by Angela White
Greg left and Angela swept her toiling people. Marc was sleeping–all the night shift people were–and Angela hoped the banging that was about to happen wouldn’t wake them up, but it had to be done. If things went wrong, they would need that wall. She already had rookies gathering more supplies from the dumpsites to bring up here. A storm was coming, in more ways than one.
Jeremy, who obviously hadn’t been far away, appeared at her side with his laptop in a bag over his shoulder.
“They pulled in to the station with a light crew,” she stated before he could pull it out or comment. “I need to know when the train comes back.”
Jeremy would have protested and Angela glared at him. “You can help me or get in my way. Pick wisely.”
Jeremy, getting used to Samantha’s moods, asked, “Have you eaten yet?”
Angela was surprised into a snicker. The men here were getting smarter again. When that happened to the women, they would become unstoppable. “No, but I will. Can you track that station and the others around it?”
“Yes, and I will. What else can I do?”
“Watch the north,” she intoned gravely. “If something moves there, I need to know about it.”
“You will,” he promised. “You should go…hey!”
Angela spotted the line of ants and climbed down from the rear wall platform to meet them.
Jeremy observed in fascination. Since Dog left, only Jennifer and Angela were left to communicate with the insects and Jeremy wanted to learn how.
“I use pictures,” Angela said, kneeling down in front of the line. “I send them images and they understand. Jennifer is different. She actually gets how they communicate and can replicate some of it.”
“How do you understand them?” he asked, admiring the way she didn’t flinch from pinchers moving near her hands or beady eyes glaring into her own.
“They send images back to me.”
“Oh,” he choked out, wondering if the end of the world for him had already come. Maybe this was the afterlife, where anything could happen.
“Close,” Angela confirmed. “But you’ll want to sleep later, so we won’t discuss that.”
Jeremy shuddered and left before he could insist on hearing it anyway. There were some things he didn’t need to know.
3
Marc staggered to the flap of the tent, drawn by the non-stop sound of hammering. If it were in the caves, it wouldn’t be as loud, and it had pulled him from slumber by never stopping. Angie had a new project going and Marc needed to know what it was.
He swiped the flap open and found Greg waiting for him.
“She said get a few more hours. You’ll need it.”
Marc grunted unhappily and stumbled out far enough to get a view of the work being done.
Crushingly loud to his tired ears, Marc saw the lines of men passing supplies at both the front and rear of camp and understood she was reinforcing their gates. He approved of the assembly lines and the dozen workers on each site, but he admired the fact that Angie once again had the entire herd toiling. Even the kids were being useful, carting drinks and small pails of nails.
“She has it covered,” Greg pointed out. “She said you’ll need the sleep.”
Marc didn’t respond except to go back to bed, but he didn’t fall into the deep sleep he’d been in. There was trouble coming and it would be here soon, or Angie wouldn’t have them all laboring like dying bees. The pace was almost frantic, despite the mood being calm, and he would stay alert enough to respond if the threat arrived sooner than she had anticipated.
Across the camp, Angela sighed in relief and indicated for the workers to keep going. Storm clouds were gathering and the wind was shoving in, meaning they wouldn’t be able to keep going for much longer. She wanted this finished before the rain forced them under cover.
She scanned the cliffs around them, but couldn’t feel the heat of Adrian’s gaze. She knew he was there, waiting for her to signal him, waiting to carry out any chore she assigned. It was impossible not to miss him. He’d done more for her, for these people, than he ever got credit for. He’d known it would go this way, had planned to sacrifice himself to force his herd off this continent so they would be safe. He didn’t deserve this fate.
“Yes, Angie, he does.”
Angela turned around to discover Jennifer standing behind her.
“I know you love him, and from your view, I guess I can even understand why. What I don’t understand, is how you can be so strong and so smart, and still not recognize him for what he is.”
Angela glanced back toward the cliffs, letting her XO feel her pain for a brief moment. “He was taken from his mother, trained to kill, taught to betray our kind, and yet he still created all of this. Evil can’t build things, Jenny. It never creates. You know that.”
“Half evil, then,” Jennifer conceded. “He would have given us all up, if not for you. You know that.”
Angela nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you do see him for what he is!”
“Yes,” Angela admitted evenly. “I always have.”
“And you followed him anyway, let him train you to…” Jennifer fell silent as she realized Angela had taken power, not been gifted with it, as they’d thought all along.
“It was the only solution I could come up with,” Angela stated quietly. “No one else was going to be able to cover everything. Because I’m a freak, I was the best choice.”
“You’re not–”
“Stop.”
Jennifer did. The revelation didn’t shock her, didn’t change her opinion of Angela, but it did fill in some of the unexplained parts. Falling for Adrian was a side effect of gaining leadership.
“I wanted it from the moment our eyes met,” Angela said, sighing. “I knew he wasn’t worthy. And now that I have it, I hate being responsible for all these lives.”
“You’re good at it,” Jennifer supported.
“Yes, but it comes at a high price. You’ll find that out someday, I think,” Angela informed her mysteriously. “We’ll see what doors open for you in the future. I’m positive you’ll pick wisely.”
