The Loudest Silence: A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Novel (Oklahoma Wastelands Book 1)

by Kate L. Mary

  “Get those pants off,” the bald man growled.

  Someone, I didn’t know who, pulled on my pants until they were around my calves. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing what came next. Knowing what would happen once my pants were off completely.

  It was at that moment that Kellan screamed out, “Stop it! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”

  “Kellan, no!” I turned my head, trying to see him, but the car blocked him from view. “Don’t do it. Don’t.” The words were sobs on my lips.

  A hand pressed against the small of my back, making it impossible for me to move.

  “Tell us and we’ll stop,” the bald man said. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

  “We have a shelter,” Kellan blurted out. “An underground shelter. No one else knows about it.”

  “How many of you are there?” Dominic asked.

  “Seven, including us.”

  “Only four of you there?” The bald man spoke this time.

  “Yes,” Kellan said.

  I was sobbing, my body shaking while the hot metal scorched my bare flesh. I wanted him to take it back, but another part of me was relieved, and it made me hate myself. How could I put my own safety in front of everyone else’s? How could Kellan?

  “How do we get in?” the bald man asked.

  “There’s a code.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll tell you, but not until I know she’s going to be okay. Do you understand me?”

  The hand on my back disappeared, and I slid to the ground, crumbling into a heap of sobs. I couldn’t get up. Not only were my hands tied behind my back, but my pants were still around my calves. Through my tears, I stared at Kellan. He watched me with terrified eyes, still on his knees, still crying.

  “Let him go,” the bald man said.

  The man behind Kellan did as he was told, using a knife to slice the restraints. The second his hands were free, Kellan was on his feet and moving toward me. He wrapped his arms around me, and I pressed my face against his chest, sobbing harder than ever before.

  “It’s okay, I have you,” he whispered against my head. To the bald man, he snapped, “Undo her hands.”

  It was done a second later, and then Kellan was helping me pull my pants back up. None of the men, with the exception of Dominic, had uttered a word, and they all seemed to follow the bald man with a blind obedience that made no sense. They stood off to the side, weapons out and ready as they watched it all take place, not an ounce of emotion in their eyes. It sent a shiver shooting through me.

  Kellan reached for his shirt, ready to pull it over his head.

  The bald man pointed his gun at us. “No. She stays like that until we know you’re telling the truth.”

  Kellan glared up at him. “Why does it matter?”

  “Maybe I like the view.” The man’s lips twitched.

  Kellan swore and moved like he was going to stand, but I grabbed hold of his shirt and held onto him.

  “Stop. Don’t do it.” I wrapped my arms around his torso. “Don’t give him a reason to hurt you.”

  Kellan pulled me tighter against him. “What now?”

  “Now you take us to the shelter and let us in.”

  “No,” Kellan growled.

  The bald man took a menacing step toward us. “No?”

  “I’ll take you there, but you’re going to stay outside. I go in with Regan, and once she’s safe, I’ll bring Harper out.”

  “Kellan,” I hissed.

  He shook his head, his gaze still on the bald man. “I won’t turn her over to you until I know Regan is safe.”

  The bald man pressed his lips together, studying Kellan. “We keep him with us.” He jerked his head toward the still unconscious Blake. “If there’s even a hint of trouble, we’ll slit his throat.”

  Kellan stiffened and for a few seconds said nothing, but finally nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

  I wanted to scream, to hit him, to tell him he was a fool. These men would never follow through with the deal. Even if they did, it would mean that not only would they have Harper, but they’d know where we lived.

  “Michael,” the bald man snapped, not taking his eyes off us.

  Behind him, a man stepped forward.

  “Call for the vehicles.”

  “You got it, Andrew.” The other guy lifted a walkie-talkie to his lips and said, “We’re ready for pickup.”

  Static crackled through the air, followed a second later by someone saying, “We’ll be there in five.”

