Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) (34 page)

“What the fuck is going on?” James yelled as several flashlights lit up the small enclosure.

Mara unapologetically tried to play the angelic card. “Henry decided he was going to go outside to cool off.”

“Mara!” Eli snapped.

“What?”

Revolted, he asked, “Did you try to get him?”

“I’m sorry! He’s freaking sexy as hell. And, holy shit, he has quite the piece.”

“Shut up. You’re making a damn fool out of yourself!” Eli scolded. “If something happens to him during the night, Elaina will beat you senseless.”

“I have needs!”

“Find someone who isn’t taken!” Eli rushed past her and went up the short ladder, shoving the lid up. “Henry…?”

No answer.

After the lid closed, I cursed a blue streak.

“Goddamn it! Motherfucker! Stupid fucking whore! I swear to Christ!”

Then I heard it…a fucking cackle. That was the last thing I needed at that moment. “No…,” I whispered, stalking away into the darkness.

Liam…come on. What’s better at a time like this? A drink, of course! Cursing doesn’t help. That doesn’t feel nearly as good as an old-fashioned bottle of booze.

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled. “Just shut up and leave me alone!”

Chatty with yourself tonight?

“Fuck off.”

I heard the metal of bunker lid creek. “Henry…?”
Eli. Shit.
“Henry? Henry!”

“What?!”

“Where are you?”

“I’m heading back home.”

“I thought we were staying the night.”

“Goddamn it,” I grumbled, turning back around and heading toward the bunker. “That was until that slut-faced bird thought she could give me a fucking blow job.” I saw Eli, but he still couldn’t see me.

“Dude, where the fuck are you?” I turned on my flashlight about ten paces from him. “You can’t walk all that way by yourself.

“I’m fine. I think I can handle it.” I patted the rifle slung over my shoulder.

“Let me get my shit and I’ll walk with you.”

I sighed. “Hurry up. I want to get the fuck out of here.”

Eli disappeared for a minute or two, then popped back up. He pulled himself out of the bunker, slamming the lid down. “I’m sorry about her. She has been plotting to get you alone for a long time.”

“I love my Elaina more than anything in this world. I would
never
cheat on her. She’s the only one for me, but it doesn’t change the fact that she managed to grab me a few times. I’m so fucking pissed off.” We both walked at a rapid pace. It was still eating at me, so I kept talking, “She got her disgusting lips around me. I couldn’t see a bloody thing. I was trying to shove her off, but she was on me like white on rice. It was like fighting off an octopus with lips.”

“I’ll vouch for you if need be. Do you think Elaina will be mad?”

“Are you kidding me?! What kind of stupid question is that? Of
course
she will! It will just make her want to throw your asses out even more. Fuck me. I don’t need this shit. My relationship is rocky enough,” I mumbled. “We’ve been diligently trying to mend it, and now… That slut-faced bird’s actions will probably ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for these past couple weeks.”

“What do you mean throw us out?”

Did he miss the fact that my relationship could be over?
“I promised her if even one of you stepped out of line, I would throw all of your asses out. I never anticipated something like this happening.”

“Do what you’ve got to do, but you have to tell her.”

“I know. I don’t need a teen telling me how to handle my relationship,” I snipped.

“Sorry. Just trying to be helpful,” he mumbled.

“Yeah… Really bloody helpful.”

We lumbered on in silence for quite a while, letting the moon light our path, until I heard something rustle in our surroundings.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I whispered, “Eli… Did you hear that?”

“No…”

I turned on my flashlight and spun around a few times. Nothing. “Keep walking, but pick up the pace.”

Watching our surroundings, I walked behind Eli. Noises were all around us, but I wasn’t sure if it was just normal night sounds or if there was someone following us.

Lovely paranoia.

“Stop,” I whispered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Here…” I pulled the Sig out of the back of my cargoes. “All you have to do is aim and pull the trigger.”

“What’s wrong?” Eli repeated.

“I think there’s someone following us.” I wasn’t sure if Roger was finally making his grand appearance or what, but we needed to hustle. “Be mindful and don’t shoot unless it’s absolutely necessary.” I circled the light around again.

“L-l-like now?” Eli stammered.

I turned and he was pointing the gun toward the woods. A massive herd was stumbling right at us.

“Holy fuck. Run.”

“Wh-what?”

