Tribulations

by KM Fortune

CHAPTER 6

  “Don’t shoot!” Gabriel yelled as he ran down the slope after Willow. The two soldiers and the platoon leader had turned at Willow’s challenge. He knew at any second they would mow the woman down with their combat rifles. “Don’t shoot! That’s an order,” he commanded and the men from the Patrols hesitated. As Gabriel ran, he watched Willow slip a hand free of the rope around her wrists and close the gap between herself and the soldiers. She was fearless and even in his pursuit, he was impressed with her courage to attack, even when she was against impossible odds. Seeing her coming for him, the Platoon Leader drew his sword and held it ready. Gabriel was close enough now to see the man was smiling.

  “Yes, don’t shoot. I’ll take care of this one,” he said.

  "No," Gabriel shouted. "I am commanding you to stand down." The platoon leader ignored him and raised the weapon just as Willow reached him. As he was about to strike her, she ducked to the left and the blade slipped past, missing by a hair's breath. It was all the opportunity Willow needed. She pressed in close and brought her hands up in a fist to punch her enemy in the groin. The man yelped in surprise and pain. Stumbling back, the sword flailed. Gabriel watched as Willow used the rope to loop around it and with a yank, pulled the soldier's weapon from his grasp and into her own hands. Turning with speed Gabriel only wished any of his own recruits could display, she swept the sword toward the two on-looking soldiers. The blade caught the first across the throat and with a gurgle, he dropped his rifle and sank to his knees. Willow scooped up his gun with her free hand and fired into the chest of the second soldier.

  Gabriel was shocked. He slowed his steps as he neared the edge of the melee and took in the scene. The heathen woman had taken out three armed men in less than sixty seconds. Willow’s speed and instinct in the fight amazed him. Frankly, in all his years of combat, he had never seen such an impressive attack. Not from his Patrols and certainly not from any human. I did tell them not to shoot, he thought but wondered how much of a difference it made. The woman is a warrior. Now, however, he realized he had a big problem. Two soldiers were dead and the platoon leader was a witness that Willow was not actually Gabriel's prisoner. He did not know how they would explain the mess. Before he could decide what to do next, the nomad with the port wine stain on his face and dressed in the white robe stood up from where he had been cowering in the snow. He rushed excitedly toward Willow.

  “Willow!” he exclaimed. “I can’t believe you are here. You saved me!.” Gabriel watched as Willow turned on her heel to face her comrade’s approach.

  “Blue,” she said softly. “They kept you alive.” The man nodded as he came closer.

  “They did. To take care of Mouse,” he said.

  Willow lifted her chin. “Is Mouse still alive?” she asked.

  “Yes, I kept her safe,” Blue said and reached his hands out toward Willow as if wanting to hug her. Gabriel saw tears streaming down the bearded face of the nomad and relief in his eyes. Willow nodded slowly and then in an instant, lifted the sword she still held in one hand and ran it through the stomach of her old friend.

  LOOKING ON AS THE MEN loaded up their vehicle to start the trip south, Kit stood at the fringe of the group and was glad she was not going. There is no way I would ride in that, she thought looking at the dirty, worn-out thing Raven said was once called a mini-van. If it makes it ten miles, I will be shocked. “It’s the best I can give up which will carry five guys and some gear,” The Duke explained. “Consider yourself lucky.”

  "I'd feel luckier if you give us decent weapons," Blaze said as he ran a hand over the rust pitted machete The Duke had provided. Looking disgusted, he tossed it into the van and spit in the dirt. Kit watched The Duke shake his head as if he was about to shoot back a comment. She was surprised when he let it go, but ever since the decision was made to send the five men to Area 51, he seemed on his best behavior. Probably just wants to get them out of here as quick as possible. The idea did not sit well with Kit. At least with Blaze and Matthew around, Raven was reasonably protected. With them miles away, it would all be up to her and she knew it. It was not like she was afraid she was not able, but she was not a fool either. It was true her knives and throwing stars were as sharp as ever, but one little person against all of The Duke's minions could become tricky. Especially considering I don’t yet have a good lay of the land, she thought. Doing more exploring was priority number one, right after she got Raven alone and made sure she was armed with a knife. Something small and deadly hidden on Raven’s body. Just in case.

