Surviving the Elements (Survivalist Reality Show Book 3) Read online

  The chores took a fair bit of time, and the women had just gotten back inside when there was a knock on the door. They each looked at each other with surprise.

  “Do you get visitors often?” Regan whispered.

  Heather shook her head. “Not really. Most of the people I knew around here have gone.”

  “Do we answer it?” Tabitha said in a low voice.

  The knock came again, louder and more forcefully.

  “I think we have to,” Heather murmured. “Travis has a baseball bat in the hall closet,” she whispered.

  “Lily, hide in the bedroom,” Regan ordered Wolf’s daughter, already dashing down the hall to find the bat.

  The girl had looked as if she would protest, but quickly changed her mind and rushed down the hall. When Regan got back into the room, Tabitha stood to one side of the door while Regan stood behind it, the bat in her hand and ready to swing if she had to.

  Heather pulled open the door. “Can I help you?” she asked in a pleasant voice.

  Regan held her breath, waiting to hear who was on the other side of the door. She’d watched Heather stiffen upon opening it and knew it wasn’t a friend.

  “Good afternoon, miss. Are you alone?” a male voice asked.

  Tabitha stepped in behind Heather. “No, she isn’t. Do you men need something?” she asked, alerting Regan that there was more than one.

  Tabitha’s hand went to the door, holding four fingers against the back side, offering the silent signal to tell her how many men they were dealing with. If the men decided to attack, Regan wasn’t convinced they could fend them off. This was what Wolf had been worried about.

  Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything Heather and Tabitha could grab that could be used as a weapon, but there wasn’t much to be seen.

  “Well, it’s lovely to meet you ladies. My name is Damien and these are my buddies. We’re new in town. Actually, not all that new to the area, but we are here to offer you our protection. We’ve formed a security force, I guess you could say,” the voice added. “We’re here to make sure those that live in this little town are safe.”

  “Safe?” Tabitha asked.

  “What do we need to be protected from?” Heather asked sweetly.

  There was a deep chuckle. “Well, ma’am, there are all kinds of unsavory types out there. We’re offering to be the law in town. We’ll make sure no one bothers any of our people.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but we’re doing just fine. I feel we are plenty safe,” Tabitha assured the man.

  “Oh, do you mean because of the men we met earlier? Coming from this direction? The big Italian, the old Indian, and the kid?” the man’s voice commented with a hint of amusement.

  Regan’s mouth dropped open as she watched Tabitha jerk back as if she’d been hit.

  It was Heather who spoke next. “What did you do? That is my son you’re speaking of,” she said, her voice scary-calm.

  “We only talked, I assure you. They mentioned they had a boat and some other things they wanted to barter for supplies.”

  “And?” Heather snapped.

  Regan bit back a smile. Heather had a serene look about her, similar to Tabitha, but there was bite to this woman also. She was simple, and with a quiet elegance about her, her Native American heritage evident in her long, thick black hair that she wore straight, sometimes pulled back in a low ponytail. Her high cheekbones and dark brown eyes further revealed her heritage, but as graceful and sweet as she looked, there was more to her. Regan loved how she could appear meek and docile one second, and step right into the angry mama bear role in the next.

  “Alright, I might have guessed that,” the man continued. “And, like I said, we’re new to the area. We want to get to know our people a little better.”

  “Your people?” Tabitha asked, her voice tight. Regan watched her nails dig into the wooden door and knew she was angry.

  There was a brief chortle from what sounded like a couple of the men. “Do you mind if we come in, so we can have a friendly chat? I didn’t even get your names. I’m hoping we can all be friends. We’re all going to be living in this happy little place, so I think we should be on a first name basis.”

  “Yes, I do mind if you come in. I don’t make it a habit to let strangers into the house. If you have something to say, you can do it from right where you are,” Heather responded smoothly.

