Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “You don’t have the training, the power.”

  “Then teach us. Train us. I will always fight next to you, no matter what. I would die for you, as you would for me.”

  “Elaina, I’ve already put you in too many bad spots. I can’t do that. I can’t burden you.”

  “Why?” I put my hands on my hips. “You don’t think we can do it? You don’t think we have it in us? Are we not worthy of the big fucking training secrets?”

  “I can’t. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I can’t have anything happen to you.” His voice cracked more than once. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

  “What would happen if we lost you? You would leave us high and dry. We need you to lead us.” Glancing away, he pursed his lips. He was rolling these words over in his head. He knew I was right, but he would never admit it. “At least train Nick, for fuck’s sake.”

  “He doesn’t even want to be in the same room as I am, let alone train for a mission he didn’t ask for.” He turned around and stared out the window. “I screwed him over, Elaina.”

  “That wasn’t your fault.”

  He spun around to face me. “When is something going to be my fucking fault?! I’m the cause of some of this insanity around us! Why do you not understand that?! If I weren’t such an asshole kid—”

  “You weren’t the beginning of this! You are just a part of it. And you will be the one who ends it!”

  “As long as I’m half-alive, it will never end.” He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  “Shit…,” I said, then ran out of the room and down the stairs. I knew what he was going to do. “So what are you going to do, Henry? Drink yourself into oblivion? You think that’s the answer? You think the answer is at the bottom of that bottle?”

  Clutching the bottle, he unscrewed the cap of vodka and took a long pull. “No! But it’ll numb me until I fucking find it!” Again, he took another drink.

  “The only thing you will find at the bottom of that bottle is sickness! What if something happens in the middle of the night tonight and you’re passed out?”

  “We can’t live on ‘what if’s’, Elaina. Besides, if I get completely pissed-up, I won’t think, feel, or hear!” He took another long pull from the bottle.

  “Henry, please, listen to me. Damn it, give me that!” I snatched the bottle right out of his hands as he brought it to his lips again. “This isn’t going to help you. When you wake up, everything will still be here. All your feelings, all your emotions, all your pain! It will still be here! Plus a hangover.”

  “She’s right.” Claire whispered, startling us. “My parents died because of my father’s alcoholism.” I was stunned. That was news to me. Wait… Was she saying Henry was an alcoholic?

  “Claire… I had no idea,” I said, thinking about whether Henry was an alcoholic.

  “No one did. He hid it well. My father was drunk while driving home, and my mother was stupid for letting him drive. They crashed into a tree at around eighty miles an hour.” Besides the small obituary on the newspaper’s website, that was the first time I had heard anything about Claire’s parents’ death.

  “Claire… I’m so sorry.” I grabbed her, pulling her into a hug.

  “It’s okay. I’ve been trying to come to terms with it. I haven’t wanted to talk about it because I was too embarrassed. Dr. James, one of the best doctors around, couldn’t control his drinking.” She pulled away from me. “Henry, I don’t want anything to happen to you. You see, no matter what kind of shit you pulled or shit you are in, Elaina’s love for you is so strong. We can’t sit here and watch you drink yourself into a coma. I love you like family. I want to keep what family I have left around me. I know Elaina wants the same. She would be lost without you.”

  Henry’s face went from angry to sorrow as he fell to his knees. “Elaina… She’s gone. She’s gone,” he choked out.

  “Henry.” I rushed to him and knelt in front of him, grabbing his face and looking him in the eyes. “I’m so sorry you lost her…”

  “I can’t even give her a proper burial. She deserves one. I was all she had.” He fell into my arms. Henry was in a million pieces, scattered before me. Putting him back together would prove to be the largest task ever. My mind worked at a feverish pace, trying to find a way to piece him back together. I wasn’t sure I was the one for the job.

  “You’re right. She absolutely does. Listen…” I grabbed his face again. “Look at me.” His beautiful eyes met mine. “Once we find a place to settle down, we’ll have a proper memorial for her. Okay?” His tears pooled in my hands. “We will honor her.”

