The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  Marc understood and scowled, but didn’t argue. Adrian being reduced to secret killer was another blow the former leader would have to deal with and it wouldn’t be easy. Adrian was a traitor, but not a true killer. He’d always had other people to do it for him.

  “In the morning, I need you to take supplies in there, while the doctor is out.”

  Marc nodded. The boxes they’d tossed into Zone C today had been destroyed in the scramble and only small pieces of the gear had actually been received. As they listened, a wail rose–one of hunger and grief.

  “They didn’t share any of it, right?” Angela asked, furious. “The leader kept it all?”

  “Yeah,” Marc answered. “We thought about going in and handling it, but you were asleep and I assumed you didn’t want our guys in there without you.”

  “I won’t be going in there,” Angela informed him. “They’ll take me hostage and I’ll end up killing them all, in open view of our people.”

  “That wouldn’t be good,” Greg remarked, joining them. “The herd’s a bit uneasy after today. They thought this camp had all the descendants. Jennifer is helping them calm down, but it wouldn’t be a good time for another demonstration.”

  “Everyone chose to stay in the caves tonight?” Marc verified.

  “All but a crew of Eagles,” Greg told them. “Said they want to be topside, no matter the threat. Jeremy’s with them.”

  “Our Indian friends are staying topside too,” Angela said. “Along with doubled security. It’s fine.”

  Angela went to the mess, where Li Sing had a light crew keeping drinks and snacks filled. She took a mug of hot chocolate, ignoring the upset stomach. As she sat down, her wrinkled arm skin drew her attention. His light is fading, she thought.

  Moans and muttered curses came from the tents as Eagles worked off the day’s stress in the training area. Marc expected to find Kendle and Daryl in there after this shift was over. From the reports he’d been getting, it appeared that routine was helping her control the rage. Marc also thought Angela had given Kendle her fill during the final battles, to hold her while she adjusted to being around people again.

  “Damn.” Angela rested her head on her arms. “In about a minute, there’s going to be a fight near the pharmacy tent. If it wakes Kenn up, Tonya’s gonna shout and the entire camp will come running. Head it off, will you?”

  Marc rushed toward the pharmacy tent, not sure what he would discover, and Angela took the opportunity to relax her stomach and evaluate her condition.

  Not good, the witch warned. A few more days of this and there will be no hope.

  I need a week, Angela answered. It can’t be done any faster.

  There’s only one way.

  I won’t go to him.

  Then the child will die, so that these people may live.

  Angela let the single tear spill over her cheek and then quickly wiped it away as Li Sing approached.

  “Please, eat.”

  Angela caught a whiff of the stew and pushed herself up, running for the nearest garbage can.

  Marc found the new man at the pharmacy tent, without Doug. Not supposed to be roaming without his settling partner, Darian had been surrounded by Eagles and Marc’s arrival had stopped the violent beating the sentries wanted to deliver.

  The camp was now aware of why Darian had come here and few people had a welcome for him. Accusing their leader of murder, after the awful battle they’d all survived, was like a new war cry and Darian was shunned. Even Doug wasn’t as friendly as Angela had hoped, but she didn’t interfere. Time would tell on Darian and on herself. People expected a moral board vote to decide his claim. Darian expected a full trial like Adrian had received. Angela didn’t plan on either, as far as Marc knew.

  “He’s one of them!” Logan pointed out. “We saw his men with the others who came here today!”

  “Boss said this one’s okay, so let him be,” Marc ordered.

  “We’re watching you!” Howard told Darian. “Don’t prove her wrong. You won’t like it.”

  Marc led Darian back to his tent, not bothering to tell him to stay inside. The man was shaking lightly. He understood.

  “Thank you,” Darian said, lifting his flap. “I wanted some fresh air. I shouldn’t have gotten so far from the tents.”

  Marc knew Doug was sleeping and Angela had plans for this man, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “You should be careful. Traitors are hung.”

  Marc left him with that thought and returned to the mess. He didn’t like any of the new people. Is it them or me, he wondered, striding to the center table.

