Hunted_Falling Darkness_Book 3

by Kellee L. Greene

  She took slow, silent steps up the stairs. The others followed close behind. Kate was only halfway up the stairs when someone stepped into view.

  She aimed her gun and opened her mouth to shout out a warning. Kate hadn’t gotten a chance before Nikki pushed the gun down and walked by them so fast she created a soft breeze.

  “Jasper!” Nikki said stretching out her arms. She stopped abruptly in front of him and started to cry.

  “I’m in bad shape,” Jasper said.

  As Kate drew nearer, she saw the blood stain on the center of his shirt. Jasper weaved to the side, and Kate dashed forward to help Nikki catch him.

  “They stabbed me,” Jasper said lifting his shirt.

  Kate was thankful she couldn’t see exactly how bad it was in the darkness. Suddenly, his body became quite heavy, but Ethan and Garrett appeared just in time to help stop him from crashing to the floor.

  “We can find the first aid kit,” Nikki said.

  “I think I’m dying,” Jasper said, reaching out his hand to Nikki. “I woke up, and I just had to make sure you were okay.”

  Nikki started sobbing. “I’m okay. We’ll help you. We’ll find something to fix this. You just need to lay down.”

  “The pain is too much,” Jasper said, his eyelids blinking rapidly.

  “Help me get him back to bed,” Ethan said, and Garrett nodded.

  Nikki and Kate stepped to the side to allow them enough room to pass by. Even with Ethan’s injury, they had Jasper back in bed in less than a minute.

  “Don’t give up,” Nikki said sitting on the bed next to him. She took his hand into hers.

  “Let’s try to find something,” Kate said backing out of the room. Even if they couldn’t find anything that would help, she wanted to give Nikki and Jasper privacy.

  The house was theirs, but as far as Kate was concerned, it was cursed. She would stay for the others, and because they all needed to recuperate from everything that had happened. All of the loss was paralyzing.

  Once they were in better spirits and had regained their strength, maybe Kate would convince them to adventure out again. Maybe her mind wouldn’t stop thinking that there was help out there. When they’d first arrived, Mr. Earle had mentioned there might be something out there, but of course, it could have been a lie. After everything Kate learned about the family, it probably was a lie.

  For now, they’d stay. Ethan needed to heal, and Kate would tell her that’s why they were staying.

  Kate was sitting on the sofa reading a book when Nikki bounced down the stairs. It had been a rough couple of weeks, but things had gotten better.

  “What are you reading?” Nikki asked.

  “The Wizard of Oz,” Kate said flashing her the cover.

  Nikki flopped down in the recliner and started to rock herself. Kate set the book down and studied her.

  “What?” Nikki asked with a half-grin.

  “I’m glad to see you’re doing better,” Kate said.

  Nikki smiled.

  It had been three days after the incident with the Earle’s when Jasper took a turn. They’d treated his wound with what they’d been able to find around the house.

  He’d needed stitches, but there wasn’t anything they could have done about it. Maybe if Will were still with them, he would have known what to do, but Will was gone, and Kate still thought about him every day.

  Jasper started talking. He’d started drinking, and then the day he asked for some food, they were all sure he was going to pull through. Kate was sure it was some kind of miracle because it sure wasn’t because of the sad medical care they’d provided.

  “Ethan wants to see you,” Nikki said.

  “Oh?”

  “He’s up in your room.”

  Kate stuck a small piece of paper in the book and set it down on the coffee table. She ascended the stairs and stopped in the doorway of their bedroom.

  “You sent for me, my lord?” Kate said.

  Ethan chuckled as he stretched his arms over his head. As his hands came back down, he ran his fingers back and forth through his already wild hair.

  “I did,” Ethan said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He pointed at Kate and then at the spot on the bed next to him.

  She swallowed, and the smile that had been on her face washed away when she spotted the scar on his arm. The bullet that had grazed him and left him with a thick white scar that slightly made the skin bulge out just above where he’d been hit.

  It would always be a reminder of what had happened and how close they’d come to the end.

  The house had everything they could ever need stored inside. There was a chicken coop outside, providing them with not only eggs but occasionally meat. The garden had fresh vegetables and fruits.

  No one had come around, but that didn’t mean they’d let their guard down. They’d found their weapons and a small arsenal of additional guns and ammo that would help them protect their new home.

  The five of them worked hard to keep everything running smoothly and to keep each other safe. It had been weeks since they’d even seen any Unholy in the area.

  Kate sat down on the bed next to Ethan, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “So,” Ethan said with a long exhale. “I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Okay?” Kate said questioningly.

  “Are you doing all right here? I mean are you good? I know how badly you wanted to find something more,” Ethan said looking down at his feet.

  Kate placed her hands on Ethan’s cheeks and turned him to face her. “I’m good. This is good.”

  “But, don’t you want—"

  “I want to be here with you. It doesn’t matter if anything is out there, at least not right now. I just want to be with you and not have to worry as much what’s lurking around the corner.”

  Ethan smiled. “If you want to go, you’ll tell me?”

