The Last City


 
 
 
 
 The Last City
 
 Table of Contents
 
 
 Contents
 
 
 Dedication
 
 
 Prologue
 
 
 One — Sam
 
 
 Two — Ara
 
 
 Three — Ara
 
 
 Four — Kaden
 
 
 Five — Sam
 
 
 Six — Ara
 
 
 Seven — Ara
 
 
 Eight — Sam
 
 
 Nine — Ara
 
 
 Ten — Kaden
 
 
 Eleven — Sam
 
 
 Twelve — Ara
 
 
 Thirteen — Kaden
 
 
 Fourteen — Sam
 
 
 Fifteen — Ara
 
 
 Sixteen — Kaden
 
 
 Seventeen — Sam
 
 
 Eighteen — Ara
 
 
 Nineteen — Kaden
 
 
 Twenty — Sam
 
 
 Twenty-One — Ara
 
 
 Twenty-Two — Sam
 
 
 Twenty-Three — Kaden
 
 
 Twenty-Four — Sam
 
 
 Twenty-Five — Ara
 
 
 Twenty-Six — Sam
 
 
 Twenty-Seven — Kaden
 
 
 Twenty-Eight — Sam
 
 
 Twenty-Nine — Ara
 
 
 Thirty — Ara
 
 
 Thirty-One — Kaden
 
 
 Thirty-Two — Ara
 
 
 Thirty-Three — Sam
 
 
 Thirty-Four — Ara
 
 
 Thirty-Five — Kaden
 
 
 Thirty-Six — Sevyn
 
 
 About the Author
 
 
 Copyright
 
 
 
 
 Landmarks
 
 
 Cover
 
 
 Half Title Page
 
 
 Title Page
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 
 Dedication
 
 
 Prologue
 
 
 Body Matter
 
 
 Contributors
 
 
 Copyright Page
 
 
 
 
 My dearest Arabella, 
 
 I’m not sure if this note is written out of desperation or hope, but something inside me tells me you are still alive. I barely survived the river. I knew they were following me and I had to run. By the time I managed to throw them off and made it back, you were gone. Those bastards killed Loki . . . Best dog I ever had, and he died to save me without a second thought. Why is it dogs are so much better than men? 
 I planned to come home and wait here for you, but Emma wasn’t here. There was only some damn cat. I thought of shooting him, but she always wanted a cat, so I left him there. There was so much I should have told you, so many things I need to explain to you in person, but instead, I will leave you with the one secret I thought to tell you a thousand times but never could. 
 In the far north, there is a city of survivors. While the rest of the world faded away, this city has progressed. The wealthiest from all over the world gathered here. Its mark is the black spiral, the same that marks our door. 
 They collect women and bring them there. 
 No. Not collect. They hunt women, and they are sold as the world’s most precious commodities. 
 It’s there that I go to look for your sister. 
 But Ara, I warn you now. As dangerous as the journey will be, the city itself is a thousand times more dangerous. Our world has moved backward, while this one has moved forward. It will be a world the likes of which we have never imagined. Women will be beyond precious. It would be impossibly dangerous for you to follow me THE LAST SHE SERIES
 THE LAST SHE
 THE LAST CITY
 THE LAST CREATION
 FALL 2024
 THE LAST SHE | BOOK 2
 The Last City
 H. J. Nelson
 
 Contents
 Dedication
 Prologue
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 2
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 6
 Chapter 7
 Chapter 8
 Chapter 9
 Chapter 10
 Chapter 11
 Chapter 12
 Chapter 13
 Chapter 14
 Chapter 15
 Chapter 16
 Chapter 17
 Chapter 18
 Chapter 19
 Chapter 20
 Chapter 21
 Chapter 22
 Chapter 23
 Chapter 24
 Chapter 25
 Chapter 26
 Chapter 27
 Chapter 28
 Chapter 29
 Chapter 30
 Chapter 31
 Chapter 32
 Chapter 33
 Chapter 34
 Chapter 35
 Chapter 36
 About the Author
 Copyright
 For my little sister, Sadie. 
 One — Sam
 The apocalypse only sucks if you let it. 
 “Teenage Wasteland” blasted out the speakers of the mall, shaking the ceiling so hard dust fell free. Late afternoon sun shone through the shattered skylights as I tilted my head back and laughed, then screamed for the hell of it. 
 I did it. Holy shit, I did it. 
 Real music shook the world for the first time in four years. 
 It was like the moment I’d kissed Cecelia Rose in fifth grade: the rush, the racing high, the world infinite. Like the last few years were over and the old world was back—teenage wasteland and all. 
 Instead of white-eyed, vicious, plague-infected animals roaming the halls below, there were small yappy dogs held by women with disapproving glares. In place of the gaggle of geese down in the food court, there was a group of teenage girls—giggling, eating fries, and laughing over some shared video on their phones. The floors were shiny white once again, freshly waxed, reflecting faces too busy to stop and admire them. My biggest concern wasn’t if I could survive the winter, or if I’d have to kill the next person