by Angela White
Josh’s mind accepted that reasoning and he trudged along behind his team leader while mulling over the deeper issue connected to that type of thinking.
“Do you think she was one of those crazy prepper nuts?”
Quinn scowled, refusing to answer.
Scott, the man next to Josh, stuck his foot out and tripped the rude Eagle.
Josh landed without injury to anything except his pride.
“You didn’t watch your mouth, so I didn’t watch my boot. Wanna go further?” Scott challenged.
He was proficient in kai, often sparring with Neil because he could take a hit and still keep coming.
Josh glared. “What did I do wrong?”
“Preppers are not nut jobs,” Quinn tossed over his shoulder. He hadn’t stopped hiking. “And we’re all preppers now, boy, or we don’t survive. You insulted every member of Safe Haven.”
Josh’s countenance went scarlet. “I didn’t mean to!”
Scott marched around him, still prepared for a negative reaction, but Josh wasn’t a slow learner and he followed Scott with new thoughts in his mind.
Scott and Quinn took the lead together as they climbed the summit they’d chosen to recon and the two men shared small grins. They’d gone through these training sessions and life-altering moments not that long ago, but it already felt like another existence. Their time here had changed them completely, as it did with everyone who joined the Eagles or labored quietly for the boss. Adrian had begun something that none of them wanted to end, and it was a relief to know that Angela planned to continue the traditions.
They reached the crest of the hill and the crew stood there, gazing in awe and concern as they recovered from the exertion. There hadn’t been another way to get up here.
“We’ll have to make a road of some kind if we pick this spot,” Scot stated, inspecting the opposite side of the flat area. It was covered with jagged edges and cliff sides that would crumble under the weight of heavy machinery.
“We’ll cause a slide from here,” Josh added, voice subdued. “I vote we check a different place.”
“I agree,” Quinn said. “But we’ll do lunch up here now. Great view and we can use our glasses while we eat and narrow down another location.”
All of them were glad for that order. The small crew dug through their kits for the lunches Angela’s instructions had provided from the mess. Li Sing had tables of boxed lunches waiting for all of the workers who couldn’t be in here for regular meals. It was viewed as a nice service for their efforts, but a few of the deeper-thinking people understood that Angela was already beginning to ration their food.
2
“Can we eat these?” Billy asked, standing next to a long, murky aquarium where shadows swam sluggishly through the water.
They’d gotten to the resort area with no trouble and hadn’t encountered anyone. They had two men on sniper duty on top of the church and were now exploring the buildings to determine how they would cart all this stuff home.
Chris, standing behind them at the long aquatic plants tank, would have come over, but Billy waved him off.
Chris was offended, but Jerry Jones swelled with importance.
“Well, let me see here… Ah, minnows. They’re good for bait.”
Billy nodded and pointed at the next tank. “And these?”
The vet stayed quiet as Billy quizzed Jerry on his knowledge of fish, realizing it was a test. Chris was still offended, but it also made him determined to be the good news on this team. He hoped to find something useful.
Billy quickly tired of asking Jerry to verify his knowledge. He motioned toward Chris. “Do what my XO says. Everyone please remember to keep your hands out of the cages until we get the gloves from the truck. Some of these animals could still be alive.”
Billy left the shocked vet to keep things under control and joined Tommy outside. He nodded to their snipers and then got his notebook out. Both men spent a few minutes making lists of items they’d discovered inside, and also notes on what they would need to haul it all. Billy was already positive he needed large trucks, but he had no idea how they were going to lift some of these items yet. Angela wanted every drop of water they found brought in for cleaning.
“We’re gonna be here for a while,” Tommy commented, shaking away a hand cramp.
“Yeah. At least a week. Maybe longer if the basements here are as full as the stores.”
“We sending two men and camping out?”
“You know it,” Billy responded. “This will be an amazing load. Great points.”
Tommy laughed and the two men continued to write down notes and details to be carried to Angela. The mood was good.
