Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  Elaina had her hands over her face, shielding her eyes from the world that was spiraling into a black hole of nothingness at a rapid rate.

  “Okay. I’m going to get Mom into the house, then I’ll come back and get Elaina. Thank you, Claire.” He pushed a thick strand of wavy ginger hair off of her face.

  With a hiss, Nick bent over and picked his frail mother up off the ground. Thanks to Henry, his arm still hurt. “Thomas, stay here. I’ll be right back.” He wanted a moment with his mother by himself. He knew Thomas wasn’t going to disobey him.

  Nick walked toward the house, taking his mother upstairs to her bedroom. After laying her on the bed as gentle as he could, he covered her up with the throw blanket that was always neatly folded at the end of the bed. He kissed her forehead and kneeled on the floor, holding his mother’s icy hand in his own.

  “Mom, we saved you from him. It’s okay now. You will be okay. He can no longer hurt you.” He swallowed hard. His throat swelled as he tried to hold back his emotions. “Elaina’s here, too. We love you and want you to get better. We’ll do everything we can to make that happen.” He paused while he choked back his tears. “But if you want to go be with Dad, we’ll be okay with your choice. I will take care of Elaina. I promise you.” A sob slipped out of his throat. “I love you.” Nick rested his forehead on the edge of the bed and broke down.

  After a good cry, lasting several minutes, he thought he felt his mother gently squeeze his hand. He looked up, but she still looked like she was sleeping.

  “Mom? Are you in there?” No response. He sighed and wiped his face. “I have to go for a minute. I need to get Elaina in the house. She isn’t feeling well. I wish you were awake. I need to talk to you about Claire. I need help…some advice.”

  He didn’t want to let on about his or Henry’s condition, or really anything to do with the misfit group he was traveling with. He stood and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I’m sure Elaina will come see you. I love you, Mom.” She was still unresponsive. He wondered if her squeezing his hand was just her body taking over.

  Just as Nick made it back outside, Kellan started waking up. He wasn’t moving too much, just grumbling.

  “Is he turning?” I still wanted to shoot the fucker, but I was too dizzy to even open my eyes at the moment. It was probably not a good idea to try and shoot someone in that condition. With my luck, I’d end up shooting myself.

  “No,” Sophie growled. “I wish he would so I could kill the bastard.” Sounded to me that we thought alike at times.

  “Tell us how you really feel,” mumbled Nick.

  “Believe me, you wouldn’t want to hear all of that. I’m relatively sure it would scare the shit out of you if you knew the thoughts that swirled around in my mind.”

  “Yeah. Well, can you keep an eye on him…” He nodded at Kellan, “while I get Elaina inside? Wait a sec…” Kellan had attempted to roll over, but failed. Nick pulled out his Sig and grabbed it by the barrel. “Hey, asshole.” Kellan opened his eyes. “I have a nice gift for you.” Nick smashed the Sig into the side of Kellan’s head. Out he went again. “Yeah. Enjoy that. Hope it was great.” He walked back over to me. “I think he’s having a nice rest at the moment, so he shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.” Nick winked at Claire and she smiled.

  “All right. Ready, Elaina?” Nick knelt, pushing his hands between me and the ground. I was so fucking annoyed that everyone treated me like glass.

  “I’m not a fucking porcelain doll.” I still had my face in my hands.

  “Right.” When Nick picked me up, he growled in pain.

  “Just leave me. You need rest.”

  “Nope. You need to get inside and in bed. Arg! Damn it.” Nick struggled to hold me in his arms.

  “I’m not that heavy. Geez, give a girl a complex.”

  “How do you do it?” He adjusted my weight so there would be less on his injured arm.

  “Do what?”

  “That.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” My eyes were still covered. I wasn’t ready to see the ugly world just yet.

  “Your sense of humor. How can you make a joke at a time like this? I mean, look around us.”

  “I’m not opening my eyes. I’ll puke.”

  “Right. Where do you find it in you?”

  “My stomach.”

  He sighed. “Oh, my god, Elaina…”

  “Sorry. It’s the only way I can get through things sometimes. I don’t want to feel anything. If I push it away with a joke or some solid sarcasm, in my mind, I will be okay.”

