The Harvest (Book 1)

by Ferretti, Anne

  ***

  That night after dinner Austin laid out their departure plans, leaving out that he would not be going with them. Everyone was to dress in appropriate attire and pack lightly. Anything that was not a necessity would be left behind. Jeremy knew of two vehicles in operational condition they could use to make the trip. This came as good news to Austin, who, if they were to travel by ATV, worried over the safety of the two pregnant girls.

  Austin had no idea what to do about Eve. She had her own agenda, but he couldn’t fathom what it might be. Freedom was too simple. She’d escaped from her prison and probably could have done so long before he showed up. Why she’d waited for him remained a mystery. But then again everything about her was a mystery.

  The fact Roth held her captive seemed to matter little, as if his part was a small part of the grander scheme and by no means of importance to the overall objective. According to Chase, Roth, who had believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that her DNA held the key to eternal life, would have gone, and at times did go, to great lengths in keeping her a secret from those outside the Section. Those in the know were sworn to secrecy, their lives the price paid if they betrayed the general.

  Austin couldn’t waste time trying to figure out Eve’s motives or purpose despite his strong suspicion she was a vital piece of the puzzle. She would just have to come with him to Bliss, he decided. For the time being, he asked Madison to watch over her while he and Luke headed for Roth’s office. It was here he hoped the secrets and the answers would be discovered, perhaps in one of Roth’s journals.

  36 MADMAN

  Inside Roth’s office Austin and Luke sat in chairs flipping through the general’s journals. On the floor between them were piles and piles of journals, most with black and white covers, a few that were olive green.

  “Who writes things in a journal?” Luke asked, tossing a journal into the read pile and grabbing another. “None of this makes sense. January twenty fifth, twenty, twenty two, he wrote, ‘I watched the video over and over, still nothing.’ January twenty six, twenty, twenty two, ‘I watched the video. I watched the video. I watched the video.’ He filled an entire page saying he watched the video.”

  “He’s talking about Eve.” Austin said quietly.

  “Eve? Oh, you mean that girl creature thing.” Luke nodded. “Yeah. I kinda wanted to talk to you about her.”

  Austin grabbed another journal from the stack. “What about her?”

  “I’d been thinking about what Chase said, that the Sundogs were looking for something right? And Roth was keeping that girl locked up under this mountain where they wouldn’t have known about her. So maybe she’s what they’re looking for. Maybe they found out he had her and demanded her release.”

  “And Roth was so obsessed with her he refused to let her go.” Austin added, pausing from his reading to contemplate Luke’s theory. It was plausible, he thought, but then why wouldn’t Eve tell him if that was the case? And what did she need him for? And...and maybe she didn’t know they were looking for her.

  “Obsessed! Is exactly what I think.” Luke declared and flipped around the journal he had in his hand so that Austin could see. Written on the entire page and in the margins were the words ‘She’s mine!’

  “What date is that journal?”

  Flipping back to the beginning, Luke found the date. “September sixth.”

  “That’s two weeks before the Drop. Roth had put them off for two weeks and then what? He decided to try negotiations one more time? Hoped he could convince them not to take her? Doesn’t make sense. If I were Roth, I wouldn’t have gone back to Bliss.”

  “Who says he did? Chase?”

  Austin frowned. “Jeremy said Chase was due back at seven thirty that morning, but he never said anything about Roth’s return. I didn’t want to ask in front of Chase. The less he thinks I know the better.”

  Austin went back to flipping through journals. The closer the dates came to reaching Drop Day, the more repetitive the content. His previous statement didn’t adequately describe Roth’s interest in Eve. It wasn’t obsession, it was pure insanity. He turned to the next page of the journal.

  June 6, was written across the top in bold letters and underlined five times. The first entry underneath this heading read: 7:18pm — I took my first injection. Austin continued down the page through Roth’s ramblings about eternity, until he came to the next data entry which was dated September tenth. 7:21pm — fifth injection; larger dosage. If no results by tomorrow will try on test subjects. “Listen to this.” Austin reread the passage out loud.

