Wild Warriors
Author: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Date: 2023-01-04 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Action
Description: The fate of the New Frontier rests in the hands of a few brave warriors... Six months after the deadly attacks on Fort Golden and Estes Park, Colorado is on the verge of collapse. Sam “Raven” Spears and Calvin Jackson struggle to rebuild and protect their families and friends that have remained. Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and the Rangers desperately fight to hold back the marauders penetrating their borders. And all the while, the bioengineered Wild Fire plague continues spreading through the New Frontier and beyond. From his throne in Salt Lake City, Rattlesnake leader Eddy “Ahiga” Nez rules th

CONTENTS

Recap of New Frontier 2: Wild Lands

-Prologue-

-1-

-2-

-3-

-4-

-5-

-6-

-7-

-8-

-9-

-10-

-11-

-12-

-13-

-14-

-15-

-16-

-17-

-18-

-19-

-20-

-21-

-22-

-23-

-24-

-25-

End of the New Frontier Series

-About the Authors-

Afterword

WILD WARRIORS

©2022 Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.

All rights reserved.

To the Trackers readers: Thank you for following Raven and Creek through every battle, mission, and victory. We hope you enjoy the finale to their tale.

“You might as well expect all rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.” – Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

RECAP OF NEW FRONTIER 2: WILD LANDS

After the US power grid was destroyed during the Collapse, the stretch of land between Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains was known to many as the New Frontier. For two years, gangs, militias, survivalists, and stubborn citizens that didn’t want to leave called this place home. The Colorado Rangers did their best to enforce the law, but months ago, their efforts crumbled when an Angel Line train carrying life-saving cargo was attacked by Iranian terrorists nicknamed the Reapers.

That event was a catalyst that sent the New Frontier down a path of pure chaos, transforming it into the Wild Lands. The bioengineered plague, Wild Fire, was released by the Reapers, infecting large populations. Refugees fled to the borders as the Rangers lost control. In the resulting power vacuum, militias and gangs fought for domination.

Rising above them all was Navajo Nation defector Eddy Nez and his Rattlesnakes. On a mission to take back the lands stolen from his people, Eddy organized an army of tribes and fighters under his banner to fulfill what he called Operation White Buffalo.

In mythology, the white buffalo represented the promise of prosperity and abundance. But while Eddy believed his campaign promised riches and freedom for the Rattlesnakes and their followers, it came at a dire cost to the New Frontier.

The Rattlesnakes launched a devastating strike against a power plant and water treatment site in Colorado. Colorado Ranger Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth recruited former Recon Marine Raven Spears and Steel Runner Calvin Jackson to help her track down Eddy and his band of warriors to stop them from all-out war.

Lindsey sent Raven to search for Eddy in Ouray, Colorado, with a police officer from the Navajo Nation named Jay Wauneka. But while on the hunt, they became the hunted—and ended up in the clutches of the violent leader.

Calvin Jackson went to California to retrieve crucial supplies for the production of a cure to Wild Fire—and to save his good friend Mouse’s family, the Gomezes. Mouse had been killed in the Reapers’ assault on the Angel Line, and Calvin vowed to protect the man’s wife and kids. He brought both the Gomezes and the scientific cargo back to Colorado successfully.

With these precious supplies, USAMRIID scientist Doctor Wheeler began producing a cure to Wild Fire called Commander. His team was nearly ready to roll out full-time production of the medicine at the Regeneraid facility outside Denver.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Plymouth struggled to win the hearts and minds of those living in the New Frontier by distributing the small amount of Commander supplies they had. She hoped to turn these people against the Rattlesnakes; but Eddy was playing the same game.

He promised riches, power, and access to the Wild Fire cure to all who rejected cooperation with the US government and turned to him. Unfortunately, his tactics worked.

A group of New Frontier survivalists swayed by Eddy’s promises ambushed one of Lindsey’s Foreign Advisory Council teams led by British Lieutenant George Blair, which resulted in many of the US’s international allies pulling out of the area. It didn’t help that Wild Fire continued to spread nearly uncontrolled. Secretary of Defense Charlize Montgomery did her best to provide aid, but with chaos reigning across the United States, finding political and international support became virtually impossible.

Not long after, Raven almost died when he became the prey in a twisted hunting expedition. Eddy tried to get Jay to murder Raven in cold blood, but Raven escaped and saved the life of a young boy, Mark, from the clutches of Ouray’s evil leader.

Growing desperate, Lindsey and Raven worked with Lieutenant Blair and a US Army platoon assigned by Charlize and President Diego to launch an assault on the Rattlesnake Union’s suspected camp in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Wyoming. They left Calvin and Lindsey’s deputy, Cody Palmer, to defend Estes Park and Fort Golden.

However, as Raven and Lindsey led the attack up north, Eddy sent his forces to raid Estes Park. The mountain town burned under the onslaught—and Calvin barely got Raven’s and Mouse’s families to safety. Not long after the town’s demolition, the Denver area endured an even deadlier assault.

The Rattlesnakes destroyed the Regeneraid facility, taking Doctor Wheeler hostage. Eddy led an offensive himself on Fort Golden, freeing the Fort’s prisoners under the conditions of joining the Rattlesnake Union. Before leaving, he attempted to capture civilians seeking refuge and find Raven’s family, but Palmer and Calvin stopped him. Bravely standing up to Eddy, Palmer died in the ferocious battle.

In Medicine Bow, Raven and Lindsey destroyed the remnants of Eddy’s northern army. They succeeded at bringing down the Rattlesnakes’ second-in-command, but they paid a devastating price. Lieutenant Blair perished in the raid, and the allied forces didn’t make it to the Front Range in time to catch Eddy.

Shortly thereafter, the Rattlesnakes disappeared back into the New Frontier with their army. After assassinating the President of the Navajo Nation, they installed their own loyalist cronies into the tribal government and began taking over more and more communities throughout the area.

Meanwhile, President Diego still had a re-election campaign to deal with. His opponent, Senator Shelby, believed Diego’s strategy was a failure and wanted to stop accepting foreign aid, instead focusing on redeveloping America’s industries internally.

Now, with Shelby looking more and more like he might win the presidency with his false narratives and isolationist policies, the heroes of Colorado’s Front Range are running out of allies. The unstable situation in the New Frontier threatens to tear the fabric of America apart. In a last-ditch effort to save their home, Raven, Lindsey, and Calvin face a tough decision. Retreat and give up the Wild Lands, or venture into the unknown by themselves to find Eddy and kill him.

-PROLOGUE-

1 month after the Burning of Estes Park and the Defeat of Fort Golden...

Raven Spears crawled over the edge of the dirt hill. Creek followed, his snout pointed in the air, as former Navajo Nation Officer Jay Wauneka crept along with them. They sheltered under the scrubby brush overlooking an asphalt road glowing slightly from the pale moonlight in the cloudless night.

As far as they knew, Eddy believed Jay had died in the Rattlesnakes’ devastating attack on Fort Golden. But Jay’s eight-year-old son, Hudson, and ex-wife, Wendy, were stuck behind enemy lines. Jay wanted to save his family before Eddy found out he was still alive, because if the Rattlesnake leader realized Jay was still breathing, he would likely threaten, torture, or kill Wendy and Hudson to bend Jay to his will.

Across the street lay a small neighborhood of one-story houses on the outskirts of Fort Defiance. Lights shone from a few, though most were dark. Guards patrolled up and down the streets with lanterns or flashlights. Raven had counted at least fifteen guards in the area. With the lights projecting their movement, he hoped they would be easy to avoid.

But all it took was one guard noticing to bring hell raining down on their heads.

They were only about six miles north of Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation. While the tribe had once been close allies of Colorado’s government, that was no longer the case. Rattlesnake leader Eddy “Ahiga” Nez had taken control of the Navajo Nation. Many members joined the Rattlesnakes thanks to his poisonous but convincing words of conquest. Those that resisted were killed or cajoled to cooperate using threats to their lives or the lives of their families.

Raven and Jay had come tonight because the Rangers recently received updated intel from an informant in one of the Rattlesnake-allied communities. The Rattlesnakes were reshuffling their forces and sending most northwest, apparently to stomp out a rebellious community.

That meant Window Rock’s garrison was temporarily reduced, and this was their best opportunity to save Jay’s family.

“We’ve got another set of fifteen guards to our south,” Jay whispered. His dark hair was tied behind his head, and he had a suppressed M4 carbine like Raven’s along with a compound bow over his back.

If all went well, they wouldn’t need the weapons. But Raven never expected anything in the New Frontier to go well.

“You think they’re all faithful Rattlesnakes?” Raven asked.

Jay shook his head. “No way to tell for sure from here. I recognize a few from my time on the force, but I wasn’t close with them. They could just as easily be allies.”

“Which means I don’t want to go in shooting if we don’t have to.”

“Nor I. These are my people, even if they were misled.” Jay pointed to a house with a black roof and light gray siding. “That’s where my boy and my ex live.”

Raven lifted his rifle and used his scope to survey the area. “Two contacts hanging around the street near the front door. They’ve got rifles and… I think I see patches on their shoulders. Hard to tell in the dark.”

Jay peered through his scope. “Those ones, I recognize. Ricky Ellsbury and Doug Soto. Definitely Rattlesnakes.”

“What about your brother?” Raven asked.

Jay pointed at another ranch-style home with a dilapidated porch just north of his ex’s. Shingles were missing from the roof. No lights shone from inside.

“That’s Seth’s place,” Jay said.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s there.”

Jay shrugged. “Seth was a mechanic in the Army. Always loved tinkering with stuff. If he’s not in his house, he’s probably in the garage working on some old car or his next crazy invention.”

“We’ll go for your kid and ex first. Then Seth. I want to avoid gunfights, so don’t be too ballsy.”

When Jay didn’t respond, Raven pushed him.

“Seriously, don’t let personal feelings get in the way,” he said. “One screw-up, and we’re all dead. That includes your family.”

“I won’t screw up, Sam. Stop worrying.”

Raven studied the man that once nearly shot him thanks to Eddy’s manipulations. They had come close to killing each other but had tried to make amends. Jay had more or less proven himself. Raven didn’t want to hold it against him, but it was still hard to forget when someone put a gun to your face.

“Don’t worry?” Raven asked. “In Ouray, you did some shit I wouldn’t have dreamed of.”

“It got the job done, didn’t it?”

“It nearly got me killed. Shit, you almost killed me yourself.”

“Are we gonna do this or chat about the past...?”

“I’m here because you helped stop Eddy from killing my family. After this, you and I are even, okay?”

“Fine,” Jay finally said. “After this, we’re done.”

Raven harrumphed. Creek let out a low whine.

“Let’s get this over with,” Raven said.

He switched his M4 for his crossbow. Jay lowered his rifle so it hung on its strap and took out his compound bow.

Together, they prowled down the hill and across the road toward the neighborhood. Scraggly bushes along with parked vehicles provided enough cover for them to make it to a home just three houses down from where Wendy and Hudson lived.

In a driveway, Raven knelt beside the front of a rust-pocked station wagon with rotting tires that obviously hadn’t been driven since before the Collapse.

Creek lowered himself to his belly by Raven, and Jay snuck to the shelter on the side of the house.

Raven took a second to survey the rest of the houses, many of which were still dark. That didn’t mean they were empty. Jay swore most of the neighborhood was full a month ago. With Rattlesnake-loyalists now running the Navajo Nation government, it looked like there might be a curfew in place, and people were keeping their lights off and hiding.

After another quick scan, he signaled for Jay to advance toward Wendy’s backyard. Staying low, they hurried down the street, darting through the shadows and pausing under cover.

Suddenly, the crack of a door slamming shut sounded behind them, followed by multiple bootsteps.

Raven motioned for Creek to take refuge by a dead hedge lining a chain-link fence, half of which had fallen and lay rusting away. Raven led his dog alongside the dense, leafless branches, pressing himself as low as he could to the scratchy grass. Creek dropped to his belly.

Jay peeked out from around the front of a dented minivan in a nearby driveway.

The bootsteps grew louder. Two men walked toward them carrying AK-47 rifles. One had a kerosene lantern, its light stretching over the otherwise dark landscape. That meant four guards now loitered in the immediate area.

Raven’s heart thumped heavily against his rib cage.

He hoped the men hadn’t somehow found their trail. If the guards discovered them and called for help, there was little chance they would survive a gunfight.

The steps grew louder, and Raven held in a breath, preparing his crossbow. But both guards walked by at a casual pace, their rifles cradled, not showing the least bit of alarm.

For a second, Raven thought that he and Jay were in the clear. Then the guards stopped at the house at the end of the block: Wendy’s. They leaned against the siding just beside a window facing the backyard, and the one with the lantern set it down by their feet.

And from what Raven could see, the other two men he had spotted earlier were still in the front yard as well. These guys had unwittingly surrounded Raven and Jay’s target.

Jay snuck over the lawn behind the hedge and joined Raven.

“Guess we have to wait them out,” Raven whispered.

Jay glanced at the guards, who were now sitting against the wall. One lit a cigarette and leisurely puffed on it. The other folded his arms over his chest, about to nod off.

“These guys aren’t going anywhere anytime soon,” Jay said.

“Then we come back tomorrow.”

Jay shook his head. “There could be more guards tomorrow. Could be worse. And if the Rattlesnake army returns, we better be long gone.”

Jay was right, but Raven still didn’t like it.

Instead, he gave a simple nod. They both realized what they had to do.

Raven and Creek prowled along the hedge while Jay shadowed them.

In moments, Raven was as close as he could get to Wendy’s house without breaking cover. Jay stood at a hunch behind a bush with his bow, and Raven did the same, shouldering his crossbow.

They took aim, and Creek rose to his paws, ready for action.

Raven had wanted to do this without bloodshed, but violence couldn’t always be avoided in a land as wild and dangerous as this.

“Now,” Raven whispered, right before letting a bolt fly.

The arrow sliced into the neck of his target. The Rattlesnake dropped his cigarette and clutched the shaft, sliding sideways slowly against the siding of the house.

Next to the dying Rattlesnake, the other man slumped to the ground, knocking over the lantern. An arrow stuck out of his chest. His mouth opened and closed like a bluegill on a dock. He kicked and jerked desperately, struggling to breathe. Glass broke when he kicked the fallen lantern, flinging oil.

Before Raven could even take a step, small flames licked up from where the cigarette had fallen, its embers meeting the spilled oil. The fire engulfed the dry grass in seconds, fanning out over the desiccated yard.

Right now, it was relatively modest, but left untended, it would attract others.

“Hurry,” he said, running toward the conflagration as it devoured the yard, growing by the second. The question was: stomp it out or save Jay’s family?

Raven knew what he would do in this situation. He assumed Jay felt the same.

As soon as they made it to the house, Jay pried open a window frame with his knife.

“Keep watch,” Jay said to Raven.

Without further explanation, he hurled himself through.

Raven raised his crossbow, ready for any intruders. He tried to stomp out a few patches of the expanding fire, but it was a useless battle as the spreading blaze crackled everywhere, sending smoke curling into the sky.

A scream came from inside the house, and just as quickly, it was silenced. Raven could only imagine Wendy’s surprise at seeing her ex show up unannounced in the middle of the night.

“What the hell was that?” someone bellowed from the front of the house.

Raven heard the guards banging on Wendy’s front door.

“What’s going on in there?” a deep voice demanded.

“Is that smoke?” the other guard yelled.

Suddenly, a boy hung out the window. One look at the kid’s familiar thin nose and squarish face, and Raven could tell it was Jay’s son, Hudson.

Jay held the boy out for Raven.

To his credit, Hudson didn’t say a word as Raven lowered him to the ground, too mesmerized by the inferno.

A woman in sweats came out next, her eyes still groggy. She shirked Raven’s help when he offered.

Just as Jay began climbing out the window, one of the Rattlesnakes came around the corner.

“Who are—” he started to ask.

Raven ended his question with a crossbow bolt to his face. The man fell backward, dropping his rifle. More footsteps came crunching after the first guard.

Without time to reload his crossbow, Raven let it fall on its strap. He whipped out a hatchet and flung it at the second guard as soon as he appeared. The blade thunked heavily into the man’s nose. Cartilage and blood sprayed from the impact as he toppled into the grass.

Raven ran to retrieve the weapon as flames spread to neighboring yards, crackling louder. He heard shouts echoing through the neighborhood. More Rattlesnakes were converging on their position.

Jay beckoned his family to follow as he darted across the street and into the shelter of another backyard.

“What about your brother?” Raven whispered.

Jay simply shook his head, not offering an explanation.

Angry voices bellowed around the neighborhood. They had to leave. Now.

“Don’t say a word,” Jay said. “We have to be silent, okay?”

His son and ex both nodded.

Raven and Creek took to the rear as they escaped with Jay on point. Wendy clung to Hudson’s hand, and thankfully, they both shared Jay’s athleticism. No one slowed as they fled across the roads and through the hills, making it safely to the desert mountains to their west. From the raised vantage point, Raven looked for lights tracking them but saw nothing. But there was little doubt that the Rattlesnakes would send a search party out, if they hadn’t already.

He led the group the rest of the way to the Jeep. Creek and Jay’s family piled in safely. Raven took the wheel.

“That was a hell of a wakeup call!” Wendy said. “I mean, shoot, Jay, Eddy’s people told me you were dead!”

Jay looked back at them from the passenger seat. “Sorry, but we had no choice.”

“Eddy’s going to be pissed now when he realizes you kidnapped us. You got a plan for that?”

“Kidnapped? We rescued you, lady,” Raven said. He had expected her to be a little happier about this, but Wendy must’ve had a good reason for divorcing Jay. She didn’t seem all that thrilled to see him.

“Eddy won’t think of it that way,” Wendy continued, “and once he finds out you’re alive, he’s gonna come looking for all of us, so I hope you got a lot of gas in this Jeep.”

Hudson reached out to Jay, tears glimmering in his eyes. At least someone was happy to see him. “I can’t believe you’re here! We held a funeral, and everyone told me you were gone! I’m going to tell all my friends.”

“I’m sorry it took so long to rescue you.” Jay stretched out his hand to squeeze Hudson’s knee. “I missed you, bud. But we can’t be telling all your friends just yet, ok?”

“What about your brother Seth?” Raven asked. “Are we just abandoning him?”

Jay’s good mood immediately evaporated. “Wendy told me we were too late. The Rattlesnakes took him a week ago.”

Raven thought about how he would feel if Eddy had taken Sandra from him like that. He couldn’t imagine Eddy had any decent plans for Seth. Likely, the poor guy had been abandoned somewhere in the desert for the vultures to feed on.

“I’m sorry, Jay,” Wendy said. “I’m really sorry.”

* * *

Eddy “Ahiga” Nez sat tall on his mare, Yanaba, and pulled back on her reins. The horse let out a whinny while hoofing at the street. Scorching heat from the nearby fires washed over his face, making the tight scars crisscrossing his flesh itch.

Ever since Raven had nearly killed him with a face-full of burning oil, the sight of fire instilled in him a primal fear. But unlike other cowards across the wastelands of America, fear wouldn’t stop him.

No, fear gave him strength. He sublimated the emotion into anger and zeal, fury and rage. He needed it for his next mission of taking over Outpost Salt Lake City.

Despite its name, outpost wasn’t really the right word for this small section of the ruined city. This last major stronghold of the wašíču inside the New Frontier was more of a fort sporting twenty-foot wooden walls reinforced with corrugated sheet metal. Chain-link fences topped with razor wire traced the perimeter of downtown Salt Lake City, including the iconic Temple Square.

Now the walls were coming down. Flames licked up from the wooden fortifications. Eddy’s people had already set the southern gates of the outpost ablaze before he reached them.

Starved of resources and reinforcements ever since the destruction of the Angel Line train that had kept them supplied, the Utah Scouts guarding the Outpost had hardly put up a fight. They just hid behind the twenty-foot walls.

The sporadic snipers taking potshots from surrounding hotels and offices hadn’t lasted long either. Not with Eddy’s own shooters and death squads that stormed any building with hostiles.

Bodies lay bleeding throughout the street next to bullet-ridden vehicles. Corpses hung over the side of the walls, skin blistered and blackened as the fire devoured them. Gunfire rattled sporadically from a few brave but foolish souls who peeked over the wall.

Eddy raised his right hand in the air, holding his AR-15 high.

Over a thousand voices from the Rattlesnakes joined in his cry. Men and women that had been imprisoned in Fort Golden weeks ago now rallied to support his cause and take Salt Lake City.

The region was destined to be his. His mind whirled back to the image and parable of the sacred white buffalo, the creature he had named this operation after. He alone could bring the promises of opportunity and prosperity bestowed by the legendary animal in folklore to this land in reality. Soon they would realize a new future free from oppression.

“The Creator has truly blessed us.” Ryan Lincoln sat in the saddle of a white stallion beside Eddy. The preacher-turned-militia leader wore jeans and a plaid shirt, yet somehow still had the air of a corrupt minister who abused religion to enrich himself. Eddy didn’t like him or his self-serving zealotry all that much, but Lincoln’s Liberty Militia had brought over five hundred people into the Rattlesnake Union’s fold.

He was a necessary evil.

Lincoln gently lifted the crucifix hanging from a silver chain around his neck and blessed it. “The wicked have reaped the harvest of their sins.”

On Eddy’s right side, another tall man with roping muscles calmed his horse. He was a fellow individual from the Navajo Nation who went by the name Hashkaah Naabaah, or Angry Warrior, since joining the Rattlesnakes. His nickname was adopted from one of the most prominent Navajo War Chiefs in history, Manuelito.

Now Hashkaah Naabaah—Naabaah for short—looked proudly over the flames engulfing the wooden walls.

“Once again, these lands will be ours,” he said. “If only our ancestors could see us today. How proud they would be.”

Eddy lowered his rifle and motioned for his men to join him on the street. “This land isn’t ours yet.”

The burning gates stood before them. Embers fluttered away in the breeze as wood charred and crackled.

Behind the hordes of gunmen and horsemen lining up along the streets, the roar of an old diesel engine echoed between the buildings. A 1970s semi-truck churned down the street. One of Lincoln’s men, a prisoner freshly freed from Fort Golden, sat in the driver’s seat.

Eddy signaled to the driver, and the semi-truck sped up, hurtling like a roaring wrecking ball toward the Outpost’s gate. A few surviving guards on the wall fired at the windshield, cracks spreading through the glass as bullets smacked against the hood.

But that didn’t stop the massive vehicle from breaking through the gate. Boards and splinters of busted wood flew into the sky from the impact as embers and ash exploded in a fiery spray of sparks.

The truck continued forward as the burning planks skittered across the pavement and grass beyond, heading toward the majestic white Salt Lake Temple. It skirted around the dried-out reflecting pool in front of the church, then slammed into one of the wooden doors. Bricks and debris flew from the impact, a cloud of dust rising, joining the thronging black smoke clouds choking the sky.

“The white buffalo has arrived!” Eddy cried. “Take the Outpost!”

He kicked Yanaba into a gallop. Lincoln and Naabaah raced alongside him, screaming like war-crazed banshees. The pounding of hundreds of hooves against pavement and soil clattered around him.

The Rattlesnake Union army flooded into the Outpost. Handfuls of Utah Scouts and civilians fled, trying to take refuge in the various buildings and offices surrounding Temple Square.

No matter.

His people would find every cowering rat.

Meanwhile, he charged the temple, leading a group of men at a breakneck pace.

Even Lincoln, normally a coward, matched Eddy’s pace with his horse.

As he approached the piles of scree around the temple entrance, the semi-truck lurched backward. Steam rose from its crumpled hood. Cracks spidered through the windshield, but the driver was still alive.

“Another blessing,” Lincoln bellowed. “A sign that we are on the just and right path to salvation!”

Eddy didn’t care about Lincoln’s proselytizing. He only had eyes for the enemy.

Yanaba took him past the piles of broken brick and up a few short stairs into the ivory Celestial Room. Yanaba marred the pristine carpet with muddy, ash-covered hoofprints. Naabaah, Lincoln, and the other ten horsemen who followed trampled between delicate white couches and chairs.

Ahead, Eddy counted ten Utah Scouts taking shelter in the room. He looked for their leader but didn’t see the man he had been searching for since arriving at the Outpost. To truly take this base, he needed to eliminate the Utah Scouts commander, a hard man named Trevor Harrison, the last person standing between Eddy and control over Outpost Salt Lake City. He had slaughtered plenty of Eddy’s men over the past month, but if Harrison died today, the rest of the enemy forces would fold.

“It’s over!” Eddy shouted. “Put down your rifles or you’re never leaving this place!”

Several ran, but a few raised their carbines, staring at Eddy on his horse.

“They’ll never let us live,” said one of the Scouts. Eddy’s heart beat quicker. There was the man he was looking for. The beard, the cowboy hat, and a signature leather vest with a golden star badge. Trevor Harrison himself, holding out until the end.

“Do not surrender!” Harrison shouted.

Harrison raised his rifle and fired, because he must have known Eddy as well as Eddy knew him. Neither treated their enemies kindly—much less take them prisoner if there wasn’t some explicit advantage to doing so.

Yanaba reared up, as the other Scouts squeezed off bullets. Eddy’s warriors went on a rampage, returning fire. Rounds cut through the iconic room, sending dust puffing from the walls with every impact. Cries of pain rang out from both sides. Eddy aimed his rifle and fired a three-round burst, piercing the chest of a hostile. He started roving his weapon toward Harrison, but the Scout leader was already retreating with another man and woman whom Eddy had gotten a brief glimpse of.

“Fall back!” Harrison bellowed to his men.

“So much for bravery,” Eddy whispered.

But in a matter of seconds, all the remaining Scouts in this room lay on the floor, their blood soaking into the white carpet. No one was left to retreat except for Harrison and the two surviving Scouts.

“I want Harrison’s body hanging from the walls of this outpost tonight!” Eddy leapt off Yanaba. “Come on!”

He followed Harrison and the other two Scouts as they fled down a set of stairs. Footsteps pounded behind Eddy. Backup was close, but he didn’t really need them.

His impending victory fueled him. Soon this place would be his. The Utah Scouts had already given up. They were cowards. They deserved to rule the New Frontier no more than a frightened field mouse.

This time, Eddy didn’t bother shouting out any false promises. He was going to gut these people. Racing after them, he sprinted far ahead of his own warriors down the staircase and into another room.

The baptismal chamber.

Two short staircases led up to a hot tub-sized baptismal font surrounded by golden cow statues.

“Please, this is a house of God!” a Scout said at the top of the stairs. He still clutched a rifle but didn’t aim it. His mistake.

Eddy aimed and fired three shots as the Scout tried to duck away. A bullet clipped his face, and he tumbled down the other side of the steps.

The woman dropped her gun as soon as she saw the other man die. Judging by how the bolt was locked back, the chamber open, it was empty anyway.

“I surrender! I—”

Eddy powered up the stairs to where she stood near the font. He slammed the stock of his rifle into her face. Cartilage broke and blood erupted from the impact, and she collapsed like a sack of rotten meat, rolling down to join her dead comrade on the tiled floor.

Harrison was the last Utah Scout left, now raising his hands and letting his empty rifle fall as he backed up to the lip of the water basin. All the bravado had evaporated from his weatherworn features.

“I surrender,” Harrison said. “Please, don’t kill me. I have a family.”

Fear showed in his bulging eyes.

Gunshots boomed from elsewhere in the temple. Harrison winced with each blast. Footsteps from the entryway announced Lincoln and Naabaah had arrived. The click and rattle of their weapons sounded as they aimed at Harrison.

Eddy held up a hand to stay them. “I’d heard you were brave. But with defeat bearing down on you, you give up so easily, huh?”

Harrison said nothing.

“You surrender, then?”

Harrison nodded vigorously.

Eddy took a step closer. The man’s cowboy boots teetered at the edge of the font.

“We’ll leave peacefully,” Harrison said, his gruff voice shaking. “You can have all our supplies and weapons. The ammunition and food are yours too.”

“Oh, you’ll give that to us?” Eddy asked.

Again, Harrison nodded. Sweat beaded down his forehead.

“How can you give us something that we’ve already taken?” Eddy asked. He took one last step until he was inches from the man’s face. “You should have thought of your family before you sacrificed so many of your people in a battle you could never have won.”

A frightened look crossed Harrison’s features like a cornered doe facing a pack of wolves. The doe had nowhere else to go, and it realized its death was imminent.

But instinct overran logic. The deer would fight, kicking and bucking as if that would stop a wolf. Harrison, despite all odds, did the same.

He lunged for Eddy. But Eddy jerked back and punched hard into Harrison’s trachea.

With a kick, Eddy knocked the man backward into the baptismal font. He jumped into the water and pressed the Scout’s head beneath the surface. Harrison thrashed and flailed. Bubbles streamed up from his nostrils and mouth as he screamed underwater, his nails scratching against Eddy’s wrist.

During the battle at Fort Golden, Eddy had taken a hatchet to that wrist. The wounds still hurt, though the flesh had mostly healed. Pain throbbed through his arm with the effort it took to drown Harrison.

But he didn’t care about the pain. Better that he felt it. Better that it reminded him of the time he almost lost his life to Raven when he dropped his guard.

A lesson that he had survived. A lesson that this failed leader was learning now... too late.

Finally, Harrison’s body went still, and Eddy let the pale corpse float in the frothy water.

Eddy climbed out and looked to Lincoln and Naabaah. “Brothers, this land is almost ours.”

Naabaah grinned. “Then what are we waiting for?”

The trio surged up the stairs with a small group of Rattlesnakes until they made it to the Solemn Assembly Hall, the highest and largest room within the temple. Magnificent chandeliers dangled from the ceiling over lines of chairs with red fabric facing one of the two rostrums. A mezzanine traced the second floor, decorated just as ostentatiously as the main area.

Already Rattlesnakes filled the Assembly Hall. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, mixed with the metallic odor of spilled blood and the stink of charred flesh. Between Eddy’s warriors, dozens of dead Scouts lay across the floor with devastating injuries and burns.

Eddy admired the work of his soldiers. He signaled for Naabaah and Lincoln to join him as he scaled one rostrum. Then he turned to face the rest of the room.

“I’ve never been in a Latter-day Saints Temple,” Eddy said. “It’s not like the churches and cathedrals I’m used to.”

“It most certainly isn’t,” Lincoln agreed.

“Interesting designs,” Naabaah added. “All these rooms and chambers. What do they do with them all?”

Eddy smiled. “I don’t care what they used them for, but this one will make a good throne room to rule the Wild Lands.”

-1-

6 months after the Rattlesnake Attacks on Estes Park and Fort Golden…

Raven stepped out of his Jeep in the parking lot outside the Estes Park Recovery Complex with Creek, his faithful Akita, following. The frozen air stole his breath. He carried a pack of medical goods he had picked up from a supply drop in Fort Collins. The region had seen plummeting temperatures with unusually cloudy skies that dumped a constant screen of fluttering snowflakes, and his boots crunched over the two-inch carpet covering the asphalt.

They headed to a gate in the chain-link fence surrounding the compound of city buildings that had been turned into shelters and administration offices for the surviving population of Estes Park. This tiny section of town had mostly escaped the devastation from the battle over six months ago. Raven paused for a second, steeling himself, and peered back down the way he had traveled.

In contrast, the black skeletons of charred scaffolds jutted up beside the streets leading to the complex. Snowbanks covered half-buried charcoaled vehicles, and not too far away lay the most striking tableau. Past the remains of houses burned to the ground, hundreds of wooden crosses occupied the rolling fields that had once been a golf course.

Each humble grave marker represented a person who had perished defending Estes Park and the days following the skirmish. They served as reminders of why Raven desperately wanted to locate and kill Eddy Nez, then decimate the entire Rattlesnake Union until not a single one of those terrorists remained alive. But that goal appeared further and further with each passing day.

He trudged to the complex’s gate where two men in parkas watched from inside haphazardly constructed guard posts. They made no move to let him in, raising their rifles slightly, even when he gave them a friendly wave.

Newbies, he realized. They must not have known who he was.

As Creek plopped down on his haunches, Raven slipped out an ID badge that Colorado Ranger Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth issued him. Several months ago, she had insisted on appointing him and his close friend, Steel Runner Calvin Jackson, to the ranks of the Colorado Rangers. A guard turned the badge over, examining it. “Ah, Sergeant Spears.”

“That’s me.” Raven slipped his ID back into his pocket. “You fellows are new, yeah?” Raven asked.

The closest Ranger, a guy with blue eyes and a bulbous nose offered out a hand, shaking Raven’s. “James Pruitt. Former Marine. Used to work in the Allenspark Fire Department. I was helping rebuild our town. But the raiders sure as hell did everything they could to prevent that, so we gave up.”

Raven bowed his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Allenspark had been a tranquil community throughout the Collapse until the Rattlesnakes hit it during the offensive against Estes Park. Ever since, it had been a shell of its former self. The few holdouts and families remaining there had endured countless raids.

“I heard a rumor that everyone from Allenspark is up here now,” Raven said. “That true?"

“You heard right.” The other guard stretched a hand to shake Raven’s gloved fingers. He had an orange beard crusted in snow with kind eyes under his fiery eyebrows. “Reggie Lewis. We didn’t have the manpower to protect ourselves. Figured it was better off joining up with you all. Now maybe we can stop the assholes trying to steal everything from us.”

Raven wanted to say something inspirational or thank these men for being here. But words and thoughts felt so hollow nowadays. “Happy to have you here.”

White mist puffed out of Pruitt’s mouth. “Look, I’ve been so focused on Allenspark, I haven’t paid much attention to what’s going on at the national level. I know Diego lost the presidential election and Shelby’s in charge now, sure. I mean, that’s all over the newsletters and papers.”

Raven thought about his friend and former Secretary of Defense Charlize Montgomery. She’d kept him updated on the latest government developments. But he didn’t care to go into that too much. “I don’t really enjoy talking about politics.”

Pruitt made a conciliatory gesture with his hands. “Neither do I, trust me. But part of Shelby’s campaign promise was a ceasefire with the Rattlesnakes. They were supposed to stop bothering us. What the hell happened with that?”

Lewis nodded. “From what we read, Shelby and Eddy actually signed that ceasefire, right?”

Raven huffed. “Yeah, and Eddy’s word is as good as a flaming pile of elk shit.”

That earned a chuckle out of Lewis, but Pruitt remained serious.

“I realize that raiders and gangs have always been a problem,” Pruitt said. “The Rattlesnakes say they can’t control all these people, and they aren’t responsible for these raids. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like things have gotten worse since the ceasefire, not better.”

Lewis let out a long, frosty breath. “Everyone’s desperate.”

Raven patted Creek’s head. “I understand your concern. Our orders are to ensure that the Rattlesnakes don’t break their commitment to the ceasefire.”

“I know.” Pruitt screwed up his brow like he wasn’t convinced. “But let’s say we find that the thugs who beat down Allentown are connected with the Rattlesnakes and Eddy is lying. What would we do?”

That was the million-dollar question Raven had been asking himself for the past month since Shelby inked the ceasefire with Eddy, ceding the New Frontier to the extremist militant leader.

“You want the truth?” Raven asked.

Pruitt and Lewis both bobbed their heads.

“I don’t have a fricking clue. But I will say, if we find out it’s Eddy behind these attacks… well, I won’t be the least bit surprised.”

“Someone needs to knock Eddy down a peg and clean up the New Frontier,” Pruitt said.

“Until we convince Shelby it’s worth the effort, we’re not getting approval for any government forces to venture into the New Frontier.” Raven gestured to his pack. “Look, I could bitch about the state of things all day, but I got some goods to deliver. Mind if I head in now?”

“Be our guest,” Pruitt said.

They let him pass. Another stiff wind blew in his face, making his eyes water. He blinked to clear his vision and take in the view of the Estes Park Recovery Complex. People patrolled the snow-covered paths between the old high school and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department.

To the west, the Estes Valley Community Center stood like a fortress on top of a short, gently sloped hill. The massive brown building with its slanted roof and expansive windows once housed the community’s recreation center containing pools, weight rooms, gyms, and more. Now hundreds of people whose homes had been lost occupied every available space. These poor folks had nowhere else to stay warm, despite the threat of spreading Wild Fire in those cramped confines.

With a sigh, Raven trudged to the Sheriff’s Department that housed a new medical clinic. A guard let him through a backdoor, and the warm air blasted them, carrying the odor of too many human beings packed into one place. Coughing came from every direction. Men and women in scrubs moved between rooms down the hall. He started toward the nurses’ station to find his sister, Sandra. But before he could, he saw Jay gazing at him with a grim expression.

“Hey, man, family good?” Raven asked.

“Wendy and Hudson are healthy. All I can really ask for.”

“No news of your brother?”

Jay shrugged. “I’ve been running to all kinds of communities in the Wild Lands on Lindsey’s behalf. You know, pretending I’m not associated with the government, of course. Trying to offer aid and get intel on Eddy’s whereabouts. But no one’s got a clue what happened to Seth.”

“Shit situation,” Raven remarked.

“No kidding.” He paused. “Say, I’m going back out in a couple days to a nearby community that needs Commander pills for a Wild Fire outbreak. You want to go with?”

Raven hesitated. Jay wasn’t necessarily a bad dude, but Raven also didn’t completely trust him.

“I got plenty on my plate already. Sorry, man.”

Jay nodded and continued on his way as Raven watched.

“I’m still not sure about him,” a woman’s voice said from behind Raven.

He turned to see Sandra. She had red marks along her eyes and cheeks from wearing her mask and face shield.

Raven raised a brow. “Oh, yeah?”

“He pointed a gun at you, Sam,” Sandra said. “I’ll never trust that man.”

Raven sighed. A puddle of water was forming around his boots from the melting snow. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Then Sandra shook her head. “Only problem is we need guys like Jay. He has been delivering medical supplies and messages to communities beyond the border. Communities that don’t like the fact that Eddy Nez runs basically all of the New Frontier now. Future allies, maybe.”

“And I could do that too. Just not with him.”

“I like it better when you spend time where I can see you.” She jerked her chin at his bag. “Speaking of which, what did you bring?”

Raven set the backpack on the counter and opened it. “I just got back from Fort Collins where the British sent another medical supply drop.”

Sandra scrounged through boxes of surgical masks, gloves, and face shields. There were antibiotic cartons and a few plastic bottles filled with Commander cure.

She held up one bottle. “This could not have come at a better time. How much more is on the way?”

Raven looked down at his feet. He hated delivering bad news to his sister. “I took all the Commander pills they sent. This is it.”

Sandra placed the bottles on the counter. “We need more. Way more. We’re treating about sixty people for Wild Fire, and a handful more come from the border every day. Plus, Jay can’t keep visiting infected communities empty-handed, promising we’ll help them if they cooperate with us.”

“Charlize told me the Brits are attempting to ramp up production, but this is just one of the many items Governor Anders requested from them. What we need is somewhere inside the US, closer to us, to provide the stuff.”

“A facility like Regeneraid with Doctor Wheeler in charge again.” Sandra was referring to the pharmaceutical plant USAMRIID had renovated to make Commander. But the Rattlesnakes had ravaged the facility and abducted Doctor Wheeler. “Well, thanks for bringing this. We’ll put it to use as best we can.”

Between the tide of nurses, doctors, and patients in the halls was Lara Lithgow. The thin young woman strode toward Sandra. She had chestnut eyes and tawny skin, just a shade lighter than Raven and Sandra’s.

Only seventeen, the certified nursing assistant carried herself with all the self-assuredness of any other medical professional.

“Hey, Raven!” Lara lit up when she saw him.

“Lara, how are ya’?”

“Good. You?”

He shrugged. “Can’t complain.”

Lara glanced to Sandra. “Sorry to interrupt, but the patient in 4-E is putting up resistance again. We need some help to calm him down enough to get the IV back in.”

“Again?” Sandra asked.

Lara nodded. “He’s belligerent.”

“Okay. Be right there.”

Lara quickly disappeared into the crowd.

“Duty calls.” Sandra started to turn away. “Oh, Raven, before you go, we’re going to need more than just Commander. With the conditions in the Community Center, pneumonia, typhoid, and even just the flu are getting bad. We could use more antibiotics, antivirals, and anti-everything.”

“You got it, Sis.”

With that, she vanished into the storm of people, and Raven headed back outdoors into the blustery cold. He pushed through the white, tightening his coat over his neck. Creek shoveled his nose through the snow playfully.

“At least one of us is loving this cold,” Raven said.

Creek wagged his tail and barked.

* * *

“We got eight hostiles hitting us outside the Cantina Bar and Grill. They ran our vehicle off into Lake Evergreen, so we’re holding out here.”

The panicked voice that surged over the Bronco radio was from Deputy Tammy Perez, one of the five Rangers assigned to patrol Evergreen, Colorado. Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth pressed the pedal down harder, trying to maintain control of her SUV in the snowstorm.

“We’re fifteen minutes out!” Lindsey replied. She and her team had heard Perez’s first calls for help and were already on their way.

Snow swirled around her old Ford Bronco. Her windshield wipers swished back and forth in a nearly futile effort, the late afternoon light hardly helping her navigate.

“This is nuts.” Deputy Jamison Whitlock’s voice shook in a slight tremor of worry. “We’re liable to get ourselves killed in this weather.”

Lindsey tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Her tires lost purchase as they whipped around a curve on the mountain road.

Whitlock cursed.

“Relax, Sheriff Plymouth is used to driving in this,” Bradley “Nuke” Giang said from the backseat. “A little snow won’t keep us from a fight.”

“Got that right.” Lindsey sped up as much as she could down a straightaway between dark, foreboding mountains. Without snowplows regularly keeping the roads clean, driving was extremely dangerous.

Still, Whitlock’s reactions made her miss her old deputy, Cody Palmer, and her closest friend on the old Foreign Advisory Council, Lieutenant George Blair. If Cody Palmer was here, the guy would hoot and curse, not out of fear, but because he was ready to bring hell to the enemy. Blair would be coolly checking his weapons, prepared to execute their mission as a professional warrior, always calm and measured, even when faced with insurmountable pressure.

But after Blair and Palmer’s deaths, Whitlock had been appointed by Colorado Governor Wyatt Anders. The blond-haired, surfer-looking dude had an impressive record of law enforcement encompassing successful drug busts and gang-takedowns, along with a penchant for standing up to powerful organized crime groups. Unfortunately, he was a transplant from California and had spent his life on the coast. Winter conditions in the Rocky Mountains were as alien to him as a Korean bibimbap rice dish had been to Palmer.

“These asshole raiders never stop,” Lindsey said. “Eddy can’t maintain any real control over there, so they just keep bothering us.”

“Oh, that’s rich,” Nuke said.

“What?” Whitlock asked.

“You’re assuming Eddy can’t manage peace. If I were a betting man, I’d guess Eddy is provoking this.”

“I don’t want to believe it, but you’re probably right. The government worked so hard to get that ceasefire agreement and—”

“And it’s nothing but a crappy piece of paper that two lying bastards signed,” Lindsey said. “Might as well be toilet paper, because that’d be more useful. We should have committed soldiers into the New Frontier to wipe Eddy off the face of the planet.”

Whitlock inhaled sharply as they took another curve, the tires sliding a few inches in the wet snow. “If you really think Eddy’s breaking the ceasefire and we get proof, we can get the government to come down hard on him.”

“It’s nice of you to think that,” Lindsey said, “and I know you’ve only been here a month now, but it won’t take much longer for you to see that we’re on our own. Only people we can depend on are each other. And five of our Rangers are getting shot at in Evergreen by another group that the Rattlesnakes will claim aren’t theirs. Feds won’t come to help. We got no more foreign allies in the area.”

The blizzard had lightened slightly, giving Lindsey a better view of what lay ahead. Frosted evergreens lined a darkened roadway covered in a fine feathering of snow.

“We’re running out of ammo,” Perez called again. “Down to my last magazine.”

“Almost there,” Lindsey said.

About a half mile from downtown Evergreen, Lindsey could finally see the once-picturesque buildings lining the street. They gave the place the appearance of an old mining town. Snow-caked wooden and brick structures stretched along the right side. To the left, a frozen creek snaked through downtown like an icy blue vein.

“Get ready, fellas.” Lindsey slowed down. Just at the intersection where Bear Creek Road met Highway 73, the smooth, ice-covered white surface of Evergreen Lake glimmered in the weak sunlight, appearing almost peaceful.

Except for the two four-wheel-drive trucks parked in front of the Cantina next to it. Sparks of muzzle fire burst from gunmen around the vehicles.

“Perez, we’re heading in. Stay low,” Lindsey called over the radio.

Nuke clicked a 20-round box magazine into his MK-11 sniper rifle.

Lindsey threw the truck into park and snatched her M4 carbine from the ceiling mount. She pulled back its charging handle, gripping the familiar weight closer to her chest. Whitlock hoisted his Remington 870 shotgun, pumping in a shell.

“Whitlock, you move up by the stream,” Lindsey said. “Nuke, provide overwatch from the Bronco. I’ll advance along the buildings. Keep low and don’t fire unless I give the order or you have no choice.”

“Just tell me when, and I’ll waste them all,” Whitlock grumbled with confidence in his voice.

They piled out of the vehicle, and Lindsey rushed for the cover of a nearby restaurant, its porch’s roof sagging under a heavy mound of snow. She sought cover between wooden posts as she ran at a hunch past restaurants and storefronts toward the Cantina.

Across the way, Whitlock charged in parallel with her. The man might’ve seemed timid riding along on the snowy road, but now he looked like a wolf running to take down a deer.

“I’ve got my eyes on four targets,” Nuke reported over their comms. “The other four are in concealed positions mostly out of sight.”

“Copy that,” Lindsey said. “We’ll get in close and—”

A staccato blast of gunfire boomed from the pickup trucks as the enemy raiders let out a violent salvo that punched through the Cantina’s front wall. Lindsey now crouched near an ice cream shop, just near enough to hear the spray of broken wood and glass erupting from the impacts.

“Webb is down!” Perez called over the open channel. “I repeat, Webb is down!”

Webb was a thirty-four-year-old father of two. A man who had lived in Arvada, Colorado all his life, serving on the police force.

“Hold on!” Lindsey said over the radio.

Her voice was lost to the wind and the continued rattle of gunfire.

She signaled across the street to Whitlock. They were just fifty feet away from the raiders.

Raising her scope, she studied the hostiles in her view. She saw four with their flanks wide open to her, Nuke, and Whitlock. Another four were on the opposite side of the parked trucks, visible through the windows or peeking out slightly. They wore a menagerie of winter gear. Ski masks, heavy woolen hats, and boots all made it impossible to see their features.

There was no telling if these were desperate plague-ridden victims suffering from Wild Fire or if they were battle-hardened militia members taking down her Rangers to ransack their supplies and weapons.

She would find out soon enough.

“Nuke, eliminate the man in the red hat and the one with the hunting vest,” she called through the radio. “Whitlock, as soon as he shoots, you come around their rear. I’ll take out the men near the front of the trucks. Okay, on my—”

Before she could give the order, three of the raiders sprinted for the Cantina’s entrance.

“Perez, you got hostiles in the building!” Lindsey called.

Perez never answered. All Lindsey heard was the boom of gunfire exploding from everywhere.

“Nuke, Whitlock, now!” she roared before her plan could fall apart further.

She aimed at a person kneeling by the front tire of the closest pickup. With a squeeze of the trigger, bullets speared through his ribs. Steam and blood misted out into the cold air as his body thumped against the vehicle before sliding into the snow.

Immediately, Lindsey roved her aim over the next raider, who was just starting to stand. The suppressed crack of Nuke’s sniper rifle echoed down the street. The man’s head disappeared in the blast. Gore splattered across the hood of the truck.

Then came the walloping boom of Whitlock’s shotgun, blowing a raider backward against the truck. Lindsey advanced at a crouch. One of the last hostiles swiveled back and forth, then started spraying bullets blindly down the street.

Another squeeze of Lindsey’s trigger stitched the man through his gut and up toward his face. He dropped his weapon into the snow and collapsed.

The remaining hostile left outside got into the truck. He turned the vehicle on and reversed several feet. Whitlock stood at the edge of the frozen stream, aiming his shotgun at the truck. He fired a shot at the rear windshield that blew it apart in a spray of glass. The truck kept backing up, the driver unperturbed by Whitlock’s attack.

Then another blast from Nuke’s sniper rifle pierced the side window and turned the driver’s skull into a mess of bone and flesh painting the interior of the front windshield. The truck kept reversing until its rear bumper went over a fire hydrant. Its engine growled, wheels kicking up slush, but it wasn’t going anywhere now.

“Anyone got eyes?” Lindsey asked as she approached the trucks.

Gunfire still cracked from inside the Cantina, followed by shouts of panic and pain.

“None by the truck,” Whitlock said.

“Nuke, watch our backs,” Lindsey called. “Whitlock, on me. We’re going in.”

She dashed to the Cantina. Shards of broken glass glinted amid the dusting of snow on the front porch. Whitlock ran between the bodies to meet her.

Gun blasts rattled from inside the restaurant, but she wasn’t sure if it was from her Rangers returning fire at the raiders—or if the three raiders that had entered the Cantina were now shooting at the entrance toward her. If that was true, Perez and the others might already be down.

“Rangers, we’re entering!” she said into the comms, hoping they heard and she could prevent any blue-on-blue fire.

She gestured for Whitlock to come in low through the entryway. Together they pushed through a swinging door to a scene of absolute chaos.

Time slowed.

Training and experience gave her the chance to take in her surroundings in a fraction of a second. A dead raider lay sprawled next to a tipped-over rectangular table, and the flashlight secured to his gun barrel illuminated part of the space.

Her Rangers used the bar for shelter, identified by the khaki coats they wore when they popped out to fire.

The other two raiders were on either side of the room behind thick tables, which wouldn’t provide much cover in a normal gunfight.

But the Rangers had only their sidearms left. They had probably been conserving ammunition, taking shots only when they thought they had a clean kill.

The two raiders showed no such discipline. They had their fingers on their triggers, pumping lead at the bar, their tactical lights making the place glow.

Lindsey twisted and aimed her rifle at a raider chiseling away at the bar with gunfire. Thanks to his focus on the other Rangers, he never even noticed Lindsey. Bullets lanced into his leg. He tumbled sideways into a wooden chair, breaking it, the rifle clattering over the plank floor as she fired a burst into his face.

Whitlock pumped two shots into the back of the other raider. The impacts sent the man crashing forward into another table. It flipped as his body slumped on the edge. Dusty glasses flew and scattered around him.

“Are we clear?” she called out.

Hot brass rolled and settled between small drifts of snow that had blown in from the broken windows. She flicked on her tactical light.

“Clear outside,” Nuke replied.

“All hostiles down.” Whitlock slowly stood.

“Perez?” Lindsey tried.

“I’m shot, but okay,” she responded.

One Ranger rose. Blood drenched the front of his jacket, but beneath the crimson soaking his face, she recognized the craggy features of Casey Marshall, an Army veteran.

“How’s Webb?” Lindsey asked.

“Webb is gone,” Marshall said.

Lindsey strode toward him. “Whitlock, gather up all the raiders’ weapons.” Then she pulled her radio back up to her lips. “Nuke, keep an eye out for enemy reinforcements. We got one WIA and… one KIA.”

Behind the bar, Webb lay on the ground in a pool of dark blood. His eyes were open and glassy, staring at the ceiling. Beside him sat Perez.

The two other Rangers applied tourniquets to one of her arms and legs. But even in Lindsey’s flashlight beam, Perez looked pale. She had already lost a lot of blood.

“Get her to my Bronco.” Lindsey motioned to Webb. “Marshall, can you help me with him?”

He nodded and they hoisted Webb’s heavy body out through the front door of the Cantina. Whitlock guarded them with his shotgun. He had the raiders’ rifles strapped over his back.

“Any idea who these pricks were?” Lindsey asked Whitlock as they carried Webb’s body to the Bronco.

“Not a clue,” Whitlock said. “No identifying marks or tattoos. They didn’t have any signs of Wild Fire either.”

Lindsey got Webb into the trunk of the Bronco. The other two Rangers loaded Perez into the back seat, and Nuke, having joined them, started in on some additional first aid.

Lindsey gestured at Marshall and the others. “Go take the other truck from those thugs. Follow me back to Golden.”

The three of them jogged away to the enemy’s truck as Lindsey slid into the front of the Bronco again. Whitlock sat on the passenger side as Nuke monitored Perez in the back.

“We got to figure out what these people wanted,” she said.

The Bronco’s engine roared to life as Lindsey directed it eastward.

“What are you suggesting?” Whitlock asked.

“This has Eddy’s fingerprints all over it. He’s toying with us. Trying to incite us. He wants us to break the ceasefire so he has an excuse to kill more of our people—or provoke us into sending forces into their territory.”

“That would be a great way to unify the New Frontier,” Nuke said. “And we’d be fighting against a home field advantage.”

“You sure you guys aren’t reading too much into this?” Whitlock asked. “Maybe it’s just an aimless group of thugs that wanted a payday?”

Lindsey took them back onto the highway, racing as fast as she dared in the snow. “Would a random group of mice provoke a wolf?”

He shook his head.

“Plus, you don’t hit Rangers to steal supplies,” she said. “It’s a death sentence, because everyone out there knows I’ll come for them, and I’ll show no mercy.”

-2-

Former Steel Runner Calvin Jackson eyed the mountainous terrain from the front passenger seat of an old Army Medium Tactical Vehicle truck as snowflakes swirled around them. The thick screen of white blocked his sight lines, eddying and piling up against stones lining the highway. He studied the area for anything out of the ordinary. Tracks. Piles of moved snow. Footprints. Hell, the bigger drifts might conceal anything from vehicles to criminals waiting to ambush them.

Their driver, Leo “Boston” Barnes, was doing the same thing as Calvin. The former petty criminal turned Steel Runner studied the treacherous road with beady brown eyes. His cleanly shaved head practically reflected the sunlight bouncing from the snow.

Fellow Steel Runners Cameron Holland and Rebecca White sat bundled up in the truck's covered bed. It was crap duty to be on rearguard, but they needed someone out there watching whatever lay behind them. With the cargo bundled in the truck bed and the big canvas flaps covering it, Calvin and Boston had a huge, glaring blind spot. Any bonehead criminal could race up and slip into the bed, especially at the snail’s pace the weather forced them to travel.

The four of them had once guarded crucial cargo shipments across the United States on trains traveling the Angel Line. But after the line was destroyed by a devastating terrorist attack, Lindsey recruited them into the Colorado Rangers. Their new assignments weren’t all that different from their old ones. Instead of guarding freight on the rails, now they protected goods over the highways. Tonight, they were headed north to Estes Park with ammunition and some basic construction supplies.

“Snow’s wicked fierce today.” Boston gritted his jaw, his face a masterpiece of concentration. “Should’ve put this run off until tomorrow.”

Calvin glanced out the window, checking out the side mirror. “We both know tomorrow is always too late.”

“Yeah, yeah. Supply lines, not soldiers, win wars. And if we lose our supply lines, we lose the border. I ain’t the moron I might sound like. I get it. All these people constantly hitting us. Trying to take our supplies.”

“And every time, it’s some group with no obvious connections to the Rattlesnakes,” Calvin said. “But yeah, there’s always the chance Eddy is egging them on. If not directly, he definitely condones random gang attacks. Because if he wanted to stop it, he sure as hell could.”

“Sitting on his throne in Salt Lake City, yeah. The horror stories some of those refugees from the New Frontier come back with are really something. You hear the one about the town of Camp Farrow?”

“Nah, what happened?”

“Get this. Some woman came into the Refugee Center two weeks ago. I’m helping some of the other Ranger boys with intake, right? Well, she’s sobbing up a storm. I mean waterworks like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t need no plumbing to take a shower, because she’s—”

“Boston, man, I understand.”

“Sorry... Point is, she claimed a Rattlesnake envoy came into their town demanding a tribute of about half their food stores and their bullets. Well, this would leave Camp Farrow starving for the winter, and how would they go hunting if they gave up their ammunition? They had little left because it wasn’t the first time Eddy wanted something from them.”

“Story sounds familiar.”

Boston nodded, taking the truck slowly around an abandoned car stuck in a snowdrift. “A group of Rattlesnake Union goons returned to Camp Farrow a few days later. They dragged out the town’s leader, strung him up from a tree, doused him in gasoline, then lit him up.”

Calvin brushed a hand through his wiry hair. “I wish I could say I was surprised.”

“You and me both, bro. And it wasn’t just about torching the guy. They made his wife and children watch. Kids were five and eight.”

A pang of utter disgust coiled through Calvin. “Eddy’s the one that needs to burn.” He thought back to when Raven had smashed the lantern across his face. If only they had killed Eddy then, they could have saved so many lives.

“Yeah. Afterward, the Rattlesnake Union torched the town,” Boston said. “Everyone started running, and the Rattlesnakes gunned them down, according to the woman.”

“Jesus.”

“You tell me why anyone would choose to stay in the New Frontier when a guy like Eddy rules it,” Boston said.

Calvin’s mind returned to his time in San Diego months ago. He had been on a dangerous mission there that turned south because of the starving populace and the resulting riots. He had barely escaped the city with the family of his close, late friend Steve “Mouse” Gomez.

Last he had heard, San Diego had only collapsed further.

“I’m not so sure everywhere outside the New Frontier is doing much better,” Calvin started. “News from the West Coast is that rioters overran a National Guard base in Oregon. The chaos killed hundreds, but that didn’t stop them. They were desperate for food. So when you have to choose between living like that or roughing it in the Wild Lands, I don’t think the decision’s so easy.”

“At least we get hot meals, jobs, and a warm place to sleep.”

“Yeah, we’re the lucky ones, even when it doesn’t feel like it.”

A charcoaled windowless bus appeared ahead on their right.

“Passing through Allenspark now,” Boston said.

On either side, barely visible through the falling snow, were the silhouettes of blackened buildings and houses. Calvin almost felt the spirits of the dead lingering around this once-peaceful town.

Only a week had passed since the last inhabitants of the town had abandoned it.

Boston drove through the empty streets. Once this place represented idyllic hope, now it only showed how ill-placed that hope was. Calvin wanted to believe that towns like this still had a chance in America, but more and more, he was being proved wrong.

“Hey, what’s that?” Boston slowed the truck.

“Oh, son of a bitch,” Calvin muttered.

Ahead lay a Chevrolet Blazer. Someone had shot out the windshield and windows, and bullet holes marred every portion of the vehicle, especially the panels next to its open driver’s side door.

In front of the Blazer, someone had positioned two old sedans to block the road and trap oncoming traffic.

Calvin picked up his rifle and pulled the charging handle.

Then he opened the window to the truck bed to speak to Holland and White. “Keep your eyes peeled. We might have potential hostiles.”

“Park up ahead, and watch our backs,” Calvin said. “Holland, White, with me.”

Boston got out and kept the door open, using it as cover. Calvin slipped out and raised his M4 to his shoulder. As White and Holland crept around the truck to join him, Calvin advanced on the Blazer.

He made it to the rear quarter panel, spotting no hostiles. With a hand gesture, he signaled for White and Holland to secure his flank.

When they had each found positions beside the road, roving their weapons for any potential hostiles, Calvin crept to the driver’s door of the Blazer. The body of a man slumped against the front wheel with steam rising off his injuries. Blood oozed off his head and onto the dashboard. Crimson fingerprints stained the door handle from his failed attempt to escape.

In the passenger seat was a woman in bloodstained scrubs. Her lips lay wrenched open, her face an unrecognizable mess from gunshot wounds. In fact, Calvin wouldn’t have known who it was if it weren’t for her signature blond curls. Judy Larson. The driver was her husband, Gary. They were physicians at the clinic south of here in Ward. Calvin delivered supplies to them regularly.

Since Ward was a smaller community, Gary and Judy often traveled to Estes Park to help patients there.

Calvin had always warned them that the roads weren’t safe. That they should stand by until they had proper security before driving off on their own.

But they said when there are medical emergencies, patients couldn’t wait.

Now their dedication to their profession had gotten them killed.

Calvin wanted to curse, but cursing wouldn’t bring them back. Instead, he steeled himself and peered into a backseat littered with a few loose syringes and IV tubes. No doubt the people who killed the Larsons had stolen whatever other medical supplies the duo was bringing to Estes Park.

Valuable goods they couldn’t afford to lose. Not to mention two medical professionals the locals needed.

The monsters responsible had to be punished, and given the bodies were still warm, the culprits hadn’t gotten far yet.

But Calvin could not run off and abandon their truck with all its cargo. Plus, he wasn’t the best person to track in these conditions. Good thing he knew who to call.

* * *

“Got it,” Raven said, his radio to his lips. “I’m on my way.”

Raven had been doing a routine patrol around the Estes Valley Recovery Center at the heart of the town when Calvin called.

The Colorado Rangers was essentially the only functional law enforcement organization in the area. And if the assholes who had killed the Larsons were still in the Rangers’ territory, it was Raven’s job to stop them.

Problem was, besides Creek, Raven was all alone. They needed backup.

“Come on, boy.” Raven whistled to his Akita. The dog bounded over to him from where he’d been sniffing at the chain-link fence, helping Raven inspect their defenses.

They ran back to his Jeep.

As soon as he got in, he drove toward the southern gate.

“All Rangers, this is Sergeant Raven Spears,” he said over his radio. “Requesting available units for immediate response to a 10-65, armed robbery. Vics are KIA. I report, vics are KIA. Subjects are presumed to be armed and dangerous.”

One Ranger called back, a woman named Elizabeth Sanders. “I’m on guard patrol around downtown, but I can be ready.”

Raven considered it for a second. “No can do. If we got deadly criminals in the vicinity, I do not want any defensive units leaving their post. We need to ensure no one leaves Estes Park. Put the whole place on lockdown. I want available units who are not on guard duty.”

Another person responded, “Jay here. I’m available.”

Raven paused again. As much as he tried to shove the past behind him, he didn’t like the idea of working one on one with Jay again. But with no responses, Raven had only one choice.

“Copy that, Jay. Meet me at the front gate.”

“10-17, en route.”

As promised, Jay was at the gate in under two minutes, waiting in full winter gear, his M4A1 hanging over his back along with his compound bow. He slipped into Raven’s Jeep, and Creek gave the man a suspicious gaze with his one remaining eye.

“It’s okay, pal,” Jay said, trying to soothe the dog.

“You know he’s never going to forget, even if I try to.” Raven started the Jeep down the road toward Allenspark.

Jay rubbed the side of his neck. White scars showed where Creek had nearly killed him. “Neither am I, to be honest.”

“Let’s not sweat it, because we got bigger fish to fry today.”

Raven explained to Jay what Calvin had seen.

“We won’t have much time to find them before they vanish forever,” Raven said. “If they haven’t already.”

“Hopefully, we’re not too late.”

Raven focused on the drive to Allenspark. He didn’t know Judy or Gary well, but he knew they were good people. This was an enormous loss for the surrounding communities. Years ago, before the Collapse, it would be hard to fathom the type of monster that would kill them in cold blood. Now, monsters were a part of the new reality.

“We got a contact,” Jay said.

“I see it,” Raven said. He narrowed his eyes on a truck driving in the opposite direction. It was Calvin, and Raven waved at him. Any time he had to leave Estes Park where his friends and family were, he felt better knowing that Calvin and his Steel Runners would be in his place, keeping everyone safe.

It took only another ten minutes to reach the site of the attack. As Raven slowed the Jeep, he looked to Jay. “I give the orders today, got it?”

“No problem, boss,” Jay replied.

Raven parked and killed the engine. He hopped out and signaled for Jay to look out for hostiles, then sent Creek sniffing to make sure no one else was waiting in the area, watching.

They picked up a trail in seconds. Even as snow drifted around, covering the tracks, footprints showed where the attackers had run off after murdering the Larsons.

“On me.” Raven gestured for Creek and Jay to follow.

The three of them started off the road after the trail as it took them around a copse of trees into the wintry landscape. Soon they passed the foundations of a couple cabins burned to the ground and surrounded by chunks of blackened wood.

As they continued along the trail, Raven noticed something odd.

First, he counted at least four different sets of prints. Each had distinct sizes and shapes but were spaced as if they were running. But as they went on, the footprints seemed to get closer together. A couple even dragged, as if the people who had left them had injuries.

Raven lifted his rifle, peering through the ACOG optics.

“The weather’s about to get worse and darkness is coming.” Jay stood beside Raven. “If we’re out here much longer, a snowstorm might strand us.”

Raven too felt it in his bones. The pressure had changed, dropping quickly. The wind shaking through the branches of the nearby trees had gotten even icier, but he didn’t want to abandon the chase and let these murderers escape.

“They can’t be too far,” he said.

Jay seemed like he was about to protest but wisely kept his mouth shut.

They prowled through the snow as the burgeoning gale howled louder. Creek bounded after them, plowing through small drifts that rose to his chest.

Jay twisted with his weapon as he probed through the increasingly shadowy surroundings, the clouds turning grayer by the second.

“We’re close to the border,” Jay said.

Raven cursed under his breath. “I know. If we go after them and a Rattlesnake patrol finds us over there illegally, that’s it for the ceasefire.”

“And we’ll just give the Rattlesnakes another excuse to screw with our people. We should head back.”

“When the hell did you lose your balls, Jay?” Raven asked.

Jay was quiet. Raven knew it was a cheap shot, but he couldn’t help the heated anger running through him.

“Almost losing your kid to the Rattlesnakes puts things into perspective, all right?” Jay said. “I left him behind enemy lines. I was a shitty father through most of his childhood, absent, you know? Now, I just want to make it up to him. I’d do anything to protect him now.”

“Then the best thing we can do is hurry. Find out if the Rattlesnakes sent these murderers or if they’re random criminals. See if they have anything to do with the attack at Evergreen. Then we go home, and you go to your boy again.”

Jay nodded without hesitation, a slight surprise to Raven. He was used to the guy arguing. That was good when Raven noticed that some tracks split off slightly from the main trail.

He motioned for Creek to sit and hold still, then gestured for Jay to come closer. Using his fingers, he pointed to the tracks that meandered to where the forest got thickest.

Jay appeared to understand what Raven was saying. Their enemy was attempting to ambush them by setting up two different points of intercept, forcing Raven and Jay to choose one.