  The man was silent for a moment. Regan stared at the side of Tabitha’s face, trying to gauge what was happening. Maybe sensing her nerves, Tabitha gave a subtle shake of her head, telling Regan to stay put. But Regan felt like a coiled snake, ready to spring, and it was starting to get to her, this waiting. Her legs were vibrating, her body tense as she prepared to fight for their lives.

  “Look, it’s like this,” the man finally went on, and Regan thought his voice had gone a little harder, to hear it now. “We’re here in town, offering protection and a governing body, so to speak. Your men said they were willing to trade for some things, which means you’ve been holding out. We’re all here to help each other survive. Anyone who stays has to pay for the privilege,” he said flatly.

  “Excuse me?” Heather growled.

  “We’re here to provide a service. We’ll ensure everyone has enough to eat, a roof over their heads, and protection from any bad elements that try to come in. No freeloaders. Think of it as your taxes. If you don’t pay your taxes, there are consequences.”

  “I already have all that. I don’t need to pay anyone,” Heather retorted.

  “Things are changing,” one of the other men commented, this one’s voice deeper and louder—not trying to be friendly “We’re here and we’re running the show. We’ll give you a few days to think about what you want to do. If you want to stay here, in this house, you’ll need to add some of your food and other supplies to the community pot. We’ll be in charge of distributing those supplies as needed.”

  Tabitha scoffed. “Why you?”

  “Because I’m the new sheriff in town, I guess you could say,” this from the man who’d originally spoken. “Call me the governor, the mayor, or whatever you want, but I’ll be running this place. I won’t put up with anyone breaking the law or not pulling their own weight.”

  Regan rolled her eyes. She wanted to see what this man looked like. He sounded to be in his mid-thirties or forties, but she couldn’t say for sure. Clearly, he was on a serious power trip. One way or another, she wanted to take him down a peg or two.

  “We’ll take your offer into consideration. Now, if you don’t mind, I have things to do,” Heather said, closing the door in the man’s face.

  “You’ve got a few days, but that’s it. You pay or you move on and your house becomes community property!” the man shouted through the door.

  Heather turned to face Regan and Tabitha. Her eyes wide, her lips pursed together. The three of them stared at each other, without words.

  Another moment went by before Lily appeared in the hallway, her face stricken with fear. “What did he say?” she whispered.

  “It’s okay. We’ll be fine,” Heather assured her.

  “This is what my dad said would happen,” Lily said, shaking her head as if to refute the idea that any potential for their being ‘fine’ had long since passed.

  “It’s okay, really,” Heather said, walking over to Lily and putting her arm around the girl’s shoulders. “He said we have time, and your dad is working on moving you right now.”

  Regan watched the interaction with a strange mixture of feelings, still reeling from what she’d just heard, and now processing this scene in front of her. She missed having that kind of love from a mother. What was more, she knew it was what Lily needed in her life, too, and wasn’t sure she could ever be so easy with the girl herself. It came naturally to Heather, maybe because she was a mother. But if Regan was going to be in Wolf’s life, she was going to be Lily’s stepmother. Maybe that meant she needed some lessons in being a supportive mom.

 
Heather met Regan’s eyes and smiled. “It’s going to be fine.”

  “I think we just brought a lot of trouble to your front door,” Regan replied.

  Heather shrugged a shoulder. “It’ll be okay. And your group didn’t bring that trouble—they would have wandered by us eventually.”

  “Regan’s right,” Tabitha agreed. “Us trying to trade the boats got their attention.”

  “We’ll worry about that later. Let’s finish cleaning up and then we can get checking on dinner. I have some fresh herbs in the garden that we can use for seasoning,” Heather said, walking away with Lily still tucked under her arm.

  Regan and Tabitha hung back. “I think she has to go with us now,” Regan whispered.

  Tabitha nodded her head. “If she doesn’t want to, we can’t force her, but we also can’t stay here much longer. We’re bringing a lot of attention onto her. I don’t think those men are going to believe we were passing through, and she doesn’t have much to offer—she’s already shared too much with us.”

  “What’d they look like?” Regan asked, catching her friend’s arm to keep her from following Heather and Lily into the kitchen.

