by M. J. Haag
A hum filled the air, and the outer gate began to move. Byllo rushed through with Timmy first then the fey who held Savvy. Drav waited until all of the fey carrying humans had wedged their way through before he moved forward into the press of bodies. Slowly, the remaining fey followed. I saw the problem right away. We wouldn’t all fit. Still, the rest of the fey backed toward the opening, keeping the infected from reaching us.
The hum filled the air again, and the outer gate began to close.
I twisted around in Drav’s arms and looked at the men. They had their guns poised, ready to fire. But at who? Us? The fey still outside? The infected?
“If they start firing on the rest of our group, we need to stop them,” I said softly to Drav.
“Yes.”
The outer gate barely closed when the inner gate swung inward.
“Move quickly!” a man shouted.
Drav tensed. I waited for the first bang to sound. Instead, a man stepped forward and started waving for us to hurry.
“Move!” he said again.
Byllo sprinted forward, the rest of us following. But not far. A circle of heavily armed men surrounded us. Drav stopped and turned back. We watched Molev and the rest continue to fight. My pulse raced as an infected bit down on his arm. The last fey ran from the space of safety between the two gates, and the inner gate swung shut.
I looked back at the men with the guns then Molev. The man shoved the infected back and ripped off his head before turning and dealing with another.
The outer gate began to hum once again. The remaining fey backed into the opening, a solid front against the infected. A garbled yell came from within the mass of milky-eyed bodies, renewing the frenzy of the creatures.
“Get in position!” someone yelled.
More men ran forward, passing around our guards to stand five feet from the fence, their guns aimed at the infected and the fey now trapped between the two gates. The fey didn’t stop fighting until the last infected within the enclosure with them fell to the ground.
No one opened fire on the infected still outside the fence. The gate didn’t open either.
“Timer!” someone yelled.
“Three minutes,” someone called back.
“Put me down, Drav,” I said.
He started too, but a shot into the air and a yell stopped him.
“Do not move!”
I looked over his shoulder anyway to the man who was doing all the yelling.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked. “They just killed a quarter of the infected out there.”
“And they were bit. Some of you could have been bitten, too. Timer,” he said again.
“Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” another man answered.
“So you’re waiting to see if some of us will change? These men won’t. Didn’t Commander Willis contact you?”
“He did. And I surely hope that these fey men can do what he said they could.”
For the next eleven minutes, we all just stood there with guns trained on us. I honestly didn’t mind so much because, beyond the lines of men with weapons, there were lines of people fearfully watching us. The guns were meant to protect them, the survivors.
“Time’s up!” the man with the watch yelled.
There was a long moment of silence then the inner gate made a noise and swung open for the remaining fey to enter the base.
“Now, which of you is Molev?” the man in charge asked.
“I am,” Molev said, stepping forward.
“Welcome to Whiteman. You and your men are sorely needed. Will you follow me so I can explain our situation?”
“No,” I said before Molev could move.
“No?” the man asked.
“Who are you? And, where are my parents?”
“I’m Matt Davis.”
“No title?”
“None that would really matter anymore.”
The way he said it set a lead ball in my stomach. As bad as it had seemed out there with the infected getting smarter, I’d hoped that was just my skewed perception. Having someone in charge of a safe zone say something like Matt just had, meant we were as screwed as I’d thought.
From the sea of uniformed military personnel, two people rushed forward.
“Mya!” my mom yelled.
Drav immediately set me on my feet.
“Mom! Dad!” I ran toward them, meeting them halfway. Their arms encircled me. Mom sobbed and held me tightly. Dad pressed several kisses to the top of my head.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Mom said, pulling back to look at my face.
“Me either,” I studied her just as hard, memorizing the new worry lines creasing the corners of her soft brown eyes.
“Where’s Ryan?” I asked.
“Cleaning up infected at another gate,” she said.
Drav moved behind me, drawing her attention. I realized he had Dad’s attention, too.
“Mom, Dad, this is Drav. He’s the reason I’m alive. He found me that first night and kept me safe even though he had no idea what I was.”
“You smelled good,” Drav said.
I grinned and blushed slightly. Mom’s gaze flicked between us.
“I see.”
“And there are your parents, as promised,” Matt Davis said. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to speak to Molev.”
I glanced back at Matt.
“They need to clean up first. Although the infected blood doesn’t bother them, it could contaminate others.”
“I understand your concern,” Matt said. “However, I’m hoping they will be willing to leave again. We need to clear the infected from the fence line so we can do a supply run.”
“You were using your guns before, use them now.”
“The sound draws them in.”
“Yeah, which makes me question why you started using guns after your plane flew over and saw us coming.”
He glanced at everyone around him then back at me.
“We had to know if what Commander Willis said was true.”
“And what did he say?” I asked.
“That these men fought like demons and could kill anything.”
“They can and have been. First showers, then talking.”
