by Angela White
7
“This is a settlement the government tried to put in place not long after the war,” the old woman told them a bit later. She’d come to the door slowly. “They didn’t realize it was already claimed.”
“Claimed by whom?” Jacob asked. The old woman had kept to herself so far and he was curious about her story and about her lies.
The old woman ignored the kids who were also staring at her, leaning heavily on the doorframe. “Nature, the Corn’s master? Whoever it was, they didn’t like the soldiers being here. All three hundred of their bodies were discovered by a supply team. They’d been slaughtered, but there were no traces of an enemy. No bodies or weapons, only dead soldiers. After that, the reputation grew.”
“I heard about the ghost girls who protect travelers here for a price,” Paul stated quietly. “It that true?”
The old woman grinned, showing rotten teeth and gaps where a curled tongue poked through. “Yes, but you can’t afford the price. You don’t belong with her kind.”
Paul’s mouth opened, hand dripping goop onto Edward’s boots.
Edward elbowed him in the shoulder, hard enough to topple him from his overturned bucket stool.
Snickers filled the courtyard as he landed with a hard thump.
“You were saying?” Edward prompted the old woman, wiping his muddy hands.
Grammie squinted to view his features more clearly, and Edward held himself in place at his post instead of moving to allow her a better view. There was something hinky about the old woman and her story of a wayward daughter didn’t quite explain it.
“The price is a life,” the old woman said, still staring at the horseman. “Would you pay it?”
“No,” Edward chose immediately. “I can defend myself.”
The woman’s cackle was chilling and Edward didn’t respond. That sound said he had no idea what he was talking about and while the horseman’s ego didn’t care for the feeling, it also made him nervous. What if she was right?
Ping! Ping!
Alexa looked up as splatters hit the roof. “Get inside. We’re out of time”
8
The storm was frightening. It rolled in silent as the grave, flashing multi-colored lightning in the distance as the only warning. Moans came from the corn as the wind shoved through the stalks, eerie, spirit-dampening groans and howls that left silence as everyone stopped talking to listen.
“Demon rain,” the old woman muttered softly, going to her pile of furs and blankets in the corner.
Alexa wasn’t quite wary of their guests, but she was aware of not liking the old lady. “And ghosts. You know how to handle them?”
The old woman shifted into a comfortable position. “I’m not bothered by such things. The children have their own protections. Don’t concern yourself with us.”
Next to the old woman, Brian was already huddled beneath the blanket Alexa had given him, determined not to come out for anything unless Alexa was in serious danger.
Deep rumbling rolled through the ground as the storm drew closer, shaking the buildings and sending vibrations of ill tidings into feet and ears. Instinct said this was going to get ugly, and inside each outer shelter, was someone who wished they’d taken cover with Alexa and her fighters.
The rain fell in thick, noisy drops that pinged off the roofs and sheds like a musical instrument tuned to a devil’s station and the wind howled harder in response. Together, it was enough to muffle all other noise except for the thunder rolling toward them again.
Crash!
Lightning flared brightly through covered windows and everyone braced for a hit.
Bamm!
The strike was near enough to shake the buildings again and low mutters of concern filled the groups. They didn’t like the new weather, still hadn’t adjusted to the violence of mother nature that had been unleashed with the war. For Alexa, it was a comfort. The rain would not only wash away their scents, it would thin the herd again and give them fewer problems to handle tomorrow. If they survived the night, which she had no doubts about in her shelter. The others were not going to be so lucky and she cleared the doorway for any more who might come. Know of her family or not, believe in Safe Haven or not, there was a light around her that drew people.
As if to prove her thought, the door opened to reveal the traders, who herded their valuable stock inside before coming to Alexa to negotiate.
Alexa directed them to the corner by the old woman.
The slavers took the place gratefully, pressing coins into the palms of Alexa’s men. These women knew better than to let a debt stand in this world. It often came back to haunt you.
Lightning flared again and the sound of another nearby building being hit echoed louder than thunder. The shelter they were in rattled, dirt dusting over all of them, and then the sound of a complete and total deluge came. Thick and hard, the storm covered the traveler’s camp like a plague.
The roofs on every building still had gaps that allowed drips and or rushing torrents inside. Even Alexa’s shelter had this problem and rainwater slowly built up on the floors. The drip became a constant noise that blended in with the howls and splatters hitting the roofs and ground, threatening the sanity of those inside after hours of the same. As soon as the men settled into a dry place, a new leak would spring and quickly soak them. Then the wind blew hard enough to rattle the doors and added a sharp chill. Nature was relentless and it was easy to overlook a leak. Even when the puddles rippled with lines and thickened, no one noticed.
Alexa felt the chill of danger and waved her men away from the door again, unsure when the storm would unleash the worst wrath. The stories told of travelers being lulled to sleep before death came and she’d been making sure her men were alert. She glanced around at them to confirm that and found danger everywhere.
Shapes were rising from the rain puddles, shadowy forms with gleaming weapons and evil red eyes, and Alexa drew her gun.
Chapter Seven
What Devil Rains, be These?
