The Next World Box Set [Books 1-3]

by Olah, Jeff

  “Easier said than—”

  Kevin cut him short once again. “No, you don’t have a choice.”

  Owen felt his pulse beating in his temple. “I’m not sure who it is you think I am, but before eight days ago, I couldn’t tell you the last time I actually fired a weapon. I’ve only been in a handful of fist fights, and most were when I was a kid. I’m not usually the guy who runs toward danger, and I’m definitely not some testosterone-fueled super soldier who’s been prepping his whole life for this. I’m just a normal guy from the city.”

  “I’m not asking you to be anything that you’re not, I’m just telling you that this version isn’t the one that’s going to keep his family safe. That’s probably hard to hear, but it’s something you need to hear all the same.”

  Owen let out a breath and slowly shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Kevin stepped back, peeked inside, and then closed the doors. “Let me ask you a question.”

  Owen just stared back.

  “Your wife … you think she’d ever give a guy like me a chance?”

  The beating in his temple was back, now like a jackhammer. “Excuse me?”

  “She’s a very attractive woman, you’re a lucky man.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Kevin leaned back, rested against the wall beside the doors, and lowered his voice. “She seems like the type that would enjoy a man who takes charge, someone who puts her in her place every now and again.”

  Owen stepped up onto the concrete path, now less than foot from Kevin. “I’m going to pretend that you’re having a mental breakdown or that I didn’t hear you right.”

  “How does she like it? Rough … a little dirty? Or maybe she’s into—”

  Owen was now face to face with the man he called a friend ten minutes earlier. “I don’t know what it is you’re doing, but I’m only going to tell you once … you need to stop. If this is some sort of demented payback for having to come save my ass, then I get it. But it’s over, I already thanked you.”

  Kevin now leaned in, a heavy smirk sliding across his face. “I’m going to take her from you, your kids too. And as a matter of fact, I’m going to let Lucas have your daughter. I think they’d make a great couple, don’t you?”

  Owen pulled back and swung hard in an upward motion. He hit Kevin on the right side of the face, throwing him back into the doors, and then straight-away to the concrete. Before he had a chance to give thought to what he was doing, he was on top of the larger man, pummeling him with a series of lefts and rights, each more intense than the one before.

  The world around seemed to fade as Owen slid onto one knee and dropped his left elbow into Kevin’s eye. He landed three more strikes to the same area, and then sat back as a thin line of blood ran out of the wound and onto the walkway below. Out of breath, Owen quickly shifted his weight and brought back his right arm, preparing the next blow.

  There came the sound of shuffling feet and then as the doors rocked inward, his wife stood staring down at him.

  “OWEN!”

  He was out of breath and filled with adrenaline. He looked from Natalie to Kevin, and then back to Natalie. “He … uh …”

  “WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?”

  “We … uh … I don’t.”

  Kevin slid out from under Owen. He wiped at his eye and then offered a quick nod. And then turning to back to Natalie, took in a slow breath through his nose. “We were just working through a few things. You know, guy stuff. And your husband is kind of a badass.”

  Natalie looked out toward the street, then back to Kevin and finally Owen. “You’re both idiots.” But before either could respond, she disappeared back inside.

  Owen sat back, stared through the doors for a moment, and then slowly turned to Kevin. He kept his voice low but firm, without an ounce of hesitation. “If you ever speak that way about my family again, I’ll—”

  “Easy partner, I didn’t mean a single word of it.”

  “What?”

  “How’d it feel, you know, having me say those things about Natalie, about Ava?”

  “You’re kidding right?”

  Kevin got to his knees, started to stand. “No, I want to know exactly what you were thinking as I was digging in. What thoughts were running through your mind?”

  “Honestly, I was thinking about the possibility that I may have to kill you.”

  “Good.”

  Owen also stood. “Good?”

  “Yeah, you remember that feeling? You think you’ll remember it five days from now, five weeks, five months?”

  “Probably gonna remember it a hell of a lot longer than that.”

  “Then you know.”

  Owen paused. He lowered his head but kept his eyes locked on Kevin, and in particular the line of blood running from the corner of his right eye. “This was a test?”

  “No, not exactly. More like a gift.”

  “A gift?”

  “I wanted to see if there was someone else in there, someone who’d be able to do what’s going to need to be done. Someone that’s going to think and not just react.”

  “I’m still not seeing it.”

  Kevin offered a half smile. “Those thoughts you had, the dark ones. The ones about your family, and what you’d do to protect them. I want you to remember that, every single time you’re thinking of doing something stupid like you did this morning”

  His friend was right.

  It wasn’t a method Owen would have used, although its effectiveness was undeniable. It seemed to unlock something, an unrestrained anger he wasn’t completely aware he possessed. “I understand what you tried to do here, and why you did it, but I’m not sure it’s something I can just turn on and off like a light switch.”

  “You’re gonna need to try.”