  “So guys,” Toby said interrupting Kit’s thoughts. “Who’s driving?”

  “Yeah. I was wondering that too,” Brody said with a grin. “Looks like fun.”

  "Forget it," Matthew answered as he secured his pack in the cargo space at the back of the van. "I'm not riding in anything either of you drives again." The twins laughed even though it did not sound like a joke to Kit.

  “I’m driving,” The Duke’s man Kaleb replied. “And we should get going. The road is lousy and the tires on this deathtrap won’t hold up if we go much faster than about ten miles an hour.” Again, Kit was glad she was not going. Blaze and the others did not appear happy either. The Duke laughed it off.

  “You will be fine. If you drive nonstop, you’ll be there in a few days,” The Duke said. “Besides, if you go any faster, you’ll never have enough gas to get there.” Kit watched as the men all stopped to consider this.

  “So how do they get back then, if at best they only have enough gas to get there?” Raven asked. It was a good question and not for the first time Kit wondered if The Duke ever expected them to come back.

  The Duke shrugged. “They are smart guys,” he said. “They will figure something out.”

  WAITING WITH THE GROUP, Matthew saw the man out of the corner of his eye. His head was shaved and a tattoo of angel's wings ran up his neck. He was dressed in leather and standing at the fringe of the small crowd of people who had gathered around to see what was going on with The Duke and the strangers getting into the minivan. For a quick second, Matthew thought he even recognized the stranger but then discounted it knowing it was impossible. Matthew only knew a few people outside the colony and none of the residents of Eden would dare to set foot in the forbidden city. The Creator preached it was considered a trap of temptations to capture a man's soul. Matthew almost laughed. It was indeed that and more. More like a nest of vipers, he thought as he turned his attention away from the onlooker and focused on what The Duke was saying.

  "Okay boys," said The Duke. "I think it's time for you to start your adventure. Load ‘em up." He grinned as Matthew and the others started to climb into the van. "Any final questions?" The Duke asked with a smile. Matthew could not mistake the tone of almost gleefulness in The Duke's voice. He cannot wait to see us go, Matthew thought. He doesn’t believe we will be back. Matthew sincerely hoped The Duke was underestimating them. At least the new guy, Kaleb, seemed to have his act together. Matthew found it reassuring the man was a doctor, although it surprised him a little The Duke would send someone so crucial to his city on such dangerous mission. There was definitely more there than met the eye, but Matthew was not sure what to do about it. Right now, I need to just focus on helping us all get to Area 51. And then finding out about a cure ... His thoughts trailed off. The idea that an antidote to the sterility plague was not only real but possibly attainable nearly overwhelmed him with emotion. His entire life's work was focused on finding a way to return fertility to human women. He had worked tirelessly in his laboratory, researching data, and taking samples. Matthew frowned. And hundreds of nomad females from the wasteland had been captured and dissected to try and find the means to a cure.

  The thought was unsettling. Not yet understanding they were more than vermin to be cleansed from the earth, Matthew was a willing, although far removed, participant in the murder of the kinds of people he now considered friends. Thinking of the crusades made Matthew almost sick. I will make up for some of it i
f we find a cure, he thought. Even though Matthew knew The Duke intended to use the vaccine for profit, there was no way Matthew would go along with it. I will make sure everyone gets the vaccine. He would insist on it, even if it cost him his life.

  CHAPTER 7

  Willow was distracted, watching the man, a clanmate for so long, die by her hand. He was a traitor to her people, and because of him, many of her loved ones had been killed. Blue deserved this execution, yet for a moment, Willow felt saddened. There were so few of her original group left and now another was gone. So much pain, so much suffering, she thought. Because of the Patrols. Her fury returning, she turned and looked to see both Gabriel, standing beside the road, and the platoon leader, still on his hands and knees, staring at her. “What are you looking at?” she snarled as she stepped away from where her old friend was dying to walk toward the platoon leader. “He was a traitor and deserved to die. But not as much as you.” Willow pointed the sword in her hand at the man on his knees. He glared at her with defiance.

