After The Apocalypse: The Complete Series Box Set: After The Apocalypse

By Gen Griffin

It has been 28 years, 14 weeks and 9 days since a virus turned more than half of the world's human population into zombies. More than 95 percent of the population died within 6 months of the initial infection. Those who survived holed up wherever they could find safety. 

Pilar's parents found safety in the Cube, a building that was originally built as a prison for violent criminals. Her mother always told her the sacrifices they made to live in the Cube were worth it because they were safe. Pilar never questioned her safety until the day her parents disappeared without a trace from inside their apartment. 

Thrust unexpectedly into a world where no one can be trusted, Pilar has to learn to think on her feet as she's faced with friends who have turned into enemies, enemies who have turned into friends, prophecies that may or may not be true and the ever present threat of being eaten by zombies. 

Torn between survival and a fate far worse than death, the actions Pilar takes will determine the fate of everyone she loves. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gen Griffin
• Release date: Oct 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781517249601

Book preview

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

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AFTER THE APOCALYPSE

COMPLETE SERIES BOX SET

Copyright © 2014 by Gen Griffin

All rights reserved.

ASIN: B01523MPQQ

ISBN-13: 978-1517249601

ISBN-10: 1517249600

EBOOK ISBN:

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Also By Gen Griffin

The Possum Creek Series

Lord Have Mercy (Prequel Novella)

Hot Southern Mess

Hissy Fit

Hot Southern Nights

Pretty Is As Pretty Does

Give Me Some Sugar (Coming Soon)

After The Apocalypse

The Scavengers

Church of Chaos

False Idols

After the Apocalypse Complete Series Box Set

the

scavengers

AFTER THE APOCALYPSE

BOOK ONE

Prologue

"Oh great. It’s you. I thought you’d given up on trying to sneak into our parties. You know you don’t belong here." The brown haired girl who guarded the entry to Cell Block B hadn’t changed much in the last 6 months. The tips of her stringy curls were pink now instead of black. Her blueberry printed t-shirt was as tight as a second skin. It clung to every ripple on her skinny stomach and showed every rib, as was the fashion lately. She held out her hand expectantly.

It took me several seconds longer than it should have to realize that she wanted to see the little scrap of blue paper Drake had pressed into my hand as we’d left the assembly. I stuck my left hand into my bag, almost hoping I’d lost the sweaty little piece of paper.

Ugh. The girl sighed with obvious irritation as she watched me dig. Why don’t you spare us both the embarrassment and just go back to Block E. I know you don’t have an invite.

I was incredibly tempted just to walk away. Losing the invite would give me an excuse to turn around, go back to my own bed and crawl under the covers for the next three days. Except that, as of yesterday evening, I didn’t have my own bed anymore. I shuddered and pulled the invite free of the purse lint. I pressed it into the girl’s outstretched hand and smiled at her, not kindly. Actually, I do have an invite.

The girl raised a heavily plucked eyebrow at me as she took it. Who’d you beg this off of? She dangled the invite in the air as if it were a particularly disgusting bug that needed inspection.

No one. Drake Bledsoe gave it to me. I wasn’t trying to brag. I just couldn’t see any point in standing around at the entrance to the party while the door guard debated whether or not I was truly cool enough to be let inside.

"Drake invited you?" The girl did a double take. She looked me up and down. I could feel disapproval, maybe even disgust, radiating off of her as she took in my chaotic, frizzy curls and the frayed hem of my favorite, and only, party dress. The blue taffeta skirt had been heavily beaded twenty or thirty years ago. Now half of the beads were missing. Most had fallen off as the glue that held them on had aged. Some had torn off when the dress had snagged on one object or another. Missing beads or not, the dress was still the nicest piece of clothing I owned. Unfortunately, it was shabby and borderline ugly compared to the dresses that the girls who lived in Block B owned. I should probably have been ashamed, but I was too exhausted to be embarrassed.

Instead I nodded and shrugged at the girl. Why would I lie?

She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something and then thought better of it. I think you’re telling stories-, she started as a burly guy in a tight black shirt joined her at the door.

You having problems Danni? He asked. He had short, close cropped orange hair and flat, black eyes. He stared down at me for a minute as Danni held up my invite. His look wasn’t nearly as unfriendly as I had been expecting.