Jennifer was distracted by the thought of leading someday, as Angela had known she would be, and the teenager was easy to distract further with more light chores. Angela had let her in enough to start the bonding process and there would be time for more of those, providing things went well over the next month.
“Heading out!” Kyle called, waving.
Jennifer rushed over for a last goodbye and Angela noted the other crews also leaving. Some of them were like Kyle’s group–going out to secure a location and wait for the storm to pass. Others would help crews that were already in place, but none of those would make it home before the storm. They would all hunker down where they were. The QZ of people who would be allowed in had been sent to a cave not far away and a small group of rookie Eagles had gone with them to provide protection. Those in Zone C had been sent to a cave below and none of them had been happy to be assigned to the bottom of the mountain, alone.
The only people Angela hadn’t accounted for were those with Adrian. She didn’t know if they even had cover and it burned at her as the day advanced and the storm did the same.
Needing the distraction, Angela went to supervise the securing of the livestock trailers, thinking she would help with the tents and vehicles next. The sooner everything was in place, the better.
As Kyle and his team rolled down the mountain, he caught a glimpse of a tall, thin man moving through the trees toward the bottom cave where the people from Zone C were resentfully crammed. Kyle hoped it was the new assassin. The refugees from Zone C were trouble and Kyle stewed on them as he drove. Some people had to die and some people had to do the killing. That never changed and thanks to Jennifer, he was beginning to accept his role in that grand scheme.
4
The storm came in loud, powerful waves that made Safe Haven cower.
Lightning cracked brutally, illuminating clouds of r
ain that swept over and drenched everything. Smaller tents were ripped from their stakes and slammed into larger canvas shelters where nervous people forced chortles and pretended they weren’t scared.
Angela, who hadn’t been to sleep yet, and Marc, who had slept late to make up for her deficit, stayed with their camp. Daryl and Kendle also stayed with the people, both curt with the repeated questions. Neither of them had handled this type of situation before and it was a learning experience.
Thunder rolled through the stone as if a quake was coming for them and Angela concentrated, bringing up the shield over the area. She wasn’t positive how well it would fare against the lightning, but she wanted to try. This storm was a small preview of what they would deal with when winter came. This was only summer and fall saying so long, and while thunderstorms were dangerous, the frozen landscape of snow and ice, combined with winds that could rip trees up, would make for very unpleasant moments. It would feel like they were being buried alive.
Angela lingered near the tied flaps of the tent, hoping the cave workers and those out on runs were okay. Her hair blew wildly from the wind getting through small tears and holes, and Angela enjoyed the feel of nature that she was allowed to have. Going out there with all that flying debris wasn’t a good idea. They had the animals in the trailers next to them, and the clucks and grunts were a constant noise that echoed each time the weather grew louder or slammed something against their shelter.
She was getting sporadic reports from their people who were out on runs, but it didn’t make Angela feel any better. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until the threat was over. Hearing from Jeff and Kevin had been good, though. It had eased some concerns over the two men, but their message of snow hadn’t been received well. Most of the people here now were talking of working double shifts to get inside the caves and Angela knew that was something she would have to fix later. Everything had to stay on schedule.
Nearby, a conversation drew Angela’s attention.
“It’s not safe there.”
“She knows what she’s doing.”
“I’m telling you, she’s gonna get hurt.”
Before Angela could spot the people involved, Kendle was at her arm.
“Can you come away from the flap? Missy won’t quit harping on it.”
Angela allowed Kendle to lead her toward the center, and her usual crowd, clearly in a daze.
Sighing unhappily, Kendle put the boss next to Marc and resumed her post over Tara and Missy. Tara was a reader–always buried in a book–and it left too much time for her daughter to get into things. Like the bucket of white paint that Kenn had left out, after marking lines to the trucks in case they needed to get these people to the caves in a hurry. The child had grabbed the bucket and tossed it in the air before Kendle had even realized she was going to pick it up. The paint had taken almost an hour to remove from both of them and two full sets of clothes had been tossed into the center fire right before Zack ordered it put out because of the high winds.
“We play now!” Missy shrieked, drawing attention. Hilda and Peggy had most of the kids in a far corner, playing with board games and Legos.
Kendle glared at Tara. “If you don’t do something with this kid, I will.”
Tara flinched, dropping her book, and those around them stared in shocked disapproval.
“Fine,” Kendle grunted. She picked the girl up and swung her around for a piggyback ride. “Let’s go see who we can bug, huh?”
Missy grabbed Kendle’s short spikes and tugged. “Go now, pony!”
Kendle grimaced and hefted the girl into a more comfortable position. “Yes, master Missy.”
The little girl giggled, tugging again and Kendle forced herself to trot across the tent to please the kid. It was obvious that her mom didn’t give a shit.
Across the tent, people were gaping at the scene. Even Marc was staring, dumbfounded, and the feeling slowly turned to awe for his mate. Angela could have hated Kendle, could have hurt her, but instead, she had found a way to bring the crazy island woman into the herd.