  Andrew finally turned away from us. “Let’s get ready!” he yelled, waving his hand in the air like a conductor.

  23

  I clung to Kellan as the truck roared down the road. Andrew drove, and Dominic sat on the other side of me. There wasn’t enough room for four people in the small cab, but Kellan and I didn’t complain. Even if we hadn’t been smashed in here, he probably would have pulled me onto his lap.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered in my ear for the hundredth time.

  I didn’t believe him.

  Blake was in one of the other vehicles. He hadn’t regained consciousness before he was loaded into the back of the car, and I was starting to worry. He’d been out for too long. He should have woken up by now.

  We can’t do this.

  That was what I wanted to say to Kellan, but I couldn’t. Not when we were sandwiched in between Dominic and Andrew. Not when it would mean these men pulling over so they could use my body, forcing Kellan to watch the whole thing. It would kill us both. But leading these men to the shelter was putting everything we loved at risk, and that wasn’t fair either.

  I shifted, desperate to get closer to him. “I’m scared.”

  “It’s okay,” he said yet again.

  His lips brushed against my temple, and my body shook with silent sobs. It wasn’t okay. After today, it would never be okay again.

  “Turn left at the next dirt road,” Kellan said.

  I ventured a look out the windshield, and my heart beat faster. The shelter would be in sight soon.

  “You better not be leading us on a wild goose chase.” The truck slowed, and Andrew made the turn. “If you are, you’ll both pay.”

  Kellan’s body tensed, and his fingers tightened their grip on me. “I’m not.”

  “Good,” the bald man said. “I’d hate for your friend’s tortured screams to be the last thing you ever hear.”

  “Drive,” Kellan hissed.

  Andrew laughed, a low, deep chuckle that sounded like it came straight from the pits of hell.

  With my face pressed up against Kellan’s chest, I was still able to watch the landscape in front of us out of the corner of my eye, and I tensed when the fence came into view.

  “That’s it,” Kellan said.

  “Doesn’t look like much,” Dominic muttered.

  “The shelter is underground.”

  Andrew grunted. “A bunker, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Kellan growled in response.

  “I saw another one like this, years ago. Not too far outside Vegas. The assholes living in it tried to stir up trouble, so some men and I went in and set things right.” The truck slowed, and I ventured a look in Andrew’s direction. His mouth was scrunched up like the memory pissed him off. “The pricks got away, but not before we destroyed the place, and not before they killed most of my men. They probably died on the road looking for a new location. I hope they did, anyway.”

  Kellan and I didn’t respond.

  Andrew stopped the truck a few feet from the gate and threw it in park. He didn’t move, and neither did Dominic.

  “You follow through with your end of the deal, and everyone you love will walk away from this unharmed,” the leader said.

  “Except Harper,” I snapped.

  Andrew shrugged. “She hasn’t been with you long. She’s not as important as everyone else. Remember that. Plus, she’s immune. Once we get her back to Atlanta, she’ll be treated like a queen.�
��

  Kellan swallowed. “You swear?”

  “Swear?” Andrew snorted. “I can’t promise a damn thing except I’m going to get her there alive so I can collect my reward.”

  “What are they giving you?” I asked. “What’s worth killing dozens of people just to find one immune girl?”

  Andrew’s lips twitched. “Life of luxury. No more struggling. These days that’s all you can hope for, and the man in charge up there is always on the lookout for people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.”

  “You’re sick,” I spit at him.

  Kellan pulled me closer. “Open the door so we can go in. Now.”

  “You’re not really in a position to give orders,” Dominic sneered.

  “Shut the hell up,” Andrew growled before turning his focus back to us. “You have ten minutes, understand?”

  “It’s going to take me longer than that to get her to come up,” Kellan said.

  “No, it won’t. A gun to someone’s head is a great motivator. Trust me.” He nodded to Dominic. “Open the door.”

