Yellow Heat - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 6) Read online

  Yellow Heat

  A Post-Apocalyptic Novel

  Kellee L. Greene

  Contents

  Books By Kellee L. Greene

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Books By Kellee L. Greene

  Mailing List

  What to Read Next

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Kellee L. Greene

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.

  First Edition February 2019

  Books By Kellee L. Greene

  Red Sky Series

  Red Sky - Book 1

  Blue Cloud - Book 2

  Black Rain - Book 3

  White Dust - Book 4

  Indigo Ice - Book 5

  Yellow Heat - Book 6

  Ravaged Land Series

  Ravaged Land -Book 1

  Finding Home - Book 2

  Crashing Down - Book 3

  Running Away - Book 4

  Escaping Fear - Book 5

  Fighting Back - Book 6

  Ravaged Land: Divided Series

  The Last Disaster - Book 1

  The Last Remnants - Book 2

  The Last Struggle - Book 3

  Falling Darkness Series

  Unholy - Book 1

  Uprising - Book 2

  Hunted - Book 3

  The Island Series

  The Island - Book 1

  The Fight - Book 2

  The Escape - Book 3

  The Erased - Book 4

  The Alien Invasion Series

  The Landing - Book 1

  The Aftermath - Book 2

  Destined Realms Series

  Destined - Book 1

  One

  I’d figured the attacks would be what killed me but it seemed more likely that it was going to be all the walking that we were doing that was going to finally do me in. Winnipeg had seemed like an impossible destination but we’d made significant progress. If I ever hoped to see Bronx again, it was where we had to go. Not that I actually believed that I would see him again.

  We had about a hundred miles left to go before we’d reach Winnipeg. If I had to guess, it had taken us several months to get to where we were.

  If Bronx was still alive, he was probably already there. He would travel faster on his own. Bronx wasn’t traveling with a guy who had a bum leg and a woman who was several months pregnant.

  Molly had been worried that she’d lost her baby but the slight roundness indicated that the baby was growing. She didn’t complain, so I could only assume that she was happy, even though at first, she hadn’t been sure it would be a good thing.

  Nick was always talking about their baby. He was convinced it was going to be a boy. Whenever we’d be in a house or store looking for supplies, he’d always look for something for the baby. Almost everything he picked out was blue.

  I tried to remain positive about everything but I didn’t really believe that Bronx would be in Winnipeg when we got there. But I had to go.

  I’d made a promise to Bronx that I wouldn’t give up fighting if I’d lost him. Before I could decide what I’d need to do next, I needed to be sure, absolutely sure, that I’d really lost him.

  “Can we stop for the day?” Molly asked with her hand on her stomach gently swirling it in a circular, loving motion.

  “Another mile,” I said looking up at the sky. “Maybe two?”

  Molly groaned. “Nick, I’m so tired. I need to stop. My feet are killing me.”

  Every day we traveled, I asked to put in more miles and every day Molly whined to Nick about needing a break. He’d usually try to convince her to go a bit longer, but when she’d frown at him and blink her thick mascara covered eyelashes, he’d give in. We’d stop for the day at the nearest safe location.

  It wasn’t like walking had been easy for me. There was a callus on the back of my foot that was so large it was like a crescent moon on the back of my foot. My legs from my toes to my knee were numb ninety percent of the time. But it wasn’t like we really had a choice. We couldn’t stop walking long enough for it to heal if it ever would.

  It was still hard for me to accept that Bronx wasn’t with us. There were times I’d turn and look over my shoulder expecting to see him. My stomach would clench up and I could feel my heart breaking all over again.

  I thought about him every day, wondering whether or not he was alive out there. If he was, what was he doing? Where was he? For all we knew, maybe he was two miles ahead of us and we just didn’t know it.

  More than likely though, he was gone. I’d need to come to terms with the fact that I’d never see him again.

  I scolded myself daily for not having done more to stop him and Nick from leaving Carol Ann’s home in the first place. We’d been at her amazing bed and breakfast with the basement bunker and even though she was going to kick us out, Nick truly believed he was doing the right thing. He thought he could go out there and find her husband, earning our place in Carol Ann’s home. Only he had no idea that we’d lose the place to the crazy people that had kidnapped Carol Ann’s husband.

  What we should have really done was taken her place by force. It wasn’t like she would have really been able to get rid of us that easily. But that wasn’t us. That wasn’t who we were. Even if we would have stayed, it wouldn’t have been long before the evil men that had captured Nick and Bronx would have shown up.

