The Freeze (Barren Trilogy, Book 3) Read online

  “At least I think you're telling the truth,” Jerome said.

  I had the feeling we were speaking with people in the same boat as us. Teddy and Tawna had just been killing for longer. They had been captured by Stardust earlier but they were on the same chains as we were.

  “What about you, Tawna?” Jerome asked.

  “They have my daughter,” she said. Her voice was a tense piano string ready to snap. “They've got my five year old daughter.”

  "Your five year old?" I echoed.

  Tawna glared at me. "Neither one of you will screw this up," she said. "Failing a mission means that bad things happen to the people we love. I've heard of it. A man who was sent out to kill a greenhouse owner failed, and they took his wife and they shot her. That's what's going to happen to our people if we don't do this right, so don't even think of running the other way."

  "It's okay," Teddy said to her. He was trying to calm her down. She was glaring at us with the intensity of a serial killer who was standing for their mug shot, eyes huge and filled with animal rage. I couldn't help but take a step back.

  "Okay," I said. "We get it." It was bad enough having my best friend and my father trapped in that prison, but someone's child? Nobody cared about what a five year old could do in the apocalypse. They were pretty useless and the Stardust people knew that.

  The snow outside fell even harder. It was turning into a full blizzard out there. The woman with the box left the hotel. I felt cold just looking at it, even though the van had a bit of heat. It was an old van, though, letting in drafts through the windows. The Stardust people had given us this van so it would blend in with the others. Shiny black vans and cabs like the ones we had ridden from here before would raise suspicion. Apparently, the black cabs had a bad rap here in New York and were to be avoided.

  I looked at Jerome. We weren't even holding hands now because we were stuck. If Sheri was armed one of us would likely go down like that couple in the K Mart.

  "It's time," Teddy said, far too soon. "You kids go up there and pretend you haven't been in there before. Then make it quick. Quick is better."

  I agreed that quick was always better but Sheri would scream when she saw what we planned to do. She'd curse us up and down and she might even have a family of her own. Oh, god. I couldn't do this. It would be worse than anything I'd done so far. As soon as I fired, my horrible predictions in my sketchbook would all come true. There would be no more light inside of me and nothing left to guard from the cold.

  Jerome slid the door open to the van. "I'll do the shooting, Laney. I don't have anyone left to upset or be disappointed in me."

  "You have me," I said before I could stop myself.

  Jerome jumped down onto the sidewalk, slid, and caught his balance by grabbing onto a light post. "I do?" he asked.

  "You're not alone," I said. "I don't want to see you have to sink to this level." I was getting desperate. I had to keep Dad alive and I didn't want this hanging over Jerome's head. I had screwed up more than once and I wasn't going to do it again.

  "Go," Tawna ordered. She sent us another terrified glare. "Get it done! The Stardust people want this done within ten minutes, food and all. We can't be attracting attention."

  Her horror propelled me and Jerome forward, towards the dark doors of the hotel. I caught a glimpse of a battery powered lantern inside. I pulled my hood over my face and the gun was heavier than ever, trying to pull me down to the sidewalk. We linked hands to keep each other from going down on the sidewalk. It was slippery out here, even more than I thought it would be. The white blanket on the pavement was fluffy, but it threatened to make us go down with each step we took.

  We reached the double doors and stood under the awning for a second, taking our breaths.

  "Let me shoot," Jerome said. "Please. You don't need this."

  I wanted to say yes, to take the stress off me, but it was my father in that white cell. Not his. So I said nothing. Jerome reached under his coat and thought twice, because he adjusted his scarf over his face instead. The people inside must be able to see us.

  "We should--" I started.

  The door to the hotel burst open. "Don't linger here!" a rough man told us. "This is a no loitering zone. Are you here to steal from us?"

  I turned.

  Sheri had hired guards. She wasn't stupid.

