by Angela White
“The charges are set,” Darian stated, coming through the snowy darkness in a thick Parka that he’d been given upon his exit from the camp below. “I passed Blade on the way up. He said to tell you it’s a go.”
“Excellent,” Vlad praised, waving toward the small fire they’d made inside a tree. With a white tarp as an awning, the fire was protected and the heat was continuous as it burned through the log. It was a lot easier than chopping wood. All it took was carving out a furrow down the center of a thick log. “Warm up and tell me everything you saw in there.”
Darian pulled off his new gloves, stuffing them into his pocket. “They have power, supplies, and an outfitted cave that we need for our people. Safe Haven thinks the winter will last twice as long as usual. If they’re right, our town could be wiped out.”
“Sounds like it’s a good thing we came,” Vlad commented, waiting for important details. Darian had been Deputy Mayor of their town and that’s where his priorities remained.
“They have the place sealed from the top,” Darian stated, dropping down onto an icy boulder. “But there are ways through. One is from the cavern where they’ve got those damn ants living. Another tunnel comes out about three miles beyond the mountain road, behind the camp. A smaller one comes almost straight up here. This is definitely where we can strike from.”
“And our inside man?” Vlad asked, wiping snow from the Coleman stove.
“Isn’t going to wait for the time to be right,” Darian answered angrily. “Expect action soon.”
“Figures,” Vlad complained. Jay wasn’t the hardened character that his father had been. Still, it was better than nothing. If Jay could cause enough problems from the inside, it might create an opportunity for those waiting on the outside.
“Can we use that mob of refugees somehow?” Darian asked, rubbing his hands together over the fire.
“I have plans,” Vlad stated, cutting off the rest of that conversation. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day of waiting out the storm. After that, none of us will sleep until we’re in that cave, enjoying those lives.”
“Sounds perfect. I can’t wait to wipe that smug smile from her face with my fist.”
Inside the tent behind Vlad, two Eagles listened furiously. They’d been taken off guard during this morning’s chaos, too busy observing the shootout through their binoculars to realize trouble was sneaking up on them. Scott and Josh exchanged glances that said they needed to get free and show these people who they were dealing with.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Panther Piss
1
“Can you believe this?” Kevin asked, staring through a crack in the boards. “Three feet!”
The storm had indeed been a monster that brought them brutal temperatures and evil wind, but the tents in the large living room, combined with their efforts to seal up the house, had kept it tolerable. The problem was the snow. The hard packed white crap was now feet deep across the entire block. They couldn’t see any further than that for the glare. Both men hoped the view would improve once they were outdoors. If not, they would have to listen harder for people. Snow was excellent for muffling sound.
“Have you seen this?” Kevin exclaimed, still trying to get a better view of the neighborhood.
Jeff grunted in response. He was preparing their meal. He was also trying to listen for trouble. The storm clearing should be a good thing, but he’d woken with a ball of concern in his gut and it had tightened over the hours. Despite all the snow, the animals were already gathering again. Jeff wasn’t certain Kevin that had noticed yet.
“How much ammo do we have here?” Jeff asked.
Kevin flipped into Eagle alert with the question and went to find out.
Sally, busy feeding her dogs, said, “I’ve got a few hundred rounds.”
“For that .45?” He clarified. They’d given her the gun back only because of fearing the attack from nature.
“Yes… Also a few sticks of dynamite and some hand grenades.”
Jeff chuckled in surprise. “Nice.”
Sally didn’t want to feel anything, but Jeff’s praise sank into her anyway. When you pleased a descendant, the urge to do it again came on strong. Sally resisted, instead resuming her chores. She didn’t need to impress these men. She needed them to help her secure the house until the herd passed on. When the beasts were gone, the men had to go too.
“We will,” Jeff promised.
Sally slapped her rag on the floor. “Stop that!”
Jeff shrugged. “I will if you will.”
“I can’t read your thoughts!” she snapped.
