OF WAR Anthology Novels 1-3

by Lisa Beth Darling

  Rose pursed her lips and sighed but then nodded and put her fingers on the soft cotton of the mask.

  “Peek!”

  Rose yanked it up over her eyes and then stumbled backwards trying desperately to hold on to her new bear.

  “Woops, I got you,” Alena said easily as she held her arms to catch the disoriented little girl. Rose pulled the mask away from her eyes and tried to take it off. “No, you leave it.” Gently Alena took Rose’s hands away from it. “Don’t worry, I know it’s dark but I’ll be right here. Whenever I say ‘peek’, I’ll pick you up. Try again? Peek!”

  Reluctantly, Rose pulled the mask over her eyes. Alena picked her up and held her on her hip. Rose sat there trying to look around but she didn’t move the mask.

  “Boo!” Rose yanked it down and then looked to her Mother approval, which Alena readily gave. “Excellent! All right, I guess we’re ready.” She put Rose down so she could sling the other pack over her shoulder and then pick up the bag with the clothes before putting Rose back on her hip. She looked back at the row of empty registers and felt a pang of guilt at not paying for their new items but then thought the fur coat should suffice nicely as payment. “We’re off.”

  With a blink of her eyes, they disappeared from the small Massachusetts town and reappeared just outside Las Vegas in the beautiful resort town called Henderson. Unfortunately, the lights were all on here in this desert oasis, storefronts were lit up as though they were inviting the passerby to come inside. Empty restaurants with empty tables came to life and the grandeur of the hotels around her seemed to glow against the twilight. In the front window of a picturesque Italian Café called Sergios’, Sergio’s brains were splattered all over the window, his body slouched against the glass with the gun still in his hand. The streets were clogged with fancy cars most still with inhabitants decaying behind the wheel. The sidewalks littered with those who died where they stood. Alena knew the closer they got to the new and improved Ground Zero the worse scenes like this were likely to become.

  “Peek,” Alena whispered. Rose pulled the blind up over her eyes and settled her head against her Mother’s shoulder. “That’s good, good girl.”

  Figuring they could pop around Nevada for years and not find what they were looking for, Alena took Rose into the parking garage of the nearest hotel and entered the valet’s kiosk. The entrance was clogged with cars and so were the aisles but she’d take care of that problem soon enough. She looked at the keys on the board for a moment to decipher the system then chose three sets of keys to the cars she believed closest to them.

  One was a Corvette. While she’d love to zoom around in it, she didn’t think it was what they were looking for.

  The next was a Hummer. A better choice, she clicked the button on the key ring to turn off the alarm, opened the door and stood on the side rail to put the key in the ignition. When it turned over the gas gauge read only ¼ tank. Not knowing how well the pumps were working around here, Alena decided to try the third vehicle.

  The last was a shiny new Acura MDX with a full tank of gas. “This is our ride,” she said to Rose as she set her down on the front passenger seat. “Boo,” Alena whispered in the girl’s ear. Very hesitantly Rose pulled the mask up until one eye peeked out. “It’s ok, go ahead, take it off.” Alena put the bags and her staff in the spacious backseat feeling her back give a sigh of relief to be rid of the extra weight. “Might as well go in style, right? Look, sweetheart, it’s even got a seat just for you.” In the back was a baby seat, Alena grabbed it and put it up front, strapped it in good and then popped Rose and her bear into it before climbing in behind the wheel. She sat there for a second to look at the dashboard and get her bearings while she fumbled on the side and below the seat to adjust it. Once in a good position she reached over to open the glove compartment and found nothing. “Damn.”

  Alena rummaged around in the armrest looking for a map until she came up with a little gray box that read; Garmin. “Idiot,” she chastised herself and put the GPS into the holder on the windshield to turn it on hoping that the satellites were still working and sending information back to their servers. Judging by the plentiful electricity in the garage and the surrounding town it should work just fine. It lit up and then showed her their current location. “Phew, that’s good.” Knowing she typed in ‘Area 51’ and didn’t get any results, she tried ‘Edwards Air Force Base’ which she thought was the proper name but all she got was a blank space on the map. “Fucking government,” she muttered and tried once last time. This time she typed ‘Groom Lake’ which she thought to be on or near Area 51. The GPS spit out directions that clearly showed her the way but beyond and even around it was nothing but emptiness.

