by Angela White
Kendle stopped a few feet away from Adrian. “I see you’re protecting your life a bit more these days.”
Adrian smiled, but it faded into a frown as he spotted Tommy waiting for her in the tunnel entrance. “And I see you’re not. Where’s your guard?”
“After what I’ve been through, these people need a guard from me.”
“That’s what I meant. You’re making it worse by being seen with a traitor. What are you doing?”
Kendle realized he’d hoped she would ignore him so she wouldn’t be held responsible for him and Conner. “I’m ending our relationship, publicly. Mr. Mitchel, we are no longer a couple. Thank you for all the lovely moments.”
Adrian was glad her voice carried to the sentries. “Nice. I release you without shame or anger, and hope, sincerely, that he can keep up with you in every way.”
“Aww. How sweet. As for Conner, I want his banishment lifted. The kid saved our asses as much as anyone else. He deserves a break.”
Adrian was relieved to hear it. He’d been afraid to ask any of her team and draw attention from Marc or Angela if the news was bad. “Thank you.”
“It’s my honor.” Kendle danced forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek. “And thank you. I may be okay with being alive now.”
Adrian signaled to Tommy, not surprised when he only received a curt nod. “Tell him I said I’m watching. It’ll keep him on his toes.”
Snickering, Kendle returned to the entrance, where Tommy gathered her close and kissed her to make their relationship public.
Around the scene, most people ignored the new couple, but a few of the camp women who were wrangling their assigned child back into the cave, paused to glower or sigh in defeat. Another good man was off the Safe Haven market.
4
“Are you okay?” Neil knelt down by Samantha, positive she was cold. She was sitting in the shadows of the entrance, where most of the coming and going people weren’t noticing her.
“I feel so bad!”
Neil held her as she sobbed, already certain what had triggered this latest emotional burst. She’d been sitting here enjoying the fresh air that Jeremy never would. On top of that, the adults herding kids by her were promising the children could play outside again after the camp bugged out. Samantha was thinking about how hard it would be to leave Jeremy here in the morning.
“I don’t even have flowers!” Samantha’s body shook from the force of her misery.
It bothered Neil more than he could ever express, but he didn’t know what to do. Death came with life. It sucked, but there was no changing that awful fact. “Maybe I can scavenge something.”
Sam tried to choke off the tears. “Really?”
The tiny bit of hope in her voice made Neil vow to find flowers. “I’ll go right now, but not with you here and not with you like this.”
She sniffled. “Take me to the top?”
“Of course.” Neil helped Samantha button up her coat. She’d had to unfasten it during the fight so that her movement wasn’t as restricted. Normally, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but as soon as Neil had discovered her role in the fight, he had layered her with extra vests that made it impossible for her to get far without help. He had stayed by her during the fight too, providing her with protection and then energy when she had run out. Samantha hadn’t recovered from her injuries yet, but the damage she’d been able to inflict was astounding to Neil. He didn’t want to know what she could do when she wasn’t limited by injuries or a pregnancy.
Samantha was proud of Neil, of how he had handled her being in danger on the front lines of the battle, but she didn’t have room to express that emotion yet. She missed Jeremy. He should have been here for this, celebrating alongside them.
Neil slid arms under her, feeling that she was indeed frozen inside her clothes. He cradled her against his chest, ignoring offers to help and questions about her health. The camp would be happy on the top levels, full of good energy from the victory. It would help Samantha to be hit with that. Down here, it was bodies, Eagles looting or setting up security, and disappointed kids who’d been hoping for a chance to kill. The adults almost had all of the children in now, but the complaints of the remainders about wanting to do more were overpowering even the occasional gunshot still echoing from the battlefield. None of them needed to be in this.
Neil spun around to glare at a trio of preteen kids by the entrance. “Get where you’re supposed to be or I’m telling Angela.”
All the kids in hearing distance took off running toward the inner cave.
Adults flashed grateful glances at Neil before following. The non-magic users were glad it was all over, but they were tired. The energy drains hadn’t all stayed on Dirce’s troops. Kids were clumsy in aiming, Neil had discovered. Samantha had been forced to protect him as well as herself from the disjointed siphons. Still, the children had helped to win this fight and Neil was sure they would be rewarded. In fact, he expected everyone to be awarded something from the boss. He didn’t want anything for himself. Neither did Samantha, as far as he knew, but most of these folks would want to be recognized for their contributions.
“I’ll mention it to her, if she doesn’t handle it.”
Neil agreed to Samantha’s offer, shifting her to his back so he could climb the ladder. After tonight, he might not ever have to do this again and the sensation of weight being lifted was indescribable.
Neil felt Samantha’s hot tears roll down his neck and into his shirt. He paused on the ladder, heart shattering. “Please, Sam.”
Samantha bit into her lip, nodding against him. She would try harder to let go of her sadness and remember the good times they’d had together. Maybe it wouldn’t keep hurting this bad if she shoved those images through the gaping hole in her heart.
5
We’re leaving in a few hours.”
