Sundown Series | Book 5 | Vengeance

  Vengeance

  Courtney Konstantin

  Copyright © 2021 by Courtney Konstantin All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review .

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  For Ted and Luanne, the best bonus parents a kid could have.

  This book is also dedicated to The Marine Mammal Center. A place for inspiration as writer, but more importantly a non profit taking care of the ocean’s creatures.

  www.marinemammalcenter.org

  Chapter One

  The apocalypse looked good on Max Duncan. She didn’t need make-up or hair dryers. Her accessories were all items that would help her fight off an undead horde. She was happy with jeans and flannel shirts, even when they were dirty. Smelling bad didn’t bother Max much, but she tried her best to make those around her happy. It was a good thing the apocalypse agreed with Max because things had started falling apart.

  Max sat around a makeshift dinner table, watching her family and friends eat their last meal of the day. Her older siblings Alex and Rafe were there. Along with the adults they had met during their survival. Margaret from a RV park Alex stayed in. Cliff, a man who lost his family that came to Max for saving. Then there was Issac, the old man from their town in Montana. Rafe’s girlfriend Charlie sat with him and Griffin sat near Max, touching her randomly throughout the meal. Smith also ate with them now. The former soldier did his best to fit in, despite the difficult history he had with the Duncan family.

  There were also the barely adults, teenagers Alex had taken in, Easton and Candace. The kids of the family sat at a smaller table nearby. Max’s daughter Jack, Alex’s children Billie and Henry and little Aiden, adopted by Rafe and Charlie; sat together giggling and eating their meal.

  The surrounding faces all reflected different emotions, something Max wasn’t great at reading or dealing with. She shuddered to think of anyone asking her to console someone having an emotional breakdown. Of course, she wouldn’t be the first Duncan someone would ask. Alex Duncan, Max’s oldest sibling and only sister, sat at the unspoken head of the dinner table. Alex had all the talent with people’s emotional wellbeing and never hesitated to jump in when the need arose. However, right then, Max couldn’t meet her sister’s gaze.

  Almost three months before, the zombie plague broke out of a government lab. 302RD was some sort of rage inducing chemical that was supposed to just create uncontrollable anger in the affected. Instead, it turned into a humanity ending apocalypse. The infected wandered aimlessly until their internal bell was rung by the noise of the living. When they homed in on an uninfected human, their mission was simple, kill, feast and repeat. Everyone still alive learned early on that the only way to survive was to kill the infected with a piercing blow to the brain.

  As if the apocalypse wasn’t enough, Max thought to herself as she sighed over her meal. She noticed her brother Rafe, the middle sibling of the Duncan family, look in her direction. She met his look for a moment before looking away. Her brother had a way of seeing directly into her brain, and she didn’t feel like being analyzed at the moment. The truth was the apocalypse didn’t get to Max the way it did the others. She could admit that having her family alive played a big part of that. They had lost people, but it hadn’t changed how Max felt about leaving modern society in the dust. But Max had other issues to contend with that didn’t involve the infected.

  Her trip from her home in South Carolina, to their family compound in Montana had been a tough one. Her number one priority was always her daughter, Jack. Her very next thought was always Jack’s father, Griffin Wells. The handsome boy that had stolen her heart in high school sat near her as they ate, and Max couldn’t resist stealing glances at him. His eyes were sparkling in delight as he looked at their daughter Jack. Since he found out about her, a secret Max regretted keeping, Griffin had been the model father. The two of them were often whispering to each other, secrets only the two of them were party to. At first Max found herself riddled with jealousy, but it faded when she saw how happy both of them were.

  After she retrieved Griffin from a military safe zone in North Carolina, they worked together to get to Montana safely. None of them knew the origins of the plague or that 302RD even existed. They just knew to get home; to be safe. Not everyone wanted to make that easy on them. When they crossed into a military outpost in Rapid City, things went downhill quickly. It was then Max learned that her brother was wanted by the military. After days of torture, she realized she knew very little of what was happening in Montana. And she came out a damaged person, physically and psychologically.

  Since arriving to the compound, the Duncan family wasn’t under threat only from the infected outside of their walls. Major Callahan and his boss ‘The Suit’ hunted for the Duncans to silence the truth of the outbreak's origins. The problem was, the Duncans were the only ones to know the truth of where 302RD came from. Rafe had worked at the testing facility where the pathogen was created. His now girlfriend Charlie Brewer was a scientist at the heart of the outbreak, and she held all the cards the Major and ‘The Suit’ wanted.

  Thinking about Major Callahan made Max feel chilled to the core. The sociopath was the source of the torture that almost shattered Max to pieces and she felt strong urges to repay the favor. And that was the reason Max couldn’t find it in herself to meet Alex’s eyes over the dinner table. Over a week before, the Duncan group had to leave the safe hold of their Montana compound. Max looked around their surroundings and still couldn’t believe they had sought shelter in a movie theatre when they traveled closer to Rapid City. And Alex was the reason they had to hide, all because she missed her one shot to kill Callahan when they had the chance.

