Page 44 of When the Living Fall

The crowd around us shifts until everyone has weapons aimed at him. The colony members stand in tense silence, fingers hovering over triggers and curling around knives, all watching and waiting.

Nearby, Richard’s voice snaps through the tension. I swear it vibrates with fury. “How the hell did you get in here? The guards would never have allowed this.”

Nathan only grins, his expression smug, his stanceunbothered by the weapons pointed at him. “Let’s just say they’re taking a little involuntary nap, but don’t worry. They’ll wake in only an hour or so from the injections I gave them. Then you can pride them on being so incompetent at their jobs.” Richard opens his mouth to speak, but Nathan holds up a finger. “Ah, ah, ah, it’s rude to interrupt. Now where was I. Oh yeah.” He clears his throat. “You see, I was out for a stroll and thought I’d take the scenic route, see if Emily made it back here safe and sound. If she has, then I’m sure she’s probably told you about our stash by now, and how she stole so much of it when we were already so generous to share some of it with her. But no, the greedy bitch didn’t think our generosity was good enough.”

Max snarls, and I press my palm against his back, urging him to not start anything yet. Buddy presses against my leg and growls.

Zoey gasps behind me, realization dawning on her about what I took from the stash he’s talking about. I can’t allow her to take on the weight of the guilt. She’s not the one who’s responsible for his return; I am. So, I speak up.

“Generous?” I spit the word out. “That stash wasn’t yours to share in the first place. They belonged to us. I was only taking back what you stole.”

Nathan’s gaze shifts, scanning the crowd until finally landing on me, peering out from around Max’s arm. His grin stretches wider, an unsettling glint in his eyes. Max’s body tenses when he tries to shield me further, but it’s no use. I won’t remain hidden. I’ll never cower in front of this monster again.

“Ah, Emily, so you did make it here.” Nathan’s voice drips with mock sweetness. “And I see your loyal dogs have also followed after beating the location out of me.” His eyes flash when he scans each of their faces, a flash of irritation crossing his features. “Though they should’ve finished the job when they had the chance.”

“Trust me,” Max snarls again, his grip on the morning star tightening. “That’s not a mistake we’ll make again.”

Nathan laughs with amusement. “Ah, but look what a nice little reunion this is. Thanks to your little trailblazing adventure, I got curious enough to check out if this place was still standing. Looks like you’re doing far better than I expected.” He makes a show of glancing around, taking in the faces of everyone in the crowd with an infuriatingly pleased expression. “I half expected to find this place overrun with rotters, with all of you being the rotters. Clearly, I didn’t give you enough credit.”

Richard turns his anger onto me, his eyes cold and full of accusation. “You led him back here again? And you expect us to trust you again?”

The accusation cuts deep, but I refuse to let it show. I lash back at him, my voice hot and sharp. “Oh yes, Richard, that was my plan. Instead of going out for life-saving medicine for the only person in this damn forsaken place I care about, I actually went out to find the man who tore our community apart so I could invite him back for a cup of tea,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I’m sorry, but we’re fresh out of crumpets.” Zoey snorts in dark amusement behind me, but Richard’s expression only hardens.

Max turns around to glare at Richard. He opens his mouth to chastise him, but whatever he was going to say dies on his lips when a bullet pierces Richard’s shoulder, and all hell breaks loose.

24

GRIFFIN

The moment explodes into motion.

I draw my gun with one hand, gripping a knife in the other by the time Nathan’s men storm the colony like a swarm of locusts. They come from everywhere, leaping over the walls, running in through the gate.

“Stay with Emily,” I bark out at Max without taking my eyes off the attackers. We should have left while we still had the chance.

Max huffs with irritation. “Yeah, no shit.” He immediately moves closer to her with a growl. He and William close ranks around Emily, and I take stock of the situation. I need to get us safely out of here.

Scanning the area, I see the familiar faces of the colony guards, though they seem more invested in surrounding Richard than in defending Emily or any of their other people. I mean, yeah, the guy was shot and all, but Emily is the one who should be protected above all else. Their loyalty is bound to him, and they treat Emily’s safety as incidental, which only makes me grit my teeth.

Shots fire without targets. People take cover where they can.

Nearby buildings lock down fast, shutters snapping closed, and the sound of doors bolting echoes across the empty square. The move isn’t much of a shield—those thin barriers won’t stop anyone. This colony wasn’t designed to withstand an invasion like this. They’re still haven’t fully recovered from the last one.

I edge away, monitoring the advancing horde of Nathan’s men, hoping their attention stayed fixed on Richard. I’m nothing but an obstacle to them, and if they want him, I’d gladly hand him over myself if it comes to that.

A flash of movement catches my eye, and I dive behind a crumbling stone wall just as gunfire erupts around me, bullets cutting through the air. So much for hoping they only wanted Richard. Nobody here is safe.

There’s no time to waste now; we’re under siege. I drop low and press myself flat against the ground, scanning for an opening. I’ve lost sight of my group. At least Max and William are with her. I should have stayed with them. Splitting up was a mistake. Again. We have to stop doing this.

Bullets hit the wall I’m crawling behind. I’m thankful for the cover, but this situation is pissing me off. Why didn’t anyone shoot the bastard when he showed up? Especially after what he did to this colony the last time. This is inexcusable. I hope Richard survives solely so I can kill him myself. A nice, painful death for all the shit he put Emily through.

Colony folks emerge, returning fire from shuttered windows. Hope flashes through me. Even a little bit of pride. I had thought them all to be cowards, but they’re finally fighting back. They can handle themselves. It’s not their first rodeo, after all. Now to find Emily and the others and get us all the fuck out of here.

I edge toward a nearby car and roll under it, feeling the ground vibrate with the stampeding footsteps. I hold mybreath when bullets pelt the dirt where I was moments ago. That was a close one.

This isn’t going well at all. We don’t have the upper hand here, and that’s driving me crazy. I can’t die like this. I refuse to. There’s still so much I need to do, like make up with Emily. I still need to see her again. Most of all, I need to get her the fuck out of this place.

As if materialized by thought, I glimpse Emily moving into a building across the square. Good. She’s safe for now. I can try to get to her.

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