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The end of the world never looked so good...

Are you ready for the Nameless Souls MC? 

Runner

Day 502 – Post the Dark

Dear Diary,

The thing I wasn’t expecting when the world ended is that it’s a lot of anxiety mixed with boredom mixed with uncertainty mixed with the occasional rapid moment of action. Turns out Armageddon doesn’t happen overnight. This was a long, slow death of all we had known.

When the virus came, and people became sick, the governments started closing borders and ordering citizens home. They did their best to contain it, and some countries even succeeded—though from reports we hear occasionally, it looks like they’re struggling once more.

I’m not an idiot. When the world started going to shit, I did what any sensible person does, I found like-minded people, and we formulated a plan. The plan was both electronic and in hard copy (should the electrical grid fail), colour-coded, and contained multiple end-case scenario options built upon the best available data.

We tracked the data, diligently inputting information into our systems, checking and rechecking the options. Consistently, the most plausible scenario was a full disintegration of governmental order. Hello what is it Reading I need the rainbow

St. Mary Women’s College sat proudly by the sea. Located in a small town, hours away from the closest cities, we had a longer window of time to consider what came next. And we decided that while our classmates rushed to return home, we would recruit a band of women who had the skills to handle whatever our future might be.

As the world ended, and the stories of death and destruction spread, it didn’t take us long to find women to recruit. We pooled resources, found friends who had family with the skills and knowledge we needed, and we ran scenario after scenario—all of which said that we were best placed to stay where we were.

So, we did. When the University shut its doors and ordered students home, we bunkered down fortifying our position.

Ultimately there were thirteen of us—lucky or not we weren’t yet sure. Most came from the University, but some were siblings who had skills we needed. We’d been clear from the start—no men or children. When we added them to the scenario things got… messy.

In the end, there’s my older sister, Blair, who’d returned to the College for a semester to research a new technique to treat the virus. Aella, in her final year of nursing, was only three weeks shy of graduating. Her sister, Yana, had been a professional chef and had experience in food preservation. Lilith was completing her PhD in electrical engineering, while Kate studied botany.

The Berger sisters are country girls, Ruby and Beth were at the College studying agriculture and animal science respectively, while their older sister, Jo, is a mechanic who’s come to see out the after with us.

We also have Jules, our hydrologist, Audrey is a network engineer and our numbers girl, and me, Ellison, the biochemist of the group.

Our final two are Charlotte, or Lottie as she prefers to be known, who is our veterinarian, and her sister, Ava, a soldier. Ava had been on medical leave when shit started to get real—lucky for her. She’d arrived packing some truly frightening arsenal and a look in her eye that said she wasn’t afraid to use it.

When the world finally lost its collective mind, and the shooting and rioting spread from the major cities to small towns like ours, we’d bunkered down at the College, Ava securing the perimeter, the rest of us working on our respective fields to secure our survival.

Turns out, when the world goes to shit, people forget about schools, universities, and the like. They search factories, businesses, stores, and homes looking for food and equipment but forget all about colleges.

The few that did wander into our little bubble were quickly dealt with by Ava. Most left. One or two I still don’t know what happened to—and to be honest, I never want to know.

Our little group functioned well. Between us, we’ve been attempting to produce bioethanol, and have built solar and wind options to generate power. We’ve planted vegetables and constructed greenhouses. We even have a 3D printer which allows us to print extra weaponry for Ava.

We share knowledge and learned self-defence. Kate taught us about edible and poisonous plants. Jules showed us how to test water and design hydroponic setups. Lilith taught us how to generate electricity from wind. Everyone brought something to the table.

Life was good.

Until last night. Until the night of The Purge.

----
Chapter One 

Ellie

“What other choice do we have?” Blair asked the round table. We were missing two of our close-knit family group—grief, worry, anxiety, anger etched on the faces and burned into the souls of everyone in the room. 

“Do we think they’ll be back?” Yana asked the question we were all avoiding, her eyes on the cameras monitoring the boundaries of the University.

“They know there are women here. They’ll definitely come back.” Jo shook her head. “We’re trained, but we’re outnumbered.”

“Did you see their women?” Beth, the youngest of our party, asked in a whisper. “They looked…”

“Dead,” Jo said with a nod. “Chained up and used for nothing but sex.”

When we’d killed some of their party, the women had scattered, running naked into the dark. Lilith and Jules had followed. We’d tried to find them but had lost them in the bush surrounding the College when The Purge had mounted another attack forcing us back.

We’d survived, mainly thanks to Ava. But we didn’t know if Jules and Lilith were alive or taken.

“We’re idiots if we stay here another night,” Jo muttered.

“But where would we go?” Beth asked.

We all fell silent. Isn’t that the million-dollar question?

Since the world as we knew it had officially ended some nine months before, we’d built our own town. Living out of our abandoned University, the thirteen of us had felt safe. Secure. Insulated from the horrors of the outside world. Or as safe and secure as you could be when you were living in the aftermath of an apocalypse.

Until The Purge.

Audrey shoved her glasses up her nose, blinking at the screen of the laptop in her hands. “I’ve run the scenarios. Based on their losses and what we could find out from the one guy Ava… Ava….” She swallowed, forging forward. “We have three days to either leave the College or find assistance to fortify our defenses.” She looked up, frown lines creasing her brow. “Do we have anyone who could help us?”

