Point Of Destruction Read online

  Point Of Destruction

  A Post-Apocalyptic Epidemic Survival - The Morgan Strain Series Book 3

  Max Lockwood

  Illustrated by

  Hristo Kovatliev

  Edited by

  Valorie Clifton

  Copyright © 2017 by Max Lockwood

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Hristo Kovatliev

  Edited by Valorie Clifton

  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.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination.

  Contents

  Mailing List

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  About Max Lockwood

  Also by Max Lockwood

  Excerpt From It Began

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

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  Chapter One

  “Remind me again,” Alec said as he adjusted the mirrors in the truck, “how, exactly, do we get to Oklahoma from here?”

  Melissa popped her head up from the back seat. She had been daydreaming about being safe at her grandparents’ house. She could almost smell her grandma’s delicious homemade bread when she was pulled from her fantasy.

  “Just stay on this road,” Melissa said, trying to sound sure of herself. She had made the drive with her family before, but that had been a while ago. She couldn’t give directions with full certainty, but she didn’t want to give the others any reason not to want her around. “The road signs should give a pretty clear indication of where to go, anyway,” she added.

  “Like that one?” Alec asked, pointing to a green stake in the ground that was missing its sign.

  Melissa cringed. She hoped that she would remember some landmarks along the way. It wouldn’t help her case to lead the group down the wrong path.

  “I’m sure that’s not a common occurrence,” Elaina said optimistically. Honestly, I can’t imagine that we can’t figure out how to find an entire state. There was a time where drivers relied on signs to get where they wanted to go, after all.”

  “That was so long ago,” Alec said. “Even police officers rely on navigation instruments to do anything anymore.”

  “Just wait,” Will muttered. “Pretty soon, we’re going to be in North Dakota, wondering how the heck we got there as an infected is gnawing off our limbs.”

  Alec shot him a stern look. He had to keep the peace as best as he could. Alec understood that tensions were running high, but he was starting to get really tired of bad attitudes in their group. Will was young and immature, but patience was wearing thin.

  “How long of a drive is this going to be?” Elaina asked.

  “I’d guess it’s going to take at least seventeen hours,” Derek said, looking out the passenger side window. “There aren’t cops out here, so we can go as fast as we want. But I imagine that we’ll have to make several stops to find gas. I just hope that the stations aren’t dry in these areas.”

  “That’s so soon,” Melissa said dreamily. “I mean, I’ve been on the streets for the better part of a month now. It’s crazy to think that I’ll be with family in less than a day.”

  “Barring any complications, of course,” Derek reiterated. “I’m not totally convinced that a populated area, no matter how healthy the people are, is the right place to go. I’d just as soon set up camp out in the wilderness. Fewer people, fewer infected people.”

  “Then stop the car when we get to Wyoming,” Will said under his breath. “This car is pretty cramped already.”

  Alec frowned. Will said that he was going to try to have a better attitude. He was worried that the teen would forever be changed by what had happened to Natalia. The kid in the backseat was a completely different person from the kid who cheerfully drove his truck around the streets of Seattle while he was suffering from a head injury.

  Alec laughed to himself. In a strange, sick way, even those were better days than the ones they had been facing lately. Then, he was able to make a close bond with other survivors and make some progress toward getting to a safer place. Now, the tiny family they had created was about to implode. He still felt responsible for everyone’s safety, but he certainly didn’t like his charges.

  He knew that at any moment, the group’s numbers could change. It had been that way for some time now. And as bad as it made him feel, he just didn’t have the same connection with Derek or Melissa as he did with Elaina, Natalia, and Will. Alec never wanted to turn back to Seattle, but a part of him longed to return to a time where he felt like he was making a difference in the lives of people he cared about.

  “Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma,” Melissa said, taking inventory of their travel. “Five states until we’re home.”

  “Tell me about their house again,” Thomas said, looking for something to reassure him.

  Melissa smiled. “It’s great. Their place is out in the country, but not too far from town. We can drive in to get something to eat or just stock up on groceries and drive down the dirt road to their house. The house isn’t huge, but there are enough rooms that we don’t all have to share one. I’d say we could go two to a room. That sure seems like a luxury.”

  “I can’t wait to sleep in the same bed every night,” Thomas said. “That, and I can’t wait to eat hot food.”

  “Me too. I bet my grandma will make a pot of her famous chili the minute we get there. It’s been too long since I’ve seen them.”

  “And you’re sure it’s safe there?” Thomas asked.

