Edge of Instinct: Rabids Book 1

by Amy Cook

  “Bypass it? Does that mean they can get in here with us while we sleep?” Her mind instantly switched to the Raiders and she wondered if they would one day figure out how to bypass the Fields as well. She shuddered, muscles tensing at the thought.

  “Ain’t gonna lie, it’s possible. But they typically ain’t dumb enough to try it when someone’s inside. When nobody’s inside, the fields run on the lowest power possible. With somebody inside it though, the fields get ratcheted up to their highest.”

  So the waypoints weren’t as safe as she’d hoped. It was still better than being out in the open, she reasoned. Releasing an unsteady breath, she silently assured him with a nod that her legs were fine enough she could handle it alone, and he strode purposefully toward the small buildings. Gun drawn in one hand, knife in the other, he hunted around until he declared their little bubble to be safe and bad guy free. Returning to his ride he dislodged the black bag and headed to the porta john without comment. By the time he returned to hook what she assumed was an empty bag back onto his bike, her legs and arms were feeling good enough that her hopes of walking without collapse had risen. Grabbing the black bag as discretely as she could, she took her chances.

  She didn’t fall on her face, but the mixture of having been on a bike for so long, and the fact that she had to pee so badly, led to a strained sort of bowlegged stride. Amiel didn’t care. She just needed that bathroom, and a moment of privacy to regroup. The familiar goose bumped shiver raced up her spine as she walked, doing nothing if not increasing her pained gait. She felt like a rabbit being hunted by a hidden predator. Locking the door behind and standing on the seat, she stretched upward to look out the vent holes, eyes searching the horizon. And for just an instant, thought she saw movement. Straining her gaze, she found no more movement and couldn’t be sure if it had been a trick of the heat, or true movement. Probably just an animal. She was jumping at shadows that weren’t even there.

  When finished with her business, Amiel unscrewed the pee bag and dumped out its contents too, with a scrunched face of disgust. The porta potty was like a sauna, sweat instantly soaking through her shirt, especially since she didn’t have the coolant pack running in her leather jacket. It didn’t smell that great, either. Though to be fair, half of that scent was likely from her own body. The feeling of being hunted returned the moment she exited the porta potty. Her eyes swung left and right as she searched. Still nothing. The tags had remained in a constant state of brooding heat since they had left the Outer Gates. Maybe they were broken? Or the heat of the journey and her own body were screwing with its readings? She stared out at the tree line they had exited from earlier, squinting harder as the sensation crawled slowly across her skin like a caress, tightening muscles as it went until her whole body was coiled with anticipation. The trees ahead seemed crisp in their clarity, and the harder she stared, the more certain she was that something was there, staring right back at her. Amiel shuddered, thinking of the creepy Raider dude on the cameras.

  “Whatcha lookin’ at?” Amiel jerked, surprising both herself and Tandy as she landed a punch to his arm, a punch hard enough that it actually rocked him to the side. Her eyes grew wide and instantly the apologies began pouring out.

  “Gosh, Tandy, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, or at all really. I am so sorry. Are you okay?” He stared at her.

  “Hell’s Bells, girl! When ya lay it down, y’all really lay it down!” Her horrified expression turned stricken.

  “I am so, so sorry! I really am. I have no idea what happened. I just keep getting this creeped out feeling. Like someone- or something- is watching us, and I was concentrating really hard trying to see, and I thought I saw something move, and then you came up behind me and scared me, and I just…reacted?” The whole spiel poured out in a long never ending jumbled sentence, and she cringed wondering if he was going to be angry with her, maybe even leave her out here in the middle of nowhere. Just then, his surprised expression shifted to a good natured smile, and a booming laugh filled the humid air.

  “I ain’t mad at ya, honey! I’m derned proud! I was worried when we didn’t get to work on much self-defense, but that lil display just gave me more confidence in your abilities.” She shivered slightly as another creepy crawly skin episode struck. Her head swiveled toward the tree line once more, and this time she definitely saw movement there. Tandy nodded, a heavy frown lining his brow.

  “Got good instincts, too. It’s a pack of Rabids. Noticed ‘em a few hours back. Been followin’ us for a while it seems.” Her head whiplashed toward him so fast it nearly made her dizzy, her instincts screaming that the Rabids behavior wasn’t normal.

