“What?”
“I pulled you all together. I’m responsible for you. Pretty much every kill belongs to me.” She walked past Kain and patted his head. “Don’t cry, Pooch.”
His mouth fell open, and he looked as if he was about to protest until they heard shouts coming from the road in the direction they'd just come from. Caitlin strained her eyes into the distance, then sighed as the others approached at a run.
“Oh, you’re in trouble now, Pooch,” Mary-Anne said, her vampire eyes easily picking up the features and faces of Christy and the Ashdale Pond gang, clearly racing to the alert the bells had tolled a few minutes ago. It had only been a short while since they had headed back to their hometown. Their journey in response to the alarm was wasted.
Kain blushed and turned to Caitlin. “At least we know the alarms work.”
Chapter Two
Silver Creek, Silver Creek Forest, Old Ontario
Dylan Harrison walked along the packed dirt paths of Silver Creek with a smile on his face. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was truly happy.
“What are you smiling at?” Sergeant Tom Hitchcock asked—a rough-looking non-military man with an eyepatch who had given himself the title in his grandfather’s honor. “You look like you have fish hooks in the corners of your mouth. It’s creepy. Pack it in.”
Dylan didn’t grace Tom with a response. He kept on walking, aware of the other men talking softly behind him.
The foot traffic in Silver Creek was slowing in the fading light of day. A small town bordered by high wooden walls, Silver Creek had been through a fair few changes of late, and it showed. Since Dylan’s sister and her gang of Revolutionaries had liberated the town from the clutches of the governor, Dylan had found himself as the new figurehead who people looked up to. There was an air of respect as he passed, with even those who he barely knew nodding and sometimes, stopping to speak to him.
“Beautiful evening, wouldn’t you say, sir?” one boy of no more than fifteen summers said as he rolled barrels in front of his house and stacked them high. Judging by their look, they were empty.
“Hey, Gov. Scorcher of a day, ain’t that about the truth of it?” a woman in a low-cut apron laughed as she patted sweat from her chest.
Dylan did as he usually did—merely nodded and uttered something along the lines of, “You know it,” or, “The hottest I’ve seen it yet,” and kept walking by.
Sullivan was already waiting at Mother Wendy’s Tavern when they arrived. In front of him were several pints of an amber drink that could almost be called beer, though Kain would note that it was nothing like the old days.
Dylan took his place at the table, sending a courtesy wave to Mother Wendy who batted her eyelashes and winked back. Tom, Vex, Jamie, Joe, and Ash took their seats and thanked Sullivan for their drink. Kain, who would ordinarily have joined them after a long day out in the sun, had already been guided back to his quarters by Caitlin to be scolded and sent to bed.
“Long day in the sun?” Sullivan, Dylan’s number two, ventured at last.
Dylan nodded, then raised an eyebrow when he noticed Sullivan trying to stifle a laugh.
“What?”
“You guys look redder than Mother Wendy’s lipstick. You’d think there was no shade in the forest anymore.”
They each looked at each other, noticing the sunburn on their faces for the first time that day. Now that they were inside, their skin seemed to glow in the flickering light of the candlelit tavern. They touched their foreheads, feeling the heat from the burns and a slight twinge of tenderness at the touch.
All except Joe, who took off his hat and smiled a goofy grin. “No burn for Joe, heck no! Joe takes care of his skins, yes he do.”
A ripple of laughter made its way around the group.
“You know that they used to have a thing in the old world which blocked the skin from the sun. A cream that prevented burning even on the hottest of days,” Jamie said. In the last few weeks, he had really come out of his shell. After being declared by Caitlin as a leader of Ashdale Pond alongside his girlfriend, Christy, he had grown bold. He now walked with his back straight, and his head held high.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Vex said playfully. “A cream that blocks the sun? You think that Ma wouldn’t have thought about using that to walk in the daylight instead of dressing head to toe in that fabric that makes her look like an inverted ghost?”
