Falling Darkness Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller - Books 1-3 Page 9

  “Hopefully most everyone got inside.”

  Ethan locked eyes with Kate. “Hope so… but where are The Unholy?”

  Someone hollered, and both Kate and Ethan recognized the voice. Kate turned just as one of The Unholy sunk its teeth into Benji’s shoulder.

  “Kill me!” Benji shouted.

  Ethan took three quick steps forward before he stopped. His head dropped down, and his knees looked weak.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” Ethan choked out. It was as though Ethan had felt the pain Benji must have felt.

  Benji roared as he turned and killed his Unholy attacker. Joel stayed to the side as the group gathered around Benji.

  “I’m sorry,” Benji said, taking a step back. “Fuck. I looked away for a second.”

  The color in Benji’s skin started to fade. He started to back away from the group quicker.

  “Benji?” Ethan said narrowing his eyes, but Benji didn’t respond. His eyes locked with Ethan’s and he shook his head.

  “I’m really sorry, Ethan,” Benji said before he turned and started to run.

  “Shit,” Ethan said wearing a mixed expression. Kate could see the sadness in his eyes but also fear. Fear about what would happen if Benji turned inside the camp. “Stay here.”

  Ethan took off after Benji. But she wasn’t about to stand there and wait.

  “Let’s go,” Kate said as she started to jog.

  “Kate, no,” Wayne said shaking his head. Tommy looked between them with uncertainty.

  “He might need us,” Kate said moving her feet quicker. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Joel at her heels. Tommy and Wayne followed, but they didn’t seem happy about it.

  Kate’s eyes darted in every direction. She knew which way Ethan had gone, but she was afraid that more of The Unholy would be waiting around corners ready to jump out at any of them.

  It was strange how desperately Kate wanted to leave Simon’s town, but at the same time, she felt a strange need to keep everyone safe. Maybe that was part of the reason she still hadn’t tried to escape.

  Kate turned to look down the road to her left and almost ran right past Ethan. He was kneeling on the ground with his hand over his eyes.

  “Ethan?” Kate asked, keeping her distance.

  He yanked the blade out of Benji and turned around. Ethan didn’t bother to make eye contact with any of them.

  “I told you to wait,” Ethan said lightly bumping into Kate’s shoulder.

  “I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” she said unable to keep her voice steady.

  “As if you care,” Ethan said.

  Kate grabbed his arm and spun him to face her. He still refused to look in her direction.

  She wanted to yell at him… scream in his face, but the words wouldn’t move out of her throat. How could he think something like that about her?

  Kate let go of him. She completely understood why he thought that way. There hadn’t been a single moment in time that it had seemed like she had given a shit about anyone inside the town.

  Her stomach swirled when she realized how hard she’d been pushing everyone away. It only took a few seconds before she tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. If you didn’t get close to anyone, you couldn’t get hurt when something bad happened.

  Several gunshots rang out from a few blocks away. Ethan gestured for everyone to follow.

  “We’re going to get shot,” Tommy said his cracking voice just above a whisper.

  Ethan led the group between two buildings and held up his palm as he inched toward the road.

  “What’s going on?” Kate asked.

  “Guards, moving down the street.” Ethan motion for everyone to get down closer to the ground before looking behind us. “It’s Ethan… don’t shoot!”

  He didn’t step out. He waited for a response.

  “There’s been a breach,” one of the guards yelled.

  “We saw,” Ethan shouted. “Can we come out?”

  “All clear,” the guard said.

  Ethan sucked in a breath. “Stay here, if for some reason they shoot, run.”

  Kate swallowed and nodded. Why would they shoot? We were talking to them… clearly we hadn’t turned.

  Ethan held up his hands, but he still firmly gripped his blade. Kate waited almost expecting to hear a gunshot, but it didn’t happen.

  Kate stood and gestured for the others to follow her when she heard Ethan talking to the guards. She stepped out and saw Chuck from the east gate and his friend holding rifles.

