The Torn World: The Harvesting Series Book 5

by Melanie Karsak

  I lifted the old brush off the bureau and pulled it through my dark hair. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked thinner, worn. There were dark rings under my eyes. How lush my former life had been with its organic smoothies, veggie burgers, and endless hours on the treadmill. It all seemed meaningless. Setting down the brush, I dug into the bureau. There, among a number of intricate vintage hair combs, I found a rubber band. I pulled my long black hair back into a braid then rose and got dressed. I attached my shashka bandolier style across my back, slid my doe and wolf poyasni back into my boots, then picked up a handgun I’d grabbed in town. I checked the ammo. I was fully loaded. I shoved it into the back of my pants.

  Sliding my vest on, I headed toward the door. Before I exited, however, a strange chill swept the room. I looked back to see my grandmother standing at the window.

  “Grandma?”

  She clicked her tongue at me. “My Layla,” she said, pointing toward the dresser. “Don’t forget the grenades,” she added then disappeared.

  I grabbed the three grenades sitting on the dresser beside the water gun filled with holy water. Shaking my head, I stuck the grenades and the water gun into my vest pocket. I glanced back at the window and frowned.

  Definitely not a good sign.

  * * *

  Outside, Tristan, Logan, Elle, Kellimore, and Beatrice were getting ready. Madame Knightly and Amelia were standing nearby. Beatrice looked decidedly nervous. She smiled at me, her eyes drifting to the sword.

  “I used to teach too,” I told her. “Fencing,” I said, pointing to the sword.

  She smiled. “I went to Columbia,” she told me then. “I studied microbiology. I loved teaching, but it hadn’t been my first plan. I had a scholarship to get my MD. I just…my mother got sick.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She nodded.

  “Bring them back in one piece, then?” Madame Knightly said to Tristan and Logan.

  Logan, who was still a bit of a puzzle to me, bowed politely to Madame Knightly then passed Amelia a knowing look.

  Tristan nodded but his eyes were scanning Witch Wood. I followed his gaze to see Cricket looking out at him from a window.

  She waved to him. I could see from the expression on her face that letting him go wasn’t something she wanted. I wondered why none of her people had come. The worry settled in on me even greater when I saw Vella standing in the shadows just behind Cricket. What had Vella seen?

  “Let’s go,” Tristan said.

  We turned and followed him into the maze.

  “Back into the lion’s den,” Elle said. “We’re either stupid or crazy.”

  “Or both,” Kellimore agreed.

  “Let’s try to have a positive attitude,” Logan said lightly.

  “Easy for you to say. Can’t you just shift into a bird or something?” Elle asked.

  Beatrice looked sidelong at Logan.

  “No, I cannot.”

  “Does that mean you’re special, Tristan? I hear you can shift into a dog,” Elle said jokingly.

  Tristan laughed. “Not special, just older than Logan.”

  “Ah,” Elle said with a smirk. “Well, you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks…”

  “Elle?” Tristan asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Shut up,” he said playfully.

  She winked at him.

  We wound through the hedge maze until we reached the very center where there was a gazebo and reflecting pool.

  “We’re here,” Tristan said, looking into the water.

  “That’s not where we came out,” Kellimore observed.

  “No. Different doorway to a different exit.”

  “You’ll need to show us. To teach us,” I told Tristan. “We need to learn these passages as well.”

  Logan cast a glance at Tristan.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m not permitted. You should discuss it with Peryn,” Tristan replied.

  I frowned.

  “Who’s Peryn?” Kellimore asked.

  “Our leader,” Tristan said. “Let’s go. Take a deep breath and hold on,” he said then stepped into the pool. The light therein shimmered blue, the water bubbling heavily at the surface. Tristan disappeared and didn’t come back.

  “Come on,” I said, taking Beatrice by the arm. “It’s just like riding a rollercoaster.” Before she could protest, I led us both into the water. We both gasped for air as the water sucked us under.

