by S T Branton
The mouth yawned wide again, fringed by jagged teeth. His words sank into my mind, seductive and comforting. Maybe it would be better to give in.
Keep your wits about you, Victoria. Do not let go of the sword.
Marcus’s voice snapped me back from the threshold of the fugue state I’d stared into, and I used the fresh wave of determination to lever the Gladius Solis into that bottomless mouth. The jaws snapped shut, but I put all my weight and strength behind the hilt, driving the blade out the back of the god’s practically naked skull.
The pinpricks of light inside his deep eye sockets flared and flickered madly—then faded into nothing. The body went limp, and a few seconds later, it also dissipated into the empty air.
I didn’t stop to celebrate my triumph. Frank and Steph were almost out of sight behind the shambling figures closing in on them. I summoned every bit of nectar power available to me as I plowed through zombie after zombie. Their god might be dead, but they were still as alive as ever. Or undead. Whatever the fuck they were.
At some point, I stopped seeing anything beyond my goal. There was only Steph pistol-whipping a pair of undead into submission and Frank bludgeoning his foes with the fat end of a broken branch.
I didn’t notice the werewolf crash through the zombie swarm, and when I did, I almost used my sword on her. Then I saw the reddish tint to the fur and the slightly smaller stature. In the midst of a crazy fight, my heart leapt for joy. Were-Maya positioned herself over the huddle of elderly refugees and proceeded to clean house, batting zombies away like they were flies. Any who didn’t have the sense to turn away after she cut them off were crushed or eviscerated by her claws. She threw a great many clear out of the camp and into the woods beyond to be picked off by the remnants of the militia on their way back.
God, I loved that wolf-woman.
Frank and Steph stood in Maya’s shadow, clearly in awe of her. They stepped back as the werewolf’s frenzy drew to a close. Zombie pieces lay scattered everywhere. Were-Maya hunkered down on all fours, and she began to shrink until she was the size of a small adult human. And very naked.
“I think I love her,” the two other defenders breathed at the same time, echoing my own thoughts.
Maya ignored them, hugging herself against the cold. Veronica came running with a blanket that she draped around the veterinarian’s shoulders.
The Were fastened the covering into a makeshift toga and smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Veronica answered cheerfully.
“What did I miss?” Maya asked. She gazed around at us, all wide-eyed and playing innocent.
I stepped forward, shaking my head. “Good to see you, Maya. You came in time for the good part.” She laughed, and I swore I saw Steph and Frank swooning out of the corner of my eye. “What’d you find out there? A castle? Buried treasure?”
Maya beamed with pride. “Better. I found us a haven. At least I think I did.” Her expression faltered slightly. “There might be a little catch, though.”
I grinned at her. “Better is an understatement. That’s the best thing I’ve heard in the last ten days. Catch be damned—we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” I gave her a quick hug. “Help me round up the last of these zombies, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Okay.” She brightened again. “I’ll tell you about it once I get some, uh…clothes.” She smiled sheepishly, walking ahead with Veronica toward shelter. Her two not-so-secret admirers hurried to keep her in sight.
Victoria, I must insist that these beings are not zombies. They live, therefore, they cannot be undead.
“We can discuss the finer points of zombie philosophy later,” I told him, heading out to purge the remainder of the nameless god’s army. “Whatever they are, they’ll be dead when I’m done with them.”
Marcus grumbled. I laughed, and for that instant, all was right with the world.
Chapter Fourteen
We ducked inside the teepee for our second major pow-wow in as many days. The space was a little close, but it felt good to sit back and relax out of sight of the group’s prying eyes. I was still a little sore about how easily they’d turned on Frank. The ungrateful pricks.
The post-battle atmosphere was heavy in the tent. We had taken more losses than ever before. But Maya’s good news brought some light to the shadows.
“I found another group of survivors moving west,” she told us, barely able to contain her excitement. “They were going to some military base, I think. That’s what it sounded like, anyway. They mostly called it a supposed safe zone.”
Dan perked up his ears. “Military base? Where at?”
Maya shrugged. “Somewhere in Pennsylvania. I guess there was a broadcast transmitted over the radio sometime before communications went down, and that’s how they heard about it. I’m not sure if they know exactly where it is themselves.”
“What kind of people were they?” Veronica asked. “Were they soldiers? Were they armed? Did they look like they had their shit together?”
“Nope,” Maya said, grinning. “They looked like us. Moving in a loose pack with not too much in terms of weapons. A couple of the men had shotguns, but those were the most heavy-duty things I saw. They weren’t dressed for winter, either.”
“Did you blend in well?” Jules asked. “Will they know you’re gone?”
Maya laughed. “Oh, they didn’t see me. I eavesdropped for as long as I could, and then I headed back. It seemed like too big a risk to try and associate with them on any level. I don’t know whether they would have been friendly or not.” She gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. “They mentioned a name once or twice. Fort Sigel? Apparently, it’s extremely fortified. They heard a lot of folks were able to find shelter there.”