  She looked at Rose and thought for a moment knowing she could teleport them to Groom Lake, at least, and save the trip. Once there she’d still have the problem of not knowing exactly where the subterranean military was hiding. They could wander the desert for days and not come across it. Out there in the hot sun, at its completely mercy with nearly a lick of shade she’d be wishing for a car and quick. Driving also had the added bonus of taking more time. The longer she took, she knew the more confident and victorious Zeus would become. He would sit there thinking he’d bested them, that he’d sent her away forever, and was about to claim the lives of her Husband and her Son. He would gloat. That was what she wanted, Alena wanted him to feel smug and powerful, wanted him to relish in his supposed triumph until he was beaming. Alena wanted Zeus to feel that way right up until the very second she threw open the Gates of Olympus and lowered the boom on him. The longer he stewed the sweeter that moment would be for her. “Road trip!” Alena said with a smile and tossed her fists in the air.

  “Row rip?”

  “Rrr-oh-dd tr-ip,” Alena enunciated calmly and then slid in the funny looking key before punching the START button and bringing the engine to life.

  Rose grabbed the sides of the baby seat as her eye brows went up. In front of her eyes, lights came on and the window next to her lowered. She dangled her fingers over the top of the glass to feel the warm evening air. With much fascination, she pulled herself forward when her Mother stepped out of the car with her staff in her hand. Wide-eyed Rose watched her Mother conjure up a gust of wind powerful enough to send the cars blocking their path skittering and then tumbling through the air. “Oooo.”

  “All better,” Alena announced as she got back behind the wheel. Alena dropped it in DRIVE and sailed out of the parking garage.

  As they pulled out onto the clogged main road, Alena searched the dial but found nothing on the radio. Moving vehicles out of the way with a wave of her hand where necessary she weaved in and around cars and trucks for several slow miles before the traffic jam gave way to open desert road. Alena lowered the windows more letting the clean evening air fill her lungs and whisk away the stale scent of death and decay.

  She rummaged through the small collection of CDs and put in Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. Rose slapped her hands over her ears and looked up at her Mother when the opening drum crashed and was joined by the haunting piano.

  “I take Daddy doesn’t play much music for you, huh?” Ares wasn’t big on music even though he loved to dance. “That’s Bruce Springsteen,” Alena explained and lowered Rose’s closest hand away from her ears. “He’s a great musician. Listen, don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt you.”

  Once she got over her initial fright, Rose started bopping and then dancing in the baby seat by the time the CD got to Dancin’ in the Dark, little Rose was rockin’ out like an old pro. As much as she moved and grooved to the beat it didn’t stop her from leaning forward to take in the expanse of empty road in front, to the side, and then craning her neck to look behind.

  “Big place, isn’t it?” Alena asked. “Much bigger than Olympus. Do you like the sunset over the sandy desert better than the white snow?” Alena pointed up to the setting sun in its dazzling colorful display then gestured with a wide sweep at the landscape.
/>   “‘Old?”

  “Yes it’s old…” Alena stopped, smiled as she looked at Rose who was hugging the bear tightly with her little lips pursed. “No, it’s not Ka-old. It can be very hot and dry. There’s no snow just the sand under your feet. The desert is pretty in its own way, it’s very beautiful.” Pulling the satchel out of the back seat, she put it between them, opened it up, and gave Rose a small bottle of water with a no-spill top along with some trail mix to munch on as she gazed out with wide wonder at the deserted desert highway.

  When Bruce finished crooning, she popped in The Very Best of John Coltrane. A few miles later the soothing jazz made Rose’s head bob to the side and came to rest on the bear’s soft head as she fell fast asleep in the baby seat. Alena reached behind, pulled the blanket out of the bag and covered her up as she put the chocolate and nut encrusted bottle of water into the center console. “Sleep tight little one, we’ve still got a long way to go.”

