The Zero Trilogy (Book 3): End of Day

by Summer Lane

  Omega.

  Elle’s heart turned to ice.

  “Cheng?” she said. Her voice was raspy and broken. “What does that mean?”

  Matthias shoved Cheng back to his knees. Cheng’s eyes were hooded.

  “Cheng?” Elle demanded, louder this time.

  “Ah, they didn’t know?” Matthias mused. “You didn’t tell them about you?”

  Cheng glared at Matthias.

  “I will kill you,” he said softly. “All of you, slowly.”

  It was a calm, controlled rage, and it frightened Elle. It was very unlike the Cheng she had gotten to know at Bear Mountain and Falcon Point. Luli looked just as stricken as Elle.

  “Cheng, what are you?” she whispered.

  He remained silent.

  “Let me clear things up for you,” Matthias rumbled, chuckling again. “Harrison Klaus, son of the most powerful woman in the North American continent. The Chancellor’s son, to be exact. And your mommy will pay a pretty penny to get you back – do you know the bounty on your head, boy? Millions. And salvation – an escape from this hell world we’re living in.”

  “Harrison?” Luli echoed, a horrified expression on her face. “Your name isn’t Cheng?”

  With every word, Elle felt a cold stone drop into her stomach. A detached, hollow anger encapsulated her body, numbing the pain in her head. She looked at Cheng, long and hard.

  “Explain this,” she stated, low and dangerous.

  Her hands trembled.

  Cheng raised his head and met Elle’s accusatory gaze.

  “My real name isn’t Cheng, no,” he said quietly. Painfully. “I am Harrison Klaus. My mother is Veronica Klaus, the High Chancellor of the West Omega Strategy – that is, the takeover of the North American countries like the United States, Mexico and Canada. I am her only son – her prized possession.” He said this with a tinny sneer. “She would do anything to bring me home. To make me understand.”

  “You’re a born and bred child of Omega?” Luli screeched.

  “I ran away from my home,” Cheng replied. “After the collapse. I could no longer stay with her and condone her actions. I left. I have survived, just like everyone else.”

  “Except for the fact that you’re Omega scum,” Luli spat.

  “Luli, I swear, it’s not like that.”

  “You’re one of them,” Elle whispered. “I trusted you.”

  Stupid girl. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “I am not one of them,” Cheng said, his tone desperate. “I ran away. I know what Omega has done more than either of you could ever understand. I came to help the militias.”

  “Or sabotage them.” Luli was suddenly drawing away from Cheng. “The attack on Bear Mountain. Was that you? Did you lead Omega there?”

  Cheng closed his eyes.

  “No. I can’t believe this!” Luli cried.

  “I did nothing on purpose. I came to Bear Mountain to help. Omega spies have been following me,” he said slowly. “They must have found out where I was. Hence the bombing. They were trying to teach me a lesson – she was trying to teach me a lesson. By killing me – by killing everyone.”

  Elle felt sick again. A crystal tear slid down her cheek.

  Another betrayal. Another friend, lost.

  “Very dramatic, very entertaining,” Matthias interrupted, looking annoyed. “But the fact of the matter is, I don’t need anybody alive except for the little prince.” He whipped Elle’s 1911 Smith and Wesson out of his jacket. It happened fast – in the blink of an eye. He stretched his arm out, pulled the trigger, and fired the gun. The shot was deafening.

  “NO!” Elle screamed.

  The bullet punched a hole through the center of Luli’s forehead. There was no time to move, no time to beg for mercy.

  She was just dead.

  Her head slammed against the wall and her body went still, her eyes wide open and glassy. Blood dripped from the hole in her forehead and carved a scarlet trail across her pale face.

  Elle heard herself screaming again, crying, forcing herself to her feet, flinging herself at Matthias. But it was in vain. He easily held her back. Cheng was on the floor, motionless, an expression of pure horror on his face as he stared at Luli’s lifeless body.

  He raised his hands to his lips, trembling, and stared.

