Gabe's eyes bore into me. I considered making a run for it, but without my gear or a gun I doubted I'd get far.

"I'm sure you think you've figured it all out, right, Cyrus?"

"No," I said. "Not everything. I think Kevin rescued you from the fire in Monroe. I saw you right after I killed him, so I know you were involved somehow. What I don't know is how someone like you could end up leading a band of crazies hell bent on killing good people."

A smirk spread across her lips. I was trying to make her angry-angry people often make bad decisions-but she didn't fall for it. "That's your biggest problem. You underestimate everyone and look where it gets you. Your friends are going to die, you are going to die, and why? Because you thought I was some stupid kid who couldn't watch out for herself. Because that bitch thought she could leave me in a shed to die." She spread her arms out wide. "Well, here I am! Alive and kicking."

"I didn't think you were a stupid kid," I said. "You were inexperienced. You proved me wrong."

"I did, didn't I? When that ass Kevin found me in the shed, he was nothing. He had a handful of crazy men following him because they had nothing better to do. I didn't think they believed in that bullshit he kept making up about God and how he was some kind of savior. But some of them did. When Kevin wasn't raping me or crying on my shoulder about his mommy, I became the backbone of his precious Brotherhood."

"You did well for yourself."

"You better fucking believe I did. His crazy followers liked having a reason to do bad things. It took a long time, but eventually I had them brainwashed." She laughed. "It wasn't hard. They were all putty, bendy. They did whatever I wanted them to. They liked me. I was nice. I made sure they got what they needed. It was easy for me to convince people-especially women-to join our group. Kevin thought he was in control, but I was. I called the shots and everyone knew it."

Gabe was insane. She tried acting cool, but underneath it I saw the instability. She'd been drinking her own Kool-Aid for too long. She might've had a tough exterior, but she was still the same scared girl taking advantage of people. Just on a bigger scale now.

If I had any hope for humanity, this would've squashed it. If Gabe could be behind an operation like this, destroy thousands of lives during her reign, what hope was there for the world?

I tugged at my restraints. They were tight and cut off circulation in my hands.

"You did me a favor killing Kevin. I wanted to, and planned on doing it, but you doing it? Perfect. Kevin already had everyone hyped up about you, so it seemed like fate when you did the deed. I'd almost forgotten about you, but when Kevin started talking about Cyrus, and when I saw you that night, I..." Gabe took a long breath and shuddered. "Anyway, that night the Brotherhood was mine. It became official once we found Kevin's body. From there, I built up my numbers, started settling in places. Brother Pearson used to stay in this factory when he was hunting, so I made my base here." Her brow furrowed. "I guess it wasn't the best place. Kind of far away, you know?"

I sighed. "This evil villain exposition is really classy. You took that out of Kevin's book. But if you're going to kill me, just do it. I don't fucking care any more. I killed almost everyone in your army. Our two main cities are still standing. You're done."

She sprung to her feet, the heavy chair screeching as it slid backward. "NO. You will listen to me, you stupid motherfucker. Since I knew you were helping those people, I've been waiting for this moment. To tell you that you were wrong. To show you what I was capable of. I set up those signs and-"

"Gabe, it's over!" I shifted around until I stood, then I took a step towards her. "You did it. You won. Your vendetta against me has been fulfilled. A thousand people are dead because you had a hissy fit. Blaze was right about you this whole time."

Whatever she thought my reaction would be, this wasn't it. She ran her hands over the sides of her head, then shook it like she was clearing my words away.

"Listen, kid. I'm sorry for whatever you went through when Kevin took you. In this world, you do what you have to to survive. I can't agree with what you did, but I can't blame you." I stood tall, with my bruised chin up. "Whatever you're going to do, do it."

She stood, grabbed the gun, and rushed towards me.

This is it, I thought, before the world went black. I hope it doesn't hurt.

Chapter 31.

I'm not dead.

I was relieved. Happy. I'd live to fight another day.

Then I opened my eyes and found the rotting faces of zombies looking up at me. Realizing I couldn't move, I wondered if I'd be better off dead.

The cage was coffin shaped, and too small for me to roll over in. I lay face down, my body pressed against wire that sagged under my weight. When I lifted my face up, I felt the indent of wire still deep in my cheek. The cage swayed as I tried moving, and chains rattled as they strained to hold up my weight. This put an end to my effort.

I turned my head, looking out to the left. About four feet away, Lasko was in a cage like mine, her eyes closed and lips moving. To my right was an empty cage, but in front of me was Blaze.

