Escaping Madness: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Live Free Or Die Book 3)

by Hayley Lawson

  Escaping Madness

  Live Free Or Die Book Three

  Hayley Lawson

  Michael Anderle

  Escaping Madness (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2018 Hayley Lawson and Michael Anderle

  Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, August 2018

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2018 by Michael T. Anderle and LMBPN Publishing.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Author’s Notes - Hayley Lawson

  More from Hayley Lawson

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Books by Hayley Lawson

  Books by Michael Anderle

  Connect with the authors

  Escaping Madness Team

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  Mary Morris

  John Ashmore

  Paul Westman

  Micky Cocker

  If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

  Editor

  Lynne Stiegler

  To my family, thank you for your on-going support.

  —Hayley

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  —Michael

  1

  Ryder didn’t know if she could kill Afana and rescue everyone held hostage in the bunker, especially since it looked like Leandro was going to be Fluffy from now on. What she did know was that she and her friends were going to try.

  Ryder watched Fluffy as he ran ahead toward Massimo’s home. His white tail was wagging, and he looked happy. She hoped he was. Ryder recalled the conversation she’d had with him about being a wolf while he was still Leandro. Leandro had said that he loved the feeling of being free when he ran. Perhaps that was why he was running now?

  That thought warmed Ryder’s heart. Maybe the reason Fluffy couldn’t turn back to Leandro was that he was now in his true form, as a wild thing. She had mixed feelings about that. She missed Leandro but was also glad that Fluffy was back. Either would be good when they got to the bunker, but Ryder had a feeling Fluffy would be more ruthless than Leandro, and that was what they needed. Fluffy would rip Afana in two.

  At least she hoped he would.

  Ryder was flagging by the time they approached Massimo’s. The fight with Sergei and Yegor had sapped every last bit of her energy. She trailed behind the others, every step a monumental effort since all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball right where she was and take the longest nap in history.

  Well, at least I’m not taking a dirt nap like those two assholes. She smiled and winced at the sharp pain in her cheek. She knew there’d be a nasty bruise there tomorrow.

  Carter slowed down to walk beside Ryder. “Penny for your thoughts.” He was still wearing the sweater Tightwad had given him. There were little flecks of glitter in it that caught the fading sunlight; he looked like a fairy had sprayed the glitter on him. She smiled, then winced a little when the movement caused the already-tight skin under her eye to stretch.

  Ryder grinned at Carter. “I’m thinking you look like a colorful muppet.”

  Carter laughed. “You’re a fine one to talk. Have you looked at yourself?” He sniffed and waved a hand in front of his nose. “Or smelled yourself, even?”

  “I was in a fight!” Ryder protested. She took a whiff of her armpit and cringed a little.

  Carter wasn’t going to go easy on Ryder just because she’d been in an epic battle. “What, with a horse?”

  Ryder looked down at her clothes and noticed they were, in fact, covered in a thick layer of stinking muck. That had escaped her. “Those fuckers. They must have dragged me through manure. If they weren’t already dead, I would rip their heads off and stick them up each other’s asses.”

  Carter laughed in response. “Who smells now?”

  Payback is a bitch! He’s loving this after I got him to wipe shit on his face when he was at the mountain settlement cleaning the toilet areas. Difference is, I’m not scared of a bit of shit.

  Ryder gave him a snarky look and quickly brushed two globs of muck off her clothing. Time for a bit of fun “Come here, Carter. Let me share...” Ryder moved toward him with her dirty hands raised.

  Carter ran like a Mad was after him. Ryder laughed despite her aching bones and chased him, waving her hands at him. He looked over his shoulder. “Fuck off, Ryder. I’m going to be sick!” he gagged for effect, then almost for real.

  Ryder was used to the smell from having grown up with horses. Funny how shit smelled familiar to her and reminded her of happier times.

  She stopped chasing Carter when he disappeared into Massimo's house. Chasing him inside with shitty hands would have been more than a little disrespectful to the vampire who had opened up his home to her.

  Ryder ran a finger over the scarred arm of the wooden chair on the porch, the one she’d carved her knife into the armrest of on the night she found out the truth about Leandro and Massimo. Well, they hadn’t really been lying. It had been more an omission, and mostly on Leandro’s part since he’d been too afraid to tell her the truth in the first place.