  Matthias pointed the gun at Elle’s head. She glared at him, defiant. Her heart pounded, and the blood rushed into her ears. She would die angry – not afraid. She closed her eyes as Matthias pulled the trigger.

  Please, God. Let me die quickly.

  She heard the click of an empty chamber. She opened her eyes again. Matthias checked the gun, cursing.

  Out of ammo.

  He tossed the gun to the floor.

  “Never mind, we’ll take care of it another way,” Matthias growled.

  Cheng began talking, then, a muffled background noise to Elle’s ears, muted in her rage and terror. She had retreated within herself, blocking Cheng’s words out of her head. His lips were moving, but she didn’t hear. He was desperate, on his knees, begging for her ear. “Just listen to me,” he pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Elle, I’m your friend. I’m not with Omega – I never was!”

  She didn’t want to hear.

  She didn’t want to know.

  “We’ll take the Klaus boy,” Matthias said gruffly. “Throw the girl overboard. She’s of no use to us.”

  “But Matthias, she’s a girl, and we could just-”

  “Our orders were very specific!” Matthias bellowed. “Leave the Costas girl!”

  “Elle, please, I’m begging you,” Cheng said. “Believe me.”

  One of the men – Kilmer, Matthias had called him earlier – grabbed Elle’s shoulders and pulled her upright. He shoved her forward. She scowled and stumbled past Cheng. His hand brushed her fingers.

  “Believe me,” he said one last time, grasping for her hand.

  Elle looked at him – met his clear eyes, raging with disappointment and guilt, his face sprayed with Luli’s blood.

  “I want to,” she replied. “But I can’t.”

  And that was it. The guard brought her up the slick wooden steps, onto the deck of the boat. It was cold and misty. There were several men, some of them sitting on coils of ropes, others smoking a cigarette. It was like being thrust into the mid-seventeenth century, Elle thought grimly. The life of pirates.

  Matthias stood near the railing of the deck.

  “Consider this your lucky day,” he growled. “Under normal circumstances, a girl your age wouldn’t have had it so…comfortable, I believe is the word.” Several of the men laughed gutturally. “You’ll just be swimming…a few yards.”

  More laughter.

  The shoreline was a thin line in the darkness. Not terribly far, but a long distance when the water was ice cold and the current raged and swirled beneath the surface. Elle shuddered. It was the mighty Kings River – had to be.

  Bravo barked.

  He was chained to the railing. Elle’s heart swelled with love and sadness. She tried rushing across the deck to comfort him, but Matthias grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her back. Bravo growled. There was anger in his eyes.

  “It’s okay, Bravo,” Elle said. “It’s going to be fine.”

  Don’t leave me, Elle.

  Elle felt cold all over. Companionship had never been something she wanted, yet fate or some all-powerful force had nevertheless dropped it into her lap in the form of Bravo. He was her gift. The bright spot in a world gone to hell.

  “Come on, time to swim,” Matthias said.

  His voice was goblin-like, cackling. Elle struggled against him. Her sword was gone. Her gun was gone. Her dog was chained up. Cheng was a traitor. Luli was dead. She dug her nails into Matthias’s wrists and sunk her teeth into his right hand, tasting blood as she ripped a piece of his flesh away.

  Matthias cursed profusely and flung her against the deck. She tumbled on her side, hitting the railing, rolling to her feet. S
he made an attempt to run toward Bravo, but there were too many men. She knew that. Why was she resisting? But there was a blind, red rage pulsing behind her eyes.

  She couldn’t lose the dog.

  It would destroy her.

  Two of the robbers pinned her to the deck. Her cheek slapped the wooden boards with a crack. She saw a flash of color. Felt the spears of pain. Had they broken her jaw? She couldn’t even scream. Matthias was saying something, but all she could see was Bravo. He was going crazy, barking and scratching and baring his razor-sharp fangs.

  “Bravo!” Elle yelled. “You can’t do this! You can’t take my dog!”

  They pulled her to the railing, hanging her head over the side. She heard the gentle swish of the water below. She looked up, locking gazes with Matthias.

