White Dust - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 4) Read online

  “Illegal drugs too?” Nick asked, and I rolled my eyes.

  “All kinds,” Stephens said. “I’m Ted by the way, but everyone calls me Stephens. I used to work at the institution a few years ago.” Ted pointed to the name sewed onto his jacket. “Thank God I kept this thing, or I’d probably have joined the other townsfolk in the cemetery.”

  “They said you hear voices,” I said.

  Ted shrugged. “I do. When people talk, I hear them. And sometimes I don’t want to hear them.” Ted cleared his throat and blinked several seconds too long. “I’ll do whatever it takes to survive.”

  “Why are you telling us this?” I asked.

  “Oh, I shouldn’t be,” Ted said shaking his head. “This fucking medicine is like truth serum to me. I’m surprised I haven’t come clean to White yet. Sometimes I have an episode so I can get a break from it all. Sometimes it’s the only way I can get any sleep.”

  I glanced at Nick. There were probably a thousand things we should have been asking Ted, but my mind was blank. I couldn’t think of anything but the horses outside the window.

  “Man, I can barely keep my eyes open,” Ted said lowering his head down. Almost instantly, he fell back asleep.

  “We gotta get out of this place,” Nick said pacing back and forth as I turned to look back out of the window. “They are insane.”

  “Literally,” Molly added.

  I looked back out of the window when I heard raised voices. There was a man bigger than White standing face to face with him, his ears red and his head looking like it was ready to pop off his neck.

  “They’re having an argument,” I said.

  “Who is?” Bronx asked.

  “White and another man. One of the men that climbed down off of the horses,” I replied, covering my mouth as White threw his fist into the man’s jaw. “Oh crap!”

  Bronx took a step forward ready to peel me away from the window. “What now?”

  “White punched him,” I said, watching as a huge man walked up and grabbed the nearly knocked out man around the neck. He dragged him toward the house as if he were a caveman bringing back his dinner. “They’re coming this way.”

  I climbed down off of the washing machine. My hands moved nervously over my pants.

  The door upstairs opened and it sounded like a herd of elephants was walking through the place. Nick and Molly sat down, but Bronx and I stayed on our feet.

  White and the beast came down the stairs throwing the man next to Ted. White gestured, and the beast picked up Ted.

  “Time to go, Stephens,” White said in a loud voice as he leaned toward him.

  Ted lazily opened his eyelids as he weakly clawed at the beasts hands. The big man didn’t even seem to notice his touches.

  The beast had to be nearly seven feet tall. Ted wasn’t a short man, yet his feet didn’t touch the ground as the beast carried him along. The scowl the beast wore made my insides churn. I didn’t even want to know why he’d been locked inside of the institution.

  “What? Already?” Stephens asked, his head rolling side to side as the beast kept him from placing his feet on the ground. “I’m still hearing them. I need more time. More medicine.”

  “Really sorry about that, but there’s a good chance we’re going to need you for something,” White said.

  “What about us?” Nick asked.

  White shrugged. “Someone will bring your dinner soon. Being down here is better than being out there, isn’t it? I hope you aren’t complaining about your accommodations because you’re practically in a five-star hotel here.”

  “My apologies. I wasn’t complaining, was simply wondering,” Nick said. “It’s never fun to be locked up, is it?”

  The beast shook his head, but the scowl on his face didn’t diminish.

  “See,” Nick said smiling at the big guy, but it wasn’t a smile that remained on his face long. White looked amused at how Nick was studying the beast.

  “I understand,” White said. “We just have a lot going on right now and… well, we’ll figure it out soon. You guys arrived at kind of a bad time for us.”

  As they were about to leave Miss Lecky came down with a tray looking at each person. “Party down here or what?” she asked shaking her head when she saw the man slumped down on the floor. “Oh geez. I didn’t bring enough food.”

  “Don’t worry about him,” White said. “We’ll be back for him soon. Oh,” he said stopping in front of me, “you and your friend will be coming with us.”

  “What? Why?” I said glancing at Bronx.

  White shook his head and pointed at Molly. “Not him, her.”

  My eyes widened, and my stomach sank lower. “Where are we going?”

  “With us,” White said with a wrinkled forehead. He reached out and grabbed the rope around my waist and cut it with a small blade.

  White’s fingers wrapped around my upper arm and Bronx took a step toward him. The beast grabbed the back of Bronx’s shirt and pulled him back.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll have them back before dark,” White said with a chuckle as one of the other men cut Molly free.

  White dragged me up the stairs while another man pulled Molly along. I glanced back at Bronx who looked like he was going to be sick.

  As long as Molly and I weren’t being taken away to be killed, I’d come back to him. There wasn’t anything in the world that could stop me from finding my way back to Bronx.

  White loosened his grip when we were outside of the house. “Now, don’t try to run or do anything stupid, okay?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said as I looked around trying to come up with a plan for our escape.

  The beast took the man in another direction from where White and the other man were leading Molly and me. We crossed the street and stepped inside of a three-story house.

  The man that was leading Molly left at the same moment Ripley stepped out of the living room. He smiled at us as he rubbed his palms together. For a split second, I was afraid we were his dinner.

