Dark New Beginnings (Into the Dark Post-Apocalyptic EMP Thriller Book 7)

by Ryan Casey

  And it both reassured him and scared him. It reassured him because it was nice to hear somewhere life was going on. A place where people believed in something. Where hope wasn’t just an abstract concept—it was a distinct possibility.

  But at the same time, it scared him.

  Because those people inside didn’t know a thing about the truth.

  They didn’t know that there was no “Albion.”

  They didn’t know that everything they were working towards was all for nothing.

  Mike looked around. They were without a rifle, now, mostly because Aiden’s was the only rifle that had enough ammo. He saw Kelsie sitting beside him. Beside her, Nina. It was just the three of them now. He still hadn’t totally got over what had happened back in the woods. So much death, some of it by his hand.

  And he felt bad about what he’d done. He felt bad about what he’d done to Harvey and to Ulrich and Callum. Because deep down, he knew their intentions weren’t bad. He knew they weren’t evil. They were just trying to survive in their own way.

  But that’s what had become of this world, now.

  That’s what had become of him, and everyone around him.

  “How long d’you think he’s going to take?” Nina asked.

  Mike looked around at her. In a sense, she was echoing his concerns. Aiden had been gone a while. And Mike was beginning to worry. He was beginning to worry that he might change his mind. Change his allegiance.

  But then… he’d come so far. He’d helped Kelsie. He’d killed for Kelsie.

  That had to count for something, right?

  “We just have to… to trust him,” Mike said. And saying that word—trust—it stuck in his throat. He found it hard to utter. Found it hard to believe in.

  But he was going to have to learn to start trusting people if he was going to get anywhere.

  He’d done well to be able to trust anyone, especially after the way Calvin had turned on him right at the death. And in a way, there was a deja vu type feeling about this kind of situation. It felt like he’d been here before. It felt like he’d trusted before.

  But not every situation was identical. Not every scenario was identical.

  He heard something behind him. Shuffling. And he turned around right away, his nerves on edge, the tension inside him building up.

  But when he looked back, he didn’t see anyone there. Just the wind. Just the leaves brushing against one another.

  He had to stop losing his shit.

  He had to stop being paranoid.

  “I know… I know it’s hard,” Kelsie said. “To believe in him. Because he was with them. And he chased me. He chased me down, and at one point, I thought he was going to kill me. But—but he’s not a bad man. He’s just as confused as everyone. He’s going to pull through. He’s going to help us. He’s going to help us all.”

  Mike held his ground. He wanted to believe in Kelsie. Because at the end of the day, she was the one who was most important to him.

  But on the other hand, as he stared down at that extraction point, he thought about Alison, and Gina, and Arya.

  He wanted to get to them.

  He wanted to help them.

  They’d been apart for far too long already.

  “You’ll see Alison again,” Kelsie said. “I know you love her. Everyone knows you love her.”

  Mike felt his cheeks flushing. Weirdly, he found himself looking at Nina.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Ah well. The blush says it all. Shame. You’re pretty buff. But hey. If things don’t work out between you and this Alison, I’m not exactly dating anyone right now.”

  She winked at Mike. And he found himself smiling back at her. Laughing along.

  As they sat there together, Mike couldn’t deny a feeling he had. A sense that a bond was forming between them. An unshakable bond.

  And now more than ever, he felt total clarity in this situation.

  Aiden was going to get his people out of that extraction point.

  They were going to get away.

  And they were going to go back to the hospital.

  Together.

  He took a deep breath and watched the extraction point closely, carefully.

  He didn’t hear the footsteps.

  The first thing he noticed was the blast.

  The crack from the rifle.

  Nina falling.

  Her head jolting forward, blood spurting out, the life leaving her body.

  Then a bullet cracking past him.

  Whizzing just past his shoulder.

  He fell forward. Caught up in a state of total shock.

  And when he looked around, he saw Nina peering back at him.

  He saw the bullet wound in her head.

  Saw that slight momentary expression of shock as blood drooled out all around her.

  And Mike lay there. He stayed still. Totally still.

  Because he saw Kelsie sitting there too, wide-eyed, totally filled with shock.

  And then he heard the voice.

  The footsteps.

  “Kelsie!”

  She looked around. Looked around and saw him.

  Aiden.

  Kelsie looked at Aiden with shock. With surprise. “What—what—”

  “They’re coming,” Aiden said. “You need to get to this—this hospital. They’re coming for you. There’s no time to save your friends. There’s no time for anything else. You need to go.”

  “But—”

  “I can’t stay now,” Aiden said. “I need to go back. I need—I need to try something. But I’m sorry, Kelsie. You need to go. You really need to go. Now…”

  But he stopped, then.

  He stopped because of something he hadn’t accounted for.

  Something he hadn’t seen coming.

  Mike.

  Mike stood up.

  Stared Aiden in the eye.

  And it was that look on his face that told him all he needed to know.

  “Mike?” Aiden said.

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” Mike said. “But your bullet didn’t quite hit me.”

  He stepped in front of Kelsie. Tightened his fists.

