From the Ashes

by Angela White

  “Will you kiss–”

  Marc lunged forward to claim her mouth.

  3

  After a few minutes of talking, the five vehicles continued on their way, and the camp watched them in uneasy surprise. They weren’t joining? Didn’t they understand they’d just found safety?

  Adrian climbed into his semi and lit a smoke. His hand shook as he keyed the mike. “They’re passing through. Let’s get things loaded up and passenger lists checked.”

  The small caravan was seven cars and trucks, each with a glittery name on the windows or doors. There was a tool truck, a heavily barred mail truck announcing currency exchanges, a clothing jeep covered in poles and plastic, and even a book wagon. Each store was lined in shelves and baskets that were woefully lacking in what they claimed to have.

  The vendors were all female, as were the passengers, and it gave Adrian concern, even as he understood the need for it. The females running that show, Carol and Marsha, weren’t about to give up their independence and join Safe Haven, where they had to live side-by-side with those who’d destroyed the world. Adrian was sure these wouldn’t be the only all-female group they met in these new apocalyptic times.

  Adrian didn’t watch the group leave, confident his Eagles would be. Right now, he needed a few minutes to get back in control.

  Adrian’s eyes went to the mirror. He would have to fix this when they made camp, and he had a good idea of what would help, but it was hard. Her reaction!

  Adrian drew in a thick lungful of smoke and blew it back out in a furious stream. Tracy had better be available. The heat would have to be released this time.

  Adrian watched Angela kiss Marc, saw Marc’s hands tighten on her shoulders.

  Fuck!

  Adrian started his rig and then ground the cigarette out on the back of his hand in a frustrated attempt at distraction.

  His teary eyes went to the mirror. Her head was on Marc’s chest, a small smile on those cherry lips.

  Adrian grimaced in misery. Seeing them together hurt more than any burn. It was the worst pain he’d ever felt.

  4

  Marc was aware of Angela’s lingering tension as they climbed from their vehicle. Instead of words, they chose to watch Kyle get the camp set up.

  Things had changed for Kyle here, no longer as admired or respected, but there was little anyone could say about his actions now. He was polite to Jennifer, treating her like a ward, and everyone was getting used to them being together. The camp and Eagles weren’t taking it easy on him, but he did have a bit of backup. If he hadn’t, Angela was sure Adrian would have helped the couple. Ten minutes around with them said the same thing Seth and Becky had already given up trying to explain to offended people. Right or wrong, they were going to have their way. The easiest thing to do was let it run its course and protect the females if they ever needed it.

  Angela doubted it would become a problem. Both of those males were smitten, unable to think straight at the slightest brush of their mate’s hand, and the females were wearing grins and secure cloaks of contentment. Those pairs were here to stay, and Safe Haven would have to get used to it. It appeared that some members were trying. There hadn’t been a request for a moral vote yet in either case. As long as Peggy didn’t protest and Kyle waited until Jennifer was older to touch her, they all might end up very happy. It was a perfect setup, guided into place by fate and their perfect leader.

  “I’m nobody’s perfect anything.”

  Angela winced. Hadn’t she shut that door, not wanting Adrian to sense that she and Marc were about to…get closer?

  “Too late for that.” Adrian, on his way to the parking area to supervise, pointed toward the small farmhouse. “Enjoy your clean bill of health in a real bed.”

  Flushing, Angela went to unload her things and get set for tonight’s meeting. She didn’t like the camp thinking she was getting special treatment, but Marc wasn’t above taking advantage of Adrian’s need to keep her safe.

  And you, as well, the witch reminded. You’ve more than enjoyed being alone with him.

  She was cleared for full duty now. Angela didn’t plan to mention it. She was sure that Adrian hadn’t gotten Marc’s okay, only John’s.

  Angela let go of her annoyance, waiting to enter the house until Daryl said it was clear. She marched by the recon team with red cheeks at the knowing looks and comments being exchanged, but she didn’t insist on a tent. She wanted any private time with Marc that she could get, that hadn’t changed since their first meeting all those years ago. In a few days, she would have to give up their late nights in place of her duty, though. She was going into Little Rock. Marc wasn’t.

