Savage: The End Read online

  “This fucking sucks.”

  “You said a curse word.” Lucy sounded shocked.

  “I think I’m allowed given the fact.”

  “Does that mean I can curse?”

  “Hell no,” Sasha said.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re not old enough to vote, Lucy. And anyway, I’m the adult around here.”

  “So not fair. You can do whatever you want and I can’t.” Lucy pouted.

  She chuckled. Her sister was so damn cute.

  “I’m coming down,” Lucy said. “Being alone gives me the creeps.”

  “Come on down then.” Some of the shelves were empty or had empty jars on them.

  Moving down the first row of shelves, she saw some tools. Knives, saws, hammers, hell, anything that could be used as a possible weapon. Down she went, and around. There was a kite from when Lucy wanted to try to fly. Her sister didn’t seem to understand that in a forest full of trees, she wasn’t going to fly it. Their parents let her find that mistake out for herself.

  “It’s creepy,” Lucy said, coming to stand beside her. “What are you looking for?”

  “Remember that radio you were so obsessed with?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m trying to find that. You didn’t break it, did you?”

  “No. I don’t break everything.”

  “My stereo. My iPad. You even tore my favorite jeans.”

  “There was already a huge hole in them. That doesn’t count.”

  “That was the fashion.”

  “It was lame and besides, you shouldn’t have paid so much. I could have made you fashionable for less money.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. It was the same argument they’d had when Lucy first ruined her jeans. Thinking back to that day, she’d been so mad, so angry, and yet, it was all for nothing. Everything they’d ever known was gone.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, she kept on searching, and when she got to the end of the shelves, she saw a box filled with old trash. Pulling it out, she saw a hand crank radio.

  “Want to wind it up for me?”

  Lucy took it from her, wound it up, and gave it back.

  Turning it on, she started to go through each station and all she heard was static. No music, no noise, just the buzzing that continued.

  She kept dialing up and down.

  Nothing.

  “What does that mean?” Lucy asked.

  “It means that a lot of things have changed now.”

  “There’s no one out there?”

  “There is someone out there. There has to be.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We’ll be fine here.”

  “What about food?”

  “We’ve got plenty. It’s not a concern.” She glanced around the darkness, not liking it one bit. “Come on. Let’s get upstairs.”

  “Sasha?” Lucy spoke her name really slowly.

  Forcing a smile to her lips, she stared at her sister. “What is it, honey?”

  “You do know that the food won’t last forever?”

  “Don’t worry so much about everything. I know and we’ll be fine.” Sasha had already figured out that one day soon they were going to run out of food. She just didn’t like the idea of what would happen then. Either way, the cabin was their only safe option for now. She wouldn’t take Lucy out into a potential war zone, not until they needed to.

  She only hoped by the time it came, she would have a plan.

  Chapter Eleven

  No silent scream

  Sitting by the edge of the lake, Sasha watched Lucy play in the water, and for a few minutes she could forget. Forget about the dwindling food supplies, the life outside of the cabin, and the crushing fear that something bad was going to happen soon.

  Life had been too quiet for some time and maybe it was her paranoia or just the fact the world was ending and so far it hadn’t been too bad. Their parents dying had been awful and nearly getting raped wasn’t good. But Lucy wasn’t bad company at all. Other than that, everything had been going well.

  She didn’t want to think about the fact their food supply was depleting or the worry that time was running out. Lucy looked so happy and she wouldn’t allow any of those thoughts to haunt her. Not today. Not now.

  Lucy sprayed her with water and as they were laughing, a scream rent the air, making them both pause.

  Fear trickled down her spine.

  The sound came from a woman and it was way too close for her liking. Lucy climbed out of the lake and was beside her within seconds. Holding her close, she picked up the gun and felt Lucy shake.

  “I need you to run back to the cabin.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “Damn it, Lucy.”

  Another scream filled the air.

  This wasn’t good.

  “I’m not leaving you.” Lucy took her hand, and Sasha gritted her teeth.

  “Keep them there and stay behind me.” She put Lucy’s hands on the loops of the jeans she wore. With the gun in hand, she walked in the direction of the scream. Ignoring it would have been smarter, safer, but what if the woman was in trouble? What if it had been Sasha or Lucy who had been screaming? They’d pray someone helped them.

  Following the noise, with Lucy behind her, she held the gun in her hands. Anger built within her with every single step she took.

  Whoever it was, they better know how to run because she’d kill anyone who was a threat. That’s what she’d decided as she stayed awake late at night. Listening to the sounds of the forest, the memory of the buzzing radio, and the look in her parents’ eyes. It would only be a matter of time before something happened to them and so long as she got Lucy to safety, she was fine.

