Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “So, we’re done? For good?” She worked up her best pouty face.

  “We were done when I left.”

  “Thanks for the memo.”

  “Whatever, Sophie. We have spoken many times about my relationship with Elaina.” He was ready to get down to business. “Roger sent you here?”

  “Yes, kind of. I got the call from Kellan about your host city being infected. I had to run to you.” Her emerald green eyes moistened. “My protector was in trouble and I needed him back.” Henry pursed his lips. “Roger told me I was to bring you back home. He said you went AWOL, which I already knew. He wanted you back for punishment. He said I was the only hope to bring you back home.”

  “I am home.” Sophie still looked a bit shocked. “My home is with Elaina. Wherever she is, that’s my home. If you have any issues with that, you need to walk. I’m not going back to Roger. He has caused all of this bullshit.” He held his arms up.

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “Do I? What do I know, Sophie? Please tell me because, obviously, you know exactly what’s going on in my fucked-up head!”

  “Roger is a good man. He would never set the virus free.”

  Henry burst out laughing, which stopped her short. “Really? You really think that? Sophie, he has you brainwashed. Remember what he did to us? What he did to you? Do you remember that?” Sophie looked like she regressed in age, chewing her cheek. “Do you remember? Answer my fucking question,” Henry said, more sternly.

  “Yes,” she said in a weak voice.

  “So is he still a good man? Do you still think he’s incapable of sending out another agent to infect the U.S. so he can have the entire world eating out of the palm of his hand? He’s on a power trip! He thinks he is God.”

  “If it weren’t for him, I would probably be locked up somewhere.” Again, her voice was weak. She wasn’t convincing anyone, not even herself.

  Henry walked up to her, grabbed her arms, and made her look into his fading eyes. He wanted to shake the shit out of her, but he refrained. “We were prisoners. I am no longer his property. Now that you’re here, you can walk away.”

  “I can’t just walk away.” Tears streamed down her face.

  “Yes, you can. We have everything we need here.”

  “Henry, you don’t understand.”

  “What don’t I understand? I took beatings, like you…for you. I understand.”

  “No.” She cried harder.

  “Sophie…” Shaking his head, he felt bad for yelling at her. “Talk to me.”

  “When you left, he took more than a special interest in me. He forced me to be with him time and time again. Him and Kellan both. You were gone, so I was left to my own devices. I fought them off, but they would overpower me. They enjoyed the struggle. When they prevailed, they enjoyed it even more.”

  “Jesus Christ. I’m so sorry, Sophie,” Henry murmured. Glancing away from her, Nick couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He felt sorry for her, as well.

  “I wish I could have come with you when you left. I was their personal sex slave. Look.” She dug into her cleavage and pulled out a picture of two kids. “These babies are mine and Roger’s…maybe Kellan’s. I don’t know for sure.”

  Henry took the picture and stared at it for a moment. He closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the ceiling. He needed a moment to gather himself. Once he felt in control of his emotions, he focused back on her. “Sophie, I’m so sorry. If I knew… Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “There’s nothing you can do to fix it now. My two babies will be trained in the program.”

  “Not if we can stop this madness.”

  “And how do you plan on doing that? He’s way too powerful. The only way to stop him is to go back to the complex and take him out. We need to go back. You and me.”

  “No, I’m not going back there. I already said that. I will figure it out.” Henry paced, rubbing his beard that was filling in.

  “You know he’s lining the pockets of parliament.”

  “I know.”

  “They won’t let you do anything to him.”

  “I’ll find a way, then we will get your children out. He will pay for everything he has done to us. To all of us. All the hell he put us through. I promise you.” Tears continued to roll down her cheeks. “Until then, you need to cut the shit. Okay?” He lifted her chin.

  “I love them, but I barely know them. They were whisked away after their birth. I’ve only seen them a few times. He keeps them from me. I can watch through those bloody two-way mirrors, though. This is all I have had to hang on to.” She clutched the photograph. “They don’t even know me.” Sophie cried in her hands.

