by S. E. Smith
The heat from earlier returned as he ran. The burning that had been in his back earlier in the week returned. This time, he ignored the excruciating stab of pain. His only concern was for Sammy, Todd, and Josie. He jumped the small ditch, clawing at the ground to get his footing. His hand swung out and he gripped the wooden post, hopping over the tangle of barbed wire. He pushed himself forward over the uneven ground. In the distance he could see the house. In the front yard, there were several vehicles he didn't recognize. One of the trucks was on fire.
Pure rage and fear swept through him when he heard the sound of gunfire. The burning in his back disappeared at the same time as he felt a wave of fire course through him. The world shifted, changing as he faded. His gaze remained on the small group hiding behind the vehicles. The group that was trying to harm Sammy, Todd, and Josie.
*.*.*
Sammy pulled Todd back and held him in her arms as a rain of bullets tore through the wooden siding of the house. She waited until the rounds had stopped before she released Todd. Pushing him toward the couch located against the far wall, she motioned for him to crawl to it.
"Stay down," she whispered, reaching for the bow and arrows that she had grabbed when she saw the four vehicles coming down the road. "Don't move from there unless one of us tells you to."
Todd nodded and scrambled across the floor on all fours. Sammy gripped the bow in her hand and glanced out the window where Josie was standing on the porch. For a moment, Sammy didn't know if she wanted to hug Josie or wring her neck.
The loud explosion of one of the trucks as it rose into the air resonated through the yard and house. Josie had shot a fireball at it. Sammy decided that wringing Josie's neck was probably going to be her first choice, after all. Rolling to the side, Sammy crawled through the living room doorway and into the front bedroom.
"I told you to keep on moving," Josie growled loudly from the porch. "I'm not in the mood to deal with the lot of you."
"That one's got some fire in her, Everett," one of the men yelled.
"I'll show her fire! That was my damn truck she blew up!" The man yelled back. "You messed with the wrong men, she-devil. We'll be sending you back to the hell you escaped from."
Sammy watched as two of the four men rose up and fired several shots at Josie. Awe gripped her when she saw Josie wave her hands in front of her. An intense shield of flames appeared. It was so hot, that the moment the bullets hit it, they dissolved.
"Come on, Josie," Sammy muttered under her breath. "You know you can't keep using that kind of energy for long."
Sammy didn't add that she wished that Dust was here. The men had arrived almost a half hour before. Josie had told her to take Todd into the house and stay there. Josie had said she was the best one to deal with the men since Dust wasn’t there. Sammy and Todd had watched as the four large trucks pulled up. Two men had gotten out of the first two trucks, while the other two stayed in their vehicles.
"Well, well, well, looks like we found something worth keeping, Everett," one of the men said, grinning when he saw Josie standing on the porch.
Sammy couldn't see Josie's face, but she could imagine what the other girl's expression was. The men sounded far too much like Josie's dad and the others back at the silo for her to just dismiss them. She grimaced when she heard the biting sting in Josie's voice.
Yep, Josie wasn't going to be nice, Sammy thought.
"You want to keep something? I suggest you get back in your trucks and keep going," Josie snapped. "There's nothing here for you."
"I think there is," the man named Everett had replied. "We're looking for food and gas."
Josie had tossed her red hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "You and every other survivor on the planet. I said there's nothing here for you; no food, no fuel. Now, move out before I change my mind and decide to see if you have anything that we can use instead."
"We...," Everett repeated and raised his hand, motioning for the other two men to get out of their trucks. "How many of you are there?"
Sammy heard Josie's low curse at her mistake. "Stay back," Josie snarled, gripping her hands at her side.
Of course, the men hadn't stayed back; well, at least not until Josie sent the first fire bomb at them. Then, they had all taken refuge behind their vehicles. Sammy heard the shouts of anger and fear seconds before the first sound of a gunshot echoed through the air.
