Torn Apart: Wasteland, #2

By Nicole Ciacchella

What if the fight for survival isn't worth the cost?

The collective isn't the safe haven Alessandro had hoped it would be. Many of the members suspect he'd sell them out in an instant for his own benefit, and the threat of more assaults coupled with the dwindling food supply have left them with no other choice than to search for a more defensible location.

Valeria is doing her best to grapple with her losses and adjust to her new reality, but when the collective's leaders reveal the location of a secret underground agricultural facility and announce plans to move there, she fears they're putting too much stock in the hope that the facility will be their salvation. Yet if everyone is to survive, they'll need the facility's technology to grow their own food.

The perilous journey turns out to be the least of their worries. After a devastating betrayal, can the collective find the will to stay together or will they too dissolve, pitting member against member in a deadly battle for existence?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sweenix Rising Books
• Release date: Jun 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386159353

Nicole Ciacchella

Nicole has progressed from scribbling in notebooks to banging on keyboards, but she’s never managed to stop daydreaming at inappropriate moments. Born and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two wonderful children. When not answering the demands of her characters, Nicole can often be found curled up with a good book or spending far too many hours acting the hero in whatever video game is her obsession of the moment. Nicole rarely meets a genre she doesn't like, and as a result has written contemporary romcoms, fantasy fiction, fairy tale retellings, and dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. She's the author of the Fairytale Collection books, the YA/NA crossover Contributor trilogy, and the Astoran Asunder series.

Book preview

Chapter 1

"You want us to be ready to move when?" the woman asked. Though she tried to control it, Alessandro heard the edge of hysteria creeping in.

What's her name again? The day before he'd been part of her salvage crew, and her name danced around the edges of his memory, eluding him.

Doesn't matter. She's not important.

He winced at his own dismissiveness. His short time with Prima had affected his thought processes in profound ways that were only just becoming apparent to him. From the moment he'd set foot in the collective, he'd been unconsciously assessing everyone within it, trying to figure out their place in its hierarchy, whether they posed a threat to him and Enzo, and whether trying to gain their regard was worth his time.

Wincing again, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the women, sifting through his memories until something clicked.

Marisol, her name is Marisol.

Still not important, a faint, scornful voice insisted.

No, he couldn't think that way anymore. Marisol wasn't part of the collective's hierarchy, but that didn't make her insignificant. He needed to revamp his mindset if he and Enzo were to become part of the collective too. No one here was considered disposable. He would make himself believe that.

Glancing to his left, he caught sight of Valeria, whose lips were pursed, tense lines creasing her forehead. If she had learned to be as calculating as he had, he and Enzo would still be at Prima's mercy. He couldn't forget that.

Plenty of people weren't happy about Valeria's lack of calculation, though. No one had been outright hostile to him or his brother, but some of the collective members met his greetings and inquiries with cold silence, and multiple children had turned Enzo down when he'd asked them to play.

Alessandro couldn't blame them. Sure, some members had softened toward him in light of the wealth of information he had given them, but no one could get around the fact that he and Enzo were an extra pair of mouths to feed at a time when the collective's food supply was rapidly dwindling.

As if echoing his thoughts, the man to Alessandro's right spoke up, We need to replenish our supplies first.

We don't have time for that, Cristano Bautista said.

Learning his name hadn't taken Alessandro long. He knew every leader by name.

Murmurs swept through the crowd, and though he couldn't quash his impatience with their reticence, he understood why the collective members were uneasy. A mere three days had passed since Prima's assault, and he felt the same bone-deep weariness the others felt. No one was suggesting they take a holiday, but the allure of the urge to take a short break, time to rest and recuperate, was hard to resist.

Even if we could grow anything here, this position isn't defensible, Awi said, speaking with careful patience. We're not the only ones running out of food. Any crops we may be able to coax out of the ground will make us even more of a target than we already are.

The murmurs increased in volume. Carolyn Henderson scowled, but Alessandro thought Awi was right to give it to the collective straight. He wasn't any less panicked at the idea of moving, but anyone who believed their success at repelling Prima's assault would make the other city factions think twice about attacking was delusional. Prima would lose a lot of face and possibly some of her grip on power, making the other factions even more eager to prove themselves stronger than hers.

