Where We Stand

by Angela White

The ants viewed Safe Haven as a food source, often digging up anything they buried. And they were aggressive about defending their hills–which they only built when Safe Haven stayed camped. It was leaving behind not only a mutation legacy in every state, it was also a clearer trail for fresh antlings to follow so that they could catch up to the colony.

  Angela had little doubt that the hills were stocked with food and protectors. The ants were evolving at an alarming rate and every sign she picked out screamed intelligence. For example, the bait balls no longer worked. The colony simply sacrificed a few of their soldiers to carry the poison away from the hills. They buried it out of the scent line and then crawled off to die alone. Samantha and Neil had complete documentation on that one. They’d been sent out on more than a few observation trips during Adrian’s command, and they’d discovered that the ants were cleaning up the towns as the colony went by. That could be useful.

  “You got anything for me?”

  Angela hadn’t realized he was her open shadow today. “Yes, actually. Nice timing.”

  Kyle didn’t tell her he’d observed that look on Adrian’s face enough to understand. The only difference was that Kenn was usually the one who had the honor of hearing the new idea or plan first. He also didn’t say he couldn’t stand to be cooped up in that tent any longer. She knew.

  “Ask Dog, and then Jennifer, this question: Can they talk to the ants?”

  Kyle stared, dumbfounded, and Angela returned to her thinking. What would the insects want if someone could bridge the communication gap?

  Kyle recovered slowly. “Why Jenny?”

  Angela’s answer wasn’t a comfort.

  “If she wants you to know, she’ll answer that.

  Kyle waved Billy over to cover his post, going to the tent they had Dog stashed in. Apparently, there was a lot he still didn’t know about Jennifer and her gifts, and this was a bad time to be low on details. When she woke, he would have to face her accusations and try to save himself.

  8

  Angela observed Samantha climbing slowly from the front seat of Jeremy’s truck. The couple had moved there when the rain began.

  Angela saw the gentle kiss Samantha placed on his cheek, the way she smoothed hair back over his sleeping face. That was more than the response of a close friend or relief source. Samantha loved Jeremy.

  Angela hadn’t realized it was possible for Samantha to have real feelings for both males, and she stared hard, thinking it through. For every action, there was always an equal, opposite reaction...

  Samantha went to her team leader’s side, not answering the silent questions. Angela had her own triangle going on. She’d figure it out in time.

  Angela scowled at the thought, turning to watch John and Anne enter the medical tent, where Adrian was.

  Samantha waited, slightly impatient and a bit groggy. When Jeremy woke, he’d come for her and she wanted to be too busy to talk until he cooled off. Hoping to speed things along, Samantha took her notebook out and found a pen. She rubbed at her hip, thinking at least now she knew where the red line had come from. She hadn’t remembered the pen was in her pocket when she crashed.

  “I want a list of things that will make John’s life easier,” Angela stated, picking out his ginger movements through the medical tent window.

  Samantha started writing as she spoke. “Less carrying–a gopher to stay with him. Less climbing–I’ll ask Neil. Pain relief is Tonya, but I doubt she’ll give it to me…”

  Angela waited.

  “I’ll have Marc ask her,” Samantha chose, falling into the assignment. “All the women want him, so she’ll won’t say no. More rest…”

  “Say that again.”

  Sam tensed at the order. “Which part?”

  “Pain relief.”

  Sam’s shoulders unhitched. “Well that’s what we should have been giving cancer patients all along, right? I read a Post article on it.”

  Angela raised a brow and Samantha quickly explained. “Scientists were brewing it as a tea, I think. They’d sent it into remission in lab rats, but the government wouldn’t renew their funding.”

  Angela didn’t have to consider the outcome on this one. “Tell Tonya that Marc wants it and I’m paying–a trade of her choice.”

  Samantha went toward the couple’s tents to deliver the messages, understanding Angela didn’t want Marc to owe Tonya. Samantha agreed with that choice. Reformed or not, the redhead was dangerous.

  9

  Jeremy didn’t want to wake up.

