by Angela White
Marc advanced to the inner cave, signaling toward the guards. “I want this cave shut down in twenty minutes. No one in, no one out–no exceptions.”
5
“Hey, wake up.”
Jeff jumped at the hand on his shoulder, jolted in alertness that he wasn’t ready for yet. He’d never been so sore. “What?!”
Ivan pointed toward Angela’s location. “The boss is ready for you.”
Jeff staggered to his feet, not positive that he was ready for the conversation he needed to have. He hadn’t expected to fall back asleep.
Jeff eased into the cubby, noting all the kids around Angela were sleeping. At least they seemed to be. It was hard to tell. After what they had done during the fight, he could understand the need to rest. He was amazed by it.
“Have a seat anywhere you can find room.” Angela was busy changing the diaper of a small baby.
Jeff took a seat against the door. “This can wait.”
“No, it really can’t. A group of people are leaving shortly. You should be with them.”
Jeff winced. “I’m being banished?”
Surprised, Angela paused to inspect him. “No. Should you be?”
“Not that I know of, but life keeps changing on me.”
“Because Safe Haven keeps pulling at you, but when you’re here, it reminds you of everything you’ve lost, so you’re miserable?”
“That about sums it up.”
“It was hard for me to stay too.” Angela covered the baby and met Jeff’s eye. “I lost a child here. I wanted to leave and never come back.”
Jeff hadn’t considered that she might feel that way. “Wow.”
“I know, right? But they needed me here more than I needed my sanity. You don’t have to do that to yourself. You can walk away, and maybe find happiness somewhere else.”
Jeff shrugged. “I’ve tried, but I haven’t gotten far either time.”
“Fate knew how much we needed you to help. Maybe the third time will be the charm.”
Jeff caught her not-so-subtle hints that he should leave and frowned. “What is it that I should do out in the wilderness?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe find a group of people and make sure they make it to the boat on time?”
Instead of being angry, Jeff stared. “Are you intentionally giving me trips in and out of Safe Haven?”
Angela looked up with an innocent expression. “Who, me?”
Jeff chuckled. “I might be willing to do that.”
“If you decide not to, don’t worry about them. I believe Seth and Doug can handle it. I just think it would be easier on the kids if they all had someone around who isn’t distracted.”
“But I am distracted. It’s one of the reasons I need to leave Kevin here this time. I don’t want to get him killed.”
“Even though you’ve felt like killing him?”
Jeff snickered at Angela’s joke. “You know it.”
“What I know, is that you’re not ready to settle down. I also know there’s nothing wrong with that. If we don’t have scouts out in the wastelands, how will we know if another threat is coming? Not everybody has to go with Safe Haven to be in our light.”
Jeff was seduced by that. He didn’t want to betray his loyalty to the future, but the constant reminders of Crista’s death were too much for him to handle yet. “I loved her.”
Angela sent a wave of comfort, not sure that he would accept it from her. “I am sorry.”
Jeff allowed her gift to soothe him, willing to take a relief from the pain. “What if I want to stay?” He braced to hear anything.
Angela shrugged. “You always have a home with us. We’ll help you adjust.”
Jeff wanted to be relieved, but he was too aware of the response from the kids in the room. Many of them were now glaring in disapproval. “What?!”
Leanne glanced to Angela for permission before she spoke.
Angela nodded. He needed to hear it and it wouldn’t come from the boss he mistrusted.
“You don’t belong here.”
Jeff scowled at the girl. “How do you know?”
“I know a lot about you. I know stuff about everybody who comes in here to talk to the alpha. You don’t even have a shield up.”
Jeff realized the kids were reading his mind. “I don’t know how to do that yet. Get out of my brain!”
He didn’t feel anything, but he knew the little girl had withdrawn. “Don’t do that again.”
“This is my job.” Leeann’s expression darkened. “You don’t really like it here. Why?”
“I don’t like magic and this alpha stuff is bullshit.”
“That isn’t it.”
Jeff sighed. “No, I want my old world back.”
“And that’s why you don’t belong here. When you’ve made peace with your past, then the future can open.”
Jeff thought the little girl sounded like a religious therapist, but didn’t say so. “Whatever.”
Angela grinned at the common response from the Eagles who didn’t want to face something they knew they needed to handle.
“I might want you to lock up my gift.”
The kids went still and quiet, worried they were about to witness what some of them now feared more than fire.
“Not for any reason will I do that to you. Neither will Marc, though Adrian might be cruel enough.” Angela forced a smile. “How about a beer and another nap?”
Jeff got up and departed the cubby.
When the door slammed, several of the children who had been sleeping lifted heads to peer around in groggy concern.
“It’s alright. Enjoy your rest.”
Satisfied that they weren’t in danger, all of the kids went to sleep except for Leeann and Cody. Those two sat in the corner, cheeks together, whispering.
Would you like to share?
Both kids looked over, drawn by Angela’s mental attention.
Cody shook his head. “Not me. You tell her.”
Leanne shrugged. “We’re trying to figure out who farted. It stinks in here.”
