Broken World (Book 3): Mad World (14 page)

Angus stands behind her, along with Jon, Winston, Trey, Nathan, and Darla. I stiffen when I meet my mother’s gaze. Why the hell did she bother coming? She never had a problem abandoning me when I was a kid. I can’t imagine she was worried about me.

“You doing okay, sweetie?” She reaches out like she’s going to touch my face, and I jerk away.

“Don’t talk to me,” I hiss.

She frowns, but I turn away. We don’t have time for a confrontation right now. We have to get to Megan and get out of here before someone discovers the body.

Axl moves so he’s standing between us. His hand rests on my lower back. “Let’s get upstairs so we can get the girl.”

“Megan,” Jon says.

Axl glares at Jon out of the corner of his eye. He looks like he’s on the verge of punching Jon in the mouth.

“Yeah,” Winston says. “We should get a move on.”

The men draw their weapons, and I grab Axl’s arm. “You have a gun for me?”

Axl shakes his head. “You girls gotta stay here. It’ll draw too much attention if you’re walkin’ ‘round the hotel.”

I suck in a deep breath. He’s right. Dammit. I don’t like the idea of just sitting here doing nothing, but I guess we don’t really have a choice.

“I still want a gun,” I say.

Axl nods and produces a gun from behind him like it was tucked in the back of his pants.

I flash him a tense smile and take the weapon. “Be careful.”

“I’ll be right back.” His fingers brush my cheek, right across the bruise Tat left.

The men head out, and when the door clicks shut, I flinch.

14
Axl

THE HALL’S EMPTY, AND SO’S THE ELEVATOR. Everybody must either be in their rooms for the night or down in the bar. Hopefully they stay where they are and we don’t run into trouble.

We’re all too tense to talk, me especially. We got Vivian, so I’m ready to split. I don’t give a shit ‘bout this girl, much as I hate to admit it. Even to myself. But I made a deal, so I gotta stick by it. Not that Vivian would let me leave without Megan. She’s nicer than me.

Angus tilts his knife back and forth, lettin’ the elevator lights reflect off the blade. He’s the only one that don’t look like he’s dreadin’ what we’re ‘bout to do. His lips are puckered, and he’s playin’ with his knife like it’s some kinda toy. He’s enjoyin’ himself too much. It ain’t normal. Never thought I’d start to dislike my brother as much as I have the last few days.

It feels off bein’ so pissed at him all the time.

The elevator stops, and I grip my knife tighter. Can’t fool with all that Angus bullshit right now. Gotta focus so we can get outta this.

The door opens, and I cringe. It reeks of death. They must have zombies up here. What for I got no idea, but I don’t like it. The others cough and take deep breaths, shiftin’ their feet nervously. Nobody makes a move to step out.

We don’t got all day.

My eyes meet Winston’s, and he nods. I bite the bullet and step out.

There are three zombies chained up at the end of the hall, probably standin’ guard at the emergency exit. They’re pullin’ on the chains, tryin’ to get at the people in the hall. There’s a dark-haired girl slumped on the floor. She looks young. Must be Megan. ‘Cross from her, a man’s leanin’ against the wall with his eyes closed. A blonde woman is kneelin’ on the floor in front of him, givin’ him a blowjob. I blink a few times ‘cause I ain’t sure if what I’m seein’ is actually happenin’. It don’t change, but it also don’t make no damn sense.

The blonde woman pauses and looks our way, but the man is too preoccupied by his BJ to notice us. The man shoves her face back into his crotch without even openin’ his eyes.

“What the hell?” Angus says.

I shake my head. Vivian set this up? Whatever. I don’t give a shit, long as we can get outta here.

When I take off toward the man, Jon is right behind me, headin’ for his sister. The woman is goin’ to town, but she’s watchin’ me outta the corner of her eye. When I’m two feet away, she stops and gets up. The man’s eyes fly open, but it’s too late for him. I jam my knife in and out of his throat before he’s even had a chance to make a sound. His hands go to his neck and his eyes get huge. Blood seeps between his fingers like a waterfall, then he slumps to the ground, and I turn away.

