In The Shadows of the Cavern of Death (Shadows of Death Book 1)

by Angelique Jones

  “What did you find out?” his second-in-command asked, clearly confused by our silence.

  “We managed to get into the main house and find some vid disc we won’t know there value of until we’re back at camp and are able to access them,” he replied in a tone that said he was through discussing it. Keeping my face blank when they turned to look at me, I joined Michael, picking at the fruits on the table. After everyone was seated, Michael began to speak again. “I don’t want anyone leaving the unit. Tara, Misty, and I will go to Tehenis late in the night and collect anything he might have found, but other than that, I don’t want to jeopardize our chance of getting out of this hellhole tomorrow. Now I want everyone to get as much rest as they can, we’ll be driving in shifts, there will be no breaks if it can be helped. I have no intention of ending up like those people at the auction.” Murmurs of agreement passed through the room as thoughts of what they had seen played through our heads. Death was better than the fate those poor beings were being forced to suffer.

  Silently, the rest of our day passed into night, the day’s events casting a morbid feeling through all present. Michael and his second-in-command were to the side, speaking in whispered words as he passed my satchel to him. They would take our bags and we would meet them at the transport after we finished with Tehenis. Turning my gaze to the direction of Tara and Samuel, I discreetly watched them out of the corner of my eye. Were they waiting for a chance to betray us or were they truly just looking to help free our people? We really knew nothing of them and I know that was the reason Michael wanted us to keep quiet about what we had seen and heard. As I stared on, the image of a golden-haired child at the auction flashed into my mind. Her little broken spirit that to me showed clearly in her desolate eyes and blank face sent a piercing pain into my ice-incased heart. It was that image that had me picking up a large tote when we left, hoping that I wasn’t making a mistake that would cost any of us our lives.

  The streets were just as alive as they were the other night though with a different type of people than those who roamed during the day. Tehenis met us at the door as if he had been watching, quickly shutting it behind us, gathering Tara into his arms. We had one hour before we were to depart, so he quickly showed us what he had been able to gather. Vid discs of the city’s defenses and information on the population and infrastructure were given to us. It was more than we could have hoped for. Quietly we spoke as Michael passed him communications codes so that we could coordinate with him, knowing that us coming back to the city would be a risk if they found out what we had stolen. Time passed quickly and we needed to leave; going outside, we gave Tara and her husband a moment alone. When she joined us, you could tell that she was barely holding herself together. We hadn’t walked a few steps when I told them that I had left my tote behind. Telling them to go ahead, I rushed back and got it, rejoining them fifteen minutes later. Ignoring their looks that spoke without words––asking what took me so long––I repositioned my bag across my back, holding the strap tightly in my grip and silently followed.

  We joined the others just as they were about to enter the transport pick-up station. We waited as the man who ran the facility came forward and scanned Michael’s tag. Looking down, he spoke into a device in his ear and a few moments later a vehicle was being brought around. No one spoke as we loaded our bags and ourselves in. Following Tara’s directions, we maneuvered through the city reaching the final gate. I think we all held our breaths as the final scan was made when the large gates opened and we were able to cross the bridge and begin our journey back to the free world. No one released that breath until the trees surrounded us, as if welcoming us home.

  Chapter 19

  We would be home tonight. Passing more and more patrols that had seemed to grow exponential since we left, I worried that there may not be enough of us to fight. In less than an hour we would reach a different entrance to the bunker, one that would allow us to drive the vehicle right in. A diversion had been planned to draw any lingering troops in that area away. Stopping on the deserted stretch of road, we got out and went about disabling the vehicle’s tracking system. Taking advantage of everyone leaving the vehicle, I went and checked my bag making sure that everything was still good. The sound of sudden silence had me pulling out my knife and moving into the shadows.

  “You two watch them while I go and see what they’re carrying. Maybe next time they’ll think twice before not sharing some extra rations,” a voice laughed harshly right before its owner stepped in.

  Remaining completely still I blended into the wall as I watched the soldier approach, going toward the supplies we were carrying. Rifling through, he pulled a bottle of alcohol that must have been placed in there for the officers. Taking a large swig, he smiled as he looked around, poking at things until he came to our bags. Unzipping my bag, he gave a little yelp as a pair of large frightened eyes stared back at him. It was the last sound that he’d ever make. Stepping forward, I wrapped my arm around him, covering his mouth with my hand before using my knife to cut his throat. Through it all I held the pair of eyes staring at me from the bag, willing her not to scream. Taking his weight with my body, I lowered him to the floor before stepping forward to re-zip the bag.

  “Mason, keep the gun on them while I go see what’s taking Peterson so long,” a voice huffed as it came closer to the vehicle. Moving to the door, I pressed my body all the way back, waiting until he stepped in and was clear of the sight of the door before shoving my knife deep in his throat. Ripping it free, I watched as he gurgled for a moment before he was dead. Taking a look at the door, I could see that the last soldier’s back was to me. Stepping from the vehicle, I approached him from behind, shoving my knife into the base of his head before he had a chance to turn. Stepping forward, Michael took the gun from his now limp grip before he fell to the ground.

