by Michael Todd
Wilson hadn’t forced the unit to not use their guns. It had been a conscious choice for them. The men were used to stealth missions, and they felt their knives made the best low-noise kills. Their guns stayed neatly tucked in their holsters in case they found themselves backed into a corner. For all intents and purposes, they carried reloads for Wilson and Red. Still, they needed to keep strict track of everything in their arsenal.
The first soldier in the line sounded off. “Fourteen magazines regular bullets, six magazines special metal, two special metal daggers.”
The second soldier followed the same pattern. “Seven regular bullet magazines, four special metal, two special metal daggers.”
They went one by one, rattling off their ammo counts to Wilson. He took note in his head, not wanting to leave a paper trail. When the last of the soldiers had finished, Wilson’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at Red.
Swishing her hair back, she clapped her hands at the soldiers. “Good, now keep track of your numbers. We want to conserve the special metal ammo. We have a limited supply.”
Wilson turned and put the phone to his ear, signaling the soldiers to continue cleaning and organizing their packs. “This is Wilson.”
Mr. Belly’s voice growled slightly on the other end. “Wilson, it’s Belly. How are things going?”
Wilson glanced back at the crew. “Good. They’re settling in nicely. No one had an issue with the last mission.”
You could hear the smirk of pleasure in Belly’s voice. “Good. Very good, because I have the next mission for you. There’s a house of infected in Tennessee. The drive there won’t be too bad. I’ve had two SUVs parked in front of your hotel for easier travel. Use those to get wherever you need.”
Wilson nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll wait for the information.”
Wilson hung up and looked at the guys. “When you repack, do it expecting to leave first thing, if not earlier. You will be driving together, following Red and me. Work out a schedule for who drives.”
There was a knock on the door and Wilson sighed, clipping his phone on his belt. He opened the door just slightly and, seeing the delivery guy, he slipped out. “How much do I owe you?”
The delivery guy looked at the ticket. “Seventy-three dollars even.”
Wilson shook his head, taking out a hundred. “Keep the change. Thanks.”
The delivery guy smiled and handed over the three bags. The smell of dolmades, gyros, and keftedes wafted from the bags. He waited until the delivery guy was around the corner and then opened the door. The guys all looked up at the smell. He set one of the large bags on the table and nodded. “Dinner’s here. Hope you like Greek.”
Wilson looked at Red. “You ready for some dinner?”
She smirked and nodded. “My room?”
Wilson nodded, keeping two of the bags in his grip. “After you.”
None of the soldiers glanced at them as they headed to their room. As soon as the door shut, though, the laughter erupted from their throats. One of the soldiers whistled. “Wilson be getting some Amazon princess tonight, boy.”
Another wrinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. It’s weird. It’s like he just takes food to her and then sits there. I’ve heard them talking before, and it was some crazy shit about slurping the fucking cheese pie.”
The guy next to him grimaced. “That is not what I wanted to hear before I dove into these Greek meatballs.”
The guys chuckled. “Maybe he is into that freaky shit. Maybe she rubs the meatballs all over her and eats them off herself while he watches.”
The first guy shivered. “That’s fucking gross. I mean, do they even fuck afterward, or is this some fucking weird-ass HBO special?”
One of the guys swallowed a big bite of Greek salad. “I don’t know, man. She’s fucking hot. If she was like, eat these keftedes off my tatas, I would be right up in there, motorboating the fuck out of some Greek meatballs. There would be sauce and meat flying everywhere.”
The guys all groaned. “God, could you imagine coming into the room to clean it the next day? They would think someone died because of the red all over the sheets, but then they’d smell it and realize it was just sauce. How do you explain that to your manager?”
One of the other guys forked a meatball and walked around with it in the air. “I don’t know, manager. There was Greek food everywhere, and the shower had chunks of olives in the drain.”
Night had fallen in the Nevada desert. The air was cold, and the base was almost silent. The only movement across the sandy plain was the guards standing watch. The soldiers in training were in their barracks across the base, and the team had settled into whatever they were up to that night. Eddie wanted some alone time to clear his mind and really think about his future, not just as a mercenary but as a possible Damned again.
He wandered around the base, pulling his camo jacket closed over his white t-shirt. The wind was starting to pick up, and small flakes of snow fluttered from the gray clouds above him. He glanced at the manufacturing plant, but he knew it had a skeleton crew at night. The wind gusted again, tossing sand into his face.
Eddie shook his head and wiped his eyes. “Fuck this.”
He limped over to the main building and through the entrance on the side. The door closed hard behind him, and the warmth immediately started to bring him back to life. He looked down the long corridor, but even the IT room’s light was off. He stuck his hands in his pockets and hobbled down the hall, having left his crutch upstairs. The thing was cumbersome, and his armpits were starting to get raw.
When he reached the end of the hall, he pushed the door open and flicked the light switch on the right. The long fluorescent lights in the training room flickered on with a hum. No one was training. It was late, and they tended not to when they weren’t being forced. To the right was the armory, the place they practiced target shooting and got used to the new weapons Joshua dropped off now and then. He began walking toward the room, flinching at the pain that ran up his leg. He shook his head and huffed. None of this would be an issue if I had a fucking demon.
