Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3

by Kellee L. Greene

  He blew out a puff of air. “It could go either way. Depends on how much of a fight they put up.”

  They’d put up a fight. No question about it.

  “Wooo hooo!” Ryder shouted from farther ahead than the last time I looked. He was pumping his fists into the air while the others hopped around.

  “What’s going on?” Shawn asked.

  “No idea,” I said looking around. I had been spending most of my time staring at my feet, or up at the sky for birds to notice what they’d seen. But after I blinked a few times, I smiled when I noticed. I grabbed Shawn’s hand. “Let’s go!”

  18

  Even though everyone was tired, we all ran towards the two-story brick house. It would be night soon, so the temperature was dropping rapidly.

  It was hard to be sure, but the house looked as though it was in solid condition. All four walls were there, and the roof was still on top, we couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was nothing short of a miracle.

  Ryder ran up the steps to the porch and peered in the window. He waved at us before disappearing inside. Eli and Logan followed close behind.

  Charlie wasn’t far behind, but she was dragging her feet a bit more. I could tell she was worn out, and I imagined her wound probably wasn’t helping matters.

  By the time Shawn and I got inside, the others had already looked through the house. Ryder gave the all clear that no one was inside.

  It was significantly darker inside than it had been outside. Any light that had been peeking through the clouds was fading away quickly.

  Logan moved his hand around inside the fireplace and cursed as he punched the air. He didn’t even need to say anything, it was obvious there was no wood for a fire.

  In fact, the last time we’d even seen any wood had been back where the birds had attacked us. Maybe there would be something in the house we’d be able to burn.

  “I have a blanket,” I said, as if that somehow helped.

  The others started looking around the house, but the doors, cabinets, and anything that had been made of wood had been stripped out. By the looks of it, it had happened a long time ago too.

  It was going to get awfully cold in the house without a fire. In fact, it would probably be too cold. Even when we had to be outside, we'd have a fire. We needed something more than a couple blankets to keep us warm during the night.

  “Can we stay?” I asked.

  Ryder shook his head. “Who knows if we’d find anything out there either.”

  “I’ll go check around,” Logan said and left the house.

  Ryder glanced at Eli. Eli nodded before he went after Logan.

  “Look around to see if there’s anything we can burn,” Ryder said, but he was already shaking his head. “Dammit! There has to be something.”

  Unlike the last house we’d stayed at, this one was completely empty. No debris. No junk. No trash. Nothing. Just four walls and the plastered ceiling.

  “What about the floorboards?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Ryder said.

  Charlie came down the stairs carrying two small blankets. “These should help a little.”

  “I’m surprised you found anything,” I said, taking my blanket out from my backpack.

  “Me too,” she said. “They were shoved at the back of a linen closet. They kind of stink.”

  Shawn spun around in a slow circle. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I can’t believe they took everything.”

  The doors had been ripped off their hinges. Shelving and cabinets ripped off the walls. Everything that had been inside was gone.

  “Maybe whoever was here needed to burn it,” Ryder said.

  “They should have torn up the floors,” Shawn said with a small shrug.

  Ryder cocked his head to the side. “Maybe they’d left.”

  “Or maybe someone came here and collected the wood… brought it somewhere else to build something entirely new,” Charlie said tapping her finger against her lip.

  “It’s not really a mystery we need to solve. It’s gone,” I said, and Charlie sneered at me.

  Ryder looked at the stairs. “I guess we could start with the stairs, or maybe the upstairs floorboards.”

  “How are you going to get it out? With your bare hands?” I asked.

  Ryder shrugged. “I don’t know it was your idea!”

  The front door opened and everyone turned, looking hopefully at Logan and Eli. It was obvious from their somber expressions that they hadn’t found anything.

  Ryder, Logan, and Eli talked about the stairs and floorboards while Charlie and I arranged the sleeping area. We’d lay side by side like sardines, which would hopefully help keep us warm.

  “We’ll be OK,” Ryder said sitting down in the middle of the blankets. “Let’s eat something and rest. I’m too tired to think straight. We’ll figure something out.”

  We sat down in a row and ate a small ration. There was still food left, we would be OK for a while, but it wasn’t going to last forever. We were going to need to find a food source sooner or later, but now probably wasn't the best time to bring it up.

  “Maybe we should have kept some of those birds,” I said swallowing down a small drink.

  “I doubt you’d want to eat those things,” Shawn mumbled.

  He had a point.

  After everyone was done eating, Ryder announced that we’d all take turns keeping watch. Eli volunteered to go first. Ryder wanted him to alternate between the front window and the back window, trying to keep an eye in all directions.

  As long as there was some moonlight, we’d be able to see something coming. But, there probably wasn’t anyone that would be out traveling at night in the cold unless they absolutely had to. Even the natives with their animal furs on their back wouldn't be out traveling in the frigid conditions.

  We hadn’t seen anyone around since we’d seen the natives. They were probably somewhere warm, feasting on wolf meat.

  Eli sat at the window while the rest of us laid down close together. The blankets were perfectly spread out so that everyone was covered.

  “It’s not so bad,” Charlie said. She was to my left between Ryder and Logan.