  Pulling my knife free, I heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. Racing to the vehicle, we threw the bodies out to the side of the road, unable to take the time to hide them. I could feel the others looking at me, but I ignored them, closing my eyes. A large bump had me reopening them, as I realized more time than I thought had passed––instead of the forest, thick concrete surrounded us, we were home. I hadn’t bothered to really learn the names of my companions, so when one growled, “Why the hell did you do that? You should have just let them take the supplies. You could have ruined everything.” I just looked at him, uncaring, before I stood. The sounds of footsteps of whoever was outside approaching could be heard in the loud chamber. Walking back to my large tote, I carefully took it down, placing it on the floor before unzipping it and letting out the little girl who had been hidden within. Though she was clinging to me, I stood with her in my arms and walked her over to an immobile Tara. Placing the little girl on her lap, I pried her fingers from my neck and placed them around Tara’s. “This is your mother,” I told her, before gathering my bags and walking by my stunned unit out the door.

  Standing under the running water of the shower, I watched the red pool at my feet before going down the drain. The blood of my enemies washed clean from my body and soul. Stepping from the shower, I wrapped myself into a robe, going out of the small room. Michael sat in a chair watching me. Ignoring him, I went to the bed and sitting down, I rested my back to the wall and pulled my feet up, closing my eyes.

  “Why?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  Without opening my eyes, I said, “The father will be freer to help us now without concern for the child’s fate if he is discovered.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us that you had the child after we were away? You had to know we wouldn’t have sent her back.” He sighed.

  Opening my eyes I tilted my head to look at him. “It was safer if no one knew. If we were stopped, someone might have appeared nervous. We were hiding enough secrets without adding that burden to the others.”

  “Why did you take her?” he asked, and I knew why he was asking.

  With a humorless smile, I sa
id, “I already told you. My plans haven’t changed––I’m still planning to kill her mother.” Seeing that he wouldn’t let this go, I said, “If her father is killed, then she has no one. The government takes the children that have no one and they become soldiers or what you saw at the auction. At least here she will be given to another family to be raised. They didn’t have to help and it’s not just their lives at risk if they’re caught, so I took the child to repay our debt to them.” Standing, I went to the closet, pulling out some clothing. “Give me a moment to dress and I’ll go with you to speak to the council. We don’t have much time,” I said, ending the subject. We had much more important issues to deal with than one child, so why did I risk all our lives to save hers?

  Stepping into the large hall, it felt empty as it only held the council members and our military leaders. A private session was held to disclose what we had learned. “In five days’ time, the city plans to attack and take us over,” Michael said to the stunned audience. It had taken us longer to get back due to an issue with the vehicle. “They have been quietly setting up their soldiers in all the towns as regular visiting citizens, the invasion force is here and just waiting for the moment to strike.”

  “General Petro, where are we at with the training of our forces?” Samson said, taking Michael’s warning to heart.

  “We’ve had them training around the clock in shifts,” he said, hardening his face. “I didn’t know if it will be enough if they are going against hardened soldiers that have been trained for years.”

  Murmurs sounded around the room, stepping forward, I asked silencing the room. “What about your government’s trained military troops?”

  “That’s the problem, they are the government’s troops.”

  “Not necessarily, they are citizens first. Citizens whose family members will be in danger. If we could get in touch with their families, we may have a chance at getting them to stand with us.” Seeing the blatant disbelief in their eyes, I tried another tactic. “The Loyalist city plans on completely overthrowing your government and making a slave out everyone left alive when the dust clears. Your government leaders are too stupid to realize that they are not going to remain in power after this coup. They will have most of your troops undeployed, easily captured, or killed in their unreadiness. It would seem to me that the first strike that they would want to make is to get rid of your main defenses. Most of the troops are housed in two bases, one in the Stone City the other in Twin Rivers. I’ll bet that is where the first strikes will take place. If we place our troops near enough, we should be able to save the majority of them and get those still alive to fight with us.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” a dark-haired man said, looking at me thoughtfully. “We’d need to work out some details, but I think it would work. Especially if we could get some of their family members to join us. Most wouldn’t hesitate to join us if they see a military threat against their civilian family members”––he raised his hand to stop a red-faced man from speaking––“I don’t mean we take children to use as bait, but adults willing to fight for the cause,” he finished, deflating the man’s argument before it begun.

  “We’ll have to move fast if we have a chance of being in place before the fighting starts. And each town will have to be warned. We don’t have enough weapons yet to arm everyone. I don’t know if it just would be best if they didn’t resist,” councilman Vincent said, looking troubled.

  I knew what they were thinking. They were thinking of their own village and the senseless deaths. “Vincent, your people were unarmed and the soldiers didn’t care. Do you honestly think if they don’t fight that they will be spared until help can come? My government’s soldiers have no honor or mercy in them. They were not raised by families, but by the state to be soldiers. It is better that those people fight with their bare hands if they have to. I say this to you now and heed my warning––there can be no mercy, if you show it or expect it, you will die. So think long and hard before taking surrendering soldiers; it’s best just to go for the kill and be done with it.”