“But you are wishing we were gone or dead,” Jeff pointed out. “You stop that and I can stop stalking your mind for trouble.”
“I’m not the problem,” she insisted, spinning toward the garage to clean in there. Jeff had insisted when they woke to the smell. “You are. You and all the descendants. Abominations!”
She disappeared into the garage, leaving Jeff to continue worrying. At some point, he and Kevin would have to handle her.
“We have seven hundred rounds of hollow points for your sig,” Kevin stated, coming back into the room “Also five hundred for my nine and a dozen boxes of bonded hunting rounds. The rest is in the house on the corner, where we stashed it.”
“Okay.” Jeff scanned the first floor of the house, pleased with how warm it was. They’d done a good job of sealing the home up, though they hadn’t been on the second floor. Jeff didn’t have a reason to go back up there. Once they’d locked the door to the stairs and sealed around it, the drafts had mostly stopped. He and Kevin had cleared the attic upon arrival, but it was empty of anything useful. All it contained was an old claw foot bathtub and a few mirrors.
The propane heater kicked on, echoing loudly, and the men tensed. They were running it sparingly, but the temperature outside was in the single digits. They’d needed to bring up the temperature overnight, and the Mr. Buddy had worked perfectly.
“It’s drawing attention,” Kevin stated. He’d gone to the window to check. Jeff asking how many rounds they had was a reminder they were in the middle of an apocalypse and had to be alert.
Jeff flipped the heater off and did the same with the stove since the pancakes were done. “We need to bundle back up. The wind died down and blew our cover for the noise.”
Kevin went to get more gear, wondering if Safe Haven was in the cave yet. Were they ready for this weather? He and Jeff would do fine on their own. He had his doubts about the camp, especially after the radio broadcasts that Kenn and Tonya had been putting out. It sounded like Safe Haven was being overwhelmed.
Jeff’s thoughts were along the same lines. Would being there make a difference?
The two men exchanged looks that asked the same questions, but neither of them spoke. Their wounds hadn’t healed yet.
Sally came into the main room, rubbing in hand sanitizer. “There are mice in the garage.”
“Drawn to the heat,” Jeff stated, thinking it was really the smell. “We’ll lock that door and seal it up until the animals need to use it.”
Jeff was very unhappy to have Sally’s two dogs here. Using the garage as an outhouse was disgusting. It was unsanitary and it stank. He wouldn’t let it continue for long.
Sally ushered her dogs into the house so that she could shut the garage door. The pair scrambled for purchase on the wood floor, sending fresh noise through the house.
Jeff and Kevin glared. Both of them were about to complain when yet another sound broke the stillness.
Wooooooooo!
Dog’s ears snapped up. He knew that howl. She’s here! She’s calling me!
Dog went to the door and studied Jeff expectantly. Let me out.
“No,” Jeff denied. “They don’t know we’re here. If we open the door, they’ll come.”
Dog understood the problem, but he didn’t care. He wanted out.
Jeff knew better than to grab the wolf or try to touch him. He thou
ght fast and offered a compromise. “I’ll let you out of a door or window when there’s nothing around.”
Dog followed Jeff much like the two small dogs did, eagerly and without caution.
Jeff peered through the boards over the back door. The wolf could find his own way from there.
Seeing nothing moving, he slowly slid the lock back and opened the door.
“Wait! My dogs will–”
The wolf rushed through the opening, making a deep furrow in the snow. Sally’s two dogs followed behind him, yapping happily at being released. Icy wind slapped them all.
“Shit!” Kevin hurried after them, with Sally right behind. Jeff drew his gun, silently cursing himself, the dogs, and the woman.
The wolf didn’t care about the unfolding drama or the snow. He took off jumping wildly through the drifts and then leapt, clearing the fence to land lightly in the side yard. He sank to the bottom of the snow and immediately leapt again to reach the packed layers frozen to the sidewalk between the homes. Making big jumps, Dog hurried to where the howl had come from. Let the humans fend for themselves for a while. I have things to do.
