The Dead Saga | Book 7 | Odium 7

by Riley, Claire C.

  “Yeah, Dad. She’s good. She never gave up hope that you were alive and you’d find your way back to us.” Lincoln was crying and laughing all at the same time, and I felt myself tearing up just watching him. “She knew you were okay, she just knew.”

  My heart felt full, like it had swollen to twice it’s normal size, my chest aching from it. Every pound against my chest bone was like a bell toll echoing out and reminding me that I was alive, and Mikey was alive, and that was something to cherish.

  When the world had gone to hell, families had been torn apart, but here was a father and son, torn apart by fate and death, thinking that they would never see each other again, when in reality they were marching toward each other with every step they took.

  It made me realize how damn lucky I was. How many times had I wanted to give up? To let the deaders take me? To let life take me…but I’d relented. I’d gone on, knowing that I had to, that I couldn’t just give up. And just like Lincoln’s mom hadn’t given up, neither had I. We’d gone on, unaware that out there, somewhere in that bleak world filled with pain and despair, our future and our past were striding toward us, bringing us full circle.

  Mikey reached out and took my hand in his and I looked over at him, knowing my eyes were filled with happy tears. My smile widened when our eyes connected, and I moved closer to him. He slid an arm around my waist, kissing the side of my face. Breathing me in. Feeling me, real beneath his fingertips. And knowing that this was exactly where I wanted to be forever.

  “I need to go,” O’Donnell choked out, and when I looked up she was walking away, her footsteps quick and her head bowed low.

  Aiken glanced at her and then turned to scowl at me, giving a disapproving shake of his head.

  41.

  Nina

  We sat inside Aiken’s home, discussing plans for the future. A trading system that would benefit everyone. A way to connect with other groups out there. We wanted to bring everyone together, to create a system that kept us all safe and fed.

  Everyone had skills they could provide, whether it was teaching electronics or showing how to make bread. Doctor skills, fighting skills, designing weapons and security systems for protection. Everyone was useful; we just had to find their skill.

  In each of our groups, we already had the tools for survival, and bringing us all together would only fortify that, strengthen what we already had.

  I leaned against the wall, watching as the discussions took place between the groups on how they would do this, how we would stop people like the Savages from ever getting a foothold in our society again, and I felt, for the first time in years, calm.

  If I were to die right then, I knew that I would be satisfied and happy.

  Mikey glanced over at me, his eyebrows pulling in as he saw my expression, and I smiled at him, letting him know that I was okay. He focused back on the plans they were drawing in front of them. A list of rules and ideals to live by. The Highwaymen would need to take it back to Shooter and get him to agree to it, and I wasn’t sure what would come of that. If he was as bad as Gauge had made out, then at some point I would need to visit him and make him see sense. Try to get him to listen. Though I wasn’t sure what good that would do, I knew I would have to try.

  I slipped out of the room and headed outside. They didn’t need me to help anymore with these rules; they already had enough people working on it. What was that saying? Too many cooks spoiled the broth.

  I stood on Aiken’s porch and looked out at the street, seeing people walking casually, without a care in the world. Kids playing in the dirt; skipping and throwing stones as they did hopscotch. Families carrying vegetables to their homes. It all felt so perfect, and for once I wasn’t scared of that perfect. Of losing it. Of something spoiling it.

  We’d gone up against the Savages and we’d won. There could be nothing worse than that out there, I was certain.

  “Dead Nina?”

  I smiled as Joan stopped at the bottom of the steps. “Crazy Pants!” I laughed, crying for some reason. “How the hell have you been?”

  “Better than you. Did you know that you’re dead?” She shook her head sadly and I realized she was carrying a chicken in her arms.

  “I’m not dead, Joan, though it felt like it for a long time.” My arm was aching and I rubbed at the muscle in my bicep. “You have a chicken in your arms,” I said, nodding toward the little ginger bird.

  “I do! She lays a good egg too,” she said. “Would you like an egg?”

  I shook my head and laughed. “I’m good, but thanks.”

  “Your loss. They’re going to grow into really big chickens one day.” She shook her head matter-of-factly and I frowned.

  “Oh no, no they won’t grow into chickens. They’re unfertilized, Joan.” I groaned, wondering how many eggs she had. “Come on, show me the eggs.”

  I glanced back at the house as Joan led the way to her home, hoping that Mikey wouldn’t get worried. They had given Joan a little white house at the end of the street, and she climbed the steps, unlocking the door and letting me inside. The smell hit me right away and I gagged as I went inside, the noise almost unbearable as she quickly closed the door behind me.

  “So they don’t get out,” she said, and moved past me.

  We headed down the hallway until we reached a closed door. Noises came from behind it, clucking and scratching and when she opened the door I looked upon over forty chickens all wandering around what had once been her dining room.

  “Oh my…” I gasped.

  “I have lots of eggs upstairs in my bed too. Dirty little rooster keeps knocking the poor broads up. I only wanted an egg for my breakfast, but I can’t eat these poor girls,” she whined, and I laughed, my hand going up to my mouth as I looked around at all of the damn chickens. “I’ve had to lock him in a different room now because he gets so mad if he doesn’t get his daily dose of…you know, and my girls were tired out, dead Nina!”

