by M. J. Haag
While most of the infected didn’t get far, a few of the smarter, faster ones did.
“It looks like they took two of those,” Eden said, pointing at a pile of felled trees neatly stacked not far from the fence. “But how?”
“We will find out after the infected are dead,” Ghua said.
He ran full out toward the fence, not far from the breach, and jumped cleanly over the top rows of barbed wire. Kerr and I were a second behind them. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he kept running, though. I looked back as Ghua set Eden on her feet. She pulled a firearm from her pocket and joined the other armed survivors shooting at the infected.
“I better not have to remove any bullets from these fey,” I said, focusing on Kerr’s path.
“They will be careful,” he said.
“I meant the humans better take care not to shoot them.”
He grunted.
The hangar loomed in the distance, fey and infected fighting just outside the doors. I’d never seen a breach this bad since the fey had joined us.
“How are we going to get in?”
I didn’t for a moment think that we wouldn’t. Heads were flying at a rapid rate. However, there were some infected hanging back, watching our approach. The spark of awareness in their eyes worried me.
“Through the door,” Kerr said.
As I watched, one of the fey pounded on the door and called out Matt’s name. Several others split away from the fight and ran toward us. With a guard, we made it to the door just as it swung outward and Kerr ran inside.
The door shut behind us with a bang, and I looked around the crowded hangar at the people milling around. A fearful energy hung in the air. Softly spoken words, sniffles, and some whimpers blended with the low hum of the overhead lights.
“We’re glad you’re here, Mrs. Feld,” Matt said from behind Kerr.
I tapped Kerr’s arm and indicated he should put me down. He did so with obvious reluctance.
On my own two feet, I faced Matt.
“How many are injured?”
He rubbed his hand over his face.
“So far? I have no idea. Anyone with an injury is waiting by the Med-Ward. Some of the fey are still searching the tents for survivors.” He glanced at the people inside and lowered his voice. “The infected were on the tents in less than a minute after the siren sounded. They moved so fast.”
He looked at Kerr.
“Is Molev on his way?”
“Molev is gone,” I said. “He left during our supply trip and didn’t say where he was going.”
Matt ran a hand through his hair and swore.
“We need more men,” Matt said.
“I will let Molev know,” Kerr said.
“You need to make the decision for him,” Matt said, his tone dropping an octave in his frustration and anger as his volume rose. “It can’t wait until Molev returns.”
With those words, he just helped me close the door on any lingering guilt I had over leaving the people of Whiteman. Not that I’d really had much guilt after the first night I’d slept in a warm house. And, I certainly had even less after last night’s bliss-a-thon. Kerr had a magic way of making me forget everything when we were alone. The magic being his persistent and sly ways to get me out of my clothes. Like stealing them when I was in the shower.
I snorted, and Matt shot me a look.
“Do you think this is funny?” he demanded.
I sighed and felt truly sorry for Whiteman’s leader.
“Neither this situation or your desperation is a laughing matter. You don’t need more men, Matt, you need a different location. The fence is too weak, and the infected are getting too smart. You need something like Tolerance. A smaller area to guard and a better wall. Something you can defend on your own, if need be.”
“What are you saying? The fey are withdrawing their help?”
“No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. After staying in Tolerance, I can see why the infected are staying away from it. Yes, it’s partly because of the fey presence, but you had that here, too. Like you’ve noticed, the infected are changing. Getting faster. Some of them are smarter. One smiled at me, Matt. I think some are smart enough to know Tolerance would be too hard for them to breach, and they’ve broken into Whiteman enough to know it’s possible.”
Matt’s shoulders dropped, and Kerr clapped a hand on one.
“We will help you find a new home, Matt Davis.”
Matt’s gaze swept over the people in the hangar.
“And until we find one?”
“You will have more men.”
“Thank you.” With a nod to both of us, he walked away to talk to several people in the crowd.
“Let’s see how we can help,” I said, already moving in the direction of the Med-Ward.
A line had formed, stretching from the screened opening and along the opposite wall. More than fifty people waited. A familiar pale head with a crown of braids stood out from the rest, and I hurried over to where Angel sat with her back against the wall and her head down on her knees.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, reaching out and touching her leg.
She lifted her head and swiped a dirty, shaky hand over her face. With her other hand, she lifted a bottle of juice to her lips and took a small sip.
“I think I’m fine. My heart’s racing, and I can’t stop shaking. But I think everything is staying where it’s supposed to be,” she said.
