Ravaged Land - Eventuality Series Box Set
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Duology
Kellee L. Greene
Contents
Books By Kellee L. Greene
Author’s Note
The Wall
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
The Outside
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
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 © 2020 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 July 2020
Books By Kellee L. Greene
Ravaged Land Series (1)
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 (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Book 4 Coming Soon!
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
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
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
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
The Ravaged Land: Eventuality series is set in the Ravaged Land world but it can be read as a stand-alone series. You do not need to have read either of the previous series to enjoy this one. However, if you would like to read the series in order, please see the reading order below.
This series takes place in the same world but with different characters and at a different time.
I really hope you enjoy The Wall and the entire Ravaged Land series. Thanks for reading!
Kellee L. Greene
READING ORDER
Ravaged Land Series
-Ravaged Land
-Finding Home
-Crashing Down
-Running Away
-Escaping Fear
-Fighting Back
Ravaged Land: Divided Series
-The Last Disaster
-The Last Remnants
-The Last Struggle
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series
-The Wall
The Wall
Ravaged Land: Eventuality
Book One
by Kellee L. Greene
1
It had been one hundred and six years since the world changed. At least that is what we’d been told in our schooling a few years ago.
Today was the anniversary of when the city was first founded but it was the same as every other day. There would be no celebration or mention of the day’s significance of any kind.
My father hadn’t experienced the end of the world but my grandparents had. They’d passed down countless stories which likely had changed over the years. My brother and I were told that we were ancestors of one of the few that had survived the deadly storms that had erased everything on earth. And that made us special.
The survivors had managed to rebuild but our city wasn’t anything like what the world’s cities used to be like or so I’d been told. My grandfather had been the man put in charge of the city long ago and after he died, my father took over.
One day, either my brother, Ezra or I would be the ones to accept the role of president. It wasn’t something I was particularly interested in, even though it seemed like something my father wanted me to strive for. He wanted to see my brother and I fight for it.
He wanted us to learn everything about the city starting from the bottom up, which was why we both worked for the large, two-tiered city’s patrol units. We were respected as officers of the law.
My brother worked on the top tier where all of the wealthy people lived. He read old books most of the day and complained to me, not to our father, how bored he was.
I worked on the lower level, which was a bit different. It was directly under level two and the people were struggling a bit. There were more challenges to their days and occasional crimes.
The roads on level one were dirty and the buildings were in need of repair but my father hadn’t found a way to make all of the necessary repairs. He did, however, continue to tell the people he was working on it but I knew he was only telling them what they wanted to hear.
My father had given me the more difficult location to patrol and when I had asked him why, he told me it was because he thought I was tougher than Ezra.
“Sadie,” my father had said with a hand on each of my shoulders. “Your brother would come running home after twenty minutes in the lower level. Maybe that’s being generous.”
I could still remember how he’d laughed from his belly as he clapped his hands and walke
d away. Even though I thought Ezra was his favorite, it had said something that he thought Ezra didn’t have it in him.
But things had changed. Every day that I had to go to work after what had happened to my friends had been a challenge. It was hard not to feel guilty. Not to mention that I worried about them constantly.
I walked down the narrow road between the grimy brick buildings. The gray shadows dancing in the street lights, lit even during the day, prickled the skin on my arms.
Most of the curtains of the buildings were closed and those that weren’t quickly shut as I walked by. I wasn’t welcomed by many because of the uniform I wore, not that anyone would have said so out loud.
I looked up and down the alley before knocking on the thin door that was an inch too short. The number eighty-six was posted just to the side next to the mailbox as it was for every house on both levels. The curtain on the door moved to the side slightly and I pushed my shoulders back as I straightened my spine. I wanted to appear to anyone that might notice me there that I was on official business.
My lips pressed into a tight-lipped smile as I looked at the frazzled woman on the other side of the door’s window.
The door abruptly squeaked open and I was yanked inside, nearly stumbling over my own feet. So much for looking professional.
“I’m so happy to see you, Officer Keane,” she said, pressing her back to the door for a long moment before drawing in a breath.
Darlene Fritz stepped away from the door and kicked at the dirty laundry and toys scattered on the floor. She was creating a path toward the living room chair positioned tightly against the wall in her quaint living room.
“Oh, no. Don’t trouble yourself. I can’t stay long,” I said, reaching inside my jacket. I pulled out a plastic bag that was about to burst at the seams. It had been packed by an associate with two jars of infant formula that hadn’t been recorded. “Just wanted to bring you this.”
“Oh, thank God!” Darlene exclaimed as her two-year-old daughter toddled behind her and peeked out from around her leg. “I was nearly out of formula for Jax. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. They don’t even give me enough for Jenny. She’s growing so fast.”
“I’ll see what I can do about increasing her rations,” I said winking at the little girl. “Has she had her yearly checkup with the doctor? That’s when they usually increase rations.”
“She’s not due for another three months,” Darlene said. “They won’t take us early. It’s hard down here for us. A lot of us.”