Raven dropped to a knee with his rifle up, searching for contacts. The screen of gray and white drifting between the trees hampered his view, but he thought he spotted something dark along their path. Right where the closest trail led.

It was a body.

Perhaps that was the bait. The enemies had left one of their own in hopes Raven and Jay would investigate.

But the question on Raven’s mind was: how had these people noticed Jay and Raven? They had been far behind the criminals. Did the enemies have lookouts in the area he somehow missed?

Something wasn’t right.

Raven sent Jay to continue down the main trail to the body. Raven took off among the trees with Creek, using the shadows to conceal them and quietly moving between the trunks. It didn’t take long to catch his first glimpse of three people.

But to Raven’s surprise, they weren’t up behind cover trying to ambush him like he had thought. Instead, they trudged ahead with overstuffed packs hanging off their shoulders. Those packers were probably bursting with the supplies stolen from the doctors. Quickly and quietly, Raven cut the distance between them. He gestured for Creek to rush off between the trees to their right to flank the marauders.

Then Raven snuck ahead until he was only about twenty feet away from the trio. The thugs were coughing and crunching noisily through the woods.

This was too easy, Raven thought.

He shouldered his rifle and moved his finger to the trigger.

“Stop right there, or I shoot!” Raven shouted.

All three men froze. One stuck his hands straight up in the air. Another dropped his pack. The third swung around, lifting a rifle.

Raven squeezed the trigger before the asshole could even aim, putting a three-round burst into the middle of the man’s chest. Bloody down feathers puffed out of his jacket. The man stumbled sideways, thumped into a tree, then fell, a red stain growing from around his body.

“Don’t either of you make a move,” Raven said. “Put your weapons down and slowly turn toward me.”

They did exactly as ordered. From the corner of his eye, Raven saw Creek stalking closer.

Evidently, one guy still thought he could get a drop on Raven. Even though the raider had dropped his rifle, he reached toward a pistol holstered at his side. Creek began barking viciously, then charged as the man fumbled with the weapon.

Before Creek could lunge, Raven stitched the criminal’s abdomen with bullets. He dropped to his knees, and Raven sent another bullet into his skull. The man toppled backward, sending up a wave of snow.

The third man shook, raising his hands higher.

“Please, I give up, don’t kill me,” he said, his voice raspy. He wore a black jacket and snow pants. A ski mask covered his face so only his bloodshot eyes showed.

Raven heard crunching from his left and turned, ready to fire.

“Just me,” Jay called. He appeared through the blustery wind, an N-95 mask over his nose and mouth. “That other guy down there is dead. Infected with Wild Fire.”

“We all are,” said the criminal. He started coughing. “We had to do something.”

“You could have asked for help; instead, you selfish fucks killed two innocent doctors,” Raven said. “Are there more of you out here?”

“No.”

Raven of course didn’t believe him.

With another hand signal, he sent Creek into the woods to look for other raiders while Jay held security.

“Just take it and shoot me,” the man said. He gestured toward the supplies. “I’m done anyway...”

He coughed as he pulled up the mask to reveal a white-haired, wrinkled face filled with bruising and lymph nodes so swollen, they appeared like they might burst.

Raven stepped back, making sure he remained a safe distance from the sick man. So did Jay.

The invalid hunched over, still coughing.

“What you want to do?” Jay whispered.

“Get some info,” Raven replied.

He whistled to snag the man’s attention. Slowly, the raider glanced up, snot dripping from his nose.

“I heard rumors Eddy Nez and the Rattlesnakes are providing the cure to Wild Fire,” Raven said. “So why aren’t you guys going to them?”

“The Rattlesnakes were giving us meds… but they stopped.” He hacked up a knot of phlegm, spitting it on the ground.

“Why?” Raven asked.

“We ran out of supplies... They bled us dry. We had no alternative but to steal for our families.”

“So you killed two doctors? Why didn’t you come over as refugees?”

“You kidding?” Sweat dripped down the man’s brow.

It wasn’t the temperature or fear making this guy perspire. He was feverish. Probably verging on delirium. Which would explain the rash actions of his friends. They were all nearing death, and they somehow figured they could fix that with a small raid.

“Why wouldn’t we have let you in?” Raven asked.

“You’ve hunted down our people before. Maybe the Liberty Militia rings a bell?”

Raven recalled that was one of the largest militias working within the Rattlesnake Union.

“Yeah, we used to be a part of it,” the murderer continued. “I’m not a dumbass. I know you aren’t really interested in helping us.”

Raven noticed the guy’s hand reaching toward his pocket, maybe to take out a weapon. The man looked behind Raven, eyes widening right before a gunshot cracked. The infected man dropped back into the snow.

Ears ringing, Raven looked toward Jay.

“What the hell was that?” Raven shouted. “I could’ve gotten more intel out of him.”

“No way was I chancing it,” Jay said. “He was desperate and sure as shit looked like he was getting ready to attack.”

He walked closer to the dead men and picked up a couple bags.

“You gonna help me or what?” Jay asked. “It’s freezing, and I want to get home.”

“I could’ve handled him.” Raven shook away the ringing in his ears and put on his own mask before helping Jay with the bags. “But you had to go act rashly again.”

“Did what I had to do,” Jay said. “You look like you’re thinking this was a disaster. We took down three murderers and got some supplies back. That’s a win to me.”

-3-

Eddy sat in the throne room of what used to be the Assembly Hall of the former Salt Lake Temple. The chamber had a decidedly different look than a few months ago. On the walls hung paintings that his men had scrounged up. The artwork consisted of landscapes and portraits by First Nations people. He found several life-size photographs of Manuelito—or Hashkeh Naabaah—who Eddy’s new right-hand man was named after. Sculptures of Native Americans and wildlife of the American Southwest had been surreptitiously added between the white columns.

While he called this hall his throne room, he didn’t want to be too ostentatious. His actual “throne” was nothing but a simple white chair. It sat on one of the rotundas in front of a table where he held conferences with various community leaders and militia representatives.

Rattlesnake guards with their khaki shirts and yellow Rattlesnake patches stood in lines up and down the hall. Small groups of men and women waited in the seats before Eddy. Many had thick winter jackets and parkas. Water puddled at the feet of those who had recently come in from the snow. They all had some request or lament from the communities they represented. Usually, it was nothing more than some piddly problem they were too weak and stupid to deal with themselves.

He wondered what his ancestors would think of this place and the individuals coming to his court. Of course, the individuals asking for help weren’t really the people he cared about. They were just others that happened to live in the New Frontier. Most of them were communities that hadn’t even sent anyone to fight for his side when he had taken Fort Golden or torched Estes Park.

Eddy motioned to Naabaah and Lincoln, who stood on either side of him. They leaned in closer.

“Lincoln, have your scouts returned from the border?” Eddy asked.

Lincoln nodded. “We have a full inventory of the Rangers’ defenses around their checkpoints. Or should I say, the lack thereof, thanks be to God. They seem to struggle with keeping the border secure. Even random criminals and raiders seem to slip through easily.”

Eddy refrained from smiling at that. He had done his job well, depriving groups near the border of food and medicine, forcing them to sneak across the border to shore up their supplies.

“What about your men that engaged with the Rangers in Evergreen?” he asked.

“The ones that didn’t escape were killed before they could talk,” Lincoln said.

“You’re sure of this?” Eddy asked.

Lincoln raised his right hand. “God as my witness.”

“Good. Then prepare your teams. Phase II of our operation to expand begins immediately. Continue doing things under the radar. We don’t want anyone to think we broke the ceasefire, do we?”

Lincoln smiled. “May God protect us.” He walked down the short flight of six steps from the rotunda and disappeared through a door at the back of the Hall.

Then Eddy turned to Naabaah.

“Yes, Ahiga?” Naabaah asked.

“Who do we have next?” Eddy asked.

“There is a man from northern Montana. A village called Bear’s Paw.”

“Send him over.”

Naabaah stepped down the stairs and gestured to a thin man with sallow cheeks and greasy brown hair under a worn leather cowboy hat. A long mustache hung over his cracked lips.

He walked toward Eddy with his head bowed. Light flickered off the torches burning along the columns of the room, making the man’s shadow loom long and ghostly before him. He hated dealing with incompetents like this man from Bear’s Paw.

But it was necessary to achieve his goals. Soon his lands would grow. Inch-by-inch, his domain would expand. Sure, it was against the ceasefire agreement he had signed with Shelby. But if everything went as planned, Shelby’s ability to enforce that ceasefire would dramatically weaken.

“Sir,” the mustached man said, stepping toward Eddy. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“What’s your name?” Eddy asked.

“Lucas Osborne. I rode here all the way from Montana.”

“From Bear’s Paw. I heard.”

“Yes, sir. Should I, uh, kneel or what’s the proper way to honor you, sir?”

Eddy laughed. “You want to honor me? What do you think I am, some king or god? I don’t know what you’ve been taught by the wašíču, but I’m just a man like you, Lucas. I just happen to be a very capable man. So let’s talk. Why have you come all this way?”

A sad smile crossed Lucas’ face. The fool was actually buying everything Eddy said. These saps were all common idiots. No wonder he had conquered this land so easily.

“Bear’s Paw is a community of about four hundred hard-working men and women.” Lucas held his leather hat over his chest. “We’ve labored for everything we’ve got. But times have been tough lately. The plague, the Wild Fire, has reached us. Sir, I’m looking for medicine.”

“My envoys have gone from community to community delivering medicine to faithful residents of our lands.” Eddy glanced down at his scribe. “Didn’t we bring medicine to this Bear’s Paw?”

The scribe flipped through pages and then ran a finger down one. “Ah, Bear’s Paw, yes, we tried but—”

“There was a misunderstanding,” Lucas said. He shifted nervously.

“Is that so?” Eddy asked.

“We had mistakenly thought your men were trying to steal from us,” Lucas said. “They demanded food and ammunition, and we refused. They came back asking for us to send men to fight for the Rattlesnake Union, and we simply couldn’t afford to send any. We needed them to run our town and defend our village.”

Eddy leaned forward. “Did you know the Rattlesnakes are defending the whole of the New Frontier? Did you know we’re defending your village just like we are every village within our borders? That we single-handedly ensured no federal government agents will harass you or anyone else?”

Lucas swallowed hard. “I know now, but we didn’t before, and I’m sorry for that. I have a dozen men we can send wherever you need them. And while we’re running low on food supplies, we’ll share what we can.”

“All that because you want some medicine?”

“A third of Bear’s Paw is sick.” Lucas paused briefly. “My daughter came down with Wild Fire not five days ago. I just want her to get better.”

“Of course.” Eddy stood from the chair, striding toward Lucas. “It was just a misunderstanding. We don’t have telephones or the internet, so it’s hard to know who’s who when the Rattlesnake Union comes to your town asking for a small tribute in return for the freedoms you’ve enjoyed.”

“You’ve got that right. We couldn’t help but be suspicious, but we know better now. It’s a mistake we won’t make again. You have my word.”

Eddy sighed, circling Lucas. “What I find most interesting is that you waited until your town was sick to come here.”

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but Eddy held up a hand.

“I know what you’re going to say. You’ll plead that you only just found out we wanted to help you. Or maybe you were planning on showing up to beg for forgiveness. That it has nothing to do with the Wild Fire killing your people.” Eddy took a torch from the wall and held it up to Lucas’ face. The man staggered back slightly, watching the flames.

“You are loyal to me only when it’s convenient,” Eddy said. “You could have fixed your error any time over the past five months. But you’re just like all the other wašíču.”

Eddy felt the eyes of everyone on him. All the murmuring voices had gone quiet.

Good. Better for them all to see this. Let them spread this message far and wide.

“All I ask for is loyalty.” Eddy lowered his voice slightly. “I want to know the people I protect appreciate what I’ve done for them. Loyalty is something you prove through actions and time. It isn’t something you can show only when it works in your favor.”

“We are loyal,” Lucas said. “We’ve never raised so much as a hand at the Rattlesnakes since we—”

“As I said, Lucas, your actions—the actions of your community—have spoken loud enough.” Eddy snarled. He couldn’t help it. Holding the torch made his heart thunder in his chest and seeing this man’s selfish attitude only incensed his anger. “I’ll let Bear’s Paw prove their loyalty. To start, I’ll have a few of my men deliver enough medicine to treat a handful of people.”

Lucas looked like he wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. The medicine would be used for his daughter. That was all he cared about. The rest of his comrades could be damned.

He truly was selfish.

“Your town will of course have to make up for what we asked for months ago,” Eddy said. “That means an additional 10% of all requested supplies. Consider it interest on a loan.”

“Okay.”

“Lucas, maybe I’m being presumptuous, but you’re the leader of this community at Bear’s Paw, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct. That’s why I came.”

“You were leading Bear’s Paw when my men came to visit?”

Lucas hesitated, the relief in his gaze gone. “I am—I was—the leader for the past two years. Again, if I would’ve known what I do now, this never would’ve happened. I would’ve been a proud member of the Rattlesnake Union.”

Eddy smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. But actions speak louder than words—and I hate repeating myself. Though I will give Bear’s Paw another chance.”

“Thank you.”

“But the last thing I want is another misunderstanding.”

“Sir?”

“Bear’s Paw gets another chance.” Eddy grinned, raising the torch. “But not you, Lucas. You’re a leader. You must pay for your poor decisions as any good leader would.”

“What can I do? Anything, I’ll do it.” Lucas was pleading now. Eddy could play this man like a fiddle. He was too easily manipulated, which meant the US government or any of Eddy’s enemies could do the same.

Eddy waved the torch before Lucas. “As the leader of the New Frontier, I’m responsible for my people. And you’re one of them. I need to make sure that this terrible miscommunication never happens again.”

“It won’t.”

“You’re right. In fact, I guarantee it.”

He kicked hard at Lucas’ ankle. A sickening pop sounded as bone fractured, and the man tripped backward. He tumbled down the steps to the marble floor with a heavy thump.

A nearby woman got up from her seat to assist.

“Stop!” Eddy bellowed.

Lucas groaned. Blood trickled from a split in his skull. Eddy stomped down the steps and brought the torch down to Lucas’ jacket. Flames leapt over the coat, instantly turning the man into a twisting, screaming inferno. His agonized wails filled the space as black smoke poured up and over the ceiling. Onlookers waiting to talk to Eddy stared in horror. Gasps and shrieks echoed against the walls. The man’s skin blistered and popped as he writhed. He tried to push himself up and roll over, but his injuries from his fall were too great.

Naabaah merely waited silently back on the rotunda by Eddy’s chair.

Eddy glanced at the loyal warrior as Lucas’ screams finally quieted, the stench of charred flesh filling his nostrils. “Who’s meeting with me next?”

* * *

While Jay drove, Lindsey sat in the passenger seat and looked to the north at the remnants of Colorado’s skyline against the clear blue sky. Scaffolds lined the skyscrapers. Most of the buildings had gaping wounds revealing skeletal metal support beams. Torn plastic tarps fluttered in the wind over broken windows.

Just months ago, foreign aid workers had filled the scaffolds to help repair the damage done at the start of the Collapse. But with President Shelby’s hardline stance on rebuilding America by shunning almost all foreign aid, that work had come to a standstill.

Lindsey spotted only a couple of buildings with construction workers toiling away on the scaffolds. At this rate, most of Denver wouldn’t be restored until long after she died.

It was a shame her state was in such disrepair.

Throughout the car ride, Jay had given her updates on his efforts to contact New Frontier communities in person and over the radio. “I’ve been able to get a list of communities upset by Eddy’s reign.”

“Upset enough to do something about it?”

He paused for a moment, turning the wheel. “Could be. A lot aren’t willing to speak freely over HAM radio. The communities I met in person were more adamant about doing something—but only if we got involved.”

“Fat chance with the ceasefire. How about the Nation?”

“I made a new contact in the Navajo Nation.”

“Someone we can trust?”

They were closing in toward Lindsey’s destination. Jay slowed the vehicle. “I’m not sure yet. But they want Eddy gone. A bunch of residents in the Navajo Nation do. They’re just scared.”

“Got it.” Lindsey stared up at the capitol building as they pulled to a stop. “Keep me updated and keep up the good work.”

She got out and took the steps up toward the State Capitol Building for a meeting with Governor Wyatt Anders, who had called her saying he needed to discuss something urgently. The building hardly looked better than downtown. Scaffolds covered the cracked dome. A handful of construction workers toiled on the roof. The sound of hammering and the whine of drills pierced the air.

Jay was doing his best to determine which communities in the New Frontier might raise arms against the Rattlesnakes. But too many of those communities were waiting on the Rangers and the United States to do something. They were afraid of getting punished by Eddy.

Thing was, Lindsey couldn’t imagine the US or Colorado lifting a finger against Eddy anytime soon.

A talk with Anders might change that.

Lindsey nodded at a pair of state troopers guarding the entrance. They were a rare sight around the state, with the Rangers picking up most of the law enforcement duties thanks to the dearth of available personnel.

“Sheriff Plymouth,” one man said. “Nice to see you.”

Lindsey laughed. “You sure? Whenever I’m here, it’s always about some emergency, isn’t it?”

The trooper gave her a sympathetic grin. “No matter what’s going on in the White House, at least things are in excellent hands with you, Sheriff. Nothing beats having competent local leaders.”

She appreciated the support. Since the defeat of Fort Golden, she came down here frequently to meet with Governor Anders. A familiar path up the marble stairs took her to the governor’s office. The doors were already open. She knocked once, and Governor Anders waved her in from his desk.

The governor was a portly man. He had a habit of wearing flannel shirts tucked into a pair of jeans. Per usual, he wore his weathered light brown Oxford shoes and silver reading glasses. He put down the stack of papers he had been perusing.

“Lindsey, you’re early,” he said. “Just like always. That’s what I like about you. Never leave me waiting.”

“You know me. Sooner we talk, the sooner I can get crap done.”

Anders smiled. He had a jolly face that reminded her of someone who was a good neighbor. But she knew he had a temper, and a bad one at that.

“Come, have a seat.” Anders motioned to the plush dandelion-yellow chair near his dark wooden desk.

Lindsey sat and took a second to collect herself, taking in the oak walls of the room and the wide murals of Colorado landscapes.

“It’s been a hell of a week already,” she said. “First, we had the attack in Evergreen. Then the murder of those two doctors driving outside Allenspark.”

“How many times did that poor town get hammered before we abandoned it? And it’s not the only one. Raiders just hit Manitou Springs before that, along with a caravan full of infected that made it all the way to Pueblo before getting caught. All within the past three weeks.”

“I remember all of it.” Lindsey took off her sheriff’s hat and put it in her lap. “Every single attack is always on my mind.”

“I’m sure they are.” Anders moved some papers on his desk, revealing a topographical map. He traced his finger down a pen-drawn dashed line through the mountains. “These random attacks have gotten more common lately. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“My office is tracking every assault, so yeah, I can say ‘yes’ with certainty.”

“I called you in here today to see why.”

Lindsey shook her head. “A lack of people to fight alongside us and ammunition. Especially without the support we were getting from Secretary of Defense Montgomery and our Foreign Advisory Council. Plus, the cold weather and snow makes it easier for raiders to get past our security. And I believe Eddy Nez is encouraging these attacks.”

“And there it is. We’ve had a ceasefire with the Rattlesnakes. We have no evidence that the Rattlesnakes attacked. Every random assault or marauder you’ve caught alive—which isn’t many since most are shot dead before we can talk to them—say that they’re acting on their own.”

“We both know Eddy is a liar. The guy recruited all kinds of nasty bastards to work for him. We can’t trust a ceasefire nor any of the criminals we manage to catch.”

“I’m sure we can’t. Which is part of the issue here. We’re letting low-level, talentless criminals across our border. They’re shooting our Rangers and killing our doctors. What happens when the Rattlesnakes attack, like you predict?”

“That’s why we need more Rangers and better supplies. To prevent that.”

Anders turned to a painting of the once popular emerald-green water of Hanging Lake. The natural attraction was deep in New Frontier territory. No one could visit it anymore except the Rattlesnakes. “These raiders have to be low on supplies and recruits too. No one’s leaving the United States and going into the New Frontier to join them, so how is it that they’re beating us?”

“Sir, you can’t underestimate Eddy. He’s got his fingers all over this. He’s—”

“Lindsey, I’m not here to meet with Eddy. I’m here with you. You’re the one running the Rangers. You were doing a fine job until… Until we lost Golden and Estes Park in one awful day. We lost all our prisoners. Maybe you’re just overworked. Or perhaps you just need some time off so you can gather your thoughts and figure out the right next move.”

“I don’t need time off. I need to stop Eddy.”

Anders slammed a fist on the table.

There it was: the side of the governor you didn’t want to see.

“We’re working on restoring power and water—and keeping the infrastructure alive,” he said. “We’re trying to fight a disease without adequate medical supplies. Coastal pharmaceutical plants haven’t made up for the loss of the Regeneraid facility and Doctor Wheeler’s research on the Wild Fire cure. Stopping Eddy does not solve those challenges.”

“No, no, it doesn’t. At least, not directly. But eliminating him allows us to continue all those efforts unhindered. For God’s sake, he took Doctor Wheeler from us. For all we know, he has Wheeler in his possession. We stop him, maybe we can get Wheeler back.”

“I don’t like maybes. I like solid intel. Solid evidence.”

“Well, as long as Eddy exists, as long as his Rattlesnakes and their Union are out there, they’re going to be a thorn in our side that just keeps growing and torturing us slowly until we can’t go on any longer. Evidence or not.”

Anders’ eyes narrowed for a moment. “What do you suggest? Going in and killing him? You know that is a suicide mission, and I can’t have the Rangers associated with an assassination.”

Lindsey was quiet for a second. “Imagine what would happen if we found Wheeler. If we could fix the New Frontier unimpeded.”

“We can’t risk any more lives, especially LEO,” he said. “The Rangers seem in disarray.”

“I’m increasing our recruitment efforts, and I’m doing everything I can to scrounge for ammunition and weapons. We’re rationing fuel, medical aid, and whatever we can to stretch it as far as it can go. But no matter how I try to redefine this equation, the results are always the same.”

Anders exhaled slowly. “Lindsey, you keep giving me the same excuses. I want results.”

“I’ll work harder.”

“You’re tired, Lindsey. You’ve gone through more than any human reasonably should. But I want you to turn this thing around and prove me wrong. Understand my allegiance is to the people of Colorado. They trust me to protect them. As much as I appreciate your service to our government and state, I’ve got to do what’s best for Colorado. If that means finding a new Rangers Sheriff, then I will.”

“Are you firing me?” Heat rushed to Lindsey’s face. Her fingers clenched instinctively.

“No, Sheriff. You tell me you’ve got a plan to turn the issue at the borders around, go turn it around.”

“I plan on it. In fact, a former Navajo Nation police officer friend of mine has been in contact with people in the New Frontier. You remember Jay Wauneka? He’s found—”

“Has he been going across the border?”

“Well, mostly, he has made contacts on the radio, but yes, occasionally, he goes out on peaceful missions. Not out to—”

“Lindsey, by God, I don’t want you doing anything that remotely jeopardizes our fragile peace agreement with the Rattlesnakes. I’d rather you just secure our border. Prove to me you’re still the right dog for this fight.”

Lindsey wanted to tell Anders more about what Jay had found, but the look on his face told her he didn’t want to hear another word. She hated the idea that he was implying there was someone more capable than her. But she was determined to prove what she already knew. There was no other man or woman better than her. She started to stand.

Before she did, Anders motioned for her to stay.

“President Shelby explicitly warned me we are not to send our people into the New Frontier,” Anders said. “Contain the attacks, but do not go on the offensive. Don’t let your man, Jay, out there on any peaceful missions or anything else. We cannot be the ones to provoke a break to our ceasefire agreement. We cannot afford another all-out war.”

Lindsey thought back to the destruction around Estes Park and Golden. She couldn’t help picturing Palmer, his death still a raw wound, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Trust me, I understand perfectly well.”

-4-

The sound of chatting voices and laughter came from Raven’s kitchen. He was in his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed. Between it and the dresser, a cot lay beside his gun locker. Nowadays, he slept on the cot while Sandra and Allie used his bed because when the Rattlesnakes torched his sister’s house in the battle for Estes Park, he immediately offered to share his.

A knock on the open bedroom door caused him to look up.

He had just gotten off a radio call with Lindsey.

“Dinner’s about ready,” Sandra said. “You good?”

Creek wagged his tail, peering in from behind Sandra.

“I am.” He motioned to the radio, then stood and set it on his dresser. “That was Lindsey.”

“Let me take a wild guess. She’s not coming?”

Raven shook his head.

“The Rangers sure are keeping her busy,” Sandra said. “She keeps skipping out on all our shindigs. And here I was thinking you two might get back together.”

Raven gave her playful grin. “Come on, Sis. You for real?”

“Seriously, she’s a good person. I admire her. I respect her. But if you remain just friends, I won’t be too disappointed.”

“And why’s that?”

“She’s a bad influence.”

“She’s a sheriff. A law enforcement officer. You remember back in the day when you told me my friends consisted of drunks and petty thieves? What’s wrong with Lindsey?”

“For starters, every time she calls you up, I wonder how she’s going to ask you to risk your life and what horrors your next dangerous mission entails.”

“We do what we have to in order to keep our friends and family safe.” Raven stood and started past Sandra. He scratched Creek behind the ears. “Such as letting all of you take over my house.”

“Oh, don’t lie. You like it. I can give you shit whenever I want now.”

Sandra followed him as they walked down the hall toward the sound of more laughter and voices booming from the kitchen and dining area. She grabbed Raven’s shoulder before they entered the next room.

“Lara made so much food. We could invite Jay’s family.”

“Eh, I’m not sure. I’ll still work with him, but it’s uncomfortable being around him.”

Sandra sighed. “Look, I understand, and I realize what I said at the clinic. But I’m trying to get better about this kind of thing. Jay made some poor decisions, but he’s not a terrible man. He’s been busting his butt at the Community Center and running dangerous errands for the Rangers. His ex-wife, Wendy, and son, Hudson, have too. And his son is only, what? Eight? Nine?”

“So?”

“So…I’m saying it’s time to show forgiveness and understanding. Remember the parable of the two wolves Grandfather used to tell us?”

Raven nodded but let her continue.

“There are two wolves battling inside us. One is evil. It’s resentment, jealousy, ego, lies, greed, and anger. The other is good. He is hope, humility, truth, love, compassion, kindness, and peace. You know which wolf will win?”

Raven let her words hang in the air. He could always picture the wrinkled face of his grandfather pausing a dramatic second when he told this parable.

“The wolf that wins the battle for your soul is the one that you feed. So, Raven, which will you feed?”

Raven used his thumb to indicate the direction of the living room and kitchen. “I’m going to help feed all those wolves.”

Sandra laughed. “Fine. But think about it. I am.”

She and Creek followed him into the living room. The smell of simmering onions and garlic filled the air. With it came the humid heat of so many people in one small place, most of whom now lived with Raven.

He saw Lara Lithgow in the kitchen beside her grandmother, Joanne. Calvin Jackson and Boston talked with Cameron Holland and Rebecca White, two other Steel Runners who had joined the Rangers. Maureen Gomez was there with her two children, Frankie and Raquel. The kids were playing with Raven’s niece, Allie, and Mark, the boy who had been kidnapped by a crazed mayor in Ouray. He had slowly come out of his shell over the past several months, especially around so many loving people.

As Allie, Raquel, and Frankie acted out and sang some song about flatulent dancing teddy bears, Mark laughed, a huge smile beaming across his face. Sandra gave Allie a disapproving look, no doubt related to the enthusiasm at which Allie sang along about the farting teddies, but she didn’t dare interrupt them. Raven and she both knew joy was hard enough to come by these days. They found no need to extinguish it for something so innocent.

The Gomezes and the Lithgows had become permanent fixtures in Raven’s humble home. Mark too, since the poor boy had nowhere else to go.

Creek ran off from Raven and joined the children as they sang. He barked and wagged his tail, licking all their smiling faces as they broke into uncontrollable laughter.

Raven stepped into the room and took a great big whiff, exaggerating the act for the sake of the children. “Mmmm, what are we having for dinner? Smells delicious!”

“You should try it, Uncle Raven!” Allie said. “Lara let me have a quick taste to make sure it was all right, and wow, she is an awesome cook! Even better than Mom.”

Raven laughed as Sandra shot her a dismissive glance.

“Trust me, your mom is wonderful too.” Raven leaned close. “But I’m better.”

Sandra put a hand on her hip. “Come on now, Sam, I try to be nice to you, and this is how you repay me?”

Raven had to admit it felt good to be with all of his friends and family.

“What’ve we got on the menu?” Raven asked as he made his way to Joanne and Lara. He gave Calvin and the Steel Runners a nod as he passed.

They lived in an abandoned cabin only about a half-mile from Raven’s, far humbler and more rundown than his. It had no reliable electricity, no generators, and only a nearby well for water. They were basically camping, but none of them complained.

Lara turned toward Raven with a big spoon in her hand and lifted the top of a large stainless-steel pot for Raven to examine the contents. “It’s a recipe I made with roasted turnips and winter squash plus lots of garlic and onions for flavor.”

“Fantastic,” Raven says. “A variation on an old Cherokee recipe.”

“I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about indigenous cooking, so I combined what I knew for this one.”

“One of the luckiest days of my life might’ve been bringing you back to your grandmother.” Raven placed a hand on her shoulder. “Because ever since, I don’t think I’ve had a rotten meal.”

Joanne laughed. “Oh, she’s more than a talented cook. Her hunting skills are better than ever, thanks to your training. She fixes everything around the house. She can practically light a fire in a rainstorm with nothing but soaking wet wood and a snap of her fingers.”

“Really?” Raven grinned. “That’s a skill I’d like to have.”

Lara laughed. “My grandma is exaggerating. I mean, I’m not a magician.”

“You might as well be,” Joanne went on. “Plus, you still find time to work as a CNA. I’ve never met a more talented young woman.”

“Your parents would be so proud, Lara,” Sandra said.

Now Lara was smiling.

“Only one problem.” Raven looked at the dish. “Where’s the meat?”

Lara chuckled. “You and your carnivorous ways, Raven.” Her face screwed up in disappointment. “Unfortunately, we’ve had no fresh meat around town in days.”

“I’m just joking. You and I should carve out some time to go hunting. We could take Allie. She’s been itching to learn the ropes now that you’ve had her shooting bullseyes with her bow.”

“I’d love that.”

“It’s a plan.” Raven turned toward the Steel Runners next. It had been a few weeks since he had hung out with Calvin and the others.

“Last I saw you all, it was on the road when Jay and I hunted down those raiders,” Raven said. “How have you all been?”

“Eh, the same. The fricking same,” Boston said. “We take wicked long drives. We cart stuff back and forth. Just like when we were running steel, except now it’s only four of us packed in a truck instead of a train.”

“Well, there’s still another twenty Runners in the Rangers now.” Rebecca curled some of her long blond hair around a finger. “But they’ve got us all working in small crews, so we hardly see each other.”

“It’s definitely a change,” Holland said with a grunt.

“But always thankful to have a job,” Boston added. “I’m blessed to be alive, have a roof over my head, and be able to eat.”

“That’s my man,” Calvin added. He had his muscled arms folded over his chest as he leaned against a wall. “Raven, did you hear about the new family in the refugee center today?”

Raven looked back at Sandra.

“I didn’t tell him yet,” she said.

“Ah, shi—” Boston corrected himself, glancing at the kids. “Shoot, you’re going to be wicked busy the next couple days.”

“What happened?” Raven asked.

“A family somehow got past our checkpoints. Waltzed right into Estes Park and to the clinic. Well, since they arrived here, the intake staff naively assumed they’d been quarantined and then released them like all other refugees.”

Raven could feel the leaden weight of dread dragging through his insides. “Jesus. Don’t tell me these guys have Wild Fire.”

Calvin nodded. “They got at least ten people sick before the docs realized they snuck past the border. We quarantined a bunch of people from the Recovery Complex.”

“Man, it’s tough as hell keeping people safe and warm from the cold, while also protecting them from disease,” Raven said. “It’s like there are no good options. At least we got Commander to help stop the spread.”

“Yeah, that would be great, except we not only ran out of Commander, but nearly everything else useful as well,” Rebecca said.

“Seriously?” Raven asked. “No more Commander at the clinic?”

“Nope,” Boston said. “Matter of fact, we’re headed south real soon to go pick up another load and meet with Lindsey in Boulder to talk about this.”

“I could come,” Raven said. “Not that I don’t trust you guys, but it would be good to see Lindsey in person again.”

“Hitch a ride,” Calvin said. “It would be good to have you with us.”

“For sure, especially with President Shelby running the show,” Rebecca said. “Getting more help on the roads is getting harder. And now we’re getting less Commander from our allies to boot.” She spoke in a low voice so the kids couldn’t overhear. “We’re eating a real crap sandwich.”

Boston brushed his hand over his shaved head. “Sure wish we had Doctor Wheeler and Regeneraid. It would be a lot easier not to rely on random aid drops.”

Rebecca eyed the table where Lara was laying out some of the food. “Damn shame the Rattlesnakes got to him.”

“Wonder where they took him,” Holland said. “I’d like to figure out how to get him back and working for us again.”

“There’s always the possibility,” Calvin said. “When we go to Boulder, we can talk about all this with Lindsey. She mentioned something to me about finding out what happened to Wheeler after her meeting with Anders. She wants to figure out what’s next for Colorado and the New Frontier.”

Raven nodded. “I’m in.”

* * *

Calvin drove the MTV truck through the cracked streets of downtown Boulder. They passed rows of maple and oak trees, their branches bare as they stood sentinel in front of the shops and restaurants. Paint peeled from many of the two-story buildings, though a few seemed like they were still serving food or selling goods. Instead of Boulder’s normal farmer’s market, tents and tables were lined up as residents and visitors traded items like winter clothing, lanterns, or even generators beside produce and homemade candles. The sun hung high overhead. Most of the snow from the storm a few days ago had since melted.

“I’m still not used to the insanity of Colorado weather.” Calvin glanced at Raven and Boston, who sat in the cab by him. Creek was on the floor between Raven’s legs. “One minute, it’s a snowstorm. Then the sun comes out, and it practically feels like spring.”

Boston laughed. “Massachusetts sure ain’t like that. Snow blankets everything, and it stays down all winter.”

“That’s the difference between the Front Range and the mountain towns,” Raven said. “In the mountains, the higher you go, the longer the snow sticks and the colder it gets. But out here, if you hate the weather, you wait until the next day. It’s never really winter for that long.”

“I’m thinking I should’ve moved to Boulder instead of Estes Park,” Boston said.

“Eh, Boulder’s not that pleasant right now.” Calvin twisted the wheel as he navigated through the pothole-ridden streets.

Despite the activity around the blocks they had just passed, most of the houses they saw as they drove were boarded up. Broken glass sparkled in dead lawns. When they reached the once-picturesque Pearl Street Mall area, black body bags lined a pedestrian walkway. People in hazmat suits moved between the bodies, writing notes on clipboards. Others loaded up the bags onto waiting trucks.

“What’s that all about?” Boston asked.

“Better ask Lindsey when we see her,” Raven said.

They pulled off the road and drove across a tire-scarred lawn toward Christian Recht Field at the Boulder High School, heading away from the bagged-up bodies. A running track surrounded a former football field filled with cargo trucks. Rangers patrolled stacks of crates and cardboard boxes. There was even a section fenced off with a large white “H” painted on the dead grass to serve as an improvised helipad.

“This is it,” Calvin said. “Back when we were Steel Runners, we usually staged shipments at Washington, DC’s Union Station. This isn’t quite that, but it’ll do.”

“That’s new.” Boston pointed toward an excavator digging out a wide swath of dirt in the arboretum a few hundred yards away. “Is that for what I think it is?”

Calvin said nothing, but he feared he knew the answer. Sure enough, another pickup truck pulled up next to the hole. Men in hazmat suits began unloading bodies into the freshly dug mass grave.

Raven muttered something under his breath.

“They are doing it here?” Boston asked.

“Dead bodies aren’t contagious unless you eat ‘em,” Rebecca said, “or throw them in a well and drink the water.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Yeah, well, it’s better to gather all the corpses than let people bury them willy-nilly around the countryside. And without many secured roadways, they don’t really have much of a choice but to do it somewhere where the Rangers can supervise.”

A pair of Rangers near the crates waved for Calvin. He parked the truck and got out.

Raven, Creek, and Boston exited the cab, while Holland and Rebecca leapt out of the truck bed to join them.

One Ranger who greeted them had a tangled brown beard and a face that looked like he had been living in the wilderness for most of his life. His name tape read LANDES. “You the Rangers from Estes Park?”

“You bet,” Calvin said. “We’re here for the medical supply delivery.”

“Got it.” Landes glanced over a clipboard. “Your inventory is right here.” He pointed at a stack of crates. “But we don’t have enough men to help load it up for you. Our people are busy dealing with other deliveries.”

“We can take care of it ourselves. Can I see the cargo manifest?”

The Ranger passed Calvin the clipboard. He started scanning the list, using his finger to trace each item.

“We’re missing three cartons of Commander,” Calvin said.

Landes frowned. “You’re not missing anything.” He waved a hand toward the boxes as Holland, Rebecca, and Boston loaded them into the back of the truck. “Everything on that list is there.”

“Something wrong?” Raven asked.

“Damn right.” Calvin prodded his finger at the list and looked at Raven. “We were supposed to receive eight cartons of Commander. Your sister and the doctors made it clear that if we didn’t have eight, they wouldn’t have enough to treat the patients in the clinic.”

Raven stepped up to Landes. “What’s the problem here? Why are we missing three boxes?”

Landes sighed. “Guys, we’re all on the same side here. I’m not trying to screw you over.” He pointed at other trucks with crews loading goods into the beds. “The issue is that every delivery is short something, because we aren’t getting what we asked for. I’m giving away everything as fast as I can get it up here. I promise.”

“Shit,” Calvin said. “What the hell are we supposed to tell the people in the clinic?”

Raven brushed a hand through his long, dark hair. “People will die.”

“I wish I could help y’all out,” Landes said, “but unless you know of somewhere where we can get more meds, we’re fresh out of luck.”

Calvin surveyed the field of cargo and the mass grave nearby. He realized that this tableau couldn’t be a more fitting representation of what was happening to America. They needed more goods to stay alive and keep going, but day by day, they just didn’t have the infrastructure to succeed.

Soon there would be more and more graves, especially as the winter wore on. Even when the warm weather of spring arrived, it wouldn’t stop the Wild Fire or people’s need for food and water.

“Do you have any idea when the next shipment of Commander arrives?” Calvin asked.

Landes shrugged. “Let’s just say, right now, it’s easier to predict when the pope is taking a shit than when I’m getting a delivery.”

“Seriously? Lindsey told me the supply lines were slowing, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Yeah. At least I know the pope craps at least once a day. Shipments?” He threw his hands up. “We’re lucky if we get one resupply, much less two per week right now. The goods we got coming in are still old warehouse stock. Once those are gone...” He shook his head. “Good luck, right?”

Calvin cursed as they walked away. There had been a time when he thought the United States was back on the road to recovery, especially when he was running steel on the Angel Line, connecting shipments between the east and west coast again. But it seemed they were losing control of the recovery efforts.

“We should find Lindsey, and make sure this guy is being honest,” Raven said.

They walked through the busy field with Creek at their heels. Old trucks continued to gurgle and growl as crews lifted pallets of equipment and supplies into them. Everyone Calvin saw looked how he felt: exhausted and worried.

It was as if they were all watching a bad storm roll in, and the best they could do was carry on as usual, hoping that the storm didn’t blow everything away when it hit.

At the far end of the field, a khaki tent stood near what used to be the end zone. Rangers milled around the area, along with what looked to be local cops. Beneath the tent, hunched over a table between a few of the Rangers and cops, Calvin spotted Lindsey’s signature fiery red hair.

Beyond this tent was a line of school buses. One bus had just arrived. It disgorged disheveled-looking people who lined up in front of a table staffed by government workers. A few new arrivals shivered in the cold as volunteers went between them, handing out everything from coats to food.

Another six buses idled in a nearby parking lot. One by one, the intake personnel processed the fresh arrivals at the table then directed them to the waiting buses.

“What’s this all about?” Raven asked. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Boulder.”

“Refugee processing,” Calvin explained. “People escaping the New Frontier come here after quarantine, and they’re sent to various Refugee Centers throughout the state.”

“Wow. Honestly, it looks like we’re getting more refugees than supplies.”

They reached the tent where Lindsey was talking to her team. Among the unfamiliar faces, Calvin recognized Lindsey’s newest second-in-command, Deputy Whitlock.

Loud voices boomed from the Rangers and cops gathered around her and Whitlock.

“People, people, people!” Whitlock raised his hands, trying to calm the crowd.

The chatter didn’t stop. Calvin counted more than a dozen Rangers and cops clamoring for Lindsey’s attention.

“Come on!” Whitlock said.

Something had them upset, and they were too angry to listen.

Lindsey stepped up onto the table and whistled. The shrill noise was sufficient to quiet the crowd.

“I need you all to listen!” she yelled. “Talking over each other will not help!”

Finally, the men and women quieted. She stepped off the table, shaking her head.

“We’re Rangers. Start acting like it.” She gave Calvin and Raven the briefest of nods when she noticed them in the corner. “Look, I’ve got to talk to some colleagues in a few minutes, so let’s try to deal with this right now. Corporal Chen, you first.”

She motioned to an Asian-American Ranger in a khaki uniform.

“I was up in Leadville when three men just drove into town on ATVs, shot the two local cops guarding our clinic, took a bunch of meds, and ran for the border,” Chen said. “We need those meds. We have to go after them.”

“If they made it over the border, we can’t.” Lindsey held up her hand as if in anticipation of an outcry. A few grumbles followed. “I hate it too, but that’s in the ceasefire agreement. If you’ve got a problem with that, take it to the president. My hands are just as tied as yours.”

“So we just let criminals get away now?” asked a cop that Calvin didn’t recognize. “Because that’s not why I became an officer of the law.”

“Me neither!” a Ranger said, her voice shaking with anger. “I watched two raiders kill someone while they were driving their pickup like drunks. I chased them down as best I could, but I had to stop just because I reached the border. This is ridiculous!”

“I know it is, damn it,” Lindsey said. “None of us began our careers thinking we would deal with border security in Colorado. We didn’t predict that we would fight to keep the power on or have access to safe drinking water. And who foresaw a bioengineered plague raging at our doorsteps?”

The group mumbled their agreement while nodding.

“I’m not telling you to give up chasing down these bad guys because I want to,” Lindsey said. “I’m telling you to stop, because if we screw this up, we start another war with the Rattlesnakes.”

Chen clenched his fingers into fists. “I’m not afraid of Eddy or his followers. They can all go to Hell, and I’m happy to send them there.”

“Maybe that day will come, but we lost the last conflict, and right now, the most important thing is making sure people are safe.” Lindsey gestured to a comrade. “Deputy Whitlock’s going to take your complaints and reports, which we’ll present to Governor Anders and go all the way up to the US executive branch if we can. I want to change how things are done around here, just like all of you do. Which is why I need your help and cooperation.”

That seemed to satisfy the group momentarily.

Lindsey left them all with Deputy Whitlock, then motioned for Calvin and Raven to follow, as they left the tent and refugee intake area. Creek trotted with them, sniffing her and wagging his tail when she bent down to pat him.

“I’m guessing this is about the short shipment?” Lindsey asked.

“Yes,” Calvin said. “It’s true?”

“Afraid so.” Lindsey sighed and shook her head. “I just got confirmation this morning about how bad things are going. We no longer have the supply of Commander we used to when Wheeler was around with Regeneraid.”

“There’s a way we can fix this,” Raven said.

“We can’t send Rangers into the New Frontier, Sam.”

“Well, we need to get Wheeler back,” Raven said. “Not just Wheeler, but a facility like Regeneraid. Just like you said.”

“And how do you propose we do that when the guy is probably far beyond the borders.” Lindsey brushed her hair from her face. “I mean, for starters, that’s supposing he’s actually alive.”

“If he is, and I can find him, what would you say?”

Lindsey raised a brow. “Are you being serious?”

“Yeah,” Calvin said. “We talked about it a bit. And over the past couple months, Eddy has been controlling the New Frontier population with the promise of riches and medicine. Jay’s confirmed as much, right?”

Lindsey nodded.

“Some of those meds are the cure to the Wild Fire, to be exact,” Calvin said. “Makes you think… where’s he getting that supply from?”

“You believe Eddy’s manufacturing his own drugs out there?” Lindsey nodded like it made sense.

“It’s that or someone’s shipping Commander directly to him. Because the raiders that have stolen our meds sure as hell haven’t taken enough to supply the whole New Frontier.”

“True enough.” Lindsey led them down the rows of body bags, toward trees still shedding melting snow. “But we don’t know where Wheeler is, assuming he is still alive, and they didn’t just kill him after making him set up some kind of pharmaceutical operation. Governor Anders really doesn’t think we can afford to go out searching for him either.”

“Well, I don’t think we need to search too hard,” Calvin said. “There’s only one area in the New Frontier with the supplies to keep a pharmaceutical plant operational. Because Eddy wouldn’t just be trucking in his supplies or ordering them from a catalog.”

“Salt Lake City and its surroundings,” Raven said.

“Did you hear everything I said in there? I mean, it’s a nice idea. But it’s not something the Rangers can handle right now. At least, not officially.” Lindsey glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go meet a couple people with the refugee intake crew. Walk with me.”

They started toward the throngs of refugees and Rangers standing near the buses.

“Look, we’re talking hypotheticals here,” Lindsey started, “but what if we gave Eddy some of his own medicine?”

“You’re getting me excited,” Raven said. “Explain...”

Lindsey shrugged and spoke quietly. “He sends raider groups over here—or forces them across the border through desperation—and all they have to do is act like they’re not actually part of the Rattlesnake Union. Then, he gets away free with the crime, and they steal whatever the hell they want, all while preserving our ceasefire agreement. If only I knew some resourceful people who could delve into the New Frontier, maybe I—”

Suddenly, screaming erupted from the refugee intake area. People began running in every direction. Others froze in fear or dove to the ground.

It took Calvin a moment to see what was going on. But before he could do anything, he saw a refugee firing at the fleeing crowd.

-5-

Raven hadn’t come to Boulder expecting a gunfight. But the gunfight had come to him. Fortunately, he never went anywhere without a weapon.

As the frightened crowd fled, the gunman began stalking toward the Rangers’ tent where Lindsey had been with Calvin and Raven just minutes ago. He had a scraggly gray beard and a long leather trench coat. Against his shoulder was an AR-15, evidently equipped with a bump stock. It rattled off a slew of rounds that tore through the fabric in the tent wall.

A pained scream sounded from inside.

“Creek, get down!” Raven commanded the dog.

The Akita found shelter behind a couple of crates, as six Rangers acting as security around the refugee intake area lifted their handguns at the gunman. But frantic people still filled the area, blocking a clean shot.

Already, four bodies lay in the trampled muddied grass near the intake table where the shooter started firing. Worse, as the gunman continued advancing on the tent, Raven realized not all the refugees were fleeing like he initially thought.

Two women and four more men in equally soiled and ragged clothing had guns in hand and began firing indiscriminately on the nearest Rangers. Shots exploded in a violent cacophony as Calvin moved in sync beside Raven. He had his M4 unslung. Lindsey dropped into a shooting position with her Colt revolver out. As the trio broke wordlessly into combat intervals, spreading out to get a bead on the attackers, the lead gunman turned toward them.

Raven steadied his barrel for a shot, but his angle wasn’t good. The man pointed at Lindsey, shouting at his terrorist comrades, and began firing. Suddenly, it struck Raven: Lindsey was the target.

Lindsey threw herself behind a stack of crates. Rounds punched into the ground around her, mud flying. Raven ran for a better position, flinching as a bullet caught Lindsey. Blood sprayed from the hit, and she collapsed.

“No!” Raven sighted up the gunman and fired two careful shots. The first shot cracked into the man’s chest. His head snapped back after the second tore into his neck. The shooter fell in a bloody heap.

“I got them!” Calvin said. “You watch Lindsey!”

The refugees had finally cleared enough that Raven and Calvin could afford to shoot back without fear of hitting bystanders.

There was zero cover between where Calvin stood and the shooters, but he launched forward, keeping low as he fired into the enemy forces.

Two of the six Rangers guarding the tent outside had already fallen. Inside, the cops and Rangers that had been meeting with Whitlock were trying to treat the wounded while organizing a defensive line.

To Raven’s horror, the six remaining terrorists were all aiming at Lindsey.

Calvin brought the closest down in a hail of lead.

Raven advanced toward Lindsey while shooting at another gunman with long hair and an AK-47 rifle. Bullets chipped splinters from the crates, geysers of grass and mud erupting around her.

A quick squeeze of Raven’s trigger sent bullets cutting up the man’s leg, then into his chest. The last burst devastated his face in a spray of gore.

The other Rangers had recovered enough from the chaos and started firing on the four remaining hostiles. Another terrorist woman went down, losing her grip on her submachine gun. After seeing the first four go down, the bravado seemed to evaporate from the remaining three, and they began retreating to the shelter of a refugee bus.

But they didn’t make it more than a couple feet before Calvin took them down.

“Go secure the refugees!” Raven shouted at the closest Rangers. “And form a perimeter!”

Other Rangers and cops that had been in the loading area took up cover around the tent.

“Medics!” Calvin bellowed. “We got at least five down in the field. More in the Rangers tent. The rest of you, hold this area!”

Raven finally made it to Lindsey’s side and knelt beside her. A tangle of icy dread suffocated his mind. He had hardly seen her over the past six months. Barely had time for a conversation. And now, in one freak terrorist attack, he was going to lose her.

No way. He pushed a hand over her left arm where blood dribbled out. “Lindsey, stay with me.”

She breathed heavily, staring at him through shock-filled eyes.

Creek lay down beside her, whining and pressing his furry body against hers.

“Try to relax,” he said. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“Raven,” she wheezed, blinking.

Hope sprang up in him, and he probed for wounds. But the only blood he saw was in her arm. He tore away at her shirt sleeve to get at the damage. With his own sleeve, he cleaned the blood off. To his surprise, it was only a graze.

But it didn’t account for why she had gone down so hard.

The bullet hole over her heart did.

Raven’s stomach lurched again until he peeled back her shirt. A bullet was smashed against the plate carrier. Her body armor had saved her life.

“Lindsey,” Raven tried again. “You good?”

“Feels like…” she wheezed again. “Feels like I got hit by a train.”

Raven unstrapped her plate carrier and loosened it so she could breathe easier.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice hoarse. “What…”

Her eyes shot wide open, and she pushed herself up, cursing as she did.

“The shooters are down,” Raven said.

Lindsey glared at him. “Get me to the Rangers tent.”

“You need to slow down. You need to—”

“Sam, the tent. Now.”

He helped her to her feet. She kept one arm over his shoulder as they stumbled to the tent. When they reached it, they met a scene of carnage. Bullets had torn dozens of holes through the tent fabric. Folding chairs near the center table had fallen, each of them pierced from gunfire. Four Rangers were on the ground being tended to by medics. One Ranger and a local Boulder cop lay dead, blood spreading over the mud around their bodies.

Lindsey still wheezed as she breathed, but that didn’t stop her from cursing up a storm.

“You sure we got all those bastards?” she asked Raven.

“Positive. They’re done.”

She eyed the bullet-scarred table and the chairs. “You saw when that gunman recognized me? It was me they wanted, and because of me, they shot all these people.”

“You can’t blame yourself, Lindsey. This has Eddy’s writing all over it. My God, he’s planning something else, isn’t he?”

Deputy Whitlock was watching from one side of the tent. Blood spatter covered the front of his uniform. None of it looked to be his, but he appeared to be in shock.

“Whitlock,” Raven said. “Get a chair for your sheriff. Now.”

Whitlock snapped back to reality and helped place Lindsey into the chair, her face paler than snow. A medic examined her wound, but she waved him off. “Go deal with everyone else. I’m fine.”

A few moments later, Calvin entered the tent. With him was another Ranger that Raven hadn’t seen earlier. He recognized the man, though. Nuke.

Calvin joined Lindsey and Raven. “Got my Steel Runners on security.”

“Scouts are also on patrol around Boulder,” Nuke said. “I came back from the perimeter to help in here.”

“Can someone please just tell me what the fuck happened?” Lindsey asked. “How did seven gunmen get past our guards?”

“The refugees,” Nuke said. “They rode in with the quarantined refugee bus.”

“We don’t let refugees bring weapons on the buses. What went wrong?”

Nuke shook his head. “Not entirely sure, but I had our Rangers do a security sweep on our way here. One found a removed storm drain gate near Boulder Creek. There were a couple of empty rifle bags stuffed inside.”

Lindsey probed a finger around her graze wound. “So someone stashed these weapons nearby. Then when these seven terrorists got off our bus, they reached the creek, recovered their guns, and attacked. This took planning and preparation.”

Nuke looked at his boots. “They must’ve known you show up here regularly too. This wasn’t a random act of violence.”

“It was a terrorist attack, plain and simple.” Lindsey turned to Whitlock. “Can you give me a sitrep?”

“Two Rangers KIA,” he said. “Six WIA.”

“And civilians?”

Whitlock shuffled, as if he was ashamed to admit it. “Four refugees were killed. Another ten wounded. And yes, they’re being taken care of now too.”

“Fucking Eddy,” Lindsey said between gritted teeth. “It’s got to be him. He always gets away with breaking the ceasefire while we do nothing.” A scarlet hue replaced the pallor in Lindsey’s face. “I’m tired of being on the defensive.” She pushed up from her seat. “We need to figure out how these terrorists made it over here. How they infiltrated the refugees. How they planted weapons in our lands.”

An involuntary shiver snuck through Raven. Icy fear, colder than any snowstorm, froze his vessels. That was when he realized that was what the Rattlesnakes wanted.

“Look,” Raven said. “Lindsey, a second ago, I thought I lost you. I thought that was it for you. And now, I’m afraid our entire world is about to be turned upside down.”

Fury radiated from her eyes, but she was listening. Raven could tell she wanted someone to pummel, someone to blame.

He understood it completely.

Only the one person who deserved the blame for this was far out of their reach.

“Eddy wants us scared.” Raven clenched a fist. “If this is his doing—and I have no reason to doubt it is—then what he did just set back two years of recovery efforts.”

Lindsey’s eyes darted between the bullet holes in the tents to the medics assisting the injured Rangers and cops. “I hate that you’re probably right. He wants us to fear the refugees so we stop helping them,” Lindsey said.

Calvin harrumphed. “Then it means instead of them coming across the border to us for help, they’ll be forced to do whatever he wants.”

“He’s smart and evil,” Raven said. “A scary combination.”

Creek let out a long whine as if to emphasize his point.

“All those efforts to woo communities and refugees through goodwill and aid are about to go out the window,” Lindsey said. “If Anders and company react to this like we think they will, which, shoot, I wouldn’t blame them, then we’ll have no more connections to the New Frontier. We can’t rely on intel coming in through refugees. We’ll just be turning people away at the border and telling them to fend for themselves. That even though they’re technically still United States citizens, they’re no longer welcome in their own country.”

“This is not the America I fought and bled for,” Calvin said. “This is not America at all.”

“We have to cut Eddy out of the New Frontier like we would excise a tumor,” Raven said. “That’s the only way we get Wheeler back, restore power and clean water, and stop the Wild Fire.”

Lindsey paced around the tent. Shouts filled the air outside. “I have to think on this and figure out how to proceed. Governor Anders is already chomping at my throat. He wants me gone. This could be the last straw for him.”

“Wants you gone?” Raven asked.

“He thinks I’m burned out and incapable of stopping these attacks.”

Raven’s nose wrinkled in a snarl. “Anders is a fucking slob that would shit his diaper at the sight of a Rattlesnake.”

Calvin chuckled. “I bet the new POTUS is the same way.”

“Maybe I’m still in shock, but if this was Eddy, doesn’t this break the ceasefire?” Whitlock asked.

“Yeah, obviously, it does… but like every other damn raid, we need to prove it.” Lindsey put a hand over the graze in her arm. “Once again, he used someone else to distract us from who’s actually responsible.”

She sighed and walked over to Raven. “You guys head back north with the goods. I’ll be in touch with a plan soon. I promise it won’t be the same old shit. We’re going to do something!”

* * *

The sun hung over the stark white Wyoming landscape. Its brightness belied the frigid cold sweeping in with the harsh wind. High above, a pair of rough-legged hawks circled above Eddy. Their plumage made them look at home in the wintry terrain as they searched for prey unwary enough to stick its head out of the snowbanks rolling across the plains.

To the west, craggy mountains broke the sky. Dark patches of trees protruded from the blanket of white covering them. Eddy pulled his parka tighter around his body when a gust of cold air swept over him. The swirl of snowflakes kicked up from the ground, blasting him and Naabaah standing to his right.

Toward the road, twenty of their warriors waited in SUVs and trucks to provide backup if it became necessary. Eddy could have been sitting inside the warm vehicles, but he continued to lead by example. To prove why people should follow him. To prove he wasn’t weak. He sucked in a breath. The insides of his nostrils froze, and the wind made his eyes water. His fingers felt numb as a corpse’s.

But he wanted the representatives of Wind River coming to meet him to know how serious he was about leading the Wild Lands, not just his corner of Utah.

That was why he had come out here to begin with. While most wašíču groups got only a cursory visit from Rattlesnake messengers, fellow First Nations communities deserved more. They had suffered the same atrocities his people had at the hands of the federal government.

He and Naabaah perched on a small hill beside a ramshackle cabin. Gravestones poked up from the snow around them. Only one object signified this wasn’t some random rural cemetery.

A lone statue of a Native American woman stood next to a plaque showing this was the burial place of Sacajawea, the Shoshone woman that helped the reputed explorers Lewis and Clark make their way through these lands. Her expedition with them marked the wašíču’s conquest westward. It was only right that Eddy was here now to signify that their time had come and passed.

This land had been returned to their rightful owners. His people.

“Look there.” Naabaah pointed to the east where clouds of snow rose from two small black shapes rocketing their direction. A school bus drove along the road behind them, escorted by two SUVs.

Eddy took out his binoculars and glassed the snowy plains. “Snowmobiles in the lead. That must be them.”

“Good. I worried my balls would freeze off before they got here.”

“You talk like that with these people, I’ll chop them off myself.”

Naabaah let out a gruff laugh. “Don’t worry, Eddy. You know I’m better than that.”

Eddy clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, this is your chance to prove your worth.”

“You’ve known me for how long?” Naabaah asked.

Eddy grinned. “Essentially since we were children. But I’ll admit, I never pegged you for being the strong one in your family. Your brother, your father maybe, your mother even, but not you.”

Naabaah put a hand on his chest. “I’ve earned my name.”

Eddy thought back to the many battles over the past five months they had fought together. Skirmishes against rogue militias, religious zealots, rebellious communities, and government forces intent on taking them down.

“Our real conquest is just beginning,” Eddy said. “Brute strength in one battle is easy. But sustaining that strength for an entire war is far more challenging.”

The snowmobiles were close now, their engines whining. They crested the hill and pulled to a stop beside the decrepit cabin. Both riders got off and removed their helmets as the bus and its two SUV escorts drove up.

“You must be the great Eddy Nez,” the first rider said. He was in his late fifties. A thick beard traced his round chin. He held out a hand and shook Eddy’s. “I’m Ray Birdshead, representing the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe.”

Next to him was a woman also in her late fifties with midnight-black hair and square features. She stood a head taller than Birdshead, and by the way she glared at Eddy, he knew she was not someone the average person would start a fight with.

“I’m Gloria Thayer, Eastern Shoshone Tribe Council.”

Unlike Birdshead, she didn’t offer her hand.

“I would say thank you for the warm welcome, but I see that won’t be the case, literally or metaphorically,” Eddy said.

“You have to understand,” Gloria explained, “we’ve worked for two years to get Wind River Reservation under control. Then you come in here and tell us we no longer run it. That we’re suddenly under the auspices of the Rattlesnake Union. To me, that sounds like history repeating—and certainly not in a good way. I don’t care what tribe you may or may not be from.”

An inferno of rage leapt up in the back of Eddy’s mind. He itched to backhand this insolent woman. She needed to understand he wanted nothing more than to take this land back for people like hers. And he had succeeded.

She should be grateful.

But he bit his tongue. He had to convince Gloria and Birdshead to agree to diplomatic measures first. After all, any blood loss they prevented meant more warriors capable of fighting for his side later, should the need arise.

“I understand how this must seem,” Eddy began again, “which is why I wanted to visit you personally.”

Gloria didn’t look at all impressed by the gesture. “We’ve seen the threats you Rattlesnakes make. You withhold medicine and food. In fact, you demand they pay you in ammunition or supplies. Then you have the gall to tell me you’re here to help and you’re some kind of liberator.”

Eddy’s fingers stretched quietly for his tomahawk. This woman was truly testing his patience.

Birdshead held up both hands and stepped between them. “Hold on. It may not seem like it, but we really are all on the same side now. We’re survivors. We’re trying to maintain the customs and lands of our ancestors, so let’s not fight amongst ourselves. Gloria, at least let us hear Eddy out.”

Eddy withdrew his fingers from his tomahawk. “We’re not here to rule you with an iron fist and take your land. You’ve fought hard to keep your reservation since the Great Reversal.”

“You have no idea,” Gloria said. “Crime rates in Wind River were some of the highest in the country. We started the Great Reversal, as you call it, in an uphill battle. It’s still an uphill battle, but we’re winning, no thanks to anyone else.”

“I respect that, which is why you’ll be welcomed with open arms into the Rattlesnake Union. We can ensure the Wind River Reservation has everything they need. We won’t interfere with your day-to-day operations. But if you request our help, we’ll be here.”

Gloria glowered. “What do you want in return?”

“Your trust and your fidelity.”

“Words are worthless. What do you actually want?”

“People. Warriors. We could use your help since you’ve done such a fine job protecting Wind River.”

“For what?” Gloria asked.

“Security,” Eddy said. “We have a lot of real estate, and unfortunately, not everyone is as peaceful as you all have been.”

Naabaah nodded. “There’s plenty of work to be done to reshape and protect the Wild Lands. All we want is cooperation.”

Gloria and Birdshead exchanged a glance.

“I can see that you will not make any immediate decisions,” Eddy said. “So let’s be clear. I will give you and your people what they deserve, part of which is ensuring your land stays yours under my watch.”

“And the other part?” Birdshead asked.

“You get to decide. For those that cooperate, it means prosperity. It means safety. For those that don’t cooperate, we’ll be forced to remove them from the New Frontier.”

Gloria grew more upset. “Eddy, your enemies say a Dark Wind possesses you. I don’t know if that’s true, but I have heard rumors about some of your tactics, including burning people alive, scalping them. Brutal violence that—”

“Is necessary to fulfill the promises of the white buffalo,” Eddy snapped.

A scorching flame roared in his gut.

Thankfully, Naabaah chimed in. “The only thing that possesses Eddy is the wisdom of knowing what needs to be done. He has liberated the entire New Frontier in a matter of months using what you call brutal violence. Can you name anyone in history within the First Nations people that has accomplished as much against the United States in such little time?”

Naabaah continued when they remained silent.

“Now it’s our turn to hold up the mantle of liberation. We need your help, just like you need ours.”

Eddy offered a smile. Naabaah was proving himself better than expected, not just as a warrior, but as a diplomat. “You do still want our help, don’t you?”

He gestured at the bus that had followed Birdshead and Gloria.

Now the ire had evaporated from both their expressions.

Birdshead glanced at the bus. “We have twenty-six children sick with Wild Fire. You told us you could save them if we brought them, right?”

“Yes, we can heal them,” Eddy said.

“Then, please, all this talk of diplomacy and liberation can wait,” Gloria said. “Help our children.”

“We will, just as soon as we get them back to Salt Lake City.”

“Salt Lake—?” Birdshead narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? They aren’t going anywhere.”

“Then we can’t treat them.”

“I was told you had medicine to help them,” Gloria said.

“Yes, in Utah.”

“Why didn’t you bring it here?”

Eddy gave a dramatic sigh. “I’m sorry, but we didn’t have enough when we left. And some of these patients might require advanced care. It’s better in our clinics.”

Gloria and Birdshead looked between each other, unsure whether to believe him.

“This is the only way to save them,” Naabaah said.

“Time is running out,” Eddy added.

Gloria snorted into the cold, blowing out a puff of air.

Birdshead’s nose wrinkled, eyes narrowing, making his worry lines grow all the deeper. “A Dark Wind really does possess you, Eddy. You know exactly what you’re doing to us.” A tear rolled out of the corner of his eye, freezing almost immediately. “But our children have no hope without medicine. Take them, but please, Eddy, they’re just children.”

“I’ll go with,” Gloria suddenly said. “Take me so I can help you keep them safe.”

Eddy held up a hand. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Please,” Gloria said. “Take me with. Then I can report to the tribe how they’re doing when you help them. I’ll be a messenger and—”

“We can’t afford to let you get sick by coming with them. And supplies are limited. I’m afraid it won’t be possible.”

He turned around and motioned for Naabaah to follow, feeling the heat of Gloria and Birdshead’s eyes on him.

“We’ll take the bus back to Outpost Salt Lake City,” Eddy said. “Then, with their children back in our possession, they will come around.”

Naabaah grinned, waving at the Rattlesnakes waiting just south of the cemetery. They moved between the grave markers and toward the bus, securing it from Birdshead and Gloria’s people.

“What now?” Naabaah asked.

“Well, we have to check in with Lincoln. He’s still near the New Frontier borders, dealing with his own mission.”

“I heard that the first aim wasn’t quite met.”

“It wasn’t. I think we got the right message across by encouraging that refugee attack, but Lincoln’s people could’ve done better. They didn’t take out the sheriff, so let’s hope his next attempt is more successful.”

He glanced at the bus full of children. “I have a feeling our army will be much, much larger very soon.”

-6-

Raven prowled through the snow with Creek stalking behind him. Craggy mountain peaks towered over the frozen stream they followed. The rising sun glinted orange over the white landscape, and evergreens swayed gently in the breeze.