The blonde woman smiles. She needs to wipe her damn chin. “You must be the people who are going to get me the hell out of here.”

“Long as you can keep up,” I say, wipin’ the blade on my pants.

Jon’s kneelin’ next to his sister. She don’t look good. Most of her bruises are yellow now, but there are a lot of ‘em. I don’t wanna be a hard-ass, but we got no time to check her out now. We can worry ‘bout that once we’re back at the shelter.

I jerk my head toward the elevator. “We gotta go.”

Jon nods and helps his sister get up. This was too easy. In and out with no problem. It’s got me on edge. I press the button, and my leg twitches while I wait for the door to open. I wanna get back to Vivian and get outta this hotel. Outta Vegas. If it’s up to me, we’ll never set foot in this town again. We can go to Boulder City or someplace else for supplies. Get that water garden thing goin’ so we got some fresh food. Maybe Angus and me can even do some huntin’ for meat. Whatever we do, we ain’t comin’ back here.

The door slides open, and two men are standin’ there. One is a big bastard, like the guy that brought Vivian to my room, and the other is a small, measly-lookin’ dude.

The big guy goes for a weapon, and I rush forward. I jab my knife toward him, tryin’ to get him in the gut, but he pushes me aside. My body slams into the elevator wall, and I drop my knife. The big guy’s arms go ‘round me, squeezin’ my chest. All the air rushes outta my lungs. There’s yellin’ and cussin’. Most of it comin’ from Angus. The big guy’s grip loosens and I drop to my feet, gaspin’ for air. But the second my lungs are full, an arm presses against my throat.

I pull at his arm, and my face gets hot. My lungs are ‘bout ready to burst from the need for air. I hear Angus swear, and the man’s arm loosens enough for me to get some, but the bastard don’t let go. I elbow him in the stomach, and his hold on me tightens again. There’s more shufflin’ and cussin’, and I catch sight of the measly guy strugglin’ with Nathan. I try to breathe. Try to pull the big bastard’s arm away from my neck, but I can’t.

Darkness closes in. I blink, but it don’t help. My fingers dig into the asshole’s skin, but he just squeezes tighter. My vision starts to go black…

“Axl.” I open my eyes, and Winston is starin’ down at me.

It takes a second to remember what happened, then I register the gruntin’ and swearin’ of Angus. I blink. He’s ‘cross the hall beatin’ the shit outta that big asshole. The guy’s slumped against the wall and his face is nothin’ but a bloody mess. Angus just keeps on poundin’ his fists into the guy’s nose. My brother’s face is red and sweaty, and he’s cussin’. Sayin’ something ‘bout me. I can’t wrap my mind ‘round what’s happenin’ exactly.

Nobody moves. They don’t try to stop him. Angus has a short fuse and he don’t like these guys, so I don’t blame ‘em. My brain starts to focus and I blink a few times. We gotta go. I struggle to my feet, and the hall spins. Winston steadies me, and I let him. I don’t wanna fall on my ass. Angus won’t stop beatin’ the bastard, and ain’t nobody else gonna stop him.

“Angus,” I say. My throat aches.

He don’t let up. I touch his arm, and he flinches. He spins ‘round to face me with his fist in the air like he’s ready to beat the shit outta me too. His knuckles are red, and the wall behind the big guy is splattered with blood. The guy ain’t movin’. Could be dead.

“Stop, man. You took care of him.”

Angus puckers his lips and drops his fist. He just stands there for a few seconds. Then his eyes go to my neck, and they get hard. He jerks the knife outta his belt and jams it into the guy’s neck. The asshole sputters and jerks. Blood runs from his neck and sprays outta his mouth.

“Bastard,” Angus mutters, pullin’ the knife out and stickin’ it back in the sheath without even wipin’ the blade clean. “Let’s get the hell outta this city.”

Everybody is already waitin’ in the elevator. My neck is sore, and I rub it as the door slides shut. Nobody talks, and I can’t even look at Angus. Was that really just ‘bout me? Angus has always been a selfish prick. I never thought he really cared all that much ‘bout me. Sure, he looked out for me when I was a kid. He let me sleep on the couch in his trailer when our mom was drunk and I didn’t wanna go home. He taught me how to hunt and fish. Everything I know. But I guess I never thought he really felt anything for me. Angus don’t
feel.

