The Break Free Series Box Set [Books 1-3]

by Fitch, E. M.

  “’Night Emma.”

  Her bed was cold when she climbed into it, still fully clothed. She was asleep before she remembered the sheets warming.

  Chapter Nine

  Emma was not in the room when Kaylee awoke though the light filtering through the dusty window was sharp and bright. It was mid-day and the first time that Emma had woken and left the room before her sister.

  Kaylee rolled to her side and groaned at she sat up. Her head was throbbing, a dull pulse of a headache behind her eyes that evidenced her poor nights sleep.

  They’re leaving soon, you’ll forget. They’re leaving soon. He’s leaving soon.

  But instead of bolstering her mood, her attempt at reassurance had exactly the opposite effect.

  The halls were still, not even Quinton could be seen roaming around. But a scraping sound, metal on metal, echoed up from the first floor. Kaylee couldn’t place it and a shiver of unease spread through her, making even the tips of her fingers tingle. The odd, out-of-place noise reminded her of the infected in the apartments of the high rise, of bloodied fingernails scratching and scraping.

  A muffled curse sounded from the kitchen and Kaylee’s stomach roiled in fear. Emma.

  Her feet pounded down the stairs as she made for the kitchen, her sneakers skidding slightly as she came around the corner. It was quiet again, still and empty.

  “Emma?”

  “Out here,” came a muffled reply. Kaylee peered out the window and saw Emma perched on the fire escape platform, a wire grill brush in one hand and the fingertips of her other stuffed in her mouth. “I cut my finger,” she mumbled.

  “What are you—”

  “Everyone okay?” Jack was tightening his belt as he ran into the kitchen. “I heard running.”

  “That was me, sorry,” Kaylee said, gesturing to Emma. “She was cursing, I didn’t know—”

  “Geez, you’d think I do no work around here,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “The platform’s dirty. I was up. I cut my finger and swore a bit. You get too worked up, Kaylee.”

  “Brat! I was worried about you.” She didn’t need to add ‘especially after last night’ for Emma to understand.

  “Like I said, you get too worked up.”

  “Just be careful out there.” Emma rolled her eyes again in response.

  “Well, as long as I’m here,” Jack said, grinning as he moved to the pantry. “Girls, breakfast?”

  “Why not?” Kaylee smiled, internally beating down the butterflies that beat against her stomach.

  Jack seemed to be doing as he promised. At least for now, he had stopped avoiding her. She preferred it that way for as long as she had left. She realized she didn’t even know how long that was. Last night she had forgotten to ask.

  “Well, since oatmeal’s obviously out until Emma’s done—”

  “Which won’t be for a while because she takes forever to clean anything up.”

  “Hey!”

  “—how does pineapples sound?”

  And then there was a sound that wrenched the morning air apart, tore through the silly conversation and unhurried arguments until the whole world stopped with earth-shattering precision.

  A bolt snapped.

  With the sound of wrenching iron, the fire escape swayed into collapse. Emma had no more time than to muster a confused expression before she was gone, her brunette hair whipping up around her face and the distance she fell muffling her scream.

  “Emma!” Kaylee screeched, flying to the window and nearly falling through in her hasty and misguided attempt to catch her sister. By the time she stuck her head through the opening, all she could see of Emma was a cloud of dust. A years’ worth of soot and ashes had broken her fall and the stirring body below was covered head to toe in the black, grimy remains.

  Kaylee wrenched herself from the sight of her sister and from the sight of the infected turning, grunting, and staggering over to the promise of fresh meat. She ran for the living room, knocking a stunned-looking Jack out of her way. As she tore through the door she could hear him call her name, though whether it was supposed to be a warning, a comfort, or a grunt of frustration she was unsure. Kaylee flew at the fire pole and her body swung as she grabbed hold.

  She fell so fast, she might as well have not used the pole at all and her knees jarred as her feet connected with the hard garage floor. But her head ignored the warning her knees sent her brain, the warning to slow and pace herself. And she didn’t notice how her breath seared her lungs as she dragged it through, nor how her vision was clouded with tears. She could hear the scrambling against the side of the building, hear bodies crashing together, hear screeches that were becoming more piercing by the second, and she ran for the window that was bolted shut.

