The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  They were by rusting gates and an enormous field of waist-high grasses where anything might be lurking, and the black-clad cop’s tired eyes swung continuously.

  “I can prove it,” Angela told the slender female, who had no skin showing beneath her dark, heavy clothing. “He did what I wanted, right? If they were bad, I’d be a slave.”

  The girl shrugged. “It could be a trick. Slavers are smart.”

  Her voice was nervous, hopeful, and young. Angela pushed comfort again. “Safe Haven follows the old rules. You and your new family would be well cared for there.”

  Angela felt the scowl and hoped she had chosen correctly as the whine in the wind increased.

  “How did you know I’m not alone?”

  “Maybe I didn’t.” Angela’s became as cold as the air around them. “You told me.”

  “You tricked me!” the girl cried angrily.

  Angela could feel the others nearby. Her group was warmly dressed and blended well into the surroundings as they listened. This fragile-looking chemistry student had done a good job of teaching them to survive.

  “Hardly. You speak for the group?” Angela switched to an authoritative voice, making the disbelief thick in her tone. She hid her relief when the girl stopped, hand going to her hip angrily.

  “I resent that! I’ve done the best I could!” the girl stated indignantly.

  “Then, it’s time to get them out of here. Hand that burden over to our guardian. In return, you’ll work and follow the rules. We have two doctors, real MDs, and none of us are starving.” Angela gestured behind her. “They came from all over the country. We can also give you answers.”

  That did it–Angela read the interest clearly.

  “You know about Nevada?”

  “Doug does. He was trapped under a bridge there for almost a week,” Seth said quietly, thinking that for a woman who had only been with them a few days, Angela had sure picked up Adrian’s style fast. He had snorted at the things he’d heard while Safe Haven packed for travel, but now he wondered.

  “You have a lot of people?” The girl studied them mistrustfully.

  “Yes, doctors, lawyers, farmers, soldiers, and housewives. We follow a set schedule, and we travel a lot. Most people pick their own jobs, but with your education, I’d think you would want to be helpful to our leader.”

  The girl missed the fact that Angela knew she had been a student, sneering. “Yeah, in exchange for being allowed in.”

  “No. You’re welcome even if you’re not useful at all.” The tone was just right–a little patronizing, a little insulting, and implying laziness–and the girl clearly felt it.

  “What a load. You’ll take our guns and be in control. No thanks!”

  “We are not slavers!” Angela’s voice thundered and she only lowered it a little at their fear. “We help anyone we can, and we’ve risked a great deal to come get you. The rules are simple. Pull your own weight!”

  “What’s the crime rate?”

  Angela wasn’t expecting the question. “Uh, there’s been one thief since I came. That’s it. No rapes, no murders. It makes them think twice when the penalty is death.”

  The girl nodded, wanting to believe, and Angela pushed gently as rain clouds rolled behind the grit. “We’re American survivors who help our own, and you are that, honey. Come with us. We’ll help give back some of what was stolen from you.”

  The girl glanced over her shoulder. “I think we should go with them.”

  Other shadows beside the plane moved, stood up, and Angela knew by the way the girl flinched that the Eagles behind her were rushing their way with weapons drawn.

  “It’s okay. They’re not sure about you, either,” Angela explained, waving a hand.

  Again, she felt flashes of envy when the others stopped but Seth was allowed to stay.

  The two males in the small group of strangers were flanking the very thin, younger girls who would have been called nerds before the war. Angela was suddenly sure the guys had been athletes, all of them flying home from some kind of state contest.

  “They’re right to be worried,” the tallest teenager said, pulling his gloved hands from his pockets when Seth’s pointed gaze remained there. “We’re in danger.”

  The others cast long, worried looks at the dark main building.

  Angela followed their line of sight, frowning. “There are people living there?”

  “If you want to call them that,” the tall boy said.

  The pregnant girl waved her hand in agreement, voice low. “Radiation victims. There was an explosion near the Canadian border. We were shielded by the plane.”

