by Bale, Sarah
“Who in the hell do you think you are waltzing back in here after all these years?”
Sheesh. No beating around this bush.
“Lilly-”
“I don’t want to hear it. Not now.”
“Then why am I here?”
She shrugged. “Because I needed to see for myself that it was you. Theo was positive it was you, but you never can tell.”
“Then I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing and go catch up with my mom.”
Anything to get out of this room.
Lilly laughed, but it was anything but merry.
“I don’t think so. You’re going to go back to the bunks until we decide what to do with you. Until then you are not allowed to talk to anyone.”
I forced myself to breathe as fear fought to take over. Fight or flight. Get out now. Before it was too late-
“Theo, we’re done in here. Take her to the bunks. And make sure she’s kept away from the others in her group.”
I backed away from my cousin, bumping into one of the metal shelves filled with weapons.
She smirked. “Oh, honey, running’s not going to save you.”
Theo came in with two other men. One held a rope in his hand and the other had a burlap sack. Oh, hell no!
Theo gave me a sad smile. “Sorry, Daisy. It’ll be easier if you don’t fight us.”
Easier for who?
He reached out, grabbing me by the arms. Natural instincts kicked in and I began thrashing, trying to get away. The man with the bag managed to get it over my head, but I’d be damned if I was going to let them tie me up.
Lilly said, “Oh for Christ’s sake. Move.”
I smelled her light floral perfume right before she punched me in the stomach, causing me to crumble in pain.
“Get her out of here.”
The bag around my head was secured and then my wrists were tied behind my back.
My feet came from underneath me as I was lifted from the ground. I was certain Theo was the one carrying me over his shoulder. A memory of my youth flashed through my mind. Theo was always bigger than everyone and used to carry Lilly and I around for fun.
“Theo, why are you doing this? What’s going on?”
He sighed, confirming my suspicions that he was indeed the one holding me.
“Daisy, things are different now.”
“Theo! Shut the hell up, man. If she finds out you’re breaking an order she’ll throw your ass in the barn again!”
I tried again. “Theo, come on. This isn’t right. If I knew what was going on-”
Fiery pain spread throughout my back as something – probably Theo’s fist – slammed into my flesh.
“Be quiet. Next time I’ll make sure to knock you out.”
The words on my lips vanished and I held back tears. I wouldn’t cry. Because it wouldn’t do any good and I needed to keep my wits. Plus, I needed a freaking plan. Were the bunks they taking me to the same ones where Elijah was? How was I going to let him know what’d happened? And what were we going to do now?
It felt like Theo carried me forever. A door opened and I was thrown to the ground. My head throbbed and blood trickled down my forehead, but I didn’t move. Not when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. Footsteps moved closer to me and the bag over my head was yanked off.
Theo stared down at me. “You shouldn’t have come back.”
I was starting to think he was right.
With a shake of his head, he stepped out of the small cell I was in a closed the door, locking it.
“Stay quiet. If you call out for help it will only make it worse for your friends when we lock them up.”
“Are you going to put them in this cell?”
“No. Lilly wants you away from the others until she makes a decision.”
I had so many questions that I wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the time. No- my best option was to wait and see what was going to happen next. And pray my cousin didn’t decide to kill me.
3
Elijah
“She’s been gone a long time,” I said, looking out the window for the thousandth time.
Sweat trickled down my back and I resisted the urge to roll my injured shoulder. I didn’t like this one fucking bit. I should have gone with her.
Grey replied, “Hasn’t been that long.”
It had.
Kat said, “She’s probably catching up with her family. Three years is a long time, especially since they thought she was dead.”
Her tone was sincere, but I could detect unease behind her words, like maybe she didn’t believe them herself. I nodded, but didn’t reply. There wasn’t anything I could do, except wait for Daisy to get back.
The man standing by the front door picked up the two-way radio that was beeping. “This is Ross.”
Static and then a voice, “She wants them to go to the bunks.”
The man glanced our way and said, “I’m going to need help.”
“On the way.”
Grey met my gaze. “Well fuck. That doesn’t sound good.”
I nodded. The man, Ross, stared at us as if he were sizing us up. When ten more men entered the room, I knew we were really fucked.
“I’ll get the woman. They haven’t been checked for weapons yet.”
If my gun had anything left in it, I’d be firing right now. Besides, we’d left the remainder of our ammo hidden a few miles way. Just in case.
Grey pulled his pistol from his belt and tossed it to the ground. Kat followed suit as well as the rest of the men in our group. Ross stared at me. Sighing, I unclipped my gun and tossed it to the ground.
One of the new men said, “I can’t believe you didn’t search them right away. That’s her main rule, dumb ass.”
“That was Theo’s call.”
The door slammed shut as Theo entered the room. Daisy wasn’t with him and he looked agitated. I clenched my fists at my side.
Theo said, “Nice to see you’re still being a coward and throwing people under the bus.”
Ross shrugged. “Well, when you get people killed it’s hard to get that trust back, ya know?”
