Dead Hearts (Book 2): Forsaken Hearts

by Susanne L. Lambdin

  “There’s a lot of activity up ahead,” said Dragon. “Pull off at the next road, and park behind one of those buildings so we can get a closer look.”

  Thor drove behind the ruins of a former apartment complex. The team climbed out, filing through an open door past several deteriorated corpses. With Thor in the lead, they took the stairs, going up to the top floor. A fire had gutted the complex, and charred bodies filled the stairwell. People had tried to escape, but hadn’t gotten very far. Thor reached the top level and opened a door, leading the team out onto the roof. Everyone crouched down, staring over at the new Citadel, while Freeborn guarded the door. Silent as ever, Whisper gazed at the vampires in the main courtyard area through his scope, his left foot twitching.

  “Okay, maybe the Dark Angels were right,” said Thor, peering through his binoculars. “The Kaiser is here to stay. There are dozens of trucks and uniformed vamps unloading supplies. I count about three hundred soldiers in the yard. They also have a Black Hawk chopper. Most of the buildings have windows covered with plastic. It looks like they’re renovating. I see a furniture truck being unloaded, which means they’re moving in permanently.”

  Dragon took the binoculars from Thor. “I see prisoners being led down the sidewalk,” he said, his tone grim. “They’re being taken to one of the buildings. Can’t tell which one, but I think it’s the music hall.” He handed the binoculars to Blaze. “I thought about coming here to school, but didn’t have high enough grades. Rafe was on the Falcon football team. He lived in one of those burned-out buildings. It would have been helpful if he’d joined us, since he knows his way around the campus.” He paused. “Did anyone bring a camera?”

  “Yep,” said Blaze. She handed the binoculars back to Thor. “Give it here, Smack.”

  Smack reached into her new red backpack. Pulling out a digital camera still in its box, along with sealed batteries, she handed the items to Blaze. Blaze put the batteries inside the camera, giving a satisfied nod as she started taking photos. Smack and Dodger exchanged a high five.

  “Good thinking, you two, but don’t ignore orders again,” said Thor. He couldn’t be too mad when the kids had the forethought to acquire a camera. Though curious about what else Smack had taken, he didn’t question the Tigers. They were a solid team.

  “The Dark Angels know the Kaiser,” Dragon said as he watched the traffic on the main road. “The met up with him Denver. Tandor and Picasso didn’t like what was going on, so they left with Rose and the others. Rafe joined them a few weeks ago. If the Kaiser is this well-equipped, this fast, he has help. We need to get back.”

  Returning to the Jeep, Thor and his team piled in. They kept their eyes on the Citadel as they headed back to the interstate. The Shadowguard either hadn’t noticed their arrival or weren’t worried about a few kids in a Jeep snooping around. Thor was relieved. It had been a risk going to the Citadel without Rafe, but he was satisfied they’d obtained the much-needed information without him.

  Whatever the Kaiser was planning, Thor knew the camp was in danger.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Two

  Whisper hopped out of the vehicle at the gate and walked toward the camp. He liked the one mile walk. Blaze figured a walk would do them both good, so she slung her crossbow over her shoulder and hurried after the boy with the dreadlocks.

  Tall green pines, ponderosa, cedars, aspens, and spruces flanked their path. Whisper pressed on without stopping for her, crunching rocks under his boots, oblivious to the beauty around him. Fall was Blaze’s favorite time of year. The leaves of every tree had turned bright shades of red, yellow, and orange.

  Blaze caught up with Whisper at the Pillars of Hercules. The two large rock formations rose upwards, more than a thousand feet, casting a shadow over the road where it narrowed.

  “It’s so pretty here,” Blaze said, gazing upwards. “We’re removed from everything going on in the city and the Citadel. I wonder how long we have before the Shadowguard comes for us.”

  Hearing the cry of an eagle, Blaze looked up to see the enormous bird circling overhead and bumped into Whisper. He grabbed her arm, pulling her aside as Freeborn sped by in a golf cart, leaving them in a large cloud of dust.

