Savage: The End Read online

  Climbing out of the bed, she paused as she heard a deep, gruff sound.

  Goosebumps erupted all over her flesh and she made a quick but silent dash to Lucy.

  Giving her sister a shake, she waited for Lucy’s eyes to open before covering her mouth.

  She placed a finger to her lips and Lucy nodded, understanding Sasha wanted her to stay silent. Sasha looked toward the bathroom attached to her room.

  Urging Lucy toward it, she winced and internally cursed every time she stepped on a creaky floorboard.

  “Sasha, I’m scared,” Lucy whispered.

  “Don’t worry, honey. I just need you to sit in here.” She helped Lucy into the tub. “I need you to stay here for me. Can you do that?”

  Lucy nodded but looked terrified.

  “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine.” Stroking her sister’s hair, she rushed back for Lucy’s doll and shoved it in her sister’s hands. “Lock the door behind me, okay?”

  Lucy nodded.

  She made silent work of going over to where she’d stored one of the guns. Holding it in her hands had fear consuming her. She shook so badly. Perspiration covered her entire body as she slowly crept across the bedroom.

  She listened closely, holding her breath, waiting.

  Gritting her teeth, she opened the door and paused as she heard the sound of scuffling.

  Someone was outside.

  Now, if it was someone sane, she had yet to find out.

  Heart pounding, hands sweaty, she took a step toward the door.

  Think of Lucy.

  Protect my sister.

  Fear gripped her as she got to the door.

  Opening that door could be a huge mistake but waiting for someone to attack them wasn’t going to help either. She peeked out the window but couldn’t see anything. With no electricity and the moon shrouded behind the thick clouds and the massive tree line, she was essentially blind.

  Closing her eyes, she sent up a little prayer to whoever was watching and eased the latch on the door. Staying behind the door, she looked left, and as she went to look right, pain exploded by her temple.

  She was thrown to the ground from the force of the hit.

  “I knew you were here. I knew it.”

  She blinked past the pain, the agony stealing her breath. Dropping the gun, she quickly put a hand to her temple to try and clear her thoughts. He’d hit her in the head and now she couldn’t focus or see straight.

  Lucy!

  Taking a deep breath, she watched as the man who’d lured her outside stared down at her. He licked his lips.

  She saw his hair was slicked back, greasy in appearance. Filth covered his face. The stench coming off him made her want to vomit.

  “I knew I saw you. I just knew it.”

  Hands shaking, she panicked as he sank down to his knees, his hands going to her pajama shorts. If she screamed, Lucy would hear it and could escape.

  “Stop it. Please, stop it.”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone not infected. You’re so fucking cute. So sweet.” His nails dug into her stomach and tears filled her eyes.

  This was what her father had tried to warn her about and now if she wasn’t careful, this man would rape her.

  He didn’t look savage, not like the radio and media had described.

  “Let go. Please stop.”

  His hands grabbed her tits and she lifted up, sinking her teeth into his arm. He reared back, slapping her across the face. As she rolled to her side, she saw the handgun.

  Kill or be killed.

  She had to think of Lucy.

  Lifting up the gun, she pointed it at the man. The smile on his face faltered and she didn’t even hesitate. Pulling the trigger, she jerked backward from the recoil and pain exploded in her entire body.

  It was far too dark for her to see where the bullet went, but she’d pointed it at his head, and when his body slumped to the ground she felt relief fill her.

  Taking deep breaths, she couldn’t believe what she’d just done.

  Putting the gun on the floor, she quickly covered her mouth, needing to keep calm. She couldn’t scream. No doubt Lucy had heard the gunshot and was probably scared as hell.

  Getting to her feet, she ignored the scent of blood that started to fill the air. She took a few steps toward the body, the moonlight slashing through the trees, the glow showing the side of his face missing. Covering her mouth to stifle her scream, she looked away.

  God, his face was destroyed.

  Sasha rushed back into the cabin, calling out Lucy’s name as she made her way into the bathroom. “Lucy, honey.” Sasha tried not to cry, needed to stay calm.

  “Is everything okay?” Lucy said from behind the closed door. “I heard a gun.” Lucy was crying, the sound of her voice hitching sending pain through Sasha.

  “It’s fine. Everything is fine.” She closed her eyes. “It was a bear.”

  “A bear?”

  Sasha placed her hand on the door. “Yeah. Just a bear. But I have to clean it up. I killed it.”

  Tears fell down her cheeks.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, honey, I’m fine. Totally fine.” She wiped off the tears that had slipped from her eyes, needing to be strong.

  She was far from fine but talking to Lucy wouldn’t help.

  “Just stay in there until I came back, okay?”

  Lucy stayed silent for a second. “Okay,” she finally whispered.

  Grabbing a blanket and flashlight out of the closet, then making her way outside and to the woodshed, she grabbed a shovel. Then she went back to the porch and stood staring down at him. The sight of his lifeless body nearly had her throwing up, but she swallowed her nausea and straightened her back.

  Get this done.

  Laying the blanket flat, she rolled his body onto the material, holding her breath, feeling her gag reflex rise up. She tried not to think about the blood that coated her hands, or the fact he was missing half his face.