  “He will pay.” She nodded. Henry held Sophie for a few minutes until her crying settled. “Come on. Let’s make amends with Elaina, yeah?” She nodded again and tucked her picture safely back in her cleavage. Sophie wiped her tears away, then Nick turned around and opened the door.

  “After you…” He waved Henry and Sophie out. They headed back to the living room.

  They came back down the hall. I was still miffed at Sophie. Then she approached me, tears still hanging on her fake lashes. I glared at her, trying to keep my anger contained.

  “Uh… Listen, Elaina. Can we have a chat in private?”

  I wasn’t sure if I liked that idea. I looked to Henry and Nick for disapproval or encouragement. Neither one gave me a signal. I was on my own. I chewed my cheek for a moment.

  “Yeah, I guess.” I have to admit, I was nervous about being alone with her. We walked down the hallway, but before we made it to the bedroom, she turned around and gave me a small smile. I couldn’t tell if she were being sincere. My skepticism was beyond the limit.

  “I would like to apologize for my behavior.” She reached for me, and I reluctantly let her take my hands. Hers were so cold, like Henry’s. “I’m pleased Henry has found someone who makes him happy. And I will no longer be a bitch. He and I have been through a lot together, and I’ve missed him dearly, for reasons I would rather not get into right now. A lot of terrible things happened to me while he was gone. He wasn’t there to protect me like he used to be.”

  Whoa. I wondered what happened during their little chat. I looked back down the hall and saw both Henry and Nick keeping an eye on us. They seemed to be waiting for my reaction and were ready to pounce, if need be. It took me a few seconds to think about it.

  “I accept,” I quietly said.

  “Great! Thanks!” She hugged me. It was weird and brought awkward to a whole new level. “Just one thing,” she added. I waited for the jab. “He loves you more than he’s ever loved anybody else. Don’t ever hurt him. It would crush him. He’s less emotionally stable than you think.” Her voice cracked. Great, just what I needed. Relationship advice from someone like her.

  She grabbed me and squeezed me tight against her bursting chest. The awkwardness continued. I was a bit disgusted, but I was doing it for my Henry. I kept reminding myself over and over again, Anything for my Henry. He smiled at us hugging. Yay. I was thrilled to pieces.

  Thrilled. To. Fucking. Pieces.

  “Okay, ladies.” Henry waved us back to him. “Let’s sit and plan.”

  Henry turned and headed back toward the living room. Sophie tried to hold my hand as we followed behind him, but I swatted her away. What the fuck was wrong with her? She stuck her tongue out at me, and my lip curled into a snarl. Henry took his seat on the couch, not seeing what transpired behind him.

  “Claire, you want to stay here and lock down. Anyone else want to input anything before I continue?” Nate shifted on the couch and looked around. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he was afraid “Angry Henry” would make another appearance. “Well, I guess we can sit tight for a while. We can look for humans and give true death to the undeads. If any of you want to leave, I’m giving you one last chance to walk.” He looked at Nate with fire in his eyes. “You may go now. But keep in mind if you leave our group, yo
u will be unarmed and at the mercy of the undeads.” He looked around at everyone. “Are we all in?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Let me get the map, then we can plan out our day.”

  Henry got up and went to the hall closet to grab a map of the area. I watched him as he continually rubbed his neck. He stopped at the kitchen for a highlighter.

  After he unfolded the map on the coffee table and everyone gathered around, he rubbed his temples. He seemed to be doing that much more since the grenade incident. I wondered if he had issues he didn’t want to worry me with.

  “We are here.” He pointed to the street on the map. “I think we should check the building here, and the three other apartment buildings over here.” Everyone nodded and listened intently as Henry instructed us. He looked exhausted.

  “What if we find survivors?” Claire asked.

  “We make sure they understand what’s happening. We cannot bring anyone else back here. We’re overwhelmed as it is. We won’t have enough supplies. Let me rephrase that. We don’t have enough supplies. We’ll need to pick some up along the way. This may be tough at first. No one will want to just hand out anything, but if no one is there, it’s fair game.”