She says Drake invited her, Danni the door guard told the newcomer. The disbelief was clear in her voice.

Of course he did, the new guy replied. He smiled down at me. He had a lot of teeth. Far too many for his mouth. You don’t know who she is?

Um, no. Should I? Danni stared at him with obvious distaste.

Get out of the way, Danni. The guy put one arm across her midriff and pulled her to the side of the door. He gestured for me to walk past her. This is the girl who stood up in the middle of the assembly today and called the Powers That Be ‘bloody fucking liars’. He grinned at me.

What?! Danni gaped at me and then looked back up at him. "I heard about that but I thought Noah was screwing with me. She’s that girl?"

I am, I admitted with barely a nod.

Well, that changes everything. Danni smiled at me and held out her arm. Come on in. Let me show you around.

I’ll be fine on my own, I said as I walked past her into the crowded, sweaty blue-tinted chaos of my very first Block B party.

The wall-to-floor projection screen that covered the back wall of the large community room I’d just walked into was the largest I'd ever seen. A movie I recognized, Grease, was playing on the screen while music wailed from a heavy duty speaker system that had been set up a few feet away from where the screen ended. The band that was occupying the makeshift stage – a collection of cafeteria tables that had been shoved together for the occasion- was doing more screaming and wailing than singing. The drummer was pounding out heavy, tribal beats that echoed hard against the cement block walls. The light bulbs on the ceiling had been painted blue, creating a twisted, dim light that made me feel like my head was being held under water.

People were tripping all over one another as they danced to the thick, heavy music. This was one of the largest rooms in the Cube but the crowd was so large that there was barely enough space for me to walk without bumping into people. Glitter covered the floor. It was blowing out of fans that had been set up on the edges of the room to try to alleviate the suffocating heat. The fans weren’t doing much for the heat but I could see sparkles flickering off my own nose as I walked past one.

I fought the urge to bolt right back out the door I’d just come through. This was nothing like the modest, polite parties Blocks E and D held twice a year. Parties where everyone stood around, sipped watered down punch and chatted about what their neighbors had been doing last night. Of course, no one was fighting to get invitations to the Block E parties. I took a deep breath and choked on the glitter in the air. Glitter, if you have ever wondered, tastes terrible.

Someone laughed beside me. I turned to see a guy with pink hair wearing a sequined tank top. He was shaking his hips at me and then thrusting. He grabbed my arm and began to pull me further into the throbbing, pulsing crowd. I started to pull away from him. I wasn’t used to being grabbed by anyone, let alone by strange men. He frowned at me with pink painted lips and gestured to the crowd. He tried to speak but the beating of the drums drowned out his words. He held one hand out to me again. I cast a glance back towards the door I’d entered through and was stunned to realize that the crowd had overtaken it. I wasn’t going to be able to leave now, even if I wanted to. I looked back down at the strange boy’s hand and then I put my own palm in his. What did I really have to lose by dancing with this stranger?

Nothing.

Especially considering that I’d already lost everything in my life that mattered.

I closed my eyes and focused on losing myself to the beat of the drums. I didn’t want to think about my life right now. I didn’t want to think about Julie and the ridiculous lobster costume she’d worn the last time we’d tried to gain entrance to a Block B party. I didn’t want to remember her fire engine red hair or the loosely knotted scarves she’d fashioned into a bikini. Julie, running barefoot through the halls and howling with laughter after we’d been caught trying to sneak into Block B through the kitchen. Julie had only had a handful of goals in life. One of them had been to get into a Block B party. Another had been to get Drake Bledsoe to notice she was alive.

I’d accidentally accomplished both in a single day. Turns out, all a girl had to do to catch Drake’s eye was lose her mind during the assembly session that followed the monthly public meeting of the Powers That Be.

I hadn’t meant to cause a scene. Truly, I hadn’t. My intention had been to simply get up to the podium and request assistance in locating my missing parents. I hadn’t lost my temper until Bud Moon, chairman of the Powers That Be, had told me that my parents elected to leave the Cube without me. He'd told me he felt sorry for me because Mom and Dad had abandoned me, but that there was nothing he cared to do about it.