  “We need to get the gas and go,” Angela said. “Now.”

  Seth checked his watch and signaled to Neil, who immediately held up one finger.

  “Ten minutes for the support,” Seth translated.

  “We are offering you a home with us. In ten minutes we’re driving those fuel tankers out of here, and we’re not coming back,” Angela told the college kids. “The slavers are coming this way. They’ve taken Casper.”

  The girl shook her head, ignoring the mutters of her group. “You can’t get the gas. It’s half the reason we haven’t left yet. When you get near the trucks, the walking dead attack. It’s like they’re guarding it. Every time we’ve tried, we’ve lost people.”

  Seth picked out things around the tankers that made his stomach roil. Three boots, oily stains, and was that a skirt by the landing gear? Seth nodded. This was exactly what it felt like–another place of death they couldn’t get away from soon enough.

  “We’ll handle it,” Angela told them. “Why don’t you guys go wait in my Blazer? There’s probably going to be some gunfire.”

  The small group of kids moved slowly toward her vehicle and the waiting Eagles. They stayed together as the guards escorted them, exchanging nervous greetings.

  Angela joined Neil and Kyle, ignoring the looks they gave Seth. “How does Adrian usually handle radiation victims?”

  Neither man wanted to answer her question because they expected her to have a doctor’s outraged response.

  “Sorry if I stole your thunder, but they were going to run,” Angela said. “You heard everything. I suggest fire. It will prevent further contamination, but don’t even get a scratch. Got any masks?”

  The kids were frowning, leery again at her emotionless words, and Angela went to them, calming, soothing. “We can’t save them, and we can’t leave them for someone else to be hurt by. It’s our duty to do something because we can.”

  She continued to sing to them as she got them into the Blazer, and the three Eagles exchanged equally impressed glances.

  “She’s a natural. Just like us.”

  Kyle nodded at Neil’s comment, thinking Marc was right to want her so badly. She wouldn’t just be someone’s woman or spouse. She would be a mate, some lucky man’s other half.

  Marc’s? Kyle frowned. He wasn’t sure the man was that good.

  “He knew she would be,” Kyle commented. “That’s why we have code Raven already. Adrian knew she was one of us the second he laid eyes on her.”

  “No, one of him,” Seth corrected quietly. “She’s like Adrian.”

  Kyle grunted in understanding, remembering riding out the sandstorm. “Kenn’s gonna shit.”

  Neil didn’t echo their mirth. “He’s going to mess it up for her if he can. We’ll need to keep things under control, help her out.”

  The other two agreed, and Neil sighed. “Come on. Let’s have a gander. Maybe we won’t need our guns. Be nice not to do it so up close and personal this time.”

  Kyle followed, Seth stayed, both thinking of the last few mercy missions. They had been messy, ugly, and the memories had lingered.

  4

  The men were back a minute later, resigned. They met the others at the front of Angela’s Blazer, aware of her talking calmly to the kids, keeping them under control like Adrian would have done.

  “We’ll do the whole
building. She has three full cans, and Seth has two. That’s enough to create a barrier, and then we’ll run a tanker in. Bullets, if any of them make it out.” Kyle looked at Angela, who was now standing by her open door, listening. “You’ll have little protection while we do this. You should go and meet the other men. They’ll be your escort.”

  Angela slowly got into the driver’s seat, not sure if they had missed something important that might explain the warning bells suddenly blaring in her head. She didn’t want to leave, but they had gotten the fuel cans out and were waiting for her to go.

  She rolled to the gates, stopping out of sight. What had she–?

  “Get down!”

  Marc’s order over the radio got Angela to duck just as the well-aimed dart plunged through her open window and stuck into the seat instead of her neck.

  Angela instinctively hit the gas pedal, throwing them all back in their seats as she sped for the safety of camp, for Marc! Her fingers fumbled for the mike as bullets slammed into the Blazer.

  She jerked them to the other side of the two-lane road, putting up the windows to protect the screaming kids. “Help! Sniper!”

