Zero Trilogy (Book 2): Day One (10 page)

“I’ve killed before,” Jay said.

“We’ve all killed someone since Day Zero,” Elle replied.

“No. I killed
before
.” Tears slipped down his cheeks. “The reason why I was in juvie, Elle. It’s because I killed
two
people.”

Elle tightened the grip on the gun.

“You were in jail because you were a murderer?” Elle said, swallowing. “You never said anything about that.”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you would make a judgment.” Jay buried his face in his trembling hands. “Everyone assumes that I killed people because I was a bad person. Because I was on the streets. Because I
looked
like a killer.”

“
Were
you a killer, Jay?” Elle asked, lowering her voice.

“I didn’t mean to be,” he whispered.

Elle didn’t move. She kept the gun where it was. She kept her eye on Georgia and Flash. Bravo
continued to growl just enough to remind everyone that he was willing to take out a chunk of anyone’s arm if they made a move.

“There were three guys,” Jay said. “My parents…they owned a liquor shop. One night, three punks came in and tried to rob the cash box under the counter. I was working the late-night shift. They had guns. I didn’t.” He shook his head. “We fought. I got my hands on one gun. I killed two of them with it. The third guy got away.”

Elle said nothing.

Jay exhaled. “I didn’t mean to kill them,” he said. “But they were trying to kill
me
. They were trying to take my family’s
money
. It was all we had. It was everything.”

The wind kicked up again, whistling across the plain, blowing Elle’s hair back.

“You’re not a murderer, Jay,” Elle replied. “You did what you had to do to keep your family safe.” She lowered the muzzle of the gun. “You’ve got to do the same thing now. We can’t survive and we can’t protect each other if we’re fighting like this. We’ve got to stick together. And you’ve
got
to do what I say.” She slipped the gun into her jacket. “Do you understand?”

Nothing.

Then:

“Yeah. I get it.” Jay looked up at Elle, his face tear-stained. “I’m sorry.”

Elle shook her head.

“Get up and clean that bite,” she commanded. “Georgia? You take care of that. We’re wasting time.”

She turned away, aware of the heavy ache in her bones and the taste of blood in her mouth. She locked eyes with Georgia. The blond girl’s air of drama and sarcasm was gone. She looked very small; very frightened. Beside her, Flash shifted from foot to foot, counting under his breath.

Elle placed a hand on Flash’s shoulder.

“Are you okay, kid?” she asked.

Flash looked up at her, his eyes red and bloodshot.

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” he said.

“Yeah,” Elle replied, grinning. “Someday, everybody dies.”

“So why do we care so much about survival now? If we’re all going to die…why do we try to stay alive?”

Elle patted his back.

“Because it’s what we do,” she said. “We survive.”

She looked to the desert.

We survive so that we can die in peace
.

Chapter Ten

It started as a hum. It was faint, only a distant sound. And then it got louder, and Elle popped awake. Bravo was sitting straight up, his ears pricked forward.

“What is it, boy?” she whispered.

It was early morning. The sun had just started to rise above the distant mountains, filtering through the grainy air of the dusty desert. The hum turned into a small rumble. Elle stayed close to the ground. In the Mojave, they might be able to escape unseen if they stayed on their bellies, close to the ground and out of sight. There were shrubs and trails and a myriad of uneven surfaces to hide behind.

“What is that?” Georgia asked groggily, rolling on her stomach.

“An engine,” Elle concluded.

“A car?” Georgia looked alarmed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I’m not.”

Jay just lay on his back, staring at the sky, silent.

“What do we do?” Flash hissed.

“We stay put,” Elle answered.

“What if it’s the Slavers?”

“Then we kill them.”

Elle was startled – shocked, almost – at how easily those words rolled off her tongue. It was such a statement of fact. A truth. If the Slavers found them, she would kill them before they took them back to Slaver territory. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life doing slave labor for Omega, no matter
what
anyone said or did.

She would die first.

Flash lowered his head, a cold, steely expression on his face. It worried Elle a little, but she didn’t question it. It was about time Flash toughened up…she just hoped it wasn’t at the expense of his humanity or personality.

“Get down, Bravo,” Elle whispered, tugging on the dog’s collar.

