Escape from Endeavor

by Daniel A. Jones

  ***

  Angelica was putting Sara down in the barn when Daemon’s last attack happened. The ferocity of it and the emotions coming through her link with Daemon made her sick. She tried her best to block out the feelings their link was forcing her to experience, but she couldn’t. Thankfully the attack only lasted a few seconds but there was something in those emotions she’d never expected and it terrified her. Daemon had enjoyed the killing and now felt content, like he’d just eaten a long-awaited meal. She’d never felt anything like it from him before and prayed she’d never feel it again.

  She could sense him coming her way; thankfully, he was calming down. She was a little hesitant to meet him, but she could use his help getting the packs from the house. She was surprised when Daemon changed course and started moving toward the river. It took her a moment to figure out why he was going to the river, but when she finally did she was glad he had.

  The house was almost fully engulfed by the fire now. If they were going to get any of their supplies she would have to be quick. Thankfully, most of their packs were near the kitchen door. The kitchen was pretty clear of smoke but she knew it wouldn’t be long before that changed. She went first to Daemon’s room, though, deciding to grab his bag before it was too late. The door to his room was hot and the handle burned her hand as she used it. A wave of intense heat blasted her as she opened the door. The heat sucked the air from her lungs causing her to stagger back. She tried to make a run for the kitchen but she couldn’t regain her breath. Luckily for her, the hall to the kitchen was short and the smoke thinned out as it spread out to fill the room. Angelica bumped into the kitchen table as she staggered blindly into the room. She tried to steady herself on the table but she was losing strength fast. She knew she didn’t have long before she passed out. She had to get outside so she could breathe.

  Daemon reached her as she was stumbling to the ground a few yards from the house. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the barn where he put her down next to Sara. Daemon took a quick look to make sure she wasn’t burned. Angelica started coughing as her healing ability automatically went to work healing her. Daemon watched her until she stopped coughing and started breathing normally.

  Daemon realized why Angelica had gone back into the house and cursed his stupidity. He tore off his wet shirt and wrapped it around his head and face as he ran to the house. It wasn’t going to be much help but it was the best he could do. The kitchen was full of smoke by this time. Daemon was able to make out the packs near the door, got them, and started throwing them out away from the house. When he was done he went to his room. The smoke there so thick he couldn’t see clearly and the heat blistered his skin. The door to his room was wide open and the room fully engulfed in flames, but he’d left his bag next to the door with his favorite ax leaning against it; he took one last look at his room before he grabbed the ax and bag.

  Sara woke to the sound of a scream that was unlike anything she’d ever heard before. She heard the crash of splintering wood followed shortly by a thud of something heavy hitting the ground. She looked around and saw Angelica lying next to her, sleeping. She realized they were in the barn. How did she get there and what had happened to their attackers? The events of the last hour started coming back to her: She remembered the house being on fire, they’d been trapped inside… and then Angelica hit her.

  By the time Sara got up to go look outside, Daemon came walking through the barn door. She was shocked: His head and hands were wrapped with rags and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. It looked like he had first- and second-degree burns over most of his chest, arms, and back. She could only imagine how much pain he must be in.

  “How’s Angie?” he asked as he dropped their packs and moved to his sister.

  “I don’t know. She was sleeping when I woke up.”

  Daemon knelt next to his sister and checked her breathing. She looked like she was sleeping but he knew better, he could feel her focused on healing herself. He sat next to her, trying to give her strength through their connection. He had never been very good at giving strength, only taking it.

  “What happened to the men that were attacking us? Where are they?” Sara asked as she looked anxiously into the yard.

  “They’re dead,” Daemon replied in a voice that left her no doubt he’d killed them.

  “We should get out of here. They’re going to send more men to investigate once they see all this smoke in town.”

  Angelica sprang upright at the mention of the town. “Dad!” was all she got out before she started crying. Daemon hugged her close, not understanding what was wrong, but sensing the grief and loss she was feeling. Angelica cried into his chest for a few minutes as he rocked her back and forth, until finally she pulled away from him.

