From the Ashes

by Angela White

  Kenn wasn’t sure if mattered. He also wasn’t sure that it didn’t. He was making progress, finally growing as a person, but to be fooled for ten years by a child? How was he supposed to react to a crippling blow like that?

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Kenn spun, hand dropping to his 9mm before he realized it was only the construction crew adding another layer to the sniper shield around camp. They were out of wooden planks and down to using the moldy trees for stakes to attach the ledges. Once they chopped the trees down and cleared the mold there was still usable wood, but in another year, that wouldn’t be the case.

  Thud! Thud!

  Zack’s boys were the ones cleaning the mold off the trees. It was their punishment for stealing supplies from the trucks while Zack’s team was on duty. The trucker hadn’t known about it, and he had let Adrian handle the boys with a week of hard labor. That had been the lightest punishment given. Mitch had been assigned a buddy in the com truck, so that he was never alone on duty. The first time his buddy reported him drinking and working, he would be finished as Safe Haven’s radioman.

  All around Kenn’s post, people were working, digging latrine holes and garbage pits, washing clothes, playing cards and handheld video games, chatting lightly while waiting in lines. It was calm, but Kenn wondered how many of those low conversations were about Angela and the things she could do. Those who had been in the medical tent were refusing to talk, but John’s renewed health said something huge had happened. He was moving without discomfort again, the fog pushed away, and he appeared to be sober, telling the camp she had helped him enough that he didn’t need the painkillers. With his vigor returned, John was busy implementing new procedures for the camp, like monthly disinfecting of all tents and equipment, and restarting vaccinations for those who want them. He had also upped the iodine consumption for the entire camp after his weekly absolute lymphocyte count came back more elevated than usual. The doctor tested random batches of blood from people who came in during the week and Safe Haven members, then compared it previous amounts to tell Adrian how much needed to be added to the drinking water. Today, John had done all of that, and had just finished examining Billy’s broken leg, sending him out of the medical tent on crutches instead of in a wheelchair. That Eagle was ecstatic. And clumsy.

  Kenn watched Billy fall twice, wincing each time. If he kept up like that, John would be setting the other leg next, with no sinkhole to blame it on.

  “Instructors and testing Eagles to the training tent,” the radios crackled roughly. Some still weren’t functioning at all despite Kenn and Brady working on them.

  Angela walked by with a gun on each hip, fast clip implying her recovery was speeding along. John had also cleared her for private lessons with the Senior men. Marc wouldn’t like Adrian’s plans, but to Kenn, there was a strong sense of time running out. Whatever Adrian had been preparing Angela for was closer now.

  Kenn stepped over to where Doug was standing. The big man was in charge of making sure the cans were lit, the dogs were put out, the supply trucks were locked up, and the keys were delivered to the next person on Point.

  “Is everything set?”

  Doug didn’t answer.

  Bracing against the lingering ache from healing his rib injury, Kenn raised his voice. “Are we 5-by?”

  Doug swung around in surprise, and Kenn ignored the twinge in his side to view what had distracted the big man so thoroughly. Doug wasn’t normally one to miss much. If not for his limp, Kenn would have considered him a serious rival when he’d first joined.

  “We’re all set,” Doug answered stiffly.

  Kenn narrowed in on the mess. Hilda and Peggy were unpacking the truck and it wasn’t hard to guess which female the giant man was eyeing. The stories were flying through camp.

  “You should go talk to her.”

  “What?” Doug stared as if Kenn had three heads.

  “You’re allowed a personal life,” Kenn reminded him.

  You don’t understand, Doug thought. You don’t look like me.

  Doug was addicted to the dream of rebuilding as much as the rest of Adrian’s refugees, but the idea of finding a woman among Safe Haven’s hens was terrifying. No one wants a hulk like me.

  “Doug?”

  “I don’t need a woman.”

  Kenn flashed to one of his last moments with Tonya, to the way she’d had him shuddering and groaning. “If you say so.”