  “Test subjects? I didn’t see any lab animals.” Luke looked up from reading.

  “The girls were his subjects.” He said with certainty, convinced the girls here would have the same needle marks in the webbing of their fingers and toes as he’d seen on Charlie’s.

  “What was he injecting them with?”

  Austin looked over at Luke. “I think with Eve’s blood.”

  Luke’s eyes widened and then his brow creased as he processed this possibility. The further they dug into the general’s past the more bizarre the reality of it became. “What a sick asshole.”

  Austin nodded in agreement.

  “I heard one of the girls say Eve was a vampire.” Luke commented after a few minutes, hoping he didn’t sound like a nitwit.

  Austin looked up, his expression close to amused. “No such thing.”

  Embarrassed for coming off sounding naïve, childish even, Luke attempted to redeem himself. “I mean I didn’t think so. I was just wondering what she was? You know, that’s all…”

  “It’s ok Luke. It’s normal to apply what we know to the unknown. And I don’t know what or who Eve is, but maybe these will tell us.” Austin held up his journal.

  Luke nodded and they both went back to reading. A couple of hours later, around ten thirty, Luke nodded off in his chair. Austin hesitated to wake him up. The dark circles under his eyes, the permanent crease in his forehead, the boy was more than just tired and Austin sensed something weighed heavy on his mind. Luke hadn’t been the same since Lamar. It was too much for him to process, his last straw, and was making what Austin had to tell Luke that much more difficult. Reaching over, Austin gently shook him back to life. “You should go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be on you kid.”

  This comment was like cold water in Luke’s face. “Whatta ya mean on me? Where are you gonna be?”

  “I’m going through the portal.”

  Now wide awake, Luke stood up “I’m going with you then.”

  “You can’t come with. I need you to help Madison get these girls back to the bunker.”

  “Madison doesn’t need me, she’s got Jeremy. I can help.” Luke pleaded. “I want to help.”

  “I know you do Luke. But I have no idea what’s out there and I can’t risk your life. You’re needed here. I need you to be here.”

  “I don’t want to be here. I’d rather be dead.” The words came out before Luke could think not to say them. He stared at Austin, waiting for him to express his disappointment.

  “You don’t mean that.” Austin replied. “You have plenty to live for. And it will get better.”

  “Do you really believe that? Would you believe me if I said that to you? If your wife was dead and I told you to go on, things are gonna get better. Would you believe me?”

  Austin sat back and rubbed his hand over his face, there was nothing he could say. If Roxi and his boy were dead, he would have a hard time finding a reason to give a shit about anything, and living in particular would lose all meaning.

  “Sorry man. I shouldn’t a said that.”

  “Yeah you should of and you’re right. I wouldn’t want to go on living, but I’ll tell you what. If my wife’s dead, I will live long enough to get revenge. I’ll live for that reason alone.”

  “Are you the only one allowed to want revenge?” Luke asked, not in a forceful manner, but in a quiet, almost pleading, tone.

  Austin shoo
k his head, wanting to say yes instead, but refraining. For Luke there was yet a chance at normal, Austin would never have normal, and certainly not without Roxi. He didn’t want Luke to be consumed by revenge, he wanted him to go on with life, to forget about all the horror he’d seen. Expressing this out loud would sound hypocritical and empty, so Austin kept silent. Luke wouldn’t buy into it, and why should he? If the shoe was on Austin’s foot, and it might very well be in the very near future, he wouldn’t either.

  “You can come with me.” Austin sighed, giving in against every sound reasoning and good judgment he possessed.

  “I can! Really?” Luke jumped off his chair, tossing notebooks everywhere.

  “Yes. But on one condition.” Austin replied with a half smile. “You have to tell Madison.

  Luke’s face collapsed. “Shit. There’s always a catch.”