  Once he was on the blanket, she wrapped him up in it, the scent of blood so strong it was like she sucked on a mouthful of pennies. And then she started to pull the body down the porch steps.

  Sasha dragged his ass all the way to the woods, having to stop multiple times as his weight was immense. Tears fell down her cheeks.

  So, in the dead of night, she dug a shallow grave away from cabin, away from where her sister was, and buried his lifeless body.

  This new world had not only taken her parents, but also made her a murderer.

  Chapter Eight

  Nightmares

  Cleaning up brain matter had been a new experience for Sasha. The days after her near rape were some of the worst of her life. Every single noise filled her with fear. She had to take care of Lucy, who kept looking at her as if she was going crazy, or maybe snap at any moment.

  A week after the incident, she left Lucy back at the cabin to see the shallow grave, as if she wanted to relive it for some morbid reason.

  When she got to the spot she’d marked, the grave had been dug up. The only evidence left was that of the torn shards of the blanket she’d wrapped him in. An animal had dug him up, dragged him away … devoured him.

  Closing her eyes, she tensed as she recalled the feel of his hands on her body, the scent of his blood in the air after that. The way he’d clawed at her … how she’d hated it.

  Hated the feeling that built inside her.

  Stepping away from the spot, she walked back to the cabin. Lucy stood in the doorway, looking at her strangely.

  “You okay, Sasha?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  “The nightmares haven’t gone away?”

  “No. It’ll be fine. You know me. I’ll get through.” It’s what she did.

  She stepped onto the porch and went inside, closing the door and turning to look at her sister.

  “Are you getting hungry?”

  “A little bit.”

  “Then let�
��s get some food in you.”

  Cupping Lucy’s cheeks, she smiled and feigned strength. She moved to the cupboards and took down a couple cans of soup.

  “How do you feel about eating outside? I’ll build a small fire. We can use the saucepans to heat up some soup.” She looked at Lucy.

  Her sister’s eyes lit up as if she’d offered her candy.

  Candy. She would give anything for a sweet treat right now.

  She held the two cans of soup and paused.

  Murder.

  Before the virus hit, what she’d done a week ago would have sent her to prison.

  Now no one would care, or even blink, that she’d killed a man, blown his head right off, or that she’d cleaned it all up and pretended it was a bear.

  So much had changed so quickly and she hated it. Hated the world she lived in.

  Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she forced a smile to her lips for her sister and followed her outside. Gathering up some sticks, they set them in a small circle. She kept them trapped inside with some stones and then set about lighting the small fire.

  It took her a couple of attempts to get it.

  Thanks to her father she’d learned how to do this. That had her smiling genuinely.

  Once she got it done, she sat opposite Lucy. In the waistband of her pants was the heavy metal of the pistol she now took everywhere with her.

  “You okay?” Lucy asked.

  “You keep asking me that. I’m starting to think it’s the only words you know,” she teased.

  “You’re having a lot of nightmares lately. I don’t want you to be upset.”

  “I’m not. Seriously, I’m not.”

  She opened the soup cans and poured the contents into the small saucepan. When the flame was burning hot enough, she rested it above the flame, showing Lucy what to do.

  “It wasn’t a bear, was it?”

  Sasha stared at her sister, nibbling her lip. For such a young girl, she was smart and intuitive.

  “No, it wasn’t a bear.” Silence stretched between them and Sasha could see the truth in her sister’s eyes. She knew.

  “It was a person?”

  Sasha nodded.

  “They were going to hurt us?”

  Sasha nodded once more.

  “I love you, Sasha.”

  “I love you too, honey.” She smiled and forced the tears away. “Let’s not be sad, okay? We’ll eat something and then I can play dolls with you. How about that?” She saw Lucy’s eyes brighten and she laughed along with her little sister, wanting her to be so happy.

  “Do you think if they found a cure Mom and Dad could be saved?”

  “A cure?”

  “It’s a virus. I heard you listening on the television. The news. All viruses have a cure, right? When I was sick, Mommy gave me medicine that tasted bad. But I felt better. Can’t we find a cure?”

  “I hope so.” She didn’t know if that would do any good. The virus had wiped out a lot of people before they even left, and now … it was probably so much worse. So, unless, by some miracle scientists and doctors survived, it would take a long time before any medicine was discovered.

  That nightmare was for another day to think about.

  “The soup is bubbling. I’m starving. What about you?”

  “Yes.”

  She gave Lucy a spoon and made sure she didn’t burn herself before eating her own soup.

  It seemed impossible to be happy right now.

  They’d lost their parents.

  She’d killed a man.

  And she was so fucking scared she couldn’t think straight.

  They were going to be okay.

  She had to trust that.

  Maybe if she kept repeating it to herself, she’d believe it.

  Chapter Nine

  Let the blood flow

  Several weeks later

  Malachi exhaled slowly and walked over to the window, one he’d boarded up when he’d first come back to his apartment. He peered out between the slats. A car in the distance was on fire, the smoke billowing up into the dusky sky, darkening it further. Garbage littered the streets, cars haphazardly parked on the sidewalks, in the middle of the street, and even one through the front window of the store just across the way.

