by Angela White
“Welcome,” Tonya stated, lingering instead of leaving right away like she had been doing.
Peggy frowned deeper. “You all right?”
“I need to ask you for something,” Tonya admitted.
“What?” Peggy couldn’t think of anything Tonya would ask for that was over the line now. Things had changed.
“I’d like your help birthing my baby.”
“You what?” Peggy repeated distractedly. She’d caught sight of Doug’s big shoulders coming through the line with his tray.
“You’re nice and I know you plan to help some of the other women here,” Tonya explained. “And I won’t go to the new guy. He creeps me out.”
“Creeps you out,” Peggy repeated. “Got it.”
“Yes, and I could even do a couple of your shifts, if you feel like teaching me.”
Peggy wanted the woman gone. “Sure, fine.”
“Thanks!” Tonya beamed, standing up. “Kenn was right about asking you. You are nice.”
Before Tonya could add anything else, Peggy lunged from the table and stabbed Doug in the arm.
“Son of a…”
Startled, Tonya quickly backed out of the mess and fled for the pharmacy.
“There you are.”
Tonya jumped, spinning to discover Samantha waiting by the shaded corner of the pharmacy tent. None of her helpful rookies were here yet and Tonya tried not to appear nervous as she opened the tent and stepped behind the makeshift counter.
“What do you need? We’ve got a fresh supply of baby wipes now, and a roll of toilet paper, but one per person.”
“I need something that you have to keep your mouth shut about,” Samantha stated coldly. She’d accepted Tonya on the team because the redhead could hold her own. It didn’t mean she liked her.
“Fine, as long as it doesn’t break the rules.”
Samantha blinked, still not used to Tonya being upstanding. She also wasn’t used to the short hair. “I need you to tell Neil and Jeremy that I came in for the wipes.”
“Okay,” Tonya slowly agreed, handing her the thin package. “And what am I really giving you?”
“Something to keep me from starting each day by puking.”
Tonya’s quick mind added it up. “You’re having trouble and you haven’t told them?”
Samantha came further into the tent, trying to appear menacing. “No, and you’re not going to either.”
Tonya chuckled, not scared of Samantha. “I will, if you don’t convince me you have a good reason.” Tonya began digging through her bins. “I’ve got what you need, but take it easy on them. Studies hadn’t determined long-term effects on a fetus.”
Sam was surprised again at how professional Tonya sounded. “Did you have experience at this before?”
Tonya shrugged. “Not legally.”
Samantha took the bottle and said,” I’m sick and the doctor can’t do anything. He wouldn’t even give me something to calm my stomach. Said it was a waste of supplies since I’m gonna die anyway.”
“Sick with what?” Tonya forced out through the shock.
Samantha leaned in and revealed her misery. “Cancer, John said.”
“Oh, shit,” Tonya exclaimed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too,” Samantha stated. “But I’m going to have these babies and you can help me with that.”
“I will. I’ll do some reading when I get time and see if there’s anything else we can do.”
Tonya’s quick offer to help eased Samantha’s mind about coming to her and she lingered, waiting for her shift time to roll around. As she hung around, she realized Tonya had a calming effect on people. Her customers left happy, with what they came for, and her trade requests were reasonable. Tonya had become friendly, open, and it was a good half hour for Samantha, who needed to believe in miracles. No one thought cancer was beatable, but no one had thought Tonya capable of this level of reform, either.
Samantha slipped out as the next customers came in for Advil and wipes. Tonya had beaten the odds and now had an entirely new life. Samantha was certain she could do the same.
“Hey!” Cynthia called, kit in hand. “Ready for another fun day?”
“If we give Candy one of Li’s egg rolls, she’ll get gas again,” Samantha suggested.
The women laughed at the memory and they were still snickering as they began loading their gear onto the horses the animal crew had ready for them. They were only a few miles from home and they needed to conserve fuel, but Samantha didn’t think she could take another ride down the mountain on a jostling horse. She glanced over at the team next to them. Allan’s crew was piling into a large van that would return with the supplies from the electric store that Kyle had secured before getting hurt. “You guys feel like helping a lady?”
Cynthia stared in surprise as Samantha bartered a ride for them to the bottom of the hill, arranging for the horses to be tied to the rear and the driver to go slow.
“What’s up with that?” Tracy asked, also surprised. Their first day on horses, Samantha hadn’t wanted to get off hers.
“I think she’s feeling restless and trying not to let herself get out of control,” the reporter stated. “Or she’s hiding something. I’d rather believe my first guess.”
“So would I,” Tracy agreed. She liked Samantha and had deep respect for her. Finding out she was hiding lies, like some of the others here, would be a huge disappointment.
Samantha didn’t answer the glances or raised brows as she gestured to the van. “All aboard, ladies.”
They would discover it at some point, but for now, Samantha didn’t want to discuss her future. All she was concerned with right now was giving birth to two healthy babies. After that, she would worry about herself.
5
“I think it’s selfish. We don’t have to eat meat.”