  Kyle caught up with Angela before she made it inside the house. “Do they die? Is that why you’re looking her over for your team?”

  He’d tried hard to resist asking the question, but failed.

  Angela stopped, wanting to tell the truth, but also to keep hiding it. What was the right thing?

  “Please,” Kyle begged. “I have to help her.”

  The witch wouldn’t look for Kyle, but it was a question that Adrian had already asked. “What would you give to prevent it?”

  Kyle was crushed. That meant they died. He’d expected to be upset, but this pain! He wanted Jenny’s babies. “What do I have to do?”

  Angela pushed the witch back, preferring to handle this one herself. “Adrian already made that deal for you. If it can be done, he’ll see to it.”

  Kyle’s face relaxed as much as he was capable of. “Thank you.”

  “I see darkness when I look, Eagle.” Angela delivered the short warning as she headed inside the house to drop her gear and get cleaned up before the tryout. “Brace for it.”

  5

  “It’s good that everyone brought their guns. My Eagles don’t go anywhere without one.”

  Angela swept the slightly crowded tent, almost shocked by how many women had shown up to try for her team. She’d been optimistic when she directed Sam and Cynthia to set up one of the common tents that would hold forty, but it had been a good choice. She had nearly that many waiting patiently for her to begin, eager to fight for her right hand. The honor, the sense of power was enough to make her laugh aloud. But she didn’t.

  “We’re going to talk, and I’ll take notes. If I need you to do something that the others have already done, they’ll instruct you, so holster those competitive attitudes. I want women who will work together, no matter who directs them. If you already know you can’t do that, bow out now.”

  Samantha forced herself to her feet. “I should go, then. So should Cyn. We’ll kill each other for that slot.”

  Angela motioned them both forward. “One minute. Tell me why you should get it.”

  The females had only been prepared for battle, and neither of them spoke.

  Angela didn’t mock them but made her dissatisfaction clear. “Both of you deserve the place, but neither of you can give me what I need from it. You’re too full of yourselves, still, to fit the role.”

  Before they could protest, Angela held up a hand. “It’s not a bad thing, ladies. Every soul in this camp is going through hard adjustments, learning to adapt to the challenges that are thrown our way. You two are no different.”

  “Does that mean we’re excluded?”

  “Only from XO. You’ll both have a place on my team, if you can handle the pecking order when I post it.”

  They left cloaked in a feeling of disappointment and failure that they weren’t sure what to do with.

  As they exited the well-guarded area, Samantha and Cynthia stayed together. Doing rounds had become a routine to them both, as well as taking the late shift.

  “Do you think it was the drama with our personal lives or the fact that we don’t get along?”

  Sam shrugged, stinging. “Both, I’d guess. Probably more, too.”

  “But, you’re like them. I don’t understand why she passed you by.”

  Sam let the truth out, no longer wary of
the reporter. “A lot of people like them are here now. Adrian’s been gathering our kind.”

  Cynthia hadn’t considered that. “What happens when there are enough?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we can heal the world.” Sam headed toward the garden. “Or maybe we’ll finish destroying it.”

  Cynthia noted the unhappy tone that matched her own and followed. “You need a hand in there or something?”

  Samantha started to shoot down the pity offer, then saw how Cynthia was braced for scorn. She was making a genuine offer. Why?

  Cynthia read it and shrugged. “I’m a bit…lost. I thought you might be, too.”

  Sam let go of their grudge in that moment. “I am. Not as much as before the war, but the last weeks have been rough.”

  “It’s like there’s no anchor,” Cynthia agreed. “The camp’s divided, I sleep alone at night, and I’ve lost the one thing I thought I wanted most.”

  Sam raised a brow. “Thought?”

  “I wasn’t going to be the best papergirl,” the reporter confessed. “I’m a lot like Kenn when it comes to being a glory-hound.”