  The call went over both mental and CB waves, and every man she had a connection with felt it, including those who were too far away to assist.

  More bullets ricocheting off the ground in front of them had her veering violently, and she dropped the mike as the Blazer’s tires lifted.

  Angela turned them in a sharp arc and was relieved to feel earth slam into the rubber. Before she could get out of the sniper’s range, a faded green army jeep appeared on the narrow road ahead of her.

  “Hold on!” She slammed her foot against the brake, throwing them all forward as the jeep rolled closer, cutting off her escape. The grinning madman behind the wheel was sickeningly familiar.

  Brady! Angela slammed it into reverse, vaguely aware of her CB blaring with panicked male voices. Brady!

  Get to Neil!

  Leaving a cloud of dust, she flew backwards into the ravaged airport, and the men coming to her rescue scattered as the sniper switched targets.

  The guards returned fire, and Angela slid to a stop in the middle of them. Dillan’s jeep was coming fast and so were the slugs, the Eagles now using her armor-plated Blazer as a shield.

  Angela searched hard. Where was he?

  Tell the boy about me.

  Her heart sank as she picked up Marc’s thought, realized what it meant.

  “No!”

  Her scream drew attention, and the men followed her line of sight to the muddy Blazer flying at them from a nearby access road. The vehicle picked up speed, flying toward the lunatic who hadn’t seen him yet.

  Love you, Angie. I never stopped.

  No, Marc!

  Marc swerved out of the decaying trees, and the Eagles saw a rare glint of sun flash off his dog tag, bright enough to hurt. His Blazer lunged onto the cracked airport street as the army jeep reached the road too.

  Before Dillan had a chance to react, Marc slammed into the driver’s door.

  “Noooo!”

  Flames and heavy smoke immediately billowed into the air from the twisted wreck, and Angela immediately rushed toward it, unmindful of the bullets punching into the debris-covered ground around her boots.

  “Marc!”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Forbidden Power

  1

  Angela and Neil were there to catch Marc as he stumbled out of the crushed Blazer, and the Eagles rushed to be sure Dillan wasn’t a threat anymore.

  “He’s dead. Jeep’s a total loss.”

  Their extra men rolled into view as Kyle’s words gave them their answer, and the bullets stopped as suddenly as they’d started, leaving the sounds of burning, cracking wreckage.

  Doug pulled up next to Neil, but it was Angela who took charge as she assessed the damage to the glassy-eyed man leaning against the trooper. “There’s a sniper. Take care of the kids in my Blazer.”

  Gaping, Doug waited for the next vehicle to go around so he could pull over and climb out.

  “Get her down!”

  Seth’s shout at a glint of light had Marc reacting automatically. He swung Angela around as the shot echoed and he jerked, grunting.

  He fell heavily against her as the Eagles returned fire, creating a line of vests between them and the sniper.

  “Marc!” Shoving his long coat out of the way, her hands plunged under his shirt, expecting the worst.

  “You wore the vest!” Angela exclaimed in relief when she felt only dry cloth.

  Marc tensed against her as his lungs throbbed with sharp, heavy hurt from the wreck. “Eagles are…required to.” He gently wiped the tears from her dark lashes, smiling when the pain increased. “Anything for you…”

  Fresh tears spilled over. “I can help! Hang on!”

  Marc’s eyes shut, breathing labored. “Not this…time, honey.” His eyes shot back open, but they were glazed with coming death. “Always love you!”

  Angela held out her hands, and those around her saw them begin to glow a deep blue.

  This can only be done once without payment. You would continue?

  The Eagles heard only her answer.

  “Yes! Quickly!”

  Doors in her mind opened, and power exploded from her outstretched fingers.

  The Eagles watched in stunned silence as thousands of tiny, brightly colored orbs flew from her like shooting water. They hit Marc’s chest and sank into him, covering his body with a constantly changing flash of synchronized red, blue, and purple light.