Guess I was wrong.

15
Vivian

AXL WON’T STOP RUBBING HIS NECK and every time he does it, I want to scream. My hand tightens on my knife. Axl puts his arm around me as Winston opens the hotel door. He glances up and down the hall. I want out of the Monte Carlo more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. We’ve had too many close calls, and we’re pushing our luck. We need to run, and fast.

“It’s clear,” Winston whispers. “Stay close and make as little noise as possible.”

He doesn’t have to tell us twice. We rush from the room like the wave of a tsunami, and hurry down the silent hall. The emergency exit is in front of us, and I keep my eyes focused on the prize. Axl is right by my side. His hand on my back. Hadley and Jon support Megan less than a foot behind us with Trey and Nathan right on their heels. Angus and Darla are next. He’s still covered in blood. I don’t even care right now that he’s holding Darla’s hand like they’re high school sweethearts out for a romantic stroll. What he did for Axl…I could kiss him for it. Dirty Blonde—Lexi, as it turns out—is in the rear. She keeps to herself. Or maybe no one wants to be close to her. She still stinks.

We reach the emergency exit with no problem and rush down the stairs. My legs get tired after only a couple floors, but I force them to move. Focusing every ounce of energy on each step. Leg up. Leg down. Repeat. It doesn’t help. Less than five minutes in, and I’m panting. We’ve barely eaten the past few days, and sleep hasn’t been easy. It’s taken a toll on my body. Hadley is puffing away behind me. Lexi has to be struggling even more. She was there longer than us. How long, I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it, to be honest.

“You alright?” Axl whispers.

I nod and pause for a second, breathing heavily. “Haven’t eaten much.”

The others have stopped walking as well, giving Hadley, Lexi, and me a chance to catch our breath. I don’t want to stop. I want out. But my legs are wobbly, and despite the fact that I don’t want the break, I need it.

“We still got ten floors to go,” Axl says.

I nod and take a few deep breaths. “I can do it.” I’ll roll down the goddamn stairs if I have to.

“Let’s get out of here,” Hadley says.

We start moving again, and this time I ignore the pain in my chest and the heaviness in my limbs. Just a little bit further.

We reach the first floor and pause while Winston slowly opens the door and looks out. My heart pounds and my legs shake. I lean against the wall and close my eyes. All I want to do is get out of here, but I’m so weak.

“Clear,” Winston whispers.

Axl grabs my hand, and I force myself to move. Winston is already out the door. When I step into the brightly lit hall, my stomach tenses. My eyes dart back and forth, up and down the hallway. I grip my knife tighter while I wait for angry men to charge us. But there’s no one around.

Winston motions us forward. “This way.”

Trey is right behind him, followed by Nathan, Angus, and Darla. I grab Hadley’s arm and pull her forward while Jon helps Megan. Lexi trails behind, and Axl tries to get her to pick up the pace. His jaw is tense. We walk fast, keeping our footsteps as quiet as possible. From somewhere in the distance, voices echo through the hotel, and I have to stifle a scream. Hadley grips my arm. The voices are faint, though. Probably coming from the casino or bar.

There’s a door at the end of the hall with a chain through the handles. And a padlock. Shit! What the hell are we going to do now? I’m ready to panic and make a dash back to the stairwell when Winston pulls a key out of his pocket. Thank God.

When the chain is gone, he pushes the door open. The scent of death floats in like a cloud of noxious gas, and my heart moves to a rhythm that reminds me of a pop song. I’m not sure what’s worse. The zombies or the men in this hotel.

Winston’s face tenses when he glances out. “It’s clear.”

The voices behind us grow louder, and we all freeze. I spin around just as two men step out of the casino. Their backs are to us, and they sway a little as they walk. Laughing a lot and way too loud. They’re drunk. Too drunk to notice the stench we’ve let inside. They stumble a few steps in the opposite direction, talking and carrying on as they go.

