All The Pretty Ghosts (The Never Series Book 1)

by Jamie Campbell

  It only took one.

  I ran out of energy as the nausea threatened to overwhelm me again. My stomach was grumbling with a cry for food. How long had it been since I ate anything? Eating with Oliver out in the school courtyard seemed like so long ago now.

  I wasn’t sure how long I had been out cold but it had to be some time that had passed. Perhaps even a whole night if I was out for long enough. My body felt like it had been a long time.

  Whispers from the boys’ conversation started to filter my way. They weren’t trying to be quiet anymore. Probably because they planned to kill me before too long. Dead girls told no stories, betrayed no secrets.

  “The food’s not going to last much longer,” one of the boys, about twelve, said angrily. “We need to take what we can get. They can’t hurt us.”

  “We can’t just go in recklessly,” Jet replied. He didn’t seem as worked up as the others. “The whole point of getting supplies is to stay alive a while longer, not get ourselves killed.”

  “So you want to let them walk all over us? We can do this. We have weapons, they don’t. We can take whatever we like.”

  “Just because we have weapons, doesn’t mean we have to kill everyone to take the food. There are other ways to get stuff, Brandon.”

  “I’m with him.” It was the thug that dragged me in from outside that spoke next. “Why shouldn’t we use what we have to take the supplies? Those girls aren’t sharing it with us.”

  Jet was getting exasperated. “Because there is no point. We go in, take them by surprise, and get what we need. They won’t fight us, they’ll be too scared to do anything.”

  “Yeah, like that’s worked in the past.”

  “We’re doing it my way and that’s the end of it. Does anyone have any further objections?” He stared them all down one by one. If I wasn’t already certain he was the leader amongst them, that display was enough to quash any doubts. They practically shrunk under his fierce gaze.

  I kind of knew the feeling.

  They were deadly silent as they stood in front of him. I could hear the rush of my heartbeat in my ears as I held my breath waiting for someone to speak again.

  Jet nodded. Once. “Good. Now, get ready. Taz, you’re staying back to watch the girl.”

  “Why me? Why not someone else?” I assumed that had to be Taz. He was a stocky guy, probably about sixteen judging from his height.

  “Quit your whining, cry baby.” Jet walked off before Taz could argue any more. He grabbed something and headed toward me.

  I cringed, bracing myself for whatever horrible thing Jet planned on doing to me next. I almost would have welcomed a heavy blow to the head. At least then I would be unconscious for a while longer and not have to deal with any of it.

  He crouched down so we were at the same eye level, holding something up. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust in the dimness of the light. I was surprised to see he held a piece of bread. “You hungry?”

  “Does it matter?” I shot back. I really didn’t want him to know how much I was salivating for that piece of bread. It was like he was waving a home cooked dinner in front of me.

  Jet let out a breathy laugh. “You really are a little porcupine, aren’t you?” He paused, like I was supposed to say something but my mouth was firmly closed. I didn’t want to risk saying something else that would stand in the way of me getting that bread. “Porcupine, get it? You’re prickly.” He laughed at his own joke.

  I really wanted to shoot a great comeback at him but my brain was processing things too slowly. I stared at him instead, trying to keep my eyes off the one piece of food I had seen in ages and was likely to ever see again.

  “Okay, okay, so you don’t think I’m funny,” Jet continued. “I bet you are hungry, though. I hope you’re not gluten free.” He broke off a piece of the bread and held it in front of my mouth. There was no point in being proud now, I parted my lips and he popped it in.

  That stale morsel tasted like the best piece of bread I had ever eaten. I forced myself to chew slowly, to savor every last bite. Jet waited patiently while he fed me the entire thing. It did nothing to cure the gut-busting hunger in my belly but at least it was something. He followed it with a big glass of water. I was dining like a queen.

  Between sips of water, my brain was starting to function again. “So are you guys a gang or something?”

  Jet’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Something like that, I guess.”

  “Why do you all stick together? Most people are only out to help themselves these days.” Call it morbid curiosity or absolute boredom, but I suddenly really needed to know what was going on.

  “There’s safety in numbers.”

  “There’s also more people to feed.”

  “There’s also more people to fight,” Jet pointed out. “We’re all fighting for our survival out here. Literally.”

  “Are you going to kill me?” I asked.

  Jet shook his head as he pursed his lips, like he was considering the answer to my question. Surely he shouldn’t have to think about whether he was going to keep me alive or not. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll work something out.”

  He patted me on the head and stood, addressing the others. “Come on guys, we’ve got a raid to do. Taz, don’t hurt her.” A few grunts and cheers came from the boys as they followed him out the door.

  Everyone except Taz.

  They may as well have left a lion to look after me with the way Taz’s attention snapped around in my direction. I was his prey, that was clear from the look he gave me.

  And I was nothing but a field mouse.

  A restrained field mouse.

  “Well, it looks like it’s just you and me,” Taz said, smirking as he slowly walked toward me. Every ounce of blood in my veins ran cold.

  “Jet said you couldn’t hurt me,” I pointed out, in case he hadn’t been paying attention to the orders of his fearless leader.