  49

  Harper Rhyes checked the hall once again. She took her time closing the door, admiring her handiwork before moving back across the suite and standing alongside the window. The group from down the block had long since disappeared into the four-story structure, and there had been no sign of the men since one of them chased her away earlier that morning.

  It had been six days since leaving her apartment and two since she’d had anything to eat. Other than a warm can of soda and a few cups of tap water, she also hadn’t had any liquids either. Her mouth felt like a warm trash can and probably smelled even worse. Her stomach hurt even more today than it did yesterday and although she had it wrapped, her right knee began to swell once again.

  She needed a break, just a few hours to get some sleep. Even a twenty-minute power nap sounded like a fantasy; however, she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to do what she knew she’d have to do to make that happen.

  From behind, the floorboard creaked. Harper didn’t want to turn. She was near her breaking point and needed a moment to just collect herself.

  “Harper, come here sweetheart.”

  Her grandmother’s voice was weaker than even just a few hours before. She didn’t like what that said, but given their current circumstances, her options were limited.

  Harper dabbed the corner of her eyes, took a slow breath, and turned to face the woman who had helped raise her. “You’re awake.”

  The room had cooled considerably as the sun began to fade into the western horizon. And as Harper crossed the hardwood floor, she lifted a fleece blanket from the chair next to the window and went to her grandmother.

  “How’s your head?”

  “I’m fine.”

  For seventy-three, Cookie Rhyes was usually much more vibrant than others at least ten years younger. Before the world went to hell, she made it to the gym five times a week and had recently started training for an obstacle course run. Her endurance and strength were never in question, although with having only a few hundred calories the day before, she was like a shell of her former self.

  “I’m going to find something for us to eat,” Harper said. “I promise.”
<
br />   Her grandmother sat up in the recliner where she’d spent the better part of the last several days, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and smiled wide. “I know you will sweetheart. But really, I’m fine. Us old folks don’t need all that much. You should try to find something for yourself. You need to eat.”

  Harper was typically able to match Cookie’s enthusiasm, but today was different. She was too exhausted to care and too hungry to find the right words. “Tomorrow.”

  “Okay baby.”

  “I’ll go further out, maybe try that bagel place two streets over.”

  Cookie looked toward the window. “How about those people at the end of the block, don’t you think—”

  “I don’t know.” She knew how the question was going to end. Her grandmother had been asking the same thing for the last three days.

  “Harper, we’re going to have to trust someone at some point. Not everyone out there is bad. And you know we can’t do this alone.”

  “Yeah,” Harper dropped her head, “but after what those men did, I’m not sure I’m ready to trust anyone else.”

  “I don’t think we have a choice. We won’t make it out here all by ourselves.”

  Harper knew they needed help, that they couldn’t do this alone, but for the last few days she felt it was better to be safe than sorry. She’d always been a bit skeptical of the intentions of others, even before the world fell. But now, after what she’d witnessed those three men in the BMW do to that family, she thought it might be better to just crawl into a hole and never come out.

  “How about I go check the apartments on the fifth floor? There has to be something left in this building. Maybe we get something to eat tonight?” Her grandmother would pick up on what she was doing and would certainly try to come back to the conversation. Although if anything could distract the seventy-three-year-old, food would be first on the list.

  Cookie managed a thin smile. “I thought we decided that you weren’t going up there anymore?”

  “We have to eat.”

  “Yes sweetheart, but two days ago you said that it wasn’t safe to go past the fourth floor. You said that those things had completely taken over. You told me that we’d be better off staying down here. What’s changed, why is it different now?”

  “You’re right Grandma, but I was able to clear the hallway out there and on the fourth floor without any help. I also made sure to leave myself a way out. I can do the same thing on some of the other floors as well. If I go now, there’s a good chance we get to eat tonight.”

  Her grandmother looked back toward the door. She appeared to be either searching for a counterpoint or contemplating what Harper had said, or maybe both. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to just let those people help us? I mean how bad could they be? They have children over there. We have to try to trust someone, at some point. I know you’re scared—and so am I—but I think we need to try.”

  Right back to where they started; even the thought of food wasn’t enough of a distraction.

  “You’re right, but for now we need to find something to eat. We need to—”

  “We can’t do this all alone Harper, we need help … you need help. And that family—those people at the end of the block—they could help. You said you had a plan to contact them, so why don’t you try that first?”

  Harper didn’t like it, but knew it was probably their best chance at surviving out here. And given what she’d seen over the last three days, those people were also going to need her help. They just didn’t know it yet.

  She leaned in over her grandmother and kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, tomorrow morning, I’ll go back over there and give it one more try.”

  50

  Owen slid his chair back away from the table and eyed his wife. He’d managed to avoid her questions for the better part of the day and had kept the conversation at dinner focused on the deal she’d made with Lucas. He had Noah laughing and was successful at completely embarrassing Ava on more than one occasion. But as Natalie reached for her plate and motioned toward the kitchen, he knew it was time.