Hadley tenses beside me. Her breathing picks up and her hands shake. The tremors move up her arms until her entire body vibrates. One of the men is short and pudgy. Balding slightly. I’ve seen him before.

It’s the man who raped Hadley.

“Hadley,” I whisper, reaching out to her.

It’s too late. She steps forward before I have a chance to stop her and rips the gun out of Jon’s waistband. No one has time to react. It all happens too fast. She rushes forward with the gun raised. Her arm is steady when she stops about fifteen feet behind the man. A boom echoes through the hallway, and his head explodes. Blood and bone splatter all over the drunk man beside him.

Hadley drops her arm to her side as men pour out of the casino. I grab the gun out of her hand, then drag her back toward the door. The men pull their own weapons just as Axl fires the first shot. I push Hadley behind me and aim for a familiar face. The chubby guy who groped me in the van. He’s unarmed, but I can’t forget the feeling of his hands on my breasts. I fire and try not to feel guilty when he falls to the ground, screaming in agony.

The men fire back as I push Hadley toward the door. They’re bad shots. Either they’re too drunk or they haven’t been taught. We may be outnumbered, but thanks to Axl and Angus, we know how to shoot.

The men in front of us go down one by one as Winston yells for us to head outside. Jon is the first one out, carrying his sister with him. I push Hadley out behind them before stumbling into the alley myself. We don’t move as we wait for the others. I have no idea where the car is and apparently Jon doesn’t, either.

The noise from the gunfire is drawing a lot of attention our way. Zombies flood into the alley. My fingers itch to pull the trigger, but I don’t want to draw more. I hold off, waiting until they’re closer. Waiting for the others. For Axl, so we can leave and never see this place again.

The rest of our group stumbles out, still firing. Axl is the last one, and I can’t relax until I see him step through the door. The men inside continue to fire. The bullets hit the door, the wall behind us, the ground. Zombies scream in response to the noise, and I can’t stand still. I look back and forth between the hotel door and the zombies charging us. We have to leave! Axl fires into the building one more time, then reaches for the door. Trey is at his side, covering him. The door swings forward just as Trey’s body jerks back. Red sprays across the front of his shirt, and he falls to the ground, gripping his chest.

All the air escapes my lungs. “No! Trey!”

He grunts and pushes himself against the wall. The circle of blood grows larger until his shirt is almost completely stained red. Axl curses and leans down next to Trey, ripping the shirt aside so he can get a better look at the gunshot wound. I release Hadley and drop to my knees at Axl’s side, taking the flashlight he hands me. Holding it over Trey with shaky hands. There’s blood everywhere, and Trey’s face is twisted in agony.

“We gotta move!” Angus yells between shots. I look over my shoulder to see what he’s shooting at. The zombies are getting closer.

Winston, Nathan, and Darla join him in taking out the zombies, but no matter how many they take out, more come. We don’t have long, but we can’t leave Trey. I don’t know if Angus and Axl can carry him.

Trey sputters, and blood sprays from his mouth. More gushes from the wound with each pump of his heart, and his breathing has slowed. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. It doesn’t matter whether or not they’d be able to carry him. His time is almost up. I want to scream or throw something or hit someone in the face. Trey came here to save me, and it killed him.

“Shit,” Axl mutters, pressing his hand to Trey’s chest. It’s not going to help and I can tell Axl knows it, but he doesn’t stop. He presses harder like he’ll somehow be able to heal everything if he can only hold on long enough.

Trey grabs my hand. He’s shaking, and so am I. This whole thing is so damn screwed up. “Tell Parv I love her.”

It only makes me cry harder.

I could tell him he’ll be okay, but it would be pointless. He’d know it was a lie. I squeeze his hand and nod as I blubber like a three year old. “I’ll tell her.”

Trey coughs, and more blood sprays from his mouth. He closes his eyes, and his face contorts in pain. I have to look away.

“Axl!” Angus screams from behind us.