  Li Sing hurried out and told him what had happened with Angela, and Marc listened in anger. Why couldn’t she just say she wasn’t feeling well?

  It’s more than that, his demon spoke up. She’s going to lose the child and she knows it. She’s sparing you the details and the pain.

  “I hate it when she does that,” Marc growled, causing Li to flee for the safety of the truck.

  Marc went to their tent, but didn’t have the heart to yell at her when he saw the shivering form beneath the blankets. Compassion and concern rose, and he immediately sent a blast of energy into her. He would be pissed later.

  5

  On the ledge above Safe Haven, a cloaked figure waiting for the right moment to act. The large, drunken group he was studying hadn’t noticed him and the man slowly inched closer, using the weeds and darkness for cover.

  When he was near enough, the man removed a blowgun from his pocket and loaded a tiny dart into it. The drugs were powerful and when the man blew it, the dart took his target down almost instantly.

  Stuck in the folds of his stomach while he had his shirt lifted to urinate, the man staggered. He managed to get his pants fastened before the lethal cocktail took full effect and then the leader of Zone C fell forward.

  Adrian carefully retreated the way he’d come, making sure not even the Eagles saw him. The feeling was thick and ugly, and the former leader resented every second of it. He’d been reduced to a garbage disposer.

  Adrian entered his own camp, removing his cloak and dark makeup. He ignored the tired son and soldiers who observed him in interest, staggering to his tent. It had been a long day and he wanted to eat, drink, and then sleep–in that order.

  Adrian froze at the sight of the man in his tent. “What do you want?”

  Marc leaned back on Adrian’s bed, grinning widely. “Everything you’ve got.”

  Adrian slung his kit down, doubting any of the people right outside knew he had a visitor. “I’m tired. Speak your piece and get lost.”

  Marc chortled at the bravado and Adrian knelt down to untie his boots, grimacing at the humiliation. Marc knew he wasn’t a physical threat anymore.

  “No, but you are a mental one, aren’t you?” Marc challenged, sitting up. “I want you gone. How do I make that happen?”

  “Shoot me and then kill Kendle before she can heal me,” Adrian replied. “Don’t know why you haven’t already.”

  “Yes, you do, you piece of shit,” Marc refuted, bitterness resurfacing. “She’s the reason I’m here.”

  Adrian read Marc’s mind and lifted a brow. “What do you want me to do about it? I’m not even allowed to speak to her, remember?”

  “You’re a banished traitor who is lucky to be alive.”

  “Yeah, lucky,” Adrian agreed sarcastically. “That’s me.”

  Adrian began removing his clothes, forcing Marc to view the new bruises and cuts, and the old scars. “I’m a tough old man, Brady. A tough, cursed old man. Go away and let me be. You have it all now.”

  “I’m going to bring her here. You’ll heal her, fully.”

  Adrian gaped. “What?”

  “She’s not doing well,” Marc grumbled, looking away. “She needs help.”

  “Whatever she needs,” Adrian vowed, regaining his composure. “I’ll be ready.”

  Marc left through the rear of the tent, like he’d come in, without respo
nding. He couldn’t without attacking. Angela needed Adrian for her health, for the information in his brain, and a few other things. Marc understood why the man was still alive and at times like this, he could even be grateful, but it didn’t stop the nearly uncontrollable rage. Adrian deserved to die, and the possibility that Marc might go first was hard to swallow.

  6

  Late night found a large crew of Eagles coming down the mountain to relieve them, and Neil was glad. Babysitting a quarantined camp wasn’t going to get the water they needed.

  “Let’s go,” Neil said. “We’re not needed now.”

  The team gathered gear, watching the fresh crew of Eagles roll into the water plant lot and scatter the men who were still surrounding it. Those on the outside had refused to believe Neil’s words of an outbreak, but armed Eagles in protective gear were quickly changing their minds. As Neil watched, the outside group finally got the hint and fled on foot. He had no doubt they would be begging at Safe Haven’s gates in the next few days. Their kind wasn’t capable of fending for themselves. They would always try to take what others had, through force or poverty.