The side of my head throbbed terribly from where Gabe had smacked me. I'd drifted in and out of consciousness, seeing blackness and stars as two people dragged my body. I didn't remember being put into the cage, and I wasn't sure how long I'd been out.

"Blaze?" My voice riled up the Zs even more. Their fingers grazed my body, making me cringe.

She craned her neck to look at me. "I think we're fucked, Cyrus."

I thought so, too. Rolling my feet side to side, I tried to feel if they'd taken my smallest boot knife. It was still there, safely tucked away. Problem was, I couldn't get to it.

Closing my eyes, I fought off a wave of panic. I wanted the zombies' incessant, hungry groans to turn into white noise. I wanted to find a position that didn't cramp my back-fuck, a position where I could move a little-close my eyes, and tune it out.

But I couldn't. As their bony fingertips brushed against the cage, rocking it, I'd never felt more afraid. I was never so aware of how badly I didn't want to be torn to shreds by zombies. If that chain snapped, they'd shove their faces through the holes in the cage and bite chunks out of me until I turned.

Maybe I'd break my neck or get knocked unconscious when I fell, if I were lucky.

But I doubted that would happen, and I scorned myself for thinking so irrationally. I wasn't high enough. The Zs would break the fall. Beneath me, at least thirty zombies reached up, the cages meticulously positioned so they could skim their fingers over the wire. Taller ones would poke their fingers through and prod me.

I tried to figure out what was around us. Instead of staring at the zombies, I looked beyond. Walls constructed out of cinderblocks and wood had been erected around them to keep the undead where they should be. I was high enough to see over the edges, into a large warehouse space. Makeshift cubicles created living spaces with cots, tables, and other junk. It reminded me of Fort Christian-dilapidated, thrown together with little thought.

If you asked me, keeping a torture area with undead near a living space was a bad idea.

But it was empty. I guessed the people who'd lived here were killed in our ambush. We were alone, waiting for death or torture or whatever Gabe had in store.

One thing was certain: the only chance for escape would come if they took me out of the cage. I closed my eyes, willing myself into a happy place as Lasko began to cry.

Five hours. We'd been up there five hours, looking down at the festering corpses.

"My mom used to braid my hair in pigtails," Lasko said, sounding miles away. This torture was breaking us. "I used to think it looked stupid. She cried when I got my first tattoo. And my second. And fifth. And tenth."

She'd been talking nonstop for at least an hour. Hearing her own voice was better than the raspy moans of the dead.

"Mom and dad died a week into the apocalypse. Needed their heart medicine. I couldn't call them to be sure, but I know that's what happened." She rattled her cage violently. "Come on, bitches! You want a piece of this?"

Time stretched on, and no one came to check us. We could be dead. They wouldn't care.

Since they were packed together so tightly, the same zombies remained below me, so I named them.

Biggie was the tall one who kept trying to get my legs. He was naked, and his torso and back had been flayed. His exposed muscle had turned brown and was speckled with mold, and his crotch was mangled.

Skinhead was a wisp of a creature with tattoos of swastikas all over his body.

Swiss Cheese was a woman with too many bullet holes to count.

I assumed Fried Fred was a man, but with his entire body being charred it was hard to tell.

Circular thoughts dominated my mind, and I was thirsty. I wanted to scream, and I needed to move. If I couldn't move soon, I was going to fucking die.

My joints are going to lock up and I won't be able to walk again.

I'm going to die of thirst, and they'll keep me here forever as a Z.

A scream worked its way up my throat, but I bit my tongue and held it back.

This was what she wanted. She wanted to break me like this, because she couldn't do it with words.

She forgot who she was dealing with.

I woke up to silence, and it was louder than the groaning dead. I didn't remember falling asleep, but I'd been out long enough that the Zs were cleared away. There was a gap in the wall that lead to a hallway. Maybe the undead had been herded through there.

Below me, four men shuffled about as they opened Lasko's cage. I recognized three of them from when we first arrived. The fourth was new. A thin, tall man with wild dark hair and an untamed beard. He carried a tactical shotgun, and he did look familiar. I watched him, hoping he'd look up, but he never did.

They unfolded a tall ladder and one of them climbed up. The new guy untangled a loop of rope and the long side of the cage flew open. The other three pointed guns at Lasko.

"Come on. Get outta the cage, sweetie." He stepped down the ladder and they waited for her to slowly descend.

A tiny part of me felt smug satisfaction over how hard it must've been to get an unconscious Cyrus into the cage. It quickly faded as Lasko stumbled from the last rung and fell to her knees.