  It wasn’t bad at least for me, Ryder and Charlie. Eli at the window and those on the ends might disagree.

  I was tucked snuggly between Ryder and Shawn. My face was cold, but my body was warm.

  “Who needs a fire?” Ryder joked smiling in the darkness.

  “I’d be happy with a fire, and even a couple more blankets,” I said smiling back.

  It didn’t take long, once we all settled down, for everyone to fall asleep. Everyone but me.

  I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. Every time I tried to close my eyes, they’d pop open seconds later.

  I was still awake when Logan took over on watch. Logan grimaced as he walked by noticing me watching him move about.

  “Go to sleep,” he whispered.

  I frowned at him. “I wish I could!”

  I felt tired. My body was exhausted, but I couldn’t fall asleep. At least I wasn’t keeping the others awake with my constant moving around.

  Ryder turned on his side and looked at me. “He’s right. You need to sleep. Just close your eyes and try to relax.”

  “Obviously, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

  Ryder took my hand in his and softly stroked the back of it with his thumb. I closed my eyes, but a few minutes later, they popped back open.

  When I closed my eyes, I’d see the birds circling overhead, or I’d imagine the natives walking up to the house pounding on the doors and windows until they broke. I couldn’t relax. It just wasn’t an option.

  “Your heart’s beating so fast,” Ryder said. “What are you thinking about?”

  “All the things that could go wrong,” I replied.

  Ryder moved a bit closer. “You can’t let yourself think about that stuff. It’ll eat away at you until it paralyzes you with fear. What happened to tha
t tough girl that rescued me? The girl that was going to go south all by herself?”

  He smiled at me, but it quickly faded when he realized I wasn’t going to smile back. Ryder was right though, that girl wasn’t here anymore.

  Somehow, I’d changed. Maybe it was because I’d lost hope. I’d seen the world for what it really was. A giant, white, ice cold graveyard.

  I wasn’t safe anymore. I wasn’t warm and cozy with my family. Out here, I was alone, and seemingly in constant danger. The outside world had changed from what my parents had described. If only they would have known, they would have given me different advice.

  “Please, try not to worry,” Ryder said looking into my eyes. “I’ll keep you safe. We’ll all look out for each other. It’s going to be OK. We'll get through this.”

  I stared into his eyes. It felt nice to hear the words, but I wanted to be able to take care of myself. I didn’t want to have to rely on others because that didn’t last forever. One day those you loved and cared about were just… gone.

  Maybe it was weird, but my dad had trained me for this life. I could take care of myself, at least I thought I had been able to, but now that I was being tested, it was almost as if I was too afraid to do it.

  I wouldn’t be able to battle the natives on my own. I wouldn’t have even survived the bird attack. My dad hadn’t warned me about those things. I could use the gun, and I was a good shot. I knew how to find food and water, but I didn’t know the first thing about taking out a group of killer birds.

  If I had listened to his advice, I wouldn’t be with Ryder, Shawn, or the others. I wished I could tell him he’d been wrong. That there were still good, caring people out there.

  “Yeah. We’ll take care of each other,” I whispered, and Ryder smiled. I wanted the words to be true.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  He inched his lips closer and closer. It felt as though my heart had stopped. Before I knew it, my eyes were closed, and his lips were pressed against mine.

  My body relaxed as our lips moved together. His mouth was warm and his lips soft. It was like a dream.

  I pressed my hand against his chest, and he eased back. He looked down at my lips, need filled his eyes. I knew why he’d stopped.

  Neither of us wanted it to end, but it had too. We weren’t alone. Anyone could wake up at any moment. He had to stop while he could still control himself.

  My thoughts went to Shawn. What would he have thought if he would have seen us? Why would it have mattered?

  Shawn was my friend.

  My friend with the hypnotizing eyes. That’s all he was. A friend. A good friend. I barely knew him. Was he even a friend? I didn't know what he was, or why I was even thinking about him.

  Ryder didn’t let go of my hand. He sucked in a deep breath and released air slowly between his slightly parted lips. I watched his chest rise and fall over and over again until my eyes closed.

  My breathing mirrored Ryder’s, and it didn’t take long before I was asleep. When my eyes opened again, Ryder was standing at the window releasing a stream of curses.

  Logan was pacing, running his hands through his hair. Shawn was sitting up watching them with wide eyes as he massaged his bicep just below where the bird had pecked him.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered.

  Shawn turned to me and swallowed hard. “It’s snowing.”

  19

  Snowing? The way they were all staring out the window made me really worried. It must have been bad.

  I held my breath as I got up and exhaled slowly as I walked over to the window. With each step, it felt like pins and needles poked into my feet. I reached up and pulled back the curtain. Everything outside the window was white as if someone was holding a piece of paper up against the glass. Thick, white flakes fell from the sky and covered the ground like a fluffy, freezing cold blanket. Visibility was low. I couldn’t see much beyond the front porch.

  “We need to figure out how to get something going in this fireplace,” Ryder said looking around. Hopefully, they’d be able to find some wood now that it was lighter out than when we’d first arrived.

