The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  Marc winced in all the right places, telling the camp it was the first time she’d given the story, and they settled down to their meals and a tale. Conner also began eating, but he paid attention to Angela’s version of the story so that he would be able to keep the details straight. The biggest lie she was telling was that Adrian had gone in there for a whole load of kids. He hadn’t known, of course. He’d been risking everything for his son and want it to or not, that meant something to Conner.

  The listening Eagles were impressed with Angela’s ability to convince a crowd, but they were mostly relieved to have their story. They could talk to the other men and the camp about the mission now, and they were grateful to their new leader for handling that. Thanks to Adrian, the Eagles hated telling lies.

  Angela and Marc answered the few questions, then directed the talk toward the move and coming celebration. The camp was promised a great time, to be on full water rations, and that they would see Adrian as soon as John cleared him. It was all accepted with only grumbles. The thought of unlimited showers and jugs of water went a long way and Angela was relieved. So far, so good.

  12

  “How are they taking it?” Neil asked, joining Daryl at his post.

  “Good. He’s being shown camp hospitality from almost everyone.”

  “She’s good at this.”

  “Yeah, like she was…”

  “Born a Mitchel,” Neil finished, chuckling. The joke of Marc’s words to Kenn was currently running through the ranks.

  The crowd at the mess was in high spirits, laughing and talking past the normal time when they would have sought the shelter of their tents. Even the rain couldn’t dampen the excitement of finally getting the story.

  “Hey, did you see Kenn earlier?”

  Neil groaned. “Another prank?”

  “No, but he wasn’t sure. Should have been there for him checking Tonya’s convertible and his Bronco for the move after a backfire. Hilarious.”

  Neil snickered and continued on to more important things. “Mitch asked for a timeline on being able to drink again. Marc told him he could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, and then to leave.”

  Daryl whistled lowly. “He means it.”

  “Yeah. Mitch hit the showers and went to bed early.”

  “No way!” Daryl exclaimed.

  “Yeah. It’s working.”

  “Good.”

  “You get the time for the final meeting?” Neil asked.

  “Yeah, midnight, but not the where.”

  “She hasn’t said yet. We’ll get a call.”

  “That works.”

  “What’s she doing after the meeting?” Neil wanted to know.

  “Rounds, then a private session in the medical tent with Adrian. You get the details?”

  “No, I’m on the camp for it. You’re not using any rookies?”

  “No. Kyle wants only the top men on her.”

  Neil approved. “Call me if you get even a vibe. I’ll be around.”

  “You know it.”

  Neil spotted Samantha coming through the drizzle and took note of which direction she went. Her hair was wild despite the rain, steps sluggish. She wasn’t at her best right now and the darker it got, the easier it would be for someone to sneak up on her.

  He hit his mic, following instincts. “FND volunteer at the animal area for shadow detail.”

  “I’ve got it,” Alex called in. His tone said he already knew who it was for.

  “I’m on the other side of camp. Ten minutes to be in place.”

  “Copy.”

  Neil felt better. Alex was a crack shot. Samantha would be safe while she wandered and listened.

  13

  “This is the last of it.”

  Tucker marked it off the list and then helped his buddy lower the last crate into the ground. They’d been on hard labor chores for so long that it took them half the time it did the others to bury a load of supplies. Why they were doing it still hadn’t been explained, but the two men had stopped asking a while ago.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Tucker started, searching around to make sure no one was in earshot. “About leaving.”

  Anderson had had the same idea, but hadn’t been sure how to bring it up. “After this load?”

  Tucker agreed, giving him a hand as they climbed from the hole. “Yeah. This will be our stock until we get set somewhere for the winter.”

  Anderson looked around, gaze lingering on the center fire, where a few of the wilder camp members were drinking and joking in the rain. “We takin’ anyone else?”

  Tucker was listening for anyone who might overhear. “We can arrange some company for the trip, I think. You have anyone in mind?”

  “No,” Anderson said, awkwardly. He knew Tucker meant women, but Anderson had meant other men for protection.

  Tucker grabbed a shovel and tossed it to his friend. “Let’s do an extra set of rounds on third for FND. We can talk then.”

  Anderson continued shoveling dirt over the supplies. He would have a short list figured out by then. He’d put women on it, too, but he planned to lean towards the men. Whores could be picked up anywhere. These men were trained and that would be a big advantage out in the wilderness.

  “Damn. Hang on.” Tucker grabbed a plastic-covered stack of papers. “We forgot the rule sheets.”

  Anderson helped him clear a hole to drop the small bundle into, and the two men hurried to finish.

  “Why does he bother?” Anderson asked, wiping sweat from his face. “There’s no one ever out there when we’ve gone back to steal it.”

  Tucker made sure no one had overheard, and then tried to explain. “Adrian hopes the people who find it will follow the rules on the papers and spread them around. That’s why there are so many copies in each supply batch. He thinks it will help the other survivors.”

  Anderson snorted scornfully. “You can’t help the dead.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Come on. Let’s hit the showers and volunteer for duty.”

  14

  The Plans

  A.