“The guy said they had over forty people, right?” I asked, looking to Ava.

“Yeah, though the numbers seemed pretty fluid. The main currency is women, food, and guns. We’re sitting ducks,” Ava said. She was sprawled on her side in a bed by the table, her face pale, sweat-dampened her brow. She’d taken a knife to her side but kept fighting, keeping us safe and capturing one of them. She’d taken him to the basement and she’d remained in there for hours, emerging much later to hand over her intel. She’d let Blair patch her up, but refused to remain in the infirmary while we discussed options.

“Fuck,” Jo barked, pushing to her feet, and beginning to pace. “We have to leave. Got no other choice.”

“Actually, we might have one.” Audrey turned to Kate.

“I… I d-d-d-don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kate whispered. She only ever stuttered under extreme stress or when anxious. It wasn’t a good sign. 

“Go on,” I encouraged. “Any idea is better than none at the moment.”

“M-my father,” she stuttered, staring at the table.

“One man isn’t gonna fix this,”  Jo said.

“Shh,” I hushed Jo, then looked back at Kate. “Keep going.”

“H-h-h-he is th-th-the P-P-President of the Nameless Souls m-m-motorcycle club.”

“A gang?” Jo said, her eyes narrowing. “Your daddy is a member of a gang?”

“It’s a c-club but, yeah, he r-r-runs it.”

There was a beat of silence as we processed this news. How did we not know this?

“They’re an outlaw gang,” Ava murmured, grimacing when she shifted. “If your dad is part of this club, why are you here? Why not throw your lot in with them?”

Kate flushed and looked away, biting her lip.

“Kate?” I asked softly.

“A w-w-woman in the club n-n-n-needs a man. You’re not you, you’re p-p-p-property.”

“Property?” Jo asked.

Kate nodded.

“I’ve read about this,” Blair sighed, rubbing her temples. “They don’t have female bikers. They have two types of women—club sluts or old ladies.”

“What’s the difference?”

“The old ladies are claimed, they call them property. Like wives so they’re afforded some modicum of respect. The sluts, not so much.”

We all grimaced.

Kate looked down, rubbing the tabletop with shaky hands.

“What are they going to want if we ask them for help?” Ava asked.

Kate shrugged, still looking down. “M-m-maybe food. Definitely sex.”

“Fuck,” Ava muttered.

An idea tickled the back of my mind. “What about fuel?”

Kate cocked her head in question.

“The bioethanol and biodiesels we’re using to run the vehicles. Could we trade that? I’m still fine-tuning, it’s taken me a while to work out how to scale because we don’t have all the parts or ingredients but we have enough that I could offer them a sample. If it worked, maybe that could be our in. Do you think they’d go for a trade? Fuel and help with, I don’t know, energy? Water? Whatever they need in exchange for protection.”

The women looked excited but Kate shook her head. “They’d just t-t-take it anyway.”

“But we could try,” I said, unwilling to just give up. “Do we have any other choice?”

“Let’s put it to a vote,” Jo ordered, looking around the table. “Those in favour of leaving.”

Two hands.

“Those in favour of approaching the bikers?”

Eight hands went up.

“Kate, you didn’t vote,” Jo admonished.

She kept stroking the grain of the wooden table, her eyes fixed on her hands, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “I don’t w-want to go, but I-I-I’ll do w-w-whatever you agree to.”

“Then we’re settled. We’ll approach the bikers.”

Ava blew out a breath. “I can’t go. Not like this, at least not today. And we need to shore up shit in case the biker stuff doesn’t pan out. Need to get our stuff ready to evac.”

“I’ll go,” I volunteered. “Kate will need to come as well. Anyone else?”

“Jo,” Ava ordered. “And Audrey.”

We all blinked in surprise.

“Me?” Audrey asked, shoving her glasses up her nose. “But… why?”

“I trust you to strategize if things go south.” She nodded at Jo. “Jo can talk bikes, try and sell our skills. Ellie has the knowledge to produce biofuel, something they’ll likely want with fuel supplies getting low. And Kate will get us an audience with the President.”

“Okay,” I muttered, pushing to my feet. “Guess we better get our stuff together.”

“We’ll leave within the hour,” Jo ordered. “I’m not risking us for longer than necessary.”

We began to disband, people leaving and Blair pushing Ava’s bed out the door. Only Kate remained sitting, her gaze fixed on the table.

“Kate?”

She didn’t respond.

“Is there something you’re not telling us?”

She raised one shoulder then dropped it.

Fear prickled my spine.

“Is it bad?”

“Not for you.”

I dropped back into my seat, leaning towards her, trying to catch her eye.

“Tell me.”

She shook her head, her eyes filled with fear.

“Please?”

“Y-y-you’ll see,” she whispered.

----

Chapter Two

Ellie

We took one of the SUVs, the back loaded with bioethanol and food. Jo had a shotgun lying across her lap, her gaze on the trees outside as Kate drove through the deserted streets out to the country.

The local town had been abandoned months ago. We occasionally ventured out, looking for extra items to supplement our stores or fulfil a need. The small populace that had remained in the area had left when winter took hold and food became scarce. We’d weathered the winter months well, Kate and Ruby tending to our greenhouses and slaughtering the occasional animal for protein. Spring was now here, but the town remained deserted.

