Conceived in Blood, A Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Novel (34 page)

The group giggled and Zac slipped it over his head.

Sera offered her flashlight to a nearby boy.

He poked it twice before picking it up and shining it at the supplies. "It's not hot."

"No, but if you hear someone outside, turn it off right away by twisting it." Sera then set her hand on Ester's shoulder. "Let's go."

Glass crunched underfoot as Ester led her deeper into the tunnel. Water dripped around her. Rats rustled.

"Will your people really help us?"

"Yes." And Sera knew just the lie to ensure it. Following her around a curve, she saw light in the distance. They were almost out.

The girl tensed under Sera's hand. "Why?"

Geez, did all Outlanders question everything? "Because it's the right thing to do."

"People don't always do the right thing, do they?"

"They should, but no, they don't." Not even in Dark Hope. Sera dug into her pocket for her eye shadow case. With one hand she activated the concussion grenade. Anyone outside would get a nasty surprise.

If anyone was out there.

But using it would betray their position and jeopardize the children's safety. She tucked it into her pants then pulled a stick of gum out of the hidden pocket on her waistband. The peppermint stick had been infused with a special blend of caffeine, adrenaline and epinephrine. If it didn't cause a heart attack, they should be able to run for a few hours without tiring.

Of course, she'd never actually tested it, and it was illegal in Dark Hope. Tearing off a quarter, she held it out to Ester. "Chew this, but whatever you do don't swallow it. Got it?"

Ester picked up the small piece and popped it into her mouth. Chewing, she wrinkled her nose. "It tastes nasty."

Sera bit her piece. Bitterness flooded her mouth. "I hadn't been going for taste when I made it."

Obviously, she should have paid more attention to that fact. The girl rushed forward. "Wait!"

"I know the way." Ester slipped outside and gasped.

Shit! Rushing out, Sera pushed her to the ground.

A 'Vider stood ten feet away, taking a leak. "Tribute."

Stepping away from the cliff face, Sera bounced on her feet. She could take him out, had to take him out. "You want me, come and get me."

Without pulling weapon, he stalked closer.

Sera kicked him in the temple with a roundhouse.

He blinked, shook his head.

Damn, these guys were too stupid to fall down. Spinning, she delivered another kick.

His eyes rolled back and he fell to his knees.

Branches shook in the trees nearby.

Did the bastards come in sets? She grabbed onto Ester's wrist and tugged. "Run!"

As the tallest, Sera took the lead. Branches slapped her, raked at her hair and clothes. Higher ground. She needed higher ground. She scrambled up the incline, loose rock tumbling in her wake.

Ester whimpered but kept up.

A roar sounded behind them. Branches snapped. They were big and closing fast.

Sera switched her com to talk. "This is Officer Serendipity Tahoma requesting back-up. I have hostiles closing fast on my six."

"We read you, Tahoma. Stand by for exfiltration point."

She choked on a cry. They heard her. They were coming. She topped the ridge and ran along its length. Damn. She'd have to drop into the valley; there was no cover here.

"Negative on exfil site." She had no means to defend a position——this was a straight fox and hound hunt, and she had no intention of being ripped limb from limb for some 'Vider's amusement. "Mark position and current trajectory."

"Sera." Uncle Joseph barked into her ear. "Get your ass to safety."

Damn it. They were so interested in saving her they didn't see the bigger picture. She plunged down the side of the ravine.

Ester panted at her side.

Sera headed for the stand of trees. Time to play her last card. One that would guarantee Dark Hope brought out the big toys. "TSG-17s are confirmed in Sanctuary. I repeat, TSG-17s are confirmed. It’s just a question of who uses them first."

Uncle Joseph chuckled. "You make me proud, Sera. Real proud. Arm up, boys, time to shoot some ducks in a barrel."

Ester surged ahead, tugging Sera along the sandy bank. "There's a break ahead."

Rocks clattered behind her.

Christ, the 'Viders moved fast. At this rate, the asshat might actually catch them. "ETA?"

"Ten minutes." Her uncle spat. "We moved as soon as you stopped blocking your damn signal but we got baddies closing on our position."

