Read Broken World (Book 3): Mad World for Free Online Page A

throat, and I have to swallow it back down for the second time. Other women are herded toward the elevator in front of me. I count six in all. Their sobbing mixes with the zombies’ moans. My head pounds.
    The other linebacker stands next to the elevator, holding the door open. He shoves the women inside, and when it’s my turn, I almost fall. I bump into a black woman in her thirties, but she doesn’t even look at me. Both linebackers step in and the door slides shut. The elevator lurches, then moves down, and my body shakes.
    No one talks, but there’s plenty of crying. My own eyes are amazingly dry.
    We stop after two floors. Linebacker Two grabs a couple women and pulls them from the elevator while Linebacker One holds the door open. When the first man comes back—alone—we continue down. My stomach tightens the further we get. The suspense presses down on me, almost suffocating me.
    The door opens, and when Linebacker One turns around, he’s looking right at me. He grabs my arm and jerks me forward. This time, I fight. I pull against his grip and refuse to move my feet, but he digs his fingers in tighter and drags me out of the elevator. My heart thumps against my ribcage and I frantically scan the hall. There has to be something I can do. A way to escape or something I can hit him with. Anything!
    There’s nothing, though. No hope.
    I’m still struggling when he stops in front of room 613 and knocks.
    The door opens, and I’m shoved inside before I even have a chance to see who opened it. I stumble forward, tripping over my own feet. The door slams shut as I fall to my knees in the middle of the room. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest when footsteps approach me from behind. Frantically, I crawl forward, trying to get away. I twist around as I scan the room for something I can use as a weapon. My heart stutters and almost stops when my eyes meet his. It’s New Guy.
    He puts his hands up and takes a step back. “Relax. I’m not going to touch you.”
    His words have no meaning. I jump to my feet and charge him, slamming my shoulder into his chest. Knocking him to the ground. His arms go around me, and I fall on top of him. My arms get tangled in my T-shirt and I swear, then jerk my body back and forth as I desperately try to free myself. New Guy rolls over, taking me with him. He’s on top of me. I thrust my knee up, trying to make contact with his crotch. He curses and pins my legs down with his. I finally get my arms free, but he’s ready for it. He grabs my wrists and pins them to the ground. I twist and wiggle, screaming in frustration, but I’m trapped.
    “I said I’m not going to hurt you!”
    I gasp for breath, and my eyes meet his. Something about the look on his face makes me freeze. His eyes aren’t as cold as they were in the car, and there’s emotion in his voice. I actually believe him.
    He eases up the second I stop squirming, but he doesn’t get off of me. “My name is Jon. I’m not one of these sick bastards. I’m just looking for my sister. That’s all.” His green eyes shimmer, but I can’t feel sympathy for this guy. He brought me here.
    Jon sighs and releases my wrists, then sits back. But he doesn’t get up. I glare at him and massage my sore wrists. He doesn’t talk.
    “What?” I snap. “You want me to thank you for not raping me? Well, fuck you.”
    “Look, I’m sorry.” His voice shakes.
    He looks down and blinks like he just noticed he’s still sitting on me. Finally, he gets up. I scramble to my feet, taking a few steps back. I want some distance between this asshole and me.
    Jon slumps onto the bed. “I needed to gain their trust. It was the only way I had a chance of finding my sister.” He doesn’t say anything else. He just stares at the floor.
    The silence between us stretches out, and my heartbeat doesn’t slow. Does he want me to say something? To help him? Do I help him? I don’t want to. He brought me here. As far as I’m concerned, he can go