  She’d have to see if she could fix it if there were time. Her first priority was rescuing Terrier and the others from the bunker, then she’d fix the chair. She turned to follow the others into the house and crashed nose-first into Carter’s back. Carter was standing behind Massimo, who was frozen in the doorway. Why were they hanging around?

  Ryder leaned past Carter to see what was happening.

  It was a fucking mess.

  The house was eerily quiet, but Fluffy wasn’t growling, so Ryder didn’t think there were any Mad inside. From the state of the inside of the house, it had been trashed. Massimo’s stuff was everywhere. They had left the place spotless. Leandro and Carter had cleaned off the blood splatters from the Mad Ryder had killed. Massimo’s precious books and recor
ds were scattered on the table, there was a pile of plates with leftover food on them, and chicken bones and beer bottles were lying around everywhere. It looked like someone had been partying while they were away.

  First Massimo’s bar was trashed, and now this, Ryder thought angrily. She heard the fridge door close and peered into the kitchen to find Massimo with a beer to his lips.

  Massimo took a gulp and looked at all of them “How rude of me. Come in. Would you like a beer?”

  Ryder was a little shocked at how calm he was. I nearly killed someone in the bunker for stealing my blanket. She caught herself mid-thought. Oh, wait, I did kill him. Yegor was the one who had stolen it.

  Massimo shrugged. “It’s just stuff. We’ve checked the house, and the testicle professors are gone,” he told them straight-faced. “It was the scrotum biscuits Ryder took care of.”

  Ryder cracked up, laughing so hard she began to cry because of all the bruises on her ribs. “Massimo, you’re killing me!”

  The vampire cracked up as well. “I’ve been trying to work that into a sentence all day!” Massimo admitted through his tears.

  Massimo waved everyone into the kitchen. “Come on, everyone. Let’s have a drink to the fallen and our victory.” He spread his hands wide and made a small bow. “Kelvin, drinks are on the house.”

  Kelvin grinned and got to work as if they were in the Old Dog. “What would you all like to drink? You can have anything you want, as long as it’s beer…”

  Kelvin passed Ryder and Tightwad a glass of water each. After today, that was exactly what Ryder needed. Since she was with friends, she could loosen up a bit. It might also help with the pain.

  Massimo took a beer from the fridge and poured it into a dish for Fluffy. Ryder recalled that Massimo had said that Leandro didn’t drink much as a person, but maybe he was a little more relaxed as a wolf.

  He headed toward the dish.

  Massimo raised his beer, and everyone followed. Well, except for Fluffy, because he had no hands to raise his glass. “To good health and new friends! Today we won the battle, and tomorrow we will win the war!”

  Afana glared down through the glass floor of Level Five at the traitor, Terrier.

  He slammed his fists on the glass floor of Level Five, so fixated on his desire to break through and get to Terrier that he didn’t register that the only things being damaged by his repeated blows were his hands.

  Afana hissed and snarled with rage. He wanted Terrier’s heart in his hands, and he would have it. His skin split, and blood splashed on the glass floor with every punch. He knew it wouldn’t break since he’d had it made from of unbreakable glass. This whole goddamn place was unbreakable!

  A Mad ran toward Afana, and he swiped his hand sideways and knocked the Mad away like he was no heavier than a leaf.

  It didn’t matter how strong Afana was. He couldn’t get through the glass floor.

  “No!” Afana screamed in frustration. More Mad came at him, and he smashed them out of the way too.

  The Madness had overtaken the bunker, and Afana’s search for Terrier was going too fucking slowly because of it.

  That bastard had stirred up this revolt inside the bunker, and now he had the gall to stand there and look Afana in the eye. Afana looked up through the glass to Level One, where the advisors were at their computers.

  He fixed Terrier with a chilling glare. Let the cattle believe it had hope. Soon he would override the door to Level Six, and kill Terrier slowly and painfully. Afana needed to get back up there and override the system. This was his bunker, he controlled it, and no one was going to lock him out of his home. No one.

  He bared his fangs at Terrier and screamed through the glass, “I’m coming for you, motherfucker. Enjoy what time you have left before I tear you to pieces.”

  Terrier couldn’t hear what Afana was screaming because the levels were soundproof, but Terrier didn’t need to hear the words to get Afana’s message. He wanted to kill Terrier, and everyone on Level Six was in danger now because of him.

  Ryder, hurry up!

