Falling Darkness Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller - Books 1-3

by Kellee L. Greene

  He stared at her as if he didn’t understand the question. “Um… Doctor.”

  “Okay, Doctor Wyatt—”

  “No just Doctor.”

  Kate pressed her lips together and stared into his cold eyes. “Doctor. I’m here to see the girl that was brought here yesterday.”

  “Right,” the doctor said pulling open the door. “Come on in. She’s in the isolation room.”

  Kate stepped into the building and looked around. The living room was empty except for a sofa and a desk. There were bottles of booze half hidden behind a stack of blankets.

  The doctor tried to walk a straight line as he led Kate and Ethan to the back of the house. He pointed at the door. “She’s in there.”

  “Is she contaminated?” Ethan asked.

  “Would I let you in there if she was?” The doctor locked on to Ethan’s eyes. “She had some minor cuts and scratches. She didn’t turn.”

  The doctor walked down the hall stopping at the end. He crashed into something just as he was about to turn the corner but didn’t bother looking back at them.

  “Take her with you when you go,” he said and then disappeared from sight.

  “Never liked that guy,” Ethan said under his breath.

  “Do you like anyone?” Kate said with a smirk.

  Ethan shook his head and took a step closer to Kate pinning her between the door and his body. “I like you.”

  Kate blinked at him with wide eyes before she reached over and turned the doorknob. Her eyes moved around the room, but it seemed to be empty. Ethan shrugged, and just as she was about to assume the drunken Doctor had them enter the wrong room, she heard movement in the closet.

  The floorboards creaked as she walked over to the closet. Kate stopped, but she didn’t open the door.

  “I know you’re in there. We can talk through the door if you’d like, but I’d rather see who I’m talking to,” Kate said.

  Silence filled the air.

  Kate slid open the door and caught the green eyes staring back at her. She was sitting on the floor hugging her knees to her chest. Her whole body trembled.

  Kate squatted down and clasped her hands. She smiled at the young woman who seemed smaller from when she’d first seen her.

  “What’s your name?” Kate asked.

  The girl blinked her round eyes several times before she opened her mouth. “Nikki.”

  “Hi, Nikki. I’m Kate, and this is Ethan,” Kate said gesturing over her shoulder. “What were you doing out there alone?”

  Nikki looked around before scooting herself out of the closet. She and Kate stood up at the same time.

  “I wasn’t alone until yesterday,” Nikki said, her shoulders falling down lower. She sniffed back her tears.

  Nikki’s blond hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Kate didn’t think she could have been more than a day over twenty.

  Tears started to roll down her dirty cheeks. “I was out there with my boyfriend,” Nikki said, and swallowed hard. “Now, I have nothing. No one. Nowhere to go. I should have just laid down out there and let those things feast on me.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here,” Kate said, feeling Ethan stiffen behind her just as he had with Will.

  “Why would I want to do that?” Nikki said. “I mean as fun as it is to get locked up and all.”

  “You don’t have to, but if you want to, you can. We’ll set you up with a place to stay. We have food, water, and a safe place to rest your head.”

  Nikki laughed, but her eyes were hard. “And what would I have to do for you?”

  “Nothing. Help out around the town when you’re feeling up to it,” Kate said with a shrug.

  “What if I want to leave?” Nikki asked.

  “Then you can go,” Ethan said crossing his arms.

  Nikki grimaced. “That’s what the last place said too and guess what? It wasn’t fucking true.”

  “Well, it’s true here,” Ethan said pulling back his shoulders.

  “You don’t have to decide now. I’ll show you around, find you a place to stay, and you can take your time figuring out what you want to do. How does that sound?” Kate asked.

  Nikki looked back and forth between Kate and Ethan. It looked like she wanted to crawl right back inside the closet.

  She hugged herself and settled her gaze on Kate. “Okay.”

  “Hungry?” Kate asked and Nikki half-shrugged. “I’ll show you the cafeteria first.”

  “You going to be all right?” Ethan asked leaning closer.

  Kate looked at Nikki and then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Ethan looked into Kate’s eyes. His gaze moved down to her lips, but he patted her on the shoulder once before he turned and left.

  “That guy is awkward,” Nikki said, her nose scrunched up.

  Kate couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped from between her lips. Ethan wasn’t awkward. He just didn’t like new people. She should have seen how he was with Will if she thought he was awkward around her.

  Kate gestured with her head to the door. “Ready to see the place?”

  “No,” Nikki said chewing her cheek, “but might as well get it over with.”

  Chapter 16

  Kate was sitting in her office at the end of the day. Maya was going through her nightly check-in routine, but Kate was mostly zoned out.

  Nikki was settled in, and Tommy said he’d check in on her occasionally. Kate wasn’t really that worried about Nikki. She was unarmed, and it had looked as though she’d been through hell, although she hadn’t said much about what she’d gone through out there.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Maya said cocking her head to the side.

  “Sorry,” Kate said with a frown. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Say no more,” Maya said hugging her clipboard to her chest. “I’ll get out of your hair. Long story short, the day went by without a hitch, oh except for the rice situation.”

