Page 5 of Shattered World

He sighed deeply, pulling me tighter, our legs tangling together. “There’s another train.”

In the dark of the night, wrapped in each other’s arms, it was the only time we could give a voice to the hope that would always remain in our hearts.

Chapter Three

Rainer

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the empty room. I couldn’t bring myself to feel remorse as the man’s head fell forward, his nose dripping blood.

Warner gripped the back of the man’s neck, tilting his face until his eyes met mine. Warner’s gaze collided with mine as well, darkness in them that I knew matched my own.

Something uncomfortable swirled in my gut as I stepped toward the man. I could no longer convince myself that we were the good guys of this story, not after this. And yet, still, the remorse didn’t come. Not when this man was our only chance.

“When do the next trains leave?” I asked for the tenth time, my voice filled with grit.

The man groaned in pain, attempting to shake his head, but Warner’s firm grip halted his movements.

Kneeling before the man, I rested my arms against the chair, getting right in his face. “When do the next trains leave?”

The man’s eyes met mine, slightly swollen, and I clocked the moment the fight left him. Slumping against the chair even more, Warner slowly released his grip, coming to stand behind me.

“They leave in two days,” the man croaked, his voice hoarse. From the information back at the camp, we already knew this. But I wanted to make sure we weren’t caught off guard with new information.

“But it doesn’t matter,” he continued. “No civilians are allowed.”

Warner let out a humorless laugh, crouching down until he was level with the man. “You think that matters to us?”

“Are you getting on that train?” I asked and the man slowly nodded.

He opened his mouth, probably to throw out more excuses as to whyweweren’t allowed on the train. Too bad for him, I didn’t give a shit.

Standing back to my full height, I looked down my nose at him. “Start thinking of a plan, I expect one the next time we come in here.”

And then I turned on my heel, leaving the man behind, Warner’s steps right behind mine. The door shut with a loud thud, echoing throughout the rest of the home.

It had been harder than usual to find an abandoned building after the chaos of the train station. All of those that had been left behind had scampered into the streets, trying to find cover forthe rest of the night. If I had to guess, most of them were biding their time, hoping to get on the next train.

But I wasn’t one to bide my time. And if beating an answer out of some poor unsuspecting man was the only solution, call me fucking proactive.

“Think he’ll have a plan?” Warner asked as he dropped onto the couch in the small living room. Based on the copious amounts of beer bottles and the tiny stature of the place, I figured this was campus housing, the university Mina attended not far from here.

Slumping down on the opposite end of the couch, I shrugged. “Who knows? If he also wants to get on the train, he better.”

“And if he decides to screw us over?” Warner tilted his head towards me. His face was blank, making it hard for me to read what he was thinking.

I knew my face gave away the same amount, but my mind was in overdrive. If this didn’t work, I didn’t have another plan. We didn’t know where the trains were headed. Had no clue where the others were at.

Even if I thought walking all the way to the destination was a reasonable solution, we wouldn’thavea destination. And the likelihood of walking cross country successfully was slim to none.

When Warner realized I didn’t have an answer, he asked no more questions. The two of us fell into companionable silence. We didn’t have much to say to each other. I didn’t know the man before me anymore than I knew the man in the locked room. The only thing tying us together washer.

Closing my eyes, I tried to envision what she and Murphy were doing right now. I knew he would take care of her. Comfort her through whatever hardships they were facing. But fuck, I wanted to be there with them.

My fists clenched, hating the situation we were in. It wasn’t just Alessia that was causing this pain in my chest. For over twenty years, Murphy had been by my side. My best friend through it all. Being away from him, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, was like being stabbed straight through the heart.

Apparently, I wasn’t doing a good job of concealing my emotions, because Warner’s voice sounded beside me. “They’ll all be fine. They’ve got two doctors, Sasha’s smart as a whip, and Murphy knows how to handle a weapon.”

“And the others?” I questioned skeptically, noting how Warner left them out.

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