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

by Fitch, E. M.

  "I know and we will," she said, "but you should still eat." When he still wouldn't turn from the door, Kaylee rolled her eyes.

  "If he's not going to eat it-" Emma started but Kaylee shushed her.

  "He's going to eat it, if he knows what's good for him. Turn. Sit. Eat," she commanded, using her foot to nudge him towards a bed. He grit his teeth but allowed it, avoiding her gaze when she shoved the plate in his hand. She didn't take her eyes off him until he lift the spoon to his mouth. Once he took his first swallow, there was no stopping him.

  "Why didn't they open the door?" Kaylee asked her father. He was already done and had placed his plate back on the tray in the center of the room.

  "Well, they did, to give us the food," he hedged. Kaylee heard Jack snort behind her and she turned to give him a stern look. He went back to his food.

  "It wasn't Marsden, it was that girl Maggie again," Andrew explained, lounging back on the bed next to his father's. "She said she had to check with him first. He's probably just not gotten around to getting up here yet."

  Andrew seemed unconcerned, Nick too. The rest were finishing breakfast but in no particular hurry. Jack was the only one who was unsettled. But it made sense, he would be the one most worried about Quinton.

  Kaylee moved to sit next to him. He was scraping his plate clean with the spoon. "Better?" she asked.

  He frowned but didn't answer.

  "At least they're feeding us," she offered, shrugging.

  "I didn't ask them to feed me," he said, throwing her a look before staring back at the door. "I can feed myself, and you too, but I'd need to be out of this cage first."

  Nobody argued with him, but they all looked indifferent, eying one another and then choosing to ignore Jack's sour mood.

  Nobody was indifferent three hours later.

  "Hey! Hey!" Andrew was shouting through the door. No one was answering though. No one had answered in the past hour. Jack wasn't even trying at the door. He had stalked about the room looking for a way out, for a flaw in the room's structure, checking and rechecking the window, the bathroom, examining the ceiling. There was nothing though, short of attempting to blow out the lock by shooting at it, but even Kaylee knew that was a terrible idea. They had no way of knowing how much fire power the rest of the occupants of The Mill had. They had no way of even knowing how many occupants there were.

  "This is pointless," Andrew finally said, shoving away from the door and pacing the length of the room.

  "So why bother?" Jack muttered. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, stroking the handle of the gun he had out and next to him. Andrew threw him a scathing look.

  "Marsden's trying to make a point," Bill said from where he was propped up on his bed. He was completely back to normal now. Except for his hands. Kaylee hadn't noticed it before, but there were blackened marks from where Bill had grabbed the electric fence, they drew her eye every time he gestured with his hands, black streaks across his palms. "He's trying to tell us that he's boss."

  "Pretty insecure, if you ask me," Anna mumbled from face down on her bed. "No one was challenging him."

  "After this I might."

  Kaylee huffed and threw a pillow at Jack's head. "Don't be a pain. If he's trying to rile us up, it's certainly working on you. We've been fed, you still have your gun, there's blankets and it's warm-"

  "And a bathroom," Emma interrupted.

  "The nicest prison is still a prison, Kay." He said it gently but Kaylee felt the reproach regardless.

  "I know, but it's not permanent. It's a test, a stupid one, but fine. He wants to be the boss, he wants to show us he's in charge. Let him. Get all worked up and he wins."

  Kaylee hated playing games with people. She always had. And that was what Marsden was doing, playing games. So fine. She wasn't going to let him get to her. Quinton was fine, he and Jack wouldn't meet until midnight anyway. In the meantime, there was ample opportunity for rest and maybe some more food. She'd take it.

  It was a full hour later that footsteps sounded outside the door. Jack was on his feet in an instant. Nick met him at the door.

  "Marsden? Is that you?"

  "It is, Maggie and I have some lunch for you."

  "Great, we'll eat it out there with you," Jack answered. It was easy to hear the anger in his voice. Marsden just chuckled.

  "Eager now, aren't you?"

  "None of us enjoy being locked up," Nick answered, his tone even but not unpleasant. Kaylee stood to join the men, she latched on to Jack's arm, linking her fingers with his. It was not for her comfort, even like this she was blinking red out of her periphery, it was to anchor him. And it seemed to help. Some of the tension leaked from his shoulders as he pressed his palm to hers.