  Kate narrowed her eyes. “The rice situation?”

  “Yes, that’s what I was just talking about… anyway, you’re going to need to send someone out to collect rice from the storage facility,” Maya said, setting her hand on her hip and clicking her tongue. “You really weren’t listening.”

  “Who am I going to send out there?” Kate leaned her head forward on her hands.

  “Wayne and Tommy?”

  Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. They’re working on training everyone on how to fight off The Unholy.”

  “They can take a day off,” Maya said. “It’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, okay, maybe.”

  Kate closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. It surprised her just how badly she felt like going outside of the fence and eradicating some of The Unholy.

  “Maybe I’ll just go to the storage facility myself,” Kate said.

  “That’s a terrible idea. We can’t let anything happen to you,” Maya said waving at Kate. “Sleep on it.”

  Kate waved back and put her head down on her desk. The door closed but someone was walking across the floor. Kate jerked her head up and saw Will standing there with his hands clasped in front of him. She gasped and pressed her hand to her chest.

  “Did I startle you?” Will asked.

  “You did,” Kate said straightening her spine. “I was just about to head out.”

  “Oh,” Will said looking around the darkening empty room. “I just need a minute of your time.”

  Kate stood, failing to hold back her yawn. “What’s up?”

  “I’m not sure how to say this,” he said scratching the back of his neck. “And I’m not even sure if I should.”

  “If you came all the way down here, you probably should,” Kate said crossing her arms as she squinted at him.

  His face was contorted. Will was doing a terrible job of hiding the fact that whatever was on his mind was troubling him.

  “Right. Okay. Everyone has been very good to me here, but as I was leaving the cafe
teria earlier today, I got lost for a minute and walked through an alley,” Will said twisting his fingers. “There were people talking inside one of the buildings. I’m not sure where, or who they were, but it wasn’t good.”

  Will took a quick step forward, and Kate couldn’t help but notice he was suddenly in her personal space.

  “What were they talking about?” Kate asked pretending not to notice how close he was to her.

  “Getting rid of someone,” Will said.

  Kate swallowed hard. “Getting rid of who?”

  Will shook his head. He frowned as he looked up from the floor and into Kate’s eyes.

  “I don’t know,” Will said. He ran his hand quickly through his hair. “But it made me nervous. I came straight here.”

  “Why here?”

  “To tell you,” Will said, his eyes shifting back to the floor. “And to make sure you were all right.”

  Kate felt a wave of warmth rush over her body. She wasn’t sure if it was because Will was so close to her, or if it was because she was worried that whatever he’d heard was something that was going to happen to her.

  “Do you think they were talking about me?” Kate asked her voice floating through the air like a rain cloud.

  He looked up again, locking eyes with her. “I don’t know.”

  Kate stared back, momentarily lost in his crystal blue eyes. If she stared long enough maybe, she could see the future, but there was an intensity in them so strong, she had to look away.

  She could feel his eyes still on her. Kate wished he wouldn’t have lied about his past. She wished Ethan would have been wrong about his distrust for Will.

  “I have no real reason to think it was,” Will said breaking the silence. “But in any case, you have people inside your town plotting to do harm to someone else. I figured you should know. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it.”

  “Thanks,” Kate said taking a step back to breathe in some fresh air. She leaned back against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. “Can you show me the house?”

  “I can.”

  Kate nodded. “Can you do it while being inconspicuous?”

  “Of course.” Will smirked. “There is one other thing.”

  Kate cocked her head to the side. Her exhaustion had temporarily lifted due to the news, but mentally she was done with the town for the day.

  “I just wanted to know if whatever this is between us… if you feel it too?” Will said taking another step forward. It was as if he already knew Kate could feel it. “In all my life nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

  “That’s probably what you say every time.”

  Will laughed. “So, you do feel it.”

  “No,” Kate lied.

  “Okay,” Will said leaning in even closer. He moved his lips close to Kate’s ear. “My mistake.”

  Her body tensed. Kate’s hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides, and her body was as stiff as a board. There was no way Will had missed her reaction.

  Will made his way to the door glancing over his shoulder. “Shall we?”

  Kate almost forgot why he’d come to the office in the first place. She sucked in fresh oxygen and forced her body to relax.

  They walked down the street side by side in absolute silence. Kate was annoyed with herself that she hadn’t been able to hide whatever it was she was feeling for Will. There was a big part of her that was pissed off that she was feeling anything at all.

  She didn’t know Will. He seemed like a good guy, but he was lying to her. He was lying to them all. Maybe it was simply a physical attraction, but that only made her angrier with herself.

  Will stopped and started talking about the weather. He turned down the alley and stopped in front of one of the windows.

  “Think it might rain,” he said gesturing up toward the sky. She watched as his eyes scanned a window on the way up. There was no doubt in her mind which building he’d overheard the dastardly plan from. If only he would have heard more because as far as she knew, no one was staying inside the building. “We should probably get inside before the downpour starts.”

  And with that, Kate followed him back to the hotel. Will stepped in front of Kate and blocked her way.

  “Was that helpful?” Will asked.