Jeff and Kevin helped Sally retrieve the two snow-covered dogs. Neither man spoke, but the mood was ugly. As they all came inside, sloshing wet and shivering from not having coats on, the smell of feces smothered them. They hadn’t noticed it while inside with it. Fresh air had allowed the men to smell the difference.
Jeff gagged, hearing Kevin do the same. Through the watering eyes and a twisting stomach, Jeff felt his patience snap.
“Yeah, that’s it for me,” he told Kevin between gags. “I’m out of here. You comin’?”
Also fighting not to vomit, Kevin cheerfully said, “I’ll have us packed in an hour!”
Sally stood still, processing the information. She was about to be alone. That’s what I want, right? For it to be me and the animals?
Sally glanced toward the covered front window, seeing signs of the bear they’d fought. She wouldn’t have been able to handle that on her own.
“Wait.”
Jeff already knew, but he wasn’t changing his mind. The gagging had stopped, but only because he was breathing through his mouth. “You can come if you leave the dogs. That’s why we’re going, remember?”
Sally scowled. “I can’t do that.”
“Don’t expect you to,” Jeff drawled. “I expect you to protect them even as you’re being eaten. Have fun.”
Kevin winced, but didn’t argue since Jeff was most certainly right. The woman had been here for days and they still didn’t know anything about her, other than the fact that she put her dogs first in every way. They even ate before she did, and she finished their scraps. She clearly had mental issues. It had been official for Kevin when she’d gone to the garage with her dogs to urinate, instead of using the bathroom setup that he and Jeff had constructed. If she wanted to live like an animal, that was her choice and since this was her house, it was fair that they were the ones to leave.
The men gathered their gear and equipment quickly. They’d made sure nothing was too permanent unless it would be left behind. They went about the chore happily, talking about where they might go next and how they would get through the snow. Kevin still thought their truck could make it, at least to a dealership where they could get something better. Jeff didn’t give his thoughts. He wasn’t as optimistic about them making it out of the house to reach the truck that they’d been forced to store a few homes down. The garage here had been too small.
Jeff took a moment to scan the yard, uneasy at the delay in the action. He’d been certain the fight would come as soon as the weather cleared. Maybe they’d been quiet enough to go unnoticed by the predators that had plenty of fresh game, but it was unlikely. Between Sally’s dogs yipping, the wolf’s lonely whining, and the smells, Jeff was positive every animal in a two-mile radius knew there were people nearby.
“Don’t forget your vest,” Jeff reminded, starting on the cooking setup he’d enjoyed building. Connecting a tank to the old gas stove had allowed him to prepare some great meals here. All he’d had to do was replace the jets.
“Good idea.” Kevin dug his vest from the kit that he hadn’t touched since leaving, except to bring it inside wherever they sheltered.
Jeff tossed a box of ammunition onto the broken coffee table by Sally. She hadn’t moved since they’d decided to go. “I’d leave more, but we can’t spare it.”
Sally was surprised to be a bit leery at the thought of being alone again. She didn’t like the men, especially not Jeff, but she’d gotten used to them in only a few days. It was odd for her, considering that she suspected all people of being corrupt. She hadn’t bonded with another human being in years.
“You sure?” Jeff asked, reading her reluctance. “Not all men are bad. Not all animals are good.”
She hated the reminder that he could get into her head and it made the choice. “Yes. Please go.”
“You got it, toots,” Jeff sent, annoyed. “There’s meat in the backyard. Too much for us to carry. Don’t let it go to waste.”
Sally didn’t respond, moving aside as Jeff came by with his arms full. He struggled to open the door and she sighed, advancing to assist him.
Jeff didn’t breathe enough to thank the woman. Her arm was up, holding the door while surrounding him with yet more noxious fumes. Jeff quickly stomped through the drifts, not caring if he was attacked by an animal. Anything was worth getting fresh, crisp air into his lungs.