  “Now I think it’s about time you explained yourself, don’t you?”

  Chapter Forty

  Alison stared at Richard as he stood there in the doorway, and she knew her opportunity to escape had well and truly passed.

  She could see the slight light right behind Richard. She could see his people, their rifles in hand. And she knew from the look on his face that the time for forgiveness had gone.

  They were beyond that point.

  There was only one way this was going now, and it wasn’t ending well.

  “I told you to wait,” Richard said. “To just… be patient. And if you were, we might find a solution to this mess we’re in. We might be able to figure something out.”

  He looked at Alison. Scanned her, head to toe. Looked at the rifle in her hands.

  Then he looked at the guard, Andy, as he crouched there, jaw clearly broken, eye totally bust.

  Then, back at Alison. Smiled. “I guess we’re just not good at listening to instructions, are we?”

  Alison took in a sharp breath. Because at the end of the day, she had a choice. She could back down. Let Richard keep the upper hand here.

  Or she could fight.

  She could fight her case. Explain herself.

  And maybe if that happened… she would get an opportunity.

  Not to escape. Escape was far out of her mind and her plans, now.

  But for something else.

  Something she’d been thinking about more recently.

  Something that seemed like the likeliest solution.

  “I had to try,” Alison said.

  Richard sighed. “You could’ve just trusted me, Alison—”

  “You implied you were going to kill us,” she said. “Was I supposed to just back down? Was I supposed to just accept that?”

  Richard frowned. “Kill you? Whe
re on earth did I imply that?”

  “Don’t bullshit me. We all know that was an option, for you. That was something in your thoughts.”

  Richard looked away. Looked back at the extraction point. Looked at it with loving eyes. “You know, all this time I’ve tried to keep a balance in this place. I’ve tried to keep hope. I’ve had that constant battle between not wanting to destroy people’s hopes but at the same time, not sell them too much of a dream.”

  “I can’t see how you can even say that,” Alison said. “Not with everything you’ve done. Not with the amount of times you’ve ditched people.”

  “It’s never been indiscriminate,” Richard said, looking back at her. “The people we extracted… we made sure they were capable people.”

  “There were children.”

  “And those children were with people who could look after them. The ones who we didn’t think were quite as able, we made sure they were with people who could look out for them, or that they went to a location that may be more suited to them. I mean, the seriously weak, we didn’t even extract them. Well. Most of them. But… I know you’ll never see eye to eye with me. I know you’ll never understand where I’m coming from, not totally. But I’m not doing it because I’m evil, or anything like that. This is just as hard for me as it is for you. And it’s not a permanent solution. You have to see that. You have to believe it.”

  Alison wanted to argue. She wanted to fight back. She wanted to tell Richard that she didn’t see where he was coming from. That he was wrong.

  But then she found herself taking a breath. She found herself nodding. Half-smiling. “I guess we’re all messed up, in our own ways. I just… I just ask one thing. One thing of you.”

  He waited for her to carry on.

  “Take me and Gina out of this place. Far, far away from this place if you have to. Just… just give us another chance to live. Another chance to survive. And it’s the last you’ll hear of us.”

  Richard looked down. He looked like he was really pondering things. Like he was mulling over what Alison was proposing. “After this?” He pointed at Andy. “After everything you’ve done?”

  “Again,” Alison said, her voice shaking now. “I was desperate. I was fearing for my damned life. You have to see that. You have to understand where I was coming from.”

  “And how do I know you won’t just try to come back here?”

  Alison tilted her head. “Come on, Richard. You know damn well I know that’d be a suicide mission. Besides. Kelsie’s gone. She’s… she’s found her own way out of this place. And I worry about her, of course I do. But she’s strong. She’ll survive. If you let her get away, she’ll make it. And she won’t make it back here either. I’m sure of it.”

  Richard stepped back. He whispered into the ears of those around him. And Alison felt the tension growing. She felt like this was it. The decisive moment. The moment everything had been building towards.

  He looked back at her, and she waited for his judgement. Waited for his verdict.

  And then he nodded.

  “We’ll get you out of here. Right now, though. And the dog. The dog doesn’t go anywhere. The dog stays right here.”

  Alison wanted to protest. She wanted to fight for Arya. To do everything she could to make sure she went with them.

  But she knew it was in vain.

  She nodded. “Just the two of us.”

  “Good,” Richard said. “And you don’t stop. You don’t mingle. Anyone asks and you tell them it’s a part of the apology. A part of the apology for what happened to Kelsie.”

  Alison nodded again. She looked around at Gina. Saw the concern in her eyes.

  But it was all they had.

  It was the only hope they had left.

  “Deal,” Alison said.

  Richard sighed. He looked around. “We’ll get you out of there as quickly as we can,” he said. “Andy, you get yourself down to the medical bay. You’re going to need that jaw looking at.”

  Alison watched as Gina was untied from the chair. She watched as they placed her next to her, as they stood by the door, the wind brushing against her face.

  “Are you okay?” Alison asked.

  “Yeah. But this. This isn’t—”

  “Just trust me,” Alison said.

  Gina frowned. “What?”

