Chapter 20
Twenty
S ix hours in a vehicle with five other people feels like being trapped in a small moving crate with windows after a while. The air is thick and humid, and every tiny brush made against my skin is irritating. No matter how quiet people try to keep their conversations, they’re amplified in the confined space. Thank goodness we’re in an SUV and not a compact car, or I would have murdered someone by now.
My lack of sleep is likely the main contributor to my irritability. Sleeping while Ryland was wrapped around me proved to be difficult. I was fascinated with everything about him, the deep exhale and inhale of his breathing, and how he mumbled incoherent words that I tried to decode. As the sun rose, I took advantage of the first rays of light to study his face. Damp curls clung to his neck, and his lips parted slightly, releasing soft breaths. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to marvel at him.
Aiden’s head falls on my shoulder for the umpteenth time. Unlike me, he has no problem falling asleep. Twenty Zs could be chasing us down the road, and he’d be out until someone shook him awake. I place my hand on the top of his head ready to push him away but change my mind. It’s useless. I slouch down on the bench seat we share and sigh in frustration.
Ryland looks through the rearview mirror, his eyes crinkle on the sides as he gives a lopsided grin. “Push him onto his side.”
“I have,” I reply flatly.
“Kick him onto the floor. That’s what I would do.” Wes chimes in from the passenger seat.
“Don’t do that. I’m comfortable,” Aiden mumbles, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“Seriously, your body is like a heating pad. You need to move to your side.”
He lifts his bright eyes to me and smiles. “Let’s just cuddle this out for a bit.”
I shake my head at his ridiculousness, but don’t bother pushing him away. The man doesn’t seem to compute personal space. To be honest, I don’t really mind. It’s good to know that at least my friend is getting some much-needed sleep.
The sound of shuffling comes from behind me, and I look over my shoulder to see what’s going on in the backseat. River is lying on top of Noah with their legs tangled together. Both are out cold.
I haven’t gotten all the details from her, but according to Wes and Aiden, the bunker was locked last night, and neither of them could get in. I’m assuming River and Noah took their relationship to the next level. I’m happy for them. They have found each other and show no fear for what their future will bring.
The most obnoxious siren blares in the distance. I ignore it and find comfort in my awkward position. My face is pressed against the window, and Aiden is pinning down the lower half of my body. Both of his arms circle my waist while his hot sweaty head rests on my hip. I’m not sure how long it’s been since I dozed off, but I’m not ready to wake up yet. I clench my eyes shut, but it doesn’t block out the wailing coming from outside.
A female voice echoes through a loudspeaker saying, “Pull over and put your hands up, or we’ll open fire.”
“Shit!” Ryland punches the steering wheel, and the SUV comes to a slow stop on the side of the road.
With his hands held high, Wes gazes out the window. He shakes his head, and I swivel around to get a look at what he sees. A police cruiser has pulled up behind us with blue lights flashing on its roof. Three uniformed women exit the vehicle with weapons drawn. They’re decked out in all black with combat boots and aviator sunglasses. A woman with a silky onyx ponytail and an exceptionally tall blonde with spiky hair walk toward us. The third member of their group, a petite woman with cropped dark hair, kneels by their car with a terrifying weapon.
“Does she have a rocket launcher pointed at us?” I ask.
“What do you think the penalty is for speeding during a zombie apocalypse?” Wes says with a chuckle.
“Shut up,” Ryland snaps.
Wes doesn’t let Ryland get to him and continues joking. “Flash them those dimples and pour the charm on thick. Hopefully, you can wiggle your way out of this without getting us blown up.”
Ryland grunts in reply.
A tapping comes from the window right behind me, followed by the woman with a ponytail barking, “Everyone sit up.”
I glance at the back seat to find Noah and River rubbing their eyes and looking around in confusion.
“Where are you boys headed?” the blonde asks Ryland.
“Just passing through.”
She slams her hand against our vehicle. “Don’t play cute with me. Are you with the Raid?” She doesn’t even give Ryland a chance to answer the question before she pulls the door open. “I need you to step out of the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them.” She turns to her partner and instructs, “Get the rest of the men out and have them line up against the car.”
The woman with black hair opens Wes’s door and pulls him out, demanding Aiden and Noah do the same. The boys stumble over each other, rushing to exit, and I watch through the side view mirror as Ryland is led back to the police car. The blonde forces him to lean over the hood and frisks him.
“Where did you find the girls?” she asks.
Ryland shoots her a glare over his shoulder. “What do you mean where did we find them?”
River leans forward in her seat. “I don’t think these cops like the boys very much.”
I press my finger to my mouth. “ Shh .”
The blonde looks at Ryland with disgust. “Did Blaze send you out to find them? Is the Raid becoming so desperate that your leader has you plucking helpless girls from their homes?”
“They’re hardly helpless,” Ryland counters.
She grabs the back of his neck and presses his face to the hood of the car. “Don’t fuck with me. They’re women, human beings, who deserve your respect. They’re not your toys to do with as you want. They’re not slaves to bow to your every disgusting desire. You pigs make me sick.”
The SUV shakes as the other woman throws Noah against the side. He looks at River through the window with excruciating pain written on his face.