  Those witnessing it were torn between his injuries disappearing and the fierce concentration shining from Angela’s face. She was the magic Adrian had been searching for!

  When her shoulders went from tense to tired, Kyle got the new men up to speed about the airport threat but didn’t look away from the miracle happening behind the line of vested Eagles. “Top two up high, next five low. Go!”

  His team quickly set up the ordered guard.

  Angela stumbled as the orbs swarmed back, and Neil was there to steady her. He drew in a breath. Her skin felt like it was frying, but there was no sweat. When she trembled under his fingers, the need to comfort her, to hold her, was nearly overwhelming.

  Neil retreated instead. That wasn’t in his job description.

  Marc gasped, sucking air into a lung that hadn’t had any a moment before, and he immediately coughed, rolling over.

  Angela felt the weariness sinking into her, drifting toward the darkness. She’d done it! She’d…shown her true gifts in front of strangers. The fear returned with that thought.

  When Marc slowly rose and steered her toward a truck, she didn’t protest.

  Marc opened the door and glared at the driver, Billy. “Take her to Adrian. Don’t stop…for anything.”

  Angela got in without looking at them, and her heart throbbed when Marc shut the door. Now he knew what a freak she really was and so did the Eagles. Marc would stand by her. That’s why he’d put her in here, to be safe from the others, but did he need to? Would Adrian’s men be able to accept how different she was or would they drive her–

  “Recon team, check in!”

  Angela jumped at the radio call. She waited to find out how the men with Marc now sounded during the report, but her driver only waited expectantly, and she understood. Everyone else was out of earshot, and Billy wanted her to answer the call.

  “Recon team, check in now!”

  Angela picked up the mike with a feeling of authority that she wasn’t sure she wanted. Being careful with her words came naturally as she hit the button. “We had a…delay run into us. We’re okay now. Hang on for one of the guys.”

  “Do you need more men?” Adrian asked quickly.

  Angela heard his real question clearly. Should I come? Do you need me?

  Watching most of the guards, including a limping Brady, pick up gas cans and head for the main terminal, Angela was relieved. Still set to get the fuel tank
ers and eliminate the walking dead taking shelter here, the Eagles didn’t appear to be treating Marc any differently. Maybe they wouldn’t her either.

  “No. They’re about to blow this place, literally.”

  “Copy on the noise coming. You found survivors?”

  “Yes, and I’m sure they could use a good meal and a hot shower. What’s for lunch?”

  Angela wasn’t sure where that had come from, but knew instantly it was the right way to help him keep the listening members and the new kids calm. She felt Billy’s approval next to her and realized he’d had her answer the call to calm her down.

  “Ham and cheese sandwiches, applesauce, chips,” Adrian responded. “The entire team is 5-by?”

  She knew that one. “Roger.”

  Doug pulled in behind her, driving the Blazer full of nervously talking youths.

  “Copy. Hurry home.”

  “You know it.” Angela hung it up, knowing she’d impressed Billy, but better than that, feeling more like herself. The short words with Adrian had told her he would handle whatever had happened.

  Her driver returned a small grin, and Angela settled back. “Home, please. You drive.”

  Dark eyes set in lines of sorrow and alive with hatred watched the jeeps and fuel trucks roll out of sight. Dean was furious and hurt beyond words. His brother was dead! It was the first emotional pain he had ever felt. Even physical wounds were viewed with apathy (at least they had been until the witch had taught him fear), and Dean was unprepared for how awful it was.

  The sense of loneliness, of complete failure, was undeniable, and Dean was stunned by the tears that fell. He would bury his brother and then he would make that bitch suffer! If he couldn’t get to her on his own, he would take over the slaver’s camp and attack.

  Vengeance was on the way. It might take a week or a month, but it burned with a red-hot fury that nothing would calm.

  2

  The guards were unable to keep from talking about what they had witnessed, and the story flew through Safe Haven despite the mandatory quarantine. Overheard while setting up for lunch, small, worried whispers of magic began circulating, and Adrian headed for the taped-off QZ.