"Ma'am—" August began.
"Don't interrupt me." Martha shook her head, took a deep, steadying breath. "Why is it so difficult for you two to keep four little girls in line? Did one of them cry? Bat her eyes at you? Are you really that simple-minded?"
"That one came at me with a fire poker." August flicked his nose at Gwen.
"A girl a third your size?" Martha's gray eyebrows rose, and she flicked her nose at Jonah. "And what's your excuse?"
Jonah stared at the floor.
"Let me guess, this black-haired minx flirted with you, and you were putty in her hands."
Martha rolled her eyes and knelt before Rebecca.
"Why couldn't you just listen to me? None of this would've happened if you'd just listened." She motioned behind her, to the front yard outside. "That girl would still be alive."
A sob choked in Rebecca's throat. Martha sat back on her heels.
"In a way, though, I'm proud. You're so much smarter than they are. Strong, fierce, passionate. Look at these foolish men." Martha took Rebecca's jaw in her soft fingers and jerked her head toward August, then Jonah. "Controlled by their urges. Lazy. Ignorant. The only thing they have over you is physical strength. Everything else, every little weakness and flaw, can be manipulated."
August's face bloomed crimson. Jonah lowered his head.
"They have no idea how weak they are. It's our job to set them on the right path, turn them into the men they should be. You're stronger and more important than they are. You dictate their futures."
Martha laid a hand on Rebecca's belly. Jonah nodded very slightly. So slightly Rebecca thought she imagined it.
Save me, beautiful girl. And then, a second voice, this one much older. Say what you want, you little bitch. No one will believe you anyway.
A manic, wild fever rose to Martha's old face, the kind eyes. She stood, and her voice rose to a quavering, crazed soprano.
"And you've almost thrown that away. You were behind your walls too long to see it: how damaged and dangerous this world is. How badly it needs to be saved. Do you see, now that your friend lies out there dead?"
A truth slammed into Rebecca's chest, stealing her breath: with Ruby gone, she had no one left and no home to escape to. Everyone she'd loved was lost.
"I'm offering you, all of you, purpose and value. A future. And a safe place to live, where no one will hurt you. Where these men will bow to you."
She glanced over Martha's square shoulder at August, who was rolling his eyes. Behind him, color had risen to Jonah's face and he nodded slowly. Rebecca imagined him bowing to her. August complying with her orders. Tearing his eyes out if he dared look at her again.
The fantasy was a beautiful one, even if it was a lie. But a feeling bubbled in her chest, quiet and simmering at first. So quiet Rebecca didn't even notice it at first.
Power.
Seven girls stood by a river that cut through a stretch of sparse woods. Six of them were tied together at the waist, but only one had her hands tied and a gag in her mouth. Her cheeks were drawn, her eyes bloodshot.
Martha passed a canteen down the line, but she skipped Gwen. The old woman rejoined August and Jonah, and Rebecca took the chance to whisper to the girl.
"If you just tell her what she wants to hear, she'll untie you. You'll be able to drink."
That's all Rebecca had done—followed a few orders like Martha wanted, told her what she wanted to hear, earned her trust. Gwen glared at her, muttered curses under her gag. Rebecca arched her eyebrow.
"You're only hurting herself."
August waved his hand. Rebecca clutched the end of the rope. "Let's go," she said.
Martha said they'd be at the asylum by nightfall and Rebecca was curious to see what it was like. Perhaps it was better than Hosmer, which was never really her home. It would be easier to forget Ruby and her family — and keep her aching heart sealed — in a new place.
They clambered up a hill in single file, from the river to the road. Martha led the way, and Rebecca and Jonah flanked the line of girls. August brought up the rear. A few times, Rebecca caught him staring at the girls, his lip curling slightly with lust. She glowered at him, but he only winked.
These men will bow to you.
Rebecca looked forward to that day. For now, Martha had given her a job: to keep the girls safe. After all, Jonah and August had proven themselves unequal to the task. So she protected the girls, reminded them to keep their minds calm and to be silent, ignored their questions when they asked where they were going and where their families were. She didn't want to get their hopes up, but she wouldn't upset them, either.
After all, there was nothing to be afraid of. Martha told Rebecca why the girls were taken. It was an impossible dream, but a lovely one. In Hosmer, the people simply survived day to day, waiting for rescue or collapse. But the Savior was trying to do something great, and Martha said Rebecca could be part of it.
She said Rebecca had been chosen.
Shadows stretched from the woods onto the road as the sun began to sink in the west. Martha pointed ahead.
"Almost there. Just over this hill."
The group climbed. Gwen stumbled and Rebecca rushed to her side, holding her up. The other girls were ashen-faced and looked at each other warily. Nerves tingled in Rebecca's stomach — nerves of uncertainty and hope.
They reached the crest and walked into golden sunlight. In the middle of the flat, green landscape below sat a sprawling building that reminded Rebecca of a castle surrounded by a thick wall.
The asylum.
Rebecca felt something shift inside her — the ending of one thing and beginning of another.
The awakening of her destiny.
Thanks for Reading
Did you enjoy Among the Monsters? If so, please help an indie author out by leaving a review. And if you'd like to continue this story, I'd like to give you a taste of its next installment -- The Human Wilderness. Sign up for my Reading Group, and I'll send you the first seven chapters for free.
Would you face monsters for the ones you love?
There are no people left on Earth, except Eli Stentz and seventy-five others. They hide within the steel walls of a settlement called Hope, tormented by a horde of soulless, mutated humans who howl at their doorstep day and night. The survivors call them zombies, but the name doesn't quite fit.
The world belongs to them now — the Parasites.
One day, a stranger emerges from this void with tales of survival and horror. Eli can't believe his eyes — this man shouldn't be alive. Six years ago, humanity succumbed to a mysterious epidemic and civilization collapsed. Society never recovered, leaving the post-apocalyptic landscape a barren, dangerous wilderness.
So why would this stranger kidnap one of Hope's children? And why Lily, a girl Eli loves like a daughter? Plagued by these questions, he has no choice but to face the monsters outside Hope's walls to rescue her and bring her home. But he doesn't expect the mystery lurking in the wilderness.
For the world isn't empty after all -- there are more settlements. Most have abandoned American democracy, embracing a more dystopian way of life. And they are connected by a disturbing conspiracy.
But Eli has other monsters to fight. For outside Hope's walls are the memories of his violent past. After all, no one lives through the apocalypse without getting blood on their hands. Eli knows that better than anyone.
Part psychological thriller, part soft horror, with a touch of near-future science fiction and the supernatural, The Human Wilderness is the perfect novel for fans of The Walking Dead.
To sample the first seven chapters, follow this link http://bit.ly/SevenChapters.
When you sign up, you'll also enjoy exclusive access to sneak peek excerpts of upcoming work, cover previews, exciting extras, and first dibs on special deals and giveaways.
About the Author
S.H. Livernois lives in the sparsely populated stretch of New York between the Adirondack Mountains and Canadian bor
der; the Livernois family has lived in this region since the Civil War. She makes her home in the tiny town of Moira, with her husband and beagle, Maggie. You can visit her online at shlivernois.net
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Among the Monsters
Thanks For Reading
About the Author
The Human Wilderness (Prequel): Among the Monsters Page 5