I opened my eyes and shook my head, trying to focus on the dancing mass of humanity in front of me. I’d come to this party so I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the night lying in bed remembering that Bud Moon was a heartless liar and I’d said as much. With over 4,000 people watching.

The beat of the music slowed slightly. The pink-haired boy disappeared from in front of me. He was replaced with a brown-eyed girl wearing a dress made of plastic wrap. She put her hands on my hips and waltzed me through the crowd, crashing into half the other couples who were attempting to do the same thing. A boy in a blue jacket cut in between us, taking the brown-eyed girl away from me. For a moment I was alone in the center of the throbbing crowd of dancers and then a man I recognized took hold of my arm.

Conner Vaughn was a legend in the Cube. At 27, he was the oldest member of the Scavengers. He was also the most frightening. Well over 6 feet tall, Conner was easily 300 pounds of solid, hairy muscle. Tonight, he was wearing a pair of black leather pants with no shirt. A knife studded weapons belt wrapped across one shoulder and down towards his stomach. Thick gold chains were looped around his neck. His bleached-white beard was so long that it brushed the top of my forehead when he pulled me into him with a savage grin.

Hello, little one. Conner sneered down at me. You’re not so special, you know.

I never said I was. I forced myself to meet his fire-kissed brown eyes. Conner Vaughn was the kind of guy you crossed the room to avoid. He had a reputation for having his way with girls from the other Blocks. Heat rolled off his skin and the aroma of his body odor threatened to knock me to my knees.

Drake wants you, Conner informed me. He began to tow me back through the crowd, heading towards the back of the room.

Fighting would have been futile, so I let him drag me across the dance floor. People literally tripped over themselves in an effort to get out of Conner's way. One of my flat silken shoes twisted and came halfway off my foot. I tried to stop to fix it and Conner nearly yanked me off my feet. His grip bit down into my upper arm. Let me fix my shoe, I told him.

He grunted but paused momentarily so that I could slip the fabric shell back over my heel. We were only twenty feet or so from the exclusive fenced off area at the back of the room. I could see Drake Bledsoe, Captain of the Scavengers and god with a little 'g', stretched out across a couch with his bare feet propped on a thin girl's back as if she were an ottoman. A short blonde girl was rubbing his toes while another held his drink up as if she were a human cup-holder. Drake Bledsoe and his loyal worshipers. Funny how much I would have given to be one of those worshipers six months ago. Funny how I didn't care now. I straightened my shoulders and tugged my arm loose of Conner's grip. I'm going to him willingly. You don't have to drag me like I'm an insolent toddler.

You're a stupid little girl, Conner said as he leered down over me. If you had any sense, you would run away now.

I wouldn't be here if I were smart, I said as I sucked in my breath.

Conner lowered his head until we were very nearly eye level. I didn't flinch despite the horrible, fetid aroma of his breath. Not much could make me flinch after 6 years working in the hospital wing of the Cube. Conner let out a low laugh. You will get yourself killed.

At least I'll have died for a reason, I replied. I took a step back from him and began walking towards the gate that separated the gods from the rest of us mere mortals. The green-haired kid guarding the gate started to hold up his hand and stop me, but then he caught sight of Conner and stepped out of our way. Two seconds later I was in the heart of Block B. The Scavengers den. The chain fence that separated this part of the room from the rest of the party was topped with razor wire. There were countless knives and blades tethered to the gaps in the chain. The weapons weren't decorative.

I didn't even hesitate as I walked into the chaos. I didn't allow myself to stop and stare at the lushly carpeted floor or the half-naked girls dancing on massive wooden spools in the corners of the room. I didn't allow myself the luxury of comparing their sleek clothing with my fluffy old dress. Running away had never been so tempting and yet I knew I would never do it. Instead, I walked over to where Drake was sitting and elbowed cup holder girl out of my way.

Drake grinned up at me. Hello Beautiful. I was wondering how long it would take you to find your way to me.

"He was almost too beautiful for my eyes to process. Thick dark blonde hair that fell in delicate waves despite a short haircut. Skin the color of coffee with too much creamer in it, stretched out over thick muscle. Golden eyes rimmed with thick black lashes. He shot me a wide grin and held one hand out to me.

I put my palm in his, relishing the warmth of his calloused skin against mine. You said you wanted to talk to me?

