Jackson gave the room a quick once over, then spun on his heal and headed for the door, barking for his men to follow him.
The guards dragged me forward, their fingers digging into my arms. My feet were bare, and they slapped against the cement floor as I moved. I fought, but no matter what I couldn’t get away. Not that it mattered. What would I do if I did manage to get free? Get shot. That’s what.
That would kill Meg.
Meg! “Shit.” I fought against them harder even though I knew it was stupid and pointless. “Tell Meg I’m sorry!” I called over my shoulder. “Tell her—”
My words were cut off when the guards jerked me forward, pulling on my arms harder. Not that mattered. I wasn’t sure what else to tell her. Not be upset? That would be a pointless gesture. Not to look for me? That might clue Jackson in on what was going on. I had nothing to say beyond what I’d already yelled.
Pebbles and trash dug into the bottoms of my feet when the guards dragged me outside. A truck sat waiting, the engine already running and the back so full of armed men that it made my head spin. Was all this for me?
I was shoved into the back where I fell to my knees at the guards’ feet. When I looked up I was met with angry glares, and alarm shot through me only a second before one of the men kicked me in the gut. I grunted and hunched over, my stomach throbbing from the impact. A second kick got me in the side. With my arms tied behind my back, it was impossible for me to protect myself from their blows, and I turned my face only to have knuckles slam into my eye.
“Enough.” Jackson barked. “We need him in one piece.”
I stayed curled in a ball and seconds later the truck lurched forward. We barreled down the road, bumping over the potholes and debris, but I didn’t move. Every inch of me hurt, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think that I was headed to Key West or any other settlement. If anything, I’d guess that I had about ten minutes left to live.
Patty was dead, so I shouldn’t care that my own life was finally at an end. If it hadn’t been for Meg, I probably wouldn’t, either. But thinking about leaving her after everything she’d been through hurt worse than the kick to the gut had.
The truck stopped and I was jerked to my feet. I expected to see the outside world looming in front of me, or possibly a horde of the undead waiting to rip me apart. It would have made sense if these assholes had thrown me to the dead so they could watch them tear me to pieces. But to my utter shock—and then complete terror—I found the CDC looming in front of me.
“You know what to do with him,” Jackson said when he stepped out of the cab, not even bother to look my way.
Just like before, I was dragged forward. Out of the truck and through a side entrance to the building. We ended up in a hall that was long and sterile. The lights from above reflected off the white walls and floors, nearly blinding me. We passed what seemed like an endless number of dark windows and brightly lit labs where men and women were hard at work even though it was well after midnight. All of them were hunched over microscopes or computers and wore white coats.
When we finally stopped, it was in front of a closed door. The words posted above it screamed at me: Authorized personnel only. Top Secret Clearance Required for Entry.
The man in front of me typed a few numbers into the keypad, and the small, red light turned green. Then the door popped open and I was dragged inside.
The windows we passed this time revealed rooms of horror. Some held zombies that were so decayed they looked like skeletons with strips of rotten flesh clinging to their bones, while others held newer victims who could almost pass for human. They all snarled and chomped their teeth as we went by, banging against the windows as they tried to get at us.
About halfway down the hall, a zombie smashed into the glass on my right, and I cringed away when recognition slammed into me. It was the man who used to work for Dragon. The one who was bitten that day Meg and I were outside the wall together.
The next few rooms held creatures similar to the one I’d fought in the ring. Hairless, their nearly transparent skin shining under the lights and making the dark veins in their arms and legs stand out. They didn’t try to get at us the way the others had, but instead watched as we passed, their eyes intelligent and calculating despite the disease flowing through their veins.
The last of these creatures that we passed was slightly different, but it was still obvious that he’d been infected by the same strain of the virus. His head was smooth just like the others, but there was still a sprinkling of dark hair on his chest and legs. His eyebrows hadn’t fallen out either, and the five o’clock shadow on his face contrasted with his smooth head. My eyes met his as I was dragged by, and for the second time a jolt of recognition shot through me. Even worse, I saw the same thing in his eyes. Matt. The missing man from Meg’s crew.