Axl looks toward his brother and then down at Trey. He’s still breathing, but just barely. Axl starts to get up, but I grab his arm. My chest tightens, and I start to panic. The zombies pour into the alley at our backs, charging right toward us. Trey’s defenseless. We can’t leave him. My heart constricts, and I sob even harder. It’s a hopeless situation. There’s nothing we can do for Trey, but leaving him here would be cruel. He doesn’t deserve this. None of us do.

“We can’t leave him,” I say, squeezing Axl’s hand. “We can’t just leave him to die like this!”

Axl shakes his head, but the door to the casino bursts open before he can answer. A handful of men run out with their guns raised. Axl jumps to his feet, pulling me with him. I don’t want to leave Trey, but he doesn’t even make a sound when we back away. His chest rises a few times. He opens one eye, but it’s brief. It flutters shut, and I want to scream. Axl fires as men pour from the door. I glance toward the casino for just a second, and when I look back, Trey’s completely still. A sob breaks out of me, shaking my chest. Is he dead? If he is, I can walk away and not feel guilty for the rest of my life. But how do I know for sure? What if there’s just enough life left in him and he turns? I can’t live with that.

My hands shake. Axl pushes me back toward Angus and the others, but I steady my gun as best as I can when I raise it. Prayer isn’t something I do often, but I do it now. Asking God to help me aim. Begging Him to protect us. To get us out of this.

When I pull the trigger, the bullet hits Trey in the forehead, and I say a silent thank you as more tears fall from my eyes.

Axl pushes me harder, and I let him. He drapes his body over mine like he’s some kind of armor. Or like he’s willing to take a bullet for me. I’m backed up against Hadley, and Jon is standing next to her, shielding his sister from the zombies and gunfire.

My face is still moist from tears. I swipe my hand across my cheeks and fire at the dead. I can mourn Trey later, but for now I need to work on saving the rest of us.

“Where’s the car?” I yell.

Axl fires at the men and points behind them. Of course we’d be cut off. Nothing can be easy these days.

Zombies rush into the alley to our right and the men from the casino to our left. There are fewer men, and we definitely stand a better chance of getting by them. Although not much of one.

I turn and fire at the men just as Winston and Nathan begin backing toward them, still shooting at the zombies as they go. Angus holds his ground as usual, and Darla clings to his side while she fires her own gun. Winston and Nathan spin around to face the men and shoot, clearing our way to the car. I shoot at the zombies and push Hadley and Jon toward the car since they aren’t armed. Hadley rushes forward to meet Winston and Nathan, but Jon stumbles. He’s been carrying his sister for a while now. She has to be getting heavy.

“Go!” Axl yells to Winston. “Get the car started.”

Winston and Nathan push Hadley and Lexi forward. Axl puts his gun away so he can take Megan out of Jon’s arms. Angus has finally stopped firing, and he and Darla take off toward the car. I stay with Axl and Jon. Once Axl has Megan situated, we take off after the others, but more men rush from the casino. Cutting us off yet again.

There are more of them this time, and we’re cornered. Zombies pour into the alley at our backs, but they don’t come for us. My stomach lurches when I realize why. They’re rushing toward the lifeless body of Trey. I’m torn between repulsion and relief. As horrible as it is to even think it, Trey’s death may have saved our asses.

We’re completely cut off from the others, though. Axl pulls me back, away from the car and toward the Strip. Angus is just on the other side of the men, and even in the darkness of the alley I can see the conflict on his face. He doesn’t want to leave his brother.

“Get outta here!” Axl yells, and Angus only hesitates for a split second before turning around and heading in the opposite direction.

The men are still firing, but all they’re really doing is drawing the zombies toward them. The dead don’t seem to even notice us. Between the men firing away at the door and the fresh meat on the ground, we are almost invisible. Axl puts his gun away and pulls out his knife. We can’t fire our guns. That would only draw their attention.

“This way,” Axl says.

He’s carrying Megan when he heads out toward the Strip, keeping as close to the wall as possible. He barely has a free hand, and my entire body is tense behind him as I keep an eye on the dead we pass. Axl won’t be able to defend himself if one decides to attack us.

We make it out onto the Strip relatively unnoticed, and I say a silent prayer of thanks. It’s getting to be a habit with me.