Refuge From The Dead | Book 3 | Dead Fall

by Masters, A. L.

  “Of course,” she breathed out, suddenly aware again of the tension between them.

  “We’ll have our time soon,” he promised with a gentle pat. “We should probably go back downstairs and make sure everyone is settled.”

  She finished dressing and they left the tray of food on the nightstand for Cam when he woke. Angie didn’t want him to be startled when he woke in a strange place, so she left a few candles burning for some light.

  Back downstairs, she found Ed and gave him a huge hug.

  She couldn’t believe he was finally home!

  “Ed! It’s so good to have you back. You aren’t ever leaving again, if I have to tie you to this chair I will!” she scolded.

  “Ang, it’s good to be here. You wouldn’t believe some of the things out there. We’re doing a good thing, hiding out for a while.”

  She nodded.

  That was another thing she was worried about. Cam said he was going back to the prison sometime. She was determined to go with him. She knew Jim would probably want to go too. Maybe Jack could keep things running here with Brad’s help.

  Jim walked past her and Ed and headed over to Nick and Jack.

  They were sitting in a corner talking quietly. The dog was on the rug near the fireplace, looking content and very much at home. Killer was curled up beside him.

  She looked over and saw their serious faces and she debated on whether to go over. Did she really want to have to deal with anything else right now?

  She went over anyway.

  It was everyone’s responsibility to take care of problems, and maybe she could help.

  She heard Jack talking quietly.

  “…said it was really bad. Hemorrhagic. Some kind of Hanta virus or Ebola type thing. They got a fever, convulsions about twelve hours after that, unnatural bleeding, then they died. I’m really considering the possibility that this was all some kind of attack, or maybe some kind of bug escaped a lab.”

  The thought that this was all engineered both terrified and relieved her. If this was a terrorist act, or an act of war, then that meant there could be further attacks. If this was an accident, at least they knew what was causing it.

  If this happened spontaneously, then they had no idea what was causing it or how to stop it. That scared her most of all.

  “I wonder if the government is still around and working on this thing,” she said.

  They all looked up at her and Jack shrugged.

  “We need to be aware of all possible threats. That includes everything: zombies, gangs, plagues, and foreign attacks. This could have been a preliminary attack, intended to weaken the country before the main assault. We just don’t know,” Jim said.

  They all frowned at that.

  “So, what can we do?” she wondered.

  “Keep training. Get better. Keep stockpiling and be ready for anything. Most importantly, keep a low profile,” he responded.

  “Assaulting a prison isn’t exactly keeping a low profile,” Nick said.

  “We have no choice on that one. Those people in there are kept prisoner, Nick. They are being forced to work. They have absolutely no freedom. It’s not right. Anyway, I told them we’d be back to help,” Ed said.

  “Nick, for now I need your girls to take on more of the patrolling. They also need to step up their training. I’ll let you coordinate with them on the schedules and whatnot, but I need Angie and you to start preliminary planning for the prison thing. I’m expecting Cam to want us to go,” Jim said.

  “He’s letting Angie go?” Monica said from across the room.

  How did she hear that?

  “He’s not exactly ‘letting’ me go. It’s more like he can’t stop me from going,” Angie said.

  “I want to go too,” she said. “I can’t sit around here watching all these bitches pine for Nick while he’s gone.”

  “We’ll see what Cam says,” Jim replied. She rolled her eyes at that but stayed silent.

  Honestly, she didn’t know why Monica stuck around. She seemed like she would be much happier somewhere else.

  Anywhere else.

  Ed came back with a glass of whiskey in hand and sat down.

  “Nick, tell me, how did you end up with five young women following you around like a litter of lost puppies?” he asked.

  Nick chuckled and Angie was the one rolling her eyes this time.

  “Jim and I went out for Jess’s meds one day and we found them in a house near the pharmacy. They were being kept in the basement. We got them out, and for some reason they seemed to just want to be around me. Maybe I don’t make them feel threatened or something.”

  “Or maybe they feel guilty,” Jim added.

  “Guilty?” Ed asked.

  “Yeah, for getting you bit,” Jim clarified.

  “Damn. I thought they wanted me for sex!” Nick burst out with a teasing grin.

  Angie scoffed and shook her head.

  “Nope. It must be for your sparkling personality and wit,” Jim said.

  They laughed and Angie went to get them a round of drinks. She wondered if Cam was up yet. He must have been so exhausted. Maybe she should go up and check on him?

  “Um, Angie?” she heard Cara call from a doorway nearby. “Do you have a minute?”

  “One second. Let me get their drinks,” she said.

  Cara came and helped. She put five glasses of whiskey on a tray and carried it to the living room. Cara went over to Nick and handed him his personally.

  “Thanks, darlin’,” he said, sounding eerily like Jack. He winked at her, and she saw Cara blush.

  Oh brother.

  Cara followed her back to the kitchen and set the tray on the counter. So far, Jean and Jessica had been doing remarkably well cooking for everyone here. It was a bit cramped, but it was way better than being outside. The lack of privacy was going to be tough though.

  “I was wondering about your wedding,” Cara finally said., looking embarrassed.

