The Preston Six Collection: (Book 1, 2 and 3)

by Ryan, Matt

  Joey lay next to the door and enjoyed the cool concrete against his sweaty back. Poly and Samantha took positions against the other walls.

  Joey breathed in the hot air and felt the heat in him. Poly coughed. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine something else besides the oven they were in. He pictured open fields of swaying grass. Samantha cleared her throat. He opened his eyes and lifted himself off the floor so he could see Poly and Samantha.

  “You two okay?”

  Poly nodded.

  “Getting a little hot in this rhino,” Samantha said.

  “You know . . .” He might be pushing it, but he had to take their minds off the situation. “It would probably be cooler if we took off these clothes.”

  “Oh, really?” Poly asked.

  Joey laughed by himself. He cleared his throat. If Lucas had said it, it would’ve been funny. He adjusted his body and found a cool spot on the concrete floor.

  “If it keeps getting hotter, were going to get cooked in here.” Samantha’s voice had a hint of panic.

  Joey sighed, he’d been making jokes while Samantha was starting to freak out.

  “Did I tell you guys about Cost Plus?” Poly asked, probably sensing Samantha’s tone.

  “No,” Joey said, happy to give Samantha something to listen to besides her own thoughts of immortality.

  Poly told them about everything. Joey’s mouth hung open as she described the dad and daughter trying to get Lucas or Hank to impregnate her.

  “What would you have done, Joey?” Samantha asked.

  “I . . . I wouldn’t have done it.” He wiped the sweat from his face and ran his hand through his damp hair. He tried to imagine living in a warehouse store for his entire life.

  “Those poor people,” Samantha said.

  “I don’t know, they seemed happy in their hole.” Poly coughed.

  Joey blinked and sweat ran into his eyes. It was getting too hot. How much longer could the body handle such heat? He staggered to his feet. His legs felt uneven and he swayed. Poly and Samantha sat up at his actions and he saw their questioning eyes.

  “I don’t know how much longer we can take this.” He heard the panic creeping into his voice. He swallowed and tried to suppress it. “We might have a chance through this door.” He pointed at the door leading back into the bunker. “We can outrun them and get to another part of the bunker.”

  Poly gawked at him with her red, sweaty face. “It’s suicide.”

  “She’s right.” Samantha pulled her long hair above her head and fanned the back of her neck.

  His head hurt and he felt dizzy. Standing seemed to amplify the heat radiating from above. Sweat poured from every surface of his body and with each hot breath, he felt himself losing the battle. “We’ve got to get out of here.” Full panic had set in.

  “Joey, lie down on the concrete. I bet there is a cold spot in the middle,” Samantha said.

  Cold spot, yes. That could work. He lay down on the middle of the floor and found a cold spot, or maybe it was just less hot. He knew the second he was on the floor . . . that was it. He wasn’t getting up. His body didn’t have the will in it to do anymore. If they were going to die, they would die together.

  He shook on the floor for the next ten minutes. The chills spread over his body and he stopped sweating. His dry skin took in the heat and sent it to his pounding brain. He turned to his side and watched Samantha curl up in a fetal position against the wall. Sweat glistened on her arms. Sweat was good—it meant she had a chance. He gazed past his feet to Poly. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Sweat streaked down her face.

  “We’re going to die,” Poly announced with no emotion. It was a simple fact she was stating, nothing more.

  The shock of her words cleared some of the fog from Joey’s head and he tried to focus on what she was saying. “We aren’t going to die.”

  “Yes, we are.” Her voice wavered this time, chin quivering. “It’s okay though. I’d rather die right here than in there with those things eating me.”

  Joey shook his head. He tried to concentrate on the words she said. She was upset about something, that much he knew. His head felt heavy and he laid it on the concrete floor. It was cooler. He pressed his cheek against the smooth concrete trying to soak the coolness into his body.

  “Maybe we should make a run for it. We could at least die trying.” Samantha’s voice registered.