  “Have you guys seen any of them?” Chuck asked, glancing at Joel.

  “Two. Lots of our own lost,” Ethan said shaking his head.

  “Simon instructed us to…, anyway, yeah lots of casualties, but I’m not sure we’ve got them all. Everyone’s locked inside until the bell rings,” Chuck said.

  The other guy looked over at Ethan. “When we have this cleaned up, we have to burn the bodies.”

  “More than just you two out here?” Ethan asked.

  “Peter and his men are around,” Chuck said turning to look down the road. “No idea when we’ll know if we got them all.”

  Ethan drew in a breath. “The Unholy aren’t known for their hiding skills.”

  “That’s for sure,” Chuck said with a small laugh.

  Ethan stepped back next to Kate, his eyes were on Joel. “We should go report to Simon.”

  Kate nodded.

  “Hey,” Ethan turned to Wayne and Tommy. “Help Chuck out, we’ll touch base with Simon.”

  “You got it,” Tommy said.

  “Joel,” Ethan said grabbing his arm, “you’re with us.”

  Kate walked on one side of Joel, and Ethan on the other. Joel must have been telling the truth about his wife because he looked like he wanted to turn and run as fast as he could, but he managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

  Kate glanced at Ethan, and even though his shoulders were back and he had the same tough-guy face he usually wore, Kate could feel the sadness radiating out of him. It seemed like he was refusing to let himself dwell on what happened to Benji.

  There wasn’t anything that could have been done to save him. He would have turned, and Benji would have tried to take out any of them without a thought. It was like The Unholy were simply programmed to infect as many as possible.

  Kate had known Benji for quite some time. Even though she wanted to, there wasn’t time to mourn him. When she was alone later, the tears would flow although she would try to stop them even then. Kate preferred to keep her tough outer shell. It made her feel weak when she let it fall away even if it was only for a moment.

  They reached Simon’s office, but there were no guards outside. Kate’s eyes quickly moved around looking for The Unholy that might have taken them out. It would have been very unlikely that Simon would have left himself unguarded with The Unholy roaming about his town.

  Ethan held up his fist and knocked hard on the door.

  “Who’s out there,” someone asked.

  “Ethan… we’re here to see Simon,” he said clenching his teeth.

  “Who’s we?” the voice called out.

  “Kate, and Joel. Simon’s expecting a report” Ethan trailed off as the door opened before he’d finished his sentence.

  An armed man waved them in as he looked over their shoulders. “Is it done?” he asked. “Are they all gone?”

  “If not, they will be soon,” Ethan said tucking his knife back into its sheath.

  Kate looked around the room expecting to see Simon sitting in his chair calm as can be as he folded his hands, but the chair was empty.

  “Don’t let anyone in,” the guy said to Ethan as he walked over to Simon’s door and knocked. “Ethan and Kate are here to see you.”

  “Send them in,” Simon said through the door.

  It felt like ice water rushed through her veins. The last place on the entire planet she wanted to be was in Simon’s bedroom. She forced herself to
remain calm because she’d be with Ethan and he wouldn’t let anything crazy happen. At least that’s what she chose to believe.

  “Go on in,” the guy said jerking his head toward the door. He made his way back to the front window and loudly exhaled.

  Ethan glanced at Kate before he reached over and opened the bedroom door. He stepped inside first, and Kate hesitated. Joel looked at her as he stepped around her and entered the room.

  Kate entered last, stopping in the doorway.

  “Close the door, Kate,” Simon said. His voice reminded her of a snake, and she had to fight off the urge to shiver.

  “So, tell me,” Simon said as he pressed his fingertips together, “did everything go according to plan?”

  Ethan's shoulders rose up as he let out a long exhale. Joel’s hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

  “I guess so,” Ethan said not bothering to hide the fact that he was annoyed. “It would have been nice to know the entire plan.”

