Day Zero

“Elle,” Pix whispered, tugging on her sleeve. “Thank you for coming for me.”

Elle cleared her throat. She wasn’t used to gratitude.

“Come on, let’s move,” she mumbled.

They followed her through the darkness. They didn’t speak until sunrise, when they reached the bakery. They pushed inside, exhausted. Elle collapsed on the floor, her back against the counter.

“I thought we’d never make it,” Georgia sighed, lying flat on her back. “God, what we just did was insane.”

“You should get out of the city,” Elle advised. “The Klan will look for you. And once they start hunting someone, they don’t stop. Ever.”

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Jay replied. “They’ve been hunting you for a long time, haven’t they? You were a fighter in the Pits. That’s why you know so much about the Klan, and that’s how you knew where to find Pix.”

Elle slid her backpack off her shoulders. She was dead tired.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I was a prisoner in the Pits.”

“And you escaped.”

The ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of Elle’s mouth.

“Yes,” she said.

“How did you do it?”

Elle drew a circle in the dust on the floor.

“I just waited for the right moment,” she answered. “The Klan is dangerous, but not all of them are smart. In fact, a lot of them are pretty stupid.” She pulled the sleeve of her jacket down. Her shoulder was black and blue, bruised. “Ouch.”

“Tomas did that to you,” Jay stated. “That looks painful.”

“It’s not bad.”

“How long were you in the Pits?”

Elle shook her head.

“I don’t know. Two months, maybe?” She shrugged. “It wasn’t that long after Day Zero. I came to the city, hoping to find my family. I got caught by the Klan instead. I’ve been here ever since.”

“If the Klan is hunting you,” Flash said carefully, “why don’t you leave the city?”

“Because I don’t know what’s out there,” Elle replied.

Jay and Georgia shared a secretive glance.

“What?” Elle demanded.

“In the bunker,” Jay answered, his tone even, “we had a radio. A ham radio. We had contact with some people before we left.”

“You had radio contact with other survivors?” Elle asked, bewildered.

“Yes. And militia groups. That’s how we kept track of what was happening in the outside world,” Georgia said. “The only reason we left the bunker was because we ran out of food and water.”

“Elle, you should leave the city,” Jay interjected. “Staying here is suicide.”

“Leaving is suicide. Omega is almost everywhere,” Elle pointed out.

“Sacramento is safe,” Pix said. She straightened her spine. “We heard it on the radio. That’s where we’re going. We’re trying to get there.”

“Sacramento is a long way from here, sunshine,” Elle deadpa

“It’s a National Guard stronghold,” Jay replied. “And the California militias are cleaning up the Central Valley. Omega isn’t everywhere, Elle. We came to Hollywood because we thought we might be able to scavenge for some supplies, but we’re not staying. We’re heading out. To safety.”

Elle looked at the four of them. They were really into this idea.

“How do you know this isn’t some kind of a trap to lure survivors into Sacramento?” Elle asked, raising her eyebrows. “At the begi

She knew because Uncle had told her. Uncle had seen it.

“This isn’t Omega,” Georgia answered, firm. “This is safe.”

“Nothing is safe.”

“Well, it’s either Sacramento or this,” Jay retorted. He took the handgun from his belt and held it in front of Elle’s face. “Is this fun, Elle? Do you like having to shoot people?”

His voice was harsh, and Elle recoiled.

“You don’t know what it’s like to survive out here,” she snapped. “It’s getting worse every day.”

“So take a chance and come with us to Sacramento,” Georgia said. “You’re smart and you know more about survival than any of us. We could all help each other — and you wouldn’t be alone anymore. We’d be a big, happy family.” Georgia winked. “You know you want to, shortstack.”

Elle hesitated. The idea was appealing. Being alone was the smart thing… but being with people, with friends… that would be nice. Very nice.

“Leaving means admitting that my mother is dead,” Elle said.

Jay said nothing for a long time before reaching over and touching Elle’s hand. She stiffened at the warmth of his fingers. He smiled softly.

“We’re all orphans,” he said. “We all have a common goal. We all need to survive. Juvenile delinquents or not.”

Elle pushed the hair away from her face.

The Klan would hunt for her. They would never stop, and eventually, they would find her. And then they would kill her, and that would be the end of everything. Leaving the city was a terrifying prospect, but it also brought about the hope of a safe haven. What if there really was something out there… something safe?

Something sparked in Elle’s chest.

Hope.

“If I come with you,” Elle said, choosing her words with caution, “you have to listen to me. You’re all clumsy and noisy. You’ll get us killed in a couple of days. You have to be willing to take advice.”

To her surprise, Jay started laughing.

“I think we figured that out, Elle,”he chuckled. “Don’t worry. We’ll listen to your tips and tricks. They’ve worked so far.”

Elle was pleased with his answer.

“Before we go to Sacramento, there’s somewhere we need to go first,” she said. “My Aunt and Uncle, they had a home in the Tehachapi Mountains. I left it to come back to the city to search for my family. If they’re still there, they’ll be able to help us get to Sacramento.”

“You have living family members?” Flash asked. He tilted his head. “Lucky.”

Elle wasn’t so sure. She didn’t even know if Aunt and Uncle were still alive.

“We go there first, and then we go north,” Elle stated. “What do you say?”

Georgia reached for a cigarette — she seemed to have an endless supply.

“Sounds good to me,” she said.

“I’m in,” Jay added.

Pix and Flash raised their hands.

Elle nodded. She would go with them to Sacramento, and if they betrayed her, she would leave. It was a simple plan. Either way, she was escaping the Klan. She was escaping the memory of a dead family. She was escaping Day Zero.

Chapter Nine

“Do not do this, Elle,” Aunt said.

Her pretty white hair was mussed. It was the middle of the night, and Elle was standing at the doorway, her backpack over her shoulder. The night was cold and brisk.

“I have to!” Elle replied. “I can’t just stay here. Maybe she’s still alive.”

“Your mother is dead,” Aunt answered, her voice firm. Almost cold. “If you go back, all you’ll find is an empty apartment.”

“I have to try. She would come looking for me if it were the other way around.” Elle shook her head. “Explain it to Uncle. He’ll be mad at first, but he’ll understand.”

“He’s seen the city. He knows what it’s like.”

“I know.”

“The city is death.”

Elle flinched. Her mother had said that very thing to her not so long ago.

“I’m sorry,” Elle said, fighting tears. “I have to go.”

Aunt folded her arms across her chest. She wasn’t going to hug Elle, and she wasn’t going to cry. Aunt was too hardened for that — too much like Elle.

“I’ll be back,” Elle promised.

Aunt said nothing. She didn’t believe her.

“Goodbye,” Elle whispered.

She stepped over the threshold.

She left the safety of Aunt and Uncle’s home behind.

“I had a six-month sentence,” Georgia said.