by M. J. Haag
“I understand,” the new human said, his gaze shifting to me. “When the fey left this morning, they weren’t expecting to find people, but I’m sure glad they did. My name’s Matt, and I’m in charge of Tenacity. Let’s get you two settled in somewhere and take a look at him.” Matt glanced at the fey. “Do you mind tagging along, Brog?”
The fey grunted and fell into step behind Matt. I followed as we walked farther into the maze of houses.
A set of young boys ran between the houses in front of us.
“Caleb. Connor. Go help unload and organize.”
“Okay, Matt,” they yelled at the same time, not slowing but veering back the way we’d come.
“How are you all alive?” I asked, too stunned by the kids to filter.
“Perseverance, a whole lot of luck, and even more help. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the fey.”
“How many people live here?”
“Three hundred and thirty-three, including you two. To save on heating and other resources, I’ve had to assign shared housing. It’s two or three people per bedroom, depending on the home’s size. But since you’re new, you’ll get a house to yourself for a bit to let you settle in.”
“How many of those three hundred and thirty-three people are fey?”
“Here? None, unfortunately. Over in Tolerance, there’s about two hundred fey and maybe seventy-five humans now? That sound about right, Brog?”
“Yes.”
Matt deviated up an unshoveled driveway.
“This will be your place,” he said.
It felt weird walking straight into a house. No hesitation. No listening for infected. Nothing. Open the door and go right in. I hesitated, and Matt gave me an encouraging smile as he waited for me to enter.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said.
“I hope not,” I said, reluctantly walking in.
“Any chance this guy can put me down?” Adam asked, sounding more lucid than he had during the whole trip here.
“That might not be the best idea,” Matt said. “You’re covered in infected blood. It would be better if Brog carried you to the bathroom.”
“Fine.”
The two of them disappeared into the bathroom. A moment passed as we listened to low murmured conversation. Then the door shut.
“Is he going to be okay in there?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’ll be fine.”
I looked down at myself. My sleeves were dirty, but the rest of me was okay. Setting my bag to the side, I shrugged out of my jacket and went to rewash my hands.
“Where did the fey come from?” I finally asked. “Adam and I heard a lot of stories that painted those…” I looked at the door. “Fey. Is that what they really are?” I shook my head. “What we heard painted them in a very unfriendly light. Why are they here? Here as in on this planet and here as in helping us.”
Matt chuckled behind me.
“Before I answer all of that, can you tell me where you came from?”
“A bunker Adam’s family had.”
“Adam’s the one in the bathroom?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m June. It’s been a bizarre twenty-four hours.”
“I’d like to hear about it. But to answer your question, those earthquakes a few months back created an opening to an underground cave system that had been sealed away for thousands of years. The dogs with the glowing red eyes? We call them hellhounds. They came out first. They’re the cause of all the infected undead running around.”
“And the fey?”
“They were down in those caves all that time. They have no memory of humans or women and children. When the fey came to the surface, they were met with fear and gunfire. Did they kill some of us? Yes. Can’t say that I blame them, though. We had to be just as unusual to them as they were to us. I would say terrifying, but I doubt that. Not when they’d lived in those caves with the hellhounds for thousands of years.”
I tried to wrap my head around what Matt was saying, but it sounded like a bunch of fictional nonsense. Yet, I had no other explanation for their existence.
“And to answer the second part of your question, they’re helping us for two reasons. They know they’re our only chance of survival, and there’s nothing for them in those caves. Now, tell me how you ended up here.”
I’d just gotten to the part where the infected drove the horses into the barn when the door to the bathroom suddenly opened, and a very wet Adam strode out with a towel around his waist. Brog followed him toward us.
“He was repeating everything you two said while the door was closed and the water was running,” Adam said. “Caves? Hellhounds? Is that true?”
Matt nodded, and Adam looked back at Brog.
“Impressive.”
Brog looked at Matt.
“He has no bites.”
“Yeah, he checked,” Adam said. “That’s a little invasive.”
Matt chuckled, thanked Brog, and waited for the fey to leave before speaking again.
“The fey don’t have our same hang-ups about privacy. Keep that in mind if you ever go out on a supply run with them. They’ll strip down whenever and wherever to clean up. They know how few of us humans are left and don’t want to accidentally contaminate us with infected blood.”
“I appreciate the consideration,” Adam said, coming to wrap his arms around me. I could tell by the way he moved that he was hurting badly.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and turned to look at Matt.
“Before we tell you anything else, I’d like to know what happened to all our supplies.”
“They’re unloading them now,” Matt said.
Adam looked at the door and raised an eyebrow.
“We have a storage shed for all supplies the fey bring back each run. We keep thirty percent, and they take seventy for doing all the hard work.”
“Those were our supplies. The hard work was ours. I’m not heartless. I was out when the work was being done to clear our place, and I’m willing to share a little for the help we were given, but thirty percent is out of the question.”
