Twisted World Series Box Set | Books 1-3 & Novella

by Mary, Kate L.

  “That right?” he said, trying to sound uninterested even though he was very interested.

  “With the population increase, crime has skyrocketed, but the guards aren’t equipped to deal with it. We’re supposed to be keeping an eye on zombies, not people. That’s been our whole purpose over the last two years, but Star has finally acknowledged the need to expand the job.”

  “So we’re going to be police now,” Al piped in.

  “Enforcers,” Parvarti corrected. “You know how Star loves to come up with his own term for everything.”

  Axl nodded because he did. It was something he’d noticed from their first day in the city. They no longer had money, but instead credits. There were no mayors or presidents, but instead a council and a Regulator. Most people probably wouldn’t give the change a second thought, but Axl had always thought it had something to do with erasing all the old ways and creating a whole new world where Star had the ultimate say in everything.

  “Having law enforcement is way overdue,” Vivian said, rubbing her hand across her round stomach absentmindedly.

  The sight of her rapidly expanding belly sent a pang through Axl and made him itch for that gun again. He wanted it at his side all the time, loaded and ready so he could defend his family if need be. And not just from the zombies, which had been his main concern when Star had first taken the weapons from him. Axl wanted to be able to fight off anything that might come their way.

  “You still hirin’?” he asked, causing everyone to look his way.

  Parvarti lifted her eyebrows but she didn’t look surprised. Joshua sat at her side, his hand on her knee, but he avoided Axl’s gaze. Had he told her what was going on? He’d wanted to, but the thought had made Axl squirm and Joshua had agreed to keep it quiet. Even if he hadn’t been in love with the idea. Not that Axl was either, especially when it meant lying to Vivian, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of making her worry. Couldn’t handle the idea of putting stress on her when she was pregnant.

  “We are,” Parv said.

  “What?” Vivian shook her head and he wanted to curse. He should have talked to her about it in private first.

  “Just a thought,” Axl said, trying to sound casual. “There’s talk ‘bout running out of places to renovate and things are already gettin’ slow. Plus, I’m a good shot and I like to think I’d be useful to Parv. Might be a good idea to contribute more.”

  “We could use you,” Parvarti said.

  Vivian shook her head again. “I don’t like the idea of you doing that.”

  “It’s not unsafe,” Al said. “Not really. I mean, it’s not like he’s going to be a zombie slayer.”

  Everyone seemed to shudder at once. That was a new position that seemed both foolhardy and pointless. People who took the job were allowed to go in and out of the city as they wished, and they earned their living killing zombies. Axl couldn’t understand why anyone in their right mind would be interested in that job.

  “Damn fools,” Jim said.

  At his side, Amira nodded and leaned into him like she was trying to keep him close so he didn’t decide to take up the career.

  “Why would anyone want to do that?” she said.

  Axl nodded but he could almost see the draw in it. These people had the best of both worlds. They got credits and help from the government that the unsanctioned settlements weren’t entitled to, but they didn’t have to stay inside the walls. They could live anywhere they wanted to, come and go as they pleased and not put up with Star’s bullshit rules. They were allowed to carry guns, as many as they wanted. If you didn’t have anyone waiting for you at home the way he did, Axl could almost understand why a person would risk it.

  “It’s a way to get away from the control Star has over everyone,” Al said. “I’ve heard some of the people who took the position talking about it, and it honestly makes sense.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Lila said.

  “I’m not saying I want the job.” He patted her leg with his stump. “I’m just saying things here aren’t as bright and shiny as we hoped. There are too many rules. Too many regulations. Honestly, lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about going back to Colorado.”

  Lila sat up straighter. “What? You never mentioned this before.”

  “I know. It’s just a thought, but let’s be honest, wasn’t it better there? Things were more laid back, more relaxed. It was tough getting here, but now there are shipments that go back and forth between the cities, meaning we could hitch a ride. Wouldn’t you like to see everyone again? Brady, Sophia, Ava, Anne.” Al avoided looking at Joshua and Parv. “We have friends there.”