Ray turned to find out who said that and clamped his lips shut as he saw Chris and the rest of Billy’s crew entering the gate. The veterinarian was staunch in his beliefs that the animals should be protected, not eaten, but the camp refused to listen. Ray agreed. Meat was a key to life. Vegetable and fruits would keep a person alive, but Ray didn’t think they actually satisfied the body. Many of his old friends had tried those diets, wanting a more natural existence, but the illnesses that had come afterwards had convinced Ray that meat was important.
Chris nodded to Ray as he came through the gate and Ray gave a bob in return, but didn’t take his attention from the afternoon surroundings. The refugees in Zone C had discovered missing members and then held a fight to determine who would lead them next. The loser’s bodies were currently sprawled outside their area and Ray was waiting for it to draw the ants. Angela had told them not to remove bodies that nature needed, and Ray was hoping that the ants dragging off the corpses would settle these new people down. Even the other refugees in Zone A and B were afraid of them, and Ray thought it was smart of Angela to separate the wild arrivals from the others. Those two-dozen survivors were trouble.
“I can’t believe Chris joined the Eagles. I thought he’d always be the veterinarian.”
Dale had climbed the first rafter to spend the last minutes of his shift together, and Ray didn’t send him away. Many of the other men had their girlfriends here at the end or start of their shifts and Ray was tired of denying Dale the benefit.
“He might do okay,” Ray answered, scanning the southern border that ran along the road. The street was busy today, but so far, all of the traffic was Safe Haven crews.
The other Eagles who noticed Dale standing by Ray on the rafter turned away from the couple. They no longer beat the gay men, but ignoring them was common.
“I hate that,” Dale complained. “Why do they do that?”
“They don’t like what we do, they don’t agree with it,” Ray explained. “We’ve talked about this.”
“But why do they even care?”
“Because we’re not hiding it. Do you like being forced to watch something you don
’t like?”
Dale frowned. “Why do you always defend them? They’re wrong.”
“This is America, Dale. They have the right to dislike it, as much as we have the right to do it.”
“We were changing that before the war, changing the law to include us,” Dale reminded his lover. “We could do that again.”
The bell rang for shift change and Ray stared at Dale in disapproval. “Didn’t you learn anything from the war?!”
Ray jumped from the rafter as his relief exchanged places and Dale hurried after him, not sure what he’d done wrong.
“Wait!”
Ray did, because so many people stopped to stare. He didn’t want them to know he and Dale were having an argument. They were already in the gossip too often. They didn’t need to add more fodder.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” Dale rushed to placate his angry man. “I’ve learned a lot since it all blew up.”
Ray took a deep breath and gently took Dale’s hand. “Listen to me, okay? It’s important.”
Dale nodded eagerly, thrilled with the public display of affection.
“There has to be equal protection for everyone and the line is American. Not gay, not minority, not handicapped, but American. We’re all equal.”
“When there are more of us, that won’t be how things happen,” Dale stated firmly. “I’m not an activist, but even I recognize the opportunity for changing things from the beginning this time. Why wait another two hundred years for equality?”
“Because that’s not equal. That’s us being set aside as something other than American and I won’t allow it,” Ray answered, not caring about the listening people around them. “And when others come, we’ll make them understand or we’ll drive them out of here. Safe Haven is a paradise and it will decide the laws for the entire country at some point. We’ll help with that–fairly.”
Ray let go of Dale’s hand and straightened his shoulders. “And just so you know, the others who come here won’t be my kind. I’m an Eagle, a full member of Safe Haven. They’ll have to try to be my kind before I can ever spend time around them.
“Because of the preconceived notions here,” Dale insisted.
“No,” Ray refused to let it go. “I’m not gay, white, Christian, or any of those other labels. I refuse to be a part of the problem anymore. I’m an American. That’s all I need for my identity and I’d bet survivors in other lands feel the same right about now.”
“Do you think I’m part of the problem?” Dale asked quietly.
Ray sighed. “Maybe a little, but everyone is. We have to try harder to be better people. All that other stuff doesn’t matter. It never did.”
A few of the people going by were giving the two men approving looks and Ray realized that was something everyone had been waiting to hear. Knowing he and Dale had no plans to restart the old politics had just given them a new level of acceptance.
“Let’s get some food and spend the day roaming the new tents they’re putting up. I heard one of them is a movie theater.”
Dale returned the eager glance and the couple walked to the mess without feeling the usual sneers of ignorance. It was a nice moment and Ray absorbed it. He was tired of the constant stress. It had been a long nine months since the war and he needed the break that Angela had told them all was coming. Everyone did.
6
“Break time!” Adrian called. “Sniper switch.” Adrian had brought all of his camp with him today and they’d been toiling alongside the women until about noon, when Adrian had pulled the men off work detail and spent time on training. He was still covering the guard duty over the women, but his ten other men were as sweaty and filthy as the females. He’d put them through basic rookie training today, jumping them faster than he had any of his other teams. As a result, they were exhausted and viewing him with hostile thoughts.
Adrian, also filthy from demonstrating, climbed the nearest telephone pole and signaled Conner down. “Stay away from them.”
