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

by Fitch, E. M.

  "I can take that for you," she said, catching his eye.

  "That'd be great, thanks," Jack said, his voice infused with some warmth and his eyes finally meeting hers. There was a fire there in those irises, a warm blaze that lit something in Kaylee.

  He was waiting, very patiently, for her to sort her head out. And she needed to for his sake. Because he cared for her, very much, and despite everything that happened with her mother, she cared for him.

  It was just that damn red dot. It continued to torture her, to haunt her wandering mind during the day and hover on the edge of every one of her dreams.

  And it wasn't just the dot, the bullet hole that had ended her mother's life. That was the most reoccurring thing, definitely, but it was more than that. It was the sight of her mother crumbling to the pavement. It was the funeral she never had and never would have. It was the thought that she laid there still, just a crumbled mass on the pavement rotting to dust. Were the others leaving her there? Letting her corpse rest? Or were they becoming like the infected in the basement she and Jack had fallen into? Were they now so hungry that her mother's remains would become their next meal?

  The thought completely turned Kaylee's stomach and had caused her several restless nights with guaranteed nightmares when sleep finally did come.

  "Good spot," Quinton said, joining Jack and handing a rifle to Nick. "Let's head upstream, see if we can't pick anything off. Emma, you coming?"

  "No, I'm bathing!" she called back to him. "I'm disgusting right now."

  Quinton chuckled and Kaylee could see the genuine affection the older man had light in his eyes. "What about you?" he asked Andrew.

  "Oh, I'm coming," he said. "I wouldn't put it past Emma to already be naked down there."

  "Prude!" Emma shouted from just below them. The very tips of Andrew's ears went red and Nick coughed uncomfortably. They grabbed rifles from Jack and stalked off, Quinton laughing as he joined them, heading west of the tiny river. Jack had a small grin playing at the corner of his lips and when his eyes met Kaylee's again, it broke through.

  "She really knows how to-"

  "You coming?" Andrew asked, turning to watch Jack and Kaylee with a frown. Jack cleared his throat and nodded, offering Kaylee a cautious grin before he set off to follow Andrew up the stream.

  The water was clean and clear and very, very cold. But it didn't matter. The first thing Kaylee did was splash her face, rinsing the dust and oil of three days of travel clear from her skin.

  "Eugh, I stink," Emma grumbled, gathering twigs from the ground and setting them up in a teepee shape on the ground.

  "Then why are you fooling around with those?" Kaylee asked, already stripping her clothing off. "Bathe, you idiot."

  "Thanks, I'd rather not freeze to death once I'm dripping wet," Emma replied, sarcasm lacing her tone. "Besides, I want to wash my clothes out and I need them dry sooner rather than later."

  A fire actually was a good idea and Kaylee stopped stripping to help her gather the wood. Anna was laying out everyone's spare change of clothes, whatever clothes they managed to collect after their flight from the mall, getting ready to soak them too. It wasn't long before Emma had coaxed the fire into a blaze and Kaylee had a makeshift clothesline set up in a circle around the flames. They could always build a second fire for cooking, after they got clean. The others wouldn't be gone too long. As it was, Kaylee had already heard several pops of gunfire, nothing rapid, as to cause alarm, just methodical shots that suggested careful aiming at unsuspecting prey.

  They decided it wouldn't be the worse thing to bathe and wash clothes at the same time. Which seemed to make sense to Kaylee. After all, out in the woods, soap was soap.

  Kaylee sighed when she finally got to submerge her body in the cold water. She felt itchy and gross and had stripped down to her underwear. The water wasn't as deep as she would have liked, she had to lay back on the stones to completely soak herself as it was, and she would have preferred more privacy to do so. But Emma and Anna gave up on privacy completely, ridding themselves of all clothes before lathering with the soap.

  "Here Kay, catch," Emma said, tossing a bottle of liquid soap at her sister.

  She mumbled her thanks and if Anna or her sister thought she was ridiculous for not taking all her clothes off, they didn't say anything about it. She washed her own clothes first, scrubbing them as free of dirt and grime as she could before switching out her underclothes for some very wet, but clean, ones and finishing the rest of the wash.