  “He has a point,” Vivian whispered.

  Axl couldn’t believe it. Not once had she mentioned to him that she would like to go back to Colorado, and the idea that she’d be willing to risk the trip now, when she was finally pregnant, made no sense.

  “You wanna go back?”

  She shrugged. “I liked our little gated community, and I feel bad about leaving Brady. Every time I talk to him I can hear the sadness in his voice, and even though he says he’s doing okay, I know he’s lonely. I know he’d love to have us come back.”

  “But the kids.” Lila looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

  Charlie, who looked so much like her mother even at such a young age, was quiet now, but Axl knew firsthand how loud the wail that came out of her could be when she got upset. Megan too, who was older now but still just a toddler, and Luke who was only ten months younger. They had too much to lose, too much that could go horribly wrong.

  “It’s too dangerous,” he said, shaking his head. “We can’t risk it.”

  Everyone nodded, but Axl couldn’t help noticing that it was halfhearted and he knew the subject wasn’t over.

  He patted Vivian on the arm and said, “We’ll talk about it again after the baby’s born. See if we can figure somethin’ out.”

  Dr. Helton

  There was enough going on without this headache, Dr. Helton thought as she scanned the transcript in her hand. I’ve been thinking more and more about going back to Colorado. Al’s words from the night before had every alarm in her head going off. If Star got wind of this he would have Axl brought in for sure, and Dr. Helton knew that would destroy Angus.

  She read the rest of the conversation, gnawing on her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what to do. It had ended with Axl agreeing to talk about it again after the baby was born, but even that didn’t ease her worries. It was something she’d never thought about before, the group wanting to return to Colorado. She should have, though. She knew they had friends there and that Vivian still spoke with some of them on a weekly basis, and she also knew how loyal these people were. As long as the settlement in Colorado was still standing, they would always have a place to fall back on. Which meant Dr. Helton had to make sure the settlement was wiped off the face of the earth.

  Phillips was the obvious answer. The woman and her team of mercenaries were always available for a covert mission when Star needed it. Not only had she been the one to bring Test Subject 02 back from Key West, but she’d been sent to extract the next immune survivor they found as well, bringing this one back from Dayton. Not that the man had lasted any longer than Test Subject 02 had, but at least they’d gotten him back quickly and in one piece.

  Yes, Phillips would be the perfect person to take care of Colorado. She could get her team there in two, three days tops, and make the whole thing look like a group of raiders. They had an arsenal at their disposal, and piles of explosives. By the time they left Colorado, not a single person would be left standing.

  It took less than two hours to make the arrangements, and by the mid afternoon, Phillips and her team were on the way. Dr. Helton didn’t bother consulting Star, mainly because she was afraid that he’d simply decide to bring Axl in, but it didn’t matter. Phillips would be back in a week and then she’d fill him in. Lucky for her, Star preferred that Dr. Helton take care of things wi
thout bothering him as much as possible.

  It wasn’t until she’d taken care of that ticking time bomb that she sat down to look over the rest of the transcripts she’d received. Dr. Helton always saved the ones from Jim and Amira’s apartment for last because they were so much harder to go over than the others. There were a lot of silences now that Jim had actually picked up on some sign language, and more often than not the pages were full of pauses. Not to mention the fact that these two had sex more than most hookers.

  JIM: I’M NOT SAYING I WANT TO BE A ZOMBIE SLAYER, I’M JUST POINTING OUT THAT THERE’S A LEGITIMATE REASON BEHIND IT. I MEAN, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO IS CONVINCED ANGUS IS STILL ALIVE.

  (A PAUSE.)

  JIM: I KNOW WHAT YOU HEARD. I BELIEVE YOU. I’M JUST SAYING THAT JOSHUA HASN’T FOUND A THING.

  AMIRA: THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T TRUE.

  (A PAUSE.)

  JIM: I KNOW. I’M SORRY. I BELIEVE YOU, OKAY? MAYBE IT’S HIM. MAYBE HE’S ALIVE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? NOTHING. THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO.

