by Angela White
Dog took a seat near the bloody window, observing the front yard.
Jeff watched her from the door, partly out of caution of a stranger and partly because of the feeling that things weren’t finished yet.
Sally hefted her bags and kits over her shoulders and wrists, wanting it all in one trip, and she let him hold the door open for her, but said nothing-not even thank you.
Sally awkwardly strode to the second small bedroom in the dusty hall, glad to discover that the men hadn’t been in here. She dropped her gear and went to the oil lamp on the mantle without using her flashlight. She knew her way around blindfolded.
“Can you use that gun?” Jeff asked from the doorway.
Sally pulled on her gloves with the tips missing, loving the mobility. “And that 30-30 you’ve got.”
“Good. The gate on the house next door might fit. I have to measure ours, then go over and take the new one off the hinges. You’re covering me.”
Sally didn’t argue. The sooner he got the gate replaced, the sooner she could use the outhouse. She’d needed to since she woke.
6
Jeff eased through the front door with his toolkit in hand, hoping the woman really could use the Winchester. Despite her height, Jeff doubted she was strong enough to carry the gate.
Sally stayed close, scanning for threats. Jeff had decided that only the small pack of wolves was actually dangerous and told her to watch them more than the other creatures. The tracks in the ankle-deep snow said bigger animals were nearby too, and he tried not to make much noise as they hurried to the side of the house.
Jeff studied their damaged gate and saw he’d been right about the fit. However, the frame was severely damaged. He wasn’t going to be able to replace it quickly or easily. Jeff swept the block for something to fill the area instead.
Pocketing his toolkit, he signaled at a minivan across the street. “Come on.” Jeff knew the battery wasn’t going to have power and he was glad the driveway that housed it was atop a short, steep hill.
He busted the window with the butt of his rifle, wincing at the noise, and opened the door.
“I’ll wedge it in there,” he told Sally when nothing bad happened. “You stay back a little, but not too far. When I hit the alley, the vultures will probably be drawn.”
“I’ll do it,” Sally stated, shoving the rifle at him. “You won’t fit through that window.”
Jeff didn’t argue. He’d much rather be the one with gun anyway. He slung the rifle over his shoulder. “Hold the brake and shift it into neutral. Don’t let go until I tell you to.”
“Okay,” she agreed, sliding behind the wheel.
“Once it’s rolling, don’t use the brakes at all. Steer it straight into the street. It’ll be going fast enough to roll up the yard and make it to the alley. I may have to push from there.”
“Okay,” she repeated, getting ready. She didn’t have any concern with his theory. The animals were still all around them, but not acting aggressive. What bothered her was the way Jeff’s eyes seemed to glow at times. “I’m ready.”
“Me too,” Jeff said, bracing to push from the rear. “Let’s go.”
Sally forced the van into neutral and Jeff pushed.
7
Standing in front of the reopened window, Kevin kept a steady scan of the area going, already fighting drowsiness. He was glad the itching had faded, though. He watched the van roll toward the house.
Next to Kevin, the wolf and the two small dogs also listened.
Crash!
The house shuddered as the van slammed into the alley between the homes, sending the mall dogs back into the rear rooms to hide.
The van jammed into the space, scraping loudly. Sally barely had enough room to wiggle through the driver’s window. It wouldn’t keep all of the animals out, but it was unlikely that another bear would try to climb over the van.
She joined Jeff at the bumper. He had the rifle ready, but there was no sign of the big birds or the wolves.
Jeff glanced around and realized there wasn’t an animal in sight. That was odd. “Are you okay out here for another ten minutes?”
“Yes,” Sally answered, curling icy fingertips into warm palms.
Jeff gave her the rifle and strode determinedly toward the slowly stiffening bear carcass. The block around them was frozen in white silence, with snow coming down again. The wind had died down, but the temperature was falling fast. Jeff tried to hurry as he collected the hide and other parts. Behind him, he could hear Sally shuffling from foot to foot as she tried to keep warm.