  “What about it?”

  “Well, I was wondering if you wanted any help planning it. I’d love to do it, and we could make it really special. I don’t know how much you were planning to do, but I think a really nice wedding would be a good thing for all of us. It would be a real treat.”

  “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it. I mean, with Cam gone and all. I’d have to talk to him and Jim and see what they want to do. I’d love for you to help though, once we figure it out.” Angie said, really meaning it. She was touched that Cara had offered.

  “Jim?” Cara questioned and Angie saw a hint of red staining her cheeks as she figured it out.

  “I’ll speak to the men soon and let you know. I appreciate it, Cara.”

  Angie went back into the living room and took a sip of her drink. She wondered about the girls’ relationship with Nick. She was thinking about how odd it was that they would all be so attentive to one man. The she realized what she had thought, and almost rolled her eyes at herself.

  Maybe it was the trauma of everything that had happened to them? Had it happened spontaneously or was the Nick worship a group decision?

  She wished she could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.

  Right now, Nick was again surrounded by four of the girls. He had them laughing about something and she noticed a few glances tossed his way, but maybe she was reading more into that situation than was really there.

  Another curious development was Sasha’s interest in Brad. She hadn’t come right out and said or done anything obvious, but Angie noticed that she was seeking him out more and more.

  It wasn’t for his medical care.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Time Flies

  Cam

  Days passed, then weeks. Cam was irritated at the lack of physical activity. There wasn’t much that he was ‘allowed’ to do. Every time he stepped outside to do a watch or pick up a damned hammer to work on the fence, he was stopped by someone.

  Those damned harpies of Nicks had comp
letely stonewalled him on doing any watches.

  They called him Colonel, saluted him when he passed, and yet he got the feeling they were the ones in charge of the perimeter.

  It was going to stop. Tonight.

  He was calling the first official meeting since he had returned. They needed to start getting ready to go back to the prison. He needed to reassert his authority. He needed to give everyone something else to do than wait on him hand and foot. He didn’t want to become spoiled like Nick.

  It was the middle of October. The nights were getting pretty damned cold now, and he was thanking God for the fireplaces in that cabin.

  He walked further along the fence that they had put up so far. They got a large chunk of it finished and before too long, they would have the rest done. It would go more quickly when he got back to work on it.

  Tanaka and Mac had really done a lot of work around the place, and he was thankful for that. Their group had lacked more young, capable men, and now they had them in abundance. They were excelling in their training as well. Tanaka had become something of an expert on the fifty-caliber machine gun and had a burning desire to ‘light something up’— to use his expression.

  Cam had found him to be easygoing, wise beyond his years, and intelligent. He would make an excellent team leader.

  Nick had also become a kind of de facto team leader as well, though his team was all women. Cam was blown away by their dedication to Nick and the group’s security…in that order. They really had become Valkyries of a sort, and that had actually become a running joke among the group.

  Nick started calling them that as a pet name, and it stuck. Cam noticed that several of them were showing more than a friendly interest in Nick, and while he was friendly in return, he didn’t seem to notice.

  The man was obviously a blockhead.

  He caught a flash of movement in the woods and saw a group doing PT. It was Angie. She was leading the women on their afternoon run. Today they were kitted up in their OCP’s and had lightweight rucks on their backs. He noticed that they each carried a bladed weapon as well. He approved.

  He was proud of them all and would make sure they knew it.

  Mac and Tanaka were out doing some maintenance on the Humvees, and he walked over to watch.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  They straightened up as he approached. “Going well. Everything is in order, Colonel,” Mac said.

  “No need for all that. So, everything is good to go?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Tanaka said.

  Cam had found the mounting hardware for the other turrets, and now they had each Humvee fully equipped with either a fifty-cal or a MK19.

  The Mark 19 was an air-cooled, fully automatic weapon. It fired 40mm grenades and could be an effective force multiplier, which was something they may need. Mac was training on it and would hopefully be ready for combat by the time they went back to the prison.

  “Meeting tonight after supper. Everyone is required to attend,” he said, then walked away.

  He caught them glancing at each other in consternation. They knew something was up. He passed Angie and her girls making a final round through the woods. He would let the know when they got back.

  “Cam, wait up,” Jim called from the wood pile.

  That was another job that was constantly in rotation. They would be burning wood constantly, therefore they would need a constant supply of it. Cam couldn’t wait to pick up his axe and maul again. He itched with impatience and excess energy.

  “What do you need?” he asked, scanning the trees. He thought he knew exactly what Jim wanted to talk about.

  “We need to talk about our wedding,” Jim said, completely serious.

  “It’s not our wedding. Its mine and Angie’s wedding. Have your own wedding.”

  “What if Angie wants to combine it?” he asked.

  “Jim, you guys just got together. Do you really want to marry her right away?” he asked, even though it was what he wanted when he first mentioned the idea to Angie. He hadn’t expected Jim to be so…enthusiastic.

  “I do, and trust me, she’ll want to combine the ceremonies. I wanted to talk about the honeymoon aspect. Now, do you think we should allot different timeframes, or perhaps—”

  “I’m not talking about this with you.”