He slowly pushed open the door and clicked on the lights, looking at each individual case. The room looked fuller than the last time he had been in there. Then again, with his injury, the only working out he did was with weights twice a week, and even then it didn’t last long. He was on the mend, though, and he wanted to be prepared when Katie and Pandora finally got him that demon he wanted.
“What ya doing, soldier?” Stephanie’s voice sounded from behind him in the doorway.
Eddie glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. “Hey, Ma. I couldn’t relax, so I figured I would come down here and check out the weapons we had in stock. I know things change, and now that I’m not tied to the military, I can start learning more weaponry skills.”
Stephanie nodded. “Good thinking. What’s your poison? You like to shoot, or you like to slice?”
Eddie ran his hands across the hilts of the knives and daggers strapped to the wall. “A little bit of both, but every knife or sword is pretty much the same. I’m interested in the guns.”
Stephanie smiled and walked over to the table at the front, looking down at a bunch of guns laid out on it. “Personally, I go with the old tried and true M-16. The others are too heavy for me, although I don’t think you’d have a problem. Pistols are nice, too. I like the CZ 75B Shadow Semi-Automatic. It’s a nine millimeter, and very accurate.”
Eddie walked over and looked down at the guns. “I think that has something to do with the shooter, too.”
Stephanie chuckled. “I suppose it does.”
Eddie picked up one of the rifles. “Personally, I like the AK-74.”
Stephanie smirked. “You like to just blow those motherfuckers away.”
Eddie laughed. “As quickly as I possibly can. Especially now…” Eddie’s voice trailed off, and he put the gun down. He took a deep breath, standing on one foot, and stretched his arms up over his hea
d.
Stephanie put the gun down and turned, leaning against the table. “You okay, kid? I know you’ve been through a lot. Probably more than most your age. It’s okay if you’re not.”
Eddie shrugged and leaned against the table too. “Nah, I’m okay with all that stuff. I think once you see it and your brain finally computes it, you start to just numb it out. Killing demons doesn’t bother me. It’s like playing a really realistic video game. I had a problem at first with the infected, especially those I knew could have been saved if we’d had a priest or even Katie around. After a while, though, you realize they have no remorse, and the people who were in those bodies? Well, I believe my God is a merciful one and took them as soon as the demon took over.”
Stephanie took a deep breath, knowing that was a tough subject. “But there is something getting to you?”
Eddie shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I’m a little disappointed I don’t have a demon anymore. I know that sounds nuts, but I got used to it. It made me a really badass soldier, and I love being one.”
Stephanie put her hand on his shoulder. “And guess what? You’re still a badass soldier, and you still have a really important job to do. I’ve seen your shooting skills, and I know you take the impossible shots. If you’re a sniper, I can use you on the rooftops with the other sharpshooters.”
Eddie looked like he wanted to protest. Stephanie shook her head. “Believe it or not, you see action all over the place up there. When they figure out where the bullets are coming from, they zero in. You just gotta find your niche. I know you’ll be okay, kid.”
Eddie smiled at her, not sure he felt the same way.
Sean pushed the wheels of his chair, rolling across the IT room. He couldn’t sleep, and he knew Eddie was out wandering around somewhere. He had been quiet for days, and Sean wasn’t about to push him to find out what was going on. Instead, he figured he would focus on getting better at the IT work. Now that he was uninfected, he had to find his place among the team. He couldn’t even think about leaving and going back to the real world. It wasn’t something that he thought he could fit back into.
Sean rammed into the edge of the desk and hissed. “Fuck, that fucking hurts.”
Timothy turned around, one hand around his waist and the other on his chin. “Mmm, we might need some more room in here for your go-getter machine. That thing is large and in charge...of your injuries. You’re already banged the hell up. No need to sustain more injuries on my mahogany special-edition desk. That’s a twenty-thousand-dollar injury right there.”
Sean’s eyes went large. “Jesus, they bought you a twenty-thousand-dollar desk?”
Timothy scoffed. “Honey, please. I was lucky to get a desk at all from them. I bought that with my own money. I have no family—that I talk to, at least—and my momma thinks I’m flying with the angels. I have money from being in the game so long, so I buy nice furniture and fancy clothes to mask the fact that I’m in a bunker in the middle of the Nevada desert instead of on the Fashion Channel where I should be. It’s a small price to pay to help save the world.”
Sean rolled his eyes at Timothy’s dramatics and wheeled over to the main screen, which was showing the new program. “Okay, so get me up to speed on how all of this is working.”
Timothy pranced over and sat down in the chair, crossing his legs. “Okay, so Korbin—and now Calvin—is building perimeter defenses for some of the major and minor cities across the world. They’re finished with two and are currently working on Taipei. They set up all kinds of moveable weapons that will protect and give the people in those places time to react.”
Sean narrowed his eyes. “So why do you have all their information?”
Timothy laughed. “Did you think we were going to do all this for the government and not keep track of things? Please. This plugs right into our current program and allows the base command at each location to talk to other locations. That way if they need help—if they’re running out of ammo, or if they just want to alert someone about an incursion—they can do that. All that information comes back to us as well, and we use it to plug in more precise data for the incursions.”