  Poor Joan sounded exhausted and I threw my arms around her and hugged her, a laugh still on my lips.

  “I’m not dead, Joan, I’m alive. I’m here,” I said as my laughter died away.

  And I was.

  I was here finally. Fully alive for the first time since this nightmare had all begun.

  Joan hugged me back, the poor chicken she was holding getting a little stressed as it squished between us both.

  “I thought I was going mad,” she said. “I thought I was seeing things again and there was no hope for me. I know I annoy people with my kooky ways; I’m not stupid, but I’m not entirely crazy.”

  I pulled back from the hug, my smile still on my face. “No, you’re not crazy,” I lied, “though shitting in SJ’s bathtub isn’t the best way to go about proving that you’re not.”

  Mikey had told me about all the things Joan had gotten up to at Haven, and I was kinda glad I hadn’t been there for that. From singing loudly at all hours of the day and night and waking everyone up, to shitting in someone’s bathtub, to her chicken farm… Yeah, she wasn’t crazy. I smirked to myself.

  We left Joan’s house and headed back to Aiken’s. He needed to know about the out-of-hand chicken situation going on at Crazy Pants’ house. She talked the entire time, telling me about all the things that had been going on with her, and I listened intently. Mikey found us eventually and we made our way back to our truck at the entrance, ready to go home.

  “I need to go get my mom,” Lincoln said, looking between Carl and Highlander, obviously feeling torn about leaving his dad after so long apart.

  “How about I bring her back with me? We’ve arranged a trade for next week anyway.” Highlander shrugged and Lincoln looked at Carl and then back to Highlander.

  “That would be so good, brother.” He was grinning ear to ear and looking like he’d lost ten years and was a little boy all over again instead of a boy that had had to grow up too quickly. “I’d really like to stick around here for a bit, catch up with my dad,” Linc said to Gauge and Highlander.


  “Ya think you’ll ever come back?” Highlander asked, and Linc surprised me by nodding.

  “Yeah, the clubhouse is my home and the Highwaymen are my family, but my dad and I have a lot of catching up to do, and when my mom comes...” his words sounded strangled as emotion gripped him. “Besides, you could do with someone keeping an eye on things here, right?”

  Highlander slapped Linc on the back and straddled his bike. “Aye, that would be a grand idea, lad. I’ll tell Shooter and hopefully we’ll be back in a week or so with some news.”

  Mikey was talking to Phil and Aimee, who had joined us, and I moved to Highlander to have a quiet word with him.

  “Queen B, we miss ya around the place,” he said.

  “Really?” I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

  “Not really, you were a royal pain in me arse, if I’m being honest. But there’s something to say for the honesty you always gave, I’ll give ya that.” He chuckled and I smirked. “Plus I really miss the playful banter we had going on.”

  “Playful banter?” I asked.

  “Aye, the way you called me names and pretended to hate everyone, and I got to piss you off.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t pretending.” I grinned, before letting it fall. “Shooter?” I said. “He’s not doing so good?”

  Gauge looked up at the sound of their president’s name. “That’s a motherfuckin’ understatement.”

  I nodded, guilt fluttering in my chest. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt him. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

  “Apology ain’t worth shit,” Gauge growled out, and then he sighed. “But for what it’s worth, I know you didn’t.”

  “Look at us, one big happy family,” Highlander laughed, and I smiled.

  “If this is a happy family then I think we’re all fucked,” Gauge snapped, but I saw the quirk at the corner of his mouth and knew he didn’t mean it. “We need to get back on the road. He’ll be wondering where we are.”

  “You didn’t tell him?” I asked, knowing how pissed Shooter would be.

  “Told him we were going on a run for supplies. Didn’t think he needed to know where we were going,” Gauge replied.

  “How are Amara and Indigo?” I asked. I’d been scared to ask about them, not really wanting to think about Gunner and what I’d witnessed him do, but I knew at some point I’d need to deal with that and make a decision.

  “Aye, they’re good,” Highlander replied. “Think they both miss you though.”

  “Babies just dribble and shit themselves, how can you even tell?” Gauge shrugged and Highlander and I laughed.

  Finally, I sighed. “Well, good luck. Stop by the house when you come back, please. I’d like to be kept in the loop on what’s happening. I want to be a part of it, if that’s possible.”

  “Ack, of course, Queen B! This is all thanks to you, after all.” He tugged his helmet on and the two men started their bikes and backed out of their spaces before slowly riding to the entrance. Moo opened the gates and they drove out, and seconds later Mikey came to stand with me.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, and I nodded, slipping into the truck.

  “You sure you won’t take Joan with you?” Aiken asked Mikey with a raised eyebrow.

  “Everyone is useful, Aiken,” I said, leaning across the seat to look up at him.

  “Not her,” he grumbled.

  “Ask her about the chickens,” I laughed.

  “Chickens?”

  “You’ll see.” I laughed even harder.

  Mikey got in and we drove to the entrance, waving goodbye to Moo as she opened the gates and we drove away.

  Mikey reached across the space between us, grabbing the edges of my jeans and tugging me over to him. “Get over here.”

