Free Wormwood Dawn (Episode IX) by Edward Crae

life. Really.”
    “Still,” Dan said, strapping on his Blackout. “You’re needed here, to protect everyone else.”
    Though Cliff began to protest, the look he saw on Grace’s face changed his mind. Dan realized Cliff had a little thing for Grace, and the feeling seemed mutual. It might make him feel a lot better if he could stay with her.
    “We’ll take care of it,” Dan said. “It’ll be the three of us.”
    Gena and Toni nodded confidently. He knew they could all do it together. Gena had military experience. Toni was just a badass in general.
    “We’re with you,” Toni said. “Either way, Jake is my boy, and I’m not sitting this one out.”
    “Alright,” Dan said. “Let’s get going then. Cliff, take care of everybody, and don’t hesitate to flee if you need to.”
    “Where should we meet you if we do?”
    “How about the hardware store in Nashville?”
    Cliff nodded. “Sounds good,” he said, holding out his good arm.
    Dan took his hand, keeping his eyes locked on Cliff’s face. “Good luck, brother,” Dan said. “Stay safe.”
    “Bring ‘em back.”
    “Be careful Dan,” Travis said. “Bring my boy home.”

Chapter Seven
    Eric, Jake, and Drew were dragged out of the van by two of Seth’s cronies. They had arrived at a large, secure building in an undeveloped area that looked like Columbus. Jake searched the area for landmarks as they were led inside, seeing a water tower in the distance that was labeled with the city’s name. Like the rest of the city, this area was overgrown, but much of the foliage had been trimmed back from the doors, and chopped down inside the high, barbed-wire topped fences.
    The three of them were pushed roughly into the double doors directly in front of them, and led down a dark hallway to a small room. There was a single table in the center, a large number of metal racks lining the walls, and a pile of worthless computer equipment stacked in the corner. Jake guessed it was a server closet, where powerful computers once kept track of… who knows what?
    “Against the wall,” one crony said. He was a gaunt and dumb-looking guy with a man bun and a missing tooth.
    The three of them were chained to the empty racks behind them with their hands above their heads. Though the shackles themselves were secure, the racks were somewhat flimsy, Jake realized. Someone his size or even Eric’s size could rip them right from the wall with enough effort.
    The four cronies stepped back after they were finished, and stared at the three of them. One of them smoked a cigarette, his eyes locked on Jake for some reason.
    “Problem?” Jake said.
    The man sneered, then grinned crookedly as he shouldered his rifle. The cronies stepped aside just as Seth walked in. He set a handgun down on the table, and turned to them, crossing his arms over his chest.
    “Here’s how it’s gonna go,” he began. Jake felt his blood boil as he glared at the man. “We’re going to wait here until your friends arrive. In the meantime, I’ll be communicating with my brother. I’ll be telling him exactly who you are, where you live, and what you’ve done.”
    “We haven’t done anything to you,” Jake said. “So what’s the point?”
    “You have weapons, and other things we need,” Seth said. “And you’re in our territory. We control this town and all the surrounding areas. Anyone wants to be safe, they join us and become a part of our community, here or elsewhere. Everyone who is with us started out just like you. They were also worthless assholes who scavenge for shit and do nothing in return.”
    He stepped forward, glaring right at Jake. “We don’t appreciate loners. That’s not what the world is anymore. If you produce, you share. If you scavenge, you share. You have women… you share.”
    “So you’re a bunch of commies, then?”
    Seth smiled, stepping in front of Eric. “What about you, Grizzly Adams? Don’t you like to share? You look like a coffee house fuckface,