  “Don’t take my dog!” Elle screamed, frantic. “Let us both go! You can’t do this! You don’t understand what it’s like out there!”

  Blood dribbled down Matthias’s hand.

  “I know what it’s like,” he said, snarling.

  He shoved her backward. She fell. For mere seconds, she was suspended in the air, and then she hit the water headfirst. Thousands of pinpricks of cold, icy water sucked her body beneath the surface of the river. It was pitch-black. The shock of the freezing temperature was jarring. She was frozen for a moment, simply sinking into the murky water. She was disoriented. Which way was up? Which way was down? She kicked her legs, propelling herself only deeper beneath the surface.

  No! Think, Elle! Calm down, panic will kill you!

  She changed directions, her boots dragging her deeper into the water. She twisted her body in the utter, liquid darkness and kicked upward with all her might. After what seemed like an eternity, she broke the surface, just as her vision began to go black. She gasped for breath, the pain of oxygen deprivation setting fire to her lungs. All around her, there was only the night. And then there was the boat, chugging along, its motor frothing up the water behind it. It sped down the river rapidly.

  Panic. Again, the panic.

  She swam with the current, toward the boat. Toward Bravo.

  They couldn’t take him from her. They couldn’t.

  She wouldn’t let them.

  She swam until her arms burned, and then an undercurrent wrapped its cold fingers around her legs and dragged her under again. She fought against it, but it jetted her forward. Her face scraped against underwater debris and branches. She clawed the water, but she was stuck, caught in the suction of a vacuum.

  Even as the strain of holding her breath began to weaken her body, all she could think about was Bravo. Her dog – her friend – chained to the deck. Separated. Alone. No, no, no. It couldn’t happen.

  The current abruptly released its hold on her. She kicked and broke the surface. This time she barely had the strength to hold her head up. She gulped in air, choked on water. Her eyes burned and she tasted the salty smear of blood on her lips.

  She was done. The boat was already too far ahead.

  She would have to follow them on foot. She would get Bravo back. She would do whatever it took.

  She fought her way toward the shore, wrapping her fingers around the sharp, thin branches of a willow tree. Bushes and shrubs extended into the river like alien arms, snagging her clothes and catching her feet. She pulled her way through the cage of plants, cutting her legs and arms, finally feeling the touch of earth against her hands. She pulled herself out of the water. The air touched her body and she shivered. She was slick with mud.

  Hot, fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She began to cry uncontrollably, great, heaving sobs that wracked her body. She could clearly hear Bravo’s distressed bark in the distance as she struggled to her feet, then fell again, weak.

  Don’t leave me, don’t go. Come back, my friend!

  She crawled forward on hands and knees.

  She screamed, the agony of her loss fresh and fiery.

  She didn’t even notice the approaching shadow creeping up behind her.

  Chapter Seven

  Bravo, Bravo, Bravo. My friend, my companion, my partner. What will I do? I can’t live alone in a world like this. I need you, you need me. We need each other. This can’t happen. This can’t. Please, God, just LET ME DIE.

  The thoughts were jumbled and confused, with all the intensity of a raging fire. Elle was stuck in a black, sticky mess of mental tar. She couldn’t untangle herself from the nightmare. Her eyelids fluttered, but she did not wake. Someone pressed a cool cloth to her forehead.

  She shuddered, but the thoughts did not dull. Her heart thudded against her ribs in a sad, pointless rhythm. She sank back into despair. She didn’t want to wake up.

  She wanted to die.

  Elle woke up. For a long, terrifying moment, she didn’t know where she was, or what was happening. She half-expected to roll on her side, see her alarm clock, and realize that she was late for school.

  “What a nightmare,” she’d mutter.

  And that would be the end of it.

  As her eyes focused, she saw clouds. She felt a breeze touch her skin. She blinked – slowly – and turned her head. Her neck was propped against something soft, and the rest of her body was wrapped in a thick, wool blanket. It was itchy and scratched her skin.

  She sat up quickly. Her head spun, and she felt sick.

