The Oklahoma Wastelands Series Box Set | Books 1-3

by Mary, Kate L.

  At my side, Kellan’s entire body stiffened so it felt like I was leaning against a stone wall. “Currency?”

  Andrew leaned forward as if to emphasize his story, his eyes shining with an evil light. “You see, he was the one who taught me how to motivate people. We needed supplies if we were going to make it, but the city was overrun, and the men needed a reward for risking their lives.”

  What he was saying sank in. My stomach lurched and my fingers dug into Kellan’s arm, and somehow against the bile rising in my throat I managed to spit out, “That’s sick.”

  Andrew gave an unconcerned shrug. “But effective.”

  He’d mentioned Vegas before, that day outside our shelter when we’d handed Harper over to him, and he’d also said there had been another shelter like ours. We’d always known there were more, but the company had been secretive, and not even Jasper had known their locations.

  “You said something before, about another shelter. Was that outside Vegas?”

  Andrew blew out a long trail of smoke, lifting his chin like he was trying to keep it away from us even though he didn’t care one way or another. The gray cloud floated to the ceiling where it joined the rest of the smoke gathered there, hovering just under the yellowed ceiling.

  “In the Mojave Desert,” he finally said, “out in the middle of nowhere just like yours. Some of our men snatched a couple women who were with the group—Hadley Lucas was one of them, if you can believe it.”

  The name sounded vaguely familiar, but before I’d had a chance to remember why, Kellan said, “The actress?”

  Andrew’s grin stretched wider, suddenly reminding me of a cartoon cat from my childhood that had scared the shit out of me. “The very same.”

  Right. Hadley Lucas the actress. I remembered her now. Strawberry blonde hair, thin. Pretty. She’d been in some zombie movie—we actually had it at the shelter—Zombieworld or something like that. It was a comedy, but I’d never really been able to see the humor in it.

  “She was popular,” Andrew said, and when Kellan swore under his breath, he waved his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter now. Their friends got them out, somehow, killed a couple of our people in the process. The boss was pissed, so we broke into their shelter and—”

  “You couldn’t have.” Kellan sat up straighter, and like him, alarm pulsed through me at the thought of someone being able to break into the shelter. “There’s no way.”

  “There is if someone runs off and betrays you.” Andrew pressed his mouth into a tight line and shook his head, looking less amused than he had before. “We should have let sleeping dogs lie, but the boss was determined. He wanted Hadley Lucas back—and the blonde who was with her was a hot piece of ass, too.” He waved his cigarette-wielding hand in the air as if to wipe his words away. “Anyway, we destroyed their shelter, but they made it out and came back to Vegas. They broke the rest of the women out and set zombies loose in the hotel, and that was the end of the Monte Carlo. I was one of the few people who made it out alive.” He let out a snort that I couldn’t interpret. “Barely.”

  “What happened to the other group?” I asked. “To the people from the shelter?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care. Died, probably. Nearly everyone does.” Andrew took another drag before leaning down, blowing the smoke out as he snuffed his cigarette on the carpet at his feet, not looking up when he started talking again. “I only tell you this so you understand how resourceful I am. Being together the way you are, I know you’re going to be tempted to try to get away, but it won’t happen.” He sat up, leaving the cigarette butt on the carpet, and focused his cold eyes on us. “There’s nothing I won’t do to get what I want. I captured and delivered dozens of women to my boss and didn’t miss a second of sleep, and if I have to do the same thing to keep you in line, I will.” He nodded to the armed goon sitting in front of the door, and the man smiled. “And believe me, my men will enjoy every second of it. Understand?”

  I clung to Kellan harder. “We won’t cause problems.”

  “Good.” Andrew scooted back so he was lying down, not even bothering to take his boots off. “Now I need to get some shuteye.”

  Kellan and I scooted back on the bed as well, doing our best to get comfortable. It wasn’t an easy task with our hands tied, but after some careful shifting, we managed.