Frightened for Josie, Sammy had been about to release her first arrow when Josie took matters into her own hands. The loud explosion of the truck had shattered the glass in the front rooms and knocked her and Todd onto their backs. When she had looked out again, Josie's body was a glowing mass of flames.
"Kill the witch," Everett yelled, firing at Josie.
Sammy pulled the arrow back and focused. She released it, watching as it soared through the air. Not waiting, she quickly pulled another one and strung it. The loud cry told her that her first arrow had hit its mark.
"Josie, get in the house now," Sammy shouted.
Josie continued to weave her hands in front of her as she stepped back toward the front door. Sammy released another arrow before falling to the floor as the wave of bullets shifted in her direction. Covering her head, she winced as several pieces of glass and wood fragments rained down over her.
She glanced through the doorway when she heard the door slam. Josie lay on the floor, breathing heavily. She was very pale and there were several damp places on her clothing that told Sammy that not all the bullets had missed their mark.
"How bad?" Sammy forced out above the sound of gunfire.
"Just scratches," Josie muttered, wincing as she rolled over onto her stomach. "I could really use a barrel of marshmallows or a case of soda right about now."
Sammy shook her head, turning it when she heard a hoarse cry and the sound of the guns growing silent. Her lips parted and she looked back at Josie with a glimmer of hope. Pushing up, she scrambled back to the window.
"Dust," Sammy breathed, her eyes wide.
Three out of the four men were pressed up against the side of one of the large trucks, their weapons forgotten on the ground. The man named Everett was the only one who wasn't cowering. He couldn't, because he wasn't on the ground, he was several feet above it, held firmly in Dust's grasp.
"Holy shit," Josie whispered next to her. "When did Dust get wings?"
"I don't know," Sammy muttered, her eyes glued to the long, black wings protruding from Dust's back.
Chapter 19
Evolving:
Fury gripped Dust. The hand he held round the man’s throat squeezed tighter, causing the man to briefly claw at his wrist. Drawing in a deep breath, he released the man and watched as he crumbled to the ground.
“Get out of here,” Dust ordered, the red haze still tinting his vision. “Now! If I see any of you again, I won’t give you another chance.”
“What… What are you?” Everett demanded in a husky voice, holding his bruised throat as he rose shakily to his feet. “You and that… that bi… girl. What happened to you?”
Dust folded the wings behind him and dropped the few feet to the ground. He glared at the men. When he heard the explosive repetition of gunfire, something strange had washed over him. He remembered vaguely wishing for a moment that he had wings so he could fly over the uneven ground. The next thing he knew, there had been a cloud of sand rising up from the ground around him and he was actually flying! Instead of questioning what was going on, he just accepted it and took advantage to sweep down and snatch the man who was yelling up off the ground.
“It doesn’t matter what we are,” Dust replied, staring back at the man. “Just leave us alone.”
“Everett, Bucky needs help,” another man said, kneeling next to the man with an arrow in his shoulder.
Everett glanced over to the pale face of the man that sat next to one of the trucks. He looked back at Dust’s hard face. Dust saw Everett’s gaze move over the wings on his back. He glared back at the man in warning.
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“Get him in the truck. You can take the arrow out once we get on the road,” Everett ordered.
“But, he can’t drive like this,” the man argued, looking back at Dust.
“Then, his truck stays here,” Everett snapped, turning away. “Or yours.”
“Shit,” the man groaned, glancing down at Bucky. “Sorry, Bucky.”
“I don’t care,” Bucky groaned, leaning his head back. “Just get me the hell out of here.”
Dust stepped back and watched as the four men piled into two of the trucks. He wanted to turn and run to the house, but he knew that he had to make sure that the men really did leave. The minutes passed in slow, agonizing ticks before he felt confident that the men really were gone and that they weren’t coming back. It wasn’t until the dust trail settled and he lost sight of the trucks heading south that he turned toward the house.
He had only taken a couple of steps when the door opened and Josie, Sammy, and Todd stepped out onto the battered porch. His gaze flickered over Josie, lingering on the bloodstained sections of her shirt with a dark scowl.