“You Raider boys like to pin women down and take what you want from them. Let’s see how you like it,” the officer spits as she presses her gun to Noah’s head.
River climbs over the seat to get out. “I think she’s planning to murder my boyfriend.”
I check that my gun is secured to my lower back and tug my shirt over it. “I got this,” I say, throwing open the door and getting out on the opposite side from where Noah, Aiden, and Wes are detained. I don’t need to look back to know River has followed me. She’s a pissed off girlfriend, and hell hath no fury like a woman whose man is being held at gunpoint.
“Let him go,” I order the blonde who is handcuffing Ryland.
“You don’t have to be scared. We’re here to help you,” the woman crouched next to the cruiser with the military-grade weapon says.
I pull the gun from my back and point it at the blonde. “I said, let him go.”
She tilts her head but makes no move to release Ryland.
I could try to advocate on the boys’ behalf and tell her she has them pegged all wrong, but I fear she might think I’m a victim who has become dependent on my captors. She needs to view me as confident and in control of things like her.
“I won’t ask you again to unhand my man.” I fight to keep a straight face and not cringe, but Ryland looks up with a smirk on his face .
“They didn’t kidnap you to take you back to the Raiders?” the blonde asks.
“The who?”
“A gang of disgusting chauvinistic pigs who pillage nearby neighborhoods. They take young girls and force them into sexual slavery,” the black-haired woman explains.
“No pillaging and all sex is consensual,” Ryland states with a wink at me.
I roll my eyes and amend his statement. “Some of them are still working on the chauvinistic pig part though.”
All aggression fades from the blonde’s demeanor, and she smiles. “At least he’s working on it.” She unlocks the handcuffs and releases Ryland before extending her hand to me. “I’m Dex, that’s Reese, and Ty with the rocket launcher.”
“Quinn.” I put away my gun and shake her hand.
“Sorry about that.” Reese shrugs with a coy grin. “We’re not used to seeing a vehicle full of men who aren’t trying to round up women in these parts.”
Wes rotates his shoulder. “The Raiders should avoid you at all costs. Your arm-lock is brutal.”
Reese beams at his unintentional compliment.
Ty lets the weapon half her size hang from her body as she stands. “Where are y’all heading to?”
“Caprielle,” Ryland answers, rubbing the feeling back into his wrists.
“It’s going to be dark in fifteen minutes, and you don’t want to drive through the east side of Loury once night falls. The Raiders will be out in full force. They’ll hijack your truck and…” Dex looks at River and me with deep sadness. “It won’t be pretty.”
Ty crosses her arms over her chest. “Not to mention the Afflicted around here are prone to be more active at night. They’re like roaches.”
Aiden steps forward and says, “We were planning on stopping for the night anyway. Do you have any suggestions?”
Dex hooks her finger over her chin, and her eyes travel across each of us. “You can stay with us, but we do require payment.”
“What kind of payment?” Ryland asks.
“We barter,” Ty says. “Food, supplies, services—everything holds a value.”
We don’t have much, but I’m sure we can forgo a couple of items for a safe place to sleep. It beats sleeping in the backseat while a gang of women-stealing men roam the streets. “We have some prescription medications that may help with some common sicknesses,” I say.
Dex nods. “We can work with that. Stay close and follow us.”
As we turn to file back into the SUV, I notice a bright yellow flyer attached to a light post. I don’t have time to read it, but the last couple of words stand out: The Sanctuary .
“Quinn,” Ryland calls.
“Coming,” I say over my shoulder, snatching the paper off the metal pole, sliding it into my pocket, and jogging back to the vehicle.
“You’re not going to need that,” he says, holding the back door open for me.
I shrug and climb in. “I know, it’s just interesting.”
We carefully follow the police car, winding through the streets of Loury. As the sun sets, the city looks like a ghost town. The iconic tourist traps I’d seen on television are skeletons of their former glory, with signs hanging haphazardly from the building fronts, and the high-end shops and eateries looted. Two years ago, people would have lined the sidewalks carrying shopping bags, and we would have been bumper-to-bumper in rush hour traffic. What was one of the most populous cities in Stern now appears vacant.
We briefly come to a stop at the entrance of an underground parking garage where a man and woman stand guard. Dex leans out the driver’s side window of her car, pointing at us as she talks to them. When she moves again, the man waves us through as well. The structure is mostly empty, and the only light inside comes from the headlights of our vehicles gliding along the walls. Once parked, I reach under my seat and pull out a small flashlight. The six of us collect our backpacks and climb out to meet the women at the back of our vehicle. Shining my light on the side of their police cruiser, the emblem on the door catches my attention. It’s not a cop car like I first thought.
“Palace Mall Security,” I read out loud.
Reese giggles. “Yeah.”
Ty joins in saying, “Everything a girl could ever want or need in one convenient place.” She does her best impression of a commercial announcer’s voice, “Palace Mall: your shopping destination.”
I smile at how ironic it is that these badass girls, fighting for the freedom of other women, are driving a car belonging to a mall—a place where the stereotypical woman is supposed to spend all of her free time and money.
