Her Secret Protector Bear (Oak Mountain Shifters)

by Leela Ash

  “I do!” The boy said, offering him a twisted grin and raising his spear up into the air. “We’re getting ourselves a chance to get fucked up and take whatever the hell else you have with you. Must be our lucky day.”

  “I know you guys are probably really hungry,” Jax said, realizing that they might not belong to any of the tribes and had possibly been bluffing to protect themselves. “Maybe I can take you to a place where you can be fed. There’s a settlement up north, people don’t want any violence. They’ll accept you there and feed you as long as you do your part.”

  “That’s a fairytale,” the girl spat, coming closer to Jax.

  “It’s not, I’ve been there.”

  “Well then we’ll go there with your beer,” the boy laughed, readying himself to throw the spear at Jax.

  Jax sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. They weren’t getting the hint. They were too young and arrogant to realize that they wouldn’t be able to take down a well fed and well rested man like him, even if there were four people in the same condition they were in. His heart really went out to them but they had left him no choice. They wanted to take what he needed and he would have to defend himself now.

  Before the spear was released from the boy’s feeble grip, Jax lunged at him and tackled him down onto the ground. The woman unleashed a cry of fury and ran toward him, hoping to impale him with the spearhead. He kicked her away, causing her to fall flat on the ground with an oomph that told him he had knocked the wind out of her.

  She was struggling to get back on her feet and Jax grabbed the boy’s spear, debating whether or not he should kill them both or let them go. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his calf and turned around, peering into the face of the sneering woman. She had pierced him with her spearhead, and that made up his mind for him.

  With a growl, he quickly snapped the young boys neck and turned rabidly on the woman, using the boy’s spear to pierce her through the chest. She looked at him in disbelief and anguish, and Jax found himself apologizing as she sank down to the ground. He hadn’t killed anybody in so long that he cursed Layne for making him weak. That wasn’t something that he could afford to be in a world like this. Being isolated for so long had softened him, made the dangers of the real world seem impossibly difficult. He had been able to get over it before, but now that she had softened him up, how could he handle living like this anymore?

  He turned away from the gruesome scene and walked away shuddering, unable to believe how difficult it had been to slay them. The year before, he would have thought nothing of it, and cursed their souls for daring to think that they could steal from him. He remembered what it was like to need, and now that he was in a position of privilege, entering into the world where he had come from, he couldn’t help but feel anything but an acute sense of grief.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Jax had been gone for about five hours, and Layne was beginning to feel restless. She had no idea how long it would take for him to return, but she knew that he wouldn’t dare to come back without having exactly what she needed. She felt unworthy of a devotion so powerful, but at the same time, it made her feel safe in such an uncertain world.

  It would be nice to find out what was going on with her body, and no matter what it was, she would have to brace herself for better or worse. That also meant that preparing herself for both the best and the worst if she turned out to be pregnant.

  She was terrified of the idea of putting another being into the world, someone that she could love and hold and take care of, only to have them snatched away from her by the same virus that took everybody else that she loved in such a gruesome way. She didn’t think that she would be able to survive from that kind of tragedy. It would be like losing a piece of herself.

  How would they be able to take care of another person? She almost hoped that she was just mortally ill so she wouldn’t have to worry about these terrible things. Either way, it was up to her, and now that Jax was out of the house it was the perfect opportunity for her to go out and scavenge for the material she would need.

  Layne was suddenly stricken with a burst of motivation unlike anything she had felt in the past few months. She always felt more alive when she had a purpose, and lately her purpose had been to create a more sustainable home. Now that she didn’t have to worry about making Jax vulnerable to attack, as he surely would be if they went out together, she could go out and get what she needed. There was an abandoned neighborhood a few miles away. If she could look for supplies, maybe she could stop worrying and figure out exactly what she wanted to do. She knew she couldn’t handle the emotional difficulty of losing a child to the virus, and felt like it would be unfair to subject a baby to the world as it was.

  But she also felt optimistic and hopeful. Maybe they would be able to have a normal family together. Two parents with immunities might mean that their child would be safe. It wasn’t a guarantee but it was possible. And they could have a normal family together, settling into the little cottage, living off their garden. Maybe everything would be all right.

  She packed a bag as quickly as she could, making sure to bring extra water in one of the mason jars that they had found in the cellar. With the way she had been feeling, she thought it would be best to stay extra hydrated. She was sick, not stupid.

  Layne closed and locked the door behind herself, glancing nervously back at her garden. It could do for a couple of days without tending, but any longer than that and she might as well have kissed all of her months of hard work good bye. Between the wildlife and the weather, she hardly trusted it to survive without her special touch. But that would be okay. She wouldn’t be gone long. It was only a couple of miles away. She had done less than that in just a couple of hours back before she and Jax had begun getting settled.