  The dream had pulled him in deep and the flashing numbers in his mind were definitely a pattern. If he could stay here in the dark with Samantha, he could get the last two numbers and break the code.

  “Why do you need to?”

  Samantha’s voice didn’t echo, but Jeremy still cringed. No one was supposed to know of his obsession.

  “Too late for that,” Sam responded neutrally. “But I have to know why. I won’t let anyone hurt him, not even you.”

  “I’m not a traitor,” Jeremy replied, still trying to memorize the next two numbers.

  “They’ll be able to track us if you break the code.”

  Jeremy knew that and it didn’t matter. “I have to do this.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I wake up thinking about the code, you, and the future–in that order.

  “I can’t let you have it until you know why,” Samantha denied him unhappily. “The risk is too great.”

  The darkness around them lightened and the flashing roman numerals vanished.

  “No!”

  “Jeremy!”

  Jeremy snapped awake with a snarl. Samantha knew the code and she wasn’t giving it to him.

  “Jeremy, you up?”

  “Yeah,” he answered Daryl’s call with a curt tone.

  “You have sniper duty over the boss in an hour.”

  Which one, he thought sarcastically. He only said: “Okay.”

  Jeremy didn’t care who their leader was right now. Being denied the final numbers was more than frustrating and he rolled from his cot with a fresh scowl of anger. It would be a long day. He had QZ duty after sniper-rounds and until he got to be alone with Samantha, everyone had better stay out of his way.

  10

  “Seth’s back.”

  Angela hit her mic. “Copy.”

  She turned to observe his team pull into the QZ parking area.

  Seth came straight to her.

  “They’re gone–tried to give us the slip during the fog. We tracked them until dawn, went west.”

  “That will have to be good enough,” Angela stated, pushing away the lingering concern. She would have preferred a no-survivors report.

  Seth frowned slightly. “We could find them.”

  Angela heard the unspoken words–I’ll go back and do it. I’m capable of that, too.

  “Not unless they come here,” she chose. “We have bigger problems.”

  Both of them glanced toward the medical tent, where John and Anne’s shadow were moving calmly.

  “Anything else out there you think I need to know about?” Angela asked.

  Seth thought of the enormous herd of elk moving south, though it was now officially summer. “Nothing we haven’t been observing all along.”

  “Okay. Get some rest.”

  Seth waved off the compassion. All he wanted right now was Becky. Being around those hard females had reminded Seth of his duty to her. He was going to increase Becky’s training now that her body had received some recovery time. In a few months, she would be as dangerous as those snakes. Then, he would start handling her other needs. Mental healing was a slow process and Becky needed a guide through it.

  “Get off me, Neil!”

  “Make me.”

  “I’m warning you…”

  Neil braced, but didn’t let her up off the tent floor. It was her first Kai lesson, only he’d done it differently with her, based on her terrors. Every lesson she got from him for a while would
be hands-on to help her learn to fight Rick’s ghost.

  Becky felt the ugly rage rear its head and snapped her mouth shut. Neil didn’t understand how much she hated to be touched. He had to learn to respect her.

  Becky let the anger loose.

  Seth broke into a run at the sight of smoke oozing through tiny holes in their tent.

  He shoved inside the smoldering canvas to find Neil on his knees, eyes almost bugging out.

  “Seth!”

  Becky ran to embrace him and the trance broke, letting Neil free. He fell onto the floor with a gasp. “Pass!”

  Becky giggled, letting Seth hold her tightly.

  “I got Neil!” she exclaimed. “He didn’t know what I can do now.”

  Seth let out the breath he’d been holding, realizing Neil was giving a lesson. Around them, the tiny holes were growing, slowly burning through the damp fabric. That, with the puddle in the corner and broken plastic scattered across the floor, said he hadn’t remained in control.

  Neil wasn’t moving, only drawing in ragged breaths, and Seth gently pushed Becky back. “What did you do to him?”

  Neil groaned. “There was a knee in my mind. I said only physical attacks work on me.”

