“Whoop de doo. He’ll hate my guts no matter what. He wanted my advice and guidance but spurned my attempts to advise! I don't know why he broke me out if he’s going to ignore me all the time!”
“He doesn't hate you,” he said staunchly. “He hates what you are. His father was taken out by a long range sniper when he was a kid and he hasn’t forgiven your kind since. You stand for what he despises most.”
I had heard about that but hadn't connected it here. The original General McRattin had been a good man who cleaned up the city and made peace with the surrounding areas. His death had kicked off a rebellion of sorts. And I knew who had been behind the whole thing. My former boss often gloated about it. No wonder McRattin hated me. The rumors had spun around Antigo for years but no one could pin it on him. And I had told Cain I had been business associates with him. That probably made me Satan’s sister in his book.
“I’ll bear that in mind,” I said regretfully.
“You do know who did it, don’t you? You were in league with the warlord of Mercaine.”
I bowed my head. “Though it was long before I got into this business, I do. But the evidence is never going to be found it’s so well buried. It’s a secret that everyone knows, but can’t prove.”
He nodded. “I’ll be back shortly. I’d suggest you clothe yourself. I’m bringing the brigade.”
I looked away, nodding. I swam to the opposite bank to my clothes. I made the mistake of assuming he had gone when I stepped out. I heard footsteps recede a moment after that. I felt my cheeks growing warm again. I had to be careful. I was so used to being alone that I wasn't careful about that kind of thing. I kept to the shadows so it didn’t normally pose a problem. But now I was stuck in a camp with a bunch of men. Or mostly men. I was a new commodity, and a tempting one.
I never would understand what men saw so attractive about danger. And I represented that. Then again, moths were attracted to open flame. I needed to be careful.
I pulled my clothes on and hurriedly strapped the scabbards across my back. I could hear the low rumble of some kind of vehicle coming my way. A minute later I could see the shadows approaching on the distant dune.
I decided to get a better vantage point of the situation and ran for the tall stone wall. Scaling it quickly, I perched myself on top to watch. There were six all-terrain vehicles. Argon had one. Cain had the other and I didn't recognize the rest of the riders yet. Once they saw the water, most of them ran to it. Several jumped in, clothes and all. I shook my head. That was foolish. The night chill would soon be here and they would be chattering away.
McRattin and Argon lagged behind. Eventually they came to stand almost directly beneath me. “I thought you said she was out here.”
Argon shrugged. “She was. Maybe she started the trek back. I wasn't exactly discreet but we talked. She had no swimsuit, so I wasn't in any hurry to leave.”
“Just remember she’d sooner kill you than-”
Argon waved him off. “You’re prejudiced. Aloof as she is, I don’t detect any bloodlust. Most killers don’t have any excuse for their crimes. Every time hers are mentioned she sees blood not dollar signs behind her eyes. And as she got out of the water, I got a good look at her back, man. The marks on her skin are wicked. She was owned, tortured, and got out somehow.”
“He was probably her first victim,” he said with disgust. “And yes, I know. I got a good look while she was trying to gouge my eyes out in the hotel.”
“She didn’t kill you when she had the chance. Just remember that.”
“Where could she be?” Cain asked, obviously changing the subject. “I have no intention of traipsing around after her like a fool. If she gets herself lost, she’s on her own.”
I had had enough. I dropped down behind them dousing them both in a sand cloud. “Dear, dear. Looks like someone's in need of a bath.”
Rig laughed from the water’s edge. “Looks like she got the drop on you both.”
McRattin turned on me like a viper in his path. Apparently someone didn't like his clothes being mussed up. “It was so very nice of you to share this place with us,” he said with utmost sarcasm.
“I tried to tell you,” I said with a shrug. “But my opinions are only good when they’re sought after apparently. This location wasn't needed.”
His mouth dropped open as I imitated his authoritative tone with precision. Argon shuffled his shoes. “You know what? I’m going to get a drink. I’ll leave you two to make up.”