  “Wait, Willow,” Gabriel said and moved to intercept her. “I can’t let you execute him.” Willow stopped and looked hard into Gabriel’s face. He held a rifle. It was from one of the dead soldiers. Gabriel was not pointing it directly at her, but he did keep it at the ready, and she knew it was unlikely she could aim the gun she still held in one hand fast enough to take him out. She lifted her chin.

  "Are you going to shoot me? Go back on your word?" she asked. She watched Gabriel frown. It was clear he did not know what to do next. Before Gabriel could make up his mind, the platoon leader climbed to his feet.

  “In the name of The Creator, kill her. What are you waiting for?” he growled. Gabriel shook his head.

  “It’s not that easy,” he answered. “There are special circumstances in play here.” The platoon leader barked out a laugh.

  “She’s vermin. If you can’t do it, give me the weapon,” he said and reached out toward Gabriel. Willow waited to see what the old soldier would do. If he even started to turn the rifle on her, she would not hesitate to fire back. There was no way she would let herself be shot down without a fight. Gabriel looked at her and Willow raised an eyebrow.

  "Well?" she said. Gabriel puffed out a breath and started to say something when shouting voices came from the direction of the North Gate. More soldiers were coming in response to the gunfire. No doubt their suspicion was raised when the platoon leader and his men did not return after the shots. Frustration filled Willow. The one chance she had to get inside the colony was now passed, not to mention she would lose her hostage. For a moment she considered just going out in a blaze of glory and raking both Gabriel and the platoon leader with bullets. Gabriel would no doubt return fire and kill her. It’s not my time yet, she thought and let the moment go. Instead, she needed to figure out how best to escape. Looking at the tree line and wondering if she could make it in time, she glanced at Gabriel.

  “We need to go,” he said. Willow paused.

  “We?” she asked. She watched Gabriel grit his teeth as he considered his words. Then he nodded.

  "Yes," he answered. "I will still help you, but only if you give me your word you will not shoot him." He motioned toward the platoon leader. Willow pursed her lips. This might be her only chance to take revenge on the evil which destroyed much of her life. But if I do it, I will not be able to save Mouse, she thought. Cursing under her breath, she agreed.

  “Let’s go,” she said. Gabriel did not need any further encouragement and started to back away toward the trees. Willow knew there was no time to waste and moved to follow him.

  “What are you doing?” the platoon leader nearly screamed. “Sir, have you lost your mind?” Gabriel did not bother to answer and turned to run. Willow, hating to honor his request but knowing she could not break her word and keep Gabriel as an ally, raced after him and into the trees.

  Samuel sat in his chambers and sipped a hot mug of tea with the hope of calming his nerves. Things had not gone well with The Creator once Samuel explained his decision to terminate the nomad. The conversation even ended with Samuel being sent to his chambers. He was ordered to reflect, pray, and prepare to repent for his actions. Sipping the hot liquid, Samuel tried to do as he was instructed, but in his heart, he was not sorry for what he did. Having the disgusting heathen executed was long overdue, in his opinion. There was no reason for the nomad to remain with Hannah. In fact, Samuel considered the creature a bad influence on the child. It seemed to keep her connected to the wasteland world beyond the walls of Eden. Samuel had tried to explain this fact to The Creator, but He was beyond listening at that point. Never would Samuel have imagined his Maker could be furious. The show of almost human-like emotion seemed unnatural. It’s a symptom of the little girl’s influence on Him, Samuel realized. Suddenly another thought came to him. The wastling is a trap! The Devil has infiltrated Eden in a child’s clothing and worked his evil on The Creator. Spilling his tea, Samuel shot up from his chair. The revelation nearly overwhelmed him, and he knew he must act. But how?

