Zero Trilogy (Book 2): Day One (12 page)

“Thank you, Elle,” he said.

“So you’re going to find your uncle alone?” Georgia asked. “We were supposed to go to Sacramento together!”

“That was before you got kidnapped by Slavers,” Elle pointed out. “And before we found Sector 27.”

“There’s nothing for us in Sacramento,” Georgia shrugged. “We’re as safe here as we’ll be there.” She looked at Jay. “Right?”

Jay stared at the table, the muscles in his arm tight.

“Right, Jay?” Georgia said again.

“I don’t care,” he replied. “We’re safe now. We’re alive.” He looked at Elle. “You need to do what you can
to find your uncle. Family is important now more than ever.”

His eyes were dark, glinting with suppressed emotion. Sadness and anger and loneliness. Elle folded her hands on top of the table.

“I’m leaving tonight,” she said. “But first, I need to find Lieutenant Danes and tell him that I’m leaving.”

She stood up, and Bravo stood, too.

She smiled.

She would not be leaving this place alone.

Chapter Eleven

Elle stood on the outside of the chain link fence. Sector 27 was behind her. The mountains were before her. Bravo waited patiently at her side as she stared at Jay, Georgia and Flash. Lieutenant Danes hung back near the checkpoint, watching the scene with a curious expression on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Georgia said at last. “I would go with you, Elle, I really would…but I’m tired. Tired of walking, tired of fighting. Tired of getting kidnapped by maniacal sociopaths…” she cracked a wry smile. “I just want to be safe.”

“Behave yourself,” Elle advised. “No drug dealing, no cigarettes.”

“I’ll try,” Georgia laughed. “I’m going to miss you, shortstack.”

She crossed the distance between her and Elle, drawing her into a tight hug. She pulled away quickly, enough for Elle to see the tears in her eyes. Elle blinked – hard – and remained stoic.

“Goodbye, Elle,” Flash said. He nodded, reaching his hand out. He squeezed Elle’s fingers and bowed his head. “Thank you…for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” Elle replied. “Seriously. Don’t.”

And then there was Jay. He stood there, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his dark skin glimmering against the early morning sun. He swallowed.

“Goodbye,” he said. He held out his hand.

Elle stared at it, her eyes darting back to his face, searching for some sign of humanity. For a sign of gratitude, maybe? For him to acknowledge that she had put everything on the line for this group’s survival – something that she had vowed never to do. It was a selfish desire. Elle knew this. But it didn’t change the fact. She wanted that simple validation before she left – from Jay more than anyone.

“It’s not goodbye,” Elle replied, shaking her head. “It’s just ‘see you later.’”

Jay lowered his hand, meeting her gaze.

“Yeah,” he said. “See you later.”

Elle shoved her thumbs against the straps of her backpack.

“Okay, then,” Elle said. “See you guys.”

“See you,” Flash answered.

“Yep.”

Jay suddenly took a step forward and folded Elle into a warm embrace. Georgia wrapped her arms around Elle from the side, and Flash joined in, too. It took Elle by surprise. She remained stiff for a moment, and then relaxed into the group hug. She felt a flood of warmth and happiness, of camaraderie and friendship. For the first time in her life, she felt loyalty.

The hug ended all too soon.

Georgia wiped her eyes, Flash sniffed, and Jay said:

“Thank you. None of us would be alive if you hadn’t been there for us. In Los Angeles. When the Slavers took us. You are the best friend any of us will ever have.”

Elle stared at him. She looked down, chewing on her lower lip, feeling dangerously close to crying. “Don’t just thank me,” she finally said. “Thank Bravo.”

“Bye, baby,” Georgia bawled, letting loose. She knelt down and hugged the dog, kissing his nose. “I’m going to miss you so much!”

“We all know who Georgia’s favorite is,” Jay commented.

He smiled.

“Yeah,” Elle answered. A pause, then, “We need to get going.”

Georgia got to her feet, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt.

“See you later,” she said.

“See you,” Flash added.

“See you
soon
,” Jay finished. “We will meet again.”

Elle lifted her chin.

“We will,” she told him. “Count on it.”