  Kaylee let out a noise that was a mix between growl and a pathetic, whimpering cry as the bolt slid uselessly beneath her sweaty fingers. But then Jack was there, shoving her to the side and sliding the bolt with a ringing clang before wrenching the metal window covering away and hauling himself through the opening. Kaylee paused long enough to watch him disappear, to take once last searing breath before she flung herself after him.

  The daylight seemed brighter from the street than it was from the rooftop, which was wrong because with the tall buildings and trees and the shadows they lent, it should have seemed dimmer. But it didn’t, it was brilliant, white and blinding, and Kaylee blinked before her head swiveled toward the stirring pile of ash. A quick look past caused her heart to clench.

  A swarm of infected was rushing towards them, the smell or feel or heat, whatever was the indication of a fresh meal, pulling them closer by the second. Kaylee felt her throat close and her muscles freeze but then a very different moan rang in her ears. Emma was crying out. Kaylee saw her lift her head, tear tracks streaking through the grunge on her face, her eyes wide with fear.

  Kaylee’s muscles unlocked, as though a bolt of electricity had shocked through her and she ran, passing Jack and reaching Emma just as the first of the infected did.

  Kaylee pulled Emma to her, lifting her clear out of the ash, a cascade of dirt trailing from her shaking body. But as soon as she stood straight, with a sickening crash, she was thrown to the pavement. Emma landed on top of her, followed by a growling, heaving infected man. His teeth flashed, yellow and broken, sores that were blistered and reddened with blood covered the inside of his mouth and lips. Kaylee gripped Emma tighter, ignoring her cry of pain as she scrambled to free them both from beneath the thrashing man.

  A second crash reverberated from above and Kaylee squeezed her eyes shut, clamped her lips tightly, and held her breath as Jack brought an iron pipe down with nauseating precision. She knew he hit his target as a keening screech sounded, as drops of a hot, wet substance rained over her.

  “Keep your mouths shut!” Jack yelled. Kaylee pressed her lips even more firmly as she dragged her sleeve over her eyes, wiping the blood from her face. She could hear Emma whimpering and could only hope she was listening to Jack.

  But the pounding of feet on the pavement soon distracted Kaylee from thinking about anything else and she blinked her eyes open.

  “Hurry!” Jack screamed. “Get up, they’re coming fast!”

  Another clunk let Kaylee know that Jack had found a second target and she turned her face from the sound as she hauled Emma to her feet.

  “Emma, let’s go!” Kaylee screamed, tugging on her sister. Emma resisted, her sobs nearly drowning out Jack’s yelling.

  “Go! Go! What are you waiting for?”

  Kaylee grabbed Emma around the waist and lift her, dragging her closer to the window. She turned to see Andrew and her father with their heads sticking from the window, eyes wild and frantically beckoning them closer. Emma was thrashing, shaking her head and sobbing and Kaylee felt her own tears fall, running through the drying streaks of infected blood that had stained her face.

  She turned to check on Jack as the window loomed closer. He was swinging full force at a group of swarming infect
ed, catching a woman in the chin. Kaylee watched as a spray of blood painted the brick side of the fire station, two teeth flying from her broken jaw.

  “Jack! Come on!” Kaylee called, fear seizing in her chest at the size of the swelling group running towards him. He spared her a quick look before swinging one last time, hitting a large man upside the head, his rotting skull crushing under the blow.

  “Kay, lift her up!” came her father’s urgent call and she looked up to find herself directly below the window. As she strained to push Emma towards them, her arms shaking with the effort, Emma thrashed and screamed.

  But then Jack was there, helping Kaylee to push Emma up and her father grasped her sister’s arm and Andrew heaved her through. Jack had grabbed Kaylee by the waist, preparing to hoist her up and Kaylee gripped the ledge, ready to pull herself into safety.

  And then she froze. Her muscles locked into place, her breath caught in her chest, and her vision went hazy. The worst and most horrifying sound to reach her ears that morning sounded from inside their safe haven.