I said I wanted you, Drake clarified. He stood up, brushing away his followers as if they were nothing more than moths that were drawn to his light. He was significantly taller than I was. My head only came up to his shoulder.

I said I wasn't for sale, I reminded him.

Never said I was buying, Drake countered. You impressed me today in the assembly.

My parents didn't flee the Cube, I said flatly. They wouldn't have run away. They wouldn't have left me behind if they had.

I can't do anything about your parents, Pilar. The Powers That Be have already given you an official judgment on your parents-.

The Powers That Be are wrong. I interrupted him. My voice was more forceful than I had meant it to be.

Drake pressed one finger against my lips. The pressure he applied wasn't exactly gentle. Hush Pilar. I'm about to make you an offer that I won't make twice. Are you listening to me?

I nodded. His skin tasted strange against my lips.

I want you to become a Scavenger.

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. A lump appeared instantly in my throat but I swallowed it. I've heard the waiting list is three years long.

The waiting list is three years long for people who want to be Scavengers. It's a little different when I'm the one doing the wanting. We're leaving the Cube for our next hunt in two days. I want you with us.

You're asking me to join the Scavengers. My hands started to shake and my knees quivered. Being asked to join the Scavengers was unheard of. I don't have any training, I whispered.

I'll teach you everything, Drake replied.

When do we leave? I asked.

Chapter 1

It has been 28 years, 14 weeks and 9 days since a virus turned more than half the world's human population into flesh eating zombies.

Between the people who were turned into zombies and those who were eaten by the zombies, more than 95 percent of the population died within 6 months of the initial infection. Those who survived holed up wherever they could find safety.

My parents had found safety in the Cube. According to my father, the building had originally been intended as a prison for extremely violent offenders. Construction hadn't quite been finished when the Cube had been re-purposed as housing for survivors. Life inside the Cube is just as restrictive as you would imagine life in a maximum security prison would be, but we are safe.

Mom and Dad have always told me the sacrifices we made to live in the Cube were worth it because we were safe.

It’s been 13 days, 12 hours and 42 minutes since my parents disappeared without a trace from our apartment inside the Cube.

In two hours, I was going to leave the Cube for the very first time in my life. My hands refused to stop shaking as I ran my fingers against the laces on my father's old hunting boots. The soles were cracked and the leather incredibly frail. The laces had been knotted together in the places where they have worn through and the gray-white cord in the center is showing on the outside. The boots are easily 3 sizes too big for me, but I'm going to have to make do. You can't get new boots inside the Cube. There's no leather for the uppers. There's no rubber to make the soles out of.

If I'm lucky I'll be able to find a newer pair that fit me better on the hunting trip. If I'm unlucky, I'll trip on the stupid things and get eaten by a zombie.

It’s the luck of the draw.

Shame I've never been real lucky.

I was so nervous that I'd already thrown up all the spoonfuls of my nasty little refried bean and cheese breakfast. The beans tasted better on the way up then they did going down. Probably because they were moving at a faster rate of speed.

I'm glad you decided to join us. Drake's voice echoed through the early morning darkness from behind me. I turned around and forced myself to smile at him. His golden eyes almost matched the dark amber pendant he wears chained around his throat. His chest, legs and arms ripple with muscle under a fitted black jacket and seamless black pants. His boots are beautiful shiny black leather, polished and free of the wear and tear that plagues almost everything in the Cube.

Drake has always been beautiful and I suppose he always will be, but I no longer stop and stare whenever I catch sight of him. I stopped openly drooling after Drake when Julie died. Turns out the frivolous amusement of unrequited love isn't nearly as much fun when you have no one at all to share your obsession with.

I like your boots, I told him. It seemed rude not to reply when he spoke to me but the truth was I didn't have any idea what to say to the boy who I'd spent hundreds of hours holding fantasy conversations with inside my own head.

The Scavengers always have the best things, Drake pointed out calmly. Of course, we're also the most likely to die.

Is it worth it? I hadn't meant to ask the question but the words spilled out of my lips on their own.

Dying? Drake asked.

Being a Scavenger.

I've got a waiting list with three hundred and fifty names on it. That means there are at least 350 other people in the Cube right now who would be willing to take your place here today if you don't want it. Must be worth something. Drake pulled a heavy knife off his belt and began polishing the blade with the hem of his t-shirt.

