INK: Red (INK Trilogy Book 1) Read Free Page B

To me?
    If only he'd got home sooner, made it across the ruined city a few hours or minutes quicker. But he'd done his best, hadn't slept in days, and assumed that they would make catching him the priority, not searching his home and finding Kathy.
    How wrong he'd been.
    She was all he lived for; his salvation; his hope and his joy. Without her there was nothing, nothing left at all. No family, no friends, no people he could turn to, nobody to trust or offer a shoulder to cry on.
    All was emptiness.
    He felt the weight of the crushing loneliness return and envelop him in its cold reality as it had once before; before he met Kathy. Now that twinkle in her eye when she listened to him, made fun of him when his thoughts got dark — all gone.
    This was it, he may as well give up, there was nothing left now, nothing to do but to accept The Void and at least have oblivion to take away the pain.
    Everything became too surreal. The rest of the room was neat and tidy, still smelling of furniture polish, the cushions still piled up on the sofa where they curled up together for warmth and company. The place where they had tried to make life normal, carry on as if it all mattered, would make things better.
    He was cradling her, sat on the floor sobbing like a child, rocking her naked battered body, trying to soothe the corpse as if it would bring her back.
    Kathy, sweet Kathy, always full of life and hope, never giving up, always looking on the bright side. They were going to have a new start, go somewhere quiet, into the country, away from the madness, away from the ruins and the scavengers and the constant reminder of all that was lost since The Lethargy took away everything. He'd wanted to, anything for her. Anything.
    Now the dreams were crushed, just like her head. Blond hair thick with still warm blood.
    Her beautiful head, caved in and ruined. Just like their future, like everybody's future.
    "Kathy, what have they done to you? My beautiful Kathy."
    There's nothing left now. Nothing.
    Edsel stroked her beautiful blond hair. He'd always loved it, and he knew she found it soothing, taking her away from bad memories of the past.
    She wouldn't want this Edsel, Kathy wouldn't let you give up, even now. She'd want you to carry on, to make her death mean something. Get up, get up before it's too late and—
    "Hello Ed, or should I say jty."
    Edsel jumped, forgetting the fact that they were probably still in the house, forgetting for a moment the searing pain that ravaged his entire body.
    It's now or never Edsel, make up your mind.
    Thoughts whirled a mile a minute, then the decision was made.
    "Don't call me Ed, and don't you dare call me jty, you freak."
    The man just smiled at him, calm and confident. Bishop, the one he had trusted and told of his despair so long ago. A different life. Now his original name was stripped from him, replaced with the title Bishop, nothing more. There were countless Bishops, just as there were Cardinals, initiates and acolytes — all had their names taken, replaced with a random three letter moniker, taking away their identity, all part of the religion's way of ensuring those in the church accepted that they were meaningless, not worthy of even a name — there just to help bring about The End, to finish off what The Lethargy had started.
    There was loud banging at the door.
    It was the others, those that had pursued him, they were here now too. Bishop turned at the noise and Edsel made his move. He grabbed the poker as he let go of Kathy for the last time, bouncing to his feet as his body screamed at him. Scabs tore and nerves lit up like fireworks but he swung anyway, the poker making contact with a satisfying crunch; Bishop reeled back against the door jamb. Edsel shouldered into him as the front door crashed open — wood splintered, and glass sprinkled onto the carpet.
    No time to retrieve the bat, the poker would have to do.
    His two remaining pursuers were inside, crunching over the fractal shards