  “I will,” Kate said pressing her lips to Ethan’s. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I promise.”

  The house had too much for them to give up. If there were someone out there fighting against The Unholy and trying to rebuild, they’d eventually come find them, or at least that’s what Kate told herself. For now, staying was exactly what they all needed, and she knew it would be crazy to do anything else.

  So, they’d stay… for as long as they could. And Kate and the others hoped that would be a long time.

  This is the end of Hunted the third book in the Falling Darkness series.

  Sign up for my mailing list to be one of the first to find out when my next book is released.

  If you enjoyed this book you may also enjoy the Ravaged Land Series or The Island Series!

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  Thank you for reading! If you liked this story, please leave a review!

  Books By Kellee L. Greene

  Falling Darkness Series

  Unholy - Book 1

  Uprising - Book 2

  Hunted - Book 3

  Ravaged Land: Divided Series

  The Last Disaster - Book 1

  The Last Remnants - Book 2

  The Last Struggle - Book 3

  Ravaged Land Series

  Ravaged Land -Book 1

  Finding Home - Book 2

  Crashing Down - Book 3

  Running Away - Book 4

  Escaping Fear - Book 5

  Fighting Back - Book 6

  The Island Series

  The Island - Book 1

  The Fight - Book 2

  The Escape - Book 3

  The Erased - Book 4

  The Alien Invasion Series

  The Landing - Book 1

  The Aftermath - Book 2

  Destined Realms Series

  Destined - Book 1

  Mailing List

  Sign up for Kellee L. Greene’s newsletter for new releases, sales, cover reveals and more!

  Coming Soon…

  A new series is in the works! Please subscribe to the mailing list to be
one of the first to know when it’s available! And follow Kellee L. Greene on Facebook.

  About the Author

  Kellee L. Greene is a stay-at-home-mom to two super awesome and wonderfully sassy children. She loves to read, draw and spend time with her family when she’s not writing. Writing and having people read her books has been a long time dream of hers and she’s excited to write more. Her favorites genres are Fantasy and Sci-fi. Kellee lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids and two cats.

  For more information:

  www.kelleelgreene.com

  Ravaged Land - Preview

  The Ravaged Land Series - Book One

  Ravaged Land - Chapter one

  I think I took it all for granted. I had become accustomed to my daily routine and to be totally honest, I liked it. In fact, there was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting still, reading a book, soaking in the bathtub, watching a movie, or other simple things that some people think are monotonous. They are always on the go, scheduling the next event, sending text messages and taking quick showers, but I didn’t mind being slow. I relished it. I thought everyone should take a more leisurely approach to life, what was the rush anyway? Had I been able to see into the future, I may have thought differently. I might have changed how I had lived my life.

  There had been something drastically different in the air that afternoon, but I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what it was. The whole day had been hot and humid, the weatherman had predicted a thunderstorm, and we were under a tornado watch. My clothes had been soggy from dripping sweat all day in the unpleasant claustrophobic classrooms they refused to air condition. I had felt gross and was eager to change into something dry, ideally right into my pajamas. This day had been draining, and I was exhausted. Maybe I'd curl up in bed after a cool bath, read a book and listen to the storms pass by. That sounded like heaven.

  I wanted to put a name to the smell floating in my nostrils. It was salty and musty, making me think of under-cooked French fries. Both the smell and the feeling in the air had been unsettling and I couldn’t wait to get home. I walked faster hoping I’d beat the rain since my clothes were already wet enough. I crossed my arms in front of me and let my backpack hang off my shoulder as I walked fast with my head down. After the bell had rang letting school out I had practically sprinted out of the building leaving a little earlier than I usually did. Since it had been the last day before summer vacation, everyone else was lingering and making plans for the summer with their friends. They had all apparently been oblivious to that unusual fragrance in the air.

  “Have a great summer Roslyn!” A tall girl shouted to me from across the street, waving at me altogether too excitedly as she opened the passenger door of a beat-up blue corvette. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled awkwardly and waved at her. Then as if I felt weird about my hand up in the air, I dropped it down to gather up my dark blonde hair letting it fall down over my left shoulder.

  I was probably about halfway home when I looked up from the sidewalk. Across the street was a boy in my class I didn’t really know, but I recognized him only because he was often the object of discussions I’d overheard the other girls chittering about. He was cute, dark hair, dark eyes but guys like that don’t have an interest in girls like me anyway. He wouldn’t want someone who was as boring and low-key as I was. A boy like that is only interested in the most popular, the most beautiful and the most interesting girls. In front of me was another boy from my class, Ryan I thought, kicking a stone as if it were a soccer ball. Another one of the boys all the girls went crazy over, he was absolutely gorgeous, but he didn’t know it, or at least if he did, he didn’t care.

  There was another group somewhere behind me. I could hear them talking, making plans for the night, and next they’d probably plan out the whole summer. After I rolled my eyes, I was hit smack dab in the middle of my forehead by an abnormally large drop of wetness. I wiped my skin dry with the back of my hand and tilted my head upwards. The dark ominous clouds looming ahead traveled at what seemed to be an unrealistic speed. Only moments ago the sun had been shining but now a darkness akin to night was setting in, the feeling made me shiver even in this heat.

