by Angela White
“She went to the medical bay!” Greg shouted when he saw Marc.
Relieved, Marc went to the main gate first, needing an update on their situation out here. The feeling vanished as he stared at the mob. Groups milled around the area, talking and arguing over space for tents and vehicles. The four zones were completely full and each of them were surrounded by tents and clans waiting for an evaluation. Behind those, were more people waiting on foot and in long lines of clumsily parked cars that would prevent anyone–including their teams–from getting through.
The Eagles were nervous, each man and woman with a finger ready to pull the trigger as the crowd below shouted, screamed, and fought. Despite Angela’s predictions, Marc hadn’t thought it would get so bad this quickly. His added defenses were good. They might even hold off this crowd for a few days, but eventually, Safe Haven would be out of bullets and get overrun.
“We have magic,” Angela stated, joining him. “We’re never trapped.”
Marc hoped she was right. At some point, one of these desperate refugees would figure out the rear road existed and then they would have a flood of people at both doors.
“We have to keep them off our ass. We’ll need that route out of here.”
“What about the cave paths?” Marc asked quietly, leaning in so she could hear him. “That one tunnel is blocked now, but the others aren’t. I checked it.”
“Good. If we bunker in here, it’ll come in–”
“We have the last two!” Kenn’s happy shout came through the radio. “Everyone is accounted for and all of them will live!”
Marc and Angela both thought it was early for Kenn to give that notice, but it was too late to worry over. Cheers echoed from waiting members and Eagles, drowning out the gate crowd for an instant.
Angela studied those she hadn’t gotten to before Morgan had taken her arm and led her inside. He hadn’t asked or given any warning, and Angela hadn’t argued. The sense of bad things coming had been hanging over the refugees all day. Assuming she knew what it was made Angela worry about her timeline of events. That feeling said it was coming sooner than she’d anticipated.
“How’s Theo?” Marc asked since she’d been there when he was brought in.
“Rough. Same for Tim. Gary will be released tonight. He only has a concussion and we need the cot. The medical area is filling up.”
“Is that something I need to discuss with the doctor?” Marc asked.
“Actually, no. He’d like half of them to be cleared and out too. It’s just hard to get the tests done, treat new people who’ve been admitted, cover people who had regular appointments, supervise the students and act like an ass, all at the same time.”
Marc snickered, but he heard her silent plea. “Maybe you should go help him? The sooner he clears people, the quicker you can get some of the new ones in here, right?”
The idea of her being safely busy in the medical bay below was very appealing to Marc as he kept track of several fights that were ongoing. Most refugees disappeared into their tents or vehicles as soon as they arrived, trying to avoid the weather, but the troublemakers were out roaming and causing problems. The ‘safe’ people were those in Zones A and B. Zone C didn’t have a gate. Angela had ordered it left off during the repairs, but she hadn’t said why. Marc knew. She wanted the ants or Eagles to be able to get in there and clean it out as needed.
“I don’t like this,” Marc stated, hoping she had something else up her sleeve for controlling all these strangers.
“We have three options,” she answered, pulling her coat tighter as the wind blew harder. “We can run and let them have it. We can open fire and kill some innocent people. Or we can wait and let fate handle it.”
Marc didn’t like fate any more than he did the government, but still asked, “What happens there?”
“My men and women don’t have to carry this on their soul,” Angela stated gravely. “Only I do, and I’ll shoulder it willingly.”
Shivering lightly, she scanned the people, picking out murderers, rapists, traffickers. Some of the worst dregs of humanity were mixed into the crowd below and more of them were on the way. If even a few of those got inside these gates, Safe Haven’s light could be lost.
“We’ll wait,” she chose, feeling Marc’s need for an official decision. “Until after the storm.”
“Do you think it will cool them off, make some of them leave?” he questioned, gently helping her down from the rafter that he hadn’t heard her climb when she’d joined him. Her hands and face were like ice as he checked her out.
“No. But they’ll be just as gone.”