  The man in the doorway was a big, burly guy who might have walked out of a rugged forest because he was every inch lumberjack including the rifle that he held under his arm. It was pointed more or less at my legs. The other hotel door opened and another man stood there, one dressed in an orange hunting coat and pants that must make him visible from a mile away. The second guy had rough stubble and also looked like he had come out of the woods.

  "You heard us," the second guy said. "Get out of here. We're not taking any more residents."

  Behind him, Sheri sat at her desk, waiting. She dropped her puzzle book and leaned forward. "It's kids," she said. "Let them go, Sal. Just let them walk away."

  I was frozen on the sidewalk. I could feel Tawna and Teddy looking at me, waiting for my next move. It would determine whether our families and friends lived or died.

  I had to act fast. All thoughts of what this might do to me vanished and I let myself fall to my knees right there in the snow. Bitter cold and wetness spread across my knees and burned my skin.

  "Please," I said. "There isn't anywhere else for us to go. Our apartment burned down and we're freezing out here. All the shelters are full! We'll do anything to stay here."

  Sheri pushed back her chair and got up. "Bring them in," she ordered.

  "You sure?" the lumberjack asked.

  "I said, bring them in and let me have a chat with them."

  I didn't like the tone of her voice. But before I could get up and Jerome could pull me away, the lumberjack seized my arm and pulled me up. My shoulder about came out of its socket and I bit in a scream. I shouldn't have spoken. Sheri had recognized my voice and I had screwed up in one moment of panic.

  "Let her go," Jerome shouted.

  Sal, the guy in orange, cocked his rifle. I hadn't even noticed the second one. "In," he ordered. "If Sheri wants to talk to you, she's going to talk to you."

  The lumberjack opened the door and Sal pulled me into the building. Jerome had no choice but to follow. I wondered how much Tawna and Teddy could see. They would have to come and help us. Sheri stood in front of her desk with a stack of crossword puzzles behind her.

  "Why did you come back here?" she asked as the lumberjack released my arm. It screamed around the elbow and my shoulder was protesting the abuse.

  Jerome and I could only stand there, waiting for something to happen.

  "Why?" Sheri advanced on us, looking just as mean as Tawna. "Why, after government agents came asking for you, did you come back here?”

  "These are the kids?" Sal asked. He kept his rifle ready.

  "These are the kids," Sheri said. "I want to know what's going on here and why business owners all over Manhattan are being killed."

  "Must be looters," I said.

  "I want the truth," Sheri told me. "I knew those agents were bad news. I trust them as much as I can throw an elephant and so should you. I don't want to kill children, but we might consider it if you don't speak up."

  "They'll kill my dad if I do," I babbled. I was losing control and I hated that I looked weak, but I was trapped. We should have just come in and started shooting. These guys wouldn't have had time to figure out what we were up to.

  "Who will?" Sheri asked. "What agency were those people from? The FBI? The CIA? Or the NSA? They'll kill you if you do what?”

  "I'm not sure," I said. Maybe if we gave Sheri the information she needed, she would let us go. Then we could figure out how to save Alana and my father and Tawna's son. They were all in more danger by the second. "They're working on something called Operation Stardust. They have a camera right on your hotel, because I saw it in this office of theirs."

&
nbsp; "Excuse me?" Sheri asked, eyes getting huge in the dim light. "You saw this. You're not joking?"

  "Not joking," Jerome said. "It's on the front of your hotel. They've been watching people take food in. They know there's a stash here and they're after that. These Stardust people want to take everyone's food and keep themselves alive. They have cameras all over the city. Hundreds of them. People in cubicles watch them all the time. And they see everyone coming and going with food. That’s the truth.”

  Sheri seemed to think for a second. “You know, I’m not surprised,” she said, staring at the wall for a bit. “I’ve always suspected the government is spying on us. I didn’t think they had some plan ready to take our food in an emergency. That’s what this is, right? And they must have sent you two to do it.”