“The Purge came from the north,” Jo muttered, as if to reassure herself.

The Purge. A group that’d formed following society’s downfall. Frat boys and mean men who’d hidden behind suits and uniforms in the before. Their true colours had emerged in the after as they viewed what remained as an anarchist dream; women, riches, and life no more than commodities they were willing to trade. The group that had reached us were scouts; those sent ahead to search for plundering opportunities.

Please let these bikers agree to help us… and for minimal cost.

We travelled for three hours before Kate finally turned off, following a road that only she seemed to know. I’d spent the entire journey fisting my weapon petrified that militia, The Purge, or some idiot with a gun would jump out, taking us by surprise.

The actual journey was much more boring.

“Are you sure this is right?” Jo asked, her foot tapping nervously as we bounced along the track.

“It’s just over the hill,” Kate said nodding towards a large hill backlit by the moon in the distance.

We drove in silence along the dirt road, the trail barely visible through the brush. I’d have assumed this were an animal trail if Kate hadn’t turned off, looking increasingly determined and fearful the closer we got to the Club House.

“What if they’re not here?” Audrey asked, her hands twitching as if she wished for an electronic to play with. “What if they’ve left?”

“Then we have a new base of operations,” Jo replied easily. She waved a hand at the brush outside. “No one would find us here.”

That was the point, I suspected. Anyone who stumbled across the MC would likely stumble no further.

My stomach churned, a lump of anxious nerves writhing inside me.

This has to work.

Kate continued to bump us along the track and over the hill, a thick ring of trees grew on the other side. She drove directly toward two trees, the SUV following the faint trail through the gap between them.

“I thought you said—” Jo broke off as we exited the tree line and entered a clearing. On the far side sat an intimidating building. A tall chain-link fence surrounded the property, barbed wire twisted in circles at the top. Behind the chain-link was another wall, this one thick brick and topped with razor wire. The fences blocked everything from view but for the top of one building. From this distance it looked like the top of a castle, a battlement complete with a flag.

“They really want to keep people out,” Audrey muttered.

Or in.

I chose not to voice that thought.

Kate slowed the SUV to a crawl and flashed her lights. There was a pause as the SUV continued at a snail’s pace then a returning three flashes came from a position close to the ground.

“What was that?” Jo asked, her hands clenching on the rifle.

“Approval,” Kate said, steering us in the direction of where the light had come from. Two men stood on the outside of the fence, their bodies covered in protective gear, large guns pointed straight at us.

Kate pulled to a stop and wound the window down, calling, “It’s K-K-K-Kate R-R-R-Redwin. I’m here to see the Prez.”

“Kate!” One of the men exclaimed, moving to her window. He held up a flashlight, shining it in the vehicle. “Well, fuck me dead. Little Katie! Where you been, girly? Your daddy’s been frantic.” 

“C-can we go in?” she asked, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the light.

“Who you got with you?”

“F-friends.”

“Hot ones,” came the reply from the other side of the car. “Women.”

“Fresh meat?” the original guy asked Kate. She shook her head.

“Friends.”

“Don’t mean they aren’t interested in becoming fresh meat.” The second guy said, dropping a hand to clasp at his junk. “You ladies want this? I can protect you real nice.”

In the dim light I could make out the patches on his vest, one read prospect, the other Gears.

“We’re good,” Jo drawled dryly. “But thank you for the magnificent offer.”

He grinned, unperturbed. “I call dibs on this one. She’s gonna be fun.”

“She is right here and can hear you. And she said she wasn’t interested.”

He shook his head. “Let ‘em through, Fish. The Prez will wanna see this.”

The first man stepped back and waved us through. The gate opened and Kate navigated us down a dirt and gravel drive into the heart of the compound.

“Was that guy’s name really Fish?” Audrey asked, twisting to look back at the two men.

“Nickname,” Kate answered, her hands white knuckling the steering wheel.

“What kind of nickname is Fish?”

Kate didn’t answer and Audrey slowly turned back around, watching as we passed through the second gate.

The compound was much larger than I anticipated. A giant building took up the space in front of us, behind it sat a cluster of buildings, their purpose unclear. The space was so big I couldn’t see either end of the lot.

“What is this place?” Jo muttered as Kate pulled to a stop before the main building.

“Ex-army c-c-c-compound. The big b-b-building is the C-C-Club House. The others are m-m-mess halls or sleeping q-q-quarters or storage,” Kate replied, undoing her seat belt, and exiting the car. “B-b-be careful, stay c-c-close.”

We followed her, the cool air dancing along our skin.

“Be careful, they’re watching,” Audrey breathed in my ear nodding at the lights. I observed them, noting that parts of the yard were lit, the lights directed purposefully at the entrance, as if to blind anyone seeking to enter. It made it difficult to see through to the shadows, the only thing I could get a sense of was movement.

The door to the main compound opened and a man strode out, arms thrown open in welcome.

“Katie-girl! Ye’ve returned to your pa!”

I saw Kate tense then forcibly relax; a tight smile pasted on her face. “Pa,” she greeted walking into his arms, returning his hug. He pressed kisses to her head, shaking her from side to side.

“Me wee darling has returned to the fold,” he boomed, his voice carrying across the yard. “And she’s brought friends.” He turned Kate, pulling her into his side and walking her across to where we stood. Men, big, muscular, scary-looking men with weapons, and suspicious, hungry eyes emerged from the darkness, weapons trained on us.