Marc leaned over and kissed Angela’s chilly cheek softly. “Love you, baby-cakes.”
Angela melted against him. “Mmm. You should do that more often.”
“What?” Marc asked, rubbing her arms.
“Realize what a perfect genius I am.”
Marc’s laughter was a balm to the nerves of everyone who heard it. He wouldn’t be laughing like that if they were all about to die.
“It’s going to be a long night, baby.” Marc stated. “How about a padded chair, with a blanket and your notebooks?”
Angela wanted to say no, but she did need to go over a few things and now, while she couldn’t do anything else but wait, was an ideal time. “Okay.
Marc blinked. “What?”
Giggling, Angela led them to the area where the other pregnant females had been stashed with comfortable chairs, snacks, and books. “I’d like the Eagle signup sheets.”
Marc veered toward Kenn, and Angela joined her team, minus a couple, and their wary mates. Almost everyone had chosen to stay here and weather the storm together, but a few people were still in the caves. The new Indian members were all in the trailers with the livestock.
Marc wasn’t sure what Angela had them doing and he hadn’t asked. She wouldn’t put them on a dangerous post because of a bias or because they were new. Angela had proven repeatedly that she was fair, so that meant they were doing quiet work for her and that meant something for the future. Marc was already positive it wouldn’t be pretty and didn’t want to know yet. He had enough on his plate. When he had room for more, he was sure Angela would fill him in. He had already figured out that she was breaking him in easy, not giving him too much to handle at once. He doubted that would hold for long. There was simply too much work and trouble to account for, to think he would ever be caught up.
Bamm!
Lightning struck, close enough to rattle the ground under them and send awful vibrations rushing through the stone.
All activity stopped and everyone in the canvas stared at the flaps.
Thunder rattled, booming and drawing noises from the animals next to them.
Angela stood up, feeling something coming.
“The door!” Missy screamed.
Kendle made the connection and shouted, “Get away from–”
The bolt of lightning slammed into the stone directly in front of the fastened flaps and electricity sparked into every piece of metal nearby, causing tubes to explode in fiery shards that landed on the tent.
“Shit! Fire!”
The female team got up, all eager to use their gifts, but Angela said, “We’re not needed.”
Her tone was an alpha command and the females sat down disappointedly as the members around them either panicked or ran for a fire extinguisher.
Marc saw the same chaos that Angela did and realized she was right. He dismissed the other Eagles, allowing only team leaders to give instructions to those who needed it.
The fire in the roof was small, with a few smoldering holes, but the extinguisher foam coated the tent front in thick layers as the men and women went overboard.
No one scolded them and Angela didn’t have to pass the word for the Eagles to congratulate or thank them. They already knew to do that. It was how most of the rookies were trained. Everyone needed to feel like they were contributing and eventually, that led to them actually doing it. The same was true of the camp. Because of this, a few of them might use it to bolster their courage and join the Eagles.
Marc directed the members through cleaning up the mess, but didn’t let them go outside the flap. The storm was having its way with everything out there and people were always a target now.
Those in quarantine had been warned about the coming storm and Marc had suggested they take cover in the cave at the very bottom of the mountain road. It was a wide, dead-end space and it would even hold their vehicles. The new people hadn’t been happy, but when the rain had come
, they’d fled.
Marc had insisted on getting them under cover, but Angela hadn’t wanted him to. He’d felt that clearly. She hadn’t protested aloud though, and he’d gone through with it, trying to convince himself that she didn’t want them to be killed. Surely, she’d rather the wilder folks just left, right?
Marc made his way over to Kendle and Missy, who had chosen a stack of coloring books, a large blanket, and were trying to construct a fort over three chairs. He started to thank the child and then decided to do it in a way that she would enjoy.
He put his back to them, arms crossing, and stated, “I’m the sentry for your fort.”
Missy clapped happily and Kendle grinned. “Our own guard. Wow, kid. I might like you at some point.”
Angela sat down, not jealous or proud. She was too tired for either. Keeping the bubble over them during that strike had been draining, but it had also gained valuable information. She now knew that telling Adrian to run from the fire had been the right thing to do. Her shield didn’t keep it out. Wind and water, were covered. Fire and lightning, were not. Now, all she had left to test was earth and ice.
The temperature in the tent was chilly despite her shielding and the rumbles of thunder actually stung when they went through her barrier. For all the power here, they weren’t very safe and the thought haunted Angela the entire time they waited for the storm to abate.
5
“This is the safest place we can be,” Theo stated. His team had voted to stay in the cave and work, but many of them were jumpy and no one was talking. “It’s been here for a long time, this cave, and it goes deep. We’re good.”
Most of his team relaxed a bit, but Jennifer’s tense shoulders didn’t and Theo joined her at the folding table. “Baby still sleeping?”
Jennifer nodded, glancing down to the pumpkin seat where Autumn was drooling with half a smile on her little face. “It doesn’t bother her.”
“She hasn’t been told to fear it,” Theo stated.
Jennifer’s countenance clouded over. “She’ll know if she wakes up.”