  Andrew’s goon dimmed the light, but didn’t turn it out completely, and I was grateful for the soft glow illuminating the room because it made it possible for me to see Kellan. After hours of being apart, I wanted to soak him in, wanted to cling to him so I could convince myself everything was going to be okay. We’d been together since the beginning, and as long as that remained, we could make it. We would survive this.

  “You should try to sleep,” Kellan said, his voice soft and low so only I could hear it.

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  I tried to look over my shoulder, but he clasped my chin and held it, forcing me to focus on him. He was so close, and his brown eyes were swimming with more emotions than I could identify.

  “Don’t look at them,” he whispered, and I almost closed my eyes when his warm breath swept over me, but his gaze held me captive. “Just concentrate on me. Just focus on me.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know, so am I, but we’re going to get through this. I swear.”

  “How?” I asked in a shaky voice. “How can we possibly get out of this?”

  Kellan swallowed, and when he hesitated, my heart pounded faster. “I don’t know if we can get out of it. I’m not going to lie about that. But we will get through this together. We’ll be together until the moment they deliver us to Atlanta. Understand?”

  “What then?” I lowered my voice. “What happens then, Kellan?”

  “We survive. It’s all we can do.”

  He kissed me then, a feather light brush of his lips against mine, and I sank into him, my bound hands clinging to his shirt like it was a life vest and I was on the verge of drowning. More than anything, I wished our hands were untied so I could feel his strong arms around me, but I didn’t have a prayer that Andrew would actually allow that. Instead, I scooted closer to him, nestling my head under his chin, burrowing my face against his neck.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you,” he said, “more than anything.”

  27

  I’d thought for sure that sleep would evade me, but Kellan’s comforting presence helped me drift into a deep—if somewhat what restless—sleep, within minutes of shutting my eyes. In the darkness of my dreams, I found myself in the wilderness, surrounded by sand and mountains, trying to find my way back to Kellan. He was somewhere nearby, I knew, but I couldn’t find him. Andrew was there as well, and he seemed to be dozens of people at once, all of them surrounding me, trapping me. Their eyes bright, shining with the darkness living inside him.

  I woke with a start when something jabbed into my back, gasping from the shock of being ripped from the unsettling dream. Light flooded the room, streaming in through the motel’s window and wide-open door, and Andrew stood at my back, holding a gun, which he’d used to wake me. At my side, Kellan was already awake, his dark eyes focused on our captor and shimmering with groggy rage.

  “Get up,” Andrew said. “It’s time to move.”

  Kellan pushed himself up, his hands never leaving me, and helped me sit as well.

  Andrew allowed us to walk out together, side by side, but I had little hope he’d let Kellan stay with me once we were ready to leave. I squinted when we stepped out, lifting my bound hands to shield my face. It was early, probably not even seven in the morning, but the day was already sweltering. The motel had been stuffy and hot from being sealed up all night, but the sun’s rays were twice as scorching, and I felt a little bit like I’d stepped into an oven.

  Andrew’s men were gathered around the parking lot, eating from opened cans of various food. Most of the silver cylinders no longer had labels, but among the slightly
deteriorating paper covers that remained, I spotted peaches, beans, and even potatoes. It was the first real chance I’d had to count the men Andrew had recruited for this mission—things had been too hectic back at the hangar and too dark last night when we got to the motel—and I was surprised to learn there were only six of them. It was a much smaller group than he’d had before, but not so small that they hadn’t been able to overtake us.

  We only made it a few steps when Andrew grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the car. The goon who’d stood watch in the room mumbled something I couldn’t hear, and Kellan lowered himself to the ground as I was dragged away, his gaze still on me. I wanted to fight, and the expression in Kellan’s brown eyes told me he did as well, but neither of us resisted. There was too much at risk.

  My stomach growled at the sight of the canned food, but even worse was the pressure in my bladder. I’d been escorted to the bathroom—which reeked of things I couldn’t name—in the middle of the night, but that had been hours ago.

  “I have to pee,” I said as Andrew tried to pull me toward the already open door of the sedan.