  “Elaina, you have to feel all of this. It’s so fucked-up.” Nick started up the stairs.

  I ignored his statement. It was fucked-up. Completely and utterly fucked-up, but how else was I supposed to deal with it? I was sick of crying.

  “How’s Mom?”

  “Not good. I’m going to check on her once I get you into bed.”

  “Let me know.”

  “I will.” I slowly opened my right eye when Nick set me in my old bed and headed out. I was still dizzy, but the world felt a little calmer than it did when I was outside. I tried opening my left eye, but it took a moment to build up the courage.

  Finally, I grew a pair and popped them both open, afraid of what I would see. It was nice to be able to hide behind my eyelids, but I needed to face my reality again.

  My room was pretty much how I left it when I moved out. Pale yellow walls with white trim, white and pink floral quilt. Thankfully, the bed was full-sized because I wanted Henry to stay with me. I couldn’t bear to be without him after what I had just witnessed. I looked over at my white vanity, with my old pictures stuck around the mirror. It made me smile to see all of it again.

  “Nick!” I yelled, groaning. He popped his head in the door. “Can you bring Henry up in here with me?”

  “Are you sure?”

  I felt guilty because of how I had treated him. I could have lost him to that giant fucking gorilla out there. It was a major dose of reality. My Henry had died, but he was clawing his way back from the black abyss of his past one foot at a time.

  “Yes. I want to be there for him as much as I can.” He nodded. “Mom?”

  “She’s still hanging on. She’s a fighter. I wonder where you got it from.” He winked at me and went back downstairs.

  It seemed like hours later before I heard Nick finally coming up the stairs, helping Henry every step of the way. They paused in the doorway so Henry could catch his breath and swallow his cries of pain. I was pissed.

  “Why didn’t you carry him?!”

  Nick laughed. “Me? Carry him? I think he would rather do it this way…” He motioned his free hand and arm like Vanna White, “than accept my assistance.” Then Nick’s face went dark. “Not that I’m really fond of him right now.” Henry leaned onto the wall, making his way to the bed. “I’m heading back out to help them with Kellan. Any special requests, Mr. Bossman?”

  “Tie him up downstairs. I’ll come down and see him when I’m able. I have a few questions I need to ask him.” Nick nodded, leaving the room. As Henry lay back on the bed, he said every cuss word I knew, plus others I had no idea existed. When he finally made it, he breathed a great sigh, then cringed. “Motherfucker…ugh. Shit.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Peachy. And you, love?”

  “Fabulous.”

  “Brilliant.”

  “Yup.” My curiosity burned. I needed to know about Kellan. “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “Don’t play stupid. Tell me about Kellan.” Henry’s breath stopped for a moment as he shifted. He was quiet. I lay there, fighting the urge to kiss him, make love to him, beat the shit out of him, cry, sleep, and throw up all at the same time.

  “Well, obviously, he’s one of Roger’s head-fucks. One of the VP’s of the program, I suppose. Let’s just call him ‘Vice Arseface’.” I tried not to laugh because it would have probably made
me throw up. “He was one of the pricks who used to hand out the beatings, like a fast food chain hands out food laced with heart disease. He always knew exactly where to get me first.” When he stopped, I rolled over to face him.

  His eyes were so swollen, he could barely open them. His nose was even more crooked than before. His bottom lip was cracked open in the same place that held a scar. He had dried blood all over him. The bruises I could see were already dark purple, getter darker by the minute.

  I wanted to cry. I wanted to make all his pain go away. I wanted to take care of him. I wanted to fix him, but I couldn’t. The only thing I could do at that moment was be there for him emotionally. As gently as I could, I took his hand and rubbed it with my thumb.

  “I’m here for you. Please, Henry, talk to me. You almost fucking died out there. I need you not to do that again. It scared the shit out of me. I almost lost you…forever.”

  “I heard you.” I looked at him, confused. “I heard you screaming and crying for me. That’s what made me fight to push through the blackness sucking me in.”