  They had all the clothes clean and hung, dripping wet on the lines Kaylee had strung up, with damp clothing on their backs, when they heard footsteps approach. Kaylee was just tucking her St. Jude's medal into her pocket when Emma called out.

  "Who's there?

  "It's me," came Andrew's unmistakeable voice. "Can I come down? Are you wearing clothes?"

  "See? He says shit like this to me and expects me not to make fun of him?" Emma said, her hands on her hips as though she was daring Kaylee to contradict her.

  "Everyone's decent, Drew," Kaylee called back up, rolling her eyes at her sister.

  "Puritan," Emma muttered, smirking at Andrew as his head appeared over the guard rail. He huffed.

  "Just 'cause I'm a gentleman doesn't-"

  "Anna! Andrew!"

  It was Quinton. Shouting. A panicked shout that Kaylee could never have imagined coming from his deep and somber voice. Quinton wasn't supposed to panic. Quinton was calm and collected because nothing could rattle him.

  What happened?

  "Anna! Help! I need help!"

  He wasn't that far, couldn't be, because his voice was clear and strong. Andrew took off and without thinking Kaylee followed him. Through the stream, her boots soaking in the current, up a small embankment and into the trees, she followed Andrew and that voice. She could hear crashing in the woods, closing in on her, and momentarily she prayed it wasn't an infected. She had no weapon, no defense but running, and whatever was coming after her was as fast as she was.

  But then he appeared, rifle slung over his back, a rabbit tucked into his belt. Jack. He found her and paced her, dodging through the trees at her side even as low branches whipped at their faces. The forest floor was mostly soft pine needles, no roots. But it was also uphill, and though she wasn't tripping, she kept slipping on the silky needles as she climbed higher upstream towards Quinton's voice. She couldn't focus, couldn't think. She could only follow the voice that just kept calling for Anna, over and over again.

  Kaylee was trying to remember when she heard the last pop of gunfire, surely it was before Andrew showed up. Wasn't it? It was hard to remember.

  The forest was evening out, sloping less until it was flat, the trees thinning. Up ahead, Kaylee could make out the clear sky, settling into the orange haze of sunset over a meadow. The sun was still visible, but lower on the horizon as it sank towards the tree line. And finally, she saw Quinton. His back was hunched away from them, crouched over something.

  No, not something. Someone.

  Kaylee cried out in recognition and Andrew dropped to his knees at his father's head.

  "What happened?"

  Quinton whipped around. "Where's Anna? I need Anna."

  "Right here," she panted, sliding past Kaylee and kneeling next to Quinton. Emma burst through the trees next, knocking into her sister and pushing her forward.

  "Don't touch that fence!" Quinton barked and Jack stepped up, yanking Kaylee and Emma back. His fingers bit into the skin of her arm. Kaylee's eyes darting around, past the man laying on the forest floor and to the surrounding trees. She saw it now. Thin metal wires strung horizontally from tree to skinny tree, only a few feet from where they stood. Innocuous enough, not barbed, not razor wire.

  "Emma, I need you," Anna grunted. Kaylee dragged her eyes from the fence to the forest floor, forcing her eyes on Bill's prone form. She didn't want to see, she wanted to keep running because it had seemed easier then, as though the act of running was solving some prob
lem in some way. Now that she was here, she didn't know what to do. But Bill needed help, he wasn't moving.

  What was wrong with him?

  "The defibrillator. You know what it looks like? You remember what I showed you? I need it. And my bag, the emergency one. Fast!"

  Emma turned and ran. And because she could be no use where she was, Kaylee turned and ran too. The run back was easier, not just because it was downhill, but because there was clear purpose.

  "What happened?" Nick shouted as soon as the girls crashed into view. He must have come back to the camp and found it empty, he looked panicked. Emma didn't answer, she ran right for the camper and ripped cabinets open, pulling bags out and tossing them to Kaylee who was waiting with open arms.

  "It's Bill, he's hurt," was all she needed to say through rushed breath for her father to stop asking questions and sprint back with them. When they got back, Anna had Bill's shirt ripped open, his bare chest noticeably not rising except for when Quinton forced breath in through his mouth.

  No.