  He stopped and turned, frowning like he didn’t believe me.

  “I’m not lying,” I snapped. “It’s a normal bodily function that I have no control over.”

  “Didn’t think you were lying.” He was already smoking, and the cigarette bobbed as he talked. “There. You can squat on the other side.”

  Heat moved up my face when he nodded to the truck, parked only a few feet from where we stood. There was no privacy, and half his men would be able to see me.

  “Take me back to the room,” I said, “or behind the motel.”

  Andrew rolled his eyes and tightened his grip as he changed course, now dragging me toward the truck. “This isn’t a democracy. You pee where I tell you, when I tell you.” He shoved me toward the truck, and I stumbled a few steps. “And I’m telling you to piss here.”

  His men had stopped eating and were watching, and behind Andrew, Kellan sat watching as well.

  “Now,” Andrew snapped. “Or I’ll have Reyes break one of his fingers.”

  The man standing over Kellan—Reyes—grinned.

  “Okay. I’m going.”

  I swallowed, my gaze moving over the people gathered in the overgrown parking lot as more heat moved up my face. I didn’t have a choice, and it wasn’t that big of a deal, anyway. I could do this.

  I turned my back to the side of the truck when I reached it, thinking the position would give me the most cover. Even with my eyes straight ahead, I could feel the gazes of Andrew and his men on me, and not only did it make my face burn with shame, it also made my hands tremble as I worked to undo my pants. I had to twist my hands to get the button undone and the zipper down, and the whole time the hard plastic of the zip tie bit into my skin. Getting my pants and underwear down turned out to be the easiest part. Squatting so no pee splashed on my legs or feet ended up being impossible, and once I was finished, getting my clothes back in place proved to be a challenge. I had to stand in the parking lot with my pants around my knees while I worked to pull up my underwear, completely exposed while heat licked at my cheeks and tears filled my eyes. I tried to tell myself it was no big deal, Andrew had already seen me like this at the farmhouse, and no real harm was coming to me, but the longer it took to get my pants back in place, the less I believed it, so that by the time I’d finished and turned to face Andrew, tears were streaming down my cheeks.

  I couldn’t meet anyone’s gaze as Andrew dragged me across the parking lot to the sedan, his grip punishing and sure to leave a bruise.

  When we reached the car, he didn’t shove me inside, but instead snapped, “Sit.”

  I did as I was told and took a seat, keeping my legs out. Andrew stood in front of me with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The sun was behind him, casting his shadow over me, and his hulking frame made it impossible to see Kellan from where I sat. It also made me feel impossibly alone and vulnerable.

  Andrew had a canvas bag in his hands, and he didn’t look at me as he dug through it. I wasn’t sure what to expect—a torture device, maybe—but he pulled out a can and handed to me, and then a canteen.

  “We need to keep you healthy.” Ash fluttered from the cigarette between his lips, falling to the ground. “The CDC needs you alive.”

  When I didn’t make a move to either eat or drink, he ripped the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke into the air.

  “Eat.” He pointed the cigarette at the can in my hands. “And make sure you drink every drop of water. It’s hot, and the last thing I need is for you to get dehydrated.”

  I still didn’t move. “What about Kellan? You’re going to make sure he stays healthy, too. Right? You need him to be healthy when we get there.”

  “He doesn’t eat until you do.” Andrew gave me a smirk that looked evil. “Remember, I’m no fool. I’m not going to have you starving yourself in some idiotic form of protest. You eat what I give you and drink all that water, and your little boyfriend will get his share.”

  I scowled up at Andrew, but he only smiled in response. I’d had no intention of trying to starve myself, but I still didn’t like being put in a corner like this.

  He smoked as he watched me lift the canteen to my lips and take a big gulp. The water was warm and had a slight metallic taste, but I sucked it down anyway, not stopping until it was half empty. Andrew’s eyes stayed on me as I set it down and pried the lid off the can—thankfully, it was a pop-top, making it easy. Like most of the cans I’d seen his men eating from, there was no label, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. Not that it mattered. Even if it was a can of condensed milk, I’d choke it down for Kellan.

