The Eva Series Box Set (Books 1-3)

by Wilde, J. M.

“We’re safe now, Eva,” he whispered in my ear before kissing me gently on the cheek. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks. I didn’t quite know who or what I was praying to—whether it was God or the Universe or just dumb luck that brought us safely to this place—but whatever it was, I was eternally grateful.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Let’s go see our new home,” Jo smiled as she took Ben’s hand and started pulling him towards the house. We ran up the stairs and burst through the front door, with Hunter pushing past us and barking as he sped through the house. It was just as beautiful inside as it was on the outside. The hardwood floor had been dotted with intricately patterned rugs, a long brown couch and a spotless wooden coffee table sat upon the largest one in the room, with the biggest flat screen television I had ever seen perched proudly on the wall. An eight-seater polished dining table sat to my right, the open kitchen with a breakfast bar was just beyond it. A hallway adjacent to the kitchen led to what I assumed were the bedrooms.

  Warm, glowing sunlight filled the room, shining through the floor to ceiling windows on each side of the house, blessing us with endless 360 degree views of the rainforest.

  “Woah!” Ben said as he started rummaging through the video games on the television cabinet. “Xbox! Friggin’ sweet!” He jumped onto the couch, turned the television on and started flicking through channels, all of them static. “Dammit!” He switched it off again and dropped the remote on the couch.

  Jo wandered down the hallway and started inspecting the rooms. “Only one bathroom? For five people? We’ll need to make a shower schedule.”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes at her as I stepped towards the window next to the dining table to admire the view. I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright turquoise ocean sparkling beyond the trees.

  Wyatt stood by my side, draping an arm over my shoulders. “Not bad, huh?”

  “It’s perfect,” I said, feeling my shoulders relax. I hugged him tight, and he reciprocated by wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off my feet. Over his shoulder, I noticed a photograph on a bookshelf. Wyatt lowered me to my feet and I walked toward it to get a closer look. In it were two little blonde boys at the beach, one taller than the other. They both had their arms around the other’s shoulders and were smiling widely. They looked so happy.

  “Is that you?” I asked Wyatt, pointing to the shorter boy in the photograph.

  “Yep,” he replied. “Me and Elliot.”

  “You look like best mates,” I said, looking at their smiling faces.

  “We were,” he said quietly, a hint of sadness in his voice.

  “Hello, hello!” a voice rumbled from inside the house.

  Elliot appeared from the hallway, freshly showered and wearing only a towel. Jo gasped in surprise at the sight of him. Without all that mud on his face and camouflage gear, he looked quite handsome. He had a big smile on his face as he clapped his hands together. “So, how are we all? Good?”

  “Brilliant,” Jo smiled as her eyes took in the sight of his muscles. He looked like a bodybuilder or pro wrestler with his bulging arms and tanned six-pack.

  “Are Mum and Dad here?” Wyatt asked, looking around.

  Elliot’s smile faded instantly. “I haven’t heard from them in days. They called to say they were coming, but ...” he trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

  Wyatt didn’t say a word. He didn’t even breathe.

  “It’s okay, Wyatt,” Ben said. “They’re probably still on their way up.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “They only live an hour away. They would’ve been here by now.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “I need some air.” He stormed out the front door and ran down the steps. I started to run after him, but Elliot moved faster, stepping in front of me and closing the door. “Leave him. He needs to be alone.”

  I didn’t like the idea of Wyatt out there alone and upset, but something about the tone of his voice told me Elliot didn’t like people disobeying him, so I stayed put.

  “Anyway, guys,” Elliot said, clapping his hands together again as if to snap us out of our sadness for Wyatt. “There are three spare bedrooms. Mine’s the one furthest down to the left, you can take your pick of the others. Two have King size beds, the other has two twin beds so two of you will have to share.”

  “Well,” Jo said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’d feel more comfortable in my own room. And I know Eva likes her privacy, so the boys can share.”

