“But you’ll die out there,” Eva said. “Does it really matter how you die? There? Or here?”
“What is wrong with you?” I shouted.
Leah snorted. “She’s a monster.”
Eva wriggled her shoulders as if Leah had complimented her.
“What have you become?” I asked. How had I not seen her for what kind of person she really was?
Eva rolled her eyes. “I became what I needed to in order to survive. Not only that but also to thrive.” She tapped her finger to her chin. “Now, how exactly do I wrap this all up with a nice pretty bow? A jealous son murdering his own father for stealing his girl… the one that got away.”
“You wish,” I said with a gasp. “You won’t get away with this.”
“I think I will,” Eva said biting her lip. She hesitated for a long moment. “Girlfriend walks in, is heartbroken, is going to tell everyone what he did, so he kills her too.”
Eva’s eyes moved from me over to Leah.
“Her first?” the guard holding her asked.
Eva’s eyes narrowed. It looked like she was thinking over her story to make sure there were no holes. She wanted to make sure her position on the council would be unquestioned.
“No!” I shouted. “They’ll see right through it.”
“I don’t think they will,” Eva said turning to the other guard. “Do it.”
There was no way I was going to let Eva do anything to Leah without a fight. I threw my head back, smacking it into Leo’s face.
27
Stevie
I pulled out my new gun as I started to run toward the house. My feet slowed slightly as I turned to check on Shawn and Jake.
“Find somewhere to hide,” I called over my shoulder.
“No,” Shawn said as he closed the gap between us. Apparently, he had found a burst of energy. “I can help.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“I’m fine,” Shawn said.
I looked at Jake Quinn. His cheeks were red, which I hoped was from the cold. I couldn’t decide if the water that was beaded up on his face was from the rain or if it was sweat.
“You should find somewhere to hide, Jake,” I said.
He grunted. “You might need the help of my shotgun. I have good aim. I know how to use it.”
They followed me to the front of the house where we slowed our approached and stayed low. I couldn’t tell if anyone was inside the house from where we were.
“We could already be too late,” I muttered wishing I would have kept my mouth shut.
It was quiet all around us except for the storm. If there would have been screams and cries, would we have even heard it?
“Ready?” I asked.
Jake nodded. Shawn looked at his arm and then gave me a nod. I was about to ask him if he was absolutely sure but he jerked his head to the side, indicating I should go.
Our feet moved slowly and soundlessly. My eyes were wide as if it somehow helped me both see and hear.
Still, I couldn’t hear anything except for the falling rain. I had to hope that meant that if anyone was inside, our sounds would be equally muffled.
My back was pressed against the siding as I peeked into the closest window. I could feel Shawn right behind me.
I couldn’t see anything.
I crouched lower, keeping my head below the window as I crept toward the door. Carefully, I took a step closer. The wood below my feet was totally waterlogged, otherwise, it would have likely creaked.
There was a candle glowing on the middle of the coffee table like always. The light flickered, lighting up the faces of the people I’d been living with.
I sucked in a breath. They were all there with their backs against the wall wherever there was space. Shawn grabbed me before I could charge inside.
“What is it?” he asked mostly mouthing the words.
“Everyone is in there. On the floor,” I said.
“Do you see anything else?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Maybe they just came and took our stuff.”
Jake shrugged. Maybe the folks that had been to his place only wanted to take his things. He didn’t stick around to find out, not that I blamed him. There was always the chance they didn’t want to have anything to do with Jake.
“Careful,” Shawn said letting go of my arm. “We’re right behind you.”
I tightened my grip on the gun and continued onward. With each step, I could see the expressions on their faces.
Ella… Noah… Kieran… the new folks, and the others from next door. Another step revealed Gage.
His eyes were wide when he saw me. The large piece of duct tape over his mouth hid much of his expression.
Fear?
Relief?
I couldn’t tell.
I glanced over my shoulder for a brief second. “They’re tied up. Their mouths are taped shut.”
I peered around the corner and saw nothing but an empty room. The quick breath that escaped from my mouth dried my lips.
“Gage,” I said scrambling toward him.
He closed his eyes as I peeled the duct tape off his mouth. Gage’s eyes darted toward the kitchen.
“You have to get out of here,” he said. “They’re in there. Put the tape back on.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Five,” Gage said. “Put the tape back on and go.”
There was a scuffle behind me and I spun, raising my gun. A man with a beard and sunglasses was holding Jake. In his other hand he held Jake’s shotgun and curled his lips into a slimy smirk.
“I think you should put that down, miss,” he said in a deep, raspy voice.
I lowered the gun but kept it in my hand.
“I meant you should put it down on the floor,” Mr. Beard said. “Kick it my way.”
My eyes quickly shifted to Shawn. I couldn’t tell if he’d been disarmed or if he’d managed to hide his gun in time.
Slowly, the other men came into the room. They all stood almost precisely two feet apart from one another. Each one of them gripped their gun and wore nearly the same sickening smirk.
