She was about to try out the nuances of nursing when Marlin appeared in the doorway, wide-eyed and breathless.
“Son-of-a-bitch! Doc told them where to find us,” he said, looking back over his shoulder.
“Who?” She pulled the baby protectively to her chest.
“The Breeders.” He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “They're coming.”
***
Three days of running, of sleepless nights plowing down dark roads, of spying headlights in the distance and praying to any god that would listen. All for nothing. Nessa's eyes flicked between the Breeders’ trucks and her family. Marlin held out his hands. “The boy. Give 'im to me,” he said. “Now, Nessa!”
She sucked in a breath and pressed her nose to the baby's head. His smell sent shivers up her spine. He squirmed a little, but settled as she stroked him. Her baby. She'd never wanted much, just to survive, to live day to day without being abused, but now she wanted him. Her son. He was a second heart beating outside her chest. And the Breeders would cut that heart away.
She pulled his little body closer. She wanted him near enough to feel the flutter of his chest as he drew breath.
Marlin stalked back and forth, yanking up his hair. Nessa watched, sifting through her thoughts as quickly as she could. She loved Marlin. She loved this baby. If they ran and hid, maybe they could get away and she could have a life. She’d have the family her parents died for.
She dropped her head, tears tracing down her nose. What kind of life would that be for her son, her boy? She stroked a finger down his cheek. No matter how big her love, they would always live in peril. She would always be hunted. Her son would always be in danger. And Marlin, too. Her boy would grow to resent her for always being the bait that brought the snakes.
She looked down at her baby. Love could fade, but safety…that was a promise that lasted.
She ran to Marlin, holding out the boy. “Here. Here!” She shoved the child into his arms. “Run! Go now before they see you.”
Marlin took the boy, cradling him awkwardly to his chest. He raised wet eyes up to her.
“Take care of him,” she said, sobbing. She'd already hollowed out a place inside herself for her son and now it was empty. She felt herself begin to crumble, but she couldn't until they'd gone.
“Go!” she screamed.
Marlin reached out a hand to touch her, but drew it back when he saw the wildness in her eyes. He took the child, tucked him under his arm and fled.
Gone. Her heart cracked wide open, a canyon of loss for her to fall into.
A coldness fell over her as she stepped into the road and eyed the trucks speeding toward her. She swiped at the tears tracing her cheeks. She wanted to face them with dry eyes. As she walked, feet shuffling through dirt, she thought about the pictures of cancers she’d seen in her medical textbooks, bulbous tumors, skeletal patients gasping for breath. Love was a cancer in her heart. If left to fester, it would unfold itself and paralyze what was left of her soul until she’d suffocate beneath its weight. Like a tumor, love must be cut out for her to live. She dropped her eyes and banished the image of her baby from her brain. She vowed to never think of him again. It was the only way she could keep breathing.
Three white trucks screeched to a stop. Men jumped out, drew guns and shouted for her to drop to the ground.
She stood stock still. “You don't have to do that,” she said calmly. “I'm coming with you.”
One of the men lowered his gun. His short red hair fluttered up in the breeze as he looked at her. “You'll come easy?”
She nodded, walking up to him. “Yes,” she said, thinking of the endless technologies, the evolutions of science it would take to perfect a procedure to produce female zygotes in a world that now destroyed them. Her brain suddenly flooded with possibilities, like a humming machine in her head.
And she liked it.
She held out her hand to the gunman, in a gesture of greeting. He eyed it suspiciously, then finally he dropped his gun. He slowly shook her hand.
Nessa smiled. “I'm Nessa Vandewater. We have much to discuss.”
THE END
If you enjoyed Nessa's story, please pick up a copy of the follow-up novel, THE BREEDERS.
Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.
When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?
The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks go out to the folks who made this story take shape. My beta readers Kimberly Shursen, Amy Trueblood, Ingrid Seymour, Marlena Senyk and Fran Kefalas. Nothing I write would ever be as good without your stout, profound and indispensable feedback. Thanks goes out to my fantastic agent and cheerleader, Amanda Luedeke, whose enthusiasm for my work makes me want to improve just so I can continue to impress her. Thanks to my cover artist, Andrew Pavlik, who put up with my constantly changing mind. Thanks to my fans who amaze and astonish me everyday. I never get sick of hearing you like the world I've created. Nessa's story would never have been told without some of you asking to hear it. Finally, thank you is not a big enough phrase to tell my family how much I appreciate their love and support. I have the best family, friends and co-workers a gal could ask for.
About the Author
Katie French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second grade teacher. In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room, writing her first young adult novel. Though her social life suffered, her love for literature thrived. She studied English at Eastern Michigan University, where she veered from writing and earned an education degree. She spent nine years teaching high school English. Currently she is a school counselor, doing a job that is both one of the hardest things she's ever done and the most rewarding. In her free time she writes, reads great books and takes care of her two beautiful and crazy children. She is a contributor and co-creator of Underground Book Reviews, a website dedicated to erasing the boundaries between traditional and non-traditional publishing. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children. You can find her at www.katiefrenchbooks.com, at www.undergroundbookreviews.com or on Facebook.
If you enjoyed Nessa's story, please leave a review on your favorite retailer or GoodReads. For updates on more of the series, like Katie on Facebook or Twitter visit her website at https://www.katiefrenchbooks.com/.
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