  “Fine,” Ben shrugged. “As long as I have a bed, I don’t care what room I’m in.”

  I felt relieved to have my own space to go to. After all the craziness of the past few days and spending hours upon hours crammed in that RV, I needed some time alone to process everything that had happened.

  “Done!” Elliot said. “Twin beds are in the room furthest down the hall and to the right. Ladies, your sanctuaries await!” He gestured down the hall.

  Jo stepped into the room on the left, next to the bathroom. “I choose this one.” I popped my head in and knew instantly why she chose it: floral curtains and matching bedding made this room seem perfect for her tastes.

  I entered the room on the right side of the hall. The curtains and bedding matched in this room, too, only they were a deep purple, much more suited for me. “I guess this one’s mine then.”

  I heard Ben groan under his breath as he opened the door to the bedroom he would be sharing with Wyatt. “This room is tiny.” I peeked in behind him to see it was half the size of mine and Jo’s rooms, and patted him on the back in sympathy.

  “Um,” Jo called from her room. “There are clothes in here.” I walked back to her room to see her standing before a mirrored wardrobe that had a few dresses and women’s shirts hanging in it.

  Elliot leaned casually against the doorframe. “Yeah. They’re from the ex-girlfriend pile. I assumed they might come in handy when the end of the world came and all those people who called me nuts flocked to me for help. Looks like you were the only ones who made it, though.”

  Curious, I went into my room and slid my wardrobe door open to see clothes hanging in there, too. Some were my style, which was perfect because I had been wearing the same outfit for days and needed to wash them. I quietly closed my door and went to the window to look for Wyatt. Even though I had an amazing view of the garden, rainforest and ocean in the distance, I couldn’t see him anywhere. I let out a soft exhale and sat on the edge of the bed, hoping he was okay.

  “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shower!” Jo called from the hallway. A few seconds later, the sound of the shower gave me a sudden curious thought: Elliot was wearing a towel and was dripping wet from a shower, but when Jo had opened the bathroom door and complained that there was only one bathroom, he wasn’t in there. Where did he come from?

  I got up and slowly opened my bedroom door, making sure the hallway was empty before I stepped out into it. There weren’t any en suites in our rooms, but maybe Elliot had one. I don’t know why I felt so suspicious of him, but I crept up to his bedroom door anyway, knocking lightly. “Elliot?”

  No answer.

  Slowly, I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open to peek inside. It looked similar to my room, only the colour of choice for the curtains and bedding was a dark green. No en suite there, either. But where was Elliot?

  I closed the door, about to turn around when I noticed another door at the end of the hallway. Opening it, I saw a set of stairs leading to yet another door.

  I looked around before climbing up the stairs and opening the door to see rows and rows of vegetables growing in rectangular wooden boxes. It was the rooftop garden I saw from outside earlier.

  “Elliot?” I called, but still heard nothing.

  He had completely disappeared.

  I went back downstairs and crept back into my new bedroom. I fell onto the bed and closed my eyes as I wondered if he went to find Wyatt. That still didn’t explain where he came from before, but as my breathing became h
eavier and I drifted off to sleep, it didn’t seem to matter.

  All that mattered was we made it.

  We were together.

  And we were safe.

  For now.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Elliot whispered my name. “Eva.”

  My eyes snapped open. It was dark in my room, with only the moonlight trickling in.

  I could see him standing over me as I lay in bed.

  “Elliot!” I said, sitting up quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  He started to laugh menacingly, like a villain in a superhero movie.

  I leaned over to the bedside table, flicking on the lamp.

  My heart leapt into my throat when I saw him.

  He was wearing his camouflage gear again, mud spattered all over his face. He held a machine gun by his side. But that wasn’t what terrified me.

  He was completely covered in blood. His bald head was a deep red, his clothes and hands were soaked in fresh, dripping blood.

  Thunder roared from above, shaking the house violently.

  In one swift movement, Elliot’s face was inches away from my own, his evil smile sending chills down my spine.