Spooked a bit, Marc led her to the topside mess to warm her up. As far as he knew, she and Jennifer hadn’t taken a break, which meant they hadn’t eaten either.
Angela let him guide her, mind sliding far away. Things were spinning fast and it was almost impossible to keep up with each change as it happened, let alone each ripple that was created. Foretelling this way was fascinating. Missy was going to be amazingly gifted. Shawn didn’t know it yet, but he was a lucky man.
6
Missy glowered at the rocking couple from her hidden perch in the bottom of the diaper cabinet. She’d stayed here when Hilda took the other kids to dinner, letting herself be counted before ducking back inside. She’d heard Tara tell Shawn to meet her.
“That’s, um... Could you lift up a little?”
Missy’s anger grew as Shawn resumed grunting. In the dark and with some clothes on, she couldn’t see very much but she knew what they were doing.
Furious, Missy lit the fuse on the firecracker and tossed it onto the couch with them. She had a small pile, gifted to her by Li Sing’s youngest daughter. Missy lit a second one as the first exploded in a loud crack.
“What the…!”
“That hurt!”
Crack!
“Stop it!”
“Who is that?!”
Crack! Crack!
Shawn batted away the next firecracker, knocking it into Tara, who was trying to get dressed.
The lit fuse dropped into Tara’s blouse and she danced herself out of the shirt, shouting, “Help me!”
Crack! Crack!
“Stop it!”
Shawn flinched from the loud noise by his ear and dove toward the cabinet where he’d glimpsed the spark of a lighter. Holding his pants up, he grabbed the only place he thought someone could be. And a small fist slammed into his groin.
Shawn dropped to his knees and Missy kicked, catching him in ribs. She ran for the door, shoving Tara aside as she went.
Tara recovered and tried to grab the girl but missed, instead falling down the steps of the camper in only her skirt and bra.
Missy ran faster, shoving through the crowd of members and guards that rushed over. She ducked, and was swung into strong arms that refused to let go.
“Enough!” Marc commanded, using the alpha power to break through the child’s struggles.
Missy stilled, realizing who had picked her up. She instinctively leaned against his chest and began to cry.
Marc had the sudden sense that he was comforting a grown woman and he patted her shoulder awkwardly. Unhappy that something had upset the child so much, Marc cast a nasty glare toward the couple hurriedly moving around inside the camper door. He noticed Tara’s exposed skin and the burnt smell next, scowling. “I want you both in the brig office in five minutes!”
Hidden against Marc’s chest, Missy smiled happily.
7
“I can’t live in the cave.”
Samantha found Jeremy standing in the drafty hayroom behind her. She’d come here to work off some of her anxiety and guilt. David was back with Adrian. “What?”
“I can’t even go in there,” Jeremy confessed.
“You haven’t been inside the cave?”
Jeremy shook his head.
Samantha frowned at herself, adding more guilt. She’d been so wrapped up in her own issues, she hadn’t checked on her men. Was Nei
l having trouble too?
Samantha motioned toward the bale next to her. “Come and tell me about it.”
Neil listened from the doorway, glad to hear Samantha being reasonable. Jeremy had confessed to him only a short while ago and Neil had recommended that he do the same with Samantha. Where they would live was a group decision.
Neil yawned, not ready for his upcoming shift on the gate. He’d just helped to unload the first truck of rock salt and spread it around.
“I have some good news for you,” Samantha soothed. “I don’t care where we live. I doubt Neil does either. Try to relax.”
Neil approved, leaving them to work it out. He would prefer to be in the cave for the warmth and safety, but she was right that it didn’t matter enough for him to argue. Not splitting them up or letting petty issues come between them was much more important to the former state trooper.
Jeremy figured he might as well unburden himself all the way and asked, “Are you okay now? We know something happened.”
Samantha smiled wryly. “I should have known you guys would notice. Yes, I’m fine.”
“Conner helped you?” Jeremy wanted to verify.
“How did you come up with that?”
