[18+] BOOK 2.5 (Novella)
A war that destroyed the world. It came and it went, leaving death and chaos in its wake.
In the resulting turmoil England has split into four regions, a safety measure that was 'essential' to ensure that violence would not...
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All of our trucks are hidden safely down by the river Trent before slowly, we all pair up and disappear down the street, one at a time.
Jesse takes charge of the stopwatch, reeling off two names every three minutes and telling them which route to take to the Gala. We're approaching the party split up, and from different directions.
It'll give us the greatest chance of success.
I stand with my back to the metal railing, watching as everyone waits their turn, tapping my foot against the ground. Carl's helping everyone hide their weapons — every single one of them on us girls— under their dresses and inside their shoes.
According to Jesse, the men get searched. The women don't.
I turn on my heel, looking down at the cold, fast flowing water below. A shiver bursts through me.
"Are you okay?"
I turn at Carl's voice to find him just behind me, shoving his hands into his pockets.
I smile. "Yes."
"You've got all your weapons?"
I nod my head before patting my legs. There's a holster there.
"I hope it's enough," he says.
I smile. "It will be."
"Carl and Pippa! It's your turn to go," Jesse calls out across the tarmac covered space. I think it used to be a car park, but now it's so ripped up by weeds that it's hard to tell. It was absurdly bumpy driving over it.
Stepping forward, I wrap my arms around Carl and yank him into my chest. "Please be careful!"
"I will," he murmurs before pulling away and giving me a reassuring smile. And then he's gone, the pink-clad grinning redhead beside him. She gives me a thumbs up before they disappear down the road.
I exhale, wrapping my arms around myself and leaving the river to go and stand beside Jesse. He shrugs off his jacket at the sight of me, handing it over and urging me to put it on.
"It's not going to be any good if you turn up with hypothermia, is it?"
I pout, leaning against the truck beside us. "It ruins my outfit."
He laughs. "Then I'll take it back the minute we get there."
"Good," I say softly. "I've never dressed like this before." His brow cocks in curiosity. "All fancy and formal," I explain. "Never went to a wedding. Never went to prom," I pause. "But then again, I guess neither did you."
He shakes his head. "I didn't. But, I never really wanted to."
"You didn't?"
Jesse shakes his head. "I didn't spend much time at school."
I'm surprised and a grin spreads across my face. "You were a bad boy?"
He laughs. "The opposite, actually. I was bullied so much that I never wanted to go."