I nodded.
“I haven’t forgotten my promise,” I said. “When I’ve finished up here, I’ll come find you.”
She nodded and set her head back on her hands. The people nearest to us gave me odd looks. It wasn’t until I turned and found Kerr standing behind me that I realized the looks were for him.
“Come on. You can help me,” I said, taking him by the hand. “You can ask each of these people if they’re injured. Anyone bleeding or with something broken should be brought to me first.”
He nodded and moved off to the back of the line, working his way forward as I went to the front.
Most of the people I saw just needed reassurance that they wouldn’t become infected because of an open scrape. Those didn’t stay in line. A few needed stitches because of a fall or run-in with a tent spike. I addressed those first.
While I worked, we all listened. The fighting continued for a long while before Matt’s voice rang out with an all clear. He warned those who wanted to return to their tents that they should go out heavily armed.
“The fey have checked the grounds, but we all know the infected are getting smarter. Don’t take any chances. Go out, get what you need to live, and come back here.”
“Here? For how long?” someone called out.
“Until it’s safe,” Matt said.
“It’ll never be safe,” the woman I was working on said.
I looked up from her ankle. Her tired eyes met mine.
“It will be,” I said. “Don’t give up hope. Not now when we’ve made it through so much.”
She nodded, but I could see it wasn’t really agreement. I hoped Matt would seriously start looking for another place. Whiteman was no longer a safe zone, and that was destroying what was left of humanity’s hope.
People began moving around. Some leaving, some settling for the night.
Just before four in the afternoon, I finished with the last patient.
Kerr caught my hand and set his forehead to mine. He’d been at my side through every minute of every hour, helping like he always did.
“I need to keep my promise to Lilly,” he said. “It is time to take you home.”
My heart sang hearing those words.
“Home. I like that.”
I stood on my toes and kissed him softly. He pulled back and gave me a serious look.
“And when the kids are sleeping, we will need to try again.”
“Try again? For what?”
“Ghua said they are up to four times before Eden needs a nap.”
I laughed and soundly kissed the man who’d stolen my heart.
Epilogue
I sat with Mya in her darkened living room as she nibbled on a piece of chocolate.
“How’d you get Drav to leave?” I asked. “Kerr hovers when I sneeze. There’s no way he’d take a step from my side if I was throwing up.”
The throwing up was a new, worrying symptom, as was another small grey mark at the base of her spine.
She chuckled then winced and held her head.
“I told him if he didn’t leave, I’d never let him see my pussy again. I think it was the fact that I used the p-word that let him know just how serious I was.”
I chuckled.
“They do like using that word, don’t they?” I studied her face for a moment longer, wishing I could be more useful. “I’m sorry there’s not much I can do for you. Are you sure you don’t want to try some of the pills we came back with?”
“No. I’d rather save them for someone who really needs them.”
I bit my tongue. If anyone needed them, she did. Most people didn’t get accidently hurt anymore. The two scenarios were either healthy or infected, which is why I was so worried about Mya.
“Seriously, you’re helping just by being here. I need more distractions like this. Sitting in this house day after day makes it worse.”
Distracting conversation I could do.
“Any word from Molev?” I asked.
“No.” She set her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. “He’s never left like this before, but Drav’s completely unconcerned. He keeps reminding me that Molev is the strongest among them because of his damn hair. He doesn’t get that he was the strongest in their home, not necessarily here. There’s still so much they don’t know.”
“You’re very right about that. Shax asked me how babies are made. He’s completely infatuated with Caden.”
She smiled but kept her eyes closed.
“A few of them have come to me to ask where they can find babies. I hate telling them there’s little chance of finding some alive anymore, Caden being the exception.”
We both knew I’d been beyond lucky to find Caden.
Thoughts of babies inspired a new topic.
“Did I tell you about the new girl?”
“Mom did. I’m going to try to go say hello as soon as this headache gives a little.”
“Good. I think she’s going to fit right in here once she gets comfortable. She’s a bit skittish.”
Mya chuckled.
“Aren’t we all at first?”
“I suppose we are. The fey tend to change that pretty quickly, though. Don’t they?”
“They sure do.” She sighed and lifted her head to meet my gaze. “Want to go for a walk?”
“Just like that?”
“Yep. Just like that.” She stood and stretched. “A bit of chocolate and the headache fades enough that I can function again for a few hours. You should see my cupboard. Drav stole every bit of chocolate that was in the supply shed. There’s no real food in this house.”
