Runner

by Evie Mitchell

  Runner

  Book 1 – Nameless Souls MC

  By Evie Mitchell

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, facts, sometimes random sentences are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in what she hopes is an entirely flattering but fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Evie Mitchell; All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means, including via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, without prior written permission of the publisher.

  Editor: Nicole Wilson

  Dedication

  To you, Greedy Reader.

  For supporting me through the pandemic and allowing me to pen this nonsense.

  And to my husband, thank you for being my rock.

  When life gives us lemons you don't make lemonade, you make freaking lemon meringue pie.

  It's why I have thunder thighs.

  Love you.

  Books by Evie Mitchell

  Capricorn Cove Series

  Thunder Thighs

  Double the D

  Muffin Top

  The Mrs Clause

  New Year Knew You

  Short and Sweet Series

  Just Joshing

  Thor's Shipbuilding Series

  Clean Sweep

  The X-List (Coming soon)

  Nameless Souls MC

  Runner

  Wrath (Coming soon)

  Connect with Evie Mitchell

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  Runner

  Ellie

  The virus ravaged the world, plunging us into darkness. It was in the darkness that nightmares became reality.

  And it was in the shadows that I met him – Runner. He promised me protection in exchange for one thing – my surrender.

  Runner

  She was salvation. Bringing us hope when all was lost.

  I'd fight for her. For our life together. But in the after nothing is guaranteed.

  When the world ended, we began. But would we have a future?

  Trigger warning: This is a darker book than my other series and contains some violence and references to abuse. A happily ever after is still guaranteed, but this is a gritty series so proceeded with caution.

  Prologue

  Ellie

  Here's the thing I wasn't expecting when the world ended– it's a lot of anxiety mixed with boredom mixed with uncertainty mixed with the occasional rapid moment of action. Turns out Armageddon didn't happen overnight. This was a long, slow death.

  When the virus came and people got sick, the governments started closing borders and ordering people home. They did their best to contain it, and some countries even succeeded – though from reports we hear occasionally, it looks like they're struggling once more.

  I wasn't an idiot. When the world started going to shit, I did what any sensible person does, I formulated a plan. The plan was both electronic and in hard copy (should the electrical grid fail), color-coded, and contained multiple end-case scenario options built upon the best available data. See, not an idiot.

  We tracked the data, diligently inputting information into our systems, checking and rechecking the options. Consistently, the most plausible scenario was a full disintegration of governmental order.

  So, I did what I thought was best. I gathered a small group of trusted friends from our University and we laid out a plan for how to cope should this scenario play out.

  St. Mary Women's College sat proudly by the sea. Located in a small-town, hours away from the closest cities, we had a longer window of time to consider what came next. And we decided that while our classmates flocked to return home, we would recruit a band of woman who had the skills to handle what came next.

  As the world ended, and the stories of death and destruction spread, it didn't take us long to find women to recruit. We pooled resources, found friends who had family with skills and knowledge we needed, and we ran scenario after scenario – all of which said that we were best placed to stay where we were.

  So, we did. When the University shut its doors and ordered students home, we bunkered down fortifying our position.

  Ultimately there were thirteen of us, lucky or not we weren't yet sure. Most from the University, some siblings who had skills we needed, but we'd been clear from the start – no men or children. When we added them to the scenario things got messy.

  In the end, there was my older sister Blair, who'd returned to the College for a semester to do research on a new technique to treat the virus. Aella, in her final year of nursing, only three weeks shy of graduation. Her sister Yana was a professional chef and had experience in food preservation. Lilith was completing her PhD in electrical engineering, while Kate studied botany.

  The Berger sisters were country girls, Ruby and Beth were at the College studying agriculture and animal science respectively, while their older sister, Jo, a mechanic who'd come to see out the after with us.

  We also had Jules, our hydrologist, Audrey a network engineer and our numbers girl, and me, Ellison, the biochemist of the group

  Charlotte, or Lottie as she preferred to be known, was our veterinarian, and her sister, Ava, a soldier. Ava had been on medical leave when shit started to get real – lucky for her. We'd heard they'd used the women soldiers in vaccine testing. And by all reports it'd not gone well. She'd arrived packing some truly frightening arsenal and a look in her eye that said she wasn't afraid to use it.

  When the world finally lost its collective mind, and the shooting and rioting spread from the major cities to small towns like ours, we'd bunkered down at the College, Ava securing the perimeter, the rest of us working on our respective fields to secure our survival.

  And we'd somehow ended up living like that for months. Turns out, when the world goes to shit, people forget about schools, universities, and the like. They search factories or businesses, stores and homes looking for food and equipment but forget all about colleges.

  The few that did wander into our little bubble were quickly dealt with by Ava. Most left. One or two I still don’t know what happened to – and to be honest, I never wanted to know.