  Kaylee's chest caved in. She thought he was passed out, hurt. Not dead.

  But he wasn't breathing, wasn't moving. Andrew was staring with unveiled shock as Anna ripped the items from their hands.

  Kaylee tore her eyes from Bill's lifeless chest, sought out that innocent looking fence. She let out an involuntary scream. There was a man, his gait steady and sure, crossing the meadow and headed towards them. The sun was not sunk behind the field yet, but it was getting closer, and it silhouetted him so that Kaylee could only make out that he was tall and lanky and nothing more. Jack and her father followed her line of sight and pulled their rifles from their shoulders, positioning themselves behind two pines.

  "Clear!" Anna called out in a strong voice and Kaylee looked down to watch Emma and Quinton's hands fly from Bill. There were two white pads stuck to his chest and after Anna pressed a button labeled "shock" his body rose off the ground for a second before falling back.

  Kaylee felt grief choke her. It was surreal and terrible, to be standing here, immobilized, as Andrew's father, a man she had known since birth, lay still and quite possibly dead.

  What would she do? What would Andrew do? Bill couldn't leave his son alone. He couldn't.

  "Resume CPR," Anna spoke, watching the tiny machine attached to the white pads. Quinton got in tripod position, the heel of his hands on Bill's chest. He counted softly while Emma watched. When Quinton told her to, she compressed a blue rubbery looking bag that was attached to a mouth piece that she had sealed over Bill's face. His chest rose each time Emma squeezed the blue bag.

  Anna was ripping vials out of her bag. She settled a few on the forest floor in front of her and drew out a syringe. Kaylee watched as she plunged the long metal needle into a vial, extracting the medicine when she pulled back on the plunger. She thrust it at Kaylee. "Hold this, don't touch the tip."

  The plastic felt foreign in her hand, clean and smooth. She held it gingerly, her eyes locked on prone man on the forest floor.

  Anna was telling Quinton to move, setting a small piece of plastic in Bill's arm. Blood leaked from the tip before Anna could secure a short piece of tubing to the plastic nub and Kaylee saw red.

  "Kay!"

  Anna had her hand out and Kaylee placed the syringe in her waiting fingers. Anna shot the medicine into the small, plastic port at the end of the tubing followed by another vial of liquid. "Clear," she murmured again, stopping Quinton and Emma and hitting buttons on the defibrillator again.

  "You have about two minutes before we have company," Jack warned. He and Nick had their rifles pressed to their shoulders and were leaning around the trees, the still advancing lanky stranger firm in their sights.

  Bill jolted from the ground again as Anna shocked him and the world seemed to go into slow motion as Anna leaned over to check his pulse.

  Please, please, please...

  Kaylee pleaded weakly. Hoping.

  "It's weak," Anna finally said, "but he has a pulse."

  Kaylee clutched her fingers over her mouth as she sobbed aloud in relief. Andrew wilted at his father's head, whispering "Dad" over and over. She went to move towards him, but her sister beat her to it. Emma reached over and gripped his hand. Andrew's knuckles went white with how hard he gripped her fingers in return.

  "I need to get him somewhere safe," Anna said, not moving to disconnect him from any of the tubing or the defibrillator. "He needs to be watched."

  "This guy's almost on us," Jack said, not taking his eyes from the meadow.

  "Hey you!" came an unfamiliar voice. Kaylee was still floating in a daze. She was on her knees, close to Bill's head though she didn't really remember kneeling. Quinton stood and moved past her, squeezing her shoulder as he did. "Hey! Don't touch that fence! It's electric!"

  "Yeah, we found that out," Jack shouted back.

  "Anyone hurt?"

  "Yes," Quinton answered, stepping forward in front of Nick and Jack. He gestured for Jack to stay hidden and Kaylee noticed that neither man lowered their weapons.

  "We have shelter, food, electricity," the lanky man said, stopping about thirty yards from the edge of the trees. "You can come with me to rest, if you'd like."

  Quinton didn't answer right away. His penetrating stare had frozen Kaylee on occasion and it stopped this lanky man right in his tracks.

  "I need a safe place," Anna said, her voice low so it wouldn't carry to the stranger.

  "We keep our guns," Quinton said firmly, addressing the stranger.