“I know. I wish there were more I could do to help,” I said swallowing hard. With who my dad was, I should have been able to do more but every time I tried to talk to him about making changes on level one, he’d nod and quickly change the subject.
Darlene stepped forward and gave me a quick hug. I stood there stiffly not feeling like I deserved any kind of thanks.
“You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I owe you my life.” She looked down at her daughter. “They might not be alive if it weren’t for you and,” Darlene said stopping to clear her throat and compose herself. “I wish there was a way I could thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said looking away from her glistening eyes. “I wish there were more I could do.”
“After what happened to the others, I know the risks you are taking to even come here,” Darlene said. It was her turn to avert her gaze. “It’s not right of me to put you in this situation.”
I knew Darlene felt at least some guilt over what had happened to the three officers that I used to work with. They’d been my best friends in the entire city for nearly my entire life.
But what had happened to them wasn’t her fault. And even though I was putting my life in danger just being here, it wasn’t like I really had a choice.
“Things shouldn’t be like this,” Darlene said. “I didn’t mean to get pregnant again. We hadn’t been trying. I’m sure I’ve told you that before. But I couldn’t go through with it even if it’s our laws. It just seemed wrong.”
“I know, you’ve told me and I don’t blame you one bit.” My eyes scanned the house that needed far more than a deep clean. “Besides food, are you doing okay here?”
Darlene shook her head but smiled. “It’s hard for us ever since we lost my husband but we manage.” Her eyes became glassy. “I miss him so much.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said feeling bad about having brought up the subject. Especially when there wasn’t much I could do to help her.
“Sometimes I wonder if maybe things would have been better for us out there,” Darlene said lowering her head.
Darlene’s husband had died from a severe illness several months ago. He became sick shortly after they’d illegally given birth to their second child.
She’d asked the woman who’d helped her give birth for help and word traveled to my friends. It was then we’d started making weekly visits to Darlene but she wasn’t the first person we’d helped on level one.
Our city wasn’t terribly large. There were laws and having more than one child broke one of those rules. The punishment for breaking that particular law was banishment from the city and into the storms beyond the wall.
Essentially, it was a death sentence.
Bringing Darlene extra food was a huge risk on my part. It wouldn’t just be her and her children that would be banished from the city, I would be there right beside her. Neither of us would be given anything, only the shirts on our backs.
My dad had been able to save me the last time when my friends were thrown out but this time, he wouldn’t be able to do anything for me. Not that it would matter because if he found out I was still secretly helping people who were breaking the laws of our city, he’d kill me with his own bare hands.
“I should get going,” I said bowing my head slightly as I made my way back to the door.
“When will you be back?” she asked twisting her fingers together as Jenny followed behind her clinging to her legs. The little girl gawked at me with her big, round eyes.
“As soon as I can,” I said gesturing toward the formula Darlene was still holding. “How long will that last you? A week?
Darlene bit her lip. “Maybe. He’s been eating more and more. But I’m pretty good at managing our supplies.”
“Okay,” I said placing my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do my best to come back sooner.”
Meeting with the guy who gave out the extra supplies wasn’t one of my favorite things to do. One of my friends had always been the one to have those meetings but now that he was gone, it was up to me.
“Thank you, Officer Keane. Thank you.” Darlene pressed her palms together as I slipped out of her home.
I walked back toward the main road thinking about how much I missed my friends. We’d known each other since we’d been five so losing them after fifteen years had been difficult on many levels. I was lonely. And it wasn’t fair. I should have been out there with them. If they were still out there.
At the time, my dad had told me there wasn’t anything he could do to help them. They’d been caught smuggling food. They had broken the law.
I’d been with them, but I hadn’t gotten caught. I’d already finished my job and had been waiting for them on the main street when I spotted them being dragged off by other officers of the law… our coworkers.
That had been the last time I’d seen them. Wherever they were, they probably hated me.
They hadn’t turned me in when they’d gone to trial but based on the scowl my father had worn for weeks, I was fairly certain he suspected me of having broken the law as well. He’d threatened to take away my job but I’d lied to him so that I could keep it… someone had to keep helping those in need.
After my friends were banished, he made me promise to never do anything like my friends had done because if I got caught, there wouldn’t be anything he could do to help me. He was convinced they’d overthrow him if he pardoned his daughter while everyone else who had broken the law was th
rown into the storms.
He’d said he couldn’t lose me but I knew what he was really afraid of… losing his position and facing the embarrassment of his daughter, an officer of the law, being a criminal.
Darlene had been in a rough position. Usually, when a woman on the lower levels had an unplanned addition to their family, they kept them secret and breastfed. Darlene, perhaps because of the heartbreak of losing her husband, hadn’t been able to produce milk for some reason. She needed the formula or her baby would have died. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter.
I might have known better but I wasn’t going to let a baby die even if it meant I’d have to disobey President Keane, my father.
I walked the streets in the lower level and while a few people knew I’d help in certain cases, most of them didn’t know. They were apprehensive. They saw me as someone that would make their life difficult. Someone that would take the slightest bit of pleasure away from them.