  “Freeborn just has to be the first to tell Cadence what we found out,” said Blaze. “I already know how Cadence is going to react...we’re going on patrol; no time for fun. She'll probably make us move camp since it’s not safe here anymore…although it never really was. We’ve only been fooling ourselves into thinking we could create a normal life.”

  Thor sped by on a motorcycle. Behind him followed a golf cart driven by Dragon, with Smack and Dodger in the backseat. Dodger waved at Blaze. Another golf cart passed by, driven by Star. The cart also held the rest of China Six; Blaze hadn’t seen them waiting at the gate. The ninja girls laughed as they passed Blaze and Whisper. No one bothered offering them a ride since it was generally known that Whisper usually walked back to camp after a mission.

  “Aren’t you worried, Whisper?” asked Blaze. “There are only thirty Dark Angels. Having them over at the Broadmoor Hotel, instead of here, doesn’t make any sense. Vampires are stronger and faster. You’ve seen what Rafe can do. I don’t like him, no one does except for Cadence and Rose. But Rafe said he’d meet us, then doesn’t show up. I’m worried.”

  Whisper remained silent, and they continued to walk to camp in silence. RVs were set up on either side of the road, merging with several older buildings. The tourist office was used as a barracks by the officers in the Freedom Army. She watched the soldiers drilling in the courtyard, under the supervision of Private Destry. He’d been a lieutenant under the former captain, demoted for ineffectiveness by Cadence. In his forties, Destry was ancient and an idiot as far as Blaze was concerned.

  Camp rules changed significantly after Cadence took command. Every kid in camp served as a member of the Freedom Army, no matter their age. Those under twelve weren't allowed to carry guns, but they still were treated like they were important. Micah, one of the Dark Angels, had found a warehouse full of 101st Airborne Division light blue berets and had brought them to camp so every kid had one to wear. Having this particular beret had become a rite of passage, though most teen patrols continued to wear their old caps with team patches. It still was a nice gesture.

  In what was likely a political move to make friends with the Freedom Army, the Dark Angels elected Rafe as their new leader. Rose assumed second-in-command, though she was still regarded as the true leader of the Dark Angels. She assumed the role of camp doctor, arranging for a small lab to be built in the infirmary. It was primitive but she took her job seriously, hoping to find a cure for the virus.

  Seven Falls had been a huge tourist attraction at one time. Near the waterfall were four original buildings. One of these, a tourist cabin with a wooden deck, was built beside a pool of water that fed a creek. This cabin had become Cadence’s headquarters.

  A number of flashy ATVs, painted with team emblems, and several golf carts were parked outside the mess hall near Cadence’s cabin. Music was playing inside, and Blaze could hear laughter and a great deal of chatter. The Dark Angels had repaired the broken pinball machines found in the storage shed, as well as a couple of pool tables. Most of the kids hung out at the mess hall in their spare time, though Blaze knew that was about to change.

  Blaze caught Whisper’s arm. “Let’s not go in. Everyone knows we were on patrol today, and they’ll start asking questions. Come back to the Tiger RV. I’ll make you a sandwich.”

  Whisper turned toward her. His warm honey-brown eyes held her gaze. Blaze felt her heart skip a beat when he held her gaze. “Why would you do that?”

  A blush spread across her face, and she tugged at a strand of purple tipped hair. “I don’t know,” she said, shuffling her feet. “I thought it might be nice to hang out together. Don’t you?”

  She was nervous, waiting for his response. Her reputation around camp was not the best, but Blaze wanted to put her past
behind her. She wanted to know what it felt like to have a real relationship with someone before she died. Whisper brought out a softness in her. She felt unsure of herself around him, but wanted a closer connection.

  “What kind of sandwich?” inquired Whisper.

  “Venison. We have barbeque sauce.”

  “Fine.”

  Blaze smiled all the way back to the Tiger RV. Their new home was nestled at the side of the creek, under the shade of tall oak trees. A cement table and two benches sat adjacent to the big trailer with five ATVs parked outside. Whisper sat on a bench and lit a cigarette. When he offered one to Blaze, she shook her head.

