The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  Marc liked hearing that and didn’t argue further. He did ask, “How did that happen?”

  “I planned on it,” was the response.

  It worked perfectly with everything else she’d done. There was no way she could be tempted if she couldn’t even hear him.

  “Exactly,” Angela stated, pulling on her coat and guns. “You ready?”

  Marc had already been dressed. He hit his radio as they stepped outside. “Mini-meeting in the mess for all team leaders, XOs, and command positions. Fifteen minutes.”

  The tent area cleared quickly and it was easy for Marc to lead Angela toward the rear of their perimeter without notice by anyone except the tired Level Six guards that Angela had insisted be left on duty. Marc hadn’t asked why.

  Angela took over the lead as soon as they were behind the cover of the trees, following Adrian’s bitter thoughts without needing directions.

  There were team members who now hated Adrian on this post and they didn’t like seeing Angela here so soon after his banishment.

  Angela found him by the creek and Marc remained at a distance, respecting her for asking him to come along, even though she didn’t have to.

  Angela didn’t waste any time. “Can you give us a minute, Kendle?”

  The brunette dropped the beer back into the cooler and stomped off, feeling unwanted. “The one he’d rather see anyway.”

  Adrian’s eyes never left Angela. My Angela, he thought, then slammed his walls into place. “What?”

  Angela dropped to a knee by his chair, ignoring it all. She had bigger issues. She filled him in on the dream and showed no surprise when he handed her the small stack of files and notebook from beside his seat.

  “You had it, too.”

  He nodded, sweeping her for signs of empathy. “Weeks ago and then again last night, with you.”

  Angela was flipping through the pages, worry easing. “This is great.”

  Adrian shrugged, but didn’t look away, though he could feel Marc’s anger growing. “It felt like I missed something.”

  Angela tucked the information under her arm and rose. “I’ll work on it.”

  Adrian kept his mouth shut, staring until she was out of sight.

  In the upper corner, where he was protected, Conner snored in uncaring slumber. After he’d had time to consider his punishment, he’d realized that he’d gotten exactly what he wanted–to be alone, with his dad in charge. He didn’t care that their camp only had two members. This was enough.

  7

  Angela went to the mess for the meeting, walls tightly in place. The smell of Adrian that floated up from the pages didn’t break her heart, nor did that tight, neat script which warned her not to push the sheep, only the shepherds when she made her preparations. It was the dog tags inside the folder that almost cracked through her shell. He didn’t feel right wearing them without his honor.

  Angela’s horror swept over the slowly waking camp in a cool chill that sent people to make sure flaps were zipped and doors were shut.

  Angela took her place, nodding thanks to Kenn as he sat a cup of hot tea in front of her. “Honey is all we have now. Sorry.”

  Angela liked it sweet, as did many of the camp. She nodded to Jennifer. “Add it. We have to keep them in the luxuries as long as we can.”

  Angela brought up the list she’d fallen asleep while working on. “Keep up. I’m busy today,” she warned as she got rolling. “I want all the tents replaced with thicker canvases within a week. The team who makes that happen can pick their shift for a week. I want a generous digging crew to start collecting soil. If we hit a full dump load–at least 10 tons in our tri-axels–I promise to send the magic users out on gathering missions. They’ll find a ton of things we’ve run out of, like sugar, coffee, and paper towels. They’ll scour the land.”

  Moods were brightening as Angela went on, wishing the 17% would stop staring in dislike. She could feel them.

  “In two weeks, we’re going to get snow, if not sooner. I want those caves cleared, stocked, and ready for us to move in–in ten days. We’ll use all manual labor forms available to us.”

  Angela took the tray from Li with a curt nod and then flashed a smile when she saw he’d brought her pancakes. She took the time to grab one, roll it up and dip it, then snatch a small bite. “Mmm. Damn, he can cook. Where were we? Oh, yeah, snow. We need as much rock salt as we can get our hands on. A truckload of it would be ideal. That will require a trip north and it should only be the strongest Eagles and the best shots. Nothing good waits up there, but we have to have the supplies. Once things settle down, there are a number of items we might get from that run. That team leaves in three days.”

  Her two center tables were busy, all writing and comparing note and jobs. Angela let them go while she sucked down a few more quick bites. She felt like she could eat a plateful.

  “It sounds like a lot going on for those ten days,” Becky commented. “Who has your six?”

  Marc started to say he did and felt Angela’s head swivel toward him.

  He sighed. “Looks like I have a different job. Shawn and Greg did a good job before. They can cover it.”

  That was good news for the two Eagles who had thought they were still in Marc’s line of fire.

  “Great. We’ll have a second meeting on all of this tonight after we’re settled in the permanent area,” Angela approved.

  “Do you want us to go check it out beforehand?” Jennifer asked eagerly. She was still a little restless.

  “No. We stay together for the move,” Angela denied. “There’s a blank spot when I look ahead. Keep the guards awake as we travel. Kenn, get on the radio doing those new observation quizzes. And that reminds me. We’ll restart Eagles tryouts and classes as soon as the ash storm passes. Get something drawn up that includes promotions of proper size for every person who fought in this war and pulled their duty.”

