The Wilds (Reign and Ruin 1) Read Free

ears. There were so sounds from outside, no
barking dogs or taxi cabs; in fact, the street was strangely devoid
of cars. New York was usually always loud and active, but now it
felt eerily dead. The neon signs flashed unceasingly, as they will
until the earth sparked out from existence.
    The breeze
shifted and blew against my hair. It sent a delightful shiver along
my back, down through my feet to the tips of my toes. The neon
signs by the window flickered and the skin on my forearm tingled, a
whisper of premonition that something wasn't right, some piece of
the world had become disjointed. Or even smaller than that: a tiny
sliver of something familiar had changed. The air held a feeling of
expectancy in it, as if waiting for a movie to begin.
    Turning around
to face the apartment, nothing seemed amiss. My breath entered the
air in white clouds and the familiar creaks of the old building
stayed silent. There were the leftover Chinese cartons from God
knows when. There was my carry-on bag, opened by the foot of my
mat. And my uncle was sprawled on the mattress with his clothes
still on. His arm lay over his chest and rose and fell with the
breath of . . .
    Wait.
    I took a
faltering step towards my uncle and then two. And then scrambled
across the room to where he lay.
    He wasn't
breathing. His thin rib cage was still and his hands were cold.
Freezing.
    "Oh fuck," I
breathed, feeling up his arms to the pocket in his neck. Where was
his pulse? Oh God, is he dead? He is dead .
    Fuck.
    Fuck, fuck .
    I heard the
elevator jangle down the hall and looked wildly around the room. My
breath caught in my throat and what must have been my heart struck
the inside of my chest like a sparrow flapping frantically against
the cage of my ribs. I was going to vomit, but not before snatching
off my skin which was starting to burn like flaming nettles . .
.
    Breathe.
Breathe and cool down.
    I forced my
eyes closed and made my fingers clench around the folds of my white
tank top. Swallowing hard, my breath began to slow and the frost of
calm to spread across my body. My fingers relaxed and the fire in
my skin faded. I opened my eyes to the dark room and the dead
corpse of my uncle. But I was calm. I was steady. I can handle this
with composure . . .
    BAM BAM
BAM!
    "SHIT," I
yelped in surprise. The heavy banging at the door continued. I
heard feet shuffling and the knocking grew frantic. Clutching my
braid like a safety rope, I crept to the front hallway where the
lights of the outside corridor shone across the floor, broken up by
two unmistakable shadows of shoes. The door shook with more banging
and even through the wood I heard the unmistakable wheeze of heavy
breathing.
    "Steve? Steve,
come on. Open the door," a voice yelled from outside. It swore
quietly under its breath. "Steve, I'm not playing around. Are you
alright? Let me in!" This plea was followed by a fresh round of
knocking. I took the opportunity to peek through the spy hole.
    A man's face,
distorted from the curved glass in the window, was glancing
furtively to his left. Gray stubble played about his chin and his
eyes were wide and bloodshot.
    Marty. Ugh.
    But what could
I do? I ran through the options in my head. None involved the man
stood outside the door coming into the apartment. I drew back the
chain lock and poked my head out.
    "Maggie!" Marty
yelped in surprise, quickly drawing back from the open door. "What
are you doing here?"
    "He's not in
any position to buy anything, Marty. Go away," I said as
determinedly as I could. Marty shook his head and tried to see past
me into the hallway.
    "No, no, no, I
need . . . I need to see him," Marty stuttered. His fingers wove in
and out of his sleeve holes. His weathered face looked terrified.
"Just, let me in to talk. Just to talk. I need to make sure he's
alright."
    "He's not
alright, Marty," I said coldly. But then again, why shouldn't he
see what his needles could do? I wrenched the door open in disgust,
but Marty hardly noticed my