  “I’ll go fix lunch,” said Blaze. “We have fresh tomatoes. The Dark Angels brought over everything they could salvage from the Peak garden. Betsy is trying to get another garden growing. She has a greenhouse now, thanks to Micah. That’s one vamp with a green thumb.”

  “You talk a lot when you get nervous,” said Whisper. “So let’s talk.”

  Blaze bit her bottom lip as Whisper stared intently at her.

  “Things sucked before the Scourge,” Whisper finally said. “Now that the Kaiser is here, things really suck.” Whisper took a long drag, reducing the cigarette to ash, and tossed it aside. “Don’t take it personally that I don’t talk very much. It’s my way. I do like you, Blaze. I always have.”

  Blaze shivered when he stood, taking a step toward her. “We’re Tigers. I’m on your team,” she said, as butterflies launched a full-scale attack on her stomach. “Why wouldn’t you like me? I’ve saved your life a dozen times.”

  “Wrong.” Whisper chuckled. “I’ve saved your life a dozen times. But I think we both know we’re not talking about a mere friendship here. When I say I like you, I mean more than as a friend, Blaze.”

  She met his eyes, her voice tiny. “You do?”

  “You’re a cool chick, Blaze. You’ve got great style.” Whisper placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing in a deep breath, revealing more than she ever thought he’d noticed. “You’ve got five silver rings in your right eyebrow. The sixth one fell out a week ago when we were patrolling up at Midnight Falls. Luna gave you a diamond nose stud. She’s also the one who pierced your ears with a safety pen. Seven silver hoops on the left, and seven gold circlets on the right. Even your belly button is pierced.” He grinned as he pointed at her neckline. “You’ve never taken off the bear tooth necklace Freeborn made for our team.”

  “You never take yours off either.”

  Whisper stepped closer. “Your ink is the best in camp. I really like the peacock on your right hip and the kitty cat on your left foot. You have angel wings across your shoulders, but that’s only skin deep.” He slid his hand down her shoulders, taking hold of her hands. “You dress like a Goth to be different. Getting close to people isn’t your style, but you look after Smack like she’s your kid sister. You hate being told to ‘calm down,’ and you hate country music. You read romance novels when you think no one is watching, and you snore. It’s cute.” He pressed his nose against hers. “I always liked you, Blaze. You never noticed, so I never told you. Guess I never thought anyone like you would ever go for someone like me.”

  Blaze’s heart beat faster with every word. It was the most she’d ever heard Whisper speak in a single day. “Are you kidding? I thought I wasn’t good enough. I keep up a wall to avoid the pain. The bad temper is just an act.”

  “No, it’s not.” Whisper leaned forward to kiss her. “Sometimes love happens at the worst times.”

  Her violet eyes twinkled. “Don’t you think I’m a little fickle, unable to make up my mind up, always playing a game? Sure you want to get involved with someone like that?”

  Whisper looked at her for a long moment. Pulling one hand free from her grasp, he reached up to slide a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re my girl now,” he said. “I can deal with it.”

  When he kissed her again, Blaze kept her eyes open, not wanting to blink so she could make sure she wasn’t dreaming. It was all she could do to keep from crying. He wasn’t her first, but it was the first time she’d been in love.

  * * *

  Dragon stared at his reflection in the mirror. Having stripped off his blood soaked leather coat, his padded shirt was next. The majority of black zombie goo was in his hair, which he wiped off with a towel. Lifting his arms over his head, he twisted his torso to take a closer look. Both arms were covered with tattoos but no bites. A green dragon went up his right arm, resting its spiked head on his shoulder with its mouth open in a snarl. On the left arm was a red dragon with a black tongue that licked across the back of his hand, the pointed tip curling around his index finger. He found no sign of any cuts, scratches, or bites.

  Dragon didn’t often think about the past. He didn’t like to remember. After seeing the city in ruins, it was hard to imagine what life had been like before.

  He’d grown up in Los Angeles. His parents had met and fallen in love at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His mother, a fencer from a little fishing town in Japan with a name he’d forgotten, had taken the Silver Medal in foil. Born in Hong Kong, his father had moved to L.A. when he was young. He’d been on the U.S. judo team, taking a team Bronze medal home. They’d married a few months later, deciding to remain in California to raise a family.

