Ruined Between the Sheets: An Anthology of Dystopian Stories that Get to the Point

by L. A. Boruff

  Her heart rate slowed as Q stroked her hair with one hand, holding her hands with his other.

  She felt sticky in places that shouldn’t be sticky, and when she lifted her heavy head, she saw where Howie and Maddox had come on her.

  She slumped back, too exhausted to worry about cleaning up now.

  “You know we love you, don’t you?” Maddox’s face appeared in her line of sight. She felt Howie wiping her skin, and she smiled at Maddox.

  “I love you all too.”

  He kissed her nose. “We’re keeping the rabbit.”

  “It’s going to need a name,” Q said, still stroking her head, his fingers working over the short strands of her hair.

  “Slayer?” Howie suggested.

  “That is a good name,” she said, trying to catch her breath as aftershocks still rippled through her.

  “Slayer it is.” Maddox kissed her again. “Go to sleep, Corporal Cornish. You’re safe with us.”

  “And we’re safe, because of you.” Q bent his head and kissed her forehead. “Love you, babe.”

  “We’re a fucking good team.” Howie came into view and kissed her before covering her with a blanket.

  “We’re making our way to Durnby starting first light,” Maddox said. “If we only stop for fuel, we’ll be there day after tomorrow. No more stops for anything except fuel.”

  “And to make love,” she mumbled, making them laugh.

  Howie lifted her head, and Q slid a pillow under her. She snuggled down, happier than she’d ever been.

  And wasn’t it ironic that it took the end of the world to get her there?

  The End

  About the Author

  R.M. Walker is a British author who spins stories of love, romance, and happy endings. Mostly set in the UK, or some fantasy world of her making.

  Along with her black cat, she can be found writing in her cave most days.

  Diverse in the genres of romance R.M. Walker has written both paranormal and contemporary romance. Polyamory is her favourite pairing, but she also loves a one to one romance. She just loves to write about romance in all its forms.

  You can see all her books on her website and her Amazon page.

  Come and talk to her on one of her social media sites below. She’s house-trained and no longer bites the postman when he calls, so you will be perfectly safe with her.

  https://www.authorrmwalker.com

  https://www.facebook.com/rm.walker.180

  Read on for a chapter from her book, Lily. The first book in The Seer Series.

  Touch

  Lunch time found Lily sitting at the only empty table in the canteen. Her new map had got her there much more quickly than if she had tried to find it before they’d adjusted it for her. It was accurately drawn, and for that she was thankful.

  “You called my name.”

  A boy, about her age, was standing by the table, a tray of food in his hands. He was looking at her expectantly, his head tilted slightly to the side. A pair of wire rimmed glasses sat on his long, straight nose. The bluest eyes Lily had ever seen were behind those glasses, watching her intently. His face was thin, angular, and his cheekbones were pretty hot for a guy. No amount of sucking in her cheeks would give her cheekbones quite like that. His lips pursed slightly, and Lily realised she’d been staring at him. But in her defence, he was gorgeous.

  “What?” she asked him, not remembering what he had said to her. Did he want to sit with her? She could go with that.

  “I said, you called me; you called my name,” he repeated himself. He held an air of authority that made her think he might be on the staff, rather than one of the students. He could be a classroom aide and just look younger than he was.

  “I didn’t call you.” She frowned and looked around her. The students at the other tables were paying no attention to either of them, more interested in their own conversations.

  “Yes, you did.” He spoke clearly as if there was no doubt in the matter. “I heard you.”

  “Hey, Nate! Who’ve you found?” Another boy came over, balancing his own tray in one hand whilst carrying a stack of books in the other. He was about the same age, with dirty blonde hair that looked as if he’d run his hands through it several times. It stuck up at odd angles, the front pushed to one side to stop it falling into his eyes. His eyes were a whiskey brown, warm and filled with a spark of friendliness that had her smiling without even realising it. His face was rounder than his friend’s, but he was just as good looking. He was taller by an inch, but he was slightly slouched as he came to a stop beside the boy. She realised that they were both students.