  “Stop! Put me back, I’m bit! I’m bit.”

  Emma was sobbing loudly, begging Andrew and her father to chuck her back out, struggling to get past them, back into the throng of infected.

  Because Emma is infected.

  Kaylee felt the air in her body stop moving, not leave precisely, just stop. Her chest felt blocked, the breath stuck there became stale and stagnant and still she could force no movement.

  There was a scrapping sound from above her and she forced her eyes up. She noted at that moment that the pounding of feet on the pavement was still looming closer, that Jack’s fingers were digging into her sides and most likely bruising the skin there as he screamed in her ear, but then Emma’s tear-streaked face was inches from her own, her fingers clawing at the windowsill as she attempted to throw off her father and Andrew and escape the fire station. Kaylee forced out a breath.

  “Em.”

  “I’m sorry,” her sister whispered through her tears, looking mournfully at Kaylee, and then she was ripped from view. Andrew had given an almighty tug and Emma was gone. The window was darkened and empty and the roar of Jack’s voice broke through the strangled noises coming from Kaylee’s throat.

  “Kaylee, we have to go!”

  She spun around and choked back a scream. The swarm of infected was closing in on them, there was no chance, no time to get back through the window. Jack was already swinging his pipe at the oncoming crowd.

  “Jack! Run!” Kaylee screamed as she tugged his shirt. He gave one last ferocious swing; cleaving through the torso of an elderly, snapping infected woman before turning and pushing Kaylee down the road.

  They broke into a sprint. Kaylee had no real idea where they were headed, though somewhere in the back of her mind she had wild, half-formed thoughts of making it to the fenced-in cornfield. Her idea was squashed when they reached the end of the building and she and Jack skidded to a halt. Just as they made the last few steps to the road a veritable wall of infected met them. The groaning, twitching bodies advanced steadily, with very near the same speed and strength of newly infected. Though some staggered on shattered ankles and missing limbs, more than enough were running full tilt towards them.

  Kaylee shrieked as a loud boom shook the air around her.

  “Keep your head down,” Jack yelled as he grabbed her hand and veered them toward the set of buildings on the right. Kaylee drew a wild breath, her eyes flying around her, searching for the source of the noise. A small group of infected was closing in on them and Kaylee forgot the boom. She ducked her head and pushed herself harder, running faster than she had in over a year. Her limbs ached already and each breath felt like fire as it unwillingly entered her lungs.

  A trio of infected were overtaking them, feral shrieks streaming from dirty, bloodied mouths. Their yellowed teeth were snapping and their outstretched hands were snatching and scraping as they reached for Kaylee and Jack.

  Another ear shattering explosion sounded and Kaylee turned to see a now headless infected man stagger over. His knees hit the ground with a sickening crunch and his torso fell next, lifeless. His fellows fell over his bleeding remnants and Kaylee turned back at the insistent tug on her hand from Jack.

  But she understood now what the sounds were. Gunshots. Someone from their group was shooting from the rooftop, trying to clear their way for them. As Jack and she made it across the street and around the corner of the next set of buildings, two more explosions sounded and this time, Kaylee saw the targets hit. A woman staggered in front of her, a red, bleeding hole blossomed on her chest, opening like the petals of a rare flower. Blood seeped from between her teeth and her yellowed eyes rolled back before she fell face first unto the pavement. The child next to her was howling from the hole that separated his right leg from the rest of his body. Jack jumped over his prone form, dragging Kaylee with him.

  The road ahead was clear and Kaylee felt Jack steer them towards what had been an abandoned factory even before the infection took hold. The windows had mostly been boarded, though the few that had remained had the glass kicked out, the occasional shard clinging stubbornly. The scramble of footsteps was still sounding behind them, though not as close as before.

  “Here,” Jack muttered, lifting Kaylee and shoving her through an empty window frame. “Make for the stairs, we’ll get to the roof and barricade there,” he said, his voice even and clear despite their sprint. Kaylee tried to answer, to affirm that she had understood, but she was unable to properly draw breath. Her tears still ran clear tracks down her face, her chest was heaving with exertion and grief, her heart hammering and yet feeling like a dull, dead weight regardless.