I watched after him as he went. Cain made no move to leave my side. I looked back at him. He looked displeased. Pissed was a better word.
“We need to work out who's in charge,” he said through clenched teeth.
“And I suppose your brain hasn’t figured out I knew you’d send someone after me and find this place? Let’s get something straight, bud, I am not looking to undermine your command. You can have it. I don’t want it. But I’m trying to do my job and you’re ignoring me. Why did you bring me anyway? You quite obviously don't want me here.”
“You’re backup,” he said. “But your point is taken. I’ll attempt to keep an open mind.”
I nodded and looked out over the swimmers. “Whatever. Since you pretend I don’t exist for the most part, we’ll get on fine. But you should know I don't mince words. If I say something, it’s for a good reason.”
He nodded. “When it comes to me, the same can be expected.”
“No worries,” I snorted. “Do your job. I won't bother you unless you're being stupid.”
I continued to watch the people in the pool sloshing around and grew sad. I bit my lip and shook my head. He noticed. “Is there a problem?”
“I’m just trying to keep this place as a good memory. It will be gone before long.”
“How do you mean?”
“I’m not naive,” I murmured. “I know that if we do find that bomb, the government will be looking at the least amount of life lost. They’ll try to detonate it out here. Or even if they don’t, you’ll tell them where to find this place and they’ll pump it dry for the water. Either way, it will be gone.”
“Not much of a loss,” he said. “I don't mean here. It’s pretty. I meant the desert. It’s desolate-”
“It’s also my home,” I snapped. “There is much to lose.”
“I thought you were from MoiRai.”
“I grew up out here,” I said slowly, trying not to divulge too much. “The situation may have been miserable but the land wasn’t. It’s beautiful. At night when there are no lights, you can see the sky stretch out and when dust storms rise out of the dunes, one cannot deny there is indeed a God. You feel so small and realize that this planet is so big it would go right on without you. I love it.”
I turned to find him staring at me with an inscrutable expression. “What?”
“If the city is so terrible, then why didn't you stay out here?” he asked, looking unhappy I had piqued his curiosity. But I heard the unspoken question. I.e., why didn't you stay out here and out of my city?
“Because I was needed,” I said softly. “If I had had it my way, I would never have left MoiRai. But my Master didn’t see things my way.”
“So you really are sticking with your story,” he said incredulously.
“It’s not a story.”
“Then why tell me? You haven’t come forward before this.”
I bit my lip, deciding whether to be truthful or not. He stared, monitoring my every twitch as I did so. In the end, I looked down at the ground. “I tried many years ago when I was young. No one listened to me. Congress ignored my pleas, so I had to resort to the crude methods I live by: death and intimidation. But now the jig is up as your kind say. My face is known and I will be hunted mercilessly. And I know you’d rather see me dead than let me go. You might still try to kill me even if I keep to our bargain. Either way, I’ve failed. I figure now my only options are to try and sway others to my way of thinking. I need allies.”
He studied me, fr
owning. “You’re either telling the truth or you are the most convincing liar I have ever met.”
“Believe what you want,” I said, looking away. “You can’t hate me anymore than I already do.”
“What?!” he said, sounding startled.
I froze for a second. I wasn’t sure why I had admitted that, but it was too late now. I had to finish my statement before more digging could unearth information I didn't want floating around.
“I’m a killer. But that doesn’t mean I get off on the kill,” I confessed, turning to walk back to the vehicles. I nearly hauled off and walloped him when he grabbed my wrist to stop me. I quickly gained control of myself and tried to yank out of his grip. “Let go of me!”
He wouldn’t. His eyes were angry flints again. “Don't spin lies to try and sway me. It won’t work. I will never be your ally.”
“And I’ll never tell you who killed your father,” I hissed, looking for a chink in his armor. And I found it big time. He in turn froze, clearly unprepared for that assault. I attempted to free myself but he still wouldn't relinquish me. I twisted my arm and that seemed to snap him out of it. He yanked me forward so we were nose to nose again. This seemed to be a trend for us.