  “So, I kicked him for real,” Becky explained. “Hard. He hit the stove when he fell. Sorry about the tent.”

  But she didn’t sound sorry. In fact, she sounded happy.

  “Paybacks are a bitch,” Seth commented lightly.

  Neil moaned again. “You have no idea.”

  Becky’s easy laughter floated through the air. “He landed on my knife, I think, and doesn’t want to say so. He needs stitches in his ass.”

  Seth threw his hands up. He’d been worried about Becky!

  “Come on, then. You hurt him, you help carry him.”

  Becky slid an arm around Neil without any signs of hesitation, and Seth filed that as they got the dazed trooper to his feet.

  Blood smeared over their hands and arms in the process, and Becky frowned. “You’re hurt.”

  Seth stayed quiet as they carried him to John. Becky had touched Neil, shown concern for him. She didn’t hate him anymore.

  Neil had the same thought, but it was hard to concentrate through the throbbing. He should have been expecting the physical reaction. Teach him to ignore rumors.

  Samantha appeared at Seth’s side, and Seth prepared to defend Becky. He didn’t think Sam would find this funny.

  “What happened?” Samantha asked tonelessly. As if she didn’t know.

  “Rebecca got a little carried away,” Seth offered. It was the only concession he meant to give.

  Sam turned an ugly glare on him. “I thought you said he’d be okay!”

  “It wasn’t my idea to give her a Kai lesson,” Seth refuted.

  Samantha took that in the same way Seth had–Becky was recovering. She cleared her throat. “Well, he knows to be more careful now, I guess.”

  Becky moved so that Samantha could take her place, and then slid under the shelter and isolation of Seth’s free arm. She didn’t speak and all of them understood that her forgiveness hadn’t extended to Samantha.

  Neil, trying not to hit his knees again, pulled out of their grip. “The doctor needs to sew my ass together and reattach my balls. Excuse me.”

  The trio behind him was still cackling when Neil disappeared into the tent.

  Samantha quieted first. Jeremy was coming her way.

  She leaned toward Seth. “He needs to cool off a bit. Think your girlfriend’s ready for distraction lesson A?”

  Seth saw Becky’s eager grin and sighed. “If you want them both in the tent with Adrian, you could just tell us, you know. You don’t have to kill them to get them there.”

  Samantha smirked and ducked out of sight behind the water tanker.

  Her shadow, Alex, hurried to catch up as Seth and Becky intercepted Jeremy.

  11

  “Here is the basket you asked for,” Li Sing set it on her table.

  Angela quickly thanked him and left. She had a test to run. It was only a small one that she expected few people to notice, but there was a sense that it mattered more than she knew at this point.

  “What is she...” Jake hit the button on his radio before considering the consequences. “Brady to the Nursery.”

  Angela turned around to glare at the rookie.

  “Don’t ever do that again.”

  The order rang in Jake’s mind like she’d slapped him.

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Angela stormed out of the perimeter, basket in hand, and went a bit further than she’d planned in her anger.

  “Let it go. This is new to them.”

  Adrian’s weak voice in her mind made Angela wince. She didn’t want him there now.

  “I’d like to watch.”

  Angela sighed, grabbing a handful of the food as the soldier ants began to take notice of her. “Two minutes.”

  Adrian stayed silent, sensing the walls she was hastily constructing to keep him out of her thoughts. He didn’t try to get in them, just observed. As soon as Brady arrived, he would pull back and observe from that angle.

  Angela tossed a handful of the food into a heavy center of the busy ants and managed to hit the dead waterfowl they’d been cutting apart. Food and decay flew across the blue grass.

  The ants fled, the smaller ones quick, and Angela observed closely as the larger ants followed. It occurred to her that the cicadas were mostly gone, but their eggs weren’t underground. They were in the molding trees and bushes–all aboveground–and Angela wondered if that was because of the ants. Were those a food source?

  Once the minors were out of range, the soldier ants came to inspect the food. After a minute or so, they began to pick it up and take it to the minors.

