Willow, p.1
Willow, page 1
part #1 of Defy the Ravaged Series
Willow
Defy the Ravaged Book One
E.M. Raegan
Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Thank You
Other Books by E.M. Raegan
Books by Erin Raegan
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Willow. Copyright © 2019 by E. M. Raegan. All Rights Reserved.
Cover Designed by Cortney E Designs
Edited by Joy Editing
All characters, alien or human, events―on planet Earth or otherwise―in this book are a product of the author's imagination and hours of daydreaming. Any resemblance to actual people, or otherworldly beings, living or dead, actual events, are entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or transmitted, or distributed, in any form, by any means, without explicit written permission from the author with the exception of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles. This book is licensed for your enjoyment only. Thank you, a thousand times and all the hugs, for purchasing.
First Printing: June 2019
Created with Vellum
For my sister, D, who’s love for zombies and romance may out-rival mine. And who listened to this crazy dream I had two years ago and told me to write its story.
Chapter One
“Mom?” I pushed my headphones off my ears and looked back at my bedroom door. I could have sworn I heard a scream. “Mom?”
I listened again but didn’t hear anything. I sighed and tossed my book aside. I was on summer break from college and taking advantage of the peace and quiet to crack open a few of my twenty-five-cent-bin finds. I was normally left home alone, so it was strange to hear anyone here during the day. My mom was usually out spending Rick’s money while he worked and slept around with his office secretary. They had been dating for three years now, and their dysfunctional relationship put me off having one of my own.
I climbed over the mess of books and clothes on my floor. I was pretty messy for a twenty-one-year-old, but I would rather stick my nose in a book than keep everything pristine like my mother did. I flicked on my lamp so I could see where I walked. My room had heavy black-out curtains because I was an insomniac and usually took several naps during the day. I quickly wiped the Cheeto cheese from my torn jeans and Weezer T-shirt so my mom wouldn’t harp on me and cracked open my door.
At first, I thought I had imagined her screaming; but the sunlight was bright and caught on the silver buckles of her designer handbag on the entry table. I had assumed she left this morning while I was asleep, but both her and Rick’s shoes were still lined up perfectly by the front door. Mom never left shoes out unless they were the ones she was going to wear─she was anal about clutter. Something vibrated on the counter, and I looked at Rick’s phone as it skittered on the countertop.
I looked back at my clock. It was eleven in the morning. There was no way they would both still be home. Rick left at six on the dot, and Mom was out the door at eight sharp. They never deviated from their schedules. And it was super out of the ordinary for them to come home, especially while the other was still here. They avoided each other like the plague.
They shouldn’t even still be together, but I had a feeling Rick still supported her for my sake. He may be unfaithful, but he was the best stand-in dad a girl could have. He loved me almost as much as I loved him.
“Hello?” I called hesitantly. If they didn’t answer, I was shutting myself back in my room. No way was I going to witness one of their very, very rare physical interactions. Gross. Rick was like fifty, and Mom, yeah, I had seen enough of her growing up. She never cared to protect her daughter from seeing that kind of thing, no matter how old I was. They may hate each other, but that didn’t mean they didn’t still tumble into bed together after a little too much wine.
A muffled scream answered me, but it wasn’t from inside our swanky apartment. It was outside the door. I tip-toed over and peeked out of the peephole. I blinked and backed away, furrowing my brows. I shook my head and looked again. Yup, there was a weirdo in the hall. He was in raggedy clothes and sniffed the wall while wailing as loud as he could. I watched him a moment as he sniffed along our neighbor’s door. Our apartment was in a nice building with a doorman and everything, but everywhere in the city had their crazies. Still, it was strange to see one wandering around in the daytime.
I jumped when he turned and looked right at our door. He shuffled over and slammed into it, and I jumped again. His wails picked up in volume, and he began to beat against the door. I started to shake and looked back at my mom and Rick’s door. I winced. I really didn’t want to interrupt them, but I didn’t want to just call the cops. My mom got pissed over the littlest of scenes now that she was living it up and trying to impress all the local socialites.
I sighed and trudged over to their door reluctantly. I bit my lip and listened. I could hear something inside, but it wasn’t any of the headboard banging I was used to hearing. I knocked. The noises stopped, and one of them moaned something. “Guys? I’m sorry, but some weirdo’s at the door. I’m afraid he’s going to bust it in if we don’t call the cops.” Nothing. “Did you hear me? Hello?” I knocked harder. Someone snarled, and I sighed. Mom was probably having another one of her tantrums, but it was unlike Rick to not come and say something so I could avoid her.
The guy at the door was really going at it, and the little table by the door was starting to shake. The vase of flowers was going to topple off. My stomach started to pinch, fear creeping in. “Hey, seriously, he’s going to break in.” I twisted the knob and pushed it open a crack. Foul sucking sounds met my ears, and I made a face. “Hey, take a break for a second. Some guy is out here―”
A snarl of pure rage came from inside, and something thumped to the floor. A dark and forbidding feeling cast an ominous shadow over me, but I ignored it and lightly pushed the door open the rest of the way.