  The man did as he was told, shoving the door open and hopping out. Kellan followed, pulling me with him. He kept his arms around me as he headed for the gate, holding me close. When he stopped walking so he could undo the lock, I ventured a look back. Dominic was standing by the open door, watching us, and on the other side of the truck Andrew did the same.

  “Ten minutes,” he called.

  Kellan only nodded.

  He had the lock undone and the chain unwound in no time, and then we were inside. He had to let me go so he could get it shut, and without his body to shield me from the eyes of Andrew and his men, I was once again bare. I crossed my arms, telling myself it didn’t matter. They’d already seen it all. It didn’t help my heart rate return to normal.

  The second he had the gate secured, Kellan ripped his shirt over his head. “Put this on.”

  He helped me, and when his hands brushed against my face, I was surprised by how much they were trembling. He wouldn’t look at me either, and I knew why. He was really going to go through with this, and the shame was too much for him.

  “We can’t do this,” I said.

  He grabbed my arm and started walking. “We have to or they’ll kill Blake.”

  I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. Blake was like a brother to me, and despite the fact that I liked Harper, she was practically a stranger. She’d only been with us for a few weeks, and she’d barely told us anything about herself during that time. We couldn’t leave a family member to die so we could save her.

  But how would we be able to live with ourselves if we went through with this?

  We were inside the building and heading down in seconds, Kellan moving swiftly and only pausing when he needed to make sure a door was secured behind us. Our footsteps echoed through the stairwell on our way down. We’d only made it halfway when Cade came into view. It wasn’t a surprise, someone was always on watch, but seeing him standing there made my legs weak.

  When I almost collapsed, Kellan scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way.

  “What’s going on?” Cade asked when we’d reached him. “Who are those men?”

  “They’re here for Harper.” Kellan pushed past him and carried me into the control room where he set me in the chair. He knelt in front of me and brushed my hair back out of my face. “I have to go. Stay here.”

  He started to stand, but I grabbed his hand. “Kellan.”

  He froze, but wouldn’t look at me.

  “You can’t do this.”

  “I have to.” He swallowed and clenched his hands into fists. He looked angrier than I’d ever seen, and I knew only part of that rage was directed at the men outside. The other half was directed at himself. “We hand her over today and work on a way to get her back tomorrow.”

  “What if we can’t find a way?”

  Kellan let out a deep breath, his gaze still avoiding mine. “That’s a chance we’ll have to take.” Finally, his eyes flitted my way, capturing my gaze. “Remember what I said? If something happened to you…” He swallowed and clenched his fists tighter. “I was wrong, Regan. It wouldn’t devastate me. It would kill me. I know that now. Watching that man touch you—” Kellan’s voice broke, and he took a step toward the door. “I’ve made my choice, and I’ll be the one to live with it. Stay here.”

  Cade stood in the hall, watching us with wide eyes. He stepped aside when Kellan reached him.

  “I need your gun.” Kellan held his hand out.

  “What the hell, man?” Cade said, shaking his head. “You can’t.”

  “They have Blake. If I don’t take Harper up there, they’ll kill him.” Kellan nodded to the gun in Cade’s hand. “Give it to me or I’ll take it.”

  Hesitantly, as if he wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, Cade set it in Kellan’s open palm. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “So do I,” he said.

  He didn’t look at me before walking off.

  Cade watched him for a few seconds before turning his gaze on me. “What happened?”

  “They came looking for her,” I said. “They found us.”

  “So you brought them here?” Cade snapped.

  “No.” I swallowed and looked away. “We tried to hold out.”

  “But?” Cade demanded when I didn’t elaborate.

  I looked up, my eyes shimmering with tears, and met his gaze. “They knew exactly what to do to make Kellan snap.”

  Cade blinked, his gaze moving over me before once again meeting mine. All at once the pieces of the puzzle seemed to snap into place, and his expression soured. It was like he’d seen something so grotesque that he wasn’t sure he could live with the images in his head.