“Tie him up,” Mr. Beard ordered as he pushed Jake toward one of his men.
They worked together. Jake was on the floor next to Gage in a matter of seconds. If I didn’t do something quick, I was going to be down there with them.
“He looks familiar, doesn’t he?” Mr. Beard asked raising a brow at Jake. “Oh, I know! We saw his picture in the house down the road!”
“Guess we did see something move in the distance after all,” one of the men said.
“Yeah, a coward running from his home,” Mr. Beard said. “Not a good quality for someone to have, is it?”
Two men grabbed Shawn and placed a zip tie around his wrists. They shoved him roughly to the ground.
Shawn’s lips were pressed together tightly. I could tell he was in pain not only from the tightened muscles in his neck but also because of the paleness of his skin.
“One more,” Mr. Beard said turning to me.
I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. My eyes moving over each person. Most of them refusing to meet my gaze.
One of the men grabbed me and I spun, throwing my first into his face. Someone made a high-pitched noise through their tape.
The man that grabbed me, however, laughed and pulled my arm harder. It felt like my bone was going to pop out of place.
“I like you,” the guy whispered into my ear.
I tried to spit in his face but I missed and it landed on the floor. The guy laughed and pulled me back against him. An icy shiver of disgust ran up my spine as he made kissing noises.
“Dibs,” he said with a laugh as he pushed me to the floor.
I rolled onto my side but I managed to wiggle myself into a seated position quickly. My hands weren’t tied but I kept them back so they wouldn’t realize their mistake.
I looked at each of the men carefully. For as lo
ng as I lived, which may not be long, I wouldn’t ever forget any of their ugly faces.
All the men were dressed nearly the same—each wearing their own bulletproof vest.
It wasn’t surprising but there wasn’t a single woman in the group. I remember how quiet Clara was. Looking back, she’d seemed uncomfortable. Docile. Submissive.
“What should we do with these idiots?” one of the men asked.
“Kill them,” another said.
A third man laughed. “Maybe they can be converted. We’ll do as we should and bring them back. Zachary can deal with it.
“How are we going to get them all back?” one of them asked.
“They’ll walk,” Mr. Beard said. “If they can’t keep up, we’ll dispose of them.”
Ella’s eyes were red. She was trying hard to hide the fact she was crying. Iris, the new girl, didn’t care who saw her sobbing.
“I won’t let you get away with this,” I said.
All the men laughed. Mr. Beard leaned forward. “What do you think you can do to stop us, little girl?”
My mouth was dry. I didn’t have a plan but I wouldn’t give up trying to think of one.
“Good amount of women here,” one of the men said. “Zachary will like that. We always need more help and they’re far easier to convert.”
“You won’t convert me to anything,” I said.
“Could someone shut her up?” the big man growled.
A smile grew on Mr. Beard’s face. “Guess we get rid of this one first. Make an example out of her.”
“Zachary won’t want her,” the big man said.
“Let’s do it!” another man said.
The one that made kissing noises at me frowned. “I like her. She’s tough, not like the others.”
“Don’t think you could handle this one, Wade,” Mr. Beard said.
“He can’t handle any of them,” one of the other men joke. “Knowing him, it won’t stop him from trying when she’s dead either.”
Iris tilted her head down and cried.
“Screw you, Dave,” Wade said.
“This is a huge waste of time,” the big man said. “We should just get rid of the lot of them. Save Zach the time and trouble. He’ll thank us.”
Mr. Beard grabbed me and pulled me to my feet. “We’ll start with this one. Let them all watch.”
“Maybe that will change their minds. They’ll see we are the future. That we can save them from the horrors of the world,” one of the men said.
My eyes darted around the room frantically. Looking for something that could save me. I kicked my legs and moved my shoulders side to side, trying to break free of Mr. Beard’s grip.
“Let her go!” Shawn shouted.
Muffled noises escaped from under the tape of the others sitting around. Squeak and squeals. Grunts and growls.
One of the men walked over to Shawn and slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth. Shawn sneered. The others had wrinkled brows and the girls sobbed… even Kieran was upset.
Lucy was… missing.
She wasn’t there.
Had something happened to her?
Oh, dear God.
Anger burned my veins. I needed to do something to help the others.
Mr. Beard lifted me off the ground and I kicked my feet as hard as I could into the face of the guy next to him. His eyes rolled around. I managed to get in another kick before Mr. Beard pulled me away.
The guy dropped heavily to the ground. Mr. Beard wrapped his arms around my body tightly.
“Holy shit,” a guy said as he dropped to his knees next to his friend. “She knocked him right out.”
Four.
Shawn rolled to his side and kicked the guy who was checking on the guy on the ground. A heavy thud echoed inside the room.
Three.
I could feel Mr. Beard lean forward to look around me to see what had happened. I threw my head back as fast and as hard as I could.
Mr. Beard dropped me. I managed to land on my feet.
“Stop!” the guy they’d called Dave shouted. “Enough!”
Dave raised his gun but he couldn’t decide who to aim. He pulled the trigger, putting a bullet into the wall.