  “Yes,” Jerome said, speaking as fast as he could. “We don’t want to, but they’re going to kill our friend and Laney’s father if we don’t. There’s a woman and man out there with family Stardust has captive. We have peoples’ lives in our hands.” Jerome kept his hands away from his pockets, where he had the gun hidden. “If we don’t succeed, then they’re going to die.”

  He was struggling to keep a straight face. We were laying out the truth here to the people we were supposed to end the lives of. These were strong people, people who would survive as long as the government didn’t destroy them first. They were competition. Folks who wouldn’t have a problem doing what they had to do. The Stardust people wanted those they could manipulate into doing what they wanted. Maybe Jerome and I were really the weak ones.

  “Hmm,” Sheri said, pacing in front of us. “My sons and I need to eat, you two. So do the other people taking shelter here. I have fifteen now that I’ve got the responsibility to keep alive.”

  “You’re a good person,” I said, glancing down to make sure my heavy coat hid the gun that I still had on my belt. “An awesome person who’s just trying to help people. There isn’t too much of that anymore.” I had to appeal to Sheri and I had to do it fast. Teddy and Tawna were out there, waiting. We were supposed to be watching her bleed out by now. “The Stardust people have a stash of food. I’ve seen the storage rooms and I know the first three numbers of a four number combination for their door. If you launch a surprise attack, you might be able to get to the food. The first three numbers are five, three and six. There's a fourth but I'm not sure what it is.”

  Sheri’s eyebrows lifted in interest. “Really? This is interesting. Food is getting harder to find around these parts.”

  “I’ll tell you the truth,” I said, talking faster than I ever had. I could see a crazy idea here but this was the only way. “Jerome and I were sent to kill you but we don’t want to. But if you don’t die and the Stardust people don’t take your food, our people die and so do we. If we fake your deaths, you might be able to work out an attack and take your food back. Do you know people who are willing to break in and take what they need?”

  I was proposing something completely dangerous. I didn’t know what the Stardust people had to fight back with, but they wouldn’t be expecting something like this. Sheri stepped a bit closer and eyed my belt for where she knew the gun must be.

  “I might,” Sheri said. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

  I blanked out. Jerome filled in for me.

  “Because there are Stardust people on the next street, ready to storm in and kill you if we don’t. You’ve got to play dead and we need to make it look convincing, and fast.”

  Seconds were ticking. Sheri glanced at the door and back to me. The snow was coming down even harder now and blowing to the side so much that I couldn’t see the buildings across the street. We had the cover of the storm to use as an excuse.

  “Do it,” Sheri said to her sons.

  She'd given the order to kill us. The numbness washed over me. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the shot of pain and the darkness that would follow. A shot fired and glass shattered. Then another, and another. The air filled with smoke and I sucked in a breath.

  I was still alive.

  Someone grabbed my arm.

  “Laney!” Jerome yelled. “We need blood.”

  The order hadn't been to kill us after all.

  Sal stood there, rifle in his hand, and Jerome had his own gun out. It was smoking. Sheri and the lumberjack still stood. Shattered glass had rained on the floor from the window and Jerome let go of my hand, running over to grab it. He picked up a shard and sliced it across his hand. Blood bubbled out. We had to make this real and ketchup wasn’t going to cut it.

  Jerome flung droplets of blood on the surrounding walls and seethed. “Someone lie against the counter,” he said. “Sheri. Lie here. We need to make it look like we shot you in the chest, or something.”

  “They’re going to notice your cut,” I said to Jerome. It was the only thing I could manage to say, but I moved. This was life or death.

  Jerome faced me, expression hard. “We fought these guys and they shoved us against the windows.”

  Sheri moved against the counter and sat against it. “Give me some glass,” she said.

  I ran over, picked up a big shard, and tossed it to her. Sheri stuck it under her blouse and screamed as she cut, ripping the front a bit in the process. Blood blossomed over her shirt. She put the bloody shard under her as she sat against the desk and let her head loll to the side and her mouth hang open like she was dead. It was pretty convincing, especially in the dim light.

