Desolation - An Apocalyptic Novel (From Below Book 2) Read online

  Desolation - An 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

  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 © 2019 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 April 2019

  Books By Kellee L. Greene

  From Below Series

  Creatures - Book 1

  Desolation - Book 2

  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

  Chapter One

  It had been about four days since I’d lost my mom to the creatures. I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since they’d killed my dad. Even though Marty and I weren’t alone, it was hard not to feel that way.

  We were with our neighbors, Austin and Noah, whose parents had also been killed, and my ex, and his fiancé. The six of us had absolutely no idea what we were doing.

  During the day, we’d try to find things we could use from inside the house but with the giant hole in our basement floor, no one dared to stay inside for too long. We didn’t trust the flashlights and the sunlight to be enough to keep the creatures away. For all we knew, one day the creatures would decide to be brave enough to face the light.

  The first day after they’d taken my mom, we could hear them below making their noises. They knew we were out there and they wanted more.

  Austin had set up a light just above the hole but the house was such a disaster inside that it was difficult and unsafe to navigate most parts of the first floor. We could gather food and we’d been able to get some blankets but beyond that, it would have just been too dangerous.

  There wasn’t much we could do with the house but we didn’t have anywhere to go. It would have been hard for me to leave it behind, not that I had told anyone that. It had been my home all my life and seeing it in its current condition was depressing.

  I’d spent most of my life waiting for the day I could leave and be on my own but now, I didn’t know how I could do it.

  The generator kept the lights that Austin had rigged on the outside of the house glowing through the night but still we turned on the ones he’d set up on the vehicles as well. It wouldn’t ever feel like there would be enough light. Someone was always awake during the night to keep watch but more often than not it was most of us. It was easier to sleep during the day.

  The creatures didn’t come close but we could still see them out there in the distance watching and waiting for an opportunity. They weren’t going to give up. If we were all that was left, their last chance at food, they wouldn’t just walk away.

  During the day, I struggled to get much of any sleep thanks to the horrible nightmares that occurred every time I closed my eyes. If I wasn’t reliving what had happened to my dad, I was reliving the loss of my mom. She’d always be pulled away from me and the sounds I’d heard when they captured her had been ingrained into my memory.

  It was torture.

  Hopefully, she hadn’t suffered.

  Hopefully, she was with my dad and they were looking down on us doing whatever they could to keep us safe. Our guardian angels and boy did we need them.

  The creatures had come from the underground but we didn’t have a clue what they were. They were some kind of new species that had evolved and managed to find their way through the surface. It was probably all we’d ever know since there wasn’t anyone left to find out exactly what they were and tell us more about them.

  What we’d learned so far was that it seemed as though the creatures were blind and used sonar to move about but still, they were terrifyingly powerful. Their long sharp claws could get through anything except for the light. The light would stop them quicker than a bullet although the bullets seemed to work just fine too.

  Our situation felt hopeless but yet we didn’t talk about it. At least not much. Hell, Marty barely even talked to me at all anymore. But none of us were ready to throw in the towel. None of us wanted the creatures to win.

  “I think I’m going to head into town today,” Austin announced during breakfast which wasn’t anywhere near as good as what my mom would have prepared. All I’d been able to do was find a box of granola bars and pass them around to the others.

  “Oh?” I asked feeling my heart clench at the idea of being away from him.

  “I think we should find more weapons. The shotgun worked pretty good but still, we should have more,” Austin said. “Something for each one of us. Plus, extra for good measure.”

  Noah’s head was bobbing up and down in agreement. “Dad had lots of guns… maybe we can dig through the rubble and find some from back home.”

  “Hmm, that’s a good idea,” Austin said glancing in my direction. He could tell I was uneasy with the idea of them going into town. “And not as far away.”

  I swallowed down a hard lump and tried to force a smile. Surely it must have appeared to be something closer to a grimace based on the awkward pull of the muscles in my face.

  “I don’t know how to even use a gun.” Mallory frowned.

