Bedlam by Susanna Strom

Author:Susanna Strom [Strom, Susanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dystopian Fiction
Publisher: Cougar Creek Publishing LLC
Published: 2021-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

Sunny

The porcelain tank cover slipped through my fingers and shattered into a million tiny pieces when it struck the cement floor. I blinked, unable to trust my eyes. Shock robbed me of my voice.

Kyle. Kyle stood in the doorway to the Women’s Ward.

He took the keys from Finn and rushed toward me. Cursing to himself, he fumbled with the padlock. A click. The cell door flew open, and Kyle dragged me into his arms.

“What?” I gasped, unable to make heads or tails out of the sudden reversal in fortune. “How?”

Finn snatched the keys from Kyle’s hand and ran to Sara’s cell.

Kyle’s arms tightened around me and he grinned. “Finn’s a good guy. Ever and Mrs. B. are waiting in the truck. We’ll explain everything on our way out of town. For now, we have to haul ass.”

Sara and Rocco stumbled from their cells.

“We knocked out the entry guards, tied them up, and stashed ‘em behind a bush,” Finn said. “With any luck, it’ll be at least an hour before any of Allsop’s men figure out that something’s wrong.”

We ran out of the building and toward the door in the fence. Kyle and Finn stepped through first. Once they’d confirmed that the coast was clear, they signaled for us to follow. We jogged through the darkness, past the Bishop’s House and defunct state offices, until we came to a residential street.

Kyle’s black pickup was parked under the canopy of a tree. “Sorry, you’ll have to ride in the truck bed,” Kyle said to Sara and Rocco.

“You kidding? No problem.” Rocco climbed into the back and offered a hand to Sara to help her in. Mrs. B. jumped out of the driver’s seat and patted Kyle’s shoulder before he took her place behind the wheel. She flashed me a smile and Ever waved excitedly at me through the window. Finn boosted Mrs. B. into the back seat, next to Ever, then he climbed in after her. I took the front passenger seat.

“We did it. Woo-hoo!” Kyle cried, pounding on the steering wheel. He turned the key and drove the truck to the end of the quiet street.

“Are we going to Valhalla?” I asked, craning my neck to look for any sign of pursuit.

“Eventually,” Kyle said. “But for now we’re heading to Pendleton so Finn can report in to the major about what the Allsops are up to.”

Pendleton? The major? Questions jostled for priority in my mind, but one rose above all the others. Turning around in my seat, I fixed my eyes on Finn. “Who are you?” I demanded.

“Finn Rasmussen. My family owns Valhalla Ranch. After the Wilcox Brigade killed my folks and ran me off, I met up with the major. He leads a group out of Pendleton. They’re working to make sure that any new government does right by people and follows the constitution.”

“Why were you working for the Allsops?” I asked.

Fitzwilliam jumped onto Finn’s lap and stretched out, belly up. “Hey there, buddy,” Finn said, scratching the cat under his chin.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.