Shalini Boland - Outside Series: The Complete Box Set: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

OUTSIDE SERIES

The Complete BoxSet

Shalini Boland

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SMASHWORDS EDITION

Copyright Shalini Boland 2016

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This novel is entirely awork of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed init are the work of the authors imagination. Any resemblance toactual persons, living or dead, is entirelycoincidental.

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All rights reserved. Nopart of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by anymeans without the prior permission of the author.

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Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thisebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If youwould like to share this book with another person, please purchasean additional copy for each person you share it with. If you'rereading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchasedfor your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com andpurchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author'swork.

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http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk

The Outside Series

Set in thenear future, these three bestselling,

heart-stopping novels follow Riley as she overcomes

the murder of her younger sister by trackingdown

the killeracross a post-apocalyptic Britain.

At the sametime, she is forced to take on the might

of a twistedregime intent on conquering the nation.

TABLE OFCONTENTS:

OUTSIDE

Shalini Boland

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Prologue

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The woman swung thehuge armoured vehicle out through theiron gates and turned left onto the poor excuse for a dirt trackthat ran parallel to the Perimeter. She remembered when Britain wasopen and free with real roads, pavements even, before all thetrouble started.

As she turned, the fullglare of the dying evening sun blinded her and she flicked on thewindscreen filter. She heard a muffledthud, looked to her left and saw a dark figure lying by the side ofthe fence. She didnt stop, but glanced in her wing mirror and madebrief eye contact with him as he lifted his head.

A man, shebreathed out, realising she d been holding herbreath for quite a time. She sucked in another lungful of air andfelt a lip-biting pang of concern, realising she must have hit him.But everybody knew you didn t stop for anythingoutside the Perimeter. I m sure he ll beokay . She reasoned, convinced and thenbanished her conscience.

Won t belong now, she said to herself, lookingahead at the vast tract of wilderness.

Chapter One

Riley

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Pa is a black marketeer. Nobody andeverybody knows this. Pa pays people not to rock the boat. He paysthe guards, he pays the neighbours and he even pays his friends. Hepays off just about everyone a litre of whisky here and a bag ofsugar there, and in return we live a life of ease and comfort. Pabelieves in the carrot approach just as much as the punishingstick. As long as he doesnt draw too much attention to himselffrom the wrong quarters, were safe and free.

Pa can get his hands onjust about anything from before. If youve got a craving for a potnoodle he can probably magic one up from somewhere. But itll costyou all youve got and more besides. He isn t swayed bythreats or tears. He ll hold fast and stare you downand if you can t pay you might get a bullet inyour head, or worse.

This morning, my parents are standingtogether in the doorway of the sitting room. Behind me, the sunfloods in through the windows and they edge closer to avoidsquinting into the too-bright light.

Their faces are ghostwhite and Ma s nose and eyes are pink andswollen. She shivers and her teeth chatter as though shes chilledand it isn t the warm July morning itappears to be.

Riley, can you sitdown? Pa asks.

Okay, Isay. Theyre acting weird. Its freaking me out. My legs are heavywood and Im not sure I can make the three feet required to reachthe sofa.

Okay, Irepeat. But I don t move. I just keep looking fromone to the other and they stare back almost as if theyre afraid ofme.

Riley, sitdown, Pa says.

I walk to the sofa and sitin one corner with my hands on my lap. The leather is cool againstmy legs in the warmth of the room. Fear has travelled up from my stomach to my throat and I can tswallow. I feel sick.

Riley, hesays, running his hands slowly through his hair.

No! Maloses it. She sobs and stumbles towards me. Sits and buries herhead in my chestnut curls, rocking me backwards and forwards,moaning and muttering. I can t breathe shes holdingme so tight.

Sweetheart, let go,you re crushing her. Go and lie downupstairs if you want. I ll tell her. Pa s voice is soft and broken. Itdoesn t sound a bit likehim.

She lets go of me, cups myface in her hands and kisses my face all over. No,It s alright, I malright, she says not taking her eyes from my face. I'm notleaving my baby. She leans back, trembling. I press my hands backinto my lap and she wraps her arms around herself, still shiveringand rocking.

Our house has always beena light and happy place. I dont understand whats going on. Myface and pyjama top are wet from Massticky tears. I let my mind wander for a minute, away from theawful strangeness of whats going on and I hear the low backgroundhum of the generators overlaid by the familiar whirr and thrum of acopter hovering overhead.

Has my father donesomething wrong? Are we in danger? Do we have to leave thePerimeter? All the most awful things I can think of crowd my brain.And then Skye! Why isn t she here? My littlesister is usually up before me. I hesitate, not wanting to pose thequestion. Maybe shes too young for this conversation and theyvesent her out of earshot. She won't like that; shell kick up a realfuss. But then I would have heard them arguing and everything hasbeen quiet this morning; abnormally quiet up until now.

An unwanted thought creeps into my head andI push it out quickly.

Where sSkye? My voice sounds high pitched anddistant, like my ears need to pop.

Pa comes close and crouches down in front ofme. He takes both my hands in his and looks into my eyes.

Somethingshappened. He breaks off. We re waitingfor We re not sure...

And then something reallyhorrible happens. My powerful, strong, wonderful father startscrying. Proper messy crying where his face twists and his voicesounds broken. Im appalled. He never cries.

Pa

Im not a typicaldaddy s girl. I love the bones of him,but I feel easiest around Ma. We always talk make-up, fashion,gossipy stuff and laugh a lot together. Skye belongs to Pa and Padefinitely belongs to Skye. Theyre a team. I never feel excludedexactly, but I don t have the same naturalconnection they do.

Riley, he says. I don't know howto say this. He looks over at Ma whos staring at him in horror.Skye is Skye is. Oh Riley, she she s dead.

I stare down at thepatterns on the carpet. I ve never noticed justhow vivid the individual colours are. The over-all effectis of a soft warmth, but I focus on a particular strand of red thatseems almost luminous, as if its going to jump out of the weaveand hit me in the face.

I wake up in myparents bed. A moment of peace and theneverything rushes towards me in a crash of disbelief and pain Skye.

Ma lies next to me on top of the quilt,humming in a scary way while she strokes the hair off my face. Imust have blacked out, fainted or something after they told me Skyewas...

Ma. Ispeak gently, as if talking to a young child, but she carries onhumming. Ma! I pull awayfrom her and wrench her hands from my hair. Whathappened to Skye? Where is she? She cant be

Sh , sh baby, shecroons to me and kisses my forehead.

You rescaring me. Are you okay? I hear the tremor in my voice.

Everything will bealright , she says in a strange newchildish way. Just sleep and it will beokay.

I throw myself out of bed, run out of thebedroom and almost fall down the stairs to find my father. Hesstanding in the lounge talking to some of the guards, includingRoger Brennan, the Head of Perimeter Security.