  The twilight turned to dusk and then to full dark. With no cops or other cars in sight, Alena flicked on the high beams and sped along at a healthy 100 mph under a clear desert sky. Every fifty miles or so she turned off the CD to scan the radio dial from one end to the other on all bands hoping that there was someone out there broadcasting and she could get some new news but all was silent except for static.

  All desert roads are long and lonely; they seem to stretch out into forever even under the best of conditions but tonight was the loneliest Alena could imagine. Looking up at the twinkling stars, she didn’t see one plane, not one. In the seventy-fives miles they’d already come she didn’t see a single car pass by nor broke down on the side of the road. She didn’t see any animals moving swiftly across the sands in search of their dinner. The very few gas stations she passed were empty with no lights. It seemed the whole world disappeared leaving nothing behind in its wake.

  On the far horizon stood a glowing oasis. As Alena neared it she could hardly believe her eyes; Last Chance Gas read the bright GULF sign. At first, she thought it odd that something this close to the place Major Falls was released still had electricity but when she reconsidered Alena thought this area of the desert must run on the same grid or one parallel to Groom Lake. With Rose fast asleep next to her, Alena slowed down to pull into the gas station. They hadn’t used much gas but there was no telling how long they’d drive around once they reached Groom Lake and the last thing she wanted was to run out of gas. She pulled up to the vacant pumps and put the car in PARK as she looked out the passenger window at the rickety little wooden store with its lopsided porch and crooked doors. She didn’t see anyone inside.

  Alena reached over once more to pop the gas lid from the glove compartment then she shut the car off, yanked the funny key, and got out locking the doors behind her. With a bit of trepidation she wandered around the car, up the crumbling porch, and to the doors that opened easily to the tinkling of a bell above them. “Hello?” she called out in what she hoped sounded like a friendly voice. “Is there anyone here? I’d like to get some gas, please?”

  No one answered. The lights overhead flickered and buzzed. She walked deeper inside. “Hello?” A musty smell greeted her nose, old wood, old man and old dog. The store was small, no bigger than 20 x 20 and she could see over the top of each of the three dividers making the four short aisles, most of which were nearly bare. The case lining the back wall was nearly devoid of its once bountiful store of milk, eggs, cheese, butter, cream, and whatever other dairy products it once held. The bread aisle on the far wall was picked clean. The rush Major Falls caused when it broke out must have been quite hectic, people probably went into a frenzy as they tried to escape with enough food to keep them alive.

  That was over now and all was still in the little store.

  Peering into every corner, Alena carefully made her way around the old wooden counter at the head of the store. “I’m not stealing from you.” She rounded the corner and nearly tripped. “What the?” Looking down she saw a large dog bed, two bowls—empty—and the remains of a fifty pound bag of Gravy Train. Taking in a sniff of the stale air she nodded. “That explains that,” she mumbled, stepped over the dog bed, and went to the cash register. The jar of Vicks Vapo Rub by the register helped explain the scent of old man.

  Keeping one eye out on the store in front of her, Alena looked at the keys and pushed GAS #2 $100.00 TENDERED then hit ENTER. The control panel for the pumps gave out a grinding sound as the register drawer opened. The site of a full till made her eyes grow wide and she quickly shut it. Looking up quickly she thought she caught a shadow of movement out of the corner of her gray eye. “Hello?”

  No answer.

  Shrugging her shoulders, she slipped a silver ring off her finger. Ares loved to shower her with jewelry and she had a store full of it. She’d never miss this one ring and it looked like someone might still be here. If they were then, maybe they could use it to barter for something. Alena opened the register again and tucked the ring inside before closing it gently. The lone newspaper tucked next to the register caught her eye and she opened it. The newspaper, yellowed and made brittle by its time in the sunny window, was nearly two months old. The headline screamed; ARES Declares Martial Law. Alena’s heart sunk looking at the picture under the headline and seeing Raven’s face smiling back at her. “I’m going now. Thank you.”