“Doug told us that you and Peggy had gone to Adrian. I added the rest.”
“You guys were snooping on me?”
Jeremy grinned. “Yeah. Problem?”
“Considering the circumstances?” she snorted bitterly. “No. And yes, Conner helped me.”
“Because you wouldn’t let Adrian?”
“Because Adrian couldn’t,” she answered. “But yes, too. I could accept Conner doing it. Not his father.”
“We would have gone with you,” Jeremy complained gently.
“I know.” You two would have fought with Adrian the entire time, she finished silently.
Jeremy seemed to hear the thought. “I’m sorry.”
Samantha shrugged, leaning against his heat. “It’s done now.”
“And it won’t return?”
Samantha tensed, understanding that Jeremy knew it had been cancer. “He couldn’t promise that.”
“Then I guess we should make sure he stays alive,” Jeremy tried to joke, not certain if he was okay with Conner.
“He’ll be here for rookie lessons at some point,” Samantha confided. “He’ll be monitored.”
Jeremy knew that would cause concern. He chose to make sure Samantha’s future health was covered and said, “Maybe he should just be forgiven for a mistake.”
Samantha sighed. “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s what the boss has planned for our powerful peeping-tom yet. I saw him and Adrian’s soldiers preparing to leave earlier. I think he’s headed south.”
8
“I’m not going.”
Adrian didn’t have time to argue with his angry son. His own orders had come a few minutes ago and he needed to leave immediately.
Conner dropped the kit his father had tossed to him, not caring that the soldiers almost had the camp packed up. “I won’t go.”
“Tell Angela,” Adrian instructed. “She’s planning to bring you inside after this, so I’d be polite when you spit in her face.”
Conner realized Angela was giving him a way to keep atoning and earning his way back in, and his attitude changed. A smile spread over his young face as he bent down to retrieve the kit.
Adrian grunted. Kids were a pain in the ass most days and this one was no different. Conner would do about anything to be allowed inside with Candy. The women had been fooled so far, but Adrian knew Conner’s obsession was growing worse. This time away would either make him or break him.
“What will you be doing while I’m gone?” Conner asked suddenly.
“Working,” Adrian replied, slinging his rifle over a shoulder. “Tracking down future problems.”
Conner didn’t want more details and let his father leave without saying anything else. All he could think of was getting inside Safe Haven to Candy. She needed his love and his protection.
Adrian stayed to the tree line, glad the crowd hadn’t noticed his site yet. Conner and most of the soldiers would be gone in a short while, following Kendle’s team. Adrian was grateful to Angela for not leaving them all out here. Anyone around the gates now was in eminent danger.
Adrian spotted his target being ushered from those barely cracked fences and went dim, studying the man. Angela had sent orders for Darian to be removed before he could join another group, but Adrian wasn’t certain why. Jobs like these were maddening in that aspect and Adrian planned to ask the man why he had been marked before he killed him. It was the only link into Angela’s personal activities that he could get.
Adrian stayed still as the man passed the zones and milling crowd, not answering any of the questions about why he was leaving. No one tried to stop him, but Adrian was confident that would change too. The three largest groups that had come in this week were all gathered together in Zone C. They had physically removed the other people already there and those angry folks were camped outside that zone. It was ugly and getting worse.
He would have to pick a new location for his site soon. Overcrowding after an apocalypse wasn’t an issue that most people ever considered, but Adrian was positive his former herd was doing that now. The sound of so many threats on your doorstep had a way of changing a person’s priorities. The ‘take them all’ attitude of Safe Haven was about to shift forever.
Putting everything else from his mind, Adrian subtly followed Darian down the mountain, eager to discover why he’d been sent.
9
“So… Who wants to tell me what happened?” Marc asked, shifting the little girl to a more comfortable position. He was in the tiny, chilly office of the brig, with Tara and Shawn sitting anxiously across the small desk. He’d made them wait for an hour while he handled other things.