  (A PAUSE.)

  JIM: YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS. YOU CAN’T GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE, AMIRA. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CDC WILL DO IF THEY FIND OUT? THEY’LL KILL YOU. PROMISE ME YOU WON’T TELL ANYONE ELSE. PROMISE ME YOU’LL BE CAREFUL FROM NOW ON.

  (A PAUSE.)

  JIM: I CAN’T LOSE YOU. I CAN’T. IT WOULD KILL ME.

  (KISSING.)

  JIM: FUCK.

  (MORE KISSING.)

  Dr. Helton put the transcript down. Whoever had typed up the transcript had gotten creative in filling in the blanks, and the explicit content that followed would have made her blush if she hadn’t been seething. Things were suddenly spiraling out of control. These people were too smart, too involved, and now Amira had told someone what she’d heard that day in the CDC. Who? The family, that much the doctor knew, but since they hadn’t spoken about it since those first few weeks that Jim and Amira were in the city, she’d assumed they’d disregarded the rumor. Maybe everyone else had, but Amira hadn’t, and despite the girl’s promise to Jim, Dr. Helton knew they couldn’t risk more people finding out. Something had to be done.

  That night, she left the CDC for the first time in months. She was dressed in clothes she’d had to dig out of the bottom of her drawer. Jeans that hadn’t seen the light of day in years, but luckily still fit, and a long sleeve shirt that she hoped didn’t look too conspicuously clean for where she was going.

  The entertainment district was booming, which was to be expected at one o’clock in the morning even though Dr. Helton couldn’t understand why anyone would want to waste time here. It reeked of trash and stale booze, and the air was thick with disease. She passed men and women slumped against walls, too out of it from drink or drugs to even notice when she stepped over their legs. The laughter that wafted from the open doors she passed seemed to contrast with the gloomy atmosphere, but she knew that people these days were desperate to distract themselves from what was going on around them. She also knew that Star allowed this part of the city to exist for that very reason. So people who might otherwise open their eyes and notice what was happening would instead be distracted by the drinking, drugs, fights, and prostitution offered in this part of the city. One day, after Star had created his army, this area and all the people who liked to slink through it would be wiped out.

  She had considered taking care of Amira herself, but had instead consulted a few CDC guards who had set this meeting up for her. The man she was meeting was named Mick, which sounded too innocent for someone who was about to kill an innocent woman, but all the doctor had to do was take one look at him to change her mind.

  He sat in the back of a sleazy bar waiting for her to arrive. The air in the place felt slimy against her skin and her feet stuck to the floor as she headed back. Mick was big and broad, and had a shaved head and a beard that went down to his chest. It was brown and wiry and made the doctor itch just looking at it, but not as much as his meaty hands did. Those were the hands that would very soon squeeze the life out of Amira, and the thought made her shrink away when he held one out to her.

  Mick shrugged when she didn’t accept his offer and nodded to the chair, but the doctor didn’t sit.

  “Mick?” she said even though she knew it was him. The guards had told her that she’d be able to recognize him by the huge skull tattooed on the side of his head.

  “That’s me.” He picked up a filmy glass and threw the contents back. “You got the credits?”

  She nodded and held out the envelope.

  He took it, peered inside, and then shoved it in his back pocket. “Waitress at Dragon’s? Small, dark skin and hair, deaf?”

  Dr. Helton nodded. “That’s her.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  He took another drink and the doctor shifted from foot to foot, wondering if her part was done. It seemed too easy, hiring a man to kill a woman.

  “Is that it?” she asked when he just stared at her.

  “Unless you have something specific you want to happen.”

  “Such as?”

  “Maybe you want me to cut her ear off and send it to a family member, or another part of her body. Some people want me to take my time, make sure the victim really suffers. You’re the one paying.”

  Dr. Helton swallowed. “I just need her to shut up.”

  “She won’t be able to talk after tonight.”