  On her way back to the door she was confronted with an old friend; the Coca-Cola Cooler. There were still seven bottles inside. She couldn’t help herself, she reached and grabbed four bottles, not surprised to find them ice-cold. She grabbed the whole armload thinking she may never get another taste of it. With her arms full of chilly plastic bottles, Alena pushed the buttons on the key ring until the alarm shut off and the back hatch opened. Putting her treasure into the car, she peered over the top of the seat to see Rose still sleeping. Leaving the hatch open to let the cool night air into the car for a few moments, Alena began pumping gas into the tank. Leaning her back against the luxury SUV she watched the numbers on the counter skyrocket faster than she could keep up. She took in the sign above the pump; Regular $12.999 “Holy shit!” The last time she bought gas it was only $1.59 a gallon now the hundred dollars she’d tendered inside the store would only get her around ten gallons of gas. She might have to go back in and restart the pump. Whoever once owned the MDX had more money than Alena had given them credit. Watching the numbers rise with disbelief Alena almost missed it when the little bell let out its little tinkling sound.

  Slowly she turned to look back to the door but she was too short to see over the top of the SUV. Pump in hand, she bent to look through the windows of the car instead but saw nothing. Maybe the door hadn’t shut all the way behind her or maybe the night breeze caught the corner.

  “Dawdee! Dawdee!” Rose started yelling inside the car in an excited voice. “Dawdee!”

  “Dawd…dog? A dog?” Leaving the pump in the neck of the gas tank, she sprinted around to the front of the car where she saw a large husky approaching the passenger door. “Hey boy,” she said softly but when the dog turned its head toward her she backed up. Once it had probably been the most pampered of pampered pooches, the perfect house mate for a lonely old man, but now its’ once soft fur was matted. It was clumped with dirt and drying blood. Its beautiful soft blue eyes were hazy as they settled on her.

  Alena didn’t know if it was rabid or turned feral or just hungry or if it contracted Major Falls and she didn’t care. “Get out of here! Go! Get!” Alena demanded. The dog bared its sharp teeth showing her they were tinged with blood as its upper lip quivered and then it leapt at her. No sound. No warning. Before she could try to defend herself it was on her knocking her to the hard ground with its jaws snapping, searching for her throat.

  Alena brought her left arm up to shield her face and neck while she grabbed at the dog with her right. Its teeth sank deep into her forearm while its sharp claws dug in at her hips. Its breath was hot and rancid as it ripped through the arm of the RED SOX sweatshirt and th
en chewed through her flesh looking for the even tendered meat at her throat. Heedless of the pain shooting through her, Alena pushed up and away with her arm throbbing in the dog’s dripping teeth and got a hold of the thick matted fur between its ear and neck. Bringing her knees up, planting them under its chest, she kicked the large dog off sending it flying backward. Alena scrambled to her feet to stare it down holding her left arm back while blood pooled on the ground next to her.

  “Dawdee! No dawdee!” Rose screamed as she struggled to get out of her seat but was held fast by the safety belt.

  The dog’s ears pricked up, it seemed to smile a cold grin, then it took off for the open hatch.

  “NO!” Alena called the staff from the car to her hand as she chased after the feral animal. Summoning up a hot burst of air she let it fly from the tip but it only caught the husky’s hind leg making it skitter as it rounded the corner and jumped into the SUV knocking over precious bottles of Coke as it went. It leapt over the rear seat as it headed for the baby. “Rose!”

  The little girl strapped into the seat holding on to her new teddy bear was taken by surprise and she curled up in a protective ball as she started to cry.

  Alena, afraid to let a burst of magick fly in such a confined area and risk hurting Rose did the only thing she could think of, she jumped into the back of the car and grabbed it by the tail. She pulled on it as hard as she could until the husky let out a howl of pain and turned toward its captor looking for freedom at the point of its canines. Its jaws snapped and its sharp claws shredded her forearm as she wrestled with the beast trying to pull it out of the car. “Get away from her!”

  Outside once more the big dog crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Alena let go of its tail and began beating it with the sturdy staff before pointing it at the dog and letting a strong burst of wind fly. The wounded dog slid along the hard packed dirt several feet before Alena whipped a whirlwind lifting it into the air where it began scrambling. Its legs ran in the air in a comical fashion as it yelped and cried while it spun around faster, caught up in the funnel of the dust devil. Raising the staff like a baseball bat she swung it forward sending the small powerful tornado and its sole inhabitant off across the desert sands.