by Kristin Cast
The soldier held his gun against his chest as he struggled to fit his bulky gear between bins and boxes. He braced himself as the truck seemed to cough before it lumbered forward. “I have a couple packs for you,” he said and dug through one of the bins. He pulled out two backpacks and dropped them in front of Elodie and Aiden before reaching back into the open box. “Some clothes too. By the looks of it, you need ’em.” He set two pairs of neatly folded fatigues next to Elodie before he continued. “Sparkman got all of this together quick. I’m not sure each bag has everything you’ll need, but one thing I do know is that you can’t fit any type of shelter in there.” His lips ticked with a frown. “You’ll have to find New Dawn before you’re out of food and water, or the elements,” another frown, “or anything worse gets you.”
Elodie twisted the bottom of her shirt around her finger. They were really going, and whether or not New Dawn existed no longer mattered. If they stayed in Westfall, they’d meet the same end as Astrid, as Cath.
Rhett now knew of Elodie’s betrayal. There would be no more room for doubt when he found that she’d disappeared with Aiden instead of staying to seek forgiveness and nurse her fiancé back to health. Rhett wasn’t a good man, but he was law abiding and determined. He’d hunt Elodie and Aiden down and make them pay. At least now, on their way toward the mystery of New Dawn, they had a chance. At least now they had hope.
Elodie stared down at her blood-spattered, grimy white tennis shoes. It was funny, the things she used to think were so important—the things that most of Westfall’s citizens thought were so important. Only a short while ago she never would have gone in public with a spot of dirt on her shoes. Her attention slid to Aiden’s mud-caked boots. His lived-in messiness had been one of the things that had drawn her toward him. And look at her now . . .
Maybe this is payback, the universe punishing me for my sins.
Or maybe this is freedom. The war before the peace. The storm before the sweet breath of a newly cleansed day.
But what about Astrid? What about Cath? Their bodies painted the inside of Elodie’s eyelids, haunting her with every blink.
Aiden cleared his throat and stuffed the fatigues into the backpack before he zipped it up and rested it between his feet. He offered Elodie a smile. It was meant to comfort her, but it didn’t. The emptiness behind his eyes tainted his once bright, toothy grin. Now it was hollow. His lips performing an act he didn’t feel.
She was losing him to the nightmare they’d just been through.
In the chemiluminescent glow of the back of the truck, time lost all meaning. Had it been minutes or hours since they’d left the warehouse district? Elodie closed her eyes and rested her head against the metal wall. Finally, the truck stopped. Elodie’s breath hitched and her eyelids flew open. The Key Corp soldier pressed a gloved finger against his thin lips. They weren’t in danger of Elodie speaking. She had nothing to say. The muffled voices of the guards outside the truck were nearly indistinguishable from the rumbling of the vehicle’s engine. After a few sharp yeses from the driver, the truck jerked forward.
The soldier dropped his hand and steadied himself against the row of bins as he spoke. “We’re crossing into Zone Seven. Almost at the drop-off point.”
The ground became uneven, the ride bumpy as they bounced along the path into Zone Seven. Elodie gripped the edge of the steel bench. She desperately wanted a window. Even if their surroundings were horrible, it was better than letting her imagination run wild.
The acrid scent of charred earth crept into the truck. Aiden pulled a square of red cloth from his pack and covered his nose and mouth before tying it behind his head.
“Front pocket,” he said, and pointed to her backpack.
Elodie lifted the bag onto her lap and unzipped the front. She pushed aside a flashlight and a few clear disks before finding her own handkerchief and knotting it behind her head. She rolled up her fatigues, stuffed them inside, clutched her pack against her chest and readied herself for what waited outside.
Aiden slid over, closing the distance between them. “We’ll be okay. You know that, right?” He still smelled like pine, the trees after the rain, skateboarding dates, corn on the cob, kisses at the fair.
The truck stopped and the soldier again clutched his gun against his chest as he maneuvered around the boxes and back to the door. The door clattered as the soldier slid it up its track. He peered out into the dusty gray dawn and waited a moment before pounding his fist on the side of the truck and jumping out into the wilds of Zone Seven.
Ash floated around the guard like snow. His red uniform stood out from the muted grays and whites and blacks of the destroyed landscape like a tear in the skin of reality.
“All clear,” he said, and motioned for them to follow.
Before Aiden had finished sliding the backpack over his shoulders, Elodie was at the edge of the truck.
This was her life and she was going to live it. That’s the mistake she had made before—waiting. Waiting for life to happen to her. Life had happened all right. Too much. Too fast. Never again. She’d be in control from now on.
She hooked her thumbs around her straps and looked over her shoulder at Aiden. “I know we’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” Without another thought, she leapt out of the truck. Ash plumed around her feet when they hit the ground.
Aiden followed, tightening the straps of his pack as he joined her.
The soldier climbed back into the cargo hold. “Good luck,” he called as he cracked another glowstick and threw it into the depths of the truck. The door closed and the truck began its return journey, following the tire-worn path back to the only city Elodie had ever known.
Aiden shoved his hands into his pockets. “You okay?”
Elodie turned and faced the path not yet explored. She let out a hot breath against the handkerchief. “No,” she answered honestly.
Aiden’s backpack bobbed with a shrug. “Yeah, me either.”
Elodie tightened the knot behind her head and tilted her chin toward the sky. Dirty white clouds pressed down above her. The same dingy pall as the ashen ground beneath her feet. She was trapped in a layer of the earth unfit for life.
The sky cracked overhead, and droplets speckled her ash-
covered sleeves. Hope burned hot within Elodie’s chest as the air thickened and the heavens thundered.
After the storm comes the dawn.
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is hard. I’m grateful to have people in my life who make it just a bit easier.
To SA, one of the world’s best editors. Sometimes I feel like we share a brain and sometimes I feel like I have so much left to learn from you that there couldn’t possibly be enough hours left in my lifetime to do so. I cannot wait for our next adventure.
To my fabulous agent Steven Salpeter. Thank you for trusting me. This is only the beginning.
To the amazingly talented Deb Shapiro. Your wisdom and guidance have truly helped our team make this project successful.
To Josie Woodbridge, Courtney Vatis, Greg Boguslawski, and Blackstone Publishing. Thank you for helping me bring this book into the world.
To Holly Frederick and Maddie Tavis for your passion and expertise.
To Nathan and Mary, owners of The Stacks Coffeehouse. Your business is my second home. Thank you for giving me space to craft my stories within its book-lined walls.
To Brooke, Emily, Pintip, and Rachel, whenever I falter, you are there to remind me of who I am and what I’m capable of. You bring out the best in me. I can’t thank you enough for your friendship.
To Douglas and Gigi, I couldn’t do any of this without you.
nds