  Sam was surprised to hear such an admission, and immediately delivered one of her own. “I was more concerned about trying to keep up with her mentally. Angela’s so much like Adrian that it’s a bit intimidating.”

  “I know, right?”

  Lurking around freshly made piles of debris, Kyle listened to the females going through the same levels of anxiety his own team had, and understood that the moment Adrian had been hoping for was here. These two had surrendered their competition and come together. It was only one instant in time, but it would lead to more. It was how he and Chris had become so close after competing for Top Eagle.

  Kyle winced at the thought of his late XO. Daryl was good, but he and Chris had been a matched set.

  Kyle saw a small group of scowling females come from the try-out tent. He slid into the shadows to get the uncensored version that he would report later, if he thought it was warranted.

  “How was I supposed to know? I didn’t think females had to kill. I can’t do that.”

  “I think I could, but only if my life was threatened.”

  “How many of them who stayed can?”

  “Only a few,” Kyle muttered, wondering if that was the line Angela had chosen to use in her selections. Having a right hand who would kill for you was hard to find and invaluable to have in this world. Curious and oddly flattered, Kyle kept observing.

  The next feet to leave the tent belonged to those who half-heartedly complained about the physical requirements, but Anne didn’t appear unhappy as she ducked out of sight with the others. Instead, the nurse looked extremely satisfied, and Kyle guessed she knew that the last weeks of training had been what pulled so many females into that tent. Angela would end up with roughly twenty viable recruits from which to choose a team, and Anne was now off the hook. She could spend her time with her husband–where she’d wanted to be all along–but now, she could protect him. The little old lady may not be able to keep up as an Eagle, but she was definitely a gunslinger.

  More women emerged, a small group wearing the slumped shoulders of people who knew they weren’t making the cut this time around, that more work was required.

  “So I panicked and said something stupid,” one of them muttered to herself as she avoided the other sullen, silent females. “Not the first time. I’ll try again.”

  The trio vanished from sight, and Kyle inched closer. The noise from the camp dropped as everyone settled in for the night, and Kyle found he could now hear the voices inside the tent.

  “Two more, ladies, and then we’ll get a bit more personal with those remaining. Answer this question honestly of yourself, because it will be a requirement. Can you handle being injured? Since I joined Safe Haven, I’ve been stabbed and shot.”

  Kyle heard Angela exposing her scars and then their timid reactions, thinking she was smart to handle it that way.

  “Wow.”

  “Ah, man. That’s gross.”

  “Uh-huh. No way.”

  Another group of females exited the tent, leaving roughly half as Angela asked her last question. “Will you defend me and this team against the camp?”

  Complete silence.

  “There will come times that your orders go against camp rules. When they find out, they’ll resent you, as they have all the Eagles who’ve had to make that choice. In time, it always changes to acceptance because the reason behind it was valid, but at the time, it is very hard to live with. If you can’t stand with me against everyone else in camp, including Adrian, it won’t work.”

  “We think you should be leading anyway–the camp females.”

  Kyle had expected most of the remaining females to leave and was surprised by not only the answer, but by its source. He hadn’t noticed her entering the tent. How had she gotten in?

  Angela studied Tonya’s flushed face in the thick tension. “Why? He’s done well by all of you.”

  Tonya didn’t drop her eyes. “Kenn says you’re purer, you won’t sacrifice as quickly, or risk lives as often without better reasons.”

  Angela leaned back in her chair, more than surprised at the words. “Why does Kenn think you’ll make a good Eagle?”

  Now, Tonya did look away, shrugging. “’Cause he’s sleeping with me, maybe. I’m not sure.”

  Angela suspected that, too. “Why do you think you can?”

  “Because I’m harder than any of the women you’ve interviewed.” Her voice lowered into a slightly shocked misery as the others protested. “And, because I didn’t even know I wanted it until he said you wouldn’t take me.”

  Angela understood the challenge had brought Tonya to the tent, and she raised a brow, ignoring the other smirking females. They thought the redhead had blown it, but honesty was everything.