They weren’t alone today.

Lara trailed after them, and with her came Allie, each wearing warm hunting coats and snow pants. Neither complained despite getting up at three in the morning to drive up to Twin Falls and follow West Creek north from Estes Park to the safety of some protected hunting grounds.

While Raven carried his crossbow, Lara and Allie had their own bows.

He was doing the best he could to put the horrors of Boulder behind him. It had only been a few days, but Lindsey had promised him she would come up with a fresh plan. Because being on the defense was not working. From what he had heard, Governor Anders had already closed the border to incoming refugees and tightened security, just as they had guessed. As Lindsey dealt with the new security protocols, her only concern for Raven was that he take care of his family while she worked to keep her job.

So that was exactly what he was doing, despite his worry for her.

Today was his first hunt with Lara and Allie.

They paused when he noticed some bark scraped off an evergreen.

Raven pointed at it. “We found a deer or elk tree rubbing.”

“February’s pretty late for rutting, isn’t it?” Lara asked.

“Very late. So we’re lucky.”

“Why are we lucky?” Allie asked. “And what’s rutting?”

“Rutting is when a male deer is ready to mate,” Lara said.

“Mate?” Allie asked.

Lara looked up at Raven sheepishly.

“He’s looking for a female deer to start a family,” Raven replied.

“Okay. And he ruts to make a family?” Allie asked.

“Not quite. What’s most important is that he was rubbing his antlers against the tree. That’s why you see this mark.”

“So is it a deer or an elk?” Allie asked.

“What do you think?” Raven asked. “Look closely at the markings.”

Allie shrugged. “No idea.”

“Deer. A mule deer,” Lara said.

Allie traced her finger over the bark. “How can you tell?”

“It’s smaller than an elk’s rub and lower to the ground.”

Raven grinned at Lara. “Pretty good. Now take a big whiff.”

Allie shot him a look like he was crazy. Creek happily complied, sniffing noisily.

Lara stuck her face near it and inhaled.

“Whoa, you’re right. This deer is close.”

“You’re kidding,” Allie said. “You can’t tell from the smell.”

“You can actually.” Raven gestured at the rub. “The odor is pretty strong. Very musky.” Then, Raven pointed at the snow-covered ground. “We might even find his hoofprints so we can follow him.”

“Why don’t we leave a big salt lick out?” Allie asked.

“That used to be illegal, but we wouldn’t do it either way,” Raven said. “It wouldn’t be fair to the deer to bait it like that. As hunters, we’re obligated to give the animal a chance. It deserves another day if it’s stronger and smarter than we are. But if the animal is willing to give itself up to us and let us harvest it, then we’ll be thankful for that too.”

“What if you’re starving?” Allie asked.

It was a good question.

“If you have no other option, then the deer might forgive you if you ask for its forgiveness,” Raven said. “Today, we still have a choice. I want to respect the deer, so we won’t be tricksters. We’ll just be trackers.”

They continued for another twenty yards alongside the creek. Raven noticed a couple more rubbings. He even spotted a set of hoofprints leading away, but he ignored them.

This was a chance to see if the girls were paying attention.

Lara caught up and tugged on his sleeve.

“You skipped those rubs and the tracks,” she whispered. “Why?”

Well, that didn’t take long.

He glanced back at Allie, who was still gazing around the woods, wide-eyed. That was all Lara needed to know.

“A test,” she whispered. “Got it.”

The two of them kept quiet.

It did not surprise him that Lara had caught on so quickly. All her time surviving in the wilderness with her father would have given her ample opportunity to perfect her skills.

Allie had been spared that kind of practice.

But soon, she got it.

“Raven, are those tracks?” Allie asked.

Raven nodded. “That means we’re close. We need to be quiet.”

As they crested a slope, the trees became sparser. Many were nothing but charred trunks or fallen logs. A forest fire had raged through here some time ago.

Movement in the distance caught his attention.

He fished out his binoculars and scoped the area. Between the branches far down the slope, a dark silhouette appeared briefly. He signaled for Allie, Lara, and Creek to follow him to get downwind from whatever was down there. They ran as quickly and quietly as they could. Difficult with all the snow, but eventually they reached the top.

When they got there, Raven motioned for the others to sit still again.

Sure enough, they found more deer tracks leading back down toward where he thought he’d seen movement.

He kept low, using the shelter of the trees and snowdrifts to hide from the deer. As he pulled his gaze over frozen branches, he saw something near a boulder jutting up from the creek.

Lara was by his side, searching the terrain with her own binos.

“There,” she whispered. “I see something.”

For a moment, Raven was confused. He was certain he had spotted where the deer had gone.

But when he roved his binos to where Lara had pointed, she was right. There was movement there too behind a copse of trees and dead shrubs close to the creek.

His heart thudded in anticipation. Maybe they were lucky. Maybe they had discovered two deer. So many hungry people would have much-needed fresh meat.

Then he realized Lara hadn’t spotted a short deer on four legs. It wasn’t even an elk or moose.

It was something far more dangerous.

“That’s a person.” Raven zoomed in. He recognized the shape of a rifle barrel sticking out from the dead brush.

“Another hunter?” Lara asked.

“I’m not sure,” Raven said.

He studied the figure, but they remained mostly hidden. Shadows covered their features, so he couldn’t tell if it was someone he might know.

“Are we going after the deer?” Allie asked. “The deer’s getting away.”

Raven pulled her flat to the ground. He wasn’t sure if this person meant them any harm.

Sneaking a glance, he saw the deer running along the creek. Right past where the person was hiding. The man in the thicket twisted his head, watching. But he didn’t bring his rifle to bear on the animal. If that man was a real hunter, he would have had a clean shot. Evidently, he wasn’t interested in hunting.

At least, not deer.

“We have to get out of here.” In his mind, Raven pictured the quickest way to his Jeep.

“Is something wrong?” Allie asked.

“I’m not positive, but I need to make sure we’re safe.”

Allie’s eyes widened.

“It’ll be okay,” Lara said. “You got me and your Uncle Raven with you.”

Creek stuck his snout up into the air and started sniffing. His tail went rigid. The fur on his haunches stood straight.

Suddenly, he turned his head to their right.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as adrenaline dumped in an icy avalanche through Raven’s vessels.

Another man emerged from the brush and trees about seventy-five feet from their position at the top of the slope. He wore a white parka, ski mask, and carried a scoped hunting rifle. Goggles covered his eyes. Those goggles were directed at the bootprints that Raven, Allie, and Lara had left in the snow.

Raven leveled his crossbow at the man’s chest. He still had no clue if these two men were Rangers he hadn’t met—or if they were enemies.

While he couldn’t kill an innocent man, a moment’s hesitation might mean his or the girls’ death.

“Stop!” Raven said. “Who are you?”

The rifleman didn’t answer and instead let out a startled gasp and dropped to the snowy ground. Flakes puffed up around him as he brought up his weapon.

Raven dove to his left, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the girls. He didn’t want this man trying to shoot him and striking Allie or Lara by accident. Creek simultaneously went low and charged the man.

The hunter fired the first shot. A loud bang ricocheted between the trees. Birds took flight, squawking and beating at the air.

Raven was too overcome by adrenaline to tell if the hunter had hit him, but he swung his crossbow around toward the hostile.

The man pulled back his bolt, and a hot brass cartridge flipped from the chamber. It gleamed as it sizzled into the snow, and the hunter adjusted his aim.

At such a short distance, the shot wouldn’t miss. Raven was barely pushing himself to his feet and Creek hadn’t even made it halfway to the man.

But before the guy squeezed the trigger again, a twang cut through the air. A blink passed, and an arrow jutted from the man’s shoulder.

“Raven!” Lara shouted.

The hunter reeled back, trying to pull the arrow from his shoulder. It gave Raven enough time to get off a clean shot. His bolt zipped through the frigid air and punctured through the man’s cheek. The hunter fell backward, flailing and screaming.

“Lara, keep Allie down!” Raven yelled.

He sprinted toward the man, running at a hunch. A gunshot exploded from down the slope closer to the creek. That would be the hunter’s backup, the lookout he had seen first.

If Raven had known he would be the hunted, he never would have brought the girls. He would have been more careful, covering his tracks.

But regrets wouldn’t help him survive now. Only action.

Another gunshot erupted from below. Bark splintered and showered Raven.

At this range, his crossbow would be nearly useless against the sniper by the creek. He needed a different weapon.

A gun of his own.

The hunter with the arrow sticking out of his cheek yanked the bolt out. Stringy blood came away with it. This man was damn lucky. Neither his nor Lara’s shot were fatal. The hostile would be in immense pain, but he was still alive, desperate, and dangerous.

Creek reached the injured hunter first. He grabbed at the man’s wrist, yanking at it and twisting his head with a resounding growl. The man yelled as he kicked at the Akita.

Another boom echoed up from the valley. Snow exploded behind Raven.

The other hunter was getting a bead on him.

Raw adrenaline and anger fueled Raven. The desperate knowledge that Allie’s and Lara’s lives were in danger ripped through him like nitrous oxide in a race car.

Whipping out his hunting knife, he charged the hunter. The man reached for a holstered pistol. In a second, he would pull it out and put a bullet through Creek’s head, then Raven’s.

Not today, Raven thought.

He dove at the man.

Another gunshot erupted in the valley. A frozen tree branch above him burst into shards of ice and wood, scratching his eyes. They burned and mixed with his tears, blurring his vision.

Still, he attacked the downed hunter with all the fury he could muster. With Creek yanking on the man’s hand, Raven wrapped his legs around the man’s torso to hold him in place. Then one of his gloved hands made it to the man’s neck and he jabbed his hunting knife under the guy’s chin.

The hunter jerked under his grip, kicking and bucking a couple more times. Raven blinked, hoping to clear his sight. With all the crap in his eyes, there was no way he could hope to get a good shot on the second hunter.

He racked his mind for what to do when another gunshot boomed through the valley.

This time, it had come from right behind him.

He felt the first hunter grow still.

Trying to blink away his blurry vision, he turned to see someone kneeling by a tree with the dropped hunting rifle.

“Lara?” he asked.

“I got him,” she said.

“You…?”

“The man down the slope, I got him.”

She sounded shell-shocked. Surprised.

Raven reached for the bottle on his belt and poured water into his stinging eyes to clear the debris. As soon as his eyesight returned to normal, he took the hunting rifle and scoped the thicket near the creek where the second hunter had been.

Sure enough, the man was lying flat, blood staining the snow.

“I killed someone,” Lara said. “My God…”

Raven reached out and pulled her close. “You did what you had to do. You were protecting us. Protecting Allie.”

He peered over Lara’s shoulder to see Allie still hiding behind a tree, curled into a ball.

“You okay?” Raven asked.

Allie nodded quietly.

Raven turned back to the man with the ski goggles. He patted the man and checked his clothes, hoping for some way to recognize him or his affiliation. But he didn’t find any badges or insignia to tell what community the would-be killer belonged to. All he discovered was that the man had an extra two magazines of ammunition.

Raven bet there was a vehicle or snowmobiles somewhere nearby, but they would be hidden, along with the keys. He had no intention of sticking around to look for them.

“Come on, girls.”

They followed him and Creek at a run. He took them on a different path to ensure that if anyone else was tracking him, they couldn’t double-back to them.

“Who were those people?” Lara asked after thirty minutes. “Why did they try to kill you?”

Raven wasn’t sure if he should tell the truth, but decided if the girls had seen death, they could hear why.

“My guess is those are Eddy’s soldiers,” Raven said. “They want to kill me because they want evil to win.”

* * *

Calvin sat in the empty bed of the MTV truck with Rebecca. She rubbed her gloved hands together, breathing into them. The air misted out around her fingers.

Boston was driving again today, and Holland had shotgun.

They left their cabin near Raven’s place shortly after he had taken the girls hunting. While Raven was out there teaching Allie and Lara how to track and harvest wild deer, Calvin was headed to Boulder for a pickup. At about three in the morning, he got an urgent call from Landes at the distribution center. Calvin wasn’t missing his shot at snagging more Commander for Estes Park.

“We were just in Boulder a few days go,” Calvin said to Rebecca. “Feels weird going back down there so soon after that attack.”

Dark bags hung under her eyes. “Feels weirder to be up this early in the morning. I was getting used to the midday transports.”

“A few extra hours of sleep aren’t worth missing our chance to snag more Commander pills.”

“Trust me, I understand. I once thought I was ready to hang up my Steel Runner jacket for good, but then I tried volunteering at the clinics and the shelters. Trust me, a shift there makes Steel Running look like child’s play. It’s getting to be such a mess with Wild Fire.”

“They get fuller every day. And while they get fuller, the pantries are shrinking.”

They both got quiet for a second as the truck bumped down the road. Each tremor sent a wave of pain through Calvin’s old battlefield injuries in his fused vertebrae. He winced when the truck hit a particularly large rut in the asphalt, the bed bouncing.

“Back still bug you?” Rebecca asked.

Calvin gave her a slight grin. “It’s a small price to pay to be alive, you know what I mean?”

“For sure.” Rebecca pulled up her coat sleeve to reveal a long, jagged scar on her arm. “Every time the temperature changes, doesn’t matter if it gets colder or hotter, my nerves kill me.”

“Yep, I’ve heard that before. I even had a doctor tell me the pain was made up.”

“I hate those types. Most of the white coats are good people, but you get one egghead who thinks he knows everything…”

“And that mother effer will tell you it’s all in your mind.” Calvin tapped his temple, then glanced at her arm. “Where’d your scar come from?”

“The wreck of the Angel Line. I was hauling out Holland from the wreckage of our train car.” She used a thumb to point to the cab where Holland sat. “Fires were burning behind me and in front of me. Smoke stinging my eyes. I could barely feel my right arm. Muscle and fat tissue was sticking out from where it was torn open.”

Calvin listened. She had never mentioned this before. He wondered how many times she relived that scene in her nightmares before becoming brave enough to mention anything to him.

“Look, I don’t have any kids. No one back home. My parents died before the Collapse, and, well… I had a couple cats that didn’t make it through those first few months.” She gave Calvin a sad grin. “I know, I’m a crazy cat lady. Spare me the jokes.”

“Nah, I wasn’t going to joke. You’re a Steel Runner, and now a Ranger with me. So who cares if you had some cats? I mean, I’m more of a dog person myself, but I’ll let it slide.”

Rebecca laughed. “I’ll forgive you. Point is, when I thought I might die in that train car, when I was about to give up, I saw Holland lying there. That guy was so proud of his kids. Always told me about them. He talked so much about them, I can tell you what their favorite animals are or the way his five-year-old daughter only ate PB&J sandwiches when he spread honey on the top slice of bread. Weird, right?”

Calvin let out a chuckle.

“I was prepared to die. But when I saw him knocked out, I knew his kids needed him. So I pulled him away from the fire. I can barely remember what happened afterward, and somehow I woke up back in Estes Park surrounded by beeping machines and an IV tube dripping into my veins, stitches up and down my arm.”

She brushed a hand through her chin-length, curly hair.

“I guess what I’m saying is that a little pain is worth everything. It helps me keep in mind what I could’ve lost, and what’s at stake for everyone—not just me. Like how close Holland’s kids came close to losing their father.” She tapped her wrist. “That scar reminds me why we fight. Or more accurately, why we get up at the buttcrack of dawn in the freezing cold.”

“You got that—”

The truck suddenly jolted to a stop, metal groaning and tires scraping over the icy, riven roads, as the brakes squealed. Calvin immediately reached for his M4, and Rebecca snatched up her AR-15.

Holland slid back the rear window to the truck’s cab. “We got a body out front!”

Not this again, Calvin thought. “Alive?”

“No idea. They’re just lying in the middle of the road.”

“Masks on. Don’t go far.”

He slipped out an N-95 mask from his pack and put it on in case it was a Wild Fire victim. Rebecca did the same. They hopped out of the back, and their boots crunched through the snow.

With his rifle shouldered, Calvin approached the front of the truck. Boston was still in the driver’s seat. Holland had the passenger door cracked open.

“Holland, get one of the med kits ready,” Calvin said. “Boston, you know the drill.”

He inched around the truck. Sure enough, there was a body right where Holland had said. It appeared to be a middle-aged man. He had on a coat but no gloves or hat. His fingers and face were almost purple. Frostbite, no doubt.

With a hand signal, Calvin gestured for Rebecca to cover him. Holland stayed crouched near the front quarter panel.

Calvin roved his rifle over the road. Dead bodies didn’t just throw themselves right where they would be conveniently found. And out here, usually when there was one body, there were more—along with a frightening backstory.

Best-case scenario, this was an unlucky refugee searching for shelter. They might be unconscious, but still alive. If so, Calvin couldn’t leave them to die alone in the cold.

“Anybody see anything suspicious?” Calvin asked over his shoulder.

“Nothing,” Rebecca said.

Calvin had to get this person help or at least move the body out of the way so they could keep going. But as he got closer, he realized it wasn’t just frostbite marring the person’s face and fingers.

He approached cautiously and froze. Oozing pustules lined the frozen skin.

Wild Fire.

Maybe his guess about a poor refugee seeking shelter was right. This man must’ve made it across the border and started up the road looking for help.

Help that had come far too late.

He took another step closer, and that was when he saw it. Movement from the corner of his eye. Instinct honed by thousands of hours of training and time in the field kicked in. He immediately dove to the cover of a ditch.

“Get back!” he yelled to Holland and Rebecca.

Not a second later, gunfire erupted from the trees and snowbanks on either side of the road. Bullets slammed into the ground near Calvin. Snow and mud sprayed up in splashing columns.

Calvin crawled on his belly down the length of the ditch. He had to flank these people. But from where he was, he couldn’t risk peering over the side without getting hit.

All he could do was pray that Holland, Rebecca, and Boston had adequate cover.

Gunfire continued to tear overhead, as he judged he was far enough down the ditch to steal his first glance. He slowly peeked over the edge toward where most of the gunfire came from.

Raising his rifle to his shoulder, he peered down the sights. Three men had their flanks exposed, positioned at various points between the trees. His Steel Runners had already killed one.

But then Calvin realized the attackers he spotted weren’t alone. More gunshots rattled from the opposite side of the road. Looking back at the truck, Cavin had a view of the bed and the rear bumper, but not a clear vantage of the cab.

Rebecca hadn’t returned to the bed. Which meant she was probably near the cab where Holland and Boston were. From where he watched, he couldn’t see any of them.

He had to stop this fight quickly.

Fighting against the throbbing pain in his spine, he sprinted up through the woods as silently as possible. Then he fell into cover behind a rock that pushed up from the ground like a giant stone tortoise. He aimed at one gunman’s back.

A quick trigger squeeze tore through the man’s spine. He cried out and then slumped against a tree trunk as Calvin sighted his next target. The second shooter was focused on the truck, pumping rounds into the cab.

Calvin fired another burst, and once again watched as the hostile fell sideways. The third gunman tried to get a bead on Calvin, but as the man peered around the tree, the Steel Runner unleashed a third three-round blast. Bullets drilled into the bark and the man’s face.

Then he used the back of the truck for cover as he made his way toward where the other gunfire was coming.

Two more gunmen fired at Calvin’s team. They were about fifty feet in front of them, off to the right of the vehicle by two more corpses sprawled between the trees.

Calvin dropped to a knee behind a cluster of evergreens. With a new view of the left side of the vehicle, he spotted bullet holes through the driver’s side door and along the hood. The front tire was deflated, and the canvas fabric over the bed of the truck was tattered.

Rebecca peeked out from behind the front wheel. And another rifle poked from the destroyed driver’s side window. It must’ve been Boston. Muzzle fire flashed from the barrel, and rounds chiseled into the trees where the remaining two gunmen were sheltered.

It only took a few more seconds to finish them off.

Steam rose from their enemies’ wounds as Calvin searched the snowscape for more movement.

He saw and heard nothing except for his pulse thundering in his ears.

Satisfied that the area was clear, he rushed to the cab.

“Holland, Rebecca, Boston!” He let his rifle drop to its strap. “Anyone hurt?”

Boston pushed open the driver’s side door and stumbled out, appearing dazed. “I’m okay.”

Rebecca crawled out from under the truck. “Hit my head on the undercarriage, but thank God for this monstrous truck. I’m good.”

“Holland?” Calvin asked.

His heart climbed up into his throat. He remembered Rebecca’s story. He couldn’t imagine her saving Holland’s life from the devastation of the Angel Line only to watch the man die right here on this lonely Colorado highway because of another ambush.

Boston disappeared back into the cab as Calvin ran around to the other side. He tore the door open to find Holland.

“He got hit in the shoulder,” Boston said, ripping off some gauze with his teeth from a roll he found in the truck’s med kit. “And in the leg.”

Holland’s eyes were open, but his gaze was distant.

“Give me that medkit,” Calvin said. Holland’s right pant leg was soaked in blood near his ankle. Boston tossed the medkit to Calvin.

With a knife, Calvin cut away the fabric around Boston’s ankle, revealing a nasty mess. Tissue and bone stuck out. There was no clean exit wound, and he was losing a steady supply of blood.

Calvin used a tourniquet to tie off Holland’s leg above the injury then pressed a patch with blood-clotting powder over the wound and bound it tightly. That broke Holland’s shock. He howled in pain.

“We need to get him to the clinic pronto.” Calvin moved Holland over enough so he could fit in the cab to monitor the man’s vitals. “Boston, you and Rebecca need to change that flat tire so we can get out of here.”

“You got it.”

A few minutes later, Rebecca ran around and jumped into the truck bed and Boston got back into the front seat, the job done. But all the same, Calvin could feel the pressure of the ticking clock in the back of his mind. He kept the rear window open so they could talk as Boston raced around the body in the road.

“Stay with me, Holland,” Calvin said. “You’re going to be fine, brother.”

Holland wore a pained grimace. The color had drained from his features but at least he was still conscious. “Thanks, boss.”

His voice was strained, but Calvin appreciated the guy putting on a brave face. That gave him hope, which he needed in spades right now.

“It was a trap,” Boston yelled over the rumble of the engine. He glanced over at Calvin. “Classic person-in-distress bait. But you were looking out for it the whole time.”

Calvin nodded. He had expected an ambush, but he also couldn’t abandon someone in need. After all, if he started leaving everyone who needed help to save his own hide, he wouldn’t have become a Steel Runner or be running deliveries with the Rangers. Hell, he never would’ve become a SEAL. To ignore someone in distress would be to lose a piece of his humanity.

“It’s a cruel trick these bastards play,” Calvin said, “using our sympathy against us.”

“Stupid too,” Boston said. “We ain’t got shit for them to steal in this truck. They died for nothing!”

Calvin shook his head and combed his hands through his wiry hair. “What if this wasn’t just about stealing goods?” He thought of the attempt on Lindsey’s life in Boulder. “What if this was targeted at us, and not the supplies? There aren’t many other crews that run this route between Boulder and Estes Park.”

“What are you saying?” Boston asked.

Holland’s eyes started to close.

“Stay awake, brother,” Calvin said, waiting for Holland to give him a stern nod.

“You think… you think someone was out to assassinate us?” Boston asked.

“Damn right, I do,” Calvin said. “I think Eddy wants us extinct.”

-7-

A couple days after the attacks on Raven and Calvin, Lindsey walked through the parking lot of Fort Golden with Deputy Whitlock by her side. Scaffolding covered the bullet-pocked walls that were damaged during the Rattlesnakes’ attack on the facility. Many of the broken windows still hadn’t been replaced, and to fend off the wintry cold, they had simply been boarded up.

Charred marks in the parking lot showed where vehicles had been torched by the Rattlesnakes. If she closed her eyes, she thought she could still smell the spilled blood in the air. The groans of the injured and the sobs of survivors echoed in her memories. She recalled the empty prison cells vacated by criminals who were now roaming the New Frontier, working for Eddy.

Worse, the image of Cody Palmer’s lifeless body on a stretcher never ceased to haunt her.

Somehow, she was still supposed to work here, knowing all that had happened only months ago.

“You okay, Sheriff?” Whitlock asked as they made it to the front doors of the building. “You have that distant look again, ma’am.”

“I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“I get it. We got a lot to think about. This assassination attempt and attack in Boulder. Then on your Steel Runner friends, and Raven too. I wouldn’t blame you if you want a day off. You know I can manage the office.”

Lindsey shot him a stare that she figured Medusa would share with invaders of her realm. “Deputy, that’s the last time you suggest I take time off.” She pointed back at the front gates of Fort Golden, then to the foothills beyond. “Eddy sure as hell isn’t taking a day off. And neither are we.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Whitlock held up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean any offense by it. But I tell you what, I get it. My dad was a detective with LAPD. He never took a single day of vacation in his life. No vacations, nothing. Hardest worker I’ve ever seen. He was like you.”

“Sounds like he was a good man, Whitlock.”

“He was. Only problem was he was chasing down a perp and had a freak heart attack at fifty-one. The perp shot him and got away. I can’t help but think things would’ve turned out differently if he took care of himself. Like maybe, he was killing himself without knowing it, and I don’t want you to go killing yourself, you know?”

“Didn’t I just tell you I don’t need any life lessons?”

“I’m just saying, ma’am.”

“Whitlock, you aren’t a bad deputy. But there’s one thing my last deputy learned that I sure wish you would.”

“What’s that?”

“When to shut up.”

Lindsey grinned when she saw Whitlock was struggling to figure out if he should laugh or nod seriously.

But the time for levity had passed anyway.

They entered the busy hallways, greeting other Rangers who dipped their hats or nodded at her. Civilian Volunteer Recovery Task Force workers greeted her with a hello or wave.

“It’s good to see this place full of people again,” Lindsey said. “You can never really appreciate how big this place is until everyone’s gone.”

To his credit, Whitlock said nothing this time, though he let out a harrumph of agreement.

They made it to the floor with her office and Whitlock’s.

“Go grab a coffee, collect your thoughts, and we’ll meet back in ten,” Lindsey said. “We’ve got plenty to discuss.”

“Uh, sure, okay.” Whitlock continued down the hall looking weirdly nervous.

Lindsey turned to see the door to her office cracked open slightly. For a second, she paused.

She never left it unlocked. Sometimes the cleaning or maintenance staff didn’t close it all the way. But right now, after one attempt on her life—and the ones she’d learned about on Calvin’s and Raven’s after they’d called her—she was not taking any chances. She took out her service pistol and nudged the door open with a boot, her heart hammering wildly.

Sure enough, near her desk, she saw the shape of a man silhouetted against the sun bleeding in through the window. He held a picture frame in his hand, studying it.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, keeping the gun pointed at the ground.

The man turned around and took a step toward her, his face catching the light this time. “Jesus, Lindsey, what’s this about?”

It was then she recognized Governor Anders. He returned the picture to her desk. And she slid her pistol back into its holster.

“You about gave me a heart attack.” He motioned for her to have a seat.

Lindsey refused the invitation. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize you were showing up here. You’ve got to understand, with the recent attacks, I need to be on my toes.”

“I called and left a message.”

“With who?”

“Whitlock. Didn’t he tell you?”

Lindsey screwed her brow up. Did he? Whitlock had been talking to her a while on their ride back toward Fort Golden this morning from their routine patrol checks. She had tuned out some of what he was saying. The guy had a habit of droning on about things, and frankly, her mind had been in other places.

Shoot.

Was it her fault?

My God, if it was, she probably looked like a loon.

“I don’t recall a message from Whitlock,” she said finally.

“I was afraid of that. Come and sit.”

Lindsey was about to walk around and sit in the chair behind her desk. But Anders sat there first and gestured toward a chair that was usually for her guests.

Her heart started hammering anew. Something wasn’t right.

“Whitlock didn’t tell me what this meeting was about,” Lindsey said. “So why’d you come all the way down from Denver?”

“I realized I hadn’t been here for a while.” He put a hand over his chest. “That’s my fault. I gave you and your Rangers so much responsibility. Then I failed to check in regularly. I assumed you all knew what you were doing better than I did.”

Lindsey really didn’t like where this was going. “We do know what we’re doing.”

Anders shot her a sympathetic smile. Before continuing, he twisted the picture he had been studying toward her.

It was a photograph of her and her former mentor, the late Marcus Colton. The Estes Park Police Chief had also been a friend and even father figure to her, especially during those early days of the Collapse.

He had been killed by neo-Nazi terrorists who had tried to take the mountains for themselves like Eddy Nez was doing now.

“This your father?” Anders asked.

“He wasn’t.”

“Ah, I was wondering if law enforcement careers were a family tradition.”

“I’m the first to serve.”

Anders traced his finger over the frame of the picture then repositioned it. “I thought you might be clinging to this position because of some misplaced family pressure.”

“I’ve been serving as sheriff—not clinging to it—because someone needs to. Because I want to protect the state and the people that I love.”

Anders scratched at his round chin. “Sometimes the best way to help the ones we love is to know when we need to slow down and take a breather.”

“Not this again.” Lindsey tried to bite back the anger fanning through her chest. “Two of my close friends were nearly killed. So was I. We had what amounted to be a terrorist attack in Boulder. I can’t rest. The sheriff of the Rangers has to stop this violence.”

“I agree. The sheriff needs to do something. But I’m afraid we’re in disagreement about who that sheriff should be.”

Suddenly, the fiery anger turned to a leaden weight inside her gut. “I can handle this.”

“You recall the deal we made. And then these three attacks happened. I’m afraid it’s time for some new ideas around here. So, if you really care about the Rangers and the people in it, you need to turn in your badge.”

“You’re demoting me?” Lindsey asked, still trying to grapple with the harsh reality collapsing on her.

“Deputy Whitlock is taking over this position.”

“Does he know?”

“Yes, I talked with him about this extensively. He’s more than ready to take over.”

“He’s not ready. He’s a good man, but he froze in Boulder. He doesn’t know how to act when things really hit the fan, and—”

Anders raised a hand. “I’ve made my decision.”

Lindsey thought over her next words carefully. All this BS about her needing a break coming from Whitlock minutes ago. He knew exactly what was about to happen—and he had been too chickenshit to say a word, much less warn her about this meeting.

He didn’t have the balls to be sheriff.

“You’re making a huge mistake. I’ve been working on Eddy Nez’s case since the beginning. If you take me off now, then all our progress will take a major hit.”

“Eddy, Eddy, Eddy. That’s all I hear from you. This is about more than just one man now. This is about electricity and power and normal law enforcement duties. Yes, Eddy’s a problem. But we have a thousand different problems on the New Frontier. If you only focus on one, then the others just get worse.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do. My aunt had diabetes.”

Lindsey glared at him. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

Anders held up a hand. “Her doctor was laser-focused on the disease. They tried to get her to manage her weight issues and poor blood circulation through diet and exercise. And she honest-to-God gave it a valiant effort. But she still felt sick, even as she lost weight. They claimed she wasn’t doing enough to monitor and govern her diabetes’ symptoms.”

A vessel twitched in the governor’s head.

“Her appetite was failing. She was always fatigued. The doctor kept saying to improve her diet. To watch her blood sugar more closely. Her new memory problems and shortness of breath were all symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes according to the doctor.”

Anders paused a second before locking eyes with Lindsey.

“But when she was finally admitted to the hospital, when they realized it wasn’t just diabetes, it was too late. She had malignant breast cancer that spread to her stomach, lungs, and brain. It should have been preventable, but because her doctor was obsessed with her diabetes diagnosis, he missed the other problems.”

“This isn’t the same,” Lindsey said weakly. But she could see Anders thought it was. There was nothing she could do to change his mind. But she tried anyway. “I promise you, if we clear the Rattlesnakes from the New Frontier, we get Eddy to stop provoking these assassination attempts and false flag terrorist attacks, we’ll be able to—”

“Lindsey, your badge.” Anders stretched out an open palm. “Effective immediately, your services as a Colorado Ranger are no longer necessary.”

“Wait, this isn’t just a demotion? You’re kicking me off the force?”

“Your career has run its course. I think you should use this time to figure out what you want to do next. Your badge, please.”

Lindsey took the badge sheath from her pocket and unpinned the sheriff’s badge from her chest. She deposited both into Anders’ hand. Then she grabbed the picture of herself and Colton that Anders had been playing with and stalked out of the office.

She heard Whitlock calling her name. But she never turned around.

She feared what she might say or do if she did.

Instead, she marched toward the exit. A hot fury burned in her like a furnace fit to explode.

Anders had told her to figure out what she wanted to do next.

She didn’t need time because she already knew. There was only one option, really. She would do what everyone else was afraid to do: eliminate Eddy and take back the New Frontier.

* * *

Raven winced at the odors lingering in the hallways of the Estes Valley Community Center. Every open space had been filled with cots. People coughed and cried. Some talked in muffled voices. Many wore layers of coats and sweaters to keep warm. Their hair was greasy, their faces dirty. They barely had clean water to drink, much less waste on showering.

Those who could work were out chopping wood for fires or helping the reconstruction efforts around Estes Park.

“I’m sorry we have to do this,” Raven said, turning back to his friends and family.

Sandra was right behind him, her arm around Allie’s shoulder. Beside them was Joanne and Lara Lithgow. The Gomezes were with them too. Mark was holding Frankie and Raquel’s hands.

Lara forced a smile. “I’ll be closer to work.”

“You’re always too positive for your own good.” Raven shot her a slight smile. “This won’t be for long, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

“We’re down this way.” Pruitt stood about ten feet in front of Raven. The former-Marine-turned-cop from Allenspark led the way through the shelter.

The group followed him past where the gymnasium had been. They passed a large window that led into what used to be the swimming pools. The water had long-since been drained, and even the bottom of the pool served as space for people to shelter.

Sandra walked beside Raven and slipped her fingers into his. “Trust me, I know you don’t like doing this.”

“Damn right I don’t.”

“But we don’t have a choice,” she whispered. “After you, Lara, and Allie got attacked, it’s no longer safe out there.”

“It’s not safe anywhere now.” He paused, shaking his head. Creek pushed his nose into Raven’s other palm as if to comfort him. “We keep saying that more and more.”

“But it’s right. Your cabin was a wonderful home for a while, but there’s no way we can continue to be safe there. Not if Eddy’s people can just sneak into Colorado, track us down, and attack us. We have to do this. Just for now.”

“I’m so sorry, Sis. I wish I could protect you.” He glanced back at the other families. “I wish I could protect all of you.”

“You’re one man. You’re doing everything and more. Even with Calvin and the Steel Runners’ help, you can’t watch all of us every hour of the day.”

“I just hope it won’t be long. This complex is a disease factory.”

Sandra let out a soft chuckle as they passed the open doors to a basketball court covered with cots and tables and too many people to count. “I’m well aware. It’s my job, okay? I also know how best to save our family and friends from sickness. Lara and I will do everything we can.”

“I’ll make it safe out there so you guys don’t have to shelter here. I promise.”

“I believe you will.”

Pruitt opened a door and started up some stairs. “I hope you guys don’t mind, but we cleared an extra space for you all.”

“What do you mean?” Sandra asked.

“Well, we’ve been going through our food and medical supplies far faster than normal. That means some of our storage rooms are sitting vacant. It’s not much, but we’ve got an old office space to put you in.”

“There’s no other people in there?” Joanne Lithgow asked.

“Not yet,” Pruitt said. “You folks are kind of VIPs. You know, Raven and the Steel Runners’ guests. So we didn’t think you deserved to be stuffed in the overflowing gym.”

“No, no, that won’t do,” Joanne said. “We’re just like everyone else. We don’t deserve special treatment.”

“Please,” Maureen Gomez said. “If this means other people can’t have a safe place to sleep, I can’t live with that.”

Pruitt dipped his cowboy hat at them. “You all are kinder folk than I even expected. It really isn’t putting us out to stow you all up here.” He led them to a hall lined with closed doors. He paused in front of one. “But I think we’ll have more families that will join us soon. In the meantime, you keep it warm and clean for them.”

Sandra looked uncertain about it. “You better make good on that. I don’t want you lying to make us feel better, then we all find out later you have no intention of having some other poor family bunk with us.”

“God as my witness, I won’t do that.” Pruitt unlocked the door and let them in.

Cardboard boxes were stacked against one wall with windows that looked out to the snow-covered mountains to the east. Desks had been piled onto each other on another wall. Sleeping bags and cots were spread out over the navy-colored tight-weave carpet. It even smelled like an old office.

Not like the stench of bodies pressed against each other downstairs.

“Pruitt, thank you,” Raven said.

Pruitt couldn’t help but smile. “Marines always look out for one another.”

“You know how much I appreciate this.”

“You’re out there risking your ass day in and day out for this community. This is nothing.” He jerked his chin toward the families unloading their bags around the room. “Let me help you guys get settled.”

Raven didn’t turn down the Marine’s help. They spent a good twenty minutes making the space as much like home as they could, ensuring every family had a corner to rest and recuperate.

As much as it pained Raven to see them all staying here, he could never forget how close things had gotten with Lara and Allie on that hunt.

Now they had a multitude of Rangers watching over them, much thicker walls than his cabin, and razor-wire topped fences circling the shelters.

And he wasn’t the only one that thought moving them was a good idea. Calvin had agreed. He felt strongly the Gomezes wouldn’t be safe in Raven’s cabin.

Raven twisted his wrist to get a look at his watch. Calvin should be up here pretty soon, actually.

Pruitt looked over at Raven while helping move Joanne’s cot. “Hate to say it, but my time is almost up. Gotta get back to patrol.”

“Thanks again.”

Pruitt shook Raven’s hand as he prepared to leave. “Seriously, I’m getting tired of sitting around and watching the gates around here. If there’s anything I can do—I mean anything—I’m your man. You can take the man out of the Marines, but you can’t take the Marines out of the man, you know what I mean?”

“All too well.”

With that, Pruitt left. It took another fifteen minutes for the families to get their extra clothes and blankets situated. Creek made a temporary bed for himself on Allie’s sleeping bag. Allie didn’t seem to mind and cuddled with the dog. Mark sat next to her, patting Creek’s head as he talked with Allie in a hushed voice.

Raquel and Frankie joined them. Lara helped her grandmother sit down on a cot. The older woman groaned, holding a hand over her lower back. Lara helped Maureen rearrange her cot. She was pointing at the window and saying something about her daughter’s asthma, evidently worried about a draft.

Sandra joined Raven again. “I promise we’ll be okay.”

“Everyone’s acting so brave,” he replied. “And yeah, the kids have been adaptable, but this isn’t right. It shouldn’t have to be like this.”

“You can say that repeatedly, but it won’t make our situation any less true. Look, we’ve got enough to keep us busy. Lara and I will work in the clinic overtime.”

Raven opened his mouth to speak.

“And yes, before you say another word, I’ve been talking to Lara about killing that man. She’s going to have a lot to deal with psychologically, but she’s a strong young woman. And the rest of us are going to be busy enough. The kids still have classes that the shelter puts on. Joanne already said she would help in the kitchens, and Maureen volunteered for reconstruction efforts. Spring will be back before you know it and so will Estes Park.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Footsteps sounded from the hall. Raven stepped out of the room to see Calvin headed in his direction and met the Steel Runner in a handshake.

“Welcome to the new place.” He gestured to the open door.

As soon as Frankie and Raquel saw Calvin, they ran up and gave him hugs. Maureen gave him a quick embrace too.

He furrowed his brow as he examined the room. “Ah, heck, this is better than a lot of the places I stayed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Basically paradise in comparison.”

Maureen gave a chuckle. “That’s exactly what Steve would say. At least we’re all still together, and for me, that’s what counts.”

“You got that right,” Calvin said. “If you all don’t mind, I got to talk to my buddy Raven here.”

He gestured for Raven to go back out into the hall with him and walked out of earshot from the others.

“Something wrong?” Raven asked.

“You haven’t heard?”

“What? What’s going on now?”

“I just saw Lindsey in Boulder. She was meeting with a few of her Ranger friends there when she heard I was in the area with Holland at the hospital. She got canned, Raven. The governor took her badge.”

“The hell? She’s not sheriff anymore?”

“She’s not even a damn Ranger anymore.”

Raven shook his head. “This makes zero sense. She hasn’t said a thing to me yet.”

“It all just happened. I think she’s trying to gather her thoughts and tell you herself, but that’s not even the most important thing right now.” He gulped hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked back toward their families’ new room. “I think the governor wants to pretend Eddy Nez isn’t even a problem, and he’s shown no interest in trying to look for Doctor Wheeler. According to Lindsey, he wants to focus on reconstruction here and just ignore what’s happening in the New Frontier.”

“So, he is going to pretend like those attacks on us didn’t happen?”

“I don’t know what he’s going to do, but Lindsey is positive he’s not going after Eddy.”

“Then, what? We let Eddy get away with everything? It’s suicide. We have to take down that asshole. Otherwise, we won’t get Doctor Wheeler back, we won’t make progress with the Wild Fire, and we’ll never have reliable power or water through the mountains.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. In fact, Lindsey wants to meet with us to talk about it.”

“Name the time and place. I’ll be there.”

“Good. She’s forming a team, Raven. Everyone we can trust. Anyone with military experience. Anyone who can survive and handle themselves in the mountains. Anyone who is pissed off at Eddy and what’s happened to our communities since the Collapse.”

Raven nodded. “A team that’s going to go after Eddy. All on our own.”

“You’re getting the gist of it.”

Raven thought back to Pruitt, whose Allenspark home had been destroyed. The guy was literally just asking for something to do. It wouldn’t be bad to have another Marine on their side. “I think I can round some people up.”

“I’ve got some Runners that would be interested too.”

“What about you? Are you going? I mean, I thought you were all about protecting Mouse’s family.”

“I made a vow to Mouse that I’d protect his family,” Calvin replied. “I thought I could do that best by staying close to them. But after what happened in Estes Park and Fort Golden, I realized that wasn’t enough. We need to go on the attack.”

Raven held out his hand and shook Calvin’s again. “Glad to be on the same page. Let’s do this.”

-8-

Eddy pushed up his ski goggles and got off his old snowmobile as another whined to a stop beside him.

“Smooth riding.” Naabaah swung his leg over his vehicle and his boots sank into the thick snow.

“I always prefer horseback,” Eddy said, “but this isn’t a bad alternative when we need to get places quickly. And now, I don’t want to waste more time here than I have to.”

“You got that right, Ahiga.”

Together they strode through a parking lot filled with huge white lumps of snow. Each mound represented a vehicle abandoned from before the Great Reversal.

There were also a few trucks and four-by-four vehicles that weren’t buried in white fluff and ice that belonged to the workers inside the Axcension manufacturing facility. The big blue windows covering its façade reflected nearby Squaw Mountain on the northeastern edge of Provo, Utah.

Four men with rifles guarded the front entrance.

“Ahiga, welcome,” one said.

He opened the door for Eddy and Naabaah, letting warm air rush over them. All the lights in here worked perfectly fine—no flickering, no intermittent power surges.

Striding down the hall, he knew exactly where to find the man he was looking for. Two guards stood in front of an office. They parted as soon as Eddy and Naabaah showed up.

Eddy pushed into the room to see an older gentleman bent over a desk. The man looked up, adjusting his reading glasses. Deep worry lines emanated from the corners of his eyes. His skin sagged as if melting off, and he seemed paler than when he had first arrived in Provo.

“Doctor Wheeler,” Eddy said, “you don’t look like you’ve been taking care of yourself.”

Wheeler shuffled the papers he had been reading and sat straighter. “What the hell do you want, Eddy?”

Naabaah clicked his tongue. “That’s no way to talk to Ahiga. You speak with such vitriol to a man who only wants to save lives, just like you.”

“If you wanted me to save lives, you wouldn’t have me imprisoned in this place!”

“You’re not imprisoned,” Eddy said. “You can walk right out the door and march to Colorado whenever you want. Of course, I couldn’t lend you any warm clothes or food, because I can’t take those away from my own people.”

“You and I might have different definitions of what it means to be a prisoner. But threats or not, I know what would happen if I walked out that door. You’d come after me. Just like the first three times I was supposedly free to go. Your men would beat me, then you would force me to come back here. Again.”

Eddy shrugged. “I said you were free to go, and you went. But my men were also free to bring you back.”

Wheeler’s bulbous nose wrinkled. “I asked you what you want, Eddy. You still haven’t answered me.”

Naabaah balled his fist and slammed it on the desk. “Quit talking like that. You don’t make demands.” Then Naabaah took a knife from the sheath at his hip. He traced the blade over the desk’s surface, carving into the wood.

Wheeler visibly shivered, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over a nasty burn scar on his left. The wound had been from another time Wheeler felt rebellious and threatened to sabotage the Axcension facilities. Naabaah had forcefully convinced him otherwise.

“How soon until you ramp up production of the Wild Fire cure?”

Wheeler sighed. “I’m doing everything I can. The bioreactors are fully functional, and we’re purifying as much bacteriocin as the reactors can pump out at efficiencies that would make any big pharma company jealous.”

Eddy wasn’t impressed. “You’re holding back on me. Tell me what you need to improve production, and I’ll get it.”

“More people who actually understand how science and biotech manufacturing works. The dunces you provided don’t know squat.”

“Then teach them better.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Eddy leaned across the table and jabbed a finger at Wheeler’s chest. “You didn’t slide out of your mother’s womb knowing how to manufacture life-saving medicine, did you?”

Wheeler said nothing.

“You learned, and you had excellent teachers who taught you. I know you’re a smart man, so take the time to properly teach them what we want them to do.”

“You’re expecting the stars from me, and we can’t even reach the moon.”

Eddy felt a flush of anger rise in his gut. He wanted to slap the pathetic, sniveling expression right off Wheeler’s wrinkled face. But he held himself back.

Unfortunately, he needed a wašíču like Wheeler, whether or not he liked it.

“You wanted a facility that was self-sustaining with backup power generators, isolated and purified water supplies, and reliable climate control,” Eddy said. “I got you that. You wanted media to feed the bacteria we took from Regeneraid. I got you that. You wanted people to run your equipment. I got you that.”

“I need access to larger pharmaceutical plants. Give me bigger laboratories to continue my research with experienced scientific teams to improve the Commander cure. And whether you think I’m an adequate teacher or not, better personnel is what I most desperately need. Otherwise, we’ve reached the ceiling of what we can do.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to reconsider,” Eddy said. “Just a few days ago, we brought down a whole busload of children from the Wind River Reservation. Children sick with Wild Fire. You don’t want their blood on your hands, do you, Doctor?”

Wheeler pressed his lips tightly together.

“Doctor?” Eddy tried again, this time with more venom. “Would you like to tell them we can’t produce enough medicine for them?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll improve production with the resources we gave you,” Eddy said. “You need to help me help you.”

“What’s the point?” Wheeler asked. “I started making these meds to save people. Now you’ve enslaved me to work for you.”

“Oh, Doctor Wheeler, you’re still saving people.” Eddy grinned as he caressed the blade of his sheathed tomahawk. “I distribute this medicine to the people that deserve our help, and they get to live. Voilà. We’re saving lives.”

Wheeler stared at Naabaah’s knife again as the man twirled it with one hand. “This is all bullshit. I’m doing everything I can, and you coming in here to bother me isn’t helping.”

“Look, I’ve seen the inventory lists for this month’s production of Commander. I saw ten percent less of the consumable materials we provided were used compared to last month. You didn’t report any issues with production, so what am I led to believe?”

Wheeler’s face paled.

“That’s right. You purposely used fewer supplies so you would produce less Commander. So, I’m here to ask you to improve production instead of deliberately making it inefficient. Because there are people dying of Wild Fire that need our help. If you stop working with me on producing the cure, then you’re choosing to kill them.”

“You told me the disease has spread beyond the New Frontier. That people as far away as the East Coast have gotten sick. What about them?”

“Trust me, I’ll handle that matter if you make more meds. Of course, sending these pills to those who need it won’t be free, but that’s the price of distributing medicine, isn’t it? Especially when there are going to be so many people who need them so very soon.”

“What are you planning?” Wheeler asked.

Eddy grinned again. “That’s not your concern. All you need to do is make me the pills I’m asking for. Then you’ll have the satisfaction of helping all those wašíču like you so desperately want. But that only happens if you continue working for me. So make sure to consider that. Bye for now, Doctor. Don’t make me come back.”

When they left the building, Eddy turned to Naabaah. “If everything works in our favor, maybe we retake this entire country. But that’s a dream for another day. For now, we focus on the New Frontier.”

“Then should we talk about Lincoln?”

“What’s there to discuss?” Eddy asked. “He hasn’t confirmed the deaths of Lindsey, Calvin, or Raven. The Liberty Militia’s attempts to get things done haven’t worked.”

“I always say if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. Let me take care of it.”

“I’m not ready to send you, but I want you to monitor Lindsey, Calvin, and Raven’s whereabouts. The last I heard from our networks was that Lindsey is no longer the sheriff of the Rangers. So at least we have one minor victory. But I’m also afraid of what that means now.”

“Ahiga? I don’t follow.”

“Lindsey is a madwoman. She won’t be tethered by laws or the rules of her post. With people like Raven close to her, who knows what they’ll try.”

“Do you think they’ll come all the way to Salt Lake City after you?”

“Of course they will. But we’ll be ready.”

* * *

Lindsey looked around the Grub and Pub Saloon in Estes Park. Or at least what was left of it.

Most of the rafters were nothing but charred wood. Gaping cracks in the ceiling let in drifting piles of snow. The windows had shattered and lay in crystalline shards on the rotting wood floor. Bullet holes peppered the walls, letting in small shafts of sunlight. Many of the tables and chairs had been chipped by stray rounds.

“What a mess,” Nuke said.

He stood beside her in the entryway.

“Would you believe that this was my favorite spot to grab a burger on shift?” She shook her head slowly. Her head felt naked without the sheriff’s hat. “I used to sit right over there, usually with Marcus Colton.”

She pointed to a corner booth with torn fabric, moldy stuffing hanging out like the entrails of a dead animal.

“I believe it,” Nuke said. “Honestly, it looks like exactly the place I’d picture you eating a burger.”

He pushed one of the nearby chairs upright.

“Only two beer taps,” he said, pointing at the bar. “I bet steak fries came with the burgers instead of that skinny droopy fast-food stuff. And that the burger had slabs of crispy bacon on it?”

Lindsey couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, I’m not as mysterious as I thought.”

“No, ma’am. I’m just a recon Ranger. Details and observing are what I do. Er, I guess, what I did.”

“Nuke, if you still want to serve in the Rangers, you go ahead and do that. I’m not forcing anyone on this journey.”

“What I want is to make Colorado livable again. It doesn’t matter if I’m doing that with the Rangers or AWOL with you. What matters is that we get it done.”

“In that case, you joined the right side.”

“You don’t need to tell me.”

Together they righted a few of the old chairs and set them around some tables in the middle of the room. Lindsey had decided this meeting needed to be kept out of the prying eyes of her former government superiors and there was no better place than a location the Rattlesnakes had gutted months ago.

There was something poetic about meeting here too. Estes Park was where she had been when the Collapse started. Now it might be where she was when she turned this disaster around.

Only a few minutes passed before people started arriving. First came Raven with Creek. She embraced him, happy to see that he had answered her invitation. Of course, she had expected nothing less, but it was still good to see his face. With him was another Ranger, one she vaguely recognized.

“James Pruitt,” the Ranger said, shaking her hand.

“Thanks for answering the call. I assume since you came with Raven, he invited you.”

Pruitt nodded. “He did.”

“You realize you are turning your back on the Rangers, right? Doing this is career suicide.”

“Ma’am, I might turn my back on the Rangers, but I’m not turning my back on my country. I’m a Marine. Like I told Raven, once a Marine, always a Marine. Last thing I’d do is let a terrorist like Eddy run around killing the people I vowed to defend.”

“Thanks, Pruitt. Glad to have you on board.”

As Nuke chatted with Raven and Pruitt, Calvin entered the burned-out building. He brought two of his remaining twenty-odd Steel Runners with him.

“Lindsey, you already know Boston,” he said. “You might remember Rebecca White too. They’ve graciously volunteered to join us.”

“No one else?” Lindsey asked.

“They’re all satisfied serving this side of the border, and frankly, I can’t blame them. Most have family and friends. After all we’ve been through, just volunteering around the shelters or as Rangers is dangerous enough.”

Lindsey sighed. “I’d hoped more would enlist, but you’re right. It’s a hard ask.”

“You only want people who are one hundred percent in to answer the call,” Calvin agreed.

“We waiting on anyone else?” Raven asked as he stood by the table she and Nuke had cleared.

Lindsey nodded. “A few more.”

More footsteps sounded from outside.

The tap of a cane preceded the entrance of the newest arrival.

“It’s good to see you all, though I wish it was in better circumstances.” Former Secretary of Defense Charlize Montgomery hobbled in.

Her hair was gray and her skin pale. She moved at a lethargic gait and wore a leather jacket and jeans that belied her frail condition. The long-term effects of radiation poisoning had weakened her substantially, making her look as if she had one foot already past St. Peter’s pearly gates.

Lindsey gave Charlize a hug. The older woman embraced her tightly, stronger than Lindsey had expected. She greeted Raven and Calvin in kind before introducing herself to the others. She hadn’t come alone either.

Two men in jackets and jeans had entered behind her. They appeared to Lindsey like two off-duty, big-city cops. Sure, they might dress like civilians, but their eagle eyes gazed everywhere, watching for trouble.

“This is Hank and Gerald,” Charlize said. “They’re former Secret Service and promised to keep me safe for as long as I’m helping you out.”

Charlize slumped in a seat with Hank’s help.

“Which to me means however long it takes to defeat Eddy Nez and get the New Frontier on track toward recovery.”

“Pardon me, ma’am, but you’re not going into the field with us, are ya?” Boston asked, putting on the best air of politeness he could.

Charlize laughed and gave him a dismissive wave. “As much as I want to be there to smack the pants off Eddy, no, I won’t be. What I will do is provide support however I can.”

“How’s that?” Raven asked, hands folded. “Since Shelby replaced you, I thought your connections with the military might’ve dried up.”

“Official connections and government office, yes. But a solid network with good roots never dies if you water it. I’ve got people throughout the country that believe in what former President Diego was fighting for and, most importantly, want to see the United States whole again. Now, I can’t get the military to sanction us or send people because we’re not starting a coup here. But I’ve got civilian friends in the defense industry and military contractors that might lend a hand should we need it.”

“Oh, we’ll need it,” Calvin said.

Voices and footsteps filtered in from outside. Raven stood, reaching for a pistol holstered at his side.

Lindsey held up a hand. “It’s all right. We are expecting someone else.”

In came Jay Wauneka with a sheepish expression on his lean face. It was a far cry from the man Lindsey met six months ago, when he was brazen and possessed a self-assured cockiness.

He looked humbler now.

She supposed that would happen after his near run-ins with death. Eddy capturing him, his battle with Raven, and then saving his family from Window Rock by the skin of his teeth. Yeah, that would put a guy’s ego in check.

“Howdy.” Jay raised a hand in greeting before taking a seat next to Nuke.

“You’re joining the team too?” Raven asked. Lindsey could see a hint of skepticism in his features.

“I want Eddy gone. He has taken nearly the whole Navajo Nation with him. Took my ex and my kid hostage, plus, for all I know, he killed my brother too. Yeah, I’m coming.”

“Jay’s got the most in-depth knowledge of the Navajo Nation,” Lindsey began, “and to be fair, he has also spent more time recently in the New Frontier than any of us. Maybe more than everyone combined.” She looked around the table at the newcomers. “Jay used to be a detective for the Navajo Nation Police Department. He worked closely with former President Tso. He might be one of the most important people we bring on this mission.”

Raven didn’t look convinced, but Lindsey knew he respected her enough to at least accept her judgment.

“What exactly is our mission?” Raven asked. “I mean, everyone here wants to take down Eddy and get Doctor Wheeler back so we can stop Wild Fire. But how are we going to do it?”

Lindsey nodded toward Jay. “Why don’t you start? My plan started with some of the intel you provided this past week.”

“Off and on, I’ve been able to contact a few people in Window Rock and the New Frontier,” Jay said for the others’ benefit. “Mainly, it’s through some of the HAM radio operators that work with the Rangers. I’ve also ventured out beyond the borders on my own. It’s taken a lot of trust-building, but we have some vital information. We know various communities within the New Frontier that are unhappy with the way Eddy has been doing things.”

“More than unhappy,” Lindsey said. “Downright pissed off. We verified this intelligence with the refugees we’ve been taking in.”

“Before Governor Anders shut down the borders?” Raven asked.

Lindsey nodded. “Our goal isn’t just to take out Eddy or find Doctor Wheeler. It’s to foment a rebellion. Think of this as 1773. People were tired of a tyrant ruling their country. And they wanted to do something about it.”

“We’re going to throw our own Boston Tea Party?” Raven asked.

Lindsey clenched a fist, chest swelling. “This will be the start of a revolution. We will get America back by taking the New Frontier right out from under Eddy. Our country’s resources may be stretched thin dealing with recovery problems around the States, but if our small group succeeds, it will be a tremendous step forward.”

She looked hard at Raven and all the others.

“With that in mind, the road ahead is dangerous. And mostly, we’ll be alone. If anyone wants to back out now, I’ll understand. Otherwise, I want to know: who’s with me?”

-9-

Raven sat in the driver’s seat of the 1970s Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Calvin had managed to creatively requisition the vehicle from the Rangers. Briefly, they had considered taking the MTV truck Calvin’s team regularly used for supply runs. But since his and Raven’s mission was to take the Steel Runners far north to visit potentially friendly communities, they figured a big military truck would attract too much attention.

They needed a civilian model vehicle that would blend in. Fortunately, with the number of refurbished vehicles around Estes Park, that had not been a problem. They requested the Grand Wagoneer for a purported delivery mission to Boulder and had received it from the local Ranger in charge of the motor pool.

“We’re approaching the Gould checkpoint,” Calvin said from the front passenger seat. “Everybody be cool.”

“God, I hope this works.” Rebecca sat in the back beside Boston.

Creek whined from the trunk. Backpacks full of camping supplies, food, medicine, and ammunition surrounded the dog, and beneath the bags were more concealed weapons.

While Raven and the Steel Runners approached the checkpoint up north, Lindsey, Jay, Nuke, and Pruitt would be headed south toward Navajo Nation. The team had separated to see what kind of support they could drum up in the New Frontier to take down the Rattlesnakes.

That meant heading into a virtually unknown world full of disease and criminals. And, hopefully, a few people who would listen to their message.

Raven grinned as he glanced back at the Steel Runners. “I’ve had plenty of experience sweet-talking my way out of some crappy situations with law enforcement back in the day. This will be a piece of cake.”

“Guess you and I are more alike than I realized,” Boston joked.

“Eh, Raven was a Marine,” Rebecca said. “I don’t think a reformed crook and a Marine have that much in common.”

“We both know how to bash the brains out of someone who’s done us wrong,” Boston said.

“That’s kind of a start.” Calvin tapped the side of his head. “But you aren’t the only ones in this vehicle used to cracking skulls. You better cool it when we get to the checkpoint, or I’ll teach you how we did it in the SEALs.”

Trying to lug this old SUV past the border would not be easy. With every road into the New Frontier clamped down by the newly promoted Sheriff Whitlock, there was no convenient way past, and even a rugged Jeep like this couldn’t easily navigate the snow-packed mountainside outside the highways. Most of the mountains simply weren’t passable, and the snow and ice concealed too many obstacles that could get them stuck.

Which meant they had to convince the Rangers at the Gould checkpoint to let them pass.

Raven slowed as he drove up to the rolling chain-link gates. A wooden boom barrier had been placed across the gate, and two ten-foot-high watch platforms stood on either end, each housing a pair of Rangers. Another couple Rangers watched from the side of the road.

Nearby was a quarantine station complete with medical tents. But no vehicles were parked by it. Now that Colorado was no longer accepting refugees from the New Frontier, there was no need for active medical staff.

A Ranger walked toward Raven with a flashlight in hand. He shone it through the windshield, right over Raven's and Calvin’s faces.

Raven rolled the window down, and a blustering wind sliced around him.

“Who are you guys?” the Ranger asked, blinding Raven with the flashlight. “Shift change isn’t for another four hours.”

“Not a shift change,” Raven said. “We’re on an aid mission.”

“Aid mission? I don’t understand.”

Raven nudged the flashlight down. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that the man before him was no more than twenty-five. His cheeks had a boyish youthfulness to them, but had turned red from the cold.

“You’re a new Ranger?” Raven read his nametape. “Hopper?”

Hopper looked uncertain if he should answer the question. That told Raven everything he needed to know.

He pressed ahead, hoping his gambit paid off.

“Look, Hopper, maybe you don’t know how this works yet, but we’ve got an ongoing intelligence operation running in some nearby communities,” Raven started. “We got word from an informant that they’re in danger, and my unit was assigned to respond.”

“No one from Golden told us to expect you guys.”

“That’s the way these things go, son.” Calvin leaned over. “No one in Golden should tell you, which is why you’re going to need to let us through quickly and quietly.”

Hopper shuffled, his breath coming out in a mist. “My orders are that no one goes in or out of these gates.”

Raven noticed the second guard giving them a suspicious look. Under the glare of the Jeep’s headlights, the man’s wrinkles and grizzled gray beard were clearly visible. He wasn’t new like the boy before him. There was a good chance he had been in the Rangers for a while and wouldn’t be so easily convinced by a vehicle full of people out of uniform.

“This is urgent, Hopper.” Raven tapped on the wheel impatiently. “Sheriff Whitlock told me personally this would not be an issue.”

Hopper’s brow furrowed. “Maybe I should send a message to confirm.”

“And then we sit around waiting for a response?” Raven asked. “We can’t just twiddle our thumbs. Worse, you call, we break radio dark. Last thing we want is the enemy listening to the Rangers’ open comms and knowing we’re on our way.”

“We’ll be screwed faster than a ten-dollar whore at the Golden Nugget,” Calvin said. “And I didn’t come out to get laid tonight.”

Raven made a show of looking at his watch. “Hopper, we need to move. Please.”

Hopper waved over the older Ranger. As he got closer, Raven read his nametape: Velasquez.

“What’s the problem, boys?” Velasquez leaned into the open window.

Raven quickly explained the made-up situation and pointed past the gate. “We’re supposed to be out there right now. Lives are literally on the line.”

“You with the Rangers or military?”

“A little of this, and a little of that,” Raven said. “Recon Marines, working with the Rangers. Really, this isn’t supposed to be such a hassle.”

Despite the cold, he felt beads of sweat rolling down his neck. Velazquez’s expression told Raven he believed him about as much as he would believe a picture of a pig with wings soaring over the Rockies.

Raven sighed and dug into his pocket. He pulled out his old military ID. Calvin handed his over from his time in the SEALs.

Velasquez perused them before handing them both to Raven. “Marines, like you said, and Navy.”

Calvin took back his ID from Raven. “Not just the Navy. The SEALs.”

Velasquez huffed. “Oh, son, don’t for a second think I didn’t already know you were a SEAL. I can tell by the way you sit there, all cocky, chest puffed up.”

Calvin raised a brow but said nothing.

“Former midshipman on the USS Boxer,” Velasquez said. “Boy, when we ran drills with the Teams, the SEALs always had an attitude. Like their job was more important. They were the prima donnas on the stage, and the rest of us were just the stagehands.”

“Nah, that don’t sound—” Calvin began.

Velasquez cut him off. “But you guys were trained to be mission-focused and get the job done. Ain’t your fault. Truth is, whenever I sat down for a beer with a SEAL, I never met one I didn’t like.”

“So we good?” Calvin asked.

“The issue I see is that your ID cards both say you’re veterans. Neither are active duty.”

“We re-enlisted after the Collapse,” Raven explained. “The military’s priority hasn’t been printing new plastic when they can barely keep people fed. Now can we get moving?”

Velasquez shook his head. “That’s going to be a hard negative.”

“I’m sure you met enough Marines on the Boxer too. You probably don’t need me to tell you how Marines feel about something impeding their mission.”

Calvin massaged the bridge of his nose. “We’re running out of time.” He passed over his Ranger badge. Raven followed suit. Boston and Rebecca showed theirs too. “Look, these are up to date. Rangers. We’ve been attached to the Colorado Rangers for temporary service like my buddy said. We’re already giving up way too many details that you aren’t supposed to know, so please tell me this is good enough?”

“I’m going to have to call this in,” Velasquez said.

Raven rolled his eyes. “You’re busting my balls. Like we said, you broadcast our arrival to Golden, we’ll be dead half-a-mile after we leave.”

The longer it took for Velazquez to let them through, the closer Raven feared they were to being arrested. If Sheriff Whitlock found out what they were up to, then Raven had no illusions of where he would end up next.

Back at Fort Golden. Not as a Ranger, but as a prisoner.

“Please, Velasquez,” Raven said. “I’m not sure what else we can do here. These new lockdown rules have really screwed up our mission. It wasn’t a problem until a few days ago, and I don’t think Whitlock has responded to our requests to clarify the border situation for special tactics units like ours.”

“No, he hasn’t,” Velasquez said. “Which makes me suspicious, as you can imagine.”

Raven was losing his patience. But he also knew how precarious this situation was. If it were summer, he would have cut the fence apart in some distant place to navigate over the treacherous terrain.

“You got a couple choices.” Velasquez held up two fingers. “One. You turn around and get permission from whoever you work for. Or two, you wait here while we call HQ, then risk it in the field if you’re right about some bozo in the New Frontier listening in.”

Raven looked at Calvin. They had flashbangs. They sure as hell wouldn’t kill innocent people, but they could scare them. Then, if they picked up enough speed, they could ram through the boom barrier and hopefully break down the gate.

But that chain of events still meant a lot had to go right when there was a better chance a lot would go wrong.

“Look, I didn’t want to have to do this, but OPSEC is more important at this point. You want official permission, here it is.” Raven pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Velasquez. But right as the Ranger took the document, Raven drew it back. “You’re former military, so you know how this shit works. Don’t say a word about this to anyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Velasquez took the sheet and held up his flashlight to scan it. “This is from the Secretary of Defense.”

“Like I said, this mission is important to National Security. We’re all about plausible deniability here, and I’m compromising that by showing you this. You understand what I’m getting at?”