  “Interesting.”

  Two larger ants came near the food. Bigger, with red spots on their heads, they had larger jaws that she thought might be capable of severing a finger. They stared at her and Angela stared back, listening for Marc’s steps.

  Crunch! Crunch!

  Angela went toward the ants, acting afraid, and then she was in Marc’s arms, flying toward the tape.

  “Stop!” she insisted. “Look at them.”

  The two soldier ants had followed, were only a few feet away.

  “Put me down.”

  Marc did reluctantly, not sure what she was doing.

  “Back up a few feet,” she instructed, moving toward the two soldier ants. “And throw me something–food, candy, whatever.”

  Marc tossed her the bun he’d swiped from the Mess on his rounds. He tensed as she neared the ants, ready to grab her. Those jaws had to be sharp.

  Angela knelt down and held out the bun as she keyed her mic. “The first man who shoots is out of the Eagles.”

  Marc scowled. “Be reasonable.”

  Angela ignored him, staring at the closest ant. It had slowed when she knelt, but was approaching the food steadily now.

  Angela held onto it for an instant as the ant touched the bun, then let go, but left her hand out.

  The ant came forward...

  Brady swept her into his arms again.

  “They’re chasing you! Stop.”

  Marc stopped, drawing his gun.

  Angela sighed, happiness evaporating. “Put it away, Brady. I’m trying to make friends.”

  “Of course you are,” Marc snorted.

  He carried her to the tape and put her on her feet. “You’ll bring them straight into camp if you start feeding them that way.”

  Angela’s voice was thoughtful. “You think so?”

  She resumed her rounds, going toward the parking area. She’d expecting the ants to avoid everything they threw now that they’d been killing them for so long.

  “We’re a migrating food source,” Angela said as Kyle came running toward her. “We’re feeding them with our garbage and such, right?”

  Kyle controlled his breathing, shooting an annoyed glare at Jake. “Ye
s. That’s part of why Adrian has us bury the supplies. It makes it harder if there’s a crate.”

  Angela gestured to where the ants were coming closer, taking the food and carrying it to their hills. “No more killing them. Pass it on.”

  Kyle was confused, but he didn’t ask why. The ants were a tiny part of their problems.

  Angela slowly made her way over to Doug, who was supervising the next section of portable wall being attached to what they’d already constructed. If it wasn’t lined up perfectly, the smaller ants and wildlife would still be able to get through.

  “How’s the arm?”

  Doug was studying Zack’s boys. “Just a scratch.”

  Zack’s sons were on probation, told if they got out of line one single time, they would be banished without their father. Those who knew better had been careful not to reveal the bluff and the three boys were helping with preparations and chores. Only time would tell if Safe Haven’s light could turn them from the path they were on.

  “How goes our wall?”

  Doug disapproved openly. “Too slowly.”

  Angela leaned in. “I’ll bet Peggy would be glad to get the camp’s women out here to help.”

  Doug started to protest colorfully, and remembered who he was now talking to. He quickly changed the wording.

  “How would that work?”

  Angela smirked, moving on. “I think it probably depends on how you ask her.”

  Peggy and Millie were now working in the medical tents when John needed them. The camp had forgiven them when Brett had chosen to split rather than be dragged back into a medical career. Doug and the Eagles, however, were still being cold. Doug didn’t realize the men were waiting on him to forgive her. They couldn’t until he did and Doug hadn’t yet. They sat together at meals when their schedules merged, but it was clear that there were worlds between them.

  Kevin turned to Daryl as she went by. “Is that a good idea, getting the females out here?”

  Daryl liked it that Kevin knew to keep his voice down, but he couldn’t approve the tone. A leader’s assistant had to trust them.

  “Do you have a better way? The camp females are the only workable labor we have right now that isn’t already being used.”

  Kevin accepted the scolding tone with a sigh. He still wasn’t sure that he wanted this place, despite finding out from Zack that it had been one of Adrian’s last recommendations before going into Little Rock.