  “She’s not your mother Luke.”

  “I know. It’s not that.” Luke shook his head. “She risked a lot for me, finding the bunker when I was sick. And, you know the three of us have been together for a while. I don’t want to her to think I’m, we’re abandoning her is all.”

  “Who’s being abandoned?” Madison asked from the doorway.

  Austin spun around in his chair. “Make some noise when you walk up on people.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you guys.” She smiled, finding Austin’s reaction just a little comedic and satisfying. If she gave it more thought, she would have added human to that list. “So where are you going tomorrow and who’s going with you?”

  Luke concentrated on the scattered notebooks. He knew he’d have to tell her. Austin wasn’t going to let him weasel out of this one. Looking up, Luke took a deep breath.

  “I’m going through the portal tomorrow and I asked Luke to come with me.” Austin replied, before Luke even had his thoughts formulated into a coherent sentence.

  “Serious? The portal?” Remaining calm. “What if Chase lied? What if there’s nothing there? Or worse. He’s leading you into a death trap.” Her heart rate was elevating. “I mean you don’t trust him, do you?” Madison demanded, her blood pressure rising with each question she asked.

  “I don’t. Not in the least. But he didn’t lie about the portal or the warehouses. Roth’s journal’s validated the existence of the buildings. They were built over two years ago to be used for storage.”

  She said, her face tight, “I don’t believe any of it. From a liar to a psychopath, how can you trust what either one says about it?”

  Uncharacteristically, Austin pleaded with her, “Madison, I have to try. Can you believe that? Can you trust me and believe in me at least?”

  His soft tone grabbed at Madison’s heart. The ache was almost unbearable. Damn him, she thought. He wasn’t playing fair, but he had no idea he wasn’t or how he affected her. She wanted to yell at him, to scream at him to forget about his wife and son. They were dead like everyone else’s loved ones. But she bit her tongue. It wasn’t his fault she had allowed herself to fall in love with him.

  “Ok. But why Luke?”

  “I want to go.” Luke spoke up. “I need to go. I can’t sit under ground pretending like everything’s ok. Like living under ground is great. Like anything is ever gonna be great or better or anything but crap. I can’t do it Maddie.”

  Realizing she wasn’t going to convince him otherwise, Madison’s shoulders dropped. “So it’s me you’re abandoning then?” She smiled to stop the tears from coming. “That’s ok Luke. I’ve got plenty to keep me occupied until you return.” She turned to Austin. “And you’re coming back right?”

  “Of course we are.” Luke assured her.

  Madison wasn’t convinced, but voiced no further argument. Luke excused himself to turn in, leaving Madison alone with Austin for the first time since their arrival. She took the chair Luke had been sitting in. Leaning back she closed her eyes hoping to clear her head. Not long passed before she sensed Austin watching her. She contemplated never opening her eyes, which would be preferable to staring into his.

  “You tired?” Austin asked.

  “Exhausted.” Madison leaned forward, opening her eyes as she did so, avoiding his direct gaze.

  “You did great by the way. If it means anything to you, I’m proud of you. And Luke.”

  “Luke was a champ. He didn’t flinch or hesitate.” She paused. “But I know it bothered him. He’s just not wired for killing.”

  “He’s tougher than you think.”

  “You’re not going to convince me.” She cocked an eyebrow at him, daring to look at him.

  “That transparent huh?”

  “Yeah a little see through.”

  “I’ll take care of him Maddie. I promise.”

  Madison’s heart jumped into her throat. All her intentions of never shedding a tear came crumbling down on her. She buried her face in her hands, forcing the sobs back.

  “Please don’t cry.” Austin came to kneel next to her. It was the first time he’d seen a fissure in her tough exterior.

  “I’m not crying damn it.” Madison shook her head in anger, sniffing as she wiped the tears off her face. “It’s just…It’s only that…” She choked on her words and the dam broke.