“Secret squirrels,” Velasquez said. “I get it. Fed-types. JSOC. All the acronyms. Whoever you’re really working for, it’s not my business.”

Raven nodded and snatched the paper back. It was an official stamped letterhead from the Secretary of Defense. That much wasn’t a lie, and it looked authentic enough to anyone who didn’t study it too closely. But it wasn’t authorized by the current Secretary of Defense, nor did it have his information posted across the top. Rather, it was signed by Charlize.

This was their last Hail Mary.

And Velasquez actually seemed convinced. “Shoot, you all go ahead then. Godspeed and good luck.”

“Next time, don’t give us so much shit. Got it, Velasquez?” Raven started rolling up the window as Velasquez signaled Hopper to open the gate.

The chain-link gate was almost completely pulled back now, and he put the vehicle into drive.

Then, right as Hopper was lugging the boom barrier out of their way, it looked like a lightbulb went off in Velasquez’s head. He walked back over to the side of the Jeep, motioned for Hopper to stop, then rapped his knuckles on Raven’s window.

As he did, Raven noticed the man’s hand was right on the handle of his service pistol.

Raven cracked the window slightly. “Need something else?”

“Maybe I’m crazy,” Velasquez said, “and maybe I don’t follow who’s who in the federal government anymore. And you know what, I haven’t gotten much sleep.”

“Yeah?” Raven’s boot was ready to move from the brake to the gas pedal.

“But wasn’t Charlize Montgomery replaced as Secretary of Defense just a few weeks ago? Shelby’s got his own man in the cabinet now. Or am I wrong about that?”

Raven said nothing for a second. “I think—”

“See? I guess I’m not really asking,” Velasquez said, “because you and I both know the answer. Why don’t you all step out and—”

Raven pushed the pedal to the floor. The big rubber tires dug into the mud and snow, kicking up a spray. With a throaty growl, the Jeep sped off, ramming the boom barrier and splintering it in half as they charged ahead.

“Get down!” Calvin said.

They barreled out onto the dark road beyond the gate as sporadic shots flashed behind them until they took a curve between the trees. It took only seconds to outrun the gunfire. The same orders that made Velasquez and Hopper suspicious were the ones that would keep them behind those gates. No one would be pursuing them tonight because it was dangerous as hell to go alone and directly against the ceasefire agreement with the New Frontier.

Just like Lindsey had said, they were now on their own, venturing into the wild untamed lands beyond the Front Range.

“Shoot,” Boston said, “if this is how our mission starts, it’s going to be a wicked crazy ride to the finish.”

* * *

Calvin was in the driver seat. The afternoon sun beat down on the vehicle as the others slept. Sunlight reflected off the sheer white of their surroundings, nearly blinding if he took off his sunglasses. He would be thankful when the gray clouds rolled in again to cast shadows over the sloping plains of Wyoming. Trees sporadically poked up through the icy landscape, and in the distance, the mountains of the Wyoming Range stabbed up into the blue sky.

The drive had been long and arduous. Snow covered much of the New Frontier, including the neglected roads. They had to use old signs, road markers, and their battery-operated GPS systems to stay on track. They could barely cruise above thirty miles per hour without risking losing the roadway. Thankfully, the abandoned vehicles strewn along most of the highways helped them navigate.

And finally, they approached their first stop. Calvin just hoped the people here greeted them kinder than the Rangers back at Gould.

“All right, almost there!” he said, rousing the others.

Raven was immediately awake beside him. Boston grumbled from the back seat, and Rebecca yawned, stretching her arms. Creek poked his head up from behind her.

“Damn, I think my leg’s cramped,” she said.

“You’ll get to stretch ‘em,” Calvin replied. “We’re just a couple miles out from Fort Bonneville.”

Raven took out a report Lindsey had compiled on the region. From her time as sheriff, she had kept meticulous notes on all the communities they had contacted along with interviews from refugees that had come from the New Frontier, along with Jay’s personally gathered intel.

All things considered, they had extensive writeups on their potential allies.

But notes were one thing. Coming face-to-face with people who still lived in the New Frontier, despite the harsh realities of the region, was another.

Calvin tensed as he caught his first view of Fort Bonneville.

“Back in the early 1800s, this place was a fortified winter camp used for fur trading,” Calvin said. “Not much of it remained, but Lindsey says a community out here rebuilt it. Fur trade is just as useful now as it was then.”

“And fortified camps maybe even more so,” Raven added, shuffling through the papers. “Says there might be a hundred people living here. They’re not armed as well as a militia, but they are hunters, so they’ll have plenty of guns.”

“We’re sure these guys are friendly?” Rebecca asked.

Calvin let out a low laugh. “Not at all. But they’re the best we got.”

“Here’s how this thing’s going to go,” Raven said. “Boston, Rebecca, you two will wait in a thicket outside the fort with the Jeep. You’ll be our backup. Calvin and I will go in on foot. We’ll keep our radios on, so you’ll know the second things go south.”

“If things go south,” Calvin said hopefully.

But he knew what to expect. Anytime they thought they caught a break, destiny came in to shit all over their parade.

When they were about a quarter mile from the Fort, Calvin pulled off the road. They found a fence of trees that would work for their purposes. He parked the Jeep, then took his M4 from where it rested by his seat.

Calvin turned back to Boston and Rebecca. “Take care of everything in the Jeep. If we lose these supplies, we may as well lose our lives.”

“You can count on us,” Boston said.

Calvin gave them a nod as he slipped out. Raven retrieved his crossbow and M4, then went to the trunk to let out Creek.

As Boston and Rebecca posted up in their guard positions near the Jeep, Calvin and Raven trudged through the shin-deep snow. Creek bounded through the white fluff like a puppy, apparently thrilled to be out of the vehicle.

Ahead, the fort rose before them with thick wooden walls. The fort had only a single squat corner tower, but it afforded the guard a perfect sight down the road and to the mountains on the west. Running parallel to the road was the frozen Green River, serving as a natural barrier to the north.

Black fingers of smoke clawed into the air from chimneys and fires behind the timber walls. At least Calvin knew someone was alive in there.

As they approached, he noticed something else. Sunlight reflecting off something from the guard tower. And the tower didn’t have any windows.

He nudged Raven and jerked his chin toward the tower.

“Sniper’s got his scope on us,” Raven said.

“Yup,” Calvin replied. “Let’s keep our weapons on our back. Any sudden move, and he’s going to fire. Also, how much do you trust Lindsey and what she had to say about these people?”

“Does it matter now?” Raven asked with a slight chuckle. “We’re out here because we believed her up to this point.”

“I just like to get a temperature check. Worst-case scenario, I shove you into the middle of the road and then dive for the ditch.”

“You’d use me as bait?”

“What else are crayon-eaters good for?” Calvin asked, using the good-natured insult some service guys used for Marines.

“Did I mention it was nice to be working with you again? Because I’m beginning to regret it.”

The closer they got, the more faces Calvin spotted looking out over the walls. Guns poked out from shooting holes. The good news was that if these people wanted to kill them, Raven and Calvin would probably already be dead.

Calvin raised his hands high in the air as they approached. “We’re here on behalf of the Colorado Rangers!”

His voice boomed against the walls. None of the guns shifted, but another eight or nine faces peeked over. Most wore ski masks and parkas to protect themselves from the cold.

“We’re here in peace,” Raven said. “We don’t mean any harm. Just want to talk!”

“Oh yeah?” a man’s voice called back, husky and baritone. “The last assholes who visited here said the same thing!”

Calvin didn’t have to ask what had happened. Jutting out of a snowbank at the western corner of the base, two frozen bodies were propped up against a dead tree, their faces blue and mouths agape.

“I don’t know what those two tried to do, but we’re here to make a good conscious effort to reach out,” Calvin said.

“What about that Jeep you left east of here? Are they camping out there to provide reinforcements when you come in here, guns blazing?”

Calvin laughed. Raven shot him a side-eye, but the SEAL continued.

“Friend, I’m a Navy SEAL. My buddy here is a Marine. If we wanted the drop on your snipers, we would have shot their optics out a mile away. They’re as obvious as an inch-wide zit on a prom queen’s forehead. Our buddies in the Jeep are in case you guys decide to greet us guns blazing. Those two are our ride out, not some invading army.”

Calvin paused and took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth.

“We’re here because we want to build an army. And I know you heard the same line from Eddy Nez and his Rattlesnake assholes. Thing is, this time, you’re hearing it from the good guys.”

There was no response from above. That was either a good thing and the people behind the fort’s walls were receptive. Or a bad thing, and they were figuring out how best to take Calvin and Raven down.

Calvin was already eyeing the nearest ditch to dive into should the bullets start flying.

Still, he pressed his luck. “I met Eddy Nez twice with my friend here. We nearly killed him, but unfortunately, he escaped.”

“We’re not looking to repeat that mistake,” Raven said. “He’s a tyrant, demanding supplies and conscripts that you can’t afford to spare.”

“Give me a break,” the man bellowed. “You guys might not be here to kill us, but you don’t actually care about the New Frontier or people like us.”

“You know what?” Calvin tried. “You’re right. What happens to you and your families and friends doesn’t affect us, but what does is Wild Fire. Eddy’s preventing us from fighting the disease, which I’m assuming is something you and your people are worried about too. He stole our top doctor working on the cure. We want him back so we can make more medicine that we all desperately need.”

“You guys sound a lot like the Rattlesnakes. So what’s the rub? Why are you any better?”

“Because we’re not here to rule you,” Calvin said. “We are not trying to turn this land into our kingdom or starve your people. And while we hope you fight beside us to take down Eddy, we will not force you to. So, if you don’t like what we have to say after we talk, then me and my friends will leave. That’ll be the last you ever hear from us. Deal?”

For a moment, nothing happened. Calvin feared their first potential allies would be a bust. Maybe Lindsey’s intel was wrong after all.

But then came the gratifying sound of metal locks clinking and gears grinding together. The gate to the fort slowly rolled back behind the wall. Six men in furs came out, aiming rifles at Calvin and Raven.

One man stood in the middle of them. He carried no weapons, and large brown furs covered his shoulders. A beaver-skin cap sat on his head, and a dense, wiry red beard graced his chin.

“Come on in,” he said with a wave. “I want to hear how we’re stopping the Rattlesnakes.”

Raven and Calvin cautiously walked in through the open gate. And the guards next to the manual locking mechanism began closing it almost immediately.

It looked to Calvin like they had stepped through a time portal into a pioneer settlement. Log cabins lined the walls, and hides were strung up over fires by stacks of large barrels outside a warehouse.

A stable door stood open, as people carted in hay for the animals inside. Beside them near the gate sat a pair of old, rusted trucks as well.

“Welcome to Fort Bonneville,” the red-bearded man said. “I’m Phillip Foster, de facto leader of this place. Though we rotate leadership duties. Everyone has to step up at some point. I happen to be in charge now.”

“Good to meet you, Phillip. I’m Calvin.” He reached a gloved hand out.

Phillip backed away, both hands held up. “Ah, no, no, no. We haven’t got the Wild Fire plague in here yet, and I’d like to keep it that way. So if you fellows maintain your distance, we’ll do just fine.”

“I can handle that,” Calvin said. “But are the guns necessary?”

Phillip motioned to the others to lower their weapons. “We’ll take ‘em off your chest, but we’re not putting them down. Now let’s hear what you have to say.”

Calvin explained as much as he could about their war with Eddy and how the ceasefire agreement had put them in a predicament. Phillip nodded along.

“Sounds about like our experience with Eddy. Only we’ve been able to pay him off, for a while at least.” Then Phillip lowered his head. “About a month ago, his people returned for the fourth time requesting food and furs, just like you all said. We couldn’t afford the tribute he wanted. Not without having enough to tide us over for winter. When we told him, the Rattlesnakes barged in here, put us all up at gunpoint, stole ten of our children, then made off, saying he wouldn’t send them back until we paid up. From what I gathered, we aren’t the only community he’s done this to.”

Phillip shook his head, snow falling gently off his hat.

“We’re just lucky he didn’t slaughter us like some of the nearby camps we heard about,” he continued. “But I know if we refuse again, that’s what he’ll do.”

“I have no doubt,” Calvin said. “Look, we’re trying to band together as many people as we can to stop this. Do you think you might be able to help?”

“Depends on what you’re asking for, but if we can get our kids back, you’re damn right we will.”

“Then my next question is: how many other groups and communities out here feel the same way you do?”

Phillip looked between the men and women around him. They shared knowing looks as if they had some great inside joke.

“Out here in Wyoming?” Phillip asked. “I reckon nearly all of them.”

-10-

Lindsey adjusted the strap on her backpack as she climbed the slope of Pastora Peak following Jay, Pruitt, and Nuke. Not more than an hour ago, they had passed by Four Corners monument, where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah met.

The sand and rocks glowed orange in the setting sun as the group ascended past the desert holly and junipers, gravel giving way under each step. They were nearly twenty yards from the peak as the sun began its final descent. The crimson half-disk provided just enough light to see their surroundings.

Through Jay’s connections to Navajo Nation, they had reached a HAM radio operator who Jay believed was still loyal to the old administration—not the cronies that Eddy had put into leadership positions. He had set up a meeting with a contact who would help Lindsey take down the Rattlesnake sycophants in control of the Nation. From what they knew, they would meet a Navajo Police Officer. But over the radio, their contact refused to give his name for security reasons.

“I don’t see any signs of hostiles or friendlies.” Nuke roved his binoculars over the terrain.

“Pruitt, Nuke, I want you to swing across the eastern face, then approach the summit from there,” Lindsey said. “Cover Jay and me while we go toward the meeting point.”

“You got it,” Pruitt said.

He and Nuke split off through the trees and dense shrubs.

Jay snuck forward between pitted boulders and junipers clinging to the rocky dirt. Lindsey had her rifle shouldered, though she kept the barrel pointed low.

They weren’t taking any chances—which was why they did the last couple miles on foot and hid the Bronco among some trees north of the trail through Carrizo Mountains.

So far, they hadn’t seen a soul.

“Almost there,” Jay whispered.

Lindsey looked up at the rocky precipice. It jutted into the sky like a dagger trying to stab the sun. It was impossible to see who or what awaited them on the plateau.

As they neared the top, Jay signaled for them to hide behind the desiccated remains of a dead pine tree. Lindsey crouched beside him. He put a finger over his lips, then pointed at the dirt trail toward the peak.

Lindsey saw half a shoe print, the only evidence any other human had been here.

She guessed someone had trekked up the mountain earlier that day. It looked like they had been concealing their tracks but missed this one tiny piece. If it hadn’t been for Jay, she probably wouldn’t have seen it. Maybe their contact was covering his trail—or perhaps this was the enemy laying an ambush.

With Jay taking the lead, they circumvented the path and started along the north side of the mountain.

He paused next to a rocky outcropping and gestured for her to come close.

Then he whispered, “That takes us to the top. If this is a trap, they’ll be waiting. Do we keep going?”

Lindsey considered it. She needed to make inroads with the Navajo Nation, which represented a powerful number of men and women who could help them defeat the Rattlesnakes, plus untold intel. The risk was worth it.

“We have to continue,” she said. “They’ll likely have their attention on the trail if they’re trying to ambush us. And if it’s just our contact being careful, then we have nothing to worry about.”

Jay nodded.

They moved up through the brush, staying clear of the trail, until they reached the edge of the plateau, which was the last stop to the crooked, hook-shaped peak, a jagged cone on the opposite side from Jay and Lindsey. With all the smoothness of a shadow and the quietness of a mountain lion, Jay raised his rifle to his shoulder and scoped the area.

Lindsey followed suit, staying as low as she could.

The sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the mountain in a purple hue.

Sure enough, they spotted six men hiding under the cover of shrubs and low-lying trees at the foot of the highest peak. Four had their weapons pointed toward the trail Lindsey and Jay had initially been following. The other two watched a second path that led from the peak’s western face.

With Nuke and Pruitt’s help, they could probably take out all six ambushers, but the problem was these men could very well be someone they were supposed to meet. They might be on guard and defending themselves in case they had been compromised—or simply because they didn’t completely trust Lindsey.

Fortunately, they had agreed on a signal to let their contact know they’d arrived.

Once again, Lindsey was thankful for an ally like Charlize. She had scrounged up encrypted comms for them, which beat using their old open-channel police radios.

Lindsey whispered into her radio. “Nuke, Pruitt, in position?”

“Affirmative,” Nuke whispered back.

“Potential hostiles spotted. Wait for my clear.”

She sighted up the first enemy, then signaled for Jay. He let out the signal, a trilling whistle of a warbler native to this area of Arizona. Their contact had promised he would hear the cry and respond in kind, but none of these men whistled back.

Jay tried the call again and was met with the same response. Then he looked to Lindsey.

Guess we have our answer, she thought.

Still, they didn’t know who these guys were. On the off-chance they were true-hearted Navajo men who might fight on their side, massacring them would obviously be a problem.

She steeled herself, sucked in a breath, and signaled to Jay to prepare. “This is the Colorado Rangers! We have you surrounded!”

Immediately, the men began looking around.

“Put down your weapons if you want to talk in peace!” she shouted again.

Instead, they opened fire. Lindsey ducked back down beyond the plateau, pressing herself flat against the gravel. Bullets seared overhead and boomed against the rock face of the peak. Jay’s rifle bucked as he fired into the enemy forces. From the opposite side came the suppressed whoomph of Pruitt and Nuke’s weapons.

Lindsey crawled to a new spot, then cautiously peered over the edge. Three hostiles lay dead, their guns scattered nearby. Two more tried to shelter behind a boulder. Chips of gravel sprayed over them as rounds blasted against it.

But where did the sixth go?

Lindsey turned and found him charging around her position. It looked like he had been running to flank Jay and was caught off guard when he saw her. She tried to readjust her aim, but the attacker dove at her.

Lindsey squeezed the trigger, but it was too late. Her bullets ripped past the man. He slammed into her, and they crashed into the dirt in a tangle of limbs. Somewhere along the way, Lindsey lost her rifle. And this man had to be a good two hundred pounds or more, with at least seventy pounds more muscle and bulk than her.

He pinned her to the ground and whipped a knife from a sheath. As he brought it down on her, she swung her knee up hard into his groin. It wasn’t enough for him to drop the blade, but he let out a panicked exhale, eyes bulging. With a second kick, he released the weapon, giving Lindsey enough time to twist her leg around his. She grabbed one of his wrists with both hands and rolled hard to her left, twisting his arm.

A sickening snap sounded as she wrenched his upper arm free from its shoulder socket, dislocating his arm. The man howled but grabbed her neck with his other hand and shoved her to the ground. This time, he put a knee down to hold her legs in place.

She heard the patter of gravel falling away behind her. As the man pushed her a few more inches through the dirt, she felt the ground disappear from under her head.

She was at the edge of a cliff.

Gunfire boomed elsewhere around the mountain. Jay, Nuke, and Pruitt were still mired down in a relentless battle. In the darkness, they might not have seen where she had gone. She was on her own. Her attacker grasped at her throat, cutting off her breath. She couldn’t even scream for help.

Her suffocating brain begged her to try anything. And that was when she saw it. The glint of steel to her right. The knife the man dropped had tumbled down the slope beside them, resting only a few inches away.

She reached toward it, but her fingers only grasped dirt.

Her attacker realized what she was doing. He pressed his arm down harder, twisting her away from the knife.

But his shift in weight was just the opening she needed. She pulled a leg out from under him, jammed her boot into his stomach, then pushed hard as she rolled, flipping him on his side.

Using the last bits of strength she had, she kicked at him again until his body slipped over the precipice. With his one working arm holding on to her neck, he didn’t stand a chance. He fell into the nothingness.

Of course, since he was still gripping her, she came with him. As quickly as she could, Lindsey snagged the gravel and rocks, scrambling for a boulder, roots, anything for purchase. The man’s grip whipped away as his body disappeared into the darkness, smacking against the steep slope with bone-crunching thuds and cracks.

Momentum carried her over as she scrabbled for a handhold. Her legs flailed. She tried to jam her boots into the side of the cliff, but it was nothing but loose gravel. She slowly slipped backward, pawing at the ground.

“No!” she bellowed.

She couldn’t hold on any longer.

Just before she slipped away, a hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. Then her other arm.

Someone pulled her up and over the side. She knelt on the flat ground, panting, her throat throbbing with pain. Her savior bent low next to her.

“You okay?” he asked.

She had expected to see Jay.

Instead, she stared at a man she had met six months ago. Someone who had been ready to kill her and Deputy Palmer when Navajo Nation President Tso had been assassinated.

“Kipp?” she gasped.

The man had short dark hair and a five o’clock shadow apparent even in the moonlight. He wore a fleece jacket and jeans, along with a baseball cap. But she would never forget his piercing, moody brown eyes.

“Who… Sheriff Plymouth?” he asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I came with Jay. You’re our contact?”

He brushed a hand over his head. His expression contorted between anger and confusion. “You and your people screwed up. You let our president get killed. And now we’re dealing with this.”

He motioned to where the enemy had fallen to his death.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.

“That’s what we came to figure out,” Lindsey said. “I’m sorry for President Tso. I truly am. But I want to make things right.”

“You’re here on behalf of the US government again?”

“No,” Lindsey said. “This time, I’m on my own. My government would throw me in prison if they knew I was here.”

Finally, Kipp smiled. “Same with mine. At least, now that Eddy’s people took over. Look, I can’t forgive you all for Tso’s death. I could’ve stopped the assassination, and Eddy wouldn’t rule us. But as much anger as I have for that day, I know our true enemy are the Rattlesnakes.”

“Then we have a lot to discuss.”

In seconds, they were back on the plateau. Nuke and Pruitt patrolled the area to make sure no more men were waiting to ambush them. As they did, Kipp explained why he answered their call.

“Jay and I used to serve together in the department,” Kipp said, “so when I heard it was him calling, I knew I had to respond.”

Jay eyed him warily. “Then how did these guys find us?” He gestured toward the dead Rattlesnakes.

Kipp hung his head. “Arlo, the radio operator you all contacted, was picked up yesterday. Eddy’s people tortured him and made him reveal when and where we were seeing each other. Then they killed him.”

“Shit. Did Arlo tell them anything else? Are they going to come after you now?”

Kipp shook his head. “He claimed he was the one meeting you guys. Didn’t say a word about me.”

“How do you know all this?” Lindsey asked.

Kipp pulled out a badge from his pocket. “I’m still with the police. That gives me some connections. Eddy’s cronies still think I’m supportive of their government.”

“There are more people like you then, right?” Jay asked. “I can’t imagine everyone’s happy with how Eddy’s running things.”

“Most hate it. They want to impeach the current president, who wasn’t even elected, but forced on us by the Rattlesnakes.”

“Why don’t they?” Lindsey asked.

“Because Eddy’s made it a habit of threatening us with violence. He even has a whole shelter of children and elderly—the most vulnerable—locked away under the Rattlesnakes’ guard in Window Rock. He says it’s for their safety because the power, food, and water are so unreliable. But we know the real reason.”

Lindsey understood all too clearly. “So how do we get people to fight back?”

“You think you can save those hostages?”

“I don’t know, but I’m willing to try.”

“Well, we better get it done. Trying’s not good enough. Because until those people are free, Eddy will continue to own the Navajo Nation.”

Lindsey nodded, considering her next moves. While she thought on Kipp’s words, Jay had another question.

“You’ve got connections with the Rattlesnakes,” Jay said. “Is there any word about my brother?”

Kipp sighed. “Nothing. And that’s what everyone else is afraid of. They saw what happened to your family when you dared to fight back. They don’t want the same for theirs.”

* * *

A day had passed since Raven and Calvin met Phillip at Fort Bonneville. After the town leader assured them the community would answer the call to arms, the team was back on the road in the frigid mountains of Wyoming.

Phillip had corroborated some of Lindsey and Jay’s intel on which communities might be amenable to their plan. The free New Frontier groups that were sick and tired of Eddy’s maniacal reign had started sending messengers between each other to warn when the Rattlesnakes were passing through. In that way, they could hide some of their goods and people when Eddy demanded his dues.

One of the most prominent communities in this informal alliance was the Shoshone, their next target.

Snow rushed over their windshield as gray clouds drenched the sky. Everywhere they looked seemed to be a barren white wasteland with mountains in the distance and empty, icy roads.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Boston said from the back seat.

“I don’t know,” Rebecca said next to him. “If everything we heard is true, the Shoshone haven’t sent any people to fight for Eddy yet. That’s got to mean something.”

Raven glanced in the rearview mirror as he drove. Creek had his gaze glued to the rear windshield, keeping a watchful eye.

“Well, we’re about to find out real quick what the Shoshone think about Eddy,” Raven said.

“Last I heard, Wind River Reservation had a population of about twenty-six thousand,” Calvin added from the front passenger seat. “They’ve got close ties to the other reservations in the state. If we get them on our side, then the risk will be worth it.”

They continued on Highway 287 until the iconic red roof of the Shoshone Rose Casino drew near. Telephone poles had fallen along the icy highway, sticking out of the snow like broken bones, but most of the road had been cleared of abandoned vehicles, making it a surprisingly easy drive.

Ten-foot-high walls surrounded the casino, bearing a striking resemblance to those at Fort Bonneville, complete with watchtowers. Three armed men stood by in each one, but they didn’t seem alarmed when Raven pulled into the open gates. Inside was a parking lot filled with buses and vehicles of every make and model. A wooden stable filled with horses stood to one side.

People walked in and out of the casino’s hotel. And most interesting of all, lights were on in almost every single room.

“What the hell?” Boston asked.

“This can’t be real,” Rebecca said.

At the end of the parking lot, someone waved at them.

“It’s a fricking parking attendant,” Calvin said. “This is insane.”

The attendant directed them to an open space.

“I feel like I stepped into the Twilight Zone,” Raven said.

He put the Jeep in park, and the parking attendant knocked on the window. Raven rolled it down.

“You here for the casino or shelter?” the man asked.

“Uh, just the casino,” Raven said.

“Then you’re in the right spot. If you’re looking to stay the night or longer, you got to move your car to the other side of the lot.”

“Hopefully, we won’t be that long.”

“You been here before?”

Raven saw no reason to lie. “First time.”

“All right, rules are no open-carry weapons on the casino floor. You have something to protect yourself, then that’s your business. But just keep in mind, if our guys see you trying to start a brawl, it’ll become open season real quick. So self-defense only. Understood?”

Raven nodded.

“Second rule, you pay up before you make any bets. You can pawn whatever you brought—food, clothes, gold, silver—up with the cashiers. They’ll give you your chips. You can’t buy more at the tables. If you want to play the slots, you’ll need tokens too. Again, only at the cashiers. That clear?”

“Crystal.”

The man seemed satisfied and sauntered off.

Raven got out of the Jeep, stood, and looked toward the entrance where four guards in parkas carried rifles.

Cautiously, Raven beckoned for Creek and the others to exit the Jeep. They approached the casino with only their concealed sidearms, just as instructed. The guards didn’t put up a fuss when they entered.

To Raven’s surprise, chiming bells, voices, and all the other clattering sounds of a lively casino welcomed them. Flashing lights blinked from active slot machines, and people gathered around various table games.

“If it weren’t for the guards with assault rifles, I would think we’ve been transported back to before the Collapse,” Rebecca said.

“No kidding.” Raven waved off a waitress trying to offer him a drink. “That’s going to make this conversation even more interesting.”

Past the lines of slot machines and digital blackjack and poker tables were the normal table games. Servers flitted between the busy tables, refilling drinks and chatting with gamblers. People from all backgrounds seemed to have congregated here including men and women in suits and business casual clothes to survivalist types who might have wandered out of the woods in their camo and hunting gear.

It was unlike anything Raven had seen in the past couple of years. And perhaps most startling of all, he didn’t hear any raised voices or sense any tension. No one was fighting or arguing.

As they continued toward the rear of the casino, Raven spotted a long bar next to the cashier’s desks. Beyond it was a door that was labeled ‘ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES.’

“That’s where we want to be,” Raven said.

From Lindsey and Phillip’s intel, they needed to speak with a woman named Gloria Thayer. She was the leader of the local Eastern Shoshone Tribe.

They started toward the door. Raven figured they could speak to the guards outside or the administrative clerk sitting at a desk in front of the entrance to the offices.

Before they even got close, several floor guards descended on them. Raven’s heart lodged itself in his throat in anticipation. Instinctively, his fingers reached for his sidearm.

The guards didn’t raise their weapons. They simply converged around Raven and the others. Raven briefly considered fleeing, mentally mapping out a route between the table games and slot machines.

But what would be the point?

That would only freak people out. And after all, Phillip and Lindsey said the Shoshone were to be trusted.

When the four guards joined Raven’s group, one motioned for Raven to follow.

“I’ve got orders to take you all in the back,” he said with a gruff voice, his weathered face giving away no emotion. “That’s not a problem, right?”

“Only if you guys say it is,” Raven replied.

The man escorted them through the Administrative Office doors with the other three guards. When the door shut behind them, the ring of gaming machines was replaced with a quiet punctuated by trenchant voices coming from a series of open doors.

At the guard’s bequest, Raven and the team walked down the modest corridor to the office at the end. A woman in her mid-fifties sat at a desk. Her jet-black hair was tied tight behind her head and reading glasses perched over her round nose. Even though she was sitting, Raven could tell she was probably close to six-foot-tall with all the stature of a natural born leader.

On the far wall, a tanned elk hide hung from several hooks. Painted on it were traditional rudimentary shapes of people, horses, and buffalo surrounding golden teepees and poles.

“That’s a Shoshone Sun Dance painting,” Raven said as they entered the office.

The woman looked up from the notes she was perusing and smiled. “It’s an original, passed down from my great-great-grandfather. Please, sit.” She motioned to the chairs in front of her. “And you could not have come at a better time.”

The guards closed the doors behind them. Raven was hesitant to sit down, but the woman shrugged at the four of them and Creek.

She gave them a warm smile. “I get that you’re on edge, so if you don’t want to sit, you don’t have to. Phillip from Fort Bonneville was nice enough to warn me you all were coming.”

“Warn you?” Calvin asked. “We’re not here to start a fight.”

“I don’t mean it quite like that,” the woman went on. “Through our networks, we also heard that a couple Rattlesnake Patrols have been making the rounds in Wyoming. I’m afraid that plenty of unfriendly types frequent our casino floors. People that might report what I’m up to if they knew who you four were.”

“You don’t just throw them out?” Raven asked.

“Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. Plus, we’d lose all our business with the amount of screening and effort it would take to send away everyone we thought might be aligned with Eddy.”

"Any of Eddy’s people out there tonight?” Rebecca asked.

“Possibly. Which is why I wanted you all in here as soon as possible. I mean, if Eddy knew I was entertaining the infamous Raven Spears and Calvin Jackson, there would be hell to pay.”

Raven shared a look with Calvin. He had no idea that their reputation preceded them quite like this.

“Don’t look so alarmed.” The tall woman reached an arm across the table. “I’m Gloria Thayer.”

Raven and the others shook her hand in turn.

“I know you two.” Gloria looked pointedly at Raven and Calvin, then glanced at Rebecca and Boston. “But not you two.”

“You can call me Boston.”

“Rebecca White.”

“Good to meet you all,” Gloria said. “Please, have a seat because we’re going to be here a while. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

Raven took her invitation this time. Creek sat on his haunches next to the chair.

“I’ve got to ask. It sounds like you knew who we were before Phillip told you we were coming. How?” Raven asked.

“Months ago—I want to say in the summer—Eddy’s people passed out posters and descriptions of the two of you. The Rattlesnakes warned folks all around the New Frontier about you two and Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth. There’s a reward on your heads, dead or alive.”

Raven’s heart sank. He made a mental note to warn Lindsey when and if he could.

“Folks mostly forgot about that reward since the summer,” she said. “But I know there are some bounty hunters out there looking for a score. So I hope you’re being careful.”

“Always, ma’am,” Calvin said. “And while we appreciate the warning, we all know that’s not what any of us really want to discuss. Phillip already talked to you, but why didn’t he give us a heads up that he was going to tell you about our arrival?”

Gloria smiled. “He called me when you guys left. He’s a good man, but not always prescient. I think it was really a matter of him realizing it might be a good idea after you were on your way. Really, it was more for my benefit than yours.”

“You all look out for each other,” Raven said, “just like Phillip said.”

“I wouldn’t say all of us look out for each other, but we’ve established a trustworthy network. Those of us unhappy with Eddy trying to mold the New Frontier to his will have been talking.”

“About what?” Raven asked.

“Mostly how to protect ourselves. Not about an offensive operation on Eddy or the Rattlesnakes like what you told Phillip.”

“Then to cut to the chase. Is that something you would be interested in?”

A fire bloomed behind Gloria’s eyes. Her jaw muscles twitched, nostrils flaring like Raven had insulted her. He worried for a second that he had said something wrong.

“Our people have fought off Wild Fire by enacting strict quarantine protocols and stockpiling as much of the cure as we could get our hands on before Eddy cut us off,” she said. “If any of you looked so much like you might have a fever or cough, the guards out there wouldn’t have let you step foot in our casinos. We’ve also installed all kinds of air filtration systems for the gambling floor and our hotel, which is serving as a shelter.

“Most importantly, we’ve carved ourselves a niche in this new economy. We have solar power, wind turbines, and generators keeping our community going. We use the casino to bring in goods to keep our people alive. The hotel shelters those less fortunate than us. For anyone who is sick, we have our medical clinics.”

She shuddered, a wet sheen suddenly over her eyes.

“It took work to get to this point. We were doing well, though, until Wild Fire finally hit unexpectedly. Many of our most vulnerable were sheltering in the high school where dozens of people got sick all at once.”

She shook her head, eyes falling to the surface of her desk. “It made no sense. We were so careful. It was almost as if someone intentionally infected the community. Sure enough, we found a body in late stages of plague infection within the water tank that supplied the high school. Obviously, that body didn’t get there on its own.”

“That’s terrible,” Calvin said.

“We couldn’t prove it, but we suspect Eddy’s people put it there. I mean, who else would? And of course, just days later, he called us to meet, promising he could help our sick children.”

Raven sat in silence, waiting for her to go on. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And Gloria had been more than scorned.

“Eddy took our kids. He’s holding them in Salt Lake City, supposedly to be treated. But he won’t return them until we capitulate to his demands and provide them with more food and manpower. If we don’t… well, I worry about the future of those children, but we can’t afford to send him what he wants. We won’t survive here if we do, and I don’t want to make a habit of negotiating with terrorists.”

“Join us, then,” Raven said. “Let’s kick him out of Salt Lake City and destroy the Rattlesnake Union.”

Gloria let her anger settle. “I want Eddy dead as much as you. Maybe more than you. But from what we know, he’s the only one out here with the cure to all this Wild Fire madness. If we eliminate him, do you have a plan for providing medicine?”

Raven explained how Colorado was also struggling to get enough of the cure, especially now that President Shelby had restricted the flow of foreign aid. He told her about their hope to rescue Doctor Wheeler and retake control of Commander production.

Gloria waited a few beats, considering all this.

“I may be quick to anger, but I’ve never been a violent woman,” she saw. “I abhor violence. I detest the fact that the Wind River Reservation was one of the more crime-ridden reservations in the country before the Collapse. And I hate to resort to the killing to get our way.”

Raven started to feel dejected.

But Gloria wasn’t done. “However, I believe our Creator would understand the necessity of violent power in this case. My people are in. I can talk to my compatriots in the Arapahoe led by a close friend, Ray Birdshead, and other nearby tribes. There are more independent communities like Fort Bonneville that would rally to our cause too.”

“We would appreciate that,” Raven said. “The more you can recruit, the better off we’ll be.”

“Of course. I want our children back. I want our land back. I want our health back. But most of all, I want the Rattlesnakes gone.”

Raven and Calvin hashed out more details about how to remain in contact with Gloria and the Shoshone. She gave them a list of names and groups she thought would be sympathetic to their cause.

For the first time in a long while, Raven felt truly optimistic. They might actually take down Eddy. All it had taken was the burgeoning anger that had built up over the past six months in these communities. These people had been promised the opportunity and prosperity of the white buffalo. But time had worn away at Eddy’s lies.

Now they saw the real Eddy Nez. The power-hungry monster that cared not for them, but only his own control of the New Frontier.

And together, those who had finally had the veil lifted from their eyes would help each other end this madness for good.

-11-

The fury of a thousand suns burned in Eddy’s chest. Rage unlike any he had known threatened to consume him. The torch he held made his turbulent emotions all the worse. Every flicker of heat washing over his face summoned the painful memories of his flesh burning.

No matter how hard he tried to repress those dark fears embedded in him by Raven Spears, he couldn’t.

So instead, he sublimated them. Used them to his advantage.

He faced Lincoln, while Naabaah stood behind, making sure the sleazy preacher man didn’t retreat.

“Why are we down here?” Lincoln asked.

Sweat rolled in rivulets across his forehead and into his mustache. He gulped hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He spoke in a practiced calmness, but Eddy could practically smell the fear exuding from his pores.

“Why are we down here?” Eddy repeated, snarling the words back at Lincoln.

Lincoln adjusted his sports coat. “I’m not sure what the point of this is, Eddy. If there’s something I did that’s made you upset—or something I could do to make it up to you—please let me know.”

Eddy waved his torch around the dark, cool space.

Light flickered over small metal doors that lined the wall. Power down here was intermittent, but the temperature was stable enough to keep the bodies stored in the morgue from rotting.

Eddy motioned to a middle-aged doctor who stood near an autopsy table. He had a full set of saws, knives, and other wicked-looking instruments laid out on a tray. Bodily fluids stained his white coat, and his greasy dark hair reflected the firelight.

“Doctor Grazinsky is a medical examiner,” Eddy said. “He’s a pathologist, which means he specializes in finding out how people died.”

“Did… did someone important die?”

“No, someone did not die. Which is the problem.”

Eddy didn’t think Lincoln’s face could get any paler. But it did. All the while, he continued to play dumb. “I don’t follow.”

“Don’t bullshit me.” Eddy shoved the torch at Lincoln.

When the preacher took a step back, Naabaah blocked him from moving. The Liberty Militia leader’s eyes bulged, his lips trembling.

Good. Let someone else know the fear of uncontrollable fire.

“What I wanted was three bodies on these autopsy tables.” Eddy used his torch to guide Lincoln, shoving it toward him.

Lincoln backpedaled until he ran into the table where Doctor Grazinsky stood.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those bodies.” Eddy leaned in close to Lincoln. “The only body I see is one that’s still too warm.” The fingers on his left hand reached for the tomahawk sheathed on his belt. “It probably won’t be hard for the good doctor to discover this subject’s cause of death.”

Lincoln held up his hands defensively. “Eddy, is this about the assassination teams? Is this about Lindsey, Raven, and Calvin?”

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, does it?” Naabaah laughed. “Everyone can see through your act, Preacher. No use playing stupid anymore.”

Lincoln shook his head. Despite the cool temperatures, sweat continued to fall across his face. He pulled at his collar, loosening it.

“You know I sent the assassination teams. Just like you asked. It’s not my fault they failed.”

“Everything your men do or don’t do is your fault,” Eddy said. “If your orders aren’t executed properly, you’ve failed as a leader. I’ve been teaching this lesson to our people. Why don’t you get it?”

“Ahiga, we can try again. We can rework new plans, change—”

“Lincoln, you’re not listening. They’re still alive. Your efforts failed. And a good leader has to take responsibility, which is why I’m sorry I failed.”

“I don’t understand.”

Fury erupted through Eddy. “Are you fucking stupid? I failed. I failed to get you to kill those three imbeciles. That’s my fault for placing my confidence in you.”

He stepped right up to Lincoln, their noses practically touching.

“I trusted you, Lincoln. I thought because you fought beside me in the early days that you were a capable man. Instead, all you’ve proven is you have a snake’s tongue that makes promises but doesn't deliver.”

“Eddy, please, give me another chance.” Lincoln started massaging his crucifix necklace, as if God would save him. “I’ll make this right. I’ll kill them.”

Eddy peeled away from Lincoln and started laughing. Naabaah joined in.

“No, no, no. What do the wašíču like to say? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I don’t like shame.” Eddy jerked his chin at Grazinsky.

The doctor began sharpening a knife on a whetstone. Sparks flew with each scrape of stainless steel against the stone, flickering in the darkness.

“What are you going to do, Eddy?” Lincoln asked, his voice shaking.

“I came down here to see a body. I plan on seeing a body.”

Lincoln trembled so hard, he looked like he was about to collapse.

“You’re making a mistake,” Lincoln said.

Naabaah threw an arm around Lincoln’s neck and pulled him in tight. “Never tell Ahiga that he’s making a mistake.”

Lincoln wrapped his fingers around Naabaah’s arm to free himself. “No, don’t do this. Don’t.”

Naabaah squeezed harder until Lincoln’s pleas came out in a muffled squeak.

“What did I just say?” Naabaah asked.

Lincoln shut his mouth. Not that he had much of a choice in the matter. A few more seconds and he would’ve passed out.

With a nod, Eddy gestured for Naabaah to release Lincoln. He gasped for air, his fingers probing his throat.

“Not another word, Lincoln,” Eddy said. “You got it?”

Lincoln nodded, a blink from doubling over and collapsing to the cool concrete floor. Eddy hoisted Lincoln up under his armpits and shoved him onto the autopsy table. All the fight had been stolen from him. He didn’t even protest. Instead, he just mumbled a quiet prayer.

Maybe he finally believed in that God that he preached about to get people to follow him.

“Doctor Grazinsky, if you please?” Eddy held up the torch, illuminating the doors to the cold lockers. Grazinsky opened one and pulled out a rack with a body shrouded in a red plastic bag with a biohazard label.

“Here’s a body we were looking for, Lincoln,” Eddy said.

He noted a wave of relief wash over the man’s face.

“Did you really think we were going to stow you away in one of these lockers?”

The silence told Eddy he had put the fear of God in Lincoln just as he intended.

“I wouldn’t waste the space on someone who failed me,” Eddy said. “There are plenty of burn pits and garbage piles for someone like that.”

Doctor Grazinsky transferred the corpse from the rack onto a nearby rolling gurney.

Eddy turned to a cabinet full of face shields, gas masks, and surgical gowns. “You’re going to process this cadaver, along with a couple more, with the good doctor.”

“What?” Lincoln asked.

Naabaah grinned. “That means you’re cutting them up into little pieces.”

“Why?”

“They’re infected with Wild Fire,” Eddy said.

“I can’t. I don’t want to get sick. If I get sick, if I die, who will lead my people?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Eddy sighed. “Besides, Doctor Wheeler tells us the disease isn’t spreadable when a victim is dead. Unless, of course, you come in contact with any weeping sores or pustules—or perhaps drink water that the body has been soaking in. So, gown up and followed Grazisnky’s instructions.”

“I still don’t understand. What for?”

Eddy motioned for Naabaah. After all, it wasn’t actually Eddy’s idea. Naabaah came up with it. They had used it successfully before on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. And now, they were looking to expand the use of the tactic.

“We’re going to drop pieces of the infected into the water sources of a few communities,” Naabaah explained. “Some groups have talked about rebellion. Some have refused to pay us their dues. Others have even shot at our Rattlesnake Union messengers. But of course, if they all end up sick with Wild Fire, they’ll realize how important we are and come groveling to us for the cure.”

“That’s… that’s twisted.” Then Lincoln regained his composure. “But it makes sense. I get it. I understand. And you want me to process the bodies for our soldiers to take to these water sources.”

“Partly right.” Eddy grinned. “I’m going to have you personally deliver these chunks of diseased flesh as well.”

Lincoln stood frozen. “I can have some of my men—”

“No, Lincoln. I want you to do this. I want you to pay the penance for failing to kill Raven, Calvin, and Lindsey. We must expedite our complete takeover of the New Frontier, and this will do it. Moreso, we’ll drop a few of these pieces in water sources in the Rocky Mountains that feed the Front Range communities where Raven and his kind are from.”

“The natural progression of Wild Fire is slower than we hoped,” Naabaah added. “We expected more of the wašíču to be sick by now, but they’ve been stubbornly slowing the disease. This way, we can speed things up and weaken our enemy.”

“And what about Raven and the others?” Lincoln asked.

Eddy put the torch close to Lincoln’s nose again. “One of our spies in the Shoshone Casino saw Raven and Calvin at the Wind River Reservation. We’re not sure why they were there, but they’ve arrived on our land. I’m positive they’ll come after me. So yes, after you spread this plague, why don’t you have another crack at them? And then, if you fail and they don’t kill you, I will.”

Eddy and Naabaah left Lincoln in the morgue and took the steps back outside into Outpost Salt Lake City.

“You know, I might have a better way to spread the Wild Fire.” Naabaah shielded his eyes from the sunlight.

“Oh?”

“I talked with a few more of our Ranger prisoners. Some of them think that the Iranian terrorists, the Reapers, left behind more Wild Fire than the Rangers ever recovered.”

“Is that so?”

“They believe there might be a couple stashes left. Places where other Rattlesnakes mentioned seeing the Reapers back before the Rangers killed them. If that’s true and we got our hands on those stashes, it would be a lot faster than cutting up bodies to spread the disease.”

Eddy scratched at his chin and paused, listening to the sounds of his men working to rebuild and bolster the walls around the outpost. The sun warmed his skin as he thought on Naabaah’s suggestion for a moment. “Naabaah, you never cease to amaze. I still want Lincoln to take care of those bodies. He despises it, which makes me happy. But in the meantime, find these stocks of Wild Fire. If they exist, then we might have a whole new weapon against the wašíču they won’t be remotely prepared for.”

* * *

Calvin drove the Jeep Grand Wagoneer west along Highway 14. They had spent the past couple days making progress with Gloria Thayer’s help, recruiting smaller communities to their cause. They found a homestead full of a hundred survivalists west of Bighorn National Forest in Worland, Wyoming. And another community of five hundred in Greybull joined, though they said they could only send about fifty when the time came.

Other small pockets of people had readily agreed to help, especially with the Shoshone’s backing. These smaller groups seemed to respect the opinion of the Shoshone. Whenever Raven or Calvin mentioned Gloria’s name, their moods usually changed from suspicious skepticism to curiosity or even enthusiasm.

Gloria promised to approach others in the eastern portion of the state. She also vowed that the Arapaho people of Wind River, led by Robert Birdshead, would follow her lead. Wyoming was a wrap.

Now they headed westward, deeper into the Wild Lands. Rumor was that a large group of settlers had converged in Big Sky, Montana early in the Collapse. Gloria hadn’t had direct contact with them in months, but she met a few travelers from Montana who had visited her casino.

Plus, a couple weeks ago, a Colorado refugee center had taken in Wild Fire patients who came down from Big Sky for help.

But since then, no one had heard from the small, rugged mountain town. What they did know was that it had been home to only three thousand residents prior to the Collapse. Intel suggested that all the surrounding communities had banded together, focusing their efforts on making the area livable and defensible.

Their latest estimates indicated that nearly fifteen thousand lived in Big Sky. And with their strategic location in the mountains far north of Salt Lake City, they wouldn’t be easy for Eddy to reach.

The town was also the gateway to Montana and its seven Native American reservations. If they convinced the town leaders to join their campaign, they could probably call on thousands more to join the cause.

With night fallen over the peaceful frozen landscape, they advanced slowly along the quiet highway, passing abandoned vehicles blanketed in snowbanks.

Keeping his headlights off, Calvin used the moonlight to navigate while the rest of the team snoozed. He hadn’t forgotten Gloria’s warning about Rattlesnake patrols in the area. He would do whatever it took to minimize the chance of one finding them.

That meant lots of night travel with everyone taking shifts at the wheel.

Calvin wound his way between a stalled school bus with broken windows and a semi-truck that had flipped on its side. The ditches and icy pine trees lining the highway helped him keep track of the road under the blanket of white.

It was tedious progress as they finally approached Yellowstone National Park. But as the night wore on, he noticed the snow wasn’t as deep in these parts compared to Wyoming. In fact, it seemed packed down, suggesting other vehicles had come through recently.

Of course, anywhere people were might mean danger.

“Hey, Raven,” Calvin said.

Raven immediately woke from the passenger seat next to him. He gripped his M4, pulling it up from where it rested against the door. Boston yawned, and Rebecca stretched her arms. Behind the back seat, even Creek poked his head up.

“We almost there?” Rebecca asked.

“Not quite,” Calvin said. “But I wanted more eyes on our surroundings.”

He sped up to thirty-five miles-per-hour, but didn’t want to get overconfident. The last thing they needed was to slide into a ditch and strand themselves.

“Something up?” Raven asked.

Calvin pointed at the roadway. “Someone’s been through here recently. A lot of someones.”

“Don’t like the sound of that,” Boston said. “Not supposed to be any friendlies out here until we reach Big Sky, right?”

“Yup,” Rebecca said. “This is just no-man’s land. Then again, maybe Big Sky has expanded their territory.”

“Or they got their own scouts patrolling the area,” Raven said. “Especially if they’re trying to protect themselves from Eddy.”

“You guys all sound a lot more optimistic than I’m feeling.” Calvin tugged on the wheel slightly as they came around a long bend. He could feel inertia and the slick icy surface of the road threatening to pull them off the side. “Keep an eye out. You see anything suspicious, you say something. I’m so busy trying to keep our tires on the ice that I’m worried I’ll miss something.”

“All right, I can keep my lids open for that,” Boston said. “Seems like it might be important enough for me to skip some Zs.”

Rebecca elbowed him in the side. “Quit joking. It’s game time.”

Calvin appreciated that. Maybe his serious special operator ways were finally bleeding into his Steel Runners. At least, some of them.

Jokes aside, Rebecca and Boston hefted their rifles into their laps as they peered out the windows. Raven studied their surroundings, and even Creek was on alert.

An icy wind suddenly blasted in from the west. It rustled over the tarp holding their cargo on the roof, which was just enough to pry the Jeep’s tires loose from the road. The Jeep slid, then fishtailed.

Calvin did his best to counter steer and correct their momentum. His heart thundered in his chest, adrenaline dumping as the vehicle went sideways. Gasps came from the others, and he felt his muscles clenching, preparing for impact.

But he didn’t let panic sabotage his efforts.

He pumped the gas pedal, applying just enough force to get the vehicle pointed in the right direction. And like that, they crunched over more wet, soft snow.

“Oh, shit,” Boston said from the back seat.

“We’re good, man,” Calvin said. “No worries.”

“No, Cal, he isn’t talking about the sliding,” Rebecca said. “Behind us.”

Now Calvin saw it in the rearview mirror. A big F-250 followed them with a cattle guard on the front and a light bar on its roof.

“How long have they been following?” Calvin asked.

“It just pulled out from a drive,” Boston said. “Right when we were slipping.”

“Bad, bad timing,” Raven said.

“Think they’re friendly?” Rebecca asked.

“I’m not pulling over to find out.” Calvin continued to drive with the headlights off, maintaining his speed.

This part of the highway seemed to be lined in drives and other narrow lanes. When he glanced between the trees to their left, he noticed the sheen of moonlight on ice. It was Yellowstone Lake.

He inventoried possible escape routes as they drove.

With the lake on one side and a potential enemy behind, he could take one of the unknown roads that sporadically appeared on their right. Those might lead to others—or they might just be dead-end drives to neighborhoods or individual properties.

That left the highway ahead as the best route. If he had to gun it, he would, but he had already seen how treacherous that could get.

“Please, be friends,” Rebecca said in the back seat. “Please, be friends.”

As they passed another drive, the growling roar of a second vehicle fired up, and a Chevrolet Silverado joined the pursuit. This one wasn’t shy about using their high beams to blind Calvin through the rearview mirror as it approached their rear bumper.

“That is not friendly,” Boston said.

The Chevy aggressively followed them, not more than a few yards behind the Jeep. But no one had shot at them yet. Maybe they were guard patrol from the Big Sky area, trying to scare off potential interlopers.

But then they took a blind curve.

Past it, a Toyota Hilux pickup truck was parked sideways, blocking most of the road. A pair of gunmen stood in the bed with their rifles pointed at the Jeep and immediately unleashed hell. Bullets smashed against the hood of the Jeep, punching into the glass and pinging across its roof.

“Son of a bitch!” Calvin ducked low as he struggled to maintain control of the vehicle. He flipped on his high beams to blind the gunmen. “Take them out!”

Spiderwebbing cracks covered the windshield, making it difficult for Calvin to see where they were going. Raven kicked at the glass with a boot until it fell away in tiny chunks. Cold air stung at Calvin’s eyes, but it didn’t matter. At least now he could see.

Raven began firing at the gunmen, and muzzle flashes lanced through the darkness. The blinded gunmen in the bed jerked from the gunfire and tumbled into the snow.

Calvin steered the SUV to curve around the Hilux. He skirted the side of the highway. The wheels skidded, nearly losing traction as the Chevy Silverado behind accelerated, smashing into the Wagoneer, and knocking the back tires loose.

Thankfully, the front tires still had grip, carrying him around the parked Toyota, and he sped up as fast as he dared, snow kicking up behind them in a rooster tail.

The Toyota revved its engine and quickly joined the other two vehicles in pursuit.

Calvin strapped on a pair of ski goggles he kept near the console as the blistering cold air rushed in through the ruined windshield. He focused on the road as Boston and Rebecca rolled down their windows.

They leaned out and began firing on the closest truck following them, the Silverado. Through the rearview, Calvin watched bullets spark over the Chevy’s hood and bumper. A couple smashed through the radiator, and steam poured out, temporarily blinding the driver.

That gave the duo enough space to send another concerted blast into the enemy’s windshield. They must have hit the driver. The Chevy jerked hard to its left, careening into the ditch and flipping sideways. Its wheels continued rotating, spraying up snow until the vehicle teetered over onto its roof.

“One asshole down!” Boston yelled.

“Don’t take your eyes off the enemy yet!” Calvin replied.

The Toyota wasted no time barreling toward them as gunfire flared from the passenger window and bullets crashed against the Grand Wagoneer.

Calvin tried to outpace them and gain speed, but he felt the Jeep losing grip whenever he did. The Toyota, however, had no such issue, its heavy weight pressing its huge rubber tires deep into the snow, giving it plenty of traction.

The enemy quickly caught up. More rounds riddled the Jeep, forcing Rebecca and Boston inside. Raven leaned out the window briefly to return fire.

A round must have caught the gunman because the fire from the vehicle ceased. At least, for the moment.

The Toyota suddenly raced hard to meet them, its front bumper closing in on Calvin’s right rear quarter panel. Even though he knew what was coming, he couldn’t go any faster. The others desperately fired at the driver, but the enemy started pushing the Jeep, trying to ram them off the road.

Instead, Calvin slammed on the brake briefly. Just enough that the Toyota surged past.

Calvin shoved the pedal down hard again, turning into the rear quarter panel of the hostile truck. He forced the Hilux off the road, where it crashed into a tree. Its hood crumpled, and plumes of steam billowed from under it.

That left only one pursuer: the F-250 with the cattle guard and the light bar. The driver flicked on his brights again, trying to blind Calvin and the others when they looked back.

Gunfire chattered from the vehicle, peppering the Grand Wagoneer. The team tried to return fire, but couldn’t score a solid hit.

Calvin didn’t blame them. Not with those glaring lights. Thankfully, Raven started shooting at the headlights. Rebecca and Boston followed suit, hitting the second.

But that didn’t stop the F-250 from barreling forward and slamming into the back of the Wagoneer. Creek let out a frightened bark. The jerking impact threw Calvin against the wheel, before his seatbelt could press against his chest and abdomen.

“Asshole,” he hissed between gritted teeth.

Raven maneuvered to get a better shot. Gunfire erupted from Rebecca’s and Boston’s weapons.

But it didn’t dissuade the enemy driver.

Again, the Ford rammed into the Grand Wagoneer. Calvin fought the steering wheel as the tires slid back and forth uncontrollably, losing traction on the slick ice.

“Stop them!” Calvin yelled.

But the F-250 accelerated again. Calvin could no longer maintain control, and the Jeep burst off the side of the road, plowing through snow as the truck shoved them toward a fence of trees.

The din of gunfire and yells from the others faded. Flashbacks of the Black Hawk crash in Afghanistan that maimed Calvin’s spine and killed two of his men flickered through his mind. He felt the gnawing, impending guilt of sending his team to their deaths in a fiery wreck.

He couldn’t let that happen.

It was already too late to return to the road.

All Calvin could do was soften the blow of the impending crash. He steered, applying gas as much as he could to buy them a little more time. Just enough time that they coasted through a clearing between the trees and onto a short drive. The snow-covered drive led past a cabin—and to a boat ramp.

Calvin hit the brakes and tried to direct them away from the frozen lake. But the F-250 rammed them hard again toward the boat ramp. They slid down the slippery surface and onto the lake. Almost immediately, the thin layer of ice cracked and buckled. Thin sheets erupted up in jagged slabs, and black water sprayed over them, sucking the Jeep into its depths.

There was no going back. No escape.

“Get out!” Calvin yelled as freezing water poured in through the broken windows.

The first chilling waves splashed over him. His muscles froze, his nerves sparking with tense electricity.

And at the same time, gunfire exploded from the F-250.

-12-

The frigid water stole Raven’s breath. He had to fight against his lizard brain screaming at him in panic. No one was ever truly ready to dive into a lake this cold in the dead of winter. And while he had done his best to steel himself, adrenaline rushed through his blood vessels, adding to the nervous energy rippling through every inch of his body.

Already the water was up to his neck. With nearly all their windows busted, it had taken mere seconds for the vehicle to flood. Raven had to press his nose up to a small pocket of air trapped by the roof to catch a breath.

“Calvin! Rebecca! Boston!” he yelled out. “Creek!”

He tried to listen for their responses. They needed to stick together to survive the next few moments and stop their pursuers.

But the pounding of small arms fire slapping against the roof along with the gurgle and splash of water was too much.

After a couple more seconds, the Grand Wagoneer was totally submerged.

Raven opened his eyes to a world of black, his skin stinging from the cold. The moonlight glowing through the thin layer of ice above was just enough for him to make out the shape of his crossbow next to him. He picked it up, along with his quiver of bolts, utility belt, and his backpack, then started kicking out of the window.

With a shove, he pushed away from the sinking Jeep. But his pack was too heavy and began dragging him down. There was simply no way to swim with all of his survival supplies and weapons.

He let the bag slip from his fingers and disappear into the black. His lungs were already screaming for oxygen. All the while bullets speared through the murk, leaving trails of bubbles around him.

Where was Creek? Calvin? Boston? Rebecca?

He needed air, but he couldn’t just shoot to the surface. It would only take seconds to lose sight of the sinking Jeep, and anyone trapped inside would be gone for good.

His legs pumped as he kicked back into the depths. He grabbed hold of the lip around the rear window on the passenger’s side and pulled himself down to look inside.

Creek was nowhere to be seen. Calvin wasn’t in the driver’s seat, and Boston was gone too. But Rebecca was still inside. A seatbelt tangled her foot. She pulled at it, trying to free herself.

Raven acted without hesitation. He heaved through the water and grabbed her shoulder. She let out a scream, losing precious oxygen, bubbles flooding around her. Her expression settled only briefly when she realized it was Raven. Then she signaled frantically toward her caught foot, yanking on the belt.

Raven’s brain was on fire. His lungs ached. He felt the strange exhaustion of drowning creeping into his mind, mixing with the insane urge to take a gulp of water, his body’s last desperate attempt to breathe.

But he centered himself. Rebecca’s life relied on him doing so.

In one fluid motion, Raven yanked out a buck knife from his belt. He cut through the seatbelt and freed Rebecca. Together they pushed off the Jeep’s seat, then shot up toward the surface.

The promise of oxygen kept Raven going. He thrashed his legs harder and harder. His hand never loosened around Rebecca’s.

They were just a few feet from the surface. He held a hand up, ready to break free from the water.

And then he hit the ice.

Solid fucking ice.

Again panic struck its ugly claws through his gut. Rebecca flailed, pressing her palms against the ice. Raven tried to keep calm, focusing again. He searched the murk for where they had come in.

But he had completely lost sight of it. The darkness, the confusion, the water. It was all too much. How would they escape?

Maybe if he applied pressure just right…

His mind was fading as he reached for his knife again. He took it out and pressed it point first against the ice.

With his flagging consciousness, Raven used a hand to hold the blade in place and the other to hammer it.

One hit.

Nothing happened.

Two hits.

Still nothing.

Three hits.

A crack formed, spreading from the impact site.

Then four, five, six hits.

The ice finally shattered, weak enough he finally pushed a hand through. Blackness crowded his vision as he dragged Rebecca up with him. Their heads broke free, and they gulped the freezing cold air. He didn’t care that his drenched ponytail froze almost immediately.

They could breathe again.

He had solved their first problem. But they were nowhere near safe.

They had to get out of the lake. A glacial wind cut across their heads, howling and carrying with it the clatter of frozen tree branches, drowning out nearly all other sounds. The F-250 was still parked by the boat ramp. Two men stood about twenty yards away. The truck’s lights flooded the area where the Jeep had gone under, which thankfully was over ten yards away. With the men’s night vision compromised by their reliance on the Ford’s blinding glow, Raven and Rebecca would be virtually invisible to the men as long as they moved slowly and stayed out of the illuminated areas.

Which gave Raven an idea.

If he could make it to shore and steal the truck, they would have a source of warmth. They would have somewhere to recover from the hypothermia that would soon set in.

But even if he saved his and Rebecca’s life, what happened to Creek, Calvin, and Boston? He couldn’t see them. His gut turned, a sourness creeping into his throat.

They could’ve been shot or drowned in those torturous few minutes between crashing into the lake and now. But he would never know if he didn’t make it out.

He pulled himself out of the water, as the thin ice fissured and snapped around him. Pressing himself flat, he distributed his weight to reduce the chances of falling through again.

With one hand, he reached back for Rebecca and helped haul her out. “Spread yourself out.”

Together they belly-crawled toward the shore. Each crack and hiss of breaking ice made Raven tense as he searched for a stable surface. But the snow covered so much, it was impossible to tell.

While they fought to cross the ice, only five yards from land, a glacial wind blew across their bodies. Raven shivered. He couldn’t stop trembling.

The frigid water that soaked his clothes hardened around him. He would be a popsicle in minutes.

But, eventually, they made it to solid ground. The two gunmen still had their weapons aimed at the lake. Raven could see them better now in the bleeding glow from the light bar on the F-250. They wore khaki jackets and snow pants. One had a pistol. The other carried an AR-15. It looked like another one or two people inside the vehicle too.

Raven took his crossbow off his back and sighted the gunmen up. He could hardly keep himself steady. Even with propping the bow on a rock, he was simply shaking too hard.

But they had little choice. He had to take these men down.

So he did his best to aim at the man with the AR-15. He tried to hold his sights on the man’s chest, but his crosshairs shook with every quiver coursing through his frozen flesh.

He held his breath, mustering all the willpower he had to remain still.

Then he fired.

The bolt snapped from his bow with a near-silent twang, zipping through the snowflake-laden air and slicing toward his target. But Raven’s uncontrollable shaking compromised his aim. The bolt merely glanced the man’s jacket, exposing the down feathers within.

Raven reloaded his crossbow as swiftly as he could, placing a new bolt, and cranking back the string.

The man with the AR-15 crouched and swiveled Raven’s direction, searching the night. Raven’s pulse quickened, beating like a drum in his ears. His fingers slipped around the crossbow as he tried to aim again.

And once more, he fired.

This time, the bolt slammed home into the enemy gunman, shivering as it stuck out from the guy’s left shoulder. The shot hadn’t been good enough to kill him, but he wouldn’t be able to use his AR-15 anymore.

As the man yowled in pain, Raven loaded his third bolt. His fingers shook wildly as he fumbled to set it, his teeth chattering. Rebecca whimpered beside him, pressed flat into the snow, weaponless.

The gunman with the AR-15 backed up to the Ford, opened the front passenger door, and slipped inside.

Then the driver’s side door opened as Raven got the next bolt in place and cranked back the crossbow’s string. The driver came out firing an AK-47. Bullets ripped through the air toward Raven and Rebecca. They stayed low, trying to use the fallen trees and rock as cover.

Raven released his third arrow.

The bolt lanced through the darkness silently at the driver. But once again, thanks to Raven’s shiver-racked body, it missed and punched harmlessly against the side of the truck instead.

Then the man with the pistol began firing too.

As rounds seared above him, Raven got out his fourth bolt and loaded it. He aimed at the man wildly shooting the AK-47. As he squeezed his trigger, a whoomph of gunfire roared from somewhere in the woods beyond the F-250. Rounds sparked where they hit the vehicle. The man with the pistol immediately ducked and retreated into the truck.

The gunman with the AK-47 wasn’t so lucky. Bullets cut through him, and he collapsed to the snow.

Apparently, the men inside the cab weren’t Marines like Raven had been. They had no problem putting the vehicle in reverse and tearing away as bullets slammed into their windows. They left their brother behind, and their headlights faded into the trees past the boat ramp.

Raven trembled as he rose to his feet, aiming his crossbow with a fresh bolt.

That life-saving attack could have only come from one of two people.

“Calvin! Boston!” he yelled.

“Right here!” Calvin emerged from a cluster of trees, waving.

Raven and Rebecca ran through the snow toward him.

“Rebecca!” Calvin said. “Thank God you’re alive too!”

Calvin met her in an embrace. The two of them shivered, holding each other for a second.

“I’m so cold, Cal.” Rebecca folded her arms over her chest.

Calvin gave her shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll warm up.”

“What about Boston? And Creek?” Raven asked.

Calvin motioned to the thicket of evergreens from where he had come, and Raven moved to look behind them. Boston was lying in the snow. His eyes were closed, and even in the pale moonlight, Raven could tell he was much paler than usual, his lips blue no doubt.

He was still breathing, but barely.

And to Raven’s immense gratitude, Creek was there with him.

“Creek!” Raven said.

The Akita wagged his tail. He shivered as hard as the rest of the team, but didn’t leave Boston’s side. Maybe the dog knew Boston needed his warmth.

“I helped them out of the sinking Jeep,” Calvin explained. “Got them both up and onto the ice right away, then returned to search for you guys. But I lost track of the Jeep in the dark. You must’ve escaped after I took them up. Too dark to see much down there.”

