do it.

Holly deserved better. She sucked in a breath, tensed, and lunged.

Ma stumbled as Emma wrapped her arms around the older woman’s legs. They toppled to the ground together and a crack sounded sharp and lethal above her head. The revolver. It kicked as the old woman fired, sending her arm and the gun reeling backward into the gravel.

Emma ignored the stones digging into her knees as she scrabbled up the woman’s body, clawing for the gun.

A boot impacted with the side of her ribs and she cried out. Another kick landed hard on her chin and she flew backward, head slamming into the ground. She bit her cheek on impact and blood welled inside her mouth.

She opened her lips to spit when the barrel of a rifle slammed between her teeth. She gagged on the metal.

“No one hurts Ma. No one.”

Tears leaked from Emma’s eyes as she focused on Emmett standing over her. His bulky frame blotted out the last of the sun like an underworld demon ready to drag her down into the depths.

She closed her eyes. There was no getting out of this now. I’m sorry, Holly.

A gunshot sounded. Emma flinched, but her head didn’t explode. The rifle flew out of her mouth, nearly taking