  He perked up at her words. Yes, they could escape. There was danger behind the door, grinners. What a strange name. He smiled, thinking about their black grins. He pushed himself to his knees and breathed hard at the exertion. He felt his heart beating in his chest. After a minute of stabilizing himself, he got to his feet. His whole body felt as if it was now made of lead and his muscles were that of a child’s.

  Putting his heavy hand on the door handle, Joey looked back at his friends. He loved them. He couldn’t raise the gun up in his hand, but maybe the grinners would fall down at his feet and he wouldn’t have to raise his hand. He could simply shoot them on the floor. It had to work.

  Poly got to her feet and with a shaky hand, held her knife. Her red face and glossy eyes still held cold determination. “I can think of worse ways to die than this.”

  Samantha used the stair railing next to her and got to her feet. “We run straight for the office on the other side.”

  Joey had no idea what she meant but nodded as if he did. The grinners would be happy to see him and he’d been partially cooked up for them . . . like a warm meal. He would make an awesome meal. He felt his consciousness slipping, the outside of his vision going black. He had to move.

  “Wait,” Samantha said loud and clear.

  Joey staggered back from the door. “What?”

  Samantha looked far away as he struggled to keep her face in focus. “You hear that?”

  He swayed and closed his eyes, hearing his rapid heartbeat pounding in his head and something else.

  “I hear it.” Life flooded into Poly’s words. It cleared his head enough for him to hear it as well.

  It was a hissing sound, like the time he took a hot skillet and ran it under water in the kitchen sink. He took a step on the stairs and fell against them, unable to get back up. Poly and Samantha’s shoes passed his face before all his vision went black. He listened as they walked up the stairs. Good, they could get out, it was all that mattered. He could let go. Slumping against the stairs, he heard the door above open and Poly scream his name before everything went black.

  HARRIS FIRED HIS RAIL GUN into the oncoming horde. The projectiles flew into a grinner and passed through four more behind it. The gun got hot in his hands under the relentless barrage of projectiles it launched. With only a few grinners left, Harris slowed down his firing and took a careful aim. He pulled the trigger and the gun didn’t fire.

  Stuffing the gun in his holster, Harris kicked the head of the nearest grinner. It stumbled back then lunged at his feet as he stood on the table. He stomped the top of its head and it fell to the floor. Five more struggled to make their way over the heap he created at the door. They laid on top of each other like sacks of potatoes stacked halfway up the doorway.

  Harris hopped off the desk and grabbed the back of the wooden chair. He smashed it on the ground and pulled out a wooden leg from the pile.

  A grinner fell into the office and clawed at the floor to get to him. He stabbed it in the head and kicked it to the side. Several more stumbled past the heap and he stabbed each one in their heads. One still clawed at the pile of grinners at the door.

  He stomped over the heap and crushed the thing’s skull. On top of the mound of bodies, he peered down the hallway and to the stairs. Only two grinners staggered around near the doorway. He stepped off the heap and ran at them. At full speed, he jumped and pushed the wooden leg into the first one’s head while he dropped kick the second in the chest.

  He left the stick in the head of the first one and kept running past the stunned second one. He didn�
�t have time for small stuff. With a smidgen of luck, the city would be on lockdown. Capital was a very unique city, the only one that could have a chance at being contained. He slowed his run up the stairs. Marcus would know this, he didn’t miss anything. Could there have been more cages he kept around the world? He sprinted up the remaining flights of stairs.

  The sound of gunfire echoed down the stairs and he pushed the top door open to the lobby. The weapons locker stood ajar. He reluctantly set his rail gun down, shoving two handguns into his holster, and putting a few clips in each pocket. He pulled a rifle from the rack and turned.

  “Harris,” Jack said.

  He jerked back in surprise.

  Jack looked pale and terrified. “Those freaking things are everywhere.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll lock them down, we’ll beat this,” Harris said, trying to convince everyone in the room. “Where’s Emmett?”