It was me! Jeff was snickering as he sent the message. I gassed all of you for being rude.
Angela’s laughter filled the top levels.
6
“I hate this part.”
Marc nodded at Kenn’s comment. Saying goodbye sucked.
Natoli came forward with his arm extended. “It has been one hell of an adventure, my friend.”
Marc chuckled. “That it has.” He clasped arms with the Indian he had come to view as a brother. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
It was clear that Natoli wanted to respond to the comment, but instead, he inclined his chin in acceptance of the possibility.
Marc motioned Natoli toward a table, glad the mess wasn’t full. “Do you have a minute?”
Natoli followed him gratefully. There were many things that he needed to say, but all of them required privacy.
Marc knew something was up. “What’s the problem?”
“The future holds many challenges for you. I have had a dream of a time that all the ghosts will live with my people.”
Marc sat down on a rickety, charred chair, and gestured at the seat across from him. “Tell me.”
While Marc and Natoli conversed out of hearing range, Jeff waited with Natoli’s warriors. He had something he needed to ask Marc. It wasn’t bad, but it was necessary. Trying to be patient and fight the feeling of being trapped, Jeff scanned the mess. It felt a little like the Safe Haven he had known before they came here, but only a little. It was obvious that the quake had devastated this camp in multiple ways. The hardest one to except was how it had changed the people. Jeff had never thought to feel such desperation from Safe Haven, let alone to see it split into factions that all wanted the others dead.
Natoli and Marc departed the table to join his warriors. Marc shook with each of the men. “You’re always welcome with us.”
The warriors returned the gesture, but didn’t speak. They
were all eager to get back to the families they’d been away from while protecting Marc.
“You will tell your woman what I said?”
Marc nodded at Natoli’s question. “You have my word on it.”
Natoli signaled to his warriors and advanced toward the tunnel.
Marc was sad. He would never forget his time among the Indians. Natoli and his warriors were part of the reason that it had been so special. Marc had never felt closer to any group of people in his life, and that included the Marines that he risked his life with on a daily basis around the world.
Marc shrugged it off. “Next?”
Jeff gestured toward the small table this time. “Got a minute?”
Marc chuckled. “If you have news about Dog, I have a couple of minutes.”
Jeff sat down. “I talked to Dog for a long time before we left Sally. He said his duty wasn’t done yet and refused to add anything to it except that he was monitoring the herds.”
Marc didn’t ask for more even though he wanted to. “He has the right to be free.”
Jeff shrugged. “I’m not sure that he’s doing it willingly, but duty is often like that.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
“I need to ask a question. It will help me make up my mind about going to the island or staying here.”
Marc waved a hand, telling Jeff to go ahead.
Jeff took in a breath. “Do I die on that boat?”
Surprised, Marc frowned. “I’m not usually the one people ask things like that.”
Jeff didn’t keep his voice down. “You’re the only one I trust to tell me the truth. The other so-called leaders here will use it to their advantage or only tell me what they want me to hear.”
Marc didn’t deny the claim. “There are prices to deals like this.”
“I agree to the price. I trust you.”
Marc concentrated and immediately began to pick up visions of Jeff’s future. It was a tense moment before he began to speak.
“You’re not safe anywhere. As long as you are able to breathe new life into the world, you will be hunted relentlessly.” Marc shuddered, unable to fight the emotions of his body as the visions played out in front of him. “The island is the place you may have peace, but even that will come at a high price.”
“Haven’t I paid enough?!”
Marc didn’t react to Jeff’s shout, though it drew attention from everyone else in the mess.
“When you’re able to face your demons, then you have a chance of happiness. Be it here or on the island, you won’t find peace without that.”
“I don’t know how to do it.”
Marc came to himself, shaking his head to clear the daze. It didn’t help. “You have to study the choices that you’ve made and try to figure out why you made them. You’re a very angry person. When you understand why you’re mad, maybe you can solve the problem and then fitting in would be easier.” Marc stood up before Jeff could respond. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go. Angela is calling.”
Jeff let him go, able to tell that Marc was dead on his feet. The information, he stored until he was ready to face it. It was a copy of what Leeann had told him, but Jeff felt it this time. Until he faced his losses, their ghosts would never leave him.
Chapter Thirty-One
Goodbye
1
“It is time for us to go, my friend.”
Charlie and Tracy both glanced up in surprise.
“Go?” Charlie caught on quicker than Tracy did and stood up. They were in the small training room that was almost cleared now, stealing time alone.
“Our people worry. Winter is coming to us.”
“I didn’t know you had winter.” Charlie tried to come up with a way to stall the group, but he understood from their expressions that it wouldn’t be successful. The Indians wanted to go home.
Natoli held out an arm. “Your family is always welcome with us.”
Charlie shook, sad and proud at the same time. The only way the Indians would leave was if the threat was over. That meant he no longer needed the escort. “Will we see you again?”
“Several of my warriors would like to visit Safe Haven Island.”
“My dad would love that!”
Natoli gestured at the group of braves standing stoically behind him. “Three of these, and others from our camp, will find you at the boat. They will expect to be treated like any other who joins your camp.”
