Born and raised beneath the sea, Kayla has never been to the surface. She never really wanted to go. Now she has no choice. A deadly virus has invaded her home and the only hope for a cure lies above. With the hospital overflowing, she and Jason ar...
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They woke in the dark with the stars still twinkling dimly in the sky, ate a cold breakfast and prepared to leave. Motorcycles started roaring in with the sunrise. What a motley crew they were. Tall and short, broad and thin, bald and braided, beards to their chest and no facial hair at all. The club president was a broad man with a full, brown beard and a half helmet. He stopped his bike in front of the house and raised his goggles.
"Ready to roll?" he asked Cole.
Cole nodded and he and Abby rolled their bikes down the drive and fired them up. Jason climbed on the back of Cole's bike and Kayla climbed behind Abby. They drove off toward the highway.
Since the Collapse, infrastructure had suffered. The highways had not been maintained and were full of potholes. They reduced their speed as they wove around the larger ones. Kayla thought her bones would be permanently jarred from riding over the smaller ones.
It took about 2 hours to reach Macon. They stopped to use the bathroom and stretch their legs. Kayla couldn't believe how stiff she already was, but riding a motorcycle was thrilling! She wished they could just drive all day.
Outside Macon, the 16 merged with I-75. They followed it all the way into Atlanta. As they exited the highway, they pulled off the road, gathering in an abandoned parking lot. They all circled around Cole and the President.
Kayla looked around. Each bike was equipped with at least one gun, sometimes two, held in holsters attached to the machine. Each rider had a handgun on his hip or a shotgun across his back. Knives were plentiful. A big, bald man with a handlebar mustache held a knife out to Kayla, handle first.
"Best be prepared," he said.
Kayla nodded and took the knife. At least he hadn't handed her a gun. She was comfortable with a knife in her hand. She strapped it to her belt and joined the circle. Cole was briefing the team on which gangs they were likely to encounter and where.
"Latin Kings shouldn't be too much of a problem. I used to ride with their President, back before he joined," said a red-haired man named Saul. "If we run into them, let me do the talking." Cole and the President nodded, looking somewhat relieved.
Saul continued, "The biggest threat will be Sur 13. They are violent and ruthless. Their President is a maniac, he can't be reasoned with. He'd rather shoot you than talk to you. Getting through there is going to take some doing."
"Can't we just go around them?" Kayla asked
Saul shook his head. "They control the entire area around the CDC. I'm surprised it's still open, to be honest. I wouldn't drive through there alone."
Kayla shivered at the thought. If a big man like Saul was leery of driving through their territory, they must be dangerous. She felt her stomach clench and her palms go wet. Oh, how she wished she was safe at home in Atlantis. The thought made her miss her parents even more, and wonder if they were okay. She had to do this. They needed her.