I stood and started getting my coat and boots on.
“There’s not much in the supply shed either. Kerr and Drav gave the majority to Whiteman after the attack. They said we have enough to last us the week, but they’re planning on putting those extra trucks we have to good use in the next few days.”
“Any word from Whiteman?” She pulled up the zipper and reached for the door.
“They’re scouting neighborhoods for the move. Matt’s looking more high-strung than ever.”
“Between you and me, I’m glad there aren’t enough homes here to house everyone,” Mya said. “After seeing the way the survivors as a whole just wanted to hand over the responsibility of their survival to the fey, I like the separation. Yes, the fey should help us; it’s their curse that broke the world after all. But we need to help ourselves too. Put in some real effort, you know? If we can’t, we don’t belong here.”
I agreed with her. We needed to help ourselves and not abuse the fey’s willingness to help us. Yet, there were some things they just wouldn’t allow us to do. Well, the females anyway.
Outside, both Kerr and Drav were lingering on the sidewalk. When the door opened, they both froze like guilty kids. I grinned at Kerr.
“Let me guess…Shax is watching the kids?”
“He took them to play at Jessie’s house.”
That meant we would have the house to ourselves.
“I think I’ll take a raincheck on that walk,” I said to Mya.
She chuckled.
“Given the way Drav’s looking at me, I think I’ll need to do the same.”
Kerr crossed the street and scooped me up into his arms. From the corner of my eye, I saw Drav do the same to Mya, and I almost snorted at his softly worded question.
“Do I still get to see your pussy?”
Kerr started jogging before I could hear her answer.
“In a hurry?” I asked.
Kerr’s gaze flicked to my face.
“To be with you? Always.”
I smiled and laid my head against his chest. Kerr was the best thing to happen to me.
Thank you for reading Demon Deception! Cassie’s story was a bit more serious than Eden’s in Demon Escape. Rightfully so, given her situation. But, don’t worry. Demon Night, Angel’s story, is gearing up to be much lighter. Keep reading for a sneak peek!
Demon Night
I ran through the survivor camp with everything I had, one human in a herd of humans trying to escape the infected. The people around me were screaming and yelling, making it harder to hear what was behind us. I didn’t try to look. I already knew what the infected looked like. Pale. Cloudy eyes. Missing parts. A craving for human flesh.
A woman tripped on a tent stake and fell in front of me. If I were a better person, I would have stopped and tried to help her up. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I’d promised I would do everything in my power to survive, and I would. So, I kept running even as I cramped. Even as every breath sent a stab of pain through my middle.
You can do this, Angel.
Because I knew, if I couldn’t, I would die.
Out of nowhere, a fey came running at me.
“Get down!” he yelled.
I fell to my stomach and winced at the wet splattering sound behind me.
“Run,” he said.
I hopped to my feet, almost slipping on infected blood slicking the snow around me and ran again. I knew I was covered in infected blood but didn’t stop to remove any one of my seven layers. I needed all of them.
Ahead, I spotted the hangar. A beacon of safety.
I made it through to the door with several other winded runners. There was already a crowd of people inside. Cattle waiting for the slaughter if the fey couldn’t keep up with the infected pouring in.
One of the grey devils strode past as I walked small circles, trying to cool down from the mad sprint here. Tall, broad-shouldered, and all men, the fey appeared after the earthquakes that were felt around the world several weeks ago. If they were the only thing to appear, we would have been fine. The fey were huge, strong, and like ripping heads off of things, but they had a soft spot for women. Thankfully. Human men they only tolerated.
Too bad the hellhounds came before the fey.
Unable to bear the pain in my middle for a moment longer, I braced my hands on my knees and hoped that belly dive hadn’t hurt the baby. At just six months, I didn’t have much of a bump yet and had landed mostly on my knees and elbows.
Please just stay where you are, I thought to my stowaway. Now is not the time for a surprise appearance.
Not that I thought a few more weeks would make the world a safer place. Today. Tomorrow. Nine weeks from now. The length of time didn’t change the truth of our situation. This baby and I were royally fucked.
Okay…so that doesn’t sound lighter but it is. I promise! Get the scoop about Shax and Angel’s rocking road to dating and learn what’s up wi
th the rest of the survivors in Demon Night.
Big things are coming!
Pre-order today!