  Now that it was over, their population had increased through the four camps that had requested to merge with theirs and vowed to follow their rules. Angela had all of them in the QZ now and planned to let them out in small stages that wouldn’t disrupt the normal flow she was trying to reestablish. The soldiers would be shadowed for a long time when they were cleared.

  “The new rule for the camp is no one goes out exploring alone. If they’re with a fighter, all the better. We have less sheep now and most of our camp can take care of itself. We will keep guards and cameras on the supply trucks, the weapons and gear, and the food and water. When we get fuel, then we can worry about guarding our fuel.”

  Angela ran through her mental list and got on the next set. They would stay like this for all of those ten days and then the workload would ease and some of the living could take place. “Next, is new assignments. We’ll do leadership first.”

  She dropped a small paper on the table. “This is the new chain of command. I want it posted as soon as we’re done here. Someone tell Doug I want him updating the bigger board we brought from the lodge. Once an hour, people will be able to come by and get news.”

  “What type?” Cynthia asked curiously. Her newspaper hadn’t stood a chance under Adrian’s leadership.

  “You’ll start with updates on amounts for the contest. The amount collected from each site, who has the most hours in for individual lessons, who bought back more than their share of the supplies. These are the days that determine the pecking order of every Eagle in my army, regardless of what they were promised by the former Co.”

  That was big news. The sound of scribbling became loud.

  “After we get into the caves, you’ll be doing that for items found, food grown, animals raised, and other things we need our camp to be excited about. If they have fun shoveling pig shit while racing the guy next to them, it gets done faster, there’s a possible reward for it, and afterwards, there’s camp praise when we’re scarfing down the blts,” Angela got out between bites of her now cold breakfast. “Remember these things that I’m telling you. Leadership cha
nges fast during an apocalypse. The next person to fill these shoes could be any one at these two tables right now. Pay attention to the details as if you already know that you’re going to be cursed with it. Dig for the extra details, go two more miles, and every Eagles in Safe Haven will follow your lead.”

  Angela stood up, wanting a second plate before they took off. She glanced around the table, sending out confidence. “In ten days, we will have this entire camp inside those caves and preparing for winter. If we do it in eight, I’ll allow each of you to ask me for something you know I won’t want to give. And if I can, it will be yours.”

  “Must be bad,” Tonya remarked, still scribbling notes.

  “It’s worse than that,” Angela confided, finally succeeding in scaring most of them. “Mother Nature remembered we’re still alive. She’s very unhappy about that.”

  8

  “This is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. We roll out in five minutes. If you get out of sight, you will have to be placed in the quarantine zone again, also known as the QZ. While we load up, the boss has asked me to remind everyone of our few basic rules. She said now that the time for war has passed, we must learn to follow law again. These are the Safe Haven Rules of Conduct and Penalties: Abuse (Mental, physical, and verbal) is forbidden here. Punishable by banishment. Fighting, property damage, and violence for any reason but self-defense is not allowed. Punishable by hard labor or banishment. Sexual Assault is a capital offense! Punishable by death, or branding and banishment.”

  Kenn continued to read the entire list as the camp loaded into their vehicles. It was a peaceful start to what would hopefully be their last time doing this for a long while. They would spend the winter in one place and the relief that came from knowing that allowed for joy even in those who were grieving. It was impossible to hold in that feeling after they’d been literally on the road from late December to mid-September.

  Samantha shifted the truck into the wrong gear and threw her hands up in frustration. “I can’t do this!”

  Neil hurried to grab the wheel, thinking of Seth’s explanation on Becky’s wild driving. When he straightened them out, he very calmly began to instruct her again.

  “Hit the brake like we worked on first, but do it–”

  Grrr!

  “Easy,” he finished, listening to the sounds of an engine almost at its limit. “Good. Now hold that position until I come around, okay? Ten seconds.”

  Sam nodded, trying hard to control her annoyance. When she lost her temper, things got out of hand.

  Neil slid under her, making her laugh.

  Samantha wormed her way out of the seat and moved to the passenger side. She’d told him she was too scatterbrained right now for a lesson, but he’d insisted.

  Neil breathed a sigh of relief and got them rolling again, to the approval of their rear convoy guards. He and Samantha were only carting an empty trailer that she wanted for the next garden setup. He’d thought it was a good time for her to try again on driving the big vehicle. Boy, was I wrong.

  Sam got in and closed the door, not saying anything. She had been trying to track the coming weather when Neil suggested the lesson.

  Neil got them up to speed and left her alone, glad to still have the truck. Samantha had a knack for endangering that type of transportation. Maybe he’d talk to Jeremy about switching to a minivan or something else as pathetic for top level Eagles to roll around in. She’d be safe with that, right?

  Neil watched the rear sentry jeeps fall in and then close the gap to the bumper of the truck. The one Jeremy was driving disappeared in the mirror, he was stayed so close.

  Neil snickered mentally. He’d suggested that Jeremy drove like an old lady and even now, when they couldn’t do more than 40mph on these turns, the computer hacker was determined to prove him wrong. Neil wasn’t sure if maybe that’s why he and Jeremy were able to adjust to this setup when other men couldn’t even consider the idea. Their need for new adventures was an unquenchable thirst that had been held back by the social limits of the old world. Now that there was only the basics of right and wrong again, it was finally okay for them to be curious explorers of whatever they wanted, able to use that precious free will.

