Forced Exodus (Pandemic Book Two) Read online

  Forced Exodus

  Pandemic Book Two

  Christine Kersey

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Book Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Dare to Resist Chapter 1

  Dare to Resist Chapter 2

  Books by Christine Kersey

  About the Author

  Note to Readers

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  Book Description

  THE ROAD TO THEIR SAFE HAVEN IS PAVED WITH DANGER

  With their house burned to the ground, the Bronsons accept Jeff and Emily’s invitation to travel to a farm in Central California where they can start over and make a life for themselves. Joining them on the seven hundred mile journey are Jeff and Emily, Chris and his family, as well as Derrick. But the journey won’t be easy—not with survivors of the pandemic starving and desperate.

  With danger lurking around every bend, the Bronsons and the rest of their group will have to dig deep to find a way to make it to their destination unscathed. Good thing they are willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

  Chapter 1

  Matt

  Matt Bronson’s gaze slid from door to door to door as he drove down his street. The same red X was painted on the vast majority of his neighbors’ houses. It was the mark of death, meaning there was one or more bodies inside. A corpse dead from the bird flu. Nearly his entire neighborhood was dead, as was most of the world from what he’d been able to gather before the grid had gone down.

  And the stench of rotting corpses. It was a smell he didn’t think he’d ever get out of his nostrils.

  It had been a little more than two weeks since the pandemic had exploded and he and his family had hunkered down, but since then their world had gone sideways. Even so, they were still alive, which was more than could be said for the vast majority of the population.

  Frowning deeply, he forced his attention back to the road as he drove his truck, which was pulling their fifth-wheel RV, out of their neighborhood. He and his family had been through so much, and now they were at the beginning of a brand new journey. A mix of hope and trepidation washed over him, and he wondered if Jessica felt the same. He glanced over at her. She was staring out of the passenger window with her chin resting on her curled fist.

  She turned to him with a melancholy smile. “Do you think we’ll ever come back?”

  They’d loved living in their house for the previous two years and the idea that they would never see it again brought on a whole mix of feelings—sadness, anger, frustration. Slowly shaking his head, he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know.” He didn’t want to point out that thanks to the neighborhood cooperative, their house had burned to the ground, so even if they did come back, they wouldn’t have a place to live. Besides, in all reality they’d never return. They were going to start fresh in California.

  Softly sighing, Jessica went back to staring out the window.

  Letting his gaze slide to the rearview mirror, Matt checked on Kayla, Brooke, and Dylan in the back seat of his truck. All three were wide awake and completely silent, their eyes scanning the neighborhood.

  “Nobody’s around,” Dylan said.

  “It’s barely six o’clock in the morning,” Kayla said with a yawn.

  The kids had hardly left the house since the pandemic had broken out. Except Brooke. She’d had to venture to their house on her own after both of her parents had died of the bird flu. Well, she and her dog Cleo. Matt looked over his shoulder to see what the German shepherd was doing, but he couldn’t see her. “How’s Cleo?”

  “She’s sleeping on the floor,” Brooke said.

  “Sorry it’s so tight back there,” he said with a grimace. “One of you can sit up here between mom and me if you want.”

  None of the kids volunteered to sit between the adults. Was that because they preferred to be parent-free in the back or because they were nervous about being closer to the potential line of fire in the front?

  That thought led Matt to cut his gaze sharply to the houses they were passing. Which houses had the gang members moved in to? He had no idea. All he knew was that at least twenty dangerous gang members had taken up residence in their neighborhood, which was why they’d decided to bug out rather than find another house to move in to. And now they were headed to California with Derrick, Jeff and Emily, and Chris and his family.

  Matt’s eyes went to Derrick’s truck, which led their little caravan. Derrick, an ex-military man—as Jeff and Chris were—was watching for trouble ahead. All four of their vehicles had walkie talkies so they could alert each other before they found themselves in trouble. At least, that was the plan.

  They rolled through the stop sign that led out of the neighborhood. With no traffic and no police, there was no reason to slow their momentum. Several minutes later they passed the Home Depot where Matt and Derrick had “shopped” a week earlier, then they approached State Street. They were almost to the I-15 on-ramp, the Interstate they would take on their journey to Central California.

  The walkie squawked on the console between the seats and then Derrick’s voice came over the line. “Roadblock ahead. Approach with caution. Over.”

  Matt’s heart pounded as adrenaline surged. They’d barely left their neighborhood and already they were running into potential trouble.

  “I see the roadblock,” Jessica said, her gaze riveted to the road ahead.