I looked at my parents. Mom still silently cried. Tears of joy that broke my heart a little. I wanted to hug her some more. Both of them. But I knew that Drav and Molev needed me more at the moment. Matt had plans for them, and I had to be sure those plans wouldn’t lead to their annihilation.
“I’m so glad to see you,” I said quickly. “Let me clean up and listen in on the talks, then I’ll come find you.”
Mom nodded and waved me off. Dad hugged her.
I turned to Matt.
“These men are not your new weapon. They might be your new allies, though.”
He nodded.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the showers myself,” he said.
The other humans in our group walked beside their newly made fey friends. Matt didn’t question their presence, relieving me a little. When we reached a large building, he pointed toward the two labeled doors.
“Ladies to the left and gents to the right,” he said. “We converted this building for temporary public showers to accommodate all the families, which you’ll see when we tour the zone. It’s rustic, but it will do the job. You’ll find what you need inside.”
“I’ll stick with them,” I said, taking a step toward the men’s room.
Matt started to frown, but I held up a hand.
“You needed proof to trust. I’m no different.”
“Fair enough.”
I stepped inside and studied the ceiling while giving basic instructions for turning on the showers, adjusting the temperatures, and rinsing away the infected blood.
“Rinse your clothes out, too,” I said. “You’ll probably need to wear them around wet. Sorry guys.”
As soon as everyone finished, we stepped back out into the light.
My parents had joined Matt in waiting.
“Mya, I thought you might be more comfortable with your parents showing the rest of your group around while we speak.”
Mom gave me an encouraging nod and glanced at Drav again. I turned to Molev.
“You okay with the rest of the men going with my mom and dad?”
“Yes.”
I focused on the group behind me. “These are my parents. Remember the rules. No swear words in front of them. No asking the questions you know you’re not supposed to ask. No challenges until after you get back. No matter what. We clear?”
A bunch of “Yes, Mya,” followed.
“Mom, do you have more daughters?” one of the guys in back asked.
“Are you married to Dad?” another asked.
“New rule. No questions at all until you get back,” I said.
“Mya,” Mom scolded with a hint of amusement, “they can ask us whatever questions they want.”
“No, they can’t.” I felt on the verge of a heart attack just thinking of one of them asking to see her southern parts using the p-word.
I gave the men a hard look. “I mean it.”
Matt cleared his throat.
“Follow me,” Mom called. The men walked after her, and I could already hear her talking about the base.
“They will keep her safe, Mya,” Drav said.
I smiled and shook my head.
“I know they will. I’m more worried about what they’re going to say.”
Drav, Molev, and I followed Matt to another building where he had maps pinned to movable boards.
“What is all this?” I asked, looking at the colored pins placed here and there.
“Bombed cities, clusters of infected, fallen safe zones, remaining safe zones, and sightings.”
“Sightings?”
“Of the two men you’re hunting and of the hellhounds. I won’t go into the boring details of how we know all of this—”
More like he still worried the fey would somehow use those details against them.
“—but I wanted to show you what we face so you understand why we need your help. The black pins are bombed cities. The red pins are fallen safe zones. The green pins are functioning safe zones. The yellow pins are high volume areas of infected. The white pins are sightings. We’re here,” he said, pointing to the lone blue pin.
Black, white, and red dominated the area around us. McAlester had a red pin in it.
“Commander Willis?” I asked, touching the pin.
“On his way here in an armored truck. The infected breached his fence this morning.”
“They’re getting smarter,” I said.
“They are,” he agreed. “But, a bullet to the head will still end them.”
“So, what do you need from these guys?”
“Their help. We need to end the most aggressive source of the infection. The hounds know we’re here and want in. Without the perimeter lights, the fence is useless to keep us safe. But, if we can eliminate the hellhounds, we might have a chance. Not just here but worldwide.”
“Do you know how many hellhounds there are?” I asked.
“We’re estimating over one hundred here and almost as many overseas.”
I looked at Drav and Molev. Why had it taken them so long to catch onto the fact that eating the deer made them monsters? Sighing, I faced the board again.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“The hounds hide during the day. Usually in abandoned buildings. We’re hoping if these guys go in after them, they can pick them off when they are at their weakest.”
“We will help you,” Molev said.
“Thank you.” Matt’s relief showed in the droop of his shoulders.
“I was thinking we could divide your men into three groups to attack here, here, and here,” he said, pointing at white pins on the map.
“When?” Molev asked.
“Just after first light tomorrow.”
“We will meet you at the gate.”
Matt extended his hand, and Molev looked down at it. I reached forward and shook Matt’s hand. Matt gave me a surprised look but caught on when he glanced at Molev and found the fey studying our hands. Molev shook his hand after I let go.
Although we’d just reached Whiteman, I knew the world outside the fence wasn’t going to give us a break because we were tired and wanted to rest. The fey needed to go. And the fact that I didn’t like it one bit didn’t matter.