  Simon laughed. “She would have never gone if I would have told you exactly what I was planning. Isn’t that right, Kate?”

  Kate managed a shrug before Ethan went on telling Simon everything that happened, not missing a single beat. When he finished, both of Joel’s hands were balled up at his sides.

  “I did what you asked. Where’s my family?” Joel said.

  The faint smile that had been on Simon’s face faded. Kate felt the air whoosh by her as it tried to escape the room.

  Simon stood, and it felt as though the room’s temperature dropped twenty degrees. Ethan’s hand twitched.

  “I’m afraid I have terrible news. They didn’t make it.”

  Joel dropped to his knees and let out a painful cry. A grin spread across Simon’s face.

  Simon’s eyes filled with darkness. The blade he held behind his back caught a glint of light. Kate hesitated.

  Simon breathed slowly. “Kate, Ethan, you’re dismissed.”

  14

  After dinner, Ethan and Kate were ordered to help collect the bodies and burn them. Several others helped, but most everyone closed themselves indoors fearing there might still be a random Unholy or two wandering around.

  Kate heard the quiet whispers of the people inside the fence. They didn’t feel as safe as they once had. Others mourned those they’d lost.

  She watched a guard as they led a woman and two kids down the street toward the hotel. Kate hadn’t remembered seeing them before, and her thoughts drifted to Joel. She hadn’t seen him around since they’d left him with Simon. Knowing Simon, there was a chance she’d never see him again.

  Ethan had been quiet since leaving Simon’s office. Kate was doing everything she could to keep thoughts of Benji away, but Ethan probably was having much more trouble doing so. He’d known Benji since he came to work for Simon, and from what Kate knew about them, they’d hit it off almost instantly.

  Benji had been a likable guy. There weren’t nearly enough people left in the world that were like him which was one of the many reasons Kate assumed the world was going to shit.

  There had been a time she’d wondered if things would one day go back to normal, but when she was brought to The Way, she realized just how unlikely it was. Maybe there were others out there that were working toward a better future, but while she was trapped inside The Way, there was no way she could find them.

  “See you tomorrow, Kate,” Wayne said as he walked past with Tommy at his side.

  “Good night, guys,” Kate said with a small nod. “Sorry about—”

  “Thanks,” Wayne said. “He was a good man.”

  “He sure was,” Tommy said looking up at the sky. “Of all the people… he, well, he didn’t deserve it, you know?”

  Kate nodded. “He’ll be missed.”

  “It never ends,” Wayne said. “And it never gets easier.”

  “We’ve lost so many.” Tommy’s head moved side to side. “Anyway, I’m going to try to get some sleep.”

  They walked off leaving Kate standing there with Ethan. She hadn’t even noticed that everyone had left.

  Ethan lowered his head and took several steps back. Somewhere in the pile of burning diseased bodies was Benji. Ethan lowered his head and quickly walked past Kate.

  She listened to his footsteps which suddenly stopped.

  “Kate?” Ethan said as if he hadn’t recognized it was her still standing there.

  “Yes?”

  “Can I walk you back?” Ethan said looking around. “Just in case.”

  Kate pressed her lips together into a tight smile. “You don’t need to. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure you would. But it would make me feel a hell of a lot better to see you lock yourself inside your room.”

  Kate cocked her head to the side. “Someone probably took it by now.”

  “Maybe not.” Ethan shrugged and held out his hand. Kate looked at it, and he dropped it to his side. “Well, okay, I’ll see you tomorrow—”

  “Sure,” she said, and his eyes moved up to meet hers. “You can take me.”

  They walked down the street in silence. A small group of people came out of one of the buildings Kate knew people visited when they needed a drink.

  “Hurry up!” the girl said to the group as she looked over her shoulder at Kate and Ethan. “It’s creepy out here.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe again,” another girl said.

  “Shh!” the man with them scolded and the first girl was trying to subtly indicate Ethan and Kate’s presence. The group glanced back at nearly the same time and picked up their pace.