  “She called my name,” Nate said, not taking his eyes from her.

  “No, I didn’t,” Lily repeated herself firmly. “It must have been someone else, because it wasn’t me. I’m new here, and I don’t even know your name.”

  “You can call my name,” the other boy said with a wide grin. He plopped into the seat opposite her.

  “Matthew.” Nate’s voice held a tone of censure that Lily didn’t understand.

  “What?” He sent the other boy a wave of his fingers in dismissal and concentrated on Lily again. “You’re beautiful, aren’t you? And new. You have to be new here, or we’d be dating already.”

  Lily snorted with laughter at his words. A few boys had flirted with her before, but nothing serious, just hand holding and end of year dance dates. She’d only been kissed once. Jimmy Price had asked her to the end of year dance in Brighton and stolen a kiss as he dropped her home. The lack of feelings it produced in her left her wholly unimpressed. They’d moved the following week anyway, so she never saw him again, and it didn’t upset her.

  Nate sighed heavily and sat down next to his friend, setting his tray on the table.

  “Matt, are you seriously going to hit on her straight away?”

  “You snooze, you lose, Nate. You’ve been here for a good couple of minutes, and you haven’t even got the lovely lady’s name.” He looked at me. “Which is?”

  “Lily Adair.”

  “Welcome to Heathview College, Lily Adair. So, you want to ask me on a date?” Humour shone in his eyes as he grinned at her. “Because I won’t say no if you do.”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Nate answered before Lily could even open her mouth.

  “Don’t answer for my girl,” Matt said, and stole a chip from her plate. Lily looked at his plate, he’d taken the lasagne option with no chips.

  “She’s not your girl,” Nate said with a smirk. “She hasn’t asked you yet.”

  “I probably won’t either.” She knew they were only teasing her, there was no way he could be serious about dating her. He didn’t know her at all.

  “Told you so,” Nate said, opening his can of Coke and taking a sip. She knew he was watching her closely, but she refused to be intimidated by his intense stare.

  “She said probably, Nate. And probably means yes in my language.”

  “That’s because you don’t speak English, Matt,” Nate replied smoothly, making Lily laugh.

  Matt took another chip from her plate and she sent him a stern look, but he just winked at her and ate it.

  “I’ll share my lasagne,” he said, after swallowing the chip. The lasagne was shining with grease, and Lily shook her head, grimacing.

  “Yeah, it’s a toss-up between which food item will kill you quicker,” Matt said, poking at his lasagne. “Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes. I know where this is going. You’re holding out for me to ask you instead, aren’t you?”

  “She’s not holding out on you, and if she should date either of us, it should be me as it was my name she called,” Nate pointed out. There was something in his eyes that sent a shiver down her back. There was a calculating look in them that told her he was not as easy-going as he appeared. He was measuring her up, but what he thought of her she couldn’t guess.

  “I didn’t call your name! It was someone else, or maybe you need to get your hearing checked.” She saw his eyebrows li
ft slightly. He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything Matt spoke up.

  “So, what brings you to our humble little town? Apart from summer tourists, we don’t get many people coming here.”

  “My mum has a job here,” Lily said, and decided to concentrate only on Matt and not worry about what his slightly strange, but admittedly gorgeous, friend thought.

  “Cool. What does she do?”

  “She’s an artist, she’s been commissioned to do a painting of someone’s house.”

  Matt’s head went back, and she saw him send Nate a quick look before he was beaming back at her.

  “I know who you are! It’s my parents who’ve commissioned her.”

  “Crowder Manor?”

  He jumped to his feet, almost sending his books to the floor, but Nate’s quick reflexes saved them.

  “Matthew Crowder, at your service!” He executed a small bow and then sat back down. “See? Now it’s fate. We’re going to date because fate has brought us together.”

