I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his. Shawn wrapped his arms around my body, pulling me close. His hand slowly glided down my back, hesitating only slightly before curving over my butt.
“Mmm,” he whispered as he pulled away from me slightly shifting his hips forward ever so slightly. I could tell he didn’t want to stop. “I know what you’re trying to do.”
“Oh?” I said playfully. “What am I trying to do?”
He kissed my forehead before forcing himself to take a step away from me. “You’re trying to make me forget what I was about to do. It was a valiant attempt, but alas my queen you have failed.”
I scrunched up my face. “Whatever,” I said walking over to the window. “Do whatever you want to do.”
“It’ll be fine,” Shawn said, and for the most part, I believed it would be. Otherwise, I would have done more to stop him.
After the back door closed, I sucked in a deep breath and pulled out my gun. I wanted to be ready in case Shawn was wrong about his abilities to take care of thing should they go wrong.
If he couldn’t pull it off, I would have to.
Chapter 15
I caught glimpses of Shawn’s shadow, but once he was closer to the storage building, he quickly disappeared into the darkness. All I could do was hope he was stealthy and would be able to sneak by without making a sound.
It felt as though hours had passed before the back door opened. I hadn’t seen Shawn moving through the darkness, so I turned, aiming my gun at the person walking into the back of the house.
“How many times has that thing been pointed at me now?” Shawn asked locking the door.
A breath escaped from between my lips, and I lowered the gun. “I lost count.”
“I haven’t,” Shawn muttered with a smile on his face.
He set the pot down on the counter and gripped the edges of the table tightly as he lowered his shaking head.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m an idiot.”
My eyes were narrowed slits as I shook my head.
“I can’t get a fire going because the guy will see the smoke.” Shawn groaned as he slapped his palms against the top of the table. “It was easy as pie, but it was all for nothing.”
He stomped past me and walked back to the front window. I stepped up next to him and looked out over his shoulder. The orange glow still brightened the window.
“He didn’t stay long last time,” I offered.
“If he stays too long, we’ll die because we won’t have food or water. It’s funny how we have shelter, but it’s almost like we’re prisoners in here.”
I frowned. “That’s not even a little funny.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.”
My tone displayed far more confidence than what I actually felt. Of course, we’d do something rather than die inside the house, but I’d rather the guy would just leave on his own accord. If he did, he probably would come back.
The rain picked up slightly and tapped gently at the window pane. “Who’s staying up?”
“I’ll stay up,” Shawn said. “It’s your turn for some sleep anyway.”
I didn’t argue. I was tired as hell, but it felt as though my insides were trying to devour themselves. With how hungry I felt, I wasn’t sure I’d actually be able to get any rest.
My head rested on the armrest of the sofa, but my eyes didn’t want to close. It felt as though they were glued to Shawn’s profile waiting for his expression to change, alerting me that something was wrong.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself to sleep. It took a while, but eventually it found me, and thankfully the dreams stayed away.
I couldn’t have been asleep for very long when I was awoken by Shawn’s pacing. He stepped up to the window and ran his hand through his hair.
My clothes were clinging to me. I wasn’t sure how it could be so warm in the middle of the night.
I rubbed my cheeks, pausing when I heard a strange, painful howl. It hadn’t been loud, just loud enough to make its way to my ears.
“What was that?” I said my voice softer than a whisper.
“That’s like the fourth time now,” Shawn said moving his palms up and down his hips.
I waited to see if it happened again but there weren’t any sounds except for the random taps of rain against the window.
I stood up and made my way over to the window. The light was still glowing, and every so often I could see a dark shadow moving around the room.
“Why are they awake?” I asked.
“No idea,” Shawn said.
The floor creaked behind us, and for a second, I was worried Shawn had forgotten to lock the back door.
“What’s going on?” Abby asked, hugging herself. “I thought I heard someone crying.”
Abby looked at me and tilted her head to the side. She must have thought it was me that had been upset. When she realized it wasn’t me, she looked at the staircase.
“It was the guys outside,” I said before she could get her hopes up that Charlie had turned a corner. Or maybe she was afraid things had gotten worse.
Abby pushed her way between Shawn and me and looked out of the window. She shook her head and quickly stepped away. “I don’t like them out there.”
“Me either,” I agreed.
“What are we going to do about it?” she asked crossing her arms. I hadn’t missed her eyes darting to my gun. “This is our place. We should show them what we do to intruders.”
It sounded as if she was repeating something she’d heard, probably from her last group.
“A gunshot could draw more unwanted attention,” I said.
Abby pressed her lips together and scrunched up her nose. “Probably wouldn’t even need to use your gun.”
“Abby!” I said surprised at her seemingly breezy attitude toward violence.
“Sorry,” she said shrugging. “I just want to keep us safe.”
My body stiffened and I cocked my head to the side. “I want everyone safe too.”
“I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. It’s just that, we should do something before it becomes a problem, right?” Abby asked with a frown. “Maybe I should just keep my opinions to myself.”