  “Why would they do that? Do they always chase people this far?” He shook his head, eyes never wavering from the tree line.

  “Rabes enjoy a good chase like any other predator. But travelin’ at the speed we were, we shoulda outpaced ‘em a long time ago. They typically don’t follow their prey outside their huntin’ grounds neither. They’re pretty territorial like that. The thing that bothers me most though, is the fact that it’s broad daylight. If it were dark, or even when the sun was at its weaker points, they’d be more likely to follow outside of their grounds, but they sure ain’t too fond of the sun, especially at its peak of heat.” He smoothed his fingers over his mustache, thoughtful, before rubbing his hands together and donning a cheerful expression.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much, honey. We’ll wait out the night, give the bikes a chance to cool, then head on out to our next waypoint at daylight. They’ll lose interest.” Amiel wasn’t so sure. If her instincts were right, the pack had been following a whole lot longer than Tandy suspected. Why follow with such dedication, only to give up when your prey was right in front of you. But she once again kept her concerns silent, following Tandy to the bikes. It was only then that she realized she was still lugging her bladder buddy around with her. Shyly stuffing it back onto the bike for tomorrow, she waited for Tandy’s direction on what to do for the night

  He had her extend her solars, catching the last of the sun’s rays to store overnight. He then unloaded two bags of supplies, tossing one to her. Amiel jumped as the electric field around their safe hold sizzled and popped. Looking over to the disturbance, she saw a pile of oily black ash, and on the outside, half of a severed lizard body. Instantly she thought back to the kamikaze Rabids at the shop, evaporating into the field at the garage. Only then it had been dark enough she couldn’t see the details of exactly what was left of their bodies. Staring at the remains of the lizard, she was grateful for that shield of darkness.

  “The field zaps anything that comes near it, remember? Bugs, lizards, and people alike.” It wasn’t until she felt Tandy’s grip on her shirt tail, that she realized shed been heading over for a closer look. He pulled her back a bit, eyeing her proximity to the field. “Best you keep your distance too, honey. Be an awful shame comin’ all this way, just to end up ash half way there, don’t ya think?” Amiel stared at that zapped lizard, throat feeling dry.

  “Giant bug zapper,” she muttered. Tandy chuckled beside her, nodding his agreement.

  “Nice thing about it though, we don’t gotta worry about no creepy crawlies climbin’ on us while we sleep tonight.” She glanced around, and a morbid thought struck her.

  “If it kills so many things, why aren’t there more carcasses lying around.”

  “Rabes ain’t the only predators in the world, honey. Animals gotta eat, too.” Amiel shuddered thinking of the animals slinking around in the night carrying off the remains of anything stupid enough to try and cross the field border. On the other hand, it was nice because she wouldn’t have to stare at what was left. They sat down, enjoying a silent meal together, both scanning the horizon for threat. Several hours later as the sun began setting, Amiel found she couldn’t keep her eyes away from the tree line. Her skin tightened, the hairs on her arms and neck sticking up like she’d stuck her finger in an outlet. Rubbing at it did nothing to disp
el the horrid feeling.

  “Best catch some sleep, Amiel. You’re gonna fall off that bike into a coma tomorrow otherwise.” Tandy’s teasing voice broke through her silent vigil. She nodded, tossing her duffel on the ground for a pillow. She could feel the lack of sleep and the stress eating away at her reserves, though she doubted she’d be able to sleep with this creeping sensation rolling over her in consuming waves. She wondered how long a person could function without sleep. Truthfully, she was surprised she had made it this far. The last week hadn’t exactly been conducive to restful nights and she’d never been good at late nights. Laying her head back on the bag, she glared up at the swiftly darkening sky. Eyes fixated on the North Star, her memory shifted to how she and Jaron used to lay out on the roof, and he would try to point out the constellations. She could never see them, but that didn’t stop Jaron from trying. Eventually she gave up and pretended to see them, just to please him. Tears stung her eyes, and she rolled to her side, grasping the tags in one hand. She prayed life would take on new meaning for her in her new future. She feared the likely solitary existence ahead would allow the full crush of grief and loneliness to destroy her.

