by Angela White
“I usually don’t either, but…”
“But you’ve been talking to David and because of your guilt, you’ve also been listening. He’s telling you that Adrian and Conner are special, that they’ve both suffered enough for their mistakes–like you have. He’s mentioning words like calm and the old days, swaying you. That’s not how true choices are made.”
Samantha flushed as Angela ratted off exactly what was happening. “I know.”
“But you want it to be like it was when Adrian was here and all was right with the apocalypse.”
Samantha flushed darker. “Yes. So do a lot of the others. They’re afraid to face Marc over it, but they’ve had time to consider the facts. Adrian refused to hand them over and he made certain they were strong enough to fight back. That’s not a traitor. That’s a patriot.”
“It’s not going to happen,” Angela stated, keeping her tone even as Marc joined them. He would get an ear full from everyone who’d overheard the conversation. “We can have one or the other inside our walls, not both. If we try, their rage and jealousy will destroy us all.”
Angela smiled gently, placing a hand over Marc’s snowy glove as his defensive nature started to rise. “We’ve got the best of the two.”
“At some point, the camp might want a vote on it.”
“We’ll deal with it then,” Angela stated, yawning. “Kenn’s about to do the hourly messages. You can go make sure he stresses the danger of the storm.”
“Thank you.” Samantha disappeared, taking her shadows along. Neil and Jeremy were constant companions since finding out about her illness.
“Things okay?” Marc asked, aware of the looks being tossed his way.
“Hindsight can be a curse or a blessing,” Angela replied, standing up. “She’s having both effects at the same time. She’s cooling off now, though. Things will get better for her.”
“Even though she wants Adrian cleared?” Marc asked. His ears were working overtime now, trying to spot possible assassins. With all the new people, the odds on that were high.
Angela nodded, not worried. Adrian would spend the rest of his life laboring for the people that would probably never allow him back inside. When she’d said he would pay, she hadn’t been lying.
Marc felt the need and carefully hugged her. “I love you.”
Angela snuggled into his embrace as best she could through their coats. “Right back at ya, beefcake.”
Marc’s happy laughter floated across the camp, but the shield didn’t come up.
Only Angela noticed.
5
“Snow team, this is base. Check in.” There was a pause before Kenn’s voice came again. “Base to Snow team. Do you copy?”
There was no response and Quinn frowned, stomach a ball of nerves. “When’s the last time we heard from them?”
“Yesterday,” Kenn answered, skimming the daily reports. “Nothing unusual in the notes.”
They were standing in the small cavern that the builders had turned into Safe Haven’s communications center. It was filled from wooden wall to wooden wall with radio equipment and wires.
“I’m going up there,” Quinn stated, turning toward the supply trucks. “Tell the boss, will ya?”
“You got it,” Kenn called to the retreating man. Angela had them on lockdown. Kenn doubted the gate guards would open for anyone, even Marc, after today’s fiasco. He returned to his radio calls, putting Quinn from his mind.
“Snow team, this is base. Do you copy?”
Marc spotted Hilda striding briskly toward the supply trucks and hid a grin. She’d been trying to get a moment alone with Billy for the last few days. Marc had been in earshot when Daryl warned the driver what was coming and Billy had remained mysteriously absent since then. He did have duty on the trucks that Hilda was nearly at, but not until dawn when his reward week of easy labor started. Hilda was about to be disappointed again.
Marc yawned, thinking he’d be happy when they had a third person trained to handle these overnight shifts. He and Angie covered things the entire time they were awake and they needed a good third to give them both a break here and there. Adrian was the only other person who could do it right now, but Marc knew the camp wouldn’t go for it even if he and Angela would. Which meant long shifts apart until Zack was stronger, Kyle was less distracted, or another trustworthy person with leadership skills joined them.
Marc gravitated toward the darkest part of the topside–the supply area–and saw Billy escort Hilda into one of the unused trucks.