Kevin came out right behind him, inhaling deeply. “Yummy!”
Jeff snickered as he swept the few animals in sight. The wolves weren’t paying any attention to them, but a small bear cub glowered from across the street. Jeff hoped momma wasn’t around as they hurried through the drifts to the garage sheltering their wheels.
Kevin held things while Jeff fought to unlock the icy door and went inside to lift the main bay. It took a couple of minutes that Kevin spent with his back to the building, studying his surroundings as he’d been taught to do. Eagle training was more than handy now. It was a lifesaver.
Jeff helped Kevin into the wide garage with the load and began packing the rear of truck. He did it quickly, but tried to be as quiet as he could. He was still worrying over the bear cub when Kevin whispered, “Bloody hell!”
Jeff climbed down and unslung his rifle. Kevin wasn’t running yet, so the threat might still be far enough away to pick off before a handgun was needed. He liked to be hopeful that way.
In the distance, the sky was a brilliant red, but it wasn’t from the sun. That dim ball of light was almost topping them, magnifying the glare effect of the snow. The eerie view to the east was from something else and with the shape of the clouds, it was hard to come to any other conclusion on the source.
“Nuclear?” Kevin asked, stunned. How was that possible? They had destroyed the government. Angela had promised they were done with that enemy for years.
“Looks like it,” Jeff agreed, going over to heft another bag into the truck. “Let’s get rolling.”
“West?” Kevin asked hesitantly. Jeff didn’t give out many details on their destinations.
“North,” Jeff answered. “We’ll bag our cooler on the way.”
The memories of shooting from the passenger seat during Jeff’s insane driving spread a grin over Kevin’s lightly bearded face. That was a real challenge. He was already a better shooter than what he had been upon leaving Safe Haven. “Deal.”
They hurried back to the house, still watching out for the various animals around them. They didn’t spot Dog anywhere, or the wolves that had attracted him with the howl.
Jeff doubted the wolf would return. All the animals seemed to be heading north and Dog would be no different. They probably wouldn’t run into him again at all. He had his freedom.
2
I missed you!
Dog was nose-to-nose with the female, breathing in her thick scent. Her bloody muzzle was the sweetest perfume and he licked the
wound gently. The last hare she’d grabbed had scratched her.
The female allowed his comfort, trembling with joy. She’d thought he was dead. After being split up, Brute had killed the other members of their pack. When these men males had discovered them, they’d been too big for him to do the same.
Around them, the female’s new pack, plus Brute, observed angrily as another male was added to the competition. These newer wolves were larger due to hunting the herds that were also traveling north. The Wind had forbidden it, but this new pack didn’t care about orders. They were going north to kill man, and on the way, they were hunting everything else for strength and practice.
Dog nuzzled her neck, hoping for a sign of her interest. He wasn’t going to fight for her again if he wasn’t going to get the prize in the end anyway. Do you still want me?
My mate! Natalia exclaimed, snarling at the others.
Satisfied, Dog snapped at her to get back.
Natalia whined in warning as Brute charged through the melting snow.
Dog reacted too late to avoid the jaws clamping down on his neck. His thick fur saved him as he ducked, not allowing Brute’s fangs to drive through.
Dog lunged at his rival, snarling wildly, “Mine!”
“Die!” Brute demanded, advancing.
Dog was tired of this threat. He slid low through the slush from their warm bodies and came up under the big wolf. He snapped to part the fur, and then dove in for the kill.
Brute tried to yelp and draw back, but Dog locked his jaws and started squeezing. Using his full strength, Dog bit through and felt blood burst over his teeth. Bones crunched next, and he tightened the grip, slinging his head to ensure the death.
Around them, the other wolves let out howls that chilled the humans nearby.
Dog waited to be certain there was no life left before letting go. Brute dropped to the snow, blood melting through the drift as soon he landed.