  Leave a body and run for the mountains. Get set up to fight the force that will come when they discover it was a fake.

  By then, we have to have the camp helping and accepting magic. We’ll fight every time, search out new weapons, and keep securing our home bases until they stop sending troops or we’re too few to fight anymore.

  B.

  Leaves Safe Haven unprotected.

  Drop a body and ambush the troops that come to collect it. Get secrets and details from them, and attack the bunker to ensure our future safety.

  C.

  Gives away the element of surprise.

  Leave a body and a fake trail for the camp. Call openly for fighters/survivors on the radio, and risk the enemy coming in a much larger force to wipe us out. If we win, the bunker will be so short on men that they won’t retaliate for a long time.

  D.

  Pointless to kill for only a week.

  Kill the first troops sent so that it takes time for the bunker to find out and send more. This only adds roughly seven days to arrival time.

  “As you can tell, they all stink, but we’ll do the best we can with what we have to work with. We’ll start with option A. Can anyone think of a reason why it won’t be successful?”

  Several men opened their mouths, but after searching through the list, there wasn’t much they could say.

  “Does anyone have something to add? Another option?”

  Again, there were little details that could help, but no master plan to save them.

  Angela kept on schedule. She needed this to be brief. “Okay. I’ll talk to Adrian before I hit my tent for the night, find out if he has anything to add. We all set for the move?”

  The rest of the final security meeting was updates and plans for moving the camp, and only one person in the tent noted the V standing out on Angela’s chin.

  Marc studied her cool confidence, how she was pr
epared for every question the men asked. If she was this far ahead of the others...What does she know about me?

  All of it, of course, his demon promptly replied. You’d better start giving her credit for the intelligence. She has another plan and she needs help with it.

  Marc waited for the others to finish and clear out, and he spent the time pondering the demon’s advice. If he confronted Angela, there was a good chance she’d do the same to him over his secrets. Was he ready to face that?

  Ready or not, here it comes, the demon warned, fading.

  Marc turned around to find Angela staring at him with hard chips of blue ice.

  “We should talk.”

  Marc sighed. “Yeah. Here or later?”

  Angela hadn’t expected cooperation and she sank down into the hard chair as she lit a smoke.

  Marc took the seat across from her. “I have some things I need to tell you, starting with, I’m sorry.”

  Kenn and Zack met a bit away from the tent, both upset at how short the actual talk had been.

  “What’s going on?”

  Kenn wasn’t sure. “She has other plans. She’s not gonna let us off the hook for trying to manipulate her.”

  “Did you notice how she put just enough details on option A to get it to pass?” Zack asked, slightly in awe. Being given fifth in command had come as a complete shock.

  “I’d say she picked that up from Adrian,” Kenn commented. He didn’t like it that all four of the men who’d been in the tent were now higher ranked, but he was dealing with it. Adrian would change things around when he took back over.

  “Yeah.” Zack waited for Kyle and Neil to go by, and then leaned closer. “Can we trust her to make this happen? Like we would Adrian?”

  Kenn wanted to say no and it was amazing to him that he couldn’t instantly deny it as craziness. “I’ll get back to you.”

  15

  “Are you sure?”

  Adrian looked very weak despite the visitors he’d had today. She suspected it had something to do with the tired teenagers she’d seen a bit ago.

  “Yes.”

  Angela was glad for the time alone with him even though there was a new tension. Some of these things were for his ears only.

  “I’m listening,” he joked.

  “I’m the eavesdropper, remember?” She tried to match his level of hope.

  “Maybe we’ll switch that too, but for now, repeat it to me. Inspect it again if you need to. Take your time.”

  She’d heard the seriousness underneath and allowed him to become her teacher again for a moment. “I don’t need to look at the paper. I have it memorized,” she stated. “You’ve chosen the Grenada Lake area because…”

  “No.”

  Angela sighed, thinking of the rock thrower from earlier. A large mix of people were about to be let loose in camp. Very few were being turned away. “They’re getting restless. If I say it came from you…”

  “No.”

  “What about we?”

  There was a pause that she knew meant something and then, “No.”

  Angela blew out a breath and Adrian went on with the bedside lesson. “That’s how this works. You’re the leader. You made the choice.”

  “But I didn’t,” she muttered, making a face at the stack of waiting paperwork. Kenn had instructions to bring everything he collected to Adrian. She picked it up after he read it.

  “I don’t want this.” Angela saw him frown and braced to take the scold she’d drawn.

  “And it shows. That’s why it isn’t smooth for you. It’s not because you’re a woman or a rookie at this, or even that you’d like to make changes while you can.”

  Angela met his knowing gaze rebelliously. “Then why?”

  “Because they feel your guilt.”

  Adrian softened his tone as her aura darkened. “Every time one of them asks when I’m coming back, you cringe.”

  Angela looked away and Adrian slid into her mind.

  You are not stealing anything from me. I’ve given it willingly. I have to have a successor.

  But Conner…

  Maybe. Hard to tell yet. Right now, while I can, I have to keep training the next leader.