  “Her kids… They will never know her.”

  “We will find them and tell them all about how amazing their mom was. They will know the truth about Sophie. How much she wanted to be there for them, how strong and resilient she was.”

  “I have to get them for her.”

  “We will. If it’s the last thing we do.” He nodded and wrapped his arms around me.

  I don’t know how long I held him while he cried, but it seemed like hours. He needed it. As much as I hated to admit it, Sophie was the only one who truly understood Henry. And, goddammit, that hurt.

  Chapter 32

  Claire woke up, the sun shining on her face. She rolled over, realizing Nick wasn’t there. She stood, forgetting she was naked. Then she smiled, thinking about how Nick took her to places no one ever had. She thought about their encounter the night before and how amazing his touch made her feel.

  Then fear rushed over her. With agility, she ran around, dodging all the blankets and supplies, putting her clothes on. She had to find him. Claire whipped open the bedroom door. “Nick! Nick! Where are you?” Her body prickled with panic. “Nick!”

  “It’s all right, Claire,” I yelled up the stairs. “He and Thomas went scavenging for gas.”

  She bolted down the stairs, pulling her shirt over her head. “Gas?”

  “Yeah. There are a few cars around, so they went to siphon as much as they could.”

  Claire took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down, nodding. “How’s Henry?”

  “A wreck doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb him yet. The sun had started to rise before I could even talk him into going to lie down…” I trailed off. “I haven’t even gone to sleep yet.”

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  “Claire, he’ll never be okay. He cried himself to sleep, like a child. I’m so worried about him. It kills me to see him like this. There are moments when he’s so strong and amazing, but then there are moments, like now, when he’s like a lost boy. His toughness is just a front to hide that scared little boy that resides inside him.”

  “He’s gone through some pretty awful shit.”

  “Yeah.” I looked away from her gaze. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that fucker. I’m going to torture the bastard. He’ll pay for what he did to Henry.” My body surged with hatred. Claire put her hand on my shoulder and rubbed it, smiling sadly.

  “Well… Shall we try to organize this atrocity?” She waved her arm at the disarray of boxes and bags. I was dreading it, but it had to be done. We knelt on the floor and emptied everything, repacking it as orderly and as neat as we could.

  When we heard a couple gunshots off in the distance, Claire and I both stood and ran to the grimy windows. Nick and Thomas were in a full sprint, running toward the townhouse. I opened the door, and they launched into the house. They were both bent over, trying to catch their breath.

  “What happened?!” Claire grabbed Nick.

  “Survivors…” He was breathless. Thomas reached around and locked the door. “Shooting at us.”

  “What’s going on? I heard gunshots.” Henry jogged down the stairs, buttoning his jeans. Claire and I looked out the window again.

  “There are a couple…survivors down there,” Nick said. “We were getting gas…and they shot at us.”


  “Uh, guys. They’re here,” I said. An older man beat the shit out of Sophie’s truck with a huge wrench, screaming for us to come out. “And there’s one pointing a gun right at the door.”

  “All right. Be right back.” Henry ran upstairs, coming back down in seconds with his vest on, several weapons stashed in it. He quickly put on a hoodie and his ball cap.

  He glanced at me, shoulders back. “They have no idea who they’re fucking with. Everyone stand back. Nick, get the sniper rifle and go upstairs. I’m going to go out there. If anything happens, put some lead in them.” That was a little blunt. I didn’t like the plan one bit because it wasn’t well-thought-out…not that any of our other plans were ever well-thought-out, either. He was too much of a loose cannon for me right now, though.

  “You got it, boss.” Nick grabbed the sniper rifle and extra ammo, then ran upstairs to the front bedroom.

  “Henry, you can’t go out there! He’s aiming right at the door.”

  “Elaina… I’ve got this. Trust me.” “Crazy Henry” had arrived, and I knew not to fuck with that Henry. I backed off because there was no way that I could change his mind. If I tried, he would just explode. We didn’t need any more of that for the time being.

