“Your turn,” he said.
I gestured to his clothes I’d folded and set down on the table. Hawk ignored them and walked into the kitchen. He started shoveling anything he could find into his mouth.
“I’ll be quick,” I said.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Hawk asked.
I shook my head. “Not really.”
My mind was still stuck on how it had felt to thrust a piece of glass into Commander Godfrey’s body. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to eat again.
“I’ll save you something,” Hawk said.
“Thanks.”
The small notebook I’d taken from Commander Godfrey’s home fell to the ground as I undressed. I placed it between my clothes, hoping the steam wouldn’t ruin whatever was inside.
I showered quickly. There wasn’t even time for me to enjoy the fragrance from the soap… the scent that reminded me of Watcher Brody.
He was only a few houses away with no idea how close I was to him. And with no idea of what I’d gone through.
The water stung the cuts on my hand where I’d held the glass. I was going to have more scars, and the ones on my hand would always be right there for me to see. It would be a constant reminder of what I’d done.
I should have felt bad for what I’d done, but I didn’t. Commander Godfrey was pure evil. I would have done it all again to save Hawk and… and try to save Watcher Jones.
After the shower, I looked into the mirror. Some of the swelling had come down, and the bleeding had stopped. I looked mostly like myself, but I wasn’t sure if anyone would believe I’d fallen on my face.
“Everything okay in there?” Hawk asked, knocking on the door.
“Yeah, just getting dressed,” I said as I pulled on my smock.
“Two Watchers just ran down the path,” Hawk said. “I’m starting to get nervous.”
I towel dried my hair as best as I could and stepped out of the bathroom. Hawk pressed his lips together and nodded.
“Thank you for saving my life,” He said.
“Of course.” I smiled. “You’d have done the same for me.”
“Always,” Hawk said. He took my hand and looked down at the cuts. “I’m not sure I can leave you.”
I stood on my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “We don’t have a choice. Just please don’t go missing again, okay?”
“I’ll try really hard not to,” Hawk said with a half-smile. “Maybe with Commander Godfrey gone, things will be different. The first step in keeping our promise to Watcher Jones.”
“I hope so,” I said.
The truth was, he’d be replaced. And there was a good chance that he could be replaced with someone far worse.
“There are others on the farm in the rebellion,” I said, my eyes darting side to side as if I was afraid someone was hiding in the room listening. “At least one Keeper. She’ll help us. I know she will.”
“I’m not giving up,” Hawk said. “In fact, I know more than ever I need to get you out of this place.”
A smile grew on my face. “Maybe it’s me that needs to get you out of this place.”
Hawk laughed and wrapped his arms around me. He squeezed a bit too hard, but I ignored the pain and hugged him back.
“I don’t care who does what as long as we get far away from this place together,” Hawk said.
We left Watcher Jones home in the same condition we’d found it in. No one would ever know that anyone had ever been there.
It was incredibly difficult parting ways. I worried he’d go missing, and I wouldn’t see him again. After all, I had no idea who Commander Godfrey had talked to about his suspicions of the rebellion.
Hawk and I would both have to always look over our shoulders. We’d have to sleep with one eye open. At least until we managed to escape.
I would do everything I could to leave the farm. If we didn’t, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I was killed. Or Hawk.
I couldn’t let that happen. There already had been far too much pain and death.
Hawk and I had to help the rebellion. We had to get off the farms and help others until things were different.
Change was long overdue. I didn’t want to wait any longer for things to be different. Lives depended on it.
I would do whatever it took, and I was pretty sure Hawk would too.
We had a promise to keep.
What’s next?
Thank you so much for reading The Trials Ahead! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. While I’m hard at work on the next book in this new series, sign up for my mailing list so you can be one of the first to know when it’s released!
Need something to read while you wait? Give Flood a try!
Books By Kellee L. Greene
After The Fires
The Water Farmer - Book 1
The Trials Ahead - Book 2
Coming Soon! - Book 3
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Swamp - Book 4
Torrent - Book 5
Striking - Book 6
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
Red Sky Series
Red Sky - Book 1
Blue Cloud - Book 2
Black Rain - Book 3
White Dust - Book 4
Indigo Ice - Book 5
Yellow Heat - Book 6
Ravaged Land Series (1)
Ravaged Land -Book 1
Finding Home - Book 2
Crashing Down - Book 3
Running Away - Book 4
Escaping Fear - Book 5
Fighting Back - Book 6
Ravaged Land: Divided Series (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
Falling Darkness Series
Unholy - Book 1
Uprising - Book 2
Hunted - Book 3
The Island Series
The Island - Book 1
The Fight - Book 2
The Escape - Book 3
The Erased - Book 4
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
About the Author
Kellee L. Greene is a stay-at-home-mom to two super awesome and wonderfully sassy children. She loves to read, draw and spend time with her family when she’s not writing. Writing and having people read her books has been a long time dream of hers and she’s excited to write more. Her favorites genres are Fantasy and Sci-fi. Kellee lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids and two cats.
For more information:
www.kelleelgreene.com
After The Fires | Book 2 | The Trials Ahead Page 18
