Dead Alive: Eden Lost Book Two (Hunter Wars 8)
Page 26
The sound of sobbing reached his ears and it tugged at his heart. When he’d left Alabama with his duffel bag over his shoulder, the sound of his wife, Muriel, sobbing was the last thing he’d heard from her. He promised he’d come home and he was sure he still would, he just needed to work out where he was.
Making his way to the back of the cart, he looked up at the sturdy metal bars. Behind them were about twenty people, dressed in rags, and so thin they could almost fit between the bars. Some of them were crying, others sat looking dejected, and more were clearly deeply withdrawn. A young girl in front of him stared straight through him with vacant eyes, and he whispered. Are you okay, love?
She didn’t seem to hear him, and he reached up his hand to stroke her hair, but as happened with the beast, it passed through her. The girl touched her cheek where his hand had been as if she was aware of his touch. There were six large carts filled with equally as many skinny, desperate looking people. He was never good at math, but even he knew that added up to over a hundred people being held prisoner.
He didn’t understand, the guards weren’t speaking German or Japanese, and they sounded British to him. None of it made sense, the British were their allies not their enemy, and he’d heard nothing about them taking prisoners. He turned and walked back to where the monster and the men were still arguing.
“You agreed to take them prisoner. My demons showed you where to find weapons and helped you take the country, but now you want to back out on our deal.”
“Listen, mate, I ain’t throwin’ people into any bloody pit. I’ve got no reason to do that, so unless you can give me one, you can fuck off.”
The man next to him muttered, “What the fuck is that pit doing at Stonehenge anyway? I came here years ago, and there wasn’t nothin’ like that here.”
“So, what’s your plan?” The monster asked sulkily.
“We’re goin’ to Windsor Castle.” The man flicked his thumb at the carts. “We’re gonna take this lot down there and they can work for us. You know, grow crops and take care of animals like peasants.”
“You mean like slaves,” the monster replied dourly.
“Whatever. I’m not gonna waste good resources by chuckin’ ‘em into a burning pit. I just don’t see the point.”
“Well, if your only ambition is to be some tin pot leader in a drafty old castle, then I guess not,” the monster replied contemptuously. His large, rubbery mouth twisted into a grimace of dissatisfaction and he sniffed derisively. “But you’ll die.”
“Why will I die?” The man asked in surprise.
The monster waved his claw at Stonehenge. “Because even if you won’t sacrifice your small group of prisoners then someone else will, and when they do, they’ll take control of the whole country including you.”
“How does throwin’ people into the pit give anyone control of the country?” The man asked incredulously.
The monster seemed to have grown bored with their conversation and he huffed irritably. “It doesn’t matter. If you’re not willing to do it then there’ll be plenty who will.” Pushing his ugly face at the armed man, he added ominously. “No matter what you decide today, you already belong to me. We’ll meet again, and when we do, you won’t like it.”
Clearly the conversation was over, and the gargantuan monster turned and looked him in the eye. Its eyes travelled the length of his body and then met his eyes again. “Eavesdropping, are we?”
Who are you?
Its eyes drooped slightly and its ugly mouth turned up with a sneer. “It doesn’t matter to you who I am. You don’t belong to me. You’re just lost.” With a flick of its muscular wrist, it said flippantly, “Run along and find your way home.”
Where am I?
The creature didn’t answer, but lumbered away towards the fiery pit in the middle of Stonehenge. It was only then he realized the stupidity of his question. Stonehenge was in the UK and that must be where he was. He didn’t understand how he’d found his way to the UK. The last thing he remembered was standing on his ship in Pearl Harbor. There’d been an explosion and he was thrown from the deck into the water. His head had hurt, and recalling the pain, he touched it gingerly. To his surprise, he didn’t feel his skull, but a mushiness filled his fingers. Ripping his cap from his head, he probed the back of his skull, hoping to find the rounded bone and hair that should be there. The soft mush covered the entire back of his head, and beginning to panic, an image of Muriel flashed through his mind. He needed find his way home, no matter how hard it was to get there. Determined to fulfil his promise to her, he began walking south to where he knew the docks would be. He needed to find a ship that could take him back to America.
Also by SD Tanner
Books in Hunter Wars Series
Book One:
EVE OF THE HUNTER WARS (Purchase Now)
Book Two:
HEAVEN MEETS HELL (Purchase Now)
Book Three:
ARMY OF ANGELS (Purchase Now)
Book Four:
GIFT FROM GOD (Purchase Now)
Book Five:
RIGHT TO RULE (Purchase Now)
Book Six:
CALL TO WAR (Purchase Now)
Books in Eden Lost Series
(Series Two of the Hunter Wars)
Book One:
HIDDEN EVIL (Purchase Now)
Book Two
DEAD ALIVE (Purchase Now)
Book Three
BATTLEFRONT
(Release: 2016)
Books in DNA Series
Book One:
THE LOCKE FILES (Purchase Now)
Book Two
TIME TO DIE
(Release: to be scheduled)
Books in NAVIGATOR Series
Book One:
ENEMY LINES
(Release: to be scheduled)
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