Escape And Evade: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller by Harley Tate

Author:Harley Tate [Tate, Harley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

LANA

Jefferson City, MO

Thursday, July 19th, 7:11 pm CST

“There are a lot of them, Dad.” Her father stiffened in the front seat as he put the SUV in reverse. Lana chewed on her lip. “Are you sure we can back out?”

The talk he’d given her about how to assess risk, how to determine whether it was worth it or not, seemed relevant just then. Maybe they could make it back down the highway in reverse, and possibly speed away before they had to risk some confrontation, but the old SUV wasn’t bullet proof.

Even if a bullet didn’t hit one of them, it could easily wreck the engine, or blow a tire. And if that happened and they were pinned down, there was no telling what the reaction would be. Was Apex in the business of executing people over non-compliance? Were they guarding a border here of some kind?

“Caleb,” Elizabeth murmured, reaching over to touch his arm, “we have to be careful.”

He bowed his head and shook it slowly. “We should have checked out the bridge, gotten a close-up look. Damn it.”

They had gotten a good look at it, just before dark. There hadn’t been any signs of Apex in the area, though they’d seen evidence that at some point the bridge had been closed. Then again, it had been strange to find no one in the city.

Maybe this was why. Apex had been here, rounded people up, moved them somewhere else. The fact was, other than knowing Apex was registering people and establishing ‘hubs’—whatever those were—they knew very little about them or what they were doing. Not in specifics, anyway.

Lana leaned forward between the two front seats, her voice low. “This might not be so bad. If they’re like that other group, just trying to get people registered and sending them to nearby hubs, this could be a chance to ask some questions and find out more. We can play it nice, tell them we’ve been looking for safety. It’s the lowest risk option with the highest reward.”

He glanced at her, and some of the irritation melted from his expression. “So, you do listen, huh?”

She shrugged a shoulder and forced an unconcerned grin, even if she wasn’t feeling it. “When you’ve got something good to say, old man.”

“What’s the order, sir?” Derek asked.

Caleb sighed, glanced around them at the approaching flashlights, and then slowly took his hands from the wheel and turned off the ignition. He looked at Lana in the rear-view mirror. “Play it like Lana said. We’re looking for safety. Derek and I are already registered. We found the two of you, you were visiting family out west when the fall happened. We came out this way looking for you. If they’ve got notes that Derek and I were alone, that’ll help explain the discrepancy. Everything else—just tell them the truth. There are too many details we might get wrong.”

“And if it sounds like a good deal?” Elizabeth wondered.

Lana frowned at her. “What, going to their Apex hub or town or.

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