  “She’s right, Vincent, it’s best that all of you heed her words. Those soldiers are little more than monsters. The things that we witnessed in that city will stay with me until my death, burned there by the depravity. I would gladly kill myself and any of our people that I could reach rather than let them take us as captives,” Michael said, the horrors of his time in the city naked in his eyes for all to see.

  “Then they fight,” Petro said. “Is there anything else we should be aware of?”

  “Yes, they are trying to plant spies among us. They’re going to release them like Prey. They will be implanted with a homing beacon that can be turned on and off to avoid immediate detection,” Michael said, causing a look to pass among them that I didn’t like. “How many are already here?” he asked, interpreting their looks correctly. They must have flown them in to beat us back.

  “Four, they’re being rounded up now, sir,” called our guard from the back of the hall who had sent out a warning as soon as the words left Michael’s mouth.

  “Have any unauthorized signals been monitored since their arrival?”

  “Negative.”

  Looking at the soldier, an idea formed. “They’re planning on taking us out first,” I mused slowly, as things started to fall into place. “They have no idea where we are located, those spies, they were to lead them to us, but they assume that we are in the woods. Those extra patrols that we saw must be part of the group massing to take us out.”

  “That would make sense,” Michael nodded.

  “We could take them wherever we wanted and that’s where the soldiers would go, to look for us.”

  Smiling, Michael approved. “Yes, they would. We could lead them anywhere or into anything.”

  Chuckling, Petro put in, “They’ll be moved within the hour. Toward the ranges to the south, there’s a lot of open space there and our demolition expert will have some practice.”

  After that they made plans on how to use the spies who were really no more than casualties of war. The talks over the next six hours ranged from how to infiltrate the Stone City to the outer towns. Everything that would take place over the next few days began in this room. There was no telling what the death toll would be when this was finished, but I knew that it would be more than they could imagine. I was exhausted when we finally finished for the night, the events of the last almost two weeks taking its toll.

  Rising up, Michael caught my arm and held it to him as he spoke. “Dillon,” Michael said to the dark-haired man from earlier, “has your division accessed the codes that I brought back yet?”

  “They’re working on it now. I’ll let you know as soon as we’re successful in gaining access to their internal video grid. They’re poring over the vid discs you also brought back now to see if anything useful can be gained.”

  “Keep your men working on it. I have a feeling that if we can access their video system, we’ll have a chance to hack their computer systems. I believe that it is all networked together in some way.”

  Dillon smiled tiredly, “After everything that was said tonight, we could use a break like that.” Nodding his head to me, he said, “We’ll talk more tomorrow––you’d better walk her to her room, she looks dead on her feet.”

  Without another word, Michael slowly turned me and walked me through the halls. It was a testament to how tired I was that I didn’t protest when he led me like a child. As tired as I was, I knew that sleep would be long in the coming and short in the having––my past too close to the surface to allow for anything else. Opening the door, he led me into my room. Breaking away, I went to my bed, toeing off my shoes and curling into a ball. Opening my eyes when I felt him over me, I felt him lean down and remove my jacket, tossing it on the chair that held his. Scooting toward the wall when I saw him move to sit, I was surprised when he laid down and pulled me over, tucking my head under his chin and wrapping his arms around me. “Sleep,” he whispered, and surpr
isingly, I did, in the comforting warmth of another person, pushing back the cold darkness that would have seized me had I been alone.

  Chapter 20

  We had moved the spies just in time. We were able to reach the area that had been approved and our trap was successful. A part of the large contingent of the soldiers that had been searching in this area were now dead, the explosives having killed over two hundred of them. Heavily armed, they were sitting ducks as they searched for an entrance that did not exist. The ones that had survived the explosion hadn’t returned to this area. Everyone here had basked in the announcements of those deaths, their need for vengeance in the name of those that they had lost was a thirst that the water from the deepest well could not quench.

  Moving through the corridor, I went to have a private meeting with Vincent before I left. The day after tomorrow the battle would begin and our troops had been moving in small groups in preparation. Some were sent to warn the outlying villages and towns while others infiltrated the Stone City or scouted the forests to see where the soldiers hid and where to hide our troops in preparation to take the military bases. These people had not truly seen war since the great cleansing, so I knew that the excitement that they now felt would turn quickly to ash as their loved ones never returned to them again.

  Not bothering to knock, I entered his office, taking a seat in front of his desk. “I hear that you are going to the Stone City,” he stated, coming right to the point.

  “Yes, I felt that I would be more useful there,” I replied, even though he didn’t expect an answer.

  Pulling off his glasses, he rubbed between his eyes, “We have better uses for you than dying. We expect heavy casualties in the assault to take the Stone City. It would be a loss to the cause if one of them was you.”

  “There are more manageable bodies from the cavern here and in the city––pick one of them to be the figure head for the revolution.”