From the Ashes

by Angela White

  Adrian lit a smoke, letting them vent.

  “We’re not leaving the U.S.!”

  “I would, if there were no place else.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “Look at all the pictures!”

  “We haven’t tried the mountains yet, and he’s already said we could reinforce a set of caves and survive there.”

  “I’m not going.”

  Adrian held up a hand. “There are small groups of ten and twenty all over this broken country, surviving in their basements, subway tunnels, and small bomb shelters. They’re using hardware stores and lumberyards, taking over shopping malls and schools.”

  Adrian paused as the crowd quieted, listening. “How many of those people will survive a winter that lasts six months? Do you think they’ve even considered it?”

  Adrian shrugged at the worried mutters. “It could be longer than that. The skygrit from the war held heat for a while, but we’ve all noticed the chill at night, the sleet in the fog, and it’s only June.”

  Adrian firmed his jaw. “The thought of living under the ground or inside a mountain is horrifying to me. I want to see the sun, feel the grass, and taste the rain. None of that will be possible here for decades, and I can’t wait that long. I’m voting that we check the mountains for more survivors and then head to the coast to look for a ship that survived the war.”

  Adrian held up a hand again to calm the noisy crowd, and went on without responding to any of the words that had been thrown at him. “Many southern islands have an average temperature of 74 degrees and are out of the main jetstream, meaning they don’t get hit by most of the hurricanes and tropical storms.”

  Adrian went on with his reasoning, but already knew it was a waste of effort. For the first time, the vote would go against him. They would choose to set up a winter camp in the mountains and he wouldn’t be leading then.

  He nodded at Kenn to pass out the ballots. “We’re leaving tomorrow at noon.”

  “Wait.” Roger Sawyer, who had served as head of the moral board for Leon’s trial, stood up with a hard expression. “There’s something else we need you to handle.”

  Adrian sighed inwardly, and gave a glare of his own. “Freedom, Mr. Sawyer, includes love, race, and any number of other things. We will not start that old shit up again.”

  “But these situations are wrong!”

  “The freedom to make your own future is never wrong.” Adrian motioned to Kenn to go ahead and pass out the ballots. “It’s what Safe Haven stands for. A smart guy like you should have figured that out already.”

  Adrian moved on before the ex-detective could respond. “We’ve gone through a lot of changes together since the war. More are coming, starting with our kids. Official adoption procedures are being drafted. I’m also gathering a camp council to help me keep things together and allow my time to be spent leading.”

  Now, he had their attention and his top people exchanged glances of respect, and still, there was a slight wariness. Right now, Adrian wasn’t hitting on all eight, as Kyle might have said, and his closest men and women knew it.

  “You’re going to hear more training and see it, too, probably as we advance through the levels. You know what the Eagles do–they make sure you wake up every day–and they’re just as needed now as they were before the slavers. When you see and hear these sessions, stay back or get hurt. We play hard.”

  “So it’s okay to come and watch?”

  Adrian nodded at Matt’s eager question, using the smaller ammunition to provide a much-needed distraction. “Yes. In addition, non-Eagles may now take the advanced self-defense and gun classes, providing they work up from the beginning like everyone else.”

  Adrian turned a page and took a quick swallow, too aware of Angela’s approval over the way he handled his herd. She didn’t know that he’d been doing it all his life, but it wouldn’t matter to her anyway. She followed him for the here-and-now, not for the back-then. “Safe Haven has so many couples and families starting that we’re adding a third section to the sleeping area. Couples will now have their own place, effective tomorrow night.”

  The crowd murmured their approval and waited to see how far Adrian planned to go tonight on that topic.

  “Repopulation has to happen.”

  Instant silence as the Eagles realized he meant to go all the way.

  “But it will always be willing, or the offender will be banished. Those are Safe Haven codes of conduct. Nowhere does it say close friendships between willing partners is forbidden because of age. As long as the female is protected, we need her to help us repopulate.”

  Before any of them could shout, Adrian’s expression darkened. “On the other side of that, there has to be a limit, an age or a line that we use to determine what’s needed for survival and what’s taking advantage of youth. So what’s the line?”

  The camp had quick answers.

  “Sixteen, like it always has been!”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Why not just do away with an age line and judge them by each situation?” Tucker asked, earning frowns from the other rookies. Even they knew the Eagles were supposed to be seen and not heard during moments like this.

  “Size,” Adrian shot back promptly, as though he’d been expecting it. “Right now, when there are two hundred and eighty-four of us, we can do that. What about years from now, when there are thousands of us again? Or hundreds of thousands?”

  Tucker scoffed uneasily. “Worry about it then, I guess.”

  “And that’s why you’re not leading this camp,” Adrian stated mildly. “Sit down.”

  Tucker did with a red face.

  “If we use the same attitude our predecessors did, we’ll get the same results. I will not leave it for someone else to fix. It’s part of our duty.” Adrian waved a hand. “So what’s your line?”

  Now there was an uneasy silence from the camp, most of them afraid to volunteer a number. They didn’t understand it had been Adrian delivering a small punishment to Tucker for forgetting his place.