  As the exhaustion settled in, Amiel lay floating in a fog. The noises of the outside world flitted across the muffled landscape of her mind, but her body lay comatose. Her eyes remained closed tightly, and somehow she knew she was floating between wakefulness and slumber, paralyzed in the shift. Her mind analyzed every sound; the railroad snoring of Tandy somewhere nearby, the sizzling and snapping of the energy field playing the role of bug zapper, the distant cries of animals hunting in the night. She made an effort to move her body, yet it refused to respond, leaving her to helplessly float in that dark fog. Though part of her mind panicked at the realization that she was trapped in this state, another part of her felt completely at ease, feeling for a brief time that the weight of life was lifted from her shoulders, leaving her to bask in the vague comfort of weightlessness. The feelings of ease won her over, and she turned her mind toward thinking, analyzing the situation. Her body lay sprawled in the comfortable position she was last aware of, laying on her left side, her left hand still gripping Jaron’s tags.

  Jaron’s tags…now those were a real mystery. They definitely served as a kind of warning system when danger was nearby. But was it danger from just Rabids, or did it encompass all dangers? She paused, and thought back to the times that the tags had warmed during her arguments with her mother, or in Geno’s presence. Obviously they were not Rabids, so perhaps the tags reacted to her stress levels? Her instincts warned her of danger, and the tags reacted in a more physical way of warning? She placed that thought to the side for later, and moved onto another.

  She thought back on the few snippets she had read in Jaron’s diary before she had read the scary one that had sent her running. He had mentioned receiving dog tags in his entries about his basic training, but had not gone into detail. Amiel thought back to Alexander and the other soldiers that she had met at the funeral. She couldn’t remember if they had worn the same tags or not. She made a mental note to contact Alexander or one of the others in Dallas and see if they had answers for her. Her mind shifted to her last conversation with Jaron, to his statement about his tags being recycled if she didn’t take them. If she made Alexander aware of the tags in her possession, would he be obligated to take them away? That was something she wasn’t willing to risk. She’d just have to force herself the rest of the way through Jaron’s frightening journals if she wanted answers. If she weren’t such a wimp, maybe she’d already have them.

  Intense heat suddenly seared across her skin, muscles bunching so tightly they jerked her from the odd floating slumber. Amiel blinked blearily, noting how dark the outside world had become. Her eyes scrunched in confusion as she noted the fact that she was sitting in a low crouching position. How had that happened? Tandy lay nearby, still snoring. The animals she’d heard in the distance while sleeping were now silent, and the calm of the fog had been replaced with the heavy sense of danger.

  The tags branded her skin with their heat, but her body made no attempt to pull them away. Her jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as they swiveled left to right searching the darkness ahead. On cue, the hairs on her skin rose so far off of her body it was almost painful in its sheer electrical stimulation to her nerves. Her gaze stopped roving, settling on a single spot of darkness. Movement soon followed, and the tags heated to blazing intensity as the movement formed into the shape of a man. He stopped just on the edge of the shadows, leaving an unsettling edge of aggravation in her as she recognized the figure for who it was. It was the Raider from the shop. Ten more shadows followed the man, also waiting on the edge of darkness. As though in a sick replay of the night before, his lips stretched into a devilish smirk, and he motioned his followers forward. As they neared, a jolt of heat shot through Amiel’s body. She let out a grunt of pain, clutching at her heart. Tandy jerked awake, guns at the ready.

  “What’s going on?” He blinked hard, clearing the sleep from his eyes. Just then a bird took to the air, belatedly fleeing the approaching Rabids. It didn’t get far, hitting the field and disintegrating with a squawk. Having assessed the situation Tandy let out a grunt, lowering his guns. “No worries, field’s still up. They can’t get through.” He glanced her way noticing her agonized state.

  “Y’all doin’ okay, honey?” She shook her head, sweat beginning to bead at her forehead. In all the years of her heart problems, she’d never felt pain like this. Were her mother’s warning coming to fruition and her rebellions were leading to a heart attack? She glanced back up at the approaching Rabids.

  “They’re c-coming closer,” she gasped out. He nodded, scooting closer to her, awkwardly patting her back.