  “Oh god.” My jaw trembled, and my eyes swam with tears.

  “I’ll do my best not to scare you like that again.” He squeezed my hand. “I should’ve killed him when I had the chance, but I had this overwhelming need to control him, like he had done with me for so many years. I’m so pissed at myself about this. I had my chance, but then I… Fuck me.” He closed his eyes and hissed.

  “How did he know where you were? I mean, you could have been anywhere by now.”

  “I could have. He would have still been able to find me, no matter where I was.”

  “How?”

  Henry slowly lifted his arm, hissing. “This.”

  “This what?”

  “You see this scar? I have a tracking device.”

  Um, excuse me? Come again? I always thought it was just a scar. I never even questioned him about it.

  “Seriously?”

  “Do you think I would fucking joke about that?!” he yelled, even though it hurt. His temper was short, but the pain of his past and present were really doing a number on him.

  I tried being patient. “I’m sorry. Please tell me.”

  “Once they decided I was a fit for the program, one of the grim reapers implanted this chip in me so I could never run. So, obviously, they have been following my movements since I’ve been in the States. Also, without a doubt, they have investigated everyone I knew and every place I went. They knew I would keep you alive and, because I’m such a bloody softie, would bring you here at some point. They must have had everything set up from the start. Even though I spoke with him on his cell, I almost wonder if he were in the area before the release, just waiting for the right moment. How else would he have gotten here?”

  I had a brilliant idea. “So, let’s cut the damn thing out.”

  Henry tried not to laugh. It pained him too much. “Yeah. That’s precisely what I need right now. More pain. I’m seconds from vomiting as it is.”

  “Why didn’t you cut it out before?”

  He tried to look at me through his swollen eyes. “To be honest, I didn’t even think about it until I saw Kellan in the cellar.”

  “How could you forget something as significant as this?”

  “I don’t know, Elaina. Maybe I’ve been too busy trying to keep you, Claire, and Nick alive.” Then he mumbled, “Too busy trying to get you back. Too busy trying to drink away my mental anguish. Bloody hell.”

  I knew he wanted to punch something. He thought our situation was his fault. My heart ached so much, it felt like I had been stabbed in the chest. I put all of us in danger because of my asinine behavior.

  “I was so scared you weren’t going to come back to me.” My voice shook.

  “I’m sorry to scare you like that.” He squeezed my hand again.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too,” he breathed out.

  We heard a lot of walking and doors slamming downstairs. I heard Kellan yelling, but it sounded muffled. I assumed Nick had gagged him. Henry’s body went stiffer than it already was. Fear radiated off him. He was absolutely terrified of Kellan. Next to nearly losing me, that was the only time I had seen him rigid with fear.

  “Shut up! Shut up now, or I will blow your fucking brains out!” Sophie screamed. I heard him grumble. “Do not tempt me. I have a lot of pent-up anger at the moment. I’m going to ungag you. If you yell once, I’ll do it.”

  When I started to get up, Henry refused to let go of my hand.

  “It’s okay. I’m just going to stand at the top of the stairs. I want to hear what’s going on.” He sighed and let go.

  I stood at the top of the stairs for moment before I walked partway down.

  Sophie stood in front of Kellan, who sat, ungagged, in a dining room chair. His hands were bound behind him, and his legs were bound to the chair legs. There were chains wrapped around him, secured with locks.

  “Do what you want, you whore. Roger knows where we all are. Did you two forget about those?” Kellan nodded to Sophie’s forearm.

  “Forget about what?” Nick asked Sophie, who was quiet and still. “Sophie! Forget about what?!”

  “Oh, anger. I like anger. Turns me on.” Kellan laughed, seemingly unfazed by his injuries.

  “Oh, shut it, you sick fuck.” Nick sounded bothered.

  “Tracking devices,” Sophie whispered as she looked at the underside of her forearm.

  “What!” Nick reached out and grabbed her arm, running his fingers down the two-inch scar on the underside of her forearm. She clenched her teeth together, fighting her tears.

  “Are you going to cry, Sophie? Because if you are, I want to watch every single tear run down that whore face of yours.”