I would always regret not listening to that warning.
The door creaked on its hinges and hit the wall. I gaped at the scene in front of me, my face draining of color and the hairs on my arms prickling.
Rick stood there; his eyes were bloodshot and burning into mine. His face was dripping a dark red liquid, and his suit was covered in the same dark red, from the collar of his shirt to the front of his black slacks.
I looked down at his feet and gagged. Pure shock froze me as I looked at the tangled, bloodied mess of my mother’s blond hair, no longer the same golden color as mine but now tinged pink and deep red. Her perfectly manicured nails pointed toward me on the carpet, and I followed the path of her hand, up her arm, to the bloodied stump where it used to be attached to her mangled body.
“W- what did y- you d- do?” I stuttered to Rick. He snarled and growled, taking one uneven step toward me.
I backed away on numb feet, tripping over the shredded hem of my jeans. “Mom?” I asked in a small voice I barely recognized as my own. But she was gone, her lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. “Why?” I breathed through tears and terror. Rick snarled a low inhuman sound, and the man in the hallway howled. I fell back as Rick lunged at me. Spinning on my feet, I let instinct and adrenaline take over as I threw myself in my room and slammed the door shut.
His large body slammed into the wood, and I bounced away briefly before throwing myself back into the door. I dug my bare toes into the cream carpet and pushed with every bit of strength I had, terror filling my bones. The door clicked, and I threw the lock, backing away with my hands in my hair. He hammered against the door, warping it inwards. I frantically looked around and gripped the edge of my bookshelf, knocking it over and across my door. Knickknacks and books flew in every direction, raining down on me.
I trembled as I glanced around my room, searching for my phone. Frantically climbing over my bed, I yanked it from the floor on the other side and backed against the window, ripping the headphones out of it. I unlocked it, and it took me three tries to get the dial app open and another three tries before I successfully dialed 911.
I raised it to my ear and listened hard for the ring as Rick snarled and growled, hammering into the door with his body. I got a busy signal. I looked down at the phone in disbelief. I hit call again, my heart hammering so powerfully it felt like it was going to come flying right out of my chest. Busy signal. I choked on a hysterical sob and shouted in fear as the house phone rang from my nightstand. I dropped my cell and lunged for the cordless phone, hitting the answer button without glancing at the caller ID, fully believing an emergency operator would be on the other end. But it wasn’t.
“H-help,” I gasped.
“Willow?” Jason growled. I sobbed, unable to get a word out. “Low? Where are you?”
Rick snarled, and another howl screamed through the apartment, followed by a loud bang.
“Willow,” Jason snarled. “Are you alone? Where are you?”
“H-h-h-h-home,” I sobbed and screamed as my bedroom door splintered. I dove for my connected bathroom and slammed the door, locking it.
“Listen to me, Princess. Where in the apartment?” A loud engine roar boomed through the speaker but was cut off as something banged int o my bathroom door. I screamed again. “Answer me!” he thundered.
“My bathroom!” I shouted while I threw my body against the bathroom door as it started to bow inward.
“Okay, look up. What do you see?” Jason gunned his engine again, and I gasped as I was bounced away from the door, Rick beating it from the other side. “Do it now, Low.”
“C-ceiling. What am I looking for?”
“Is there a vent?”
I looked around and spotted a square vent about a foot wide and foot and half long. “Y-yeah.”
“Can you reach it?”
I looked around and shook my head. There were a shower and a sink.
“Can you climb on something?”
“The s-sink,” I gasped and blinked away huge droplets of tears from my eyes.
“Okay, climb up and tear the vent out. Do it quick. Use everything you’ve got.” His tires squealed as I hopped on the sink, screaming as the door cracked. “Come on, Princess, quickly.”
I dropped the phone on the counter and stood on my toes, wedging my fingers into the vent, scraping the skin from the tips. I pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Jason shouted on his end of the phone, but I couldn’t hear him over the inhuman howls outside the door.
I pulled hard, ripping my fingers open, and lifted my knees to my chest, hanging from it. It creaked and came crashing down. I fell and hit my side on the corner of the counter, and my elbow banged off the floor. The door cracked again, and I jumped, climbing back up onto the counter.
“WILLOW!”
I picked up the phone.
“ANSWER ME!”
“I got it!” I shouted.
“Good girl,” he breathed hoarsely. “Now get that ass up there.”
I nodded and tossed my phone into the vent. I pulled up with my arms, but I wasn’t strong enough. I wedged my toes against the bathroom mirror and pushed up, hopping into the vent. My hands slid, but I wiggled, swinging my legs side to side until my chest was inside and my legs were hanging out. The door crashed open, smacking my feet, and I screamed again. My fingers gripped a metal plate, and I pulled with everything I had. I got into the vent up to my knees when hands grabbed my feet, clawing at them. A strangled, terrified sound left my throat, and I kicked wildly, pulling myself farther inside, my hands squealing off the metal.
