Smolder by Abigail Livinghouse (best young adult book series TXT) 📕

The oatmeal tasted just as it looked, mushy. But it was filling and by the time I was done my stomach was achingly full. The same two girls who had distributed breakfast collected the dirty dishes and disappeared into a nearby tent. Trenton had stayed by my side during breakfast, but now he had wandered off and was talking with a few guys I did not recognize. I stood at the fringes of the tent, my insides crawling when I spotted Nathan and he locked gazes with me.

I wasn't sure what I saw in his cold gray eyes, anger, hate maybe. Why he hated me was a question I did not know the answer to. After a few seconds of our staring contest, I broke the contact and looked down to see was he was doing. I clenched my teeth when I noticed him sharpening his knife, his gun within reach at his side. I swallowed, I really did not want to fight this man. I wasn't sure who would win that fight. If it involved only a knife then I would at least come out alive. If it was a gun, which seemed to be Nathan's speciality, then he would be the one walking away with me lying on the ground.

"Hey", I jumped as Trenton's hand rested on my shoulder.

I turned, my expression probably harsher than I intended because he took his hand back.

"You okay?" He asked, curiosity and concern in his caring blue eyes.

Damn it, who cared about someone they just met like he did? Only Trenton, that's who.

"Yes, I'm fine." I snapped at him, and his kind considerate look was replaced with a shocked, yet defensive one.

"Alright, I just came over here to tell you that Isabella wants to see you." He said flatly, and brushed right by me. I resisted turning around to see if he had gone to Nathan and walked forward to meet Isabella instead.

She was sitting on a log, talking to a big burly man with missing teeth next to her. When she saw me she smiled.

"Siren I'd like you to meet Billy, he'll be teaching you how to shoot today." She said, gesturing to the man.

"Hello." I said, an awkward half-smile on my face.

"Howdy! How ya doing girl? Are you ready to learn to defend yourself?" He asked brightly, in a thick southern accent.

"Of course." I said in a considerably quieter tone than him.

He smiled a nearly toothless grin as he stood up with Isabella. "Alrighty, right this wa-"

A bloodcurdling scream cut Billy off before he could finish, and without another word Isabella streaked off in the direction of the sound.

"Zoners!" A girl I did not recognize shouted as she pointed behind her. I didn't get a chance to look before Billy demanded my attention.

"Looks like you're gonna have to learn through experience", he muttered, his eyes on the horizon. "Come on." He grabbed my arm and tugged me over to a tent a little farther off from the others, jumped inside, and came back out seconds later.

"Here", he thrust a small silver gun into my hand and I couldn't take it anymore, I spun around, seeing a large herd of Half Deads coming towards the civilization.

There had to be hundreds of them, varying in size. It was as if a synchronized army was making its way over a battlefield, not too organized, but together and powerful all the same. I had never seen this many Half Deads in my entire life. I clenched my teeth, turning back to Billy who was loading a shotgun.

"It's fairly simple and easy", he said as he finished preparing his weapon.

"Just aim at the head and shoot. They die with any bullet wound to the body, but the head is fastest and lands them on their ass." He said quickly. "Watch me and do as I do. Come on girl", Billy once again took me by my arm and began sprinting towards the danger slowly making its way towards us.

The men were in the front, firing round after round into the crowd of oncoming Half Deads. I realized with horror that the corpses were snarling and gnashing their teeth at us, even before the bullets had begun flying. Trenton's words from earlier rang clearly in my head. Those things don't attack when bothered, they attack on site.

Another abnormality I noticed was that as the Half Deads began advancing, I saw their eyes. Nearly all of their gazes were completely white and empty, no pupils or irises at all. My blood ran cold. How old were these Half Deads? Or was what Nathan and Trenton had said to me during our first meeting true? Watching these literal monsters coming towards us, my doubts washed away as my fears were harshly confirmed.