  Nick had enough and punched Kellan in the mouth. He spit out blood and a couple teeth on Nick’s shirt. Nick grabbed him by the throat. “If you don’t shut your fucking mouth…” He put his Sig to Kellan’s temple, “I will give you a one-way ticket to Hell. Hmm… Maybe I’ll just let the virus take over. I know that’s what every last one of your kind fears the most. The pain of slowly dying from the inside out.”

  “My kind? It looks like we’re in the same boat, mate.” He stared Nick down. It was a jarring reminder of what was now Nick’s life. His arm twinged with pain, reminding him of the virus now living in his brain.

  Nick turned back to Sophie. “Tell me about the fucking tracking devices.” Sophie stared at Nick like a deer caught in the headlights. “Tell me now!” He screamed so loud, it almost felt like the house rumbled.

  “They implanted us with them when they put us into the program.”

  “And both of you failed to mention it?!” Nick grew more impatient and angry by the second. “Damn it all to hell, Sophie! Tell me!” Nick raised the Sig to Sophie’s head. Kellan laughed, blood trickling out of his mouth, enjoying the show. “Shut up! Shut up!” His laughter was like nails on a chalkboard. Chaos ran rampant, Nick losing control of himself.

  “Do it!” Kellan roared.

  “Okay!” Sophie screamed. She broke down and dropped to the floor, pushed herself back against the wall, and pulled in her knees. She looked like she regressed about two decades. So much had happened to her in Roger’s custody. It was surprising it took that long for her to shatter.

  Claire jumped up and ran over to her. She and Thomas had just been watching the scene from the sidelines.

  “Aw, now, isn’t that cute? The little princess taking care of the Barbie whore.”

  Nick turned around and pistol-whipped Kellan across the temple, knocking him out. He grabbed the gag, tying it taut across his mouth again. He wasn’t even sure why Sophie had ungagged him in the first place, but he’d be sure it wouldn’t happen again.

  “Sophie, tell me what the fuck is going on.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything! I want to know everything.”

  “You know most of it already.”

  “I f
eel like I don’t know anything at all!”

  “Nick, calm down.” Claire stood in between him and Sophie. “It’s devastating for her.”

  “She could have been leading this waste of valuable air to us the whole time.” Nick motioned at Kellan.

  “Come on, Nick. Think about it. Isn’t it painfully obvious? She’s terrified of him! Look at her! She wouldn’t purposely lead him to us.”

  Sophie pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them.

  I wanted to intervene, ask questions, but I lacked the energy to go down the stairs all the way. I decided to go check on my mom. When I turned around to walk back up the stairs, I saw Henry leaning against the wall, grimacing.

  “What are you doing up?”

  “I knew you would try to go down the stairs. I wanted to stop you, but I couldn’t get any farther.”

  Claire looked up when she heard us. “Seriously?! You two get back into bed! We have this handled!” She stomped up the stairs and grabbed me by my arm. “Nick, help me get Henry.”

  “I can see you have it handled,” I said in my usual sarcastic way.

  “Shut the fuck up, Elaina!” Claire’s frustration and anger were evident. I couldn’t believe Ms. Proper told me to shut the fuck up.

  I didn’t have the energy to think of a comeback, so I just scowled at her. “Don’t take this out on me!” That was the best I could do. Claire mumbled something as she supported me back up the stairs. I was grateful for her help, even though I didn’t express that to her.

  “I’ll try to help.”

  I stopped when I heard Thomas come up behind us. “No offense, Thomas, but I don’t think you could move Henry. He’s not a lightweight, like you are.”

  “Snippy much?” Claire growled.

  Henry braced himself against the wall. His swollen face was contorted in pain, some of his wounds still oozing.

  “Well, he’s over two hundred pounds. Thomas couldn’t possibly be more than a buck twenty-five.”

  “I’m sick of this shit! Elaina, go. Now!” Henry buckled in pain when he yelled. He started a slow slide down the wall that he couldn’t stop. I turned around to see Thomas’s blank eyes staring at Henry. Just past him, Nick was stroking Sophie’s hair, apologizing.