The teenage girl in the room at the end of the hall was even worse than all the zombies combined. She was secured to the table by straps that barely cover her nakedness, and the inside of her arms were covered in scars that reminded me of Glitter. The girl was hooked up to machines, countless tubes running from her arms. When her eyes met mine they were alert, and the sadness in them was so thick that I actually found myself hurting for her. Whoever she was, her existence looked horrific and torturous.
The window just past the girl revealed an empty room, and that’s where the men dragged me. Just like the door that had led into this hall, there was a keypad on the wall. The guard holding me tightened his grip, while another one punched in a few numbers, and the door popped open with a hiss that reminded me of Dragon’s basement.
Alarm shot through me when the guard tried to drag me forward. I jerked back, my side throbbing from my earlier beating. My wrists were still tied, too, but somehow I managed to get one arm free. I shoved the guard away, then kicked the second one in the stomach. The man went down and I stumbled across the hall, away from the open door and the room that most definitely held a lifetime of torture for me. I’d only made it one step before someone tackled me from behind, and I slammed face-first against the glass window in front of me.
Voices screamed in my ears, calling me scum and throwing threats at me while my face was pressed harder against the glass. On the other side of the window, a man with gray eyes watched it all unfold. Unlike the girl, he wasn’t restrained, but he obviously wasn’t here of his own free will, either. He was wearing a hospital gown and his feet were bare. Like me, this man was a prisoner.
The guards pulled me back, dragging me across the hall toward my own cell, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the face in front of me. The scar on his chin stood out, screaming at me from the other side of the glass. It was in almost the exact same place as mine, and seeing it nearly knocked the wind out of me.
“Axl!” I yelled, pulling against the men holding me. “Axl James!”
The man got to his feet just as I was shoved into my own room. I stumbled forward, falling to my knees, but before I could stand the guards were on me. They pushed me against the ground, holding me down as they unbound my hands. I had to grit my teeth to keep from screaming. When my hands were finally free, the men hurried out.
Behind me, the door slammed shut, but I was on my feet seconds later and running to the window. Across from me stood the man with the scar. When our eyes met, he nodded, and I swear to God I wanted to cry.
I’d found Meg’s dad, only there was nothing I could do about it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Meg
After lying in the darkness for what felt like days, totally unable to shut my brain off, I crawled out of bed. There was no point trying to sleep. I threw some clothes on and grabbed the small bagged I’d packed before stumbling out into the living room. In it, buried under some extra clothes in the hope of hiding it from prying eyes, I’d stashed the gun.
Mom was up, sitting on the couch and so wide-eyed that it looked like she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. She smiled when she saw me. It was a sad smile that didn’t reach he
r eyes, but was enough to warm me all the way through. She patted the cushion at her side and I went over to join her, putting my bag at her feet before settling in. She slipped her arm around my shoulders and I rested my head against her chest. I tried to will myself to relax, hoping to catch a little bit of rest. I doubted it would work, but at least I didn’t feel alone. That in itself was a relief.
We couldn’t talk. Not with the threat that someone might be listening in on us hanging over our heads. Not that it mattered. Until we had more information, I wasn’t even sure what questions to ask anymore. There were too many now, the weight of them making me feel like I had an anchor around my shoulders.
Time stretched on, it’s passing marked only by the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. It was the only sound in the room other than our breathing, and even though it was quiet, I was afraid it would drive me mad if we didn’t get out of here soon.
Only it wasn’t even two o’clock yet. We had at least until seven before we could safely leave the apartment and not raise the alarm. Any earlier than that would seem off.
Somehow, against all odds, I eventually found my body relaxing and my eyelids growing heavy with the need to sleep. I exhaled and willed my body to drift off, embracing the floating feeling that comes just before exhaustion takes over.
