The Last Struggle - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Ravaged Land: Divided Book 3) Read online

  “We got the fishing poles!” Logan shouted as they turned around the dead shrubs and bushes, heading our way.

  My heart was racing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Shawn had just sent coursing through my veins had been intentional. He’d wanted me to feel a burst of passion, only to pull it away.

  I forced a smile on my face but started walking toward the house.

  “Where are you going?” Ryder asked, grabbing my arm gently to stop me. When I turned to him, he dropped my arm as if it were too hot to hold on to. “Everything OK?”

  “I’m perfectly fine.” My lips felt tight in the awkward smile I flashed him. His nose was scrunched up, and he could most definitely tell I wasn’t completely fine. “I just wanted to get started on boiling some of the water.”

  “Oh, I can help you if you want,” Ryder said still looking at me as if he was trying to figure out exactly what was going through my mind.

  I shook my head. “Not necessary.”

  “Yeah,” Shawn said stepping toward me with a slight bounce in his step. He raised his brows, and a wore a slight smirk. “Because I’m going to help her. You guys, can stay here and try to catch a fish.”

  I turned back and walked back toward the house without waiting for Shawn. He caught up after a few steps.

  “Sorry,” he said without looking at me. “I couldn’t help myself.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. “If you are going to want him to be OK with all this and understanding, you know so he doesn’t end up hating us, you should probably not act like a dick.”

  “Aw, come on, Emery,” Shawn said placing his hand over his heart. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”

  “Then what were you trying to do?” I asked refusing to look in his direction.

  “I… I guess I don’t really know. But I really wasn’t trying to be a dick.” Shawn’s shoulders slumped down a bit as we walked up the porch. “I guess maybe if he gets the hint—”

  My laugh interrupted him. “I think he’s already suspicious enough.”

  “Really?” Shawn said. I caught a look and noticed the ends of his lips curling up ever so slightly.

  “Yeah, really.” Once we were inside, I turned to him and even though I shouldn’t have, I looked into his eyes. “Just try to play it cool, OK? I will talk to him.”

  I turned on my heel, but Shawn grabbed my hand and pulled me back. He spun me around and with his body pressed me against the door.

  I jumped when Shawn abruptly placed his hand against the door at the side of my head. His eyes were focused on my lips.

  “I don’t want you to be mad at me,” Shawn said, his voice low.

  I tried to swallow down the lump at the back of my throat. “I’m not mad.”

  “Good. You know, the best part of this farm, is that it’s big,” Shawn said grinning. “Getting alone time with you doesn’t seem impossible anymore.”

  It was getting hard to breathe. I couldn’t think straight.

  “What happened to waiting until I have a chance to talk to Ryder?” I asked.

  Shawn’s fingers moved down my hair, stopping when his hand touched my shoulder. He cocked his head to the side.

  “That was different. We were always together. But in this house… things can be kept secret.” Shawn’s mouth inched closer.

  I laughed. “Secret?”

  “Until you’re ready. Or until we strike out on the road again.” Shawn shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t hold back another minute, and most of the time I don’t think we should have to.”

  “What happened to Mr. Restrained? It wasn’t that long ago you were pulling away from me!” I said trying to take a step to the side, but Shawn didn’t budge.

  “I warned you my willpower would give out eventually.” Shawn’s lips lightly brushed against mine. “It happened sooner than I thought.”

  Heat rose up around me, it felt as though it was trying to squeeze out every last bit of oxygen from my lungs. I needed to breathe, but my body ached for Shawn’s kiss.

  “Shawn,” I said breathlessly.

  “Emery,” he said back in the same hearth-twitching way.

  Before I even finished my blink, his lips were pressed against mine. He moved soft and controlled at first, but then something took over.

  I pressed my hands against his chest as he gripped my arms. It was like we were both holding on for dear life, afraid of what might happen if we let go of one another. Our mouths passionately moved together as if we were both searching for something that was just out of reach.

  My head tipped back tapping lightly against the door as he kissed hungrily down my neck. His hand slid up the side of my body, and a shiver ran through my spine.

  “Shawn,” I whispered, breathing as if I’d just ran for several miles. I didn’t know what to do or say. The last thing I wanted was for him to stop, but there was some part of me that knew we had to.

  He inched back, his eyes moved down toward his feet, as he let out a heavy breath. The smile that stretched across his face melted my insides. I was tempted to pull him back, but I fought off the urge.

  “Got carried away,” he said shifting his eyes up to meet mine.

  I only allowed myself to look for a moment. Any longer, and I wouldn’t be able to maintain my willpower.

  Shawn’s arms dropped down, and he took a step back. He watched me as he ran his hands through his hair.

  “Shit, Emery,” he said grabbing his elbow. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over—”

  “It’s fine.” I let out a slow breath between my lips. “It came over me too.”

  Shawn took another step back as if my words had almost triggered something inside him. Maybe if he didn’t move away, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself a second time.

  I chewed my fingernail for a moment. “But—”

  “Oh, no,” Shawn said shaking his head as he turned away and walked toward the kitchen.