  Our little women's bubble functioned well. Between us, we produced bioethanol and built solar and wind options to get power. We planted vegetables and constructed green houses. We even had a 3D printer which allowed us to print extra weaponry for Ava.

  We shared knowledge and learnt self-defence. Kate taught us about edible and poisonous plants. Jules showed us how to test water and design hydroponic set-ups. Lilith taught us how to generate electricity from wind. Everyone brought something to the table.

  Life was good.

  Until the night of The Purge.

  Chapter One

  Ellie

  "What other choice do we have?" Blair asked the round table. We were missing two of our close-knit family group, grief, worry, anxiety, anger etched on the faces and burned into the souls of everyone in the room.

  "Do we think they'll be back?" Yana asked the question we were all avoiding, her eyes on the cameras monitoring the boundaries of the University.

  "They know there are women here. They'll definitely come back." Jo shook her head. "We're trained, but we're outnumbered."

  "Did you see their women?" Beth, the youngest of our party, asked in a whisper. "They looked…"

  "Dead," Jo said with a nod. "Chained up and used for nothing but sex."

  When we'd killed
some of their party, the women had scattered, running naked into the dark. Lilith and Jules had followed. We'd tried to find them but had lost them in the bush surrounding the College when The Purge had mounted another attack forcing us back.

  We'd survived, mainly thanks to Ava. But we didn't know if Jules and Lilith were alive or taken.

  "We're idiots if we stay here another night." Jo muttered.

  "But where would we go?" Jules asked.

  We all fell silent. Isn’t that the million-dollar question.

  Since the world as we knew it had officially ended some nine months before, we'd built our own town. Living out of our abandoned University, the thirteen of us had felt safe. Secure. Insulated from the horrors of the outside world. Or as safe and secure as you could when you were living in the aftermath of an apocalypse.

  Until The Purge.

  Audrey shoved her glasses up her nose, blinking at the screen of the laptop in her hands. "I've run the scenarios. Based on their losses and what we could find out from the one guy Ava… Ava…" she swallowed, forging forward. "We have three days to either leave the College or find assistance to fortify our defences." She looked up, frown lines creasing her brow. "Do we have anyone who could help us?"

  "The guy said they had over forty people, right?" I asked, looking to Ava.

  "Yeah, though the numbers seemed pretty fluid. The main currency is women, food, and guns. We're sitting ducks." this came from Ava, who was sprawled on her side in a bed by the table. Her face pale, sweat dampened her brow. She'd taken a knife to her side but kept fighting, keeping us safe and capturing one of them. She'd taken him to the basement and she'd remained in there for hours, emerging much later to hand over her intel. She'd let Blair patch her up, but refused to remain in the infirmary while we discussed options.

  "Fuck," Jo barked, pushing to her feet, and beginning to pace. "We have to leave. Got no other choice."

  "I… I m-m-might have an idea," Kate whispered, her hand rising ever so slightly. She only ever stuttered under extreme anxiety or when scared.

  All eyes went to her and she blushed, looking down at the table.

  "Go on," I encouraged, knowing Kate shied easily.

  "M-my father," she stuttered, staring at the table.

  "One man isn't gonna fix this, babe."

  "Shh," I hushed Jo, then looked back at Kate. "Keep going."

  "H-h-h-he is th-th-the P-P-President of the Nameless Souls m-m-motorcycle club."

  "A gang?" Jo said, her eyes narrowing. "Your daddy is a member of a gang?"

  "It's a c-club but, yeah, he r-r-runs it."

  There was a beat of silence as we processed this news. How did we not know this?

  "They're outlaw," Ava murmured, grimacing when she shifted. "If your dad is part of this club why are you here? Why not throw your lot in with them?"

  Kate flushed and looked away, biting her lip.

  "Kate?" I asked softly.

  "A w-w-woman in the club n-n-n-needs a man. You're not you, you're p-p-p-property."

  "Property?" Lilith asked.

  Kate nodded.

  "I've read about this," Blair sighed, rubbing her temples. "They don't have female bikers. They have two types of women – club sluts or old ladies."

  "What's the difference?"

  "The old ladies are claimed, they call them property. Like wives so they're afforded some modicum of respect. The sluts, not so much."

  We all grimaced.

  Kate looked down, rubbing the table top with shaky hands.

  "What are they going to want if we ask them for help?" Ava asked.

  Kate shrugged, still looking down. "M-m-maybe food. Definitely sex."

  "Fuck," Ava muttered.

  An idea tickled the back of my mind. "What about fuel?"

  Kate cocked her head in question.

  "The bioethanol and biodiesels we're using to run the vehicles. Could we trade that? I'm still fine tuning, it's taken me a while to work how to scale because we don't have all the parts or ingredients but we have enough that I could offer them a sample. If it worked, maybe that could be our in. Do you think they'd go for a trade? Fuel and help with, I don't know, energy? Water? Whatever they need in exchange for protection."

  The women looked excited but Kate shook her head. "They'd just t-t-take it anyway."