  “Dad’s dead. The men in town must have found out what he was planning. They sent Jake and the rest to get Sara and me,” Angelica told her brother, trying to hold her voice steady. She could feel the anger in him building and tried to help him stay calm.

  Daemon was barely able to keep from going into another rage, but for his sister he sat there and battled for control. Daemon didn’t want to believe their father was dead. He wanted to kill those responsible for his death but he pushed those feelings away. He couldn’t allow himself to think about that. He had to get Angelica and Sara to the ship.

  Sara could feel the tension in the air and the anger growing in Daemon so she left the barn to collect some water. She didn’t know what was going to happen next but if Daemon lost his temper she was certain she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. At the river she filled the bucket she’d brought from the barn and took a little time to clean herself in the cool water. It felt good, but she didn’t want to waste too much time. Daemon was right: They had to get moving.

  She returned to the barn to find Daemon and Angelica going through the packs. They both looked up as Sara entered. Daemon had put on a new shirt and was repacking the food they were going to be taking. Angelica was looking a lot better, though neither looked like they were over the shock and dismay of losing their father.

  “Thank you. I could really use a drink,” Angelica commented, as she took the bucket from Sara.

  Daemon handed her a couple of packs from the pile without saying anything. He turned, picked up his backpack, and left the barn. Angelica helped her position her backpack and handed her a rifle and a belt of ammo. Angelica had a rifle of her own slung over her right shoulder with an ammo belt sitting low on her hips. She really looked the part of the backwater farm girl. Sara set down her second bag and tried to sling her rifle the way Angelica had hers but her backpack kept knocking it off her shoulder. Angelica smiled at her and told her to just carry it for now; she’d take the extra bag.

  Daemon was waiting near the river when the girls came out of the barn. He held an ax and was drying it off with his shirt tail. As they got closer, Sara realized it was a fighting ax like the ones the barbarian warriors used in the vids. It was a little over a yard long with an oversized double blade at one end and a ball at the other. The handle was wrapped in leather which looked to be singed from the fire. As they reached him, he grabbed it just below the blade and pointed up river.

  “We should follow the river. It won’t trick a good tracker but it may buy us a little time.”

  “You’re bringing an ax? Where’s your rifle?” Sara asked.

  “I don’t need one,” Daemon said before he started marching up river along the shallows near shore.

  Angelica motioned for Sara to go next while she brought up the rear.

  12

  Adam Smith pushed his way through the crowd that was standing around outside the meeting hall. Nobody paid any attention to him until he finally reached the front door, where a man put his hand out to stop him from entering. Adam was not going to be stopped, though. He ducked under the guard’s arm and ran into the hall. The door guard yelled at him and started chasing him. Adam had the door to the main meeting room half open before the guard ca
ught up to him and grabbed him from behind.

  “Dad!” Adam yelled into the room as the guard wrestled with him, trying to get a better grip. Adam’s father and a few other men looked up from their meeting to see what all the commotion was.

  “Hey, get your hands off my kid!” Thomas Smith yelled at the guard. Thomas had been a master sergeant when the Rift opened and knew how to give orders. Thomas had worked hard at staying in shape and at fifty-one years old, he was confident he could still beat every member of the town guard in a fight. The guard loosened his grip just a little but it was enough for Adam to break free and run to his father, hug him and start crying.

  “Jared’s dead! Somebody shot him,” Adam sobbed.

  His father took him by the shoulders and held Adam out away from himself so he could look at Adam while he talked to him. “Calm down and talk slowly. What are you talking about?”

  Adam took a few breaths to steady himself, then he started telling his father what he’d seen. “They shot Jared and they killed Bob Monahan, too. They’re out at the Grayson’s farm. I heard they were going to get the space lady and I wanted to see her, so I followed them. I hid when I heard the gunshots. A little while later I saw the house was on fire and I started to move closer to see what they were doing. Then people started screaming so I hid again. It got really quiet but I waited a long time before I started looking for Jared.” Adam started crying again at the memory of his brother’s dead body.

  Thomas looked up at a guard at the door. “Get some men and go check the Grayson’s farm. I want you to find out what happened and where those boys are.” Thomas turned back to his son, who was still crying. The guard left quickly, closing the door behind him.