  "I don't make the rules, pal, but you can ask Marsden. He's in charge."

  The pause from Quinton was longer this time, and he turned slightly to watch Bill's shallow, but even, breathing before he locked eyes with Jack.

  "Where?" he asked the stranger.

  The lanky man, he was not much older than Jack, Kaylee realized, squinted at the group.

  "I'll take you now," he offered, jerking his head in the direction he had come.

  "We have to collect our things," Quinton hedged, even as Anna shot him a look of impatience. "But this man needs help. So, I'll do that and meet you at your place. Where?"

  The stranger paused, watching Quinton. "Is there more of you?"

  "No. Just have to get our vehicle."

  Kaylee noticed Quinton didn't say vehicles. He just mentioned the one. Somehow, she knew he wouldn't be bringing the tanker. He didn't trust this man. And if Quinton didn't, maybe they shouldn't either. But they needed to get Bill somewhere safe. Their camp was nicely laid out and the stream was ideal. But if a swarm of infected came through, Bill wouldn't be able to run. And the stranger did offer shelter, food, electricity...

  "I only mention it 'cause it's not safe in these woods. Lots of biters."

  "Haven't seen any infected," Jack answered, his gun was lowered but his finger still hovered near the trigger.

  "Why else would there be a fence?" the man said.

  Kaylee wasn't sure she wanted to think about that.

  "It's your call," the man shrugged, turning from the group and heading back through the field. Jack turned to Quinton.

  "I'll meet you here just after dark," he said, taking the rabbit from his belt and handing it to Quinton. Kaylee got the impression this was not the first time these two had to plan for something like this.

  "Better make it midnight," Quinton returned, trading Jack's rifle for a handgun. Both men checked their wrist watches.

  "You shouldn't go alone," Anna whispered, her eyes darting from Bill's prone form to Quinton. Quinton stared back. He frowned, his eyes traveling over their small group. Kaylee knew what he saw. A group of kids, a father who wouldn't leave his daughters, a man unconscious, and the only trained nurse to look out for him. It left Jack. But Kaylee knew that he wouldn't leave her to walk into this new place without him. She may have closed him out, but he wouldn't do that. Quinton shook his head.

  "Midnight," he said. He paused, still looking down at Anna and her bag, tubing and vials strewn about o
n the forest floor around her feet. "Don't tell them you're a nurse, keep it to yourself." Her eyes tightened but she nodded. Quinton turned and took off into the woods in a controlled jog.

  "Hey guy!" Jack yelled, waving to the stranger. "Wait up!"

  Chapter Four

  Beyond anything else, the first thing Kaylee noticed was the smell. Damp and musty and wet, like moist concrete. There was a heavy, yet somehow dusty, quality to the air, as though you couldn't be quite sure just what you were breathing in.

  And the next was the noise, a loud pounding, rush of water.

  "Can we take these off now?" Emma asked irritably.

  "Please do," came a new voice. Kaylee ripped her blindfold away. She had put it on willingly, after Jack indicated it would be alright to do so. The lanky stranger, Danny his name was, had walked them across the field and straight to an old minivan that he had parked behind a copse of trees. He opened the door for them and indicated they should sit, right on the floor of the van because the seats had been taken out. He hadn't taken their handguns, or indicated in any way that he would, so Nick and Jack agreed, settling in with the girls and Andrew only after they had gotten his father laid out on the van floor. Danny had produced blindfolds, scraps of an old shirt by the look of them, and they'd agreed to put them on.

  It seemed kind of pointless though, it wasn't a long ride, less than a few miles maybe, and it was more or less a straight shot. Kaylee doubted she'd have trouble finding her way back if she needed to. But maybe Danny just wasn't all that clever.

  "Welcome to The Mill." Kaylee blinked against the intrusive light, her eyes adjusting slowly. Light. There was light. And she was indoors. She had recognized the sensation and feel as the dirt road first shifted to gravel then pavement and then a gradual decline, as though they were pulling into something. A thrill of recognition and hope shot through her and her eyes sought out Andrew immediately because he would know exactly what the light meant. It was what he always hoped for. But his eyes were trained on his father, of course.