  “Anyone?”

  Lee stood up. ”Another part of that camp standard is justice for the victim. They pick what will help them heal. If we trust them to know what they need at a time like that, then shouldn’t we consider their wants as well, when they’re happy?”

  “Absolutely. But what if a ten-year-old likes it?”

  Adrian’s bluntness made people cringe and mutter, but Angela admired the guts it took to handle this in such an open manner.

  “Okay, we’ve decided that ten is too young. How about twelve?”

  Another large round of protests, and Adrian kept leading them. “Okay, then, fourteen is next. Who objects to fourteen?”

  There were still a larger number of complaints at that, especially since Jennifer was that age.

  “So we’re saying that sixteen is where we draw the line, even though we need babies.” Adrian gestured at the back table, where he’d had Hilda gather all the girls at the rear tables. “Look at them. Count them. In six months, that’s all. Twenty-five females, to give us the next generation.” Adrian motioned again. “Now look at those who are already pregnant.”

  That was a single table, and it caused concern as people began to understand.

  Adrian pointed at a last part of the mess, pleased with the quiet way Peggy and Hilda had arranged it all. “Now count how many women we have from eighteen to fifty.”

  Shock rippled through the mess. When they were seated wherever they wanted, it was harder to spot, but now that it had been mentioned, it was hard to miss. All of them fit at three tables.

  Adrian continued, “The number of men here is four times that of the women. Watch what happens when you take the age line to sixteen.”

  Hilda pointed, sending those of age to the adult female table. It only added three.

  “Thirty-eight females total, with six more once the births come. That means only one in four men will even get the chance to reproduce.”

 
“Lower, actually,” John spoke up. “Ten of those women can’t have kids, thanks to injuries from the war.”

  The mess exploded with panic, the tide turning.

  “Make it eleven!”

  “We need a law that says they have to have kids!”

  “No way! We’ll do a lottery draw!”

  Adrian leaned back and let them go for a minute. Around the females, the Eagles moved closer. Kyle was one of those, hovering between the rear tables so that he could protect Jennifer if it were needed.

  “Guys?” When he thought they’d vented enough fear, Adrian took control back. “What happened to that moral line?”

  “To hell with morals!” Mitch shouted drunkenly. “It’s about survival!”

  “Not this camp, not ever!” Adrian warned, quieting them down with his anger. “We’re for freedom. In nature, puberty makes the choice. That has to be a part of the line, as well as willingness. We just need that base age. We have to ask ourselves what’s the lowest number that we can live with. Everyone needs to do it, from the age of twelve and up. Write it on your ballot and I’ll post the final choice.”

  The camp muttered and grumbled a bit, but clearly, they understood the elaborate point.

  “We have couples in Safe Haven that enjoy our freedom and protection. That has to continue. Give me your line.”

  Adrian didn’t hang around for the vote results, already certain that fifteen and the mountains would be chosen. Both were a mistake, but he could only push so fast. If he had pointed out that not even one in four people had survived the war, they might have chosen a lower age, but Adrian didn’t want them fighting over little girls or hurting them, any more than he wanted their species to die out. In time, the age would be fourteen and puberty, with a mental evaluation of both parties. If that didn’t help them within twenty years, it would have to go lower. Adrian hated it, but without repopulation, humanity was doomed.

  On the other side, a bit of the animosity towards Ray and Dale might let up. With two hundred men competing for the chance at forty women, having two less contenders mattered.

  2

  Angela came to Adrian’s side as the camp began to drop their votes in the box. “You know what this will cause?”

  Adrian’s answer was silent. It will make females the most cherished cargo we haul.

  Angela could see it in his mind, the way he dreamed it would be, and instantly approved. In Adrian’s world, girls as young as seven were being escorted by their male, who was responsible for all of her needs and happiness. These strictly screened men would dote on these girls for almost a decade before any contact occurred, but in that time, they would become attached and create love matches that would lead not just to the occasional birth, but to one after the other, out of natural contentment.

  Adrian flashed another image, one of girls being taught how to pick a man for themselves. Instead of advanced algebra, they were given relationship skills. “Their protectors are Eagles. They can only come from my army, and in return for the honor, my men will train them, protect them, and understand the gift they’ve been given.”

  Angela was humbled by his vision. In it, men were taught the same things, only they were drilled on it until it became a way of life.

  “A new type of Eagle.”

  “No.” Adrian reluctantly pushed her out of his thoughts. “A new kind of man. One not full of violence that bleeds all over the world.”

  Angela’s sharp mind put it together with a snap. “You were ready for this, for them becoming attracted to young girls.”

  “Yes. They see what your generation of rookies will be like. They know the next are worth waiting for, too.”

  Angela missed the wording. “How long do you foresee it taking to actually have them with the girls?”

  Adrian gave her a clever smile that she knew for a fact that the camp had never seen.

  “It’s already happening. You’ll handle the first mental evaluation when you talk to Kyle.”

  Meaning Adrian was sure Kyle would cross a line.

  “Is Jennifer in danger?” she asked.