Sean nodded. “Oh, okay. How has it been doing so far?”
Timothy shrugged. “It’s hard to get a huge reading off of just two locations, but overall, major incursions are down. Smaller ones, though? Boy, they have almost doubled. It’s easier to sneak in those small incursions because you can open those portals just about anywhere. The larger ones need some space.”
Sean sighed. “How do you stop them?”
Timothy leaned back in his chair. “Well, that’s why Korbin and Calvin are out there. Or at least, one of the reasons. They can put more precise defenses up in the smaller locations that will help eliminate the possibility of a successful incursion. Demons don’t want to step out of their little portal from the hot realm and get their scaly dicks shot off, so they have to start being pickier about where they come out of. That allows people to be ready for them. That’s pretty much the entirety of this project, or at least the major points.”
Sean looked at the screen and shook his head. “Crazy. All this advancement can be overwhelming.”
Timothy slapped his hands on his legs and stood up, walking over to the stereo. “It can be, which is why in this room, we listen to music to get the juices flowing.”
Sean perked up. “You should put on Country.”
Timothy wrinkled his nose. “What do I look like, Brokeback Mountain? No, thank you. I hung up my cowboy boots before I even pushed out of the womb. Personally, I like to work it to a little trance.”
Sean looked at him, upset for a moment, then shrugged. “Hell, I’ll try anything once.”
Timothy wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”
Later that night, Turner, Eddie, Sean, and Brock headed up to the main lounge area. Brock brought a bottle of whiskey with him, and Turner rummaged through the kitchen until he found glasses. They all sat around in the living room, leaving the television off. Brock poured some whiskey in each glass and handed them around.
Turner took a deep breath. “Man, things are crazy different.”
Eddie chuckled. “They are. But one thing I realized tonight was that no matter how much it changes, you can still find your place in the craziness.”
Sean nodded. “I feel the same way. I may be stuck in this wheelchair and have no demon, but I still found where I can be helpful and even save lives.”
Turner yawned. “I’m just thinking about the chicks I’m gonna bang.” He chuckled when everyone rolled their eyes. “I’m just kidding. I really like this training thing.”
Brock held up his glass. “Then let’s toast. To the fights we won. To the battles where we were victorious. To the past that will always define a part of our lives. And to the future, where we will all find our place in the puzzle.”
“Hear, hear,” they said in unison, clinking their glasses together.
13
Katie got out of bed and yawned, scratching the back of her head. She stumbled over to the mirror and looked at herself, jumping back a bit. Wow. I look like I was hit by a train.
Pandora chuckled. You slept like you were. I kept checking your vitals to make sure you didn’t drop into a coma on me.
Katie shook her head, brushing out her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. Yesterday really wore me the hell out, that’s for sure. Your lunch-lady antics didn’t make you tired?
Pandora snickered. No, but for some reason, I have a hankering for meatloaf and milk today.
Katie wrinkled her nose. How about donuts?
Pandora thought about it for a second. Hmmm, okay. Yeah, sure. Much better than meatloaf.
Katie pulled on a hoodie and some jeans, slipping on her loafers. Pandora sniffed. What? Not flying over there?
Katie shrugged. It’s like a three-block walk. I don’t need to fly everywhere. Plus, with the practice we’re putting in, I need to save all the energy I can.
Good point. Let’s ta
ke a cab.
Katie hurried through the condo and down to the lobby. She grabbed a cab and headed over to Krispy Kreme. The cab driver nervously glanced at her in the back seat. Katie ignored it, getting used to people giving her double- and even quadruple-takes when she was out and about.
She leaned forward, paying the driver. “No need to wait. We’ll be here a bit. Thanks.”
Pandora cheered. Oh, yes. Come to mama, sweet, sweet confections of mine.
Katie smirked as she got out of the cab and made her way into the donut place. The people behind the counter were all familiar and put their arms in the air in excitement as she came in.
Katie laughed and walked up to the counter. “Hey, guys. I have to admit something to you.” They all looked at her, confused. “I cheated. I ate Krispy Kreme from a different location the other day.”
The guy in the back shook his finger at her, and the girl behind the counter pouted. “That’s all right. You’re here now. You want your regular?”
Katie nodded. She collected her dozen donuts and two milks and went next door to the barely-open pizza shop. The counter girl came out and nodded before going back to the back, knowing full well she wasn’t going to eat pizza.
Katie took a bite of the first donut and sighed, looking out the window. I did some thinking last night.
Pandora groaned. I swear I only made them like a quarter of an inch bigger. You had a few leftover calories from the junk we’ve been eating, and it was either there or your ass.
Katie furrowed her brow and looked down at her boobs. No. Not that. I’ve been thinking about my angel abilities. I really think I can keep this up. I can do this on my own. Obviously, you will be there, but I mean, without the government. I can tackle the incursions on my own until Joshua can come up with those special metal bombs I asked him for. Then, we’ll go in and bomb the shit out of hell.
Pandora listened. All right, so you’re comfortable with being on your own? That’s not a bad thing. I just have one question.