The one other person who understood this spoke up, making Carolyn's scowl deepen. The factions are not going to leave you alone, Krista said, the words falling on the crowd like the crack of a whip. Several people flinched. And they're not going to give you time to regroup. They'll be back, in force, and soon.

Alessandro thought her use of the word you was wise. Had she chosen the word us, there was no doubt in his mind many of the collective members would have bristled. As suspiciously as some of them treated Alessandro and Enzo, there was no comparison to how they treated Krista. Very few people were happy to have her around, and though Awi valued Krista's tactical expertise, the watch commander didn't eye Krista with any less wariness than the others.

An unexpected bolt of sympathy shot through him. He and Krista weren't friends, and he felt no sense of loyalty toward her, but he owed her, and he'd never forget that. Whether helping him and Enzo had been a selfless act on her part or whether self-interest had driven her was still up for debate, but he was indebted to her regardless.

Moreover, every time he thought about what she'd hinted about how Prima had treated her, he couldn't prevent sympathy from welling within him. At least he and Enzo had escaped before Prima could do her worst. And as difficult and dangerous as caring for Enzo was, his presence was still a balm, a reminder that Alessandro wasn't alone, that there was good in the world. What did Krista have?

Going to offer to be her best friend, then? a cynical voice inside asked.

He wasn't, he wouldn't bother denying it, but the thought still made him squirm. However sympathetic he was to her, and however far his gratitude toward her extended, keeping Enzo safe was still paramount. Alessandro wouldn't stand in the collective's way if they decided to throw her out, not if meant jeopardizing Enzo's position.

So much for a sense of unity, he thought, suppressing a sigh. The disconnect was jarring. One moment he was trying to persuade himself that he and Enzo had become part of something larger, and the next he was convinced he still had to look out for himself and his brother above everyone else.

The situation isn't hopeless, Khalil Nassar said, breaking into Alessandro's thoughts. Alessandro could hear Khalil forcing some positivity into his voice. The information Alessandro smuggled out of Zhang's headquarters included locations and details of two experimental underground growing facilities. We've analyzed the data and believe these locations are promising.

The crowd quieted, their attention now fixed on Khalil, and Alessandro gaped in shock. He'd had no idea such facilities existed, and as he glanced around in disbelief, he saw hope light up several faces.

Focusing on Khalil once more, Alessandro studied the other man's face. He'd noticed Khalil's talent for diffusing tension, his affinity for stepping in with a few well-chosen words, quickly smoothing over disputes. The collective was fortunate to have someone who could keep a level head in the midst of such overwhelming stress—even if this talent did make Alessandro wary.

Plus, he was not thrilled with Khalil for making him front and center in this whole discussion. Learning that the information he'd gone to such lengths to steal would prove of enormous value to the collective was reassuring, but he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. The less attention he drew to himself the better. His greatest hope was for him and Enzo to blend into the background, until people stopped noticing them. The last thing he wanted was to remind everyone of what he'd done, as if implying they owed him.

Lowering his head, he fought the temptation to survey the crowd. He was desperate to have some idea of what they were thinking, but he didn't want them misconstruing his desperation. His pulse pounded in his ears, his body tightened as if preparing to flee, and his rate of breathing ramped up. He forced himself to take slow, calming breaths as he stared at the black specks drifting over the barren ground.

He didn't look back up until Joaquin Lagunes began to speak. One of those facilities is only five miles from here. He paused while the crowd exchanged surprised chatter. When the noise died down, he took a deep breath and visibly steeled himself. However, because it is so close to our current compound, we don't think staying there is a good long-term strategy. Instead, we'll use it as a temporary shelter to regroup. We'll harvest whatever crops are there and extract as much data as we can before heading to the second facility.

And how far away is that one? a man shouted out.

Taking another deep breath, Joaquin responded, Twenty miles from the first facility.

His words caused an uproar, and even though Alessandro knew the plan was sensible, a pit of dread opened within him. There was no need to refrain from scanning the crowd now, since everyone was so busy talking frantically with their neighbors and shouting at the leaders that they'd ceased to notice Alessandro—or so he thought.

It's their fault, an older woman shouted, her finger shaking as she pointed first at Alessandro and then at Krista.