  I held onto Beatrice’s hand as we were pulled downward with terrible velocity. I felt heavy pressure on my chest. My lungs screamed for air. I cast a glance at Beatrice who spun beside me through the dark space. Her eyes were wide. A moment later, I was grabbed from below and pulled with such great force that it ripped our hands apart. Light and sound passed all around me, roaring with terrible thunder.

  “Peryn,” I whispered in my mind. “Peryn?”

  My body jerked sideways, and I was dropped into a sunny meadow. I rose carefully, not recognizing the place. The sun shone brightly. Everything felt too yellow, too bright. The flowers in the field were red, fire orange, and rich gold. In the center of the field, Peryn stood watching me.

  “Layla?”

  “Peryn, what should I do now?”

  She smiled softly at me, but it grew harder and harder to see her as the sun glimmered onto my face. I covered my eyes, but the sunlight became brighter and brighter.

  “Survive,” she replied.

  Suddenly I felt myself falling backward, tumbling through the air, and sucked back into the vortex.

  A moment later, I landed hard on the ground.

  CHAPTER 19: LAYLA

  I OPENED MY EYES SLOWLY.

  “Are you all right?” I heard Logan ask.

  “Yes,” Beatrice breathed. “I’m okay.”

  “Up you go,” Kellimore said, offering me an arm.

  “I’m never going to get used to that,” I grumbled, standing. I dusted the dirt and leaves off my clothes. “Thanks.”

  His eyes lingered on my face a long moment. “Any time,” he replied with a smile then turned toward the others.

  Shaking off the feeling Kellimore’s gaze had stirred up in the pit of my stomach, I pulled my sword and looked around. If the kitsune knew about this doorway, they might have someone watching. We were in the middle of the woods. There was a tall standing stone nearby. On it was carved a Celtic triskelion. Nearby was a large log cabin and a dilapidated archery range.

  “What is this place?” Elle asked.

  “Campground,” Kellimore said. “The Sons of Red Branch and some church groups used it. Now, the only problem is that we are on the opposite side of the lake from the college.”

  “Can we make it there and back by nightfall?” Logan asked.

  Kellimore considered. “Assuming there are no complications, yes.”

  Tristan nodded. “The cave is probably compromised but close if we get in a bind.”

  “Either way,” I said. “We’re here. Let’s go.”

  “This way,” Kellimore said. “There are hiking trails all around the ridge of the valley. We can get about halfway there before we intersect with the first road. After that we’ll be in town. For now, we’re in the woods.”

  “And the woods have ears,” Tristan said. “Let’s go quiet. Kellimore, take the lead. I’ll follow. Layla, you got the rear?”

  “On it,” I replied, and we headed out.

  “Jamie?” I whispered with my mind. “Jamie, where are you?”

  There was no reply.

  We walked under the shimmering sparkle of new green leaves. The woods smelled sweet. There was no whisper of decay. New ferns uncurled their fingers and purple violets grew on the forest floor. This is what the kitsune were trying to protect, an Earth that looked like this. In that regard, mankind was a blight. We needed to change our ways, that was certain, but exterminating us had not been the answer. In the end, it was their last resort. And it had been effective—for the most part.<
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  We walked for at least an hour before we started to see houses not too far from the path.

  Kellimore motioned for us to stop. “The trail ends ahead. We’ll follow Red Branch Way until we get to Blarney Drive. It will lead us to the college. We’ll have to go in the front gate.”

  “The gate was compromised. It’s open,” I said, remembering how Buddie had done everything he could to defend us, protect us, and how it had cost him his life.

  “We’ll also be very exposed,” Tristan added.

  “How many undead were here?” Logan asked.

  “A lot,” Elle said.

  “They may be gone now, wandered off,” I added.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Kellimore replied.

  Beatrice shifted nervously.

  I grinned at Kellimore. “Remember what Logan said? I was trying to be positive.”

  “And here I took you for a realist,” he replied with a grin.

  Logan smirked.