We all looked at Dan. He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, there is a base out that way, as far as I know. It’s sort of hidden down on the edge of the Poconos there. I don’t know much more than that, I’ll admit. It was a bit of a military secret, above my clearance level. I have no idea what kind of operations they ran in that place, but I do think it’d probably be a good place to bunk and regroup for a while.” A slight frown crossed his face. “Assuming it’s empty or hasn’t fallen into hostile hands, that is. We can’t ignore the possibility that we’d walk into a deathtrap.”
Maya winced a little, and instant regret flashed across the soldier’s face.
“It’s a slim chance,” he said quickly. “But a slim chance is still a chance. All I’m saying is that we ought to be cautious until we know what we’re dealing with.”
“I agree with that,” Deacon said. “But it’s also worth mentioning that we’re in dire need of a safe haven right now. That last assault was almost the end for us. We won’t survive another attack like that.”
Veronica nodded. “And with the second murder, morale in general is at an all-time low. Whatever we do next, it has to be something that will bolster our people and build them up for the next long stretch. I say the potential benefits outweigh the risks.”
“We need time to hone our defenses,” Brax said. He had been quiet since the fighting stopped, and now, his voice carried a peculiar note of something like sheepishness. “The showing from our civilian militia was…shameful.”
Dan grimaced. “That’s true. It would be enormously helpful to have someplace we could establish as our home base for now. Somewhere that would be relatively safe and let us build into a stronger force.”
“We will do better next time,” the demon declared tersely. “It is non-negotiable.” He and Dan locked eyes briefly, and I couldn’t tell if they were resigned to teamwork or if they hated each other more than ever.
“Good,” I said slowly, hoping to defuse the situation. “But don’t be too hard on yourselves, okay? Any of you. This last battle was a ton for any one person to handle, and we would probably all have been screwed if not for Maya coming to save our asses. In that respect, we’re all in the same boat.”
Ev
en Brax smiled at that.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Steph chuckled. She pulled a small hip flask off her belt and raised it. “To Maya!”
We echoed the toast without drinks in our hands. “To Maya!”
“Thank you for not letting us drown in zombies,” I said. “That was very considerate of you.”
She turned red. “Oh, you guys. I only did what I always want to do when I’m a werewolf. I wrecked shit. I’ve come to terms with it. In a way, it’s really cathartic.”
“It sure seems like it,” Steph said. “I guess it’s probably bad to say, but I don’t think I’d mind being a werewolf myself.” She had a glint in her eye. “Could you turn me if I was willing?”
“Oh boy.” Deacon rolled his eyes. “Here we go.”
“What?” She smiled. “I’m simply asking. Is that so wrong?”
Maya’s cheeks grew even redder. “Technically, I probably can turn people, but it’s not like it’s a…fun…process. You know what I mean?”
The agent rubbed his face. “You don’t want to make Steph a werewolf anyway, Maya. People are already plenty scared of her.”
“Pfft.” His partner picked a bottlecap up from the improvised crate table between us and threw it at him. “You’re the worst, St. Clare.” To Maya, she said, “I was only kidding…mostly. I couldn’t make it look half as good as you do anyway.”
Maya gave me a distinct “help me” look. “Thanks, I think,” she said.
What would possibly possess anyone to desire to become a Forgotten? Marcus asked.
Based on the way Steph stared at Maya, I could think of at least one reason. But I kept that thought to myself.
I cleared my throat. “Tell me about this catch you mentioned earlier. I hate to say it, but Dan’s right. We do have to be careful. Anything that feels like it might be weird needs a thorough examination.”
“Right.” Maya nodded resolutely. “I heard some of the travelers talking about being stalked by killer cats.” She gave a small, worried frown. “One of the older guys called them ‘apex predators.’”
“This is a pretty dense forest,” Deacon said. “Could be naturally occurring.”
“There are bobcats in Pennsylvania…” Dan said slowly. “Maybe that’s what’s been after our group too.” He didn’t really sound convinced, and neither was I. The wounds on those bodies looked a little too much like shit I’d seen before.
“Please don’t let this change your mind,” Maya told me pleadingly. “I know it’s a risk, but so is everything else these days. If that fort is a real place, then it’s worth a try.”
It took me only a moment to make a decision. “Okay, guys. It seems obvious that our priority as a group needs to be safety at the moment. Don’t get me wrong. We’re still a bunch of crazy badasses who don’t mind fighting here and there. And we’ll get through the fights we take on like we got through this one, and we’ll get through the next one, and the one after that. Nothing about our abilities has changed. If anything, we can only get stronger. It’s other people we need to think about. As annoying as they can be, these survivors need us right now, and we owe it to them to keep them safe. So, that’s what we’ll do. Not because it’s easy—I’m sure it’ll be the furthest thing from that—but because it’s the right thing.” I looked around the tight circle at the faces of my team. “You guys with me?”
They nodded and answered more or less in unison. “Yeah.”
“Good.” I grinned. “Remember, we’ve killed gods together. And if we can do that, we can do whatever the fuck we want.”
“Hell, yeah!” Dan whooped.
Brax actually laughed, leaning back against the wall of the teepee. “All right,” he said. “You’re crazy for a human, but that’s not too bad.”