“Well, we’re all out of the lake, but now we need shelter.” Raven looked around at their surroundings.

“The cabin.” Rebecca pointed at it.

“I was already in there. That’s how I snuck up on these guys.” Calvin shook his head. “All the windows are busted. The whole place has been sacked. No food, no furniture even. Looks like it was gutted and everything inside burned for firewood. It’ll protect us from the wind, but it’s as cold in there as it is out here, and we don’t know when those guys will be back to search for us. I have a feeling if they return, they won’t be alone.”

“We’re in no shape to put up a fight.” Raven held his arms around his body, teeth chattering. His mind was working sluggishly through the options, but he had an idea. “We’re in Yellowstone, and we’re not far from the hot springs now. We can go there, make some shelter, start a fire and dry off.”

“Good idea.” Calvin rubbed his hands together. “We don’t got much time. Let’s move.”

As Raven and Rebecca lifted Boston, Calvin ran to the dead gunman. He stole all the man’s clothes but left the AK-47 behind.

“No more ammunition for this one,” Calvin said. “His weapon’s useless, and his clothes are a little bloody, but drier than ours.”

“Put them on him.” Rebecca nodded to Boston. “He needs them the most.”

“No.” Calvin gave Raven a blood-soaked hoodie to replace his soaked clothes and handed Rebecca the coat and jeans. “That’s not how this works. None of us will make it far without some relief, and he dies if we freeze.”

Calvin took the snow pants and offered Raven the man’s boots and socks. Then he stripped Boston’s clothes off with Raven’s help.

The former Steel Runner was mumbling incoherently to himself, eyes still shut, his flesh icy to the touch. Calvin used his backpack to lug all of Boston’s wet clothes, then he took out an emergency foil blanket.

“Found this on our gunman too,” Calvin said. “They were prepared for the cold. Just weren’t prepared for us.”

They wrapped Boston in the blanket, then hoisted him up. Together, they started hiking along the lakeside toward the hot springs to their west, which Raven guessed were about a mile or so away. Creek whined as he walked between them all, trying to stick close to Boston.

Every step took an enormous effort. Raven’s body told him to slow down. To rest. To go to sleep. But to do so was suicide.

With the freezing wind whipping around them, their teeth chattering incessantly, they continued in the dark and the cold, nearly weaponless and without supplies to survive the night. All the optimism Raven felt leaving Wind River had been stolen from him as quickly as the icy water had taken his breath.

* * *

Lindsey lay flat on her belly under the early morning stars on the eponymous rock formation in Window Rock, New Mexico. She had her suppressed M4A1 pressed to her shoulder as she stared through the scope at the Navajo Nation government complex below.

Pruitt was positioned beside her with his own suppressed M4. Nuke and Jay were on top of another tall rock about fifty yards to their east, equipped with their sniper rifles.

She peeled her eyes away from her scope to study their newest allies.

Two of Kipp’s loyal police officers were near Pruitt and Lindsey, ready to provide fire support. One was a large, tattooed man with the face of a bulldog who went by the name Little Sparrow. Lindsey wasn’t sure how he had been given the name, but the last words she would use to describe the guy were ‘little’ and ‘sparrow.’

The other, thinner officer was named Jack Claw. He had a clean-shaven face and short dark hair, his jaw almost perfectly square.

Both stared intently at the Navajo Nation government complex. They comprised various administrative offices such as the Navajo Nation Council Chamber, the Office of the President and Vice President, and the Navajo Office of Vital Records.

Most of these places had been easy for the average Navajo Nation citizen to visit prior to the Rattlesnakes’ takeover. But now a chain-link fence surrounded the whole complex. Rattlesnake guards patrolled the perimeter, both inside and out.

Every once in a while, Lindsey saw a couple of police officers making rounds. But according to Kipp, most of the officers were on normal beat duties or around the Division of Public Safety Headquarters about three-quarters of a mile southwest of their current position. Lindsey twisted her wrist and pulled up her jacket sleeve. In fact, Kipp should be at the DPS HQ right about now.

She had spent the past several days scouting out the area and performing recon with Pruitt, Nuke, and Jay.

Her goal tonight was relatively straightforward. Within the chain-link fences, the men, women, and children here were kept in a series of trailer homes in the parking lot of the one-story, red brick building housing the Heritage and Historic Preservation Department. They were essentially political prisoners of the local Rattlesnakes. She and her team would free and protect these people, after they picked off the Rattlesnake guards.

In the meantime, Kipp would mount an attack on the DPS HQ. His part of tonight’s mission was both to rescue the legitimate president, who was imprisoned in solitary confinement within the jail, and lead the rebellion of police officers loyal to the real Navajo Nation.

In one fell swoop, they hoped to free Window Rock from Eddy’s grasp.

Another glance at her watch told her it was nearly time for action.

She inhaled, focusing.

Tonight, Lindsey would launch her first offensive action to strike back against Eddy and the Rattlesnakes since Fort Golden was attacked.

She depressed the button on her radio. “Nuke, execute.”

“Wilco.”

Two seconds later, an enormous explosion erupted from near the Window Rock Airport a couple miles south. Blinding white light preceded a blast of orange flames roaring up in a miniature mushroom cloud. The inferno consumed a warehouse full of fuel that they had specifically chosen and infiltrated earlier that day.

A blink later, another shattering blast split the air at the Quality Inn just north of the airport. The Rattlesnakes had been using it as one of their garrisons.

Not anymore.

Lindsey waited a beat before a third boom erupted at the lone gas station a block west of the Quality Inn. A second passed before the fire caught the underground fuel tanks, making the explosion even more brilliant.

South of Window Rock was a gateway to Hell. Rattlesnakes within the government complex began screaming orders. Most of the guards left their posts to respond to the explosions, and trucks and SUVs peeled out of the open gates.

“That should give us enough of a distraction.” Lindsey called Nuke. “Start providing overwatch. We’re going in.”

With most of the Rattlesnakes now clear from the complex, Lindsey led Pruitt, Claw, and Little Sparrow down from the massive stone arch of Window Rock using the cover of bushes and other rock formations to advance toward the chain-link fence.

As they approached the perimeter, she spotted two guards with rifles rushing toward them, as if they expected trouble.

“Eliminating hostiles,” Nuke reported.

A blink later, one guard collapsed, his face erased by a 7.62 mm round. The other shouldered his rifle and roved his aim over the darkness. Suddenly, his features disappeared in a spray of gore, his head whipped backward as his body crumpled in a heap.

“Clear for now,” Nuke said.

Shooting erupted to their south, sounding more distant, like it was coming from the Department of Public Safety.

Jay’s voice came over the comms next to confirm her suspicions. “Kipp’s people are on the move. Rattlesnake guards are already converging on the DPS.”

Lindsey prayed they were successful. Even if she liberated the Rattlesnakes’ prisoners, it wouldn’t matter if Kipp didn’t succeed. There would be no one to overthrow the illegitimate president or return to her position to reinforce her team. As soon as they reached the fence, Little Sparrow and Claw cut their way through the chain-link fence with heavy duty wire cutters. Then they pushed through the opening and inside.

The parking lot with the four trailer homes was about fifteen yards away. From when Lindsey was on top of Window Rock, she had seen two men posted at each corner of the lot. Kipp’s intel suggested that as soon as the Rattlesnakes suspected the Navajo Nation was trying to overthrow them, the guards would start executing hostages as retribution.

Which meant Lindsey had to act fast.

She motioned to remind her team of their noise discipline as the small assault squad moved around the Heritage and Historic Preservation Department Building. She could see the first two guards at the southeastern corner. The men were kneeling in shooting positions, facing outward, ready to fire.

“Jay and I have hostiles on the northwest and northeast corner sighted,” Nuke said through the channel.

Drawing her own rifle up, she targeted one guard and signaled for Pruitt to take the other.

She began shooting, and Pruitt’s rifle erupted in response. Both guards went down before they could even lift a finger.

“Jay, Nuke, now,” she whispered over the comms.

The crack of gunfire and thump of bodies echoing across the complex told her that the northern corner guards were gone too. That left just the men on the southwestern corner. She shot a gesture at Little Sparrow and Claw.

They leapfrogged with Pruitt and Lindsey, first making it to the edge of the parking lot and taking cover behind a trailer. Then they advanced around a parked SUV that gave them a vantage to the southwestern corner.

There was only one guard outside. The door to the trailer was open, light spilling out. A silhouette revealed that the second guard had just started to enter.

Maybe he was checking on the prisoners. Or maybe he was about to open fire, beginning a retaliatory slaughter.

Lindsey wouldn’t give him the chance for either.

She fired a concentrated burst. Bullets caught the doorframe, and splinters flew from the blast. But a sufficient number of rounds connected with the guard to send him tumbling back out the doorway and down the two wooden steps leading in.

The second guard let loose a wild spray of fire as he swiveled to face the incoming rounds. But he wasn’t fast enough for Pruitt. The seasoned former Marine took the Rattlesnake down with expert precision.

“That’s it,” Lindsey said. “Little Sparrow, Claw, go get these people ready to move. We’ll hold security.”

She and Pruitt just had to ward off the enemy long enough so their allies could bring vehicles to escort all the captives out of the complex and beyond Window Rock Tribal Park. They took cover behind a sedan parked near the southwestern corner. With Nuke and Jay looking on with their sniper rifles, they should have most angles covered.

“Hostiles incoming,” Nuke reported. “I see about ten men filtering through the streets.”

Lindsey kept her rifle shouldered, staring between the one- and two-story buildings as she listened to the report from Nuke’s and Jay’s rifles.

“We took out four contacts,” Nuke reported. “The rest are headed your way.”

Sure enough, moments later, a half-dozen Rattlesnakes walked at a crouch down the street, using empty storefronts and offices for cover.

Lindsey held her breath, peeking over the hood of the sedan. Behind her came screams and panicked voices from the trailers. The sudden attack justifiably frightened the civilians inside.

Hopefully, Little Sparrow and Claw could hold them together long enough to escape.

The six Rattlesnakes continued advancing toward Lindsey and Pruitt. They had quickly learned how to avoid Jay and Nuke’s sniper fire and remained low, pressed against the brick buildings.

Lindsey waited for them to draw close, her finger brushing the trigger. Her heart thundered in anticipation as she fought to remain calm.

Then the first couple of Rattlesnakes started creeping across the street toward where she and Pruitt were posted. They looked like they were going to use the sedan she was hiding behind as cover.

Lindsey slowly roved her aim to the closest Rattlesnake. He was halfway across, his comrade following closely. The other four men had taken shelter between the buildings on the opposite side, mostly out of sight.

When the pair approaching her became too close, she fired. Bullets lanced through the gut of her target. The man plunked face-first into the asphalt. Pruitt took out the second Rattlesnake just as quickly.

Then all hell broke loose.

The other four men’s rifles erupted in a savage volley of gunfire. Rounds pounded into the sedan with metallic pops and bangs. Glass exploded in showers of crystalline shards.

“More hostiles incoming!” Nuke reported between the shots. “Nearly fifteen now.”

She imagined him and Jay working their weapons as fast as they could, picking off enemy warriors. But two snipers couldn’t stop them all.

This was up to Pruitt and Lindsey—and hopefully, Claw and Little Sparrow whenever they finished securing the prisoners.

All she could do was fire and duck, holding back the enemy as long as possible.

“Took out six hostiles,” Nuke said. “Lost sight of the other nine.”

Lindsey’s stomach plummeted. Rounds continued to hammer the sedan. The sheer volume of incoming lead was making her attempts to return fire ever more difficult.

“We need new positions!” Lindsey pointed to a concrete barrier about five yards to her west for herself and an SUV parked a few yards to their east for Pruitt.

The Marine gave her a nod.

Lindsey plucked a fragmentation grenade from her vest. She pulled the ring, then threw it at the enemy. The resulting blast erupted with a deafening boom that sent up a plume of dust, interspersed with screams. She sprinted hard for her new position, firing as she ran.

Pruitt did the same.

But as the haze settled, more Rattlesnake soldiers lined up between the buildings. They unleashed round after round into Lindsey’s and Pruitt’s new hiding spots. Lindsey counted only a couple of visible corpses from the grenade.

“The fighting around the DPS stopped,” Nuke said.

Lindsey didn’t know yet whether that meant Kipp or the Rattlesnakes had won. Either way, the skirmish here was only growing more intense.

“We can’t hold them off much longer.” Lindsey tried the radio to call for Kipp. “Kipp, status?”

He didn’t respond.

Her stomach twisted into a painful knot.

“Kipp, do you copy?”

A static-filled transmission buzzed over the comms. Was that Kipp? What was going on?

“Lindsey, we got movement from DPS,” Nuke said. “Horsemen and police cars. Dozens of them. They’re all charging your way right now.”

Lindsey steeled herself. Did that mean friends or foes?

“Hold on,” Nuke said, “the riders and drivers don’t look like Rattlesnakes. At least, they don’t have Rattlesnake uniforms… I think… I think…”

Kipp’s voice suddenly roared over the line, static no longer miring the channel. Lindsey figured he must’ve been in an unlucky dead zone. “We’re here, Lindsey! We made it! Hold your fire!”

Muzzle fire flashed through the street into the enemy combatants’ positions as the horsemen and vehicles charged the enemy. Kipp led the advance, blood streaming down his face, cleaning up the Rattlesnakes in seconds.

He rode up to Lindsey after the gunfire settled. Despite the blood covering his shirt and the cool breeze whipping around them, he gave her a victorious grin. “We rescued President Adakai. My men are going to arrest the illegitimate president holed up in the Presidential Office. But the rest of the Rattlesnake forces that responded to the explosions will catch up with us soon.”

“And the hostages?” Lindsey gestured to the trailer homes.

“You can help them load up in the vehicles we took from DPS. Get these people out of here. We’ll stay and finish off the remaining forces. Shouldn’t be hard.” Then he tipped his hat at her. “Thank you for your help. When the dust settles, know you’ll always have allies in Window Rock.”

“Eddy’s not going to take this kindly,” Lindsey said. “He will retaliate.”

“I’m counting on it.”

-13-

Raven rubbed his hands together, blowing his hot breath into them. He had taken his gloves off for dexterity, but he hated every moment of being exposed to the cold air. Calvin and Rebecca followed him, carrying Boston, as Creek tailed the group.

They had finally made it to their destination. They had found a suitable camping spot on the north side of West-Thumb Geyser Basin Trail in Yellowstone National Park.

“We need shelter and warmth,” Raven said.

Just to their south were the aquamarine hot springs that glowed in moonlight. Geysers exploded sporadically, shooting up white sprays of mist with throaty gurgles.

The heat from the pools warmed the surrounding air, but they couldn’t get too close. Falling into one of the springs meant certain death thanks to the boiling acidic waters. Plus, whenever a frigid wind blew over them, it made them all the colder due to the moisture that settled on them from the springs. So, even though they had some temporary warmth to heat their cores, they still needed a fire and shelter to dry their wet clothes.

“Let’s take Boston there.” He pointed at some nearby trees close enough to the heated water that the snow around the protruding roots had melted.

Boston was uncontrollably shivering. He had lost consciousness shortly after they left the lake. When they settled him among the tree trunks, Raven felt for his pulse.

It was weak, but at least it was still there.

Creek pressed his body against the man, snuggling Boston and whining.

“Good boy.” Raven patted the dog’s head. “Calvin, Rebecca, gather firewood and make a lean-to around Boston. We need to block out the wind. I’ll start a fire.”

“Won’t that just attract the enemy’s attention?” Rebecca asked.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Rebecca gave him an uncertain expression, her face awash in the moonlight. But she nodded and went with Calvin to collect as many branches and fallen tree limbs as they could.

Raven could barely feel his fingers as he dug a pit close to Boston. Like Boston, he hadn’t stopped shivering since the lake. Neither had Calvin and Rebecca. They both looked absolutely miserable, just like how he felt.

But their survival depended on them overcoming their immense discomfort to fight for their lives. The next hour or two would determine whether they lived through the night—or if the sun rose over their frozen corpses.

Raven dug into the ground. He scraped at the dirt with his hand, but most of it was frozen. Instead of tearing apart his fingers, he grabbed a rock to use as a rudimentary shovel. He cleared out a hole about one foot deep and the same dimension in diameter.

All the while, Calvin and Rebecca continued constructing the lean-to. They secured branches around Boston, making a wall.

Raven dug a second hole twelve inches from the first, and only two-thirds the depth. Then he began the arduous task of connecting them via a small tunnel. He chiseled the hard soil with the rock until the pits were connected.

Afterward, he put some small dry twigs and leaves in the first hole.

Without matches or a lighter, he needed to find something else to light the fire. He scoured the nearby lake shore, brushing away snow and ice. Finally, he found what he was looking for. An unassuming stone that could be used like flint. Agate.

After rushing back to the firepit, he scraped his buck knife against the agate. Sparks flew from the rock. It took a few attempts before they caught on the dried leaves and turned into small flames, slowly devouring the twigs. At first, they let off a puff of gray smoke.

But the smoke quickly dissipated.

“That’s magic.” Rebecca paused at the firepit, holding her hands above it.

“It's called a Dakota Firehole,” Raven explained. “The tunnel helps funnel air and feeds the flames fresh oxygen. It burns hotter and smokeless, plus it’s insulated by the ground, so it’s steadier too, with all the heat concentrating above it.”

“And deep as it is, no one’s going to spot it,” Rebecca said. “Genius.”

Raven helped her and Calvin finish constructing the shelter, ensuring it was large enough for all of them to huddle next to the firehole and bask in its heat. After shedding the rest of their wet clothes and hanging them, they redistributed the dead gunmen’s dry outerwear.

Then they pressed themselves against each other with Creek between them to keep warm. It took several grueling minutes of sitting near the fire and skin-to-skin contact, but eventually, Raven stopped shivering.

Warmth finally returned to his core. Even his toes thawed out.

“How’s Boston?” he asked.

Calvin pressed his fingers to the unconscious man’s neck. “His pulse is a little stronger than before. Still passed out, though. Lips look less purple.”

Rebecca stretched her hands out over the fire. “Thank God. And thank you, guys. I couldn’t be trapped in the wilderness with two better people. A SEAL and a former recon Marine-turned-tracker.”

Raven gave her a slight grin. “We’re not out of the woods yet. Not literally or figuratively. We’ve at least got fresh water, but we don’t have any way out of here except on foot. Which means we’re going to burn a lot of calories. We’ll need to find some food.”

“Fishing?” Calvin pointed to the lake.

“We could probably do some ice fishing,” Raven said. “But that might take too long, and we’d have to go farther out onto the lake to carve a hole into it.”

Rebecca brushed her fingers through her hair, trying to wring out the melting water. “I really don’t want to go out on the ice again.”

Raven didn’t blame her. Hell, the thought of crawling on the frozen lake made him shiver.

“We’re going to have to do something,” Calvin said. “We don’t have much gear left either, so this won’t be easy. Speaking of which, what do you all have? Obviously, I’ve got my rifle. Got a knife too, plus my Sig Sauer. No working radio or sat phone, unfortunately.”

Rebecca shook her head. “I’ve got nothing.”

“KA-BAR, hatchet, and crossbow.” Then Raven nodded toward Creek. “Plus him.”

The dog grunted as if in agreement.

“Probably the best tool we have,” Calvin said. “Okay, we’ve got limited ammunition, almost no dry clothes, and only a few weapons.”

“How far is it to Big Sky?” Rebecca asked.

“Damn near one hundred miles,” Raven said.

Rebecca closed her eyes, sighing. “Shit. How are we ever going to make it in this? We can’t call for help.”

“Nope, but we knew this going out here.”

Rebecca nodded forlornly.

“Winter’s a bad time to be stranded anywhere.” Calvin leaned toward the fire, soaking up the heat. “We could start hunting and gathering. Find as much nutrition as possible before we begin the hike to Big Sky.”

Rebecca nodded at Raven’s crossbow. “Hunting? I thought I saw a rabbit on our way here.”

“Rabbits are too lean to be worth the effort,” Calvin said. “We need calorie-dense protein. Beavers would be better—and they don’t hibernate. So we might actually spot some.”

“We’ve also got bison, bighorn sheep, elk, and deer,” Raven added. “All those would work. I can start searching the surrounding area with Creek.”

“Nuts would be helpful too,” Calvin said. “Acorns are an excellent source of calories, but of course you got to leach out the tannins. Pine nuts, maybe. Things like that.”

Raven shook his head. “No chance at acorns here. No oak trees. But plenty of pine nuts. We just got to hope there are still pinecones around that the animals haven’t already devoured.”

“I’m not much of a hunter, but I can gather pine cones.” Rebecca started to move as if she was going to search immediately.

Raven put a hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t go until you’re completely dry. Your hair is wet.”

She glanced at Boston, then Calvin and Raven. “I don’t want to be the weak link. You guys got all the survival skills. I’ll do whatever it takes to get us back.”

Calvin gave her a comforting smile. “You volunteered to go headfirst into enemy territory in the dead of winter with us. You have no reason to worry about looking weak.”

“Not at all.” Raven tapped his temple. “We need to use our heads to get out of this. Better to look weak and be alive than try to do something brave but foolish.”

“Point taken.” Rebecca brushed more water out of her hair as the wind howled against their lean-to. “And since we’re talking about being smart, how did those guys ambush us? Did we really just run straight into a Rattlesnake Union patrol? Seems random.”

Raven stared at the slight glow emanating from the fire pit. “It could be a possibility, of course. Thanks to Phillip and Gloria, we know there are patrols in these areas.”

“But none of us really buy that, do we?” Calvin was staring at Boston, who seemed to be in a deep slumber now. “There’s got to be a spy somewhere we visited.”

“Gloria warned us that she couldn’t vouch for everyone on the casino floor,” Rebecca said. “Could’ve been eyes there.”

Raven pulled a hand through Creek’s fur. The dog closed his eyes contentedly. ”Very likely.”

“What if they’ve been following us since Bonneville? Maybe they’ve been watching and using us as a litmus test,” Rebecca said.

“What do you mean?” Raven asked.

“They could have waited to see which communities welcomed us with open arms. Then they know who is a threat to them.”

“You’ve got a good point. If the Rattlesnakes know we’re out here, they might go to anyone we visited to extract intel and quash any hope of rebellion.”

Calvin let out a huff through his nostrils. “Then we better work fast. The longer it takes for us to finish the job, the more likely it is that the Rattlesnakes will start demolishing everyone we just recruited.”

“And we should warn Gloria, Phillip, and the rest of them about what happened,” Rebecca said.

“Soon as we get to Big Sky,” Calvin said, “we will.”

Raven finally felt like his body was at a comfortable temperature again. His muscles ached and his stomach growled, but he would not die of hypothermia.

At least, not yet.

Boston still wasn’t awake. They had no food. They had no way to call for help. And they had few remaining weapons.

A hundred miles to go.

Not great.

And for all he knew, there were more of the Rattlesnake Union cronies searching Yellowstone for them.

* * *

Eddy rode Yanaba outside the fortified gates of Outpost Salt Lake City. Naabaah was on his own steed beside Eddy under the clear blue morning sky. A cool wind blew through the streets, carrying swirls of snow. They navigated the abandoned vehicles and trash as Rattlesnakes patrolled the area.

Before they made it far, pounding hooves clattered behind them.

A Rattlesnake warrior named Cameron rushed to him on a horse. “Ahiga!”

Eddy pulled Yanaba to a stop. “What is it?”

Cameron’s chest heaved, his lips trembling. “I received news from Window Rock.”

Naabaah shared a look with Eddy. From his dour expression, Eddy knew they were both on the same page. News like this couldn’t be good. Eddy felt the beast of anger ready to explode in him, already bracing for the worst. But he held it back. For now.

“Don’t be afraid,” Eddy said. “Tell me.”

“The capital has fallen to a rebellion led by Officer Kipp.”

Eddy turned to Naabaah. “Kipp? I thought we had his full support.”

“That was my impression.” Naabaah studied the messenger. “Did he do this alone?”

Cameron shook his head. “He recruited a bunch of officers. Maybe some other Navajo Nations residents, and… and we think some people from Colorado. Specifically, I heard sightings of Sheriff Plymouth.”

The news of Lindsey’s involvement made his insides turn to cold steel. “Of course. Were other Colorado Rangers involved? Did they purposely break our ceasefire?”

“I couldn’t say for sure, but there weren’t many wašíču,” Cameron replied. “Maybe no more than half a dozen.”

“Send me to Window Rock,” Naabaah said. “I can take care of this rebellion. I still have ties to the Council, and hell, I helped some of their campaigns.”

Eddy considered it for a second. His heart told him to win Window Rock back immediately, but his real victory was almost in sight. He couldn’t lose focus. “This is extremely unfortunate.” He had to swallow his fury. “But no. Not yet.” He moved his gaze to Cameron. The man recoiled as if Eddy had raised a fist or his tomahawk. “Have whatever Rattlesnake forces remain set up security posts around the Navajo Nation to monitor the area.”

“That’s a lot of land to patrol,” Cameron said. “I’m not sure we have enough people left there to keep it secure.”

“Tell them to do their best. Even if they can’t stop every interloper, I want our people monitoring any communications coming and going from the Nation. See if we can figure out what the rebels are up to now.”

“Yes, Ahiga. Is there anything else I can do?”

Eddy shook his head, and Cameron rode off back to the Outpost.

“We can’t let this go unpunished,” Naabaah said.

“We won’t.” Eddy kicked Yanaba back into a walk. “Maybe the wašíču are trying to provoke us into a fight. They probably think they’ve delivered a devastating blow, but we won’t take their bait.”

“Ahiga, I don’t understand. This is the Navajo Nation capital. We’re just going to give it up?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It was the capital that the wašíču gave us, not what we chose for ourselves. You can’t let the wašíču dictate our destiny now that it’s in our hands. So we prove our independence by showing we have a new capital, right here, and Window Rock is nothing.”

Naabaah seemed to think that over for a few seconds before speaking again. “I still don’t like letting the traitors win.”

“We’re not going to crush our brothers and sisters. At least, not right away. Give them a chance to redeem themselves and for those still loyal to prove their fealty.”

“And if they don’t?”

Eddy grinned. “Then they are indeed wašíču and will be dealt with as such.”

“Which means?”

“Which means all our efforts with the Wild Fire and Commander will be just as useful in convincing them to see things our way as it will be to get what we want from the Feds. So show me what you’ve been up to.”

They continued through the outskirts of the city where he had allowed handfuls of the former Outpost Salt Lake City residents to remain. Instead of letting them spread out unattended, he relegated them to an old RV park between the Outpost and Air National Guard Base, where he and Naabaah were headed.

The RVs and trailer homes sat behind the chain-link, razor wire-topped fences that the Rattlesnakes had installed around the area.

A yellowed, cracked sign read: “Royal Campground.”

Nothing about it was royal now. The smell of humanity was thick in the air. There was no working sewage system or electricity.

Tents made of ratty sheets and tarps were strung between the trailers and RVs. People looked at him as they warmed their hands near fires burning in trash cans or as they peered out of their haphazardly constructed shelters.

Most were lean and dirty.

One child ran up to the fence as Eddy passed. The kid couldn’t have been over six or seven. He reached through toward Eddy.

The Rattlesnake leader pulled on Yanaba’s reins to slow her. Two of the guards patrolling the perimeter of the camp closed in on the child.

Eddy held a hand up to stay them.

Naabaah rode his horse to Eddy’s side. “What a sad little thing.”

Eddy studied the boy. “Pathetic.”

The kid just stared at Eddy with his huge eyes under locks of curly hair. “Please, I’m hungry. Do you have food?”

“Why can’t your parents feed you?” Eddy asked.

“They don’t work anymore.”

“Because they chose the wrong side in this war,” Eddy said. “They were happy to steal my lands and make it so my people couldn’t work. You understand?”

The boy shook his hand. “I just want food, mister. Please.”

A man in dirty, tattered clothes came out from a nearby RV. He looked about wildly before his eyes settled on the boy.

“Peter! Leave that man alone!” he yelled as he ran to the child.

“Oh, he’s not bothering me,” Eddy said in a calm voice.

Then the man froze, evidently realizing who Eddy was. “Oh, sir, I, um, I’m sorry if Peter was bothering you. He’s just starving.” The man looked up sheepishly at Eddy. “We need food.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“Please, we have done nothing. We’ll work for it. We’ll work for you. Anything you want.”

“The rations we give you aren’t enough?” Naabaah asked.

The man shook his head. “Not quite. We’re getting sick. A couple people have died.”

“A couple?” Eddy laughed. “Try two hundred.”

“What?”

“Two hundred.” Eddy glared at the wretch. “During the Long Walk, the US Army forcibly removed 8500 of my people from their lands and marched them over three hundred miles through desolate terrain. Two hundred perished from starvation and exposure to the elements. You don’t have to walk anywhere. You just sit here in your filth. How can you possibly complain?”

The sorrowful father looked down at his child. “Please, my son just needs—”

Eddy took out his handgun. He pointed it at the beggar’s face. All around the camp, others were peering out of their RVs, trailer homes, and tents, watching. Having this type of power felt good after the news from Window Rock.

“You want little Peter to have more food?” Eddy asked.

The man never answered before Eddy fired. Blood sprayed from the father’s face, and he slumped to the ground as Peter screamed.

“There,” Eddy said. “One less mouth to feed. Your son can have your rations now.”

Peter cried and yanked on his father’s jacket. “Wake up, Daddy! Wake up!”

No one from the tents or the RVs ran out to help the boy. Instead, they just retreated into their shelters. Cowards. All of them.

“Let’s go, Naabaah.” Eddy motioned for them to continue.

Naabaah pulled his horse alongside Eddy’s. “Should we remove the body at least? The man wasn’t lying. Disease is spreading around their camp.”

“And when did the US government ever care about disease spreading in our communities? We should show them how we suffered.”

“I suppose so, but—”

“Naabaah, are you getting cold feet?”

Naabaah straightened in his saddle. “No, but if disease runs rampant in that camp, it might infect our guards, then jump to the Rattlesnakes.”

Eddy sighed. “You might have a point. But disease spreading through a few people here is a much smaller concern than what we’re about to do.”

They moved on toward the Air Base.

“And I’ve got you and your teams to thank,” Eddy continued. “You did exactly as promised, unlike Lincoln’s bungling of the assassinations.”

“At least he’s off delivering diseased corpses now,” Naabaah said. “This time, the bodies are already dead, so his people shouldn’t screw this up,” Naabaah paused a moment as if in thought. “Although, I guess there’s a decent chance one of the communities will catch him and imprison him… or worse.”

“And good riddance if they do,” Eddy said. “As much as Lincoln’s people have been useful, he is wearing out his usefulness. If someone rids me of Lincoln, I don’t have to do it.”

“Plus, it makes him look like a martyr for the Rattlesnake cause. Which only makes the Liberty Militia more dedicated to us.”

“You learn quickly, Naabaah. I’m sorry I didn’t have you working closely with me since the beginning. It would have been nice to have someone else with a strategic mind.”

They reached the former National Guard Base. Four of Eddy’s Rattlesnakes pulled open the chain-link gate. He and Naabaah continued toward the single runway directly next to what used to be the Salt Lake City International Airport.

They passed between a pair of massive hangars. Two huge gray KC-135 Stratotankers for air-to-air refueling sat neglected on the tarmac. Eddy wished he had men with the know-how and supplies to repair the planes. They could be useful for what came next.

“There we are.” Naabaah pointed to the back of a hangar where two muddy MTV trucks were parked, their canopied beds hiding their cargo. “Even more than we initially thought.”

Eddy couldn’t help but grin. He rode Yanaba to the trucks. Eight Rattlesnakes guarded them. Between them was a Ranger and an USAMRIID worker that they had taken hostage months ago, back when they started the mission to retake the New Frontier.

When Eddy reached the trucks, he saw the spoils of Naabaah’s efforts. Sixty-gallon steel oil drums lay in the beds. He guessed there were nearly forty of them.

“Naabaah, you have outdone yourself,” Eddy said.

Naabaah gestured at the goods. “Every one of those is filled with Wild Fire.”

“It’s enough to take out the entire nation.”

“Which is exactly what those terrorist Reapers planned to do over six months ago,” Naabaah said. “Back when no one in the United States or the New Frontier had a cure to this disease.”

“And now we do. Make sure Doctor Wheeler and our medical staff stay working overtime. We’re going to want to ensure we have more than enough Commander to protect our people when we release this across the United States. Surely that will be enough to get people at Window Rock to see things our way again. ”

Naabaah let out a harsh laugh. “Plus, Shelby will want far more than a ceasefire. He’ll come kissing our feet, begging for us to share the Commander.”

“I haven’t yet decided if I’ll give some to them in return for more land—or if I’ll let the Reapers’ original plan play out. We could just let the whole of the United States suffer and expand to fill the void the wašíču leave behind.”

“Either way, I’ll be right there with you, Ahiga.” Naabaah gazed over the barrels. “We just need to figure out how to distribute the Wild Fire.”

“We’ll come up with something,” Eddy said.

He kicked Yanaba’s flank, steering her toward the Ranger and the USAMRIID worker. Grime and dirt covered their ragged camouflage uniforms. Their cheekbones stuck out, their eyes bulging as if they might pop from their sockets. They appeared worse than the Royal Campground inhabitants.

“You boys didn’t lead us astray,” Eddy said to the two men. If he could call them that. They appeared more like waifs, spirits that would blow away in a strong wind.

The Ranger looked up at him pitifully. “I told you we weren’t lying.”

“You told me exactly what I wanted to hear. You claimed you helped with the investigations to find the Reapers’ stores of Wild Fire and you never found all of them. I’m sorry if I believed you were deceiving me to save your lives, since it all sounded too good to be true." He gestured back to the truck. “So where did you end up finding these?”

The USAMRIID worker spoke. “At the reservoir near Vernal, Utah. We believe that many of these were transported on the last Angel Line that was attacked. These are the missing barrels from that train.”

“Do you think you found all of it?”

“It’s impossible to know for sure.” The Ranger shrugged. “I mean, our organization wanted to look around the area but—”

"Yes, I realize we kept you out of the Wild Lands. Which now is more prescient than I had expected since we have our hands on these Wild Fire stores. But to my question, is this the last of it?”

“We don’t have any other leads or any idea where else the Reapers might’ve stored other barrels. I can’t say for sure, but it’s unlikely.”

Eddy nodded. “Either way, this is more than enough. You did well for wašíču.”

“Now can you let us go?” the Ranger asked. “You promised our freedom after we delivered this. You said we could go back to our families.”

“I did.” Eddy leaned around Yanaba’s neck. “Your name is Shepard? Or Stutter? Something like that?”

“Stevenson.”

“Well, Stevenson, I also recall you lived near Allenspark, Colorado. Is that correct?”

The man shivered and bowed his head. He had only revealed that information after an intense interrogation session with Naabaah. “That’s right.”

“Allenspark is gone. Everyone there has pretty much been killed.” Eddy raised his pistol and fired it for the second time that day. Blood sprayed from the exit wound in the Ranger’s head and over the side of the truck. “So there, Stevenson. Now you can see your family.”

The USAMRIID worker held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “Please, please, my family’s out east. They’re still alive. Please, I did what you wanted.”

Eddy moved his aim over the man and fired. He had no more time for pleading. “Well, if they’re still alive, then you can wait for them in Hell. Won’t be long after the Wild Fire reaches them and sends your family to the afterlife.”

“That takes care of one problem,” Naabaah said. “And now that we’ve got one piece of good news today, how about the bad?”

“I’m always ready for the bad.”

“Thanks to that insider at Wind River, one of our patrols found Raven’s team near Yellowstone.”

“Did they capture them?”

Naabaah’s gaze played over the blood pooling out from the two dead men. “They did not. The patrol that intercepted them—some of Lincoln’s Liberty Militia—tried to stop Raven and the three people with him, one of which we believe is Calvin Jackson.”

“But they failed to stop Raven’s team.”

“Somewhat. They drove them into Yellowstone Lake. Nearly killed them. A couple of them may still be alive after escaping the water and injuring the patrolmen. If Raven and his team survived, they’ll be sick and starving. They have no supplies and no vehicle.”

“Call Lincoln at once,” Eddy said. “I want him to go after Raven personally. Have him bring all the people he’s got in the area to comb Yellowstone. If Lincoln doesn’t bring me back Raven’s head, then I’ll give him the same treatment I just showed Stevenson.”

“What about the Wild Fire?” Naabaah asked.

“Delivering it may be the tricky part.”

Naabaah mulled this over for a second, then looked out toward the runway. “Planes would be great if we could fly and maintain them. But if that won’t work, I might have another idea.”

-14-

Calvin tried to grab some shut-eye while Raven hunted, and Rebecca kept watch. Boston hadn’t yet woken up. Though he had been responsive for a few minutes during the night, presumably after he warmed up, he was still in sorry shape. His fingers were blackened at the tips, as were his toes. He had bad frostbite and might even lose part of his digits if he didn’t get real medical help. Worse was the possibility of an infection from dead flesh.

With sunlight trickling through the holes in their lean-to, Calvin finally gave up trying to sleep. He checked on the firepit to make sure plenty of wood was left in it. Then he ducked out.

Rebecca was next to a spindly evergreen, surveying the landscape. She held Calvin’s M4 as she watched steam rise from the hot springs past thickets of pine trees.

“It’s all so still, like there’s no life out there,” she said.

Calvin stretched his arms. His muscles kept tensing with the cold, intensifying his back pain. The sunlight helped to warm him, and so did his now-dry clothes. But it was as if his body couldn’t forget the icy chills from the previous night.

“Weird feeling, isn’t it?” he asked.

“What’s that?”

“Feeling like you’re the only person in the world. Or in our case, the last couple of people. Alone. No technology. Just us and the earth, like God made it.”

“You know, I used to maintain some optimism since the Collapse, but it’s hard now.”

“Oh?”

Rebecca continued to speak even as she continued to scan the landscape, always watching for any sign of danger. “I attended college on a scholarship for track. Sprinter. First person in my family to go for a degree beyond high school. My parents couldn’t afford it. So that scholarship was my lifeline to get out of the Podunk town I’d grown up in.”

“How Podunk we talking?”

“Five hundred people and dwindling.” She narrowed her eyes as she stared over the lake. “No job prospects for me there. Nothing within an hour or two. In fact, the closest Walmart was a one-and-a-half-hour drive.”

“Hard to believe anywhere was safe from a Walmart.”

“Oh, well, we had Dollar General. Which was most definitely not a dollar. Expensive as shit for the crap they sold us. But what choice did we have?” She chuckled. “Point being, I wanted a way out of that town.”

“So you could live closer to a Walmart? Trust me, it’s overrated.”

Rebecca laughed, this time a little harder. “Nowhere I can buy a pair of jeans for like five bucks is overrated, all right? But anyway, I got my scholarship, got to college, and then, boom. Fell in love with being away from home. I was in a city with only 15,000 people, but it practically felt like Manhattan. Until sophomore year, when a freak accident blew out my ankle. Surgery after surgery. Lost the scholarship. Got a bunch of medical bills and had to drop out. Moved back in with Mom.”

Calvin raised a brow. “You were an optimist throughout all that?”

She nodded. “Because while I was home with my mom, she got a gallbladder infection, and she died unexpectedly. And if I had been at college, I would have missed those last three months with her.”

Rebecca adjusted her stance against a crooked evergreen and stared over the lake.

“Some people might say it was bad luck that my mom died. But heck, we all die. She was going to pass someday. At least she went knowing I loved her and we’d had that time together instead of me moving halfway across the country and visiting her once a year for Christmas.”

“Your mom was lucky to have a daughter like you. But how do you look at the Collapse as an optimist?”

“I mean, we got rid of social media. I didn’t have to watch people I used to know traveling the world or having kids or living life while I was stuck. So that was nice.”

“Not a fan of all those Instabook and Yourspace crap websites,” Calvin said, “but I’d happily be posting selfies with my caramel-mocha whipped cream crappucino if it meant the world was back to normal.”

Again, Rebecca laughed. It was good to see her holding on to her sense of humor despite everything. Her demeanor reminded Calvin of the men he had served with overseas in a way. Sure, she didn’t have the same practiced bravado and training. But she could survive utter disaster and come out on the other side mostly intact, able to deflect from the otherwise bleak reality.

“I’d love to see you take a duck-face photo while you pose with some sugary drink from Starbucks,” she said.

“You might get to see that some day and I’ll eat my words. But you still didn’t really answer my question. Getting rid of a few annoying websites and apps isn’t worth the tradeoff of the Collapse to me.”

“Well, it’s difficult to twist the Collapse into anything positive. But for my situation, that’s another story.”

“How so?” Again, Calvin’s brow crinkled together.

“For me, it was a chance to really do something with my life. Even with my funky ankle. I have a purpose. A goal. I had a reason to get outside of my tiny town again, and for the first time since college, I’m actually seeing the country.” She hung her head low for a second. “I mean, it’s not the country I thought it would be. But while the cities aren’t the same, nature is still here.”

She gestured with one hand to their surroundings.

“So, it’s not all bad.” She kicked at the snow. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d actually get to see Yellowstone.”

Calvin patted her on the shoulder. “Shoot, I could use some of that optimism. Because, otherwise, all I’m doing is sitting around and thinking about how we’re all going to die if Raven doesn’t bring us back some chow.”

“It’s not easy. That’s for sure.”

“Nothing in life worth fighting for is easy. Whether that’s happiness or freedom or just survival. We got to work for it, especially when the odds are stacked against us. Because Lord knows, if we don’t fight for it, no one else will.”

They settled into quiet conversation for a while until Calvin noticed Rebecca yawning. If he couldn’t get any sleep, someone should.

“Why don’t you grab some sleep?” Calvin reached for the rifle. “I can take over for now. We’ve still got some of those pine nuts you gathered inside too if you need ‘em.”

“Thanks, Cal.”

She ducked into the lean-to, leaving Calvin alone. He sighed and took a deep, cold breath.

A geyser erupted, and mist blew into the air in a wild, thundering spray. It soon settled, and the gurgle of the bubbling water grew quiet.

But there was another noise that piqued Calvin’s interest. The distant rumble of a car engine. It lasted for only a few seconds.

He listened for it again. The only sounds were the scrape of ice and snow over the ground, along with the rattle of branches.

Peeking into the shelter, he asked Rebecca, “Did you hear that?”

She sat upright immediately. “What? The geyser?”

“I thought it was a car.”

“Should we move Boston?” Rebecca asked.

Calvin considered it for a second. “We do that, and we’ll leave an unmistakable trail people can follow. If we sit tight, whoever is in that vehicle might miss us.” He withdrew his pistol and handed it to Rebecca. “I’m going to do a lap. Hopefully, Raven heard it and is coming back. But if someone tracked us down, I’m going to head them off.”

“You want me to go with?”

“Negative. Watch Boston. If anyone other than me or Raven gets too close, shoot.”

“You got it. Be safe out there, Cal.”

He retreated from the shelter with his rifle and prowled into the woods.

All the exhaustion in his body, the ever-present pain in his spine faded to background noise. His professional SEAL skills kicked in. Honed instinct took over as he crept low through the foliage, moving slowly toward where he thought he heard the engine.

Maybe it was nothing but an echo of the geyser.

But he couldn’t shake his natural cynicism.

Eventually, the Rattlesnakes would come after them again. And after losing their Jeep, he only had a single magazine of ammunition.

He snuck between the trees and snowdrifts until he made it close to Highway 20 and followed it north, sticking to cover.

Then he saw it.

Movement nearly half a mile from his position. There was an SUV parked on the road, and a few shapes milling about around it.

Shouldering his rifle, he stared down the scope. Sure enough, he saw three men. They talked amongst each other and pointed at the ground.

Calvin’s stomach twisted into a nauseating knot. Of course. He and the others had been so desperate just to stay alive, they probably left an obvious trail.

Two more men got out of the SUV. The five of them spread out in the snow and started moving into the woods, where Calvin lost them.

And so it began. Calvin vowed not to let them get anywhere close to Boston and Rebecca. This was his chance to head the enemy off. To eliminate them.

It was just five men. He could take them. It wouldn’t even be a fair fight. He was a SEAL, and what were these guys? Wannabe thugs?

Just as he stalked into the forest, the growl of another truck engine pierced the quiet. The new vehicle rolled around a curve shielded by trees, parked beside the first, and disgorged five more men.

That meant ten in total.

Ten men against one former Navy SEAL.

He almost felt bad for these guys.

* * *

Raven slung a pair of beavers over his back. Creek looked pleased with their haul, drool dripping from the dog’s lips in anticipation of a tasty meal. He didn’t blame the Akita because the dog was probably just as hungry as he was.

It had taken the better part of the day and Raven’s last two crossbow bolts, but it was a worthwhile effort. The sun was still high enough to provide some warmth. In about twenty minutes, he would be back to the camp and could start cooking. His stomach growled in anticipation.

Then came a gunshot, followed swiftly by several more.

It was the slightly muffled pop, pop, pop of suppressed rifle fire. He knew one person who had a gun that made that sound.

Calvin.

And if Calvin was shooting at something, it couldn’t be good. Raven’s heart erupted in a furious pounding. He stashed the harvested beavers and his crossbow under a scraggly bush and began sprinting through the woods. Creek matched his pace, ears going back, tail straight behind him.

Raven had no other weapons with ammunition except his pistol.

And from what he knew, Calvin was in a very similar position.

He didn’t know how many hostiles might be out there. But if this turned into an extended battle, fortune was not on their side.

Adrenaline coiled through his vessels, fueling his exhausted body. He continued pumping his arms and legs, running as quietly as he could toward the camp.

More suppressed gunshots burst around the forest.

Then the staccato rattle and boom of other weapons erupted in response, accompanied by echoing yells.

Raven made it to Highway 20. He crouched for a moment by a tangle of bushes and dead weeds. About a quarter mile to his left, a truck and an SUV were parked. He saw a flurry of footprints in the snow leading past the trees headed away from the vehicles.

Toward his right, southward and closer to camp, the sounds of gunfire rang again.

Raven sprinted across the road with Creek. He took cover behind a tree and studied the footprints. Judging by the number of distinct sets, he guessed there were at least half a dozen men. Probably more.

Another rash of gunfire boomed toward the south.

Raven followed the trails, and Creek loped beside him. Finally, he saw one downed hostile. The man had dropped an AK-47.

Perfect.

Except for the two men standing near the dead one. Throughout the woods, flashes of muzzle fire dispelled the shadows. From his vantage, he counted another six men. Two were dead. Were there more here he couldn’t see though?

He had to act fast.

Raven sprinted as silently as he could at the first couple of men with their backs toward him. In one hand, he took out his buck knife. With his other, he tore out his hatchet. He leapt at the nearest hostile, slashing his blade into the back of the guy’s neck. The man jerked forward with an anguished cry.

Another slash across his face silenced him. The other gunman was just about ten feet to Raven’s right. He started to turn, his weapon in hand. Raven pitched the knife at the man, the blade cutting into the guy’s stomach.

Retching and gagging, the man doubled over. Even through his evident pain, he brought his rifle up to fire. But Raven flung his hatchet.

The blade cracked into the man’s features, the hostile’s legs went out from under him, and he plopped forward, white flakes puffing out around him.

Raven recovered the first rifle he could, then whipped it up. Doing a quick headcount, he thought he spied another four men posted up behind the trees.

Raven spotted a couple of new corpses too, but he couldn’t see any more opposing gunfire from the direction of camp. Calvin was either out of ammunition or dead.

By now, the four other gunmen swiveled, looking for who had attacked their comrades. Raven gestured to Creek, and the Akita shot off into the forest to flank them.

Raven dropped low into the brush to find a new position. He stopped at a copse of pine trees that gave a vantage of two gunmen. After rising slowly, he took aim and fired at one, then the next. Both fell with heaving thuds against the frozen ground.

Just two more contacts he could see. They were squarely behind the cover of knotted tree trunks, growing wise to his ambush.

With a whistle, Raven sent Creek on the attack. The dog burst from the dead bushes where he had been hiding and hurtled into the flank of one of the gunmen. Creek lunged and latched on to the man’s throat, tearing and growling. The two of them fell back into the snow.

The gunman’s buddy yelled, peeling out of his shelter. Before Raven could even fire, he heard the whoomp of a suppressed M4. The gunman’s head snapped backward, and he collapsed into the side of a tree before landing hard on the frozen ground.

Maybe Calvin was still in the fight after all.

Raven ran for the person who Creek had taken down. But before he got there, the deed was already done.

“Stop, Creek,” Raven said.

The dog backed up from the gruesome wound. Blood dripped down his maw.

Raven scooped up a spare magazine from the dead man. Then cautiously roved his sights over the landscape.

“Raven!” a familiar voice called.

Calvin surged out of the woods to his left, his M4 slung over his back.

“Thank God, man. That was my last bullet.”

Raven expected Calvin to look relieved that they had won the battle. But the expression on the Steel Runner’s face told him this wasn’t over.

Calvin pointed in the lean-to's direction. “There are more guys near the hot springs closing in on Rebecca and Boston’s position.”

He ran to scoop up another lost rifle. “I gave Rebecca my pistol. But it won’t be enough against what they’re packing.”

Then came another growl of truck engines reverberating against the pines. More reinforcements.

Calvin looked at the road. “Son of a… I’ll hold them off. You and Creek go save the others.”

“Count on us.”

Raven sprinted toward the hot springs as hard as he could. A quick burst of small arms fire ricocheted through the woods. It sounded like Rebecca was unleashing all she had.

The booming report of a rifle followed.

Adrenaline surged anew through Raven like icy water rushing through his veins.

He broke through a fence of dead vegetation overlooking the hot springs. Their lean-to was surrounded by tree branches and broken sticks, giving it some camouflage. But not enough.

Four men fired into it, weapons rattled as bullets punched into the thin walls, bark and snow flying from the impacts.

Raven’s insides turned to concrete.

No, no, no.

He took aim as the men spread out, advancing on the humble shelter. If Rebecca and Boston weren’t already dead, they would be soon.

Raven fired at the moving targets nearly a hundred yards away. Snow and bark burst around the enemy in wild sprays. Three of the men found cover among a screen of evergreens, shielding themselves from Raven’s gunfire.

The fourth one took a bullet to his leg. He started limping, giving Raven an easy target. A couple more shots took the man down. But Raven’s rifle bolt locked back.

Empty.

Bullets from return fire hammered the surrounding trees. He swapped mags as fast as he could while sprinting with Creek for a new position.

He kept running. Rounds speared past. Splinters from the trees cut over his body as the bullets drilled through the trunks.

From where he had left Calvin, more gunfire boomed. The Steel Runner was having his own deadly battle.

Raven had to do this alone with Creek.

With a gesture, he sent Creek deeper into the woods. The dog disappeared in the brush as Raven ran in the opposite direction to circle around the men. He was now just twenty yards from the lean-to where the gunmen had entrenched themselves.

He dove to the ground and pulled himself through the snow on his belly. Bullets zipped overhead. He focused on getting to the next position, then popped out from behind a tree. A burst from his rifle took down a second man.

That left two more who were just a few feet from the shelter.

Raven unleashed a salvo that caused both to hide behind some rocks. One pushed out to fire. But Raven shot a burst to keep him down, sparks flinting off the stone.

And there went the last rounds he had left. The last two men were still alive.

He pulled out his sidearm, letting the rifle fall.

With another whistle, he sent Creek charging. As the two hostiles stood to retreat, Raven blasted at them with his handgun. Bullets zipped toward them, hitting one in the ribs and the other in the leg.

When Raven’s slide locked back, he stowed his pistol and ran at them with his hatchet and knife. Creek pounced on the man who’d taken a hit in the side. The asshole fell backward as Creek tore at his arm, ripping and twisting violently.

The second man limped toward Creek, raising his sidearm with one hand. Now that he was closer, Raven got a better view of the enemy. This man appeared out of place compared to his comrades. Instead of hunting gear and a standard militia loadout, he wore a black peacoat. A crucifix necklace hung over the coat, dangling under his carefully manicured beard and a face that looked like he could’ve been a movie star.

“No!” Raven shouted.

He sprinted at the crucifix man, then leapt, hatchet ready to slice into his flesh. But the enemy twisted away and Raven landed on the snow and ice.

The hostile started firing wildly, but he was panicked and his shots went too high. Raven rammed his shoulder into the guy’s gut, and the man slid backward toward the geysers and hot springs, his pistol skittering away.

Sometime during the clash, Creek’s target had gone quiet. The dog must have finished him.

The movie star began scrambling toward the pistol.

Raven kicked the pistol, then he sliced down with the hatchet. But the hostile quickly rolled away and drew a pair of knives from his coat. He immediately threw one at Raven, grazing his calf.

The crucifix man held the other knife, looking at Raven with the desperation and anger of a rabid wolf. And while he did, Creek came running.

But to Raven’s surprise, the movie star moved out of the way when Creek lunged and landed a heavy boot into the Akita’s side. The dog went tumbling with a surprised yelp.

“Asshole!” Raven yelled.

They clashed, blades parrying and sparking together. The man caught Raven in the gut with a punch that sent the breath out of him before he twisted the hatchet from Raven’s grip.

He tried to swing it at Raven. But even as Raven struggled to breathe after the punch, he struck out at the man’s wrist, knocking the blade free. He followed up with a knife strike across the shoulder.

The enemy hit back just as hard, fists and blade flying like a viper. It was all Raven could do to stay upright and dodge the attacks. But several sliced through his coat and tore his flesh. He felt a burning sensation and the warmth of spreading blood.

For a moment, he feared he might lose the battle.

He saw Creek struggling to stand. The dog looked pitiful.

Fresh rage fueled him. He dodged under the enemy’s attack and landed a bone-snapping punch into the guy’s face. A second crushed his nose, and the man tumbled backward, right at the edge of a boiling hot spring.

Raven lunged, driving his knee into the man’s chest.

“No!” the man yelled. Bloody saliva sprayed from his mouth. He let go of his knife and held back Raven’s wrists, his arms twitching. Already one eye swelled up. “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t have a damn clue.”

“Ryan Lincoln, leader of the Liberty Militia. We’re part of the Rattlesnake Union. You kill me, Eddy will come after you with all our forces!”

“Good!” Raven grunted, trying to push the man backward. The hot water popped behind them, steam scouring their flesh. “I’ll kill them all too, and you can be there waiting for them when they meet you in Hell!”

Raven used all his strength to shove Lincoln into the hot spring. Water gurgled around him as he splashed, struggling to get to shore and somehow pull himself out of the pool.

But the damage was already done. His eyes were a pale white, already boiled. Chunks of skin peeled off, sloughing onto the rocks, and his lips opened in a baleful scream as they hung off in a gory mess. Lincoln’s voice devolved into a haunting screech like a wounded elk. The only reason he managed to escape the pool was from pure adrenaline and shock driving him like an animal operating purely out of instinct.

Raven scooped up one of the knives Lincoln had lost and threw it at the man’s face. It popped through his eye, and Lincoln fell backward with another splash.

This time, he didn’t get back out.

Raven immediately ran back to Creek. The dog was wheezing.

“It’s okay.” Raven scoured the Akita for signs of injury. “Looks like you got the wind knocked out of you. Stay here, boy.”

He sprinted toward the lean-to.

“Rebecca! Boston!”

But when he ducked in, there was no one. Panic swelled a moment before a voice called to him from outside.

“Raven!”

He went back out and saw Rebecca about ten yards ahead. She pulled off some branches from a pile to reveal Boston.

“I dragged him away,” she said. “Got him hidden. He’s all right. I’m good too. Hid by him after I ran out of bullets and had to escape. But where’s Calvin?”

Raven looked toward the way he had come. There was no more gunfire. He snatched up two of the dropped rifles, took a couple of magazines, and gave one weapon to Rebecca.

“Calvin was holding off some reinforcements,” Raven said.

“Did he…?” Rebecca let her words trail off.

The roar of another truck engine echoed across the landscape, growing louder as it closed in. Raven braced himself, taking a knee, despite the pain from his cuts, and raised his rifle. Rebecca followed suit, ready to fight to her last breath with him.

But when the vehicle finally tore around the trees and up the shores of the nearest hot spring, only a single man sat inside.

Calvin.

He parked and got out.

“You all okay?” he asked.

Raven winced as he stood, still breathing heavily. “For the most part.”

“Good, because we need to get the hell out of here. I overheard them saying they got more men in the area coming this way.”

-15-

Lindsey stood outside the red sandstone Navajo Nation Council Chambers. Jay sat at a picnic table nearby, his chin in his hands as he stared off at the horizon where the sun dipped behind the golden round stone formations. Pruitt was eating a sandwich, his head bowed like he didn’t have the energy to finish the meal. He looked as exhausted as she felt.

They escorted the civilians of Window Rock to safety last night—and after, they returned to the administrative complex to help Kipp and his men.

It had been a long and bloody battle. During the early hours of the morning, some of Kipp’s police scouts reported that the last of the Rattlesnakes had retreated from Window Rock and headed north. Eddy’s forces were gone, but they had left their mark.

Bullet casings littered the asphalt and glittered between nearly every building in the government complex. She and her team had spent most of the day clearing bodies and cleaning up along with other volunteers. They hadn’t just buried the bodies of Rattlesnakes, but also loyal police officers and even a few civilians hit by stray gunfire.

The taste of victory had never been so sour to Lindsey. But she had to push forward. This was just the beginning of their mission to take down the Rattlesnakes.

She once again dialed a number on her sat phone.

And once again, no answer.

Jay looked over to her. “Raven and Calvin still aren’t picking up?”

Lindsey shook her head. “It’s like when you two got imprisoned in Ouray all over again. All comms dark.”

“Raven’s wily. Whatever’s going on with them, I’m sure it’s okay.”

“How can you be sure?”

Jay left the picnic table and leaned against the brick wall of the building near Lindsey. “I know from personal experience that Raven can survive whatever the Wild Lands throw at him.”

She forced a grin, wanting desperately to believe him. But while she wanted to continue talking, the mere thought of something happening to Raven made her choke up.

So she changed the subject. “Any word on your brother?”

Jay pulled his hand through his hair. “No one’s seen him in months. Not since the Rattlesnakes took over.” He hung his head low. “I’m afraid I gotta face reality. He’s dead and buried.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. At least Raven helped me get my boy and my ex out in time. If we had waited longer, then I wouldn’t have found them either.”

“Every life we can save is worth the effort.” Lindsey checked her watch. “I’m sorry, just a few more minutes before the Council meeting starts. I better check in with Charlize.”

“Be my guest.” Jay went over to Pruitt.

As he chatted with the Marine, Lindsey dialed Charlize’s sat phone.

“Lindsey. Good to hear from you. Is everything alright?” Charlize asked. The gravel in her voice had gotten worse over the past few months. Her sickness was obviously progressing.

“We’re about to step into a meeting with their Council to discuss taking the campaign all the way to Salt Lake City.”

“Fingers crossed that everything goes well. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t support a coalition willing to take down Eddy, especially after all your team accomplished. Plus, last check-in from Raven’s group sounded like they were making progress, too, if you want to dangle that carrot in front of the Council.”

“Any news from them recently?”

“Two days ago, they called after they left Wind River.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes. Is something the matter?”

She rehashed the conversation she just had with Jay. Charlize expressed the same confidence in Calvin and Raven too.

“A million things could have happened, and it might not mean any harm’s come to them,” Charlize said. “Let’s give them another two days. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can scrounge up any teams to investigate if they don’t contact us.”

Lindsey worried if she continued to talk about Raven, her worry would get the better of her. Instead, she changed topics. “How are things at home?”

There was a pregnant pause over the line.

“Charlize?”

“I won’t sugarcoat it. Things have taken a horrifying turn. Wild Fire cases have unexpectedly skyrocketed. The doctors aren’t sure if it’s suddenly gotten more contagious or if a food or water source has been contaminated. It’s been absolute chaos, especially in the northern part of the Front Range.”

“Estes Park?”

Again, there was a pause.

“I’m afraid it’s bad there,” Charlize finally said. “Sandra’s keeping me updated. She’s exhausted taking care of patients. And… the Lithgows both came down with Wild Fire. Lara is holding out, fighting it, but her grandmother has been having a difficult time.”

“Please tell me we have Commander to cure them.”

“We have some, not enough. The doctors have been triaging victims and having to make tough decisions about who they should and shouldn’t give it to.”

“My God.” Lindsey balled up her fist, pressing it against her mouth. The sky was a fiery red. “We’ve got to get Wheeler back. We need more Commander.”

“Go into the Council Chamber and get the Nation on our side. Then we can talk about finding Wheeler. You know what’s at stake now, Lindsey. Make sure everyone there does too.”

Lindsey ended the call. As she did, Jay motioned for her to follow him and the rest of their small team into the Council Chamber.

Big wooden beams arched under the ceiling. Curved rows of desks faced the central podium. Indigenous artwork covered the walls, glowing in the lamps and lanterns set out on the desks of the various councilmen and women who had shown up.

A man with long gray braids stood at the pulpit. His wizened face seemed to collect all the shadows from the flickering firelight. This was Eugene Adakai, the legitimate president that Kipp had rescued. And already, his first day free, he had a crisis on his hands.

Lindsey wondered at first if an older gentleman like Adakai had the stamina to deal with all that was unfolding. But when he spoke, he dispelled all notions of doubt.

His voice boomed over the murmurs and muffled conversations of others.

“Thank you all for joining us at this emergency Council session.” He waited a second as people quieted. “I know you all are worried about your friends and family right now. So I hope we can make this meeting quick and efficient. As always, my goal has been to defend the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation and uphold our Code and laws.”

Adakai looked around the room. “Regarding that, we’ve had a motion brought forward. Our police officers have unilaterally established defensive positions surrounding Window Rock. We are seeking to expand our perimeter to secure as much of the Nation as possible, but this will take time.

“However, there’s a good chance the Rattlesnakes will try to retake Window Rock.”

A councilman raised his fist in the air. “We will not let Eddy take us again.”

Others cheered along in defiance. “Long live the Nation!”

“Window Rock will stay ours!”

But Adakai motioned for silence. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but remember, we lost control once. It can happen again. Take this enthusiasm and share it with your districts. Recruit anyone you can find willing and able to fight. Because we may need to soon.

“The motion on the floor isn’t about the defense of the Navajo Nation. Rather, it’s about a declaration of war against the Rattlesnakes and their Union.”

Nervous murmurs passed through the Council. Lindsey strained to listen, trying to figure out if they were in support of or opposed to the action.

“We haven’t formally declared war since we joined the fight against Germany in World War I, and we reaffirmed that resolution again in World War II,” Adakai went on. “This time, we are being asked to send all the forces we can muster to Salt Lake City.”

A councilwoman raised her hand to be addressed. “How can we leave our lands now, after all we just endured?”

“Officer Kipp led the rebellion with the help of Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and Jay Wauneka.” More whispers spread through the Council until Adakai held up his hand. “They asked that we prepare to march north with them, and Officer Kipp would like a moment to explain why.”

The officer strode to the front of the chamber. “Esteemed Council, I’m here because I see a way out of this quagmire after the Collapse. We’ve dealt with unreliable power, inaccessible drinking water, and disease. Our course to victory is by removing the Rattlesnakes from the equation. They’re the dam holding back the river of our progress.”

“Really, how’s that going to help with Wild Fire?” another councilman asked.

“The Colorado Rangers have reason to believe that Eddy has Doctor Wheeler in his custody. Moreso, the Rattlesnakes have been peddling Commander pills throughout the New Frontier. He is the sole provider to our people and others. Obviously, he has a source of Commander; we think he’s making it. By taking Salt Lake City from the Rattlesnakes, we can take control of their Commander production.”

A councilman stood, anger etched across his face. “How can you suggest an offensive action against the Rattlesnakes? We just barely survived the past night. You brought a war on us that no one voted for, and now you expect us to follow you north on a brand-new suicide mission?”

“This is insane,” another woman added. “I didn’t vote to launch last night’s rebellion. But now that you’re nice enough to give us a voice, I say we sit this one out. We have to worry about the Nation first and foremost. Not these dreams of retribution.”

The first councilman who spoke stood again. “And if we can barely defend ourselves, how can we spare sending anyone to fight?”

“It’s that simple,” another councilwoman said. “As much as I would like to see Eddy Nez and his followers brought to justice, we can’t afford to do this.”

Kipp raised his hand to silence the dissenters. “We’re working to raise an army, like President Adakai said. We won’t be alone either. Communities around the New Frontier will send their forces. We’ll be just one small part of the operation.”

Then a councilwoman turned toward Lindsey. “I suppose the Colorado Rangers are planning to join this force.”

Lindsey felt the heat of the woman’s stare. “I’m afraid not. The ceasefire with the United States still stands, and I’m no longer a Ranger. That’s why we’re—”

Angry voices broke out, drowning her attempt to explain the situation. The debate continued for two long hours, and Lindsey could only watch in horror as she saw the tides turning on her and Kipp’s efforts. Nothing they said swayed the outspoken dissenters.

Eventually, the Council session ended in a vote.

It wasn’t even close.

The Navajo Nation would not declare war on the Rattlesnakes and send an army north.

As the Council left to return to their districts, Kipp’s eyes traced the floor as he met Lindsey in a corner of the chamber and Jay joined them.

“What the hell was that?” Jay asked.

“It’s been bad over the past six months,” Kipp said. “These people have suffered so much. They’ve forgotten their hope and their hearts. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything more tonight.”

Lindsey had lost her position in the Rangers, and now she was losing her campaign in the New Frontier.

It would all be over soon, and she could do nothing but watch Colorado burn.

Kipp put his hand on Lindsey’s shoulder. “I’ll turn this around. Hell, I’ll come up there on my own if that’s what it takes. I made a vow and I intend to keep it. Just give me some time.”

Lindsey gave him a weak smile. She couldn’t help but think of the horror unfolding back home that Charlize had told her about. “I appreciate it. But we don’t have manpower. We don’t have weapons. And most of all, we don’t have time.”

* * *

Calvin trudged through knee-deep snow. As much as the team could, they hiked through the woods in parallel with Highway 91 in Montana, making their way to Big Sky after their stolen truck ran out of gas a couple miles ago.