  I turned to the two men. “Look dead!” I shouted. “Get on your stomachs. It’ll be easier.”

  The lumberjack got on his stomach after hesitating. I took his rifle—it was heavier than I thought—and threw it behind the counter. It was best if the Stardust people didn’t think we’d taken down two grown armed men by ourselves without getting killed.

  “You had better be telling the truth,” Sheri said. “People are relying on me.”

  Jerome did the same with Sal’s gun. I was shocked they had surrendered them. They had no reason to trust us but every reason to fear all the armed gatherers on the next street, ready to pounce. I wondered what the agents had threatened Sheri with. Sheri knew things about them, obviously.

  “Someone cut me,” Sal said.

  I grabbed a shard of glass off the ground. “Sorry,” I said, readying it. He screamed as I cut somewhere above his left shoulder blade. Above the heart, where death was supposed to come quickly if you were shot. I felt blood. Smelled it. It soaked through his orange hunting jacket and formed a blossom of red and pain. He groaned again. “You cut me hard,” he said.

  I didn’t say anything. There was no time to feel guilty. I took the pistol, held my breath like Teddy had instructed us, and shot the wall right above where Sal was lying. It left a bullet hole. Then I turned around and shot one right above the desk. The pistol whipped back, nearly hitting me in the face. I wasn’t used to this. I’d shot BB guns but never the real thing.

  Sheri jumped and the lumberjack groaned. Both of them had bloody spots on their backs. I leaned over and cut another small hole in the back of Sal’s orange jacket, trying not to touch the blood. Jerome cradled his still-bleeding hand as more dripped onto the floor. For a second, we were standing in a real murder scene until I remembered that this was all an act. I held my vomit down. The whole room smelled like blood and it was possible there were diseases lurking here.

  Jerome waved me towards the door and I was happy to walk through the fake bodies. The two men remained still and I wondered if they were going to go for their guns as soon as we left. At the last second, I turned back to stand by the desk and let Jerome walk out into the cold on his own to wave down the others. I watched the two men. Sal lifted his hand and I shifted, making sure he could hear me there, and he remained still. I still had a weapon. They had none now. We had disarmed them without killing.

  And a big part of me felt proud.

  Jerome stood in the cold onslaught and waved in silence at Teddy and Tawna. The van pulled up several s
econds later, sliding a bit as it came to a stop. Teddy and Tawna jumped out and I kept my gun out, which was still smoking from the barrel.

  When Teddy opened the door, he only glanced at the bodies and then stared at the wall. “I told you not to hesitate,” he said. “You hesitated.”

  “I didn’t want to kill people!” I shouted. It was easy to thrust the emotion into my words. “I shouldn’t have to be killing people.”

  “You’ve done it already, haven’t you?” Tawna asked, shoving past Teddy.

  That meant these people had murdered before. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said as Jerome walked in behind everyone.

  He turned off the lamp by closing it and near-darkness spread over the room. That was better. Teddy and Tawna didn’t even comment on it. We needed the cover, after all.

  But then a flashlight clicked on and Teddy was behind it, searching around. “The basement. We need it. The gatherers will be here in seconds.” He held a pistol in his other hand. “There must be stairs.”

  “Look around,” Jerome said. “I think there’s an entrance down the hall. Laney and I can hide the bodies while you’re doing that.”

  “Leave the bodies,” Tawna said, walking past me. “They’ll blend in soon, anyway. The surge will be here in hours.”

  Outside, I could almost hear the roaring waves crashing against the beach and the boardwalks on the nearby coast. We weren’t even a quarter mile away from it. The thought of being trapped in this hotel with rising water was enough to bring back my terror with tight spaces. My heart raced. If we went with Tawna and Teddy, Sal and the lumberjack and Sheri could go for the guns behind the counter. They could decide to turn on us, even though it would be a terrible idea.