Dead World

CHAPTER 17

“He’s dead,” Isaiah said. “Ben’s dead and Roman killed him.”

Anna stared at her husband, her eyes wide, unblinking. She heard the words but didn’t want to believe them. Her baby boy, dead. This couldn’t be happening. It was a dream. A nightmare.

Isaiah’s eyes were red and puffy. He kept sniffling and wringing his hands in his lap.

This was all her fault. If she hadn’t taken her family out of Sanctuary, Ben would still be alive. But if she hadn’t taken them, then Lucy would be dead instead. She lost either way. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes and she sobbed loudly.

Isaiah grabbed her hand and squeezed. Anna leaned forwards and placed her head against his chest and he held her in his arms.

Roman would pay for this. She would make certain.

They spent the next couple of days making their way back to Sanctuary. Anna and Isaiah hardly spoke as no words would ease their pain. Zeke and Lucy were equally as morose. Even though they squabbled as a family, none of them wished to lose Ben.

Anna felt empty. She trudged along like one of what Jones called ‘the zombies’ and felt equally dead inside. With the death of her son, the spark had been extinguished from her life. The sight of Sanctuary in the distance only heightened her despair.

Roman entered the Governor’s residence without knocking. Isaiah, Anna and a couple of enforcers followed him in.

The governor, Carmichael sat at his desk eating some fruit.

“Governor, we have our offering back, and the bitch that took her.” Roman glared at Anna. She flinched at his words and noticed Isaiah’s cheeks reddened.

Carmichael waved a hand dismissively. “Very good. Now make arrangements for the offering to be remade. Out with the old, in with the new.”

“Very good, sir. What about the mother? She needs to be punished.”

Carmichael bit into an apple. “I’ll leave the situation in your capable hands,” he said while chewing.

Isaiah stepped forwards. “If I may have permission to speak.”

“What is it?”

“I realize my wife overstepped her bounds—”

“I didn’t overstep anything. This whole lottery, it’s a sham. My daughter wasn’t selected. Roman fixed it to teach me a lesson. And those aren’t Gods outside the walls. They’re men and women. Dead men and women given a semblance of life. Because of them, my son’s dead.” She glowered at Roman.

Carmichael struggled to his feet. “Silence. You’ll speak when I say you can.”

“You can’t silence the truth.”

“I said—”

A sudden explosion ripped through the wall, sending the people in the room flying.