  “Not yet, but thanks for the information,” Kate said, her voice low.

  “You’re welcome,” Will said leaning in close. “I’ll keep my ears open and report back if I hear anything else.”

  Kate nodded and took a step back into something. She abruptly turned into Ethan’s chest. There was a darkness in his eyes as they shifted over to Will.

  “Good night, Kate,” Will said acting as if he didn’t even know Ethan was there.

  “Night.”

  Ethan kept his eyes on Will as he walked away. “What was that all about?”

  “Want to come up?” Kate asked.

  Ethan raised an eyebrow.

  “So that I might update you,” Kate said scrunching up her nose.

  He nodded and placed his hand on her back leading her into the hotel. They were completely silent until Kate locked her room door.

  “I don’t like that guy,” Ethan said.

  “Who would have guessed?” Kate asked, wanting to tell him that she asked Will about what Laura had told them and that he’d lied about it, but she knew it was better to keep it to herself. At least for the time being.

  “What did he want anyway?”

  Kate sat down on her bed and took off her shoes. She laid back and stared at the ceiling as she told Ethan what Will had heard.

  “Thought that house was empty,” Ethan said staring out of the window. Kate wondered if he could see it.

  “Maybe it’s supposed to be. Anyway, I believe him, he has absolutely no reason to lie.”

  “But unfortunately, we don’t have any details on what is going to happen and to whom.”

  Kate rested her hand on her forehead. A long moment dragged by before she sat up abruptly.

  “Me. I’m the target.”

  “What makes you think so?” Ethan asked.

  Kate chewed her lip like it was a piece of tasteless gum. “Percy and Robby probably weren’t the only ones. Maybe everyone just acted thankful. I don’t even want to be doing this!”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions.” Ethan sat down on the bed and patted her leg.

  “Am I?” Kate frowned. “I don’t think I am. It’s the only thing that makes sense. What if they come back?”

  Ethan shook his head not following her train of thought.

  “Percy and Robby, what if they come back to finish off what they started?”

  “You need to calm down,” Ethan said, and Kate popped up out of bed.

  “Don’t tell me how to react. Think about it. Who else here would they want to take down?”

  Ethan scratched the side of his head. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

  “Exactly. His supporters are still here… inside the town, and they want revenge.”

  “Kate,” Ethan said reaching out for her hand.

  She flinched and walked over to the window. Her fingers shook as she moved them to her lips to chew her fingernail.

  “Will was probably lying.”

  “No. He wasn’t.”

  “You can’t be sure.”

  Kate grimaced. “I’m sure enough. Enough to be worried. If you aren’t going to take this seriously, then maybe you should just leave.”

  “No, I’m sorry, what do you want me to do? I’ll do it.”

  Kate didn’t blink. She didn’t move.

  “Wait. I have an idea,” Ethan said.

  Kate moved her head so fast she felt dizzy. She clutched her chest as she waited for Ethan to share his thought.

  “A mandatory town meeting.”

  “How will that help?”

  “We’ll see who comes and who doesn’t.”

  Kate’s head started bobbing up and down. “Maya will know. She also mig
ht be able to find something out. After all, she worked with Simon, if he still has supporters they might talk to her.”

  “Except that they know she’s working for you.”

  “Right. Dammit.”

  “And let’s not forget Simon locked her up.”

  Kate leaned back against the wall. “Okay, I get it. But she’ll know who’s not there. She knows everyone in this town.”

  Ethan folded his arms over his chest. “It’s settled then. A town meeting.”

  Kate shivered. “But when?”

  “Tomorrow night. That’ll give you enough time to talk to Maya, and I’ll set it up,” Ethan said. “Just in case you are a target, you’ll stay safely by Tommy and Wayne. I’ll lead the meeting.”

  “What will you talk to everyone about?”

  Ethan started to pace. “I’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll make up something about The Unholy.”

  “Okay. So, we’re doing this?”

  Ethan sat down in the chair and crossed his leg over the other. “Yeah, we’re doing this. Hopefully, it’ll put your mind at ease.”

  “Or maybe you’ll see that my suspicion is accurate. That someone is out to get me.”

  “God, I hope not.”

  Kate laid back down on the bed, but her eyes wouldn’t close. She felt that as long as she was inside the fence, her eyes wouldn’t ever close again.

  Chapter 17

  Maya sat down in the chair on the other side of Kate’s desk. She set down the clipboard and picked at the dirt under her fingernails.

  “You look tired,” Maya said barely looking at Kate over her fingers.

  “Thanks,” Kate replied.

  “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that,” Maya said leaning forward, placing her palm on Kate’s desk. “You look fine, it’s just that your shoulders look like they’re pulling you down.”

  Kate rolled her shoulders back. She probably did look tired, and it was because she hadn’t slept well.

  “I wanted to ask you something,” Kate said.

  “Shoot.”

  “Have you heard any rumors about people being unhappy here, or maybe unhappy with the way things are going?” Kate looked up to meet Maya’s eyes after she’d finished.

  Maya pulled back, her eyes wide. “What? No! I’ve heard nothing but good things.”