  “Ah, you came,” he said grinning at Molly.

  “Did we have a choice?” she asked squinting at the man.

  “Of course,” Ripley said looking at her, his eyes tilted downward in the middle. “Do you want to leave?”

  Molly looked at me and then back at Ripley. “Is that a trick question?”

  “Okay lets just all relax,” White said setting putting his gun back into his holster. “Can I get you guys something to drink?”

  “Water?” Molly said letting her tongue touch her lips for a moment.

  White raised a brow. “We’ve got water, but we also have spirits, wine, and beer but it’s warm.”

  Molly and I exchanged a glance.

  “Wine?” Molly asked if it were the first time she’d heard the word.

  “Yeah, we have all kinds, would you like to see?” he asked.

  Molly shook her head. “Just bring me a glass of your most expensive wine.”

  I scrunched up my nose as I looked at her. She shrugged.

  “And one for my friend, Gwen, too,” Molly said.

  I clenched my teeth together so tightly I thought they were going to shatter.

  “Perfect, two glasses of our finest coming right up,” White said bowing his head slightly.

  The second he was out of earshot I turned to Molly. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Dude, if I’m dying, I’m going out with a fine glass of wine,” she said cocking her head to the side.

  Ripley pointed to the living room. “Would you like to have a seat?”

  “Again, I’m not sure what choices we have,” Molly said almost laughing as she spoke.

  “There’s no time to sit,” White said carrying two glasses of wine. “Dinner’s ready.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Molly and I apprehensively followed White and Ripley into the dining room. There were four places set at the pristine wooden dinner table.

  The shades were drawn, and the room wa
s illuminated with several candles that were placed on the table and around the room. They had decorated plates in front of each chair and neatly folded napkins next to the plates.

  It was like I had stepped into a different reality.

  “Please have a seat,” White said, looking at me as he pulled out a chair.

  “Umm,” I said softly.

  I was tempted to ask if I had a choice, but I was pretty sure I didn’t. White and Ripley weren’t guys I wanted to piss off, especially when I wasn’t with Nick and his gun. My hands were shaking so bad I folded them together so that no one would notice.

  Shadows danced on Ripley’s face as he pulled out Molly’s chair. “And for you.”

  “Thanks,” Molly said taking a big gulp of her wine. “I’m going to need more of this.”

  “You like it?” Ripley asked as he sat down in the chair to her right.

  “Honestly, it could have come from a box for all I know,” Molly said curling up the end of her lips. Both men laughed as if she’d told the funniest joke ever.

  Molly looked at me out of the corner of her eye. Her shoulder twitched ever so slightly, and I knew she was going to go with whatever was going on.

  Miss Lecky walked in from the kitchen. She wheeled in a cart with four covered dishes on top. There was a big smile on her face.

  “Hope you’re having a lovely evening,” she said placing a plate in front of me and then in front of Molly. “These boys are such lovely boys.”

  “Mom!” Ripley said as if he were embarrassed.

  “You’re their mom?” Molly asked.

  “She not our biological mom,” Ripley said leaning toward Molly. “But she’s our mom now.”

  Miss Lecky flashed a quick smile filled with pride. “These boys, they’re so wonderful. They keep everyone safe and fed. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

  “Thanks, mom,” White said grinning as he cocked his head to the side. He glanced at me as if wanting to see how impressed I was.

  I drew in a slow breath and tried to keep my eyes from widening too far. I was far from being impressed, but I didn’t want him to know that for fear of what he might do to us.

  It was scary to me that the guys who worked at the institution seemed to be just as crazy as those that had resided within its walls. They were trying to maintain control, and I guess perhaps they were lucky it was working. If the criminals had realized their power, maybe there would have been a lot more deaths inside this town.

  “You did a great job taking care of everyone too, mom,” Ripley said. “Kept everyone fed and still are.”

  “It’s my life,” Miss Lecky smiled. She clapped her hands and took a step back. “I should go. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks again,” White said.

  “Thanks,” Ripley added glancing at Molly and me.

  We exchanged a quick glance before muttering our own words of thanks.

  The cover was still on my plate, and I was afraid of what I might find when I removed it. Molly hadn’t had the same reservations.

  There was a big pile of mashed potatoes on her plate next to a bunch of oily looking leaves. On the opposite side of the plate was a hunk of meat.

  “Wow, she really outdid herself this time,” Ripley said.

  My stomach turned at the sight of the meat. I had flashbacks to how sick I had gotten from eating the wolf.

  I could feel White’s eyes move to me several times as we ate in mostly silence. Even though I didn’t want to, I ate some of the mashed potatoes, and I sampled the salad, but there was no way I was going to touch the meat.

  “Don’t like it?” White finally asked.

  “It’s delicious, I’m just not all that hungry,” I said.

  “Mom went to a lot of trouble,” Ripley said sounding disappointed.

  “I’m sure she did, I apologize,” I said.

  White narrowed his eyes at Ripley. The candlelight danced across his forehead.