  “Is that Kellan’s shirt?” he whispered.

  I only nodded.

  “Shit.” Cade slumped against the doorframe.

  We said nothing else, and Cade didn’t move from the doorway. His eyes went to me every few seconds, but he didn’t ask for any details. It was a relief. He would, eventually, but at the moment I couldn’t talk about it. Not when Kellan was about to do something so huge. Not when Blake was still in trouble.

  The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, and Cade finally stood up straight. I got up, too, moving to the door so I could look out. Kellan had Harper in front of him, the gun pressed to the middle of her back. She was crying, wearing only the yoga pants and thin t-shirt Emma had given her to sleep in. At their back, Emma hurried down the hall, wide-eyed and shaking, while Jasper took up the rear. He had a shotgun in his hand and fury in his eyes.

  “Regan!” Emma gasped when she saw me.

  She ran past Kellan and Harper, headed for me. The expression in her eyes told me she knew everything, and I wanted to shrink away out of humiliation. I couldn’t help it. I felt dirty and weak. I should have been able to sacrifice my body for Harper’s life.

  When she reached me, Emma pulled me against her. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

  “Keep moving,” Kellan growled, and I looked up to see him pushing Harper faster.

  He didn’t look my way, but Harper did. Her eyes were bigger than ever, twin pools of blue that shimmered with fear.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  She cried harder.

  Jasper paused so he could pass Cade a gun, but Kellan kept moving, not looking my way.

  “He needs backup,” Jasper said, before heading after Kellan and Harper.

  Cade shot one look at Emma before running after them.

  I stayed in Emma’s arms until they reached the stairs and disappeared, and then I pulled away. She followed me to the wall of monitors and we stood silently, side by side, staring at the grainy black and white image of what was happening on the surface.

  All the men were out of the cars, as was Blake. He was conscious now, moving around, but I took little comfort in it when I knew we were all still in trouble.

  “They won’t leave without trying
to get the rest of us,” I whispered.

  Emma grabbed for my hand, her eyes not moving from the monitor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her lips move, followed by the quiet whisper of her prayers. Emma, unlike the rest of us, had refused to let go of her belief that God was in control of things.

  On the screen, we watched as the bunker door flew open and Kellan stepped out, dragging Harper with him. His gun was still in his hand but no longer pointing at her. Instead it was aimed at the men on the other side of the fence.

  I leaned forward and flicked a switch, and the audio filled the room. It was garbled from static, but good enough that we’d be able to figure out what was going on.

  “I’m going to open the gate, and you’re going to let Blake in,” Kellan called. “Understand?”

  “I told you before.” Dominic stepped forward. “You’re not in a position to make demands.”

  Andrew moved, his gun up after two steps and aimed at the back of Dominic’s head. The bald man pulled the trigger, and the boom of gunfire echoed through the room, muffled by the speakers but still deafening. Dominic dropped to the ground, dead before he’d even had a chance to learn that Andrew was going to shoot him.

  “He’s been a pain in the ass since he joined up with us.” Andrew turned the gun on Kellan. “Open the gate, and we make the switch at the same time.”

  Kellan hesitated, and on the tiny screen it was impossible to know what he was thinking, but only a few seconds passed before he called out, “Deal.”

  He moved, pulling Harper with him while he kept the gun trained on Andrew. When he reached the gate, however, he was forced to put it away so he could undo the lock. Even from where I sat in the control room I could tell he had a hard time focusing on the lock as his gaze moved from it to Andrew to Blake. Still, he managed to get it open and the chain uncurled in no time. By that point someone was already moving forward, pulling a stumbling Blake with him.

  “What happened to him?” Emma asked, making me jump.

  “He was hit in the head with a baseball bat.” I didn’t take my eyes off the screen. “He was out for a long time.”

  “How long?”

  “I don’t know. We were in different cars. Fifteen minutes at least, possibly closer to thirty.”