You know we’ve got trouble coming our way, right?
Bravo looked at her. His eyes were dark and serious.

“I know,” she whispered.

Georgia gave her a confused look. Elle ignored it.

“Just stay low and don’t move, whatever you do,” Elle said.

The rumbling became slightly louder. A speck appeared on the horizon. It was moving quickly. Definitely a vehicle of some sort. An Omega patrol? A Slaver truck? Elle feared the worst. It zigzagged across the desert floor. It came closer. Elle kept her head against the dirt, peering at the moving vehicle.

It looked like a Humvee. It was painted the same muted shade of brown as the desert floor. But a Humvee could be anyone – Slaver, Omega, American…there was no guarantee that they were friendly.

The Humvee got closer. The engine broke the morning stillness of the desert. Georgia tensed. Jay inhaled sharply. It was heading their way.

“It’s going to run us over,” Flash breathed.

“Don’t move,” Elle said.

“It’s getting closer.”

“Do
not
move.”

“Elle….”

The Humvee was coming directly toward them. It would tear right over their bodies. The engine turned into a roar. Sweat ran down Elle’s forehead.

“MOVE!” she yelled.

They jumped up and sprinted, flinging themselves out of the path of the Humvee. The vehicle swerved and slid across the dirt, sending sprays of rock and mud into the air. It screeched past them. Elle took her gun out and shouted:
“Don’t run. They’ll be able to catch us. We have to stand our ground.”

The Humvee sat there, still. The engine rumbled, but the rear of the vehicle was the only thing she could see. There were at least three people in the cab. The passenger side opened and a man stepped out, toting a rifle. He aimed it at Elle’s head.

“Drop that gun, little girl,” he commanded.

He was wearing combat fatigues. His head was shaved, his face was wrinkled.

“I’ll drop mine if you drop yours,” Elle said, her voice loud and clear.

The man’s mouth twitched.

“I can respect that,” he replied. “But I outgun you and I outman you. See?”

Two more men got out of the vehicle, armed similarly. Jay stood next to Elle, his hands fisted. Georgia stood beside Jay, and Flash stood beside Georgia.

“We’re not looking for any trouble,” Elle said. “We’re just passing through.”

“You’re a little young to be traveling alone, aren’t you kids?” the man asked.

“Welcome to the apocalypse,” Elle replied. “Kids run wild.”

“You wounded, boy?” the man asked Jay, gesturing to the bandage on his arm.

Jay didn’t answer. He only glared.

“Listen,” the man said. “My name is Lieutenant Jeremy Danes, and I’m with the California National Guard. These two here are Private Kilion and Private Yancey. We’re just patrolling the area, making sure the pond scum isn’t coming back.”

“You’re with the
United States Military
?” Elle asked, blinking.

“Yes, ma’am,” Danes replied. “We sure are.”

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” she demanded. “The Slavers dress as militia to lure people in. I can’t just take your word for it.”

“No offense, kid,” Danes replied, “but you don’t have to believe crap. My men and I will leave you alone if you say the word, but I don’t think that’s what
you want. By the looks of it, you probably don’t have any food and you’re sorely dehydrated. Am I right?”

Elle shrugged, still holding her gun.

“We can help you,” he continued. “But you’ve got to lower your gun.”

“I never lower my gun.”

“You’re going to have to trust us.”

“Trusting gets people killed. I don’t plan on being a casualty of blind faith.”

“It might save your life, kid.”

Elle hesitated. If Danes was telling the truth – if they really
were
United States Military men – then this could be their salvation. They would be rescued from the hell of the desert and the threat of Slaver pursuit.

“You’ve come from Slaver Territory, haven’t you?” Danes stated. “There was a big stir in the San Jacinto hills a couple of days ago. I’m guessing you were a part of that.”

“We’re not Slavers,” Georgia replied. “We were Slaver prisoners. We escaped.”

“I figured as much.” Danes grinned. “That’s quite a feat, escaping from the Slavers. From what we hear, they’re a pretty brutal bunch.”

“They’re monsters,” Georgia answered.

“Why don’t you come back with us?” Danes asked. “We’ve got food and water – clean clothes. The military is offering shelter to anybody who comes in clean.”