  “I think it was more the advance payment to be honest. I’m not a big believer in fate.”

  “No?” Matt tilted his head, his whiskey eyes still playful. “Now that’s a shame. Here, let me read your palm for you.” He held out his hand to her.

  “It’s a ploy to get you to hold his hand.” Nate shook his head.

  “One that worked,” Lily replied and extended her hand to Matt’s, palm upwards. His long fingers caught hers, and it hit her like a bolt of lightning. It hammered into her head, taking over every nerve in her body. She felt her eyes roll back in her head, completely unable to stop herself from jerking backwards, taking the tray with her....

  If you want to read more follow this link: https://www.books2read.com/lily

  Days After

  K.A Knight & Erin O’Kane

  Days After

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to places, events or real people are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 K.A Knight & Erin O’Kane, all rights reserved.

  Written by K.A Knight & Erin O’Kane

  Created with Vellum

  1

  The Bombs

  The country song cuts off mid-bar, fading to a news broadcast. Yawning, I reach over and mess with the dial until I find another station playing an upbeat song. I roll down the car window, letting the cool, late summer breeze into my truck to blow away my drowsiness. After driving for the last ten hours straight, with only one stop, I’m beyond tired. I could have flown home, but I was trying to waste some time. The flight only took two hours and the drive fourteen. Not that I don’t love my family, I do, but my father can be a bit...much.

  He’s what people call a ‘prepper,’ and I was raised to believe the world could end at any time, a hard way to live as a kid. As children, we were drilled in survival skills, bomb drills, and even alien landings. He still does it, but his rants and conspiracies have gotten worse and worse until pretty much everyone, including my mother, thinks he’s a little bit insane. It makes for a fun reunion, cue sarcasm, but I have no choice. I haven’t seen them in over a year. I keep making excuses, saying my job kept me busy, which it did, but in reality, it was all just excuses. I hate going home, it only reminds me of why I left in the first place.

  Sighing and pushing past the depressing thoughts of the looming weekend, I lean my arm out of the window, playing in the wind with my fingers.

  The station I’m listening to crackles again and the song cuts off mid-beat once more. Frowning, I look down at the old radio, then glance up at the empty stretch of country road I’m on before leaning over and messing with the dial. A beep sounds on the current station and I freeze as a message blurts across the system.

  “This is an Emergency Action Notification. We interrupt our programming at the request of the White House. All normal programming has been discontinued during this emergency. This is a national emergency. Listen closely, important instructions to follow.” A higher pitched, longer beep sounds as my heart starts to pound. This is a joke, right? Stopping the car, I pull on the handbrake and turn up the volume on the radio. “This is not a test of the Emergency Alert System. The broadcasters of your area, in voluntary cooperation with the White House and FCC, will remain on air providing news and information to the public in assigned areas. Do not use your telephone. The telephone lines should be kept open for emergency use. The following message is transmitted in accordance with the United States government. A series of devastating nuclear attacks have occurred, starting at eleven AM today. Ten nuclear attacks have detonated in various locations across the country, with more anticipated. Locations affected so far are: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, New York City, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and Washington DC. At this time, residents within a four hundred mile radius of any of the affected areas should seek a fallout shelter. More attacks are expected, take shelter immediately. Do not attempt to escape the blasts or the fallout. Prolonged exposure to the radiation will result in certain death. Make sure you have food, water, and a battery operated radio. Do not exit the shelter until news has been given that it’s safe. The president will be speaking shortly. Stand by for further instructions.”

  A beep sounds as the automated voice begins again. With shaky hands I reach over and flip stations, searching, but the same message is broadcasted on every single one. Grabbing my phone from the cup holder, I see the alert on my phone.

  It’s real.

  Shock settles in as I sit in my idle truck in the middle of the empty road. When my phone starts ringing, I almost drop it before juggling it and sliding to accept the call. My dad’s panicked voice screams down the phone.