  Out of seven sons, Dragon was the youngest, and his mother’s favorite. At a young age, she’d taught Dragon the Japanese art of fencing called kendo, using wooden swords, until he advanced to using a katana. His brothers were taught judo by his father. Dragon competed in tournaments, winning dozens of fencing trophies, but his father only seemed proud of his brothers’ judo trophies. When his parents had divorced three years ago, his brothers had stayed in LA with their father, while he’d moved to Colorado Springs with his mother.

  Dragon soon earned a juvenile record that outmatched his fencing awards, but his mother never lost faith in him. He transferred in and out of several schools before settling down his junior year in high school after the school bully singled him out. Hank Ulysses Jefferson, an African American, played football and had a full scholarship waiting for him at Colorado University. At six and a half feet tall, Hank was fast for someone so big. Dragon was smaller than Hank but sent him to the hospital with an aerial kick to the head. When Hank woke up, Dragon was at his bedside. They’d become inseparable afterwards.

  A few weeks into their senior year, a marine returning from Afghanistan died of a unique strain of the H1N1 virus. It was on all the news stations. The virus spread quickly, until it was nationwide. Most of the kids at Dragon’s school called in sick. All the schools were soon closed. Entire families fell ill from the flu-like symptoms. The most severe cases filled the hospitals. Grocery stores were overrun as people in a panic started to leave the city. The police were unable to maintain law and order. The National Guard was called in and assigned to patrol the neighborhoods and protect the stores from vandalism.

  The first zombie outbreak was reported in NYC. The National Guard in the big city was overrun, and the nation placed under martial law. After the president and his family moved out of the White House to an undisclosed bunker, things grew worse.

  Dragon’s mom didn’t own guns. He boarded up the windows like everyone else on his street. Hank’s family came down with the flu, as did Dragon’s mom, but the boys didn’t catch the virus. Since they lived on the same street, every day they met to sneak over to the local grocery store. A loaf of bread, a gallon of water, a few canned goods, and toilet paper were sold on a limited basis. Cough syrup and aspirin were sold out. Not that it would have done any good.

  Dragon and Hank were on their way home when they ran into a group of younger kids vandalizing a car. The kids fell into step behind them, trying to pick a fight. When a homeless man staggered out of the alley, bleeding from his mouth and eyes, Hank went over to help. The attack was sudden; the homeless man took a chunk out of Hank’s arm. His friend’s screams attracted a mob that overwhelmed the boy. Dragon had led
the kids away from the riot, arriving to find his mother eating the family dog on the lawn.

  “Dragon?”

  Dragon spun around, jolted from his reverie by the sound of Star’s voice. A slender, pretty girl in black leather entered the RV. Star placed her gun belt on the kitchen counter, along with a katana, the ivory hilt carved into the head of a snake. The screen door closed behind her. He gave her a disapproving look.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you. The girls are at the mess hall. They want to hear about your big adventure.”

  Star glanced down in disgust at Dragon’s clothes, lying in a pile on the floor. “There’s black goo on the carpet. You better wear rubber gloves when you clean up, and no, you don’t have any bite marks. You do this every time you get back from a mission.”

  “So what?” asked Dragon, fishing around in a dresser to find a sweater. “Freeborn was supposed to meet me here. Have you seen her? I think she got spooked after we ran into a bit of trouble on the mission. We went to the Air Force Academy, which the Kaiser has made his new home. The place was crawling with vampires.”

  Star went into the kitchen and fixed herself a glass of iced tea. “I’ve had a bad day, too.” She plopped ice into her glass. “Am I ugly? Be honest. Because no matter what I say or do, Thor ignores me. I waited all morning at the gate for you guys to get back.” She returned to the couch with a glass of iced tea. “I waved but he didn’t even look at me, not once.”

  Dragon finished dressing. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Star. Things aren’t good. Rafe didn’t show up. What’s got me bugged is that the Dark Angels never mentioned just how many vampires lived at the Academy. They’re here to stay. I think we to move camp into the mountains while we still can.”