I didn't ask how long the waiting list was, I clarified. I asked you if you think it’s worth it. If you went back in time and you had to do it all over again, would you become a Scavenger?

Drake hesitated for a brief second and then shrugged. I'd rather be a Scavenger than a sheep.

A sheep? I asked, confused.

Sheeple, Conner said as he strode into the room. He was dressed head to toe in worn out leather and carrying a heavy backpack slung over his right shoulder. A gun, strictly forbidden by the Powers That Be, was proudly displayed on his hip.

Sheeple?

That's what we call-.

No, we don't. Drake made a slicing gesture at Conner's throat. We don't.

Conner laughed harshly. I do.

You don't either.

Conner leered down at me. We're the Scavengers. Everyone too scared to go out and fend for themselves in the big bad world-.

Sheeple, I said. Sheep people.

We don't really call them that, Drake snapped. I looked up into his gorgeous golden eyes and realized he was lying.

It's okay. I get it. I swallowed the taste of burned out beans on my tongue and hoped my voice came out as steady as it sounded in my head.

Conner laughed and thumped me hard on the shoulder. My knees nearly buckled. It's okay, Drake. She gets it.

Drake raised one of his beautiful, perfectly arched eyebrows at me and shot me a look that could only be described as skeptical. I knew what he was seeing: a stocky girl with little muscle tone, olive colored skin, frizzy hair and sunken brown eyes with deep, dark circles underneath. My clothes had been my Dad's and they were all about 4 sizes too big for me. My own clothes simply weren't suited for leaving the Cube. I'd treated too many newly initiated Scavengers for frostbite and incurable infections during my years in the hospital ward.

Seven out of ten cadets die within their first three hunting trips, Drake informed me of a fact I already knew. Nine out of ten die within the first year. It's not too late for you to run away.

I don't run away. I tried my best to ignore the churning in my stomach. Throwing up stomach acid on Drake Bledsoe's boots wouldn't earn me any bonus points.

Everyone runs away when shit gets real enough, Conner said with a shake of his head. Hell, we're running away right now. I am anyways. How about you, Kennedy?

A slender boy with spiky red hair and too many freckles had just come through the door. He was wearing a baggy dark green military style jacket and rumpled jeans. He looked as if he had slept in his clothes for the last three weeks. How about what?

You running away? Conner asked.

From the Cube? Kennedy tossed his own backpack through the open door of the armor plated school bus that they used to carry supplies during their hunts. Hell yes. I hate it in here. It’s so stuffy. Too many people in here. I can't breathe air that someone else just exhaled.

Conner and Drake both laughed. For the first time wondered if maybe I was in the right place after all. I always feel like I'm choking, I whispered.

Kennedy looked directly at me for the first time. His eyes were bright blue and slanted. Everybody always feels like they're choking in the Cube. If I weren't a Scavenger, I'd have clawed my way through the walls after the Brickyard burned.

Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage, Conner hummed the words.

Without thinking about it, I touched the outside of the jacket pocket to confirm my secret weapon was still safely secured against my skin. I could feel the cool metal barrel through the coarse fabric and I smiled.

Dad's secret was now my secret. It was also my truth. The Powers That Be could lie through their teeth about how my parents must have escaped the Cube in search of a better life but I wasn't about to buy their story. If Dad had left the Cube on his own, he would have taken his gun with him.

He wouldn't have left me behind either.

I'm ready to go, I told them.

Us too, Conner said. We can leave just as soon as Shayla drags her slutty ass out of bed and-

Who are you calling a slut, you whore? A female voice demanded as the door opened one more time. Shayla Coppervox strode into the room like she owned it. Her long cherry streaked hair hung almost to her hips and her neck was thick with chains and gemstones. The jewelry almost made her look like she was wearing an actual shirt when in reality she had a gray silken scarf tied across her chest so that it just barely covered her breasts. Her entire midriff was exposed down to the waistband of her very low-rise and skintight blue jeans. Dark brown thigh high boots overlapped the jeans.