One man caught my eye. Even in the dark he looked tan; his long, lean but muscular body reminded me of MMA fighters from the before. He met my gaze, awareness flaring between us, his gaze hungry as he dropped his eyes, looking me over from top to toe.

I shivered, tearing my eyes away to refocus on Jo and the President.   

“Great welcome party you got here,” Jo said, palming her own rifle and baring her teeth at the gathering men. 

“Ye want to pop that away, love?” The President asked her, his voice bland but his face hard. “Me men don’t take kindly to strangers bringing guns in here.”

Jo raised an eyebrow. “And I don’t take kindly to men I don’t know pointing weapons at me.”

I watched, my heart hammering through my chest as the President considered her.

“Alright boy-o’s, let’s show the ladies some hospitality.”

Weapons were holstered, but Jo hesitated for a moment then lifted the rifle, laying it on her shoulder.

“Obliged,” she said, giving him a nod.

The President grinned, his salt-and-pepper beard baring teeth. “I like a feisty woman.” He gave Kate a little shake. “Not like me little Katie here. Meek as a church mouse, aren’t ye, me darling?”

She dropped her head, curling in on herself.

I gritted my teeth, uncomfortable with both Kate’s reaction and the surrounding men.

“Come, we’ll break bread and talk.” He looked from Audrey to Jo and then rested on me. “I don’t imagine you’re here to simply visit.”

We followed him into the compound, the men surrounding us. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, my gut churning.

Something wasn’t right.

We were led through an entry into the main parlour. Stocked with a bar, pool table, and plenty of couches, tables, and chairs. Women in low cut tops, tight jeans, and heavy make-up watched us with narrowed eyes as we walked through, following Kate and the President to a backroom. The sign on the door read Church.

Audrey drifted closer, her hands low but close enough to sign, I don’t like this.

Agreed, I signed back.

Ava had taught us. She’d explained that sometimes we might need alternate ways to communicate and while she had taught us military signs for battle, she’d also insisted we learn sign language in case we were captured and needed to plan an escape.

I silently thanked God for the day Ava had arrived in our little group.

“Take a seat,” the President ordered, sweeping a hand to encompass the room. The room was windowless but held two doors. One at the front where we entered, and another at the rear. A large rectangular table dominated the space, surrounded by twenty seats, an ornate chandelier hung above it, the dim lights casting an ominous glow around the room.

The President sat at the head, the rest of the men moving to take up seats with engravings like Vice President or Warlord on the back. On the walls hung photos of various bikes, names inscribed below. Based on the number I assumed they were memorials to deceased club members.

I glanced at Jo then settled at the table, taking a seat that wasn’t marked. She paused for a moment then sat beside me, placing the rifle on the table in front of her. Audrey and Kate took two seats across from us. The rest of the men moved around, taking any spare seats, or leaning casually against the walls.

The seat at the far end of the table remained empty, Old Timer was burnt into the wood. I assumed that was meaningful but didn’t think this was the moment to ask.

The man who’d watched me earlier had taken an assigned seat, though I couldn’t see the title on his chair. He watched me with an intensity I found at once thrilling and terrifying.

The knife in my boot and the pistol in the back of my jeans itched, almost insisting I pull them free. I stayed in place, waiting, attempting not to draw further attention to myself.

The President cracked a gavel, calling the meeting to order. “I’m Gus, but you can call me President.” He didn’t introduce his men.

I took a moment to study Kate’s father. They shared piercing blue eyes, the colour of deep oceans, beautiful and startling. They also shared dark, long lashes and a dimple on their right cheek. But that’s where the similarities ended.

Gus was dark and weathered, his skin carved by years of sun. He was full chested and beer-bellied. He emitted an air that said, come at me. A confidence that promised those looking for retribution.

Kate was a curvy, stunning woman. Strawberry-blonde hair, average height, the thick full body of pin-ups from a bygone era. She had an economy of movement that said she loved the outdoors, loved to move, loved to dance. She moved like poetry, sensual and flowing, unconsciously beautiful and alluring.

Today, with her hunched shoulders and averted eyes, she moved like a woman hoping to avoid notice.

“I’m Jo, this is Audrey and Ellison,” Jo introduced with a sweep of her arm. “We’re here with a proposition.”

Kate sat meekly across the table, looking for all the world like a dutiful daughter. But her hands were clenched and I could see the whites of her knuckles.

“So ye’ve not come to return my daughter to me?” Gus asked.

“Kate’s her own person. You don’t return someone to another,” Audrey replied. She tilted her head to one side, glasses sliding down her nose. Absently, she pushed them back up. “And it’s not as if you came looking for her.”

Gus raised an eyebrow, looking down at his daughter.

“What lies have ye been spreading, love? Are ye one to believe this feminist nonsense?”

I watched as Kate struggled to lift her head, her eyes flashing even as the colour ebbed from her face. “Th-th-they’re my friends, P-P-Pa. And we’ve survived this long without a m-m-man.”

“But ye’re here, aren’t ye?” he scoffed.

“To trade,” Jo said firmly, leaning forward. “We have something you want.”

“We’ve gash enough around this place,” Gus dismissed with a wave of his hand.

“Gash?” I asked.