  Jack looked at him skeptically. “Emmett is locking down the airport. He sent men to each of the gates to close them down. But if just one of these things gets loose . . . it’s over.”

  “Come with me. We’re going to check each point of exit and make sure they’re secure.”

  “Out there?” Jack pointed to the glass doors.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Oh yeah, you’ve got a great track record,” Jack said, following him out.

  Harris turned and faced him. The words stung because they were the truth. “I need a second person on this. What you do right now might cost your life, but it could save the world. You with me?”

  Jack stared at him. “I didn’t need a speech. I was going the whole time.”

  Harris smiled and shook his head. He held his hand high so the guards behind the barricade could see him. “Hold your fire. We’re coming through.” He walked out with his hands up and quickened his pace toward the front doors.

  The soldiers behind the barricade stared at his chest and face, putting their fists against their chests as he walked by. He matched their salute and ran out the front doors. He spotted the car he wanted parked near the front of the building. Probably an overzealous seven compensating for something. He knew every second could make the difference. No grinner could pass the city wall.

  Harris took out his Panavice and got the doors to open and then set the user settings to himself. He climbed into the front seat and pressed the manual button.

  Jack hopped into the passenger seat. “I just realized every car will stop driving because GPS is down.”

  “You can still drive these things manually.” Harris pushed another button and a small steering wheel pushed out toward him.

  “You know how to drive this thing?”

  Harris raised an eyebrow and stepped on the pedal. The vehicle lunged forward with its powerful electric motors humming. As per automatic safety protocols, the other cars on the road had pulled off to the side of the roads, giving them a clear path down the middle.

  A group of grinners surrounded a car down the street. Harris slowed to a stop next to the half dozen grinners pushing against a car with a family of terrified people inside.

  “Do we have time for this?” Jack asked.

  “If you were in that car, would you want me to make time?”

  Jack sat back in his seat. Harris opened the door, stood on the floor of the car and leveled his gun over the top of the car. He fired six quick shots and the grinners flopped down around the car and street. The terrified people stared at him through tinted windows. Harris slammed on the pedal, not waiting for a thank you he knew would probably never happen.

  “The first gate is over here.” Jack pointed ahead.

  He nodded his head but knew where both gates were. “Right over here you say?” Harris took the next turn at high speed, the wheels spinning to grab traction. Bits of asphalt bounced off the under carriage and the car leapt forward.

  “You don’t have to drive it like you stole it.”

  “We did steal it.”

  Jack sighed and held onto the grab bars. Harris gripped the steering wheel and guided the car down the narrow open lane in the middle. A grinner stumbled down the road and Harris drove by and shot it in the head. He leaned forward and saw a mob of residents formed at the first gate. He got out of the car and Jack fumbled with his seat belt and exited as well.

  Some of the people turned to him. They wore their fancy clothes and designer hats. The ones who gave him notice, sneered with their noses held high. He sighed. These were the people he was trying to save.

  “Excuse me,” Harris called out. The crowd roared against the steel gate, ignoring him. The group of elites couldn’t knock down a door like that, even if their lives depended on it—and they probably did.

  The few who initially looked at him, turned back to pushing and hitting the steel wall. He walked back to the car and opened the door with every intention of leaving those people to the grinners.

  Jack gave him a stern look. “We can’t just let them stay out here.”

  “What, them? They should be fine.”

  Jack glared at him.

  “Fine.” Harris slammed the door and turned back to the crowd, pulling out his gun. He fired it into the air and stuffed it back in the holster. The people spun around and gawked. Mumbles spread around about his daring to shoot a gun around them.

  “There’re people who are going to kill you. The city is on complete lockdown and the only thing you can do to keep alive is get indoors and lock your house.”

  A man stepped toward him with an extra dose of smug. Harris stood a good six inches taller and the man strained to look down at him. “Open this door.”

  The crowd roared in agreement.

  “I can’t and won’t. Don’t you get it? You will be killed by these people. I just shot five on the road here.”