  Afana pounded on the floor, then swatted the Mad like they were flies. He’s going to rip me in two. Terrier wasn’t easy to scare, but he was shitting himself—and with good reason. Afana was a badass and completely crazy vampire who was out for Terrier’s blood.

  Afana got to his feet, his shadow falling over the terrified people on Level Six below. He screamed at them again and jumped up through the hole in the ceiling, then gripped the glass around his drop hole and pulled himself up.

  “It’s okay,” Terrier told the people around him. “George has locked the door to this level. Afana can’t get in here.”

  Everyone on Level Six watched as the vampire crawled all the way up the glass to Level One. Terrier was glad he’d left, but he knew the vampire had gone to work out how to open the door to Level Six.

  Terrier turned to Advisor George. “George, can anyone on Level One override the doors?” George didn’t answer; his eyes were locked on the drop shaft. Terrier looked at Murray for assistance.

  General Murray gave Advisor George a gentle nudge. “George? Answer Terrier.”

  George noticed that Murray was talking to him, and he shook his head and frowned. “What?” He looked blankly from Murray to Terrier, who repeated his question.

  George paused again until Murray prompted him. “Yes, they can override the doors,” he told them.

  Everyone listening in on the conversation had an “oh fuck” moment. They’d thought that when George had locked the door to Level Six and the drop hole they were safe, but Afana was on Level One now, and he was going to work out how to open the door.

  They were screwed.

  2

  Massimo was having somewhat of an open house. The group all spread out to relax, from the kitchen to the porch.

  Fluffy was walking between everyone like he was trying to work out where to sit, or that was what Ryder had thought until she spotted him with his dish in his mouth. He dropped it in front of different people’s feet and they in turn poured some beer into his dish.

  The sneaky fucker was getting drunk! Massimo would be proud of him.

  Carter headed over to Ryder. “Hey, smelly, I got you a drink.” Carter passed Ryder a glass of water.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

  “Of course,” Carter replied with a grin.

  Ryder took it anyway, since it would help ease her pain…or maybe it just took her mind away from the pain. Either way, it worked.

  She smiled at Carter and clinked her glass to his. “Cheers.”

  Carter winked and took a seat on the sofa. “You’re welcome.”

  Ryder dropped down next to Carter and sighed. She was at the limit of her energy. She’d had a shower; it was the first thing Ryder had done once she’d finished her glass of water and no longer smelt like horse shit. She remembered teasing Carter about her shitty hands and laughed.

  While she’d been in the shower everyone had helped Massimo get his stuff put back, so the place was looking back to normal. That made Ryder feel better. She hated that Massimo’s house had been trashed by Sergei and Yegor because they were looking for her. I’ll apologize to Massimo later, Ryder promised herself.

  Massimo wasn’t upset about it at all. He had his favorite ABBA tunes blasting from the record player so the people inside and outside could hear them. Ryder could also hear Massimo giving everyone a blow by blow account of what had happened, even though everyone had been there. He was good at telling stories, leaving out the horrible scary parts and embellishing the heroic parts.

  Ryder smiled fondly. The kids in the bunker will love him.

  Carter looked behind him at the group and then at Ryder, “We’ve got a good team. Do you think it will be enough to beat Afana?”

  Ryder looked at everyone. They were chatting away about the fight. Carter had a point. They were good, but were they good enough? Including Ryder, there were ten of them. Could they really take over a whole
bunker? “I hope so,” Ryder admitted. “I have to believe we are enough. Besides, we also have everyone in the bunker who wants to escape,” she added on a positive note.

  Carter wanted to get into the bunker just as much as Ryder because he now knew that his little sister Natalie was in there. He frowned at Ryder, the movement almost causing his eyes to disappear under his shaggy eyebrows. “I’ve never seen Afana or the generals,” he admitted. “When they took Natalie, I was at the watering hole at the far side of our settlement where we wash our clothes. What I did see was the destruction they left in their wake, which was enough to show me their power.” Carter’s happy-go-lucky demeanor dropped away. He was clearly in a dark place when it came to his sister’s fate.

  Ryder had seen him go there before. Time to pull him out of it, thought Ryder. “Afana doesn’t leave the bunker. He’s a different type of vampire than Massimo. He can’t go out in the sunlight. But he’s bigger and stronger than ten men. I’m not sure if he’s smarter than us, but I know he doesn’t have the heart and determination that we do,” Ryder said warmly. “Now drink up, you wussy. You’re looking like a lightweight.” She clinked his glass again and downed half her drink.