  “Would I leave them alone if she were?”

  Angela hated the answer. “If it does something for the greater good? Yes.”

  Adrian didn’t lie or apologize as he moved into the deep shadows. This was what the job required.

  Frowning over the revelations, Angela moved into the empty training tent and shrugged out of her jacket. She chose the new workout equipment and began doing sets, mind not on one subject, just browsing as she worked out. Adrian needed her to jump another level in the next two weeks. That would take work.

  Angela grunted, pushing the sweaty bar up on the last set. The men used heavier weights and did harder tests, especially with the limits John and Marc had insisted on, but she was alone right now and would do as she pleased. John had said two more weeks before she could have full duty back, but Angela was determined to earn it quicker.

  Adrian studied her from just inside the flap, where the shadows were the darkest. His gaze narrowed in on her sweaty skin as she finished the set and began another. The pushups were hard on her, shoulder muscles still healing, but she didn’t give up until she’d done it. Her actions spoke of someone determined to accomplish things. Her workdays included time training and learning, and even her off days found her doing something either for the camp or with them. She spent time with her son, did her shifts, volunteered, and when those things were put with everything she’d given him, it was enough to make Adrian take notice.

  He liked her routine, her attitude, her ability to calm him...and then there was the way her hair beckoned, the way she smelled. He couldn’t get her out of his mind.

  ?

  Lee saw Adrian take a place in the shadows, but didn’t join him as their radios crackled.

  “Hello, Safe Haven. This is the first transmission of American Waves. Good evening, good wishes, and good will to you all.”

  Having already read the first script before giving a copy to Adrian, Lee tuned it out, but all around camp, people were stopping to stare as Kevin’s smooth timbre began lulling them into slumber. It was a brilliant way to quell the jumpiness.

  “We’re going to start with a request format and go from there, but first, we’ll have a few minutes of something I have personally longed for. Happy long belated Memorial Day, Safe Haven, and to everyone else out there–we salute your determination to survive, and we honor your losses.”

  The sound of Taps filled their minds with ghosts and awful flashes, but Adrian had told his men things would always get worse before they got better. Starting the new radio station in respect, allowing the camp a night to grieve, would generate a new layer of scabs over those bleeding wounds. With enough moments like it, there might even be true healing.

  Staying in the shadows, Lee wished Adrian could find some of what he was always giving his people. If the blond man lost faith, they were doomed.

  When Angela emerged from the tent, the shadows were deep. The first thing she saw was the glow of a cherry in the darkest of them. The smell of pot smoke came to her, along with another, sharper scent she instantly identified.

  She waited, noticing the closest Eagle could barely hear them. Angela frowned when Lee gave her a pointed look and turned his back.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes.” She could hear that he wasn’t. So much death and loneliness had him at a personal limit. “And you?”

  Adrian wanted to tell her everything was 5-by, but lying was more than he could manage. “I will be.”

  Angela blew out a thick stream of smoke. “Soon?”

  She heard him sigh.

  “Probably not. What I need isn’t available.”

  Angela didn’t like the misery in his answer. “Is there anything I can do?”

  She frowned. She hadn’t meant to make that offer.

  Adrian’s mouth opened, eyes already begging. “Tell me to go away and do it right now!”

  Need blazed between t
hem, raw and sharp.

  Angela didn’t hesitate, despite the lust thumping through her body. “I belong to Marc. Choose a whore.”

  He was gone a second later, and Angela let her feet take her to where she had wanted to be all day.

  She ignored the witch whispering of the pleasure she was missing. Marc was moving them through the levels at a pace she was comfortable with. Adrian’s relief source wouldn’t get that consideration, or any other, until he’d satisfied that burning need.

  Not all men become monsters. Surely, you know that?

  Angela didn’t answer the witch. Let one of the others tend Adrian. He was right. She wasn’t available.

  4

  “When did you know mom was the one?”

  Charlie and Marc were hanging around the mess, watching to make sure the crowd didn’t get unruly. There were stares and murmurs as people went by, last night’s brutal match still the talk of the camp. For Marc, it was the start of another stress, one where he had to be careful not to let the inner man come forward too often. He was still denying that part of himself, not ready to face it.

  “As soon as I saw her. That was the day I went against Mother Brady for the first time in my life.”

  “Was it hard to pick between her and our family?”

  “No. I knew she was perfect for me in ways that they could never be.” Marc was jerked into the past. “She was my kind, long before I knew what that was.”

  Charlie pushed in gently, sure his dad wouldn’t be bothered, and he observed the moment with an intense curiosity that was usually lacking when it came to the details of their beginnings. He still hadn’t completely gotten over how young his mom had been, but each moment he witnessed reinforced the bond, the irresistible need for each other. That was what Charlie was hoping for, why he was storing information, and he was delighted when Marc began rolling through it as if they were there.

  Welcome home.

  Her voice was in my head, confirming her gift and my sanity, and I grinned. “It’s great to be back.”

  Worlds spun in her gaze, tempting, pulling, and I reluctantly tore my eyes away from her sweet face.