  Tabitha shrugged. “The lead guy, Damien, he looked like an average guy. Tallish, dark hair, average build. I imagine before everything happened he was probably a used-car salesman or something. A little pale—not the typical Floridian.”

  Regan nodded, picturing the type easily. “What about the others. There were four total?”

  Tabitha nodded her head. “Same thing, really. I noticed one had dark-stained fingers. I know that look. I’d say he was a mechanic. The others, I have no clue.”

  “Did they have guns?”

  “Not that I saw. They didn’t look anything like the men who showed up with Virginia if that’s what you’re thinking—these were garden-variety creeps. Seriously, though, how many bad guy groups are out there now? They’re crawling out of the woodwork. Maybe they can all fight each other and leave the rest of us alone.”

  Regan chuckled. “If only it worked that way. They prey on the ones that can’t fight back, like Heather and Travis.”

  Tabitha grinned. “I don’t know about that. Heather looked like she was going to take that man over her knee and give him a good spanking. I swear she grew three inches when he mentioned Travis.”

  That made Regan laugh. She had heard the change in Heather’s voice and recognized the moment when that fiercely protective mother’s instinct had come out. She hoped the show had been enough to hold the men at bay while they figured out what to do next. One thing had changed already, though—Regan knew there was no way Wolf would leave the women alone again. This had been a close call. And, once again, they’d been caught off guard.

  It couldn’t keep happening. One of these times, they weren’t going to be so lucky.

  2

  Tabitha, Heather, Lily, and Travis sat at the small rectangular dining table while the others spread out among the couch and chairs in the living room, each holding a bowl of the potato and chicken stew they had made earlier. Meals were very different than they’d been pre-EMP, and for obvious reasons. One didn’t worry about what went with what. Doing what you could to get a good combination of protein and carbs, with a healthy dose of veggies, was the only concern—and even that wasn’t always possible.

  The group had been eating in silence, focused on their food and pondering the afternoon’s visitors. Wolf had been furious to hear of the group’s demands, and he still regretted taking the only gun. He’d immediately apologized to Heather and reassured them he would keep everyone safe, whatever it took.

  “We’ve got to get more guns,” Wolf stated.

  Heather looked down at her food. “I have guns,” she said in a low voice.

  Regan’s head whipped around. “What?”

  She shrugged. “I have Luke’s old Browning 270 hunting rifle and his handgun. I don’t know what kind it is.”

  Wolf was looking at her with surprise. “I didn’t realize you were armed; I’ve never seen you with a gun.”

  Heather laughed at his shocked expression. “I don’t know that I’m armed. I can shoot, yes, and Travis can shoot, but the last thing I want to do is bring trouble around by announcing I have a couple guns. Plus, I have only one box of bullets for the rifle and maybe half a box for the other gun.”

  “It’s a Beretta, Mom, and you’re talking about cartridges, not bullets,” Travis corrected her gently. “He bought one like he had on the force,” he added for the group’s benefit.

  Regan couldn’t be angry Heather hadn’t mentioned the guns earlier. If they left them behind, Heather and Travis would need to defend themselves. And Regan knew Wolf would never ask her for the guns. It would be leaving them exposed and defenseless.

  “I understand,” Wolf said, nodding his head, “but if you leave the house now, you should be armed, Heather.”

  “I had no idea those men were around,” Heather pointed out. “I wouldn’t have let you go off into town if I’d thought it was dangerous. I’d have offered the guns to you, Wolf.”

  “I’m sure this group was new in town or we would have heard of them before. They could even be part of a larger group, expanding down from the cities and taking over new territory. If that’s the case, I imagine they’ll work on controlling most of this area before they spread east, gaining strength and power as they go. People will be too afraid to deny them and will be forced to join their ranks,” he said, shaking his head with disgust.

  “They’re like locusts,” Fred quipped.

  “Are we still talking about going back to the swamp?” Geno asked, bringing up the subject they had all been dancing around since they’d sat down for dinner.