  A fire crackled a few feet ahead, glowing with warmth. Fear began to set in. Her clothes were drying on a rock near the flames, along with her socks and shoes. There was no one in sight.

  She shivered.

  And then she remembered everything, and it was like opening a fresh wound. The pain of her loss raked its merciless claws through her heart and she felt a hollow, empty sadness. It was a devastation that she had not known since the day she had realized that her family was dead, and that civilization was done.

  Trembling, she sat there, frozen, her arms around her knees, leaning toward the warmth of the fire. Why hadn’t she died? She could see Bravo’s deep eyes in her mind, and it turned her stomach into a swirling, agonized mess. Losing Bravo was like losing a piece of her soul.

  It was unbearable.

  “You’ve awakened at last.”

  Elle looked up, unmoving, blinking back unshed tears. A tall, thin figure stood at the edge of the camp. The man’s head was tied up in a dirty white bandage. His clothes were riddled with holes and ashes. But there was something familiar about his eyes, and his voice sounded like one she had heard before.

  “Why haven’t you killed me?” Elle asked, deadpan.

  “I wouldn’t do that, Elle.”

  Elle blinked, startled.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “You don’t recognize me?” he replied. He shook his head and laughed. “Of course you don’t.”

  Realization dawned.

  “Felix?” Elle said. “You’re alive?”

  He nodded, quivering.

  “What happened to you?” Elle asked. “We thought everybody died at Bear Mountain.”

  “Everybody did die,” he replied, his voice dark. “But I survived. Pulled myself out of a burning building the next morning. I escaped without any major wounds – just some burns. Nothing I can’t recover from.” He laughed again, a clipped, harsh sound, gesturing to the bandage on his head. “Ugly, I know.”

  “Felix, how did you find me?” she said.

  “I’ve been tracking you,” he admitted. “Lost you a couple of times, but I saw the pirates in Falcon Point, and I saw them take you. There was nothing I could do. But when they threw you overboard…I thought I could at least help.”

  “You should have let me die,” Elle said bitterly.

  She bit her lip.

  That was no way to talk to him. He had gone out of his way to keep her alive. What was wrong with her?

  Bravo, Bravo, Bravo.

  That’s what was wrong.

  Felix went on, “Here. Drink this, and you’ll feel better.”

  Felix knelt by the fire. A tin coffeepot dan
gled over the flames, hanging on a piece of wire between two sticks. He poured the liquid into a small, plastic cup and held it in front of Elle.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Tea. Drink.”

  “Where did you get tea?”

  “Nature provides what we can’t.” He nodded. “Please, drink.”

  Elle slowly took the cup and sniffed the liquid. It was an acrid, heady scent. Something extremely herbal, and it reminded her of her father, when he worked in the city, sorting out boxes of herbs and crushed roots. Before he became a businessman of a different sort, running with flashy celebrities instead of feeding the populace an assortment of organic goods.

  Ah, memories.

  What good did they do? They only made her head hurt.

  She took a sip of the tea. It was bitter, but it felt warm and pleasant in her throat.

  “See?” Felix said, smiling. “I told you.”

  Another long, heavy silence ensued.

  “I’m sorry this happened,” Felix said at last, his voice soft. “Bear Mountain was supposed to be safe. All this time, we operated in the shadow of the hills, and we survived. We helped people.” His voice broke. “And now they are all dead.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Elle replied. “Omega didn’t find Bear Mountain by accident.”

  Felix raised his brow.

  “Cheng,” she said simply.

  “Cheng?” Felix leaned forward. “What about Cheng?”

  “Do you know a woman named Veronica Klaus?” Elle asked.

  Felix shook his head.

  “Veronica, apparently,” Elle continued, “is a very important leader of the Omega movement. Cheng called her a Chancellor. I don’t know what that means, but she’s pretty up there, I guess.” She shook her head. “Cheng is her son. She’s been hunting for him for ages – or so he said. The destruction of Bear Mountain was like a punishment for him running away. She wants him back.”

  Felix leaned back against a tree, staring at the sky.

  “Cheng was Omega?” he echoed.