  Doug quickly pushed Kenn’s words out in favor of the silent worship from afar that he’d been doing for months. She wouldn’t have anything to do with someone like him, not a strong woman like Peggy, but he liked to look at her. The stern bun she always wore was loose from a day of labor, and the sight of all that strawberry silk gone wild had drawn his eye from across the camp. It glistened in the light of the campfires like diamonds.

  Doug’s daydreaming was interrupted by a familiar, hated ache, and the big man limped toward the bathrooms. Eventually he would talk to John. After hiding his own illness, surely the doctor would understand and keep quiet. The debt Doug felt he owed Adrian for pulling him free of that collapsed bridge along the Nevada state line hadn’t been paid yet.

  There was a lot of that going around in Safe Haven.

  2

  “How about I teach you to hear differently?”

  “Sure. How?”

  Becky heard Seth come up behind her. When his big hands settled onto her shoulders, she didn’t flinch. They were just outside her tent, with a small campfire going. With so many of the camp and Eagles at the level tests, it was almost isolated. “The world is full of sounds. Even this dead one.”

  He rustled her hair against her jaw. “The wind, the animals, us. Even if it were all gone, there would still be sound. After light, it was the next thing created.”

  Or so I understand from my dreams.

  Becky heard his thought clearly and tried not to flinch at the newest evidence of her gifts.

  “Light and sound,” Seth highlighted. “Without your eyes, there is no light, and without ears that can hear danger, sound no longer matters. For true survival, the ears must work as well as the other senses, and then be better.”

  Seth rubbed his fingers together, making a light scratching noise.

  “We hear ranges of sound, from high pitches to low, deep to shallow. Our ears process it for us automatically. So much so, that most people don’t realize they can consciously sort those sounds. With the right mindset, a person can make a sound louder or softer, in order to hear what’s around them.”

  He made a few low noises, demonstrating, and Becky immediately understood what he meant.

  “Controlling it is like anything else–practice and willpower. In time, sounds from multiple sources can be not only identified, but also tracked to a close location and evaluated for the threat.”

  The sound of him sliding his knife from his sheath made her tense, and Seth immediately put it away.

  “Very good. You’ll use your ears and react accordingly.”

  Seth grabbed her arm, forgetting to warn her.

  “Don’t!”

  Her panicked shout stopped him in his tracks and drew the attention of those on duty–his team. None of them envied the undercover cop this chore, but each of them respected him for living up to it.

  “I won’t touch you.”

  “I’m okay.” Becky was shaking.” You just moved too fast and I…”

  She dropped her head, starting to cry, and Seth slowly put his arm around her shoulders. She rested against him tensely.

  “It’ll get better with time.”

  Coming to herself for a brief, rare moment, Becky raised her eyes and a hand that went to Seth’s cheek. “It’s good that you’re not like him.”

  Seth placed a gentle kiss in her palm. “Thank you for not giving up. There’s always hope.”

  Becky’s demeanor snapped into cold desolation, hand dropping. “Don’t be confused, Seth. I’m destroyed. There’s only a gaping hole surrounded w
ith endless rage. Killing him may have let me survive, but I’ll never trust another man as long as I live.”

  Her face hardened further and she revealed yet another new level of the adulthood that she’d been forced into, saying, “And that includes you, even after all that you’ve done. He robbed me of something that I can’t ever get back. Even I know that.”

  Becky stumbled toward the tent. “I need a few. Go take a test or something.”

  Seth headed for the level tents, waving his team closer to her. She did trust him, though, even if she didn’t recognize it. He had to show her that she was wrong. He’d hoped the new friendship between her, Charlie, and Jennifer might help, but he hadn’t seen any signs of it yet.

  Studying them from across the camp, Neil couldn’t miss the connection, their spark. Seth was extremely protective. Maybe that’s what Becky needed now.

  Neil grimaced, tilting his hat forward to block the glare of the roaring center fire as he headed to the tests. I certainly didn’t put her safety first.