  Max begrudgingly admitted to herself that Alex had just witnessed her friend Marcus be executed by Callahan in cold blood. But the part of her that was angry didn’t have the ability to rationalize what had happened. Alex had been taught by their prepper father, Mitch Duncan, from a very young age to be a crack shot. When it came to long-range rifle, no one was better than Alex. Yet, when she had Callahan in her sights, her emotions were too out of control to focus on the kill shot. Instead, she injured him and now the family was on the run, hiding from retribution they were positive was coming. She tried to not blame her sister; she didn’t want to feel the way she did. Her shot could have ended their running and Max couldn’t seem to forget.

  Dinner was a quiet affair, and everyone set off to their own areas once the clean up was completed. Each family had set up a small tent area down the hallways of the theatre. It was the best way to give everyone the feeling of privacy, though even whispered conversations could carry. They had boarded up the front glass doors, to keep anyone or anything from seeing inside when everyone mo
ved around. Their vehicles lined the exit doors along the backside of the theatre for quick escape should the need arise. Margaret had set up a cooking area outside the exit doors, preventing the fumes from the camp stoves from making anyone ill. The week they had stayed in the theatre had started out tense, but they were all getting used to their new living arrangements.

  As Griffin curled up against Max’s back on their air mattress, he kissed her neck softly. She threaded her fingers through his and pulled him closer, trying to absorb all of his heat into her.

  “Still want to go hunting tomorrow?” Griffin asked.

  “Yeah. Need to get out of here for a bit. Maybe we can find a deer. The meat would do everyone good,” Max replied.

  “We still have some pork left. We aren’t going to starve,” Griffin hedged.

  “Say what you really want to say.”

  “It’s obvious you’re avoiding Alex. If I notice, so does she.”

  “I’m not doing it on purpose,” she whispered, embarrassed that she had been so transparent. It was Griffin, but she still felt bad that anyone had noticed.

  “I know you don’t. But your feelings are well known. You need to work on the tension between you and your sister.”

  “Ok, are you my boyfriend, or my therapist?” Max asked. She wanted to lighten the mood, but the comment came out sharper than intended.

  “Maybe both?”

  She dug her elbow behind her and straight into Griffin’s ribs. He couldn’t help but let out a little laugh, being as ticklish as he was.

  “Not fair,” he said after he trapped her arms in front of her.

  “All’s fair in love and war, baby,” Max said.

  “Which are we in right now?”

  The question had Max turning to face him, the air mattress squeaking under her movements.

  “Love. Always love,” she said, looking into his hazel eyes.

  “Good. Cause I love you, Max Duncan.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She awoke refreshed the next morning, immediately grateful for the dreamless sleep. Griffin laid on his back, one arm under her neck and the other hand resting on his bare chest. Max took a moment to admire his body. When she went to find him when the apocalypse started, she never could have guessed they would land right back together. She was sure when she told him the truth about Jack, he would turn his back on her completely. He’d had anger and resentment at first. Max didn’t blame him, and she allowed him to feel those feelings and lash out however he needed. But instead, he forgave her, and they were able to admit their love for each other.

  Most days Max found comfort in having Griffin by her side. She knew he would give anything to protect Jack. There were other days when Griffin’s need to protect outweighed the companionship Max needed from him. Her torture had happened right under Griffin’s nose, and she knew he wouldn’t forgive himself for it. They had long talks about what had happened and how he couldn’t have known how bad it really was. Once he knew something was wrong, it was him who broke her out of Callahan’s jail and made sure they arrived to the Duncan compound safely. That guilt ate at Griffin, and it caused him to be irrational when it came to Max and Jack’s safety.

  Hazel eyes blinked and focused on her face before a slow smile crept across Griffin’s face.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Watching you sleep,” she admitted.

  “That’s not creepy at all,” he laughed.

  “Well, I was debating on how to wake you up. I want to get going and sleeping in isn’t really part of the hunting plan,” Max said.

  “And what were the ways you were thinking of using to wake me up?”

  “Poking you in the ribs, pouring water on your face, pushing you off the mattress,” Max said.

  “Jeez, none of those sound very pleasant. You’re all heart, Max.”

  Max laughed as she rolled away before he could grab her. She knew if he yanked her back into bed, they wouldn’t get up and get moving. Max was antsy to hunt and feel useful. She laced up her boots and double checked her gear as Griffin got dressed. Once she knew she was completely prepared for their few nights away, she quietly left the tent. The theatre was quiet, everyone still asleep. Max crept to the lobby area, where they had set up a makeshift living room with couches they had pulled from a lounge theatre. She sat and waited, but when someone entered, it wasn’t Griffin as she expected.

