Apokalypsis | Book 6 | Apokalypsis 6 Morris, Kate (cheapest way to read ebooks TXT) 📖

her emotions before turning around to face him. “Thank you. I’m coming.”

“Are you okay?” he asked hesitantly and stepped into the room.

“I was just…I’m…yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. She was anything but, and Roman was a part of the reason.

“What’s wrong?” he persisted, knowing her too well.

“Nothing,” she lied again.

He paused, raised his chin in a skeptical manner, and said, “I guess Avery’s sending over the remaining clothing that they’d collected for those girls. Obviously, they don’t need them anymore since they took off with Noah without much.”

The sneer he always added when mentioning her former friend made her flinch a little. The burden of guilt she was carrying about Noah was already so high. She didn’t need any further reminding of it.

“That’s good,” she said just above a whisper. “I mean, it’s not good that they’re gone. Just that it’s good that the Miller’s will have more clothing. They lost everything.”

“I’m sure you don’t think it’s good he left,” Roman pointed out in a strange way.

“He took so much from us. Of course, it’s not good. Not to mention, taking those girls.”

“And getting Bianca killed. Asshole,” he swore under his breath.

All Jane could manage was to lower her eyes to the floor between them, which might as well have been the entire ocean they were so distant now.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Sorry he’s gone? Miss him that much, huh?”

“What?” she asked, her head snapping up. “No, I don’t miss him. I’m angry he left like that.”

“Without saying goodbye or without taking you with him?”

“No, I’m sorry I caused all of this to happen.”

Roman moved to say something but stopped. Then he snapped his mouth shut. Instead of discussing it further, he stalked over and took the box before leaving in a rush from the room. Jane had to wipe another tear. Nana Peaches would not be impressed with her lack of self-control and absence of bravado lately.

Instead of sitting around crying in her room all day, Jane bucked up, wiped more tears, and went downstairs where the others were waiting. She was going with Stephanie, Roman, Elijah, and Wren to search for supplies. Alex was also going and taking a second vehicle, which had belonged to the Miller kids’ mother, an all-wheel-drive station wagon. Tristan said it would use less gas, but they weren’t sure if it could handle the amount of snow on the roads. Thus, Alex was driving it because a severe blizzard had blown through last night. The darn snow had finally just melted, only to be replaced by a fresh ten inches. She couldn’t wait for spring to finally settle in. It seemed just around the corner being the middle of March, but she knew not to get her hopes up too soon. Ohio was always good for a few nasty snowstorms this month, even some in April.

“You can sit up front, Elijah,” she offered, but was quickly rebuked as he climbed into the backseat of the truck beside Wren and her dog. Instead, she sat in the front next to Roman because Alex and Stephanie were already in the car and pulling away, the small trailer pulled behind them. Roman was also towing a trailer, the flatbed. They were hoping to find so much they’d need all extra possible space to haul it.

They were going to the city again to forage for a new type of supplies. Tristan and Avery announced her pregnancy a few days ago at a dinner they hosted for everyone. It was shocking. She could tell they weren’t exactly excited about the prospect but were trying to put on a brave face pretending to be happy. The hospital up north in the city, the only one that was still even operating, was now closed like the others. An announcement came on the television the other night to let people know. Emergencies were being directed to FEMA camps, safe zones, or a quarantine camp depending on the exposure to the virus a person had recently suffered. Basically, they were on their own unless something changed very soon. She could tell Avery and Tristan were both scared. Jane would’ve been too. It was a terrifying prospect dealing with labor and delivery on their own. What if Avery needed a c-section? Would someone be able to get her to the nearest safe camp if Tristan wasn’t home? It was over an hour away. Maybe they couldn’t even handle a c-section there. So much was unknown. Jane was just glad that it wasn’t her.

Spencer’s arm was just about healed now, so he was staying behind with Tristan and her father to hold down the fort. Her father and Tristan had agreed that sending more people out on the forage was more important than any work on projects back at their farms. Abraham was also staying at Elijah and Alex’s farm for added protection.

“You guys have any luck yesterday before that storm set in?” Roman asked of Elijah or Wren.

She answered, “Um, no. We were out probably four hours on the horses tracking. Nothing. Didn’t even see one set of footprints. It’s like the entire county is deserted now.”

“Yeah, we haven’t seen anyone either.”

Jane said, “Maybe he moved on.”

They were discussing the serial killer, which was what they were calling the deranged man now. He had no name. None of them knew who he was other than that he’d killed or attacked three women within their group.

“Let’s hope,” Elijah said.

“I hope he didn’t,” Roman disagreed. “I’d like to avenge our friends.”

Elijah chuffed, “Yeah, but I don’t want him getting the jump on anyone else before we catch him.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Wren corrected them. “I think he’s gone. No signs of him since Bianca’s death.”

Jane turned around in her seat to nod but caught Wren pulling her hand back from Elijah’s in a too fast and suspicious manner. She pretended not to notice.

“Good,” she said instead. “I hope he’s gone, too. It’s bad enough having to worry about those things.”

Her mother had confirmed that the man was not Noah as