  Seth wasn’t among the largest of Adrian’s army, but those thin hips held up a man that was wiry and determined to succeed. Everyone had expected Seth to be a hot head when Adrian had brought him into the Eagles (that bright red hair and those glinting green eyes said he was just as wild as a first glance implied) but he’d settled in and found a place with his team. All of those men adored Seth, and if that meant accepting Becky as his woman, Neil was sure they would agree.

  Unlike my team, he thought, trying not to be bitter. He understood they didn’t have as close a bond because he wasn’t an enterprising person like Seth or Kyle, or even Kenn. Neil liked his place where it was and didn’t see the need to fix what wasn’t broken.

  After weeks of watching Seth guide Becky into her tent and hold her until she cried herself to sleep, Neil still hadn’t made a final choice. The shadows had confirmed that Seth was mostly only offering comfort, but it implied they’d had at least one intimate moment that had bonded them. And no matter what date he came up with, Neil was pissed. He would keep watching until he was sure Seth’s motives weren’t like Kyle’s.

  3

  “Welcome to the Cage. Let’s get started.”

  The Eagles and camp members who were crowded around the testing area cheered in response to Adrian’s words.

  Those about to enter the dome only grinned as if they couldn’t wait. For the first time, the camp was being allowed to view a complete level test and hundreds of people watched, waiting for them get everything set up. Of those fighting tonight, Marc’s was the team that everyone wanted to see–especially the Eagles. Marc had been working privately with his men for almost two months now, not letting them show what he was teaching, and even Angela was curious.

  “Draw a name from the hat.” Adrian pitched his dog tags into the rear of the cage. “Trainer with the number three goes first.”

  Billy held up his number three for them to see, grinning.

  Some of Marc and Kevin’s team groaned. After Neil and Jeff, Billy was the most ruthless at kai. Seth was now a close number four.

  Kevin was nearest to the hat, and he swallowed a complaint when he pulled Billy’s name from it. He would go first.

  “Come on, rookie.”

  Kevin snorted, unbuckling his gun belt. “Suck my Rookie.”

  Loud laughter rang through the crowd as the men faced off. There were easily two hundred people watching.

  Marc moved for the hat, and everyone craned to see who he would face.

  Marc flashed Greg’s name.

  When the groaning and betting began, Marc gave Neil’s new third in command a hard grin. “Ready?”

  Greg sent a worried look around. “Oh shit. Who’s got my back?”

  More laughs as Adrian started the match.

  “Go.”

  Marc watched the first minute or so and then found his interest lagging. His team was set to give Adrian what he wanted, but more than that, it was what all his men wanted. They loathed being so far down the Eagle chain.

  Marc noticed that there were more females in the front rows than there had been for any of the events he’d been to so far. Those included Samantha, Tracy, Cynthia, Becky, and half a dozen camp women. Those last six were a clique that called themselves sisters.

  There were more than a few Eagles eyeing these females as they watched the now bloody match that they themselves would be facing in a few weeks. Most of them were pale, but a few seemed like they might be more interesting to watch than the current match. Kevin was good, but Billy was toying with him. Being levels ahead meant all the difference, and it was another sign of Adrian’s genius. As long as the men continued to pass each level, the teams would be easy to manage, and those on top would keep seniority over the years.

  “That’s a pass.”

  “4:41,” Shawn stated, recording it.

  “Number two, pick someone who drew your name,” Adrian instructed.

  Jeremy waved his paper. “Let me have Ray. If he gets by me in a fair fight, I’ll support him and Dale.”

  A shocked silence fell over the area and then shouting echoed until Adrian began glaring at people.

  Ray, who wasn’t about to miss an opportunity like this, eagerly stepped forward, “Let’s go.”

  Jeremy took up a defensive position in front of Adrian’s dog tags. “If you lose, I’ll be with the moral board when they vote it illegal.”

  Ray’s face tightened. “I can’t wait to see you bleed. Then the rookies will know that straight blood looks just like ours.”

  Jeremy waved a hand. “Come on, then.”