“I doubt it would work on vampires,” Ash said as he took another sip of his near-beer. He was still dressed in the armor of the guards. Now the Captain of the Guard, he looked almost regal next to the likes of Joe and Tom.
Joe shuddered, remembering Mary-Anne’s glowing red eyes. He felt uncomfortable around anything from the Unknown World having lived with only his wife in the forest for several decades.
“How do you know?” Vex said.
Ash shrugged.
“Ah, well, that’s all in the past, I guess,” Dylan rested his head back against the coolness of the wall. He suddenly felt tired. “At least we can bring a road back to the present, eh? Ashdale and Silver Creek, united at last. Who’d have thought it?”
Jamie smiled. “Certainly not me. If it wasn’t for Caitlin, I’d still be turning potatoes, likely attending nightly congregation with the pastor and his Firestarters—the men in black.”
“Sounds like you could make a good story out of that,” Vex chimed in. “The Men in Black. There’s coin in that, somehow.”
“Whatever happened to the pastor?” Sullivan asked. Over the weeks, he had heard bits and pieces of the events at Ashdale Pond. At the time, he had been the sole guardian of Silver Creek in Dylan’s absence, watching over the flock. Part of him was thankful for that after hearing of the governor’s Madness-fueled rampage as he tossed bombs and set as much of the town on fire as possible.
“Oh, he’s back to his old day job.” Jamie smirked.
“What was that?” Ash asked.
“Let’s just say that when people need their number ones and twos to disappear, the pastor makes sure that the Lord almighty delivers them to the outskirts of town and dumps them in holes.”
“A shit sifter?” Vex exclaimed. “Well, he really has hit the bottom of the pile!”
They all exploded into laughter. Several heads of other patrons turned around to see what was so funny before returning to their own conversations.
“That’s what he gets for being so cheeky,” Tom added.
“Hey! Will you keep it down over there?” Mother Wendy called over. “I’m trying to run a decent establishment here.”
“You wouldn’t have thought so from your drinks,” Vex called back, raising a glass.
Mother Wendy rolled her eyes theatrically. “That’s it. You’re cut off.”
The laughter washed over them all, causing their sunburns to flush even brighter on their faces. Dylan looked at each of the men at his table and felt a fondness warm his insides. It was nice to have the company of others. For the first time in his life, he had what he considered to be friends. Real friends.
“Easy now, boy.” Caitlin sat in her quarters and unfolded the governor’s map on the table. The yellowing piece of parchment cracked and popped as she lay it flat on the wooden surface.
The map was ornate, detailing a fair chunk of the surrounding land. Kain had found it in the governor’s quarters, and it had led to Caitlin’s arrival at Ashdale Pond. She ran her finger gently over the pen marks which circled and crossed Ashdale—her only clues to Governor Trisk’s location. If it hadn’t been for Trisk’s little slip up in leaving it behind, she wondered whether she’d have found him again at all.
Jaxon ran in circles around Caitlin’s chair, eventually settling himself by lying across her feet. She reached down and tousled his fur, thankful to have a companion with her who gave her a moment of peace. As much as she loved Mary-Anne, Kain, and the others, it was sometimes nice to have a bit of quiet.
“United we stand…” Caitlin said
to herself, dragging a pen across the map’s surface to color in the road which now allowed traffic and an easy path from Silver Creek to Ashdale. Her first stamp on the world to say, “That’s right, we’re here, we’re taking no more of your shit, and we’re bringing the world together. What do you have to say about that, huh?”
Bringing the world together. She couldn’t remember where she’d heard the saying before, nor could she remember its end. But it seemed appropriate in that moment.
There were other small towns and settlements listed on the map. Small circles had names sketched beside them, but Caitlin knew the document wasn’t entirely accurate. On her limited journey thus far, she’d already discovered a mammoth junk pile out there in the forest. A series of mounds and piles of old trash had been collected, gathered, and fashioned into a mini-city of sorts which Joe—Psycho Joe, as Kain affectionately referred to him—had made his home in.
