The Price We Pay (Life After War Book 7)

by Angela White

  4

  “I hate them!”

  Conner stomped through the woods in a rage that allowed little attention to his surroundings. He didn’t care that he might run into soldiers or wild animals. He had to find his dad before Angela handed him over. He knew Adrian was with Marc and he was thudding through the woods, mentally screaming for the wolfman.

  “Show yourself!”

  The shadows behind Conner couldn’t hear him, but the shadowy form in front of the boy could.

  Marc winced at another loud blast, and signaled to Kenn.

  Kenn, extremely unhappy with the chore, blew the dart with enough force to send it spiraling toward the angry teenager like an arrow.

  Conner slapped at his neck, staggering as the double dose of drugs penetrated his blood stream and began to take immediate effect. He slid to his knees, once again fighting to remain conscious.

  Boots appeared in front of him, and with the last of his control, Conner shoved his head up to see Marc standing over him with merciless crimson orbs.

  The drugs took over and Conner could only yell silently, trying to protect his secrets. He was terrified that the vet had mentioned him being outside Safe Haven’s perimeter while everyone was leaving. The vet was with the other camp members by now, which meant he might have already told Angela.

  Conner tried to keep it all from his mind as he faced Marc, who could also know of his…deviance.

  Marc didn’t like Conner’s protective thoughts, the glowing door of secrets that was surrounded by spells of pain, and waited until the teenager started to relax before blasting into his mind and yanking on the handle.

  No! Conner shouted, jerking away, but it was too late. Marc saw everything.

  To keep from facing what he’d been doing, Conner let the drugs take him. It would only be a short reprieve, but he wanted it.

  “Yeah, that’s about right, considering who your dad is.” Marc grabbed the boy by his thick jacket and hefted him up and over his shoulder “Come on, son. You’ve had a long day. Time for a nappy-nap.”

  Kenn couldn’t help the snicker. He didn’t care much for Conner, only Adrian’s anger at their actions. He didn’t have a big problem with the kid, but his attitude was too cocky at times and too sullen at others to allow Kenn to develop a feel for who he was. As a result, Kenn didn’t trust him.

  “It’s Adrian’s kid,” Marc stated, stomping down a path that unsuspecting soldiers would try to follow later. “Of course you can’t trust him.”

  Kenn got closer, keeping track of their Indian escorts. Grendin made him nervous. He wasn’t sure why, but the feeling of unease was clear. “You gonna fill in my blanks at some point? I told you, I won’t interfere.”

  “Adrian has one more shot to come clean,” Marc grunted, shifting Conner’s dead weight for better balance. “You’ll get to hear it, along with everyone else.”

  Kenn realized Marc had been lying when he said he didn’t know the plan. Kenn’s eyes widened. “It’s really your plan, isn’t it?”

  Marc didn’t confirm or deny. Keeping Kenn out of the loop was still important. The Marine had a habit of sticking his nose in at the wrong time and Marc hadn’t forgotten that. They had a deal in place because Kenn had agreed to follow orders, but that didn’t mean he could be trusted.

  Kenn withdrew a little to provide better coverage, mind spinning in too many directions and he shut it down, telling himself he would get into it when he had a few minutes of peace and quiet.

  The Indians providing Marc’s escort kept their eyes and ears on the cliffs and trees around them. The winds were blowing gently, but they were not friendly, and for the natives, it was easy to hear that something wasn’t right with nature. Safe Haven refugees had figured that out after enough death, but the Indians had known it since before the war. As they walked, they started to hum a soothing lullaby that brought a peaceful feeling to keep them company.

  Marc found himself humming along with them. He’d learned that one while they fought together, and it called to him in a way that made him feel like he’d known it for years. It was a deep, rumbling tone that reached inside and reminded him this life was how he was meant to live. He’d never felt more spiritually fulfilled than the weeks he’d spent with the Indians. It was something he would have to talk to Angela about, if their attempt to live in the mountains after this war failed. He knew she could leave, though it would hurt her. For Marc, he wasn’t sure he could even step onto the boat, let alone sail away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  1

  Samantha watched the new base from the fork of another tree, this one covered in that slimy mold. She figured they wouldn’t expect her to pick a contaminated tree over the other healthy ones and she’d set up her blind with that in mind. The soldiers below her had fires and lights up, and were cooking, enjoying the end of a day.

  Offended by their lack of concern, Sam waited impatiently for her next scheduled part in the plan, wishing she could change their perception of safety right now. She hated only wounding. Not killing Donner was going to be a mistake, and in the hours since, Sam had almost decided that when she took aim again, it wouldn’t be to follow orders. She could feel the waves of menace from the Major and he was miles away and under the thick cover of his plentiful men. Angela might have him on the run because she’d attacked first and so quickly, but Samantha felt strongly that Major Donner was a major downer. He would have his revenge.

  Sam also agreed that Angela needed him alive to keep his men together while they were slaughtered. One thousand soldiers roaming around these mountains, with no clear leader, would have been as bad as the war, if not worse. The Army wanted things and would negotiate. A large group of AWOL soldiers would be a nightmare for anyone they caught, and to keep them together, Donner had to be wounded, not killed. Samantha had done that, enjoyed it immensely, but she was torn on a repeat.