“Oh, they will be. Anyone coming into our ranks will be vetted and trained.”
“That is good.”
“This wasn’t all of the UN troops. The rest are in Market Town with Dirce’s boss.”
“That is the town of slaves?”
“We believe so.”
“If you are wrong, the town will be spared?”
“Yes, but we aren’t. Kendle’s group swears the UN is using an airstrip near there.”
“We will take this information to our people.” Natoli shook with the boy again. “You are doing well on your quest to become a man. Do not give up on that.”
Charlie smiled, assuming the Indian was referring to him and Tracy. “Full effort, every time.”
Natoli grinned. “In the rest of life, as well.”
Charlie put an arm around Tracy’s shoulders as the Indians departed the training room.
“They’d take us along.”
Charlie was surprised Tracy had mentioned it. “Do you want to?”
“You do.”
“Yeah, but they need us here more. For now.”
“I know you’re thinking about not going to the island. That will kill your mom and maybe even ruin everyone’s plans to stay in Safe Haven.”
“Adrian said she’d give it up if I asked her to.”
Tracy wasn’t sure about that, but she nodded. “You’re her son. You come first.”
Charlie sighed. He wanted to go off exploring, but he also wanted Tracy to be safe and even Natoli couldn’t do that. Only the descendants could. “We’ll stay with our camp.”
Tracy snuggled up to him, relieved. She trusted Charlie and Natoli, but she loved Safe Haven. This is where she wanted to be. “Do they need help packing?”
“Yes. We’ve had a break and warmed up. We should help.” Charlie stood up and extended a hand. “Let’s do it.”
Tracy chuckled. “We did.”
Charlie tugged her into his arms, almost as tall as she was now. He’d done a lot of growing over the last months. Not all of it had been pleasant, but he’d come through it smarter. “I love you.”
Tracy melted under his tone and lips. When he let her go, she was gasping for air with a heart that was pounding in her chest. “Nice.”
Charlie led her from the room before he got carried away. The sound of her pleasure was the sweetest dessert he’d ever had. Nothing on this earth would ever make him give her up. He would die first.
2
“Water is at full function now. The top avalanche re-covered the tube with melting snow.”
Kenn skimmed Ivan’s report. “That was convenient.”
“Yeah, it’ll last until it melts down to the tube again. Jimmy’s group will need to go out a few times a month and use the big cats up there to pile the snow over it. We’d planned on doing that once as a demonstration for them, but the boss says none of our citizens are to go up there now.”
“That’s fair, isn’t it? The Mountaineers haven’t done much to help. They didn’t even reload guns or body-collect during the battle. Let them secure their own water.”
“I agree. So does Angela, which is why you need to pass these new orders around.”
Kenn recognized Adrian’s handwriting. “Is he with her?”
Ivan kept his tone even. “No one was happy about that except her. Even he protested.”
“Who sent him up there?”
“The Ghost.”
Kenn chuckled. “Marc’s playing with him. Don’t worry over it. What’s next?”
As point man for the bug
out, Kenn was getting updates on everything that Angela was, plus all the smaller stuff that was below her paygrade. Ivan liked being the go-between. “They have two weeks of meat. Four, if they ration. We’ve found and delivered a month of non-perishables to them as well.” Ivan skimmed his notes and cleared his throat. “She said…I don’t want to hear anyone’s shit over that choice. We’re not animals. We’ll share what we have.”
Kenn grunted. “Good job on the tone. Sounded just like her when she thinks something is a clear case of right and wrong.”
“I practiced it on the way down.” Ivan went back to the notes. “The repair crew almost has the door installed. They’re waiting to test the lock and seal until the last group is gone. Theo implied it might trigger a new fight if they came down to discover it locked. People might not believe it’s a part of the repair effort.”
“Smart and correct.” Kenn signaled toward the small group on the opposite side of the mess from them. “But those Eagles will handle it. The boss wants us secured for the night. Tell Theo to finish it. We’ll cover any problems.”
Ivan rotated to give a hand-coded message to the soldiers lingering in the doorway for instructions.
James hurried off as Ivan continued to update Kenn.
“The power in here is one third functional, but with more sunlight, that’ll go up to fifty percent. The rest of the levels won’t have power unless the Mountaineers know how to do it. Angela implied it doesn’t matter, so we shouldn’t worry over it.”
“That means it will only bother her.” Kenn liked being able to translate. “I knew it would be an issue. You can tell her I left detailed instructions for Jimmy. He can do it himself. I also gave him a box of tools and wire pieces for repairs.”
Ivan wrote it down, happy to be able to give Angela good news on something. “That leaves heat for them. She asked for ideas.”
“None. Without the vents in place and the furnace running, I can’t do anything. We’ll leave them all the extra clothes and space heaters if she wants.”
“She knew you didn’t have anything. She said we’d be out in the open in winter weather, so we get the heaters and clothes. Jimmy’s group will burn everything else to stay warm. It might hold them for a month.” Ivan studied Kenn. “Why won’t they go find another furnace?”