  “If it isn’t, I don’t know where is,” she replied. “It’s out of the quarantine border and far enough from a populated city. If we want, we could dig a bunker on their land. I think everyone could be really happy there,” she said, proud that she finally had something positive to contribute.

  Melissa had done a lot for the group, but no one seemed to appreciate her. She’d pushed the group to escape from the new army’s experimental camp and eliminated any potential dangers. She’d saved Will’s life from infection. Not once did she get a thank you from the others. She made a lot of tough decisions but got no credit for her bravery. Finally, she would be able to find the perfect shelter for her new travel companions and they would have to recognize all of her contributions to their wellbeing. They would have to.

  “I hate to burst your bubble,” Will said without any emotion in his voice, “but you can tell your grandparents to get out one less table setting. I don’t plan on lounging around a stranger’s home once the truck stops.”

&nbs
p; “That’s fine,” Melissa said coldly. “That makes more room for the rest of us. I’m sure the others will appreciate that. Right?” she asked, looking for the others to agree with her.

  The passengers sat in uncomfortable silence. No one turned to look at Melissa.

  “Wait,” Thomas said, panic rising in his voice. “Are you guys not planning on sticking together once we get there?”

  Derek was the first to speak up, breaking the awkward tension. “If everything is clear in Oklahoma, then I don’t see why we need to stick together. Safety in numbers is important while traveling, but I have contacts on the east coast that I would like to meet up with.”

  Melissa looked hurt. “Alec? Elaina?”

  The two exchanged a look, trying to figure out how to delicately break their intentions and plans to the teen. Alec didn’t want morale to sink any lower—they still had a way to go.

  “My plans have never really changed,” Elaina said. “No matter where we end up, I still need to get to a hospital or laboratory so I can keep working. I don’t know what kind of reputation I have these days, so that’s going to be a challenge. But if I get in contact with the right people, I think I can mass-produce a cure. If your grandparents’ home is the best place to do that, then I’d be happy to stay. If it isn’t, I’ll have to find a more practical location. I’m not in the position where I can hide and wait for the world to stop burning. I have to put out the fire.”

  Alec looked at Elaina with admiration. He wanted to follow her wherever she went, helping her in any way that he could. He had so much respect for the work she was doing, even though her reputation was tarnished. She was a truly good person, trying to save the human race. He wanted to be a part of helping her succeed.

  He didn’t know if she would be okay with letting him hang onto her wherever she went, but he suspected that she wouldn’t oppose having a little help. He would knock down any barrier in her way as long as it meant she succeeded.

  The thought of being with Elaina when she managed to release her cure was too good to be true. In fact, the idea of having any sort of normal existence after surviving the virus was hard to imagine. The thought of being with Elaina in a whole new world was overwhelming.

  “Alec?” Melissa asked, her eyebrows raised with expectation.

  “I just want to be somewhere safe,” he answered. “Once we get across the quarantine zone and are in a healthy community, then we can figure out where we want to go from there. I’m going to stay flexible and take things one step at a time.”

  It wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but it was better than a definite no. Melissa sat back and crossed her arms, personally offended that no one wanted her unsolicited help.

  What Alec didn’t say was that he feared that the group dynamic was far beyond repair and that it was a toxic environment for them all. He understood that no good ever came out of cramped quarters, but it wasn’t easy to stay optimistic when there was so much bickering and negativity going on. Alec knew that he wasn’t particularly happy-go-lucky himself, but at least he knew when to keep his emotions to himself.

  “I’d like to stay with you, if that’s okay,” Thomas said quietly. “I don’t have any family that I know of, and your grandparents sound really nice.”

  Melissa looked at the ground. “Of course you can. My grandparents will love you.”

  Thomas smiled. He was still young, and despite what his former townspeople had made him do, fairly innocent. He hadn’t had the time to grow into an adult with plans for the future. Before his family became infected, he thought he would have more time to figure out how to survive on his own. In fact, his mom often dreaded the day her son would leave the nest and convinced him to stay at home until he was absolutely ready to go out on his own.

  Mentally, Thomas was ready to leave the little town years ago. Financially, he didn’t know if he could ever leave. His family was poor, so he took on extra shifts at the local grocery store to help support the household. His dad worked at a used car lot and his mom stayed at home with his siblings.

  Now that his wish to leave town had come true, he didn’t know what to do with himself. So, he would cling to whoever wanted him around.

  Elaina looked up from her handful of notes and looked toward Alec.

