Deadlocked 7 Read Online Free Page A

thirteen-year-old was left to wait for Hero’s attack alone, just the way she liked it.
    The day stretched on, and the sunlight that had once flooded the large room had turned from yellow to orange, glinting off the Red Day decorations that littered the room. Pictures, baubles, keepsakes, glasses, and all sorts of other pieces of garbage had once been loving placed in their spots, just like the wreath and cross that Annie had tossed out of her nook. It all seemed so pointless, and Annie struggled to understand a society that once coveted such trash.
    She was officially one of the Reds since she had been alive before the apocalypse, but she considered herself a Green. She had few memories of the world before the plague, and the ones she did retain were just as likely dreams as reality. Annie had once tried to explain to her mother a memory she had of escaping the prison in Georgia, but the details seemed impossible and muddled. For most of her life, Annie had insisted that a guardian angel had saved her, and that it must have been her father’s ghost. It was a foolish thing to believe, but it still comforted her.
    She was thinking of her father when Hero broke into the house.
    Kim had been right; Hero and his men were anything but subtle. They attacked all at once, throwing rocks through the windows and flashing lights into the house from various points. All of the lights were a diversion though, and Annie watched as Hero and two others came in through the front while all of the sound and fury came from the rear of the house.
    Annie aimed her gun, but waited to take a shot. Kim was screaming commands from the basement as Hero silently commanded his group with hand signals while creeping through the first floor. They found the entrance to the basement, which was still in Annie’s view, and prepared for an assault. Hero went to one side of the door and then pulled on a gas mask before signaling for his men to do the same. He had a tear gas grenade, and Annie knew she needed to do something before he threw it in the basement.
    She aimed at his head and waited for one of the men outside to take a shot. Annie wanted to use their noise to mask her location.
    Hero was in her sights, and when the first opportunity presented itself she took her shot. His visor exploded in green paint and he was stunned for a moment before he feigned death. She heard him curse as he slumped to the floor, frustrated with his failure.
    Annie took out the rest of his crew one by one, taking advantage of their confusion as she remained invisible high above. Hero lifted his mask and looked around the room in search of his killer. He figured out where the shots were coming from and smiled up at Annie.
    “All right,” yelled Hero. “That’s game. We lose.”
    “What?” asked one of the men outside. “We’ve got two still standing out here.”
    “Come on in and see how long it takes before you’re dead,” said Hero. “We lost. Guns down.”
    “Fuck,” said Abe, one of the Rollers that was on Hero’s crew, as he came in from outside. He opened the back door and shrugged as he looked at Hero. “What’s the deal?”
    Hero pointed up at Annie. Abe looked up at the girl that was aiming at him from the nook above the fireplace.
    “The little monkey’s a sniper,” said Hero.
    Annie waved.
     
    *   *   *
     
    August 24 th , 20 years after the apocalypse
    Annie is in the steeple , guarding the Rollers.
     
    “Mom,” said Annie. “Are you okay?” Annie was still in the wrecked steeple overlooking the devastation below. Her mother and Zack had been knocked off the truck, and Dante was no longer in his crow’s nest, after the helicopter had crashed into them.
    Laura was being helped up by some of the Rollers, and Zack was insisting he was okay. Annie looked for Dante, but heard his fate before she saw him. Billy announced coldly, “He’s dead.”
    Dante, the Roller’s stalwart lookout, had been thrown from his seat and impaled on an iron