Read Online Crashing Down - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Ravaged Land Series Book 3) by Kellee L. Greene - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kellee L. Greene
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interrogation started the truck. Mack and Dezzie sat in the back with us while the two men we hadn’t been introduced to sat in the front with Dominick. The truck circled around the lot and then drove off down a barely noticeable dirt road.
Where they were taking us I couldn’t even guess. But we’d find out soon enough.
7
seven.
A s we drive down the deserted road I watched the ruins of the old world pass by. I still couldn’t believe the difference from one area to the next. It was almost as if it was all changing before my eyes. The foliage that was still alive wildly grew all over since there was no one around to trim or tend to it. The weeds and grasses in the ditches and fields looked like they were taller than I was. It was almost hypnotizing how they danced as they blew around in the breeze.
The trees that still remained seemed to have a thick coating of dull-green moss on their trunks. I wondered if there could be mushrooms growing in the wet shadows under the trees. The areas of dead plants almost seemed like a spreading disease, but the healthy plants continued to fight. They weren’t ready to give up… not yet, and maybe they never would.
I still hadn’t seen any wildlife. The only other living creatures we saw were the random dog-beasts. I couldn’t help but think that if humans survived, there had to be some animals that had too. They were out there. Maybe they were just too scared to come out.
I squeezed Dean’s hand and looked into his eyes to see if I could tell what he was thinking about. His eyes were filled with sadness and pain. It seemed like it was almost too much for him to carry. And then on top if it he had to be stuck in this place, with these strangers after having just lost one of his best friends. He was lucky to still have his sister with him, but loss was inevitable.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed as if he knew what I was thinking. I put my head down on his shoulder. If only there was something I could do to help ease his pain.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” I said putting my lips up close to his ear. I wanted to make sure he would hear me over the noise of the wind as the truck drove down the road. If there was something I could say that would make this all better, I would. The only thing that would help was time, but how much of that did any of us have left? “I just want you to be OK.”
“I will be,” he said forcing a smile, and kissed the top of my head. I raised my head hoping to kiss him back, but I saw Dominick watching us. I put my head back down feeling self-conscious. It wasn’t that I cared if Dominick knew how I felt about Dean, it just made me feel weird to have him watching us. Watching me.
It was almost as if Penn had sensed some kind of tension and decided to break it by striking up a loud conversation with Dezzie and Mack. “Have you guys been with Dominick long?” Penn asked nodding in their direction.
Dezzie and Mack exchanged looks as if they didn’t know how to respond to a question without Dominick there to guide them. They clearly weren’t accustomed to having conversations with the new members. It was like they seemed nervous about saying the wrong thing and upsetting Dominick.
“I’ve been with the resistance ever since I left HOME and they rescued me,” Dezzie said, not touching on the length of time he’d been with either.
“And I’ve been with Dominick since the beginning,” Mack said glancing at the front of the truck. “He’s my brother. We’ve been through all of this together.”
I was surprised to hear they were siblings. They looked nothing alike and they most certainly didn’t act all that much alike.
Between Mack and Dezzie, Mack seemed far more afraid of Dominick than Dezzie did. But then again, Dezzie was ex-HOME military, maybe even ex-old world military too based on how he carried himself.
“Where were you from?” Penn asked acting as if he couldn’t care less if they even answered him.
Where they were taking us I couldn’t even guess. But we’d find out soon enough.
7
seven.
A s we drive down the deserted road I watched the ruins of the old world pass by. I still couldn’t believe the difference from one area to the next. It was almost as if it was all changing before my eyes. The foliage that was still alive wildly grew all over since there was no one around to trim or tend to it. The weeds and grasses in the ditches and fields looked like they were taller than I was. It was almost hypnotizing how they danced as they blew around in the breeze.
The trees that still remained seemed to have a thick coating of dull-green moss on their trunks. I wondered if there could be mushrooms growing in the wet shadows under the trees. The areas of dead plants almost seemed like a spreading disease, but the healthy plants continued to fight. They weren’t ready to give up… not yet, and maybe they never would.
I still hadn’t seen any wildlife. The only other living creatures we saw were the random dog-beasts. I couldn’t help but think that if humans survived, there had to be some animals that had too. They were out there. Maybe they were just too scared to come out.
I squeezed Dean’s hand and looked into his eyes to see if I could tell what he was thinking about. His eyes were filled with sadness and pain. It seemed like it was almost too much for him to carry. And then on top if it he had to be stuck in this place, with these strangers after having just lost one of his best friends. He was lucky to still have his sister with him, but loss was inevitable.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed as if he knew what I was thinking. I put my head down on his shoulder. If only there was something I could do to help ease his pain.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” I said putting my lips up close to his ear. I wanted to make sure he would hear me over the noise of the wind as the truck drove down the road. If there was something I could say that would make this all better, I would. The only thing that would help was time, but how much of that did any of us have left? “I just want you to be OK.”
“I will be,” he said forcing a smile, and kissed the top of my head. I raised my head hoping to kiss him back, but I saw Dominick watching us. I put my head back down feeling self-conscious. It wasn’t that I cared if Dominick knew how I felt about Dean, it just made me feel weird to have him watching us. Watching me.
It was almost as if Penn had sensed some kind of tension and decided to break it by striking up a loud conversation with Dezzie and Mack. “Have you guys been with Dominick long?” Penn asked nodding in their direction.
Dezzie and Mack exchanged looks as if they didn’t know how to respond to a question without Dominick there to guide them. They clearly weren’t accustomed to having conversations with the new members. It was like they seemed nervous about saying the wrong thing and upsetting Dominick.
“I’ve been with the resistance ever since I left HOME and they rescued me,” Dezzie said, not touching on the length of time he’d been with either.
“And I’ve been with Dominick since the beginning,” Mack said glancing at the front of the truck. “He’s my brother. We’ve been through all of this together.”
I was surprised to hear they were siblings. They looked nothing alike and they most certainly didn’t act all that much alike.
Between Mack and Dezzie, Mack seemed far more afraid of Dominick than Dezzie did. But then again, Dezzie was ex-HOME military, maybe even ex-old world military too based on how he carried himself.
“Where were you from?” Penn asked acting as if he couldn’t care less if they even answered him.
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