  Emma.

  “C’mon,” Jack huffed, breaking glass as he followed her through and cutting through Kaylee’s sob. Kaylee nodded as she staggered forward, hastily wiping her sleeve across her eyes. Jack was already several steps ahead and Kaylee hastened to catch up to him. She reached forward to clasp his hand and just as her fingers intertwined with his a sharp crack echoed off the broken walls. Jack had one small moment to look back, one second to lock eyes with Kaylee, mirroring her confused expression before their world tilted.

  The floor split open.

  Through splinters and shafts, nails and broken crossbeams Kaylee and Jack fell, the remnants of the rotten floorboards raining down with them.

  Kaylee landed with a thud on a cold cement floor, her left hip pulsing and throbbing as blood pooled rapidly under her skin, spreading to collect into a large bruise. Her left hand ached, radiating a dull throb up her arm, but she had at least had the sense to use that now-crushed hand to cushion her head. And though her vision swam initially, she was able to shake it clear, to watch the hell she had now fallen into bloom before her.

  A clear shaft of light illuminated a circle encompassing Kaylee and Jack, as though they were on some morbid joke of a stage in the spotlight. She could see the dust particles and debris floating in the rays of light, sifting gently through the stale air as they settled. The light stung, casting the shadows into even greater depths, but her eyes adjusted, slowly, as though her very body was afraid of uncovering what she saw next.

  Kaylee saw the infected.

  A mass of bodies all piled over one another, gasping shallow breaths that rattled through their under-used lungs.

  How long had it been since they had seen the daylight? Had they been sleeping here all this time, kept dormant by the lack of sunlight?

  But the sunlight reached them now. In massive heaps they surrounded Jack and Kaylee, the tendrils of light offering the faintest illumination to all but the farthest corners of the basement they had fallen into. Their emaciated bodies were stirring, guttural cries and shrieks were beginning to tear from their chests and bile rose to the back of Kaylee’s throat as she imagined how hungry they must be after all this time.

  “Kaylee,” Jack whispered, his movements measured and cautious. “Can you move?”

  “Yes,” s
he whispered back, swallowing down the sick and gritting her teeth. “Where?”

  “The back, as far from the light as we can go,” was Jack’s hushed plan. His hand was blindly reaching out for her and she grasped it before gingerly getting to her feet. Her hip popped, aching and protesting the weight she forced onto it but she bit down harder and forced her body to move. Jack slid back slowly, checking his footing as he inched closer to her before he turned to pick their way away from the light.

  Kaylee all but stopped breathing as they tiptoed through the piles of stirring bodies. A jaw snapped so near her ankle she almost cried out, instead she clamped so hard on Jack’s hand that she heard his knuckles crack.

  They had landed in the basement, one that was underused even when people had inhabited the building. Bodies covered the entire floor, garbage scattered among them. But there was no furniture, and there were no workbenches or storage containers, no hiding places of any kind. From the brief look in the limited light, Kaylee could see only concrete, concrete and pipes, with the occasional wire hanging limply from the now shattered ceiling.

  “Here,” Jack whispered, pushing Kaylee towards the wall and pressing her between two large pipes that ran down vertically. The concrete was cold and unforgiving against her back, its’ uncomfortable temperature already seeping through her thin, cotton shirt. A shiver rushed through her and she envied Jack his hooded sweatshirt. The pipes were rusted but large, Kaylee could no longer see the circle of light in which they had landed. Her vision was limited to the small gathering of bodies just in front of her. They weren’t stirring yet.

  And then all vision of the basement was taken from her as Jack pressed up close to her, her nose bumping into his chest and grazing against his opened zipper.

  “We’ll stay like this until dark,” he whispered, his breath hot against the clammy skin of her neck. She went to answer but found her mouth too dry; she nodded instead. Jack’s hands settled on her waist, she could feel his chest rise and fall against hers with every breath. And the groans and cries of the infected around them grew louder.