Edge of Mercy (Young Adult Dystopian)(Volume 1) (The Mercy Series) (24 page)
Read Edge of Mercy (Young Adult Dystopian)(Volume 1) (The Mercy Series) Online
Authors: C. C. Marks
Tags: #Young Adult, #Dystopian, #Paranormal, #Romance, #Post-Apocalyptic, #Apocalypse
“Hey, we can help you. Unlock the doors, and we’ll take you somewhere safe.”
I shook my head strongly.
Zeke shouted, “Go away! We don’t want your help.”
The man on Zeke’s side had a scrabbly black beard and wore a dingy baseball cap low over his beady eyes. His clothes were dirty and torn, and he didn’t bother smiling, just sneered at us through the window as he yanked at the door handle.
“Come on. You can’t stay in there forever.” The scrabbly beard moved up and down as he spoke.
Zeke handed Star back to me and yanked the panel down at the top of the window and yelled in frustration at the lack of keys. He reached down and felt under his seat. But came up empty handed there, too.
The guy at my window pounded on it, and I jumped. “The Draghoul will be here soon. Have you ever seen someone ripped apart by a thick crowd of them? It’s gruesome. They begin eating while the victim is still screaming, while he’s still alive. If you don’t want that, you better come with us.”
I pursed my lips and reached a shaking hand toward the compartment in front of my seat. Our luck in locating keys hadn’t been good, but I pulled the latch and opened the deep drawer. A light came on, and a giddy laugh rose up in my chest as I saw the shine of a key. I grabbed it and held it up and out to Zeke.
He took it with a sigh of relief and plugged it into a hole at the side of the steering wheel. The bearded man pounded louder and harder on Zeke’s window while the tall one stepped away from the car. I looked around to see where he’d gone, but lost sight of him.
Zeke took a deep breath and turned the key. The car made a chugging noise, but the engine refused to start. He tried it again, but with the same result.
“See. You need us. We won’t ask for much in return. Just all your supplies and your weapons.” A harsh laugh fell from the bearded man’s mouth. He thought he had us right where he wanted us. Maybe he did.
I screamed as a loud thump sounded on my window. The tall one had returned, and he had a large, jagged rock in his hands. He smashed it toward my window over and over, and Star’s cries jarred my ears and squeezed my heart. We were going to die.
Zeke’s whole face scrunched tightly as he pumped a pedal on the floor and turned the key once more. Intense relief washed over me when the engine finally started. My window cracked just as Zeke pulled at a handle on a stick in the middle of the seats, and the car peeled backward. He stopped abruptly, and I just caught Star before she went flying out of my hands. I sat her on my lap and tried to soothe her as I pulled the seatbelt strap around both of us. I hadn’t worn a seatbelt in a very long time, but as Zeke shifted the stick again, I clicked the buckle into its hole and turned to watch the two men grow smaller behind us. This was what my mother tried to warn me about, and though we’d escaped, I couldn’t help but worry the worst had yet to come.
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Other Books by C. C. Marks
Heart of Mercy
, Book 2 in the Mercy Series
Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when things can’t possibly get worse, they spin completely out of control.
With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, a monster of a human being. Forfeiting the safety of the community, they leave and begin the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place Charlie knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the assumption Mercy will be a place of protection could be the most dangerous risk of all.
About the Author
It all started with an old fashioned typewriter. When my family brought it home, for the first time, I knew what I wanted to do. All those stories rolling around in my head could finally get out. The press and click of the keys were satisfying in their own right, but when I pulled out a finished page, I knew this was for me. Since then, I've graduated to a laptop, but the stories still find a way out.
I'm a breast cancer survivor, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a writer. I continue to strive for less procrastination and more tact. The battle wages on.
Connect with Me Online:
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ccmarkswrites
Facebook:
Author Page
My blog:
http://www.ccmarkswrites.blogspot.com
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