 I scanned our side, looking for Trenton or Isabella but not being able to find either of them in all of the panic. In the far back of the crowd children were screaming and women were trying to calm them down as they packed up the camp as fast as they could. The Half Deads were beginning to move faster, seeing as their buddies were under attack. One bared its teeth and snarled as Billy aimed and fired. I watched him do this for a second before holding up my gun and shooting at one myself.

My first shot missed, and I felt sweat form on my brow as my flames leaped to attention. I swallowed, taking another aim. When I missed this time I gasped, my eyes widening in panic at the Half Deads now nearly on top of us.

"Maddie!" Someone screamed, and I spun my head around, shooting forgotten, to see a little girl being grabbed by a Half Dead with blood oozing from its mouth and clothes.

Her face scrunched up and her mouth dropped into an O of horror as the corpse leaned down to sink its teeth into her throat. Without thinking-in fact I believe I disregarded my sanity altogether-I leapt forward, putting myself directly in the line of fire, and yanked the child out of its grasp, shooting the Half Dead in its eye socket before it knew what was happening and picking the girl up. I sprinted back to our group, dropping her into Mary's arms before I headed back to the forefront.

"Siren!" Trenton yelled from down the row. I shot at a Half Dead, hitting it square in the chest and sending it back a few feet, before I chanced a look at Trenton.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get in the back!" He ordered over the continuous roar of gunfire, his face flushed angrily as he shot repeatedly at the crowd, hitting his target every time.

I didn't bother to respond, I could feel my rounds dwindling, and the Half Deads just kept coming. With every row they were getting faster and faster. If we kept this up we would not survive this. I glanced at Trenton, and he had the same look on his face as me.

"Run!" He shouted, emptying the rest of his gun into the crowd.

No one hesitated, but as they all turned and retreated, they continued firing, trying to make a dent in the sea of death that was right behind us. I watched as the Half Deads began to sprint, coming up the rear on our group. I felt sparks in my fingertips, my hands itching to release the blaze. It would be so easy to take them all out with fire, and suddenly inspiration hit me. I had never had to kill Half Deads before with my flames, I had never been confronted with this many numbers before. Well, there's a first time for everything.

"Trenton!" I shouted, and ran over to him. He looked questioningly at me, about to respond, but I didn't ask permission before I dug my hand into his pocket and came up with his matches.

I then turned around and stood firmly in place. Trenton's eyes widened as he opened his mouth, and it seemed as though he was trying to stop along with me, but the people moved him on and swallowed him up. He called my name, however I wasn't listening. I held up the pack, pulled out a match, and smiled at the pursuing Half Deads.

"Who's up for a barbecue?" I asked, my grin growing wider as I struck the match and threw my flames onto the corpses.

The fire poured out of my fingertips and palms with delicious heat, and I watched as my blaze destroyed the Half Deads now barely making their way towards me and the others. I withdrew my hands after a few seconds, knowing that the fire coming from me would be too noticeable soon, and sighed in contentment, feeling the flames simmering once again beneath the surface.

Nearly all of the Half Deads were burning, and they had either fallen over, dropped to their knees, or continued coming forward. Those who did try to get closer I shot smoothly and efficiently in either the head or chest, not bad for someone who was never taught.

Once the last Half Dead was down there was still a bright fire burning across the landscape, and I could feel the warmth against my skin. I closed my eyes, reveling in the heat before I turned around and ran to catch up with the others.

Trenton was the only one I encountered at first, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we ran, glaring with almost as much heat as the flames.

I knew he was going to give me hell for what I had just done, but I really didn't care. I had stopped the Half Deads and was able to release some of my pent-up power, so all in all it wasn't really a bad idea. Trenton only knew half of it though, the killing all of the Half Deads part, and I intended to keep it that way.

When we got back to the rest of the group, they were all huddled together. Each person was talking to someone else so it created a loud buzzing that you could hear before you even came up to everyone.

Trenton released me and dived right into the crowd, receiving hugs and kisses and a few people even crying, they were so glad he was okay. I stood there awkwardly, realizing that I was still holding my gun because I