“Make sure the men who go with you come back,” I said.
Matt nodded and resumed his study of the board as we walked out.
Sixteen
Mom and Dad were just outside the door, waiting.
“Where are all the fey?” I asked.
“We left them with their friends. They’re figuring out the tent assignments. We thought you might want to join them. But, maybe we could talk first?”
“Yes, I’d like that.” I hugged both my parents again then followed them as they led the way down a road.
“This part of the base is still used for the planes and pilots and whatnot. Toward the back, in the open areas, the military set up tents for the survivors when this first started. There’s a lot of room now,” she said sadly. “A week ago, one of those hellhounds got in and killed quite a few people before leaving again. It took a while to clear the infected out. Last night, another hound showed up. It didn’t get as many. We all sleep with guns now.”
It felt surreal hearing my mom say that.
She continued pointing out areas of interest as we walked our way across the fenced-in base. When we spotted the tents, I saw immediately that the fey had a table set up and were arm wrestling some humans.
I made a noise of exasperation.
“Oh, be nice,” my mom said. “It’s obvious they are trying to fit in. And they are so nice.”
Dad snorted.
“What?” I asked, suspiciously. “What did they do?”
“Oh nothing. Your father is still miffed that one of them asked to see my pussy.”
“Oh, God.” Both my worst nightmares had come true. They’d asked the question they weren’t supposed to and my mom just said the p-word.
“Mya, don’t you dare scold them. It’s obvious they’re curious about us and are just trying to learn. Here we are,” Mom said, stopping in front of one of the drab green tents. She pulled back the flap and motioned for us to enter.
I went inside the square canvas tent and looked around the dim interior. The space wasn’t huge by any standards; but there was a small stove to the side for heat, a cot across from it, and two more shoved together against the back wall. As my parents sat on the doubled cots, Drav and I settled on the ground, our backs to the unlit stove.
Guessing the single cot belonged to Ryan, I glanced at the opening of the tent, half hoping he’d suddenly show up. I needed to see him.
“Ryan’ll be back shortly. His shift at the gate is almost done, sweetie,” Mom said, catching my gaze.
I nodded.
“We’ve worried about you every minute since the attack. Will you tell us what happened? How you two met?” Dad asked.
“Yeah. I guess I should start from the beginning.”
I told them everything but glazed over some of the details of how Drav and I met. My parents listened raptly, not interrupting at all. Mom did sniffle, though, when I told them how Drav and I had been only a step behind them during the week before the bombings started.
Drav grabbed my hand and rubbed his thumb against mine when I spoke of his world and our time there. My parents gripped each other’s hands when I described what happened to me at the superstore, and my heart broke at the sight of Mom’s silent tears.
She waited until I finished before she slid off the cot and held out her arms.
“Oh, baby,” she sniffled against my hair.
“Quite a tale, Sis.”
I looked toward the entrance of the tent. Ryan stood there, the afternoon light shadowing his features. Since
I had last seen him, shaggy brown hair had been replaced by a short, almost military cut.
I swallowed hard and untangled myself from Mom to rush to my brother. He hugged me hard in return as my hands brushed the rifle strapped to his back.
“I wasn’t sure we’d get to see each other again,” he said, still holding me.
“Your messages helped. Thank you.”
He gave me a brotherly pat then released me. I really looked at him. He had worry lines around his eyes now, too, and he looked much leaner. I tugged him further into the tent.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Long enough to hear about your time down under and the trouble you’ve been brewing since you came back.”
His gaze went to Drav, who still sat on the ground.
“This is Drav,” I said, taking a step closer to the man who’d stolen my heart.
Drav stood and nodded toward Ryan.
“Sorry about the welcome you received at the gates. But, thank you for bringing Mya to us. For keeping her safe. Keeping her alive.”
Ryan held out his hand to Drav. Drav glanced at it, then at my brother, before clasping his forearm. Ryan returned the gesture.
“She is the only good thing up here,” Drav said. “I will always keep her safe.”
Ryan didn’t try to stifle his laugh this time.
“You’ll fit in just fine.”
Dad stood and repeated Ryan’s thanks and handshake. Seeing all the people I cared about finally together warmed my heart.
“So what happened to you guys? I want to hear everything.”
We all settled back into our seats, Ryan joining Drav and me on the ground.
“Ryan started talking nonsense about hounds in Germany,” Dad said. “He was so worked up, we had already agreed to pack up and head to the cabin before we even heard the first howl. Ryan figured out real quickly that the lights kept those monsters away. We stayed in the house with every light on until after the hounds swept through the city. Then, we loaded up the car, rigged floodlights on the roof, and headed north. We made it to the cabin with no problems. But, it helped that we arrived after the hounds had already gone through.”
I nodded. “We saw Doug.”
