by Angela White
When he was near enough, the man removed a blowgun from his pocket and loaded a tiny dart into it. The drugs were powerful and when the man blew it, the dart took his target down almost instantly.
Stuck in the folds of his stomach while he had his shirt lifted to urinate, the man staggered. He managed to get his pants fastened before the lethal cocktail took full effect and then the leader of Zone C fell forward.
Adrian carefully retreated the way he’d come, making sure not even the Eagles saw him. The feeling was thick and ugly, and the former leader resented every second of it. He’d been reduced to a garbage disposer.
Adrian entered his own camp, removing his cloak and dark makeup. He ignored the tired son and soldiers who observed him in interest, staggering to his tent. It had been a long day and he wanted to eat, drink, and then sleep–in that order.
Adrian froze at the sight of the man in his tent. “What do you want?”
Marc leaned back on Adrian’s bed, grinning widely. “Everything you’ve got.”
Adrian slung his kit down, doubting any of the people right outside knew he had a visitor. “I’m tired. Speak your piece and get lost.”
Marc chortled at the bravado and Adrian knelt down to untie his boots, grimacing at the humiliation. Marc knew he wasn’t a physical threat anymore.
“No, but you are a mental one, aren’t you?” Marc challenged, sitting up. “I want you gone. How do I make that happen?”
“Shoot me and then kill Kendle before she can heal me,” Adrian replied. “Don’t know why you haven’t already.”
“Yes, you do, you piece of shit,” Marc refuted, bitterness resurfacing. “She’s the reason I’m here.”
Adrian read Marc’s mind and lifted a brow. “What do you want me to do about it? I’m not even allowed to speak to her, remember?”
“You’re a banished traitor who is lucky to be alive.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Adrian agreed sarcastically. “That’s me.”
Adrian began removing his clothes, forcing Marc to view the new bruises and cuts, and the old scars. “I’m a tough old man, Brady. A tough, cursed old man. Go away and let me be. You have it all now.”
“I’m going to bring her here. You’ll heal her, fully.”
Adrian gaped. “What?”
“She’s not doing well,” Marc grumbled, looking away. “She needs help.”
“Whatever she needs,” Adrian vowed, regaining his composure. “I’ll be ready.”
Marc left through the rear of the tent, like he’d come in, without responding. He couldn’t without attacking. Angela needed Adrian for her health, for the information in his brain, and a few other things. Marc understood why the man was still alive and at times like this, he could even be grateful, but it didn’t stop the nearly uncontrollable rage. Adrian deserved to die, and the possibility that Marc might go first was hard to swallow.
6
Late night found a large crew of Eagles coming down the mountain to relieve them, and Neil was glad. Babysitting a quarantined camp wasn’t going to get the water they needed.
“Let’s go,” Neil said. “We’re not needed now.”
The team gathered gear, watching the fresh crew of Eagles roll into the water plant lot and scatter the men who were still surrounding it. Those on the outside had refused to believe Neil’s words of an outbreak, but armed Eagles in protective gear were quickly changing their minds. As Neil watched, the outside group finally got the hint and fled on foot. He had no doubt they would be begging at Safe Haven’s gates in the next few days. Their kind wasn’t capable of fending for themselves. They would always try to take what others had, through force or poverty.
Neil led his team three miles down the cracked and weedy road, to their alternate water location. As soon as they entered the lot, the feeling of it being empty was clear.
“Three miles further and they could have had clean water, without a fight.” Neil sighed. “What the hell is wrong with people?”
The team quickly cleared the plant and hooked up power so they would have light, then got to work on collecting the water. Thanks to Samantha’s idea about getting water from treatment plants, they now had a routine down–one that included testing and adding chemicals to sanitize the water. By the time the trucks in the rear of this plant were driven home, the water would already be clean enough to drink. When it reached Safe Haven, it would be tested again and then put into their reserves. Before any of it was used, it would be tested yet again. Angela didn’t take any chances with their water supply and Neil approved. One bad barrel getting through would reduce them to bodies littering the ground, like inside the now quarantined plant he’d toured.
As soon as he’d been able, Neil had stripped and scrubbed, not wanting to bring any of the contagious bacteria along. He’d even burned his boots, worried the muddy ground inside might have contaminated them. The good thing about Cholera was that it wasn’t transmitted from person to person. As long as none of the infected water got out, the outbreak could be easily contained. Neil didn’t envy the doctor or the Eagles on that duty, and made a mental note to shower a couple more times before he saw Samantha.
“We’ll be a few hours here,” Tim stated, unwinding the hoses.
“I’ll make the call,” Neil answered. “Dusk, you think?”
Tim estimated, and then shrugged. “Maybe a bit before. That last tank is cloudy. Like something fell into it and wasn’t fished out.”
They both thought of a body and Neil grimaced. “Fine, leave that one for the end and we’ll see what we can do about making sure this isn’t the next area we have to quarantine.”
“This is happening all over the country, right?” Tim questioned.
“Yes,” Neil responded gravely. “Food and water have gained the value of gold in trading now, right? In six months, you won’t even be able to get anyone to trade for those things. They’ll mean life or death for all of us.”