  I laughed again, resting my head on his shoulder as we headed back home.

  Home.

  God, how was it possible that I had a home again? A place that really felt like home too. Not just a place to lay my head. No, this was a home with the man I loved, and a future worth fighting for. All the pain and loss hadn’t been in vain. It had been for something, and I knew that now.

  The sun was setting, a soft orange glow warming the earth as it settled beneath the trees. The world was beautiful, I realized. So beautiful. Mother nature had thrived while we had been trying to survive, and I had somehow missed it. With all the fighting and the hiding and the misery, I had missed the flowers blooming brighter, the grass growing long and thick, the trees turning from orange to brown to green, each year growing stronger.

  I had missed the world coming back to life because I’d been so scared of truly living, but not anymore. I placed my hand on Mikey’s thigh, my gaze outside the window. From here on out, I was determined to live each day to the fullest.

  The past was the past and the future was what we made it.

  The end.

  Odium VIII coming 2021

  Add it here:

  ODIUM VIII The Dead Saga by Claire C. Riley | Goodreads

  Read on for a sneak peek…

  1.

  Mikey.

  I stood at the window looking out at the darkness beneath us. The black trees swaying in the light breeze that filtered through the forest surrounding us. I was already making plans to secure this place even more. It was safe, for now, but I knew that safety was part what you made it and the rest was down to fate. I wasn’t leaving anything to fate anymore.

  Nina mumbled something in her sleep and I turned to look at her. Her long hair splayed out from the pillow beneath her head, her features tugging into a small frown. She rolled onto her side, attempting to grab the duvet and pull it over her shoulders, but it was the side that was missing her hand and so her arm flailed uselessly for a moment before finally giving up.

  I walked to her, pulling the covers up over her, and her frown changed to a small smile as she fell back into a deep sleep.

  God, she was beautiful, scars and all.

  I’d missed her so much.

  I kissed the side of her face and then went to stand by the window again. Sleep evaded me tonight; thoughts of revenge had been burrowing deeper and deeper into my soul each day. I wanted to forget it—forget the treachery of everyone’s lies, the lengths they’d gone to to keep their secrets from me, but it was hard.

  Their lies had mixed with memories of my time in the Savages’ caves, blending themselves into one hateful feeling. One that kept me awake each night when I should have been sleeping, arms wrapped around the woman I loved, happy that we were together again. But the peace wouldn’t come, no matter how hard I tried.

  A flash of something below made me squint into the darkness, and I leaned closer to the glass, my gaze narrowing on the spot of white in the darkness. A deer maybe, I decided when it vanished. Nothing more than that.

  Deaders didn’t hide in the darkness and the Savages were dead.

  What else could it be?

  “Mikey?” Nina said my name and I turned from the window to look at her.

  Her eyes blinked in the darkness. “Come back to bed,” she said, giving a small yawn.

  “I’ll be right there,” I replied, giving one last glance outside.

  Whatever had been out there was gone now.

  With thanks.

  As usual, I’m sure I’ll forget to thank some people so I’ll apologize in advance for that.

  Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!

  Thank you to my faithful Odium readers who have followed Nina’s journey from Odium 0.5 all the way to Book 7. Without you, this series wouldn’t be what it is. Your passion for my snarky heroine and this dark apocalyptic world I’ve created means everything to me. I can’t thank you enough. I hope Book 7 was everything you hoped it would be because Book 8 is going to blow you away!

  Thank you to my friend and editor, Amy Jackson. I love and appreciate all that you do for me. You make the difficult task of editing as painless as possible, and I can’t thank you eno
ugh.

  Thank you to my sister from another mister and amazing cover designer Elizabeth Constantopoulos. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you! Your friendship means everything.

  Thank you to my badass PA Sarah Barton. I promise to be more organized in 2021. I mean, I’ll at least promise to try and be more organized, but you know what they say about leopards never changing their spots…

  Thank you to my Street Team, Claire’s Queens. Thanks for sticking with me through the many books I throw at you two days before release. Your hustle is awesome and it is so so appreciated.

  Thank you to my amazing reader group, Riley’s Rebels, and to Kelli Fisk McElreath, my admin who, no matter what is going on in her life, keeps that group going for me. I actually don’t know what I’d do without you! Thank you so much, darlin’.

  About the author:

  Claire C. Riley is a USA Today and International Bestselling author.

  She’s a genre-jumping book nerd who likes to write about psycho stalkers, anti-heroes, and the end of the bloody world!

  Gryffindor. Targaryen. Zombie slayer.

  She lives in the United Kingdom with her husband, three daughters, and ridiculously naughty rescue beagle, Dogface. She loves clothes with pockets in (especially dresses), loves avocados, and was obsessed with the film Heathers when she was younger.

  She is represented by Lane Heymont of The Tobias Literary Agency

  Also by Claire C. Riley

  Post-Apocalypse/dystopian:

  Odium The Dead Saga series

  Odium Origins Series

  Out of the Dark

  Red Eye The Armageddon Series – co-authored with Eli Constant

  Thicker than Blood Series – co-authored with Madeline Sheehan