Shattered World (Shattered #3)

Chapter One

T wo days passed uneventfully. The scenery changed as we traveled across the country, but to me, it all looked the same. All a reminder of what I was leaving behind.

A warm hand tangled tightly with mine, the reminder of what I still had. Blinking my eyes open, I took in the beaten down faces before me. None of us had made it here unscathed, although some were worse for wear.

Stephanie and Lucas had finally stopped crying, their eyes bloodshot and their faces stained with dried tears. They hadn’t been able to leave their mother’s side. And I knew the gaping hole from the loss of their father would stay with them forever. I could only hope that one day they would truly understand the sacrifice he had made for them, for all of us.

Mina’s gaze met mine, our eyes locking, tears springing to well in both. None of us were spared from mourning the loss of Rainer. Despite his prickly exterior, he had protected us for nearly seven months. And he had continued to put us first until the moment he vanished from sight.

“How much longer do you think we have?” I asked Murphy, resting my head against his shoulder.

He shrugged, the movement lifting my cheek, his free hand stroking my tangled mess of hair. “I have no clue. Where even is Brentwood?”

I had no answer to give him. I had never left Montana and my geography skills were lacking.

“Somewhere on the east coast, obviously,” Sasha added, stretching out her legs until the soles of our shoes were touching.

The train was filled to the brim with others who had forced their way on board, our small group crammed into the back corner of the train.

Although our words were quiet, meant for only us, the small space meant nearly everyone could overhear.

An unfamiliar voice from the middle of the train spoke up, “It’s on the outskirts of Chicago.”

I lifted my head, searching for the voice, my eyes finding a stocky man with reddish brown hair. He sat in the middle of the train, his legs curled against his body. He was surrounded by people, and yet I knew he was alone.

The uniform he wore was a stark reminder of everything I had lost. How many people had I seen wearing that uniform? Who had tried to kill me and the ones I loved?

Anger unfurled in my chest, the hand not wrapped in Murphy’s clenching against my thigh. Realistically, I knew he had most likely been lied to as well. Probably deserved the opportunity to save himself.

But the pain was too fresh, the wound in my heart still gaping, and I didn’t have the ability for rational thought. All I saw was a man who wasn’t Rainer or Warner. A man who took their place.

My mouth opened, a torrential downpour of hatred ready to spew from my lips, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

“Lessy, don’t.”

My gaze clashed with Aiden’s, his eyes pleading with me to keep the peace. Exhaling a deep breath, I took one last look at the singular guard on the train.

His eyes met mine, his shoulders slumping. Maybe he knew what I was thinking. That I would trade his life for another a million times over. Maybe he couldn’t lift his shoulders, the weight of guilt too dominating.

And then I turned away. A twin pair of eyes met mine, and Aiden nodded with encouragement. His lips spread in a small smile, but I couldn’t reciprocate.

The death of our family hadn’t broken me. Fighting to survive in the woods, Vex’s torture, none of it had broken me. But someone could only take so much loss, so much horror, before the cracks splintered, creating something that could never be pieced back together again.

Turning from Aiden, I took in the faces across from me, finally landing on the hazel stare of the man at my side. These people were the only things holding me together, the sole reason my heart still beat inside my chest. But I knew our fight wasn’t over yet. And if I lost another one of them, if one more person was stolen from my grasp, I knew there would be no way to recover.

“Alessia, wake up,” a soft voice murmured in my ear.

My eyes snapped open, my body immediately on high alert. Would there ever be a time when it wasn’t like this? If we survived, years down the road, would I ever forget the fear?

I still sat slumped against the wall of the train, my head scanning the interior for whatever threat faced us. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Some people rested, others looked at nothing with misery encasing their features. But there was something off.

Straining my ears, I waited for the consistent whir of the train, but there was none. Outside these walls, there was only silence.

“Did we stop moving?” I breathed, my heart rate picking up.

Murphy nodded. “I think we’re here.”

At his words, the others around us perked up. Standing to my feet, my muscles strained from sitting for so long. I inched toward the opening, but Murphy pushed me behind his body.