  He held his gun tightly, his fingers digging into the handle, a steady reassurance. He could see a few bodies face down on the asphalt, either from the virus taking them, or the anarchy that had ensued.

  He needed to get out of the city, because although he could handle himself just fine, was used to the depraved and gritty underworld he’d survived in, if he wanted to continue to survive the fallout, the city was not where that was going to happen.

  Malachi was running out of food and water, and scavenging was the only thing he could do until he decided where to go. He also needed to find a car that worked, one that would take his ass out of the city, somewhere far where he could find other people, find out what the hell was going on.

  The news had cut out weeks ago, no more emergency broadcasts updating people on what the fuck was happening in the world.

  The fact there was no communication, no more sounds of helicopters overheard or military on the streets, led Malachi to believe the world was good and gone.

  He turned away from the window and walked over to his backpack. A few weeks had passed since the first outbreak of the virus. The world had gone to hell, literally. He hadn’t spoken to any of his contacts since he’d let Robbie walk away at the warehouse.

  That had been over a week ago.

  Cell service was down, and electricity and power were no longer working. It was the Apocalypse, plain and simple.

  He grabbed his duffel and unzipped it, seeing the guns and ammo he’d packed just to be safe. He grabbed the backpack and put the rest of his non-perishable food and the water bottles he had left inside before zipping it up. He couldn’t stay in his apartment, couldn’t stay in the city. He had to scavenge for more supplies before trying to find a vehicle to hot-wire and get out of here.

  He had no idea where he was going to go, but he’d figure that out on the road.

  Malachi put the backpack on and swung the duffel over his shoulder. He kept the gun in his hand as he made his way out of the apartment building. He stopped right before he got to the street, making sure there were no surprises. Although he could handle himself just fine, he wasn’t an idiot.

  He’d been living in darkness for so long that the world was just now matching how he felt inside and how he lived on the outside.

  He kept the gun in his hand as he made his way down the street. Malachi kept close to the buildings, knowing that these were desperate times. He was savage in nature, would take anyone down who crossed his path, but he wasn’t a maniac. He didn’t kill indiscriminately. And he hoped his size and stature would keep people away, had their flight or fight instinct rising up so they took off in the other direction.

  It worked for him before all hell broke loose, so he was hoping that still stood.

  He checked a few cars on the way, most already broken into, others looking the worse for wear. Malachi held the gun tightly in his hand, his finger running over the trigger. He was on alert, taking in the scene and not missing anything. This hazy cloud of smoke seemed to fill the air, thick and suffocating.

  And then someone started shouting behind him. He turned around with the gun aimed at the asshole who was stupid enough to come up from behind.

  The man standing in front of him looked like he’d been on the street for years, with long raggedy hair, dirt smeared across his face, and his clothes looking like he rolled around in the street. He grinned, decayed and yellow teeth flashing.

  “The end is upon us. Time to accept your sins and pray to the gods to have mercy on your soul.” He cackled in laughter and took a step toward Malachi.

  He shook his head slowly and cocked the gun. But it was clear this asshole wasn’t with it. He showed no fear, only lunacy. He turned and stumbled across the s
treet, shouting about the sky raining fire and that everyone’s souls were damned.

  Yeah, this world was fucked all right, and the ones still standing weren’t spared. They were the ones having to wade through the fiery pits of hell.

  But fuck, Malachi felt right at home.

  Chapter Ten

  The rest of the world

  The days and nights blended together. Sasha had lost count of how long they’d actually been at the cabin. To her, it felt like an eternity. When she wasn’t dealing with Lucy or cleaning up the cabin, making sure it was safe, she kept on searching through all the rooms filled with storage and other supplies. She needed to find a radio.

  The one on the counter wasn’t working.

  The batteries had died.

  She did remember her father purchasing a wind-up one for Lucy one year. Her sister had spent all her time just gripping the handle and turning it in a circle. Every other year they’d spent at the cabin she’d hated, so she hadn’t paid attention to where the storage was. Lucy sat on the well-worn sofa, legs crossed, holding her doll.

  “You looking for the door in the floor?” Lucy asked.

  “What?” She looked back at her sister.

  “The door in the floor. Dad always said it was a magical place down there. It was a huge basement in the ground.”

  “You know where it is?”

  “Yep.”

  Lucy went right to the one carpet Sasha hadn’t moved yet, pulled it back, and revealed the door.

  Cupping Lucy’s cheeks, she gave her sister a kiss on the forehead. “You’re a doll.”

  Lucy giggled.

  Lifting up the latch, she saw the stairs heading down.

  “Wish me luck.”

  She hated doing this.

  Going underground was not part of her job and yet, that was what she had to do.

  Grabbing the flashlight that she’d left on the sofa, she ruffled Lucy’s head, and headed down into the small basement of the cabin.

  Sure enough, there was enough space for her to stand up, and as she turned the flashlight on, she saw shelves from floor to ceiling. Her dad must have had to bend down here, because there wasn’t enough room for him. It was only because she was so small that she was able to do it but she did bend her head a little. She didn’t want to risk a spider crawling in her hair.