Conner intended to. He was still embarrassed about Candy farting on him and making everyone laugh, but he also wanted to make peace with her. The slightly noticeable stomach bump hadn’t changed his interest in her, but it had given him a new respect. She was going to be a mother. Conner had adored his, and it was harder to view Candy as a sexual object because of that.
Conner slid into the truck they’d pushed aside; glad to be out of the wind. It wasn’t cold until the air gusted and then his eyes had watered and wouldn’t stop.
Conner wiped his face and lay against the seat, ready to snooze until his dad called him for the rest of his shift. Hoping to get half an hour, the teenager shut his lids and let himself relax. He wasn’t recovered from saving Jennifer and the others yet. He hadn’t ever taken a life force and he wouldn’t. His recoveries would be natural and slow.
Steps crunch outside the door and Conner refused to look. If it were trouble, his dad would yell.
Samantha knocked on the window, not feeling bad when the boy jumped. “Put it down.”
Conner cranked the window open, frowning. “What?”
Samantha bent down and the teenager immediately leaned away. Her unstable emotions were easy to read and Samantha didn’t try to stop him as he dug into her mind.
Conner groaned as he understood what she wanted. “This is what he meant when he said I’d never have any peace.”
Sam winced, but didn’t reply. She waited for him to decide her fate with a mind flashing through scenes of her death and the effects it might have on Safe Haven.
“You guys are gonna use me up,” the boy complained. He was already exhausted.
“I’ll get you time with her,” Samantha blurted, flushing guiltily. “She doesn’t hate you.”
Conner had stiffened, considering the offer, and he reluctantly said, “It can’t work that way. I’ll help you because it’s the right thing to do.”
Samantha, relieved, smiled at the tired boy. “Thank you.”
Conner shrugged it off. “Can you let me sleep a little now?”
Sam left him alone. She would make sure he got rest and anything else he needed. She would also try to get Candy to spend a little time with him. Once he saw Candy as a pregnant woman with a nasty attitude, his infatuation would go away and then they might even be able to be in the same camp together.
Samantha had taken Angela’s words to heart about second chances. Conner was young and dumb, an excuse she hadn’t had when she’d made her own huge mistakes. Holding onto a grudge against the son because of the father wasn’t fair, and Samantha intended to let go of it if she could.
She glared at the sniper above them, face darkened. But not that one, she thought. That’s my line.
7
“I can’t see the lines on this road,” Shane remarked, driving the crew to base. “I didn’t expect the paint to fade so fast.”
“Wow, I didn’t think about it. Only nine months. That’s a riot!” Nathen exclaimed.
Nathan was a rookie and very young to have volunteered. One of the kids from Angela’s airfield rescue, Nathan often said things that his older companions ignored. The pregnant girl from that same rescue was almost the exact opposite. When she spoke, people listened.
“It got dark fast,” Tommy commented, yawning. They’d spent the day loading the last of the water and all of their crew was ready for a hot shower and sleep. The trucks had been sent ahead while they finished clearing out a small room of vending machine snacks and toiletries. Thanks to Li Sing’s all-day meal packing, they’d been well fed and watered, but none of them had thought to bring painkillers for their sore muscles. They had items in their medical kits, but all of them were reluctant to use those things except in an emergency.
“Hey, is that a light on in that house?”
Everyone peered through the dusty van windows.
The tremor reached their vicinity at that moment. The road shifted under them, vibrations pounding through the tires, and then the street under them buckled and
Shane lost control of the van. It slid with the crumbling pavement, tilting, and then rolled the rest of the way down the cliff.
The van came to a stop upside down, with dust and glass billowing from the impact.
The rumbling didn’t last long and as it faded, the door to the house opened and a small group of people rushed out with torches and guns.
8
Shawn shifted his Colt to a better position so that he could lean against the cold cliff. It felt good on his spine.
Shawn was on duty outside the Eagle training area and though the tremor had brought a few people from their tents and the cave, things had already quieted down. Marc and Zack were calmly making rounds and Angela hadn’t even come from her tent.
We’re getting used to the new environment, Shawn thought, scanning the far perimeter. The snipers would be on full alert right now, as all the Eagles were, but Shawn didn’t expect any problems. Even the refugees in Zone C were quiet. As 3am came, the temperature had dropped into the 40s and everyone not required to be out had sought the warmth of shelters.
Shawn was enjoying it. He had long underwear under his thicker Eagle clothes, and the only part of him that even felt the cold was his face. He had the mask in his pocket that all of them had found in their gear yesterday, but he wasn’t positive about using it. Shawn didn’t like how it limited his vision.
A movement nearby drew Shawn’s attention and he quietly ducked into the deeper shadows of the cliff to remain undetected.
Someone had come from the large tent area and while he could have assumed that he or she had the permission of the guard on that vicinity, he didn’t. As cold as it was, those two sentries might have gone into the station tent to get warm and missed things.
The person was wearing a long dress and tall boots, and Shawn carefully followed as she took the path toward the front row of tents. Those were all secured at this time at night. Anyone needing items from them had to talk to the man on Point–Marc–who had the keys. Stock inside the tents was crated and padlocked each evening.