That’s where I was when the knock rang through the apartment. It jerked me back to reality and I bolted upright while Mom jumped to her feet, and in an instant my exhaustion was gone. Our eyes met, but neither one of us said a word at first.
Finally, Mom whispered, “Who in the world could that be?”
I glanced toward the clock, my heart going crazy. It was four in the morning, which meant that whoever was on the other side of that door couldn’t be bringing good news. Maybe it was Al or Parv, but I doubted it. Charlie had definitely told them what was going on by now, and they’d never risk showing up here in the middle of the night.
The second knock was so loud it felt like it was echoing through the room. Mom jumped and my heart mimicked her. I slid my hand into my bag and wrapped my fingers around the gun. It felt heavy in my hands. Hot even.
“We need to get it,” she said, shooting me a worried look as she headed to the door. “It’s going to be okay.”
The expression in her eyes told me that she was as unsure about that as I was.
“I’m ready.” I tightened my grip on the gun, but left it in my bag. She didn’t know I had it, and I didn’t want her to.
Mom paused at the door, giving me one last look before easing it open. The safety chain pulled taut, stopping the door from opening more than a couple inches. Mom reared back when a face appeared in the gap.
I had the gun halfway out of my bag when a strangled laugh broke out of her. “Al! You scared the shit out of me.”
“Open the door.” My uncle’s eyes were big and round when they moved between Mom and me. “We have to go. Now.”
Al pulled back so Mom could shut the door. Her hands shook when she undid the safety chain, and only a second later the door was shoved open and Al charged inside.
“Get your stuff.” His voice was low, but urgent, and he couldn’t stop looking around. It was the same expression he’d had on his face when I’d shown him the note.
I was halfway to the door before I realized my uncle wasn’t alone. Charlie and Lila were in the hall, and behind them, Parvarti had her gun drawn. The sight of her standing in my hallway, armed and ready, wasn’t what had my heart beating faster, though. It was the sight of my boss standing behind her.
“Dragon?” I’d only taken one more step forward when Mom grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door.
We moved down the hall as a group, my feet stumbling over one another as we moved. Dragon was in the lead while Parv took up the rear. Her gun was still drawn, but I kept mine safely tucked in my bag. She was the JO, which meant she had a weapon permit. If I got caught with a gun Jackson would be able to do whatever he wanted with me.
Just thinking about it sent a shiver down my spine.
Mom stayed close to my side, and none of us spoke as we moved. Our footsteps echoed through the stairwell on the way down, matching the pounding of my heart, and my anxiety only grew when we stepped outside. The city was pitch black, and the now mostly abandoned shantytown deathly silent as we made our way past it. The normal sounds of people scraping by had been replaced by stillness, and the scent of garbage and urine could no longer overcome the smell of death that permeated the walls of the shacks.
The walk to the entertainment district seemed to take no time at all, but I didn’t even realize we’d made it there until the red door that led into Dragon’s Lair was looming in front of me.
My boss didn’t say a word when he shoved the door open, and even once we were all safely inside, I couldn’t calm down. Something happened. Something big, or he wouldn’t have come to the apartment in the middle of the night like this.
“What is it?” Mom was the first to speak, her voice echoing through the empty bar.
Dragon locked the door, then turned to face us. “Not here.”
He nodded toward the back as he hurried by, and we once again lapsed into silence as we followed. I knew where he was going, but everyone else was probably as confused as hell when he led us down the stinking hall and past the bathroom.
We stopped outside the basement door, my heart never slowing as Dragon typed in the code. A few seconds later, the door opened with a hiss and he headed down.
“Whoever’s at the back, be sure to shut the door behind you,” my boss called over his shoulder.
Unlike last time, the basement light was already on, but we didn’t stop in the pristine room either. Dragon kept moving, passing the tubs and barrels and shelves of booze, not stopping until he reached the door I’d noticed last time we were down here. Once again, he punched a code in and the door popped open. My boss walked on without looking back, his only statement a reminder that we should be sure to shut the door once we were all safely inside.