“You know…” he growled. “And you will tell me.”
I laughed derisively and squared my eyes to look dead into his. The usual cold apathy was gone. Instead I saw a dark fury that had been kindling for his whole life. “You’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead lips to learn the truth. You could have had me as your ally. Instead you spat in my face.”
He looked like he wanted very badly to hit me. Out of the corner of my eye I caught his free hand twitching. Either that or it was heading toward his gun. “You will tell me or things will get very unpleasant.”
“They aren’t already?!”
“Guys,” Rig said, running up. “Let’s not have a public brawl. If there’s a problem, take it to your office.”
“Or even better,” Argon called. “I’ve heard hate sex is fantastic.”
“Shut up!” Cain thundered. But then he opened his mouth again and an entirely different sound came out. Except it wasn’t his voice. My blood ran cold.
It was the rallying hunting cry of a sand lion.
Chapter Eight 06:07:35 to potential nuclear explosion
Everyone froze right along with me. A chorus of calls now came after the first scream. And they were close. Too close. They couldn’t be more than a few hundred feet away.
“What the hell is that?” Ray said, looking around.
“Sand lions,” I breathed, thinking of the enormous cats coming our way. “We need to get out of here.”
I wasn't prepared as Cain slammed me into the wall behind us. He shrank back against it next to me as the first lion stalked through the enormous archway in the stone wall. Three followed it. And then a fifth. They didn't notice us. They were too busy moving in on their target. He slowly drew his gun and pointed it at the ground.
Everyone at the edge of the water backed up, doing the same. I could hear the lasers activating in their guns. Argon was in the very front. His eyes were huge but determined. “Son of a bitch! Those things are enormous!”
“They don’t swim, right?” Cain choked out to me.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, alarmed by what I saw. “Don’t shoot yet. I think they belong to someone. They’re hunting cats. They have force field shield collars for protection. If you shoot, it’ll bounce off and-”
I never got to finish as Argon opened fire on them and the bullets went flying everywhere as they rebounded off the shields. I forced myself not to flinch as a few lodged into the wall next to our heads, showering us with dust. Argon looked down at the gun and then back at the lions who had continued to creep forward. He edged backward along with all of the others. “Oh, hell.”
I ground my teeth together as the lions kept closing in, now only a yard between them and the rest of the squadron. I realized with consternation that my blades would probably be useless on the force field collars, too. I nudged Cain in the ribs and jerked my head back against the wall. “Climb up on the wall. When you get up there-”
“I am not leaving my men out there,” he whispered back.
“I’m not asking you to,” I said, calmer than I felt as my mind formed a haphazard plan. “Once you get up there, tell them to get in the water and I’ll lead the cats away. I run pretty fast. Once they’re gone, get to the ATV’s and you can pick me up. Those things drive faster than those creatures can run.”
“I don’t think so,” he said, re-holstering his gun and peeking around the corner of the wall. “We’ll go together. These things have any weaknesses I should know about?”
“Not unless you get under them. The shields only block attacks from above,” I said, inching my hands up toward my blades.
“Great. No sense in waiting then,” he muttered. “Ay! Everyone get in the water!”
The cats turned in unison, forgetting their prize and setting their greedy eyes on us as he shouted. I drew my swords and readied myself. They padded forward, jaws open, scenting. I saw in my peripheral vision all the others retreating toward the water except Argon, Rig, and Ray. They were hesitating.
“What are you doing?” Rig yelled at us. “Get on the wall!”
Cain edged toward the archway. “What does it look like?! Once we go, get the others on top of the wall and radio for backup!”
“You’re crazy!” Argon, too, yelled.