  “Who said I’m going to hurt you?” He feigned innocence, but there was nothing innocent about him. I doubted whether he’d had one pure thought his entire life.

  “Don’t touch me.” The fear was making my voice shaky, as much as I wished it would hold still. I didn’t want to show any kind of weakness in front of a guy like Taz. It only made him feel like he had won.

  He got so close to me his rancid breath was blowing on my face. I would have loved to step a few feet back. If I wasn’t tied up, anyway.

  “You’re real pretty, Everly.” The way he said my name made my skin crawl. “You’ve also got quite a mouth on you. Did you speak to your mama like that?”

  “Did you speak to your mama like that?” I clamped my lips together, trying not to say anything else. Antagonizing him was not going to make the situation any better. It would only add fuel to the already-burning fire.

  Who was I kidding? It was a full-on blaze by now.

  Taz started laughing. “My mama wouldn’t approve of anything I’m about to do to you.” He slid one finger up and down my arm. If it had been done by anyone that I actually cared about or loved, it would have been sensual. But when Taz did it, I wanted to vomit.

  “You don’t want to touch me,” I warned. Not that I had anything to back it up with. Considering I was restrained and we were alone – probably for quite some time – he was the one in charge. I just wished he didn’t realize that too.

  “I don’t? You look pretty darn tasty from where I’m standing. Now, how do I get those clothes off you without untying you? Have any suggestions?”

  “Leave me alone. Jet said-”

  He waved my words away like they were nothing. “Jet said not to hurt you, I know. Play your cards right and you could enjoy it just as much as I’m gonna.”

  Both of his hands fell on my breasts and squeezed. I jumped involuntarily from the sudden movement. I really needed to get the hell out of here.

  Taz stood back and examined me, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body. I was only wearing jeans and a loose blouse, but
at the moment I wished I was wearing overalls that covered me from head to foot.

  “You know what?” He paused, as if I was going to play along and actually answer him. That was never going to happen. “I don’t need to untie you. I can access everything I need. Don’t worry, girl, I’ll be gentle.” He laughed his head off before his hands clasped around the top of my jeans.

  His fingers slid under the waistband, skimming around until he found the fly. He popped the first button and went for the zipper. I could not let him undress me. Every atom in my brain screamed at me to do something.

  I bucked and thrashed everything that wasn’t tied up. Taz increased his grip as he pulled my fly down. “Stay still or I won’t be gentle. I swear to God I will hurt you,” he threatened through gritted teeth.

  With his free hand, he suddenly squeezed the top of my thigh so hard I screamed out in pain. He was forcing the life out of me with that single touch. I had never felt pain like it before, not even when I was smacked over the head.

  “Stop. Stop. I promise I’ll be still,” I pleaded. He didn’t loosen his grip until I was unmoving again. Even after he lifted his fingers from my thigh, I could still feel every single one of them.

  He chuckled and I hated that he had won. “There’s plenty more where that came from. In fact, there’s much worse. So you gonna be a good girl and behave? I mean, I like it rough but that’s just crazy.” I nodded once. “Say it. I want to hear you say the words.”

  “I’ll be good.” I choked on every word.

  “That’s more like it. There’s no-one coming to save you, girl. You may as well get used to it. You’re our pet now, I can do whatever I like to you.”

  He eyed me for a few more moments until my eyes dropped to the floor. It was really going to happen. This horrible, evil creature was going to do whatever he wanted with me and my body.

  A part of me wished he would just get it over and done with.

  “Okay, let’s try this again,” Taz said as he leaned in. He pulled my blouse up so it sat on the top of my breasts, exposing my white bra. “I was hoping for a bit more volume.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” I scowled back.

  “Itty bitty titties. I hope the rest of you is equally as… tight.” I wished my hands were tight around his neck. That would have been a good end to the situation. I would have done it, too. If my hands were free, I swear to God I would have strangled the life out of him before he could lay one more finger on me.

  His large, dirty hands skimmed around my waist, exploring lower until they reached the top of my jeans again. It was like he was unwrapping a present slowly, enjoying the thrill of the anticipation just as much as the actual gift inside. I felt every touch with disgust and a growing sense of panic that he wasn’t going to stop. He was really going to go ahead and hurt me.

  “This is nice,” Taz sighed, more to himself than me, I’m sure. “Have you done the nasty with anyone before? Am I going to be your first?”

  Nothing in the world would force me to answer his question. I did not want him to have the privilege of knowing he would forever be remembered as the first guy I had sex with. Never in this world.

  “Shy all of a sudden?” He cocked his head to one side with the question. “I guess that’s a yes then. Don’t worry, they say the first time is always painful. Probably more painful for you, of course. I’m very experienced in this area, I know what I like.”

  “Do all girls have to be tied up before you can have your way with them?”

  “It’s more fun that way.” That smirk really needed to be removed from his face. I really wanted to be the one to do it. He got my zip all the way undone, exposing my pink panties. At least they were the grandma type, nothing remotely sexy.

  I pushed my bottom hard onto the seat, making it as difficult as possible for Taz to remove my jeans. He struggled for a few seconds before looking at me again. “That’s not being a good girl.” He held his hand above my thigh, threatening to inflict that awful pain again. “Do I need to remind you how to be good?”

