Burn Box: Ashes, Book 3 by Bobby Adair

Author:Bobby Adair [Adair, Bobby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beezle Media, LLC
Published: 2024-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

40

The autonomous taxi rounded a corner, its electric hum a stark contrast to the eerie silence enveloping the once-bustling suburb. Through the grimy windshield, Voss stared at an OPM armored cruiser perched on the curb, its frame blackened by fire. The vehicle’s wheels were burned down to the rims. Inside, charred skeletons grinned out through the shattered windshield.

Voss let out a low whistle. “Looks like they had a bad day.”

I stared at the wreckage, memories of a difficult night coming back in vivid detail. Before I even thought to stop myself, I muttered. “They deserved what they got.”

“What?” Voss turned to me, disbelief all over her face.

I shook my head, unwilling to elaborate. The night I’d brought Scarlett here, the desperation that had driven me to open fire on those virus cops—it all felt so long ago. Yet the evidence of my actions sat there on the curb, a reminder that despite all I’d worked for since that day, nothing in the world had changed.

The taxi rolled slowly down the desolate block. Homes of entire families now stood as hollow shells, their windows dark and empty. Nature had begun to reclaim the land, with overgrown lawns spilling onto cracked sidewalks and vines creeping up faded siding.

What’s the right word for when a house isn’t abandoned so much as just left there when the last occupant dies?

The taxi slowed to a stop in front of a modest single-story home. Unlike most of its neighbors, it showed signs of life–curtains drawn, a lawn that had been mowed before winter, a solitary light glowing in a window.

Voss leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “What are we doing here, Noah? I thought we were going⁠—”

I raised a hand to silence her, and maybe she saw the pain in my eyes because she stopped talking and leaned back in her seat.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what came next. “I need you to stay in the car. Nixie and I have some business here.”

Voss looked at the house. “This is the place?”

“I hope so.”

I opened the door, ushering Nixie out onto the sidewalk.

Leaving the taxi door open, I made my way up the walkway. Nixie trotted obediently at my heels, shedding dust clouds with each step. I was sure I did the same. We’d not had the time or a place to clean ourselves up.

At the front door, I knelt to Nixie’s level. “Sit, girl.” She complied, her intelligent eyes fixed on mine, filled with trust that made my heart ache. I took her snout in my hands and kissed her on the nose before standing, knocking, then retreating halfway down the walk.

Nixie whined and shuffled her feet but stayed seated.

“Stay, girl.”

After what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open. A woman peered out cautiously, her face lined with the kind of weariness that had become all too common in this new world. I recognized her immediately—Lily’s aunt, though her name escaped me.

“Can I help you?” she called out, her voice dripping with suspicion.

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