“Your people?” Melinda asked.
My head bobbed. I tried to get to my feet but I was too weak. It was like I was fully feeling the beating I had taken.
“Hey!” Melinda shouted as she waved. “Stevie needs you!”
I could see Shawn between the legs of the women surrounding me. He dropped something and started running.
“Stevie!” he called as he pushed through the group.
Our eyes met and he dropped down in the mud next to me. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
“Ow,” I said wincing. The pain didn’t stop me from squeezing him back.
“Jesus, Stevie,” he said placing his hands on my face. “What happened to you?”
I swallowed hard. “They didn’t like me.”
“Crazy talk,” Shawn said. “Everyone loves you. They all came out here to get you back.”
I bit my lip as Shawn stared into my eyes.
He kept his voice low. “I was worried I’d never see you again.”
Shawn pulled me close and kissed me. I kissed him back as if filling myself with oxygen. I hadn’t realized how hard it was to breathe without Shawn at my side.
“I love you,” I said.
“Oh, God,” Shawn said. “You have no idea how amazing that is to hear right now. I love you too.”
Gage dropped down beside me, shoving Shawn to the side. “Dammit, Stevie. You can’t do shit like that.”
Shawn held out his hands at his sides. “Seriously?”
I laughed as Gage hugged me. “I missed you too,”
“Are you okay?” Gage asked. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Help me up.”
Gage and Shawn each took an arm. Shawn wrapped an arm around me and I leaned on him.
“Everyone, this is everyone,” I said.
The women were apprehensive but they smiled and nodded at my friends. I noticed Kieran and Jake weren’t there but that wasn’t surprising.
“Is Jake okay?” I asked.
“He’s hanging in there,” Gage said.
“Good,” I said reaching into my pocket. “Because I got this.”
A smile stretched across Shawn’s face. “You’re freaking amazing.”
“Before we go back and give him the good news, we have to go back to the town and finish what you started,” Gage said. “For our own safety.”
“I’ll lead everyone back,” Ella said. “You should come with us, Stevie.”
Shawn’s head was bobbing in agreement but I shook mine.
“I’m fine. I’ll be able to help,” I said.
The walk back went quicker during the day than it had at night. It wasn’t long before I saw the bodies scattered on the ground.
Men… and women.
So many lives were lost.
I showed everyone around. If any of the men had survived, they were long gone… except for one.
Zachary stood there in the doorway of his house. He had no intention of running. I could also tell that he hadn’t joined in the fight.
“Who’s this guy?” Shawn asked.
“The one that was in charge,” I said.
“Are you happy?” Zachary shouted as he pounded his fists on the doorframe. “Is this what you wanted?”
It stunned me that I wasn’t more afraid of the man who had ordered my beating. The man that sat there and watched as if it were entertainment.
“Me?” I asked with a laugh. “I wasn’t the one keeping people locked up.”
We stopped on the sidewalk in front of his house. Gage had been on my right but he took a step ahead of Shawn and me, ready to confront Zachary. Nearly my entire group of people stood bravely behind us.
“This is far from over. I will rebuild,” Zachary said with a smirk as he waved his pistol at us. He didn’t care that he was outnumbered.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Gage said raising up his gun. “This couldn’t be more over.”
Zachary took several steps toward us. Rain poured down on him, plastering his hair to his forehead.
“I won’t go out alone,” Zachary said holding my gaze.
He raised his arms up at his sides, palms up toward the sky. His hands were nearly up to shoulder height when a gunshot from my left shook me.
My breath was stuck in my throat. I turned to Shawn, who was still holding his gun up as if he wasn’t sure he was finished.
“He deserved it,” Shawn said staring at Zachary’s body. His breaths hit him hard. It seemed as though he had gone somewhere else.
I placed my hand on the gun and eased it down. I looked into Shawn’s eyes, trying to bring him back.
“He did,” I said.
Shawn blinked several times before handing the gun to Noah. He wrapped his arms around me.
“Let’s go home,” Shawn said.
I exhaled. “Yeah, let’s go home.”
Most of us headed south. Gage and some of the others did a quick sweep of the area before catching up.
Everyone welcomed me back and told me how much they missed me. I told them all how much I had missed them too.
I couldn’t wait to get back home. And I was glad we no longer had to worry about the people in the town.
Once we finally reached the compound, some wanted to celebrate. I was far too tired and sore to do much of anything. Not to mention, I didn’t feel like there was anything to celebrate. Too many lives had been lost.
There were still things for us to worry about. The wild animals were still out there, and there was still a possibility there were others out there.
Kieran patched me up while Gage made plans with the others to go back to the town to take what they could. I was exhausted and all I could think about was sleep.
I rested my head on Shawn’s shoulder. Gage climbed up on the coffee table and held up his can of warm beer.
He flapped his hands and everyone quieted down.
“I just want to say how incredibly happy I am to have Stevie back,” Gage said. Everyone cheered and my cheeks reddened. “We wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for her. When the wave first hit in Florida, she saved me and every day since then, she’s continued to save me.”
“Get a room,” Shawn shouted.
I smacked him and everyone laughed.
“Seriously, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. A lot of us wouldn’t be,” Gage said.
The women from the town clapped. From across the room, Melinda tipped her invisible hat to me.
“She doesn’t know how awesome she is,” Gage continued. “She has made this compound everything it is and it’s only going to keep getting better.”
“Oh, stop it,” I said keeping my eyes down. The attention was making me sweat. “This place is what it is because of all of you. But I agree, it is going to keep getting better. Now, if you’ll all go home so I can get some rest, I’d really appreciate it.”
“Party next door!” someone shouted.
Melinda held her hands up. “Woo hoo!”
Tami and Abigail clapped enthusiastically. They were definitely going to enjoy their freedom.