“It’s fine, Abby,” Shawn said taking his eyes off of the storage building for a split-second. “Your opinion matters too, and trust me, we’ll — I’ll do something before it becomes a problem.”
Abby didn’t leave. She stood there staring at the window. It almost looked as if she wanted to go out there and take care of it herself, but when another cry drifted through the air, she shuddered.
“I don’t like it,” Abby said turning on her heel and heading back into the bedroom.
“Me… either,” Shawn said pausing between his words. “It’s the same man crying. The native is doing something to him.”
“But what? And why?” I asked.
Both Shawn and I froze when the light went out. The shadow of a man stepped out of the building and then slumped down to the ground. I could see the silhouette of his feet where they stuck out.
The man was getting rained on, but it didn’t seem as if he cared. After a few moments, the shadow what appeared to be a bottle moved up to his lips. He held it up and then lowered it back down before tossing it into the yard. I could hear a faint clink as it hit a stone in the yard.
“Now what do we do?” I whispered. Maybe Abby was right. Maybe we should just take care of our little problem.
“If he doesn’t leave in the morning… I’m going out there,” Shawn said. “Get some sleep. Just in case I need your help.”
I swallowed hard and made my way over to the sofa. My neck muscles were sore from my shoulders being tensed up to my ears. I rubbed the back of my neck and closed my eyes.
It felt like only minutes had elapsed when someone was shaking me awake.
“Ugh, what is it?” I groaned.
“He’s leaving,” Shawn said, and my eyes popped wide open.
/>
Chapter 16
The man kicked the ground as he walked toward the fence. He was taking the exact same path he had the last time he’d been here.
“He’s alone,” I said rubbing the sleep out of the corner of my eye with my fingertip.
“Yeaaaaah,” Shawn said. His eyes quickly darted away from the man and back toward the storage building. “That can’t be good, can it?”
I shook my head.
The floor above creaked, and Shawn’s eyes darted toward the stairs.
“We’re going to have to go out there,” Shawn said running his fingers through his hair. “Think Ryder’s up for it?”
“Probably not.”
Shawn patted my shoulder as he walked toward the stairs. “I’ll ask him.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, why not?”
I tucked my hair behind my ears. “I don’t think he’s going to want to leave Charlie alone.”
“You could stay with her,” Shawn said raising an eyebrow.
“You are so funny. I don’t know if we should bother him. Don’t you think we can handle it?”
My eyes shot up when the floor creaked above us. Ryder was standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed. The dark circles under his eyes were even worse since the last time I’d seen him.
“Bother me about what?” Ryder asked, as he slowly descended the stairs.
“The native left,” Shawn stated as if he was reporting the situation to his commanding officer. “He left the other man behind.”
Ryder nodded. “And you need me for what?”
“Just more people to go out there, you know, just in case something should go wrong.” Shawn’s casualness had returned.
“Oh, yeah no problem.” Ryder looked back up toward the bedroom, but I was sure he couldn’t see Charlie from where he stood. “I can take a few minutes to help out.”
“Perfect,” Shawn said reaching out for the doorknob.
“How is she doing?” I asked, and Shawn’s hand dropped down to his side.
Ryder swallowed hard. “Just when I think she’s taken her last breath, she takes another. She’s fighting her ass off.”
“How’s Logan?” Ryder asked lowering his voice as he gestured toward the hallway.
“A little better.”
Ryder nodded, but his expression hadn’t changed. He shook his head in disappointment. “They knew better.”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from saying anything. They’d made a mistake, there was no use dwelling on something we couldn’t change. Logan already blamed himself for what was happening to Charlie, he wouldn’t need help making himself feel bad about what happened.
“Well,” Ryder said pointing his chin at the door, “should we head out there?”
“Got your blade?” Shawn asked.
“Always.”
I followed Ryder and Shawn out of the house, both of them moved slowly. The native that had left wasn’t in sight.
When we got to the storage building, Shawn paused and held out his arms as if he was worried it was some kind of trap. He looked the doorway up and down, and when he was satisfied, he dropped his arms.
Shawn was the first to enter the building, and Ryder followed. They both seemed to stop in their tracks blocking whatever was inside from my view.
I pushed through, worried I might need to use my gun, but I instantly realized my gun wasn’t going to be necessary. My hand flew to my mouth and the gasp that tried to escape felt as though it had gotten caught in my throat.
Laying on the ground was the man the native had hauled along. He wasn’t dead, but he looked as though he would have preferred that he were.
There were both streaks of dried blood and fresh blood on his face. Blood had soaked through his shirt in more places than it hadn’t. There was so much blood that I could actually smell it in the air.
“Mm-mrr!” the man mumbled with wide, pleading eyes. I squinted at him as I tried to decipher what he’d tried to say to us, but his words were unintelligible due to the fabric that had been stuffed in his mouth and tied around his head. “Mm-mrr!”
“What’s he saying?” I asked without taking my eyes off of him.