  “What nonsense you spew.” A lady in white spit on the road in front of him.

  Harris sighed and turned back to Jack. He raised his shoulder at Jack to tell him he tried. Jack shot back a stern look.

  He rubbed his forehead and then said, “People, Marcus Malliden is going to have an announcement on the TV in ten minutes and anyone in front of their TV will get a personal follow and like on your social pages from Marcus himself.”

  The crowd gasped and the women in white hiked up the bottom of her long dress and jogged away.

  “Marcus will like my personal video files?” The arrogant man asked.

  “Yes, he promised this to every Capital citizen, you all deserve it.”

  The crowd rumbled with excitement. “About time,” one man yelled. “Been sending him requests for a century.”

  The crowd dispersed as the people ran to their houses with an air of excitement.

  Harris exhaled and jogged back to the car. “It’s all good on this one, let’s check the other gate.”

  “How long do you think it will take for those people to realize you lied about Marcus?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care.”

  Jack adjusted his position in his seat and wrapped his fingers around the grab bar. Harris pressed on the pedal and the car launched toward the next gate.

  The next gate took ten minutes to get to and had a larger crowd. Harris breathed a sigh of relief at its sight. They might have an actual chance of containing this.

  He skipped any mentions of their safety and went right to what they wanted to hear. Marcus would be following or friending them individually at their houses, in ten minutes. They dispersed quicker than the first group. Getting back into the car, he gripped the steering wheel. Both gates were shut properly, but he couldn’t escape the bad feeling in his gut.

  “Where to now?”

  “Airport. The richest will be definitely trying to catch a trip out of here.”

  “Can’t blame them, who would want to be stuck in this?”

  “Like you said, if one gets out. . .” Harris launched the car down the road.

  The airport was only a few minutes away and he already
saw what he feared—a large transport ship lifting off into the sky. He punched the steering wheel and then jerked it to the left as he entered the parking lot. The car skidded to a stop. A grinner stumbled by his car and he shot it dead before jumping from the car and running toward the tarmac.

  A few MM soldiers moved toward him with guns raised. “Stop,” they yelled.

  Harris held up his hands and Jack crouched behind him as he approached the soldiers. “Why did you let that ship leave?” Harris pointed at the ship in the sky as he glared at the men.

  They looked confused and only glanced at each other instead of answering. This was Emmett’s duty to close this airport down. Harris searched around the tarmac for a familiar face. “Where’s Emmett?”

  The soldiers lowered their guns. “He’s on that ship.” They pointed to the sky. “Don’t worry, he said he would be back soon to get the rest of us.”

  Harris looked to the black aircraft streaking across the sky. Emmett had an exit plan. How many did he take with him? His eye’s narrowed . . . if only he had a rocket launcher. “Did he say anything about where he’s going?”

  “No, just that he’d be back soon.”

  “Was that the last craft in the airport?”

  “Yes.”

  Harris knew Emmett was never coming back. The captain had fled the sinking ship and its first mate took the only life raft. What did that leave him with?

  “What are we going to do now?” Jack asked.

  Harris rubbed his chin. He had seen hundreds of his plans fall apart, it was rarer for one to stick to its assigned path, and this was just another speed bump along the way. He put himself in Emmett’s calculated mind. What would he do if he was in Emmett’s ship, looking down at the end of the world?

  The air sucked into his lungs and he whispered, “He’s going to destroy the city.”

  “Wait, what?” Jack asked.

  Harris sprinted back to the car. Jack was smart enough to know to run with him, he didn’t look back to check on him. He slid into the car and waited a few seconds for Jack to get in.

  They rushed through the parking lot and were back on the road. The car’s electric motor squealed as he pushed the car to its limit. The buildings zoomed by and Jack pressed back into his seat with his white knuckled hands gripping the bar above the glove box. Another grinner stumbled down the road, but he didn’t want to waste an extra second of time. They would all be dead soon anyway.