“Unless we go south,” Allan spoke up. He’d been laboring and listening, and he paused by them, wiping the sweat from his brow. “One island, one happy group of people. It could work.”
Allan went inside to attach the hoses to the truck Jake was pulling around, and Neil stared thoughtfully. Pitcairn Island sounded like a paradise to hear Kendle talk about it, and more people were listening to her stories, including the Eagles. When winter finally came and sealed them in the cave, Neil expected her following to grow instead of dying out. Some people might even want to try the trip before winter set in and Neil had begun to wonder what plan Angela had in place for that. She wouldn’t let Safe Haven be split up…would she?
Neil keyed his radio. “Water team for a check-in.”
“Go ahead, water team,” came Tonya’s reply.
“It’s good at the alternate. We’ll be in around dusk with a full load.”
“Very nice, Neil. I’ll tell the boss.”
“Copy.” Neil put his radio and jumbled thoughts away, and went to help his team collect the water. Tonya sounded calm, the noises had been calm, and Neil planned to get done and get home. He needed to see Becky and know that she hadn’t been hurt.
7
“Is that everything?” Shane asked, surveying the last trucks that were overloaded.
“I think so. Unless you want to take the roof,” Jax joked.
Shane laughed, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s get going.”
Shane’s team had been away from Safe Haven for five days, sending truck after truck from the lumberyard. The site was now barren and all of the men were proud of what they’d accomplished. They now had enough lumber to build a small town.
“Hey, is that one of ours?” Ben called, pointing to a small group of trucks rolling toward the mountain road that they would be on shortly.
Shane used his binoculars to zoom in and answered, “Yep. It’s Billy, and it appears they’re fully loaded too.”
“Come on,” Jax directed. “Let’s get in their line and make it a convoy.”
Shane joined Billy’s line of trucks, exchanging chatter over a free line on the radio, and the teams patiently waited to be admitted to the dumping areas below the cave.
It was a good moment for these men and Marc told Tonya to let the noise go without comment. All of these people were doing hard work to prepare for their future and they needed every laugh they could find.
Marc turned toward the main gate, where the loud refugees had fallen silent. They’d gone that way an hour ago and it was making him nervous. Come dawn, he was going into Zone C. When he came out, they might be a few less in number and he would be able to sleep.
Marc swept the cave and then the tent area, finding things calm. That also worried him and he headed toward the cave to do rounds there. It had been his experience that when Safe Haven was quiet and peaceful, it was because new trouble was brewing.
8
“Why are we letting them go?” Jay demanded, pacing in front of the fire. “We need their gear.”
Vlad frowned. “Go on and attack them. You can heal yourself this time.”
Jay wanted to shout at him, but Vlad’s shivering was hard to ignore. Healing three people had taken its toll.
“This sucks!” Vlad complained, not used to feeling these after effects. Jack had always tossed him a life after the battle, to refill him.
“How long do you need?” Jay asked impatiently.
“It’s been a while since I did this on my own,” Vlad confessed. “Might be a couple of weeks. Getting me some food will speed it up.”
“We’ll bring you one of their men,” Jay offered. “They’re all over this mountain right now.”
“It’s not the same as a descendant life,” Vlad corrected. “You’d know that if you came out with us more often.”
Jay sank down by the fire, not offended. “I’ll have to now that dad’s dead.”
The pleased tone sent Vlad to his feet. “Disloyal child! Have some respect.”
Jay cackled cruelly. “For Big Jack Devine? Not a chance. I could respect you, though, if you can kill them.”
Vlad snapped his mouth shut. After witnessing these Safe Haven people in action, Vlad wasn’t confident anyone could beat them. They had their bases covered and then some.
“He wants to run!” the bald man observed. His mind reading gift was strong, though none of his other gifts were.
“Maybe,” Vlad admitted. “But I won’t. I have a plan.”
He regarded the lights of Safe Haven that were giving a glow that could be traveled by even in the gloom. “We have to get above them.”
“How do we do that?” Jay questioned.
“We, don’t,” Vlad told him. “The rest of us will. You’ll be going to their front gates to beg for sanctuary. We need an inside man we can trust.”
“But the girl–“
“Isn’t on our side, or Jack would be here right now,” Vlad interrupted. “Get inside, discover a weakness, and be ready to exploit it. I’ll be in touch.”
9
A few miles away, Angela came from her tent early and went behind it. Kenn was waiting for her.
“The bodies are gone,” Kenn stated. “It happened overnight, so the Eagles think predators dragged them off.”
Kenn handed her a note he’d been given in a quick pass as Adrian and Conner left their site to go hunting.
I burned the bodies. Jack’s was missing. Everything is on schedule.
Angela casually dropped the note into the burning trashcan, pleased. “Tell him no one needs to know.”
Meaning Kendle and Conner. Kenn nodded and left without promising the same. He didn’t need to. Angela already knew he would keep it to himself and do anything else she said to if there was a chance she could get Adrian allowed back into Safe Haven.