  Dear Lord, how had he got himself into this situation?

  “Cam, we are getting married in the same ceremony to the same women. We will have a honeymoon together. It is our wedding. You better get with the program honeybunch; we are going to be husbands.”

  Cam scowled. Jim was such a fucking joker sometimes. He could irritate the shit out of a saint.

  “Actually, I’m pretty much going to be your husband too if you think about it. Maybe you should take my name too. Hey, yeah! That would really make us a better team. You can be Cam Breckenridge-Morrison, and I’ll be Jim Morrison-Breckenridge. I like that. I bet Angie would too. What do you say?” he asked hopefully, though Cam detected a slight mischievous gleam in his eyes.

  Sometimes Cam couldn’t tell when he was joking or serious. In this instance, he was pretty sure Jim was joking about it.

  Maybe.

  “That’s a big fat negative, Jimbo,” Cam said immediately.

  “Awww. Come on, Cam, I thought we were brothers!?” Jim grumbled.

  “Yeah, brothers…not partners,” Cam said.

  His jaw twitched and he started counting how many ways he could kick Jim’s ass right now. Angie would be upset though, so he refrained.

  “Well, anyway, old man, what’s this I hear about a meeting tonight?”

  “Who are you calling old man? You aren’t much younger than I am,” Cam said, taking offense.

  He wasn’t even forty-five yet.

  “Uh hello, I’m only thirty-six. You’ve got almost a whole decade on me, bro.”

  “Yeah, a whole decade of wisdom. Besides, I didn’t hear Angie complaining,” Cam said, raising an eyebrow.

  “True…but that was probably because she was sucking my—” Jim started to say.

  Cam elbowed him in the gut.

  “Face! I was going to say face! Do you really think I’d talk about her like that?”

  Cam wasn’t sure what Jim was capable of.

  “Boys! What are you doing?” they heard Angie call.

  She came jogging up to them, the Valkyries went past and around the back of the cabin, each one nodding to their two leaders.

  Cam spent a minute running his eyes over Angie. She was sweaty, red-faced, and completely covered by her uniform.

  Cam though she looked fucking delicious.

  He could see himself taking her top off and running a finger down the sweat that he knew was trailing between her shoulder blades. That fence was at a convenient height for—

  “Cam! Didn’t you hear me?” Angie said, running a hand in front of his face.

  “Why do you have that little smirk on your face?” Jim asked suspiciously.

  “Shut up,” he told Jim.

  Jim smirked back at him, and Cam knew that he knew what he had been thinking about. Angie, thankfully, was still clueless.

  “Sorry, babe. I’m a bit distracted. What did you say?”

  “I said, we need to talk about the wedding sometime. Cara offered to help me plan it, but I wanted to get your input. Yours and Jim’s. I know we haven’t really talked about it, but what would you think about making more of a deal out of it than we originally planned?”

  “That’s fine with me babe. Whatever you want to do. Remember we have that mission coming up though. I’m calling a meeting for tonight after supper. I’ll let everyone know the timeline and the teams then,” Cam said.

  She nodded. Jim spoke up then and Cam wanted to kick him in the teeth. “Cam and I were just discussing the possibility of having a double wedding and adding each other’s last names to our own. I personally thought it was a little weird, but Cam was so insistent. I thought we should ask you what you think,” h
e said.

  Cam saw Angie’s eyes light up with happiness.

  “Would you, Jim?! Oh my gosh, that is so perfect! I really wanted you guys to feel like we were truly partners. You have no idea how happy this makes me. Cam! I can’t believe you suggested it. You are the best!” she said, then threw her arms around him and kissed him exuberantly.

  He was going to murder Jim.

  “Come on, baby. I have something I need you to take care of,” Cam said leading her toward the cabin. “…Upstairs…” he added, glancing back at Jim with a smirk on his face.

  Jim’s face fell momentarily as he caught on to Cam’s meaning.

  “Hey, wait for me. I need Angie to help me with something too!” Jim said, jogging toward them.

  Cam took off running, picking up Angie and sprinting to the door. Jim caught up with them on the stairs. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t make it in it.

  Cam slammed and locked the door.

  Jessica

  Jessica had never felt better in her life.

  Okay, so that was a little bit of an exaggeration. She did feel fantastic though. She was even taking the medication less often. She was now into her second trimester and had a noticeable bulge in her lower abdomen. It certainly made it seem more real.

  She washed her hands and began cutting up the potatoes she was making for supper.

  “Need any help in here, dear?” Jean asked her, coming into the room and buttoning up her sweater.

  “No, I’ve got it thanks. Would you take these peels out to the chickens though? I’ve got to get the meat frying soon.”

  “I sure will. You know, I am so glad we have chickens. I used to have some back when Virg and I first got married, during the war. Fresh eggs are the best. I don’t know why we never got more after that,” she muttered, going out the back door.

  The gust of cold air was welcome. Jess was burning up standing here over the stove. She was always hot these days though. Brad said it was normal, nothing to be worried about.

  He had really been great lately. He was studying every aspect of prenatal care, labor, and delivery that he could. He even had Sasha learning a bit about it. This comforted her and frightened her.