At least I don't bring my toys on hunts with us, Conner snapped back. He gestured to the tall, slender boy with blonde hair was following closely at Shayla's heels. His black jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt were practical but lacked the quality seen in the other Scavenger's wardrobe choices. He appeared to be lugging both his bags and Shayla's.

I couldn't remember seeing him at any of the recent ceremonies where the Scavenger's bounties were displayed for the citizens of the Cube. He had to be new to the Scavengers, though judging by the sword on his hip, I was assuming this wasn't his first hunt.

Your loss, Shayla told Conner as she blew him a kiss. She focused her attention on Drake. Time to go?

Almost. Waiting on one more, Drake said.

Tell me it’s not that whiny, worthless little blonde again, Shayla said.

Cya Gree, Drake said.

We need to cut that one loose, Drake. Conner had taken Shayla's bags from the blonde boy. He began loading them onto the bus. She can't fight. She can't run. She isn't strong enough to carry no supplies. She's weak.

Shush, Kennedy said. He pointed down the hallway. She's coming.

I don't care if she hears me, Conner said as an almost impossibly petite girl entered the room.

I hated to admit that I could see why Conner thought this girl was weak. She was under five feet tall and built so slightly that she would likely always have the physique of a young girl rather than a mature woman. Her white-blonde hair was chopped short just above her jaw line. Her t-shirt was a shockingly bright lime green compared to the dark browns and blacks that all the other Scavengers were wearing. It even had sparkles sewn into the fabric. Her pants were purple with fabric so thin that it might as well have been see-thru. Her shoes were impractical silk slippers with no sole. I couldn't see any weapons on her person, but I hoped she'd tucked them in the bejeweled lilac purse she'd opted to carry instead of a backpack or duffel bag.

Hi, Cya said.

You're late, Conner snapped at her.

She blinked at him and then narrowed her pretty blue eyes. No, I'm not. We're not scheduled to leave until 8 am. It's only 6:23 now.

Everyone else was ready to leave 20 minutes ago, Drake said mildly.

Our schedules say we leave at 8, Cya repeated.

I say we leave now, Conner said.

Not arguing, Kennedy agreed.

I took a deep breath and nodded when Drake looked over at me.

Drake bared his teeth in a false impression of a smile. Time to go hunting.

Chapter 2

The bus had heavy bars welded over the busted glass windows and frayed blue vinyl seats. The engine coughed and hacked as the bus rumbled through the heavy garage door and into the brickyard. I focused my attention on the other Scavengers in hopes of not seeing the scorched black earth and scalded, crumbling wall that made up the outer wall of Cube.

Up until last year, the brickyard had been my favorite part of the Cube. I loved going outside into the bright sunlight and sitting in the warm air watching people walk, talk and play in the long field of dirt that surrounded the Cube.

The Powers That Be had welded the door between the Brickyard and Cube closed after the fire. We weren't allowed to go outside anymore. It was too dangerous.

As the ancient bus rumbled into the sun I involuntarily took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I had missed the feeling of the sun on my skin so badly since the fire. I could taste the fall air on my tongue. I had crisp, fresh, moist air in my lungs for the first time in a year and a half. It was ecstasy.

Feels good, doesn't it?

I opened my eyes to see that the blonde haired boy who had been trailing after Shayla earlier was now sitting in the seat behind me. He grinned from ear to ear as he took deep, gulping breaths of the fresh air.

It almost makes it worth signing my life away to the Scavengers, I admitted with a guilty smile.

He shrugged his shoulders. I think they make it out to be worse than it is, he told me. Last time we went out we were outside the Cube four days and never even saw a single zombie.

Really? I had a hard time believing that. Mom always told me you could hardly take two steps outside the Cube without getting snapped at by a zombie. I'd expected the bus to get mobbed with rotting flesh the moment it passed through the heavy gates.

The quiet, cracked asphalt road and surrounding trees were a bit of a letdown in comparison to the monstrous images that had kept me awake all of the previous night.

Really, the boy confirmed. I'm Jeb Moon, by the way. He held out one hand and I shook it.

Pilar Augustus, I introduced myself. You would think that you wouldn't meet a whole lot of strangers when you'd grown up in a giant concrete box that no one ever left, but the opposite was true. The Cube was severely overcrowded. My Dad had always told me that the Cube had been built to house roughly 3,000 people. It was currently occupied by approximately 7,674 people. Over 4,000 too many for the facility to hold comfortably.

