Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series, Hayley Lawson [books you have to read TXT] 📗

exercise than she’d planned on doing and Ryder was knackered. The adrenaline kept her moving forward, and she wasn’t going to let anything happen to Massimo or Leandro.

When they got to Level Four, where all the chaos had broken out, there were body parts all over the floor and blood coated everything it touched. Ryder saw a spear on the floor, and some of the Merry Men were helping Koda to his feet. He looked like he’d taken a beating, but he was alive.

Ryder wasn’t going to let any more of the Merry Men end up like her and Koda. She needed to bring this fight to an end.

They moved up to Level Three, where they’d had another breakout of the Madness. Ryder couldn’t leave the Mad alive since everyone from Level Six would need to move up through this level.

“Maxwell,” Ryder started. But before she could finish, he did.

“We’ve got this level,” he told her. Andrew and Louis nodded, and the three of them entered Level Three to take on the last of the Mad.

Ryder and Carter made their way up the next flight of stairs, “I bet when we get to Level One, Massimo will have killed Afana and he’ll be singing his favorite ABBA song. What was it again?” Carter asked.

“Dancing Queen,” Ryder told him, remembering her dance with Leandro. She wondered if she remembered it so fondly because they wouldn’t be dancing again.

Ryder lost her footing on the blood-soaked stairs and grabbed the handrail to keep herself from falling. Her heart had leaped into her mouth when she thought she was going to fall. Her almost-tumble had made a racket, and it echoed in the stairwell.

Carter quickly spun to her with his weapons drawn.

“It’s okay, I just slipped. This damn blood is everywhere.” Ryder grinned, a little embarrassed.

Carter rolled his eyes. “Watch your step.”

“No shit, genius.” Ryder laughed and took a moment to catch her breath. The others were at the top of the stairs, ready to enter the next level, and were listening to see if they could hear anyone on the other side of the door.

Hands grabbed Ryder’s ankles, pulling her off the step. Ryder’s hands clutched the handrail to stop her from falling. She looked down at a Mad with twisted legs on the stairs whose teeth were about to sink into Ryder’s ankle.

Ryder panicked and tried to kick the Mad off her, but it was too late. Ryder felt the Mad’s teeth bite down hard enough to break the flesh. Ryder thrashed to shake the Mad off. I’ve been bitten… I’ve been bitten! Ryder screamed inside.

Ryder was able to shake the Mad off, but it was too late, The Mad had Ryder’s blood on her face. She wanted more, and she was pulling herself up after Ryder with her hands since her broken legs couldn’t carry her. Ryder was in shock; she would become one of them soon. She was so close to being free she could almost smell it, and now what? The Mad had stolen her chance.

“Fuck you!” Ryder snapped. If she weren’t going to be free, she’d make damn sure everyone else was before she turned.

Ryder went for the knives Willard had given her, wishing she’d picked up her spear since she could have staked the Mad before it bit her. Too late for regrets now.

She lunged at the Mad, but before she could connect with it, Murray was there. He pulled the Mad off the stairs by the legs and dragged her onto Level Four.

Murray returned, closing the door behind him. He wiped his hands down his pants, cleaning away the blood from the Mad he’d just killed; one of many.

“What are you doing here?” Ryder asked as she glared at him. Yes, he’d gotten rid of the Mad for her, but Ryder was just about to do it. He hadn’t saved her life—although if he’d been here a few moments earlier, he would have.

“I thought you could do with some more help,” Murray said, and he tried his hardest not to give her a look that said he was right.

“Why, because I’m a woman?” Ryder shot back.

Murray shook his head. “No, because Afana is an immortal vampire.”

Good point, thought Ryder. They could do with help, but not from the man who’d led the other generals, and was Afana’s right-hand man when it came to stealing the innocent from their lives.

Blood started to flow from her bite wound, and Ryder pushed down her pant leg to ensure it was covered.

Murray eyed her warily. “You’ve been bitten?”

Ryder stared at Murray blankly. “Martin was bitten as well,” he told her. “He went Mad within a few hours of the bite.”

“Thanks for the update. I know what happens when you get bitten. Once I rescue everyone, they won’t see me again,” Ryder assured him. She was going to finish this, no matter what.

“Hey, are you all right?” Carter yelled down to Ryder.

“Yeah, just catching my breath. Looks like I should have gone into training before today,” Ryder replied playfully.

Carter shouted, “Well, hurry up, slowpoke. There’s a bit of noise on the other side.”

Terrier came into view at the bottom of the stairs, fighting off the Mad.

“Don’t say a word to them. I can’t have them worrying about me. They need to focus on the job at hand,’ Ryder whispered so only Murray could hear. “Do you hear me?” she ground out through gritted teeth.

Murray nodded. “I hear you.”

“And kill me if I turn before I get away,” Ryder added. She hoped that he of all people wouldn’t have to, but he was actually the best person because then none of her friends would have to live with the guilt. If she made it out before turning, Ryder planned to take Bryant’s gun and kill herself by the watering hole where she’d first had a taste of freedom.

Ryder played around with that idea. Maybe not the best idea, since I’d have to cross the damn river again, which I would have