Angela sighed, going to the mess. She still wasn’t positive that was possible, but if it were, she would make it happen.
Chapter Thirteen
Dangerous Distraction
Midnight
1
“Is everyone okay back there?” Kyle asked over the radio. The terrain and winds had been bouncing the truck all over the road for the last hour.
“Surviving,” came the reply.
Kyle and Whitney exchanged grins at the answer from the three nervous members. Being in the rear of the vehicle on a run wasn’t fun and often left the men with roiling stomachs and rough attitudes. The doctor had told them it was because they didn’t spend as many hours on the road anymore, but Kyle didn’t think that was true. In fact, he was under the impression that they were spending more time traveling, having to go farther on each trip to find what they needed, and it gave the men too many hours to worry.
We all need a real break, he thought. The stress is catching up.
They’d spent the day at the electric company, securing it and waiting for their relief to arrive. Once the stripping team had shown up, Kyle’s team had come north for the second half of their mission.
“Another five hours before we’ll reach our target,” Whitney commented, map spread over his knees. “You want to switch?”
“Not yet,” Kyle answered. He was still enjoying driving instead of riding a horse. His ass had ached for days. “We’ll sleep when we get there and start fresh in the morning.”
“Sounds good,” Whitney agreed. Thanks to Angela, they were expecting problems and being well rested was a good idea. If there were already people at the refinery, they had orders to keep going to the alternate site. If the second refinery also had people there, they were supposed to detour east and check a third site. Either way, they were on a long run.
Whitney put the map away, and then leaned against the seat. “Wake me when you’re ready.”
“You got it,” Kyle responded, certain he wouldn’t need to switch before they arrived. He was too wound up to sleep. His mind was split between Jennifer and Adrian, and he chose to dwell on the former leader in place of pining for Jenny. Dropping Adrian off on their way to the refinery hadn’t taken any extra time, but it had stolen his concentration. Did Angela plan to keep using Adrian until he did something big enough to be forgiven? There was a small chance that it would succeed with most of the camp, but Kyle didn’t think the Eagles would ever go for it. They’d given up everything to follow him and his ways, only to discover they were being led to a slaughter. If Angela hadn’t joined Safe Haven, Adrian would have handed all of them over to the government.
Distracted, Kyle missed the furry shapes in the road until he was right upon them.
“Shit!” Kyle jerked the wheel, swerving around the coyotes, and the truck hit a large pothole. It bounced violently, tossing the truck into the air, and Kyle fought to straighten it out, heart pounding.
Kyle regained control as cries of surprise filled the truck, and he sighed in relief. “That was–”
The tree across the road was hidden by an old wreck and there was no time for brakes or evasive maneuvers. The front of the truck hit the tree and the vehicle of shouting men flipped into the air.
When the mangled truck finally came to a stop, there was silence in place of the screams.
2
Sally peered through her black curtains, observing the accident. She’d already doused her lights and gotten her gun out, but the wreck was ugly and she hadn’t seen any movement. Had anyone survived? Do I care?
Sally sighed unhappily. She didn’t trust people. She had waited, hoping they would crawl out and disappear. She didn’t want to have contact with strangers. Strangers were always a danger.
Sally reluctantly donned her boots and kept her gun handy as she eased outside. The night was quiet, still, and cold and she could hear th
e moans clearly. Someone had survived and it sounded like a man.
Sally circled the truck in a wide path, using her penlight to view through the windows. She counted five men and at least three of them were dead. Being impaled was a particularly nasty way to go, but at least the trio in the rear hadn’t suffered long.
Sally moved toward the front, and she shined the light on the passenger. He was banged up, but only his awkwardly bent arm seemed serious.
As she shined her light on the driver, Sally realized she could smell gas and she peered at the ground, hoping to find it dry.
The puddle was slowly coming her way and Sally hurried on to the driver, not positive yet what she would do.
Kyle moaned as the light hit his face. Hanging upside down and dazed from the impacts, he groaned at the pain. “Please. Help my men!”
Impressed that he would care for his people even though he was obviously injured, Sally tried to open his door.
It swung wide after a few tugs and Kyle hit the seatbelt button, tumbling out onto the icy pavement.
Sally went to the passenger door and dragged the other man from the wreck, trying to avoid pulling him through the fuel.
Quickly out of breath, Sally knew neither man was out of range if that gas caught fire, but she didn’t think she could transfer them by herself.
Pop!
Sally jumped at the loud bang from the truck. Fear of a spark got her to her feet. She began to tug the passenger a few inches at a time. At least one of them might survive.
Kyle groaned louder, pain everywhere, and he screamed as he was grabbed by the arm. More pain flared and he passed out, unaware of being jerked across the rough road.
Dog whined in pain as he strained on his casted leg, feeling the plaster crack. He was sorry for the teeth punched into Kyle’s arm, but it seemed like the only safe place to get a hold of him.
Dog lunged backward, and skin ripped, cast shattering, and Kyle’s body slid to the edge of the ditch and then rolled down the small hill.
Dog followed him just as the truck exploded.