“I’m already healed,” Josie said with a grin, holding up a can of soda. “We’re out of soda, though.
Dust nodded and looked at Sammy. She was staring at the wings on his back. A crooked grin curved his lips when he saw Todd’s mouth hanging open.
“When did you get wings?” Todd asked in awe.
Dust laughed and shook his head. He focused on the dark gray feathers. The feathers dissolved into a pile of sand at his feet.
“I didn’t really,” he said with a grin.
“Wow!” Todd whispered with a grin and ran down the steps toward him.
Sammy came down the steps, more slowly. She looked at him with a slightly wary expression. Dust frowned, realizing he didn’t like her looking at him like that. It reminded him of the first day they met and she saw his chest heal too quickly.
“How did you do that? They looked real,” she asked, staring at the pile of sand.
Dust reached out and gently touch her cheek. He waited until she looked him in the eye before he spoke. His thumb rubbed against her skin. It took a moment for him to realize that his hand was shaking a little.
“I’m not sure. It is like I just wished it and it happened. When I heard all the gunshots, I was terrified. I remember wishing I could fly across the ground. The next thing I knew, I was.”
Josie walked toward him with a frown. “Can you do it again? Only this time think of something different?” She asked curiously.
Dust shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
Josie released an exasperated sigh. “Duh, how about trying?” She suggested with a wave of the soda can in her hand. “I swear, you get to do all the coolest stuff.”
Todd glanced at Josie. “I think you can do really cool stuff, too, Josie. You’re really good at roasting marshmallows,” he said.
Josie rolled her eyes and laughed. “Josie, the marshmallow roaster. Thanks, kid. I’m sure that will be really great on my headstone one of these days,” she replied dryly. “Try thinking of something and see if you can do it again.”
Dust glanced at Sammy again. He gave her a weak smile before taking a step back. Drawing in a deep breath, he focused on trying to make the wings reappear. A frown creased his brow when nothing happened. Shaking his head, he stared at the pile of sand and focused even harder. Still, nothing happened. After several minutes, he finally looked at the others and shrugged.
“Nothing,” he murmured in a puzzled voice. “I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t seem to make it work now.”
“Maybe it was just a one time fluke,” Sammy suggested with a tentative smile.
“Maybe you need a little motivation,” Josie retorted with a devilish gleam in her eye.
“Motivation? Like what?” Dust asked with a puzzled frown.
“Like this,” Josie said, throwing up a wall of flames around him and Sammy. “See if you can protect your little girlfriend from getting burned.”
Dust started and glared at Josie when she raised an eyebrow at him. He glanced at the circle of fire, it was intensely hot. He reached out and grabbed Sammy, pulling her closer when the ring of fire suddenly started to shrink.
“Josie, knock it off!” Dust snapped.
Josie tapped her chin with her finger, as if thinking, before she shook her head. “I don’t think so, Dust. You need to learn if you have a new power,” she replied with a sigh, pinching her fingers together with a sly grin. “You should be thanking me. She doesn’t seem to mind that you are holding her close now.”
“Knock it off, Josie,” Dust warned, feeling the anger starting to burn inside him again. “This isn’t funny.”
“Josie, stop!” Sammy pleaded, turning in Dust’s arms to stare at the other girl.
Josie’s eyes narrowed and she stared back at Sammy. “Sorry, Sammy. A girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do,” she replied with a fake, apologetic smile.
“Josie, you aren’t really going to hurt them, are you?” Todd asked, staring back and forth with wide eyes.
Dust wasn’t so sure. There was a nasty look in Josie’s eyes when she stared back at him. The heat of the flames was beginning to become painful. His lips tightened when Josie stared back at him with a combination of defiance and determination. He knew she wasn’t going to stop. The red flames in her eyes were almost as hot as the flames licking at the edges of their clothes.
“Dust,” Sammy cried out when a section jumped out and caught her pant leg on fire.