“Run! Run back to the school!” We both lit fires under our asses and ran as fast as we could. Passing by Eli, I sprinted like an Olympian. “Come on! Keep up!” I yelled.
And I thought
I
was completely out of shape.

Eli was nowhere near in good running shape. He was wheezing and slowing down.

Before I took another stride, Eli face-planted into the ground. Running back, I dragged him up to his feet while picking off the undeads as they stumbled closer.

His breathing was very labored. I wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Mate, come on! We have
got
to move.”

“Can’t…breathe,” he wheezed. “Asthma…”

“Shit. You’ve got to will yourself through it, mate,” I encouraged, dragging him up.

“I have…to stop,” Eli coughed, then bent over, trying to catch his breath. Sucking in any air seemed nearly impossible for him.

I protected him and shot more undeads as they stumbled closer. “Eli! We’ve got to go!”

“Trying…,” he gasped.

They were closing in on us. Making a quick decision, I knelt and hoisted Eli over my shoulders in a fireman’s carry. I took off running again, still shooting the undeads as my legs burned from the exertion.

Pure adrenaline carried us until I saw a pair of headlights.

Unable to bring herself to walk away from the window, Elaina worried more and more as every minute ticked by. Henry was out there somewhere in the inky blackness beyond the glass.

Quinn had come and checked on her several times, but the last time she said she was exhausted and needed sleep, telling Elaina to wake her if anything happened.

Elaina paced and fidgeted around. Her anxiety was driving her straight to the asylum, even though she felt like she already lived in one. Where was the Xanax when you needed it?

“Stupid fucking apocalypse. Goddamn program. Fucking Roger. If I ever get my hands on that pig bastard…”

Rapid gunfire interrupted her flow of obscenities. She was shoved off of the anxiety bus and thrown onto the mental meltdown train.

No stopping.

No passing by.

Express ticket purchased.

Full throttle ahead.

Knowing it had to be Henry’s rifle, her heart sputtered, then pumped so hard, it pounded in her eardrums. The erratic rhythm made her totter on her feet. Steadying herself, Elaina bolted out of the cafeteria, practically tripping over every chair and table in her path.

Thomas was still stationed at the side door. “Thomas! Did you hear that?”

“Yes!” he shouted back, their voices echoing through the halls.

“Stay put. I’m going to get Gunther.” Elaina sprinted down toward his room, passing Josie, who was nodding off in the hallway. With a heavy fist, she pounded on his and Quinn’s door. “Gunther!” she screamed.

To Elaina, an eternity passed before he cracked open the door.

“What?” he groused, fingers rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I heard gunfire! I think we should check it out and see if Henry’s in trouble!”

He glanced over his shoulder at Quinn, somehow asleep through the racket. “Give me a sec.”

“Hurry! Please!” she cried.

She watched Gunther touch Quinn’s face. She groaned, but didn’t wake. He pulled his cargoes on over his boxers, grabbed his shirt and boots, throwing them on as he ran out of the room and down the hall.

Josie was standing in front of Cora’s door, looking worried. “What’s going on?”

“I heard gunfire outside,” Elaina said.

“Want me to come?” Josie asked.

“No. I need someone to protect Quinn and Cora. Okay?” Gunther said as he wrapped his hand around her neck and cheek. “I need you here, lass.” She nodded. They took off again and made it to Thomas in seconds. “Stay by the door and keep an eye out for anything,” Gunther ordered him.

They bolted outside and he headed toward the trucks while she started for the front of the school.

“What are you doing?” Elaina yelled. “We need to go!”

“I have a little gas in my truck. We can get there partially and use it for cover if we have to.” It had been several weeks since the truck was started. Plus, it was on fumes. He hopped in and jammed the key in the ignition, turning it. Nothing. They heard another round of gunshots. “Come on, baby. Come on!”

Relief filled him when it roared to life. Just as they were closing the doors, Gunther slammed it into gear. They sped off around the school, kicking up gravel as they headed down the road.

“Keep your eyes open. Yell if you see him,” Gunther murmured.

Elaina sniffled and Gunther looked over at her. “What if…?”

“Shh… Don’t think like that. We’ll find him. He’ll be okay.” He refocused on the windshield.

“But–”

Gunther cut her off, “Holy shit.”

“What’s he doing?!” Elaina panicked.

