Don’t look down. Don’t come outside.
The footsteps receded, and Selene took a shaky breath. She glanced around the empty front yard again and listened for the men in the back. Muted, deep voices, the familiar rattle of glass jars. Selene ground her teeth and turned to look over the windowsill.
Nan sat at the table, her hands tied together with rope. A short, thin girl with straight black hair aimed a shotgun at her. The girl had Asian features… She was the one who had been in the SUV.
“Where’s the girl who lives here?” The intruder lifted her gun higher, training it at Nan.
Selene dropped back under the sill, trying to think. Could she overpower the girl, take her as a hostage?
“We know you don’t live alone,” the girl said.
“I told your folks, already,” Nan said. “I’m just their grandmother. They live in town.”
Selene swallowed hard and inched away from the window until she stood next to the front door. Please be unlocked.
All the days she’d spent practicing her shooting, trying to keep herself calm, keep her aim true—that part of her took over, and her muscles relaxed, despite the adrenaline rushing through her. The men called to one another in the backyard again, and the wind picked up. A gust of it blew through the porch, causing the whole house to creak.
She lifted her gun and carefully twisted the knob. Unlocked.
If thieves wanted to fuck with her family, they would pay the price.
Selene stayed hidden, gun ready, as the front door swung slightly inward. Her heart pounded as another breeze swept through the yard. The door creaked loudly and blew the rest of the way open.
“Who’s there?” the thief called.
Nan laughed. “You’re talkin’ to the wind. What, never lived in an old farmhouse like this one?”
“You have no idea.”
Thanks, Nan. Selene took a deep breath and held it as boots moved across the living room again. Eight years in this tiny house had taught her the shape and sound of every board. When the girl hit the loose one next to the door, Selene rushed in with her gun out.
The girl gasped and brought her hands up, the shotgun still in one of them.
A high surged through Selene. “Lay the gun down,” she said through gritted teeth. “You try to shout, anything, I have no problem putting a hole in your head.”
The girl’s dark eyes glinted with anger, but she slowly lowered the gun to the floor.
“They have more weapons out there,” Nan said, her voice even. “I’m tied up.”
Selene didn’t take her eyes off the girl. “Untie her. Don’t try anything.”
The girl pursed her lips, then nodded and returned to Nan. Selene followed but positioned herself so anyone glancing through the back door wouldn’t catch sight of her.
“Hurry up.” Selene kept one eye on the back porch as the thief untied Nan. Her heart thumped a staccato beat against her ribs, and she licked her dry lips. What if the rest of them decided to come inside right now?
As soon as Nan was free, she grabbed the girl’s arm and dragged her to the couch, shoving her down onto it. The girl pressed her lips into a thin line and looked up at them both. Her face was a mask. Why was she so calm?
“Nan,” Selene whispered.
Nan picked up the girl’s shotgun. Her hands were shaking. Badly. She squeezed Selene’s arm. “Where…?”
Where is Eli? That’s what Nan wanted to ask but couldn’t.
Selene gave a slight nod of her head to reassure Nan, not taking her eyes or her gun off the girl. “These people are the ones who bought all our food. I saw three of them on the cast in the market. The cops are looking for them.”
The girl didn’t even blink.
Nan ventured closer to the screen door and peeked through.
“Two men and one woman out there now,” Nan said. “I think only the men have guns.”
Outside, the cellar door squealed on its hinges, and a car door slammed. Selene’s heart rate spiked.
“Get out of here, Selene.” Nan ordered. “Hide. I can handle this.”
Selene risked a quick glance at Nan. She had the shotgun raised, pointed at the back door.
“I can’t—”
“There’s no time for this. Leave.”
Thieves were stealing everything. And Nan wanted her to run. Run like they’d run from Infinitek. Hide like she’d been hiding for eight years. And the worst part of it was, every cell in Selene’s body wanted to run and hide right now.