  “Get away from me!” I yelled. I tried to scramble out of the bed, but I couldn’t move. “Jo !Wyatt!” I screamed.

  Elliot laughed. “No-one’s coming to save you, Eva.”

  “What did you do to them?” I demanded, tears filling my eyes.

  He pushed his face closer to mine, his eyes wide and deadly.

  “They’re all dead!” he yelled, throwing his head back in a fit of laughter.

  I woke in a fright and sprang up in bed, sweat rolling down my face. I looked around my room, but I was alone. It was just a dream.

  “What a nightmare,” I sighed as I fell back onto the pillow.

  My heart was still pounding when Jo knocked on my door a few minutes later.

  “Eva?” she sang through the door. “Wake up, lovely! Breakfast is nearly ready.”

  “Be right there, Jo,” I called back as I slowly climbed out of bed. I didn’t know how long I had slept for, but—apart from the nightmare—it was the most restful sleep I’d had in days. I stumbled out into the kitchen to see Elliot wearing only boxer shorts and an apron, cooking bacon and eggs. Jo was standing next to him, pouring orange juice into a glass.

  “Juice, Eva?” she asked cheerfully.

  “Thanks.” I sighed in relief when I saw Wyatt sitting at the dining table, chewing on a piece of toast. “Hey, you okay?” I asked as I took a seat next to him.

  “I’ll be alright,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “Sorry I disappeared like that.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t apologise. I get it.”

  He put his toast down and leaned over, hugging me tight.

  “Oh,” Elliot said, as though a realisation just occurred to him. “I see what’s going on here.” Wyatt and I looked over to see him waving his spatula back and forth at us. “You two are a thing, aren’t you?” He grinned.

  Neither of us said anything, but I could feel my cheeks warming into a blush.

  Jo flashed me a cheeky grin. “Yep!” she cooed. “They totally are! And it’s about freaking time, too. I couldn’t stand watching another second of their ‘will they, won’t they’ soap opera.” She rolled her eyes, but then winked at me to show she was just fooling around.

  Elliot elbowed Jo in her side flirtatiously. “What about you? You and short-stuff a thing, too?”

  “Me and Ben?” Jo asked, pretending she had no idea what he was talking about. “No way. I’m free as a bird!”

  Ben emerged from the hallway, looking tired with dark circles under his eyes. He took one look at Elliot and grimaced. “Jeez, man. Don’t you ever wear clothes?” he muttered as he propped himself onto the chair across from me at the table.

  “Nope!” Elliot replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He took Jo’s hand and spun her around, and they started doing a little dance around the kitchen. Ben glared at them, sticking his finger in his mouth and pretending to gag.

  Our laughter was interrupted by barking and scratching on the front door. I got up and let Hunter in, and he thanked me by jumping up and licking my hand, tail wagging furiously.

  “How’d he get outside?” I asked as I knelt down to pat him.

  “I put him out there last night,” Elliot said, the humour he had on his face seconds ago now gone.

  “Why?” Ben asked. Elliot ignored him, scooping the bacon and eggs onto plates. Jo handed me a glass of orange juice before sitting down next to Ben. Elliot walked over, carrying four plates on his arms and placing one in front of each of us.

  “Thanks so much for breakfast, Elliot,” Jo said with a smile. “It looks amazing!”

  “My pleasure,” he replied, reaching over the breakfast bar to get his own plate before sitting down at the head of the table, between me and Ben. “Now that we’re all settled in,” he began, his tone and expression serious. “There are a few things we need to discuss before we eat.”

  “Go ahead,” Wyatt said, nodding.