Headlights… I was blinded by fucking headlights. Eli was hardly breathing, and I was laboring trying to carry his weight. I could only hope it was someone from my crew because I couldn’t go much further.

My chest was screaming and my throat was on fire. The driver’s door blew open and Gunther jumped out, running to the back and opening the liftgate. Letting out a sigh of relief, I walked the few paces. When I turned to place Eli in the back, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

Liam… Vodka!

“Shut up,” I whispered.

“What, mate?” Gunther asked.

“Nothing,” I choked out and glared at Gunther, dumping the near lifeless Eli into the back.

“What happened?” Elaina asked as she came around the truck.

“Love…” The fear hit me as soon as her face came into view. I was scared to death I would lose her when she found out about Mara.

“Henry?” Elaina insisted.

“Uhh… Long story, but we need to get him back. He’s having an asthma attack.”

We all jumped into the truck, and almost made it to the school before we ran out of gas. Gunther jumped out and grabbed Eli, running to the door Thomas was stationed at.

“Keys to the clinic?” Gunther asked.

“Yeah,” Elaina ran in and unlocked the door.

“Go get Jane and Lauren,” he barked. Elaina nodded and ran off.

As Gunther lay Eli on the cot, he was gasping and had saliva foaming around his mouth. His eyes were big as baseballs, full of panic.

It was bloody awful to witness.

“It’s all right, mate. Just try to calm down,” Gunther murmured. “I know you’re scared.”

Jane and Lauren ran into the clinic. “Eli!” Lauren screamed.

“Where’s his inhaler?” Jane asked in a panic.

“He ran out ages ago!” Lauren placed her hand on his chest. “Eli! Try to calm yourself.”

“Look through the closet and see if we have what he needs,” Gunther directed.

I sat in a chair on the other side of the clinic far away from the situation, trying to catch my breath.

Gunther came over and leaned in closely. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Back at the bunker.”

“What happened?”

“We made it to the well pump, and I decided we should hit up Cora’s bunker for the night, then head back first thing in the morning. I lay down on the couch and fell asleep. Next thing I know, I’m being dragged up and Mara is grabbing my dick.”

“What?” He seemed just as confused about the situation as I was.

“She was grabbing at me and I was pushing her away. In the struggle, she managed to unzip my pants and the whore grabbed me.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah. I kept shoving her off, but it only turned her on. It was mental. She somehow managed to get her mouth on me. I shoved her off again, only for her to rake her teeth down me. I was finally able to get my shit zipped up, grabbed my stuff, and headed out of the bunker.”

“What the hell is her issue?”

“Eli said she has been plotting for a while now, wanting to get me alone.”

“Got one!” Jane shouted when she found an old prescription inhaler from a former student.

“It may be too late,” Lauren cried. She tugged at Eli, trying to sit him up. I jumped up and grabbed him when she struggled. He was listless and weaving in and out of consciousness. “Eli! Wake up! We have an inhaler!” Lauren grabbed it from Jane, shook it with vigor, then pumped it into his mouth. “Come on, Eli!”

He struggled to suck in what little air he could. After a few seconds, he seemed to calm down a bit, so she pumped more medication in. I had no idea if it was a good plan, but the alternative wasn’t what we wanted. Lauren was doing everything she possibly could to keep him alive.

“How did he get like this?” Jane snarled.

“I left the bunker and he followed me out. We walked for a while, but I kept hearing noises. I handed him one of my guns and we walked on. Then we saw a huge fucking herd of them. I shot a couple and told him to run. He wasn’t keeping up and started having trouble breathing. I ended up just tossing him over my shoulder and taking off. Then I ran into Gunther, and here we are. Why didn’t anyone say he was asthmatic? I would never have brought him with me if I knew,” I grumbled.

“It hasn’t bothered him in a while,” Jane said with a sigh. “Where are the others?”

“At the bunker.”

“Will that herd still be roaming?”

“Probably,” I muttered.

“We have to go get them! Mara is there!” Jane yelled in a panic.

“We’ll go in the morning,” I retorted.

“But they can get them!”

“They are in a fucking bunker! They’ll be fine! We’ll go in the morning! No one is going back out there now.” I headed back over to Gunther, grumbling the entire way.

He leaned into me. “You going to tell her?” We glanced at Elaina standing just outside the door.