Bravo wagged his tail.

Lieutenant Danes waved from the fence, never moving, yet never taking his eyes off the group of kids. Elle lifted her left hand in a farewell wave, slipping her other hand into her pocket. She slid her aviators on her face, looking toward the mountains.

“See you,” she said one more time.

She was off again.

It didn’t take Elle long to reach the Central Valley. Her journey through the mountains was monotonous and tiring, filled with cold wind and brisk nighttime temperatures. She spent the silence of the journey talking to Bravo, reflecting on the past weeks
and wondering how her life would have been different if she had never met Jay, Georgia, Flash and Pix.

“I’d probably still be in Los Angeles,” she mused. “I’d probably be dead.”

You’d
definitely
be dead
, Bravo huffed.
Without me, you wouldn’t last five minutes out here
.

“Hey, I can take pretty good care of myself,” Elle retorted.

Pretty good is different than
very
good
.

“You’re a cynic, dog.”

And proud of it, human
.

Elle laughed.

The Central Valley was sunny and clear today. The mountains were behind Elle, rolling and beautiful in the light. She was getting close to her first stop.

Why are we stopping at a gas station again?
Bravo wondered, casting a sideways glance at Elle. His eyes sparkled.
Need I remind you that we don’t have a car and gas pumps don’t work anymore?

“You need
not
,” Elle replied. “I told you. I promised to finish my part of a trade.”

What kind of a trade? I hope it involves something for me
.

“I don’t think people trade doggy toys anymore.”

You say that word like it’s degrading. Doggy toys are my favorite
.

“Because you’re a
dog
.”

Thanks for noticing. I’m certainly not a
cat. Bravo shook his head.
This is it
.

He stopped and stared at the small gas station in the distance. The general store was sitting in the open sunshine. It looked even more withered and faded since the last time Elle had seen it. Elle had amazed herself, coming back to this place. She had figured that she would bypass it, but the feeling of guilt that came along with that idea was overwhelming. She had made it across the desert and into the San Jacinto Mountains because of the supplies that she had taken from Bob and Sienna’s trading post. She had promised to bring them back a proper trade, and she had to stay true to that.

She didn’t want to be like the rest of the world.

She wanted to be
good
.

Elle approached the building from an angle, watching the windows, watching the roof. The area was silent. The road was empty. The dry plum orchards surrounding the station were abandoned.

I smell trouble
, Bravo warned, brow furrowing.

“What kind of trouble?” Elle whispered.

Don’t know. It just doesn’t smell
right.

Elle licked her lips and they ran to the corner of the building, pausing near the drainpipe. There wasn’t a sound coming from within the building. Elle pulled the katana from its sheath. She rarely used this weapon – it was something she reserved for occasions when it was necessary to be as quiet as possible.

She held it steadily in her hands, keeping a firm grip on the handle. She tipped her head forward and Bravo jogged ahead, to the door. He paused, listening. His ears remained still.

Not a sound
.

Elle frowned and walked to the door. She took a deep breath and banged her fist against the metal.

“Sienna?” she called. “Bob? It’s me. The girl with the sword?”

Nothing.

“I’m back,” Elle continued. “I brought you something to finish our trade.”

Still nothing.

Elle shrugged.

“I guess this is the part where we force our way in,” Elle said.

Finally. Some fun
. Bravo tensed up, snorting.
You first
.

Elle jiggled the door handle. The handle itself was rusted and loose. Elle pushed on the door and it swung open, slamming against the interior wall. She and Bravo remained unmoving, staring into the dark building. There were only the shadowy shapes of shelves and refrigerator doors. Elle stepped over the threshold, keeping the katana up and ready to swing.

“Sienna?”

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. She could see the note that she had left on the wall, in the dust, promising to return with a trade. Several of the shelves in the middle of the store had been overturned. Supplies like paper towels and plates had been dumped on the floor. The glass case built into the counter – the one holding cigarettes and lottery tickets – had been shattered. Shards of glass lay on the floor, twinkling as sunlight slid through the open doorway.

Danger
, Bravo warned, growling.
Be careful
.