  “And if I told you that I won’t stand for a team member who spies and reports to Adrian?”

  Tonya lifted her chin. “Then I’d say good luck, ‘cause that’s in the job description.”

  Angela stared at her. “Yes, it is.”

  She studied Tonya’s tense profile, her acceptable clothes and fiery green eyes. She was trying to fit in and succeeding. Would she be able to bring that determination to a team? “Can you shoot?”

  “Level three.”

  “Self-defense?”

  “Level two in kai. Kenn teaches me in his downtime.”

  “Organization, following orders?”

  “Won’t be a problem, no matter where I’m put. He’s helped me get a schedule down that I’m good with.”

  The other females began to realize that Tonya’s interview was being taken seriously. Her answers were too good for this to be a joke.

  “What about your lust for power?”

  Tonya spoke her heart. “Fading in place of the dream, like with everyone else who joins his damn refugee camp.”

  Angela was satisfied. “Thank you for coming.”

  Tonya shrugged, turning toward the flap. “Just seemed like I was supposed to.”

  7

  “Hang on.”

  Kyle caught Tonya’s attention as she ducked out.

  Tonya braced to hear that she’d never be allowed to be one of them. Kenn had warned her that the senior Eagles wouldn’t like it.

  “You gave good answers.” Kyle studied her thoughtfully. “You really think you can kill?”

  Tonya was astonished that he hadn’t cut her dead. “Yes. I have enough hatred to let out when it’s needed.”

  Kyle motioned to a mutated ant wandering in panicked circles as it tried to pick up the scent of the colony over the dog odors. “End that. Now.”

  Tonya had noticed the training lessons using knives on the mutations and slid hers out of its sheath. She didn’t know why she was being given a chance, but she wanted it.

  The throw was good. Not great, it only stuck in the ant’s rear end and caused it to emit a low shriek. Still, she hit it, and Kyle was impre
ssed.

  “Again, and finish it off this time.” He tossed her his knife and was surprised when she caught it.

  Tonya flipped the knife around and threw, harder. It pinned the ant to the ground, ending the barely audible cries–the newest mutation. Ants were developing vocal communication.

  “Very nice.”

  They both spun to find Angela at the flap.

  She raised a brow. “Anything else I should know?”

  Kyle shook his head. “Nope.”

  “Good. Carry on.”

  She vanished into the tent, and Kyle snorted. That felt so much like Adrian that it was perfect. She was going to be a good leader.

  Tonya retrieved both blades with no signs that it bothered her to rip them free of the ant.

  Kyle took his back, seeing she automatically wiped hers on her jeans. Interesting. How much was this one ready for?

  Tonya gave him a nod, understanding she’d gone up in Angela’s opinion. “Thanks.”

  Kyle pointed at the training area where half a dozen of his remaining team was practicing on the ant colony lining their western perimeter in search of scraps. “Tell them I sent you. Stay a few minutes and make an impression.”

  Tonya’s mouth fell open in shock. “Why? You hate me.”

  Kyle thought of how Adrian had put her to work during the sinkhole, and of how she’d still been at it come dawn. “No one hates you anymore. You’ve been forgiven. Don’t stop earning it.”

  Tonya smiled, one without greed or seduction, and it made her beautiful.

  “You’re in good with the girl. She digs you a lot now.”

  “I hope so,” Kyle grunted, fading into the shadows of the tent he was guarding. “I’d miss this shit.”

  Inside the tent, Angela’s stony gaze raked the twenty-two females waiting restlessly. They were the best of the lot, minus those she’d sent away first, and Angela gave them a challenging smirk. “Who’s ready to get dirty?”

  She approved of their wary expressions. They were right to be concerned. Next, to narrow down the field, was work with the animals. The vet was bringing a load of dogs by, the ones they’d found in the Library in Wichita, and they still stank. The rest of the evening would be spent grooming those fortunate animals and noting who had the stamina for it. After that, she would take them to the kids’ area.