  It turned out to be baked beans. They floated in their brown sauce, surrounded by bits of bacon and congealed grease. My stomach would have turned at the sight of them even if Andrew wasn’t watching me like a hawk, because I’d never been a fan of baked beans, but his eyes were on me, and he kept watching as I bent the lid and used it to scoop up a big glop of the food. I shoveled it in my mouth, barely tasting the cold sweetness of the beans as I chewed, taking a second bite as soon as I’d swallowed the first.

  My empty stomach tried to protest, but I forced the food to stay down by piling more on top of it, bite after bite, consuming the contents until there wasn’t a single bean or piece of bacon left.

  When I set the empty can aside, Andrew nodded. “Good. Now the water.”

  I finally looked away when I picked up the canteen. Andrew was still hovering over me, but he’d shifted so he was leaning against the open door, his arms crossed as he smoked, and I was now able to get a good look around. His men were packing up, loading the cars with the supplies they’d dragged into the motel last night, and Kellan was still sitting on the ground, the same goon standing over him. My stomach threatened to expel the beans at the sight of the gun pointed at Kellan’s head, so I gulped the water faster, hoping to keep them down.

  When the canteen was finally empty, I turned it upside down and glared at Andrew. “Now give Kellan some food.”

  Andrew pulled the cigarette from his mouth and yelled over his shoulder. “Feed the other one.”

  The goon standing over Kellan pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it on the ground. It landed at Kellan’s feet, and through the thick tangle of weeds I caught sight of something orange.

  “Crackers?” The fiery look I shot Andrew didn’t faze him in the least.

  “We have to prioritize our rations.” He shrugged as if Kellan’s life meant less to him than a blade of grass. “We didn’t plan for your friend.”

  “Give him something else,” I said.

  “You’re not in a position to give orders.”

  He was right, but I still got to my feet. “He at least needs water!”

  Andrew tossed his cigarette on the ground and shoved me so that I plopped back down on the seat. Then he was in my face. “Watch yourself.”

  I was seethi
ng, my blood and face hot, but I took his warning seriously. They’d given Kellan something, at least, and that would have to do for now.

  I stayed where I was while the men finished packing up. By then, Kellan had finished his meager meal, and when Andrew told everyone that it was time to head out, the goon standing over him yanked him to his feet. I watched in silence as he was dragged to the back of the truck and disappeared from sight.

  I dozed in the car, lulled to sleep by the persistent rocking even though it terrified me to close my eyes for even a second. Last night I’d been able to relax a little with Kellan at my side, but now I was alone, and taking my eyes off Andrew was the last thing I wanted to do, but I couldn’t help it.

  Between naps, I stared out the window, watching the Oklahoma landscape fly by. Eventually, it changed from the dry, brown world I was used to, to something greener. There were more trees lining the roads, more forests in the distance, and the ruins of old cities and neighborhoods became more frequent. I wasn’t positive since most of the road signs were gone, covered by debris, or rusty, but I had a feeling we’d passed out of Oklahoma and were now in Arkansas. Or what used to be Arkansas, anyway. I wasn’t sure what states still existed. I wasn’t even sure if this was still considered the United States of America.

  The idea of talking to Andrew was repulsive, but being in the dark wasn’t fun either, so after hours of silence, I finally turned to him. “Are we in Arkansas?”

  He seemed to have a never-ending supply of cigarettes, and his life-goals seemed to include turning his lungs black, because he was still smoking.

  “Almost to Tennessee,” he said through a haze of smoke.

  “I haven’t left Oklahoma in more than ten years,” I mumbled.

  “I don’t know why the hell not,” Andrew replied. “The place is a pit, and hotter than hell. You know there are better areas out there, right? And there are cities with walls.” He snorted as he sucked in another mouthful of chemicals. “You should have come east and joined a sanctioned settlement. They’d give you a place to live and a job, you’d get credits. You wouldn’t have to fight for everything you have.”