1
“Do as I say!” Alexa shouted, watching a demon shadow knight rise like liquid steam from a puddle near the door. “Close your eyes!”
Her men obeyed quickly, but those who had come here for protection didn’t understand why Alexa wasn’t reacting.
“We do not believe in you! You’re not real.”
Alexa repeated it until her men were also chanting it, barely audible over the screams and clashing of weapons as those nearest to the door were attacked by the Knight. She didn’t open her eyes, but still tried to help them.
“They are ghosts! Your belief gives them life! Shut your eyes.”
It sounded as if no one was listening and Alexa grunted unhappily. She couldn’t stand by and let them be slaughtered, not in here with her.
Alexa’s guns crashing brought her men into the fight and for a while, there was only the sound of gunfire and screams.
The door opened suddenly, letting in a blur of shapes and sizes that weren’t all human.
“Don’t shoot!” Merrik screamed when her Colts flashed his way.
“Get down and close your eyes!” Mark roared. They’d almost had it under control!
Merrik and is men were just as confused as the other travelers had been, and the chaos restarted with their belief.
Alexa shoved two soldiers down into corner and smacked their cheeks against the wall in the process. “Close your eyes!”
She ducked under the swing of a shadow fighter and nailed a soldier in his ankle. It dropped him in time to avoid the same warrior’s swipe, and she shoved his face into the corner. “For our lives, stop looking at them!”
Alexa circled the room, grabbing fighters, directing them on what to do and slowly, the sounds of fighting eased. The shadow warriors almost immediately left these people alone and attacked those still struggling.
When it was only Alexa and Merrik, she closed her own eyes and didn’t care if he did the same. The bodies of his men were strewn across the
compound leading here.
“Alexa!”
Paul’s shout was terrified and she snapped around to find one of the shadow men bringing an arm down to kill him. The next instant, Edward rolled into Paul’s place, shoving the scientist into the wall. Paul slumped to the ground, knocked out.
Edward took the slice of the knife through his upper arm and Alexa fired to draw the warriors to her. She gathered herself as they rushed her way. “You’re not real!”
The warriors screamed in rage and burst into a million bits of sand and grit that covered the travelers.
Alexa eyed Paul on the floor and shook her head when Edward would have gotten him up. “Leave him there. He’s being helpful right now.”
Her men laughed, much to the surprise of the others. Even the soldiers were shaken and Alexa’s group was observed worriedly as they pulled the bodies outside, chatting lightly the entire time. Death did not faze them unless it was extreme and this hadn’t been anywhere near that.
As if to mock, the rain picked up again and the smiles fell from their faces. In afterworld, when nighttime fell over this dead land, time became…slower somehow.
It was one of the longest nights that most of them had ever spent. Shadows swam in the puddles, tassels flew through opened doors, drawing blood and screams. The wind moaned through hollow stalks and wolves pawed at the doors and windows continuously. Decay-weakened wood couldn’t hold up against nature’s fury, and the travelers realized it as their hastily chosen shelters gave. It wasn’t long before everyone was in with Alexa and her fighters, trying to copy her.
It was an odd style of fighting that none of them were familiar with, including Alexa’s men. Shooting rats and wolves while ignoring the shadow warriors was unsettling but there was no denying that it worked. The instant a fighter pretended the ghosts weren’t there, they faded, only to reform in the nearest puddle. Those who couldn’t pretend were cut down where they stood. Their belief killed them.
The ghost warriors returned each time the rain increased, but Alexa had her group under control now and they passed the time chanting about reality not being broken. At some moments, it was hard to keep going, especially when the family in the next house over began to scream. The five people had gone there during the last break in the storm, despite warnings that it wasn’t over yet, saying they needed privacy to treat their sick party. No one had asked or argued, and now the family was too far out of Alexa’s light to be safe. The sounds didn’t stop for a long time and all of them knew it was a ploy designed to trick Alexa into coming out with her men. It was meant to torture and it succeeded. By the time the dawn finally lightened their compound, tears had streaked a permanent path down her cheeks, but she didn’t venture into the night. She couldn’t save them all.
2
Everyone was glad when light finally seeped through the windows.
Merrik and his men once again took the greatest hit. They’d spent the time since the war underground and had no idea how sheltered they’d been. Before dawn, half of them were dead or injured. Two of the slavers had succumbed, along with one of their precious males, and one of the gunfighters wouldn’t survive his wounds. All the other bodies were soldiers.
When Alexa waved her men into sleep and sentry shifts, the others followed without any argument, even the soldiers. They were all to relived to protest.
Seeing her men had Brian well covered, Alexa settled down between Edward and Paul, but she didn’t take blood from one or comfort from the other. She fell into a thick sleep that worried those who knew her best. After a battle Alexa was usually wound up. She was worsening and they still weren’t sure what she needed to become healthy again. Over the months they’d traveled together she’d shown signs of use and wear but since being bitten by the vampire baby her illness had sped up.
Edward covered her with his thickest blanket, being sure there were no drips falling on her. The storm had gone, leaving normal drizzle, and puddles of blood they didn’t even try to clean. Once Alexa woke, they would go.
