The Renegades (Book 4): Colony (18 page)
I stood still until Elijah was convinced that I wasn’t going to go ape shit again.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Jess asked me.
“What’s the matter with me?” I asked Jess, pointing to my chest. I shook my head as if I couldn’t believe that she had the nerve to ask. By now a small crowd had gathered at the foot of the embankment. Wren arrived and looked on with a concerned expression.
“Alright folks, nothing to see here,” Elijah said, shooing everyone back to the house. Ben waited a few more seconds then looked back at Jess and me. He slowly followed after the others. Once everyone had gone I trudged out of the water back to the muddy embankment.
Our eyes locked on each other. Still breathing hard, I went to say something and then stopped. For a short while we didn’t speak, then she broke the silence.
“I know about you and Danielle.”
I swallowed hard, my stomach churning within me. I closed my eyes and breathed out.
“Baja told me. Don’t hold it against him. It slipped out in conversation.”
“That’s what this is about? You kissing him? Taking long fucking walks?”
“Yes. No. Well…” she looked away exasperated and sighed before turning back. “Did you?” she asked. She didn’t need to finish the sentence. She waited for my reply.
I blew my cheeks out and ran a hand over my face.
“I didn’t know if I would see you again Jess.”
She shook her head and pursed her lips together.
“Look, I’m—”
“Johnny, save it. I don’t want to hear.”
“But I…”
“No.”
“Come on, Jess.” I took a step towards her and she backed off. She placed a hand over her mouth and gazed down the stream. Fallen leaves drifted slowly downstream, around rocks and disappeared beneath the murky surface. Hedging us in were large oak trees. A flock of herons broke from the trees.
Frowning, I asked the question that bothered me the most, “Why Rowan?”
“Why you?” she replied, dodging the question.
I tossed my hands up, about to walk away. “Fine, don’t tell me. I don’t care.”
She shot back “See, that’s your problem, Johnny. You don’t care.”
“Ha, coming from someone who kissed another guy before you asked me what I had done, I find that quite amusing.”
“Everything is a joke to you, isn’t it? Do you ever take anything serious?”
I cocked my head to one side.
“Why should I? My father is dead, my best friend is gone, and Dax, the only person I really gave a shit about on this fucked-up planet, is gone too.”
I felt my eyes well up.
“Not everyone’s gone.”
Her gaze went through me and for the first time since we had been together I felt like I was looking at a stranger.
I stepped forward again, trying to reach for her hand. “Jess, c’mon.”
“No,” she said, before turning and walking away. She had every reason to hate me. I deserved it. Maybe it would have happened anyway. People drift apart. Others break away. The reasons will always be misunderstood. Sometimes things only last a season.
I watched her amble back to the house. She briefly cast a glance over her shoulder then disappeared inside the home. I stood out there for five, maybe ten minutes looking down the stream, watching the leaves twist and turn as nature intended. Was it that way for all things in life? Life, death, some things grew strong and lasted, others withered under the heat of the sun.
Not everything was meant to last.
I breathed in deeply the ocean air.
“I guess we made it,” I muttered under my breath. “I wish you were here, brother.”
I remained lost in thought. Flashing back and forth between the past and present, unaware of someone approaching. Nearby undergrowth snapped and I twisted around thinking Jess had returned. It was Wren.
So there it is. We had found a safe zone, new people to stand alongside, and a sliver of hope for the future. It definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be and neither was I sure if I would stay. I had changed, all of us had. Love had been lost. For others, found. An ever-present darkness still loomed over our shoulders: The infected, the living insane, and a rogue government bent on controlling survivors. Perhaps sticking around a while would be a good idea. Or maybe tomorrow a new kind of horror would drive us out. No one could be sure.
But until then, we will choose to stand between what remains and all that might come to kill.
We may not be the fastest or strongest.
We might not have what it takes to survive.
But we’re full of heart, and that’s enough.
We are, the Renegades.
T
hank
you for reading The Renegades 4: Colony. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. I can’t stress how helpful this is in helping other readers decide if they should give it a shot. Reviews from readers like you are the best recommendation a book can have. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also let’s me know what you liked. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
T
hank you
—
Jack Hunt
T
hank
you for buying The Renegades 4, published by Direct Response Publishing.
J
ack Hunt is
the author of horror, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic novels. Jack lives on the East coast of North America. When he’s not writing, he’s engaged in dubious activities and general shenanigans. He invites you to contact him, send him lots of money and turn all his books into movies.
If he doesn’t reply straight away, he’s probably running away from a Zombie, chatting with his drug dealer or having a dump. Either way, he will respond when he’s good and ready unless of course you are the FBI in which case you’ll never hear from him. ;)