Tension bounced off the two men. I didn’t give a shit about their beef, though.
“Where’s Daisy?”
Theo ignored me and said, “Let’s get them put away. Cooper is almost done with dinner and it smells great.”
The men perked up at this and moved toward us.
Theo called out, “If you do as we say this will be easy. We’re going to put y’all in two cells tonight. In the morning we’ll decide what we’re going to do with you and either kill you or send you on your way.”
The only two options left in this world, it seemed.
“Where. Is. Daisy.”
Each word was clipped, getting his attention.
Theo shoved my shoulder. “Walk.”
Luckily, he didn’t know about my injury and hit my good shoulder. Small blessings, right?
Grey put his arm around Kat and walked without saying a word. I knew why he was doing it – there wasn’t any sense in fighting these assholes until we knew what we were facing. But most importantly – we needed to know where Daisy was. We were led though another set of doors.
Apparently, the backside of this building was also a jail. Three cells lined one wall and two lined the other. Grey, Kat, and I maneuvered ourselves so we ended up in the same one. Grey gave me a little wink as the door was closed and locked.
Theo said, “There’s water in the bucket. Use it sparingly.”
Kat asked, “What about food?”
Theo shrugged and led his group away.
When they were gone, Grey turned to me.
“They didn’t even leave anyone here to watch us.”
His tone said it all – he thought they were idiots. Maybe they were. Or maybe they had lookouts in other places.
“No telling what’s outside, though.”
Kat came over to us. “They did a piss poor job of search
ing us, too. My knife is still in my boot.”
“Mine too.”
I grinned. “Same here.”
Grey said, “So three knives for sure. What else do we know?”
“We know Daisy isn’t here.”
“I’m here,” a soft voice said.
I turned and cursed. Daisy sat on a cot in the cell next to mine. I was across the floor in three steps and grabbed the bars that separated us. There was dried blood on her forehead.
My breath came out raggedly. “That fucking prick. What did he do to you?”
“He didn’t do this. Someone else did.” She inhaled and said, “My cousin is alive and appears to be running things.”
“Your cousin?”
“The one from the photo in my bag.”
I remembered looking at the picture before.
“But you said she died.”
She laughed harshly. “I guess I was wrong.”
“Daisy-”
“There’s nothing to say, except you were right. This was a mistake. I just hope it doesn’t cost us our lives.”
Daisy sat on her cot, her back to us.
Grey asked in a low tone, “Is she okay?”
“I don’t think so.”
He said, “I tried the bars. They’re solid. I guess they have that much going for them here.”
The door opened and Theo came in with a basket.
Daisy jumped to her feet and grabbed the bars. “You have a lot of nerve coming back here.”
He flinched and said, “I told you things weren’t the same.” He added, “And I’m sorry.”
“I don’t accept your apology.”
I smiled. That was my spitfire.
I said, “Let us out.”
“No. Lilly said she’ll talk with you in the morning. Until then you’ll just have to get comfortable.”
Grey said, “We’re starving, man. Hard to sleep on an empty stomach.”
Theo lifted the basket. “I brought some food. Just don’t tell anyone where you got it.”
He slid cheese and bread into each of the cells before leaving. His comment was interesting. He’d broken the rules for us.
I said, “Everyone should eat and then get some rest. No telling what kind of shit show we’re going to face tomorrow.”
I managed to get some rest, though I’m not sure how. My shoulder was aching so bad the next morning that I thought I was going to be sick. But when Theo came into the bunk, I shoved my nausea aside.
“She wants to see you three and Daisy. She’ll meet the rest of you later.”
The men in the other cells nodded and talked amongst themselves. They were smart to split us up. Four was easier to handle versus fourteen.
Theo unlocked our cell first and then Daisy’s. When she was free, I pulled her into my arms.
“Never again.”
There were dark circles under her eyes and she didn’t reply. Instead, she followed Theo. The air was cool as we walked to the main house. It was exactly the kind of place where I could envision Daisy growing up. But it was odd that nothing had changed. The house was well kept, something you didn’t see much of these days.
Grey whistled. “How in the fuck is the lawn being mowed?”
Theo replied, “We have goats. And one of the job duties is landscaping.”
“That’s interesting,” Grey said.
I could tell by his tone that he thought it was fucking ridiculous. I had to agree.
Theo held open the front door and we entered what seemed to be a warm and inviting house.
Daisy still hadn’t said anything. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“Isn’t that adorable.”
I glanced up as a woman who looked a lot like Daisy came down the stairs with three men behind her. I knew right away they were guards. The second thing I noticed was the guns on her belt. She wanted people to know she was armed. Behind her entourage was an older woman.
Daisy said, “Everyone, that is my cousin, Lilly. Behind the three bears is my mother, Rose.”
My lips twitched. Three bears? Like Goldilocks?
Lilly zeroed in on me. “What’s your name, handsome?”