  Ryder elbowed Logan, and they started wandering around the house. It wasn’t long before I heard pounding in one of the other rooms.

  Charlie was sitting on the floor hugging her knees. Her lips were deep shade of dark purple, and she was shivering. The cocky attitude she once had, was completely gone. I wished she would have stayed back with Jacob. I wished they all would have.

  Ryder and Logan came back into the room with two long wooden boards. Logan set Charlie’s club against the wall. A few of the nails were bent. They must have bashed something until they were able to get the wood free.

  “What did you do?” Eli asked, as Logan cracked the boards over his knee and tossed the wood into the fireplace.

  “Broke through the wall,” Logan said shaking his head. “It’s colder in there. I’m not sure that was a smart move considering the lack of a door, not to mention the fact that we can’t burn the house down around us.”

  Once the fire was going, the room warmed rather quickly. No one really talked. Everyone had their mind on what was happening outside.

  The weather wasn’t improving and maybe it never would. In fact, it was getting worse.

  Each time it snowed it got harder and harder to survive. The trees and plants didn’t grow back. Animals and people died out. Eventually, there wouldn’t be anything left. Maybe this was it for us. Maybe it was our last snow storm and that thought was probably weighing heavily on everyone’s mind.

  Ryder stared out the window, but I knew he couldn’t see anything but a sheet of snow. No doubt he was lost in his thoughts just like the others were.

  I stepped up next to him. He hadn’t seemed to notice I was there until I lightly touched his arm.

  Ryder swallowed and wrapped his arm around my waist. He took a deep breath and leaned his head against my arm. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was terrified of what the snow falling meant for our future.

  I was sure the others had their eyes on us, but I didn’t care. I combed my fingers through his hair. After a moment he sniffed hard and straightened his spine. His eyes focusing on the snow outside, acting as if nothing had happened.

  “You OK?” I said in a quiet voice.

  He nodded. “We’ll be fine. It's going to be fine.”

  It didn’t seem as if he believed his own words. He was saying them for my benefit… hoping that I’d believe them, but of course, I didn’t.

  “Look over there!” I said pointing through the falling snow. I saw something moving. It was close enough that I could see the gray tones standing out against all the falling snow. “And there!”

  “Wolves!” Ryder said turning around toward the others. They didn’t move. His eyes met mine. “We have to figure out a way.”

  I nodded. “Charlie’s club. They won’t see us coming.”

  Ryder stood up, taking big steps across the room. He picked up Charlie’s club with a big grin on his face. The others finally shifted their eyes upward and took notice.

  “What’s going on?” Logan asked as he pulled back his shoulders.

  “Wolves. And I’m going to catch us one for dinner,” Ryder said as he quietly opened the door and stepped outside.

  He left the door open a crack, probably because he didn’t want to make any noise that might scare the wolves away. The snow on the concrete porch crunched under his boots as he took carefully calculated steps.

  The nearest wolf stopped digging its snout in the snow and looked up. Ryder held absolutely still. The wolf looked around and then took three steps before digging into the snow again.

  Ryder started moving again. He crept closer and closer. Every time the wolf paused, Ryder froze. It was like they were playing a game, and Ryder was more than determined to win.

  He slowly raised up the club and took three quick steps forward, putting all his weight behind his swing. The wolf whimpered and fell
to the ground. It whined, and Ryder lifted the club again. I stepped away from the door and sat near the fire.

  I didn’t need to see.

  He’d killed it.

  There was a loud howl, followed by Ryder shouting something. Logan went flying out of the door.

  “What happened?” I asked knowing full well the others sitting with me had no idea.

  I bolted to the door, placing my hands on either side of the door frame as I peered out into the snow. White. Everything was white. I couldn’t see anything, except the falling snow.

  “Ryder!” I shouted.

  My eyes darted around trying to find movement. Something. Had that been something to my right?

  I peered into the falling white fluffs as I stepped out of the house into the snowstorm without my jacket. “Ryder!”

  My heart was racing. Where was he? Why wasn’t he answering?

  I kept walking forward until something grabbed my arm and pulled me back. A hand clamped down over my mouth before I was able to scream.

  “It’s just me,” Shawn said slowly pulling his hand away. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m looking for….”

  Seconds later, Ryder and Logan stepped out of the whiteness dragging a wolf behind them. Ryder glared at Shawn.

  “What is she doing out here?” Ryder asked as if he thought Shawn had been to blame.

  “I don’t know. She went after you I guess,” Shawn said.

  “I’m right here,” I said between my teeth. My eyes locked with Ryder’s. “I heard you shouting. I was worried.”

  “The second one tried to attack him when he killed the first,” Logan said.

  I swallowed hard. “Oh, I… are you OK?”

  “I’m fine,” Ryder said. “Unfortunately, the other one got away.”

  “This will be enough,” Logan said, as he and Ryder pulled the dead wolf through the snow toward the house.

  I shivered, and Shawn put his arm around me. “Let’s go inside,” he said, rubbing my arm vigorously with his hand. “It’s freezing out here.”

  I nodded as he led me inside. My body felt stiff. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or if it had been due to the fear that something had happened to Ryder.