  I shook my head fervently, desperate not to experience that kind of hurt again. If those were the kinds of skills they used when out raiding for food, my heart went out to the poor people currently on the receiving end.

  “Okay, let’s get back to it then.” He leaned forward but had changed tactics. He wasn’t going for the grope this time, he was actually moving in for a kiss. His lips approached mine while I reeled, disbelieving what was happening.

  His chapped lips met mine as his arms tried to encircle me for an intimate embrace. Now was my chance to inflict some serious pain back on him.

  I bit him.

  My teeth sank into his lips until I tasted blood. He instantly jumped back, his hand shooting up to cover his mouth. “What’d you do that for? Bitch.” He spat blood onto the floor, looking at it with his own disbelief.

  Apparently he had underestimated me.

  Before I could revel in my small win that I would no doubt pay severely for, Taz was on me. Except there was nothing sexy about the way he was touching me this time. His balled fists pounded into me, landing blow after blow everywhere they collided – my ribs, my arms, my abdomen.

  Pain shattered from every blow as I bit my own lip to stop myself screaming out. He grunted from the effort of every impact, calling me every swear word under the sun.

  I couldn’t breathe when he struck me square in the chest, knocking all the wind out of my lungs. I gasped as I tried to suck in air again. It only made him smile.

  His fist came toward my head, impacting with my temple in a sickening blow. Everything faded until it went black. The last thing I remembered thinking about was the sweet relief from all the pain in my body.

  Chapter Six

  People were arguing. Not just any people, but two in particular. I hadn’t known them very long but I could already tell who they were.

  Jet and Taz.

  My entire body ached. Even just the smallest movement caused a ripple of pain to shoot through me. My headache was the least of my concerns. I straightened up, testing my ribs.

  Yep, pretty sure a few were broken.

  Great.

  I blinked a few times. It was still dark in the room but that was nothing unusual. One of my eyes was swollen, it barely parted for me to see through. At least I still had my vision, that was more than what Taz could have left me with.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed but apparently the boys were back from their raid. Those still around were talking amongst themselves, some were eating. It must have been a successful outing for them.

  “I told you not to hurt her.” Jet’s voice filtered through my pain. He sounded angry. Like steam-popping-from-the-ears angry. “And I come back and find her like this? You’re lucky you didn’t kill her.”

  “She bit me. You’re lucky I didn’t kill her,” Taz said defensively, like there actually was a good reason to beat me to a pulp.

  “I gave you specific orders and you didn’t follow them. How can I trust you with anything now?”

  “Don’t leave me on babysitting duty next time.”

  “I thought I could trust you.”

  “What’s so special about her anyway? You never freak out like this, Jet.”

  They had a stare down, Taz crossed his arms petulantly. Either Jet didn’t want to answer the question or he didn’t want to be accountable to him. I silently urged Jet to throw Taz out of the group, evict him or ban him from their family. Every time I had to see Taz’s face I remembered the way he touched me.

  He had touched me.

  My head shot down, the pain in my temples instantly making me regret the sudden movement. My jeans were zipped up again, my blouse back down. How far had Taz gone while I was unconscious? How much time did he have with me? My stomach burned with bile from the unanswered questions.

  Perhaps I didn’t want to know the answers.

  “You are not to go near her again,” Jet continued. “Am I making myself clear?”


  Taz waited just long enough to make it clear he wasn’t happy before he replied. “Sure.”

  “I mean it, Taz. If I see you anywhere near her, I will throw you out on your sorry ass.”

  “Clear, got it,” he replied a bit more convincingly.

  “Good. Now come help us sort out this mess of stuff.” Jet led him over to their haul. It didn’t seem to be any more than a few trash bags of things but any small piece of food was precious these days.

  They made themselves busy by taking out each item in turn. My stomach grumbled when I saw the jar of peanut butter. I could practically taste it – on warm toast and cut into fingers, the way my mom used to make it for me.

  Movement in the corner of my eye distracted me. I glanced over, trying to focus both eyes on the shape. It was even darker in the corner but I would recognize that figure anywhere.

  Oliver.

  I wanted to cry.

  He placed a finger on his lips in a ‘Shh’ motion. Considering I was choking back tears with a lump in my throat, that wasn’t going to be a problem.

  My eyes shot back to the group, making sure nobody else had seen him. They were all still intent on whatever they were doing. We were good for now.

  Oliver crept closer, sticking with the shadows. He moved stealthily until he was so close I would have been able to touch him if I wasn’t bound.

  “How?” I managed to stammer out. It almost sounded more like a cough.

  “Someone told me you were here. You need to slip out of the rags,” he whispered, nodding toward my wrists.

  “I can’t, they’re too tight.”

  “The tall one loosened them, I saw him do it. Just try.”

  I looked down at my arms, trying to ignore all the bruises. Oliver was right, there was some give to the rags now. I tried slipping my hands through them, squeezing my fingers together as tightly as they would go.

  The pain was excruciating. I clamped my lips together to stop myself crying out. Now was my only shot at escaping, I was not going to give up because of the pain. I continued to pull at my wrists, trying to get them through the rags.