  “When we get in, we’ll go straight to the lab,” Tristan said.

  “The kitsune unbarred the doors on that end of the building. They’ll be open. It was…a battle in there,” I said then, hoping to prepare Beatrice.

  Understanding, she nodded.

  Kellimore motioned for us to follow him. We exited the woods at Red Branch Way. I remembered then that the town was arranged like a sun cross. I glanced up at the street signs as we walked. I needed to remember the way back just in case…in case Kellimore didn’t make it.

  No. I wasn’t going to lose anyone else.

  Not again.

  We moved quickly. The quaint and quiet houses of Ulster were just as still as they had been the week before. In fact, it was too still.

  “Too quiet,” Elle said, echoing my thoughts.

  I nodded. “I don’t like it.”

  “Maybe the zombies followed those fox people out of town,” Elle said.

  “I hope.”

  We wove down a side street then up the steep incline toward the college. As we got closer to Claddagh-Basel, the scent of the undead became stronger.

  Kellimore stopped.

  We huddled.

  “Smell it?” he whispered.

  We nodded.

  “We shouldn’t go directly to the gate. Anywhere nearby where we can get a look inside?” I asked.

  “This way,” Kellimore said then led us across a series of lawns to a big house that sat not too far from the wall surrounding the college.

  The scent of death grew even stronger, and from the other side of the wall, we could hear the groans of the undead.

  Kellimore led us through the fenced back yard of a ranch-style house. Behind the house was an enormous oak tree, a treehouse perched on the upper branches.

  “Franklin’s house. Used to play with Emmie and Lucas here. Their family moved away. The treehouse never came down. You can see onto the college grounds from there.”

  “May be rotted. Be careful,” I told him.

  “Of course,” he said with a grin then climbed up, grasping the old wooden steps nailed into the tree.

  We watched in anticipation as Kellimore climbed. Elle scanned the perimeter, her gun drawn. I noticed she was also wearing a huge hunting knife on her belt. When Kellimore reached the tree house, he reached out and undid the hatch door.

  A moment later, we heard a strange grunt and watched a body fall from the treehouse to the ground. The undead who’d been hiding inside the treehouse—no doubt still living when he went inside—hit the ground with a thud, his head smashing open, brains and goo splattering all over our feet. The smell was horrendous.

  Beatrice suppressed a yelp.

  “Great,” Elle whispered, kicking bits of head and brain off her feet.

  Waving his rifle into the space first, making sure it was clear, Kellimore slipped into the treehouse. He poked his head out the window and panned around, looking through a pair of binoculars. After a few minutes, he climbed back down.

  Shaking his head, he crossed the lawn.

  “Not good,” he said.

  “How bad is it?” Tristan asked.

  “The undead didn’t leave. They’re all still there,” he said.

  “Jamie? Jamie, can you hear me? James? I’m here!”

  Nothing.

  “We could try to sneak in along the wall,” Elle suggested.

  “No,” Tristan said.

  “Diversion,” I offered. “We need something to lure them out. I do have grenades.”

  Kellimore grinned. “Of course you do.”

  Tristan shook his head. “Too much noise. It may attract the kitsune. We need something more subtle.”

  “Well,” Elle said thoughtfully, “I suppose these kitsune might not think much of a random stray dog. Quiet. Uneventful. But it would be enough to lure the undead out of the way,” she said, looking at Tristan.

  “You suggesting I go in as bait?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “Um, maybe?”

  I looked from Elle to Tristan.

  “It’s a good idea,” Tristan said. “Even though I think you just suggested it so you could see me shift.”

  “I resent that remark,” Elle said with a grin.

  “How many are there?” Tristan asked Kellimore.

  “They were all over. Maybe five dozen, if not more.”

  “I’ll get them out,” Tristan said then looked at Logan. “If something happens to me, you’ll have to take them back through.”

  Logan nodded.

  “You got this?” Tristan asked, turning to me.

  “Yes.”