  “I’ll be back soon,” she promised the little cabin, resisting the strange impulse she had to wave good bye to the little settlement. Everything was still though, and she told herself that it would be all right to leave, just for a little while. Either way, everything would be okay. She would just have to believe that.

  ***

  Jax was shaken up by the time he reached the river where he had first spoken to Layne. He dropped to his knees and dug a small hole, letting the water filter through and drinking deeply from his cupped hands. He had missed the taste of the fresh water, and needed some to splash on his face after killing the two hopeless wanderers. He had done his best to help them. They had given him no choice. He had to keep believing that.

  Suddenly, he got to his feet and threw up. Fuck, he thought fearfully. What if he was sick too? Did that mean that Layne wasn’t pregnant after all? Had they both become infected with something dangerous?

  Or maybe he was just feeling really nauseated after killing those two kids and the stream water wasn’t agreeing with him. If they were both sick, a doctor would be even more important. The only person he knew was Tobi from Hex, who might have some knowledge about a doctor. Everybody else refused to talk to him and saw him as a traitor. Maybe Tobi could point him in the right direction.

  It was as good a plan as any, and so he made his way down the familiar pathway, wondering when he would be able to get in touch with Tobi. Sometimes they expected each other, but he hadn’t seen her in months. She probably assumed that he was dead. He had been a pretty regular visitor, although it had been dangerous at the time, especially because the leader of Hex, Shark Tooth (formerly known as Jimmy Fletcher Junior), had a huge grudge against him.

  Jax had been the one man in the tribe who Shark Tooth had hoped to rely on, someone he could call a brother and a friend. He had wanted to take him in as his prodigy, because Jax was one of the most brutal fighters he had ever seen. He had taught him more about street fighting and even got him in touch with a master of martial arts so that he could channel all of his talents. He had learned a lot from Shark Tooth, who had been hurt deeply when Jax finally decided that life in Hex just wasn’t for him.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t just be
hurt about it – he treated it as if Jax had wronged him more than anybody ever could have, making an enemy out of him. He made sure that nobody in the tribe would welcome him back. They were all ordered to report directly to Shark Tooth if they saw Jax anywhere near the headquarters, and Jax knew that although Shark Tooth wasn’t a match for him physically, strategically he would probably be able to get him sooner or later. But that wasn’t going to stop him from checking in with Tobi.

  He would just have to trust his instincts and hope that everybody thought that he was long gone by now. He was pretty sure the Jackals would have it in for him too, so he decided to stay away from their tribe. Even if they offered to help, it would be more likely that they would double cross them.

  Jax was getting tired but he mostly felt emotionally and mentally drained from having to deal with the two kids. He hadn’t even bothered to search them for something useful. He would let some other desperate looters deal with that. He had everything that he needed back at home with Layne. If they were going to have a baby, then there was a lot they would need to do in the meantime to prepare. They would need to gather more food and find more materials for clothes and blankets. It would be difficult but they could manage. They would have to.

  The sun was beginning to set as he finally came upon the neighborhood that marked the final stretch between the river and the Hex settlement. It would be a long ride in the morning, so he did as he usually did and found the old house where his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins had once lived. It was the closest to a safe place that he had found before he and Layne had discovered the homestead. Now they had forgotten what it really meant to be in danger.

  He had never ventured very far into the house, but now that there was the possibility of a baby on the way, he decided to poke through the ghostly bedrooms. His family had suffered, and the only good thing about it was that they had been fortunate enough to have some medical relief before the virus was totally understood. Many people had died right out in the street or on the floor of their homes.

  If he could find some blankets to bring home, it would be great, but he would have to be careful of mold. Jax hissed as he walked. The girl with the spear had gotten him good, and it hurt more when he walked on his foot than it did when he was pedaling the bike. There wasn’t much of use in the house anyway, and it was stirring up terrible memories. Every little noise was making him feel jumpy and displaced so far from home. If he didn’t take care of his wound, it could get infected and cause even more problems. It was his job to keep himself alive. Nobody else would do that for him.

  He was glad to be inside as the sun started to set, although it gave him the creeps to hear the sound of all the empty buildings around him. He tried to distract himself, pulling a bottle of alcohol from under the couch where he had hidden it and dabbing his wound with it. The debris was blowing in the wind and the houses shifted and groaned in the night. He tried never to think about how desolate it felt. He had dealt with life alone for over two years, but he had become an expert at steeling himself from his emotions about it. If he could deal with the loneliness, he could deal with anything.

  He was far too used to spending his nights with Layne to be comfortable sleeping in the old house alone. He could hardly wait to get back to her. He couldn’t stand worrying. He curled up on the couch, pulling out the familiar but musty blanket from the drawer in the end table beside it where he had stashed it, and covered himself up, staring off into the distance and hoping that Layne was okay.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Layne looked around nervously. It had been a long time since she’d been out this far on her own, but she was pretty sure that she could remember the way. The sun was setting but she knew that she was close. The big cats would be out soon, so she would have to be careful. Many of the zoos had animals that had escaped, though most of the humans had the vicious foresight to put the animals down before they began to roam freely through the streets. Still, a few cunning species had escaped and begun to roam wild. They were somewhat rare but they were out there and everybody knew it.