Cold fear swept through him, leaving him lightheaded. He gave fervent thanks that Enzo was off with the other kids, but then panic choked him, instinct telling him to run, grab his brother, make sure Enzo was safe.

No, Huilang Tan said, her voice loud and commanding, grabbing everyone's attention. Prima would have attacked us regardless. Multiple sources have told us so. As we speak, some of the other factions are already planning an assault on one of the other remaining collectives. We sent them a warning, and they decided to dig in and ride the siege out. Unlike them, we're not willing to risk the safety of everyone in this collective trying to hold ground we'll never be able to maintain.

Another chill swept through Alessandro, and he glanced at Krista, who met his gaze with a grim nod. Obviously, this particular bit of information was not new to her, and he felt a flash of anger at having been kept out of the loop.

Huilang's words had silenced the objector, who was still shaking as she sank back into her seat, the woman next to her reaching out to steady her.

When are we leaving? a young man asked, his subdued voice carrying over the dying whispers.

Tomorrow, Ximena Lagunes said.

Chapter 2

Valeria's head was pounding, and the sun's merciless glare wasn't doing anything to help, despite how relieved she was to leave the mess hall behind. The wind kicked up, pelting her with dust particles, sending them up her nose and down her throat, making her cough. Rather than being annoying, though, the cough was therapeutic, relieving the growing tightness in her chest.

It was bad, wasn't it? Paz asked.

Did you think it wasn't going to be? She couldn't keep the sharpness from her voice. Not for the first time, she wished she'd been assigned patrol duty during the meeting.

The thought caused a hollow ache in her chest. For the past three days, there had been no patrol duty for her and Paz. They had been relegated to training, which, while they needed it, had been unsatisfying.

Unable to cope with Sean's loss, Ariane went to Awi on the second day and asked to be relieved of duty.

I just can't do it anymore, Ariane told Paz and Valeria when she broke the news to them. I have some technical knowledge, so Awi thought it might be better for me to work on backing up and analyzing data anyway.

Valeria's eyes strayed to the command post, and she imagined Ariane buried there, towering stacks of makeshift batteries and solar panels surrounding her. Everyone with any technical skill had worked nonstop for the last three days, poring over schematics and appropriating everything they could use to create the panels and batteries. Valeria hoped Ariane was doing well there, that the work was enough to distract her from the memories of what she'd seen and done as part of their team.

It's been hell, Paz said mildly, and Valeria felt guilty for having snapped at him. He'd been through just as much as she had, and she knew he felt the dissolution of their team, the loss of Sean, every bit as strongly as she did.

Really, her impatience was at the situation, not at anyone in particular. She did wish Awi would hurry up and assign her and Paz to another team so they could get back in the watch rotation, but most of her anger was due to circumstances beyond anyone's control.

"I'm sorry, Paz. I don't mean to take it out on you. I just wish I felt like we were doing something."

We are doing something, he said, halting and putting his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. We're getting stronger, learning tactics that will make us better able to defend the collective.

Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them back. Maybe Sean wouldn't have died if he'd been able to learn better tactics.

You're right, she said.

You need to remind yourself of that, he said, his voice softening. Right now, we're doing the best thing we could be doing.

She nodded and they began walking to the command post again.

Eager as she was for reassignment, she also dreaded it. Her team had been close, and it was hard to imagine relying on others the way she had come to rely on Paz, Ariane, and Sean. She wanted to do Sean proud, wanted to ensure his sacrifice hadn't been in vain, but losing him had left her with a gaping wound. She had been convinced she understood the gravity of her situation, but the reality of the assault's aftermath told her something very different.

As she, Paz, and the other members of the watch crowded into the command post, she was surprised to see that the stacks of equipment had disappeared.

Packed up during the meeting, Diego said, joining them. He hooked a thumb, indicating an exhausted-looking team across the room. Liam's team helped.

She didn't know why the information surprised her as it did. Since they were leaving the next day, it made sense that the equipment had been packed away. Yet she was once again struck by the jarring realization that her mind was still several steps behind whenever it came to processing what was happening to her world.

Everything's moving so fast, Diego said, and the tremor in his voice made Valeria take a closer look at him.

