Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli

Author:Noelle W. Ihli
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Mystery, Suspense, Contemporary, Thriller, Crime
Publisher: Dynamite Books
Published: 2024-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

31

MILEY

I followed Mary as closely as I could, trying to stay in step as we made our first awkward pilgrimage through the cabin door and onto the property.

I blinked in the sunlight, savoring the feel of it on my skin, in my hair.

The shackles around my arm and leg were so tight they bit into my skin every time I failed to step in sync with her. But my opposite arm and leg felt gloriously free as they finally moved unrestrained.

“Keep up with me,” Mary muttered, yanking me forward and nearly tripping herself over in the process.

I refocused my attention on each muscle group in my arms and legs. Even this little small bit of movement revealed how much weaker I’d gotten over the past week, both from sitting still and from malnutrition.

I drew in a breath of fresh air, still cool in the morning hours, and tried not to let it dampen my spirits—or, worse, make me cry. I’d already shared too many intimate moments against my will with Mary. I hated the fact that she’d been forced to care for me, bathe me, feed me, even dress me like the baby she wanted so badly.

Mary stopped when we reached a worn-looking shed that sported a smatter of faded blue paint flecks. “This is where we keep the flour and other food storage.” She wrinkled her nose a little then quickly shook her head, like she was trying not to show her disgust. “We’ve already got a bad outbreak.”

“An outbreak?” I swallowed. I didn’t know what weevils were, and this chore sounded worse with every passing second.

She rolled her eyes like I was truly stupid. “Weevils, Ruthie Sue. We have to pick them out of the flour. And then we have to check the other stores, too.”

I swallowed hard when she pulled the shed door open. There were a lot of barrels in there. I don’t know what I’d expected, but that was a lot of supplies.

“We’ll start here, then move along the perimeter. We’ve got supplies hidden all over the property,” she added, sounding proud. “When shit hits the fan, who knows what sort of drifters or looters will find their way out here, coming after our stuff.”

“Oh,” was all I could muster. “I don’t think anybody’s coming for this,” I murmured, staring into the dark shed. The idea that anybody would find this cabin—where she’d been missing for four years—was laughable.

Mary pursed her lips. “That’s not true. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what you think. We have a job to do.” Then she pulled me into the shed.

There were no windows inside, so it was dark except for the slit of light the open door allowed. There was floor to ceiling shelving and more white plastic gallon buckets than I’d ever seen outside of a hardware store.

Mary yanked me hard to the right before I could follow her.

“Stop doing that!” I snapped, thankful that at least it wasn’t my bad shoulder she was pulling. It would have been screaming in pain by now.

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