The Great Solar Storm | Book 3 | Absolute Destruction, page 16
part #3 of The Great Solar Storm Series
Absolute Destruction
The Great Solar Storm
Kellee L. Greene
Contents
Books By Kellee L. Greene
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
What’s next?
Books By Kellee L. Greene
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 Kellee L. Greene
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.
First Edition October 2021
Created with Vellum
Books By Kellee L. Greene
The Great Solar Storm
Absolute Darkness - Book 1
Absolute Collapse - Book 2
Absolute Destruction - Book 3
Book 4 Coming Soon!
After The Fires
The Water Farmer - Book 1
The Trials Ahead - Book 2
The Measures Taken - Book 3
The Reset Series
Flood - Book 1
Sinking - Book 2
Drowned - Book 3
Swamp - Book 4
Torrent - Book 5
Striking - Book 6
What Remains Series
Sickness - Book 1
Outpost - Book 2
Infected - Book 3
Evasion - Book 4
Red Sky Series
Red Sky - Book 1
Blue Cloud - Book 2
Black Rain - Book 3
White Dust - Book 4
Indigo Ice - Book 5
Yellow Heat - Book 6
Ravaged Land Series (1)
Ravaged Land -Book 1
Finding Home - Book 2
Crashing Down - Book 3
Running Away - Book 4
Escaping Fear - Book 5
Fighting Back - Book 6
Ravaged Land: Divided Series (2)
The Last Disaster - Book 1
The Last Remnants - Book 2
The Last Struggle - Book 3
Ravaged Land: Eventuality Series (3)
The Wall - Book 1
The Outside - Book 2
Falling Darkness Series
Unholy - Book 1
Uprising - Book 2
Hunted - Book 3
The Island Series
The Island - Book 1
The Fight - Book 2
The Escape - Book 3
The Erased - Book 4
From Below Series
Creatures - Book 1
Desolation - Book 2
The Alien Invasion Series
The Landing - Book 1
The Aftermath - Book 2
Destined Realms Series
Destined - Book 1
Author’s Note
Names of towns and locations may have been changed in order to maintain the fictional nature of the story. Any resemblance to actual locations is entirely coincidental. Thank you for your understanding.
1
The pain that filled every inch of my body wasn’t from the fight for my life with Elijah. It wasn’t from the stress of Elijah holding a gun to Erik’s head. It was because Sam had been taken by Elijah and his new group of friends, and I didn’t even know if she was alive.
I had to hope that Elijah would keep her alive in the hopes I’d come back for her. He wanted me, not Sam, and he probably knew I wouldn’t go far without her.
Sam was the toughest person I knew. If anyone would be able to survive Elijah, it was Sam.
It was a miracle that I was still alive. Luck and Erik were the only two things I could give any credit to.
All the distractions with my sister and everything else had helped me ignore the withdrawal symptoms from my medication. I still endured headaches, nausea, and vertigo, but for the most part, it was manageable… at least I had thought it had been.
I ran out of the shed we were hiding in and leaned forward into a nearby shrub, expelling the minimal contents of my stomach. Erik stepped up behind me and placed his hand on my back.
“Are you okay?” he asked several minutes after I stopped dry heaving.
I spat on the ground and wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand. My legs were rubbery as I attempted to straighten them.
I turned to Erik, “Ugh, sorry. I wish you wouldn’t have seen me like that.”
His head moved side to side. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I can’t tell if this is withdrawal from my medication or from worrying so much about Sam and June,” I said, turning away so he wouldn’t see the sadness filling my eyes.
“It’s probably both,” Erik said, crossing his arms as he looked around.
Pristine cotton-white clouds were fluffy pillows around the sun. I couldn’t see the beach from where I was standing, but I could hear the faint sounds of the waves rolling up onto the shore. The cool air and calming sounds of the water washing over the rocks didn’t help in any way, nor did the fishy smell that lightly wafted by in the breeze.
My muscles were tense, and my stomach twisted. Of course, sleeping in the shed hadn’t helped. Not that I’d even gotten any sleep lying on the concrete floor.
“What are we going to do, Erik?” I asked, rubbing my elbow.
“We’re going to get her back,” Erik said, the muscles in his neck tightening as he swallowed hard. “Then we’re going to get her back to her daughter.”