  Regan and Wolf exchanged a look. “He is,” Regan said with a sigh.

  “I’m open to hearing suggestions. What is it that each of you wants and needs?” Wolf asked.

  “Shelter,” Tabitha blurted out.

  “Food,” Fred added.

  “Safety,” Geno said.

  Wolf nodded his head. “None of you have said anything about beds or other creature comforts. That’s good. You’re thinking survival.”

  “Can’t we survive in a small town, or maybe on some farm that’s been abandoned?” Lily asked, turning around to face the group in the living room.

  Wolf shrugged. “We could, but look what happened today. A lot of other people are going to have the same idea. It’s going to come down to who’s most willing to fight for the house, farm, or whatever. Fighting to the death isn’t something I’m excited about. We all want to live. I’d prefer to do that in relative peace if I can.”

  “So, you’re still hung up on going back to the swamp?” Fred asked.

  “I am.”

  Heather and Travis remained quiet as the rest of the group talked, tossing out ideas and rejecting them just as fast. Regan could see the fear on Tabitha’s face when the other woman glanced at them, and knew exactly what her friend was thinking. They hadn’t necessarily been excluded from the discussion, but they also hadn’t been included. Regan knew Heather wasn’t one to ask much of anyone and would probably feel as if she were imposing if she asked to go along, even after Lily’s invitation.

  RC had been quietly eating in the corner, but finally finished his stew and put his own bowl to the side, garnering the room’s attention. “Our tribe has some land near the Cypress Reserve. I used to visit it quite a bit when I was a boy. It isn’t too far from where Wolf told me you were all at in the swamp.”

  Wolf grinned, nodding. “That’s a good idea.”

  “What’s a good idea?” Regan asked, not sure what the men were getting at.

  “We could see if any of the people are still on the reservation. There’s a good chance they would allow us to live with them. Even if there isn’t room for us in any of the housing, the set for the show is about five miles from the edge of the lands. We could live in the swamp and set up some kind of trading system with those living on the tribal lan
ds. They’ll have established growing systems.”

  Fred’s demeanor immediately changed, his back straightening and a smile coming to his face. “That could work. That could be ideal, in fact.”

  Lily turned back around to look at Travis, who was sitting to her right. Regan watched as the teen shrugged a shoulder at Lily’s unspoken question. Meanwhile, Heather stood up from her place at the table and took the empty bowls into the kitchen.

  Regan looked at Wolf, raising her eyebrows and nodding toward the kitchen with her head. Wolf got the message.

  When Heather reappeared, he cleared his throat. “Heather, have you ever visited the ancestral lands?”

  “I have,” she said, stopping and meeting his eyes. “Many times.”

  “You guys are the same tribe?” Regan asked with surprise.

  Heather smiled. “We are Ashkii. There are a lot of us in the area. Our grandparents and great grandparents moved off the reservation in hopes of making a better living for themselves. It’s the way it is in many tribes.”

  “Makes sense,” Regan muttered, wondering if they had known each other when they’d been young.

  “Heather, Travis,” Wolf began, meeting each of their gazes in turn and then glancing around the group, “I think I speak for all of us when I say that Lily’s invitation stands. You’re welcome to join us.”

  Heather let out a breath she must have been holding, her smile getting brighter. “I’d planned to ask if Travis and I could travel with you. I may have family on the rez that we can stay with once we get there, but I don’t think it’s safe for us to remain here and I’ve been worried about us traveling alone.”

  “Thank goodness!” Tabitha said, jumping up from her chair to hug Heather. “I was hoping you’d want to join us!”

  Wolf and RC exchanged a look. “I think it’s a wise idea,” Wolf answered.

  Heather sagged in relief. “Thank you. I promise we won’t be a burden. We can pull our own weight and help out wherever needed. I’m an excellent cook, and I can do a lot with very little. I’m really good at organizing, as well, and an excellent shot with a handgun. When I was younger, I also used to compete in various archery competitions,” she said proudly. “I’m just okay with the rifle.”