  “I’ll teach you,” Bradley said.

  My head fell to the side and I stopped my eyes during mid-roll. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
/>   “Well, sort of,” Bradley said. “Surely I could hit one of those huge things.”

  “I’ll teach them,” Marty said.

  Austin placed his hands on his hips and surveyed our surroundings. “I’m not sure how I feel about all the noise it’ll make.”

  “Better to make some noise during the day than to not know how to shoot and be faced with one of those things during the night, right?” Marty asked with an excited grin. He knew he was right and it seemed to give him a noticeable thrill.

  If it bothered Austin in any way, he didn’t let it show. It wasn’t that Austin had considered himself the leader of our little group, it just so happened to work out that way.

  If anything happened to him, we’d be in serious trouble, not that I dared to say that out loud and jinx us. But I was pretty sure everyone in the group thought the same thing anyway.

  “You ready?” Austin asked bumping Noah lightly with his elbow.

  “Yep,” Noah said without hesitation.

  They were walking toward the truck before I even realized what was happening.

  “So soon?” I asked grabbing Austin’s arm and turning him to face me.

  “The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll be back,” he said with a shrug as he looked up at the pale blue morning sky.

  The clouds were so fluffy it was hard to believe that anything less than perfect was happening around us. It was hard to believe how much had changed as I watched a cloud that looked like an elephant float by and turn into a rhinoceros.

  “What should we do here?” I asked feeling my nerves twinge as I lowered my eyes back down to the devastation surrounding us. It would have been nice to look back down and realize it had all been a dream but that didn’t happen. That wasn’t going to happen.

  “Stay here,” Austin said gesturing toward the lawn chairs that had been positioned under one of the big lights. They were right next to the grill and the picnic table making it all look more like we were about to have a barbecue. “Don’t look so worried.”

  My mouth dropped. “I am worried.”

  “We’ll be back long before dark,” Austin said. “If we can’t find anything at our place, we’ll come right back.” He placed a kiss on my forehead even though everyone was watching us. “If it makes you feel better, I won’t go into town without you.”

  I swallowed so hard it made me wince. “This feels like it’s too far, too soon.”

  “Got your phone?” he asked without giving me a chance to respond. “Don’t answer that, I’ll message Marty if I need to contact you.”

  “What happens when we can’t charge our phones any longer?” I asked. It was a question I was mostly asking because I knew it would keep him next to me a little longer.

  Austin grinned. “You can charge it in the SUV.”

  “What about when we can’t use them at all,” I asked.

  “Then, we’ll all stick together or maybe find some two-way radios,” Austin said tapping his finger to his chin. “Dad might actually have some.”

  “Maybe we should all stick together now,” I said biting my lip. With how clingy I was acting I should have just jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms and legs around him like a baby monkey.

  That wasn’t the kind of person I was. This world was turning me into something I wasn’t and I wasn’t all that happy about it.

  Austin placed his hands on my shoulders and drew in a calming breath. His eyes were focused on mine and I knew he wanted me to mimic his serenity.

  “If you don’t want me to go I won’t,” he said tilting his head slightly.

  “Well,” I said quickly glancing back at the others.

  I wasn’t ready to leave Marty yet either, although, I’d be more than happy to leave Mallory and Bradley behind. Marty was listening and shifting his weight nervously even though he was pretending to be looking at something quite interesting on the ground near his feet.

  “Just go fast,” I whispered before biting my cheek to stop myself from saying anything more.

  “We will,” Austin said giving my shoulders a brief squeeze. “I promise.”

  He turned away and I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be the last time I’d see him. I probably should have dropped to my knees and begged him to take us all with him… but I didn’t. There was still some of me left inside which was hopefully a good thing.

  I had to trust that he wouldn’t do something he knew would be dangerous. Even though it was hard, I had to believe he wouldn’t leave if he thought for a second that something would go wrong.

  But that was the problem with our new world. We didn’t know if or when something would go wrong.