“You make it all sound so simple.”
Erik shook his head. “I don’t mean to. Nothing about any of this is going to be simple, but we’re going to do it. What else do we have going on?”
Erik’s lips curled at one end as if he were afraid of saying something that might offend me.
“Why?”
Erik’s mouth formed a thin line, and he squinted with confusion.
“Why are you doing this for us?” I asked. “We haven’t known each other that long. Why would you risk your life to help us?”
“Because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t make sure you got there safely. I know you now, and I can’t just walk away from you,” Erik said, shifting his eyes briefly away from mine. “Crazy, insane circumstances brought us together, and I’m not going to let something even more crazy tear us apart.”
“They already have,” I sighed, squeezing my right hand into a tight ball. My knuckles cracked as I relaxed my fingers. “There isn’t anyone else in the world like you. Especially now.”
“Hey!” Dorian yelled from inside the shed. “I’m here too.”
“Yeah, you’re crazy for sticking with us, too,” I called back.
“Duh,” Dorian said. “But I also have nothing better to do.”
I exhaled and looked up at the sky as I crossed my arms in front of my thinning chest. “I figured you’d walk away when you found out about my medication.”
“Why would I do that?” Erik asked.
“Sometimes, people with mental health issues are sort of treated differently or judged,” I replied. “It’s a negative. A weakness.”
Erik looked into my eyes. “I’m not one of those people.”
“I wish it was different, you know? I wish I was stronger and braver. The tough girl. I wish I didn’t have problems coping with everything.” My eyes dropped down to my muddy shoes. “For whatever reason, I don’t have that in me. Hell, I still check for my keys, worried I’ve lost them or left them behind in the SUV.”
Erik smiled. “Yeah, you’re not going to need the keys anytime soon.”
“Elijah targeted me because I’m weak. He could see it a mile away,” I said, wincing as I swallowed down the sour lemon taste thickening at the back of my throat.
“I wish you could give yourself more credit,” Erik said. “You’ve survived him, how many times now?”
“Luck,” I said with a shrug. “If I was stronger, I would have been able to finish it with him once and for all. You’re still alive, too, because we were lucky.”
Erik pulled in a quick breath. “You don’t know what those other people would have done if you had shot him. They could have killed Sam and June in retaliation on the spot.”
“They could already be dead,” I replied.
&nbs
I nodded. “He’ll probably keep her alive, at least until I go back for her. I don’t know what I’ll do if we can’t get her back. How could I go on without her?”
“You’d find a way. You’re a survivor,” Erik said, pushing his shoulders back.
“What about me?” Dorian asked.
“You’re a survivor, too,” Erik said.
My head bobbed. “You somehow survived that massive beast-like man for years.”
“I think I’d be okay to never see him again,” Dorian said.
“What the hell are you doing in there?” Erik asked as he yanked open the door.
“Just sitting here and listening to you two yammer on while I wait to ask what our plan is,” Dorian said. “By all means, continue your conversation out in the middle of nowhere with God knows who eavesdropping.”
Erik scoffed. “Pretty sure it’s just you eavesdropping.”
Dorian squinted as he stepped outside. He stretched his arms over his head and cracked his back.
Remind me never to sleep on concrete again,” he said, wincing.
“You might need to get used to it,” Erik said with a raised brow. “Could be in store for a lot more of uncomfortable sleeping locations.”
“So, this is our new home?” Dorian asked, placing his hands on his hips. “From your palace to this shed? I don’t think I can deal with that.”
Erik chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve got a lot of choices here.”
“Oh, man,” Dorian groaned as he rubbed his hand over the top of his head.
“Geez, man. Calm down,” Erik said. “We’ll check out the area and nearby houses. Maybe we’ll be able to upgrade at some point.”
“That’s all I ask,” Dorian said, pressing his palms together.
Erik swiped his hand across the back of his neck. “We also need to get that fire started on the beach.”
“They’re not coming,” I said. “They have them, and he isn’t going to let them go.”
“Maybe they escaped,” Dorian said, placing his hands on his hips.
“They didn’t. Sooner rather than later, I’m going to go get her,” I said, sounding far braver than I felt. “We can’t waste a lot of time.”