I crawled farther into the vent and fell down, sobbing.
“Willow. Low, baby, pick up the phone,” Jason begged. I sobbed and waved my hands above me until I found the phone.
I pulled it to my ear and sobbed. “Jay,” I moaned, bawling, my chest pounding and my body aching from the effort it took it to pull myself up.
“I need you to listen to me, Princess. Calm down and listen to me,” he crooned over and over. I gasped and shuddered. My body bucked from trying to control the emotion. “You need to crawl, Willow. Get away from that opening.” I nodded and pushed up, sliding farther into the vent. I kept going until I couldn’t see the light from the vent anymore and collapsed onto my back.
“Are you hurt?” he growled. I shook my head back and forth and moaned. “Check yourself. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“M-my back,” I croaked. It stung from hitting the corner of the sink. “M-my hands.” They were bloody and stinging. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the opening in the vent. I heard them down there, banging and growling. I wasn’t safe here. Rick could just climb into the vent to get to me.
“Lower your voice, Low. Whisper to me. Don’t make another sound unless I ask you a question.”
I nodded and bit my lip to hold back another sob.
“What happened to your back?” His voice was tightly leashed.
“I fell,” I whispered.
“Your fingers?” he growled.
“The vent.”
“That’s good, Princess, that’s real good,” he mumbled, relieved. He heaved a breath through the phone. “Who’s there with you?”
I looked back down the vent and shook my head. I couldn’t tell him. How could I tell him about his uncle? “They’re not right. S-something’s wrong with them.”
“Willow, who?” he growled.
“Some guy from the hallway and–” I bit my lip and wiped at the tears on my face, “R-rick.”
Silence. Then a loud, vicious curse. “Listen to me, Low. I’m going to hang up the phone―”
“No,” I moaned, terrified. “Don’t leave me.” I wasn’t safe here. But the longer I watched the vent, the more confused I got. I could still hear them, but no one had chased me up here.
“I’m not leaving you. My phone is gonna die. I need to make sure you can call me, okay? I need you to be brave and stay quiet. Can you do that, Princess?”
I sniffled and nodded.
“Answer me.”
“Yes,” I wheezed.
“Good girl, you did so good. I’m coming for you, Low. I’m coming right now. Don’t move, and don’t make a sound. You hear me? No matter what you hear, don’t make a fuckin’ sound,” he snarled.
“Okay,” I gasped and bit my arm to stifle another sob.
“What did I say, Low? Tell me.”
“You’re coming. Don’t make a sound, no matter what I hear,” I cried as quietly as I could.
“That’s right, no matter what you hear–not a sound. I’m coming for you, Low. I promise. You hear me? I’m gonna get you out of there.”
I nodded and screamed silently as he clicked off. I rolled over and wrapped my hands around my head to drown out the echoing snarls and curled my knees up to my chest.
Jason was coming, I chanted into my head again. He was coming. He was.
Chapter Two
I don’t know how long I waited there. It could have been hours, days, or only minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. The snarls and growls didn’t stop–not once.
They only seemed to grow in volume.
I think I died about a thousand times as I waited for him–as I waited for reaching hands to grab me and drag me from the vent.
I called 911 so many times I lost count. But there was never an answer. But Jason was coming.
Jason was Rick’s nephew. He hated me–like couldn’t-stand-me kind of hate. But I knew he was coming. I felt him coming for me. I felt it to my bones. He never broke a promise.
I met him three years ago when his uncle started dating my mother. I thought Jay was the sexiest, most handsome man I had ever seen. He was young–twenty-three then–and in the military. He had just returned from a deployment when he showed up at Rick’s apartment, hammering on the door. I was the unlucky one to answer the door. Rick hadn’t been home, and my mom had been on the phone, not a bit worried about the six-foot-four tank shouting at the door.
He’d barreled into me as he stormed inside, shouting for Rick. All six and a half feet of corded muscle had raged as he shoved through the apartment door. My mother had immediately hung up the phone and turned interested eyes on him. He’d marched right up to her and shoved his thick finger in her face. “You the bitch fucking my uncle?” He had asked, snarling at her.
My mother had licked her lips, straightened her too-short skirt, and nodded, roaming her eyes up and down his heavily-muscled body.
He had looked at her in disgust. “You broke up a marriage. You know that?”
My mother had blushed and pushed back her hair. “They were unhappy,” she had said, without an ounce of remorse.
“That give you an excuse to fuck him in Mary’s bed?”
I’d gaped at my mother. I’d known Rick was going through a divorce, but I had no idea my mother had played a part in it. Mary was Rick’s ex-wife. I knew my mother was callous and selfish, but their bed? At their house? That was low, even for her. Hell, it was low for Rick, and I really liked him. He spent time with me. He was sweet. He kept my mother off me.