  Kate sighed.

  “They’re just scared,” Ethan said after they disappeared into another building. One Kate wasn’t exactly sure what it was used for.

  “I know,” Kate said, but she hated feeling that because she unwillingly worked for Simon that they could believe she was anything like him. Maybe that was why no one in town had really made an effort to get to know her. Kate had always assumed it was because of the choices she was making, but maybe it wasn’t just that. Perhaps the people in town didn’t want to bother with her because she was so close to Simon and were afraid that Kate would find something to punish them for.

  When they got up to the room, Ethan gestured down the hall. “I’ll stay in that one.”

  “Okay,” Kate said.

  “If you need anything.”

  Kate could feel the sadness radiating out of Ethan. He’d lost people before, so she wasn’t entirely sure whatever it was that was bothering him was only about Benji.

  “Are you doing okay?” Kate asked. It felt weird, but she actually wanted to know. Maybe her heart wasn’t quite as cold as she tried to make it seem.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Benji’s honestly in a better place,” Ethan said as he looked up and down the hallway. “Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  “Okay?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Um, sure,” Kate said stepping to the side to let him in. Once he was inside, she locked the door and crossed her arms. He’d already moved inside the room and was standing near the window. “What can I do for you?”

  She annoyed herself with the tone of her voice. It was like she was approaching whatever Ethan wanted to talk about as if it were a business matter. Why couldn’t she be… softer?

  “God dammit,” Ethan said running his shaking hand through his hair. “Kate,” he said taking an abrupt step closer, “we have to get out of here.”

  Her lips parted.

  “If we stay we’re going to die at his hands,” Ethan said his voice quiet. “I’d rather get bit and live my life out as one of The Unholy than stay here.”

  “How can I....”

  “How can you what?”

  Kate swallowed and looked down at her feet. Her stomach felt as though it was gnawing on itself.

  She let out a breath. “Trust you.”

  “Trust me?”

  “How can I know you won’t go
tell him everything? That this isn’t a trap of some kind?”

  Ethan laughed, but Kate could tell by the harshness of it that he didn’t find anything funny. “I’m the one that should be worried about talking like this. He wouldn’t even hesitate to kill me if he knew what I was thinking.”

  “You could be lying to me.”

  “Why would I do that? For Simon? You must be blind if you can’t tell how I really feel about any of this,” Ethan said.

  “I’m just afraid to believe anything.”

  “That’s exactly how this whole operation works. Everyone here is living in fear.” Ethan pointed out the window. “They fear him. They fear The Unholy. Each and everyone one of them too afraid to do or say anything.”

  Kate shook her head. “That is not true. Don’t you see them treat him like he’s a celebrity?”

  “Some do, but I think they do that out of fear too. I think there is more out there. There has to be something better than this.” Ethan pressed his hand to his forehead. “Even if there isn’t, being alone, or with you and the guys will be a million times better. I’m sick of living in fear, aren’t you?”

  Kate swallowed hard and even though she was afraid, she nodded. Ethan’s mouth dropped open, and after a moment he smiled.

  “Oh, thank God, Kate,” he said taking a step closer. He scratched the back of his head and stared into her eyes. “You’re going to hate this.”

  “Hate what?” she said nervously.

  “This,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Kate’s body was stiff, but it surprised her at how nice his warm body and arms felt wrapped around her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before patting him on the back.

  “Sorry,” he said with a smile as he stepped back. “I couldn’t help myself.”

  “It’s okay, just don’t make a habit of it.”

  Ethan laughed. “I won’t. I promise.”

  “All right, well, if you’re going to tell Simon go on and get it over with,” Kate said stepping aside.

  “Wow, you really do have trust issues,” Ethan said shaking his head. “I’m not telling anyone anything. You must think I’m an idiot.”

  “Just the opposite,” Kate said. “I think you’re quite smart. Especially if you want out of this cult.”