State of Chaos (Collapse Series) by Summer Lane Read Free Book Online Page B

Coast, right? Omega has a lot of troops over there.”
    “Right.”
    “You said it could have even been a nuclear war.”
    “Yeah, so…?”
    “So Omega has got to be some kind of cover name. An organization that nobody’s ever heard of doesn’t just pop up out of the blue, nuke New York, hit the East Coast with a full frontal assault and then start taking over the country.” I run a hand through my choppy hair. “Somebody big is behind this, and you and I just aren’t getting the full story because there’s no way to
communicate
with people who really
do
know what’s going on.”
    “Okay, but that doesn’t answer the orange question,” Sophia deadpans, raising an eyebrow. “World domination and fruit packing…? Come on.”
    “I’m guessing Omega needs food,” I reply. “Look at it this way. If you’re an invading army, you’re going to need some way to feed your troops. If New York is really nuked, then it’s possible that other places are too. Omega’s going to need food. That would explain why they’re bringing us here. They need us to harvest what’s already here and then start planting new food.”
    I hug my arms around my chest, surprised that I put the pieces together without Chris’s help. He’s always the one who explains Omega’s evil intentions like a boss.
    An Omega guard yells at us suddenly, telling us to quit standing around, working our jaws. It scares the crap out of us to get singled out of the entire group like that, so we climb up a ladder and start picking. I’ve never done this kind of work before, and at first it seems pretty easy. Pick an orange, put it in your sack, climb back down when it’s full, and then dump the oranges in the bins for the male workers to haul away.
    It’s fine until you do it over and over again. Without food and water. Without breaks.And without a place to use the restroom. It goes from easy to torturous in a snap.
    “There really aren’t very many troops in the Central Valley,” Sophia says to me as we’re hauling a huge sack of oranges to the end of the field. The sun is high in the sky, and we’ve been working for at least four hours. My arms are sore. My neck is sunburned, and despite the cold temperature, I’m soaked in sweat. “How much food can it take to feed a few soldiers?”
    I drop my eyes to the white bins at the end of the field, making sure nobody can hear me. “Maybe they’re getting ready.”
    “For
what
?”
    “For backup.”
    Sophia’s mouth forms a little O as we reach the bins, dump our oranges in, and head back to the trees. “If they’re on the East Coast…maybe they’re working their way closer?” Sophia suggests.
    “No.” I shake my head. “I don’t think so. Something else is going on. But have you noticed how all of these troops are Russian? Soviet Union, anyone?”
    “The Soviet Union did not invade the United States,” Sophia says, smirking. “They don’t exist anymore. Besides, it’d take a lot more than Russia, don’t you think?”
    “Right. They couldn’t do it alone.”
    Isn’t that the truth? Nobody could take over the world’s greatest superpower without some serious firepower, some serious planning…and some serious big wheels backing them up. There’s a lot more to Omega than meets the eye.
    Not a concept I’m thrilled to realize.

Chapter Four
    Omega is like an annoying relative that you can’t get rid of. They’re always there, waiting for you to make a mistake. Waiting for you to cross an invisible line. And when you
do
cross that line, you’re dead.
    Game over.
    My first day at the labor camp is nothing short of miserable. I lose my hair, my clothes, my dignity and my independence. Something I
don’t
lose is my appetite or my need to drink clean water. Hunger and thirst are the two things at the forefront of my mind as the hours pass.
    Throughout the first day, Sophia and I work hard, picking oranges, putting them in our sacks, taking them to the bins. Rinse and repeat.