Sammy’s cry of pain hit Dust hard. He immediately knelt down and patted the fire out. Sammy’s hiss told him that the skin underneath had been burned. Anger burst through him and he glared at Josie even as he wished there was some way he could build a wall around Sammy to protect her from the fire.
Almost immediately, the sand around him began to swirl, forming a thin, but impenetrable wall between them and the fire that rose up like a wave. The red-hot flames beat at the protective wall, but couldn’t get through it. With a wave of his hand, the sand rose like an ocean wave and fell about the circle of fire, dousing it.
Once the flames were extinguished, Dust flew at Josie, grabbing her by the arms and pushing her backwards against the porch railing. He shook with anger. Twice today, he felt like he was losing control and he didn’t like it. It was as if he suddenly didn’t have any control over his emotions.
“Well, now we know how to make your new powers work,” Josie whispered, staring into his furious eyes.
“Don’t, Josie,” Dust began, shaking as he held her. “Don’t ever threaten her again like that. I’m not sure I can stop from hurting you if you do.”
Dust knew he was breathing heavy. His heart was pounding and he was actually shaking with the force of the emotions churning inside him. Something was happening to him. Something more than just the aches and pains he’d had a few days ago. Something more than his being able to control the dirt around him. When it came to Sammy, there was an overwhelming need to protect her from danger that shook and confused him.
“I wouldn’t have really hurt her,” Josie muttered, glancing over Dust’s shoulder at Sammy. “Not on purpose. I was just trying to help you figure out how to use your new powers.”
Dust released Josie and stepped back. He shook his head at her. Slowing his breathing, he forced down the confusing feelings coursing through him.
“Just… Don’t ever do that again,” he warned, turning back toward Sammy.
He stared at Sammy with a look of confusion. She was holding Todd who had rushed to her when he grabbed Josie. A flush of embarrassment swept over his cheeks.
“Get as much stuff together as you can,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’ll check the truck and see if it has gas in it. If it does, we’ll take it. I found more gas and some food. I left it on the side of the road. We’ll stop and pick it up. I don’t think it is safe to stay here.”
“Okay,” Sammy replied in a soft voice.
With a sigh, he opened the door to the truck and peered inside. A look of distaste flashed across his face at the garbage piled in the seat and floorboard. He would clean it up after he checked the fluids. He popped the hood and grabbed a pile of napkins on the seat. First things first… Make sure the truck was in good shape, then worry about how he was going to deal with his growing feelings toward Sammy.
*.*.*
Thirty miles south of the farm a dark shape soared above the three trucks moving down the highway. Even from this distance, the hellhound could smell the faint taint of blood. Her mouth watered even as her gaze narrowed on the last truck. She swooped down, following the line of vehicles. The thought that she should wait flashed through her mind before she pushed it away.
No, she thought as she glided in to land on the fabric roof of the last vehicle. I will feast right under their noses.
With a quick slice of her front claw, she folded her wings and slipped into the dim interior. On a thick mattress lay a male. A hint of disappointment ran through her. It was not the male she wanted. Still, the smell of fresh blood was thick and made her stomach rumble with hunger.
Creeping forward, she leaned over him. A smile curved her long jaw, revealing sharp teeth. Her long, curved fingers curled around his neck as she leaned down over him and sniffed.
“You… Will… Taste… Good,” she forced out in a rough, unfamiliar voice.
The man woke with a start. He started to scream, but she cut the sound with a powerful squeeze to his throat. She “tsked” when she heard a gurgling. The man’s eyes bulged in terror and horror, drawing a soft chuckle from her.
“Yes… Human,” she whispered. “Fear… Me.”
Opening her mouth, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of his throat and ripped it open. Her hunger driving her to a savagery that splattered blood over the interior of the canvas. Only when she was full did she pull back and lick her lips. Her gaze moved to the thin strip where daylight could be seen. The vehicle was slowing down. Deciding it was time to depart – for the moment – she sliced through the back of the canvas and took off. She landed in a thick clump of trees a short distance away. She would sleep until dark.