She wondered what else was out there to discover.
“Well, Jax,” Caitlin said. “I guess, since stage one is over, it’s time to get the troops back on the road.”
Jaxon’s ears pricked up, but his eyes remained closed as he dozed on her feet.
“You’re right. Maybe some sleep first.” She grinned. “Silly pooch.”
Caitlin leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She could hear Mary-Anne breathing deeply in the pitch black of her bunk. Kain grunted, snored, and rolled over somewhere in the governor’s quarters. Christy and the others had taken residence in one of the many other side rooms Trisk had once claimed for himself.
As sleep began to wash over Caitlin, her mind worked in overdrive. How many other folks were really out there in the forest, struggling to survive? Were they, too, brainwashed by the fading will of a governor now gone? How many settlements of people were unaware that the world wasn’t all zombies and death and that other groups existed?
She thought once more of the map, remembering the tiny markings which indicated the apparent locations of several other vampires and Weres out in the forest. A skull with fangs and glowing red eyes. A crescent moon symbol out in the thick of the trees.
How had Trisk known they were there? Had he tracked them the same way he had tracked Mary-Anne and caught Kain?
I guess we’ll find out, Caitlin thought as sleep washed over her and her dreams turned to sweeter things.
Chapter Three
Silver Creek Forest, Old Ontario
When morning dawned bright and clear, Caitlin assembled the CoR and gave the orders.
“Right, then, maggots!” she jested, watching confusion wash over their faces.
“Who invited the sergeant?” Vex asked, nudging Belle with his elbow.
“Here!” Tom said, stamping one foot and saluting Caitlin to the amusement of the CoR.
When the laughter faded, Caitlin shared her plan.
They were to divide into smaller groups. Christy, Jamie, and those they had brought with them were to return to Ashdale Pond. Sullivan was to stand guard at Silver Creek alongside Vex and Belle to keep an eye on their new open-door policy. Caitlin was keen to enforce it firmly now that the road was built and the paths between the two towns clear. Also, she was determined to ensure that there were no more mishaps with the remnants of Governor Trisk’s old guard force—something Ash and Alice remembered well from their scrap with a former guard trying to raise a rebellion.
Dylan, Ash, Alice, and a handful of the Revolutionaries were tasked with taking a copy of the governor’s map and exploring the forests to see what other villages and settlements remained and if there was a way to unite them all. And finally, Caitlin, Mary-Anne, and Kain would set out alongside Joe, Jaxon, Tom, and the recently widowed Laurie to check out the possible vampire and Were sightings listed on the parchment.
“Good thing, too,” Mary-Anne said to Kain, studying the way Alice stared daggers at Laurie. “Leave them two alone in an enclosed environment and see who comes out on top.”
Kain snorted behind his hand. “I’d let them both on top.”
“Does anyone have any questions?” Caitlin asked.
“Just one.” Caitlin watched Vex carefully, noticing the way Belle tried to slap his arm down. Clearly, they had discussed something already.
“Yes?”
“How come it’s always you three, and then some?” Vex demanded, pointing at Caitlin, Kain, and Mary-Anne. “What if we want to go with you and find some new villages and towns to save? Me and Belle are wasted here.”
“Hey, fucknut,” Kain answered. “If Kitty-Cat has put you here then it’s for a reason, all right?”
Caitlin rolled her eyes. Did Kain always have to be so brash? “Safety in numbers, Vex. I need the best fighters safe and protecting our home. We can always send someone back if we need backup, but don’t you think if I bring several dozen fighters marching through the forest that that’d draw more attention than we need? Lord knows what we’ll find out there.”
“But eyepatch and blondie get to tag along?” Vex snorted, nodding at Tom and Laurie. “What makes them so special?”
“They know when to shut their mouth,” Belle retorted, slapping Vex on the chest.
He looked as if he had something else to say, but after a look from Belle, he closed his mouth.
“Any more questions?” Caitlin asked. “No? Good. Let’s get rolling.”