  “Where are you? Get to safety Toni! Now!” he shouts.

  “Daddy, Daddy!” I scream, tears forming in my eyes.

  “It’s going to be okay baby, are you close enough to get here?” he asks, his voice high and worried.

  “No, no, I’m still three hours out,” I gasp.

  “They are coming baby, get food and water, and get somewhere safe. A basement, the lowest floor in a safe building. Do it now, do not look at the blast and do not leave for anything. You know what to look for, you know what to do—” The signal starts cutting in and out and I hold the phone tighter, tears streaming down my face.

  “Daddy? Daddy! I’m scared!” I cry, sniffing hard.

  “I—” Static. “Proud—Love you.”

  The phone goes dead and I pull it away to see the signal is gone. Screaming, I throw it to the passenger’s seat and grasp the wheel, trying to breathe deep. He’s right, I know what to do. He told me time and time again, we have ran through scenarios. I can do this.

  The car rocks from side to side and I scream. Opening the door quickly, I jump from it so I don’t get hurt, and I stand in the middle of the road as a bright light starts in the distance. Covering my eyes, I fall to the ground as the whole world seems to quake. Heat burns at my exposed skin as I curl to protect myself, screaming into my arms as I wait it out until the moving stops. Glancing up, I stare open-mouthed as I get to my feet.

  A mushroom cloud appears in the distance, extending in the air as far as the eye can see. Everything seems to stop, nothing moves before it explodes outward.

  Heat rushes past everything in a wave, the wind streaming past me as I cower on the ground again. Breathing deep, snot dripping from my nose, I count to myself.

  “One, the bomb. Two, the after. Three, shelter. Four, the fallout.”

  When everything goes still again, I climb to my feet.

  I need to get to safety. The bomb might have dropped, but it’s the days after that will be the worst….

  2

  Day One

  Gripping the wheel, I race along the road I was traveling on before the blast. I passed a small town not ten miles back, I can make it there, get some supplies, and find somewhere to hunker down. Repeating the plan in my head is the only thing that’s keeping me calm. Ignoring the shaking in my limbs and the
sick feeling in my stomach, I keep my eyes ahead, not looking back at the blast.

  When the sign welcoming me to Springs marks the turn off, I breathe deeper, then turn the wheel and drive straight onto the main street. A few shops line each side, as does a sheriff's department and fire station. Other than that it’s empty, and I don’t just mean the buildings. There isn’t a soul in sight.

  Empty, with abandoned cars lining the road and a few bikes still tied up. There is even a truck still running, waiting at the end of the road with no one inside. Slowing down so I don’t hit any of them, I park outside of the small supermarket and inhale, trying to calm my breathing.

  When it’s slowed down, I set a timer on my watch. I need to find somewhere to shelter within the next thirty minutes, before the fallout hits, which means I have around ten minutes to get in and out. Reaching over, I pull open the glove compartment, hesitating over the pistol stashed there. I never thought I would need this, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

  Checking the safety, I slide out of the car, shutting the door behind me and keeping the pistol in hand as I make my way to the shop. The glass sliding door, proudly declaring it’s open, slides when I hover outside. Sticking my head through, pistol in hand, I check for other people. It looks deserted as well. One of the tills is standing open, a TV is broadcasting the Emergency Alert System in the corner, the message on repeat.

  The lights are on meaning they still have power, which is good. The blast couldn’t have been too close if it’s working. Trying not to think about the fact that the blast was in the direction of home I grab a cart and make my way through the aisles.

  I grab flashlights, two handheld radio batteries, spare batteries, water, and canned food. As much as the cart can handle. I also grab some iodine tablets. Passing the pharmacy, I sigh. It would be good to get some antibiotics and other medicines, but it’s locked and I don’t have time to break in. Shaking my head at the idea of wasting my time, I make my way back through the aisle, grabbing some last minute cans and pre-packaged food supplies until I hear boots.