  “I find you both amazing for being like me,” Samantha said softly. “We’re different, the Runners.”

  “Do you think she’s right? Can we really change things so all that old shit doesn’t restart?”

  Sam shivered a bit as she answered, “I hope so Neil. If not, I’ve sold my soul to the devil.”

  She chuckled to let him know it was a joke, but Neil knew there was a bit of truth to it as well. Angela was promising them the moon and stars. She would be given time, but if she couldn’t produce the required results, she wouldn’t remain their leader. The crowd would always look to the one who could give them the most and there were other descendants out there who might be able to do more or better.

  “Not in this country,” Samantha snorted. “We’ve got the best of the lot.”

  Neil heard the slight edge of idolization and shifted his thoughts to a safer topic. “When are you off duty again?”

  “I’m clear until dawn, then I’ll be at the training tent with the rest of her team while you guys recon our caves.”

  “She got you girls on something special again?” Neil joked nervously.

  Samantha didn’t answer. She wasn’t allowed to.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Close

  1

  “Wait. Slow down.”

  Marc did it carefully, using the radio to notify the convoy behind them.

  He peered through the blowing grit in the late afternoon dusk, but saw nothing.

  “There’s a woman with a little girl,” Angela said “Up on the right.”

  Marc eased forward, knowing she would tell him when to stop. Marc was sure she was already trying to communicate.

  “Here.”

  The truck rolled to a smooth stop and Angela darted out and into the grit before Marc could ask who she wanted with her.

  Marc swore under his breath as Shawn and Greg ran after her. He began issuing instructions on the CB. The cars and trucks behind them were pulling into those two lanes like they’d been taught for an unscheduled stop and it allowed Marc a narrow view where he scanned, catching a glint.

  It’s him. He won’t ever stop following.

  Marc wanted the conversation with his demon, but he also wanted to keep to his word. He directed the demon toward their new goal. Her hair only came back part of the way. How do I give her more? Is there a better time, method of delivery, length of time? Hell, what if I eat something special?

  Like what? his demon asked.

  Marc considered and shook his head. He couldn’t find a suggestion that didn’t sound stupid. There was still too much he didn’t know about their kind.

  He has to answer your questions, the demon pointed out. She told him to never deny you any piece of information you ask for.

  Marc was pleased to hear that and quickly shut the door on the private questions he’d always wanted to ask. He didn’t need Angela to learn some of those.

  Marc concentrated. Check-in or I’m sending in your full team.

  Sorry, I scared her by stopping so close. Had to catch up. Shawn’s here.

  Where?

  Twenty-five feet to your left. In a garage.

  Marc could hear her impatience and let it go. He knew she could take care of almost anything that could happen, but it wouldn’t ever stop his need to protect her.

  Slipping into the role of boss, Marc hit his mike. “Did either of you remember to turn on your radios?”

  They were short wave, close-range, walkie-talkies–a new addition from Marc.

  “We’re here,” Greg answered right away. “We have two females. We’re headed back now.”

  Marc saw them a moment later and let out the breath he’d been holding. Shawn was carrying a small child while Angela helped a tall, thin woman wearing a long robe over jeans that
he could see were filthy when the wind blew harder.

  Angela was speaking rapidly, trying to ease the woman’s fear. Greg brought up the rear, head constantly rotating.

  The group went to the small van behind Marc. He sighed when he saw Angela climb inside and give the ‘get us rolling’ motion. A second later, Shawn slid into the passenger seat, shaking his head. “She’s gonna kill me yet.”

  “I know the feeling,” Marc grumbled. “What’s your beef?”

  “She told me I’d meet my mate today. She didn’t tell me the woman would have a kid and a husband.”

  “Oh, Damn,” Marc gave his sympathy. “That hurts.”

  Shawn sighed, staring out the window without seeing anything. “You know what sucks the most?”

  “What?” Marc asked.

  “She’s gonna become an Eagle, I already know it. You should have seen her going for the Safe Haven security deal Angela laid out.”

  “So that’s good, right?” Marc questioned. “Having the same line of work is easier on a relationship.”

  “But I didn’t pay attention to the specifics when the rest of the guys went through this!” Shawn admitted worriedly. “She’s gonna twist me around her finger and I’ll have to pass in my guy card!”

  “Join the rest of us,” Marc laughed. “We’ll do anything for the right set of titties.”

  The rest of the ride was filled with the type of male bonding that had been going on for centuries and forged some of the strongest friendships the world had ever seen.

  2

  In four separate vehicles, descendants stiffened in unison. They’d felt more than a disturbance in the force.

  In the first vehicle, Jennifer turned to Angela with glowing eyes. “Don’t take this one. It’ll only bring us trouble.”

  “What happens if we don’t?” Angela demanded, both of them ignoring their fearful companions.

  “We might be able to save them, but it will always cost the blood of our people,” Jennifer stated, her witch bleeding through in ominous tones.