Now he, Rebecca, and Raven carried Boston as they continued on foot. At least they had new rifles strapped over their backs, complete with ammunition they scavenged from the gunmen.

What they needed was shelter.

“How about that lodge?” Rebecca pointed to a series of log-cabin-like buildings off the side of the highway.

Raven shook his head. “If we try to hole up in some place close to the road, we might as well hang out a gigantic neon sign that says, ‘Here they are!’.”

“I hate to say it, but he’s right.” Calvin adjusted his grip under Boston’s shoulder.

Raven had him by the feet. Boston just seemed to get heavier and heavier as they walked on. They were tired and hungry, and they still hadn’t eaten the beavers that Raven had hunted.

“The truck isn’t exactly invisible where we left it,” Calvin continued. “Especially since it leaves those big tracks in the snow. The more distance we have from it and the road, the safer we’ll be.”

So they trudged onward for a few miles, farther from the highway. But with darkness cloaking the mountainous landscape surrounding them and cold settling in, they would need shelter sooner rather than later.

The chilly wind picked up, worming its way into every opening in Calvin’s clothes.

“All right,” Calvin said. “I’m calling it.”

In the pale moonlight bleeding through the cloudy sky, he saw the silhouettes of two buildings ahead. One was a massive mountain mansion. The other, across the snow-covered road, was a small cabin that looked like it had one or two bedrooms.

“The mansion, then?” Rebecca asked.

“It’s too obvious of a target,” Calvin said. “Besides, it’ll be a lot easier to heat the smaller cabin.”

They walked up to the cabin. Its windows were already broken. They certainly weren’t the first people that had been through here.

While Rebecca waited outside with Boston, Calvin and Raven cleared the cabin to make sure there were no interlopers. The entire cabin comprised three rooms: a small bathroom, a combined living room and kitchen with a fireplace, and a bedroom.

Broken glass was scattered between pots and pans. The furniture had largely been destroyed by the elements coming in through the busted windows. Mold crept up the corners of every room, and a stained mattress lay in a corner of the bedroom.

“Good enough home for tonight,” Raven said.

“Eh, I’ve slept in worse,” Calvin said.

“You special operator types always say that shit.”

Calvin grinned. “Because it’s true. I’ll get the others situated if you check the fireplace. Maybe we can get something burning to warm this little crack den.”

Soon enough, they had a fire going. Calvin and Rebecca used tarps and wooden boards to cover up the windows so no light or heat would escape. Raven kept the fire small so it wouldn’t produce too much smoke. And they hoped the darkness of night would conceal the rest.

It didn’t take long before Raven had one beaver roasted and ready to eat. They scarfed down the fresh meat as grease dribbled over their fingers from the juicy flesh. It was fatty and hearty, just as Raven had promised.

They also used a pot to boil some snow for fresh water. The warm water helped fill Calvin’s belly and spread the heat through his body.

Raven put a couple of beaver bones in the water to turn it into a broth. “This will help Boston when he wakes up. He’ll need something to warm him, and it’s a little more substantial than just plain water. Might not be in the mood for eating if he feels sick from an infection.”

Calvin looked at Boston lying in the corner. They had repositioned the mattress here in the living room, so he’d be close to the fire and they could keep an eye on him. He continued to sleep, the emergency blanket they took from the gunmen in Yellowstone draped over his body.

“As annoying as he is, I’d like to hear his voice again,” Rebecca said, licking her fingers after eating the last morsels off another bone.

Creek sat on his haunches behind her, whining. She motioned to Raven to see if it was okay to give the bone to the Akita.

“Go ahead,” Raven said.

Rebecca tossed the bone, and Creek started crunching on it noisily. The dog had already had a fair share of meat but seemed excited to have yet another treat to lick clean.

They settled in, and the fire burned low until only glowing embers remained.

“We’ll keep it that way for tonight,” Raven said. “Don’t want it to go out completely, but it’s warm enough and we don’t need to chance a bunch of smoke.”

“Sounds good.” Calvin propped himself up near the fire. “I can take the first shift if you guys want to rest.”

“Thanks, Cal.” Rebecca settled on the floor, her hands behind her head.

Only a few minutes passed before both Raven and Rebecca fell asleep. Creek lay next to Boston, his furry ribs inflating and deflating slowly.

Calvin listened to the wind scrape against the cabin for an hour or so. They were so close to reaching Big Sky, getting proper help for Boston, and hopefully, more recruits.

Suddenly, he heard the rustle of a tarp. His eyes shot to Raven and Rebecca. They were both fast asleep. He slowly raised his rifle to his shoulder and raised to a crouch. Was someone prying at one of the tarps over the windows?

The room wasn’t very large, so he roved his aim over each window.

Then he heard it again. More rustling.

This time, he did a one-eighty toward the noise.

“Whoa, Cal, what’s with the gun?” Boston asked, eyes open. He had gotten himself up on his elbows, blinking slowly. His voice was groggy. “And where the hell are we?”

“Boston, you’re back,” Calvin said.

“My fingers feel like shit, and my toes… it’s like someone’s stabbing needles into them. What happened?”

“You remember the lake?” Calvin asked.

“I don’t recall nothing after some car tried to drive us off the road,” Boston said.

By now, Rebecca and Raven had roused.

“Oh, Boston! You’re awake!” Rebecca said.

Raven ladled some of the bone broth into a cracked mug they salvaged.

Boston reached out to take it, but bandages covered his fingers.

“Here, we’ll help,” Raven said.

Calvin caught Boston up on everything that had transpired. Boston just shook his head, blinking sleepily.

“Is it bad that I don’t remember this shit?” he asked.

“Memory loss, confusion; it can happen with hypothermia,” Calvin explained. “But right now, what I’m most worried about is your frostbite turning into something worse. We’re headed up to Big Sky tomorrow to hopefully get some help.”

Rebecca put the back of her hand against Boston’s forehead. “Damn. He is hot.”

“Awfully forward of you, Rebecca,” Boston said with a grin.

“Seriously. You’ve got a fever. I don’t like that.”

“Neither do I,” Calvin said. “Best we can do for now is keep you warm and rested. Keep up your liquid intake. Soon as it’s morning, we’ll set out again.”

“We’re walking there?” Boston asked.

Raven looked at Calvin. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to go. Maybe we should just do this alone. Then when we get there, we hitch a ride back out here to pick him up.”

“I can stay and watch,” Rebecca said. “Good chance we’ve got people that are going to be searching for us, right?”

Calvin nodded. “If you have to leave and we get split up, head back down the road south. We’ll meet at the Big Tree Motel we saw. Otherwise, Raven and I will go for help, then figure out a safe way to get Boston out of here.”

“You guys don’t need to risk your butts for me,” Boston said. “I can walk if I have to.”

Raven jerked his chin at Boston’s bandages. “With your toes and fingers, man? No way. We don't want to hurt them any more than they already are. Got it?”

Boston nodded reluctantly.

“We need you for the rest of the mission,” Calvin added. “Only way that’s happening is if you’ve got a clean bill of health.”

“Fair enough,” Boston said. “Then you two better hurry and get your asses out there. I don’t want you three sitting here trying to nurse me to health. Get me to some proper nurses. Preferably some hot ones.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “I think I liked it when you were passed out.”

By the time morning rolled around, Calvin and Raven were back in the wild lands of Montana with Creek. They pushed through the snow and clung to the trees for cover. In the daylight, the shadows were their best option to stay concealed.

It took almost five hours. But they were almost to Big Sky.

Despite being close to their target, Calvin couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It had been such a peaceful hike. They hadn’t seen any sign of trouble. But the sixth sense instilled in him from his SEAL days was sounding the alarm.

Something was wrong.

“It’s too quiet,” Calvin said.

Raven nodded. “I would expect to hear the noise of an active town from here. Voices, vehicles, something.”

Even Creek seemed on alert, his nose high in the air and his ears perked.

It didn't take long to figure out why.

As they crested over a hill just south of Big Sky, they saw the last panes of glowing orange sunlight draped over the town’s fortified timber walls. It looked like a bigger, badder version of Fort Bonneville.

But unlike Bonneville, dead men hung from the walls by ropes around their necks, swinging in the wind. Nearly fifty of them.

They dangled in front of an enormous white buffalo spray-painted on the wall.

Calvin felt his blood turn to concrete. This was where they were supposed to find more support, more people who might join their cause. This place was their one hope that had kept them alive since being driven into the frozen lake.

The Rattlesnakes had gotten here first.

-16-

Raven crouched at the crest of the hill beside Calvin. Creek pressed himself flat into the snow behind. Flakes coiled around them with each gust of freezing wind. Already, with the temperature dropping, a chill seeped into Raven’s bones.

Men patrolled the top of the walls. But from this distance, he couldn’t quite distinguish their features or their weapons. The dark clouds from an incoming storm picked up, the snow falling thicker and thicker.

The front gate of the Big Sky comprised two heavy wooden doors, each rising nearly fifteen feet high and flanked by guard towers with narrow slot windows. Raven couldn’t see inside. However, any shooter in there could pick off intruders fairly easily, while being protected by the high walls.

Outside the gate, they had a small motor pool surrounded by a chain-link fence. Raven assumed it was so people could come and go easily without having to open the enormous doors for bigger vehicles. Opening that gate would make them more vulnerable, so it made sense they might have a few easily accessible cars and trucks outside the gates.

It was probably an extra precaution against getting snowed in from a blizzard. No doubt, it was easier to unbury a couple of snowmobiles or four-wheel-drive trucks than to dig out the whole gate.

A guard shack stood just inside the chain-link fence leading to the motor pool. From the lantern light bleeding out, Raven counted two men inside.

Raven leaned toward Calvin. “If we can’t count on Big Sky to help us, then we should take one of those vehicles and head back south. That’s the only way I see it.”

Calvin sighed. “I’m worried Boston might not make the journey south if we can’t get him proper antibiotics or medical care. It’s a longshot, but let’s see if there are any ripe targets for filching some medical supplies. Plus, I’d like to know what we’re dealing with inside those walls. How are you at climbing trees?”

“Eh, when my fingers aren’t frozen, pretty good.”

“Well, my fingers are just as frozen, and I didn’t scale a lot of trees underwater. Not a big focus of SEAL training. So how about you get a look over the gates? I’ll run the perimeter. See if I can’t spot any other glaring weaknesses or options we didn’t think of.”

The wind howled over them again, the snow tearing around the trees more viciously.

“Sounds good. We’re running out of time thanks to the storm, so let’s meet back here in an hour.”

With that, Calvin took off, disappearing into the screen of white. Raven hiked eastward. It wasn’t hard staying concealed from the watchtowers by following the slope of snow dunes and thickets of ice-covered trees.

Creek prowled behind Raven. The poor dog was nearly chest-deep in the snowdrifts, practically shoveling his way along.

They made it around Big Sky facing the northernmost section of the wall.

Motioning for Creek to sit, Raven started climbing one of the frozen evergreens. The winds and ice threatened his hold on every crackling branch. But he persevered, knowing Calvin was doing the same.

Raven went as high as he could without risking breaking a branch. He drew up his rifle, using the scope to survey the terrain. More of the wall stretched along this side, coming to a corner on the northeastern portion guarded by another watchtower.

Near the tower was a small building. A cracked sign read: “Lucky’s Market.” A grocery store. Past the market were the silhouettes of houses, apartments, and condo buildings. Lantern and lamp light flickered from hundreds of windows. A few brave souls forged a path through the snow. There were plenty of people here. Raven wondered how many were enemies.

Near the eastern end of town toward the gate, Raven also spotted a stable with horses tucked inside where someone was locking them up for the night. Beside the stable, he noted another parking lot filled with vehicles only lightly dusted with snow that must have been recently used.

Then, he noticed white buffalo symbols painted on the hoods of several of the trucks and SUVs.

Raven’s heart sank.

The bodies hanging from the wall looked relatively fresh, and if the Rattlesnake vehicles had arrived within the past day or two, it meant Raven’s team was late by only a couple of days. Maybe they could have helped the people of Big Sky if they had arrived a little sooner.

But wishes and regrets were about as useful as a cup of ice out here.

He had hoped to see a clinic where he could steal some medicine for Boston. But too many foot patrols guarded Big Sky, and there was no way of telling which building might have medical supplies. His recon only managed to convince him that they needed to get Boston home as fast as they could, because there would be no help found here.

But a plan was starting to form in his mind as he trudged back to the meeting point. The snow screen was nearly blinding as the storm raged on. Even Creek was no longer enjoying the snow, curling up beside Raven as they waited for Calvin.

After a good fifteen minutes, a dark silhouette appeared between the gusts.

“Raven?” Calvin’s baritone voice called through the wind.

“Here,” Raven said.

Calvin joined him as they sat behind a snowdrift overlooking the gate and the motor pool. At least, the last time they were here it did. Now they could barely see twenty feet in front of them.

“I got a look into Big Sky,” Raven began. “Plenty of buildings, but no clinic I could see. I spotted a bunch of Rattlesnakes and even more vehicles inside. If we go snooping around in there, I doubt we get out alive.”

“Figures. I tried to determine if there was another way in and out. The only gate is that front one. Now with the winds picking up and more snow is coming in, all those trucks will be buried if we wait too long. Might as well do this.”

Raven nodded. “I think I got an idea.”

He quickly summarized his plan.

With no time to waste, they started toward the motor pool. Snowdrifts and frosted trees covered them as they approached. The snow was falling so thick, they could barely see the top of the walls surrounding Big Sky, and the temperature had plummeted drastically.

With a hand signal, Raven had Creek wait by the bottom of the fence. He and Calvin climbed up as quietly as possible. As Calvin split off to go prepare their vehicles, Raven snuck toward the guard shack.

A lantern inside the shack illuminated the two guards within. To Raven’s advantage, one was smoking a cigarette—the smoke and light would kill his night vision. The other was leaned back in a chair, fast asleep.

Raven spotted Rattlesnake Union patches on each of their shoulders. They were crudely sewn, but there was no mistaking the yellow background and black snake.

He strapped his rifle over his shoulder, then pulled out his hatchet and knife. With all his strength, he kicked in the door to the shack. The man with the cigarette rushed to stand but tripped over himself in his confusion.

Raven threw his blade and the smoker dropped his cigarette as he fell backward, clutching at the knife now stuck in his throat. A sickening gurgle escaped his mouth.

The snoozing Rattlesnake woke with a start. But his eyes barely opened before Raven buried a hatchet in his face.

With that, Raven patted the guys down, found the keys to the motor pool’s gate, and went back out into the snowstorm. He unlocked the gate and heaved it open. The metal groaned as he slid it back, but with the blustering wind, he didn’t think the guards in the towers would hear.

At least he hoped not.

Once he had it open, he let out a low whistle.

Ten seconds later, the silhouette of a dog came busting through the snow. Creek followed Raven back toward the vehicles where they found Calvin next to a truck with a snowplow.

“She’s ready.” He patted the hood. “They left the keys in all of them, prepared to go at the first sign of a threat. Too bad they didn’t see us coming. You take that one. I already got a couple of spare jerry cans of gas inside.”

He pointed at a 1970s Toyota Land Cruiser.

Raven slipped into the driver’s seat, then opened the passenger door for Creek as he waited for Calvin’s signal, ready to twist the ignition key at a moment’s notice. A few seconds later, the snowplow roared to life with Calvin in the driver’s seat. The Steel Runner revved the engine a couple times, then sped out of the auto pool. He swerved onto the road in front of Big Sky and sped toward the massive front gate, slamming into it.

That was the signal.

Raven raced after Calvin, stopping about two yards behind the snowplow. Gunfire flared from above, but he could barely even see the watchtowers. Which meant the people up there were probably firing blindly down at Calvin and Raven as well.

Bullets pinged and sparked over the truck. A couple even hit the Land Cruiser, but they were sporadic and wild.

Raven pushed open the driver’s side door, then swung his rifle out and unleashed a barrage toward where the muzzle flashes were coming from. It was just enough to buy Calvin the precious few seconds he needed to sprint through the blizzard and lunge into the back seat.

“Go, go, go!” he said.

Raven reversed the Land Cruiser, backing up into the burgeoning storm. Wild gunfire chased them as he spun the vehicle around and took off from Big Sky.

“Okay,” Calvin said. “The doors on the gate only open outward. So the snowplow should buy us some time. And all the vehicles outside… no more air in their tires, just like the snowplow, plus I stole all the keys I could.”

“You slashed the tires on it too?” Raven asked.

“I figured I’d make it as hard as possible for them to get out.”

“Nice going. We’re finally getting out of this hellscape.”

* * *

Another night passed. Lindsey still hadn’t heard from Raven. The stone of dread that lodged itself in her gut a couple nights ago was still there. Even with the warmth of the sun dispelling the freezing air, nothing about this new day felt better.

She stood on the porch of the trailer home she slept in near the Navajo Nation government complex. The door swung open, and Jay sauntered out with a pack of cigarettes. After tapping it against his palm, he slid a cigarette out halfway and offered it to Lindsey.

She was ready to shake her head no. But she just couldn’t do it today. Instead, she snatched the cigarette. Jay held up a lighter and lit it for her, then one for himself.

For a couple moments, they both took puffs on their cigarettes. Lindsey disliked how smoking made her mouth taste. The ashy flavor seeped into her tongue and always lasted a day or more.

Right now, she didn’t care. The smoke filled her lungs with warmth. She hated to admit she liked the way nicotine calmed her nerves.

Around them, the Window Rock stone formations glowed in the sunrise. The landscape looked like it had been chiseled out of copper, the reddish-orange hue matching the sun almost perfectly.

“Still no word from the others?” Jay asked.

“Not a peep.”

Jay flicked off the loose ash from the end of his cigarette. “Shit. This is brutal. Just so brutal.” He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry, Lindsey. I really screwed this up.”

“Screwed what up? We got Window Rock back. It’s not your fault that the Council voted against us.”

He waved his hand around to indicate the entire area, the tip of his cigarette simmering. “No, I mean everything. Back when Eddy sent me to hunt Raven, I could’ve killed Eddy. I should’ve tried shooting him. Good chance I would’ve been slaughtered as soon as I did. Hell, his buddies probably would’ve cut me down before I even turned the barrel Eddy’s way. But I should’ve tried. I should’ve and I didn’t.”

Lindsey had seen Jay prove himself in the last six months since that terrible incident. “You didn’t kill Eddy, but at least you didn’t kill Raven either.”

“I was so blinded by panic. I can’t believe I ever even considered going through with Eddy’s order. I think I just didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want my family to die, obviously, but… shit, I’m just making excuses again.”

“It’s been over half a year, Jay. Your family’s safe. I think we’re beyond regrets now. We have to focus on going forward.”

“That requires recruiting the Navajo Nation to fight with us. I could’ve used my brother’s help with this one.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was the charismatic one. Not me. I’ve never been a people person. He could convince anybody to do anything. Shoot, if you talked to him long enough, he might convince you the sky was purple and pink clouds were raining down spaghetti sauce. I mean, he wrapped people around his fingers like it was nothing.”

“That sounds a little scary.”

“No, no, I guess I’m explaining it wrong. Seth didn’t do that kind of shit to manipulate people. He was a detective, like me. He only used those persuasive powers to get people to admit their crimes. I mean, he helped some local politicians with their campaigns, advising them on speeches and community engagement, that kind of thing. But his heart was always in the right place. Always about what was best for the Navajo Nation.”

“Sounds like he was a good man.”

“Was? He is a good man.” Jay puffed on the cigarette. “Forget what I said before. I’m not giving up on him. He was smart. So damn smart. I want to believe he escaped Eddy’s wrath somehow. That maybe he’s surviving in the New Frontier, and I’ll see him again. Just wish that day could’ve been yesterday. Because he would’ve known what to say to the Council.”

Lindsey sucked in another mouthful of smoke, feeling its warmth in her lungs.

“Am I crazy?” Jay asked.

“For what?”

“For believing my brother’s alive. Eddy doesn’t let traitors live. He hunts them down.”

“I don’t think it’s any crazier than me holding on to hope that Raven’s still out there.”

It hurt to say those words aloud. Because in doing so, she acknowledged there was a chance he was dead. That he and his team had knowingly faced the risks of venturing into the dangers of the New Frontier and had finally met their match.

She closed her eyes to keep the tears from rolling out.

“Shit, Jay, maybe we’re all crazy. We’re definitely crazy to think we can stop Eddy and the Rattlesnakes and Wild Fire.” She turned to him, blinking. “But sometimes crazy is all you got. Because if all the sane people are cowering behind their walls back home, then who’s left to fight?”

“Only the crazies.”

Lindsey sucked down another smoky breath. “Only the crazies.”

They finished their cigarettes, admiring the sun-drenched morning.

“We’re going to have to head back north soon,” Lindsey said. “With nothing to show for it.”

“Not nothing,” Jay countered. “We freed Window Rock.”

“Temporarily.”

“Temporary or not, we showed the Rattlesnakes aren’t invulnerable. We saved a whole bunch of people. You told me before that counts for something.”

Lindsey thought of a common saying, turning it on its head. “We may have won the battle, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to win the war. Especially if our team up north has… has been stopped.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say ‘killed’ like she’d been thinking.

Footsteps crunched over the gravel toward them. A man stalked their direction from another trailer.

It was Kipp. But as he approached, she noticed his knuckles were bruised. Blood spatter stained the front of his jacket. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and his lips were pulled tight in a grimace.

“I might not have your army,” Kipp said, “but I got something else for you. Follow me.”

Kipp led them back into the trailer where he had come from. The musky air inside smelled of body odor and blood. It didn’t take long to see why. Two Rattlesnakes were tied up to a pair of folding chairs. Their eyes were swollen, lacerations across their faces oozed.

One of them drooled red saliva from his puffy, cut lips.

The other stared up at Kipp. “Please, I told you everything.”

“What did you do, Kipp?” Jay asked.

“What I had to do. Come on, Reggie, talk.”

The man Kipp called Reggie began speaking, turning his battered face toward Lindsey and Jay. “I don’t know where to begin.”

“Begin with Eddy.”

“Eddy is still in Salt Lake City. He sent out some assassins to kill Sheriff Plymouth, Raven Spears, and Calvin Jackson.”

Lindsey huffed. “I’m well aware. You know who I am?”

Reggie blinked as if he was having trouble focusing. “Oh, shit. You’re Plymouth.”

“I am. So why not tell me something I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ll leave you in this trailer with Kipp again.”

The man started speaking quicker. “Eddy wants to poison more of the United States with Wild Fire. He began by dropping some diseased body parts into the water sources of other communities.”

“Disgusting,” Jay said. “He’s a monster.”

“He’s doing what has to be done,” Reggie said.

Kipp just took a step forward, and Reggie’s momentary bravado disappeared again. “Come on, Reggie. Keep talking.”

“Some Rattlesnakes found a stash of the terrorists’ bioweapons. Dozens of steel oil drums filled with Wild Fire. Eddy wants to unleash it.” Then Reggie snarled. “And there’s nothing any of you can do to stop him. Whatever progress you think you’ve made, whatever you do to me, you’re all going to die anyway. You’re all going to get sick, and—”

Kipp socked Reggie with a devastating punch. The man’s head flicked backward, then hung limp over his chest. He was still breathing, but definitely knocked out.

“There’s one other thing the bastard didn’t tell you.” Kipp turned to face Jay and Lindsey. “He told me where Doctor Wheeler is. Or at least, he gave me a location you’ll probably want to verify.”

“Where?” Lindsey asked.

“Axcension Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in Provo, Utah. That facility is the sole source of Commander pills for the New Frontier.”

Jay took out his cigarettes again, already going in for another smoke. “And if he releases more Wild Fire across the States, he’s going to have bargaining power unlike anything before. He has to be stopped.”

“Damn right he does.” Kipp cracked his knuckles. “Which is why I’m assuming you’ll be going up to Provo—and I’ll be going with you.”

At first, Lindsey was happy for the extra help. But she reminded herself not to miss the forest for the trees. “No, Kipp. You can’t.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Kipp said. “I can’t stay here. I’ve got to do something.”

“You’re one man. We need an army. Do whatever it takes to get people here to see reason. Ride out to every community within the Navajo Nation and find out if anyone is willing to raise arms against Eddy. Tell them what you learned today. Because if that doesn’t convince people to stop him, nothing will.”

-17-

Eddy rode Yanaba with Naabaah following on his horse as waves of snow swept over the cracked concrete and asphalt near Salt Lake Central Station. A big glass dome rose from the building, with cracks and bullet holes filling its panes. All the damage and destruction showed the scars left from the Rattlesnakes’ conquest.

Trains lay dormant on the tracks snaking lines of cargo cars behind them. Some had been used on the Angel line to transport goods throughout the country.

“Ever since the Reapers destroyed that last Angel Line,” Eddy said as they drew closer, their horses’ hooves tapping noisily on the concrete, “no trains have gone through the New Frontier. This is going to be a tremendous test, but your suggestion was too good to pass up.”

Naabaah grinned. “I’m happy to hear it. Using the very line the US needed for their recovery to destroy them is just so much more satisfying than having Lincoln drop body parts in wells.”

“It’s cruel irony, isn’t it?” Eddy asked.

“How will you get them past the borders, though?”

“I’m scheduled to speak with President Shelby’s people later today to propose letting his aid shipments through the New Frontier and sending out our own for trade. As a show of good-faith, I will guarantee their safety.”

Naabaah laughed. “All while distributing the Wild Fire.”

Now it was Eddy’s turn to laugh. “Even better, since I can’t make it look too charitable - he would never believe that. I’m demanding a tax on any transiting cargo.”

“It’s genius. They’ll pay you to poison them.”

“They will. The staff members I first spoke to in Shelby’s Administration liked the idea of resurrecting the Angel Line. They thought it would make Shelby look powerful. Like he was clearly working to better the country.”

Again, Naabaah let out a belly laugh as they closed in on Central Station. The big glass doors to the facility were cranked open, as Eddy and Naabaah rode past four guards.

The sound of construction filled the air. Workers climbed over trains, performing maintenance work and repairing the neglected tracks.

“Amazing to see this progress so quickly,” Naabaah said.

“We have another crew already working on the portion of the tracks north of Moab where the Reapers attacked the Angel Line,” Eddy said. “Everything is going smoothly. Repairing rails is actually easier than I expected, especially in Utah. If the climate here wasn’t as mild as it is, say, like what our brothers and sisters deal with in Wyoming or Montana, we’d be much slower.”

Most of the laborers fixing the tracks were chained together under the watchful eye of Rattlesnake guards. Many were imprisoned members of the Utah Scouts or former rail yard workers.

As much as Eddy hated to admit it, they needed the expertise of the wašíču. Without them, they wouldn’t have enough labor or the knowledge to do this.

“I’m surprised you got all these wašíču to work for you,” Naabaah said. “I mean, I understand they’re slaves, but still. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“It took nothing more than usual. I told them I would kill them if they didn’t do what we wanted. And then of course I appealed to their desire to help their own kind by claiming the repaired Angel Line would benefit their country. They’re all desperate enough to believe it.”

Naabaah leaned back in his saddle and exhaled slowly. “This is coming together nicely.” He jerked his chin toward another corner. Two former Navajo Nation policemen guarded an area walled off by massive storage containers. “Should we see how the Wild Fire part of the project is going?”

“Absolutely.” Eddy gave Yanaba a slight kick in her haunches, and she walked toward the area Naabaah had indicated.

They passed by some guards under a sign labeled MACHINE WORKSHOP. This extensive area was filled with tool chests and welding equipment, along with steel tanks, similar to a SCUBA diver’s. Sparks flew as a welder fused a nozzlelike attachment to a tank.

Eddy and Naabaah discussed this part of the operation a few days ago. Naabaah’s idea was to modify hundreds of tanks like these so they could be filled with Wild Fire. Then each would have a modest detonator on a nozzle which would trigger the pressurized contents inside to release in an aerosolized spray, contaminating anything and everything nearby as the plague caught in the wind, doused wildlife, or directly infected people.

Naabaah smiled proudly as they surveyed the modified tanks. “It looks like we’re making fast progress, and I expect—”

Loud voices burst from the front of the station. Eddy thought he heard his name. Soon enough, three grime-covered men entered the workshop. They had their parka hoods pulled down. Their cheeks and noses were red, nipped by frostbite.

Eddy recognized them as three of Lincoln’s scouts sent to find Raven and his team.

They dropped to their knees when they saw him as melting snow slopped around them in puddles.

Eddy took Yanaba toward them. “Tell me you brought good news. I’ve already had enough bad recently.”

The middle of the three men looked up at Eddy. He had bright blue eyes over an aquiline nose. His name, if Eddy recalled correctly, was Colby.

“We can confirm the, uh, pieces of the infected bodies were all successfully delivered to multiple communities we suspected of rebellion, along with the Front Range of Colorado.”

“Yes, that’s good, but I already know that.” Eddy narrowed his eyes. “So why are you really here?”

Two of the men shrank back, though Eddy noticed the one to Colby’s right, a humongous man, showed no such fear.

“What’s going on?”

Colby gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Last night, an unidentified group stole a Land Cruiser and sabotaged most of the Big Sky motor pool. They escaped in the middle of a snowstorm. We have people searching for them, but so far, we haven’t found them.”

“Who is this group?”

“We think… we think it might be Raven’s team.”

Colby was quiet for a moment, seeming to contemplate his words. “Lincoln discovered them about a day ago near West Thumb Lake in Yellowstone National Park, before the incident at Big Sky. We still have a couple squads searching for them. ”

“And Lincoln couldn’t tell me this sooner?”

Colby’s eyes grazed the floor. “He couldn’t because Raven’s team killed him, along with most of the other Militia scouts.”

Eddy slid off Yanaba. Naabaah followed suit, and they strode toward Colby and the other two men.

“So you came all the way back to tell me this,” Eddy said.

“Our search team is running low on ammunition,” Colby replied. “We thought we would come back to restock, regroup, and gather reinforcements so we can—”

“Gather reinforcements so you can stop a group of four people? You need a whole army to do that?” Eddy saw only fire, his vision growing red. “How incompetent can you be?”

Colby recoiled. “I felt it best to consult with you, because with Lincoln gone, I’m the highest-ranking official in the Liberty Militia. I thought… I thought…” He puffed out his chest, putting on a brave face and standing as if he finally was trying to demand some respect, though his fingers still trembled. “I thought I would do things better and different from Lincoln. I want to serve you and our God.”

“Is that what you thought?” Eddy didn’t believe him. No mask of confidence could hide Colby’s frightened demeanor; he guessed the man was trying to save his hide, not serve Eddy. No matter. He could take care of that.

Naabaah prowled around the three men, his hand on the handle of his sidearm, like he sensed what Eddy wanted to do. He might as well be an extension of Eddy’s rage, a living embodiment of his anger ready to attack on Eddy’s behalf.

“I personally came back to tell you I was at your service,” Colby tried again.

“What was Lincoln’s mission?” Eddy asked.

“Huh?”

“You’re the leader. So what was Lincoln’s mission?”

“To bring back Raven Spears’ and Calvin Jackson’s heads after spreading the Wild Fire-infected bodies.”

“Correct. So why are you here without their heads?”

“I’m sorry, but I—”

Eddy backhanded Colby fast and hard, enough that the man fell on his back. “You cannot be sorry. You’re a leader. I’ve tried to impress this upon you all time and time again. Why don’t you get it? Normally, I’d punish Lincoln for this failure, but now you’re telling me you’re in charge. And I’ll have to hold you responsible.”

“No, but, I only just—”

Naabaah pressed his boot on Colby’s throat. The man squirmed trying to free himself. Eddy hoisted one of the heavy steel tanks that the welders had been working on. He could no longer constrain the rage boiling through him as thoughts of Window Rock and now this flooded him. Everyone in the room froze, their eyes on him.

Good. Let them see what happens to abject failures.

With a jerk of his chin, Eddy signaled for Naabaah to remove his boot from Colby’s neck. As soon as he did, Eddy slammed the tank down against Colby’s face. Bone and cartilage exploded in a violent spray as the tank fell to the side with a clang.

A sickening gasp rattled out of Colby’s destroyed mouth. Blood bubbled up from the mess of flesh and protruding teeth that used to be his face. He let out a pained moan.

Eddy could only imagine the type of agony flaming through Colby. How he would beg for mercy. But nothing could come out of what remained of his grotesque lips.

Eddy spat on Colby’s twisted form. Then he looked at the other two men. “It looks like one of you is in charge of the Liberty Militia now. Who is it?”

Neither answered.

“Well, if neither of you will volunteer, I suppose we’ll figure it out another way.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Naabaah said.

“Oh?”

He strode over to Eddy’s side and whispered in his ear. Eddy couldn’t help but smile at the wickedness of Naabaah’s proposal.

“I’ll allow it,” Eddy said. “Tell them how this works.”

Naabaah turned back to the Liberty Militia scoundrels. “Only one of you is leaving here alive. That person is the new, loyal leader of the Liberty Militia. We’ll leave you two to decide.”

The two men stared at Eddy, then at each other.

“Well?” Eddy asked.

“I am,” the man on Eddy’s left said. He was a hulking brute with beady eyes that looked more at home on a bird of a prey than a human. His buzzed head accentuated his deep-set brow and the solemn determination in his expression.

It wasn’t surprising he had answered first. He was the only one of the three men who didn’t seem absolutely terrified by Eddy.

“That was easy.” Naabaah drew his pistol and aimed it at the second Liberty Militiaman.

“No, no, I am the leader. It’s God’s will,” said the man, pleading.

He was tall and muscular, though not as bulky as the first. His hair hung down over his shoulders in a messy wave.

Eddy grinned and motioned for Naabaah to put away his pistol. “I suggest you two decide amongst yourselves. As I said, I want a powerful leader. One willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our success. You both should know what to do.”

They did.

Both men leapt at each other like lions fighting for control of the pride. They clawed and punched and kicked, tumbling to the concrete floor in a jumble of limbs and curses. They fought and struggled in a twisted, bloody battle until the hulking man smashed the other’s face into the floor, slamming his skull over and over until his body twitched and he fell still.

Eddy looked at the survivor, who was covered in blood and breathing hard. “Your name?”

“Grant Smulders,” he replied.

“Grant, go clean yourself up. You look disgusting. Then we’ll meet later to discuss what’s next for the Liberty Militia.”

Grant bowed his head and left, avoiding the destroyed bodies of his former comrades. Sometime during the fight, Colby took his final breath.

Too bad. Eddy had hoped his misery would last a little longer.

“Eddy, let me go after Raven.” Naabaah kicked Colby’s corpse. “I won’t fail. I don’t need an army either.”

“No,” Eddy said. “Raven will come to us soon enough. We’ll wait for him here, and we’ll be ready when he arrives. We can bury his body and any of his friends right next to Colby’s.”

“How can you be sure he’ll come?”

Eddy smiled. “Because one of the places infected with Wild Fire was Estes Park. It will only be a matter of time before everyone Raven loves becomes sick. And there’s only one place in the New Frontier where he can get Commander. Raven will do anything he can to get here to save his family. And if he doesn’t, his family will soon be dead. Either way, we win, Naabaah.”

* * *

Calvin and Raven took shifts driving the Land Cruiser through the treacherous terrain. With the snow letting up and melting a little under the intense sun, they were able to cling to back roads as much as possible. Not only did this help them avoid any contact with unwanted Rattlesnake patrols, but they were also able to go around the checkpoints to avoid border security

Finally, they made it home and to the Estes Valley Community Center. But as Calvin drove up to the gate, something seemed off. He didn’t see the normal guards patrolling, and no one was working on restoring any of the neighboring buildings despite the pleasant weather.

Only a couple guards blocked the entrance. He rolled down the window as they approached. They came up to the vehicle wearing gas masks, concealing their features.

“Hey, we need to get to the clinic.” Calvin showed his Rangers badge. “I’ve got someone in the back suffering from an infection, frostbite and hypothermia.”

“Calvin, where the hell are you coming from?” a guard asked.

Calvin recognized the guy’s muffled voice. He was a former Steel Runner that had stayed to protect Estes Park with the Rangers. Barry Sommers.

“Barry, this is an emergency,” Calvin said.

“Man, people weren’t happy when you all left,” Barry said. “I got to warn you, there were some Rangers saying you guys went AWOL. That if you ever showed your face around here, you would be arrested.”

“I’m not worried about that.” Calvin jerked a thumb toward the backseat where Boston was. “Boston’s not in a good place, man.”

“Shit, brother, I wish I could let you through that easily. But… look, most of the Rangers agree with you, Raven, and Lindsey. They like you. It’s just a few Whitlock loyalists, people who toe the party line, you know, that want to arrest you guys. Up here in Estes Park, I’m guessing you’ll be fine if we’re careful… but… you shouldn’t stay long.”

“Why?” Raven leaned over from the passenger seat. “What’s going on, Barry?”

Barry’s face fell. “Everybody’s sick. Everyone. There’s only a few of us living on the outskirts of town, out on our own, that didn’t come down with anything.”

“What do you mean?” Raven asked, worry tinging his voice.

Calvin’s heart beat in anticipation. His thoughts turned to the Gomezes and the Lithgows. Raven’s family too. Once again, he wondered if taking Mouse’s family from California had been a mistake. Trying to get them someplace safe had only condemned them to a million other ways to die.

But what was done was done, and he would make this right.

“We got folks in there we gotta see,” Calvin said. “And anywhere else I can take Boston?”

Barry hesitated, saying nothing for a moment.

Calvin was losing his patience. “Look, we’ll suit up. We’ll stay safe.”

“Yeah, you’ll need to suit up for sure,” Barry said. “Not just for your safety, but since all our medical people got sick, some new staff came up from the south. They don’t know you guys like we do. If they realize who you are… at least the suits will give you a bit of a disguise.”

“We’ll maintain a low profile,” Raven said. “Can you get Boston help and take us to our families?”

Calvin feared Barry might say no because he didn’t want to risk his position with the Rangers or his own life.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Barry finally said. “Follow me.”

Ten minutes later, Calvin, Raven, Rebecca, and Boston were all wearing white bunny suits with plastic visors and surgical masks. Boston looked paler than usual. His fever hadn’t broken yet, and he was sweating beneath his visor, making it fog slightly. Creek had to stay in the vehicle. They didn’t want him catching Wild Fire or giving away their identity.

Barry took them through a back entrance to the Community Center and guided them upstairs. “The clinic beds were all taken, so everyone who got sick was left wherever they were sheltering.”

Down the hall, Calvin heard wet coughing and moans. So many plague victims. There was no way they had the medicine to treat everyone.

“This is the room.” Barry stopped outside a familiar door. It was the same office on the second floor where they’d left them before the mission.

Calvin nudged the door open.

Inside were all the cots and sleeping bags they had helped to set up. Calvin saw the Gomezes huddled together, his heart thudding at their still forms. Sandra and Allie were in another corner near Lara and Mark.

Calvin went first to Maureen and the kids, kneeling beside them, as Raven joined his family. “Maureen?”

“Calvin? Is that really you?” She propped herself up on her elbows on the cot, her skin pale and covered in sweat. “My God, it is you. You shouldn’t be here. You’ll come down with it too.”

“What the hell happened?”

“I’m not sure. One day, people started getting sick. Little by little… then it got worse. Someone said something about our water sources being contaminated. All it took was a few people not boiling the water and…”

She seemed out of breath just talking to him. He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, then glanced at the two children sleeping next to her. He didn’t dare wake them.

“We’re going to fix this,” he said.

“How?” she asked. “There’s no medicine. There’s nothing left to do.”

A hot wave of frustration burned through him. “That’s not true. There are places where we can get medicine. We’re working on it. We’ll help you. I promise.”

“You know there’s not much time. Most healthy people… they’re gone in a week, Cal. A week. And people around here… they weren’t healthy. They were already sick.”

“Really, Maureen. We’ll make this better.”

She gave Calvin a weak smile. “You and Steve are the same. Maybe all you SEALs are. You guys are heroes, but even heroes can’t do the impossible, even if you think you can.”

“No, Maureen, this isn’t impossible.” He gently squeezed her shoulder. “Trust me. Please.”

He glanced around at Raven, who was talking quietly with Sandra. That was when it hit him. He had been so focused on the people closest to him, he didn’t realize someone was missing.

“Where’s Lara’s grandmother?” he asked.

“Joanne… Joanne passed already.” Maureen’s voice hitched up slightly. “She couldn’t take it. She was the first of us that got infected, and she didn’t last more than a couple nights.”

A deep-seated horror tore through Calvin’s insides. Joanne had been a vibrant woman, so full of energy, and she was Lara’s only living relative after losing her parents. He couldn’t imagine the pain Lara must be feeling.

“I need to talk to her. Maureen, please, just stay strong. For your kids. For me. For Steve.”

She gave him a weak nod before closing her eyes again and lying back down.

Calvin moved over to where Lara leaned against the wall with Mark by her side. The boy was an orphan just like her and clung to her like a duckling with its mother.

“Hey, Lara.” Calvin knelt beside her. “I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry.”

A wet sheen shone in Lara’s eyes. “Thanks, Calvin. I really, really miss her.” Her voice quaked. “I miss all of them.”

Calvin knew immediately who she was talking about. “Your family would be so proud of you. I promised Maureen I’d help you all, and I will, okay?”

“I know. You and Raven… you guys… you guys can do anything.”

Calvin wasn’t sure about that, but he appreciated her confidence. He pulled himself away from Lara. Though he wanted to stay to comfort her and the others, soothing words would do nothing.

He walked back to Raven. The tracker waited near the door to the room with Boston and Rebecca.

“Sandra told me there aren’t even meds available to treat Boston,” he said. “There’s practically nothing here. They have more aid shipments coming in supposedly, but who knows when it’ll get here. Nowhere in the Front Range has enough Commander to cure all these patients.”

“Shit,” Rebecca said. “This is awful. Barry said it had something to do with contaminated bodies in the water.”

Calvin nodded. “That’s what Maureen said too. Got to be more of Eddy’s sabotage.”

“That bastard doesn’t quit.” Raven’s fingers balled into a fist. “Let’s borrow a radio. I need to call Lindsey. Hopefully, she’s had better luck than us. From what Sandra told me, Boulder and Golden are doing okay so far. Maybe we can get the help we need there.”

“And then?” Rebecca asked.

Calvin and Raven looked at each other. Raven had become as close to Calvin as his swim buddies on the SEAL team. He knew what Raven was thinking. He was thinking the same thing.

“Only got one choice,” Calvin said. “We go back into the New Frontier, find Eddy’s supply of Commander, Doctor Wheeler and his staff, and bring them back.”

-18-

Lindsey sat in the Miner’s Saloon on the outskirts of Boulder. Once a busy tourist restaurant and bar celebrating Colorado’s gold rush, now the western-themed microbrewery looked like it belonged in the New Frontier. And since it was far from the bustle of downtown, the owner and bartender, a woman who previously served loyally with the Rangers, promised it would be a quiet, secure place for Lindsey to meet with her team. Nuke sat beside Lindsey at a table in the corner, nursing a cold beer. Charlize was next to him and Pruitt. Her bodyguards stood at the entrance, playing the role of security and bouncers. Jay sipped a drink at a booth on his own, lost in thought.

Lindsey’s pulse thundered in her ears, anticipation building.

It didn’t release until she saw him.

Even though she’d finally spoken to him on the radio, and she had been told he was alive, it never felt more real than in that moment.

She couldn’t help rising from the table and running toward Raven when he walked in with Rebecca and Calvin. He met her in a long, warm embrace. The rest of the world seemed to disappear for a moment. She had never truly realized how important he was to her—and her to him—until that moment.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she said, finally pulling herself away.

“Me too,” he replied, a wide smile stretching over his tawny face. “I hope we don’t do that again.”

“Surviving a frozen lake in the wilderness?”

Raven grunted. “Splitting up like that.”

“Then let’s not.” She nodded toward a table where everyone was talking and catching up on all that had transpired. “Next time we go out in the field, we work together.”

“Deal.”

Another individual soon entered. He was covered in tattoos and topped out at over two hundred fifty plus pounds of muscle, the kind of guy you didn’t want to meet on the opposite side of a brawl.

Charlize gestured to the newcomer. “This is ex-Green Beret Sergeant Major Tommy Hendricks from the Bornstein Group, some of my military contractor friends, in Castle Rock. He and his men have volunteered to help with this mission.”

“Thankfully, we’re not beholden to the restrictions placed on the US military. We can help with supplies and provide some volunteer fighters.” Hendricks gave them a stern nod. “I’m getting real sick and tired of hearing about the Rattlesnakes’ nonsense. Glad to finally see some people who want to do something about it.”

“And we’re glad to have the help.” Lindsey shook Hendricks’ hand as the group made quick introductions, gathering around a single table.

They quickly caught each other up on their endeavors in the New Frontier. Lindsey shared their struggles to recruit the people of the Navajo Nation. Calvin and Raven explained the dire situation in Estes Park and their urgent need to get more Commander.

“Our suspicions were correct about Wheeler. Eddy has enslaved him, forcing him to work for the Rattlesnakes,” Lindsey said. “According to our intel, he has an entire team devoted to making Commander at a biopharma facility called Axcension in Provo.”

“And we’re going after it immediately, right?” Jay asked.

Raven gave Jay a raised brow. “You coming along again?”

“I promised to see this mission through to the end, and I intend to do it.”

“So that’s settled,” Calvin said. “We go in, raid Axcension, then get the hell out of there with Wheeler and all the Commander we can carry.”

Lindsey nodded. “That would be good, but we need more than just a one-time supply of Commander. We have to produce it.”

“Get Wheeler back to a place like Regeneraid in Centennial,” Raven said. “And he can start cooking up more Commander.”

“That took weeks, nearly a month to even begin production just for testing,” Nuke said. “We can’t wait that long.”

Lindsey sipped her beer. “People’s lives are on the line. I would like to launch a full-scale attack on Utah. The best outcome would be to kick the Rattlesnakes out and hold Provo ourselves. We need Axcension under our control so production isn’t disrupted.”

“We can help secure it and hold it,” Hendricks volunteered.

“That helps, but how many people you got?” Rebecca asked.

“Twelve men, all various special ops guys.”

“I appreciate the support, but that’s not going to be enough, is it?” Rebecca glanced around the table. “Especially without the Navajo Nation backing us. And who knows how many communities up north will actually come through?”

“We have to try,” Lindsey said. “We have no other choice.”

Charlize raised a skeletal hand. “I have other terrible news, I’m afraid.”

The room went silent.

“I just heard from a few of my government contacts. Eddy is in talks with President Shelby to resurrect the Angel Line. He wants the country’s train systems to continue going in and out of the New Frontier.”

“Why?” Pruitt asked. “What’s in it for him?”

“He’s demanding a tariff.”

Jay circled a finger around the edge of his cup. “That can’t be all he’s demanding. The guy is selfish as sin, but why would he let the US government send anything through his land, even for money? That makes no sense.”

“Whatever his true motivation is, the problem is that he’s working with the US government,” Charlize said. “If he has diplomatic lines open, it’s going to be even more difficult to get Shelby to see things our way.”

Calvin leaned over the table. “Then we better hurry up and take his ass out. No more waiting around.”

“We only have one shot at this,” Lindsey said. “I don’t want this to be another mistaken offensive like Medicine Bow. If we’re rescuing Wheeler and taking down Eddy, we’re doing it in one fell swoop. I know we’ve got sick family and friends waiting on us. I know their lives are in danger, but it’s going to be a lot worse if we fail.”

While the group seemed eager to leave for the New Frontier again, they knew Lindsey was right. They couldn’t afford to mess this up. Fortunately, she had already given thought to how they would tackle the invasion and wanted their feedback.

“Currently, we have a force approximately two hundred strong that Gloria, Phillip, and our other allies from the north have organized,” Lindsey continued. “They’re working on improving those numbers so they can take Salt Lake City.”

“And we’re going to support them?” Hendricks asked.

“Not quite. Priority number one for us is securing Provo and Axcension. Hendricks, you and your team will lead the CQC—close quarter combat—operations on the ground to take the facility. Our team will search for Doctor Wheeler. At the end of the attack, we hope to get Wheeler and the meds safely out of Utah.”

“After finding Wheeler, what’s next?” Raven asked.

“We maintain control of Axcension. That’s where the army from the north will be most important. We’re hoping that they’ll help contain and decimate Eddy’s forces around the city, so we can hold on to Provo. We’ll also have them secure Salt Lake Central Station to the west, which it sounds like the Rattlesnakes will be using as a supply depot to prepare their trains for the deal with Shelby. Questions so far?”

Pruitt raised a hand. “Ma’am, can we really trust Gloria and the others to handle all that?”

“We will provide as much fire support around the Outpost as strategically possible after securing Axcension. According to intel gathered by our friends around the New Frontier and refugees from the region, we expect Eddy to be holed up inside Salt Lake Temple at the Outpost. So yes, our secondary goal is to take him down, dead or alive.”

“You really think we can do this all alone?” Rebecca asked.

Charlize spoke up this time. “If you all manage to rescue Wheeler and liberate Axcension, I plan on using all the political clout I have left with some friends in Shelby’s administration, along with Governor Anders, to get backup. But this is a big ‘forgiveness after’ rather than ‘ask for permission’ kind of thing. There’s no guarantee they’ll send help. I just hope with some unexpected success, we can convince them to join the fight.”

Lindsey looked around the table. “Other questions?”

“How are we getting in if this is supposed to be a surprise attack?” Raven asked. “Are we just going to roll up in cars or on foot? Because the Rattlesnakes are going to see us and have way too much time to prepare.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Lindsey said. “For now, go prepare your weapons and whatever else you need. I’ll finalize plans with the leaders up north. With Kipp and Jay’s help, I’ll see if we can convince the Navajo Nation to join in.”

After the meeting, it didn’t take long for the team to disperse. Then Lindsey placed a call on her sat phone to a number she wasn’t used to calling: her old office number.

“Sheriff Whitlock here.”

“It’s Lindsey.”

“Lindsey? What’s going on?”

“I need your help.”

“Don’t tell me it’s about Eddy again.”

“It’s about a hell of a lot more than Eddy. It’s about the destruction of the United States, about everyone you love and care about dying. Without your help, I don’t know that you or I are going to live to see the next month.”

“You should tell Governor Anders. Not me.”

“He already thinks I’m crazy. You worked with me. You know me better than he does. I’m asking you to listen first, then you can judge.”

“He’ll have my head if he finds out I was talking to you. Worse if he realizes I was considering helping.”

“I understand I’m asking a lot. I get it. But we don’t have a choice.” She told him everything she had learned about the New Frontier and Eddy’s plans. After she finished, Whitlock could choose to tell Anders and turn her in or uphold his oath as a Ranger to protect the people of Colorado.

It was time for the chips to fall where they may.

“So?” she asked when she was done. “Can you help?”

* * *

A day and a half later, Raven sat in the jump seat of a restored Black Hawk helicopter as they flew over Colorado. The bird had been a gift to the Colorado Rangers shortly after the attack on Fort Golden. Apparently, Lindsey’s conversation with Sheriff Whitlock worked and she convinced him to let them “borrow” it.

Of course, if everything went south, Lindsey told Whitlock he could tell Anders that she, Raven, and the others had abused their former positions and stolen it.

The guise gave the United States and the Rangers plausible deniability in case their mission to Provo and Salt Lake City failed. Colorado and federal officials could claim Lindsey went rogue and that the government didn’t break the ceasefire.

For all intents and purposes, it was true.

Raven took a second to survey the troop hold.

Creek sat between his legs, looking up at him expectantly with his one eye. Dressed in hunting gear and an armored vest, Lindsey held on to the bar beside him, a grim look of determination on her face. Calvin had his M4 slung across his chest with his tactical vest over his plate carrier. Pruitt was outfitted like he was back in the Marines, full battle rattle included. Rebecca had on her Steel Runner regalia along with body armor, and Jay donned his old Navajo Nation Police Officer tactical uniform.

While Boston had done a nearly one-eighty health-wise, his fever broken and the infection under control, it would be weeks before he truly recovered from his frostbite. His absence was yet another reminder of their lack of manpower.

They were going into this mission at a distinct disadvantage. Not to mention, everyone was exhausted. But they didn’t have the luxury of time to rest.

Not with all the people of Estes Park sick along with several other towns up and down the Front Range. From their communications with Gloria Thayer and the Wind River Reservation, a handful of communities in the north had been similarly sabotaged. The numbers of infected were piling up everywhere they looked.

Time was most definitely not on their side.

They’d had to make a quick exit and get the Black Hawk out of Colorado before Governor Anders noticed.

“Everyone hear me?” Lindsey asked over her headset as they soared over the Rockies.

“Loud and clear,” Raven replied.

The others responded in kind.

“Good,” Lindsey said. “Our team will go by the call sign Thunderbird. Hendricks and the others from the Bornstein Group in the Blackhawk following ours will be Mongoose. Our allies from the north will be organized under Northern Wolves. They managed to increase their numbers to approximately four hundred, and they’re already on the move for Salt Lake City.”

Raven glanced at Jay. “I take it the Navajo Nation is still sitting this one out.”

“We haven’t heard anything from Kipp,” he replied. “He went radio silent, but last we spoke, he talked about sending maybe fifteen of his officers up.”

“Fifteen isn’t nearly enough,” Pruitt said. “We’ve all seen what the Rattlesnakes can do.”

Lindsey started passing out NVGs. “Well, we’ve got more surprises. From what we’ve seen, the Rattlesnakes don’t have a ton of access to high-tech gear. Fortunately, thanks to Charlize’s connections, we do. The Northern Wolves will target the generators and other power sources the Rattlesnakes use to keep the lights on in Salt Lake City, so hopefully, they literally won’t see us coming when we hit.”

“What about Provo?” Rebecca asked.

“That’s trickier. From what we know about Wheeler’s operations when he was at Regeneraid, the last thing we want to do is cut power to Axcension. Doing so could disrupt or completely ruin the production lines. The whole point of capturing Axcension is so that we can use it for our own benefit.”

The chopper engines thrummed louder as they powered into the night. Raven stole a glance out the window. They were still over the Rockies, but it looked like they were quickly approaching Colorado’s western border. They were well into enemy territory now.

The group reviewed all the likely scenarios they might encounter, making sure everyone was familiar with potential infil and exfil sites. They looked like a ragtag group of warriors, but Raven felt like he was with his team from his Recon Marine days.

In fact, the op was frighteningly similar to one of his last missions in North Korea to rescue a US Senator’s daughter. Tonight, they were also crossing a precarious border watched by zealous enemies that would gladly shoot and kill them on sight to save an imprisoned VIP. Not to mention if they failed, no one from the United States would come for them.

As the chatter faded between the members of the team, all that sounded in the cabin was the steady beat of the rotors. Raven watched Calvin and Rebecca mouthing silent prayers. Pruitt too. Lindsey stared straight ahead, Zen-like. Nuke also had a solemn expression, like he was in his head, meditating.

Raven scratched Creek behind the ears as he mentally prepared himself for the dangers waiting for them. Nothing about what they were going to do was easy, and their plan wasn’t even the best they could have come up with.

But it was the only plan they had time for.

Raven was doing this for everyone suffering from Wild Fire back home, but Sandra’s and Allie’s faces were the most prominent in his mind. He recalled his last conversation with Sandra. She desperately wanted to get better to help their community. It was maybe the first time she wholeheartedly approved of Raven heading into the Wild Lands.

Because if he didn’t, then Allie would die too.

Neither Sandra nor Raven could stand by while Allie slowly wasted away, her body turning into a horror show wrought by the bioengineered plague.

His thoughts turned over in his mind, time passing in an adrenaline-churning whirlwind, until the pilot’s voice came in over the comms.

“Thunderbird and Mongoose, be advised, approaching LZ. ETA ten minutes.”

Raven focused once more on the mission. He heard the clink of weapons as the rest of the team did their last checks. He double-checked his plate carrier. It had saved his life before against the Rattlesnakes in Wyoming, and he wasn’t ever going to take it for granted.

“ETA five minutes,” the pilot reported.

The seconds ticked by.

“NVGs on,” Lindsey said.

Raven flipped his NVGs down. The interior of the chopper became a wash of green, white, and black. IR markers on his teammates’ NVGs flared, glowing in his view. When he turned to look out the window, what had once been a sea of black morphed into a shifting landscape filled with snow-covered mountains and beds of pine trees bordering Provo.

Lights flickered from some of the buildings deeper in town. Judging by their color, it was a mixture of electrical lights and fires.

But one three-story facility to the north, butting up against the mountains, glowed the brightest. Axcension. It was almost go-time.

“ETA, two minutes,” the primary pilot called again. “We don’t have a clean LZ, so for infil, you’re going to have to fast-rope. IR shows four contacts on the roof.”

The chopper’s crew chief pulled back the side doors, one after the other, as the rooftop of Axcension bloomed into view. Four hostiles appeared in Raven’s vision as they swooped toward the flat roof covered in industrial-sized ventilation equipment.

“I got eyes on the contacts,” Raven said.

“I see ‘em. When we touch down, Nuke and I will be Thunderbird Alpha One and Two, respectively,” Lindsey said. “We’ll stay on overwatch. Calvin, Raven, Pruitt, Rebecca, and Jay, you’ll be Thunderbird Bravo, One through Five. Once you clear the third floor, you move on to the second while Mongoose takes the first.”

“ETA, one minute,” the pilot said.

“Nuke, Raven, Calvin, Pruitt, take those hostiles down,” Lindsey said. “On my mark.”

Raven sighted up a Rattlesnake guard at Lindsey’s direction. The hostiles ran for cover, obviously hearing the choppers dropping toward them.

“Now!” Lindsey said.

Raven gently squeezed the trigger. He fired once at his target’s center of mass, then another shot to the head. The Rattlesnake went down like a sack of potatoes, crumpling behind a large intake fan.

Suppressed shots erupted around Raven as the other three former service members fired. And just like Raven’s, their targets collapsed.

Only a quarter mile away, Mongoose’s chopper touched down in a parking lot just north of their position. Hendricks and his men would soon filter in between the abandoned cars and vacant buildings toward Axcension to secure the perimeter.

“Clear for infil,” the primary pilot called over the comms, breaking into a controlled hover about twenty feet above the fresh corpses and machinery atop the Axcension building.

The crew chief tossed out the fast ropes. They uncoiled and whipped below the chopper, their ends landing heavily between the ventilation equipment. Raven secured Creek’s harness to his tac vest.

Calvin was the first to slide down, followed by Pruitt and Jay. Raven went next, steadying Creek with one hand and guiding himself down with the other.

Already Calvin fell into a kneeling position, facing toward the doorway that led into the building. He appeared to be disabling an improvised explosive device set up to explode when they opened the door. Raven was glad to have the assistance of multiple veterans with battlefield smarts on this mission, including Pruitt who stacked up behind the former SEAL. Rebecca, Nuke, and Lindsey came last. Each landed more clumsily than the first three, but not bad for their first fast-rope experiences into a combat zone.

Of course, the rest of this mission required more than “not bad.” Calvin signaled for Pruitt to test the roof access door handle. A small twitch of the handle revealed it was unlocked.

Raven glanced back at Lindsey. Beneath her NVGs, she wore a look of grim determination. Her goggles met Raven’s for a second. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, she gave him a subtle nod.

It wasn’t much, but it told him everything in that moment. Every memory they shared. Every feeling she held for him—and him for her. And every promise of a future they might have together if they succeeded.

For those promises to be kept, they not only had to complete their mission. They had to survive.

Lindsey shot Calvin a hand signal. Calvin tapped Pruitt’s shoulder.

And in one brutally swift movement, Pruitt whipped open the doorway and the Thunderbird team rushed into one of the most important enemy strongholds in the New Frontier.

-19-

Calvin surged through the open doorway, leading the group. Lindsey and Nuke stayed outside on overwatch, equipped with sniper rifles and their M4s. Pruitt followed directly behind Calvin. Jay and Rebecca were after him with Raven and Creek on rearguard.

There was no one on this mission Calvin trusted more to watch their team’s back than Raven. And given he and Raven had the most close-quarters combat—CQC—experience, it was not only a personal preference, but a necessity.

Calvin rushed down a set of stairs shouldering his suppressed M4, watching for more booby traps. Inside the building, the enemy had killed the lights. Calvin still heard the hum of generators, though, no doubt keeping the bioreactors and other machinery necessary for Commander production running.

But, apparently, the hostiles had underestimated them, not realizing they’d have NVGs.

When they reached a landing, Calvin faced another door. He heard shuffling beyond, as if people were falling into position, ready to put up a defensive front. The rest of the team stacked up on the stairs behind him. Calvin motioned for them to seek shelter away from the doorway.

He plucked a flashbang off his tac vest and pulled the pin, as Pruitt cracked open the door. Calvin tossed the grenade, then ducked back. Pruitt covered his ears and pressed himself low to the floor.

Voices yelled in the corridor in panic. Gunfire rattled into the door. Several rounds punched through the metal and ricocheted off the stairs and wall, most coming in at chest height or higher.

Calvin signaled for Pruitt to push open the door again. He walked at a hunch, his rifle pressed against his shoulder, seeking for IEDs and enemy contacts who flared white in his NVGs. Most appeared disoriented, aiming their rifles too high or low. Some covered their ears, or held their heads between their legs, as if they were in pain.

Calvin scanned the hostiles in a fraction of a second, his operator training kicking in, as he looked for unarmed individuals, like hostages who might be used as decoys or shields.

But all the individuals he saw had rifles in their hands or slung over their shoulders. Evidently, the personnel in this facility were too valuable even for the Rattlesnakes to use as cover.

That boded well for their chances of finding Wheeler and his crew alive.

At least, Calvin hoped that was true as he sighted up the nearest Rattlesnake. A concentrated burst of gunfire sent the man sliding dead down the wall, his weapon clattering over the tile floor. Another Rattlesnake fired in response. Still blinded by the flashbang, his bullets went high, chiseling through the ceiling tiles. Dust and broken tiles rained down.

But Calvin never lost sight of his enemy. One more squeeze of the trigger put the Rattlesnake down in a bloody heap. The footsteps from the rest of Calvin’s team came in after him, as he advanced between crates and boxes in the wide corridor.

He counted another six contacts. Between himself and the rest of the Thunderbird Bravo team, they eliminated each hostile with expert precision. The booby traps the enemies had been setting up—IEDs consisting of grenades and even mortar shells—were dismantled by Pruitt and Raven.

A few doorways led off on either side. It took only seconds for them to clear these smaller rooms, with Raven, Creek, and Pruitt covering one side, while Jay and Rebecca infiltrated the opposite.

Calvin held security, making sure no one popped up from the stairwell on the other end of the corridor.

“All clear,” Raven reported, emerging back into the hallway.

“Same,” Jay said, coming out from another doorway. “Don’t think there’s anything else on this floor but empty offices and supply rooms.”

Calvin radioed Lindsey. “Thunderbird Alpha, this is Thunderbird Bravo One. Top floor is clear.”

“Copy that,” Lindsey replied. “Not seeing any action in the streets. Not yet, at least. But Mongoose is making infil right now. Hold tight.”

Suddenly, the staccato rattle of gunfire resonated through the walls. Calvin never let his aim stray from the door at the end of the hall as voices and gunshots boomed from the first floor, echoing through the building.

He was ready for Mongoose to drive the remaining defenders into his clutches. And just as expected, the door burst open, with two Rattlesnakes running through. Right into Calvin’s aim. One carried a grenade, ready to pull the pin. Another had a shotgun. Neither made it a foot before being filled with bullets. Their bodies slid across the tiled floor, carried by momentum, and the grenade, its pin still in place, rolled harmlessly toward Calvin.

The gunfire from the first floor quieted. A silence fell over the facility, punctuated only by the thrum of generators and the whoosh of air through the ventilation systems.

“Mongoose One here,” Hendricks called over the team comms. “Clearing first floor now. Found ourselves plenty of IEDs. Better watch yourself.”

“Thunderbird Bravo copies,” Calvin replied. “We’re moving to the second floor. We can confirm the heavy presence of IEDs here, too. Take security positions when you clear the first.”

“Wilco.”

Lindsey piped in next. “I’ve got eyes on hostiles headed our way. At least three vehicles coming from northwest Provo.”

No surprise, Calvin thought. Eddy would want to control this facility just as bad as they did.

“But I got good news too,” Lindsey said. “Gloria and Ray confirm their forces are descending on Salt Lake City. They’re advancing toward the Outpost and the train station. They aren’t sure they can launch a full-out assault, but they’ll begin siege operations.”

Calvin couldn’t help but grin. They had Eddy trapped like a rat.

He signaled for the team to move down the corridor. They made it to the stairwell where the last two hostiles had appeared. Advancing down the stairs with Pruitt over his shoulder, he heard the gentle bootsteps of his team along with the click-clack of Creek’s claws.

On the second floor, Pruitt took point, pushing out the door into another hall lined with expansive windows leading into dark rooms. Inside each, emergency lights bled in from the hall illuminating the ghostly shapes of laboratory equipment and big steel drums.

The corridor ended in a T-intersection. The third wall there had an even larger window overlooking the main production facilities. That room was much bigger. All kinds of pipes and scaffolds stretched throughout the space, which Mongoose would have cleared since it was accessible on the first floor.

That left the two labs on either side and whatever else was on the second floor.

“Any sign of Wheeler yet?” Calvin asked.

“Negative,” Hendricks replied. “We’re still looking.”

“Careful now,” Calvin relayed back to the team. “Our VIP and his people may be in these labs.”

Then Calvin gestured for Raven to take Jay, Rebecca, and Creek into the lab on the right. Pruitt stacked up beside Calvin at the lab on the left.

Calvin glanced back at Raven. The former Recon Marine gave him a nod, signifying he was ready. At Calvin’s signal, both teams burst through the lab doors. Raven led the charge on the right, and Pruitt pushed ahead of Calvin on the left.

They began a clean sweep through the rows of humming and gurgling laboratory equipment. Glowing screens shone white through the NVGs as Calvin searched for targets. He roved his gun over shelves of beakers and glass flasks. Sleeves of plastic dishes—cell cultures, he vaguely recalled—and other consumable supplies blocked his view over the shelves.