Aiden silently passed our remaining gun into Murphy’s hand, grabbing my shoulders and holding me back.

Keeping one hand on me, he reached the other out to Mina, pulling her body behind his back and trying to do the same to me. But I refused to budge. I was tired of everyone protecting me at the cost of their own safety.

Aiden mumbled under his breath, but Sasha stood at my side, the two of us sharing a kindred look as we braced for whatever was beyond the door.

“Elizabeth, back the kids away,” Murphy told the mother and she scurried behind our group, Lucas and Stephanie’s hands in hers.

The rest of the occupants on the train stood as well, whispers sounding until there was a cacophony of noise. And then the back door was pried open, brilliant light shining inside.

I reached my hand up to shield my eyes, squinting against the sun. The noise in the train stopped, but the sound only swelled with the door open.

Shouts and yells filled the space, vehicles rumbling in the background. After my eyes adjusted to the sun, I peeked past Murphy’s shoulder, trying to see what awaited us.

Two men stood at the mouth of the door, their mouths pressed in firm lines. Immediately, my gaze scanned their hands and their waists, my shoulders loosening when I didn’t spot a gun on their person.

However, my relief was short-lived when the shorter man spoke. “Bunker ID number?”

His partner tracked the bodies inside, his lips curving into a frown. It was apparent by our demeanor that we weren’t the lucky ones invited to survive inside the bunkers, and they realized it.

“We’re here for the bunkers,” Murphy tried reasoning with the men, his hands held up in a pleading manner.

“Bunker ID number,” the short man reiterated, his tone firm, with no room for discussion.

Murphy’s hand twitched, his instinct to reach for his weapon. But they were unarmed. And we already had seen enough death.

Ignoring Aiden’s warning whisper at my back, I shoved past Murphy. “We need to get off this train.”

The taller man raised a brow, looking at me quizzically. “And we need to follow protocol.”

Clearly, they weren’t willing to broker a deal. But I had seen evil in someone’s eyes and that wasn’t them.

Inching closer until I knew I had the right angle, I channeled every ounce of Rainer that I could. “Too bad.”

My knee collided with the man’s groin, a curse spilling from his lips as he hunched over in pain. Quicker than the other man could react, I slipped past his hands, hopping off the train, knowing the others would follow.

If I thought the train station in Montana had been chaos, this was anarchy. Dozens of trains sat on the tracks, thousands of people spilling out and into the surrounding streets. I spotted men and women dressed the same as the two at our door, but they were severely outnumbered. And unequivocally unarmed.

They hadn’t been expecting this. Most likely, there were supposed to be a few people on each train, ready to be led to their safety. But as I took in the dirty clothes, the worn faces, I knew Murphy’s message had worked.

A firm hand grabbed my arm and I spun, ready for danger, but Murphy tugged me closer into his body.

“No more running away,” he said, planting a chaste kiss against my cheek, but the pride shined in his eyes.

Over his shoulder, I spotted the others. Sasha had a blinding smile on her face, the first genuine grin any of us had shown in days.

“What do we do now?” She asked, bouncing on her toes.

“First, we get the hell out of here,” Aiden said, his eyes wide as he scanned the area.

“And second?” Mina asked, locking her arm with Sasha’s.

All eyes drifted around our makeshift circle and a fist of grief wrapped around my heart. We were looking for Rainer. But then the fist squeezed harder as the searching eyes landed on me.

Instinctively, my gaze found Murphy. He was Rainer’s best friend. The two were always in sync. We should be looking to him, not the girl who could barely survive.

But no words slipped past his lips. He wouldn’t take Rainer’s spot. The loss of his friend hurt him more than it would ever hurt me. And I was nearly crumbling from the pain.

Exhaling a deep breath, I spun in a small circle, begging a plan to formulate in my mind. Finally, I faced the waiting expressions.

“Second, we find an abandoned place for shelter. There are too many people and too many unknowns to stay on the street.”

They all waited for more, but that was the best I had. We were in a new city, surrounded by new people, but the threat was still the same. And until we could figure out where these bunkers were, my priority was keeping us all safe.