A Powerless World | Book 3 | Defend The Homestead Hunt, Jack (read my book TXT) 📖

even touch her bike, but oh no, Mr. Policeman thought he was going to give them a good talking-to. After beating the shit out of him, Seth had gutted him like a pig before ditching his body on the outskirts of town.

No one had said a damn thing. It was beautiful.

No more fear of prison. No more being told what to do or putting up with assholes in uniforms. Before, the only time that could happen was if the cops dared venture up into the hills. The cops had learned fast not to send a deputy alone after they found one of theirs hanging from a lamp post a day later. Of course, trying to prove who had done it was a useless endeavor, it was just easier for them to avoid heading over Alderpoint Bridge.

Seth took out a pack of smokes from his top pocket and wedged one between his lips. He lit the end and mulled over the way ahead. There had to be a way to get back at Jessie without upsetting his father, without drawing attention to themselves.

“Father should have never agreed to it. Fuck Martha. He should have put a bullet in her skull. So what, we’re meant to not touch the Rikers just because that bitch gave up Alby? She was playing games from the moment she showed up. And to think he agreed!”

“There was a little more to it than that, Seth,” Eddie added. “Give him some credit.”

“Whatever. The point is if we go telling father about Nina, I have a feeling he will just turn the other cheek because it’s his brother’s kid. But not me. He might have an agreement with Martha but I don’t.”

Derek brought a baseball bat down on a glass table in the middle of the living room and it exploded into a thousand shards. “Take that, you piece of shit. That is how you do it.” He breathed in deeply. “I have to say, boys, this apocalypse isn’t turning out to be too bad after all.”

Seth looked over at the dead homeowner, his wife, and son.

“Come on, Seth. Take a shot at it. It will do you good,” Derek said, offering him the baseball bat. He waved him off. “You were all gung-ho when we arrived. Shooting the family.” He shot him a scowl. Of course, he’d wanted to unleash his pent-up anger but that wasn’t the real reason why he’d killed the family. Initially, he had this idea that he could place the bodies on the Rikers’ property, then alert the authorities. Maybe then they would blame them for all the murders in town. They’d be forced into a corner, unable to explain where the dead family came from, and all of them would be scooped up and tossed in a jail cell to rot. But was that punishment? Inside, they were safe there. Sure, it was a hellish experience now that a month had passed, but who knew what kind of special treatment they would get for offering up dirt on the Strickland family?

“No, there has to be another way.”

“There is,” Derek said, swinging the bat wildly and taking out framed photos on the walls. One after the other. Glass shattered and the frames dropped to the floor. “Haven’t you heard? Dan Wilder put into effect some new rules. One of which is those who wish to keep getting supplies have to move into Eureka. And if they do, they have to relinquish their firearms.”

“Are you serious?” Seth took another swig.

Derek stopped and tapped the baseball bat lightly against his other hand. “Heard it from Baby Face.” Baby Face was some tweaker in town. A lowlife dealer they’d used to distribute product to locals. “Yeah, some folks are more than happy to give up their weapons in exchange for protection and food.”

“Screw that,” Eddie said.

He lifted a hand. “Hey, I hear it’s no different at the FEMA camps. Think about it. They aren’t going to let people just waltz in there with a .22 in hand. They might get the guns back when they leave, but can you imagine someone with a chip on their shoulder waltzing around a camp with a rifle? No. That shit doesn’t fly. In fact, I bet you a million dollars, some of those idiots who left the county arrived at the camp and turned around and came straight back once they found that out.”

“That’s what I would do. I don’t see anyone giving up that right,” Seth said.

Derek continued. “People will give up a lot if they have young mouths to feed.”

“And you would know this because…?”

“It’s obvious.” He jerked his head to the parents lying dead beside their thirteen-year-old boy. “Example one and two.”

“But that’s because they had a gun in the face.”

“If you don’t have any food or medicine, you might as well have a gun in the face as your fate is pretty much sealed,” Derek said before he drove the end of the baseball bat through some drywall, punching a hole in it.

“Would you stop doing that!” Seth yelled. “You’re giving me a fucking headache.”

Seth took another swig from the bottle.

“All right, settle down,” Derek said, returning and slumping in a La-Z-Boy seat across from him. He clicked his fingers. “Cigarette, let’s go,” he muttered, gesturing with two fingers. Seth tossed the pack to him.

“Anyway, how’s that going to work for us?” Seth asked.

Derek blew smoke out his nostrils, a smile forming. “Think about it, Seth. Anyone caught with a gun in Eureka has to hand it over, regardless if they are staying or not. You cross that threshold and are still carrying, you’ll be in a world of trouble.”

“Maybe you should have told us sooner,” he said, tapping his handgun against the chair.

“We’re not staying but by the sounds of it, Jessie is.”

“Don’t remind me.” He mulled it over. “Look, I don’t want to get Nina into any trouble.”

“That’s unavoidable. You remember what happened with Skye. If the Rikers find out, she’s as good