It was bloody, stomach-churning labor for most people, but Jeff didn’t mind. What sometimes bothered him was the sound the hide made as he ripped it up or the small splash of fluids that often sprayed as it came free. He usually remembered to turn his face away in time, but sometimes, it still splashed up his arm or cheek.
Sally was impressed with how fast Jeff took the hide from the carcass. He was forced to leave the bottom half, as they couldn’t roll the animal over, but he still managed to claim a long enough piece to fashion a nice blanket or several smaller items. While she waited, Sally studied the neighborhood around them that she could view through the dark and the snow. She remembered when it had only been their house and the one further down that had belonged to her aunt. Her father had brought his sister here to start a new life and in some ways, they absolutely had.
“But the abuse came along too, right?” Jeff asked, flipping on his headlamp. He’d been scanning her thoughts since she arrived.
Sally froze for an instant, and then dismay and hatred flashed. “I can’t get away from you bastards!”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jeff remarked, not pausing in cutting off chunks of the meat. He’d brought a garbage bag for hauling it.
“What?” Sally snarled, no longer observing their surroundings as she caressed the rifle.
“You’ve got a thing against people.”
“Descendants are not people!” she snapped. “All you do is hurt others!”
“Then why haven’t I hurt you?” Jeff glanced up at her, feeling the goose egg on his skull. “I believe you tripped me...”
Sally flushed and didn’t respond.
“If I were evil, you’d be raped and dead by now for something like that.” Jeff bagged his loot and stood up. “You’ve got a few seconds to make the choice, lady. Once I shut that door, you’re out here with the rest of the wild things that can’t be trusted.”
Sally wanted to refuse, but the cold and the sense that the man wasn’t a threat convinced her to follow him.
Around the pair, nothing moved except the snow.
Jeff held the door for her–it was ingrained–and Sally darted under his big arm to quickly get out of the way.
Kevin glanced over at them with glassy eyes. His shoulder was against the glass, window latched. “All sset?” he slurred.
Jeff gestured toward the bedroom. “Hit the rack.”
Kevin grinned and staggered that way without even a peek at Sally. He still wasn’t sure what had happened while he was outside, but it was obvious the woman had done something wrong. He expected Jeff to send her on her way.
Jeff pointed toward the dim hall. “We rigged up a temporary john for use during the storms.”
Sally disappeared down the hall without anything except a frown.
Jeff shook his head. “Some people…”
He went to the door to scan the backyard, noting she still had the rifle. The yard was empty of pests, though Jeff wasn’t sure when the bear had wandered off. The hole in the fencing was still there. Jeff quickly slipped outside to cover it.
The icy ground crunched under his boots and he hurried forward, grabbing the stone planter as he went. A few other pieces of furniture made a decent barrier and Jeff tugged the heavy picnic table over to finish it off. Even a bear wasn’t coming through here.
Jeff locked the shed door, and then made a fast stop in the outhouse. He was relieved not to find
any spiders.
After her pit stop, Sally began cleaning the mess, piling most of it into the corner to be bagged. Paper towels were a thing of the past and she reluctantly used a few of her father’s older white towels that could be bleached.
The two small dogs sniffed and yapped happily beside her, and Dog lingered near the window, uneasy. Nature had given up much too fast.
8
By late afternoon, Kevin was back up and the two men reinforced the windows and doors. The feeling that bad things were coming was heavy in the air.
Sally also felt it, and held nails and tools while the men prepared the cabin. She also hated every moment of it and had to fight to keep her scorn hidden. She wasn’t certain that both men were descendants, but it didn’t matter. The first chance she got to leave, she would.
The two small canines mostly stayed under the kitchen table, shivering and scratching on the rug. Dog wandered the cabin, searching for a way out. If he could find one, then the other animals could gain entry.
“Another board?” Kevin asked, studying the two layers they’d already nailed over the rear door.
“No,” Jeff denied. “Let’s go get a few things from our freezer. We’ll use the bathroom setup in here when it gets dark.”