Matt exhaled heavily.
“You misunderstand. Thirty percent goes to our community. That gets divided and rationed out to feed the three hundred plus people I’m trying to keep alive.”
“The hell it does.”
“I get it. You prepared. It should be yours. But there are three hundred and thirty-three starving people in our little community. If they see you carry all the supplies here? They will rebel. I wish I could offer you more than an equal share. But if I do, I’d be painting a target on your back. You’re in no position to want that,” Matt said, his gaze flicking to me.
Adam’s hold on me tightened fractionally.
“Some rescue. You’re telling me that the infected and hellhounds won’t kill us, but starvation will after my family spent years prepping.”
“You won’t starve. The fey go out looking for supplies every day. You have a chance to go out and bring back your own share that doesn’t get divided.”
Adam snorted.
“Can you tell me more about the infected who seemed to be coordinating everything?” Matt asked, going back to what I’d explained.
“Not really,” Adam said. “His eyes, like his partner’s, weren’t the normal milky white. They had a hint of red. And he was smart enough to act stupid and bait a trap. What June didn’t get to was the part where we received a message. The western barrier has fallen. The sender said it needed to reach the east coast.”
Matt frowned and asked, “What does that mean?”
“No idea,” Adam said. “I can’t even tell you where it originated. We stopped sharing locations when people started killing each other for the supplies some of us were smart enough to stockpile.”
Matt nodded.
“The world’s a changed place and not for the better. But I haven’t lost hope yet that we can turn it around. If we want.”
He stood and moved to the door.
&nbs
p; “I’m grateful you’re both alive. Each one of us matters. I’ll have someone bring over your share of the supplies. I am sorry.”
He let himself out, and Adam swore.
“A share of our own damn supplies.”
“I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t have much choice. We needed the help.”
He changed his hold on me, hugging me close.
“I’m not mad at you. They took advantage.” A shiver stole through him. “Let’s check out what we traded the bunker and supplies for.”
Several hours later, Adam was swearing again. We had a wood stove, but no wood. There were solar panels, but they barely had enough juice to keep the appliances going. He unplugged the ones we weren’t using and vented that these people were stupid enough to waste energy on running a refrigerator that didn’t have anything in it to cool.
Our supply box consisted of a cup of dried beans, a box of dehydrated potatoes, and a can of corn. Adam was dangerously quiet as we ate the potatoes and corn and soaked the beans for breakfast.
“We’ll pull through,” I said. “We always do.”
He kissed my temple, apologizing for being an ass.
“You’re right. We will pull through. The rules have changed, and we have a lot to learn. Especially about the fey.”
I knew what he was thinking without having to ask. He wanted to get to know the fey better to see what type of people they were. Sure, the fey had the strength we lacked, but a person’s character mattered to Adam. He’d want to know they were willing to work hard to survive. He didn’t have any use for people too lazy or full of excuses to help themselves.
Adam was a team player and had already discounted the residents of Tenacity. But he’d hold out hope for the fey. If they disappointed him too, I wondered how long it would take before Adam talked about going back to the bunker.
Worried about what would happen to us both then, I curled up against him and let him hold me until we fell asleep.
“June, I made you breakfast.”
I peeled open my eyes and gave Adam a sleepy smile.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said softly.
Groaning, I rolled away from him.
“Don’t make fun of my bed head.”
“It’s part of your charm. Get up. We have work to do today. It’s going to be a long day if we want to eat again.”
Accepting the proffered cup of beans, I sat up and started spooning them into my mouth. When Adam was driven, it meant there was a time crunch. He proved me right by tossing my freshly laundered clothes on the bed.
“What are we doing today?” I asked.
“We’re going on one of the supply runs.”
My stomach lurched.
“Adam, you have a concussion. Let’s wait a day.”
“I’m not going to watch you starve, even for a day. Besides, it makes sense to get the lay of the land and figure out how honest that guy was being about the supply division.”
“His name is Matt.”
“I don’t care what his name is. He’s the one responsible for this place and these people, and I mean to find out why our food needed to be doled out in the first place.”
The determination in his tone and gaze left no room for protest or reason. But I still tried.
“It’s dangerous out there. You’ve told me that repeatedly. How many times did we wait out snow or ice on the solar panels just so we wouldn’t have to go out? You hated having to leave the bunker.”
He exhaled heavily and tweaked my chin.
“I hated you going out there. This is different. The wall will keep us safe enough while we check out what this supply run is about. And if the supply run is what I think it is, we’ll be safe enough to leave.”
I finished eating and passed him the cup.
“And what do you think it is?” I asked, tugging on my pants.
“You said the fey had that barn cleared in the time it took us to kill three infected. I think those big grey guys are exactly what you speculated. Inhumanly strong and fast. Matt says they’re here to keep us safe, and I believe him. Why else would there be so many humans alive in one loud, lit-up place?”