  “Leaving early?” Alex said as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.

  “Yeah. We’ll probably be gone a few days. Can you keep an eye on Jack?” Max asked. Alex cocked her head at the question.

  “Why would you even ask me that?”

  “Because we’re leaving? I just wanted to make sure you didn’t mind watching her,” Max explained lamely.

  “Don’t push my buttons, Max. I know you’re still pissed at me. But don’t act like Jack is some stranger that I’m babysitting. She’s my niece and I look out for her whenever she’s near.”

  It was just like Alex to call Max to the carpet when she was acting ridiculous. Max refused to play into it and kept her calm demeanor. She knew she was being ridiculous with her request; she just wasn’t sure what else to say to her sister at that moment. Everyone already knew the hunting plan, they had discussed it as a family. There was nothing left for Max to say, and Alex knew how she truly was feeling. And Max knew it wasn’t fair. But there she was, resenting her sister and not being able to hold a comfortable conversation with her.

  “Ok, yeah, thanks,” Max said.

  Alex just sighed and walked toward the theatre they had used as storage. They had backed the RV close to the exit of the one room. Anything that they could need on hand, they had unloaded and secured in the theatre. Cliff and Griffin had taken time to unbolt rows of chairs and moved them out of the way of the boxes they wanted to bring inside. Alex was most likely getting the items ready for breakfast so when everyone woke they could start cooking outside.

  Max watched her sister walk away and knew she had messed up again. Her anger couldn’t be quashed, and she couldn’t bury the part that wanted badly to blame Alex. If she had killed Callahan, they would be on the offensive, not running from possible attack. Max was also angry about being overruled when it came to where they finally settled. The news that the father of the teenagers, Easton and Candace, had brought the Duncans back toward the military outpost in Rapid City. Now they hid in a nearby city, plotting on how to find Liam Reynolds and allow him to reunite with his children. However, Max saw him as a threat. All that she needed to know was that he worked with Callahan.

  “That was helpful,” Rafe said as he walked up to Max.

  “What?”

  “You can’t just get along with her? When are you going to move on from this?”

  “Stay out of it, Rafe.”

  “It’s impossible to stay out of. We all live here, Max. The tension is clear to everyone. If we aren’t united, we aren’t as strong as we can be. If we are going to take out Callahan, we need to be indestructible,” Rafe said. He was always the one to reason with Max and Alex, trying to fix the arguments they found themselves in. It reminded Max of times when they were kids and Rafe would jump between his sisters when they were close to throwing fists.

  “Well, I’ll be gone for a few days. Everyone can feel better then,” Max shot back. She stood and met Griffin as he came down the hall, dressed and carrying his pack. His eyes held a question, but Max just shook her head.

  Together they headed back down the hall to where Jack slept in a tent next to theirs. Her dark hair was fanned across her pillow and her lips slightly parted as she still slept. Max hated to wake her, but she had once promised to never just leave without telling her. She wouldn’t start that now, even if Jack was surrounded by people that would keep her safe. Max reached out a finger and softly rubbed her daughter’s cheek. Jack pulled her head away at first, then blinked her eyes open suddenly.

  “Hey, sweets, it’s ok. It’s just us,” Griffin said quietly from th
e tent opening. Jack’s eyes immediately found him, and she calmed when she realized she wasn’t in danger.

  “We just wanted to say goodbye before we went hunting. We might be gone a few days. Behave for Auntie Alex and Uncle Rafe. Well, behave for all the adults,” Max said.

  Jack nodded before wrapping her arms around Max’s neck. Max bent her face to kiss her daughter on her dark curls.

  “Love you, Momma,” Jack said.

  “Love you too.”

  Max switched places with Griffin so he could also embrace the little girl. When Jack called Griffin Daddy, Max felt her heart melt just a little. She couldn’t help but feel joy in the relationship the two of them were building. After raising Jack on her own for nine years, she knew it was time for Jack to have her father close to her. As Griffin left the tent, Jack rolled back into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

  “She can literally fall asleep anywhere,” Griffin said.

  “Anywhere, at any time,” Max agreed, smiling.

  To exit the theatre, they had designated one room as the exit room. They did this because they had created a type of maze to get from the exit door to the interior door. No one that didn’t already know about the room could enter without making a racket. It was just an additional level of security should anyone find their hideout, or a random infected found a way to open the door. Max and Griffin stepped over the strings of cans that Rafe had added after it was such a great deterrent when he and Charlie were stuck living in a cave. Max took the moment she needed to disable the warning the door would make if they just opened it. A string was attached to the push bar and should it be opened the glass bottles attached to the other end would crash to the ground.