  Neil led his team three miles down the cracked and weedy road, to their alternate water location. As soon as they entered the lot, the feeling of it being empty was clear.

  “Three miles further and they could have had clean water, without a fight.” Neil sighed. “What the hell is wrong with people?”

  The team quickly cleared the plant and hooked up power so they would have light, then got to work on collecting the water. Thanks to Samantha’s idea about getting water from treatment plants, they now had a routine down–one that included testing and adding chemicals to sanitize the water. By the time the trucks in the rear of this plant were driven home, the water would already be clean enough to drink. When it reached Safe Haven, it would be tested again and then put into their reserves. Before any of it was used, it would be tested yet again. Angela didn’t take any chances with their water supply and Neil approved. One bad barrel getting through would reduce them to bodies littering the ground, like inside the now quarantined plant he’d toured.

  As soon as he’d been able, Neil had stripped and scrubbed, not wanting to bring any of the contagious bacteria along. He’d even burned his boots, worried the muddy ground inside might have contaminated them. The good thing about Cholera was that it wasn’t transmitted from person to person. As long as none of the infected water got out, the outbreak could be easily contained. Neil didn’t envy the doctor or the Eagles on that duty, and made a mental note to shower a couple more times before he saw Samantha.

  “We’ll be a few hours here,” Tim stated, unwinding the hoses.

  “I’ll make the call,” Neil answered. “Dusk, you think?”

  Tim estimated, and then shrugged. “Maybe a bit before. That last tank is cloudy. Like something fell into it and wasn’t fished out.”

  They both thought of a body and Neil grimaced. “Fine, leave that one for the end and we’ll see what we can do about making sure this isn’t the next area we have to quarantine.”

  “This is happening all over the country, right?” Tim questioned.

  “Yes,” Neil responded gravely. “Food and water have gained the value of gold in trading now, right? In six months, you won’t even be able to get anyone to trade for those things. They’ll mean life or death for all of us.”

  “Unless we go south,” Allan spoke up. He’d been laboring and listening, and he paused by them, wiping the sweat from his brow. “One island, one happy group of people. It could work.”

  Allan went inside to attach the hoses to the truck Jake was pulling around, and Neil stared thoughtfully. Pitcairn Island sounded like a paradise to hear Kendle talk about it, and more people were listening to her stories, including the Eagles. When winter finally came and sealed them in the cave, Neil expected her following to grow instead of dying out. Some people might even want to try the trip before winter set in and Neil had begun to wonder what plan Angela had in place for that. She wouldn’t let Safe Haven be split up…would she?

  Neil keyed his radio. “Water team for a check-in.”

  “Go ahead, water team,” came Tonya’s reply.

  “It’s good at the alternate. We’ll be in around dusk with a full load.”

  “Very nice, Neil. I’ll tell the boss.”

  “Copy.” Neil put his radio and jumbled thoughts away, and went to help his team collect the water. Tonya sounded calm, the noises had been calm, and Neil planned to get done and get home. He needed to see Becky and know that she hadn’t been hurt.

  7

  “Is that everything?” Shane asked, surveying the last trucks that were overloaded.

  “I think so. Unless you want to take the roof,” Jax joked.

  Shane laughed, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s get going.”

  Shane’s team had been away from Safe Haven for five days, sending truck after truck from the lumberyard. The site was now barren and all of the men were proud of what they’d accomplished. They now had enough lumber to build a small town.

  “Hey, is that one of ours?” Ben called, pointing to a small group of trucks rolling toward the mountain road that they would be on shortly.

  Shane used his binoculars to zoom in and answered, “Yep. It’s Billy, and it appears they’re fully loaded too.”

  “Come on,” Jax directed. “Let’s get in their line and make it a convoy.”

  His men hurried and Shane spent a moment examining the area to the east of this lumberyard. They hadn’t felt the need to recon that valley, but Shane was suddenly worried that they should have. With dusk coming, he thought he could discern the faint glow of a fire and he added it to his notes. As far as he knew, they didn’t have anyone that far east.