  “Well,” Elliot began, looking at Ben, “for starters, just because I have solar panels doesn’t mean you can sit around playing Xbox and watching DVDs all day.” Ben opened his mouth to retort but Elliot held up his hand and kept talking. “The power needs to be conserved. As does the water and the food. And if you’re going to live here you need to work for it. I expect you all to do your share of cooking, cleaning, standing watch when it’s needed and tending to the vegetable garden on the roof. Paradise isn’t free, my friends.” He paused and made eye contact with each of us before continuing his speech. “As for security, you will be safe here. I have prepared for everything. I have more than enough weapons for all of us, from samurai swords to machine guns. If we ever need any more supplies, I have a jeep around back that we can use to drive to town, but that won’t be for a while yet.”

  The image of him holding a machine gun in my nightmare flashed into my memory. I pushed it out of my mind and kept listening to what he had to say.

  “This land is far from the nearest town, surrounded by rainforest and the perimeter is protected by a tall fence that zombies can’t get through. However, if one does get through, I have this ...” He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of us. It looked like a little remote control or a beeper. We looked at him curiously, wondering how that could help defend us against zombies. “I have placed sensors in the trees on the outside of the fence and along the driveway. If anything bigger than a wallaby comes too close, this little baby here will vibrate. If that happens, we have two options. Option number one: we collect our weapons and head out to search the perimeter and kill the zombie. Option number two: we collect our weapons and stay here, waiting for them to come to us. Option number two is obviously the safer one, but trust me, option number one sounds like the most fun to me. I can’t wait to make my first kill!” A wicked grin flashed across his face. “Now,” he said as he picked up his knife and fork. “I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have while we enjoy our first breakfast together around this table.” He started cutting into his eggs, signalling to the rest of us that we could do the same.

  Ben folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “I have a question.”

  “Of course you do,” Elliot sighed, not looking up from his plate.

  “These weapons you mentioned, where are they?”

  “Somewhere secure. We don’t need them right now. If we’re in danger, I’ll supply you with everything you need.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “I thought I’d at least get a gun.”

  “Guns are for people who know how and when to use them,” Elliot replied. “Besides, they’re too loud, all they do is attract more zombies. If we do use them, it’s if there’s no other choice.”

  “Fine,” Ben said. “Okay, riddle me this, Rambo. You’ve got solar panels and a satellite dish, but when I turned the TV on yesterday there was noth
ing but static. What’s up with that?”

  Elliot froze for a second, thinking about his answer. “It was all working fine, even after the rest of the country lost the connection. But ... a storm hit two days ago—a big one. I’m surprised you didn’t get caught in it on the way up. Lightning struck the satellite dish and I lost the feed.”

  “I have a question,” Jo said, raising her hand as though she was in school.

  Elliot looked up at her and smiled. “Yes?”

  “Wyatt said you had a bunker, can we see it?”

  Elliot shot a quick glance at Wyatt before answering her question. “No. No-one goes in the bunker. It is strictly for emergency only. Only when there is no other option do we even consider it. Until then, it’s hidden. But don’t worry,” he added, smiling again. “There’s nothing interesting in there, anyway. Just canned food and supplies.”

  Ben bit off a piece of bacon. “So, that’s the plan then? To stay here?”

  “Did you have something else in mind?” Elliot asked.

  “Well, no offense, man,” Ben said, taking another bite. “This is an awesome hideout, but you’re talking like we’re gonna be here forever. We might be safe for a while, but let’s not kid ourselves; we can’t stay here very long. We need to get out of Australia. I say we go down to the port, grab a luxury yacht and head for Bali, or New Zealand, or somewhere far, far away.”

  Elliot furrowed his brow. “I don’t know what good that will do. With the virus spreading like wildfire all over the world, the safest place to be is right here.”

  We all stared at him in shock.

  Wyatt cleared his throat. “What do you mean, Elliot? Only Australia is infected, right?”

  Elliot dropped his knife and fork loudly onto his plate, eyes wide in disbelief. “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?” Ben asked.

  “The world’s gone,” he said bluntly. “They’re all dead.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Silence filled the room.

  My heart was pounding so loudly it sounded like it was sitting right between my ears. I felt my skin break out into a cold sweat as the reality of what Elliot had said started to sink in.