Survive The Fall | Book 4 | Total Collapse

his face.
Russell looked to the woods, watching for Billy, but didn’t spot him within the dense green vegetation. He turned and walked back to the passenger side of the truck to retrieve Luke’s unconscious body.
Clyde tightened the lug nuts, grunting some from the beating he’d received. He set the tire iron on the ground, then removed his ballcap. His hand wiped away the sweat brimming on his forehead.
“There,” he said, standing up. “Good as new.”
Russell stowed the Ruger in the waistband of his jeans, searched the interstate for any inbound vehicles, then grabbed Luke’s arm. The back of his head was wet with blood. His White Sox’s ballcap had blown across the road to the grass on the far side.
Russell pressed his index and middle finger to Luke’s neck. He moved his fingers around his neck before finding a pulse. “Well, he’s not dead.”
“Lucky him,” Clyde said, glancing at Luke for a second. “What are you doing with them?”
“I’m putting them on the other side of their vehicle. By the time they come to, we’ll be long gone.” Russell grabbed Luke’s arms and dragged him toward the back of the Silverado.
Clyde lowered the truck, then glanced at Cathy. “You can go ahead and get back in the truck.”
Cathy stepped away from the back passenger side door, then opened it up.
Russell dumped Luke’s body next to Shane’s, then towered over both men with his hands resting on his hips. He looked down the interstate, then turned toward the older model SUV that had seen better days.
The driver’s side window had a thick film coating the glass, making it hard to see inside the vehicle. The window tint peeled away, offering small clear pockets to peek inside the cab.
The tailgate to the Silverado dropped, then locked into place. Russell looked away from the drab looking interior to the bed of the truck.
Clyde tossed the flattened tire into the bed, then slammed the tailgate closed. He turned and walked around the front of the Trailblazer, and looked down at the unconscious men.
“Are you going to leave them there like that?” he asked.
Russell dipped his chin. “I had planned on it.”
Clyde leaned in close and whispered, “You know, if you wanted to plug all three of them, it wouldn’t bother me any. They deserve as much. When they come to, who knows what they might do next. You’d be doing the world a favor.”
“True, but they’re taken care of for now. I don’t want to shoot unconscious people.” Russell glanced back at Clyde. “Besides, I’m not looking to just kill people just because. Our lives are no longer in danger. We’ll be long gone before they come to. We didn’t tell them where we were heading, so they won’t be able to track us down.”
“All right.” Clyde shrugged, then took a step back. “Your call. Just a suggestion. I have no love lost for people like them. Not since my wife was killed by their type.”
“I get it, but we don’t need to do that with them. They’re no longer a threat,” Russell said, a bit taken back by the coldness of Clyde’s suggestion.
Clyde touched his busted lip, faced forward, then skirted the bumper of the SUV. “I hope the people who cross them next will be as fortunate as us.”
Russell’s hand rested on the grip of the Ruger. He peered at the two men, then at the woods where Billy laid. He chewed his bottom lip and scratched the festering itch within the thick stubble growing around his chin. Russell understood why he wanted to snuff the thugs, but doing so in that moment didn’t feel right.
“You coming?” Clyde asked, tossing the jack and other tools to the floorboard of the backseat on the driver’s side of the Silverado.
“Yeah.” Russell removed his hand from the Ruger and made his way to the front passenger seat of the truck.
Cathy sat in the backseat with the window down and Max’s head resting in her lap. She had her eyes closed, head tilted back against the leather headrest. A deep breath escaped her lips.
“Is the pain coming back?” Russell asked, studying her frown and scrunched nose.
“It never left,” Cathy answered, cracking her eyes open. “It’s been tolerable, but I think the pills are wearing off. That and being dragged around by those goons did little to curb the discomfort. I’ll take some more once we get back on the move. How much further do we have until reaching Philly?”
Russell opened the passenger side of the truck, glanced down the interstate in the direction they were heading, and said, “Maybe an hour or so, barring any more unforeseen hiccups.”
Cathy nodded. “Good. The sooner I can get to Amber, the better. Seeing how chaotic things are in the smaller, rural areas doesn’t give me much hope for the larger cities. I hope I’m wrong and Philly isn’t a complete mess.”
Russell patted the door, then said, “Amber’s going to be fine, and we’ll be there before you know it.”
“Thanks, Cage.” Cathy cracked a warm smile through the discomfort.
Clyde started the Silverado. The V8 engine thrummed to life, and the AC kicked on, blowing cool air from the vents.
Russell scaled the side of the truck and settled into the leather captain’s chair. He pulled the Ruger and .38 Special from the waistband of his jeans and sat the firearms in the open space in the center console.
“Where’d you get the Ruger at?” Clyde asked, staring at the pistol.
“Red Ballcap. The magazine is pretty well stocked. Figured it would be good to have some additional firepower on us.” Russell grabbed his seat belt and latched the metal end into the buckle.
“Nice. That should come in handy. My rifle doesn’t work too well in close quarters,” Clyde said, adjusting the vents. He peered over his shoulder at