Marc grinned in surprise. “That liar!”
Billy had insisted he wasn’t going to service anyone anymore.
Marc considered interrupting them for the fun of it, but chose not to. Hilda’s quick walk had been from more than the cold. She needed a release and Billy was obviously willing. He could tease them later.
6
Half a mile above Safe Haven, a radio crackled, “Come in Snow team!”
Vlad grinned at the frustrated tone of the radioman. Safe Haven was about to discover they weren’t the power here.
Vlad swept the sky, noting how huge the coming storm was. He and his men had the artic tents ready inside the small cave behind them, hostages already stashed inside one. When the storm came, it would add a fresh layer of death that Vlad was now prepared to send down the mountain.
“The charges are set,” Darian stated, coming through the snowy darkness in a thick Parka that he’d been given upon his exit from the camp below. “I passed Blade on the way up. He said to tell you it’s a go.”
“Excellent,” Vlad praised, waving toward the small fire they’d made inside a tree. With a white tarp as an awning, the fire was protected and the heat was continuous as it burned through the log. It was a lot easier than chopping wood. All it took was carving out a furrow down the center of a thick log. “Warm up and tell me everything you saw in there.”
Darian pulled off his new gloves, stuffing them into his pocket. “They have power, supplies, and an outfitted cave that we need for our people. Safe Haven thinks the winter will last twice as long as usual. If they’re right, our town could be wiped out.”
“Sounds like it’s a good thing we came,” Vlad commented, waiting for important details. Darian had been Deputy Mayor of their town and that’s where his priorities remained.
“They have the place sealed from the top,” Darian stated, dropping down onto an icy boulder. “But there are ways through. One is from the cavern where they’ve got those damn ants living. Another tunnel comes out about three miles beyond the mountain road, behind the camp. A smaller one comes almost straight up here. This is definitely where we can strike from.”
“And our inside man?” Vlad asked, wiping snow from the Coleman stove.
“Isn’t going to wait for the time to be right,” Darian answered angrily. “Expect action soon.”
“Figures,” Vlad complained. Jay wasn’t the hardened character that his father had been. Still, it was better than nothing. If Jay could cause enough problems from the inside, it might create an opportunity for those waiting on the outside.
“Can we use that mob of refugees somehow?” Darian asked, rubbing his hands together over the fire.
“I have plans,” Vlad stated, cutting off the rest of that conversation. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day of waiting out the storm. After that, none of us will sleep until we’re in that cave, enjoying those lives.”
“Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to wipe that smug smile from her face with my fist.”
Inside the tent behind Vlad, two Eagles listened furiously. They’d been taken off guard during this morning’s chaos, too busy observing the shootout through their binoculars to realize trouble was sneaking up on them. Scott and Josh exchanged glances that said they needed to get free and show these people who they were dealing with.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Panther Piss
1
“Can you believe this?” Kevin asked,
staring through a crack in the boards. “Three feet!”
The storm had indeed been a monster that brought them brutal temperatures and evil wind, but the tents in the large living room, combined with their efforts to seal up the house, had kept it tolerable. The problem was the snow. The hard packed white crap was now feet deep across the entire block. They couldn’t see any further than that for the glare. Both men hoped the view would improve once they were outdoors. If not, they would have to listen harder for people. Snow was excellent for muffling sound.
“Have you seen this?” Kevin exclaimed, still trying to get a better view of the neighborhood.
Jeff grunted in response. He was preparing their meal. He was also trying to listen for trouble. The storm clearing should be a good thing, but he’d woken with a ball of concern in his gut and it had tightened over the hours. Despite all the snow, the animals were already gathering again. Jeff wasn’t certain Kevin that had noticed yet.
“How much ammo do we have here?” Jeff asked.
Kevin flipped into Eagle alert with the question and went to find out.
Sally, busy feeding her dogs, said, “I’ve got a few hundred rounds.”
“For that .45?” He clarified. They’d given her the gun back only because of fearing the attack from nature.