I followed, staying close to Mom and keeping my hand on the gun. Unlike the basement, the hall we walked through wasn’t pristine. Cobwebs and dirt clogged the corners, but the corridor was so dark that I couldn’t get a good sense of where we were headed. It seemed to go on forever, and when it finally stopped it was so abrupt that I almost slammed into Dragon’s back. He opened yet another door, this one not locked, and climbed a rickety set of stairs that creaked under our feet with each step. The air in here was stale and dusty, tickling my nostrils when I inhaled.
When we finally emerged at the top of steps, we were in a dark and filthy room. The windows had been boarded up, allowing only slivers of moonlight in through the cracks, and along one wall sat a cot similar to the ones in the back room of the bar. There was also a table and two chairs, a few candles that were scattered around cast a soft glow across the dark room. In the center of the table sat a pile of prepackaged meals.
Someone was living here.
“Where are we?” I asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled over us.
“On the other side of the wall.” Dragon turned to face us, his eyes moving over my family slowly before stopping on me. “They took Donaghy.”
I blinked, then shook my head, unable to believe his words. “What? No.”
“Who’s Donaghy?” Mom asked.
“The fighter?” Al looked at me. “What does he have to do with this?”
“Who took him?” Parv asked calmly.
“We—” I swallowed, having a hard time talking through the lump in my throat. It was a ball of tears, and they were trying to choke me, but I had to keep it together. No matter how much it hurt, and it did hurt. So much more than it should have considering we’d just met. “He and I have gotten close. He was helping me.”
“Shit,” Al muttered. He shook his head, but his face was distorted thanks to the tears in my eyes.
“Who took him?” Parv asked for the second time, her gaze on my boss.
&n
bsp; Mom slipped her hand into mine and I tried to absorb some of her strength so I didn’t fall apart. She was the strongest person I knew, despite the horror we’d been through since Dad’s disappearance. I had to be strong like her. Had to focus and not lose control.
“Jackson,” I said, answering for Dragon.
My boss nodded. “That’s right.”
“Took him to the CDC probably.” Helen’s gravelly voice echoed from behind us.
I spun around to find her standing in the shadows on the other side of the room. Glitter was at her side, wearing more clothes than I’d ever seen her in, and next to her stood the gray man. His hair had been tamed since the last time we talked, and his beard was gone, but it was him for sure. Even in the darkness of the room, his smoky gray eyes stood out.
Mom’s hand slipped from mine and went to her mouth. Her eyes were huge. Terrified or shocked, I wasn’t sure. She took a step forward, her legs slightly shaky as her head moved from side to side. She wobbled and I reached for her, afraid she might faint. The recognition on her face matched the expression in the gray man’s eyes, and I looked and forth between the two, waiting for someone to finally tell me who he was. It was obvious Mom knew him.
“Angus?” she finally said, the name a scratch whisper. “Is that you?”
The gray man smiled, but it was sad and made his eyes look even stormier than they had before. “Hi there, Blondie.”
“Oh my God,” Lila whispered.
Angus? The gray man was my uncle? I couldn’t believe it, but it had to be true, because Mom was crying and she was running toward him. She threw herself against him and the gray man—Angus—wrapped her in a hug. Her body shook with silent tears, and above her head my uncle’s eyes shimmered as well.
Lila, Al, and Parvarti were right behind Mom, each of them as shocked as she was at the sudden reappearance of my uncle. They all hugged, their arms around each other and their bodies shaking with pain that was two decades old. Angus kept one arm around Mom while he hugged Lila, then patted Uncle Al on the shoulder. When he got to Parv, he called her Rambo and engulfed her in a one-arm hug that swallowed her small frame.
Twisted World Series Box Set | Books 1-3 & Novella Page 33