  "Well, why don't we open the door so we can chat?" Marsden asked, his voice smooth with a hint of arrogance.

  Jack backed away, pulling his gun in front of him, his finger hovering by the trigger, the barrel pointed low towards the ground. His shoulders were tense. The rest of the group backed away, every eye alert and on the door.

  When it swung open, it was evident that Marsden anticipated how Jack would be feeling. He was holding the double barrel shotgun. It wasn't pointing at anyone, his grasp was casual and loose, but Kaylee knew it could be on any one of them in less than a moment.

  Maggie was at his elbow again, and she had the tray. Kaylee could see an assortment of mugs and from the aroma she could guess it was some kind of soup. She gazed at the group from behind Marsden. Based on the fact that she seemed to do whatever Marsden told her to, Kaylee thought it best not to trust her. Though she didn't seem insincere when she smiled apologetically at the group.

  "You promised us one night," Nick said, stepping to the front of the group. "You said you wanted to make sure we weren't infected. Clearly, none of us are." He paused and gestured around the room.

  "I did say that," Marsden answered, stroking the stock of his shotgun. His eyes drifted from Nick to the gun Jack kept lowered. "And you aren't bitten, I can see that. But there's the little matter of trusting you."

  "I say keep them in there, Marsden." The sly sneer came from Cynthia. She had edged up from behind him, staring at the group from over his shoulder.

  "They don't seem-"

  "Shut it, Maggie!" Cynthia said, gritting her teeth at the other women.

  "We don't mean anyone any harm," Anna said, watching the exchange. "If you prefer, we can just leave now, we'll head back into the woods and-"

  "No, I don't think any of you will be doing that," Marsden interrupted.

  "You can't keep us locked up!" Andrew shouted. Bill had his hand on his son's shoulder but Andrew still looked ready to explode, he was standing on the balls of his feet, looking like he might charge the door. Jack was no better, his grip on his gun tightened and Kaylee could see him evaluating the situation, could see the risk he was calculating, whether he could shoot Marsden before he'd get a shot off with that shotgun. She watched the barrel of the shotgun rise almost imperceptibly.

  "Wait," Kaylee said, stepping forward past her father. She was in Jack's line of vision now, she knew she was blocking him from any decent shot, but she didn't want it to go there. "Wait, we can work this out. We obviously want to get out, maybe we can earn your trust."

  Marsden seemed intrigued, his eyebrows rose just as Cynthia pursed her lips.

  "Maybe, maybe just let a couple of us out," Emma hedged, peeking from around Nick.

  "No!" Andrew and Jack said at once.

  "Not an option," Nick agreed, shaking his head.

  Marsden was smirking and even Cynthia was smiling now. It made Kaylee acutely uncomfortable to see that woman lips curl, there was no warmth, no pleasantness behind that smile.

  "See now," Marsden started, "that idea I like."

  "I could take a few to the showers?" Maggie offered, looking from Marsden to Cynthia. She edged forward and left her tray of soup on the floor just inside the door. "That would be nice, let them have a nice, warm shower." />
  "Fine," Marsden said briskly. "Ladies first."

  There was an uproar from the men, every one of them shouting no. Kaylee tried to shush them, turning and trying to tell them to stop. But everyone was shouting, Anna, Emma, Andrew. When Kaylee turned back to Marsden he was grinning, his gun now raised and aimed right at the group.

  "Stop!" Emma finally yelled, breaking free of the grip that Andrew had on her arm and walking straight at Marsden. "Enough! If this ends it, fine, I'll go."

  "Emma Marie!" her father yelled, stepping forward. Marsden waved the gun again. He brought it up and pointed it right in Nick's face, who backed away slowly as Emma went to Marsden's side. Kaylee could see the muscle in her father's jaw jumping, his face tight with anger and worry.

  "Dad, stop," Emma said calmly. "It makes sense, it should be me. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, right?" She directed her last question to Marsden who nodded. Anna stepped forward next.