Chapter Fifteen
The last night we spent in the Delaware Water Gap camp was freezing-ass cold. The air was heavy with moisture that crept into everything I owned. In the morning, I kept myself warm by loading up our two trucks, lashing down the payloads, and double-checking to make sure everything had been accounted for.
The group had already made a sizeable dent in the food we’d scavenged, and that made me nervous. I pushed the feeling down and concentrated on the positive. We were finally moving the hell on from this place.
The woods had served us as well as they could, I supposed, but I was still glad to put the clearing behind us.
The trucks bookended our ragtag procession—me and Luis at the front, and Deacon and Jules at the back. A set of long-distance walkie-talkies scrounged from the supply store kept us in communication.
“Which one of us is Eagle One?” I joked, pulling out of the clearing onto the rough track winding through the trees.
“If I say that’s me, what does that make you?” Deacon chuckled to himself. “Vendetta? Ladybird?” He paused. “Eagle Two?”
Luis and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. “Now I know why you’re not in the Secret Service,” I said.
In the passenger seat beside me, the kid smirked broadly.
“Oh, come on,” the agent protested. The radio crackled mildly. “The Secret Service doesn’t even do codenames anyway. There’s an agency for that.”
“Yeah, and I’m guessing you’re not a part of that either.” I glanced at my companion, and his smirk widened into a full-blown grin. He made a good co-pilot. The kid knew how to handle a gun, and he laughed at my jokes. What else could I ask for?
The highway leading west from the Water Gap was empty, dotted with the abandoned carcasses of other vehicles. Some of the ramps were still clogged, even though all the cars were empty now. I could only imagine what the roads had looked like on the first few days after the gods arrived.
Luis gazed out the window. His dark eyes betrayed no trace of emotion. “How many of those drivers are dead now, do you think?” he asked flatly. Then he sighed and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Sorry, I shouldn’t say shit like that.”
“Nope,” I said. “We need to focus on the people who we can still save, not on the ones we couldn’t.”
One of his hands reached up to clasp the beaded rosary hanging loosely around his neck. “I know you’re right, but I keep thinking about my grandma.”
I nodded. “Well, sure. That’s understandable.”
“I have to honor her memory, you know? Every damn day because I’m alive instead of her.” Seconds passed while he thought about that, and he shook his head slowly like he tried to banish the thought.
“Listen, worrying about the people who have died isn’t helpful,” I said. “Whoever is left alive to mourn them when this is all over can do so. But remembering your grandmother can be helpful.”
He frowned. “How? It makes me feel like shit that I couldn’t save her.”
I shook my head. “You said it yourself. You can honor her memory, and the best way to do that is by staying alive. And killing as many of these asshole gods as we can. It won’t bring her back, but it will bring her justice.”
He nodded thoughtfully and looked out the window again. For a long time after that, the only sounds were the growl of the truck’s engine and the deep hum of the tires on the pavement. Another traveler’s sunrise bloomed over the horizon at our backs.
“Seriously, how are you doing?” I asked at last, breaking the spell of quiet that had settled into the cab.
Luis turned his head to look at me. “I’m hanging in there, and I’m ready for whatever comes next.”
I smiled at him. “That’s good. Better than most of the people in our group.”
He nodded. “Let me know if you want me to drive at any point.”
“You old enough to have a license?” I teased.
He gave me an incredulous look. “For real? Hell yeah, I got a license. Driving’s one of the only things I ever did by the book. Not that it matters anymore, right? I don’t think any cops will pull us over out here. Not anymore, anyway.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that’s one of the few perk
s of the apocalypse. We have to appreciate silver linings whenever we can.”
At normal speed, the drive between the Water Gap and the Poconos should have taken less than an hour. Because we were shepherding a herd of freezing, exhausted pedestrians along with us, the journey took a hell of a lot longer. More than once, we had to stop and let those on foot take a rest on the highway, though never for too long. I half expected more zombies to pop out at any moment.
Or something worse.
Maya came to the side of my truck on the last break and leaned in the window. “We’re not too far away now,” she said, gesturing in a westerly direction. “All we’ve got are, like, old gas station maps, but they say we’re near where that group was headed. Most of the maps have something marked around here, even if it’s not explicitly labeled.” She indicated a point on a large, well-worn paper creased with fold lines. Our target was an unidentified rectangle nestled deep in the mountain range. “Dan says this looks right. I’ll defer to his military experience.”
“Does that mean you trust him?” I examined her face as I asked.
“Yeah, why not?” She looked at me a little funny. “He’s helped us out the whole way.” Her expression turned resolute. “Vic, I’m all for vetting our associates as much as possible, but there has to be a line somewhere. He and his men have proven themselves enough by now.”
“No, I know.” I backpedaled out of that line of questioning fast. “I’m simply trying to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Maya pursed her lips. “Dan and that other guy still aren’t getting along, huh?”
“The other guy’s name is Brax,” I said. “And, no. Not as far as I can tell. Has he said anything to you about how it’s going?” I kept an eye out behind her for either one of the men in case they happened to saunter past the vehicle.