The men hurried to the coolers they’d strategically hidden to bring in the food, still not spotting any animals. Jeff had the bear meat in the house, but they also had deer, pig, and turkey out here. They’d spent the first week doing almost nothing but collecting food and gear.
Jeff noted that the hole was still covered with furniture barricade and the fences were free of birds. It was almost as if the migration had shifted in a new direction, which was bad for them. Jeff had been counting on meat for a few more weeks before winter forced them under cover.
“Oh, shit,” Kevin breathed lowly. “That’s trouble.”
Jeff followed Kevin’s line of sight and his stomach dropped. “That explains the animals leaving.”
“Yeah,” Kevin agreed, hurrying toward the house. “We gotta seal this place up, like now!”
Jeff lingered for a moment, awed. The snowstorm was almost upon them, even though the wind here was at a standstill. Huge, roiling masses were rushing their way, obscuring everything under it. The next block was still visible, but not beyond. It astounded Jeff that nature could fire such a deadly shot, but none of them had heard a report. Even a suppressor still allowed noise, but this was a vacuum of silence. It was amazing.
Jeff grabbed a few more items and lugged it all inside, where Kevin and Sally were sealing cracks and crevices with towels and old clothes from the dusty dressers. He joined them, thinking they were wasting time. When that storm hit this house, they might have to huddle in one tent for warmth and hope it was enough.
Jeff’s thoughts went to Safe Haven and he quickly scratched the idea of calling to warn them. Safe Haven had Samantha and a few other people who could sense these things coming.
Why didn’t they try to warn us? Jeff wondered.
You left, his demon answered. In her place, would you have warned people who fled?
Jeff hated that voice. He liked the uses and he’d chosen to accept it in his mind for that reason, but he still hated it.
Why? The demon questioned, hurt. Because I tell you the truths you don’t want to hear?
Because you can’t bring her back! Jeff snarled mentally. What good is power when it can’t bring her back?
The demon had no answer for that, only more painful emotions from adding another failure.
Jeff didn’t care about the demon’s feelings. He understood that he could control the power, but not be bonded at all. That was how he preferred things.
Dog came to Jeff’s side. There are cracks and holes. We are not safe here.
“Yeah,” Jeff grunted. “We’ll be in the main room, probably in tents. I’ll try to secure it.”
The snow is not the problem, Dog informed him. Another herd has come ahead of the storm.
Jeff hurried to the front window and discovered the ground alive with rabbits. Every size, shape, and color was represented and Jeff gaped.
His reaction drew Sally and Kevin, and the three of them stood there contemplating what it meant. Witnessing hundreds of rabbits flee northward brought all of them to the same conclusion. When the prey migrated, so did the predators. After the storm, this area would be covered in packs of hungry, cold, desperate animals hunting for anything to eat.
Dog whined suddenly, making the humans flinch, but he couldn’t stop the noise as he spotted the female and her pack chasing the rabbits ahead of the storm. Brute was still with her, but that was the only familiar face. Dog studied them intently, almost able to feel the cold on the pads of his feet, the crunch of the hare between his teeth.
The female stopped, her bloody muzzle swinging toward the house. She spotted the people in the window and her snout drew up in an ugly snarl that they felt. She wanted them dead.
Before another reaction could come, Jeff closed the blinds and the curtains. He motioned to Kevin. “Get the tape. We’ll seal this up now.”
Kevin retrieved the thick role of duct tape, and he and Sally held the boards and plastic in place as Jeff secured the window. In the center, was a small hole in the boards that Jeff planned to shoot through. He would rip the plastic open when he needed to get to it, but right now, it wasn’t a good idea to draw attention.
“We’re gonna pretend this is a zombie apocalypse,” Jeff ordered, making Kevin snicker. “No noises, and that means you have to keep those quiet.”
He pointed at Sally’s two little dogs.
“They’re small, they get excited easily,” she defended. “I won’t use muzzles!”
“If they bark, we’ll be attacked,” Kevin explained, wishing the woman wasn’t so hostile. “Do they at least obey you?”