“No idea,” Ryder said holding his hands up as he took several steps closer. He bent down and untied the fabric quickly as if he was afraid the man would do something to him.
The man gasped for air and started coughing. He didn’t stop until he spit up a chunk of what looked like dried blood.
“Oh, God, you have to help me,” he said, a tear trickled down his cheek quickly turning pink, then red before dropping down onto his already blood-stained shirt. “Please, cut me free.”
The man’s eyes darted from Ryder, and then to me, before settling on Shawn.
“You,” he said coughing again. “Please!”
Shawn opened his mouth, but words didn’t come out. It was one of The Evolved members begging another, only the man on the ground hadn’t realized that Shawn was no longer affiliated with his people.
“I don’t think we can do that,” Ryder said, taking a step away.
“Then kill me!” the man cried. “Why keep torturing me? I told your leader everything I know!”
Ryder and Shawn exchanged a glance. The guy on the ground thought that we were working with the native that brought him here.
“Are you a prisoner too?” the man on the ground stuttered. His eyes were planted on Shawn
“No,” Shawn said.
The man grimaced and sucked in a sharp, harsh breath that made it sound like he was being strangled. “Then what are you? You should be helping me! If I weren’t tied, I’d burn the markings right off of you.” The man spit out another hunk of blood. “I hope you rot in hell.”
Ryder’s shoulders bobbed as he let out a hearty chuckle, and my eyebrows pinched together. I jerked back when Ryder abruptly moved forward and grabbed the guy roughly by the collar lifting his upper half several feet off of the ground.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are,” Ryder said between his teeth. “Look at you. You’re pathetic.” Ryder spat on the ground near the guy’s leg. “Unless I ask you a question, keep your disgusting mouth shut.”
The man tried to hide his trembling as he nodded in agreement. Ryder let go of him, and he dropped hard to the ground.
“What exactly did the man that brought you here ask you?” Ryder asked staring at the bloodied man.
“He… he asked me questions about The Evolved. I told him everything I know,” the man’s lip quivered slightly.
“Traitor,” Shawn muttered, as he flashed the guy a smug smile. The guy started to sneer, but it instantly vanished when Ryder kicked his leg.
Ryder tapped his chin with his index finger. “What exactly did he want to know about The Evolved?”
“He wanted to know about any nearby bases, how many men were at each of them, things like that,” the guy said sucking in a breath. “Are you going to let me go?”
Ryder ignored his question and gestured at his blood-stained shirt. “You didn’t give the information away easily, did you?”
The man shook his head.
“Is there anything else he wanted to know?” Ryder asked, looking at his fingernails as if they were more important than whatever the man was about to say.
“He said he had explosives. He thanked me for helping him, and then he left.”
Shawn and I looked at one another. We’d searched the home pretty well but hadn’t found any explosives.
“Explosives?” Shawn said narrowing his eyes. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”
“Positive. So, you guys aren’t associated with him?” the guy said his eyes brightening with renewed hope.
“Did he say anything else?” Ryder asked.
His eyes slowly darkened. “The last thing he said was that God would forgive me.”
“Huh,” Ryder said nudging me with his elbow. “We need to… we’ll be back.”
Ryder stoo
d there waiting for Shawn and me to exit before he followed. Shawn kept walking until he reached the front porch. He leaned back against the wooden railing and crossed his arms. I sat down on the step and looked up at Ryder.
“Well, I bet you both know what I’m going to say,” Ryder said, and Shawn nodded.
I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. “No, what are you going to say?”
Ryder let out a long exhale and tilted his head down but kept his eyes on mine. “We have to… we can’t let him… He’s one of The Evolved. We have no choice.”
“Wait, you’re just going to kill him?” I said, my words sounding squeaky. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I bet he’s done plenty wrong,” Shawn said.
“I’m not sure what other option we have,” Ryder said throwing his hands into the air. “If we just leave him in there, he could escape. We can’t let him go because he’ll go back and tell The Evolved about this place.”
It felt terrible, but Ryder was right. Letting him go, would be risking our lives because if they came, there wouldn’t be anything we could do but stand our ground and try to fight. We couldn’t run with Charlie and Logan in their current conditions. They wouldn’t even have to come with many to finish us off.
“I can’t do it,” I said shaking my head. “If he came at me, or tried to hurt one of us that’d be one thing, but with him laying helpless tied up? I can’t. I just can’t.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” Ryder said pulling back his shoulders. “Go back inside. Both of you.”
“Are you sure?” Shawn said taking a step forward.
Ryder’s head bobbed slightly. “Please, go check on Charlie for me.”
I bit my lip. “Ryder I—”
He abruptly held up his hand and waved me toward the house. “It’s fine.”
My stomach twisted, and my legs felt heavy. Shawn placed his hand on my back and guided me back toward the house. I placed my foot on the first step when Shawn closed the door causing my body to shudder.
When I was about halfway up the stairs, I heard the man cry out. His begging screams were filled with terror, but it didn’t last long.
Ravaged Land: Divided Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Books 1-3 Page 37