I tried to keep my expression neutral, but it was fucking hard as shit.
“Elijah.”
“And where are you from, Elijah?”
“Oklahoma.”
“What did you do in Oklahoma before the outbreak?”
That was an odd question to ask.
I replied, “I was a surgeon.”
Lilly’s gaze moved to Grey and she cringed.
“I’m Grey. This is my old lady, Kat.”
“Charming.” She turned to Daisy. “You’ve surrounded yourself with an interesting group of people.”
I said, “It’s nice to meet you both. I know Daisy is glad to find her family is alive and well.”
“No thanks to her.”
Daisy asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lilly replied, “Exactly how it sounds. We’re alive and it has nothing to do with you.” She turned to Theo and asked, “Is breakfast ready?”
“I’ll go check.”
Lilly said, “Let’s all move to the dining room.”
She led the way and Grey fell in step next to me.
“I’m scared to eat anything this lady makes.”
I agreed. The dining room table was probably the longest one I’d ever seen in my life and was clearly handmade. Lilly sat at the head of the table with her guards behind her and then ordered everyone where to sit. She pulled one of her guns from her belt and sat it on the table where she could easily grab it. I ended up next to her and across from Daisy.
“Did your dad make this?” I asked Daisy, running my hand against the smooth grain of the wood.
“Yeah. He always complained there was never enough room for everyone, so he built it.”
There were two smaller tables against the opposite wall. They looked store bought and were probably for kids, if I had to guess.
Lilly spit out, “We’re not here to talk about the past.”
I said, “Theo told us you’d be deciding what to do with us today. Is that true?”
“It is. We normally don’t allow new people inside our gates. So now we have to wrap this up all nice and pretty.”
Daisy’s mom, who sat next to her daughter, made a sound of protest.
“Yes, Aunt Rose?”
“I was just hoping you would let them stay.”
“Of course I’m going to let them stay, Aunt Rose. We could use these strong men to help protect our home. And I’m sure we can find something for Daisy and her friend to do.”
Her tone was silky and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand.
“As nice as that sounds, we’re going to have to pass.”
“Excuse me?”
I went on, “We can move on now that Daisy knows you all are alive and well.”
Like we were going to stay here! They’d hurt Daisy and locked us up in less than twenty-four fucking hours.
Lilly blinked once and then twice. “Oh no, that won’t do.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “What if we give it a trial period and see if you like it here? Would that work?”
This felt like a trap. I looked to Daisy for guidance. She gave me a helpless look back.
Lilly went on, “I promise you’ll love it here once you get settled in. At least give it a week.”
“I don’t know. We didn’t exactly get a nice, warm welcome yesterday.”
Lilly’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh? Oh! You mean because we tossed Daisy around a little.”
I didn’t buy this load of bullshit.
“You broke open the wound on her head.”
Daisy said, “Eli-”
“No, he’s right, Daisy. I’m sorry. Perhaps I got carried away yesterday. It’s just – it’s so hard to trust people these days.” She smiled. “Please stay. I’ll have Theo show you to your new bunks after we eat. He can also give you a job.”
&
nbsp; “Job?”
“Everyone has a job here. Helps keep things going.” She wrapped her hand around Daisy’s arm. “And I have the perfect job for Daisy. Dish duty.”
Daisy glared at her cousin. “Who died and made you boss?”
The men behind Lilly exchanged glances, making the hairs on my neck stand. Fuck.
Lilly smiled. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Breakfast was served and we spent the entire meal in uncomfortable silence. After it was over, Theo took us to a different building. It was a big improvement from the cell from the night before. There were four cots, which meant we were the only ones who would be staying there.
When he was gone, I turned to Grey.
“This is bad.”
He nodded. “We’re fucked. That bitch isn’t going to let us leave in a week. Why is she packing like fucking Rambo? This isn’t a war. And why does she have those guards with her all the time?”
I agreed. “We can use the time to scope things out and figure out our next step.”
Daisy said, “I can’t believe my mom just sat there and didn’t say anything. And where was my dad?”
I’d wondered the same thing.
Kat replied, “Maybe he was out on a job. Seems like that’s how this place runs.”
Maybe. But unlikely.
Daisy said, “I’m going to look for him.”
She tried to door, but found it locked.
Grey said, “So we’re to stay here, but not as trusted guests. Figures.”
“This will work in our favor. Gives us time to watch,” I said, pointing at the window.
There wasn’t much going on outside. But about an hour later the rest of the people in our group came from the main house with Theo. He took them to another bunk house and even shook one of their hands.
Grey grunted. “Guess that means they passed her test.”
Kat said, “Look at the bright side. At least we have a roof over our head, food to eat, and don’t have to worry about the biters.”
Daisy frowned. “For now.”
4
Daisy
I listened to the others talk in low tones all afternoon. They were right. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible. But how could I leave when I didn’t know where my dad was? And my mother - god, the thought of her made me want to cry. Was she a prisoner in her own home? I needed to talk to her.