  “Maybe she’s a vegetarian.” White’s voice was low, but it raised slightly when he turned to me. “Are you a vegetarian?”

  “Yes,” I lied.

  “Dammit,” White said dropping his fork on the plate. The metallic ringing noise vibrated through my ears. “I should have asked.”

  I held up my palm. “It’s fine. The potatoes are great.”

  “Do you want more? I’m sure there are more,” White said already half-standing.

  “No,” I said quickly as I waved my hand at his chair. Maybe I should have told him yes, so he’d leave the room. Maybe Molly and I could have coordinated our escape, but it wasn’t like we’d have been able to get to Bronx and Nick before they caught up with us. “It’s fine, really. This is more than I ate in the last week.”

  “Seriously?” White asked. Both Ripley and White looked at me.

  I pressed my lips together. “Well, maybe it’s a slight exaggeration.”

  “We eat like kings here,” White said cutting into his steak. “That’s why I really think you’re going to like it here.”

  “No one likes being locked in a basement,” I said.

  White’s hand slide across the tabletop toward me. “I am so sorry about that. It’s not that we don’t trust you—”

  “Or you,” Ripley added with a big grin at Molly.

  “It’s just that, well, we need to make sure we can all work together safely,” White finished.

  “It’s not safe here?” I asked.

  White shook his head. “Of course it is. For the most part.”

  I waited for him to continue but he shoveled a big chunk of meat into his mouth instead. Molly and I exchanged another glance. I was pretty sure her thoughts resembled mine. It seemed neither of us were brave enough to ask for more information… until she did.

  “And what part isn’t safe?” Molly asked.

  “That’s not really a conversation to have over our lovely meal is it?” White asked her. The smile on his face wasn’t anywhere near as pleasant as it had been. In fact, it made my skin crawl.

  Molly shrugged. “I just think if we’re going to stay here, we should know what we need to be careful about.”

  “And we’ll tell you when the time is right.” White jaw stiffened with each word. “Until then you’ll just have to trust us to take care of you.”

  I didn’t trust them. And there wasn’t anything they could do to earn my trust. Not a damn single thing.

  “What did that man that you locked into the basement with us do wrong?” Molly asked.

  It took everything I had not to let my jaw drop.

  “What?” she asked looking at me. “He’s with us we should definitely know, right?”

  There was a long hesitation before White slammed his fist onto the table top. Both Molly’s body and mine jerked at the sound.

  My heart was racing, and I was far too afraid to look up from my plate. I could feel the anger radiating out of White.

  “I think it’s time we bring you back for the night,” White said trying to keep his voice steady.

  “Are you sure?” Ripley asked.

  White’s head turned as his body remained still. It looked like he was going to launch out of his seat and wrap his hands around Ripley’s neck.

  White stood abruptly pushing his chair back. His hands were balled up into tight fists that he rested on the edge of the table.

  “Well, I’m glad you could come,” Ripley said turning to Molly.

  “Yeah, thanks for the wine and the food,” Molly said weakly. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

  “Yeah, I hope we can do this again,” Ripley said with a smile.

  White exhaled slowly and jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  Molly and I silently followed White out of the house. It was so quiet we could hear every footstep and even whispers coming from the center of the camp where there were lawn chairs set up around a campfire. A few people turned to look our way, but most people ignored us completely.

  The smoke that drifted my way from th
e fire gave me a flashback to when I was trapped on the second floor of my grandma’s home. It was a day I’d never forget because not only had I almost died, but I had lost a place where I’d always felt safe.

  White and Ripley stopped at the top of the stairs and opened the door.

  “Go on,” White said.

  Molly held on to my upper arm as I stepped down the first few stairs. I looked back over my shoulder just as White slammed the door shut. It wasn’t even a second before he started yelling at Ripley.

  He was angry about everything. The man who didn’t want to drive the horses anymore, Stephen’s using more of the medicine, and of course, how the dinner had gone. It had apparently been important to him, and he was also irate that Ripley won the competition for Molly.

  “Fuck!” White said hitting the wall on the other side of the door. He stomped away, and Ripley followed him.

  “What was that all about?” Molly asked softly.

  “I’m not sure,” I said shaking my head as I quickly skipped down the rest of the stairs. I climbed up on the washer and peered out of the window and into the darkness.

  Nick and Bronx wore the same pinched expression as they looked at us.

  Bronx cleared his throat. “Hello?”

  “Hi,” I said tapping my finger on my lips.

  They were still arguing as they walked out of the house. White said something about ruining everything with the girls.

  “They’re talking about us,” I said glancing at Molly.

  “What about?” she asked.

  “White said Ripley ruined everything,” I said.

  My lips snapped together tightly when they started talking again. They had no idea that I could hear them through the window and that was clear because of what White had said next.

  I started to shake, and my legs felt like they were going to fall out from under me. Bronx noticed that I was unsteady and was there in a second to help me down.

  “What’s going on, Gwen?” he asked.

  I let out a breath that made me feel lightheaded. “They’re going to kill you and Nick. It’s the only way.”

  “They said that?” Nick asked.

  “Only way for what?” Molly asked almost at the same time.