In the pet shop behind them, the small crew was wandering the aisles, peering into tanks and cages. The dim store smelled like mildew, but it wasn’t as bad as they’d been expecting and all of them remembered past times of visiting such establishments before the war.
“Hey! This is a rattlesnake. We could use the poison for something, right?”
“No,” Chris stated from a few aisles over. “There are enough poisons on this planet without resorting to killing for it.”
“But it’s already dead,” Jerry argued, sliding the screen off the dusty tank.
He stuck his hand in and grabbed the coil of skin by what he assumed was its head.
“You’re not putting your hand in–”
“Ahh!”
The rest of the crew rushed to help Jerry, but Chris stayed where he was, examining a long tank on the bottom shelf. “Dumbass.”
When Billy and Tommy ran inside, they focused on the vet in surprise, but he shrugged. “I’m not a doctor. No cure for a snakebite now, anyway, is there?”
There was little they could say, and they went to offer Dale comfort.
“He’s dead!” Dale accused. “How could he die so fast?”
Billy observed the purple face and the swollen hands. “Allergic reaction to the venom. Probably suffocated.”
Billy gestured to Tommy “We’ll clear the body. The rest of you get to work.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Dale protested. “One of your crew died!”
Billy and Tommy ignored the upset man as they lugged the body out to their vehicle. It would also be sent to Angela.
“Hey! I want to go back,” Dale demanded. “It’s not safe out here!”
“Its fine if you don’t do stupid shit,” Tommy pointed out. “Jerry didn’t have to put his hand in the tank. Go put the screen on that cage. We don’t need a loose snake in the store while we work.”
Dale, clearly panicked at the very thought, ran inside to make sure the angry reptile hadn’t already escaped.
Billy observed the door, where the vet was now standing and writing, using the daylight to illuminate the notebook. “You okay?”
Chris glanced over in surprise. “Why wouldn’t I be? I wasn’t bit.”
Billy snickered, impressed. “Cool. Help us with the body, will ya?”
Chris didn’t mind the dirty labor at all and went willingly to help them wrap and tape Jerry’s corpse. He’d done much worse…recently.
“It’s good,” Billy said. “That you finally joined the Eagles. The camp will get off of you now.”
Chris didn’t reply. He couldn’t care less about the herd or the precious Eagles. His obsessions were much more personal.
3
“I mean it, Angie. You have to sleep.”
“I will, I promise, but not yet, okay?”
Angela turned to Greg before Marc could argue further. It was after four and he’d been trying to get her to go to the tent and rest, but she was busy.
“All the crews have chosen to stay at their sites. Other than Shane’s team, everyone else is also at the first spot on your list. Shane said the lumberyard they went to had been torched. Nothing usable. They’re going to the next location and will check in later.”
Angela could feel Greg holding something back and said,” And?”
Greg sighed. “Jerry Jones is dead. Snakebite.”
Angela winced. “Anything else?”
Glad to move on, Greg held out a paper. “These are the new Eagle sign-ups so far. It’s getting better now that Tonya’s on the radio.”
“Pharmacy open?”
“Yeah. She has a couple of the rookies running things and coming to her with questions about people’s requests. Appears to be working.”
“Good. Next?”
Tiring of the fight, Marc went to the mess truck, choosing to work the problem from another angle. If she wasn’t going to cooperate, he wasn’t going to play fair.
“A group of refugees came in about an hour ago. Lot of coughing and runny noses,” Greg continued to give Angela the hourly update. When he finished with her, he would go to Doug at the mess so the big board could be updated too.
“Not wearing masks during the ash?”
“That’s what they’re claiming, but a couple of them have awfully red cheeks considering the lack of wind right now. The doctor is checking them out.”
“He’s wearing the protective gear?”
“Yep,” Greg snickered. “Looks like a giant ninja turtle.”
Angela gave the hoped-for smile. “How are we coming with the storm prep?”