I open the back of the SUV, careful not to hint at the food or weapons we have stored in the boxes. These women have been exceptionally kind to us, but I can’t bring myself to fully trust them. I hand River the first aid supplies and leave it to her to choose the medications we can stand to part with.
“I apologize if this sounds rude,” Ryland says to Dex, “but will our vehicle be safe here?”
Ty answers, “Our security detail is the best. You have nothing to fear. I give my word that your belongings will be here in the morning.”
Reese smiles and wraps her arms around Ty’s shoulders. “Ty is our head of security, and her team is unbeatable.”
They meet eyes, grin, and Reese winks at Ty. Their faith in one another is all it takes and a sliver of my reservations fade away.
“Follow me,” Dex says.
With our weapons drawn, we exit the parking garage and stroll the empty sidewalk to the front of the mall. The building is at least seven stories high, and the exterior of the upper levels is made up of glass walls. The ground level is also constructed of display windows, but they’re covered from the inside by sheets of metal. We reach the main entrance—a set of double steel doors—and Dex knocks. A small section slides open and a man on the other side says, “State your name and provide your identification.”
“Captain Dex Wells,” she says, placing an ID card into the slot.
A fully armed man opens the doors and promptly closes them as soon as we’re all inside. The lobby of the mall is dimly lit by candles placed on the top of a round concierge desk, and an elderly man wearing a vintage band t-shirt sits at the counter. His bald head is framed by wispy, white hair, and his eyes are magnified by the thick lenses of his glasses.
“Welcome home, Captain Wells,” he says .
Dex’s expression softens as she replies, “Thank you, Cal. These are our guests for the evening. Can you please supply them with candles?”
“Of course.” He reaches under the desk, pulls out votive candles inside of glass holders, and lights them.
“Please make sure you let them burn in the glass and return it to me, so I can use the melted wax to make more,” he instructs.
Now that each of us has a light source, Dex guides us on a tour of her home. “To the right is the hotel which serves as sleeping quarters for our permanent residences. We’ve been lucky with our resources and have found ways to rig the toilets, but we’re still working on the pump for fresh water,” she says with pride.
Fear and regret course through me, and my stomach ties into a knot. We had access to all the simple necessities these people are trying to obtain, and we sacrificed them for the unknown. I pray it’s worth it in the end.
We continue to the escalators—now regular stairs—and climb to the second level of the mall. My neck cranes back as we step foot onto the next floor. A massive structure made of hundreds of glass plates stands in the middle of the common area. It extends from the center of the floor all the way up to the top of the building. Every level is built around the colossal chandelier while still allowing those on the upper floors to look down.
I pull my attention from the mall’s focal point and take in the sound of conversation and laughter. Families are scattered throughout the common area in the middle of the mall. Children run after each other in a fierce game of tag as the adults engage in discussions.
“Children,” River says in awe .
Reese smiles. “Yes, children. They too need a place to live.”
“It’s just that I almost forgot kids could still exist,” River says, watching the children race around.
The old storefronts are still just that. The signs above their entrances are creatively put together using the lettering from the old mall signage. It’s not as well thought out as a pre-quarantine mall, but charming in its own way.
Continuing up the escalator, Dex explains how each of the seven levels is designed to meet the needs of a particular demographic—families with children, teenagers, intellectuals, artists, social butterflies, and so on. The layout of each level is the same, but the atmosphere is different. When we reach the fifth floor, designed for the arts, there are people gathered around a man singing and playing the guitar. The stores are geared at selling paintbrushes and musical instruments. There’s even a marijuana store with an assortment of baked goods and homemade bongs. Even during an apocalypse, there seems to be a market for everything.
The final stop on our tour is the seventh floor, focusing on social activities. Couples walk hand in hand around the common area or sit with their arms around each other on cushioned chairs. A restaurant has been converted into a nightclub equipped with a live band and dancing. As we pass through, a group of college-aged girls giggles, looking over their shoulders at Ryland. I struggle with the need to move closer to him and possessively lock my fingers with his, but I manage to keep my distance.
Of all the stupid feelings I can have, I can’t believe I’m jealous. This crazy notion of if I can’t have him, neither can they has awakened in me. He’s not mine, and I can’t hardly blame them for staring at him, yet I wish they wouldn’t .
“Keep glaring like that, and you might be able to set them on fire,” Aiden says in my ear.
I close my eyes and fight against my humiliation. It’s not the first time Aiden has guessed my feelings for Ryland. He has a gift for reading people that often has me wanting to smack him for being so damn observant. He places his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to his side. I shove a hand into my pocket and concentrate on my feet as we continue to walk. The folded-up flyer I tore from the light pole tickles my palm, and I shift my jealousy and embarrassment to curiosity.
“Dex, did you say the old bookstore is now your library?” I call to the front of our group.
She slows her pace and waits for Aiden and me to catch up to her. “I did.”
“Is it a common area I’m allowed to use?”
“Of course.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Aiden asks. The look on his face says he’s trying to be polite but would rather remain in the social atmosphere.
I shake my head. “I’m good. Stay and have fun.”
I don’t need to tell him twice before he fades into the crowd, leaving me to research the Sanctuary on my own.