“Shit,” Dave said seconds before I saw a shadow.
I panicked and flopped down to the ground. I pulled the second gun from the back of my pants at the same moment the shadow came around the corner.
Dave hadn’t noticed Lucy. She crept up behind him and raised the heavy cutting board over her head. She howled as she bashed it down on top of his head with all of her strength.
Two.
Still on the ground, I aimed my gun at Mr. Beard. He clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. “Turn around.”
I didn’t want to but I knew something was wrong. The big guy had his gun pressed against the back of Shawn’s head.
28
Joss
Again, I waited to fall.
I didn’t.
I was still standing.
The guy in front of me started tipping. At first, slowly but then he fell down like a domino.
Confusion wrinkled my brow. I turned to the side and heaved but nothing came out.
Jenna grabbed my hand. She was still holding the gun in her shaking hand.
“We have to move,” Jenna said picking up Clover. “No time for puking.”
I followed her. It didn’t feel like I had a choice… or any control over my body.
There was a rattling sound across the street. Smoke billowed up around us. It was like we’d stepped into the clouds. Maybe I had been shot and was ascending to heaven.
“I can’t see anything,” Jenna said.
“This way, I think.” My voice cracked. It was hard to move my feet without Robby and Caleb at my sides. I questioned why I was doing it at all.
“Faster,” Jenna pleaded.
Explosions were erupting in every direction—gunshots slicing through the air close by and far away. Terrified screams echoed in the streets. The painful howls and cries, begging for help, were chilling.
We made it to the street where Marcus’s building was located. The windows were boarded up. Jenna hadn’t noticed the building.
“There,” I said pointing at the building down the street.
“Are you sure?” Jenna asked.
“As sure as I can be,” I said.
It was actually easier to see in the darkness. The fires that raged relentlessly, even with the rain pouring down, lit the entire town.
“Joss!” Robby called from across the street. He emerged from a bush clutching his stomach. “I knew you’d come this way.”
“Robby!” I squealed letting go of Jenna as I ran toward him.
His shirt was soaked in blood. He was hunched over but only made it several steps before dropping to his knees.
“We have to get inside,” Jenna said.
“You should,” Robby said.
“We should,” I corrected.
Robby shook his head. “Take this.”
“What is it,” I said as he pressed something against my palm.
I opened my hand and saw the blue stone sparkling in the light from the fires. It was the ring from the shop.
“We have to get him inside,” I said turning to Jenna. “Someone in there can help him.”
Robby slumped forward. He laid down on the road, half on his side. I watched as his glassy eyes attempted to focus on me.
“Help me lift him,” I begged Jenna.
She crouched down but we couldn’t budge him.
“Joss,” Robby said calmly. “It’s too late. No one can help me.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I said with tears stinging my cheeks.
“You have to,” Robby said with a smile. “You have to keep Jenna and her baby safe.”
I sniffed so hard it felt like something was stabbing my brain. “There is no way I’m leaving you. Go inside, Jenna.”
“I think they’re gone,” Robby said looking at Jenna. “Take
anything you can find but it’s more important you leave. Head south. Get as far away from this place as you can. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jenna said.
“I’m sorry, Joss,” Robby said. “This wasn’t supposed to be our ending.”
My fingers were shaking as I touched his cheek. “No, it wasn’t.”
“You need to leave,” Robby said.
“I can’t do that,” I cried. “I can’t do this without you. Caleb’s gone.”
Robby’s head moved up and down slightly. “You two will have to take care of each other now. Promise me, Joss?”
“Promise what?” I asked between sobs.
“That you’ll keep going. Keep fighting. And take care of each other,” Robby said.
He weakly rested his hand on my knee. I placed my hand on his and pressed my lips together. It was painful to see him fighting what surely was ultimately going to happen. He was waiting for something.
My promise.
If I didn’t give it to him… would he live?
“I can’t promise,” I said.
“Joss,” Robby said. “Please. I can’t wait much longer.”
My throat felt dry. I didn’t want to say it. Because it wasn’t true.
“Joss, we have to get out of here,” Jenna said as something shook the earth.
“I can’t do this without you,” I said. My entire body was shaking but not from whatever had just exploded.
Robby gave me his best smile. The one I loved more than anything in the world.
“Yeah, you can,” he said. “I know you can. Now, promise me you’ll try so hard to keep to make it somewhere safe.”
“Fine,” I said.
“Promise,” Robby said. His voice was barely recognizable.
I bit down hard on my cheek. “I promise.”
Robby blinked twice and smiled. His eyes were on me as his life drained away like a tub nearly out of water.
“Oh my God,” I said shaking his body. “Robby, no. Please, no.”
“Joss,” Jenna said. “We have to go.”
I stood. My face was inches from hers. “We can’t just leave him like this!”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Jenna asked. “I had to leave Caleb. Do you think that was easy? No. They’re gone. Now keep your promise and move your damn feet.”
The Reset Series | Book 5 | Torrent Page 14