“We’ve got most of the supplies gathered into the two trucks you specified, but it’s a mess. We’ll have it organized before our shift ends tonight.”
“Good. We’ll need it ready.”
“Bad winds?” Greg surmised from the supplies they’d collected.
“Yes, and lightning. Make sure Kenn gets a chance to go over the main den before the storm,” Angela instructed. “I don’t know if he needs to ground anything or even exactly what that means, but he will. If he needs hands for that, give him the best no matter where you have to pull them from.”
“You got it. That’s all from me. You?”
“All caught up for a bit.”
Greg headed for the mess and Angela continued toward the QZ before Marc could appear again and nag about her going to bed.
“What do you mean you haven’t tested it today?”
Angela kept going, but also kept track of Peggy yelling at Doug for not checking his sugar levels.
“What do you mean you haven’t done it in days?!”
Angela winced and remained on course for the QZ. Doug deserved the scolding and the public scene. There was no reason he couldn’t still have a good life if he started taking care of himself and keeping track of his sugar levels was the key to controlling his illness.
“The needle hurts? You’re kidding, right?”
Angela tried not to snicker. So Doug was scared of needles.
Angela got a flash of what would happen next and snorted in amusement. “You shouldn’t have told her that, Dougie,” Angela commented, hand rubbing her sore stomach.
Angela spotted Kendle and Daryl, both coming toward the mess from the direction of the tent area. They’d gotten sleep and were now set to eat and resume their posts from last night. As she watched, the pair avoided each other completely, each picking a different mess line to join.
Angela sighed. That’s going well.
“Angie.”
Angela jumped, and then snickered, hoping to stall the complaining. “You scared me.”
Marc saw through the act and held up a plate full of steaming, rare beef. In his other hand, was a joint and a bottle of water. He grinned as her face lit up, retreating. “Come on, pretty kitty. Come get the food…”
Marc ran as Angela gave chase, and those around cackled at his antics.
“That’s not fair!” Angela stated, cornering him against their tent.
“That’s the idea,” he teased, tossing the joint inside. “Go on, kitty. Get your nip.”
Angela punched him in the arm and then ducked under the flap, deftly snatching the plate from his hands.
“Get out there or I won’t stay,” she warned.
Marc vanished and the shadows of her sentries appeared on the canvas.
Realizing how neatly she’d been trapped, Angela laughed and dug into the beef.
4
“She’s finally out,” Marc stated an hour later. “Get these extra fences up while we can.”
Zack agreed completely. He was honored by the duty he’d been given and he took Marc’s orders seriously. He directed the labor personally while other senior men stood guard and helped the rookies figure out what to do. It was slightly chaotic right now, but both men knew that within a week things would settle down and become smoother. Teamwork just took a little time.
“Damn.” Marc swore as the bell for evening mess rang. “I meant to tell them no bell.”
“Maybe she won’t wake up,” Zack offered, confident there was little chance of it. If the bell didn’t wake her, the sudden rush of voices and footsteps going toward the food lines would.
“Yeah,” Marc sighed. “If she comes out, I swear, I’m going to throw the ugliest tantrum she’s ever seen. I may even shit myself so she has to change my diaper.”
Zack, who needed the laugh, enjoyed his minute with Marc. He would never let anyone of them in again, not like he had before Crista’s death, but he would still allow himself these moments or there was little reason to go on.
“Theo said she can come down in the morning. He’ll be ready.”
Marc scowled, but didn’t protest. Angela had to go in and assign areas, though Marc had tried to convince her to let him do it. She’d refused, insisting it was part of her job. Marc agreed, but that didn’t stop the concern. Not everyone was cut out for being underground.
“He give you a time?”
“Said they’re cleaning the first areas tonight, while the gatherers are still out. Estimated dawn.”
“I’ll let her know,” Marc said, adding it to his book. Nearly half full, he would need another one soon.
“Is something wrong?” Zack asked suddenly. “You want the defenses up, and she wants us in the cave ASAP. Is more trouble coming?”