“Yes… Also a few sticks of dynamite and some hand grenades.”
Jeff chuckled in surprise. “Nice.”
Sally didn’t want to feel anything, but Jeff’s praise sank into her anyway. When you pleased a descendant, the urge to do it again came on strong. Sally resisted, instead resuming her chores. She didn’t need to impress these men. She needed them to help her secure the house until the herd passed on. When the beasts were gone, the men had to go too.
“We will,” Jeff promised.
Sally slapped her rag on the floor. “Stop that!”
Jeff shrugged. “I will if you will.”
“I can’t read your thoughts!” she snapped.
“But you are wishing we were gone or dead,” Jeff pointed out. “You stop that and I can stop stalking your mind for trouble.”
“I’m not the problem,” she insisted, spinning toward the garage to clean in there. Jeff had insisted when they woke to the smell. “You are. You and all the descendants. Abominations!”
She disappeared into the garage, leaving Jeff to continue worrying. At some point, he and Kevin would have to handle her.
“We have seven hundred rounds of hollow points for your sig,” Kevin stated, coming back into the room “Also five hundred for my nine and a dozen boxes of bonded hunting rounds. The rest is in the house on the corner, where we stashed it.”
“Okay.” Jeff scanned the first floor of the house, pleased with how warm it was. They’d done a good job of sealing the home up, though they hadn’t been on the second floor. Jeff didn’t have a reason to go back up there. Once they’d locked the door to the stairs and sealed around it, the drafts had mostly stopped. He and Kevin had cleared the attic upon arrival, but it was empty of anything useful. All it contained was an old claw foot bathtub and a few mirrors.
The propane heater kicked on, echoing loudly, and the men tensed. They were running it sparingly, but the temperature outside was in the single digits. They’d needed to bring up the temperature overnight, and the Mr. Buddy had worked perfectly.
“It’s drawing attention,” Kevin stated. He’d gone to the window to check. Jeff asking how many rounds they had was a reminder they were in the middle of an apocalypse and had to be alert.
Jeff flipped the heater off and did the same with the stove since the pancakes were done. “We need to bundle back up. The wind died down and blew our cover for the noise.”
Kevin went to get more gear, wondering if Safe Haven was in the cave yet. Were they ready for this weather? He and Jeff would do fine on their own. He had his doubts about the camp, especially after the radio broadcasts that Kenn and Tonya had been putting out. It sounded like Safe Haven was being overwhelmed.
Jeff’s thoughts were along the same lines. Would being there make a difference?
The two men exchanged looks that asked the same questions, but neither of them spoke. Their wounds hadn’t healed yet.
Sally came into the main room, rubbing in hand sanitizer. “There are mice in the garage.”
“Drawn to the heat,” Jeff stated, thinking it was really the smell. “We’ll lock that door and seal it up until the animals need to use it.”
Jeff was very unhappy to have Sally’s two dogs here. Using the garage as an outhouse was disgusting. It was unsanitary and it stank. He wouldn’t let it continue for long.
Sally ushered her dogs into the house so that she could shut the garage door. The pair scrambled for purchase on the wood floor, sending fresh noise through the house.
Jeff and Kevin glared. Both of them were about to complain when yet another sound broke the stillness.
Wooooooooo!
Dog’s ears snapped up. He knew that howl. She’s here! She’s calling me!
Dog went to the door and studied Jeff expectantly. Let me out.
“No,” Jeff denied. “They don’t know we’re here. If we open the door, they’ll come.”
Dog understood the problem, but he didn’t care. He wanted out.
Jeff knew better than to grab the wolf or try to touch him. He thought fast and offered a compromise. “I’ll let you out of a door or window when there’s nothing around.”
Dog followed Jeff much like the two small dogs did, eagerly and without caution.
Jeff peered through the boards over the back door. The wolf could find his own way from there.