  None of us would have been alive. There had been so many of them and we probably wouldn’t have been able to stop them if they would have surprised us.

  Perhaps we should have just left but that could have led to our deaths as well. The ice rain would have poisoned us all, likely killing us. All of us.

  Then again, Nick had developed a bit of a cough from the ice rain when he’d been exposed. But it had cleared up rather quickly. It didn’t seem as though he’d been infected the way the others had.

  “Sorry, Gwen,” Nick said with a sharp sniff as he placed his hands on his hips. I knew I’d lost. Again. “We’re going to stop for the night.”

  Even though it wasn’t dark, the moon was already in the sky. I pointed upward at the big, round circle. “We should keep going. It’s going to be a bright night.”

  “We’ll just get up early and put in a few extra miles,” Nick said glancing at Molly.

  “Umm, okay,” I said knowing we probably wouldn’t. When Molly was sleeping,
Nick didn’t like to wake her. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard him promise to get up early and put in extra miles. Molly’s mood dictated a lot of our travels and she almost never wanted to do extra walking. I didn’t complain because I’d never been pregnant and well, I just didn’t have the energy to complain.

  I didn’t really like traveling at night. We’d done it a few times after we’d left Carol Ann’s home and Nick had been worried we were being followed. Traveling in the darkness was more difficult and it wore us out but, at the time, the extra distance felt like a necessity.

  Now, to Nick and Molly at least, the extra miles didn’t seem as vital. Nick was certain that if Bronx was in Winnipeg, he’d wait there, so it didn’t matter how long it took us. For me, every day, my heart broke more and more and I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going make the necessary repairs when I finally learned that I wasn’t going to see Bronx again.

  We found an old motel at the edge of a town we hoped was empty. There wasn’t time to check each room, so we moved around the side of the building cautiously.

  “This way,” Nick said ducking down under a windowsill.

  Molly and I copied his every movement. It felt like we were moving like ninjas but we probably looked like a group of monkeys.

  “Shit,” Nick said when he tried to turn the doorknob. “Locked.”

  Nick looked over his shoulder before kicking the door. It was so flimsy the door popped right open. Unfortunately, it hit the back of the wall with a loud thud.

  “Get in,” Nick said pushing us inside the room.

  He closed the door and looked out between the curtains looking for any kind of movement. I kept my breathing quiet as I watched Nick for a reaction.

  Molly lowered herself down in a chair near the window. She crossed her right leg over the other and started massaging her ankles.

  “Um,” someone said from behind us.

  We looked at one another before turning. Nick raised the empty shotgun aiming it right at the man standing there with his hands in the air.

  “What are you doing here?” Nick said.

  The man’s eyes narrowed. He kept his hand in the air but pointed his finger at the bed two queen beds. “We were going to sleep.”

  A hand popped out from around the corner followed by the rest of his body. His eyes were wide and his head was moving slowly from side to side taking us all in.

  “Get out of here,” Nick said.

  “What?” the first man said letting out a noise that was close to a chuckle. “We were here first. You get out.”

  The comment seemed to throw Nick off. He couldn’t think of anything to say because the man was right.

  “There are other rooms,” the second guy said.

  “Lots of them,” the first guy said. “You could stay but I think it would be a bit crowded for all of us in this one room.”

  “Yes, too crowded. Are you armed?” Nick said sucking in a deep breath.

  The first man nodded. “You kind of have to be out here, don’t you?”

  Nick nodded.

  “We just have knives,” the second man said. “Our guns were stolen a long time ago.”

  Nick relaxed his shoulders and lowered the gun slightly. It seemed as though he didn’t fully trust the men. It would have been an easy thing for them to lie about.

  “I’m Peter and this is my little brother, Kellan.” Peter took a step forward stretching out his hand toward Nick. When Nick didn’t move the man stopped his advance and lowered his hand. “Do you have any food?”

  Nick shook his head. “We ate the last of what we had earlier.”

  “Oh, good,” Peter said jerking his chin toward several plastic bags sitting on the floor next to the dresser. “If you should need some, we have plenty. We could spare a few rations.”

  Kellan grinned. “We had a few good runs.”

  “You’ve been staying here?” I asked.

  “No,” Peter answered quickly. The look he’d given Kellan informed me that they had been but I was willing to bet they wouldn’t be for long. Peter cleared his throat. “Where are you all headed?”