  Without missing a beat, Owen dropped half of a tortilla on the floor next to the table, waited for Zeus to pick it up, and then turned to Kevin. “Give us a few?”

  Kevin swallowed what he was chewing and gave a thumbs-up. “Sure thing, I’ll check the gates and the rear lot when you get back.”

  Owen followed Natalie into the kitchen, where she hopped onto the prep counter and leaned against the backsplash. She took a moment to look him over, before focusing on his hands and the bruises that were now a deep shade of purple.

  “So,” she said, folding her arms into her chest, “you want to tell me about it?”

  Owen matched her posture, knew he’d have to keep this one close to the vest. While the method his friend had used was a bit questionable, the result had been undeniable. And in the hours since their tussle, he had begun to forget about his own issues and focus on what it would mean to his family if he were no longer around.

  “Not really.”

  “Not really, what do you mean not really?”

  “It was just two guys working through a few things, nothing for you to worry about. He and I are fine.”

  Natalie sat forward, resting her arms on the stainless steel ledge. “What is it you think I’m asking about?”

  “Uh …”

  “You actually think I have any interest in the idiotic fight the two of you had out front this morning? Come on Owen, you know me better than that.”

  He was a bit confused. For the last seven hours he had been avoiding her in hopes that he wouldn’t have to explain why she had to see him using Kevin’s face as a punching bag.

  “Okay?”

  “You men really aren’t all that bright are you?”

  Owen fought back a grin. He was now a step behind on what she wanted and needed to stay in the moment. “Then what, why are we in this kitchen even having this conversation?”

  “I’ll give you one guess, and it has to do with your daughter having to see you open the gate and chase after that woman.”

  He could feel his face start to turn bright pink and the rush of endorphins flood his bloodstream. “So, Kevin told you about her?”

  “It doesn’t matter what he told me, what matters is what you did … and why on earth you did it. And if it’s what I’m thinking, if it’s the same excuse it always is, then you were probably right to have stayed clear of me today.”

  Owen didn’t answer; instead he turned his eyes to the floor and shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “This can’t keep happening, you have to get a handle on it somehow. Two weeks ago, your issues were something you could hide from the world, but not anymore. Your daughter thought that you were dead. And when she came to tell me, Noah was right there.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That isn’t going to work anymore, I need something else, something more. We all do. Me, the kids, that teenage boy out there, and even your new friend, the one you seem to have some sort of love-hate relationship with.”

  Now he actually smiled. “Yeah, we worked it out.”

  Natalie slid down from the counter and met his eyes. “I don’t care about whatever it was that you and Kevin were doing out there.”

  “No, that’s what I’m telling you. He gave me the same speech, well almost. His was a little more colorful, but he got through, he really did.”

  “And?”

  “And, well, I know what I have to do. What I should’ve been doing all along, what should have come more naturally.”

  Natalie narrow her eyes. “So just like that you’ve got it under control, even without your meds?”

  “You noticed?”

  “You ran out two days ago, right?”

  “Three?”

  “Wow.” Natalie took a step toward him. “You going to be able to manage this on your own?”

  Owen looked back toward the dining room. “My new friend gave me a few redirection techniques
. I’ve got some perspective that I didn’t have before.”

  “Okay, just make sure to ask for help if you need it. I don’t like having to explain to your children why you do some of the things you do. They’re going through enough already.”

  “I agree.”

  Natalie reached for his hand and pulled him into her. She kissed the side of his face and then his neck, down toward his chest. “And for me. Don’t ever do that again. You piss me off nearly every single day, but you know I can’t do this by myself.”

  Owen leaned away, but continued to hold her hands as he started toward the doors to the dining room. “I promise.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Owen stopped. “Back?”

  She stood on her toes and kissed him again. “We still haven’t talked about leaving.”

  “Not now Nat.”

  “Owen, you know what we have to do. You agreed that it was what we needed to do.”

  He’d almost already forgotten and wished she would have too. The conversation they’d had nearly every single morning since arriving had grown uglier by the day. He knew her reasons—she’d nearly had him convinced more than once—but before today, he didn’t think he was ready, didn’t think he could do what needed to be done.

  But now, maybe he was.

  “When?”

  Natalie took in a quick breath, as if caught off guard. “Wait, are you actually—”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m willing to talk about it. I know how important it is, but want to make sure we’ve thought it through first.”

  “Really, you’re good with it?”

  He wasn’t, not completely. But he knew he needed to be. For her and for the others. She’d told him that there was a possibility that they could fix this world, and he was going to do what needed to be done to make that happen. He made his wife a promise the morning after they arrived here and for once he was going to stick to his word.

  “Yeah, let’s go find Dr. Gentry.”

  Natalie moved back to him and threw her arms over his shoulders. “Okay, but there is a chance that—”