I smiled and waved as everyone left. Shawn helped me up to bed. He kissed my forehead and I slept. And I slept.
Over the next few weeks, a handful of survivors made their way to us but it wasn’t many. Those joining us had slowed down to the point where I didn’t think we’d see anyone new again.
We’d helped so many people find a place to stay where they felt safe, or at least safe enough. The women from the town, a man who survived earthquakes in California, a young woman who’d lost the love of her life, and so many others were with us. They all had a story.
Everyone pitched in where they could. Our community worked together better than the world before The Reset.
Despite everything people had gone through, they seemed happy enough. Gage was happier ever since he started spending more time with Melinda.
And every morning, I thanked God I was with Shawn again. I rolled over and kis
sed his cheek, taking care not to wake him.
I got dressed and went downstairs before anyone else was up, like I always did. I liked to make sure everything was in order in the kitchen and that I’d know what we needed to work on each day.
Noah had been sitting in the chair at the window but I’d sent him to get some sleep. Even though we had other people stationed through the property to keep watch, we still liked to have someone watching the house.
Gage came down the stairs as I was picking up the gun. “Going somewhere?”
“Just getting some air,” I replied.
“Mind if I join you?” Gage asked. “I need to keep an eye on you.”
I raised a brow. “Was that Melinda I saw going up the stairs with you last night?”
“A gentleman doesn’t speak of such things,” Gage said fluttering his eyelashes.
I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind us. The air seemed a touch warmer than usual and the rain was just a drizzle.
I held out my cupped hand and let the rainfall into it. It was cool in my hand.
“This is the lightest the rain has been since this all happened,” I said turning to Gage.
“Think I could run between the drops and stay dry?” Gage asked.
I shook my head. “Feel free to try it.”
“I would but this is my favorite outfit.”
“Sure,” I said closing my eyes as I turned my head to the sky.
I took a step forward and let the rain wash down over me. It was like I wanted to show the rain that I wasn’t afraid of it. That I wasn’t going to let it hold power over me.
A smile curled my lips and I opened my eyes. Instead of letting out the massive breath I’d pulled in, I choked on it.
“Gage,” I said grabbing his arm. I pointed up toward the sky. “Look!”
There was a break in the clouds. It was like giant hands were gently pulling apart the gray clouds that blanketed the sky.
“Holy shit!” Gage said looking around as if trying to determine if he was awake. He ran his hands through his hair and laughed.
I could see the outline of them behind the thin clouds. It became brighter and brighter with each passing second. Before I knew it, the sun was too bright and I couldn’t look at it.
“Look away,” Gage said with a chuckle. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. “This can’t be real, can it?”
“It seems real. It feels real.”
“It won’t stay like this,” Gage said.
We both stood there, frozen in place, staring at the sky. We waited for the clouds to grow angry and cover the sun once again.
But it didn’t happen.
I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, drying the rain droplets that were desperately trying to cling to me. A laugh erupted from deep within.
“Did we do it?” I asked in a soft voice. “Did we actually make it?”
“This is unbelievable,” Gage said. He held out his hands as if he were trying to collect the sunlight, just in case it would vanish again.
The sun continued to grow and push away the rain clouds. I could see the brightest, bluest sky expanding above us.
I turned to Gage and hugged him. We had somehow survived together.
“It’s not going to last,” Gage said but the smile on his face showed he hoped he was wrong.
The clouds were pulling apart for as far as I could see. It seemed as though it was finally… over.
“The sun is going to win,” I said with so much positivity in my voice I barely recognized myself.
It was the first time in a long time, I thought we were actually going to be okay. With the sunlight, plants would grow again. The earth would be dry. We could build a fence to keep everything we had protected.
We would be safe.
It wasn’t going to happen overnight but we’d be able to rebuild. I knew things wouldn’t be how they’d been for a long time but at least with the sunlight, we could all have hope again that one day, we’d get there.
Maybe we’d get somewhere better.
We’d be warm.
We’d be dry.
We’d be the ones to start rebuilding. And I knew we’d be okay.
The others started to come out of the houses. Some smiled. Some wore expressions of surprise or shock.
I turned toward the house, barely able to contain myself. I opened the door and my voice burst from deep inside. “Shawn!”
What’s next?
Thank you for reading The Reset Series by Kellee L. Greene. If you enjoyed this series please consider leaving a review. While she’s hard at work on the next series, feel free to sign up for the mailing list so you can be one of the first to know when it’s released!
Need something to read while you wait? Give Ravaged Land a try!
Books By Kellee L. Greene
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Swamp - Book 4
Torrent - Book 5
Striking - Book 6
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
Red Sky Series
Red Sky - Book 1
Blue Cloud - Book 2
Black Rain - Book 3
White Dust - Book 4
Indigo Ice - Book 5
Yellow Heat - Book 6
Ravaged Land Series (1)
Ravaged Land -Book 1
Finding Home - Book 2
Crashing Down - Book 3
Running Away - Book 4
Escaping Fear - Book 5
Fighting Back - Book 6
Ravaged Land: Divided Series (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
Falling Darkness Series
Unholy - Book 1
Uprising - Book 2
Hunted - Book 3
The Island Series
The Island - Book 1
The Fight - Book 2
The Escape - Book 3
The Erased - Book 4
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
Mailing List
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About the Author
Kellee L. Greene is a stay-at-home-mom to two super awesome and wonderfully sassy children. She loves to read, draw and spend time with her family when she’s not writing. Writing and having people read her books has been a long time dream of hers and she’s excited to write more. Her favorites genres are Fantasy and Sci-fi. Kellee lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two kids and two cats.
For more information:
www.kelleelgreene.com
The Reset Series | Book 6 | Striking Page 15