  “It’s just that even if Ryder knew, and was accepting, or whatever, we still can’t let things like that happen.”

  Shawn chuckled. “I don’t know why not? It happened just now, and the world didn’t stop.”

  “Because he could just walk in or something.”

  “Like what happened with Charlie?” Shawn raised an eyebrow.

  I pressed my lips together.

  “I don’t think Ryder is going to take off like Charlie did.”

  “You don’t know that,” I said biting my fingernail again. “Maybe they’d all leave.”

  Shawn opened his mouth but slowly closed it. I could tell he didn’t know what to say.

  It seemed as though Shawn finally grasped why I was afraid to talk to Ryder. Neither of us, wanted them to leave.

  “Maybe we should keep it a secret,” Shawn said, swallowing hard. “You know, until we’re more settled somewhere permanent.”

  “What if we never settle anywhere more permanent?”

  Shawn shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s just stay hopeful that we will. And really this place isn’t so bad.”

  “We can’t stay here,” I said crossing my arms. “There’s no food source.”

  “What about all the fish they are going to catch?” Shawn asked trying to hold back his grin.

  I snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “Let’s see if we can find something that we can use to collect water,” Shawn said reaching out his hand.

  I took it and followed him into the kitchen.

  The room was well lit from the sun shining into the large set of windows near the empty, dirt-coated sink. Thick layers of undisturbed dust coated the countertops. A plume of dust filled the air when Shawn opened one of the cabinets forcing me to cup my hands over my nose and mouth.

  We looked at one another, both wearing the same surprised expression when we noticed the neatly stacked plates still sitting inside. It was amazing how the home had stayed together so well over the years. It was like it was somehow off of the radar. No one noticed it, o
r no one cared.

  Shawn knelt down and opened one of the lower cabinets. He smiled before he reached inside and pulled out two large pots.

  When I smiled back, I noticed something on the floor behind him. I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer.

  “What is that?” I asked crouching down to look at the weird metal handle in the floor just under the table.

  Shawn set down the pots on the table and lowered himself to the floor. He reached out and jiggled the handle.

  “It’s a door,” he said brushing away the dirt before turning to look up at me. He abruptly stood up and slid the table out of the way.

  “What are you doing?”

  Shawn rubbed his hands together and bent down, yanking open the door. “I’m going to have a look.”

  I nervously looked around the room and hugged myself. It felt as though the room had suddenly gotten colder.

  He placed his foot down on the first step and looked up at me. “Coming?

  3

  My mouth dropped open when I looked around the room. It was a small space with multiple shelving units on each wall, and they weren’t empty.

  “Oh, my God,” I said moving in a slow circle. “This is… unreal.”

  There were jars and cans of food stacked on the shelves, and several large bags of rice stacked on the floor. All of it covered in a layer of dust, but it was there, and my mouth was already watering just looking at it.

  “If we tell them about all this, they’re going to want to stay even longer,” Shawn said.

  My brow wrinkled. “We have to tell them.”

  “Maybe we don’t.”

  “What do you mean? Of course, we do. This isn’t something we can keep from them.”

  Shawn shook his head. “It doesn’t really matter since we can’t eat this stuff.”

  He picked up one of the cans and dusted it off. His eyes pinched together as he tried to read something on the can.

  “It expired a long time ago. No one wants to eat it. That’s why it’s still down here.” He placed the can back on the shelf in the exact same spot. “We can’t eat it. Someone could get really sick.”

  “The rice…,” I said kneeling down to examine one of the bags, “we can definitely eat this.”

  “How long can a person survive on rice alone?”

  I stood and put my hands on my hips. “Longer than a person who has nothing at all.”

  “I’m just saying once Charlie sees this it’ll be impossible to get her to leave,” Shawn said.

  He was absolutely right, but we hadn’t had a significant amount of food in far too long. We had to do the right thing and tell the others even if we couldn’t eat anything but the rice.

  “We’ll tell them, and if they want to stay longer than a few days, that’s their choice,” I said rubbing the back of my neck.

  “A few days?”

  “Or whatever,” I said looking back at the bag of rice. The food was tempting me to stay. “Maybe we can find a backpack… take some with us.”

  Shawn nodded and let out a loud sigh before gesturing toward the stairs. My stomach rumbled, but I turned to climb back up to the first floor. I looked back over my shoulder as if I was afraid the food was going to vanish into thin air.

  Once we were back in the kitchen, Shawn closed the door and pushed the table back into place. He studied the ground where the table had been moved. There were fresh marks in the dirt.

  “Wonder if there is a broom somewhere,” Shawn said.

  “One minute you seem anxious to leave and the next you want to tidy the place up?”

  Shawn chuckled. “Well if we’re going to stay for a few days, might as well keep myself busy.” He scratched the side of his head and let out a breath. “There’s so much dirt no one could have been inside this house in years. Maybe this place isn’t so bad after all.”

  “You’re worse than I am.”

  “What’s that supposed to me?” Shawn said smiling as he scrunched up his nose.

  “Indecisive.”

  Shawn chuckled and nodded. “Indeed, but maybe that’s why we make such a great pair.”