“Clean?” Elle echoed.

“Unarmed until we check you at the front gate.”

“I’m not giving up my weapons.”

“Then I guess you’re not coming with us to safe haven.”

Elle hesitated.

What choice did they really have? They could say no to these men and continue across the desert, starved and dehydrated – possibly risking recapture by the Slavers.

“Where is this safe haven of yours?” Elle asked.

“Not far. There are a lot of refugees there. People like you.”

“I’m not a refugee.”

“You’re a kid who needs help. Now take it or leave it. I ain’t got all day.”

Elle looked at Jay. His face was stone. Georgia glanced at Elle, a pleading expression on her face. And then Flash walked forward, toward Danes.

“I’ll come with you,” he said.

Elle closed her eyes, sighing.
She knew what she had to do.

The safe haven wasn’t what Elle expected. It was built under the ground, a stronghold beneath the towering Tehachapi Mountains. A chain link fence surrounded the property, guarded by soldiers on towers and mazes of concrete barriers. Georgia, Jay and Flash strained to see out the window, murmuring softly. Jay glanced at Elle. His expression betrayed worry.

Elle looked away.

They sat in the back of the Humvee, squished together in the backseat. Lieutenant Danes drove, and the two privates were keeping their gazes trained on the windows.

The inside strap of Elle’s jacket was weightless, as was the sheath on her back. She had agreed to leave her weapons in the back of the Humvee while they entered the camp – until the National Guard cleared their entry.

Elle had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Nervousness? Probably. What if the National Guard didn’t let them in? What if they tossed then out on
their butts, back into the harsh, unforgiving plain of the Mojave?

Well. There was nothing they could do now but see what happened.

They rolled up to the front checkpoint. Elle had never been on or near a military base before, so she wasn’t sure what she should expect. The guards conversed with Lieutenant Danes. He gestured to Elle and the others a few times, keeping his voice low. The guards peered at the kids, shaking their heads. And then they got a green light, and the Humvee rumbled through the first checkpoint, past the barriers and into the entrance to the safe haven. The structure of the building was similar to a parking garage. It was made of concrete, built into the side of the mountain. A small, bunker-like opening sloped downward, allowing vehicles to roll into a loading area. The Humvee pulled into it, cut the engine, and Lieutenant Danes opened the rear doors.

“Okay, everybody out,” he commanded.

Elle bolted, anxious to escape the inside of the vehicle. She stood on the cement flooring. An open area of Humvees, trucks and Jeeps filled the inside of
the first level. White numbers were painted on the walls:
27
.

“What’s twenty-seven mean?” Georgia whispered to Elle.

“Don’t know.”

The place was buzzing with activity. Bravo jumped out of the Humvee, taking his place next to Elle’s leg. She scratched him behind the ears. He was calm – extremely calm, actually. She was jealous of his self-control.

Elle’s hands were trembling with fear, so she stuffed them in her pockets.

“Alright,” Danes said. “Welcome to Sector 27, one of many National Guard strongholds in the state of California. I’m going to need you to follow me. The dog, too.”

Bravo looked up at Elle.

This is a big kennel.
She shrugged. “It’s better than being in the desert.”
I kind of like it, to be honest.
Elle hid a sarcastic smile.

They followed Danes and the two rivates through the parking garage and through a heavy metal door. The door led to a huge, double-wide staircase
that descended deeper into the ground. They ended up two flights below the loading area, deep beneath the mountain. They walked through more doors and into a huge room flooded with generator-powered lights. Everything was concrete. It resembled a colorless gymnasium – minus windows and screaming cheerleaders. There were men and women lying on cots on the floor, wrapped in blankets. There were children, infants.

“This is the Refugee Ward,” Danes said. He nodded at Private Yancey and Private Kilion. They pulled away and disappeared into the ward. “This is where you’ll be able to find some food and water. See that lady in the back over there?”

He gestured to a heavyset woman with white hair. She was standing behind a table, doling out bowls of soup. “That’s Myra Linch,” he continued. “She’s in charge of the Ward. You need anything, you talk to her.”

“When are we going to get our weapons back?” Elle asked.