  “Field’s up. They ain’t getting’ in,” he reaffirmed, watching her closely. “Y’all havin’ a panic attack or somethin’?” Amiel’s eyes rose to meet the Raider’s. His smirk was as confident as it had been the night before. A hand lifted to wave at her, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the memories of fear that resurfaced with that simple movement.

  “It’s him,” she groaned as another spike of pain shot through her, felling her to her hands and knees. Then everything went black.

  Chapter 8

  Amiel

  When she came to, the sun was stretching its bright fingers across the land. Her entire body ached to the point that she couldn’t move. Her eyes were grainy and ultra sensitive to the light of sun. The world tipped around her as she lifted her head, and for a moment disorientation assailed her senses. Her mind panicked as it registered the inability to move. Glancing down revealed the source of paralysis; strong ropes tying her expertly to a pole. She squirmed, but couldn’t move an inch.

  “Tandy! Tandy, where are you!” she gasped in a panic. Had the Cutthroats managed to break into the field and taken them prisoner? She thought hard, yet couldn’t remember anything after eating her dinner. Her eyes widened as footsteps approached cautiously from behind. Twisting as far as she could, she saw Tandy’s chap clad legs heading her way, relief flooding inward. When he came fully around to the front she was able to see that his eyes were tired, and brimming with a mixture of suspicion and concern. One of them was blackened.

  “Oh, Tandy, what happened to you!” Her panicked whisper sounded far too loud in her own ears, unsure if their attackers were still nearby and Tandy was risking his life to help her escape. He paused some distance away confusion now entering the fray of emotion in his gaze. Exasperation choked her, wondering why he was taking so long to free her. They were going to get caught again. “Hurry and help me get untied before they come back!”

  “They?” he asked, unsure.

  “The ones that tied me up,” Amiel replied, now feeling her own hesitation. What was wrong with him?

  “Y’all gonna be alright if I let ya out?”

  “A lot better than being tied up here waiting for the bad guys to come back!” What was wrong with him? She was not at al
l enjoying the way he was looking at her. Not to mention her head was now added to the list of body aches. He eyed her cautiously, slowly shifting his body weight from one leg to the other, but making no move to aid her. Amiel’s heart suddenly thudded with the realization that they hadn’t been attacked at all. Tandy had tied her to this pole.

  “You tied me up, didn’t you? Why?” Her pained accusations rang through the early morning air. Never in a million years would she have thought Tandy would betray her. She’d grown close to him over the last several days, trusting him. Logically she knew she shouldn’t have trusted him so quickly and easily, nor should she be so surprised at this betrayal. Yet she did, and she was.

  “Y’all really don’t remember, do ya?” he asked slowly, that ‘you’re crazy’ look in his eyes growing by the minute. She glowered up at him, angry at Tandy and angry at the tears that threatened in her eyes.

  “No, I really don’t remember. One minute, I’m eating and the next you’ve got me tied up like dinner!” He flinched at her raised voice, his gaze following a single tear as it trekked its way down her cheek.

  “Hells Bells, Amiel. Y’all ain’t makin’ it easy on a man.” He ran a hand over his mustache in his unconscious way. “I don’t wanna have ya tied up, honey, I really don’t. But after last night, I ain’t so sure it’s safe to let ya go neither.” Frowning she followed his hands as they gestured to the camp around them. It was then that she noticed the camp was in disarray, like a huge wind had tossed everything about, and she and Tandy were both covered in dirt. And with these sights, her stomach hit bottom. Something was wrong, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. And somehow she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been her fault.

  “What happened?” The strangled whisper filled the heavy air between them, seemingly echoing off of the tension.

  “I woke up to find ya crouched over in pain, and Rabids comin’ at us. You were flushed, shakin’ and grabbin’ at your heart. I thought y’all were havin a panic attack. Then ya said ‘it’s him’ and fell forward, screamin’ out in pain. I went to help ya up, but ya threw me off and made a run for the Rabids. I had to jump on ya to keep you from hittin’ the field. You fought me tooth and nail, screamin’ like a banshee. For bein’ such a lil thing, y’all sure are strong. It took all my strength just to keep ya away from the field.” She stared up at the camp in abject horror.