Day Zero

“If you come out now, we’ll give you a nice home at the Pits,” the man said.

At this, Elle froze. A chill ran up her spine.

“You’ll be taken care of.”

You lying dog, Elle thought. The Klan will never take me again.

Elle dug for the lighter in the bottom of her pack. She found it. Her hands were shaky; she willed them to cooperate. She flicked her thumb along the roller and the flame ignited. She was holding a box in the other hand — a box with a fuse.

Elle threw the package toward the steps, dropped the lighter back into her pack, and covered her head. The box exploded, sending sprays of fiery color into the basement. The men on the steps dove for cover, and one of them was knocked off his feet. The colored balls of fire kept popping, rattling the basement, creating chaos.

Firecrackers. One of Elle’s favorite post-apocalyptic weapons.

Elle sprinted toward the exit, climbing the stairs with lightning speed. She charged into the alley, the daylight burning her eyes. She glanced behind her. Jay was next, and then Georgia. Elle fixed her gaze straight ahead and kept ru

The screams of the men in the basement didn’t fade until they were two blocks away. Elle slowed her pace a bit, but she didn’t stop until they were safely on the other side of the city, near Santa Monica Boulevard again.

She placed her hands on her knees, breathing hard. She was hidden behind an overflowing garbage can in the alley near an abandoned Mexican restaurant. Jay and Georgia came to a halt beside her. Elle reached up and touched her shirt. She was dripping in blood — not hers, but the man who she had stabbed inside the basement.

“Flash, where’s Pix?” Georgia gasped.

Georgia’s hair was mussed and her shirt was torn. Jay’s knuckles were bloody; Elle could see a piece of white bone protruding through the skin.

Flash leaned against the alley wall, struggling for breath. His glasses were sideways. “She was… right behind… me,” he panted.

Elle stood up. Pix was nowhere in sight.

“Did she make it out of the basement?” Elle asked.

“Yeah, I saw her come out,” Jay replied. “I didn’t check afterward, though. I was… ru

As Flash regained his breath, it seemed to dawn on him that his sister was missing. “Pix?” he called.

“Shhhh,” Georgia hissed. “Dummy! Do you want the whole posse to come down on us again?”

Elle frowned.

They had no idea what had just happened.

Elle waited. Her heart rate slowed. Her fight or flight instinct vanished, and she crouched low, watching the street. They all watched, hoping Pix had just fallen behind and that she would catch up.

Elle counted the minutes. One, two, three… five… seven.

Too long.

“She’s not coming,” Elle stated. “They got her.”

“Who got her?” Jay demanded. “What was that, anyway? A basement full of food and thugs? We almost died down there, Elle!”

“Welcome to the city,” Elle replied.

“We can’t just leave her behind!” Flash said, eyes wide. “She’s my sister!”

“We can and we will,” Elle replied. “Do you know who that was in the storeroom? The Klan. We can’t mess with the Klan.”

“But they’ve got Pix!”

And she was as good as dead, if Elle was right.

Chapter Six

They were hiding out in a tiny, single-level apartment living room. The curtains were drawn and they spoke in whispers. They had backtracked as far as they dared, searching for Pix. There was no sign.

“Is she… dead?” Flash breathed.

They were sitting on the cold, damp floor.

“I heard that big guy in the basement say something about ‘The Pits,’” Georgia said. “He said he wanted to take us there. What is that?”

“Is that where they took Pix?” Flash asked, a spark of hope on his face.

“If it is,” Elle replied, “she’s dead.”

Jay demanded, “ Why? Have you heard of the Pits?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them.”

“What are they?”

Elle grimaced. “It’s a Klan game,” she said. “They throw prisoners into big pits in the ground and make them fight. To the death. Klan members bet against each other — not with money, but with gold, guns or supplies. It’s bad. Very bad.”

“They’re taking my sister there?” Flash whispered. He was trembling. Jay and Georgia looked equally distressed. Elle just stared at them, thinking.

“They round up anyone they can find,” Elle answered. “Men, women and children. If you get taken to the pits, you’ve been given a death sentence. Nobody survives for very long.”

“What’s the point of that?” Flash sniffled. “Why do they do it?”

“Because they can,” Elle replied. “This is the world we live in, now.”

“You don’t seem too concerned about this,” Georgia snapped.

Elle shrugged.

“Sorry, but Pix is gone.”

“No. We have to rescue her,” Jay cut in. “We can’t let her die.”

“You have to,” Elle told him. “The Klan has her. There’s nothing you can do now.”

“Where are the Pits?” Flash asked quietly. His eyes were red, but he hadn’t shed a tear. Not yet. “Do you know where we can find them?”

“You don’t want to go to the Pits,” Elle stated, “unless you have a death wish.”

“We’re not leaving Pix to the Klan,” Jay answered.

Elle was dumbfounded. These kids would really go on a suicidal rescue mission to save one person from their group? Didn’t they know any better?

She was a

“The Klan outnumbers you a hundred to one,” Elle pointed out.

“We have to try,” Jay replied.

“You really are clueless,” Elle answered.

“Please, Elle,” Georgia interjected. “You don’t have to come with us. We’re just asking you to tell us where it is… if you know.”

Elle met Georgia’s piercing blue eyes. She weighed her options. She could take off right now and leave these kids behind her, never thinking about them again. She had already wasted enough time trying to teach them how to find food — and look what had happened. They’d almost gotten killed.

Or she could tell them where the Pits were, and they would leave. Of course, they would die, because the Pits were in Klan territory and a group of naïve bunker survivors didn’t stand a chance of pulling off a successful rescue. Either way, Elle didn’t have to worry about them anymore. They’d be out of sight, and out of mind.

But as Flash stood there on shaky feet, Jay’s strong arm around his tiny shoulders, something grabbed her heart. For the first time since she’d come to the city, she felt sympathy. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything for anyone… even herself. Her world was cold and dark. Unfeeling.

“I can show you where it is,” Elle said at last. “But don’t expect to come out of this alive.”

She wasn’t being cruel. She was just being honest.

“Thank you,” Georgia breathed. “This means a lot.”

Elle shook her head.

Georgia had no idea.

The Klan’s territory spread through Hollywood, Culver City, Santa Monica and Malibu. Elle had spent months exploring the abandoned segments of the city, the parts that weren’t under Omega’s strict control. She knew every street, every building. She knew where the Klan spent most of their time, and she knew how they thought. How they operated.

“How far?” Georgia asked.

They had been walking for a long time. Elle shook her head.

“A while,” she answered.

Georgia sighed.

Flash hadn’t said a word since they’d left, and it was late afternoon.

Elle tried to talk to him.

“So, you’re nicknamed after a flash drive,” she said. “Why?”