Marc glanced up from the bloody body that he was looting. “Are you sure you want to? It will be dark then.”
Doug nodded. “It feels like there are more problems coming here. I need to get these boys out of danger and go find Becky.”
Marc stood up and extended his hand. “It was an honor.”
Doug pumped his hand, grateful that there wasn’t going to be a guilt trip over the choice to leave. “We’ll be back...” It was Doug’s way of asking if they would be welcome.
“Good.’ Marc grinned. “It wouldn’t be the same without a bunch of redheads in Safe Haven.”
Chuckling, Doug went to the entrance to collect their gear. “We’re taking two of the snowmobiles. Allan is going with me.”
Marc wasn’t surprised to hear that. Allan had never been happy in Safe Haven, like Kevin hadn’t been. Jeff was a different story all together. “The trucks out by the road have full tanks. Scavenge what you need from the ones on the field.”
“Will do. You’ll hear from us again.”
Marc hoped that was true, but he refused to spend time worrying about the civilians who were leaving. While he had been out here, freezing, shooting, and looting, several small groups had escaped the mountain. Angela had instructed the guards not to interfere. Marc didn’t expect any of them to survive, but if they did and found their way home, they would be subject to the same evaluations and medical checks as they had been the first time.
Marc spotted Zack and his sons, along with Shawn and Ray coming towards him. He waited for them to reach his location, again scanning the battlefield to make sure all of the threats had been neutralized. Across from him, where Kendle and her group had taken shelter, the mountain was much the same. Other than a new layer of rocks and snow at the bottom, it had been unharmed. The area to the south was destroyed. First, Dirce’s shot had closed the tunnel, and then the avalanche had buried that location. Anyone who came through here in the future would never know that there was an entrance buried under there until the snow melted.
To the north, was the path the UN had used to get into this valley. At the moment, there were six trucks lined up,
with two dozen Eagles scurrying around them to fill the beds and kick the tires. To the east, another large group of fighters was entering the tepid warmth of the cave to escape the scene of death that all of them had participated in this time. Marc didn’t catch bad thoughts or jealousies as the group entered, even though it was made up of both magic and non-magic fighters. In this moment, they were all bonded by their disgust in what they had been forced to do to survive.
Zack and his group reached Marc. “We went through the cave and took care of what we found. There weren’t many. Bodies are in the tunnel. Do you need help out here?”
Marc pointed toward the cold workers who were trying to get their transportation together. “Go relieve somebody.”
All of them hurried to do what they were told, except for Shawn.
Marc knew what the man wanted. “This is a bad time. We need you to stay at least until after the bugout. If you want to leave then, go, but Safe Haven needs Eagles.”
Shawn was relieved to hear it. During his punishment and time of caring for Missy, he had been lost. “Do you want me to help with the vehicles?”
Happy to have someone by his side who was eager, Marc denied that. “Stay with me. If the boss discovers I don’t have a guard, she won’t let me hear the end of it.”
Shawn took up a nearby post to watch over Marc. It was as close to being back in the Eagles as he could get right now.
“How are things inside?”
“Calm, mostly quiet. Angela has all of the kids that she can fit in the cubby with her. Everyone else is in the TV or reading room, packing and waiting for instructions. There are sentries on every level again, except for the bottom floor. We told Jimmy if there were any problems overnight, we’d hold him responsible. We haven’t spotted a member of his group since.”
“What about personal dramas?”
Shawn shrugged. “Honestly, man, I haven’t been paying enough attention, but it didn’t seem like there was much going on. Everyone’s afraid to bug the boss.”
“Good.” Marc knelt down to finish digging through the pockets of the soldier who had begged him for mercy. That will haunt me later. “Are all the runaways gone now?”
“As far as we can tell, yes. Gus and his brothers are going through the cave again in case we missed something. Kenn and Tonya will make the next sweep in half an hour.”
Marc wanted to be in there to do those sweeps himself, but any surviving troops out here were more dangerous than refugees who had made it inside. Angela was in there.
“Doug and his group will be leaving soon. Let the guards know.”
Shawn got the attention of a sentry standing at the entrance and flashed the message through hand code.
Brandon, sniper rifle in hand, nodded and went back to scanning.
People paused as the sound of hammering echoed across the valley. Theo’s team was busy installing the barrier that had been cut from floor panels after the earthquake. Everyone knew it wouldn’t hold, but no one hassled the workers. The boss had insisted on a door, no matter how weak.
Marc started to tell Shawn something, but his attention was snagged by the crackling of a radio near his feet.
“You are an hour late for your check-in, Jarvis! Dirce had better have a good reason for the delay this time.”
Marc and Shawn exchanged glances. Dirce hadn’t gotten out a call to his base during the fight. Maybe no one had thought to do it or maybe no one had done it because Dirce hadn’t ordered them to, but it was clear the caller didn’t know the fight was over.
Marc knelt down to root in the snow, hoping to find the radio. Attached to the soldier, Marc took the entire belt instead of fumbling with cold fingers for the snaps. Even through his gloves, it was rough out here.