The girl folded her hands in her lap, her face still expressionless. She didn’t match the others. Not just because of her features but because of her old jeans, dirty pullover, and muddy boots. The others had been wearing summer clothes, unfit for working in. Hate surged through Selene at the calm look on the girl’s face.
Her body heated up, and her heart pumped harder.
Another door slam. “… inside the house!” a woman’s voice shouted.
Nan moved back and sidestepped into the hallway. She pressed her back to the wall, gun ready.
“… by the gate.” A man said from the porch. The screen door creaked open, and the bearded man stepped into the house, bringing some of the dying sunlight with him… and something else.
He was pushing Eli ahead of him, hand wrapped around the back of his neck.
The man’s eyes went big at the sight of Selene, and Nan raised the shotgun from where she hid.
If she shot blind, she would put a round right through Eli.
“No, Nan!” Selene yelled. “He has Eli.”
Nan faltered and backed against the wall. The man had his pistol to Eli’s temple in an instant.
Selene’s legs went weak, and the pressure in her chest exploded, leaving her dizzy. How had this happened? This was all wrong. A waking nightmare. She couldn’t lose Nan. Couldn’t lose Eli.
“Come on outta there.” The man glared at Selene while calling out to Nan.
Nan took a careful step into view, her shotgun aimed at the man.
They all stood in tense silence, and none of them moved.
“They hurt you, Ivy?” the man finally asked.
The girl shook her head.
“We’re not trying to hurt anybody,” Nan said roughly. “Let my boy go, and you’ll get your girl.”
The blond woman appeared on the porch. “What’s going on?”
“Trouble.” The man tightened his grip on Eli’s neck, and he winced. “Go get Tom.”
She fled down the porch steps, disappearing from view, leaving them all staring at each other in silence again. Selene’s mind raced, but before she could make any decision or move, the old man, Tom, arrived. He stepped through the door, his pistol raised, and aimed it right at Nan.
Selene’s own gun felt damp in her grasp, threatening to slide right through her hands and hit the floor. She gripped it harder and raised it so it was even with Ivy’s head. “Let my brother go.”
Tom studied Selene and shook his head. “You’re gonna put that gun down right now.”
“I called the cops,” Selene said. “They’ll be here soon.”
The bearded man exchanged a look with Tom and shook his head. “See, I think you’re lyin’ about that. You got no off-grid exemption number on your gate. Yet you’re off the grid, sellin’ illegal food and standin’ there with a weapon. Cops ever come here, they’ll arrest y’all nine ways ‘til Sunday.”
Tom lifted his hands in the air and walked straight into the path of Nan’s gun.
Nan stumbled back. “I’ll shoot.”
“Go ahead, lady. There ain’t no ammo in that one.”
Selene bit back a gasp, and Nan went pale. She backed up a step and checked the chamber.
“Empty.” Nan had a look of disbelief on her face as she let the gun clatter to the floor. Tom lowered his weapon on Nan, and she went still.
Empty. Ivy had been holding Nan hostage with an empty shotgun. Selene’s
head buzzed, but she fought through the panic and stepped closer to Ivy, her gun inches from the girl’s forehead.
“What if… none of you have ammo?” Selene barely heard her own voice. “What if I’m the only one with a loaded gun?”
Tom gestured at Nan with his gun. “You willin’ to bet your family’s life on that?”
The bearded man pressed his pistol deeper into Eli’s temple, and Eli whimpered. Selene’s heart leapt into her throat.
“Selene. Listen to me.” Ivy spoke in an even tone, despite the fact that she was staring down the barrel of Selene’s gun. “We ran out of ammo for the shotgun. But their guns are loaded. And no one has to get hurt.”
“Shut up.” Selene’s mind raced. “You were holding my Nan hostage. You wouldn’t use an empty gun if you had loaded ones.”
“No one has to get hurt.” Ivy’s voice had a desperate edge now. “Think. They weren’t worried about an old lady. They were worried about the cops.”
Eli whimpered again, and Selene couldn’t think straight. This girl was trying to trick her into making a mistake.