He looked as rough as she felt, purple shadows smudging the skin under his eyes, his normally chiseled, handsome face stubbly and haggard. Either grief or weight loss had carved new hollows in his cheeks, and she raised an unconscious hand to her own cheek, probing her cheekbones.

It's hard to keep up, Paz agreed, and she felt a fresh wave of remorse for barking at him earlier.

Awi strode into the room, her eyes steely, the inscrutable Krista beside her. Krista had become a ubiquitous sight to the watch team. She spent the bulk of her time holed up with Awi, but when she wasn't with the watch commander, she was observing the members training or surveying the armory. She'd taught the techs how to manufacture ammunition, assisting them with their frantic quest to replenish the watch's decimated supply. Her inclusion in Prima's Woodstock Security Enterprises salvage team had exposed her to a wealth of information about the Creator's projects, and she was full of ideas for constructing makeshift weapons, barriers, and improvised explosives.

Whether these cobbled-together defenses would provide any insurance against another incursion from the city factions was anyone's guess, but neither side had any real advantages over the other. No matter where those cast aside hailed from, the Creators' abandonment had left them all equally screwed.

You know anything about this underground facility? Valeria asked Diego, though it pained her to admit she didn't. Her parents had become much more circumspect with her, but she could hardly blame them for it.

No, he said, and though her self-centeredness made her cringe, she felt better knowing she wasn't the only one being kept out of the loop.

Paz shook his head. The things the Creators kept from us.

The anger in his voice mirrored Valeria's own. Was Paz wondering, as she was, whether the Creators had needed the collectives at all? Had the collectives been a smokescreen meant to distract the marginalized from what the privileged were really up to?

Awi called everyone to order, then took a moment to survey the room, making eye contact with everyone in it. "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, but time is short, so let's keep this brief. Here's what we know: the underground facilities were prototypes of the permanent facilities the Creators installed in the domes. Messages sent to and from the facility at the time of the Creators' retreat to the domes make it apparent the Creators were forced to abandon the prototypes, so we're confident we won't meet with any Creator resistance.

That didn't guarantee they were safe from the factions or roving gangs, though, so I've had two scouting teams running daily missions out to the facility to assess the risk. There's been no sign of anyone in the vicinity, and the facility itself is deserted.

The news was a relief to Valeria. She didn't want to think they were running into anything blindly, but they'd had so little time to plan and prepare that she knew at least some of what they were doing was being made up as they went along.

I know the timing of this move seems sudden, but there's a reason for that, Awi continued. As you're no doubt all thinking, someone's bound to notice an entire collective leaving, which is why we have to go tomorrow. That assault on the other collective the leaders mentioned? It's happening tomorrow, which means we can use the distraction to our advantage and flee while it's happening.

Several people gasped, and revulsion brought bile up Valeria's throat. Paz shuffled, staring at his feet, and Diego gulped, looking sick to his stomach.

I know that sounds harsh, Awi said, softening her voice, but as the leaders said, we warned them. They refused to listen, and nothing we said changed their minds. They chose their fate. We're choosing ours.

Watch members nodded in response, including Valeria. It didn't sit well with her, but this was the way of things now, and she was forcing herself to accept it.

At the conclusion of this meeting, each team will receive individual assignments, but the gist is this: the bulk of the watch will remain with the collective, protecting the members, while other teams scout the road ahead and lag behind to ensure we aren't being followed. We need to move fast, which means we have to keep the collective going, no matter what happens. Civilian teams are organizing transport for equipment and for the children, and some of you will be assigned to these transports. They're critical to our survival, and you're to protect them at all cost.

Silence fell over the room, and Valeria pressed a palm against her churning stomach. She tried to keep her fears under control, but she couldn't prevent nightmarish images from filling her head. The assault had been horrifying, but at least it had taken place within the illusory safety of the collective's fences. The thought of trying to hold off an assault without the fences' protection made her heart race and her limbs go leaden with dread.

Everyone broke off with their teams when Awi concluded the meeting. She caught Paz's eye and beckoned him and Valeria to her.

I'm sorry I haven't given you a permanent placement yet, she said.

That's understandable, considering the circumstances, Paz said, and Valeria nodded in agreement.

"I'm putting you under Jada's