  There wasn’t anything safe. Anything could go wrong at any moment, although, with the sun above and more than enough gas for the generator, our chances felt a little bit better. At least, for the time being.

  The truck started and the rumbling engine noises vibrated through my stomach. As Austin drove away from the house, it felt like the small pieces of my heart that remained, were being pulled apart like taffy being stretched to its breaking point.

  Once I couldn’t see the truck any longer, I turned around to face the others. They were looking at me as if they needed to be told what to do.

  An idea struck me. It was the perfect time.

  I cocked my head to the side and grinned like the Grinch on Christmas Eve. “I have an idea.”

  Chapter Two

  Marty’s eyes widened. “Now, I’m worried.”

  I ignored him.

  “So,” I said pointing out at the field where I’d spotted one of the holes. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  “You’re going to put us to work?” Mallory said as if she could sense some sort of shift in the atmospheric pressure that warned her that she might have to actually do something physical.

  I cocked my head to the side. “Yeah, sort of anyway.”

  “It’s kind of warm,” Mallory groaned as she fanned herself dramatically. “I don’t really want to sweat when there isn’t anywhere we can take a shower.”

  I ignored her. If I kept ignoring people, I was going to end up talking to myself.

  “There’s a hole in the ground over in that field. We’re going to grab as much debris as we can from the barn and drop it down into the hole,” I said.

  “Why are we going to do that?” Bradley asked. “It’s not like that’s going to stop them. If it would have, it wouldn’t be laying in a pile in the first place.”

  I shook my head and pointed my finger at him as if I were impressed. Finally, some common sense from Bradley. “No, no it probably won’t stop them, but maybe it’ll slow them. Think of it as an experiment.”

  “Why not pack the hole under the house?” Marty asked.

  “We could but then I wouldn’t be able to see what happens. Besides, that makes me nervous. There are just too many shadows in the house even with the light on,” I said feeling a cool breeze that Mallory must have been immune to. “I just want to test it out. Tonight, maybe we’ll hear them digging through all the debris and we can see how long it takes them to get through it all.”

  Marty gazed out at the field. After a long moment, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  “I’ll help,” Bradley said rolling up the sleeves of his designer shirt. He caught me staring at him and smiled. “I can get a new one in town and at a very affordable price.”

  I raised my brow and decided it would be best to ignore him too. Three out of three on the ignore list. Of course, I knew it was impossible to ignore any of them but it made me feel better to think that I was.

  “You should wait here,” Bradley said as Mallory stepped up next to him and wrapped her hands around his arm. Cling wrap. When it came to Austin and me, I didn’t want to be cling wrap. “Keep an eye out for Austin and Noah.”

  “Ooh! Yeah! I can totally do that,” Mallory said releasing Bradley and plopping down in one of the lawn chairs so heavily it squeaked. She leaned
back and crossed her long spidery legs as if she were impatiently waiting for a parade to start.

  The three of us walked over to the barn. We stopped almost simultaneously and stared at the pieces of wood, metal, and the poor baby pig that was rotting beneath it all.

  “Can’t believe this was all your barn once upon a time,” Bradley said. “I remember it so well.”

  My eyes shifted upward and rolled to the side. “It was just a barn.”

  “I know but it’s just weird isn’t it?” Bradley asked as he shook his head. “Such a shame.”

  I cleared my throat. “Over here.”

  They followed me to another pile of debris even though they had probably already seen or at the very least smelled the poor thing.

  I reached down and picked up a thick piece of wood that looked as though it had been snapped in two. One end was smooth and the other was rough and jagged. If I would have picked it up at the wrong end, I would have gotten several slivers.

  “Careful with what you pick up. Could be some very sharp stuff here,” I warned.

  I carried a board in each hand, dragging the longer one behind me as I made my way down the driveway toward the field. Bradley was at my heels carrying an armful of wood.

  As we got to the road, he caught up to me and looked both ways before crossing which had been unnecessary.

  “So, Austin, he’s your boyfriend, then?” he asked.