The shirt cleared my head, and I gave Adam a long look.
“And if it’s not safe?” I asked.
“You don’t go.”
I sighed, having already guessed that would be his answer.
The sky was just lightening when we stepped outside, fully dressed and equipped with our knives. The neighborhood was eerily quiet.
“This gives me the creeps,” I whispered.
“Me too. I need to find out who has my guns.”
That was one of the many questions he’d asked me last night after I’d gone through everything that happened since running out to clear the solars. He remembered most of the events between that point and hitting his head, but there were some foggy areas.
“Any headache this morning?” I asked.
“A mild one and general soreness in my neck and the back of my head. I’ve been stretching it. If we find some pain relievers while we’re out there, I’m keeping them.”
When we reached the wall, Matt was already talking to a few other people. He excused himself and headed our way when he saw us.
“Are you sure you should be going out?” he asked.
“We don’t have a choice when we were only given enough food for two meals from our supplies that would have fed us for a year.”
A few of the gathered people shot Adam a look. I wasn’t sure if it was due to his volume or the insinuation that they were thieves.
“These are the people who will be helping bring back more supplies to feed everyone,” Matt said. “They’re trying to pull their weight.”
Adam’s flat glance at the group conveyed his disregard.
“How much of what we find do we keep?” he asked.
“Thirty percent of whatever you gather goes to your house to share with your housemates.”
I could feel the anger radiating off of Adam at Matt’s answer. We both understood what Matt was saying. We were living on our own, temporarily, and once we were assigned group living, we’d need to share with everyone in our house.
“Screw that.”
“Waves are the last thing you need right now,” Matt said quietly. “You’re new, and people are watching.”
“So am I,” Adam said, finally lowering his voice. “You said there are over three hundred people here. If even a third of those are able-bodied, there should be a hell of a lot more people standing here, waiting to leave for a supply run.”
“People are afraid.”
“So afraid to leave that they’re willing to starve?” Adam shook his head. “You need to wake your people up.”
“That’s what I’ve been hoping will happen when they see people like you going out for supplies and getting extra for the effort.”
“Not when you’re still giving them the majority.”
“Trust me. Once it’s divided out, it’s not much.”
As Matt said the last word, a fey jumped over the wall, landing neatly inside.
“Holy shit,” Adam breathed.
Matt turned to look. “They’re impressive. Wait until you see them in action.”
Another fey jumped over the wall. He carried Ryan, the man who’d been with them the day before. As soon as the man was on his own feet, he jogged our way, the fey sticking close.
“Hey, Matt.”
“Morning, Ryan. How’s Mya?”
“Good. She’s getting out of the house more and has threatened to make Drav sleep on the couch if he tells her she needs to rest one more time.” Ryan grinned. “You can imagine how that went over.”
Matt chuckled then grew more serious.
“How’s Uan?” he asked.
“Cassie said it’s a miracle he made it home. He’s stitched up as best as Kerr could manage, and now it’s a waiting game.”
They were both silent for a moment before Ryan looked at Adam.
“It�
�s good to see you on your own two feet. I’m Ryan. I’m the voluntold leader of these supply runs.” He stuck out his hand, and Adam immediately shook it.
“How old are you?” Adam asked.
Ryan chuckled. “At the time of the quakes, I was seventeen. But I think the months since then are like dog years, you know? I feel more like twenty-five.”
Adam actually cracked a smile.
“I think you’re right,” he agreed. “How long have you been doing these supply runs?”
Ryan looked at Matt and shrugged. “You keep better track of the passing days than I do.”
“Almost since the beginning,” Matt said, clapping Ryan’s shoulder. “Back when it was a lot more dangerous.”
“It’s safer with the fey here to clear the houses and protect the convoy,” Ryan said before his gaze shifted to me. “Are you both going?”
I glanced at Adam, and he nodded.
“I’m guessing, based on the supplies you had,” Ryan said, “you didn’t need to leave that bunker much. Stay close to your assigned fey. They’ll keep you safe and let you know what to do. Glad you’re coming with us. Tenacity needs all the help it can get.”
Neither of us said anything as we followed the rest of the humans to the trucks. We climbed into the back of one and settled in for a long ride. No one talked. Still tired, I leaned against Adam’s shoulder and dozed until the truck stopped.
When the doors finally opened, there were dozens of fey waiting just outside.
“You know the drill,” Ryan said. “One human to six fey. Be smart. Be quiet. Be careful. If anything looks or feels wrong, tell your fey and get out of there.”
A shiver of fear worked its way down my spine.
People started moving away, and without a word, fey protectively surrounded them. Adam took my hand and followed their lead.
“We stick together,” he said to me as the fey fell in around us.
I nodded. He glanced at the fey to his left, who was looking at our hands.
“We’re new to this. Any advice you can give us would be much appreciated, friend.”
The fey smiled at Adam, showing his pointed teeth.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