  Claire narrowed her eyes at him. “You are not suggesting we steal, are you?” Claire was always the good girl.

  “I’m not suggesting. I am telling you.”

  Claire gasped. “I can’t steal.”

  “We need to be in survival mode here. We need supplies to survive. You all need to keep in mind that we won’t be the only ones with weapons. It’s every man for himself. The difference is that Sophie and I are highly trained. When we tell you to do something, you do it without second-guessing. If we run right and tell you to run left, you do it. Got it?”

  Everyone sat in silence.

  “Let’s gather weapons and get this show on the road,” Henry said, stretching his neck. I was worried. I could see he wasn’t one hundred percent.

  We all got our guns and extra ammo. Henry and Sophie both had packs and vests that held a multitude of weapons. He put on a zip-up hoodie, and she threw on a black leather coat over her hooker clothes. Henry pulled on his favorite black ball cap, tight over his eyes, and she readjusted her blonde Barbie locks into a tight ponytail. It was odd to watch, like it was normal for them to behave that way. They were in the zone.

  “Everyone ready? We will start up top and work our way down. Sophie, you take the back. The rest of you be ready for us to give you a command.”

  I was frozen, which Henry picked up on. “Love? Are you all right?” He walked over to me. I shook my head. “Love, we have to do this.”

  “You aren’t well, Henry. You need to rest. I’m worried.”

  He looked annoyed and rolled his eyes. “I’m fine,” he grumbled.

  “You are not fine. I saw you rubbing your temples and your neck. You could have a concussion, or worse.” He looked over at Sophie, as if he were looking for approval.

  Sophie walked over to me. “Elaina, I can understand why you would think he isn’t fine. He’s exhibiting signs of fatigue. But, I assure you, he’s fine. I’ve seen Henry worse and near death many times. He will be fine. Trust me.” I didn’t want to trust her. I didn’t want to know that she knew him better than I did. I didn’t want to know that she understood him better than I did.

  “Can we stop discussing me like I’m not here, please? Let’s get moving.” He pushed past everyone and opened the door. We headed for the stairs, whether we wanted to or not.

  Chapter 6

  It was quiet in the swanky five-story building. There were five apartments per floor, Henry’s on the third. We tried to walk as quietly as possible up the stairs so we didn’t attract any undeads.

  Henry paused before he opened the fifth floor door, rubbing his temples again. Worry over his health continued to sweep through me. He scanned the hall through the small window in the door. “The coast is clear in this first hall.” He spoke in a loud whisper. “I’m going to open the door and we will enter. We’ll knock on every door and clear the apartments. We will not split up. Everyone understand?” We all nodded.

  My legs shook, but I doubted anyone could see them in those huge workout pants of Henry’s. My heart did its best to pound through my chest and expose the fear running rampant through my veins.

  Henry opened the door and crept into the hall. Like good little soldiers, we followed. Sophie made sure the door didn’t make a sound when it closed. At least she was good for something besides plucking every last one of my nerves.

  The first door was on our right. Everyone’s heavy breathing seemed loud in the quiet. Henry walked up to the door, placing his ear against it. He glanced back at Sophie and nodded, then knocked.

  The anticipation was killing me. As second in line, I knew I would probably be the first to shoot. I readied my Sig, everyone else following suit. We heard footsteps approaching from behind the door. Sophie continually scanned around us, watching for undeads or whatever else may creep around the corners.

  “Who is it?” a woman said, her voice trembling.

  “It’s Henry from three-oh-five.” He spoke in his American accent, which took me aback for a moment. I was finally used to his British accent, so his American one sounded wrong. It didn’t fit him.

  “What do you want?”

  “My…uh…friends and I are sweeping the building, looking for undeads and checking on survivors.”

  “The radio said not to let anyone in.”

  “You have nothing to fear if you are not infected.” He raised his hand, signaling for us to lower our weapons.