  “I love you.” I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “As well.” He kissed me on the forehead. I grabbed Claire and pulled her into the kitchen so we could watch out the window. Thomas ran upstairs with Nick.

  We heard the door creak as Henry slowly opened it, making us hold our breath in anticipation. He stepped into view, then came his booming voice. “Is there an issue, gentlemen?”

  “Oh, god…” I covered my eyes, but dropped them just as quickly.

  “An issue? Of course there’s a fucking issue,” said the mangy-looking guy holding the gun. “Two of your people stole gas from vehicles we’ve already claimed.”

  “Ah, I see. A simple misunderstanding then.” Henry smiled. The mangy man with the gun didn’t return the gesture.

  “It’s more than a simple misunderstanding. You see, this is our neighborhood. And it was fine until you waltzed in here and thought you were going to move on in.”

  “Actually, we were only staying the night. We can be out of your hair in the next hour. Then you can have your precious, rundown neighborhood back.”

  The older, grubby man with the wrench smashed the passenger window of Sophie’s truck. The muscles in Henry’s jaw twitched.

  “Oh shit, Claire. Oh shit. This is going to end badly.” I could almost hear Henry’s teeth grinding together.

  “Please. Stop doing that.” Henry was doing his best to be calm. “I’ll give you back your gas, then we will leave.”

  The man with the gun shook his head and laughed maniacally. “Nope. You will give us everything you have, including that truck.” He pointed at Henry’s truck.

  Brows lifted, Henry seemed surprised by this man’s brazenness. Then his face shifted, “Program Henry” taking over. “I don’t think so, mate,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

  “What makes you think we’ll let you go alive?” The guy with the wrench laughed like a lunatic. “What makes you think you’re the only one who has attempted this, then attempted to walk away?”

  “You have no clue who you’re fucking with,” Henry growled. The two men laughed, but Henry’s gaze was strong and icy. He was ready to strike, like a waiting rattlesnake. One more jab and it was on.

  “Do you have the queen on speed dial?” said the mangy younger man, mocking Henry’s accent. They laughed again. Henry’s face was flat, emotionless, unreadable.

  “Claire…,” I whispered, my entire body trembling.

  “I know. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.”

  Then the older man with the wrench continued smashing Sophie’s truck. We heard a whistle, and the man with the gun looked around.

  Henry saw his opportunity and jumped him, putting him in a headlock. He wrestled the gun out of his hands, tossing it behind him, and pulled out a knife, pressing it to the man’s throat. He struggled, but Henry was far too strong.

  “Now. Let’s renegotiate, shall we?” He glared at the older man.

  “Let him go, or I’ll fuck you up.” Shifting his weight, the older man seemed a little nervous, even though he spoke as if he weren’t. I assumed the one in the headlock was his son. After all, they both had a similar mangy look about them.

  “We can’t let him do this!” I grabbed Claire before she ran out.

  “What happened to ‘he knows what he’s doing, and we have to trust him’, Claire?”

  “We can’t go around killing people!”

  “Lower your voice! He hasn’t killed anyone yet.” I focused my gaze outside.

  “With what? Your plumber’s tool?” Henry chuckled, stopping in an instant and focusing on the father. “You have fucked with the wrong people. I have a highly-trained band of individuals in the house that, with one signal, will come out in full force. I have a sniper up top, and one in each window. If you try anything, it will be your last day in this cruel world. Do you understand? Or do I need to speak slower?”

  The one Henry had in a headlock was on the brink of unconsciousness. He stopped struggling.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Oh, fuck.” I saw it coming before it happened. I closed my eyes. Claire struggled against my hold.

  “Shoulder!” Henry yelled. We heard a single gunshot, then the father fell to the ground, writhing in pain. “Now, I suggest you get your ass away from my people and our belongings, or you will have a leg injury, as well.”

