Read Online No Dawn without Darkness: No Safety In Numbers: Book 3 by Dayna Lorentz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dayna Lorentz
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hammock. I kick, wriggle, bite, and scream until some wad of cloth is shoved into my mouth. From the grimy taste of soot, I realize it’s my mask.
I’m carried down the hall through the black.
• • •
A door opens and light blooms. It’s like we’ve crawled out of a cave into a summer afternoon.
“Where the hell did you get all this light?” Maddie wails, like they stole it from the rest of us.
“We blew the transformer.” It’s Marco’s voice. “We planned for certain eventualities.”
“You blew the transformer?” I manage. “On purpose?”
“We had our reasons.”
Other voices snicker their approval. So he’s converted a band of idiots to whatever insanity he’s planning. Oh crap. What if Lexi’s one of the idiot converts?
“Lexi!” I shout.
“Who’s Lexi?” someone asks.
“She’s our friend,” Maddie answers. “And Marco’s.”
“What have you done with her?” I demand.
My eyes adjust to the brilliant light, which shines from camping lanterns spaced evenly around the floor. The smallish room is crowded with about thirty other people, some sitting, some standing, all wearing weapons of some sort. I scan every face. Lexi’s is not among them.
“Why would I have done anything with Lexi?” Marco asks. He uncoils himself from where he was sitting on the floor, rising up like some enchanted snake. “She told me to leave her alone. I did.”
“She wasn’t with you at whatever party happened in the IMAX?” Maddie is still struggling against the huge guy who has her by the arms. He has a hockey stick strapped to his back.
“She stopped by,” Marco says, scowling. “Then she left.”
Which means she could be anywhere. How will we ever find her? We need to find her.
Marco glares at me. “Wait, are you saying the senator abandoned her own daughter along with the rest of us?”
“Lexi ran off,” I say, suddenly becoming angry with his attitude. “The senator asked Maddie and me to help search because security had her on lockdown, what with the mall falling into the hands of crazy people. Which I’m sure you had nothing to do with.”
“I had everything to do with it,” Marco snarls. He isn’t playing the sarcasm game anymore. For some reason, this scares me more than his hulking gang of thugs.
“Well, aren’t you special?” Maddie says. “Congrats on bringing down society. Now let us go.”
They all laugh at her. I go cold inside. People don’t laugh at Maddie. Ever.
“You have to pay the piper for your freedom,” Mike says. He’s hunched in the corner nearest Marco.
“We know where your girlfriend, the Indian girl, is,” I yell.
“Shay was never my girlfriend.” Marco steps closer. “What else have you got?”
Do we hand over the location of our candy stash? I look to Maddie. She stares at me, eyes bulging, like she’s trying to telepathically communicate. Is that a yes? Then she stamps her heel down hard on the foot of the guy holding her. He screams and lets go of her arms. I get the message.
I stamp on my guy’s foot, except a girl’s voice cries out and my arms are free. Maddie gives her captor her signature groin kick and pulls the hockey stick from his back. I figure kicking my captor in the groin would be useless, so I throw a punch at her face. She blocks it and I end up hitting her in the boob, but she doubles over anyway and I shove my way past her toward Maddie, who’s sweeping the stick back and forth, jabbing at any of the headlamps who approach.
On the next sweep, I dive past her and kick the door open. I drag her into the hall and shut the door behind us. Maddie jams the stick through the handle, locking the door closed against the frame.
We race down the dark hallway, so much darker after those few precious minutes in the light. The door slams against the hockey stick, and the wood snaps. Maddie pulls out her flashlight. Once in the mall, we run toward the movie theaters.
“Where do you girls think you can hide in our
I’m carried down the hall through the black.
• • •
A door opens and light blooms. It’s like we’ve crawled out of a cave into a summer afternoon.
“Where the hell did you get all this light?” Maddie wails, like they stole it from the rest of us.
“We blew the transformer.” It’s Marco’s voice. “We planned for certain eventualities.”
“You blew the transformer?” I manage. “On purpose?”
“We had our reasons.”
Other voices snicker their approval. So he’s converted a band of idiots to whatever insanity he’s planning. Oh crap. What if Lexi’s one of the idiot converts?
“Lexi!” I shout.
“Who’s Lexi?” someone asks.
“She’s our friend,” Maddie answers. “And Marco’s.”
“What have you done with her?” I demand.
My eyes adjust to the brilliant light, which shines from camping lanterns spaced evenly around the floor. The smallish room is crowded with about thirty other people, some sitting, some standing, all wearing weapons of some sort. I scan every face. Lexi’s is not among them.
“Why would I have done anything with Lexi?” Marco asks. He uncoils himself from where he was sitting on the floor, rising up like some enchanted snake. “She told me to leave her alone. I did.”
“She wasn’t with you at whatever party happened in the IMAX?” Maddie is still struggling against the huge guy who has her by the arms. He has a hockey stick strapped to his back.
“She stopped by,” Marco says, scowling. “Then she left.”
Which means she could be anywhere. How will we ever find her? We need to find her.
Marco glares at me. “Wait, are you saying the senator abandoned her own daughter along with the rest of us?”
“Lexi ran off,” I say, suddenly becoming angry with his attitude. “The senator asked Maddie and me to help search because security had her on lockdown, what with the mall falling into the hands of crazy people. Which I’m sure you had nothing to do with.”
“I had everything to do with it,” Marco snarls. He isn’t playing the sarcasm game anymore. For some reason, this scares me more than his hulking gang of thugs.
“Well, aren’t you special?” Maddie says. “Congrats on bringing down society. Now let us go.”
They all laugh at her. I go cold inside. People don’t laugh at Maddie. Ever.
“You have to pay the piper for your freedom,” Mike says. He’s hunched in the corner nearest Marco.
“We know where your girlfriend, the Indian girl, is,” I yell.
“Shay was never my girlfriend.” Marco steps closer. “What else have you got?”
Do we hand over the location of our candy stash? I look to Maddie. She stares at me, eyes bulging, like she’s trying to telepathically communicate. Is that a yes? Then she stamps her heel down hard on the foot of the guy holding her. He screams and lets go of her arms. I get the message.
I stamp on my guy’s foot, except a girl’s voice cries out and my arms are free. Maddie gives her captor her signature groin kick and pulls the hockey stick from his back. I figure kicking my captor in the groin would be useless, so I throw a punch at her face. She blocks it and I end up hitting her in the boob, but she doubles over anyway and I shove my way past her toward Maddie, who’s sweeping the stick back and forth, jabbing at any of the headlamps who approach.
On the next sweep, I dive past her and kick the door open. I drag her into the hall and shut the door behind us. Maddie jams the stick through the handle, locking the door closed against the frame.
We race down the dark hallway, so much darker after those few precious minutes in the light. The door slams against the hockey stick, and the wood snaps. Maddie pulls out her flashlight. Once in the mall, we run toward the movie theaters.
“Where do you girls think you can hide in our
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