Marc wasn’t in the mood to lie or play Angela’s games, but he knew better than to tell the truth. “You’ll have to discuss that with the boss.”
It was still an answer, and Zack sighed resignedly. “I kinda knew, when she made me head of security. She’s trying hard to keep me here.”
“Others too,” Marc commented. “Not just for the problems, though. We need you. You’re good at what you do.”
“So are you,” Zack returned the compliment, happy with the praise. “Camp’s almost fully running.”
“Yeah, I thought it would make her happy to get up and find out how much we’d accomplished overnight.”
“It will,” Zack agreed. “She’s like Adrian. She’s happiest when work is being done.”
Zack responded to an Eagle who called him over and Marc stewed a bit on the observation. Was Angie really happiest when everyone was laboring? Why?
She knows building a future will take all our lives, the demon responded. Every day of toiling now is a day of living later.
Marc headed for the QZ, where their new arrivals were being fed. Charlie and Tracy were there, handing trays to suited guards. Marc approved. The refugees sounded sick. Coughing was a constant noise from their one tent and Marc gave the doctor a lifted brow.
Doctor Reynolds waved him off, indicating it wasn’t anything serious, but Marc didn’t like or trust the man and sent his demon in to check them out.
As Marc walked by the activity row that Kenn had taped off before crashing, the demon returned, replying, Environmental effects, nothing more. No outbreaks there.
“And morals? Ethics?”
Little, the demon admitted. They’ve had a hard time of it. Reprogramming will be required.
Marc wasn’t overly concerned about that. Most of the people who’d joined Safe Haven had needed some changing, including himself. The Marc who’d escorted Angela here could never have stayed while she led these people, could never have followed her orders an
d shared this power.
“Rookie Eagle sign-ups have now ended for the night,” Tonya informed everyone over the radio, sounding tired. “A fresh sheet will be in the mess come dawn. Add your name and play our game. Whadda ya say, folks? We need Eagles. Think about it.”
Marc was pleased with the messages Tonya had been sending out and relieved that Allan was no longer scheduled for that duty. When Tonya and Kenn were busy or sleeping, he and Angie would cover it. She said people liked hearing their voices, that it was a comfort.
Marc shifted toward the tent area, hoping to find Angela’s guards still standing outside her tent.
He hadn’t reached that zone yet when the ground under his feet trembled and Marc groaned at the timing. She wouldn’t sleep through a tremor, no matter who had Point.
The earth rumbled angrily, sending strong vibrations through the dirt and rock that bought people from their tents.
Marc hit his button, spotting a long black braid whipping around a jogging shadow. “Just a tremor, folks. Settle down.”
Marc saw Angela pause to evaluate the reaction and Marc hit the button again as the ground quieted. “We’ll get those off and on for a while. Try not to panic.”
There was no distortion of his disapproving voice and people resumed their activities as the rumbling stopped.
Marc heaved a sigh of relief when Angela circled back toward their tent, her guards at her side. She had to get more than two hours of sleep at a time or she was going to lose the baby before it grew too big to become an issue.
Marc detoured toward the main gate for a quick walk through to calm people further and check for damages and injuries. He didn’t expect to find either. The tremor had only lasted a few seconds. Marc’s thoughts went to Angela’s prediction of thousands of refugees. He needed to do more to get ready for that. There were defenses that Angie might not think they needed and Marc didn’t intend to ask her first. The work would be finished before she woke each morning and he doubted she would order any of it removed once she saw how effective his protections would be. With the right fences and guns, Safe Haven would be able to hold off a riot of refugees.
Marc was already worried that Angela wouldn’t want to hold them off. Like with the ants, she would kill herself to find a way to take them all in. It was a problem he didn’t have a solution for and he was pretty sure that Adrian hadn’t either. That was why the blond man had hoped to be dead before now. He knew the things coming were so awful that no one could handle them all.