  Mick’s callousness when he spoke about killing someone shook her to the core, which made no sense. Hadn’t she had a hand in killing millions of people? Hadn’t she done things a thousand times worse than what he was talking about? The answer to both questions was yes, but for some reason, standing in front of this man and thinking about the small woman he would very soon kill made the doctor feel ill.

  “Make it fast,” she finally said. “And nothing sexual. I’m not paying you to get your jollies.”

  Mick eyed her, but nodded. She knew there was no way to guarantee he would listen, but it was the most she could do. She had to make sure Amira kept her mouth shut and this was the only way. It was her responsibility. Everything she and Star had planned was on her shoulders.

  “Good.” She nodded once before turning away, but paused after only one step so she could look back at Mick. “If you screw this up you’ll find yourself in a position a million times worse than anything you’ve ever inflicted on another person. I may not look like much, but let me assure you, I am your worst nightmare.”

  The expression on the big man’s face told the doctor that he believed her.

  Jim

  It hadn’t taken them long to find her body. Jim woke before the sun was up only to find the other side of the bed empty and cold. He thought Amira might be in the living room, that she had come home from work exhausted and fallen asleep on the couch. It had happened before. Since calling for her would be pointless, he stumbled into the living room, prepared to carry her to the bed. Only she wasn’t there. Not only was she not asleep on the couch, but she was nowhere in the apartment and there was nothing to indicate that she’d come home at all the night before.

  His first instinct was to panic, but he remained calm and instead checked with everyone they knew, waking all their friends much earlier than he should have, asking if they had any idea where Amira was. No one had seen her, though, and by the time he was done, everyone on their floor was awake and panic start to set in.

  Al and Parv got dressed and went with Jim to report the disappearance, and even though they both did their best to assure him that nothing bad had happened, deep down he knew they were wrong. Before he even spoke to Dragon and found out that she’d headed home at the usual time, before they began to search the area around the bar, before they found her shoe in an alley, Jim knew.

  She had seen too much, told too many people. He had never once doubted her when she’d told him what she’d overheard at the CDC, but he’d done his absolute best to discourage her from telling anyone else. Only it hadn’t helped and now she had
paid the price. And Jim was going to have to live with it.

  Her body was discovered in an alley only a block from their apartment. The dark and stinking street backed up to the small collection of shacks that had recently sprung up, shantytown they’d begun to call it. She was naked and cold, and had been dead for hours. That was probably the worst part. Jim realizing that as he’d slept peacefully in their bed only a block away, she’d been here, lifeless and cold and exposed to the world.

  After they buried her, he tried to get back to his normal life. Only there was nothing normal about it. He couldn’t stomach the thought of sleeping in the bed he’d once shared with Amira, he spent most of his credits on booze, and he avoided everyone he knew like they were responsible for her death. At night he’d roam the entertainment district, asking too many questions and risking too much, hoping that against all odds he’d somehow be able to find out who had killed her. But more often than not he was drunk off his ass, meaning that even if he’d had any leads, he wouldn’t have accomplished much. If anything.

  She’d been dead for a month when he decided he’d had enough. He applied for a license to be a zombie slayer, took the necessary tests to prove that he could actually fire a gun and defend himself in the wild world beyond the wall, and then headed out. He didn’t tell anyone goodbye or promise to return, but instead left a note on Axl’s door that simply read:

  I’m leaving.

  -Jim

  The world had changed in the two years that he’d been inside. It was overgrown and wild, and the houses closest to the city were so stripped bare that they provided almost no cover from the elements, meaning he’d have to head further away from the city if he wanted to find cover.

  Not that it mattered. Jim wanted nothing to do with New Atlanta, wanted to leave and forget the place had ever existed. So he walked. For two days he did nothing but travel the empty roads with no real idea of where he was going. When he came upon a few zombies, he killed them, collecting the ears the way he was supposed to just in case he ever decided to head back to collect his bounties. If he crossed a horde, he took cover and waited until they passed. He was pretty sure that he’d left the city with the intention of dying, but he had no desire to let the asshole monsters who now ruled this world rip him to shreds. They’d already won the war, there was no contest, but he wouldn’t let them take him down. Not now, not ever.