"Aw, lookit her. She's all worn out!" Pearson walked up and kicked her, knocking her onto her side. "Didn't like being in the cage, did you, stupid bitch?"

"She said to use this on her," said a chubby man with a sawed off shotgun. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a pair of brass knuckles. They were the ones Lasko made me. A surge of anger and fear swept through me.

Chubby tossed them to Pearson, who slipped them on and grinned. "Nice. Real fucking nice. Brother Buford, you want to have a go on this one?"

"No," the black haired man said. "I'll pass."

I choked on the overwhelming shock taking hold.

"You're such a fag," Chubby said. "I don't think you ever done one."

Blaze's chest rose and fell rapidly as she took ragged breaths.

"No, he isn't. He's a fucking pansy, yeah, but he ain't no fag." Pearson laughed as he circled Lasko. "Only reason She keeps him around is cause Lena likes screwing him, and he's smart."

Standing between our two cages, the fourth man finally looked up. Beau Wright turned to his sister. The brand of the Brotherhood marred his cheek, placed so high that his eye had suffered damage. It was discolored, and scarred tissue covered half of it. Recognition spread across his face, and he gaped at her. His good eye brimmed with tears. He blinked, then wiped them away before the others could see.

Pearson hauled Lasko to her feet and swung the brass knuckles, cracking her cheek. The spikes impaled her skin. Blood gushed as he brought his fist back then punched her again, cutting off her piercing scream. Her body collapsed to the ground, twitching. Pearson flipped her over, pushed up her coat, and began unbuckling her pants. He stood, getting his own pants off instead.

"Aw shit! Might've hit her too hard. Still have a few minutes though. Not that I mind 'em cold."

The crazies were so amused with themselves, so confident, they weren't paying attention to Lasko's hand as she reached behind her for something.

She needed a distraction.

"Hey!" I shouted, throwing my weight back and forth to rock the cage as much as I could.

All eyes were on me, and confusion showed on their faces.

I wasn't sure what else to say, so I blurted, "You're a bunch of cocksucking assholes."

Pearson snarled, pointing to the third man. "You know, I was just going to kill you, but Harold here don't mind men."

He turned back to Lasko, got to his knees, and climbed on top of her. Then her knife flashed as she plunged it into his neck and stabbed quickly three times.

Pearson reared back, his hand flying to the wounds. He tried to deliver a weak punch to her face, but in a burst of superhuman strength, Lasko deflected his blow and sunk her small knife into his temple.

Chubby and Harold moved forward to intercept, but Beau came up behind them with his shotgun aimed. He pumped a round into Harold's head, obliterating it completely, then he chambered a fresh shell. Chubby managed to turn halfway before he fired again, taking out half his head in one bloody, chunky shot.

All I could do was watch in rapt horror as two more men appeared in the doorway. One fired a stream of rounds into Lasko the second he saw her.

They didn't expect Beau to be a threat, and he used that moment of confusion to fire. The shot hit one's stomach, sending him backward. The other fired on Beau, but Beau was fast, pumping the shotgun and firing again.

Beau walked over to the two, pumping a round into each of their heads.

Then it went quiet. Beau's chest heaved as he stood, and blood blossomed from a wound in his shoulder.

He dragged the ladder to Blaze first to free her from the cage. She snatched up a gun after she got out, keeping watch as Beau opened my prison. I could barely climb down the ladder, my body was so stiff. Once we were both out, Beau went to his sister and embraced her.

I went to Lasko. She was dead, and one of the rounds hit her in the middle of her forehead. My chest tightened as I looked into her glazed eyes that stared into nothing.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Beau said, pulling away from Blaze. "Either of you."

Blaze looked over his shoulder at me, then at Lasko's body. "Me, too."

"There's two more. They're probably with Her right now." Beau turned to me. "You're from the towns, aren't you? The ones She's been trying to destroy?"

Blaze reached out, touching his cheek. "What have they done to you?"

His hand clasped over hers. "I have so many questions. I know you have just as many for me. But we need to end this."

I stood, picking up Chubby's shotgun. "I agree. Where are they?"

"There's no way they didn't hear us. She'll be in her main quarters, and they stay outside of it. They'll be waiting for us."

"Then let's go."

I'd thought about what it would be like if the three of us were reunited. Paired with the reality of Lasko's death, it was not what I expected it to be. With our minds all set on killing Gabe and ending the Brotherhood, our differences didn't matter.