Certain groups of individuals, like the Scavengers or the Powers That Be, were celebrities. Everyone else was just someone you had to elbow out of your way on food distribution day.

I still couldn't remember if I had seen Jeb on stage with the rest of the Scavengers during the last assembly. Not that it really mattered if he'd been there or not. I did remember the feeling of my Mom's fingers squeezing all the blood out of mine as a truck load of canned goods were brought into the cafeteria. The Scavengers had delivered 3,492 cans, to be exact. It seemed like a lot of food but it hadn't been nearly as much as we'd needed. 3,492 cans of refried beans and creamed corn didn't do much to feed 7,674 people long term.

Dad said it was only a matter of time before we ran out of food inside the Cube. He'd been very vocal in trying to draw attention to what he saw as a serious problem with the way the Powers That Be were handling our ever worsening food shortage.

Dad had said we, the citizens of the Cube, could not survive another 30 years on increasingly rancid and mushy canned goods. He said it was impractical and unrealistic of the Powers That Be not to have figured out another way to feed the masses by now, especially since no new canned goods had been manufactured since the apocalypse.

Dad had been loudly critical of the decision to close off the brickyard and discontinue the vegetable garden after the fire. Granted, the meager crop of veggies that had been coaxed out of the less than fertile soil hadn't been nearly enough to feed everyone but it had been something. When I was a little girl there had been animals as well, livestock like chicken and cows, but a bad storm had come up and caused a food shortage. The animals had all been eaten.

The fire that had destroyed the brickyard and killed 356 people had started when the generator used to power the boiler that sanitized our contaminated water had suffered some kind of electrical malfunction and exploded. Julie, my best friend since before I could walk, had died because the boiler exploded.

What kind of weapon did you bring? Jeb's question brought me back to reality.

I frowned and debated whether or not to reveal my big secret. Guns were illegal in the Cube. All firearms had been confiscated by the Powers That Be as people entered the Cube all those years ago. I didn't know how Dad had gotten the .45 caliber revolver into the Cube and quite frankly, I didn't care. I was just glad to have it.

Admitting I had the gun might impress Drake. Or it might inspire him to confiscate it as his own. Weapons were incredibly valuable. It was a lesson I'd taken a harsh reminder about during the last few days. Making my decision, I gestured to the large, wobbly, rusted machete I had strapped to my hip.

Not too bad, Jeb nodded at the machete. I have a sword. Blades work fine on zombies as long as they are sharp. Is it sharp?

Sharp enough. I had made sure of that much when I'd traded half my parents’ belongings for the blade. I cringed when I thought about how the housing commission had wasted exactly no time in kicking me out of apartment E3976 after I had reported my parents missing. The apartment was all I had ever known. It was also zoned for two to four residents. When Mom and Dad had disappeared the housing commission had given me 4 days to pack up their belongings and move into the single woman’s dorms. I now had a small bunk bed and a single locker to house all of my belongings until I got married and had children of my own. Assuming I didn't die during this hunt.

I touched the barrel of the gun through the coat again. It offered cold comfort as the bus coughed and choked its way into the woods and left the Cube behind in the distance.

It's my second hunt, Jeb confided. The first one was pretty boring, if you want to know the truth. I'm kind of hoping we'll see some action this time. You ever been outside the Cube before?

No, I said. I work, I guess worked, in the hospital ward.

Oh. Damn. That sucks.

I didn't mind it until after the brickyard burned, I confessed. I wanted a new job after the fire.

I guess you found one, huh? Jeb gestured to the bus.

I guess I did. I honestly hadn't thought about joining the Scavengers that way, but it was the truth. Assuming I could make it as a Scavenger for a few years, I'd never had to see the inside of the hospital ward again except as a patient.

Alright, listen up. Drake stood up in the middle of the front seat of the bus. I'm thinking this is going to be a simple trip. There's a decent sized neighborhood in Johnesville and...What?

Kennedy turned his attentions away from the road in ahead. He released his grip on the steering wheel so he could thump a gauge on the dashboard of the bus with his right hand. We don't have the gas, boss.

Drake turned to glare at Kennedy. What do you mean?