  Alison smiled back at her. “Just trust me. Please.”

  She saw the confusion on Gina’s face.

  Then she felt a hand on her back.

  “Come on,” Richard said. “Time to go.”

  They walked outside. Out into the light. Out into the breeze. And as they walked, Alison saw people. She saw them heading to work. Saw children heading to school. She saw this perfect little idyll, and she wanted to maintain it. She didn’t want the hope to dissipate. She didn’t want this to change for anything.

  But it wasn’t reality.

  And it wasn’t fair.

  She felt the arm in her back again. Saw Richard’s smile. Saw the look of facade. And then in the distance, she saw Arya. Saw her jumping up at the fences. Saw her barking, growling, desperate for reunion.

  She saw it all, and she knew it was time.

  She looked around at Gina, and she smiled.

  “Look after yourself, no matter what.”

  Gina frowned. “What—”

  “This place is a sham,” Alison shouted.

  She saw the heads turn. Saw people look around at her.

  And then she saw the fear in the eyes of Richard, in the eyes of the guards.

  “Keep moving,” one of the guards said.

  But Alison wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Albion is a lie,” she said. “This place, it’s—it’s built on lies—”

  “Keep walking.”

  But Alison had no intention of keeping walking.

  Because she knew one thing.

  The more she told the truth, and the more Richard’s people resisted… the more it would make it look like what she was saying was true.

  The more people would believe that Richard had something to hide after all.

  “I know it’s hard,” Alison shouted. “I know it’s not what you want to believe. But it’s the truth. They’re dumping people—”

  “Right,” Richard said, loudly, clearly. But there was uncertainty to his voice. “I’ll have no more of this madness—”

  “They’re dumping people just to maintain the illusion that this is an extraction point. But really, it’s all there is. Really, the people they dump are just sacrifices for the greater good. Wake up. There is no Albion. There’s only here, and nothing after this. Don’t you see it? Don’t you?”

  She saw the looks on the faces of the people around her. Saw their confusion. But more their disbelief than anything.

  And Alison felt like her days were numbered. Like her time was out.

  And then she heard the tearful voice. “It’s true.”

  She looked around. As did everyone else.

  Andy was standing there, jaw battered, tears rolling down his face.

  “Andy,” Richard said.

  “We’ve done a bad thing here,” Andy said. “So many bad things. But it’s over now. You know the truth. This place is a lie. Albion is a lie. She’s—she’s telling the truth.”

  Alison saw Andy look at her. She saw the half-smile on his face. Like he’d done what he had to do. What he owed her.

  Then she saw Richard.

  She saw the look in his eyes. Saw the redness to his face, now.

  And she saw something else, too.

  The guards.

  The way they had their guns raised.

  The way they were alarmed by what she was saying.

  Quite visibly.

  And then she heard the people.

  The mumbling of their voices.

  Their murmuring.

  Like they were hearing her.

  Hearing exactly what she was saying.

  The discomfort building. Growing.

&n
bsp; Crisis breaking out.

  And she smiled, then. Smiled as a little morning shower began to fall. She looked up at the light from the sky above.

  And then she looked back into Gina’s eyes.

  “We did it,” she said, as the whispering and the tension continued to spread. “We ended this place.”

  And then she looked at Richard, and she smiled.

  “We finished you.”

  She saw the look of total loss and fear on his face as his people started to erupt.

  She saw the bead of sweat roll down his forehead.

  Then she saw Andy looking at her.

  Blood oozing from his battered jaw.

  He opened his swollen lips. “It’s time to get out of h—”

  He didn’t finish what he was saying.

  Because Richard lifted a pistol and fired a bullet right between his eyes.

  Andy dropped dead.

  And then Richard turned the pistol on Alison, and she knew it was time.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “I think it’s about time you explained yourself,” Mike said, staring into Aiden’s eyes. “Don’t you?”

  The woods were filled with sunlight. By Mike’s side, Nina lay. Her eyes were wide. Her body was still.

  Another life, wasted.

  Another life, lost.

  And Mike felt bad for her. He felt like his heart had been torn out again; torn out by betrayal. By a failure of trust, once again.

  She was a good person. She’d come all this way to help him.

  And it had ended like this for her.

  All because of Aiden.

  All because he couldn’t be trusted.

  Somebody else that he’d found a way to trust despite all the odds. Someone he’d killed for.

  Betrayal.

  Again.

  Well not again.

  Not after this.

  “Mike,” Aiden said. But he was fighting an uphill battle. He didn’t seem strong now. He seemed weak. Really weak. Like he was trying to snivel his way out of the mess he’d got himself into. “You—you need to get away—”

  “You shot Nina,” Mike said.

  “I didn’t—”

  “You shot Nina, and you tried to shoot me. You did it because you knew we wouldn’t stop trying to find my people. You knew that if you scared Kelsie enough, you had a chance. A chance that she’d stay away from the extraction point. That you could go back there. Tell your people that—that you’d been attacked by me, or something. Show them the bodies. I can see through it now. I don’t want to see it… but I can see through it. Don’t lie. Don’t even try. It’s over.”