“W-women,” Kate answered for her father.

We were all silent for a moment while the men around the table chuckled.

“We’ve got fuel,” I finally said, deciding to take over the negotiation. All heads twisted; amusement wiped from their faces.

“Fuel?” Gus asked, a hand lifting to stroke his beard. “And pray, how did ye come by such a bounty?”

“I made it.”

There was a beat of silence before Gus leaned forward, pressing a hand to the table. “Ye did what now?”

I swallowed, deeply aware of the way in which the men at the table watched me—as if I were a mouse and them the cats ready to pounce.

“I’m a biochemist, or at least, I was. My specialty was biofuels. Renewables. Using different products to create viable alternatives. I’d nearly landed on a new formula before everything went… well, bad. Anyways, I’ve spent the last few months working to perfect some options and we’ve done tests. The bioethanol I’ve created works like petroleum. I haven’t been able to make a diesel alternative yet that can scale, the composition is difficult and I just don’t have many available resources but with time and—“

Jo interrupted me, “What Ellie is trying to say, is that we’ve tested it. It works. And I know for a fact you’re going to want it.”

“A fact?” Gus asked, his tone deceptively mild.

“You got bikes and cars parked out front. The truck has cobwebs and long grass under it. The bikes are showing signs of sun wear. I’m gonna hazard a guess that you, like everyone else in this God forsaken country, are starting to find your stores running low.”

Silence dominated the room.

“Ellie’s fuel works. I’m a mechanic by trade. The SUV we drove here, it’s been using her fuel for two months, no problems. You got a choice, you help us, we’ll supply you with the fuel.”

“And if we don’t?”

“We’ll walk out of here and you can go back to scavenging.”

Gus rubbed his chin, as if considering Jo’s offer.

“A man don’t take too kindly to ultimatums being tossed his way in his own house.”

“I don’t take too kindly to our lives being threatened, so sorry if I’m a little impatient.”

Gus’s gaze sharpened. “Threatened?”

“The Purge found our safe house. You heard of them?”

Behind me someone swore, one of the guys turned to the side and spat on the floor.

“We’re aware of that lot,” Gus confirmed. He looked over at Kate. “Ye have a run-in with them lot?”

“S-s-scouts. We know more are c-c-coming.”

“Ye get a number?”

“Around forty,” Jo answered. “We either need to move or we need more numbers to help protect us.”

Gus tapped a finger on the table. “Ye’re asking a lot of me. The Purge is well armed. Why not just relocate ye four here?”

We were silent a beat too long. Gus sucked in a breath. “There’s more of ye.”

We didn’t reply but our silence said everything.

“Women?” he asked, leaning forward, gaze sharp.

“Yes,” Jo finally answered, making the decision.

“Men?”

“No.”

“Bairns?”

“No, no children.”

“Just women?”

“Yes.”

There were murmurings around the table, men looking at us with new interest.

“How many?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

“How many!?” Gus slammed his fist on the table, causing us to jump.

Jo hesitated then gave in. “We number eleven now.”

I sent up a silent prayer for Lilith and Jules, hoping they were simply lost rather than taken.

“Eleven women,” a man breathed behind me.

There was an undercurrent here, something I wasn’t aware of. My neck prickled and I glanced up the table, finding the man’s gaze directly on me again. He wore his vest—no, his kutte, Kate had called it—well. The leather cut off at the shoulders, revealing a black shirt and thick, muscular biceps. He needed a shave and a haircut but he was still easily the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.

I looked away, a flush heating my cheeks.

“How long have ye been hiding?”

“Since before.”

There were murmurs, the men shifting at our pronouncement.

Audrey looked around, frowning. “What are we missing?”

The men’s murmurs grew, a ripple of excitement flowing across the room.

I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“What is happening?” Audrey demanded. “What is this about?”

Her outburst silenced the table.

“The virus mutated, love. Women, they’re afflicted. Ye a commodity now. There’s so few of ye left that eleven is a boon the likes my men rarely see.”

Bile burned the back of my throat.

A boon. A fucking commodity. These men aren’t any better than The Purge.

“Ye not safe wherever ye’ve been living, my loves. If they know about ye, they’ll be back to take ye.”

Jo stood abruptly, pushing back from the table to pace. Men parted for her, their faces carved in stone.

“Mutated how?”

A man from the side of the room answered. “They’re carriers of what we’re calling the Bastard strain. Aggressive, deadly. It turns your blood to filth, either destroying you from the inside or mutating your own genes to become a carrier.”

“God,” Audrey muttered, “this is sounding more and more like a zombie apocalypse every day.”

No one laughed.

“I’ll not bring my sisters here to be raped,” Jo gritted out. “Or to be used as if we’re nothing but baby makers. We’re intelligent, educated. We’ve survived this long without you. We can do it again. We don’t need you. You need us.”

Audrey’s eyes were closed, her lips moving silently. I bit my lip, knowing she was playing the possible scenarios, running the numbers.

“If I give ye my word, if I place me patch on each of ye, will ye come?”

“But,” I protested, “our farm, our animals, what about our lab?”

“The l-l-library,” Kate whispered, her eyes wide. “We need k-k-knowledge to survive.”

Her father made a dismissive sound in his throat. “Ye and ye bloody books.”