"Roger that." Ten minutes. She hoped it wasn't the rest of her life. Sera plunged through the trees and into a clearing.

Shadows shifted ahead of her and three men charged through.  

Chapter 39

Harlan swallowed the vomit in his mouth. He'd just killed a man. In cold blood. He'd killed before. But that was different. That had been a fair fight and his opponent had been armed. With shaking hands, he loaded another bolt into the crossbow before handing the prepped weapon to the female juror at his elbow.

The crowd closed in on the clearing, reducing the space to a goat path. Shaved heads bobbed among the youngsters who still sported hair. Weapons were raised high when the victim was tied up, when Harlan had shot, when the man had died.

Leaning against his arm, Belle rubbed his back. "You okay?"

He nodded. He would be. Murder was round one, a fight to the death was round two.

There wouldn't be a round three.

Not for the loser of the death match anyway.

"You did him a favor." Belle squeezed his arm. "I've seen folks die by baking in the sun before. It isn't pleasant and it's very, very slow."

That and an ocean might wipe the blood off his hands. He nodded. She had changed in the years they'd been apart. The girl that couldn't kill a chicken had become a woman accustomed to violence.

Scars on her face and wrists wrote the tale on her flesh.

But she had survived.

And they were together.

Across the clearing, Titan ran his blade over his shaved head. He grabbed his crotch and pumped his hips in Belle's direction.

Harlan's sister gasped and shifted behind him.

The bastard was going down; he just didn't know it yet.

'Vider Brolyn strutted down the path between Harlan and the corpse. Grabbing his hair, she yanked back the dead man's head and stared at the arrow.

"You think your wife Sera was right? That the arrow went through?"

Harlan straightened. Shit. How the hell could he have forgotten Sera?

He moved toward the crowd. He needed to reach her.

Belle grabbed his arm and held him in place. "Stand your ground. If you leave now, the 'Viders will see it as a weakness."

He plucked at his sister's fingers. "We left Sera behind."

God only knew what these animals would do to her, especially if they found out she was free of her ties. As for Sera, she'd probably go haring off, thinking to rescue him.

Two other 'Viders joined Brolyn near the corpse.

Harlan recognized the older man and the other woman as Jurors. "What do they do to runaways?"

Belle's eyes widened and she paled. "She wouldn't."

His chest tightened. His sister hadn't reacted to the men staked out but she did now. Damn, it must be bad. Real bad. "Yeah, she would."

He'd beat to death any 'Vider that touched Sera, then he'd kill her himself. He'd told her to live, not do something stupid.

Belle cleared her throat. "You're worrying over nothing. She would be guarded by 'Viders. There's no way she could escape."

He rolled his shoulders, easing some of the tension. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

He hated absolutes, they tended to end badly, especially for him. "Will they...hurt her?"

Rising on her toes, Belle tried to see. "Not without your permission. When you were declared a 'Vider, she became your property, your tribute. They have a Code that will keep them away. Most of them anyway."

Harlan followed her line of sight to Titan. Obviously, not everyone honored this savage code, or they wouldn't need him to kill one of their own.

Stepping back, 'Vider Brolyn faced the crowd, who immediately fell silent. "Even from a distance twice that of Titan's claims, the arrow has pierced the raider's throat and sunk deep into the pole."

Sera had been right. Not that Harlan had doubted her. Of course, she probably hadn't realized they would use a prisoner as a target for the experience. He was glad she wasn't here to see it.

The old 'Vider separated the corpse's head from his body with a single whack then shaved off the dead man's hair. When he released the head, it swung from where it was pinned to the wood.

Three females skulked forward and cut the body off the pole. They dragged it to a picnic table near the pen holding the prisoners, rolled up their sleeves and began butchering it.

Harlan's stomach knotted. That wasn't just cold, it was subzero. "Dinner?"

Belle turned away from the sight. "No, the meat will still be turned into jerky, so as not to waste it. There were so many killed when the 'Viders took the village, that there'll be communal meals for the next several days. Spoilage is against the 'Vider Code."

He'd rather starve. "Have you——?"

She punched his shoulder. "No. How can you even ask? North tried to force me, but I threw up almost right after."