  Rounding a large, thick tree, she came face to face with a woman covered in blood, holding a knife in her fist. One glance on the ground showed a man with his pants halfway down. His cock was severed.

  Bringing the gun close, she trained it on the woman’s chest.

  The woman lifted her head and looked over at them. “Are you savage?”

  “What happened?” Although it was obvious, Sasha wanted to hear it from the woman.

  The woman’s gaze dropped to Lucy and Sasha shoved her behind her even more. “Don’t even fucking look at her. You keep those eyes on me.”

  “You’re not infected.”

  “Who the hell are you? What happened?”

  “Does it matter? None of it matters. Not names. Not addresses, nothing. Everything is gone.”

  “You’ve seen what has happened to the world?”

  “You haven’t?” the woman asked. She lowered the knife and exhaled, looking weak in that moment, harmless.

  “Our parents got infected,” Lucy said from behind her. “They told us to wait at the family cabin.”

  “Lucy!” Sasha snapped her sister’s name.

  “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Sasha looked at the mutilated dead body.

  “This man was infected. He tried to rape me. It’s what the savages do and those that lost their humanity. They tear each other apart. They’re not human. They’re animals. I was protecting myself.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “You need to leave. You need to get that girl out of here.”

  “Why aren’t we infected? Are you immune like us?” Lucy asked.

  “It might have been better to let the virus take me than to live in this new world.” She looked down at the man again. “There’s a rumor that there’s a camp up north. They have protection. All non-infected people need to make their way there. We’re not going to survive out here alone. You have to go and you have to protect her. It’s the only way to survive.”

  “Are there any survivors?” Sasha asked.

  “It’s what they’ve said. We’re all trying to stay alive. This is a dead, destroyed world and there’s no place for anyone not willing to kill to stay alive.”

&n
bsp; Chapter Twelve

  The sun still rises in hell

  Malachi slipped into the old, seemingly abandoned soup kitchen. He hadn’t made it out of the city just yet, but that was his plan for today.

  He’d leave all this shit behind, start fresh even if the decay followed him, clung to him like a second skin.

  But first he needed supplies, enough that if he didn’t find anything for a good chunk of time, he’d still be okay.

  He moved past the main room that held turned-over chairs, destroyed tables, and decorations that hung off the walls. It looked like someone had been celebrating a birthday.

  Malachi headed toward the back where the kitchen was. Everything was still and silent, but still he kept his gun at the ready.

  He stepped through the doorway, his body tight as he made sure he was truly alone. When he was sure that there wasn’t anyone there, he relaxed his stand slightly. There were stainless steel appliances, pots and pans littering the floor, and a scene that showed him whoever had been here left in a hurry or had scavenged the fuck out of this place.

  There had been riots and looting, killing and overall chaos. The place where he’d lived was gone, unsafe and torn the fuck up.

  Broken windows, destroyed homes.

  It was better for him to leave the city.

  There was only one window in this room, but it was broken, the wind whistling through and blowing the lighter debris along the floor.

  He went through the cupboards, drawers, any place where there might be food or water.

  All he found was a few cans of peaches, baked beans, and a mystery one where the label had been torn off. He did find one bottle of water and shoved it in his pack. He grabbed a small pot and a couple cups.

  Never knew when those would come in handy.

  Once he had all he could find, he walked out of the kitchen and headed back outside. Making his way between buildings, he saw one where the front window had withstood the destruction of the city.

  He peered through the filthy glass but reared his head back when he saw several dead bodies inside.

  It was inevitable, seeing death up close like that, what with the city gone to shit, the government nonexistent, and the world all but ended.

  “Fuck,” he said low and moved away from the building.

  He faced forward, knowing that the road ahead of him would be pretty damn long, but he had nothing but time anymore. He had nothing but time these days, nothing but his past, present, and fucked-up future to keep him company.

  Anyone who hadn’t died from the virus was either smart enough to leave on their own or had been forced to evacuate.

  But he’d been the stubborn motherfucker who had stayed behind, refused to leave because this had been his empire.

  And look where that’s gotten me.

  In all his life, Malachi had never felt anything aside from the power, violence, and rage. It had stayed with him, changed him, made him who he was today.

  And it would only get worse. He’d only harden even more with how things were going, how things were.

  The end of the world now surrounded him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  No one’s safe

  Food was running short. Sasha had lost count of the number of days they’d been there. She wanted to head back toward a town, just to see for herself what was going on.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucy asked, coming to sit beside her.

  “It’s nothing.” She was the grown-up. The one responsible for her sister.

  After everything that had already happened, she didn’t need Lucy to be scared.

  She could handle it.

  “I know we’re running out of food. I counted the cans.”

  “Lucy, don’t worry about it, okay, sweetheart? You really don’t need to.”

  “I miss Mom and Dad.”