David had first watch, along with two of Merrik’s men and he noticed the fog lifting but didn’t point it out. A debate about leaving now would wake Alexa.
David scanned the empty, half demolished homes around them and then the corn. Nothing was moving, and he scanned the settling travelers. Almost all of them were bloody, exhausted, but David noticed the old woman and two kids were relatively clean and calm. He subtly examined the two females who were with the soldiers. The tall blonde was clearly willing, but the younger girl flinched at loud noises and her haunted gaze darted nervously to the doors, as if weighing the risks. Under her short dress was a thin body covered in bruises and other evidence of misuse.
David slowly got away from the door to give her the chance if she wanted to run. As casually as Alexa might have, he dropped his smallest knife into a pile of molded straw, sure she was still watching.
Across the room, their wagon driver tossed a small pouch toward the old woman and David immediately felt better about those four men. If they could help a stranger, an old woman with young children, they were probably okay to travel with. That reduced their possible threats to the two healthy gunfighters and Merrik. Everyone else was far below Alexa’s group in skills and equipment.
He went to the side window to observe from that angle and froze. The corpse girl was standing beneath the filthy glass frame.
David picked out details, like the dirt in her hair and the bloody fingernails. Her torn clothing and vacant expression suggested she’d climbed from a grave or had at least recently dug one.
David shivered.
The apparition eyed him adoringly and then sniggered.
Unsettled, David watched her fade away before returned to his post by the main door. Going outside wasn’t a good idea right now. If the younger woman wanted to run, she would have to pick another time. Letting her go out there would be murder.
3
The fog came in overnight, covering the corn and then the buildings until it was impossible to view more than a few feet in any direction and Alexa chose to change her plans. Fog and the horrors in it were nearly impossible to defend against. “I’m not leaving until that clears out. Set up a base site.”
Alexa’s men were relieved they wouldn’t be going into the fog, but they were also disappointed. If they survived that, they would feel even more alive, like even bigger bad-asses than they already were. It was a perk of being with her-the constant improving, the sharpening-and they all craved it.
Jacob was on shift first and he leaned against the outside of the door, vaguely aware of people digging graves, of men laughing and telling jokes as they celebrated being alive, and of the corn waving in the breeze. The rain had gone when the fog came, but the preacher didn’t think that would have been better than the rain to be out in. This part of the killin’ fields was designed to keep travelers here to face another night of horror, and in their case, it had worked. All of them were dreading nightfall.
Jacob turned to scan the other side of the small town and froze. The corpse child was standing between the rows, baring her teeth.
“This is getting old,” Jacob stated, closing his eyes. “Not real, kid. Not real.”
When he looked, the child was still there, only now, blood was running from the corner of her mouth. Her hands came up with something bloody and she took a big bite, tearing away flesh and muscle. Jacob was almost sure it was a human arm.
He opened his mouth to call for his relief.
Alexa’s hand on his shoulder was a comfort.
“Someone is curious about you, I think. Keep fighting.”
“Who?” he asked, relieved to have her at his side for this.
“The master of the house in the corn. It knows that we’re here.”
Jacob signaled his relief over. “I’m off guard duty.”
“Yes,” Alexa agreed. “They’re watching you for something. Try to figure out what they want.”
Jacob wondered if it meant he was t
he weak link. “I won’t slow us up.”
Alexa didn’t answer. If the master of the house decided to take Jacob, she would go in after him. As of right now, she was set to pass that cursed ground by, but if she were pushed, it would end in the flames of hell. When she left the corn, all of her men would be with her, including Paul.
Alexa glanced over to find him sulking in the corner. He’d given up the minute she said he wasn’t going any further than Lincoln. It was a weakness she simply didn’t have the time to conquer. If he went further than Lincoln with them, he would die and she didn’t want that blood on her hands. There was already far too much of it.
4
By midafternoon, the fog hadn’t left and the travelers were antsy. People muttered and grunted, soldiers snapped at each other, animals refused to sleep, and a cold chill hung over everything. By early evening, it had only gotten worse and all the groups took shelter before darkness hit. Most of them stayed close to Alexa.
As night fell, Alexa kept in mind that nerves were often the hardest part of a battle, and she settled down near the fire to clean her guns. When she motioned for David to roll a smoke, her men gathered around, noting that she hadn’t set a sentry.
The others inside the barn with them observed curiously, but kept their distance. Except for the male slaves. They went to enjoy the fire when their owners said it was okay. The makeup and jewelry on the male slaves wasn’t discussed, but Alexa’s men were more confused by that than by woman bulking up to have a lame body. They needed the size to survive in the world. The male slaves had no excuse for such wallowing, was the consensus among the fighters. Any of them would die before surrender and it was hard to understand males who were the opposite.
The old woman and her children were already sequestered in the far corner, but everyone was sure the trio was keeping track of things. Whenever things went crazy, the old woman and the kids had been no help, but it didn’t stop Alexa’s men from offering them bowls from their meal. Nor the old woman from accepting the gift.
