Collapse Series (Book 9): State of Allegiance by Summer Lane

Author:Summer Lane [Lane, Summer]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Dystopian
Publisher: WB Publishing
Published: 2017-02-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thriteen

Hilo Tropical Botanical Garden

We’re here—the place where we should find Mike Randall. Lani and Haku have led us right to it, and despite my irritation with Lani herself, I’m glad they both came along. Their guidance on this island has been helpful.

“Damn,” Manny exclaims, slapping his neck. “If one more of these bloody mosquitoes bite me, I’m going to start taking pot shots at them with my rifle.”

“Sure, great idea,” Elle deadpans.

She kneels to allow Bravo to hydrate from his own water bottle. The poor dog must be dying in this humidity.

The small road is completely overgrown with foliage, and we have spent the last two hours hacking our way through the trees and bushes. We break through the greenery and we see it: a fence surrounding an empty parking lot, and on the edge of the asphalt, a small, worn building. There is a sign that reads, Hilo Tropical Botanical Garden. Despite the sunshine, it’s almost dark enough to be night, tucked into the jungle.

The gate that surrounds the entire property is shut. The house itself looks abandoned, but I see signs of life: a bucket of water sitting outside the door, windows that have been nailed over with slats of wood, and a trip wire running almost invisibly across the entrance to the parking lot.

“This is it,” Chris breathes.

He hasn’t spoken directly to me since our argument a few hours ago, and I’m too stubborn and angry to break the ice.

“No wonder nobody can find him,” Manny remarks. “You practically have to be an Iron Man triathlete to find your way back here.”

“What do we do?” Vera says. “Knock?”

“I don’t know,” Elle mutters.

Bravo growls softly and then barks.

“What is it, boy?” Elle asks, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

I walk toward the gate, stepping carefully over the trip wire, and hoist myself over the iron fencing. The rest of the team follows my lead, and we move cautiously across the parking lot toward the building.

Gift Shop,says the sign above the front door.

That’s when I see the bloody fingerprints on the metal handle, and a sinking feeling hits my stomach. Uriah notices what I see, too, and his expression darkens.

He kicks in the door and we cover him, moving swiftly into the room behind him.

Everything inside is dark and dusty. The remnants of gift shop items litter musty shelves and tables. A cash register has been dumped on the floor. A hallway stretches through the building to the left, and I follow it, keeping my rifle on my shoulder.

I pause and turn to Elle.

“Bravo,” I whisper.

She nods and snaps his leash off. She commands him to search, and he’s off like a shot, completely confident. I follow Bravo as he clears the hallway for me, bursting into a room at the end of the hall. This room is halfway illuminated—one of the windows is open, a warm breeze ruffling sheets of papers scattered across the floor. There are piles of books, and the walls are covered in dozens—if not hundreds—of different maps of the island and the world.

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