  Shane joined Billy’s line of trucks, exchanging chatter over a free line on the radio, and the teams patiently waited to be admitted to the dumping areas below the cave.

  It was a good moment for these men and Marc told Tonya to let the noise go without comment. All of these people were doing hard work to prepare for their future and they needed every laugh they could find.

  Marc turned toward the main gate, where the loud refugees had fallen silent. They’d gone that way an hour ago and it was making him nervous. Come dawn, he was going into Zone C. When he came out, they might be a few less in number and he would be able to sleep.

  Marc swept the cave and then the tent area, finding things calm. That also worried him and he headed toward the cave to do rounds there. It had been his experience that when Safe Haven was quiet and peaceful, it was because new trouble was brewing.

  8

  “Why are we letting them go?” Jay demanded, pacing in front of the fire. “We need their gear.”

  Vlad frowned. “Go on and attack them. You can heal yourself this time.”

  Jay wanted to shout at him, but Vlad’s shivering was hard to ignore. Healing three people had taken its toll.

  “This sucks!” Vlad complained, not used to feeling these after effects. Jack had always tossed him a life after the battle, to refill him.

  “How long do you need?” Jay asked impatiently.

  “It’s been a while since I did this on my own,” Vlad confessed. “Might be a couple of weeks. Getting me some food will speed it up.”

  “We’ll bring you one of their men,” Jay offered. “They’re all over this mountain right now.”

  “It’s not the same as a descendant life,” Vlad corrected. “You’d know that if you came out with us more often.”

  Jay sank down by the fire, not offended. “I’ll have to now that dad’s dead.”

  The pleased tone sent Vlad to his feet. “Disloyal child! Have some respect.”

  Jay cackled cruelly. “For Big Jack Devine? Not a chance. I could respect you, though, if you can kill them.”

  Vlad snapped his mouth shut. After witnessing these Safe Haven people in action, Vlad wasn’t confident anyone could beat them. They had their base
s covered and then some.

  “He wants to run!” the bald man observed. His mind reading gift was strong, though none of his other gifts were.

  “Maybe,” Vlad admitted. “But I won’t. I have a plan.”

  He regarded the lights of Safe Haven that were giving a glow that could be traveled by even in the gloom. “We have to get above them.”

  “How do we do that?” Jay questioned.

  “We, don’t,” Vlad told him. “The rest of us will. You’ll be going to their front gates to beg for sanctuary. We need an inside man we can trust.”

  “But the girl–“

  “Isn’t on our side, or Jack would be here right now,” Vlad interrupted. “Get inside, discover a weakness, and be ready to exploit it. I’ll be in touch.”

  9

  A few miles away, Angela came from her tent early and went behind it. Kenn was waiting for her.

  “The bodies are gone,” Kenn stated. “It happened overnight, so the Eagles think predators dragged them off.”

  Kenn handed her a note he’d been given in a quick pass as Adrian and Conner left their site to go hunting.

  I burned the bodies. Jack’s was missing. Everything is on schedule.

  Angela casually dropped the note into the burning trashcan, pleased. “Tell him no one needs to know.”

  Meaning Kendle and Conner. Kenn nodded and left without promising the same. He didn’t need to. Angela already knew he would keep it to himself and do anything else she said to if there was a chance she could get Adrian allowed back into Safe Haven.

  Angela sighed, going to the mess. She still wasn’t positive that was possible, but if it were, she would make it happen.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dangerous Distraction

  Midnight

  1

  “Is everyone okay back there?” Kyle asked over the radio. The terrain and winds had been bouncing the truck all over the road for the last hour.

  “Surviving,” came the reply.

  Kyle and Whitney exchanged grins at the answer from the three nervous members. Being in the rear of the vehicle on a run wasn’t fun and often left the men with roiling stomachs and rough attitudes. The doctor had told them it was because they didn’t spend as many hours on the road anymore, but Kyle didn’t think that was true. In fact, he was under the impression that they were spending more time traveling, having to go farther on each trip to find what they needed, and it gave the men too many hours to worry.