  The deadbolt clicked. The door cracked open about two inches, the tired brown eyes of a middle-aged woman looking out.

  “Is there anyone infected in your apartment?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “We are just looking for undeads, seeing if anyone needs help with anything.”

  “I’m fine.” She slammed the door shut.

  “Well, we aren’t off to a good start,” he sighed.

  No one answered in the next three apartments. We made it to the last apartment without coming across any undeads.

  Henry pressed his ear up to the door. He looked over to Sophie and shook his head. She tapped Nick on the shoulder and leaned into his ear. “Take over rear cover.” She walked up to Henry.

  Undeads, he mouthed. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt as if I would choke. He turned to us and whispered, “Everyone back up a couple steps. I’m going to knock first, just in case. When we get the door open, be ready.” We all nodded.

  We stepped back and I swallowed hard, trying to keep my stomach in its proper place. I looked back at Claire. She had a blank expression on her face. Nick gave me a nervous smile.

  Henry knocked and, without pause, something slammed up against the door. We all gasped and jumped back. Henry turned around to shush us. He leaned back to the door, then nodded at Sophie.

  They had some sort of system already in place, working like a well-oiled machine. Henry shot the handle, and Sophie kicked the door open. I was impressed she could do that in her spiked heels, realizing that was why she wore them. They definitely weren’t just for looks.

  The smell of rotting bodies was overwhelming, making my stomach protest. Three undeads came stumbling out. It was a man, woman, and small boy…maybe five years old. He was the first undead child I had seen. His eyes were glazed and a putrid gray color, like Nick described Jenna’s being. I couldn’t stop looking at him. A deep sadness ran through me.

  Then I saw all the gore. All three of them had their throats torn out. The man was missing an arm. The woman had a massive gash across her face, exposing her jaw. The child looked virtually untouched, except for the blackened sludge oozing from the wound in his neck.

  The woman lunged at me, causing me to fall back into Nate and Claire. The three of us tumbled over. I fiercely tried to crab-crawl backward to get away from the undeads, then felt someone grab my arms and drag me back. The
child snarled and grabbed at my feet. I had a feeling, if he had gotten me, I would have been his first meal.

  Henry and Sophie shot all three of them. The undeads collapsed onto the floor, half in the hall and half in the apartment, a pile of rotting, oozing flesh.

  It seemed like an eternity from the time Sophie kicked in the door to when they shot the family. In reality, it was only about ten seconds. Henry tried to pull the rotting true dead corpses back into the apartment, with little success. Their bodies pulled apart as he tugged them back through the door.

  I became overwhelmed with emotion, paralyzed with fear. Nick knelt over me. “Elaina! Elaina!” He shook my shoulders. “Did they bite you?! Elaina!” I couldn’t respond. I just lay there, oblivious to the activity surrounding me. Bile filled my mouth, making me choke. Nick flipped me over and I threw up.

  Henry pushed Nick out of the way. “Elaina! Elaina, please, say something.” The business end of a Sig appeared in my peripheral as I started to come to. “Stand down! Stand down now!” Henry screamed, aiming his Sig at someone.

  I rolled over and saw Nate aiming his gun at my head. Sophie put her Sig up to Nate’s temple as Henry jumped up. I tried to get up, but my body wasn’t cooperating. I felt like an upside down turtle.

  “Stand down now, Nate, or you will regret it.” Sophie had a calm demeanor and spoke with confidence. Nate still aimed his weapon at me.

  “It got her. I saw it get her.” He said it so quiet and calm, it was creepy.

  Henry grabbed my arm, pulled me up to a standing position, and looked into my eyes to get my attention.

  “Elaina. Did one of them get you?”

  I shook my head when Claire walk around me, looking for wounds. “She’s clear.”

  “You’re just saying that!” Nate yelled, still aiming his Sig at me.

  Claire inched her way between Nate and me. “Nate, please listen. She isn’t bit. She’s just in shock. Now, lower your weapon.” Sophie pressed her Sig at his temple. “Everyone, please. Just calm down and lower your guns.”