I mean that unless you think you can get some fuel from somewhere, this bus doesn't have enough juice to get much past Titusburg.

That's not going to work, Shayla said. She turned to Kennedy. We have to get past Johnesville or we're wasting our time. There has to be a gas station somewhere nearby.

We've already raided all the gas stations between here and Butcher Hill.

Then go past Butcher Hill.

We can't. That's...not possible. Drake cast a glance towards where Jeb and I were sitting. I could tell there was something else he wanted to say but for some reason he didn't seem willing to say it. Instead he put one of his elegant fingers against Shayla's lips and shook his head. It's not a good idea.

We need more cans. Jeb seemed to have missed out on the subtly of the conversation.

We can't haul cans without the bus. Conner was stretched lazily across one of the bus seats. His booted feet hung out into the aisle.

I'm tired of hauling cans, Shayla said. We can't keep doing this forever. It's bullshit that they sent us out again this soon. We only just got back last week.

We got sent back out because our last hunt was a failure, Cya chimed in unexpectedly from the very back of the bus. Our job is to bring home more canned goods to the people back in the Cube. They'll starve without them. Not that you seem to give two shits.

Canned goods heavy and they taste revolting, Shayla shot her a nasty look. All we found on our last hunt was refried beans, broths and cranberry sauce. No one wants to eat that crap.

We need those cans to survive, Cya argued. I still don't understand why we didn't bring everything we found back with us after the last hunt.

Drake frowned at Cya. It’s like I tried to explain to you at the time, we keep a few things back just in case we don't find anything the next trip. The Powers That Be expect us to be successful every hunt. Sometimes the hunts suck and we don't find much, like what happened last time. When our luck goes south we go back to the storehouse and get a few thousand junk cans just to shut everyone up back at the Cube.

The Cube goes through more than 3000 cans a day.

Why not just keep your emergency stash at the Cube? Jeb asked.

Because the Powers That Be... Kennedy cursed loudly as the bus let out a loud cough and began to slow.

What the hell? Drake demanded. I thought you said we had enough gas to get to Titusburg.

We do. Gas isn't our problem. Kennedy was glaring at the hood of the bus as the 50 year old vehicle lurched to a stop and smoke began to pour out of the engine compartment.

Fuck, said Conner as he stood up.

That smoke is going to attract zombies. Shayla narrowed her eyes at Drake. You better get this thing fixed ASAP.

Be easier to work on the engine if you weren't in my way. Drake pushed Shayla away from him none-too-gently as he and Conner pried open the door of the bus and stepped out onto the open road.

Should we try to help them? I asked Jeb. He shrugged his shoulders.

I don't know anything about motors, he told me.

One of you needs to get up on the roof and keep a look out for zombies, Conner interrupted us.

On the roof? I repeated.

Jeb gestured to an area above our heads. I could see an emergency trap door leading onto the top of the bus. You want to go or should I?

If I had been braver I would have offered to go, but the fact of the matter is that I still wasn't sure I'd done the right thing when I'd said yes to Drake's offer to become a Scavenger. Now that I was out of the Cube and facing the very real possibility of running into a live zombie, I was terrified of my own shadow.

You can go, I told Jeb.

I'll go, said Cya. She stood up and shoved her way past us to the trap door. I had time to notice once again that she was wearing the type of thin, easily torn clothes that I had opted to leave back in my drawer at the Cube. I got a good look at the bits of colored glass that had been glued to her worthless shoes as she stood on the seat, pushed the trap door out and scurried onto the roof.

Chapter 3

It was getting downright hot inside the bus when a lone zombie appeared on the horizon. I missed seeing it come out of the woods 50 yards to the left of the bus because I was too busy watching Conner, Kennedy and Drake dig around in the bus's engine without their shirts on.

Drake's chest was made of sleek, clean cut muscle. His dark skin was flawless and almost glowing with good health. His beautiful body made for a stark comparison to Conner's thick hairiness and Kennedy's scrawny white chest and visible ribcage. Kennedy's chest was probably a lot more normal than Drake's sculpted abdomen and chiseled biceps were, but it only served to remind me of exactly why Julie and I had spent months stalking Drake from afar.

I wondered what Julie would have said if she'd lived long enough to see the day when Drake knew my name. I