"North?" He faced his sister. That's the second time the name had been mentioned.

"My...husband." Belle plucked at her skirt. "Titan is his cousin but the kids call him uncle."

Harlan swallowed hard. God. He swiped a hand down his face. And he thought Sera naive. He'd known his sister had kids but he hadn't thought... "He didn't share you, did he?"

"North doesn't share." She rolled her eyes then made a face. "If fact, you'll have to move out once he comes back."

They weren't going to be here when this North guy came back. Unless... The man fathered the two dead boys and probably the three children he'd seen from the sky in Abaddon. "You don't love him, do you?"

Tracing lines in the dirt with her toe, Belle shrugged. "He's all I know."

What the hell did that mean? That she wanted to move this...this murderer with them to someplace other than this hell?

"'Vider Titan." Brolyn's voice cracked like a wipe through the sunshine. "You are guilty of killing two 'Viders without the benefit of the juror's blessing. Take your place in the ring of mortal combat."

Hands pushed Titan into the clearing. More hands stripped off his weapons, then his clothes. The man whined as everything was moved out of range. “I had permission. Head Provider Marshall gave it to me along with the arrows.”

What a little man. Small wonder he was a bully, the man had a lot to compensate for.

Brolyn smiled. “The Jury accepts your confession and hearby removes Marshall Zuni from office.”

God, even cannibals had politics. Harlan pulled his shirt over his head and shoved it at his sister. Next, he tugged at the straps holding his throwing daggers.

Mirabelle pushed the shirt back to him. "You don't have to fight naked. He's been stripped of his 'Vider citizenship. Even if he wins, he'll be chased out of town with nothing but his skin. He won't win, will he?"

"No, but Brolyn said there could only be one weapon between us. I don't want to be accused of cheating." He had a feeling the punishment would be brutal. Dipping down, he freed his knife from his boots. He patted himself to check for the odd throwing star, found none.

Brolyn pushed the group back until the crowd formed a ten foot circle around them. "Who will avenge the death of Stiletto and Hammer?"

That was his cue. Harlan stepped forward. "I, brother of the 'Vider Mirabelle and Uncle to the slain, claim that right."

He flushed at the cheesy line and hoped to God those weren't his last words.

With a slight smile playing across her lips, Brolyn stared at his chest. "Is there anyone here who denies his claim?"

Harlan squared his shoulders and glared at the crowd. What was this? No one said anything about opening the floor for debate. Christ, what if this was just a giant game before they beat him to death?

The crowd remained silent.

Thank God. He could probably take on two or three of them, but not all of the 'Viders. At least, not at once.

Brolyn nodded. "'Vider Harlan, your right to combat has been accepted. Who among you supports his right for vengeance?"

Around him, men and women pounded on their armor.

Nice to know they cared, but really, Harlan wished they'd just get on with the fight.

Brolyn smiled and stepped back. "Talk is cheap, show our 'Vider brother and sister your support for their just cause."

A handful of men pushed to the front of the crowd. Molded plastic shoulder pads were dumped over Harlan’s head then secured in place. Carved wood and straps wrapped his arms, shins and thighs. A cracked helmet was slammed on his head.

Damn, they really hated Titan. Harlan was tugged to the edge of the circle and held there.

Across from him, Titan was beaten to his knees.

Brolyn tossed a dagger into the center then backed to the sides. "Let the fight begin."

Shoved from behind, Harlan stumbled forward.

The crowd cheered and banged on their armor.

Shutting them out, Harlan ignored the knife. Killing with his bare hands should send the message he wasn't to be messed with. Stopping a couple feet away, he waited.

Once freed, Titan lunged for the blade.

Harlan kicked him in the temple. "That's for North."

Wherever the asshole was.

Titan's head snapped back and he rolled to the side without the knife. Shaking his head, he staggered to his feet then again went for the blade.

Harlan let him pick it up, waited for the charge.

Titan smiled and complied.

Hot damn, the man was stupid. Harlan struck the blade from his grip, then twisted and snapped his arm. "For Stiletto."

Titan howled, bone poking through his skin. Holding the injured arm close, he picked up the knife in his good hand and charged.