Houston traffic was no joke, but today the city looked like it was fleeing a hurricane. Cars were honking at each other, and sirens seemed to be coming from every direction.
Stores were open, but most of the parking lots I saw were nearly empty, with everyone heading to hospitals or urgent care centers all over town. A bus was stalled in the right lane, and as I slowed, I could see the driver vomiting. People were arguing in the street, and while I watched, one man suddenly lunged at another like a wild animal.
Fuck! Things were escalating fast. I needed to get out of this city immediately.
I entered my apartment complex a couple of hours later. I was lucky I’d made it at all. I needed a few things from here before I could get on the road. Thank God, I always kept a full tank of gas because after the crazy route I had to take to get here, I was down to half a tank. I knew any stations in the city would be overrun with cars, so I’d have to look for a place further out of town.
I pulled into my assigned parking space and got out of my truck, locking the doors. I’d picked this apartment complex because it was one of the few in the city with a lobby and security.
The front desk was empty, which wasn’t normal. I started to enter the elevator, then changed my mind and took the stairs. I thought it was too early in the game for a power outage, but I was better safe than sorry.
I entered my floor quietly, glancing around before heading down the hallway. As I approached my door, I was glad to see nothing out of place. Stepping inside, I locked it behind me and moved through the apartment in a practiced sweep—windows, bathroom, bedroom.
Nothing was disturbed.
I crossed to my closet and grabbed a bag, stuffing spare clothes and my laptop inside. I didn’t know how long it would be useful, but for now it would come in handy. If Taryn came anywhere near civilization, I’d know.
I stopped at the wall by the desk.
The safe was flush-mounted, matte black, and easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there. I pressed my thumb to the biometric pad and waited for the soft click that meant access granted.
Inside, everything sat exactly where I’d left it.
I reached in and lifted the handgun free—a Glock 19, compact, unadorned, and boring in the way reliable things usually are. Nine-millimeter. Factory sights. Clean. Maintained, even though I hadn’t fired it in years.
I set the magazine, chambered a round with a controlled pull, and holstered it at my hip.
I closed the safe and stood there for a second longer than necessary, trying to ground myself. I wasn’t afraid. I was just coming to terms with what I would have to do to reach Taryn and Lucas.
I’d loved Taryn since I was old enough to understand what love was. It didn’t become romantic until I went home to visit on her sixteenth birthday. Some people might say that a man in his early twenties who falls in love with his stepsister is beyond redemption.
I didn’t give a fuck.
Taryn was my world, and I’d made that more than clear to Ben. I tried my best to stay aloof and keep my distance when I did visit, but as soon as she graduated, all bets were off. Now, with this shit going on, it looked like the timeline was moving up.
I took a deep breath and turned toward the door when something scraped in the hallway.
Not footsteps exactly.
More of a dragging.
I paused, listening.
A voice spoke—slurred, wet, trying to shape words that didn’t seem to come easily.
“Help…pl—please…”
I didn’t move.
The scraping came closer. A shadow moved under my door, disturbed by the flickering emergency lights that had just activated.
I stepped back, controlled my breathing, and waited.
The door rattled once.
Then harder.
Wood groaned. The hinges protested.