“Put the gun down, Selene.” Nan said.
“No. They’ll kill us.”
Nan’s lips trembled. “You have to do it.”
“Why do you trust them?” Selene’s voice rose, panic in it.
“I don’t.”
“The second you put that gun down,” the bearded man said, “I’ll hand your brother over. I swear it. Ivy’s right. No one’s gonna get hurt here if you do what we say.”
“Put it down,” Nan repeated, her voice strained.
Selene’s throat closed, and her eyes burned as she met Eli’s frightened ones. He’d begun to shiver from fear. Her mind grew hazy, too many thoughts flying around at once. What choice did she have?
She slowly lowered her gun to the ground.
As soon as Selene’s gun hit the ground, Ivy lunged forward, lightning fast.
She grabbed the weapon and aimed it at Selene, her face a hard mask again. “All three of you. On the couch.”
Selene balled her hands into fists, shaking, as the bearded man released Eli into Nan’s arms. Nan dragged Eli over to the couch, and Selene sank down beside them, rage bubbling up within her. Her hate was a fire twisting inside her, spreading. If she ever saw these people again… she’d take everything from them.
“Got any more guns?” Ivy asked. “Where’s the rest of your ammo?” She aimed the gun at Selene, as if she knew Selene was the wild card, the one who would kill them all if she got the chance.
“You’re holding all we have,” Nan said, pulling Eli close.
Tom yelled something to the woman, and she pushed through the screen door. She couldn’t even look at her prisoners. The three of them began hastily opening cupboards, pulling everything out.
Selene shifted on the couch, choking back an angry scream as they loaded crates with precious supplies: pasta, dried beans, flour.
“We’re running out of room,” the woman said as she carried a crate out the door. “Another few crates. Then we need to leave.”
“What else?” Tom turned and looked at Ivy. “What else should we take?”
Ivy blinked a few times, hesitating.
“Anything else?” the bearded man echoed. He looked anxious now as he wiped sweat off his face. “You said we needed to take more than just food.”
“Yes.” Ivy responded flatly. “Anything made in a factory. Small items in decent shape that can only be purchased with bits.”
Selene sank deeper into the couch, feeling sick. Dizzy. What was this? Who were these people? Ivy was somehow the real leader here. Not the others. Not the ones whose faces were on the cast.
The men disappeared down the hallway, and within a minute, they were dragging two wooden trunks down the hall. Nan’s trunk. And the trunk Selene shared with Eli.
Selene nearly leapt to her feet, but Ivy saw the movement and lifted the gun higher in warning.
“Please don’t take them.” Selene’s voice cracked. “We can’t replace those.”
The men ignored her and opened up both trunks to sift through them. Everything they’d brought from Seattle was in those trunks, and it wasn’t much. The dead holo gear, the plaid skirt Selene had been wearing the day they fled the city, one of Eli’s baby blankets, the memory cubes that held all the footage of her parents. Selene’s eyes burned as they reached the bottom of the trunks.
The bearded man lifted a large metal tin out and cracked it open. “Got some jewelry in here. Some tech-cubes, holo gear.” He lifted an earring out. A molecular model fashioned from metal hung from the post.
That jewelry had belonged to Selene’s mother.
“No!” Selene leaned forward, no longer caring about the gun in her face. “Please don’t take that. Please. You can take the rest.”
Nan grabbed Selene’s wrist, over her cuff, and pulled her back. Ivy tracked the movement, keeping her gun on Selene, and her eyes widened slightly.
“Ivy?” Tom asked.
“It’s all valuable,” Ivy said softly.
Selene watched through blurred vision as the men carried her things to the door.
“I’ll be right out,” Ivy said. “Start it up.” She lifted the gun on her prisoners. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am.”
Selene threw an arm across Nan and Eli, as if that would somehow protect them. After all this, was she going to kill them anyway?
“None of us were like this before.” Ivy’s voice was almost a whisper.
“Go to hell.” Selene forced the words out.