“They’re not bloody anything,” Kate protested, suddenly bold. “They’ve s-s-saved us. Without the knowledge in them we wouldn’t have k-k-known how to print the rifles or build bullets or greenh-h-houses or—“

Gus interrupted his daughter with a wave. “Fine, if ye move in, I promise to transport ye things here.” His gaze cut to Jo. “Does that satisfy ye?”

Jo crossed her arms, tapping one foot. “That depends on Audrey.”

Everyone looked to the small, dark haired woman. She kept her eyes closed for another long few minutes before blinking them open and looking at Jo. “Accept the offer.”

The tension in the room eased.

“Are you sure?” Jo demanded.

“If what they’re saying is true, then we have bigger issues and the numbers are against us.”

“What’s bigger than The Purge?”

“The virus,” Audrey whispered, sweeping her hands out to encompass the room. “We’ll need to reproduce at some stage. And when that happens our children may be susceptible to common viruses if we don’t have access on an ongoing basis to facilities to reproduce common vaccines. If Blair’s research is to continue then we need to be somewhere that we can study the virus over time, not have to pick up and run regularly.” She nodded at the room at large. “These men give us an eighty-three percent chance at finding, if not a cure, then at least reproducing a viable vaccine.”

“And if we stay?”

“Between The Purge, the possible new infection strain, potential issues with the interbreeding of our livestock in the next few years, not to mention increased militia groups, I give us a thirteen percent chance of survival.”

“Don’t forget the cannibals,” the man next to me muttered.

Cannibals? What the fuck? 

Jo ran a hand through her short hair, leaving it standing on end. Around her, the men watched as she made her decision.

“I need a guarantee you won’t harm us. That your men won’t force my women to do something they don’t want to.”

Gus rubbed his chin as he considered Jo. “What about we grant ye a boon?”

Jo blinked. “Excuse me?”

“We’ll consider ye property, old ladies. We respect property. My men won’t fuck with another man’s toy—that right boys?”

The gathered men affirmed his declaration.

“You want us to choose a protector? Someone to fuck and suck without even knowing them?” Jo demanded.

“We’ll return the favour,” one of the men shouted from the side, setting off scattered laughter.

Jo shook her head. “Not gonna happen.”

“Ye don’t have to choose a man,” Gus rolled his eyes. “Ye dramatics are doing me fucking head in.” He leaned forward. “I’m granting ye the same rights as an old lady would have. Without the need for a man.”

Audrey tipped her head to the side. “But just say we want a man, exactly how many of you are there?”

There were grins at her question.

I sunk down in my chair, face heating. Audrey had no filter.

“Over fifty.”

“And how many are married?”

“Ye mean, how many have old ladies?”

“Sure, whatever.” Audrey waved a dismissive hand.

“Ah, about half.”

Twenty-five-ish men without women.

“And how many women you got here?”

He shrugged. “Never counted.”

“Thirty-two,” a deep voice rumbled from across the table. “We got sixty-seven men here. Twenty-three got women, while nine of the women are sweet butts.”

I twisted, seeing the beautiful man rise, his gaze locked on Audrey.

“Sweet butts?” Jo asked.

“Sluts. Club whores,” Kate answered.

“They choose to be. Don’t gotta but they choose it.”

“And we ain’t complaining!” one guy yelled, chuckles following.

Jo frowned at the beautiful man. “Audrey, what’s that look like for us?”

“How many are between twenty and forty?” Audrey asked.

“Thirty-one,” the guy answered immediately.

“In layman’s terms it’s a one in two point—actually let’s just round it up to a one in three chance of partnering for these guys,” Audrey said, waving a hand at the room. 

“One in three is better than none,” a guy muttered from behind Kate.

I looked at my sisters, a sinking feeling settling in my gut. “Are we really doing this? Giving ourselves over to men?”

Audrey tipped her head, her straight, gloriously black hair fell in long sheets over her shoulder. “I should like a man,” she said, nodding to the room at large. “And these men seem as good as any. I miss sex. Though,” she frowned. “If they’re sharing women, I would want an STI test before sleeping with anyone. We have enough to worry about without passing syphilis or gonorrhoea around.”

God grant me the wisdom to get through this.

Seriously, no filter.

I looked to Kate, finding her wide eyes fixed on a man in a shadowed corner of the room. He was glowering at her, there was no other word for it. He looked like he was ready to throttle her, so much anger contained in his glare.

“Kate?” I asked.

She swallowed, pulling her gaze away from the man. “Thirteen p-p-percent isn’t good odds. Even Ava would say th-that.”

I nodded, looking at our final vote, “Jo?”

She rubbed a hand across her eyes. “I’m in. But I don’t speak for my sisters. They’ll have to determine what they want. We’re an all or nothing package.”

I looked over at Gus, meeting his blue gaze. “Your word, sir, that you’ll help us and provide protection. That your men won’t hurt my sisters, and that we’ll be allowed to assist you by using our knowledge to better us all.”

He pulled a knife free from his belt and cut the skin of his palm. He pressed it to the table, vowing, “On me life.”

The next man took out his own blade, slicing his palm and pressing it to the table declaring, “On my life.”

Around the table it went, each man in the room doing so.

Jo leaned over, whispering, “Is it just me or does this seem highly unhygienic considering the whole ‘mutated virus’ thing?”