Elle looked toward the back of the building. The chair in which Bob had been sleeping last time was
still there, and someone was sitting in it. Elle walked closer.

“Hey,” she said.

Again, there was no response.

It was a man. A baseball hat was pulled low over his face. Elle tapped his leg with the toe of her shoe. He didn’t move. She kicked the brim of the hat. It flew off the man’s head.

Elle stifled a scream. It was Bob, but his face had begun to decompose. He was dead – it looked like he had been so for a long time. His skin was a dull shade of yellow. His eyes were still open, rotted and lifeless. His hair was mottled with insects and the stench of his body was putrid. Elle doubled back and gagged, horrified.

She had seen many dead bodies in Los Angeles – but she had not been expecting it here. This was a shock. Bravo whined softly.

I tried to warn you
, he said.
I smelled death
.

Elle steadied herself, her eyes falling to the furthest corner of the room. Sienna was laying there, her face to the wall, her long skirt strewn out like a tablecloth, covering her ratty boots.

There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the chair, on their clothes. The entire corner reeked of the stuff. On the wall, someone had dipped their hands in the blood and smeared a message:

MILITIA SCUM DIE LIKE THEY DESERVE
JOIN THEM AND YOU WILL PAY

Elle shuddered. This was Omega’s doing. Sienna and Bob must have been working for the California militia groups. They had been caught, and now they had paid the ultimate price.
Elle stumbled out of the general store, falling on her hands and knees in the sunshine, holding her fist against her mouth. She cried quietly. The world was so cruel now. So vicious. There was death everywhere. It was all around her, in the ground, in the sky, in the water.

The invasion had destroyed everything. The days following it had only rebuilt the world on the foundation of destruction. Anarchy, murder, devastation and loss.

There was no one who would escape the days following Day Zero without heartache.

The world was burning, and there weren’t enough people left to put out the flames.

Elle dug two graves. She laid Sienna and Bob’s bodies to rest. It took hours, digging the holes behind the gas station, dragging the bodies across the dirt, and filling the hole. Bravo watched the whole thing with a solemn expression on his face.

“People keep dying,” Elle muttered, throwing the rusty shovel aside. “I bet I’ve buried more people in one week than most people ever will in their entire lifetime.”

Just because you’re the one holding the shovel doesn’t mean anything
.

“It means that I was the one who dug the graves,” Elle deadpanned.

Bravo snorted and shook his head, sending droplets of moisture into the air. Elle picked up her backpack and swung it over her shoulder, taking a final look at the graves. They weren’t perfect, but at least it was a place where Bob and Sienna could rest in peace.

“Sorry I couldn’t save you,” Elle whispered. She backed away, heading toward the highway again. Bravo followed.

All of this work has made me hungry
. Bravo looked at Elle with expectant eyes.
Do you have anything to share with me or do I have to go hunt something?

“Wow, that’s a pathetic face,” Elle remarked, rolling her eyes. “Fine. I’ll get something for you to eat.”

She rummaged through her backpack, finding pieces of dried jerky. She handed them to Bravo. He ate quickly and efficiently, gnawing through the hard meat.

“Really?” Elle said. “Slow down. You’re eating like a slob.”

I really don’t care
. Bravo exhaled in her face.

“Gross!”

He triumphantly resumed his meal while Elle snapped an old protein bar in half. She had been given food and water – basic rations – at Sector 27. Enough to last for two weeks at least. The road to the Sierra Nevada Mountains was straight and there shouldn’t be any trouble.

Shouldn’t
, however, was a key word.

“Let’s go, dog,” Elle said, jumping to her feet.

I hate to eat and run
.

“Too bad!” Elle grinned widely and sprinted down the freeway, a sudden burst of energy surging through her body. “You snooze you lose!”

Bravo raced to catch up with her, soaring past her in a blur of speed and agility. Elle laughed and they ran down the empty highway lanes. Elle stopped and Bravo trotted up to her, resting his head in her hands.

“You’re a good boy,” Elle said. She kissed the center of his forehead, feeling his soft fur. “I’m glad I’m not alone out here.”

Bravo’s eyes smiled brightly.

Me too
.