  “Yeah.” Matt touched the .45 on his right hip to reassure himself that it was easily accessible. “Me too.”

  “Can’t see around the RV,” Jeff said over the walkie. “What’s the roadblock look like? Over.”

  Matt glanced in his sideview mirror. He couldn’t see Jeff’s truck behind him—he was too close to the back of Matt’s RV. But he could see Jeff’s small utility trailer. He could also see Chris’s SUV, which brought up the rear.

  “Vehicles blocking the approach to I-15,” Derrick said. “SUV’s and trucks. Men with guns standing behind the vehicles. No way around them.” A brief pause. “Turn right on State Street. We’ll try for the next on-ramp. Over.”

  Derrick’s truck hung a right. Matt’s gaze shot to the men who watched them from their protected positions behind their trucks. One man spoke into a walkie of his own.

  Matt began the turn onto State Street, and as he focused on getting his rig around the corner smoothly, he said, “Jess, tell the guy
s that one of the men at the roadblock just spoke to someone on a walkie.”

  She looked at him with fear in her eyes but did as he asked.

  “Copy that,” Derrick said in reply.

  “Dad,” Kayla asked with urgency as she leaned forward, “what’s going to happen? Are we going to be okay?”

  Torn between wanting to reassure her and wanting her to know the truth, he said, “We’re doing our best.” Then, as the RV straightened and they began heading north on State Street, he threw her a smile. “Derrick, Jeff, and Chris are the best. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” He glanced at Jessica, who smiled at him as if to say I know you’re trying to reassure her. Thank you.

  Love for the woman he’d grown to appreciate all the more over the previous two weeks swept over him. He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing gently.

  He checked his right sideview mirror and saw Jeff, then Chris, turning onto State Street behind him. His eyes went to the road in front of him. Only one car length separated him from Derrick’s truck. Not a lot, but they wanted to stay close.

  They approached the turnoff to Costco. Remembering how insane it had been when he’d stocked up two weeks earlier, Matt shifted his gaze to the left. He couldn’t see the Costco parking lot from where he was, but he was fairly certain it was empty.

  Nearly a mile before they would reach the next on-ramp. Normally that wasn’t far, but with the unknown stretching out in front of them, the distance seemed enormous. A lot could happen in a mile.

  Matt picked up the walkie. “What can you see up ahead? Over.” Matt let his gaze wander over the cars at the car dealership on the left as he waited for Derrick’s reply.

  “Looks clear from here,” Derrick said, “but I can’t see what’s on a Hundred and Sixth. Over.”

  Matt frowned. They would have to turn left at 10600 Street to get on I-15.

  “Hang back,” Derrick said. “I’ll scout ahead. Over.”

  “Copy that,” Matt said. Jeff and Chris each said, “Copy.”

  They were about a hundred yards from their turn when Matt brought the RV to a stop.

  Moments later Derrick’s voice came over the walkie. “We have a problem. Over.”

  Chapter 2

  Jessica

  At Derrick’s words, Jessica’s heart began thumping painfully against her ribs. Gaze shooting in all directions, she tried to find the problem, but she couldn’t see anything. Derrick had driven to the point where they needed to turn left. Were men blocking that entrance to I-15 as well?

  The thought of confronting men with guns terrified her. Could they be gang members? The ones who were killing whomever stood in their way? Sickened at the thought, she tried to keep her negative thoughts from spiraling out of control.

  Then she thought about the long journey ahead. If they were already facing a problem, how could they possibly travel the seven hundred miles to the San Joaquin Valley without traversing all kinds of danger? Would they even make it?

  Glancing at her children, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining how she would feel if anything happened to them.

  It would destroy her.

  Hot tears pricked the backs of her eyes.

  Wanting to hide her tears, she turned toward her window.

  “What’s going on?” Dylan asked from the backseat.

  “I don’t know,” Matt said.

  Chris’s voice came over the walkie. “Status? Over.”

  “Armed men approaching,” Derrick said. “Wait one.”

  Jessica squinted into the distance. Then she saw them. Two men with guns drawn and surgical masks covering their mouths and noses were striding up to Derrick’s truck. Derrick’s hands were sticking out of his window. When the men reached the truck, one of them pointed his gun right at Derrick as the other lifted the handle on the driver’s side door before pulling it open. Derrick stepped out with his hands in the air. He also wore a face mask. One of the men turned Derrick around before patting him down.

  “What are they going to do?” Jessica asked, gaze glued to the scene a hundred yards in front of her. When Matt didn’t answer, she turned to him. “Matt?”