“Missy had a stash of firecrackers,” Shawn tried to explain.
“He was on top of my mommy!” Missy shouted in Marc’s ear, making him flinch.
Tara turned scarlet, telling Marc she’d been willing.
“You two were having a moment…in the kids’ camper?”
Shawn nodded, unable to hedge or lie with Missy curled onto Marc’s chest like Angela might have.
“With Missy watching?” Marc asked in disapproval.
“I thought we were alone,” Shawn muttered, staring at the floor.
“She was in the mess, with Li Sing’s children,” Tara stated, also staring at the floor. The cold draft coming in couldn’t cool her cheeks. “Seems like the kids here can wander off at any time.”
Shawn and Marc both frowned.
“Weren’t you supposed to be helping with the kids?” Marc demanded coldly.
Tara flushed darker and refused to speak.
Marc felt Missy grin against the bare skin of his neck. For some reason, she was enjoying this.
“I suggest you do your work and keep a better eye on your child,” Marc told the woman, still bothered by her being here. He hadn’t nailed down a reason to ban Tara, but he knew one existed.
Marc glanced at Shawn. “Suspended. One week.”
Shawn’s face fell, but inside, he was relieved. Being in the kids’ area for something like this was a serious offense. He’d expected to lose rank at the least.
“Is that what you need?” Marc demanded. “Because I’ll give you that and more.”
“No. It won’t ever happen again.”
“Good.” Marc gestured at Tara. “You can go.”
“Should I–”
“I’ll drop her off,” Marc answered, daring the woman to protest after the scene she and Shawn had made. “I’ll make sure she eats and brushes her teeth.”
Tara stormed from the tent, not looking into the one occupied cell.
Shawn lifted a brow. “Was that right? It’s her kid.”
Marc shrugged. “She doesn’t act like it.”
Shawn couldn’t argue. Tara often handled Missy like an aftert
hought. It bothered him too. Enough that he was certain it was why the sex wasn’t that good. He’d been having trouble getting into it even before Missy’s interruption.
“You are stupid!” Missy declared, pushing herself off Marc’s lap. “I knew it!”
Before either man could respond, Missy grabbed Marc’s coffee mug from the desk and threw it at Shawn.
Shawn caught the metal travel mug easily, snickering. “The lid was locked.”
Marc thought to tell Shawn not to taunt a female of any age when they missed a target, but it was too late. Missy neatly slid around the desk and kicked him in the shin. Then she stomped on his foot, grinding down with her boot.
“Ow!” Shawn twisted around in his chair to witness the child marching toward the door, rubbing his leg. The toe, he wasn’t touching yet. “Why did you do that?!”
Marc dropped his head, trying not to laugh at them. He’d figured it out now and it was hilarious.
“Why are you always so mean to me?” Shawn demanded.
Missy stopped, putting small hands on her hips as she twirled around in her blue dress. “Because you’re stupid and I didn’t ask for a stupid mate!”
And with that, she flounced from the brig, leaving Shawn in a state of shock.
“Mate?”
Marc’s chuckles filled the cold air.
Shawn stared disbelief. He had assumed Tara was his future, though, Angela hadn’t confirmed it. “But…she’s a little kid!”
Listening from outside the door, Missy stomped her foot, crunching through the ice. “Stupid! Take him back and give me a puppy. You can train those.”
Even Chauncey laughed this time.
10
“All team are now grounded,” the radios crackled with Marc’s tired voice. “Return to base if you’re out, via option B. I repeat, all teams are now grounded.”
Seth and Becky exchanged worried looks, but they didn’t stop to discuss it. Angela had told them to complete their mission no matter what.
“Over here,” Seth called, hating the dark shadows of the Amazon warehouse. This fulfillment center held crates, bags, and boxes of supplies that Safe Haven needed. Seth had been astonished to find it undamaged. The next shock had come at the abandonment of the town around it. There were no kicked-in doors or signs of looting here. The people were just gone, leaving clear roads. Creepy.