A couple of hours later, Caitlin and her company were out in the forest, and she considered the strange feelings this evoked. She almost felt like she’d missed the outside world. After living in the openness of Ashdale Pond and spending several months on the packed earth of the new High Road, there was something about the forest that felt almost like home.
They wandered through the brush, pulling aside the tangles of vines and branches, stepping over rampant bracken, and batting away clouds of flies. Mary-Anne was protected from the stings and the bites in her black all-in-one, but that didn’t protect her from the irritating whine of the buzzing.
“Do these things ever shut up? You don’t get this shit at night time.”
“Nope. But at least you can see where you’re going,” Caitlin replied.
There came a grunt behind her as Kain caught his foot on a root and tripped.
“Well…sorta.”
Guided by the position of the sun, they headed south-east. The journey, for the most part, was uneventful as Tom and Laurie marveled at the sights and sounds around them. Over the years, the change in climate had a huge effect on the forest, empowering it to grow and swell over the top of the reminders of the old world. They navigated around rusted cars seemingly melted into the ground. Shapes of old buildings, no more than crumbling walls and rubble now, were choked by the rampant growth. The group progressed slowly, Kain taking the lead now and then to sniff the air with a wary expression. Finally, when they had all tired of what seemed like an endless struggle with virile nature, he stopped abruptly.
“You son-of-a-bitch,” Kain said, a smile splitting his face. “I thought the path was familiar!”
He ran ahead into the clearing, Jaxon sprinting at his heels. The wide area seemed cut out of the trees, and the grass was shorter. He sprinted straight towards the abandoned airship where he, Caitlin, and Mary-Anne had spent some time a few months previously, training to take on the governor and his men at Silver Creek.
Tom shaded his one good eye with his hand and looked at the ship in awe. “Is that what I think it is?”
“That depends what you think it is,” Caitlin said.
“It looks like a friggin’ airship,” Tom said softly. “I’ve heard tales of them, y’know? There used to be a time when they filled the skies, commuting people across the world. I’ve heard stories of many of them in a place called New Toronto. Some even traveled over the seas to the distant lands beyond.” He walked as if entranced. “I thought they were just a folk legend. I can’t believe they’re real.”
Joe chuckled and slapped his knee.
Laurie flicked her hair behind her shoulders
and adjusted her bow over her shoulder. “It’s pretty impressive. I’ve never seen anything so big before.”
Caitlin sniggered.
“Really?” Laurie said.
“Sorry, but you make it so easy.”
Jaxon began to bark, the sounds cutting through the clearing.
“Hey!” Kain shouted, now standing on the deck of the ship. It lay slanted at a fairly sharp angle where it had once crashed into the trees. Though some vines and brush had grown against its sides, for the most part, the airship was in pretty good shape.
Caitlin remembered her nights sleeping in the captain’s quarters far below the deck, her Revolutionaries training and snoozing around her. For the first time in her life, she had felt whole. Ready to take on the world and make a difference for the better.
“What?” Caitlin called back.
“Did you invite some party guests?” Kain asked, leaping off the deck and back onto the grass as several decaying heads poked out from the holes in its surface and began to claw at the wood. “I thought we were special.”
“Lunas!” Joe cried.
“We’ve told you, Joe. They’re Mad,” Mary-Anne scolded.
Caitlin rolled her eyes and drew Moxie from her belt. “How come it always seems like you’re getting us in trouble?”
“They were here before I could do anything,” Kain whined.
The Mad clawed desperately against the wood, slowly gaining purchase. It looked as though they must have stumbled upon the ship and fallen through the holes in its surface. They cried and grunted as their instincts drove them towards the flesh sacks with shiny weapons.
Flesh sacks, Caitlin thought, remembering what Mary-Anne had called her when they first met. Now there’s a blast from the past.
Caitlin rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “Come on, then. Let’s take out the trash.”
“You know that’s very unprofessional, right?” Dylan mocked, turning from his position at the front of the party to nod at Ash and Alice.
The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set Page 49