Scheming Women Seek Revenge

SCHEMING WOMEN SEEK REVENGE TALES OF THE UNDEAD & DEPRAVED ADRIAN J. SMITH Copyright © 2023 by Adrian J. Smith All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Coverart by MiblArt CHAPTER 1 Jerry stood on her rock, pushing the tips of her toes into the cold surface. A ship approached on the horizon. Her heart raced. She almost couldn’t believe it. A few ships had flown by, but none had stopped. This one wouldn’t either. Her heart sank. She stood calmly, sure she was right. It came closer, the blurry lines forming into something solid. Dropping her hand from her forehead, she saw the sleek white lines of a medical vessel come into view. Well, if they were going to be picked up from being marooned, that would be the ship to do it. Still, it didn’t come directly toward them, skirting to the north before veering south. Are they coming back around? A blast from the beach shook her in surprise. Jerry clenched her fist and glanced away from the oncoming vessel toward the edge of their little island, trying to see what the noise was. The foliage and trees were too thick to make anything out. Another blast reached her ears. The ship turned again. Jerry twisted on her toes and followed the flight path as it circled. Every nerve in her body told her this was it. This was their rescue. But they’d been fooled before. And five weeks on an island with no one but her crewmates and a rotting corpse she kept eating to survive, Jerry didn’t want to hope. “Did you see it?” Sacha panted as she raced up to the rock. Jerry frowned and faced the young girl. She had aged drastically in their time on the island, her clothes hanging off her form as they struggled to find food enough to survive. Her pale skin was now a leathered tan, and her eyes baggy from lack of proper sleep and care. But they had all perked up when Jerry had killed Damon. Instead of answering verbally, Jerry just stared at her. Jerry had been oddly cold and calm since she’d killed Damon. Sacha had been the one to form that connection with him in Potelia, and Jerry had struggled not to blame Sacha for Damon’s betrayal that landed them marooned, shipless, and without the drugs that would allow them to survive. But if this vessel didn’t stop and rescue them, it was very likely Sacha would be next on the menu. Jerry clenched her jaw and raised her chin up again to see the vessel pull hard to starboard. They were still at least a thousand meters off from the island, if not more, but they did seem to be circling. Skeptical as always, Jerry waited it out. Sacha stepped in close, moving her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as Jerry did. Weren’t they the pair? Jerry stayed still, nearly motionless, as she waited to see what would happen next. The ship maneuvered, circling the island one more time. There wasn’t a third blast, and Jerry was sure Azar had managed to rig something and had run out of materials. It was as good a sign for help as they could manage with zero resources. The ship slowed. Jerry pursed her lips and rolled her shoulders, attempting to figure out what they were doing. They were certainly acting oddly. She’d never seen a ship circle around like this and not either stop or just move on. Eventually, Yafe climbed her way up to the rock. “Do you think they’ll stop?” Yafe asked, a tremor in her voice, but those dark eyes that matched her skin didn’t turn on their leader. Again, Jerry didn’t want to answer. She was tired of being the person who had to dash hopes, the person who had to make decisions, and the person everyone relied on. She needed a break. Five weeks stuck on an island because of a decision she made based on information she was given was enough punishment. Wasn’t it? She could only hope this vessel rescuing them didn’t contain members of the authorities, who would only wrap their arms in ropes and march them straight to Joab. Swallowing hard, Jerry looked on as the ship slowed and moved straight toward them. “They’re coming,” Yafe whispered. Sacha let out a whoop before she jumped off the top part of the rock and climbed her way down as fast as possible. Yafe threw her arms around Jerry’s shoulders and pulled her in tight for a hug. Except Jerry didn’t want to be hugged. She didn’t want anyone to touch her. She remained stiff, but Yafe didn’t seem to notice. Stepping back, Yafe skittered down the side of the rock, too. Jerry stayed put, watching the sleek curved lines of the ship as it flew in closer to their little island, the one Jerry had known she wouldn’t get off. And hope fluttered in the center of her chest. She had to stop it. Even with a ship coming directly for them, it could still mean certain death. She stayed there until the ship settled, hovering over the waters with her port side pulled up to the beach. Below, the others shouted their excitement. Still, she couldn’t make herself move. Frozen to her spot, Jerry waited to see who would die first, which one of her team she would have to eat next. Time became lost to her, and the voice behind her was startling. “Yafe said I could find you here.” That voice—it was so pure, so perfect. But usually it was something in Jerry’s imagination. She wasn’t sure she wanted to turn around and find once again that the voice was an apparition instead