But we weren't listening. We were backing out the doorway, the lions dogging our steps with low growls. The one in front licked its maw in anticipation. I sincerely hoped that anticipation was all they got. Cain started backing up faster and I copied him. As soon as we got clear of the door, he turned and ran for the ATVs. I brought my blades down on the sand, attempting to throw it in the beasts’ faces to blind them and then I was running, too. Looking behind me, I was dismayed to see that the collars had blocked the sand and undeterred the cats were chasing me.
I sprinted out into the last of the daylight, skidding around on the unstable sand. Cain was indeed a fast runner. The cats were going to overtake me sooner or later, but I doubted they would catch him with his head start. I could hear their paws hitting the ground behind me and it was getting louder. Then nothing. I wondered why they all stopped.
And then I was flying through the air. I crashed to the ground with a heavy weight on my back. It growled in my ear and I felt whiskers tickling along my neck. I hadn’t seen the sixth creature hidden among the dunes. It was an ambush. I saw more shadows approach and the creature on top of me growled.
A whimper caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe. I was trapped. My blades were trapped beneath me and I couldn't turn over. I felt the thing’s claws unsheathe and dig into the skin on my back, tearing at my clothes. I cried out as I felt a sharp, barbed tongue lap at the blood. The other cats were surrounding us now. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack long before they got around to eating me. They were in no hurry. They had me and they knew it.
I snaked my hand out from under me and tried to reach for the rock in front of my nose, but one of the other creatures jumped in front of me with a snarl, blocking my hand. I dropped my head to the ground in defeat. I knew this was the end. At least I would die protecting others.
I jammed my eyes shut, trying to block out the horror I was about to endure. My second worst nightmare was coming true. Tiranshyck had lions just like these all those years ago. I had always been terrified they would get loose and eat me. Now the end I could have reached as a child was coming to fruition. Oh, the bitter irony.
But then a bright red light shone in front of my eyelids with a fizzling bang. The weight on my shoulders roared and then disappeared. I heard the paw steps recede and the rumble of machinery coming my way. But I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed with shock. My limbs were locked tight and were not letting go. The rumbling murmur stopped next to me and died down to a low whir. “That was close.”
I nearly cried out with relief as I heard Cain’s voice. I flopped over onto my back, heaving in shallow breaths. I opened my eyes to see him leaning over me. In his hand was a flare gun. So that’s what the red fizzing had been. I tried to reply but couldn’t find my voice over the steady shaking my body had taken to. The adrenaline was running out and stress winning out. I was in shock. He got off of the ATV and crouched down next to me. “You’re not going to croak on me, are you?”
I sat up slowly, ignoring the dull throb across my back. He stretched out his hand and helped me to my feet. My knees were so weak I felt like I was going to fall over again. I gathered my blades up, sheathed them, and leaned up against the vehicle. I looked up to the sky and thanked God and whatever angel was watching over me. I felt a hand tracing across my back, examining the deep claw marks.
“You lied,” he croaked. “You aren’t a sprinter. Here. Get on the bike. You’re going to fall over if you don’t.”
I numbly did as I was told, still shaking like a leaf. He got on in front and drove us back to the wall. The others jumping down, looking around to make sure the monsters had really gone. Argon was the first to approach. “That was a damn bloody stupid thing to do! What the hell were you thinking?!”
“I don’t know what she was thinking when she concocted the idea, but I’m glad I decided to tag along,” he replied, patting my knee. I swayed along with it I was so rigid with tension. “She’s shaken, but alright.”
“It was her idea?” Rig said wide eyed, peeking around him at me. I didn’t reply. I didn't have the fortitude. I was still trying to stop the shaking.
“Yeah, and it didn't include me. She actually thought I would stay behind,” he snorted. “We need to get back before those things return. Fill your canteens and let’s go.”
“Holy cow,” Argon exclaimed, coming to look at my back with a low whistle. “You’re a mess.”
“Let me see,” Ray said, shoving him out of the way. “She’s going to need stitches. Get her back to the tank immediately. The skin has been stripped clean off.”
War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series Page 9