Scrubbing my face, I felt a bit ashamed about what had happened. “I’m going to
have
to. She’s going to freak out. Fuck…” I looked back at Eli when I heard him cough.

“Can one of you carry him back to his bed?” Lauren asked, tears running down her face. “I think between the inhaler and getting him to relax more, we can get this under control…I hope,” she whimpered, rubbing her belly.

Christ, I felt terrible about the whole epic disaster to fetch water.

“Yeah, I’ll grab him,” Gunther murmured. He scooped him up and we headed toward our respective rooms.

“Thomas! Chain it up! Go to bed,” I yelled down the hall. He acknowledged me with a wave.

Waiting at the corner of the hall, Elaina looked pale. I took her hand as we followed behind Gunther. “I told Josie to go to bed.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Sorry I didn’t come back. I couldn’t watch someone else die. Is he okay?”

“I’m not sure. We’ll know more in the morning.”

“I’m so ready for bed,” she murmured.

“Me, too, love. I’m beat.”

Blinding me, she held the flashlight to my eyes. “You look a little faded. Are you in need?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, but I gave three to Gunther earlier. He wouldn’t take any from Quinn.”

“Then I’ll wait until the morning.”

“No, you won’t. I don’t want what happened to him to happen to you.”

“I’ll give him a bag,” Thomas said as he came up behind me.

“Thanks. I could use a bag. It’s been a while.”

The three of us ducked into our room. I hooked Thomas up and we waited in silence while he filled a bag. Once he was done, steady on his feet again, and out the door, I kicked back and had myself a midnight snack.

I spent the time trying to figure out how to tell Elaina about what happened. It blew my mind that she sexually assaulted me. Picturing her lips and hands on me made me feel so dirty and full of shame.

My mind drifted back to the program…the gun to my head, Roger making me do things that were nothing short of immoral. I had blocked it out of my mind, but thinking about what Mara did to me brought it all back. I had to shut it down quickly before I snapped.

Approaching the subject with Elaina would be difficult, but I knew I had to tell her sooner rather than later. It would have to wait until the next morning, though. I needed to get what Roger made me do, plus that whore’s filthy hands and mouth out of my mind.

Every time I swallowed, Elaina shuddered. When I finished, I lay on my back with my cap over my eyes. My thoughts quieted, Mara’s face faded, my feeling of shame and depravity retreated to the back of my mind, and Roger’s actions became a distant whisper. I shook free from the restraints, allowing myself to dive into the environment around me.

Elaina’s breathing.

Her small random movements—tucking her hair behind her ears, fingers fidgeting, parting lips.

Her scent was glorious, filling me with lust.

Vanilla.

She pulled off my hat, tossing it across the room. There I was, grinning like a moron, thinking back to when I was in my truck before we met, her stolen phone held tight to my nose, inhaling her vanilla scent.

“What are you doing?” I started laughing so hard, there wasn’t a single sound coming out of me. “Oh god. You’re completely fucked up, aren’t you?” I laughed harder, tears streaming. I even snorted a couple times, thinking of how ridiculous I must’ve looked. “What’s so funny?”

“I have no idea,” I lied, bursting out laughing even more.

“Okay… Really. What is so funny?”

“I have no fucking clue…” I wiped the tears from my cheeks and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.

“What am I going to do with you?”

I sat up on my elbows. “I have a few ideas…” I snickered a few more times as my eyes tried to focus on Elaina. She looked beautiful in the candlelight, even if there were three of her.

More to love.

“Oh, yeah? Do tell, Mr. Daniels.”

“I want to try something.”

“Oh no…”

“No worries, my love.”

My murmur drifted around us as I began feeling sentimental. I slipped off my hoodie and vest, then decided to shed my t-shirt. I was still feeling self-conscious about my body, but I was determined to get it back.

She stripped off her shirt and bra, making my zipper on my pants strain further. I stood, unbuckling my belt and cargoes. They dropped to the floor with a thud. My devious grin came out when she got up and dropped her pants, as well.

Bloody hell. Never has someone so beautiful walked this earth.

She stood before me, her long black hair sweeping over her naked breasts. I stepped back in an effort to soak all of her in. The luscious curve of her waist leading to her hips…

A perfect vision. No one could compare.

I grabbed her hand and made her do a turn, getting a look at the ass I simply adored. My hand had a mind of its own, traveling around, enjoying the feel of her supple skin. I admit it. I was drooling.