  Austin took her in his arms, hugging her tight. He forced his mind elsewhere, on tomorrow’s mission, on Eve, on anything except how he felt having her so close to him. After a few minutes her body stopped shaking. She turned her head and laid her cheek on his chest.

  “What a stupid girl I am.” She said quietly, all her fight, all her spirit, everything she relied on to survive over the past months had failed her, leaving her vulnerable.

  “You’re a very brave woman. And I would take you over a platoon of men.”

  Madison sat back out of his arms, embarrassment taking control now. “No you wouldn’t, but thanks anyway.” She smiled. “What’s all this?” She asked, noticing the notebooks for the first time if only to divert her attention elsewhere.

  “Diaries of a madman.” Austin answered, also relieved to have a distraction. “Roth’s journals.” He clarified to Madison’s questioning glance. He couldn’t help noticing the color of her eyes, as if crying had made the green stand out over the brown. He bent down to retrieve a journal from the pile, an excuse to look away from her.

  Madison took the journal from Austin and flipped to the first page. She scanned the contents, flipped to the next page scanning down to the end using the tip of her finger as a guide. A few pages in she looked up to Austin’s curious stare. “Speed reader. I learned when I was a kid. A useless talent my mother would always say.” She laughed, a hollow sound containing no joy.

  “Wanna help me go through the rest of these?” Austin waved his hand over the stack.

  “Sure. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.” She replied, reclaiming some of her dignity. “What am I looking for?”

  “Anything that makes sense. Anything about Bliss. Or Eve. Or…

  “Eve?”

  “The girl, being, whatever she is. Eve, that’s what I call her.” Austin answered. “Where is she anyway?”

  “That’s what I came to tell you. I was gathering the girls to get them into their rooms when she walked off in the opposite direction. I tried to stop her, but she gave me this look or whatever and, and well I moved out of her way. I figured she was coming to find you.”

  Austin shook his head. Her disappearance didn’t worry him. He knew she wouldn’t leave without him. How he knew this didn’t matter, he just knew it.

  “What is she?” Madison asked. She too had heard the girl’s whispering about vampires, but knew better than to even suggest it to Austin.

  “An alien. I think.

  “As in extraterrestrial?”

  “Sort of. But I think she’s been on this planet for a very long time.”

  “Did you know about her being here in the mountain? Is that why you came?”

  “She led me here. She’s been leading me since I was nine years old.” He confess
ed, not planning to do so, but deciding right then it was time. He explained to Madison about his accident, about her first appearance. How she showed him things and that was how he able to predict the future. Surprising him, Madison listened intently and with minimal interruptions.

  “So what happens next?” Madison asked once he finished his tale.

  “You don’t think I’m as loony as Roth?” Austin was shocked.

  “Not at all. It explains a lot about you.” She gave him a sad smile.

  Austin nodded, but couldn’t help feeling shocked at her reaction to the truth. “I don’t know what she wants, but I’m taking her with me to Bliss. Luke thinks she might be what Roth had promised the Sundogs.”

  “What do you think?”

  ”I don’t know. It’s possible. Which is why I wanted to go through these journal. I was hoping Roth left a clue to her existence or purpose. To anything.”

  “I guess we should get to reading then.” Madison grabbed a stack of journals and sat back in her chair.

  Austin did likewise, but his concentration was shot. Madison’s scent, subtle as it was, lingered on his clothes overpowered his senses and caused the words to blur in front of him. He sighed, and gave up trying to muddle through Roth’s ramblings. He closed his eyes and sleep soon took hold.

  Deep into her reading, Madison forgot where she was, and not until two hours later, when she looked up, did she realize Austin was asleep. As always when he was in this vulnerable state, she took advantage of the opportunity by examining his face. In sleep was the single moment when his features softened and she could imagine him as a happy man.

  Sighing in frustration, she stood up to stretch and cast her gaze around Roth’s office. She walked over to a wall where the several plaques were hanging, all prestigious awards for various acts of valor, honor or bravery.