  Tristan looked at Kellimore. “I’ll pull them out and then west. Stay here until it’s clear, then head directly to the lab. You, Layla, and Elle can pick off any strays. Hand to hand.”

  “Not all strays, of course,” Elle said with a wink.

  Tristan rolled his eyes and with a nod to Logan, he turned and strode down the fence line toward the gate. Suddenly, a glow emanated from him. I winced and looked away. When I looked back, a mottled-colored mutt was running where Tristan had been.

  “Well, now I’ve seen everything,” Elle said.

  “Can you head back up?” I asked Kellimore, looking toward the treehouse. “We’ll hide around back until you give the all-clear.”

  He nodded. “Just don’t leave me up there. I don’t want to end up like him,” he said, looking at the dead body on the ground.

  I motioned for the others to follow me around the back of the house. Kellimore took his position in the treehouse once more.

  The forest behind the house was silent. I could hear the call of a dove roosting nearby. My heart was beating hard. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer that Tristan stayed safe.

  A few moments later, we heard it. The groan of the undead rose up from the other side of the wall.

  I heard a low, muffled bark, followed by more groans.

  And then, we waited.

  And waited.

  Not risking a look around the corner for fear of being seen, I kept my eyes on Kellimore’s silhouette as he surveyed the grounds. It felt like it took forever when finally Kellimore signaled to us.

  Moving slowly, my sword drawn, I came out from hiding, the others following behind me. The smell of the decaying undead was horrid.

  “Jamie? Jamie?”

  There was nothing.

  “Let’s go,” I whispered. Kellimore joined us, and we started moving slowly down the fence line toward the gate.

  The scene inside was horrendous. Dead bodies littered the once-manicured campus grounds. Moving carefully, we stepped over the broken gate, trying to make as little noise as possible.

  Kellimore motioned to the others, and we cautiously walked toward the medical wing of the college.

  After we passed over the gate, I slowed. His body was unrecognizable except for the shredded shirt that clung to his bones. But the bow and quiver lying on the ground beside him was all the evidence I needed that the mangled corpse had once been Buddie.


  I reached down and grabbed his bow and quiver. I fought back my tears, remembering the day in Hamletville when Buddie had appeared out of nowhere, saving us when the undead crashed the barricade.

  “Buddie, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, feeling swells of grief and anger. “The kitsune will pay.” No one else was going to die because of them.

  “Layla?” Kellimore called softly.

  Holding my sword tightly, slinging the bow and quiver on my back, I rejoined the others.

  As we neared the building, Kellimore signaled for us to slow. The door to the medical wing of the college was open. From inside, we heard muffled groans.

  “They could be anywhere,” Elle said.

  “We’ll go into the lab and close it behind us. We’ll work fast and quiet. And there is another way out of there if we get into a jam.”

  Elle raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Ready?” I asked Beatrice.

  She nodded nervously.

  “We’ll take everything we can back with us,” Logan reassured her. “You’ll have time to sort it out at Witch Wood,” he said confidently.

  Taking the lead, I moved down the walkway back to the scene where my entire life had fallen apart. I pushed open the door to the lab. An undead body lay on the ground on the other side of the door. Putting my shoulder on the door, I gave it a hard shove and moved it aside. It was dark inside. The sunlight just barely passed into the space from the door outside.

  “Layla,” Logan whispered. I turned to see he was holding out a flashlight.

  I took the light and snapped it on, scanning around the room. Nothing was left alive inside. I was suddenly very glad that Will and Tom had not come. Kiki, Summer, and Ethel—at least what was left of them—lay on the floor. Worse, so much worse, was the fact that while Kiki and Summer were gone, Ethel wasn’t. When the flashlight shone on her, she turned and looked at me. She was nothing more than a husk. The lower half of her body had been eaten, and one of her arms had been ripped off. There were massive bites taken from her face.

  “There,” Logan said, pointing to Ethel.

  “Yeah, she knows,” Kellimore said softly as he set his hand on my arm. “You want me—”