  I dragged my finger through the thick dust that had accumulated on the countertop. If only there would have been some kind of sign to alert me when we found the place we were meant to stay. What if the large farm was it?

  I had imagined something closer to a lake like my parents had found. Something that partially surrounded by water to help minimize the directions people could approach from. But what another place like that didn’t exist?

  I was tired of traveling, and I knew that the others were too. If there was a sign, I didn’t see it. Hopefully, I hadn’t missed it.

  I looked down at my feet and then out of the back window. There wasn’t anything out there but the fence that surrounded the property, and emptiness for as far as I could see.

  After I took another step toward the window, the room started to spin. I placed my hand down on the dusty table, and it felt as though I was weaving back and forth.

  “Emery?” Shawn asked looking at me with concern filling his eyes.

  “Yeah,” I said, as my ears started to ring. My vision started to get fuzzy. “I need to sit down.”

  I reached out for the chair to pull it back, but I misjudged where I was. Shawn caught me before I fell to the floor.

  He lifted me off of my feet and carried me into the living room. Once I was on the sofa, the pieces of the world became clear once again.

  “I guess, I’m tired,” I said forcing a weak smile.

  “Tired, hungry, thirsty,” Shawn said flicking up his fingers as he listed the possibilities. “I’d like to get you some water, but I hate to leave you in here alone.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said patting my hip.

  Shawn looked around as though he was afraid someone would come walking down the stairs or out of the hall. “Are you sure?”

  If he was trying to hide that he was worried about me, he wasn’t succeeding. In fact, I was starting to worry. The longer I laid there, the weaker I felt.

  “I’m sure.” My mouth curled into a smile. “Some water would be really great.”

  “OK,” Shawn said, taking slow steps toward the kitchen. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

  “Where would I go?”

  Shawn disappeared into the kitchen, and in seconds he was walking toward the front door carrying one of the pots he had found earlier. He gave me a quick glance before looking out of the front window and leaving the house.

  I could tell by the creaking of the porch and stairs that he was walking quickly. Shawn wouldn’t be gone long.

  I placed my hand on my forehead ignoring how hot I felt. It was the room. It was the weather. Everything had been so much hotter and today was the worst of them all. It was a drastic change from the long, cold winter I had endured even before leaving my home.

  It wasn’t long before the front door opened. My body tensed, relaxing slightly when Shawn entered. He barely glanced in my direction as he walked toward the kitchen carefully carrying the pot of water.

  I was about to ask why he’d left the door open, when Ryder stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to me and tucked his hands into his pockets as he looked down at me.

  “Shawn says you’re not feeling so hot,” Ryder said.

  “He has that wrong. I’m feeling very hot,” I said forcing a smile that Ryder didn’t return. “Really, I’m fine. I just got a little lightheaded in the kitchen. Now that I’m on the sofa I feel much better.”

  Ryder nodded, before taking his hand out of his pocket to scratch the back of his head. “Shawn also told me you guys found some food.”

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. “Yeah, we found some stuff down in the basement, but I’m not sure how much of it we can actually use.”

  “He said there’s rice.”

  “Bags of it.”

  Shawn came into the room and poked around at some old logs i
n the fireplace. He flicked a match and tossed it into the fireplace. It took a few tries, but soon a flame started to grow.

  “I’m already so hot,” I whined.

  “I need to boil the water. Can I carry you into the bedroom?” Shawn asked.

  “You might need to,” I said biting my dry lip.

  Ryder gestured toward the kitchen. “I’ll get to work on preparing some of that rice.”

  Shawn’s eyebrows looked heavy as he bent down to pick me up. I held up my palm and shook my head.

  “It’s fine,” I said pushing myself up. “I’ll walk.”

  “You sure?” Shawn asked holding my arm.

  My head bobbed up and down slowly. I placed my feet on the floor and looked around the room expecting it to start swirling. When everything stayed in place, I stood up.

  “I’m already feeling better,” I said holding my hands out slightly. The room was still far too hot, and even though my world wasn’t spinning my body still wanted more rest.

  Shawn held my arm as we walked down the hall toward the master bedroom. He let go of me and watched me for a second before moving over to the bed and carefully folding the top blanket into a rectangle.

  “Too dusty,” he said gently setting it down on the floor.

  I slowly walked over to the window and stared at the yard. Everything outside the window was peaceful. It was hard to believe that there was a war going on between those who’d survived. All of the people who should be working together to rebuild and create a new world were fighting with one another instead.

  “Why do The Evolved want to keep fighting?” I asked softly.

  Shawn stepped up next to me and looked out the window. “They’re power hungry. They want it all.”

  “If only they could all get along.”

  “It won’t happen. They’re too far gone.” Shawn crossed his arms. “They’ll keep fighting until they control everything, or they’ll die trying.”

  A crow cawed as it lowered itself down on a metal post a few feet away from the window. Its little black beady eyes seemed to be looking at me.

  At first, I wasn’t sure if it was one of those large black birds we’d seen nosedive to their deaths or if it was just a regular crow. When it flapped its wings to reposition itself, I was certain based on its size that it was just a regular crow.