  Samuel paced his small room. With The Creator already upset with him, trying to explain what he had surmised would be impossible. The Creator would not want to hear anything Samuel had to say against the child. It left him with limited options. The most obvious would be to destroy Hannah before her evil could permeate any further into the colony. Now that he thought about it, her black enchantment had already snared probably the two most powerful men in Eden. The Creator and Gabriel, the leader of the Patrols. But not me, Samuel thought. Although not everyone would agree he was powerful, it was only because Samuel was wise enough to work from the shadows. He recognized The Creator leaned on him more than anyone else realized. Perhaps even more than The Creator himself knew. Until now. The girl’s poison was powerful. Again, he considered how to stop it. If he did remove Hannah, it would surely be at the cost of his own life. Samuel was not ready to make such a sacrifice, not even for his Maker. For a moment, he considered if his unwillingness to play the martyr was a sin, but then dismissed it. He was too important. So how do I fix this? Samuel stopped pacing and scratched his beard. There had to be some way to save everyone. The child had to go. The question was how to make it happen. Before Samuel could devise an answer the bell for noon congregation rang in the halls. Perhaps this riddle can be found through prayer, he thought and gathered up his robe to join his brothers.

  The minivan drove out of the city’s gate. Raven stood watching it go. Will I ever see them again? she wondered. Everything had happened so fast once The Duke made up his mind to send them. Supplies were gathered, weapons were issued, and then he had them on their way. Raven sighed and turned to the lanky cowboy beside her. “Is there really anything at Area 51 for them to find?” she asked while praying to the universe the answer was yes and the whole mission was not a charade.

  The Duke laughed and moved closer to her. He slipped a friendly arm around her shoulders. "Well, of course, Raven," he said. "You don't think I sent them on some sort of wild goose chase did you?" Raven looked up into his eyes and tried to read them. All she saw was a twinkle of merriment. At least I don’t see any evil this time, she thought, remembering the cold stare he gave her back in the fighting ring just the night before. The danger he possessed was crystal clear then, but now the look was gone. As long as he gets his way, he is fine. But if I’m going to stay safe, that won’t always happen. Raven knew she would have to have clear boundaries starting now while at the same time handling The Duke in a way to keep him from becoming angry. It would not be easy. She knew if it came down to it, and the men did not return, escaping from Reno might be her only option. Raven saw The Duke narrowed his eyes a little as he watched her processing the situation. "What is swirling around in that pretty head?" he asked.

  Raven smiled to throw him off any hint of her real thoughts. "I was thinking I have a lot of questions for you," she said.

  The Duke chuckled. “You have questions for me? Well, I bet I have even more for you,�
� he said. “I mean like this ‘frozen and from the past nonsense’. You two were messing with me, right?”

  Raven raised her eyebrows. “No, actually we weren’t,” she said with a note of concern, realizing if he did not believe how she knew Matthew, then sending Matthew away to recover old research was truly a ruse. She shrugged off his arm and stepped back. “You did believe Matthew was a scientist though, right?” she asked.

  The Duke nodded. “Absolutely. Being he was from the colony of zealots up in the mountain, I figured he was an expert in something. It is the frozen in time nonsense I’m not buying,” he said. “But I don’t want to stand around out here in the cold to discuss all of it. We have plenty of time to talk about everything.” The Duke grinned. “Years and years in fact,” he said. Raven could only hope he was wrong.

  CHAPTER 8

  Hector loved the feel of the motorcycle under him as he roared back up to the wreck. Across his lap was a deer he had killed while out joy riding. He figured Helen and Simon would be less angry at his long absence if he brought back some dinner. Pulling to a stop on the road near the overturned van he saw Helen, with Simon right behind her, come into view. Grinning, Hector gave them a wave as he dismounted and brought the deer over to where they stood. “Look,” he said a little sheepishly. He had been gone quite a while. “A little venison steak to fill our bellies.” After a pause, Helen smiled and shook her head. Seeing she was more amused than angry, Hector let out a breath of relief he did not know he was holding. He was still getting used to the idea he was no longer running amok on his own. I’m going to have to work on that, he thought. She's been patient with me for a long time, and now I owe her a lot more consideration. Among other things.