Seeing nothing moving, he slowly slid the lock back and opened the door.
“Wait! My dogs will–”
The wolf rushed through the opening, making a deep furrow in the snow. Sally’s two dogs followed behind him, yapping happily at being released. Icy wind slapped them all.
“Shit!” Kevin hurried after them, with Sally right behind. Jeff drew his gun, silently cursing himself, the dogs, and the woman.
The wolf didn’t care about the unfolding drama or the snow. He took off jumping wildly through the drifts and then leapt, clearing the fence to land lightly in the side yard. He sank to the bottom of the snow and immediately leapt again to reach the packed layers frozen to the sidewalk between the homes. Making big jumps, Dog hurried to where the howl had come from. Let the humans fend for themselves for a while. I have things to do.
Jeff and Kevin helped Sally retrieve the two snow-covered dogs. Neither man spoke, but the mood was ugly. As they all came inside, sloshing wet and shivering from not having coats on, the smell of feces smothered them. They hadn’t noticed it while inside with it. Fresh air had allowed the men to smell the difference.
Jeff gagged, hearing Kevin do the same. Through the watering eyes and a twisting stomach, Jeff felt his patience snap.
“Yeah, that’s it for me,” he told Kevin between gags. “I’m out of here. You comin’?”
Also fighting not to vomit, Kevin cheerfully said, “I’ll have us packed in an hour!”
Sally stood still, processing the information. She was about to be alone. That’s what I want, right? For it to be me and the animals?
Sally glanced toward the covered front window, seeing signs of the bear they’d fought. She wouldn’t have been able to handle that on her own.
“Wait.”
Jeff already knew, but he wasn’t changing his mind. The gagging had stopped, but only because he was breathing through his mouth. “You can come if you leave the dogs. That’s why we’re going, remember?”
Sally scowled. “I can’t do that.”
“Don’t expect you to,” Jeff drawled. “I expect you to protect them even as you’re being eaten. Have fun.”
Kevin winced, but didn’t argue since Jeff was most certainly right. The woman had been here for days and they still didn’t know anything about her, other than the fact that she put her dogs first in every way.
They even ate before she did, and she finished their scraps. She clearly had mental issues. It had been official for Kevin when she’d gone to the garage with her dogs to urinate, instead of using the bathroom setup that he and Jeff had constructed. If she wanted to live like an animal, that was her choice and since this was her house, it was fair that they were the ones to leave.
The men gathered their gear and equipment quickly. They’d made sure nothing was too permanent unless it would be left behind. They went about the chore happily, talking about where they might go next and how they would get through the snow. Kevin still thought their truck could make it, at least to a dealership where they could get something better. Jeff didn’t give his thoughts. He wasn’t as optimistic about them making it out of the house to reach the truck that they’d been forced to store a few homes down. The garage here had been too small.
Jeff took a moment to scan the yard, uneasy at the delay in the action. He’d been certain the fight would come as soon as the weather cleared. Maybe they’d been quiet enough to go unnoticed by the predators that had plenty of fresh game, but it was unlikely. Between Sally’s dogs yipping, the wolf’s lonely whining, and the smells, Jeff was positive every animal in a two-mile radius knew there were people nearby.
“Don’t forget your vest,” Jeff reminded, starting on the cooking setup he’d enjoyed building. Connecting a tank to the old gas stove had allowed him to prepare some great meals here. All he’d had to do was replace the jets.
“Good idea.” Kevin dug his vest from the kit that he hadn’t touched since leaving, except to bring it inside wherever they sheltered.
Jeff tossed a box of ammunition onto the broken coffee table by Sally. She hadn’t moved since they’d decided to go. “I’d leave more, but we can’t spare it.”
Sally was surprised to be a bit leery at the thought of being alone again. She didn’t like the men, especially not Jeff, but she’d gotten used to them in only a few days. It was odd for her, considering that she suspected all people of being corrupt. She hadn’t bonded with another human being in years.