  Samantha carefully took the thermos from her backpack and twisted off the lid. The room temperature vegetable soup was a satisfying reminder of the harvest she’d help to provide and the skills she’d learned. Sam enjoyed what would probably be the best meal she had for a while. From here on out, she was scavenging her food from the land, as she’d been taught. Angela hadn’t wanted to agree to that, but Sam needed to do it to know that she would survive on her own now, that she’d changed from the weak person she’d been before the war.

  And all without my help, the demon praised sadly. I’m not needed. I understand that’s why you don’t want me.

  It was said just right, bringing guilt, and Samantha sighed heavily. Let’s get through the next week and then maybe we’ll talk, okay?

  The demon’s mood lift from receiving that answer gave Samantha an immediate rush of adrenaline that would help keep her alert. She noted that reaction, thinking she might need it later.

  Yes, master!

  Samantha frowned, but didn’t correct the wording. She had no idea what she might unleash by a name change. When this was all over, she and Adrian or Angela would have to sit down and discuss a few hundred things.

  The storm tracker finished her meal and washed it down with a few sips from her canteen. In a bit, she would climb down for a bathroom break, scout her immediate surroundings and then return for a few hours of cold sleep while the basecamp below dreamed of happier times. When the signal came, she would remind the enemy that world was gone forever.

  Pausing in her scan, Sam paid particular attention to the wind. It carried smells and feels, and the occasional scream, but she was too conflicted for true concentration and she didn’t try to force more.

  Snap!

  The breaking twig told Sam she wasn’t alone and she went still except for the hand sliding towards her gun.

  Sam heard a deep sigh in the darkness and unlike the morons in the slasher films, clamped her lips together and stayed motionless.

  That deep sound of misery came again and Sam peered in the night, trying to discern who it was she was about to kill.

&
nbsp; “It’s us, Sam.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “We freaked her out. Shut up, will you?”

  Tonya and Kendle came through the trees and Sam grinned in relief.

  “Damn twig, right?” Tonya flushed. “I know it was.”

  Samantha snickered, and kept watch as Tonya flipped on a pen light long enough to see by while they climbed the two trees adjacent to the one Samantha was hidden in. In the morning, Kendle and Tonya would go their own way and then all of Angela’s teams would start the full assault on the enemy.

  The three hens settled into their high perches for the night without the expected chatter, but they were all secretly glad they weren’t alone. Even Sam was okay with it when the predawn hours brought thick, slick fog. Alone, she wouldn’t even have been able to doze, but with a teammate on each side, she had no trouble resting.

  2

  Tony struggled violently when he woke, straining to scream through the gag as he tossed his body around. He’d tried to take Tommy’s gun and Peggy had darted him herself.

  When he hit the side of the cliff wall and knocked himself back out, Peggy was relieved. Kyle had just dropped him off, along with a couple others they were having issues with, and Peggy was tired of playing double agent. Now that the cameras and constant observation was gone, the mood of these cave dwellers wasn’t bad, but Peggy had been with them for the mini-riots and knew it never took much to bring out the ugliness in people. If her morning instructions tomorrow were the same as todays had been, Peggy planned to get in touch with Angela and complain. If the camp members in here found out she was helping to hold their own people captive in the deeper parts of this cave, she might be killed. At the very least, Angela’s plan would be shot.

  “You back here?”

  Peggy paled a bit and dropped the curtain just as Doug came around the stack of crates.

  “Stealin’ a few minutes for yourself?” Doug accused. “Them babies is cyin’ for you again. Hilda wants a break. She’s working doubles now, taking up that new doctor’s slack, you know?”

  Peggy tossed him the towel from her shoulders. “Take a turn, will ya? I’m not done being selfish yet.”

  She turned around and Doug returned to the baby area with a huge scowl that made Hilda reluctant to let him help. He didn’t look like he could handle something so fragile.

  Peggy only took another minute for herself and then she too rejoined Safe Haven. Angela had made it clear that the camp had to be kept in the dark until the fighting began. Once the blood was spilling, they wouldn’t be staying here and Peggy might be able to cover it a bit longer. However, if this peaceful calm held much longer, someone was bound to stumble onto their captive members and then things would get nasty.

  Peggy gave a nod to the Eagles on duty, glad of them, and went to help with the infants who didn’t like being away from their parents.

  3

  Safe Haven wasn’t alone.

  Angela had sent camp after camp to surround hers, to fight and die for the offspring hidden there if needed, and those brave men and women kept guard while the fog rolled down the mountain like a waterfall.

  As the fog came in, covering everything known and foreign, another small group joined the others and was accepted simply because they’d arrived and squatted on the fringes, where the fighting would happen first. It was another layer of protection for those in the center and the extra camp wasn’t questioned, but welcomed.

  Inside this small group, fifteen of Donner’s men wearing Eagle uniforms put up Safe Haven tents, and settled down to wait—wolves among the sheep. Their recon work had told them each team was required to know every member of their group for identification purposes, but no one could know every team that was being sent out, thanks to Angela’s grand plan. It was the only slipup so far, but Donner had capitalized on it as soon as he’d heard. His personal team had been sent straight to Safe Haven’s fence, before Donner himself had even touched down. It left him vulnerable, but it put his pieces exactly where he wanted them—close enough to grab Angela.