  Tears filled Sasha’s eyes, and she pulled her sister into her arms. “I do too. So much.”

  She knew her parents would have known what to do. How to handle everything. Everything was coming apart for her. Whatever happened she had to protect Lucy.

  “I think about them all the time. I know they would be happy we’re here, Sasha.”

  “Me too. I’ve just got to figure out what to do.”

  “We can stay here until the food runs out and then we can see if we can find someone.”

  The man she’d killed entered her mind and she forced a smile to her lips. No one was safe.

  No one.

  She had to make sure that Lucy was aware of that. She climbed off the porch and cupped Lucy’s hands.

  “Lucy, sweetie, I need you to look at me.” Her sister was too young. She should still be out playing on her bike, making friends. Wondering if she would have a boyfriend when she was older. All the normal stuff a young girl did. Even have posters on her bedroom wall of popstars or movie stars. “I need you to promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “If something was to happen, if you hear me, for whatever reason, screaming at you to run or to give you any instruction, you run. Do you hear me?”

  “I don’t like this, Sasha. We’re sisters. We stay together.”

  “I know, sweetie. I love you but I need you to promise me this.”

  “It’s really bad, isn’t it?”

  Sasha gritted her teeth as she nodded. “I never want to be away from you. You’re my little sister but I have to know you’re going to be okay. Promise me.”

  She saw the conflict in Lucy’s eyes until she finally caved and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Don’t try to help me. Don’t try to see. You run.”

  “Okay.”

  She pulled Lucy against her again, kissing the top of her head. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she blinked away the tears, not letting them fall.

  “Come on, we’ve got to get inside, have some food.”

  She took Lucy’s hand and they headed inside.

  “We could ration,” Lucy said.

  She turned to her sister. “Ration?”

  “It’ll make everything last longer.”

  “That sounds great.” She wasn’t about to worry her sister and let her know that she had been rationing. It had been over a week since she’d eaten a good meal. At least, she thought it had been a week.

  Every now and then, her hands would shake and her stomach would cramp but food wasn’t something she needed. Answers were what she needed and the longer she stayed here, the harder it was to find out what was happening.

  After Lucy ate her food, Sasha tucked her into bed and headed out onto the front porch. Most nights she only slept for a couple of hours. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep this up.

  Staring up at the sky, she saw it was another full moon.

  How much time had passed?

  Were her parents’ bodies rotting in their old home?

  What had happened to the world?

  Pulling out the radio, she wound it up and like she did every single night, she tried to tune it in to find a channel.

  Any channel that could give her any indication of what had happened.

  She wondered about the virus.

  The illness that had rushed through the towns and cities. The mass panic as people were told to stay indoors, and anyone who had any contact with infected people were to pray for help.

  What kind of advice was that?

  Pray for help?

  Shaking her head, she went up and down on the dials, and still nothing.

  Just the buzzing of static.

  Taking a deep breath, she stared up at the sky and wondered about everything.

  Why hadn’t she or Lucy gotten sick?

  They’d been exposed to their parents.

  She didn’t feel ill.

  Lucy looked perfectly fine.

  Running fingers through her hair, she rested her head against the wooden railing and held the gun across her lap.

  She hadn’t seen anyone else in days.

  There were no sounds.r />
  Nothing.

  Everything was still.

  Breathing in and out, she tried to calm her nerves, but nothing was helping. This wasn’t the life she wanted to live. One day soon, she would have to make a choice. Not just for herself but also for Lucy. They couldn’t stay here. Food was running out. She needed answers but the cabin had become a security blanket to her.

  Biting her lip, she shook her leg, knowing that in a few days’ time they were going to have to move, or she was going to need to learn how to hunt.

  Either way, survival was the only option.

  “Sasha,” Lucy said.

  She gasped and turned to see her sister out on the porch, rubbing at her eyes. Keeping the gun by her side, she got to her feet. “You should be in bed. Resting.”

  “So should you.”

  “I know but I can’t sleep and you know me, I like being outside.”

  “No, you don’t. You hate the outside. You told me all the time. It’s why you never rode your bike with me.”

  Sasha winced. Whenever Lucy asked her to go and play with her, she always told her she was allergic to the outside. That being on a bike would make her sick.

  All of that time she’d wasted.

  Now she’d give anything to go back to those moments.

  “You know what, Lucy, the moment we see a couple of bikes, I’ll go for a ride with you all day long. I won’t stop at all. Not even if we’re hungry. How about that?”

  “You promise?”

  “Yes. I promise. I don’t want to do anything unless it’s with you.” She kissed her sister’s hands.

  Lucy’s smile would stay with Sasha forever. As her sister threw herself into her arms, Sasha caught her, holding her tight, and promising herself she was never going to let her go. Not ever.