I couldn’t even find it in me to nod or laugh. Uncertainty rolled my stomach, my mouth disturbingly dry. But there was nothing I could do now. We’d sealed our fate, tying ourselves to the men in this room.

“Right.” I pushed to a stand. “We’ve bioethanol in the trunk for you, and some fresh produce if you’ll take it. But I would like to ride tonight.” I glanced at my sisters, “I don’t want our sisters left unprotected for longer than necessary, and we’ll need to get a lot packed to transport here.”

“Ye heard the lady,” Gus said, raising to a stand. “Let’s ride.”

----

Chapter Three

Ellie

The ride back to the University was far different to the one leaving. For one, we were escorted by no fewer than forty men. Bikes and trucks followed our SUV through the streets, men stopping our parade to clear a path as needed.

We arrived at the College to Ava standing at the gate, gun at the ready. She looked pale and sweaty and like she should definitely still be in bed.

“The cavalry has arrived I see,” she muttered, raising an eyebrow in question at the moving trucks.

“The odds are against us. Thirteen percent chance of survival. New information. We need to leave,” Audrey reported, wrapping an arm around Ava, and leading her down the path to the building we’d set up as our primary residence.

“Thirteen?”

“Mm, let’s talk with the others.”

We’d asked the men to wait outside and they were abiding by our wishes, for now. We filled the women in, their expressions ranging from surprise to anger to upset.

“There’s no other way?” Beth clarified, wringing her hands in her apron. Jam stuck to the front in gooey globs.

“None that are viable at this point,” Audrey confirmed.

“Then we’re going,” Ava declared, settling the issue. “We’ll work things out once we get to the compound, but for now we need to take the essentials. We can come back for more but anything irreplaceable we need to take now.”

“The livestock,” Ruby said.

“And the food stores,” Yana agreed.

“The plants and the greenhouses.”

“The medication and the testing equipment.” Blair added. “And I’ll need everything in the lab.”

“Same,” I agreed.

“They have four trucks, plus what we have here. Is that enough?”

“It’ll be noticeable,” Ava murmured. “A full contingency of bikers plus our vehicles and the trucks? That’s like throwing a thanksgiving parade and expecting no one to care.”

“Do we have a choice?”

Ava rubbed a hand over her face, looking exhausted. “No. We could stagger but that would be worse. Greater potential for a tail. If we travel fast and hard, anyone watching is less likely to have time to organize and follow.”

“So, we go in one hit?” Jo clarified. 

“Yeah,” Ava looked around the room. “How much time you need?”

“Twelve hours,” Audrey said from her corner of the room. “That allows time for us to dismantle and carefully pack, as well as hide what needs to be stored until we can return.”

“The animals?” Beth asked.

“We’re taking them. We’ve got the old animal mover Jo bought with her when she arrived,” Lottie said, hands cupped around a mug of steaming tea. “Can you get it working?”

The thing had been a crumbling rust bucket even before Jo had joined us, animals she’d stolen from their family’s farm hollering in the back. It had sat for the last few months unused in an abandoned part of the College.

“I’ll get her working,” Jo promised. “But I need someone to help pack the workshop.”

“Can the men assist?” Ruby asked.

“I’ll check,” I pushed away from the table, exiting our meeting room to find three men casually leaning against the walls of the hall. One of them was the beautiful man from Church. His patch read Runner, and another just above read Treasurer. On the other side of his worn kutte were the words Nameless Souls MC and a logo. Below that was their chapter—Adaminaby.  “Um, excuse me, Mister Runner?”

He lifted an eyebrow and the other men beside him sniggered.

“It’s just Runner.” His voice sent shivers straight to my core.

Stop it, Ellie!

I swallowed, my pulse fluttering at my neck, my gaze dropping to his biceps; a tattooed snake wrapped around one arm, the other was covered in something that I couldn’t quite make out from this distance.

“Are your guys okay to help us pack or do we need to factor in additional time?”

“How much you need?”

“Without you? Twelve hours.”

“Fuck off,” he barked. “You have one.”

I sucked in a breath. “Excuse me?”

“Ain’t sticking around here waiting for Purge idiots to come try their luck. You have an hour.”

“If you guys help us then we need at least six,” I ballparked, hoping Audrey would forgive me.

“One,” he replied.

“Please, just to get the labs disassembled and properly packed is going to take at least two hours. Please, Mr. Runner—”

“Just Runner,” he interrupted, his wide mouth flattening in displeasure.

“Right, Runner, sorry.” I looked down, sucking in a deep breath to compose myself. “Look, if you help, we could maybe make four hours work. At a push. But we’d likely need to hide stuff and come back for it later.”

I looked up, trying not to beg but knowing I was likely failing. “We just need your assistance, please.”

He considered me for a long moment. His hair was in desperate need of a cut, the length curling at his ears and brushing his forehead. His beard was grown but not out of control. It gave him a wild, untamed look. 

“Three,” Runner finally declared. “You can have twenty guys.” He looked over at one of the other men in the hall, this one had a patch that read Soldier and a name that said Pope. “Help her, set ’em to work. Prioritize the fuel. I got shit to do.”

He turned on his heel and walked down the hall, leaving me with Pope and another man. The second guy was younger and had no name, just a patch that read prospect.

Unless Prospect is his name? But then the guy at the gate last night had the same patch. This feels like a mind teaser.