  Angela grunted. “All right. I chose the Spring because…”

  “Because it’s the water we need, there’s an oil refinery nearby where we hope there’s gas, and since it’s a preserve, there shouldn’t be much damage. Might even be able to hunt for something other than fish.”

  Angela chuckled at that. Li Sing was good, but their fish crop had been so large that the allotted space in the refer truck was full. The excess was being cooked or prepared for long-term storage, and as a result, fish had been a part of every meal for the last two days.

  “Next?”

  “Kenn and Zack are handling the driving schedules. They’ll put them in the cars and tents in the morning.”

  “Your approval first. Go over them. He’s not perfect.”

  She peered at her notes. “I’m creating a new position in the Eagles.”

  “I heard. Gophers, huh?”

  Angela read nothing in the tone. “Yes. Each level will eventually have one to care for gear and things, but for now, it’s your son and mine.”

  There was a pause.

  “The camp must be okay with it or he’d be in here with me.”

  Angela winced. “I’m sorry. I should have sent someone to let you know. Matt’s showing him around.”

  “Kenn came by. I’m good.” Adrian yawned. “And it sounds like you’ve got it covered. Anything else you need?”

  Angela closed the folder. “Yes, there is.”

  Adrian understood her reluctance, but he couldn’t offer comfort without giving himself away. “What’s up?”

  “Marc lied to me and you’ve known about it for a while. Do you still think it was best for him to not tell me?”

  Adrian hated the cold tone even as he respected it. Her skin was much thicker now.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Angela accepted that. She’d expected it. Would he be expecting the next question? “And him not telling me, not using his gifts to help us, that’s one of those things I have to forget about, right?”

  Stunned to be asked, Adrian choked the words out. “Yes. Let it go. It doesn’t matter now.” How he longed to say no!

  Angela hesitantly showed the new side of her. “I’m going to use it, carefully, and you owe me your help for hiding it.”

  Adrian threw his head back and laughed at the awful pain. Brady was right. He had turned her into himself.

  16

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “He just discovered it,” Angela informed her son. “He needed the same adjustment time that the rest of us were given.”

  Charlie wanted to stay angry, but if his mom had already known and wasn’t upset, there was little for him to argue with. “I just can’t believe he hid it.”

  “It’s not like that, at least not until recently. His cage match unlocked the demon. Without that, Marc never would have been able to access his gifts.”

  “What can he do?” Charlie questioned lowly. “Besides heal, I mean.”

  Angela winced. “I haven’t asked.”

  “Wonder if Adrian knows,” Charlie mused.

  “You could ask yourself. He’s feeling guilty. He’d answer you honestly.”

  Charlie thought of his own secrets. “Let him have that adjustment time. I don’t need another voice in my head.”

  “He can’t do that,” Angela stated, sharply. “He’s barely using any of it. Don’t shut him out for being like us, Charlie. That’s what we’ve both wanted.”

  Angela left him to consider it, motioning to Conner and Matt. “Why don’t you gentlemen take a walk with me and we’ll discuss the Jr. Eagles? I have some new lesson plans on making bug-out kits and I can use your help.”

  Charlie saw Marc shadowing Angela, and realized he’d heard the short conversation. Not sure if he should be mad, Charlie w
aited for Marc to come to him.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  Charlie compared it to having the other Marc, the one who took shit, got in fights, and made his mom cry. It wasn’t a hard choice.

  “Forgiven. After you answer one question.”

  Surprised, Marc silently thanked Angela for not letting Charlie turn on him. “Go on.”

  “Are you hiding or lying about anything else?”

  Marc slowly opened his mouth. “Yes.”

  Charlie studied his father without anger over the answer. When he finally spoke, it was clear that manhood was coming on swift wings.

  “Keep her happy and I’m good, I guess. We don’t have a problem until she isn’t.”

  Marc smiled. “I came with a peace offering. I’m glad I don’t need it, but I’d like you to have it anyway.”

  Charlie smirked. “Unless you’ve got Tracy hidden in your pocket, I don’t need anything.”

  “Can’t do that,” Marc insisted. “At least Jennifer’s warning didn’t spill blood. I put Tracy in my pocket, we’ll be diggin’ fresh graves.”

  “It’s perfect, though,” Charlie admitted lowly. “Jennifer did me a favor.”

  “She freed up more of Tracy’s time,” Marc guessed, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket.

  “Yep, and I plan to occupy it.”

  “With what?” Marc asked curiously. Tracy obviously felt something, too, but Marc wanted to know what their beginning was being founded on.

  “I’m helping her build and after these public scenes and rumors, she’ll try harder.”

  Marc’s laugh was laced with respect, Charlie heard that clearly, but he wanted more.

  “I’ve got a plan for her–we’re already working on it. Mom may not be happy, but the Eagles will.”

  Marc easily picked up Charlie’s thoughts, but pretended he hadn’t. “What’ve you got?”

  Charlie leaned closer. “I’m going to make her the leader of the…relief sources, and have her change them into something along the lines of den mothers. Peggy and Hilda are older and they can’t do as much. The girls can.”

  Marc leaned against the rig, studying his son. Going on fifteen, Charlie was more mature than he’d been at that age.