  Her main concern was lions, but there had been rumors of both a panther and a leopard on the move. The feral cats, distant relatives of the pampered housecats of her past, hunted at night, and if she wasn’t careful she could get some vicious, needle-like claws in her ankles. Wherever they were, she would have to use caution.

  She remembered how Jax had been half-joking with her about bringing in a kitten and domesticating it. Being a scientist, Layne just shook her head. She had always believed that house pets were an atrocity against nature, and domesticating them was a selfish and all-too-human thing that she refused to do.

  She had decided against bringing the rifle with her, but now she regretted it. When Jax came home, she wanted him to be able to find it where it always was. She didn’t feel very safe handling it. It was relatively new to her to have a gun and she Liked it better put away in the closet. But that could be a mistake that cost them their home. If anybody came and broke into the cabin, they would be able to defend it and take it as their own if they found the rifle. Maybe she should go back and get it.

  But she was already too far gone now. The best she could do was hurry up and get what she needed and leave as soon as possible. Without the gun, she would have to find shelter soon, or she would have to keep moving all night. She couldn’t decide whether it would be better to be a sitting duck more or vulnerable prey on the move, catching the attention of lounging predators. Either way she was a target.

  A wave of nausea overpowered her and she paused, taking a long drink of water. She should rest. It would do her no good to get herself into needless trouble. Jax would expect to find her home in one piece. She couldn’t let him down. She would never forgive herself if she got herself killed on such a foolish mission. But she couldn’t just sit at home and do nothing, not when there were so many preparations to make.

  Layne was growing weary and inevitably found a place to make camp and built a fire, hoping it wouldn’t attract unwanted attention. It had been a while since she had to fight, and she hoped she would be able to hold her own when it came down to it. It was getting really cold, especially at night, and she shuddered underneath her blanket, hoping that whatever her journey brought would be useful in the future.

  Jax was quiet and complex, but she knew that he would make a great father, especially in a world like the one they were now trapped in. In fact, he was probably looking forward to fatherhood, not dreading it the same way she was. The dark current of “what-ifs” just wouldn’t leave her mind. Someone she loved unconditionally might soon be born into a world where it was almost guaranteed that they would suffer incredibly.

  But they didn’t have to, she told herself. There were options. If they were able to keep the child close by at all times, and teach it how to make something of the world around them, then there was hope. Children gave adults a reason to work toward change for the better.

  What the world really lacked now was hope and possibility for a better future. Many of the brightest minds in existence had been snuffed out by the virus. Many of the people who thought they had the brightest minds had caused the greatest destruction that humanity had ever known. Worldwide destruction. An irony that the survivors would live to laugh bitterly about.

  She knew there were still survivors all over the world, and many of them went about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. People in different countries who didn’t have the same modern luxuries as the Western world were probably still thriving the same way that they always had. They knew how to farm, they had agriculture and the business all figured out. Commerce was nothing, bartering and trading was normal, and it didn’t leave so many twisted, greedy people around in tribes ready and willing to pillage for whatever they thought they might need.

  The Western world had left many people hardened, very selfish and very incapable of sustaining themselves for the long-term. The tribes were often on the prowl for intelligent people, and if they knew that she had
been a scientist in her former life, they probably would have tried to kidnap her by now. They thought that having a person more than capable of logic was a way that they could secure a better livelihood for themselves. Somehow they might still end up ahead in the race toward civilization.

  The Westerners had truly started over again in the Stone Age. All that was left were the relics of the recent past and hope that they would be able to someday create and build a civilization as secure as the one they had lost.

  She fell asleep uneasily, unable to trust her surroundings enough to rest. It had been a long time since she had to sleep with one ear open. She would just have to do her best to stay on her guard and head out as soon as the sun touched her face.

  ***

  Jax woke up with the sun and headed outside, knowing that he had to get to Hex quickly. If Layne was suffering alone, he wouldn’t forgive himself. She meant everything to him.

  The familiar path began to open up to him, and he slowed himself down, opting for caution. He dismounted the bike and hid it, walking slowly, deliberating every step. He felt deeply uncomfortable, unable to count how long it had been since he’d tried to get in touch with Tobi. With any luck, she would be able to break away from the group quickly to meet him. He had a whistle that he used to summon her when they were far away sometimes, and hopefully she would know it was him and be able to meet him in their usual spot.

  He climbed into the tree and whistled, something mixed between a Robin and a bluebird. He usually waited there for about 20 minutes, but this time he was worried that Tobi could have left the tribe or that she was off doing something else. If that was the case, he would have to wait there for a long time, and he didn’t feel like he had a long time to wait.