Ivy carefully backed away, still holding the gun on them. When she reached the door, she paused. Her dark eyes met Selene’s. “If you’re smart, you’ll leave this place. Head North. Get out of Georgia.” The words tumbled from the girl’s mouth as if she was regretting them even as she said them. “Before it’s too late.”
Then she was gone, the screen door slamming shut behind her.
Nan tightened her grip on Selene’s arm. “You have to let them go.”
In less than a minute, they were gone, and the low hum of their SUV’s electric engine faded.
Eli finally burst into tears, sobbing loudly, clinging to Nan. Selene leapt up from the couch, fighting tears of her own.
“We’ll get through this,” Nan said. But she looked stricken. Not like she really believed it.
Selene shook her head, unable to find breath to respond. The empty trunks mocked her. The bare cupboard promised starvation. She strode to the screen door, then ran out to the backyard.
It was almost dark outside, and the open root cellar was a gaping maw in the dying light. She knew before she got to the bottom what she’d find.
The rough-hewn shelves stared back at her. Bare. Months of work. Gone. How would they eat now? They’d never be able to can enough during the rest of the season to replace all this before winter.
She choked back the lump in her throat, and as she exited the cellar, an awful thought occurred to her. She dashed across the yard, checking the gardens. Boot prints marred the dirt, and many of the plants hung at broken angles, stems snapped, leaves crushed.
Only death awaited the broken ones, even if they still sucked water from the soil, thinking they had a chance. The tomatoes were almost gone, and the thieves had stripped most of the other plants. What was left wouldn’t feed them for long, and some of these plants wouldn’t bear anything else after this.
Selene’s hatred flashed hot again, and she could barely see, barely think straight as she ran into the shed. A few of the tools were missing, but they hadn’t found the other two guns and the extra ammo.
There was no more daylight left when she emerged from the shed, gun holstered to her belt, a flashlight, and their other gun in hand.
Nan flipped on the porch light, casting a dim glow over the closest raised bed.
“It’s all gone. And they destroyed the gardens,” Selene said, her voice thick.
&
nbsp; Nan stood at the edge of porch, her arms crossed over her chest. “Please come inside.” Her voice sounded toneless. Empty. “We need to have a talk.”
All my fault. This all started with the stand, with Selene’s own careless words—her selfish desire to get off the homestead and go to town. Eli and Nan both could have died tonight. And they still might. How could they ever come back from this?
Selene marched up to Nan and handed her the other gun. Then she kept going.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Selene ignored her, hurrying for the front gate. She rested her hand on her holster and loosened the chain. “Lock up behind me, and keep Eli safe. I have to fix this.”
Selene shone her flashlight over the pitch-dark dirt drive and started jogging down it. The gate creaked open behind her.
“Selene,” Nan called out. “Come back here.”
“What’s happening?” Eli’s small voice carried through the darkness.
Nan couldn’t follow without the car. And she wouldn’t leave Eli. Not after what he’d just been through.
Selene ran faster, twigs cracking beneath her feet. The tangy scent of dried pine needles and leaves wafted from the woods on either side of her, and the frogs’ song droned in the night. Tiny flashes of light wove through the trees and appeared sporadically on the path in front of her—the fireflies were out now, dancing to a song only they could hear.
Selene swallowed back a sob and kept going, grief and rage spurring her on. As she reached the end of the drive, panting, she bent over against the pain of the stitch in her side.
She fought to catch her breath, one hand on the gun. A gust of wind blew her black curls into her face, and the clouds parted above, revealing a full moon that cast a glow over the empty country highway before her.
Aside from the fireflies, it was dark in every direction, no sign of cars. How was she even supposed to find the criminals, let alone catch up to them?
She looked left, past her rickety stand hidden in the brush, toward town.
The criminals wouldn’t go toward Telmont—not when the cops were after them.
But Selene had never gone right… What was out that way? She’d never even seen a map.
Defective (Fractured Era Book 1) Page 15