  “Just wandering around. Looking for food,” Nick said.

  Peter’s eyes went right toward Molly’s stomach. “There’s a place you can go.”

  Nick stepped in front of Molly protectively and Peter laughed.

  “I don’t have any interest in your woman. I can see she’s pregnant and I know where you can find a doctor.” Peter lowered his arms cautiously. “It’s not too far from here.”

  “Where?” Nick asked.

  Peter took a step forward. Excitement filled his eyes. “We can take you there.”

  “Again,” Nick said cocking his head to the side. “Where?”

  A grin grew on Peter’s lips. “We’ve been there.”

  “Oh my God,” Molly groaned. “Where is it?”

  Peter let out a breath as he raised his brow. “A place just north of here. It was a great place before all of this and it still is but it’s a bit different from when I lived there. You guys will love it. There will be help for you. Winnipeg.”

  Two

  “You’ve been there?” Nick asked.

  “Several times,” Peter said gesturing toward the bed. “Can I sit?”

  Nick wrinkled his brow at the question. It took him a few seconds to realize he was asking permission because Nick was still holding the gun.

  “Sure,” Nick said lowering the gun but keeping his grip on the handle. Normally, Nick would sling it over his shoulder but it was clear he still didn’t trust the men.

  “We’ve brought others,” Kellan said.

  “You have?” I asked trying to hide my interest. Maybe they’d taken Bronx.

  Kellan nodded as he looked at me. His messy hair was the color of beach sand. There were long pieces and short pieces softly curling outward. It looked as though he’d tried to cut his own hair. He quickly pulled on his knit hat when he saw me studying his hair.

  Peter looked quite different from Kellan. He was taller with dark hair. It was almost as if they were like night and day and not just in personality.

  When I caught Kellan’s light blue eyes, I looked away as if I’d been caught doing something wrong. The bed squeaked as both Kellan and Peter had a seat on the edge of the bed.

  “Every time we find survivors, we bring them up to Winnipeg. Most of the time it’s people who are in really rough shape,” Peter said shaking his head.

  “Sometimes they don’t even make it before we get there,” Kellan said twisting his fingers together.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “Do you work for the people in Winnipeg?”

  “Not really,” Peter said. “I travel back and forth frequently because I know some people down here. Some people that aren’t willing to go to Winnipeg. They’d rather tough it out.”

  “He likes to check on them,” Kellan added.

  I leaned back against the wall tucking my hands into my pockets. “What’s it like up there?”

  “Lots of people, well, compared to here,” Peter said. “Everyone working together, helping one another but it’s frustrating too because no one really knows what’s going on out there. Only speculations.”

  “There’s just no communication. No way to know exactly what is going on or who is doing this,” Kellan said. “When the attacks first started it wasn’t long before we lost power. Something took out all our electronics and nearly all of our transportation which stopped us from learning who was behind everything.”

  Peter nodded along with every word. “We’ll never know for sure. One of the scientists in Winnipeg think some country declared war on the United States. There are others who think God is punishing us all for our sins.”

  “What do you think it is?” Nick asked.

  “Me?” Peter asked scrunching up his nose. He looked surprised that anyone would ask his opinion on the matter. “Well, there are a couple of really smart guys up there in Winnipeg and I have to say I agree with the war theory. Som
eone wanted to wipe out the US or maybe all of North America and they’re doing that with these biological and chemical attacks. Weapons that were purposefully created to wipe out the population.”

  Molly hugged her stomach tighter. “Why would they do that?”

  “Why did any war happen?” Peter said.

  “It could be worse out there too. For all we know, they’re doing this in Europe, Australia maybe even China, who knows?” Kellan said throwing his hands into the air. “Worst of all, I don’t think we’ll ever know who is behind it and how widespread it is.”

  “Without communication with the outside world, there is no way we can ever know for sure,” Peter said.

  “What about boating to another country, like Europe,” Nick asked. “If they haven’t been attacked, there is a possibility that they’ll know what happened.”

  Peter nodded. “Sure, of course, but we don’t have the means at this point to travel to Europe. And what if it’s gone too?”

  “All we can really do is to stay here, wait it out, and eventually rebuild,” Kellan said.

  “Are things as bad in Canada as they’ve been here?” I asked.

  Both Kellan and Peter shook their heads.

  “Not as bad,” Kellan said running his thumb across his bottom lip. “But it’s pretty bad. We lost many and we think it won’t be long before more of the attacks hit us as well.”