The Zero Trilogy (Book 3): End of Day Read Free Page B

asked.
    “Training.” Cheng playfully punched the black bag. “We aren’t soldiers, so we find our own ways to stay sharp.”
    Elle looked around, impressed.
    “How many volunteers are there?” she asked.
    “Like us?” Cheng shrugged. “You’ve got the regular militia volunteers, the ones with the guns who run around in the convoys and keep Omega out of our hair.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “But we are the crazy ones, Elle. We are the ones who go into the burning buildings to save the babies. We are considerably fewer. There are four of us now.”
    “Just four?”
    “You, me, the dog, and-”
    “Me.” A stern female voice rang across the training yard. Elle watched a trim, tall girl with chalky white skin cross the distance. Her hair was white. Her eyes were pale and colorless. She, like Cheng, was also Asian.
    “Who’s the fresh meat?” she demanded.
    “This is Elle,” Cheng said. “Elle…this is Luli.”
    Elle nodded.
    “What’s with the dog?” Luli demanded.
    “His name is Bravo,” Elle said.
    Luli was dressed in different shades of brown. A long leather jacket fell to her knees. A pair of sunglasses sat on her head, a stark contrast to the startlingly white shade of her hair. Her eyes were smudged with what looked like grease or tar – she looked like a steampunk poster child.
    “Elle and Bravo are part of the Wolf Pack now,” Cheng said.
    “The
Wolf Pack
?” Elle smirked.
    “It’s our official name,” Cheng explained.
    “No. It’s what Cheng
wants
our official name to be,” Luli corrected, rolling her eyes. “We don’t actually have a title outside of
volunteers
.”
    “Volunteers just doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Cheng said, feigning hurt.
    “Sorry, but not
that
sorry.” Luli studied Elle’s appearance. “You carry a sword, kid? What for?”
    “Killing people,” Elle replied, flat.
    At this, Luli flashed a cunning smile.
    “Have you seen Cheng use
his
sword?” she asked.
    “No.”
    Luli looked at Cheng.
    “You should demonstrate to the newbie,” she suggested. “So she knows what she’s dealing with.”
    Elle glared. She didn’t take kindly to being pushed around, and she didn’t appreciate Luli’s superior attitude.
    Luli took Cheng aside for a moment and whispered in his ear. It was an intimate gesture, and for some reason, Elle blushed. She wondered if Luli and Cheng were romantically involved, and then she scolded herself for even caring.
    The girl looks sick
, Bravo observed
    “She’s albino,” Elle whispered.
    Albino?
    “She can’t go out in the sun.”
    Bravo tilted his head.
    I’m glad I’ve got fur
.
    “Elle,” Luli said, folding her arms. “Let’s see what you can do with the sword. If you’re going to be a part of this team, we’ve got to know where your skill level is.”
    Elle said, “I don’t need to prove myself to you.”
    “We’ve got an important job,” Luli snapped. “We go out and find civilian survivors and bring them here – most of the time, it’s pretty dangerous. So. Test. Your. Skill.” She paused.
“Now..”
    Cheng smiled half-heartedly at Elle, as if to apologize for Luli’s behavior.
    Elle sized Cheng up. He was tall and lean. The way he carried himself told her that he was quick and alert. She took a couple of steps back and waved Bravo to the side. He hesitated, hovering near the edge of the wall, watching closely.
    Elle drew her katana. The light metal was a familiar weight in her hands. She held it defensively as Cheng walked to the side, drawing his own katana. His had a green jade handle.
    “Two minutes,” Luli said. “Go.”
    Elle didn’t move. Cheng studied her like a cat before springing forward. But he did not take Elle by surprise. Her heart beat a little faster and the blood rushed through her veins as she stepped aside, whirling in a neat circle and bringing her blade up, meeting Cheng’s steelwith a clang. He smiled and laughed aloud, color flushing his cheeks. Elle felt a rush of