  "But we could try," I said, unwilling to just give up. "Do we have any another choice?"

  "Let's put it to a vote," Jo ordered, looking around the table. "Those in favour of leaving."

  Two hands.

  "Those in favour of approaching the bikers?"

  Eight hands went up.

  "Kate, you didn't vote." Jo admonished.

  She kept stroking the grain of the wooden table, her eyes fixed on her hands, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I-I-I'll do w-w-whatever you agree to."

  "Then we're settled. We'll approach the bikers."

  Ava blew out a breath. "I can't go. Not like this, at least not today. And we need to shore up shit in case the biker stuff doesn't pan out. Need to get our stuff ready to evac."

  "I'll go," I volunteered. "Kate will need to come as well. Anyone else?"

  "Jo," Ava ordered. "And Audrey."

  We all blinked in surprise.

  "Me?" Audrey asked, shoving her glasses up her nose. "But… why?"

  " I trust you to strategize if things go south." She nodded at Jo. "Jo can talk bikes, try and sell our skills. Ellie has the knowledge to produce biofuel, something they'll likely want with fuel supplies getting low. And Kate will get us an audience with the President."

  "Okay," I muttered, pushing to my feet. "Guess we better get our stuff together."

  "We'll leave within the hour," Jo ordered. "I'm not risking this us for longer than necessary."

  We began to disband, people leaving and Blair pushing Ava's bed out the door. Only Kate remained sitting, her gaze fixed on Cruise.

  "Kate?"

  She didn't respond.

  "Is there something you're not telling us?"

  She raised one shoulder then dropped it.

  Fear prickled my spine.

  "Is it bad?"

  "Not for you."

  I dropped back into my seat, leaning towards her, trying to catch her eye.

  "Tell me."

  She shook her head, her hand still gently stroking across the dog's head.

  "Please?"

  "Y-y-you'll see," she whispered.

  Chapter Two

  Ellie

  We took one of the SUV's, the back loaded with bioethanol and food. Jo had a shot gun lying across her lap, her gaze on the trees outside as Kate drove through the deserted streets out to the country.

  The local town had been abandoned months ago. We occasionally ventured out, looking for extra items to supplement our stores or fulfil a need. The small populace that had remained in the area had left when winter took hold and food became scarce. We'd weathered the winter months well, Kate and Ruby tending to our greenhouses and slaughtering the occasional animal for protein. Spring was now here, but the town remained deserted.

  "The Purge came from the north," Jo muttered, as if to reassure herself.

  The Purge. A group that’d formed following society’s downfall. Frat boys and mean men who'd hidden behind suits and uniforms in the before. Their true colours had emerged in the after as they viewed what remained as an anarchist dream; women, riches, and life no more than commodities they were willing to trade. The group that had reached us were scouts; those sent ahead to search for plundering opportunities.

  Please let these bikers agree to help us… and for minimal cost.

  We travelled for three hours before Kate finally turned off, following a road that only she seemed to know. I'd spent the entire journey fisting my weapon petrified that militia, The Purge or some idiot with a gun would jump out, taking us by surprise.

  The actual journey was much more boring.

  "Are you sure this is right?" Jo asked, her foot tapping nervousl
y as we bounced along the track.

  "It's just over the hill," Kate said nodding towards a large hill backlit by the moon in the distance.

  We drove in silence along the dirt road, the trail barely visible through the brush. I'd have assumed this were an animal trail if Kate hadn't turned off, looking increasingly determined and fearful the closer we got to the club house.

  "What if they're not here?" Audrey asked, her hands twitching as if she wished for an electronic to play with. "What if they've left?"

  "Then we have a new base of operations," Jo replied easily. She waved a hand at the brush outside. "No one would find us here."

  That was the point, I suspected. Anyone who stumbled across the MC would likely stumble no further.

  My stomach churned, a lump of anxious nerves writhing inside me.

  This has to work.

  Kate continued to bump us along the track and over the hill, a thick ring of trees grew on the other side. She drove directly toward two trees, the SUV following the faint trail through the gap between them.

  "I thought you said—" Jo broke off as we exited the tree line and entered a clearing. On the far side sat an intimidating building. A tall chain-link fence surrounded the property, barb wire twisted in circles at the top. Behind the chain-link was another wall, this one thick brick topped with razor wire. The fences blocked everything from view but for the top of one building. From this distance it looked like the top of a castle, a battlement complete with flag.

  "They really want to keep people out," Audrey muttered.

  Or in.

  I chose not to voice that thought.

  Kate slowed the SUV to a crawl and flashed her lights. There was a pause as the SUV continued at a snail’s pace then a returning three flashes came from a position close to the ground.

  "What was that?" Jo asked, her hands clenching on the rifle.

  "Approval," Kate said, steering us in the direction of where the light had come from. Two men stood on the outside of the fence, their bodies covered in protective gear, large guns pointed straight at us.