  "I'm coming too." No one stopped Anna and Kaylee was quick to follow. She knew Anna had a gun tucked into her waistband and as Marsden hadn't prohibited it, she wasn't going to be the one to mention it.

  Once the door had shut and bolted behind them, Cynthia sniffed and turned, walking away without a second glance at the girls. Marsden appraised them, his shotgun now slung over his shoulder, his stance casual. Anna's gun was discreet, the bulk mostly hidden by the hooded sweatshirt she wore. She made no move for it now.

  "Maggie, you'll see them safely to the bathrooms and back again?" Marsden asked, though it was more of a command and less of a question in Kaylee's opinion. His gaze lingered on the girls, especially Emma, who stared back unflinchingly. "When they're done, if they behave, I'll let the rest out."

  He turned and left them, his footsteps echoed on the metal stairs before disappearing completely. After he was gone, Maggie sighed before turning to the girls with a beaming smile.

  "I always knew we weren't the last," she said in a whisper. "It couldn't be just us, I always knew. He seems awful, I know," she continued, her voice low and hurried. "And she can be intense and really bitchy, but the food is good, there's electricity, and it's safe. There are other people too, Paul and Mario and Rose, and they're nothing like Danny or Marsden or even Cynthia. There are decent people here, too."

  With the absence of Marsden and Cynthia, Maggie seemed lighter, almost normal. Anna smiled at her gently.

  "Are those two always like that?" Emma asked, taking cue from Maggie and keeping her voice down.

  "Not always," she answered, shrugging. "Well, they're kind of always at each other's throats, if that's what you mean. But, they leave us pretty much alone. And Rose keeps Cynthia in line most of the time."

  Maggie started leading the group down the stairs, obviously more at ease now. "Plus there's warm water for showers. When I first got here I hadn't had a shower in over a year. Bathing in rivers," she paused and made a face, "no fun, am I right?"

  "You're right," Kaylee agreed, smiling too now.

  "How does this place run then?" Anna asked. They had entered the large room again, the crane still hung, silent and impressive, from the tall ceiling. The room was empty of people but the electronics that lined the wall and formed paths were all buzzing with light. Again, there was no sound, none but the low buzz of electricity as it pulsed through the machines.

  "It's hydroelectric," Maggie supplied, shrugging. "To be honest, I have no idea how it works. Obviously the water runs somewhere underneath those," she pointed over her shoulder and for the first time Kaylee noticed four circular casings coming from the cement floor. They were about as tall as her and five feet wide. They dominated the space and she should have noticed them sooner. She would have, she was sure, had they not been completely surrounded with glowing televisions, arcade games, and computers. The machines fueled by electricity masked the concrete casings that blended into the dull concrete surroundings. "Somehow that generates electricity. Don't ask me how. Danny and Marsden manage that."

  "It's a great situation here, that's for sure," Anna said. Maggie nodded.

  "It really is. We've got the electricity and the men hauled in a bunch of refrigerators and freezers. We have frozen meals to last for a while. There's gardens that we keep and I have my chickens. Paul and Mario love to fish, which is actually what dinner tonight will probably be. It was definitely worse before I found this place."

  Kaylee was about to ask where Maggie had come from and how long she had been there but before she could Maggie opened a door with a flourish.

  It was just an old locker room. There was a line of gray lockers, some of the doors hanging open, toilets behind metal privacy doors. Four open showers lined one wall, tiled half walls separating the spaces and offering some limited privacy, but otherwise open to the locker room. Kaylee hadn't seen anything so wonderful in a long time.

  "There's shampoo, soap, whatever you need in this locker," Maggie said, gesturing to her right. "There's towels over there. Help yourself, take your time, I'll be out here when you're done."

  "We hit jackpot," Emma said as soon as the door swung shut on Maggie's exit. She was already stripping, walking to the furthest shower as she tossed her clothing on the low wooden bench that faced the lockers. Kaylee couldn't find it in her to argue. "Forget Alaska. Let's get Quinton in here and just stay. This is perfect."

  "The place is great, but Marsden," Anna trailed off, her lips twisting in distaste.

  "And Cynthia," Kaylee added, checking the soap and shampoo. They had a nice collection pilfered. "They're going to be tough."