Dog snorted, expressing his opinion.
“I rescued them,” she answered sullenly.
“So?” Jeff asked.
“So, they didn’t need to be beaten into submission!” she snapped.
“I don’t beat animals,” Jeff replied. He knelt down and snapped his fingers. “Come.”
The two little dogs immediately rushed over with excited bounces and wiggles.
Jeff regarded Dog as he pet them. Do they understand us?
Very little, the wolf answered. They have no control. May I suggest a muffled cage?
When it starts, can you get them into the bathroom? Jeff asked.
Maybe, Dog answered, watching Sally finger the butt of her gun in her holster. I think it would be best if she went in with them.
Jeff peered at Sally, taking Dog’s suggestion seriously. He didn’t like the vibes he’d been getting, or the lightly crazy thoughts she seemed to keep flowing continuously. If she were lying about being able to shoot, he would indeed lock her up. If she could be helpful during a battle, he preferred to leave her loose.
Dog whined again, and his big head swung toward the rear of the house.
The next instant, the storm hit their block. The afternoon light faded and snow enveloped the house. The temperature plunged as wind slammed into the buildings, while snow rained down in thick, deadly sprinkles.
“Get more layers of clothes on,” Jeff ordered, breath streaming out in front of him to prove the temperature had dropped instantly. “Load it up and bring the rest of the winter gear in here. It’s about to get very cold.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cold Shoulder
1
“We’ve got snow,” Marc said, ducking into the warm canvas. He quickly secured the flap, wondering how healthy it was for Angela to be sleeping in a tent during this kind of weather while she was pregnant.
“Women have been doing it for a long time,” Angela reminded him, stretching out on the bedroll. She’d just woken. Marc had felt her sight go over the camp and linger on him. She still had over an hour before her shift began.
“Has Samantha sent a weather warning?” Angela
asked, slowly sitting up.
“Not yet,” Marc answered, handing her a lit smoke and a bottle of water. “She’s still in the medical bay.”
“I’ll handle that soon,” Angela promised.
“We got about an inch. It came in after midnight, stayed light. I opened the trucks and outfitted the night shift.”
“Good,” she praised, yawning. “Have Greg cover it for everyone else. People will want to play in it and they’ll need good coats. Pass out the Gore-Tex bibs and parkas for those working.”
“No sweat. Billy’s group brought trucks of winter stuff,” Marc observed. “Almost all of our crews are home now. Did you already know we’d get snow early?”
“Of course,” she replied, yawing again. “I look as far ahead as I can. So will you.”
Implying he would run Safe Haven at some point. Marc frowned. He’d thought of that over the last couple of months and it had even been mentioned, but he hadn’t honestly thought she meant it.
“You’ll have to be in charge when I get further along,” she informed him, slowly standing up as her stomach insisted she was hungry. “And for at least the month after, but I’ll be there to help. It should be fun.”
Unlikely, Marc thought. He said, “Okay.”
He held her coat and then her arm as she slid shoes on. “Size seven snow boots?”
“Yes,” she answered, smiling a bit at his accuracy. “Thanks.”
Marc escorted her to the restroom and waited, scanning the snowy landscape. Most of the camp was sleeping soundly belowground, with security being rotated every half hour to help them adjust to the cold. Tomorrow, he would make it an hour. After that, he would add an hour a night until they were able to handle a full shift in this weather without frostbite. The gear he’d passed out would help. The Eagles would patrol in the extreme winter gear kits from the bases that Adrian had been scouring along their trek.
Marc saw the usual early morning crews–mess, medical, and security–groggily coming from tents and the cave to discover the snow. Many of them went to layer on more clothes, but some people immediately began to play with snowballs and slides. Marc let them go, despite the noise. Laughter was fine to be woken by in most cases. They were on normal schedules now that the cave was habitable. The rest of the work would happen while they were inside. Marc discerned more shadows coming through the snowy topside from the cave and wondered how many members were already awake. This was the first large test of their bathroom setup and mess down there, as well as the power, water, and security.
