Before the Fall by Sable Grace

She had no family anymore. No friends close by. Zach didn’t belong to her anymore, either. She’d ruined that thoroughly when she’d called him insane and walked out.
    Even if they couldn’t be together again, she’d get him to finally forgive her for not believing him . . . and maybe then she’d be able to forgive herself.
    â€œI don’t think I can do this anymore,” she whispered. “The world’s gone crazy, Zach.”
    He knelt beside her, giving her a clear view of the blood splatter sprinkled across his neck and face. She prayed it didn’t belong to him.
    â€œYeah, it has, Princess. So we’ve got to stay sane for each other. We have to stay alive for each other. You can’t do stupid shit like that anymore.”
    The anger in his eyes stilled her frustrations. He’d been worried about her. He’d chosen to get her out of the Keys. No one else. Six months hadn’t completely destroyed what they’d had. If it had, he wouldn’t be yelling at her now.
    She felt a faint smile coming on but kept it hidden.
    â€œThank you, Zach,” she whispered. And as he stared at her in question, she quietly made her way back to the road without further explanation.
    B etween struggling to get the SUV out of the mud and a quick stop for showers and food at a truck stop, getting to St. Augustine took another hour. By the time they finally rolled into the city limits, it was almost ten thirty and Zach’s eyes were burning. His instincts were beginning to dull, as was evident when he nearly ran right over an old woman darting across the street.
    He let out a yawn, envious of Shanna, who’d been sleeping for the past forty-five minutes. He took in the sights of the city that was meant to be their salvation. Most of the places seemed to be without electricity, and where some still existed, the sizzle of broken and frayed live wires danced in the air.
    Traffic lights swung in the wind, no power reaching them. A few stray horses had abandoned their carriages and masters, and roamed the walk around Matanzas Bay, neighing in the night as though calling out to one another. Streets that should have been teeming with tourists were quiet and empty, though he’d expected the exact opposite. Wasn’t this where the evacuees were being sent? Or had the Order purposely directed them elsewhere to avoid chaos at their headquarters?
    He swerved the SUV around an abandoned trolley, his muscles screaming in protest as the sudden movement made his body sway. But it was almost over. All he had to do now was get Shanna inside the Castillo de San Marcos and he’d finally be able to breathe again.
    â€œIt’s too quiet,” Shanna muttered, startling him. He hadn’t realized she’d woken up.
    He watched her rub at the smear of blood on her jeans as she had been before she’d fallen asleep. Zach had hoped letting her take a quick shower at a rest stop might make her feel a little better—clean the blood off and maybe wash away some of her panic. But it hadn’t seemed to do much good. Her clothes were still stained and so, apparently, were her thoughts.
    â€œWhere are all the people? I thought it would be safe here.”
    â€œSaf er ,” he corrected. The only true safety in the world right now would be found in other realms. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to try to explain that to her now.
    She didn’t say anything for a moment, intent on rubbing that damned spot like she was Lady Macbeth. The tightness around her mouth had deepened. As had the stress in her eyes and the shaking of her hands. She was holding it together, but just by sheer willpower—probably to keep from cracking completely in front of him.
    â€œWhere do we go from here?” she finally asked.
    He drove slowly past overturned carriages and vehicles, and turned into the Castillo—steering the SUV directly to the small wall that separated the