  Expression grim, he shifted his gaze to her. “I don’t know.”

  They turned their attention back to Derrick.

  A third man approached and said something to the other two. They holstered their guns and the newcomer nodded to Derrick. The men and Derrick seemed relaxed as they stood there talking. After several minutes Derrick motioned Matt forward.

  Jessica wasn’t sure she wanted to get any closer, but she also didn’t want to leave Derrick on his own. They needed him. Alive and healthy.

  With fear compressing her chest, she braced herself for what might come next.

  Matt put the truck in gear, and they lurched forward.

  “What are you doing?” Jeff asked over the walkie.

  Matt picked up the walkie. “Derrick wants us to join him.”

  “Copy that,” Jeff said. “On your six.”

  They slowly moved forward, stopping fifteen feet behind Derrick’s truck. Derrick and the men he was talking to looked their way. Matt put on his surgical face mask, then reached for his door before turning to Jessica. “You going to wait in the car?”

  She’d planned on it, but as she thought about it, maybe a woman’s gentle touch could help. Gathering her nerve, she shook her head. “No. I’m coming.”

  “I wanna come,” Dylan said from behind them.

  Though her reflex was to tell him no, it would do him good to see how they handled this. At least she hoped so. Things looked calm and friendly enough that she didn’t fear for him.

  Matt looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Okay,” she said to Dylan. “Put your face mask on.”

  Grinning, he undid his seatbelt and opened his door. Jessica and Matt got out as well. Jessica looked behind them. Jeff and Chris were approaching. The five of them—all masked—walked toward Derrick and the three men.

  Derrick turned to them and nodded, which served to calm Jessica completely. Everything was going to be all right.

  “Ran into an old friend,” Derrick said, glancing at the man standing in front of him. “This is Ben Atkinson.” Derrick introduced Jessica and the others.

  Ben greeted them. “I’d shake your hand, but…” He raised his eyebrows.

  “What’s with the roadblock?” Jeff asked as he crossed his arms over his powerful chest. One of his guns was clearly visible on his hip. Jessica noticed Ben’s eyes going to it briefly before he met Jeff’s stare. “Trying to keep people from leaving town?”

  All eyes turned to Ben to hear his explanation.

  “Actually,” he said with raised eyebrows, “we’re trying to keep out the people who don’t live here. I presume you’ve heard about some of the gangs that’ve been wreaking havoc.”

  Jeff dropped his hands to his hips as he nodded. “Okay. I can appreciate that.” Then he squinted. “But you’ve got to appreciate that when people like us see something like that,” he gestured in the direction of the roadblock, “it makes us nervous.” He cocked his head. “When I get nervous, people tend to get hurt.” He glanced at Derrick, Matt, and Chris before turning his sharp gaze on Ben. “Sometimes killed.”

  After what had happened at the barn—Jeff interrogating the two gang members who had moved in to their neighborhood before he killed them—she knew he was deadly serious. She was just glad Jeff was on their side.

  “Didn’t mean to make you nervous, bro,” Ben said with a chuckle. “Certainly don’t want anyone getting hurt or killed.”

  Jeff didn’t respond, just continued staring.

  Ben ignored Jeff and turned to Derrick, who looked like he was working to hold back a laugh.

  Derrick looked at Ben. “So, we’re good?”

  Ben’s eyes crinkled like he was smiling. The tension eased. “Yeah. Good to see you.”

  “Likewise.” Derrick paused a beat. “You take care.”

  Ben nodded
once, then he and his men drew away, leaving their little group to have a brief powwow.

  Chapter 3

  Matt

  Derrick tugged down his face mask. Everyone followed suit.

  “Ben says they’ve turned away a number of travelers. People who were pretty desperate. People who are now out there.” He motioned in the general direction of I-15. “Sounds like it’s gonna be rough out there.” He grimaced. “Which is kind of what I expected.”

  That wasn’t something Matt wanted to hear, but he wasn’t surprised.

  Derrick gestured toward the RV, concern in his eyes. “That rig’s gonna be a prime target. But with the solar panels, water tank, and other amenities, it’s a huge asset to us.” He looked at each person in turn. “How far are you willing to go to keep it?”

  Matt glanced at Jessica and Dylan. The moment Matt had agreed to go on this trip, he’d known having the RV would be both a blessing and a curse. He dearly hoped they would still have it when they reached their destination, but the lives of Jessica and the kids were the most important thing. He compressed his lips. “It’s not worth losing a life over but I’m not going to give it up easily either.”