  4

  “I want that update. Now!”

  The startled Corporal began stammering,” We’ve lost five dozen men in two days. We h-have three missing patrols, and uh, we found this message… It’s written in blood, sir.”

  The Corporal handed Donner the message overtop the trembling medic kneeling at Donner’s bloody boots.

  You should have gone south.

  Donner sneered at Angela’s blood warning. “What else?”

  The Corporal pulled himself together, staring at the tent wall instead of the blood. He’d never been in combat. “No word from either base you… exited.”

  Donner glared at the near implication of cowardice. “Get out.”

  The man did, leaving the tent flap open for the soldiers outside to hear the screams they were all hoping for as the slug was removed. Donner hadn’t earned any friends.

  Donner shouted as the medic pulled the slug from his leg. Blood was everywhere, gauze and tubes of medicine spread out on the canvas floor.

  “Hold still, sir,” the medic warned. “This will sting.”

  He dumped the antiseptic over the wound and flinched when Donner’s eyes began to glow a bright, menacing green. He tried to make himself keep working, but that glare was too hungry and the medic fled the room.

  Donner was used to the reaction and finished the chore himself, cauterizing the wound with the handle of the knife the medic had put on the small burner when he’d first come in.

  “Ahhh!”

  Donner wiped the sweat away with bloody hands and reapplied the hot blade a second time to fully close the wound. The first bullet had gone straight through and been bandaged with clotting agent. The second had struck his bone, shattering off a piece of it. He might not be able to walk if the fragment shifted, according to the medic, but Donner wasn’t worried. He’d told the boy he healed quickly and that hadn’t been a lie. The wounds were already starting to redden, but he had clearly underestimated this group of descendants.

  “Never fought one who fought like me!” he exclaimed and took a big swig of the whiskey bottle that was already half empty.

  Donner began laughing wildly, thinking of the teams he’d sent in. There was a chance that they’d succeed and survive where he wouldn’t. That possibility was always there when he split up his team. Donner knew his protection was in his men and in their loyalty to him, but he needed them out there to grab the bitch. Two gunshot wounds were a small price to pay for eventual domination over the world.

  Donner cackled again, feeding the evil inside with his pain, and the soldiers listening outside the tent withdrew in concern.

  “He’s not right,” Private Benson told his partner as they stood atop a rickety shed. “We should hit the redline.”

  Private Trister shrugged, thinking of the girl they’d chased most of the day before returning empty-handed to a destroyed camp. It had taken them all night to reach Donner. “Maybe tomorrow, after we pay a visit to their camp.”

  Benson understood what drove his friend, but he liked living more than he needed a woman and he watched the fog line of their camp with a churning stomach. “None of us are coming out of this.”

  Trister snorted, waving off the worry, and they two men continued their shift in silence that was broken by animals moving, wind howling, and their commanding officer laughing like a loon.

  5

  “Everyone ready?” Neil asked, glancing around the small group of men waiting with him.

  There were nods and hand signals flashed, but no one spoke except Neil. “Remember, we’re herding, not killing. Be careful with your aim.”

  Busy checking his gear to get set for the next part of their mission, Jeremy ran a hand over the lump that was his notebook and felt relieved. A laptop he could put together from anything. The record of the codes he’d already tried was now irreplaceable. Adrian’s advice of keeping it close was one he intended to follow.

 
His device was currently in Kyle’s van and Jeremy hoped to work on it each time he got a chance to rest, but didn’t expect much of that. Things were about to ramp up in Angela’s plans, and his team had a front row role. Few of the Eagles liked the orders, but once the shooting started, they each planned to kill anyone they thought might be a threat later. It was how Marc and Adrian had been training them and they assumed Angela didn’t understand that this was war. Wound-only orders made little sense to him.

  Neil knew what their plans were, but instead of arguing, he kept quiet and followed his orders. He was supposed to ‘accidentally’ slip up himself, though how anyone would believe that, Neil didn’t know. He was too good to make so simple a mistake, but he didn’t think it would trigger the fight anyway. He also didn’t understand why they couldn’t attack this camp openly and he hoped Angela knew what she was doing.

  The ten men came down the cliffs toward the enemy camp that was sprawled out across half a mile. Donner wasn’t here, or so Zack’s update had stated, but everyone would keep an eye out for him anyway. The bounty for putting a bullet into Donner was an immediate promotion and the chance to lead a team. Angela didn’t care about these soldiers, only their boss.

  The sleeping, snoozing soldiers didn’t notice the shadows in the fog, and the Eagles settled themselves on the ground behind the banks of white, waiting for the signal. When it came, they were supposed to flush the entire camp out into the woods, killing as few as possible. Neil wondered if Angela wanted to recruit these men later, but wasn’t sure that was a good idea, either.

  The fog thickened until the soldiers sounded muffled despite being only a dozen feet away, and Jeremy rolled onto his back to watch for their signal.