But then he spotted movement in the rear corner. He rotated toward where he thought something flitted through the darkness. As soon as he turned, everything grew still.

At first, he worried it was a figment of his imagination.

He held up a fist.

Pruitt froze, covering him, as Calvin crept forward. He walked in a crouch behind the shelves and equipment.

Holding in a breath, he curved around a lab bench. Sure enough, he spotted three Rattlesnakes, crouched, ready to spring up and ambush them.

Unfortunately for them, he was quicker and smarter. Plus, he had NVGs. He knew CQC. They did not. And in CQC, you either learned quick or died.

None of those three were quick learners.

After a couple of bursts from Calvin’s M4, all three were spread over the floor, their weapons clattering around them. And with a final gesture, Calvin finished the sweep.

“Thunderbird Bravo One here, our lab is clear,” he reported over the channel.

He got only silence, which told him Raven and his team were still clearing theirs.

Calvin and Pruitt headed toward the exit, ready to rush across the hall should Raven’s team need help.

Before he made it into the hall, the throaty boom of concerted gunfire reverberated from the other lab as muzzle flashes illuminated the space in violent lightning blasts.

“Our lab’s clear,” Raven said.

They met back in the corridor.

“Reinforcements are getting closer,” Lindsey reported over the line.

“Mongoose has defensive positions set up,” Hendricks added.

“Still no VIP?” Calvin asked.

“Negative,” came Hendricks’s response.

Calvin signaled for Thunderbird Bravo to secure the T-intersection. At the end of one branch was a stairwell that presumably led down to the first floor. The other end led to a double door marked “STORAGE.”

Could that be what they were looking for?

They advanced toward the double doors. On their approach, Calvin noted the glint of light on a nearly invisible wire. He took a deep breath as he signaled for Pruitt to disable the booby trap before leading the room clearing. The Marine nodded and cut a set of tripwires attached to some jury-rigged improvised explosive devices.

The team flooded into the large space, then dropped into shooting positions behind crates and shelving units. Calvin’s finger never strayed from his trigger guard as he swept the wide space. But to his shock, almost every single floor-to-ceiling shelf was empty. The team filtered between the shelves to the back just to make sure.

He found no hostiles. No Wheeler either.

“Son of a…” Calvin muttered to himself, lowering his rifle. He spotted shelves with only a few scattered pill cartons.

Picking one up, he slid out a blister pack of the nondescript pills. This was nothing like the Commander supplies they had thought they would find. Where the hell did Wheeler and the meds go?

“Mongoose, no sign of our VIP or the Commander stores,” Calvin said. “Only scraps left.”

“Mongoose here,” Hendricks called. “So far, same story down here.”

“Mongoose, Thunderbird,” Lindsey called over the comms. “You better find something, because we got new contacts outside.”

* * *

Lindsey roved her scope over the incoming vehicles. A mostly empty parking lot surrounded the Axcension facility. There wasn’t much cover for the hostiles except for a few scattered trucks and cars.

Which was good for her and Nuke. They would at least have clear sightlines.

An old Chevrolet Suburban led a three-vehicle convoy that parked at the end of the circular drive leading to the entrance. A Ford Excursion and an F-150 stopped behind it.

She assumed they would ride right up to the door. But instead, they seemed to be waiting for something. A signal perhaps?

She wasn’t sure.

“Nuke, monitor the vehicles,” she said. Then she spoke over the comms. “We got two SUVs and an F-150 pickup outside. No idea how many people are inside. Windows are too tinted on the SUVs and the F-150 has a shell over the bed.”

“Copy that,” Hendricks called. “Want us to go welcome them?”

“Negative,” Lindsey said. “Could be a trap. Better if you all post up in defensive positions. We want to hold Axcension, even if Wheeler isn’t here.”

But still, they really needed to figure out where Wheeler was—and where the Rattlesnakes had moved their Commander stores.

She scanned the barren parking lots surrounding Axcension and the neighboring buildings. The night-vision scope lit up everything in mottled green, white, and black hues. She searched for any movement, any indication of the Rattlesnakes trying to sneak away. Maybe they fled through a back exit with Wheeler and the goods when they realized what was happening.

But to get all those meds and personnel out in time?

It couldn’t have been easy, so she guessed they wouldn’t have gone far. The supplies had to be somewhere nearby.

She moved the scope over a couple of nearby factories. The cracked windows revealed no lights inside. She zoomed in, trying to get a glimpse of the interior, but didn’t see any signs of life.

“Eagles One and Two,” she called to the pilots of the Black Hawks. From their IR markers, she watched them flying racetrack holding patterns, far above the reach of any small arms fires. “You got eyes on any enemy transport vehicles? Our VIP and the entire stock of Commander pills are missing.”

The pilots were quiet for a moment before their voices sizzled over the line.

“That’s a hard negative,” the primary pilot of Eagle One called. “Nothing moving or suspicious except for those three vehicles that pulled up in front of the target site.”

“Same here,” the pilot from Eagle Two added.

“Copy that,” Lindsey said.

What are you playing at, Eddy?

Her mind whirled with possibilities as she turned her scope back to the three suspicious vehicles. What were they waiting for?

The Black Hawks hadn’t spotted any more incoming reinforcements.

Then a massive ball of fire rolled into the sky in the distance, coming from the north. Another explosion suddenly lit up the landscape, followed by a low boom several long moments afterward.

Her comms came alive with requests for medics and help from the Northern Wolves.

Phillip’s voice broke through the chaos. “Mongoose, Thunderbird, Northern Wolves are taking heavy casualties. We’ve surrounded Outpost Salt Lake City, along with the train station. But the Rattlesnakes planted a bunch of bombs or something. Hit us as we circled their front gates, and we’re now sustaining heavy fire. They’ve got snipers and explosives everywhere. We’re in retreat.”

Another barrage of thoughts spun through Lindsey’s mind. She worried for all the lives that had just been lost, all the people maimed by the explosives. But there was one question even more pressing.

“Are you abandoning the siege?” Lindsey replied.

“Negative,” Phillip called back. “Just need to reorganize.”

“Take things slowly if you have to. Watch for more booby traps and ambushes. But do not abandon the city.”

“You got it. We’re in this to the end.”

That was reassuring. Without the Northern Wolves’ commitment, there was no way they could contain the Rattlesnakes inside Outpost Salt Lake City.

And most importantly, if they held Provo and found Wheeler, then Charlize could reach out to Governor Anders and Sheriff Whitlock for immediate assistance.

Whitlock had at least been sympathetic to the cause. And if she showed him irrefutable proof that they actually had a shot at ending the Rattlesnakes’ reign of terror, then she might convince him and the rest of the powers that be that destroying the organization was the right move. Charlize would also reach out to her former comrades in the military services and send a message to Shelby himself.

Sure, it was a dick move to tell him what they were up to after they had done it. But he deserved to know it was them that broke the ceasefire. And Charlize’s plan was to tell him he could claim the victory as his own if he sent military reinforcements to help finish the job.

He probably wouldn’t have much of a choice. If Lindsey’s team and her allies were already on the way to victory, it would be embarrassing as hell for Shelby to admit he had no part in it. That he didn’t care for the Americans stuck in and around the New Frontier as much as this ragtag band of misfits and veterans did. They planned on playing to his ego and praying that he took the bait. At least, that was what Charlize and Lindsey hoped. Of course, that was an awful lot of ‘what ifs.’

“Eagle One, keep trying to reach Kipp,” Lindsey said. “We may need the Navajo Nation’s help tonight. Please.”

“I’ll keep trying. But no one on the public channels at Window Rock is answering my calls.”

Nuke suddenly perked from where he had been lying prone. “Lindsey, I think I see movement. Look.”

He pulled away from his scope momentarily and pointed at a warehouse to their north, directly next to Axcension’s parking lot. The warehouse windows were mostly covered by tarps and sheets. But when Lindsey used her scope to view a window whose tarp peeled away slightly in the wind, she thought she spotted movement inside, though she couldn’t quite make out what was going on.

Again, her stomach twisted into a knot. She tried to keep track of all the chess pieces moving across the board. Wheeler and the Commander pills were nowhere to be found. The hundreds of Northern Wolves that had encircled SLC had been brought to a standstill, stuck in a deadly stalemate. And these three vehicles hadn’t revealed a damn clue about why they were here at Axcension.

“Nuke, keep watching those three vehicles,” she replied. “I’ll monitor the warehouse.”

“You got it, ma’am.”

She shifted at the edge of the roof and roved her scope over the warehouse windows again, searching for anything else unusual.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe they should focus on the most immediate threats.

But that tickling feeling in Lindsey’s gut was getting worse. She didn’t like being surprised. She wanted someone to inspect the warehouse.

However, Mongoose needed to keep the first floor secure. In case the Rattlesnakes launched an attack, most of the Thunderbirds would have to provide security as well.

That left her.

“Nuke, stay on overwatch.” Lindsey started toward the rooftop access door. “I’m gonna check out that warehouse.”

Nuke shot her a look of concern for a second but said nothing.

“As soon as any of those vehicles opens a door, you let everyone know.”

“All right, ma’am. Be careful.”

As Lindsey ran down the stairs, she called for Pruitt to meet her. She didn’t want to risk pulling away anyone else for some light recon work that might very well result in nothing.

In less than a minute, she stood near an exit door to the parking lot where Pruitt met her. Together, they snuck across the lot, bounding between the scattered vehicles.

She reached the warehouse and pressed herself flat against the wall. Pruitt followed her as she crept under the windows, looking for a clear view inside.

Shooting a hand signal quietly to Pruitt, she had him cover her as she slowly rose and peeked into a cracked window. Her NVGs gave her an expansive view of the interior.

Three large military transport trucks were parked inside. Rattlesnakes hurriedly loaded crates onto the back of the vehicles. That was probably the missing pharmaceuticals. She counted approximately eight enemy soldiers handling the cargo, but they weren’t alone.

Lined up against the wall were another twenty people. Many wore white coats. And even through the NVGs, Lindsey could see how emaciated they were. These had to be the workers the Rattlesnakes were forcing to produce the Commander.

Toward the end of the line, she saw a haggard older man with white hair who looked like the life had been drained out of him. He leaned heavily on the wall, as if it took all his strength not to pass out.

Doctor Wheeler.

Eddy must have gotten word she and her team were on their way to Provo. From the looks of it, if they had been any later, these trucks, the Commander, and Wheeler would have been long gone. They must have arrived right in the middle of the Rattlesnakes staging this convoy.

Four Rattlesnakes stood guard, their weapons aimed at the prisoners. Then another approached talking on a radio.

He used a knife to point at a prisoner. The woman he pointed to began shaking. Lindsey could just barely make out her voice. But it was obvious she was scared, pleading for her life.

Then the man separated the prisoners into two groups. Wheeler’s was escorted into a waiting truck.

“I got eyes on our VIP,” Lindsey reported. “Commander too. They’re loading up most of the team and the drugs into three trucks and—”

She froze as the man with the knife approached the woman he’d been pointing at. He grabbed her head, wrenched it back, and then drew the blade over her throat. A dark shadow of blood poured out over her white lab coat.

Lindsey’s insides turned to lead.

The Rattlesnakes were executing these people. Maybe they thought they were no longer necessary to their cause. Maybe they were suspected of betraying the group. Whatever the reason, Lindsey couldn’t just sit by and watch as they got slaughtered.

The Rattlesnake with the knife moved to his next victim. While two gunmen remained to keep the other prisoners in line, everyone else had begun loading up into the three trucks. The convoy looked like it was about ready to take off.

That was when Nuke’s voice came in over the line. “I’m seeing movement from the two SUVs and the F-150 in front of Axcension. People are aiming guns out the windows like they’re about to provide cover fire for something.”

Then it became clear to Lindsey. Those three vehicles in front of Axcension weren’t part of a counterattack; they were here to escort the convoy with Wheeler and the meds.

She couldn’t let that happen.

“Nuke, weapons free,” she said. “Take down their drivers first. Then any gunmen.”

“Copy that, ma’am.”

A muffled gunshot rang out over the parking lot. Then another, followed by a third. Nuke was taking his shots. At the same time, engines from within the warehouse began revving. The executioner murdered a second victim, letting the body drop to the floor.

Lindsey couldn’t wait any longer. She signaled to Pruitt, then used her rifle butt to smash through the rest of the broken window she had been watching through. As fast as she could, she leapt through, and immediately dropped to a firing position. She shot at the executioner as he sauntered toward his next victim. Bullets slammed into his body, causing him to spin on his heels and hit the concrete floor. His knife skittered away as Lindsey roved her aim to one of the two remaining guards.

She squeezed the trigger. More rounds lanced out at the enemy in a violent, concerted blast. Bootsteps sounded behind her. Pruitt fell in beside her and eliminated the second guard.

The gunblasts were enough to rile up the drivers of the vehicles. They took off, all three trucks barreling forward. Gunfire erupted from warriors perched on the back of the trucks. Rounds zipped around Lindsey and Pruitt as they threw themselves low, sheltering behind some crates and steel barrels.

A heaving crash resounded as the first truck, the one with Wheeler, blasted through the retractable warehouse door before it fully opened. Metal panels buckled and broke as the other two vehicles barreled after the first.

She had no idea where they were headed. Maybe they would fight their way back into Salt Lake City and hide behind the walls of the Outpost, using Wheeler and the meds as a negotiating chip. Or maybe they would escape into the wilderness, disappearing and leaving Lindsey’s team far behind.

Without Wheeler or the meds, this mission was a failure.

“They’re escaping with Wheeler!” Lindsey roared over the comms. “Do not let them get away!”

-20-

Raven watched out a second-floor office window with Creek beside him. Jay was posted nearby, his rifle pointed at the two SUVs and the pickup parked in front of the building. Calvin and Rebecca found shooting positions on the southside of the facility.

A few Rattlesnake bodies lay near the pickup where Nuke had shot them. The muffled wallop of the sniper rifle continued, rounds smashing through the windows of one of the SUVs. But while Nuke dispatched the crew of the pickup, the first two SUVs peeled off under his gunfire. Gunmen from the vehicles rattled off a wild spray of bullets into the Axcension building. The boom of their rifles ricocheted over the parking lot. Between the shots, Raven heard the crash of breaking glass on the ground floor as Mongoose fired back.

“Shit,” Raven said. “We can’t let them escape.”

“Then let’s go get them,” Jay said.

Creek barked in agreement.

Raven hesitated for a second. It had been many months since he had been on a mission with Jay. And that had only been out of an obligation to help the man for saving Raven’s family.

Sure, Jay had made it this far with them. But he was as ballsy as he was smart. What if this was some kind of long con? What if he was trying to send the team toward disaster on purpose?

All those days Jay spent in the Rattlesnakes’ custody this past summer might’ve been one lengthy brainwashing session.

Could Raven really trust him?

He wanted to say ‘yes,’ that the man had clearly proven himself.

The truth was, he didn’t have a choice. Calvin was on the other side of the building. Mongoose had to stay here to defend the facility against a potential counterattack.

Lindsey and Pruitt were in the warehouse dealing with the prisoners they had just saved. Nuke was providing overwatch on the roof.

The only people remotely in a position to chase down the trucks carrying Wheeler and the Commander pills were Raven and Jay.

“Fine,” he said. “But don’t do anything stupid.”

“When have I ever done anything stupid?” Jay asked.

Raven chose not to answer. He sprinted out of the office and then down a stairwell. Jay and Creek bounded after. They tore out through the parking lot to the remaining vehicle: the pickup truck.

Raven leapt into the driver’s seat and Jay took the passenger seat after dumping out a corpse sitting in the cab. Creek lunged over Raven’s lap and nestled between the two of them.

When they were in, Raven started the F-150 and raced away after the other lumbering trucks. One of the SUVs sped up to the front of the five-vehicle convoy. The other fell in behind the last military truck.

“Which vehicle is Wheeler in?” Raven asked.

“The first big cargo truck, along with most, if not all, of his team,” Lindsey replied, sounding breathless. “The other two trucks had only meds and Rattlesnakes as far as I could tell.”

“Good to know,” Jay said. “We’ll watch our fire accordingly.”

Damn right you will, Raven thought, though he refrained from saying it aloud.

As they followed the convoy, Raven kept the headlights off. Better not to give them away too soon, since he could just as easily drive with his NVGs. He dodged past rusting cars and trucks along the sides of the road as they passed into the suburbs surrounding the industrial area.

The big transport truck near the front of the pack—the one with Wheeler—bashed through some of the smaller vehicles. Sedans and compact cars clanged together as they spun out of the way.

It didn’t take long before the people in the SUV in front of Raven and Jay realized they were being followed.

A gunman poked his head out the sunroof and began firing wildly in their direction, bullets sparked against the asphalt. A few punched into the hood of the pickup and one smashed through the windshield, causing the glass to spiderweb.

As Raven steered, trying to dodge the incoming fire while navigating the treacherously packed road, Jay leaned out the window with his rifle. He shot off a couple of three-round bursts, lancing into the back of the SUV, and the rear windshield fell away in a shower of glass pebbles.

But the enemy’s barrage never stopped.

“Get me closer!” Jay said.

“They’re going to kill us if I get too close. You need to pick them off.”

“Can’t. Not with you driving like a wild man.”

Raven swerved around a minivan with rotted tires. “What do you want me to do? Just crash into another car?”

“We don’t have a choice. If we’re too cautious, Wheeler and the meds are gone. Everyone we care about back home is dead. And that’s it. We have to get closer. Risk everything or lose everything. Your decision, Raven.”

Raven hated that Jay was right. So instead of answering, he smashed the pedal to the floor. Rubber squealed as it bit into the asphalt and sent them flying.

More rounds punched into the truck. Each one threatened to puncture the radiator or something else vital to their pursuit. But the former Navajo detective merely gritted his jaw, staring at the hostile SUV. He fired a couple more shots into the vehicle, trying to knock out the gunmen poking out the windows.

“Closer, closer!” Jay yelled. Then he suddenly dropped his gun on its sling.

“What the hell? Kill them!” Raven shouted.

Instead of picking his rifle back up, Jay snagged one of his grenades from his vest. He pulled the pin as he depressed the spoon, and after winding up for the pitch, he threw the grenade into the SUV, through the rear windshield.

“Watch out!” Jay said.

Raven slammed on the brakes. As he turned hard to the left, Creek let out a surprised yelp. The SUV continued ahead for another second before a throaty boom blasted from the vehicle. Dust exploded out of every breaking window. Pieces of the roof peeled back, and the SUV looked like it had jumped off of its axles.

With a pillar of smoke trailing out of it, the SUV jerked hard to the right and drove through the front yard of a house. The vehicle speared through the side of another two-story home in a billowing gray haze as Raven accelerated past.

“One down,” Jay said. “Four more to go.”

Raven wasn’t sure they could survive long enough to stop all four vehicles. Not with tactics like that. But maybe there was another way to stop the convoy and rescue Wheeler without a prolonged car chase.

Gunfire continued to chatter from the cab of the truck in front of them. One gunman leaned out the passenger window. Another stuck his rifle out the back of the bed.

There was no room to blow past the truck. Not with so many abandoned cars blocking the lanes, preventing him from overtaking it.

“Eagle One, Thunderbird Bravo Two here. You still got eyes on us?” Raven asked.

“Affirmative, Thunderbird Bravo Two. But we can’t keep this circling and chasing up much longer. We do that, and we won’t have enough fuel to get home.”

“Okay, I’m going to make this as quick as I can.”

Raven gritted his teeth and tore down an intersection, taking a hard left. He dodged between a line of buses and trucks parked alongside the road. Torn open suitcases and clothes littered the sidewalk. He jumped the curb to navigate around a pair of rusted cars that had crashed into each other.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jay asked.

“Trust me!”

“Like hell!”

“You want me to trust your ass? Then give me the same respect!”

Raven took a hard right. Now they were driving in parallel with the convoy one block over.

“Eagle One, let me know if they turn!” Raven called.

“Wilco.”

Raven pushed the pedal down harder. The engine rumbled and growled as he whipped past parked vehicles and bounced over massive cracks in the asphalt. He dodged potholes that looked like they could swallow a small child and passed a few skeletal bodies decaying on the sidewalk.

He kept his headlights off, relying solely on the NVGs. That made it all the harder.

“Thunderbird Bravo, target convoy is turning left! They’re running a collision course toward you.”

“Even better,” Raven muttered. “Get your weapon ready!”

Raven slipped his handgun partway out of his holster. This would take everything they had.

“Goal is to stop the lead cargo truck. If we can, it’ll block the road and force all of them to a stop. Then we can take ‘em, one-by-one.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.” Jay jammed a fresh magazine into his rifle, then patted the grenades on his tac vest.

“No explosives.” Raven clenched his jaw, accelerating. At the next intersection, the enemy’s headlights lit up the street. They’d be at the junction in mere seconds—and Raven would be there right when they did. “We don’t want to destroy the meds or kill Wheeler’s crew.”

“Okay, okay. You got it.”

A second passed.

“Thunderbird Bravo, they’re almost there!” the pilot called.

Raven aimed for the intersection. He leaned forward, his mind completely focused on what he was about to do, already envisioning the frenetic driving.

And then, mere yards away, the lead SUV blasted past. Raven yanked the e-brake for a second, skidding the pickup sideways, rubber squealing and burning. He hit the gas pedal as the F-150 slid. The tires caught traction again.

Raven swerved the pickup between the SUV and the lead cargo truck. The cargo truck suddenly slammed on their brakes, jerking back and forth at the sudden intrusion. Jay wasted no time spraying bullets through the windshield and into the gunman leaning out.

Through the rearview mirror, Raven watched the Rattlesnake slump forward against the dashboard as the windshield exploded in a waterfall of crystalline pebbles.

“Keep the pickup steady!” Jay said.

Before Raven could say anything, Jay opened the rear window of the pickup’s cab and slipped into the bed.

What the hell? Raven thought.

Gutsy as ever, Jay slipped out from under the shell covering the bed and leapt onto the hood of the cargo truck. The driver swerved back and forth trying to knock Jay off. But he climbed through the non-existent windshield.

He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the driver’s head, squeezing in on the seat next to him. Then Jay pushed open the door and shoved the driver out. The man rolled away over the asphalt, disappearing as the truck continued chugging along.

Jay took the driver’s place, and the big truck began to slow.

While that happened, Raven tore out his handgun. The two gunmen poking out of the SUV in front opened fire.

“Get down, Creek!” he bellowed.

The dog pressed himself to the floor. Bullets smashed against the hood, and billows of steam spouted out. The engine started to chug as it heated rapidly.

But Raven maintained his control and aimed the best he could. He focused on a rear tire of the SUV, spending his whole magazine on it. Most of his rounds missed, scratching across the street or hitting the rear quarter panel. But two landed home, bursting through the tire. The vehicle swayed side to side as the driver tried to regain control. But before he could, he hit a curb and slammed into a light pole, the SUV twisting around it.

Raven smashed his brakes. When the pickup came to a stop, he got out, went right up to the crashed SUV with his M4, and plugged shots through the windows at the silhouettes inside until none of them moved.

“Come on, Creek!” he yelled.

He and the dog sprinted to where Jay stopped the rest of the convoy. The former detective was already prowling around the passenger’s side of the first truck toward the second one. He signaled for Raven to take the right side. They pushed through the smoke drifting off Raven’s vehicle, sticking to the shadows, avoiding the trucks’ headlights.

As they approached the second truck, the driver got out with his rifle at the ready. It took only a couple of quick shots for Raven to put him down.

Gunshots from the passenger’s side confirmed that Jay had taken out the other gunmen. The cargo truck at the end of the convoy was empty, its doors open. They met at the front of it before Raven signaled for them to continue. Two gunmen that had apparently fled the vehicle were already in position behind a burned-out sedan and began firing in Raven’s direction.

With a hand signal, Raven sent Creek through the debris to flank them. The canine sprinted away, then burst from cover a few seconds later, latching his mouth around the throat of one of the Rattlesnakes.

The other yelled in terror and swiveled to shoot at Creek.

But not before Raven riddled his side with bullets. He ran to join the Akita just as the dog ripped out the first man’s throat.

Another rash of rounds came from the passenger side of the big truck followed by Jay’s voice.

“Clear!”

They worked toward the back of the truck where Jay opened the fabric cargo door. The couple guards inside started shooting immediately. But Raven was prepared, already kneeling and returning fire, putting down both men in seconds.

They cleared the second truck just like that and made sure no one but Wheeler and the other scientists was left in the first.

“Convoy secure!” Raven reported.

“Thank, God!” Lindsey said. “Nuke and I are on our way to provide support and security. We’re going to airlift Wheeler and all the meds we can out of the combat zone ASAP.”

“Copy that,” Raven said.

The science team huddled together in the truck. Some looked relieved to see Jay and Raven, but most still wore expressions of fear. The only one who didn’t was Wheeler.

The doctor stormed past the cargo boxes to Raven and Jay. “You need to stop Eddy tonight!”

“What do you think we’re doing?” Jay asked.

“Things are worse than you think!” He brushed a hand through his greasy, thinning hair. His body looked like it might collapse at any second from exhaustion, but his voice belied his physical appearance. “I overheard his men. They’re going to send bombs filled with Wild Fire all over the country. They have trains waiting in Central Station to deliver them—and they’ve got more trains coming from outside they’re planning to use as well.”

“Shit,” Raven said. “Well, we’ve got them surrounded. We’re besieging the Outpost right now.”

“Siege or not, if you let Eddy live, even if you try to starve him out, he’s still going to find a way to get those bombs out. You’ve got to make sure we don’t lose track of any Wild Fire.”

* * *

Calvin drove one of the emptied cargo trucks from Provo toward Salt Lake City. They had successfully loaded Wheeler and his personnel along with all the meds from one of the trucks into the two choppers. The birds were headed east for refueling and to provide desperately needed medicine to the Front Range. Thunderbird team left the other two trucks inside Axcension’s loading dock, still full of meds.

Mongoose would defend the facility and keep the remaining stock of Commander secure.

In the meantime, Thunderbird would reinforce the Northern Wolves. They hoped to pierce the Outpost defenses and take down Eddy, cutting the head off the snake to derail the deranged man’s insane campaign.

Lindsey sat in the passenger seat with Raven and Creek between her and Calvin. Rebecca, Pruitt, Jay, and Nuke were back in the bed.

Calvin drove in the darkness, using his NVGs to navigate. The distant boom and rattle of gunfire echoed over the landscape as they passed over a highway littered with cars and debris. Mountains rose to their right, big ghastly monstrosities in his NVGs, and light flickered from the battlefield where they were headed.

“We should be only thirty minutes from Temple Square!” Calvin called out to the others. “Check your ammo, armor, everything. We’re going in hot!”

Lindsey called in on the long-range radio to Charlize, updating her on all that had transpired. “Charlize, is that enough to try calling Shelby or your other contacts? The ceasefire, our incursion; none of it matters if Eddy’s sending Wild Fire bombs across the country. We’re all screwed.”

Charlize’s voice was audible over the radio. “Even if you take hold of Provo?”

“Wheeler seems to think so. We’ll have too many sick people for the production at Axcension to keep up.”

“I’ll try to mobilize all the help I can. But just know, if I call for help now, if I tell Shelby’s people what we’ve been up to, we don’t get another chance. He’ll either help us—or he’ll cast us off as treasonous vigilantes.”

“I know, Charlize. Trust me, of all people, I know. He and Governor Anders already think I’m nuts.”

There was a pause over the line. “Lindsey, I want you to know I’m behind you and your team one hundred percent. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Please hurry, Charlize. We’re relying on you.”

Charlize ended her transmission.

Salt Lake City loomed larger. Gunfire sparked everywhere, like a million tiny explosions from every direction at once. Calvin’s pulse thundered past his ears.

It felt like they were on a chopper, its engines on fire, its rotors spinning, barely keeping them in the air, coasting toward an LZ in a narrow street with no room for error. They had only a small window of opportunity, an increasingly slim prospect of success.

“Mongoose, Thunderbird here,” Calvin tried. “Can I get a sitrep?”

Hendricks’ booming baritone voice responded, “Sporadic forces are coming out of the woodworks and circling our position. Nothing we can’t handle.”

Raven looked between Lindsey and Calvin. “Should we have some of them join us now?”

“Maybe,” Lindsey said.

Calvin shook his head as he steered around a school bus on deflated tires. “No way. An extra three or four guys won’t help that much at the siege. But those three or four guys could make a vast difference defending Axcension.”

“You sure about that?” Lindsey asked.

“You ever hear about Master Sergeant Don Hollenbaugh?” Calvin asked.

“Who’s that?”

“After everyone on his team of Marines was wounded, he was the last guy left to protect a rooftop in Fallujah. He held off 150 fighters by himself by running between six different shooting spots. Like I said, one man can make an enormous difference in the right defensive role.”

“Point taken,” Lindsey said. “Since you’re the SEAL, what do we do?”

“We can’t just circle the city,” Raven said.

“No way.” Calvin leaned forward in the seat, clenching his jaw for a moment as he wound between a massive buckle in the asphalt and a sedan burned to a husk. “We got to be like the spearhead, the vanguard. The homing missile that takes out Eddy and his leadership team.”

“You got a plan to get into the Outpost?” Raven asked.

“Not yet.” Calvin took the radio handset. “Northern Wolves, Thunderbird here. You got eyes on entry points into the Outpost?”

“Affirmative,” Gloria’s husky voice came in. “There’s a gate—wood reinforced by steel bars—on the northern approach. A sliding steel gate on the eastern side. On the west, they’ve got an improvised moat with an actual metal drawbridge. And on the south, there is a wooden barricade that looks like it’s been recently repaired. It’s mostly wood, like the gate at Fort Bonneville. Probably the weakest entry point; we heard the Rattlesnakes rammed a truck through it when they invaded the Outpost.”

“How many people do you have near the southern entrance?” Calvin asked.

“About one hundred of our people. They’ve taken some heavy fire. Twenty WIA. Another ten… another ten dead.”

“We need those reinforcements from Charlize to make a dent there,” Lindsey said. “We need help. Without it, if we try going in alone, we might lose everything.”

Raven gripped his rifle tighter. “If we don’t go in, if Eddy escapes with all those dirty bombs, we might lose everything anyway.” Calvin thought Raven’s voice cracked. “Look, I don’t want what’s happening to Allie and Sandra to happen all over the country.”

As Calvin turned up a road and barreled north, he saw the steeple of Salt Lake Temple rising above the surrounding apartments, hotels, and office buildings.

The closer they got, the louder bursts of gunfire became. Flashes speared out from the taller buildings surrounding the Outpost from snipers shooting at Northern Wolves.

They were only about five minutes from the walls now.

“Thunderbird, this is Eagle One,” the Black Hawk pilot’s voice snapped over the radio.

The sour feeling of worry welled up in Calvin’s throat. What was going on now? “Thunderbird, we copy.”

“Thunderbird, we saw heavy movement coming in from the east. The New Frontier communities of Colorado and eastern Utah seem to be mobilizing, heading your direction. Looks like Eddy’s got more reinforcements.”

“What do the numbers look like?” Calvin asked.

“Hard to say from the air,” the pilot replied, “but if I were to throw out a wild guess, I’d say you got about five different convoys of anywhere from five to fifteen vehicles. Who knows how many people are in them? Spotted guys riding horseback too. I’m assuming none of those people are friendly, so whatever you guys are up to, if you don’t hurry, you’re going to be outnumbered.”

“How long do you think we’ve got?”

“A couple hours, maybe, before the first arrives.”

Calvin led the team to a block of apartments just outside the Outpost where the Northern Wolves fired from open windows toward silhouettes flitting around the top of the Outpost walls.

“Lindsey, how long do we give Charlize? We might not have much time before we have to do something ourselves,” Calvin said, steering the truck behind the shelter of one of the eight-story buildings.

“I’ll call her again now.” In seconds, Lindsey had Charlize back on the line. “Please tell us some good news.”

“I talked to Shelby and Anders. I even spoke to the governors on the West Coast too. But… I can’t get anyone to commit. They don’t want to send troops. They claim they simply can’t afford to spend the resources.”

“The military?” Calvin asked.

“My contacts want to help. But without Shelby’s support, they can’t. Not without committing treason or a coup.”

The fiery bite of anger lashed through Calvin, as he held back curses caught in his throat.

“Son of a bitch.” Lindsey had no such restraint. “We need someone to do something soon. Eddy’s sending reinforcements. Why not our people? What about the Bornstein Group contractors?”

Charlize came over the radio again. “After the choppers drop off the science team and the meds, I’ve got at least another twenty men we’ve rounded up that we’ll send.”

“Twenty men.” Calvin chewed on the words. They might as well be slingshotting pebbles at a rhinoceros for all the good that would do if Eagle One’s reports on the Rattlesnake reinforcements were true. “Twenty men that won’t get here for another few hours will not cut it.”

“I can have them deliver a fresh load of ammunition too,” Charlize said.

Calvin was ready to pound the steering wheel. “Ammunition won’t matter if we don’t have anyone to shoot our guns.”

“I’m going to continue radioing for reinforcements and spreading the word. The problem is that Shelby thinks he can simply call off the Angel Line negotiations and guard the train rails for a shipment of Wild Fire.”

“No, Eddy is smarter than that,” Raven said. “He’ll know we’ve caught on to his plan, and he’ll figure out a new way to spread the Wild Fire after getting it out of here. We can’t let that happen.”

“Hold tight,” Charlize said. “I’ll wrangle someone up from somewhere. I promise.”

And with that, they were on their own again.

“What do we do?” Lindsey asked.

Raven pulled back the charging handle on his rifle. “Hunt Eddy down.”

“Agreed. We attack now.” Calvin squeezed the wheel harder. “If the southern approach was just repaired, then that means it was breached before. We can give the Rattlesnakes a taste of their own medicine and force our way into the Outpost. Then, we find Eddy, and defend the Outpost. It’s not great, but it’s a better option than waiting outside these walls.”

Lindsey seemed lost in thought for a second. But only for a second. “Fine then. Let’s go. Let’s go shove this whole fucking truck up Eddy’s ass.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Calvin slapped the steering wheel.

Then Lindsey picked up the radio. “Northern Wolves, this is Thunderbird Alpha One. North, East, and West forces, hold the line, but send fifty percent of your numbers to the southern gate. We’re going to stage our attack.”

Nearly thirty minutes later, after the Northern Wolves had done what Lindsey asked, Calvin drove the truck back out onto the road. Gloria and Phillip divided their forces, so a good two hundred men and women would follow Calvin’s charge into the Outpost.

The other couple hundred fighters would stay on the defensive lines of the siege. That meant that the perimeter around the Outpost would be much weaker—but they had no choice.

This was their only shot at victory.

Calvin aimed the truck for the wooden door of the southern gate. Two guard towers stood sentinel on either side with three men in each, along with another two dozen men on the walls.

As soon as the Rattlesnakes realized what Calvin was about to do, they would send a hell of a lot more their way.

So he wouldn’t give them the chance.

“Defensive forces, cover fire,” Calvin called into the radio. “Offensive forces, at our signal.”

Gunfire from the besieging army blasted into the guards’ positions on the walls and watchtowers. Calvin threw the truck into drive and pushed the gas pedal down hard.

Raven held on to Creek, bracing the dog. Lindsey wrapped a hand around the “oh-shit” handle on the ceiling. A glance in the side mirror showed men and women of the Northern Wolves running after them.

The truck accelerated, hundreds of pounds of torque driving its wheels. Its engine growled like a dragon breathing down the gates to a medieval castle. Calvin never slowed. And by the time Eddy’s people realized what was happening and started shooting, it was too late.

A massive boom erupted from the hood when it hammered through the gate, turning the timber to splinters. The engine compartment crumpled, steam and smoke roared out, glass shattering everywhere. But momentum carried the enormous vehicle through the wreckage of the door like a 14-ton battering ram.

The gate couldn’t stand up to the raw power of physics.

The truck’s engine let out an unhealthy grind as it jolted to a stop, skidding into an office building. Concrete chunks from the façade tumbled over it and onto the sidewalk, cracks spreading from the sites of impact.

And as the Northern Wolves poured in behind them, guns bursting to life, Calvin yelled for the Thunderbirds to take shooting positions as he pushed open the dented door, shouldered his rifle, and turned to fire.

This was it.

They were in the Outpost, the former holy center of the Church of Latter-day Saints. And soon Eddy would pay for all his sins.

-21-

“They what?” Eddy pounded his fist against the throne within the Assembly Hall of Salt Lake Temple.

Grant stood beside him like a bull elephant ready to charge, his rippling muscles pressing against his jacket, an M249 stolen from the National Guard armory strapped across his back. He fit the role perfectly fine as the new leader of the Liberty Militia.

On the other side was Naabaah, wearing a khaki coat with a Rattlesnake patch sewn onto the sleeve, an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, and a fireman’s ax in hand, eager for battle.

Another Rattlesnake prostrated himself before Eddy. Blood stained his shirt, dust and ash smearing his face. The messenger looked up at Eddy. His eyes seemed shrunken back in all the soot and streaks of dried blood, his lips cracked. Fear leaked from his pores.

“They breached the gates, Ahiga. We’re losing ground,” the man babbled, struggling to get it out. “They killed… they killed so many of us.”

An inferno roiled in Eddy’s chest. He wanted to scream like a banshee. Instead, he paused. He felt the eyes of the other Rattlesnakes on him. All twenty of them, along with Naabaah’s and Grant’s.

He had to stay in control.

Admittedly, he hadn’t expected the wašíču to penetrate their defenses. He never believed Raven and his ilk would have the ability to gather an army this size against him. So many of Eddy’s own forces and allies were spread throughout the New Frontier, carrying on his campaign, aggressively securing their land, and he hadn’t expected to need them all here so soon. Plus, he thought his forces had more time. They had set up so many traps and snipers, many of which it seemed the enemy had managed to dispatch, much to his chagrin.

Still, after he called every patrol and armed group from the Rattlesnake Union communities within a three-hours’ drive, he was certain that the wašíču and their allies from the north would run, knowing their time was at an end. The enemy would be outnumbered and outgunned.

But they hadn’t retreated.

Like fools, they had stayed, and now they had broken into his sanctuary, the capital of the New Frontier, putting themselves right in his clutches. He could turn this around. There were still plays he could make and plans he had yet to execute.

Eddy paced in front of the messenger. “They took our lands from us once, then made us march across hell on earth. And right as we’ve begun to rewrite our history, they want to erase it again.”

The anger building in him was too much to contain. His fingers trembled, his muscles twitching. He tried to hold it in.

For a second, he did.

He took his canteen from his belt and handed it to the messenger, who gulped greedily. Water spilled over his dirt and blood-stained face, washing it away in dark streams. Terror still shone in his eyes as gunshots sounded outside and he flinched, recoiling like he had been shot.

“You’re scared?” Eddy asked.

“Uh, no, Ahiga, I’m… I’m… I’m… I just don’t want to die.” Water dripped down his face as he tried to give the canteen back.

Eddy didn’t take it. “You came here, crying to me because you think we’re going to lose?”

“Ahiga,” Naabaah began. “Maybe—”

Eddy threw up a hand to silence Naabaah. He leaned toward the messenger.

“I can smell the fear. You reek of it.” Eddy straightened. “Rattlesnakes do not succumb to fear!”

His booming voice echoed against the walls. He smacked the canteen out of the messenger’s hands, and it clattered across the tiled floor, spilling everywhere.

The man shuffled back on his knees, but Eddy grabbed him by the throat before he got too far. He squeezed as he lifted the messenger into the air.

“Fear is not the killer.” Eddy’s nostrils twitched as he held the messenger higher. The man gagged and reached for Eddy’s fingers. But the Rattlesnake Leader never loosened his grip. “Weakness is the killer. Yielding to fear is the killer. The wašíču want you to think we will be defeated. That we will cower and run.”

He squeezed harder and harder until he could feel cartilage snap. The messenger’s face turned white beneath the ash, his eyes going red.

“We do not run from fights. We take fear, and we squeeze it into rage and righteous anger like the earth squeezes coal into diamonds.” The messenger’s body went slack. Eddy tossed him to the ground. His head clunked with a gut-churning thud. “And from that pressure, we achieve victory.”

Then he twisted on his heels, pointing first at Naabaah.

“Mobilize everyone left in this Outpost to attack.”

“Including the defensive forces in the temple?” Naabaah asked.

“I said, ‘everyone.’ I don’t care if this temple falls. It doesn’t matter to me. Vanquishing the wašíču matters. Meet me in the stables.”

“Yes, Ahiga.” Naabaah took his weapons and ran from the throne room.

Then Eddy turned to Grant. “Call our teams at Central Station. Have them prepare an Angel Line train with all the Wild Fire bombs. I want to send it out, past the wašíču’s lines. So even if Salt Lake City falls, we’ll burn the wašíču out of their land with disease.”

“As you wish, Ahiga.”

As Grant took his first step, Eddy stopped him again. “But as soon as you’ve relayed those orders, you join me. You fight with me.”

Grant nodded and dashed out.

With a wave of his hand, Eddy rounded up the remaining twenty Rattlesnakes. They followed him past the messenger’s corpse and ran down to the Celestial Room. The white Baroque arches and majestic paintings of the once serene space were now home to the Rattlesnakes’ stables.

Eddy hurried between the dozens of horses and hopped onto Yanaba as the rest of the Rattlesnakes mounted up. Naabaah arrived soon after with every single person he could muster. Fifty, in total.

Moonlight poured in through the open doors as Eddy trotted out with Yanaba. Gunshots and screams flooded through the massive Outpost, the sound of blood-curdling pain echoing from every direction. Smoke swirled through the dark streets.

But none of that mattered.

He now had fifty riders who would make quick work of the foot soldiers the wašíču wasted trying to stop him. Not to mention, the fury of generations of his family behind him.

His men would not be stopped, and neither would he.

Lifting his rifle into the air, he shouted, “For the white buffalo!”

The Rattlesnakes cheered, their voices like thunder rolling across the plains. Together, they galloped into battle, heading south to meet their mortal enemy.

Between vacant cars, trucks, and jersey barriers set up as shooting positions, the Rattlesnake soldiers fired on the advancing hostile forces. Eddy spotted two men trying to drag a wounded comrade from incoming gunfire. Near one concrete barrier, smoke drifted from the broken asphalt where a grenade must’ve gone off. Four bodies lay sprawled by the blast site.

And behind a charcoaled van in a halo of glass shards, a Rattlesnake lying on his back reached toward Eddy, his other hand covering a gut wound as a shadow of black blood pooled around him.

All those sights only enraged Eddy further. He led the charge past his entrenched men. Yanaba pounded over the street, carrying them to the enemy. He sighted up his gun, using only his legs to secure himself in the saddle.

Then he spotted the first of the wašíču. A woman with a hunting rifle taking up position behind a big blue USPS mailbox. He let loose a wild salvo of bullets. Rounds kicked up around the drop box and into the wall of the building beside her.

Another hit home, smashing through her face and erasing her features in a misty spray. Eddy howled, searching for his next target.

He wasn’t alone.

Gunfire roared from the men around him, chiseling into the wašíču’s position. While some of his men went down in the return fire, their horses whinnying as they were hit, most survived. They penetrated the wašíču’s positions like spears through flesh.

When Eddy’s magazine went dry, he took out his tomahawk. He spotted a wašíču fumbling to reload their rifle only ten yards away. The man got up, running backward as he jammed the magazine in place, then pulled back the charging handle.

But it was too late.

Eddy swung down hard with the tomahawk as he reached the enemy combatant. The blade cleaved into the wašíču’s forehead, and he tore out the tomahawk as he continued onward, blood flicking up from the sharpened metal. The wašíču’s corpse fell in a messy heap.

Another hostile popped up from behind an SUV. He roved his aim Eddy’s way. But before the wašíču could pull the trigger, his body jerked backward with a burst of gunshots to his chest.

Naabaah hooted in victory as he caught up to Eddy. And when a second man tried to ambush them, Naabaah wasted no time thwarting the pathetic attempt just as easily in a hailstorm of lead.

It didn’t take long for more pounding hooves to join their cause. Another twenty-five horsemen clattered down an intersecting street. At the head of the pack was Grant, just as ordered.

Eddy couldn’t help the wicked grin sliding across his face. The new Liberty Militia leader was proving to be much braver and more capable than his predecessor. He would’ve had Lincoln killed a long time ago if he had known who his replacement would be.

“Onward! Push them all the way back!” Eddy yelled as he put a new magazine into his gun. “Right back out the gates where they came from!”

And like a wildfire ripping through a grassy field, his men took down the wašíču army, scattering their offensive charge. They fled every direction as the horses charged through their positions.

Eddy took potshots at hapless wašíču. He cleaved off others’ heads with his tomahawk. Naabaah rode alongside him, ripping into his victims with his ax.

Grant continued to batter their enemy with gunfire, strong enough he could wield the M249 even while riding. He was a living tank.

But while they killed attacker after attacker, there was one person Eddy most wanted to kill. One person he knew must be behind this madness. One person he hoped wasn’t dead yet, because he wanted to do it himself.

He needed to do it himself.

As he sought his next targets, always shooting or slicing, he searched for the one man he thirsted for the most: Raven Spears.

* * *

Fuel spilled from the truck Raven and the rest of the Thunderbirds had rode in on. With the spreading diesel came flames. Raven wasn’t even sure how the inferno started. Maybe from a grenade blast or the overheated truck engine.

Fires licked off dead trees and flickered from the guard towers near the gate. Ash fell like snow around them, intermixed with floating embers. Through his NVGs, the world appeared alive with ghostly spirits. He and the rest of the Thunderbirds made it a couple of blocks toward Temple Square in the middle of the Outpost only to have Rattlesnake horsemen come charging through, sowing chaos into their ranks.

The Northern Wolves were brave. But they weren’t trained soldiers. Their lines heaved and broke under the pressure of the fresh Rattlesnake reinforcements. They ran every direction in a desperate flight for cover.

Eddy’s people had taken advantage of that.

Now, Raven watched as Rattlesnake horsemen spread down the streets in gangs, cutting down the isolated Northern Wolves in sprays of bullets and deadly axes.

His team had been trapped down one block, posting up in the shelter of a menagerie of bullet-pocked vehicles. Lindsey knelt next to Nuke, his sniper rifle shouldered, picking off distant Rattlesnakes. Calvin and Rebecca took shelter around a rusted dumpster, destroying any horseman who got too close. Jay and Pruitt worked beside Raven to keep anyone approaching the east from reaching them.

Three horsemen started thundering their way. Behind them came another six men on foot.

Raven gestured to Pruitt and Jay. Each of them picked out one of the incoming horsemen, claiming a target. At Raven’s signal, they opened fire. Rounds barked from Raven’s rifle and speared through the first horseman. The hostile slipped off his saddle, smacking against the asphalt, and was trampled under the hooves of the horse behind him.

Jay sent a fusillade pouring into the second Rattlesnake. The horse reared up on its hind legs, throwing the injured rider off. The third horseman pulled hard on his reins, twisting out of Pruitt’s fire.

But that only saved him for a blink.

Raven squeezed his trigger with the last horseman in his sights. The man jerked to the side, rounds shredding his right shoulder. He tried to turn his horse around, looking ready to flee. But Pruitt finished up with another salvo.

The other six Rattlesnakes on foot dropped into shooting positions behind shelter, and toward the western end of the street, another group of Rattlesnakes closed in, led by two more horsemen.

Raven had seen firsthand what happened to teams that were surrounded in urban warfare environments. When you got boxed in, you may as well be the proverbial fish in a barrel.

“We’ve got to stop them from pinning us down!” Raven yelled.

Calvin and Rebecca spread out along the dumpster. They provided suppressing fire to keep the gunmen on the eastern approach from advancing. Lindsey and Nuke started shooting at the group coming in from the west. Nuke’s rifle let out a vicious bang. One horse tumbled face first into the street with an agonized whinny as its rider flew backward from the saddle.

Then came an ear-splitting crack. It sounded as if it had come from overhead. And from that moment, everything happened in slow motion.

Raven thought he heard a devastating smack near where Calvin and the two Steel Runners were. He stole a glance back. Calvin was still there.

But Rebecca looked like she had thrown herself to the ground. It took a second for Raven’s brain to fully comprehend what had actually happened. She hadn’t just dived for cover. Her face was gone. A splatter of fresh blood painted the wall next to where she’d been.

Calvin yelled in unadulterated anger, then fired a vicious salvo up at the apartment across the street. Whoever had shot Rebecca seemed to have disappeared just as quickly.

“Motherfucker!” Calvin bellowed, raw rage and sadness filling his voice. “Sniper!”

Everyone threw themselves behind the shelter of vehicles and the dumpster. But the two groups of Rattlesnakes advancing on both sides continued their direction, the incoming fire growing heavier than ever. Bullets slammed into the team’s cover and drilled into the walls of the building behind them. Glass exploded from windows, shards spraying over them.

“I’ll get a bead on the sniper!” Nuke said.

The recon Ranger raised his gun and scoped the buildings. Before he got off a shot, a boom sounded again. Nuke ducked back behind an SUV. A massive hole pierced the sheet metal, and Nuke was on his back, groaning.

He held the side of his face. Raven knew it was probably bullet fragments or ricocheted metal from the impact with the vehicle. If he had been hit like Rebecca, he wouldn’t be able to move, much less groan. Lindsey knelt beside the injured Ranger, immediately applying a bandage to his wounds.

Raven searched the apartment building to see where the shot had come from. Again, he didn’t spot any evidence of the shooter.

This guy was good. They couldn’t out-snipe him.

He had to try something else.

“Lindsey, Calvin,” Raven shouted. “Cover me!”

They began laying down streams of fire at the incoming attackers as Raven sprinted with Creek across the street. Bullets seared past him, inches from hitting.

But he didn’t slow, and neither did Creek. Together they jumped through an already shattered window on the first floor of the apartment building.

The place had been ransacked. Torn living room furniture lay flayed like slaughtered animals. The cupboards of an attached kitchen had been left ajar. Silverware and broken dishes were scattered everywhere.

With Creek by his side, Raven burst out into the corridor of the first floor. The hall was almost completely dark. Thankfully, his NVGs scrounged up the crumbs of light permeating through open apartment doors, letting in weak panes of moonlight. And the most important tool at his disposal didn’t need light at all.

“Creek, find the person,” he whispered.

The dog pressed his nose to the floor.

Rank odors of mildew and mold permeated everything. Dripping water seeped from the ceiling. A pipe must’ve burst during the winter, and no one had bothered to repair it.

His boots squelched across the soaked carpet. It would be a wonder if the dog could detect anything in here. But Creek’s tail wagged as he sniffed, winding back and forth down the hall as Raven covered him.

The Akita stopped at another doorway. Slowly, Raven opened it to reveal a stairwell. Creek bounded through, following a trail. The dog took the steps two at a time, Raven matching his pace.

All the while, more gunfire blasted in the street. Muffled yells echoed through the building, coming from outside.

Raven’s stomach turned as he pictured Calvin sticking his head out of cover just an inch too far. Or Lindsey unwittingly turning her back to the sniper and ending up sprawled beside Nuke.

“Come on, Creek. Let’s find him!” Raven whispered.

The dog’s tail wagged faster. On the eighth floor, Creek paused by the door leading into the hall.

So this is where the sniper’s hiding, Raven thought.

“Pruitt just got hit! Pruitt’s WIA!” Lindsey called.

Raven’s pulse thundered in response as he nudged open the door to the corridor as quietly as he could. He swept the floor for tripwires or any sign of booby traps, his memories from invading the Rattlesnake camp in Medicine Row still pulsing like fresh wounds in his mind.

But he saw nothing.

He let Creek take him to an apartment door that was cracked open slightly, the doorframe busted. Judging by the pale scars in the wood, it had only just been broken. He gave Creek a quick pat, then pushed open the door further, where he was met with the stench of rot, like a freezer full of meat gone bad in the August sun.

A booming shot echoed from deeper inside the apartment. Raven’s heart climbed into his throat, threatening to jump out. He waited for a new call over his radio announcing someone else wounded or killed on their rapidly diminishing team.

But no call came through. Maybe they had gotten lucky. Another miss.

Raven doubted there would be many more of those, though.

He crept into the apartment, motioning for Creek to stay close.

His boots padded over the carpet of a living room decorated in furniture straight from the seventies. He curved into the room but saw no one near the window. Scanning the attached kitchen, he saw an open fridge. A jungle of mold and fungus grew over what he assumed used to be food.

But no hostiles were in the kitchen. That left the bedroom.

The door was closed. Getting through the flimsy wood wouldn’t be a problem. Still, he had no idea what was on the other side. Then he heard the distinct metal clunk of someone pulling back the bolt on their rifle and chambering a round. The sniper was about to take another shot.

Hell no.

Raven kicked the door hard. The laminated wood exploded in a shower of disintegrating pieces. What remained of it swung against the wall with a cracking snap. The sniper recoiled in surprise, pulling back from the window, and started moving his weapon toward Raven.

But he stood no chance.

Raven riddled him with rounds, and the sniper fell backward against the bed. Before Raven could make another move, something lurched out of the shadows from his right.

The sniper hadn’t been alone. He had a spotter.

A man wrenched Raven’s M4 down, then planted a boot into his knee. Eye-watering pain torched up through his leg right before a hammering fist caught him under the jaw.

Creek jumped past Raven. He latched on to the attacker’s wrist, growling and whipping his head. The man stumbled backward and tried to shake the dog off. Then with his free hand, he picked Creek up and moved toward the window the sniper had been shooting from.

Raven dashed toward him, but the guy had been quicker. He dangled Creek out the window, and started to tear the Akita from his arm. Creek would have an eight-story fall to the concrete. The dog had survived so much during the apocalypse with Raven. But there was no way he could survive that.

“Asshole!” Raven bellowed.

He sprinted at the enemy and dragged the Rattlesnake backward. Creek flopped back inside but never removed his jaw from the man’s arm.

“Release!” Raven commanded.

The dog immediately let go, just in time for Raven to channel all his anger into shoving the Rattlesnake out the window where he had tried to drop Creek. The Rattlesnake’s yell droned until a stomach-flipping wet thud sounded. Justice.

“You okay, bud?” Raven asked.

Creek looked up at Raven, his head cocked, blood dripping from his mouth. Of course, he was okay. They had killed their targets and were still alive.

“Good job. Guard.” Raven jerked his chin toward the door. The Akita faithfully guarded the entrance. No one else would sneak up on Raven.

He picked up the sniper rifle. Flecks of blood covered its stock. He shouldered it and steadied it up on the window frame like the sniper had done. As he scanned the street, he saw a scene of devastation.

Nuke lay bandaged behind the SUV near Lindsey’s position as she fought off the attackers to the west. Rebecca’s body lay where it had fallen. Pruitt was partially visible, propped up against a wall next to Jay. Calvin was firing desperately at the Rattlesnakes to the east.

The horsemen had been killed, but Raven counted at least ten Rattlesnake foot soldiers encroaching on Thunderbird’s position.

And worse, now that Raven had the higher ground, he could see the neighboring blocks. Groups of Northern Wolves had been cut off and surrounded, just like the Thunderbirds had. The Rattlesnakes pressed in on their positions with overwhelming force. Many were still on horses, wreaking havoc across the cityscape.

Raven quickly searched the faces of the Rattlesnakes, hoping to spot Eddy. But he had no such luck.

Instead, he relegated himself to picking off some Rattlesnakes surrounding his people. He fired, chambered a fresh round, then sighted up a new target over and over, taking down as many as he could and giving his team a little breathing room. Maybe they could cut down enough Rattlesnakes to get away from this street and continue their search for Eddy.

Then Lindsey’s voice broke over his comms. “Thunderbird Bravo Two, we’re doing better now. I just got reports that there are new enemies sighted at the southern gate. Can you get on the opposite side of the apartment building and find out what we’re looking at?”

“On it.”

Raven hoisted the sniper rifle, along with his own weapons. He gestured for Creek to follow. They barreled out into the hall, then into another apartment with a south-facing window. Raven shouldered the rifle and peered through the scope, scanning the broken-down gate. The fight was still intense around there, with scattered pockets of Northern Wolves stalled, trying to fight their way out of the Rattlesnake forces.

But beyond the still-flaming wreckage of the cargo truck, he saw a sight that sent chills down his spine. A mass of people roared through the city streets, headed from the south toward the gate. He estimated at least two hundred on horses, plus another couple hundred in vehicles roaring toward the Outpost.

“Lindsey, we’re in trouble,” was all he said.

-22-

Raven’s words echoed in Lindsey’s head as she crouched next to Nuke. The former Ranger groaned, holding the bandage she had placed over his face. Beside him was Pruitt, who she had pulled to relative safety. He had a tourniquet around his arm. Though he still held a pistol in his right hand, he would have a hard time fighting back if the enemy charged them again.

Calvin was still covering the dumpster near where Rebecca had been killed. Jay kept his rifle trained on the western approach. Bleeding scratches on his face showed where he had been hit by a spray of metal from one of the sniper’s shots. Superficial wounds didn’t stop him from drilling the Rattlesnakes with gunfire.

Like a guardian angel with a sniper rifle, Raven had relieved some of the pressure crushing in on them earlier.

But now, this battle was slipping like water between their fingers.

“Do you see a way out of this?” Lindsey asked Raven over the comms.

“We could try blockading the southern gate. But if we can get through it, so can these reinforcements.”

“We always knew they were coming,” Calvin said over the radio. “Guess now we gotta pay for it.”

Lindsey surveyed up and down their street. Bodies of Rattlesnakes littered the road and sidewalks. They had cleared their block, but both the neighboring blocks were full of Northern Wolves mired down by Rattlesnake Union warriors. And even as Lindsey considered leaving their entrenched positions to go assist one of those groups, more Rattlesnake horsemen pounded through the streets, firing wildly at everyone they saw.

“How long before the new reinforcements get here?” Lindsey asked Raven.

“Five minutes. No more.”

“Son of a…” Lindsey muttered. Then she spoke over the comms again. “Where’s Eddy? Do you see any of Rattlesnake leadership?”

“Not yet,” Raven said. “I’m looking, though. He’s got to be out here somewhere unless he’s hiding like a coward.”

“Eddy’s many things, but I don’t think a coward is one,” Calvin said.

From everything Lindsey had seen, she had to agree. Eddy would probably throw himself headfirst into the slaughter with his bloodthirsty warriors.

“We need a new position while we still have time,” Lindsey said. “Raven, get back down here!”

In only a minute, he and Creek joined back with the rest of the group. His chest heaved. Lindsey glanced nervously at Creek’s blood-stained fur.

“He’s okay,” Raven said. “It’s not his blood.”

“Good.”

The clatter of hooves and the roar of engines, sounds that had been distant minutes ago, were now so much louder and closer. The reinforcements were here.

“Whatever happens, Raven, I just want you to know I’m glad we did it together.”

Raven gave her a slight grin, despite his earlier pessimism. “You still owe me a makeup dinner and drinks. This isn’t over yet.”

“Raven, I’m serious.”

“So am I. Let’s go kick some ass. We’re going to win today, Lindsey. Somehow, we’re going to win.”

As angry as she was, as much as she wanted to avenge Palmer and all the other Rangers who had died fighting forces like Eddy’s, she wasn’t sure how she would do that tonight. But she appreciated Raven’s confidence, even if he was only putting it on for her benefit.

Calvin gathered up the rest of the team, moving them toward the corner of the block, closer to where a Northern Wolves team was fighting a group of Rattlesnakes. Calvin took point. Jay came after him, with Raven and Lindsey covering. Creek prowled the debris and corpses beside Raven.

While Nuke held a bandage to his face, he and Pruitt ran after the group.

When Lindsey turned right, she saw a storm cloud of dust being kicked up by the incoming forces, her NVGs highlighting their forms. She signaled for the team to take new shooting positions, ready to cut down the enemy when they hammered into the Outpost.

The first few horsemen roared through the south gate, pushing past streamers of smoke. Vehicles disgorged more soldiers, immediately taking firing positions.

But to Lindsey’s surprise, they were not aiming at the Northern Wolves. They were shooting at the Rattlesnakes.

She roved her scope over their vehicles to get a better look. On their sides was a flag depicting a rainbow, four sacred mountains, and the map of the Navajo Nation.

These weren’t enemies. They were allies.

A call came over their open public channels. “All enemies of the Rattlesnakes, this is Officer Kipp of the Navajo Nation. We’re entering Outpost Salt Lake City now. I repeat, we’re entering Outpost Salt Lake City!”

Navajo Nation troops poured into Outpost Salt Lake City, drilling the Rattlesnake forces with relentless gunfire. They disappeared down intersecting streets and behind buildings, advancing out of sight, the sound of fighting intensifying as they pushed the enemy back.

“Kipp came through,” Lindsey said. “He actually came through!”

“I told you they would!” Jay pumped a fist in the air.

“About damn time!” Raven said. “We got to meet up with them. Organize a search and raid party to push deeper into the Outpost.”

Lindsey radioed her position to Kipp. Some of the horsemen in the vanguard charged their way between the rubble and vehicles in the street. Lindsey and Raven waved at them until they noticed and started in their direction.

She recognized two of the five horsemen. Little Sparrow and Claw, the men she had worked with to free the prisoners back in Window Rock.

“I didn’t expect to see you guys. What happened?” she asked, beckoning them to form up inside the shelter of a former clothing store.

“Kipp convinced the Council,” Claw said. “He told them we had to do this. And when they heard you were going to attack with or without us, they couldn’t stand by and do nothing. They didn’t want you to think you saved the Navajo Nation today alone.”

“You guys are saving our asses,” Lindsey said. “But why didn’t you tell us?”

Little Sparrow shook his big head, still perched atop his horse. “We don’t have encrypted comms like you. We heard about the spies on the Wind River Reservation that almost killed your team in Montana. Didn’t want to risk giving Eddy a heads up until we were here, you know?”

“Then where’s Kipp? We still need to find Eddy.”

Claw nodded. “I’ll call him now.”

Even with the battle raging throughout the Outpost, it took less than a minute for a new contingent of fifteen men on horseback to get to Lindsey’s position with Kipp at the lead.

“Lindsey!” he shouted as he approached. As he got closer, he nodded toward Nuke and Pruitt. “We brought medical help. We can take care of your wounded.”

Lindsey glanced back at Nuke and Pruitt. “Thank you. Start moving them immediately.”

“Have you seen Eddy?”

“No, I was hoping some of your people had.”

Kipp shook his head. “Not yet. That doesn’t mean he isn’t out here. We’re meeting heavy resistance in a couple of pockets. But nothing we can’t handle, especially with the Northern Wolves’ help.”

Two men helped Pruitt and Nuke onto their horses, and immediately rode back toward the southern gate.

Lindsey prayed for their health as they disappeared in the fray.

“We’re evacuating as many of the injured as we can,” Kipp explained as if he could read her mind. “They’re going to be all right. So, how do you want to handle the situation here?”

“We’ve already gotten Doctor Wheeler and as much of the Commander meds to safety as we could,” Calvin said. “There’s a team of military contractors defending the Axcension facility in Provo, and we still have Rattlesnakes headed our way from the east, according to our eyes in the skies. Can you spare some troops to help defend Axcension?”

Kipp nodded. “Consider it done.”

“Everyone else can stay back and defend Salt Lake City,” Lindsey said. “We’ll expel all the Rattlesnakes like the pests they are. If we take Eddy down and hold the Outpost, I have a good feeling the army headed toward us will disband. They’re held together by a combination of promises, threats, and rewards from the Rattlesnakes. If their leader is destroyed, then that’s it for them. Not much of a reason for them to continue fighting.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kipp said. “We’ve sent everyone we could. There’s hardly anyone defending the Nation. Our lives and the future of the Navajo Nation relies as much on our success here tonight as your own country’s fate.”

“Then no more wasting time.” Jay gestured toward the gunfire and screams deeper within the Outpost, the Navajo Nation warriors pouring down the street. “Let’s get the hell in there and finish this!”

“We will—” Kipp started.

Then his radio crackled with a voice. “Officer Kipp, we’ve got reports that Eddy was seen two blocks east of Salt Lake Temple near the Brigham Young Historic House.”

Lindsey met Kipp’s eyes, then scanned her team. “Guess I know where we’re going next.”

* * *

Eddy rode Yanaba in front of the two-story historic home with its plantation-style porch and peaceful white and gray façade that appeared out of place surrounded by the modern buildings of the city core. The violence erupting around it didn’t help.

Chasing down an enemy soldier in a cowboy hat and jeans, Eddy swung his tomahawk. The blade cracked into the man’s skull with a heavy thunk. The wannabe cowboy’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head, but the blade remained stuck.

Eddy jumped off Yanaba, then shoved the man to the asphalt. He pressed a boot to the man’s chest and yanked on the tomahawk. Blood sprayed across his face when the weapon came free just in time to swing it at another wašíču rushing toward him with a hunting rifle cocked back like a club.

Ducking under the rifle, Eddy lashed out at the combatant’s stomach. The devastating blow elicited an agonized cry that was rapidly silenced by a slice to the man’s throat.

Covered in the warm blood of his enemies, Eddy stared around at the corpses littering the road. The park behind him had become slick with mud from horses and men trampling the grass.

Most of the invading forces seemed to have run out of ammunition. Many clashed with the Rattlesnakes in hand-to-hand combat, the battlefield growing bloodier with wounded and dismembered warriors falling everywhere Eddy looked.

Nearby, Naabaah sat atop his horse. He had a lasso wrapped around a wašíču and dragged the man over the street as he swung his fireman’s ax into the chest of another enemy holding a rifle. The rifleman tried to parry the blow but toppled to the ground.

Coming up from behind Naabaah, Grant leveled his M249 at the fallen rifleman. The fighter pushed up to his knees, bloodied but unwilling to give up. Until a spray of 7.62 mm rounds drilled into his chest and face in a firework of gore.

Grant hooted as he aimed his machine gun toward a wave of hostiles fleeing down the road to the east and filled their backs with lead.

Even in the moonlight, his eyes seemed on fire with bloodlust. If he believed in the afterlife like Lincoln had professed, he didn’t seem worried about securing his spot in Hell.

For that, Eddy was thankful. He climbed back onto Yanaba’s saddle.