“You heard him,” Pope interrupted my musing. “Where you want us to start?”

“The labs and infirmary are our priorities. But if we can get someone to help with the stores and—”

“Swift, go round up some of the boys,” Pope interrupted.

Swift, not Prospect. What the hell is a prospect then? Is this like some kind of hazing ritual?

The second guy headed out.

“Follow me,” I sighed, leading him back into the room. Inside, the women had used the whiteboards to prioritize our schedule.

“We’ve got three hours,” I said glumly. “But at least we have some help.”

“Three isn’t enough time!” Yana cried, slapping a palm on the table.

“We’ll make it work,” Ava looked to Audrey. “Tell me how we can make this work.”

Audrey narrowed her eyes at the board, and I marvelled once again at her brain. She rattled out a new plan and we all agreed.

“That it?” Pope asked, his blonde hair falling across his eyes.

We nodded and he tossed his head back, flashing a grin at Beth. “You need some help, gorgeous?”

“Uh-uh. No way, Bucko. You can come with me,” Jo told him, grabbing his arm, and dragging him out the door. “That one is off limits to you.”

He flashed Beth a wink over his shoulder, her cheeks immediately flushing. “We’ll see.”

“We good?” I asked the room at large.

“Yep, let’s do it.”

We hurried to our respective areas, men finding us. I demonstrated how to clean and pack my equipment into the containers that were stored in each room. We’d prepared for an emergency before. I winced watching them handle my delicate glasses, the beakers beautiful but breakable. Glass was incredibly hard to find in the after.

“You done?” Runner asked from the door hours later. He’d been periodically checking in with us, making sure the packing was progressing and no one was fucking around.

I looked up from where I was placing the final few items into my container. A quick glance showed a stripped room but for some final beakers. The men who had helped me were surprisingly efficient. I’d sent them off to load my containers.

“Umm, actually yes. This is the last box.” I gestured at the glassware on the final shelf. “Just these to go.”

He came in, reaching for a glass and watching as I carefully rolled it in newspaper, then mimicking my movements.

He felt larger than life in this room. Taking up the space in a way I found both intimidating and intriguing.

“What’s a prospect?”

He glanced, up, a small smile playing at his mouth. “Think of it like a probation period. You don’t become a patched member until you prove yourself.”

I tilted my head to the side, hands rolling the glass in the paper. “Patched member?”

He paused, tapping the logo on his chest, and jerked a thumb towards his back. “A full member of the club. It requires you to prove yourself. Prove your loyalty to the club. You’re gonna be our brother, we gotta know you can be counted on to have our backs.”

I nodded, my hands moving once more. “So, you get the logo when you’re voted in?”

He shook his head. “Shit girl, don’t ever call it a logo around the brothers.”

I blinked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. What’s it called?”

“Call it a patch. Or if you need to, an emblem or symbol. Logos are what products slap on a brand so someone will buy their shit.” He laid a hand over the patch on his chest. “This? Any one of these men would lay down their lives to protect this club. It’s more than something someone’s slapped together in five minutes.”

I nodded. There was a strange beauty in that sentiment. Both tragic and wonderous.

“That’s… beautiful. Thank you for sharing.”

He glanced up, his hands halting on the paper. He watched me for a moment then nodded. “You got any more questions, you come to me, Blondie. Or Kate. We’ll keep you outta hot water.”

I nodded again, my gaze dropping to my hands, both of us working in the easy quiet to finish. 

“My name’s Ellison, by the way.” I told him, reaching for the final beaker. “Most people call me Ellie.”

He looked at me, his face unreadable. “You done now?”

More than slightly miffed, I looked around. Everything of use had been stripped from the lab, leaving only bare walls and empty tables.

My heart gave a little tug at the sight.

“Yeah.”

“Great,” he waited for me to close the lid before he lifted it. “Your friends done?”

I shrugged. “Not sure.”

“Better be, don’t like this. This place ain’t safe.”

I fell in beside him, reaching absently for a stray text book by the door, wrapping my arms around it, holding it close to my chest. Probably useless in the grand scheme of things, but the familiarity of paper and the heavy weight of it in my arms felt reassuring.

“It’s been safe for nine months. Ava made sure of that.”

He snorted, dismissive arrogance rolling off him in waves. “That woman’s the only decent fighter among you. Anyone can see that you got lucky.”

I bit my tongue, choosing not to argue. He’d find out soon enough we weren’t silly, helpless women.

We made it to the trucks, joining the cacophony of sound and movement as we finalised our preparations.

Kate pulled a cart down the walk, the man who’d watched her in the meeting shadowed her steps, his arms equally full.

“Books!” she cried, looking frantic. “I got what I could. What I thought would be most useful and some fiction but—”

“Just load them,” Ava said looking worse than she had earlier in the evening. “But hurry, we need to go.”

As we loaded the last few items, Beth, Ruby and Lottie were moving the cattle onto the truck.

“We ready?” I asked, looking around.

All nods.

We took a second, saying silent farewells to our home.

“Time to go,” Ava finally said, turning to make her way to the SUV.

I went to follow but Runner took my arm, pulling me with him.

“On my bike,” he said.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“No room.” He nodded at the trucks and vehicles. “Some of you gotta ride.”

“You got a helmet?”

He sniggered. “No, but don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of that cute butt.”

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