“Come in, Jarvis. This is base and you are late for your check-in!”
Marc keyed the radio. “All of your men are occupied right now. Would you like to leave a message?”
Around him, other radios fed the exchange to Eagles both in and outside the cave.
“Who is this?!”
“Just a ghost.”
Chuckles and snickers came from all the Eagles listening, but the voice on the other end of the radio didn’t laugh.
“We have orders for your arrest, Mr. Brady. Please surrender to the nearest UN representative.”
“Well, as I’ve stated, all of your men are busy drawing flies. If you’d like to send another thousand, maybe I can surrender to them.”
There was an awkward pause where the enemy tried to determine if Marc was lying. When he responded, it was obvious that he remembered Marc had a reputation for never bluffing.
“You’ll be sorry for that. Where is Dirce?”
“With his men, of course.” Marc chuckled. “Sorry I can’t send you a picture.”
The response was straight out of another old movie. “You may have won this battle, but in the end, America will be ours.”
Angela hadn’t told Marc how to handle this, but like during his career, he had an instinctive feel for what would push buttons on the other end of the radio. “Socialism will never succeed.”
The response was fast and furious. “Yes, it will! I hate Americans! Stupid! You do not understand how–”
Marc switched the radio off. He had the urge to spew threats in return, but it was a mistake to let the enemy know how soon death was coming, how hard it would hit, or who was going to deliver it.
Around the battlefield, Eagles approved the tactic. Adrian and Angela had both used it and it was effective.
As if to prove the thought, the other radios continued to echo with threats and screaming.
Marc waved a hand. “Unless you have duty out here, get inside. In one hour, this entrance is closing.”
People around him hurried to get in and groups of fighters left the battlefield as they received the message; all eager for warmth and different views–even if it was the cave again. The gore out here was hard to handle.
Marc and Shawn lingered to do another scan. A few survivors were still trying to hide or sneak away, but Marc wasn’t allowing that. He and Shawn marched back over the icy, bloody ground to eliminate those future threats. They had a tedious night in front of them.
6
Candy slipped away from Kenn and Tonya in the mess, unnoticed, returning to the open tunnel. She stood at the cold entrance, searching the battlefield. Most of the people were inside now, making her guts churn. The few who were missing were important to her.
“There you are!”
Busy studying the bundled men and women outside, Candy jumped. “What do you want?!”
Tommy held up a hand. “To talk, that’s all. Got a minute? I’d like to discuss Conner.”
“What about him?” Candy knew her tone wasn’t right, but she couldn’t help it. Conner was a sore subject with her now, mostly because she was so confused over the boy. Distracted, she swept the battlefield again.
Tommy knew when Candy spotted Conner. The tension in her shoulders faded and a softer look came over her face.
Tommy frowned. “What’s going on with you two?”
Candy locked down on her emotions, donning an expressionless facade. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Did he have contact with you?”
“How could he? You guys just got here.”
Tommy recognized the evasion and the reluctance to get Conner in trouble. He studied her as she stared at the boy. It was almost as if Candy had missed Conner.
Candy couldn’t help staring. Walking proudly with a gun in hand and a grin on his lips, the boy was attractive, but that wasn’t what drew her so hard. It was different, but at the same time, it was almost like one of Lee’s homecomings. She had spent most of their life waiting for Lee to get home from something. After the war, when he’d come for her, she’d believed life would be different. Then she’d realized he was a full time member of the Eagles and she’d had to suffer once again, waiting for his shifts to end. Now, she had feelings of
some sort for yet another male who would spend his life serving the greater good instead of spending the time with her that a relationship required. It was a lot to take in all at once, especially with smoke wafting in and faint pleas for mercy echoing across the battlefield. I’m so confused.
“He did well on our trip south.”
Candy was surprised as she realized what was happening. “You want to lift his banishment!”
“Yes. He’s just a kid with a big crush. We’ll keep him away from you.”
“He’s already avoiding me. You don’t need to do that.”
Tommy caught the tone and smiled a bit. “You did miss him.”
Candy shrugged, surprised into the truth. “No one else wants me.”
“That’s not true.”
“You haven’t been here. You don’t know what’s happened.”
Tommy shrugged. “I noticed you have a guard.” Peter had followed them.
“Yeah.” Candy sighed. “I had a rough time in here.”
“It looks as if a lot of people did.” Tommy delivered another smile. “You’re alive. It can’t have been that bad or you wouldn’t be.”
“I’m not sure why I am.”
“Maybe she knows you’ve been sick.” Tommy had spotted the injection marks on Candy’s arms and assumed she’d had to be sedated. Angela had planned to use that on all of those who had trouble with being trapped in the mountain.
“I don’t feel well yet.”
“That’s why you still have a guard, I’d guess.”
Candy studied Tommy. She picked out the bigger muscles and the better health under his coat, wondering how many of the camp females would try to signal him as soon as security was reestablished. Candy had never used Tommy’s services, but she’d heard the stories. She’d always assumed that when her urges got that bad, he was the one she would talk to, though.