  “What’s up?” he asked, seeing her nervous expression.

  “Where’s our next stop?” she asked.

  Alec looked at how much gas was left and then looked at Derek. “Maybe in an hour or so? Do you need to use the bathroom?”

  “Not quite,” she said. “I think I know of a way to quickly replicate the virus. If I could just get to a lab, I could maybe even incubate some samples on the dashboard so they’d be ready to administer to everyone in the car before we stopped at our final destination.”

  Everyone groaned when they heard her reply. In a time where no one could seem to get along, everyone agreed on one thing—they wanted to get to safety as quickly as possible. They had made way too many stops and detours for the sake of finding supplies, getting help, or pursuing a laboratory. They had a truck, enough food and water to last them the rest of the car ride, and enough drivers to ensure that everyone was well-rested. The last thing anyone wanted to do was stop and wait for Elaina to tinker around in a lab.

  “What?” she asked, taken aback by their response.

  “Can it wait?” Alec asked gently. “I know the cure is extremely important, but we finally have some momentum behind us. I promise you, if you want to find a lab the second we get to Oklahoma, I’ll drive you there. We just need to make it another fifteen hours or so first.”

  “Okay,” Elaina said reluctantly. “Sitting here with ideas and no way to try them out is driving me insane.”

  “I know.” Alec smiled. “Just hang in there. We’ll be out of here soon.”

  Security was nice and all, but that wasn’t Elaina’s top priority. She didn’t care if she had fifty infected people chasing after her as long as it meant that she could complete her work. It was a constant need that she couldn’t shake. With every dragging minute, she was closer and closer to returning to her normal life—to eliminating unnecessary distractions.

  Elaina Morgan would soon return to her former glory. She just needed to survive the longest road trip of her life first.

  Chapter Two

  “I saw a sign for a few gas stations. Should be coming up in the next mile.” Derek yawned. “Do we need to fill up?”

  “We’d better,” Alec replied, taking the closest exit.

  “Thank goodness,” Will said. “I’ve been holding my pee for over an hour.”

  “Me too,” Thomas said. “It’ll be nice to stop and stretch our legs.”

  “If the pumps are working, I’m going to try to fill up a few gas cans so we won’t have to stop for more than a minute the rest of the way,” Derek said. “Plus, only one person will have to get out of the truck at a time if we have to fill up. It should make the ride go a little faster.”

  “And what do we have to do when we need to pee?” Will argued.

  Derek shrugged. “I think we have enough empty water bottles for that.”

  Melissa groaned and turned up her nose in disgust.

  “Fine,” Derek said. “Every stop we make, we risk running into infected, plain and simple. Besides, it’s dark outside. Night is always the worst time to leave the vehicle.”

  Just as Alec was about to make the turn into the nearest stop, the truck was rammed by what seemed to be an invisible force. Metal scraped against metal as the truck spun out of control, finally coming to a stop against a light pole.

  Somewhere in the desolate town, another truck had appeared out of thin air and struck Thomas’s truck, sending it headfirst into a pole. Will cursed after hitting his head on the back of Alec’s headrest. The seatbelt dug into his chest, bruising his skin in a diagonal-shaped pattern along his torso.

  “What the hell just happened?” Will asked.

  “I didn’t even see it coming,” Thomas
said, wiping a tiny trail of blood from his rapidly swelling cheek. “Is everyone okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Will responded, rubbing his sore head. “How about you guys?”

  “Nothing major,” Thomas said.

  They waited for the others’ responses, but no voices called out.

  “Shit,” Will said. “I think they’re really hurt.”

  He dug underneath his seat until he found a flashlight that Derek had picked up at the hospital. Flipping it on, he searched the truck in the dim light. The sun was just starting to come up, leaving a purple shadow on everything.

  Alec, Elaina, and Derek were slumped forward in their seats as the airbags ballooned like giant white pillows. Next to Thomas, Melissa sat motionless, her head rested against the broken window.

  “She’s out cold,” Thomas said, feeling Melissa’s pulse. “What about the others?”

  “I’ll get out and check. What do you think happened to the other driver?”

  Thomas went pale. “Do you think it’s possible that an infected person was driving that car when they crashed into us?”

  “I was wondering the same thing,” Will said softly.

  Thomas pulled his gun from his pocket and turned the safety switch off. He got out of the truck after Will and went to investigate.

  “Stay here and look after the others,” Thomas said. “I’ll take care of the other car.”