Another ten Rattlesnake warriors ran alongside Grant, charging the escaping wašíču. Eddy was about to kick Yanaba into action and gallop after them. But something in the darkness ahead caught his eye. The moonlight revealed a tide of horsemen and people on foot. At first, he thought they were from the Rattlesnake Union, coming around to rout the retreating enemy forces.

Then came the flash of gunfire. First, just a few shots. Then those few shots turned into a thundering storm. But the hostile forces didn’t fall in the unrelenting barrage.

No, the incoming fire lanced through his horseman. Horses whinnied and reared up, riders falling with agonized shrieks.

“What the fu…” Grant lowered his machine gun as he circled his horse back around near Eddy’s.

Naabaah rode to his side. “Ahiga, we can’t fight those forces. Not with what we have left in the Outpost.”

“We have to stop them,” Eddy hissed.

“It’s suicide.”

Eddy turned Yanaba in a tight circle, surveying the few men left surrounding his position. Screams and gunshots came from their south, as well. And like the east, the night sky lit up in flashes of gunfire.

“Who… who’s doing this?” Eddy asked. “We have reinforcements coming. If we hold on, we can stop them!”

The battle was growing closer. Horsemen clattered toward them. Bullets seared overhead and slammed into the nearby vehicles and walls.

“Our closest allies are an hour out still,” Naabaah said.

“That doesn’t matter!” Grant roared. “We stay in the fight! For God! For our land!”

Eddy looked between them. He wanted to fight. He wanted to destroy the invaders. But even if their backup made it here to eventually chase these attackers away, it would do no good if he was already dead.

“Return to the temple!” he finally commanded. “We’ll hold up there until our allies arrive! Call all our men to fall back!”

He kicked Yanaba and led the retreat.

Every clomping hoof-step closer set Eddy’s mind on fire. His wrist throbbed in ghostly pains in concert with the scars on his face. He hated running from battle. But sometimes surviving today meant a chance to fight again tomorrow, an opportunity to seek retribution for his embarrassment.

As they neared the temple, the panicked voice of a Rattlesnake sounded in his radio. “Ahiga, they’ve surrounded the temple, and they’re sending people in!”

Eddy’s heart hammered against his ribcage, threatening to fracture the bone. “Do not let them!”

“We have no forces to defend it! You sent them all on the attack!”

Rage thumped in Eddy’s chest like an overheating boiler fit to explode. “Find someone to kill them, damn it! They are nothing! They are NOTHING!”

“I, uh, Ahiga, I don’t know—”

“Just stop them!”

Eddy ended the radio call, kicking Yanaba hard to get her to go faster. But as their steeds galloped along, he could see the truth was as painful as the Rattlesnake had reported.

Amid the boom of gunfire and reports of rifles, the enemy attacked the temple with an apocalyptic fervor, overwhelming the place.

But really, what did it matter?

It was just a building. Eddy and his people never stayed in any one place for long. Did he need to rule over the New Frontier in some stupid government office like the wašíču ruled over their lands?

No, that was not the way of his people. He had fallen into complacency, a trap, by thinking like them.

And he had almost paid the ultimate price for it.

He was a nomad. A warrior who called the entire frontier home. It didn’t matter if he was in the snowcapped mountains of Colorado or the deserts of New Mexico or the old-growth forests of Wyoming. All of it was his. The wašíču could take this city. Let them bleed for this concrete jungle and live in squalor in this disgusting place.

He didn’t need Salt Lake City to destroy the United States.

All he needed was his resurrected Angel Line, the train full of biological weapons waiting to be released across the country. He could take that train out of Utah, put enough ground between himself and these attackers as his reinforcements slaughtered them, then deliver his bombs to their new homes.

Yes, victory could still be his.

His legacy would live on in the bloodstream of every person the Wild Fire touched. Millions would still die at his hands long after he passed, even if he lost his life today.

“Abandon Salt Lake City,” Eddy said to Naabaah and Grant. “Central Station is still secure. We’ll ride there and take the train.”

“What about the rest of the men?” Naabaah asked.

“They will defend the city successfully, or they will die fighting.”

Grant nodded, a wicked smile crossing his face. “The martyrs’ places in Heaven will be well and truly secured with their sacrifice.”

A look of concern crossed Naabaah’s face between the pop of gunfire coming from far behind. “We’re really running?”

“We’re not running. We’re surviving, as our people have always done. Surviving to launch the Wild Fire. We will have our victory, Naabaah.”

The warrior seemed reassured at this. “Then their sacrifices will not be in vain.”

“Far from it.” Eddy kicked Yanaba again, spurring her to gallop harder and faster, away from the temple and toward the west. “Go, go, go!”

As they fled, Eddy rounded up a small force to protect him on the escape route. He and a gang of nearly twenty horsemen rushed toward the western gate. Once they arrived, the guards opened it and let down the drawbridge.

After breaching the southern gate, most of the wašíču forces besieging Salt Lake City had moved there. That left a much smaller number of people watching these walls, according to his men.

But Eddy wasn’t foolish enough to think it would be an easy ride. Fortunately, the train station was well-fortified, with another seventy-five Rattlesnakes protecting it.

All they had to do was make it through the killing fields of western SLC and reach the station. Then, they would be free to spread hell to the rest of America.

This wasn’t the victory he had pictured seven months ago. It wasn’t the great opportunity he thought was promised by the white buffalo.

But it would have to do.

-23-

Calvin ran along the street toward the Brigham Young house. The historic home was filled with bullet holes. Scree had fallen when a grenade destroyed one of the walls, and tongues of flame licked up from a burning sedan in front of it, smoke wafting through the streets in every direction.

Raven rushed along beside him with Creek. Jay and Lindsey brought up the rearguard. An entire team of Kipp’s officers rode on horseback alongside them.

They had their weapons bared, muzzles roving over the urban landscape. But from the carnage they witnessed, no threats emerged. The only Rattlesnakes they spotted nearby were the corpses of those who’d died in battle.

Beside their bloodied and mangled bodies lay others. Men and women of the Northern Wolves along with a few of the newly arrived Navajo Nation fighters.

Somewhere a horse whinnied in pain, followed by an echoing gunshot. The animal’s sounds of suffering quieted.

Moans carried up from some of the downed warriors. Navajo Nation fighters already sifted through them, applying emergency first aid to the wounded. Other volunteer soldiers crouched by those with injuries too grave to move, holding their hands and offering prayers in their last moments of life.

“Where the hell is Eddy?” Calvin asked, searching the destruction.

Two bandaged men from the Northern Wolves sat propped up next to the Brigham Young House. One had blood streaming from a laceration in his scalp. He blinked, as if struggling to retain consciousness, but pointed his long muscular arm to the west.

“I saw him run that way,” the man said before being racked by a coughing fit.

Calvin eyed a few horses tied up by the house while their owners offered assistance to the downed soldiers.

“Kipp, we got to hurry. Can we take those?” Calvin asked.

“Yes, of course,” Kipp replied.

Raven was already leading one toward him. “Calvin, you can come with me, as long as you think you can hold on to the horse and Creek.”

“I can. I’ll wear the harness you used to fast-rope with Creek to secure him.”

“Good.” Raven undid the carabiner and straps that attached to Creek’s harness and handed them to Calvin. Then he looked at Jay as Calvin put them on. “You can ride, right?”

“Since I was born,” Jay replied.

“Take Lindsey. We’ll double up. One person riding, the other shooting.”

In seconds, they were off. Their horses’ hooves clattered against the asphalt. Blood seeped through the gutters. Calvin tried to keep his mind off the gruesome scene as they passed by a few people still alive.

With Creek’s harness attached to his vest, Calvin steadied the dog with one hand as Raven leaned forward in the saddle. The ride was far from comfortable with the horse galloping so hard, and it was a workout just for Calvin to keep his other arm around Raven’s chest.

Kipp and four of his men thundered ahead on their horses. The group galloped past the iconic Salt Lake Temple to their right. Northern Wolves and Navajo Nation soldiers surrounded it, many filtering into the building.

As they rode, Kipp turned back to Raven and Calvin. He shouted over the distant sounds of battle and pounding hooves. “Another fifty of our people made it into Provo. They joined up with Team Mongoose. Axcension will be well-defended if the Rattlesnake Union tries to retake it.”

They tore toward the western gate. To Calvin’s surprise, it looked like it had been abandoned by the Rattlesnakes. The bridge across the muddy moat had been left down. Bodies of the defenders lay beside the road where Navajo Nation warriors had taken control.

As they cleared out the western gate, all they encountered were more Northern Wolves scattered among burned-out vehicles and vacant buildings. Many appeared shell-shocked, surrounded by corpses.

These people had seen more fighting, more violence than most civilians would ever encounter in their lives. Calvin knew the forlorn expressions on their faces, the pain that would follow them wherever they went, no matter how much time had passed.

“Where did Eddy go? Where did the Rattlesnakes go?” he shouted to a handful of gunmen huddled behind a Jersey barrier as the group slowed briefly.

One of the women pointed westward. “They rode that way. They came through like a herd of rhinos. We couldn’t stop them.”

“That’s the direction of the train station,” Lindsey said. “It was too fortified for us to take… do you think…?”

She let her words trail off.

“Wheeler’s warning,” Raven said. “Eddy’s making good on his threat.”

Calvin’s stomach turned cold with dread. They had been so close to surrounding Eddy, but he had slipped out, right when they had the advantage.

“Kipp, send out scouts throughout the area,” Calvin called. “Tell them to form a search pattern around the west side of the city.” He glanced toward the mountains pushing up from the north. The sky was just beginning to brighten, the black of night giving way to a slightly dark blue tracing along the mountaintops to the east. “I want every potential escape route blocked while we go after the train station.”

“I can try.” Kipp relayed the orders into his radio. After getting a few responses, he turned back to Calvin and Raven. “It’s a lot of land to cover, so no guarantees.”

Before they traveled much farther, a new sound bellowed over the cityscape. It was one Calvin knew well, one he had lived and worked beside for almost two years as a Steel Runner before the fateful attack in Utah that stranded him in Colorado.

The distinct growling chug of a train engine roaring to life boomed through the city.

“He’s doing it!” Lindsey said. “He’s going to take the train with all the Wild Fire out of here!”

“We need to go faster!” Kipp said.

But Calvin knew the city and the train station, as well as every inch of the rails through Utah.

“We won’t make it in time,” Calvin said. “They’ll be twenty miles out of the station before we get there.”

“We can’t just give up!” Lindsey shouted.

“No, we won’t,” Calvin said. “But we’re going the wrong direction if we want to catch them.” He gestured to the northeast. “We need to head that way. Now!”

Raven didn’t even question him. He steered their horse the direction Calvin pointed. Everyone else followed.

“What’s the plan?” Raven asked as they rode hard.

Calvin tightened his grip around Creek. “I spent my entire career as a Steel Runner watching out for bandits trying to steal our goods. I know every nook and cranny along the tracks, all the worst spots where someone might attack. We’re going to hijack that fucking train.”

Calvin told Raven where to go. It didn’t take long before the group powered out of the city and through a mountain trail.

As they passed boulders, shrubs, and wizened pine trees, they made it to the other side of the low-lying foothills. The train tracks gleamed in the glowing sunrise as all seven horses and their riders stopped at the crest of a hill looking down into the valley. The rails curved below them, tracing alongside a river.

“Are we too late?” Lindsey asked. “I don’t see anything.”

Jay had his eyes glued to the west. “I don’t hear it either.”

“Trust me,” Calvin said. “This is one of the newer rails set during the Collapse. The Angel Line used it all the time. The train has to slow around that curve below. When it does, we’ll have a couple minutes to catch it. But we’ll still have to ride hard to keep pace.”

“And then what? We just jump on?” Jay asked over the clatter of their horses’ hooves.

“That a problem?” Raven replied.

Jay wore a sly grin. “Not in the slightest. Ballsy, crazy. Just like I like it.”

Soon the blaring roar of a 6,000 HP GE electric diesel engine echoed through the valley, and a train appeared around the hillside. To Calvin’s astonishment, this wasn’t just any old cargo train. This was actually one of the armored trains used on the Angel Line.

It wound over the tracks toward them revealing the two-foot-high steel walls surrounding the nests on top of the old armor-plated Steel Runner cars. Everything was just as Calvin remembered it.

Good. Now he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Several of the nests held Rattlesnake Union fighters. The trains had been built like moving fortresses to defend against attacks just like this.

But Calvin recalled the blind spots, knowing how to get close and ambush it without the enemy seeing the small boarding party. This train belonged to him and the Steel Runners—and he wanted it back.

“Now!” Calvin called to the others.

He guided Raven as they galloped down the foothills, following the cover of trees and boulders and craggy rock formations. From the sound of the engine and the squeal of its wheels along the rails, he knew the train would soon accelerate out of the curve down the straightaway.

If they didn’t time this right and get on that train, it would be long gone in minutes. Raven gave their horse a kick, urging it to go faster. Creek wriggled in Calvin’s grip, but he didn’t dare let go, even with the Akita’s harness attached to his vest. His back ached, the pain of his battlefield injuries striking his nerves like a summer storm.

Then the path spit them out next to the rails. The train engine was deafening, closing in on their position. Only yards away now.

It barreled over the tracks as it sped up, accelerating at an alarming rate.

Calvin was shocked to see it going so fast.

But then he realized why.

It likely had virtually no cargo. Nothing except the Wild Fire and Eddy’s men. Of course it could accelerate quicker than when he used to guard the Angel Line.

He should’ve accounted for that, but he’d been too distracted to think of it. The train engine tore ahead as Raven urged their horse on. The poor animal’s chest was heaving, and it seemed on the verge of collapse.

Car after car ripped past, the wind buffeting them each time.

“We have to hurry and jump!” Calvin said, looking over his shoulder at the others. He doubted they could hear him. But at least Raven did.

“Take care of Creek!” Raven said. “I’ll go after you!”

One of Kipp’s men stood in his saddle. He made the leap toward the moving cars. His hands scraped the side of it, fingers touching a bar beside a ladder that led up to a nest.

But his grip failed. He fell backward, away from the train, and rolled onto the rocks and dirt, disappearing behind them.

Calvin’s stomach sank. He had Creek cradled under one arm. And somehow, he was supposed to make this jump and succeed where a Navajo warrior had not.

As he watched the others, Lindsey flung herself off the horse she shared with Jay, secured her hold on a ladder, and climbed up. Jay stood next, looking at ease as he threw himself from the animal and toward the car. He caught a ladder and scurried up, pausing just below the entrance to the nest.

Two more cars blasted past Calvin and Raven. They had to hurry.

Calvin rose to a standing position, steadying himself with one hand on Raven’s shoulder and pulled Creek close to his belly with the other. “Get me as close as you can, Raven!”

“You got it!”

Then, mouthing a brief prayer, he leapt. Adrenaline flooded his veins and time slowed as he pushed out over open space. The ground passed beneath him as he reached for the ladder rung.

With a heaving bang, he slammed against the ladder. He scrambled for purchase with one hand, his boots kicking for the rungs, all while Creek dangled on the harness.

And with a deep breath, he looped an arm around the rung. He was on.

Raven was only a second behind, tossing himself from the horse, as Calvin climbed up and into a nest. He released the clip on Creek’s harness.

So far, at least, they had been close enough to the cars that the Rattlesnakes on top hadn’t seen them. They had stuck to the blind spots. But one of the guards must’ve heard them climbing up the ladder. Because two Rattlesnakes peered over the edge of the nest in front of their train car.

Calvin lifted his rifle. Creek growled.

They turned toward Calvin, a look of shock on their faces that quickly morphed into pain when Calvin squeezed the trigger of his M4. Rounds lanced through the first Rattlesnake, then the second. Both collapsed behind the walls of their nest.

Raven climbed into the nest beside Calvin as they hurtled through the valley, accelerating to full speed.

And with that, Calvin had accomplished what he spent the past two years fighting. He had forced his way onboard a moving Angel Line train.

Only one part of the mission remained.

Finding Eddy.

* * *

Lindsey crouched in a nest beside Jay. Wind tore her hair free, sending wild red locks whipping around her face. They tangled in her NVGs, which were now flipped up on her helmet. It had been a long night of fighting to reach this point. With the morning light starting to bleed across the valley and the train, the NVGs were no longer needed.

Which also meant any element of stealth the darkness had given them was gone.

Brutal and swift offensive action against the Rattlesnakes was their only choice.

She pushed up above the wall around the nest and fired at the two Rattlesnakes perched in the car in front of hers. Bullets pounded the metal with a percussive, violent beat, and the Rattlesnakes ducked down behind the walls under the onslaught.

In the car behind Lindsey and Jay’s, Kipp and his three officers were in hand-to-hand combat with a group of Rattlesnakes. Raven, Creek, and Calvin were in the car behind them. Another twenty cars trailed after theirs, half of them filled with guards. But only eight cars ahead was the train engine.

They needed to get there to shut the train down. At least five of the carriages in the front had one or more enemy combatants defending the nests. The Rattlesnake in the fortified car ahead poked up again. He levied a blast of gunfire that zipped by Lindsey’s helmet. She returned fire, but he ducked under it just as quickly.

“We can’t just sit here,” Jay said.

She knew what he meant. In a game of attrition, they only had the ammunition that was on their person. If they didn’t act soon, then the Rattlesnakes firing haphazardly on their team might score a lucky shot. Eventually, through the sheer number of incoming rounds, Thunderbird’s efforts would be thwarted.

“Follow me!” Jay slung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out a wicked eight-inch-long KA-BAR knife. He ran at a hunch toward the back end of the car, took a deep breath, did a one-eighty, and sprinted hard for the front.

When he reached the wall, he launched himself up and over it like an Olympic hurdler, using a boot to push himself off the edge. He cleared the gap between the two cars, his hands windmilling. The first Rattlesnake started to stand right when Jay landed in their nest.

Jay lashed out with a knife across the man’s throat, quick as a viper. The second man backpedaled, trying to bring his rifle around in time to take him down. But Jay ducked under the rifle barrel as the weapon went off. Bullets blasted uselessly into the morning sky.

The Rattlesnake collapsed with Jay’s knife sticking out from his neck.

Raven was right.

Jay was crazy. But he had guts, and that was exactly what they needed to shift this fight in their favor.

In the cars ahead of Jay, the Rattlesnakes were already shooting at him. He let loose a wave of cover fire to help Lindsey.

She slung her rifle over her back and performed the same death-defying jump he had.

But unlike Jay, she came up slightly short, her chest slamming against the wall with a heavy thud, the air rushing from her lungs.

All the strength threatened to evaporate from her body in a horrifying instant. Adrenaline plunged through her vessels with its icy grip, giving her the last bit of power she needed to reach the edge of the nest. But then she fell between the cars. She tried to pull herself up, but the jerking train threatened her grasp. One of her hands came loose, as she desperately held with the other, her body bouncing against the carriage. A quick look down revealed the rails rushing by. If she dropped, it would all be over in a second, sliced into a million pieces by the heavy wheels.

She tried again to get her free hand to the lip of the wall. But the car bounced wildly.

A blur of movement rushed above her head. Someone leapt across the train above her, but she couldn’t see who. Was it a Rattlesnake?

With a grunt, she reached up again. Before she could grab on, someone’s hand shot out from over the wall, fingers securing her hand.

Her stomach turned for a second as she felt them lifting her up and away from the wall, like they were trying to peel her off. But then Raven’s face appeared. He lifted her up and into the nest, as gunfire pinged against their car. She recovered her breath as she sat against the nest wall, her ribs still pulsing in pain.

“Thanks,” she managed.

A wet tongue licked her cheek. Creek.

Calvin soon joined them, clearing the nest wall, while Jay fired at their enemies.

“Kipp and his men are holding off the Rattlesnakes from the rear.” Raven shouted over the scrape and squeal of the rails. “We’re going ahead to the train engine.”

“Then what the hell are you waiting around and talking to me for?” Lindsey asked, trying to muster the same shit-eating grin she had seen on his face so many times. She refused to give into the icy fear that had radiated through her seconds ago.

Raven offered a hand to help her to her feet, but she waved him off. Craggy red mountains surrounded the train on all sides now. The sun beat down overhead. Despite its warm appearance, a stiff wind blew over them, made all the worse by the speeding train.

Just as Raven said, Kipp and his officers were holed up in the nest behind theirs. It seemed like the entire back half of the train was filled with Rattlesnakes firing their direction.

Lindsey and Raven joined Calvin and Jay at the front. Jay motioned toward a grenade on his vest and started to pluck it off.

“No way!” Lindsey said, grabbing his hand to prevent him from using it. “We can’t risk it!”

“Why the hell not? We need to get to the train engine!” Jay yelled.

The thrumming of the train car reverberated up Lindsey’s spine, forcing her to speak louder. “Because if you accidentally set one of those Wild Fire bombs off, we don’t know how far it’ll spread.” She gestured toward the river beside the tracks. “We can’t let that happen.”

“Then we do this the old-fashioned way,” Calvin said. “No problem.” He clenched his jaw as he ducked behind the nest well. “Look, if I was doing this in the SEALs, we’d have a couple teams working to flank these guys. Maybe climb on alongside the cars to get at them.”

Raven fired a burst of cover fire to force down the nearest Rattlesnakes. “I don’t think that’s going to work. We’d be leaving ourselves wide open trying to move that way.”

Lindsey looked up at the mountains, noticing the bend in the tracks ahead. “Calvin, we have another curve coming up, don’t we?”

Calvin grinned. He seemed to understand where she was going with this. “In about five minutes, yes.”

“Any curves after that?”

“Nada. It’s a straightaway in and out of some tunnels for the next hour-and-a-half.”

“When we reach the bend, you and I will provide cover fire, right when they’re most exposed on the curve,” she said. “I’ll protect Creek too.” Then she looked at Raven and Jay. “You two advance as far as you can get, got it?”

“Fine,” Raven agreed.

He and Jay positioned themselves at the front of the car.

Gray clouds began to cover the sky, the morning sunlight obscured nearly as fast as it had appeared, bringing an icy chill.

Calvin studied the rock-strewn mountains.

Lindsey could practically see the intense calculations running behind his brown eyes. He sucked in hard as the train’s wheels squealed and scraped louder.

Calvin locked his gaze with Lindsey’s. All the steely determination of a career as a SEAL and Steel Runner burned through him as he waited for the right moment. “Now.”

Together, they popped up along the nest well. True to Calvin’s word, there was a nearly perfect U-shaped bend in the rails. It gave them a new vantage to the flanks of the cars in front of them, closer to the engine.

Lindsey quickly sighted up the farthest Rattlesnakes. A squeeze of the trigger sent bullets crashing through the side of their bodies. One man tumbled off, his corpse rolling into the rocks beside the rails. The second disappeared behind the nest walls with a mist of red blood.

Calvin took out another handful of targets with expert precision.

While he and Lindsey blasted at the remaining Rattlesnakes, Jay and Raven began their charge. They leapt like gazelles onto the closest train car, with knives and hatchets in hand. They sliced and slashed at their enemies, hacking at them with animalistic ferocity.

The two Rattlesnakes in the car tried to parry and fight back. But they didn’t stand a chance against the whirlwind of blades.

With those ones down, Calvin and Lindsey roved their aim to the last couple cars with Rattlesnakes. Just four men stood between their team and the train engine.

They fell like wheat to a scythe. A pair of them shot by Lindsey and Calvin. The other two riddled with bullets from Raven and Jay.

Behind them, the rattle of gunfire still beat against the valley walls. Kipp and three of his officers held their nest against the Rattlesnake forces occupying the last half of the train.

Without the stress of gunfire erupting overhead, Lindsey had an easier time advancing between the cars with Calvin and Creek. She and Calvin took turns running and jumping with the dog to catch up to Raven and Jay, who were already just one car away from the train engine.

It took Lindsey and Calvin only a minute to catch up.

And now that the train barreled down a straightaway, it charged harder, the mountainous terrain whipping by in a blur.

“This is it,” Lindsey said to the others, yelling over the rushing wind. “We take the engine, and if Eddy’s here, you know what to do.”

This time, Lindsey took the lead. She steadied herself, ran, then jumped from the nest onto the train engine.

Raven soared over next, carrying Creek.

But before anyone else could make it, the heavy clunk of metal against metal sounded from below. Lindsey peered over in time to see one of the doors open to the engine’s cab. Three Rattlesnake soldiers leapt out, climbing up the ladder toward her. Lindsey took down the first with a few well-aimed shots to his shoulder and head. His grip loosened, and he plummeted off the train, his body splashing into the river running beside.

The other two Rattlesnakes fired back with their pistols, pushing her to retreat.

“Behind me, Lindsey!” Raven cried.

He stood with his rifle shouldered, the train quaking wildly.

As she returned to his side, Jay and Calvin leapt from the carriage to the train engine. The two Rattlesnakes that climbed up the ladder fired blindly, forcing everyone down to their bellies. Jay lunged at the first one with his knife, slashing.

Raven went after the second, battering him with the stock of his gun. The man parried back with a hatchet he pulled from his utility belt.

Calvin peered over the side to cover them, his rifle at the ready, prepared to cut down anyone else that tried to get up that ladder.

And that was when Lindsey heard the click and ring of something hitting metal on the opposite side. She spun on her heels to see a few men climbing over, trying to flank the group. The first was an enormous brute with an M249 strapped across his back. The second was a guy in a well-worn brown leather jacket over a khaki shirt, with a face that looked frighteningly familiar. For a moment, she thought it was someone she knew but couldn’t place.

That momentary feeling of déjà vu was quickly replaced with fear when a face she most certainly recognized appeared covered in scars, a look of pure hatred burning across his features, throwing knife in hand.

Eddy Nez.

“Get them, Grant!” he said to the giant with the M249.

The man called Grant reached over his back for his machine gun. He was seconds from mowing down Raven and the others, still embroiled in deadly close quarters combat with the other Rattlesnakes.

As Lindsey brought her rifle to bear, a knife embedded in her bicep. Eddy hit her. Pain erupted through her muscle like her tendons were ripping from the bone. She could still move her fingers, but not well enough to hold her rifle steady.

Anger sliced through her. She let the rifle go, reaching for the next closest weapon. Her revolver. She began firing one-handed before she even got a good aim at Grant, desperately hoping to stop him before he started shooting. Bullets flew past him. One slammed into the rifle the familiar-looking man was holding. Another tore a hole through Eddy’s jacket, but missed his body.

But two rounds pounded Grant in the chest. He wheezed but didn’t go down. Of course, he probably wore body armor.

While the rest of her team was engaged with the other Rattlesnakes, they would be slaughtered by Grant and his M249, even if it was the last thing the guy did.

She didn’t have time to reload her revolver or retrieve her knife.

Instead, she ran hard at Grant, shoulder lowered. She thought of Deputy Palmer, dying in Golden before she could reach him. How he had given his life to protect the civilians, including Raven and Calvin’s loved ones, along with Charlize Montgomery.

Justice needed to be served for her deputy’s death.

As her shoulder connected with Grant’s and she rammed into his heavy bulk, time slowed. She stole a glimpse of Raven, praying she had bought him the time he needed.

While she had no family, no one she could say she loved, except for him, Raven still had Allie and Sandra. Assuming they survived their Wild Fire infections, they would need him.

Grant pushed back against her, a good one hundred-some pounds over her. But he didn’t have her same desperate anger.

His boots slipped and he started to lose his balance. He swung the M249 wildly upward as he squeezed the trigger. Rounds lanced up into the sky as he cursed in frustration.

She kept pushing. Momentum carried her like a wrecking ball.

Grant dropped his M249 as he tried to grapple with Lindsey. She knew if she let up for a blink, he would overpower her. Her only advantage was the speed and ferocity of her attack.

All she could hope to do was buy a few seconds of time for Raven.

A few seconds so maybe…just maybe they could win.

She kept pushing Grant, trying to shove him off. He finally began to fall, victory within her grasp. And right as he teetered off, his hands pinwheeling, he snatched her collar and pulled her with him.

Right off the moving train.

-24-

Raven threw the Rattlesnake he had been fighting with off the train engine. He turned in time to see another big man drop off the side dragging Lindsey with him.

“Lindsey!” he yelled.

She disappeared from view.

Cold gripped Raven’s heart, squeezing it until it felt as if it had stopped. His mouth went dry, a thousand horrible thoughts and emotions colliding in his head like two opposing tsunamis.

Calvin still grappled with the last Rattlesnake. Jay turned around to face Eddy and the new arrival, knife in hand.

“What the fu…” Jay stared at Eddy and the newcomer with him.

The Rattlesnake leader took out his tomahawk.

Raven squared up beside Creek. He had his hatchet in hand.

The man standing by Eddy looked scarily familiar. It took Raven a split second to understand Jay’s sudden hesitation and the confusion etched across his features.

The Navajo man was nearly a spitting image of Jay. Perhaps a few more scars, a slightly more chiseled face, meaner, taller, and slightly more muscular.

“Brother?” Jay asked. “I thought… I thought Eddy killed you.”

“Hashkeh Naabaah isn’t dead.” Eddy took a step forward, twirling his tomahawk as his voice boomed over the wind. “He was reborn and joined the Rattlesnakes to protect his people when you wouldn’t, Jay.”

“No, Seth, tell me you didn’t.” Jay maintained his balance as the train rumbled, the wind whipping his hair over his face. “You’re my brother, Seth. Not Eddy’s.”

“You had your chance,” Seth—or Naabaah—said. “But you turned your back on our people, then left the Nation and abandoned your own kid.”

“You’re brainwashed.”

Seth raised what looked like a fireman’s ax, pointing it at Jay. “You’re the one who’s brainwashed, twisted by the wašíču. Surrender, so Eddy might spare you.”

Eddy glared at Raven. “Or at least kill this asshole. Like you should’ve done the first time I asked.”

Raven wanted to charge Eddy, but he bit back his thirst for raw revenge. The good and the bad wolves Sandra had warned him about warred in his mind. There were still people alive in Colorado who needed him to act rationally and maintain his focus.

Creek let out a ferocious growl, letting Raven know he was ready. From the corner of Raven’s eye, he saw Calvin thrown to the roof by his attacker. The Rattlesnake had him down in a headlock and was trying to stab Calvin in the gut with a knife he had pulled out during the fight. Raven wanted to help, but knew if he turned his back on Eddy, the Rattlesnake would slaughter him.

“Henry, save that one for me too,” Eddy said, pointing at the Rattlesnake fighting with Calvin.

Henry nodded and placed his blade against Calvin’s throat. The SEAL couldn’t make a move without getting killed.

Jay wasn’t engaged in any hand-to-hand combat. He could help Raven and Calvin.

But he still seemed too shocked at seeing his brother. Raven worried what would happen if he attacked Eddy and Seth. Would Jay betray him because he couldn’t bear to see Seth killed?

“Jay, your son is sick, isn’t he?” Seth asked.

Jay said nothing.

“You don’t need to answer that question. We already know how bad Wild Fire has spread in Estes Park.”

Raven glared at Eddy and Seth. “You’re responsible for those infections. Your people made Jay’s kid sick.”

“We did what we had to do to protect ourselves. We want to help Wendy and Hudson.” Seth stretched out a hand to Jay. “Just give this up now.”

“Don’t listen to them!” Calvin said.

Henry pressed his blade harder against Calvin’s throat, drawing blood.

Gunfire blasted halfway down the train where Kipp was. Raven stole a quick glance to see that only Kipp and one more officer remained against the handful of Rattlesnakes shooting at them. They might still have a chance at surviving, but not if Jay gave himself up to Eddy and Seth, turning the tide decidedly in the Rattlesnakes’ favor.

Seth took a step closer to Jay. “You wouldn’t kill your own brother, would you? I’m your blood, Jay. Don’t betray me. Don’t betray us.”

“Don’t listen to them,” Raven hissed.

Calvin grunted, trying to free himself from Henry’s grip. “Jay, man, we need you.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Henry cranked his arm tighter on Calvin.

Jay stuck up a hand. “I don’t need either of you telling me what to believe or what I should do. I can make my own damn choices.”

Another rash of gunfire sounded from down the train. Raven watched in horror as the last of Kipp’s men went down.

It was just the one lone officer left to hold security, preventing the Rattlesnake warriors from coming to help their leader. And to the east where they were headed, Raven saw the face of a massive mountain. In a matter of minutes, they would tear through a tunnel, and this ill-fated conversation would turn deadly for anyone on top of the train.

All Eddy and Seth were doing was stalling for time as the air got colder and the clouds grew darker, thicker.

It was as if the weather itself could sense the unfolding horror.

“Come on, Jay,” Seth entreated. “Get rid of Raven. Don’t betray me again. You’re a better brother than that.”

Raven couldn’t stand it anymore.

Before anyone said another word, he cocked back his hatchet and threw it at Seth. The warrior reacted immediately, lifting his ax and ducking. The hatchet clanged against the weapon, then spun off into the river.

“Raven!” Jay yelled.

But Raven wouldn’t let Jay stop him.

While Raven lunged toward Eddy and Seth, Calvin pushed Henry’s arm back, flipping the Rattlesnake over. Henry let out a wild yell of surprise as he slashed at Calvin, catching him with the knife.

Raven swung his second hatchet at Seth, who met the blade with his ax. So much strength was behind the blow that the impact sent a tremor through Raven’s arms. He nearly lost his grip on the weapon. As Seth brought the ax around for a devastating strike, Raven dove under his reach, hitting him in the chest with the hatchet. The blade crashed against his body armor, cracking against the ceramic plates.

But Seth absorbed the blow.

Eddy turned on Raven to attack, but Raven used his momentum to swing his hatchet at the Rattlesnake leader, keeping him back. The blade swished through the air, and before Raven could strike again, Seth kicked hard at Raven’s knee. The big man’s boot smashed against Raven’s joint, threatening to bend it past its physiological limits. Pain shot up his nerves like lightning.

Creek pounced at Seth, growling and snapping, and bit down on his arm. One of his hands loosened around the ax. For a second, Raven thought he was about to overpower him.

Then Jay yelled out, “Raven, watch out!”

Suddenly, Eddy wrenched Creek free from Seth’s arm. The Rattlesnake Leader lifted the dog up as Creek snapped wildly, saliva frothing around his lips.

Raven twisted away from Seth and reached for the Rattlesnake leader. Simultaneously, Calvin managed a devastating blow on Henry, slicing his knife through the man’s throat. The Steel Runner started to push himself up to his feet, blood soaking his uniform.

Eddy laughed as he stepped away from Raven, toward the rear of the train engine. The crazed man never took his eyes off Raven as he tossed Creek off, even as Jay rushed toward him, trying to save the Akita.

But he was too late. Creek disappeared behind the train engine.

For the second time in minutes, an icy dagger twisted its way through Raven’s heart. The pain of his loss was immediate and scything. Creek had saved him numerous times. On the coldest, loneliest nights since the Collapse, the Akita had never left his side.

And Eddy had just thrown the dog off.

Raven didn’t know what exactly would happen in the next few minutes. But what he did know was that Eddy was going to die at his hands.

He swung his hatchet at Eddy, giving him no quarter. The hatchet met Eddy’s tomahawk in a violent clanging din.

Raven was vaguely aware of Calvin lurching at Seth, despite the blood dripping down his side. The Steel Runner crashed against Seth, allowing Raven another opening to go after Eddy, so long as Jay stayed out of their way.

Then Eddy took out a second tomahawk. Raven did his best to parry and dodge the attacks, but the relentless assault pushed him to the edge of the engine’s roof. He felt one of his heels slip off.

He had nowhere to escape the maelstrom of blades aimed at his face and neck.

To his right, on the opposite side of the train engine, Calvin fought desperately with Seth. But Seth had gotten him on his back again. He had a knee on the Steel Runner’s chest and was trying to press his ax blade into Calvin’s neck.

All the while, Jay appeared confused, as if he didn’t know who to fight.

“Jay!” Raven shouted. “Do something!”

Suddenly, Jay’s expression changed from confusion to unadulterated anger. He let out a roar that sounded like a bear who had been separated from its cubs. But instead of running at Calvin to stop Seth, he barreled toward Raven.

Lindsey’s and Creek’s deaths would mean nothing, and now Raven was about to share their hapless fate.

He tried to push back against Eddy, but he had almost no ground to stand on. The harsh wind whipped over his body. One faltering step would send him flying off, and all the while, the mountain tunnel grew closer.

Right when he thought Eddy would knock him off, Jay hit the diabolical Rattlesnake. Eddy fell backward on the roof, one of his tomahawks skittering away. As Jay went in to attack again, Eddy threw the other tomahawk. It barely missed Jay, flying past him—and landed right in Calvin’s shoulder. Calvin screamed, and Seth used the moment to push the ax blade down harder toward Calvin’s throat.

Raven had a choice. Turn and finish Eddy, sending the Rattlesnake leader to his death.

Or save Calvin, a man who had become like a brother.

He knew what he had to do. He just hoped Jay understood too.

With a wild curse, he leapt across the train at Seth. Raven wrapped an arm around Seth’s neck and squeezed as hard as he could. His muscles screamed with the effort, pulling back to give Calvin some breathing room.

Calvin’s chest heaved. Blood dripped down his neck, Eddy’s tomahawk still sticking out his left shoulder. His face contorted in pain.

Calvin leveled his knee up hard into Seth’s crotch. Then Raven twisted Seth to the side of the train engine as he thrashed in Raven’s grip, swinging wildly with his ax.

“Raven!” Jay called.

Raven twisted his head slightly to see Jay grappling with Eddy, tears streaming down his face.

“Do it!” Jay said. “Do it!”

While still on his back, Calvin leveled another kick into Seth’s knee. Seth’s legs dropped from under him and Raven shoved him into the air where he plummeted to the river below.

Now there was only Eddy.

But Jay made a fatal mistake. When he took his eyes off Eddy, Eddy barreled in for the attack. He landed a knife in Jay’s side, and he collapsed onto the engine’s roof. Blood pooled around him as he used his feet to push himself away from Eddy, who was coming in for the final kill.

Calvin tried to pick himself up, but fell back groaning in pain, teeth gritted. “Take the bastard down, Raven.”

Eddy saw Raven preparing to strike and abandoned his imminent attack on Jay.

“You came all this way just to die,” Eddy said. “Just like all the dogs that followed you.”

He pulled another knife from a sheath on his thigh. Like a mountain lion, he stalked toward Raven, leaving Jay to bleed out behind him. As Raven reached for his KA-BAR, Eddy lunged. Raven never had time to finish grabbing his own weapon. Eddy’s knife cut through the air in front of Raven’s face, and he ducked under the swishing blade.

But Eddy redirected his momentum, jamming his knife into Raven’s thigh.

Raven went down hard. Thundering pain tore up his muscle. Eddy started to pull out the knife. But Raven knew better. If it struck a major artery, pulling it out could be a death sentence.

He dragged himself from Eddy, desperate to get away. Struggling to get up, his leg rapidly going numb.

His mind whirled about how he could take Eddy down. What options he had left as Eddy’s scarred face loomed over him. The man’s malevolent eyes burned holes through Raven’s skull. He stalked toward Raven like a wolf that had already dealt its final blow. As subtly as possible, Raven reached again for the knife on his utility belt.

“Was all this worth it?” Raven asked, trying to buy time. “Was it worth all this death?”

Raven heard Jay and Calvin groaning, the two of them desperate to help, but struggling to stay alive. Somewhere came the last pops of gunfire from the nests. Had Kipp finally been killed? Or had he dispatched the last of the Rattlesnakes?

Eddy suddenly bounded forward and crunched his boot over Raven’s fingers, preventing him from retrieving the knife. “It was worth every last one.”

Raven’s nemesis leaned down, reached toward his leg, and twisted the blade in his flesh. Immense waves of agony poured over him.

Simultaneously, Raven brought his left leg up, catching Eddy in the stomach. He used one hand to grab Eddy’s collar, keeping him back. He only had to hold the monster there for a couple seconds. Then he pushed with all his might, shoving the man up, right as the train rushed into the tunnel.

The sickening smack of Eddy’s body smashing against the tunnel wall was followed by the wet slap of his now headless body crumpling off the train.

Raven remained flat as the top of the tunnel whooshed by a couple feet above. His chest heaved as the adrenaline rushing through him gradually faded away, and he blinked, trying to fight the waves of pain coursing up through his nerves.

Then, suddenly, the train hurtled out the other side of the mountain. To his surprise, it was colder here. A soft snow fell and swirled around his face.

For a second, he thought it was beautiful. Because somewhere above him, past those fluffy gray clouds and the vortex of the snowstorm, maybe heaven actually existed.

Maybe he’d get to see Creek and Lindsey again.

Judging by the pain in his leg, it might be sooner than later.

* * *

Snow whipped around the front of the train as it rocketed westward. But the gunfire and screams had settled.

There was little doubt someone had won.

But Lindsey didn’t know yet who it was.

She was missing her boot and coat, both lost when Grant yanked her off the side of the train. All she had been able to do was grab hold of one of the handlebars that wrapped around the car behind the engine.

If her fingers hadn’t caught one of those rungs, if she’d missed by just a fraction of a second, she would be nothing but bloody mulch leaking into the cold ground along the rails.

Even when she had gotten ahold of the bar, Grant never loosened his grip.

That was why she had no choice but to push off the boot he clung to. Then, when he grabbed her coat sleeve, she shrugged that off as well. First one arm, then the other, as she continued to hold on with one hand. Grant tumbled to the river with a tremendous splash. She hoped that would be the last they would ever see of him. The pain of holding on had been intense thanks to the knife wound, but all she pictured was Raven and all the others relying on her. Everyone who needed this mission to succeed.

And right when she was about to get up to the engine’s roof, she saw Eddy leaning over the back to pitch Creek off. The dog careened past her and hit the coupling between the engine and the next carriage. He let out a high-pitched whine in pain as he scrabbled for purchase.

Lindsey jumped back down, balancing on the bottom rung, and snagged Creek’s harness, then swung him forward into the open door of the engine’s cab, getting him into safety. She jumped into the cab with him, which was how she had come face-to-face with the train’s engineer.

As Creek stared the man down, Lindsey reached for a knife. But before she drew her weapon, she noticed his ankles chained to the floor.

“Can you stop this train?”

The man nodded. “Who are you?”

“Lindsey Plymouth, former Colorado Ranger. Here to stop Eddy and the Rattlesnakes.”

“Thank God.” The engineer pulled back on the brake lever, and the wheels began to screech. “They took me prisoner months ago. Threatened my life and my family’s, and told me I had to drive this shitty train.”

“Not anymore.” Lindsey jerked her chin at Creek. “Can you watch this dog? He’s very important to someone very close to me.”

“Anything, ma’am.”

“While you’re at it, if you want to help us, radio whoever you can in the Rattlesnakes. Tell them Eddy’s dead and the battle is over. That it’s too late for them. I want them all running.”

The engineer grinned. “You got it. Where are you going?”

Lindsey pointed at the roof. “Got to make sure we really do win this battle.”

“Be careful.”

“Being careful isn’t how we win.”

Lindsey padded up the ladder, just as they cleared the tunnel. Hard to do with the pain echoing up and down her arm. But she made it.

As soon as she reached the top rung, she aimed her revolver over the side, ready to shoot anyone who might come lurching toward her.

Instead, she saw Calvin leaning over a body. Jay was on his knees beside him, chest heaving, one foot dragged behind him, blood soaking his jacket.

Calvin twisted around with his sidearm when he heard Lindsey push herself up the last rung.

“Holy shit,” he said, lowering the weapon. His eyes were red, his dark skin paler than usual.

A self-applied Israeli bandage was wrapped over his left arm. The SEAL must’ve performed his own first aid one-handed, because by the looks of it, he couldn’t use his left.

“Much as I want to know how you survived, I need your help now,” Calvin said, his voice gruff and gravelly.

Lindsey made it past Jay, who was pressing a bandage to his side.

The train’s brakes squealed. They were finally slowing. The wind wasn’t nearly as harsh as it had been, though as they decelerated, the snow accumulated more and more around them.

As she approached Calvin, she saw a sight that sent her stomach churning. Raven sprawled out in front of him. A knife sticking out of his leg.

The train was at a crawl now, the growl of its engine turning to a gentle chug, as Lindsey stepped over, fearing the worst.

Blood smeared his face.

“Lindsey?” he asked, propping himself up on his elbows, blinking weakly. “Am I… am I dead?”

Calvin knelt by Raven’s side. “Not yet, bro. Not if I can help it.”

Adrenaline still thrummed through Lindsey. Enough to temporarily dull her own pain.

“I thought you died,” Raven said as Lindsey crouched over him.

She held his leg in place at Calvin’s direction as the Steel Runner examined the knife wound.

A shout drew Lindsey’s attention away momentarily. She turned and spotted Kipp making his way over the nests. As far as she could see, he was the only survivor of the gun battle.

When she faced Raven again, he was grinning from ear to ear, despite the knife stuck in his thigh.

“I thought for sure I was dead and in heaven. You fell over the edge and then…” He wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her close as she tried to hold on to the bandage on his leg.

“Raven, careful,” she said. “I can’t let go of this.”

“It’s okay,” Calvin said. “He got lucky. The blade missed his arteries. Just muscle tissue.”

“Really lucky.” Raven pulled Lindsey tighter to his chest.

She returned the embrace. His touch sent a wave of warmth through her core.

“I love you, Lindsey,” Raven managed.

“Never do that to me again,” she replied. “I can’t imagine losing you.”

“Never. I promise. But that goes for you too.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan on falling off a moving train again any time soon.”

Raven pulled away slightly. A tear of joy streaked down his cheek. But all the happiness in his expression soured. “Did you see Creek?”

Lindsey smiled. “I saw Eddy try to throw him over the side. But I caught him. He’s down with the train engineer.”

“What did I do to deserve you, Lindsey?” Raven asked.

“I wish I had a good answer for that.”

Calvin patted the top of Raven’s leg, wincing as he moved. “Patched up for now.”

Lindsey looked over at Jay, who was grimacing, his eyes barely open. Calvin started tending to his wounds next.

“I’ll be fine,” Jay said. “I’ll be… fine.”

“You’re right,” Calvin said. “It’s nothing too deep, but I’m going to patch you up anyway.”

Kipp waved at them as he finally made it to the train engine. His chest heaved. Blood covered the side of his jacket. It looked as if he had taken a bullet to one of his arms, and judging by the hole in his jacket, his plate carrier had caught another round near his heart, saving his life.

“The other cars are clear,” he said, his voice ragged. “We don’t have anyone else in the area.” He patted the radio on his hip. “And I heard from the rest of my people. Salt Lake City is ours. So is Provo. At least, for the time being.”

Lindsey nodded. The joy of their victory on the train was tempered by the unfinished mission to ensure the Axcension facilities at Provo and Salt Lake City remained theirs after so much bloodshed. While Kipp made some calls on his radio, Lindsey plucked her sat phone from her utility belt. It took only a second for someone to answer on the other line.

“Lindsey?” It was Charlize.

“I’m here. Eddy’s dead. We stopped a train full of Wild Fire headed east. We’re going to need immediate support to secure it. And medevac for the injured.”

“The Black Hawks are already on their way with the Rangers.”

“What do you mean?”

“I called Whitlock and Anders again and convinced them to help. With Wheeler back on the Front Range, they agreed under one condition. All the Rangers that volunteered to reinforce you guys came of their own volition to minimize issues with the ceasefire agreement. But now that we have confirmation of Eddy’s death, we can send the full force of the Rangers to Salt Lake City and Provo.”

For the first time in a while, Lindsey felt like they had finally turned things around. “We’ll need it. A lot of good men and women died today to take those cities. I don’t want to lose them.”

Kipp piped up. “I’m getting word from my people that many of the Rattlesnake reinforcements are scattering. Word of Eddy’s death must already be spreading.”

“Even better,” she said.

The exhaustion and pain in her arm was worsening, especially now as the dregs of adrenaline faded, leaving her nauseous and shaky. She would not last much longer before the urge to pass out in the gentle snow would overcome her.

“Do we have anyone other than Rangers coming?” Lindsey asked.

“I talked to Shelby’s people. They agreed to send an Army battalion to hold Provo and Salt Lake City now that Eddy is finished and the ceasefire agreement null. Wheeler made it clear that we don’t have any other options if we want to fight the Wild Fire.”

“Thank God.”

“And not just Him. Thank you, guys,” Charlize said. “Without your team, none of this would be possible.”

A wave of pain roiled through Lindsey. Raven must’ve seen it. He grabbed her fingers and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“What about the meds?” Raven asked. “Did they make it to the clinics?”

Lindsey understood what Raven really wanted to know. Calvin faced her direction too. Even Jay twisted her way, still struggling to remain conscious. Each had loved ones still suffering from Wild Fire in Estes Park.

“Wheeler is coordinating the distribution of Commander pills as we speak.” Charlize paused. “But to be frank, he is not certain it’s enough. We’re sending out more air support to retrieve the rest of the stock you secured. And I know you all have people in dire need of those pills. Rest assured, our medical teams will do everything they can.”

“I understand,” Raven said, dejected.

“In the meantime, you all hold tight. Keep the train secure, and reinforcements will be there soon.”

Lindsey ended the call. All the optimism she felt moments ago faded when she looked at Raven’s face.

The others were just as silent. Even after all they had sacrificed for this victory, they still might be too late to save those dying from Wild Fire in Estes Park and the other surrounding communities.

The minutes passed by like a dream. More snow fell, the winds curling around them. And eventually, choppers arrived, just as Charlize had promised, Rangers flooding out of them.

Some of the Rangers helped the team load up into the passenger hold of one of the Black Hawks. The bird lifted off as soon as they were all aboard. Creek nestled in between Raven and Lindsey as medics checked their wounds and redid their bandages. Calvin and Jay sat opposite them, their jaws clenched as another pair of medics worked over them.

Lindsey watched the landscape pass through the window behind them. The sky grew grayer and more foreboding. Snow blanketed all of the mountains.

Maybe it was her imagination, maybe she was going half-crazy with the meds she had been given, but she swore she saw a shape form in the snowy peaks.

The top of the Rockies looked like a white buffalo galloping across the plains.

It had finally arrived.

She wondered if it was telling them that everything would be okay.

Or as Eddy believed, if it signified the end of the United States and a new era for the Wild Lands, despite all they had sacrificed.

-25-

SEVEN MONTHS AFTER THE RATTLESNAKES’ DEFEAT…

A thin layer of sparse green grass interspersed with wildflowers lay across the graveyard. Pine trees walled in the gently sloping field, their branches waving in the breeze. The sun glared down through the cloudless sky, its warmth falling over Raven as he crunched over the well-worn trail to his destination, Creek walking solemnly at his heels.

While the wound in his thigh had long-since healed, a thick knot of scar tissue throbbed as he knelt by two grave markers he frequently visited.

The white tombstones jutted up from the soil. He traced his fingers over the letters on the first one. Of all the deaths over the past couple years, these graves represented some of the hardest. Coming here was a form of therapy. A way to cope with the tremendous losses he had endured.

Creek lay down beside Raven and huffed, as if he felt the same.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it, bud?” Raven scratched behind Creek’s ears.

The dog looked up at him with his one good eye and grunted again in agreement.

“We’ve sure been through some crazy stuff together, haven’t we, pal?” Raven continued petting Creek, and the Akita closed his eye as he wagged his tail.

He took a second to study the names on the two graves.

Charlize Montgomery and Nathan Sardetti.

Nathan was Charlize’s brother. He became a friend and close ally of Raven’s back in the early days of the Collapse, in a time that felt like decades ago after all that happened.

He had been buried out here, and Charlize had expressly dictated that she spend her eternal rest next to him after the radiation poisoning took her.

To Raven, it seemed like she fought just long enough to help them save the New Frontier from the Rattlesnakes. Her death left her cherished son orphaned in New York. Raven heard he would be raised by close family friends. But he was still another parentless child thanks to the violence that had enveloped the United States since the Collapse.

With a sigh, Raven headed to a different set of grave markers. He sat down beside one and stared at it in quiet meditation for a few moments.

“Well, I’ve turned things around and stayed out of trouble,” Raven started. “You’d be proud. I hope you would be anyway.”

He relayed all the events over the past month. It was a whirlwind. Doctor Wheeler doubled Axcension’s production capacity. And his USAMRIID team identified other locations where they could begin manufacturing Commander pills.

The children and families the Rattlesnakes were holding prisoner had been returned to their rightful homes. Communities like Gloria’s and Phillip’s were now working with the US government to orchestrate aid deliveries throughout the New Frontier and reverse the political damage Eddy’s reign inflicted. Plans were already in motion to continue securing the New Frontier with the help of allies like the Wind River Reservation and the Navajo Nation.

For the first time in a while, Raven was feeling truly hopeful again.

He talked about all the improvements in Estes Park. With the Rattlesnakes disbanded and many of the nefarious forces within the New Frontier eliminated, the town and the surrounding area hadn’t seen any raiders or marauders over the past two months. Brick by brick, the mountain community was being rebuilt. With the good weather summer brought, reconstruction progressed more rapidly than Raven expected.

After another couple minutes spent by the gravesites, he smiled and stood from his close friend and mentor Marcus Colton’s marker.

“Until next time, Colton,” he said as he walked back to his bullet-scarred Jeep with Creek.

The two of them got in and began the winding drive back toward Lake Estes.

Raven drove with the windows down. As they started down Highway 34, the distant beat of hammers and whine of electric drills mixed with the call of birds and wind rushing over the Jeep. To his right, between newly restored cabins and lodges under construction, he saw the glint of sunlight off the azure waters of the lake. He relished the warm aroma of pines filling the vehicle. All of it sounded, looked, and smelled like home.

Taking a right, he pulled onto a long gravel drive filled with a handful of other vehicles. One of the newly restored four-bedroom cabins lay at the end. Raven stopped beside a Toyota RAV4 that had just parked. Out from the driver’s seat came Jay Wauneka, who gave him a wave. Raven hopped out, Creek treading after him, meeting Jay with a handshake and a hearty embrace.

“Been a while,” Jay said.

Raven nodded. “What? Like two months since our last visit to the medical clinic after Salt Lake City?”

“’Bout that long. Listen, Raven, I’m sorry for everything. Sorry for almost betraying you and sorry for your—”

Raven held up a hand to stop him. “Water under the bridge, bro. When it came down to it, you were there for us. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what happened with your brother.”

Jay kicked at the gravel. “I made my choice, and he made his. Only problem is I’m the one that has to live with those choices, knowing who he was fighting for.”

Raven understood what he meant. While Seth was responsible for fighting on Eddy’s side, Jay would always carry the weight of his brother’s death on his conscience. He had probably spent every night since wondering if there was something else he could have done or said to sway Seth.

But before Raven could contemplate that too long, the passenger doors of the RAV4 opened. Jay’s son, Hudson, and his ex-wife, Wendy, came out. Or at least, Raven thought she was Jay’s ex. Now she scooped Jay’s hand in hers and gave Raven a cheerful smile.

“You know, he still talks about you,” Wendy said.

Jay grinned sheepishly.

“Says you’re one of the most honorable men he’s ever met,” she went on. “Wished he would have had a friend like you back on the force in Window Rock. Then maybe he wouldn’t have been so wild… and we never would have gotten that divorce our first time around. Whatever influence you’ve had on him, it’s good. So promise me you’ll stick around, Raven.”

Raven locked eyes with Jay and gave him a solemn nod. “I think I can do that.”

The cabin door opened, and Maureen came out, Frankie and Raquel rushing past her. Creek bounded toward them, barking playfully. The children happily greeted Creek as he lavished them with slobbery kisses, and peals of laughter filled the air.

Jay patted Hudson’s back, and the boy ran off to join the other kids and Creek.

“Thank you all for coming!” Maureen said. “Calvin’s excited to have you all over for the housewarming.”

Raven had spent sufficient time with the family to know that while Maureen and the kids lived with Calvin, they were nothing more than a platonic family unit. In fact, with houses still in construction, there were a lot of family units like that. Neighbors, friends, and extended family all moved in together.

But Raven wondered if it was more than just the housing shortage that led to these arrangements. Perhaps, after almost three long years of fighting for survival, people realized the power of a tight-knit community. They no longer wanted to move into McMansions with giant yards far from their closest friends. For their safety, they realized it was better to be close. To have trusted allies within arm’s reach that you could rely on.

“I’m so glad you all could make it,” Maureen said.

Wendy gestured to the car. “We brought some food Jay and Hudson helped make.”

“Don’t be modest,” Jay said. “I’m a klutz in the kitchen. I attempted to assist, but that mostly involved me doing the dishes.”

Wendy smiled. “I’ll get you cooking yet. I know you’re a quick learner, and with Hudson growing as fast as he is, he consumes about as much food as I can make.”

“Trust me, I know how that is.” Maureen gestured to her two kids. “Come on. We’ll help.”

As they grabbed Tupperware from the vehicle, Calvin came out of the house. He gave the Waunekas a wave and a smile.

Then, he wrapped Raven into a big bear hug. “Damn man, it’s always good to see you.”

He pulled away and slapped Raven on the back. Maureen, the Waunekas, and all the kids disappeared inside the house with Creek following, the dog’s nose hungrily sniffing at the food.

“You doing all right?” Calvin asked.

“Just happy to be alive. Not everyone can say that, you know?”

He nodded solemnly. “I miss a lot of people, especially Mouse.”

“He’d be proud to see how you’ve helped his family. Proud and grateful.”

“No doubt, but what I wouldn’t give to share another beer with him.” Then Calvin smirked. “He was a SEAL through and through. He understood the kinds of things you live with after a career in the service. We could talk, you know. But at least I got a couple of the Runners. Holland and Boston come by frequently enough to share a beer or two. And of course, I don’t want to sound corny, but I got you too. I mean, you’re just a Recon Marine, but it works.”

Raven smirked and gave Calvin a playful punch on the shoulder. “You Spec Op Forces people think you’re saving the world on every mission. Even if that mission is just to go take a shit in the woods.”

“My shit is special, Raven. Thought you knew.”

“Why the hell did I invite you to stay in Estes Park again?”

“Because you’re a good friend. And good friends bust each other’s chops. Don’t you miss that from the Marines?”

“I thought I did. Now I’m not so sure.” Raven grinned and glanced at the cabin. “How are you liking it out here anyway? I know it’s not that Tahoe cabin you were planning on.”

“If this cabin were right on a lake of fire and brimstone in the heart of Hell, I’d still love it as long as I have all these friends and family around. Not because I like my ass getting scorched, but it’s right smack dab in the middle of a community of people who give a shit about each other. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

“I hear ya, man.” Raven sniffed at the air, smelling the aroma of savory meat. “You already got the grill going?”

“You bet,” Calvin said, leading him around back. “I’ve even got something special for my crayon-eating buddy.”

“Cal…”

“A Crayola 64-pack special, man. There’s nothing tastier than that.”

“Bro, I really should’ve left you back in that wrecked train.”

“But I’m glad you didn’t.”

They reached the backyard with its perfect view of Lake Estes and the mountains beyond. Closer to the shoreline was a tree with a hand-painted target on it. Arrows sticking straight out.

Lara had her bow aimed at the target, an arrow nocked, ready to fire. She let go, the arrow hitting the bullseye with a quivering twang.

“Wow!” said Mark, standing behind her.

The young boy clung to her like a barnacle on a dock ever since Raven brought him back to Estes Park from Ouray. And he wasn’t the only one who looked up to Lara.

Allie aimed her bow next, her elbow drawn back perfectly. She released the string, and her arrow flew straight and true. It slammed into the tree next to Lara’s.

“Nice, Allie!” Lara said.

“I told you I was going to be like you and Raven someday!” Allie gave Lara a high-five.

“I want to see that again!” Raven shouted.

“Uncle Raven!” she said with a joyful yell.

She rushed toward him, her bow left in the grass.

Calvin patted Raven on the shoulder and headed toward the grill, leaving him to greet Allie with a warm hug. He picked her up and swung her around as he absorbed her infectious energy.

“You’re going to be shooting better than me soon.” He set her down as Lara and Mark joined them. “I take it Lindsey drove you both over.”

Lara nodded. “Yeah, I think she’s inside talking with your—”

The patio door slid open, and Sandra walked out with a wide smile across her face.

“Hey, Brother, you made it.” Her hug was as comforting as ever. “It’s good to come out here and breathe fresh air again. I feel like I haven’t seen anything outside the clinic for years.”

“How’s it going there?”

“Fewer and fewer Wild Fire patients. I think we’re finally beating this thing. Plus, it’s nice having reliable water and electricity again. It makes treating patients a hell of a lot easier.”

“I can’t wait until we can play video games again!” Mark said. “Raven, when are we going to get some?”

Raven laughed. “Don’t count on it, bud. Plenty of better things to do than video games when you’re living in the mountains.”

Mark sighed. “I guess so.”

“Come on, Mark.” Lara gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll let you try shooting the bow and arrow again.”

The boy’s face lit up, and Lara led the kids back to the target.

As they did, the patio door opened again. Creek charged out with Frankie, Raquel, and Hudson powering after him, all running toward Lara, Allie, and Mark.

“Look at how happy they are.” Sandra smiled. “You did that, Raven. You and Lindsey and the others. We wouldn’t be here today without it.”

“You, too, Sis. I’m not the one working day in and day out in the hospital taking care of patients. That’s all you.”

She sighed. “Seems like our work is never done around here.”

“But it’s getting easier and easier each day, isn’t it?”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can say that again. I’m looking forward to when Allie and the rest of them can go back to school. The kids need it.” She paused. The Gomez children, Allie, and Mark wrestled with Creek, ignoring Lara as she tried to wrangle them back into control for some archery lessons. She looked exasperated. “We need them back in school.”

“God bless the teachers that deal with ‘em.”

Allie suddenly got up from the pile of children and rushed toward the lake, yelling something about throwing rocks.

“I think I’m going to go supervise before one of them throws themselves in too,” Sandra said.

As she headed toward the lakeshore, more voices came out from the back of the cabin. First came Calvin. Pruitt, Boston, Holland, and Nuke followed, talking animatedly about football teams that no longer existed. But that didn’t stop them from debating whose team was best. Maureen, Jay, and Wendy exited next.

Finally, out came the redheaded law enforcement officer Raven fell for years ago. Once again, despite reservations, they had rekindled their relationship.

Life is short and precious. Better to spend it with who you love, Raven thought.

Lindsey strode toward him with a smile halfway between a sly smirk and a shit-eating grin.

“How’s it going?” She kissed Raven on the cheek and gave him a tight hug.

“Better now that I see you,” he said.

Her expression immediately dropped. She could read him like a book. “You went and visited Colton’s grave again today, didn’t you?”

“Had to give him and Charlize an update.”

“He would be proud of you.”

“You too. He would be glad to know Estes Park is still here after all the community went through.”

Lindsey put her arm around his waist, and he put an arm over her shoulder as they watched Sandra play with the kids. “The least we can do is to continue on.”

“Speaking of continuing on, how about that meeting you had with Sheriff Whitlock today?” Raven asked.

“Oh, it was just like we thought. He invited me back to the Rangers. Not even as a deputy. Just a normal Ranger.”

“What did you say?”

“I said ‘I’m good.’ Being a reserve Ranger is more than enough.”

“You’re about to have your hands full anyway.”

Lindsey seemed to stare at a point only she could see somewhere above the mountains. “You got that right. I halfway think Governor Anders pressured Whitlock to make that offer to get me out of his hair.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Anders is scared shitless. One of the heroes of the New Frontier is challenging him for governor of Colorado. He must believe you’ve got a hell of a chance.”

Lindsey raised a brow. “Do you think I do?”

“I know you do.”

“That’s what I love about you.” She let out a sigh as they watched the children chasing Creek around the rocky shore. The dog had picked up Allie’s bow and started running with it, distracting them from their rock throwing. Lindsey laughed. “You ready for that someday?”

“Well, we’ve had some practice with Lara and Mark living with us,” Raven said.

He and Lindsey informally adopted the duo after their families passed.

“This is going to be a little different,” Lindsey said softly.

Raven glanced at her stomach. Her left hand rested on it, complete with a new diamond ring. After their near-death experiences on the train, both had come to the obvious conclusion. Neither could live without the other.

And what was more, they suspected there might be a new addition to the cabin.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Raven asked.

“I went to the clinic today. They confirmed it. I’m pregnant.”

Raven wrapped Lindsey in another long embrace. He listened to the sounds of the children laughing and Creek barking. He heard the cheerful voices of all his friends, amid the chirp of birds in the swaying pines near the lake.

Just three years ago—hell, even a few months ago—he never would have imagined he could have a life like this. He never even dreamt it was remotely possible.

And now his life felt fuller than he could have hoped for.

The white buffalo had come like Eddy said.

Opportunity, a better future; it was all here. For once, it was the good guys’ turn to prosper.

“You going to say something, or what, Sam?” Lindsey asked.

Raven turned to her and beamed. “I don’t think it’s possible for a man to be happier than I am right now.”

“What if I told you we were going to have twins?”

“Twins? I hadn’t even considered it.”

“You look scared.”

Raven steeled himself. “I mean, we took on the New Frontier. How scary could a couple of babies be?”

Lindsey gave him another kiss. “Famous last words, Sam.”

END OF THE NEW FRONTIER SERIES

Thank you so much for sticking with this adventure. I hope you enjoyed following Raven and Creek through their losses and their victories. This might not be their last story, but they definitely deserve a nice break with their friends and family in Estes Park, Colorado. If you liked these books, please take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon and let us know.

If you are looking for another story like this one, I highly recommend my Sons of War series or the Vector series by Anthony J. Melchiorri.

-ABOUT THE AUTHORS-

Anthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. He used to develop cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. Now, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world research with other-worldly possibility. When he isn't at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.

Read more at https://anthonyjmelchiorri.com/ and sign up for his mailing list at http://bit.ly/ajmlist for free books and to hear about his latest releases.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Hell Divers series, the Orbs series, the Trackers series, the Extinction Cycle series, the Sons of war Series, and the new E-Day Series. He worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster mitigation before switching careers to focus on storytelling. When he isn’t writing or daydreaming about the apocalypse, he enjoys running, biking, spending time with his family, and traveling the world. He is an Ironman triathlete and lives in Iowa with his wife, daughter, and their dogs.

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