  Adrian hit the timer, and everyone crowded closer to watch the surprise matchup.

  Marc was about the only one who didn’t. Ray had come to him not long after Angie broke Zack’s nose and asked for private lessons. Jeremy was set to take a dive for the dream, but it wouldn’t be needed. Ray had caught on as fast.

  Thud!

  Marc grinned as those watching went crazy.

  “He’s out!”

  “Get the doctor!”

  “Did you see that?”

  Marc met Adrian’s eye over the mob, brow raised. Happy with that?

  Adrian nodded back, Yes.

  Ray handed Adrian his tags and then turned to face the surprised Eagles watching the match. He narrowed in on the lower levels and rookies. “I’ll hurt the next man who touches Dale against his will. I mean that.”

  Ignoring the shouts and mutters, Ray went to Jeremy. “You okay, man?”

  The Eagle was slowly sitting up, blood dripping down his shirt. “No, you asshole. Help me up.”

  Ray grinned, getting Jeremy to his feet.

  The talking, laughing, muttering crowd quieted as Adrian approached the two men. He held out a small black patch with a gold number three on it. “That’s a pass.”

  Ray slid it into his pocket, grinning wider. “Should I take him to the medical tent?”

  Jeremy wanted to say no, but his nose was bleeding freely, stomach rolling. “Damn.”

  “Yes.” Adrian turned toward the cage after motioning Dale to help them. “Who has number one?”

  4

  All of Kevin’s team went first, by Adrian’s design, Marc assumed, and except for Logan, passed. Logan went down with a fast hit from Greg and didn’t get back up until John arrived with the smelling salts. He had passed all the other parts of the test, however, and Kevin’s team stood in happy triumph.

  Marc’s team was now gathered around him, waiting for their matches to start.

  “All set?” Marc asked.

  The nervous males only nodded uneasily. Going through the tests in front of a few teams was hard. This? This was a circus, and they were the main act.

  “Good.” Marc chose to wind them tighter. “Look at the front row.”

  They did, and quickly saw what Marc had. The number of single females watching this test had been unusual before, but that had now doubled. A few of those groomed, perfumed, set-to-cause-doom females wer
e here to see what they would face, but most of them were looking for a man.

  Jax was the first to react the way Marc had hoped.

  “Dibs on Leslie!”

  Paul didn’t like that. “I already talked with her. Too late.”

  “So have I,” Quinn informed them with a grin.

  Marc waited, hoping she’d gotten her interview’s worth from his team. She should have, since he’d arranged it.

  “Uh, guys.”

  They all turned to look at Shane.

  “Not you too?”

  Shane chuckled. Unlike the others, he was a brawler from birth and wasn’t the least bit scared. With nine brothers, he’d had to be able to fight. “Yeah. I think she’s more of a relief source than a mate,” Shane pointed out.

  Jax frowned, but the other two gave low laughs.

  “Is this a problem?” Marc asked with a hard tone. He knew Jax had a thing for Leslie, had set it up this way to draw out the rage he needed everyone to know his XO was hiding.

  Jax shook his head, glaring. “No.”

  “Maybe she’ll narrow it down to the one who does the best here.” Marc stepped by, leaving them with that thought.

  Marc gave Leslie a small nod as he neared the cage, and watched her deliver a generous smile to Shane. And then a second leer to Paul.

  Jax nearly growled, and Marc was satisfied. He could now concentrate on his own match. He was set to face Greg, but Angela had warned him that she thought Adrian had a surprise planned.

  “Okay, let’s get the next sets started. Greg and unlucky victim number one, come on down!”

  Adrian loved to make his herd laugh, and he was in rare form today. Few heard the forced cheer.

  On his right, Angela ignored it.

  Paul had the first match, and he followed orders, making eye contact with Leslie as he entered the cage. “Busy later?”

  Leslie blushed furiously at the open attention, shaking her head.

  Paul chuckled, getting set as Greg glowered at him. “You could be.”

  Jax and the others shouted insults at that, and the crowd continued to enjoy the show.