  "Maybe they'll ease up, once the boys calm down," Emma said. She twist the shower on and Kaylee watched as steam rose to the ceiling tiles. Emma moaned as the hot water hit her.

  It took only a minute under the hot water for Kaylee to agree with Emma. Maybe things would calm down and they could stay. The water beat into her muscles, hotter than anything she had felt in years. Even the running water they had at the fire station was only ever lukewarm, and that was on the best days in the middle of the summer when the sun would shine and heat the collection container on the rooftop. She felt like a different person after lathering her hair and washing her face clean. It was with great reluctance that she shut the tap off, and she only did it when Anna suggested it was time. Hopefully there'd be time for plenty of showers later. Now they had to get back, the men needed them back sooner rather than later.

  Maggie had waited for them and she escorted them back to the locked door on the second floor. Marsden appeared as they reached the landing. He nodded at them, unlocking the door.

  Jack was the first to rush out. He grabbed Kaylee in a hug so fierce it almost wiped all color from her mind as he lift her up on her toes.

  "I'm okay," she whispered into his neck. Even filthy he smelled of rain and pine and honey. He was tenser than she thought he'd be. "I'm fine, really."

  "That was stupid," Andrew said, glaring at her from over Jack's shoulder and then at Emma. "It was really, really stupid."

  "Didn't feel stupid," Emma retorted, smirking, her hair still dripping down her back.

  "Later," Bill said, his voice low. Their attention shifted, Kaylee felt it, even as Jack refused to let her go. She could hear Marsden chuckle though and she twist in Jack's hold, turning to see him. He held his shotgun loosely, pointed at the ground.

  "I said I'd let you out, I'll stand by it," he said. "But keep in mind that my gun never leaves my hand and I don't sleep much. You can all stay in this room, rest up, and then be on your way."

  He turned on his heel and limped away. Maggie smiled at the group though and held her ground.

  "He always says that, that same exact speech, to everyone who's wandered through. Some leave, some stay. But we've all heard that one time or another."

  "Seems like he wants the place to himself," Bill said, eyeing the stairwell Marsden had just disappeared through. Maggie laughed, back to her lighthearted self.

  "He might want it that way but he sure doesn't mind me tending th
e livestock and Rose's cooking. Speaking of, grab that and let's go." She pointed at the tray full of empty mugs still in the center of the floor and Andrew went back to retrieve it. Maggie gestured to the group to follow her and they did, down the stairwell and into the cavernous great room with the hundreds of machines buzzing away. Jack pilfered one of the mugs that still had soup in it and handed it off to Kaylee. She accepted with a smile, distracting herself with the lukewarm contents and trying to ignore the heat from the brush of his fingers.

  "This is incredible," Andrew whispered, hushed into reverence of the great room as though he were wandering through a church. He was gazing with longing at the glowing cubes of television and computer screens, the blinking and flashing of MP3 player displays and DVD players. The group slowed as one, staring at the obscene display of electricity.

  "They get a bit annoying after a while, actually," Maggie said, walking through the televisions without a second glance. "Sometimes we'll hang around after dinner, when it's dark, and watch something together. That's the only time Marsden will turn any of them off, so we can all focus on just the one. But the rest of the time he keeps them all going. Which is why you haven't met anyone else but Danny and Cynthia."

  Kaylee hadn't thought about it before, but they hadn't seen Danny since that first night. And other than Maggie telling them so, they would have had no idea that there were any other people in The Mill.

  "Where does everyone stay then?" Anna asked, tearing her eyes away from a large screen television playing The Sound of Music on mute. Julie Andrews was swirling around a hilltop, singing at the top of her lungs. On the screen next to her there was a car chase playing out. And next to that a tearful Jimmy Stewart on a bridge in the snow.

  "This is the largest building. Marsden sleeps here. He set up in a closet over there, says he needs to be close to the turbines. But there are out buildings too. They were mostly storage sheds, backup generators, things like that. We spaced out between them, Marsden doesn't care so much what we do with those buildings. Paul and Mario got us some nice beds, pillows and everything. There was a bedding store in town. I even have my own books. Not so many as in here though."