  Henry let go of the son and pushed him away. He bent over, coughing, and rubbed his throat, checking for blood. He grabbed his father, who was on the ground, bleeding, and stumbled as they ran off. Henry turned around, grabbed the gun the man had dropped, and stormed back inside, slamming the door.

  “Henry!” When I got to him, I saw his eyes graying before my eyes. “Henry?”

  “I need a fix. His blood gave me a craving.”

  “Okay. Okay. I’ll have Claire hook me up.” I opened the box containing the draw supplies and found what I needed to fill a bag. Nick and Thomas rushed downstairs.

  “Nice work, Nick.” Henry smirked.

  “It was Thomas’s idea to whistle. I was just going to pick them both off.” Thomas shifted uncomfortably. He probably wasn’t used to getting compliments.

  Henry patted him on the shoulder. “Brilliant. No sense in killing the stupid. They’ll end up killing themselves before long,” Henry said, seemingly amused by his own statement.

  “Henry, Nick, stop. They’re just scared. After all, they said it was their neighborhood.” Claire jammed the needle into my arm.

  “Ow! What the fuck, Claire!” I yelled.

  “Sorry,” she whispered, then finished her thought. “They’re just protecting what they feel is rightfully theirs. We can’t behave like animals. We need to try to act proper.”

  “Proper?” Henry and Nick said in unison.

  “Yes. Proper. We have to treat people like we would like to be treated.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We can’t just rush into a neighborhood and think no one will be upset with us.” She turned and stood in front of both Henry and Nick, hands on her hips. Thomas, as always, stayed silent and watched from a far.

  “All right, Claire.” I became nervous about what may come out of Henry’s mouth. He was craving and cranky. “If you think you can handle these situations better, the next time someone comes knocking on the door with a gun, wanting to kill your boyfriend for stealing what was supposedly their gas, then…have…at…it!”

  Henry pulled off his hoodie and vest. He picked up the gun he took from the moron. After he removed the magazine, he laughed.

  “What?” Nick said. Henry tossed the gun at him.

  “Empty.”

  “See! You have to control yourself a little more. Maybe we should have given them some supplies, or their gas back. Now that guy could
bleed to death or get a nasty infection because you shot him!”

  Henry sighed in disbelief. Maybe she missed it, but he had tried giving them back their gas. They weren’t in the negotiating mood. He gave up and sat, drumming his fingers on his knee, waiting patiently for his half of the bag.

  Then Nick looked at her. “You seem to have forgotten they shot at us first!” He was angry. She decided not to say anything else, seeming a little upset that Nick yelled at her. I figured it was probably because he was craving, too.

  After our lovely, rather eventful morning, we readied ourselves to continue our journey. Henry stared out the front window.

  “Hey,” I murmured, rubbing my hand up and down his muscular back. He sighed, his brilliant, emerald eyes filled with agony. “Is it Sophie’s truck?”

  He nodded. “What do you think we should do with it?”

  I was surprised he asked for my opinion. He was more of a “his way or the highway” kind of guy. I was hesitant to answer, but he needed help.

  “I think we should leave it. It’s not safe with the side window smashed out.”

  He nodded again. “I think you’re right.” He turned and gazed at me, his tear-filled eyes breaking my heart. “Can you help me clean it out? I want to make sure everything of hers is out of there.”

  “Of course.” When he smiled, it was so sad. He fought the sorrow that was near the surface. “Claire?” I yelled.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m going to go help Henry clean out the truck. Thomas, can you stand guard? Nick, help Claire consolidate our supplies even more than we already have. We’ll all be riding in Henry’s truck.”

  I put on my big girl panties and stepped up to the plate. Henry needed help, and I was going to be his rock for a change. Thomas grabbed a gun, and the three of us headed outside.

  Nick touched Claire’s cheek. “Little bossy, isn’t she?”

  She stared up him, still a little upset that he yelled at her. Then she sighed. “Well…someone has to fulfill the role of Sophie. I guess, naturally, it would be Elaina. Besides, Henry needs extra support right now. It was obvious he had unresolved feelings for Sophie.”