  I looked to the others to see if anyone else had noticed the extreme raindrops but the boy across the street still had his head down and was even further ahead of me. The other boy, Ryan, who had been in front of me had turned off and was walking into what I assumed was his house.

  The drops of water started to fall quicker, each one smacking against my face and the exposed skin of my arms with small but annoying stings. I swung my backpack in front of me to look for something I could put over my head. Before I even got a chance to unzip my pack there was a loud thunk followed by the clanging rattle of a street sign. It had made such an unusual high pitched noise that my ears started to ring.

  Another chunk of hail hit the ground a foot in front of me with a thud, crashing so hard it broke into countless smaller pieces on impact. They scattered all around my feet looking like little chips of glass. This was by far the largest and most dangerous hail I’d ever seen in my entire life. Within thirty seconds of each other, another two large pieces fell only a few feet away from me, and thankfully not on my head. How many more of these large ice blocks would fall? These pieces of hail weren’t the small and smooth pebble-like hail I’d seen a hundred times before, instead they were rough and thick, jagged like chipped and broken rocks. I put my backpack over my head hoping it would at least protect me from the falling shards, but in all reality they probably weighed several pounds and the backpack wouldn’t do much of anything to soften the blow.

  Down the street a car window shattered with a loud pop and crack. I hadn't been expecting it and I jumped backwards startled by the sudden noise. My house was still a fair distance away, and the hail didn’t seem to be letting up. If anything, it was getting worse. I needed to find a place to hang out temporarily until this lethal storm passed. The girl in the group behind me let out an awful howl. I whipped around to see watery blood streaming down her face. Her crystal blue eyes were wide with surprise. I guessed that she'd been hit by the small chunk of hail that rocked to a stop near her feet. Had it been one of the larger pieces she wouldn’t have been able to let out her painful cry.

  The house Ryan had walked into had a covered porch. I called over to the group behind me, pointing as I ran up the walk. “Over here, come this way!” I said, and they followed. I didn’t think he’d mind... considering.

  A car barreled down the street and I realized what was about to happen only seconds before it did. The driver didn't have a chance. The girl next to me with the gash in her forehead let out a scream that made my bones ache. It had been like something out of a horror movie. The boulder of hail which had been the size of a large watermelon smashed through the windshield. Copious cracks sprouted out from the hole that had been left by the chunk of hail further weakening the glass. The car slammed into a parked van, and the driver was ejected from his seat. The broken windshield had slowed the drivers exit and his body was sprawled out on the hood of the car like a rag doll. Blood pooled out from his middle and oozed out of his nose and ears. He laid there staring blankly towards me, his body motionless. Oh crap, was he dead?

  The boy who had been ahead of me on the other side of the street was running towards the car, but he stopped suddenly when he saw the body spread out on the car. He put his hand on his forehead and then both hands over his eyes. I guessed it had been someone he knew. The winds picked up and the booms from the thunder and lightning shook the earth so much I worried it was an earthquake. It was terrifying.

  The tall boy who was with the girl spun her around so she was facing the house and the guy with black hair stood in front of me to block my view since I had been unable to turn myself away from the gruesome scene. The front door to the house flung open, partly from the wind and partly from an aggressive push. The bang startled me and I jumped into the bigger guy grabbing his arm way too tightly.

/>   “You guys have to come with me,” he said. “Please, follow me.” He gestured for us to follow him and it took me a few minutes to understand as my brain hadn't worked the same way it had before seeing the crash. Ryan was trying to get us to go with him somewhere. I caught another glimpse of the guy across the street, he was looking at us, he didn’t say anything he just stood there. The others hadn’t noticed him, I was about to say something when I was jostled by the guy with the black hair whose name I couldn’t recall.

  “But—” I managed to eek the word out in an attempt to alert them to the guy across the street.

  “Go!” he said, his eyes begging me to make my feet move. And I did. I glanced back after a few steps and he was gone. We followed Ryan like lost puppies. The guy with black hair yelled through the howling winds, “Where are we going?”

  We looped around the side of his house going into the backyard, “My grandpa has an underground shelter. We’ll be safe there!” We ran through his backyard jumping over broken tree branches and random things that had blown into his yard— trash bins, a grill, even a little pink tricycle.

  “How far?” the tall boy shouted as a brick-sized piece of hail landed about a foot away from him.

  “Not far,” Ryan said, “this way!” He weaved between a garage and a small shed and onto the sidewalk of the next block. “That one,” he said pointing to a green house across the street and three houses over.

  We splashed through the puddles on the roadway running as fast as we could. A gust of wind almost knocked me off my feet, but somehow I managed to regain my footing without falling or blowing away. I saw a car rolling top to bottom and side to side through the air about a block away and then I noticed the twister that was propelling it. Another gust of wind came and lifted me for a full second off the ground. It happened so fast I wasn’t even sure it had been real or if I was imagining it until I felt a hand grab onto mine pulling me along.