Erik reached over and took my hand. “Of course, we will go back, but first, we’re going to get situated here so that we have somewhere to go that’s safe after we rescue them.”
It wasn’t just a rescue mission, though. It was also an execution. I was going to do what I hadn’t been able to do any time before. To save others, I’d have to end Elijah’s life.
We walked together back to the beach. Erik walked strolled up and down the shore, looking in every direction.
Dorian and I stayed closer to the trees, preferring to remain hidden. He shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Hungry,” he said.
“There is food in the bags.”
Dorian looked out across the water. “I lied. I, of course, ate something.”
“Then what is it?” I asked.
“I’m just worried about everything. You. Sam and June. My dad coming to look for me,” he said, catching my eyes for a second.
I offered him a frown. “He has no idea you’re here. This is probably the safest we’ve been in a while.”
“People talk,” Dorian said.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“Just that someone could have seen us getting away. Eventually, word could get to my dad,” Dorian said.
I chewed my lip. “But no one knows we came here.”
“Yeah, I guess, but I think my dad would suspect it. Or at least check, but then again, like I’ve said… he’s lazy.” He crossed his arms as he leaned back against a thin tree that creaked as it bent backward. “Doesn’t stop me from looking around for him.”
Erik knelt down and started to build a big teepee with long sticks. He glanced over at us frequently, shaking his head.
“Should we be helping?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Dorian said without moving. “But it looks like he’s almost done.”
Erik stood and looked over at us. His eyes narrowed.
“Is he mad?” I asked.
Dorian shook his head.
“Wait, no,” I said, following his gaze. “He’s not looking at us.”
A branch snapped behind us. I gasped as Dorian grabbed my arm, taking a small step behind me, and turned us toward the noise.
My eyes landed on a tall man with wavy, golden hair. The lines at the ends of his mouth were long, giving him a sinister look, even though the look in his cobalt eyes was soft.
Half of his mouth curled up. “Well, good morning.”
2
I pushed Dorian away, annoyed he’d used me as a shield. My eyebrows squeezed tightly together as I walked backward toward Erik.
The new guy slowly raised his hands. “Whoa! Take it easy. You’re making me a bit nervous.”
“We’re making you nervous?” I asked.
“I am outnumbered.” The guy chuckled. “Just tell me how nervous I need to be so I can at least get a head start.”
I glanced at Erik. He had one hand behind his back.
“You don’t have anything to be worried about. We don’t want any trouble,” Erik said.
“Good,” the new guy said, lowering his hands. Even though he was twenty feet away, he stuck out his hand. “I’m Clay Hansen.”
Erik waved awkwardly, and the guy shoved his hand in his pocket. “Erik Price.”
“May I approach… cautiously?” Clay asked.
“Of course,” Erik said without relaxing his arm at the back of his waistband.
Clay locked his eyes on Dorian and me. He clasped his hands together as he waited.
“Oh,” I said, offering a lopsided smile. “I’m Mel.”
“Dorian.” He bobbed his head.
“Mainlanders?” Clay asked.
Erik nodded.
“Me too,” Clay said with a quick inhale. “It’s been good here, and the few of us here are going to keep it that way.”
“How many people are here?” Erik asked.
Clay shrugged. “A handful or two. We’re scattered all over the island but all watching each other’s backs. There are a few of us staying here watching.”
“Watching for what?” Dorian asked.
“People like you,” Clay said, grinning. “Newbies.”
Dorian raised a brow. “And what do you do with newbies… newbies like us?”
“Depends,” Clay said.
“Depends on what?” Erik asked.
“If we think they’ll fit in,” Clay said.
Erik cocked his head. “And if you don’t think they fit in?”
“We send them back on their way,” Clay said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “It’s only happened like once that we thought some dude wasn’t a team player.”
“And they just leave?” Erik questioned.
Clay shrugged. “Yeah, people don’t usually like to stay where they’re not wanted.”
“That hasn’t been my experience,” I muttered.
“Anyway,” Clay said, beaming as he looked up at the sky. “I’m going to be straight with you all. We’ve got a fair number of supplies here, and they’re all inventoried. We don’t mind sharing with the right people as we’re eventually going to have to work together to rebuild everything, right?”
