Razor Girl Read Online Free Page A

Everyone and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her friends, her teachers—now even her mother had succumbed. Only her father was left. Out there. Waiting for her. Waiting for her assistance in rebuilding the world he’d known would fail.
    She focused on her dilemma. How was she going to get to where Ian was? His destination had been far, hundreds of miles away, and she truly doubted she could get the rusted old car in their driveway to start. Not that she had any idea how to drive; after the Highway Congestion Act of ’24 you had to be eighteen to take drivers education in South Carolina, and she’d been way too young when they’d gone into the bunker. Besides, with no working gas stations and the streets filledwith debris, as she could clearly see they were, it was probably better not to depend on cars. Maybe she could find a bike or something.
    First things first, though. She should find supplies. And while it was tempting to just hit a few of the nearby houses to see what they had in their pantries, it was also too morbid an errand for her to face. She didn’t want to see the remnants of her former neighbors tucked into beds or lying sprawled on the floor, thank you very much. She’d try to find a store instead.
    Steeling herself, she stepped from her porch and set off. Something in the middle of the pavement a short distance away made her pause. A small figure, more than half decayed, lay in the street, its skeletal hands clutching something shredded and pink. It was…a teddy bear. Molly fell to her knees, bent over and threw up.
    “God, Molly, get a grip,” she muttered to herself a moment later, wiping her mouth, embarrassed by her weakness. She’d known it was going to be like this, after all. That she’d have to be strong and push all the horrors to the back of her mind. She didn’t have time to mourn humanity. She couldn’t be distracted by the past. What was done was done, and it didn’t do any good to cry about it. After all, a Razor Girl didn’t cry. When they were sad, they spit.
    Molly did exactly that. She felt a little bit better, wiped her mouth again, this time with her sleeve.
    A voice cut through the dead air, surprising her where she crouched on the ground. A human voice. She looked up, mouth agape. Was she hearing things? Was it only the wind? Was it some old holo broadcast?
    She heard it again.
    “Dude! Where’d you go?” the voice cried. “Hey!”
    People? Real-life people? Had her father been wrong? Had humanity survived, or at least more of it than expected? Considering the shout sounded like it had come from someone her age, or at least someone who shared her way of speaking, she felt a surge of hope. Were these people who could helpher? Kids, like her—or like she’d once been? Or would they be savages, brigands and people generally unworthy of her trust? It was difficult to know what to expect when the entire world had changed and she’d been locked underground for it.
    Well, wondering wouldn’t answer any questions. Molly staggered to her feet and set down off down the street as fast as her legs would carry her.
       
    Chase swore under his breath as his brother’s shout filled the otherwise still air, echoing through the neighborhood. “Way to be subtle,” he muttered. “Why not just call them down on you?”
    Crouched on the rooftop of a dilapidated garage, he inched forward, careful not to make any sudden movements. As he’d climbed the weather-beaten structure, it felt like it could collapse at any moment; still, it was the best vantage point for seeing any Others wandering the nearby perimeter, and Chase wanted to know the area was clear before making his score. It wasn’t like they saw Others every day, but it seemed the creatures always appeared when you least expected it. Whenever you let your guard down, bam , that was when they got you. Wasn’t that what had happened over and over to their little group?
    “Chase! Dude! If you don’t come out I’m