Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (9 page)

“I spoke to Roxanne,” Ed commented.

Madison’s head jerked up. “She spoke to you?”

“Um, yes. She was very nice. And Caleb. Wow that boy
is smart.” Ed stopped short of saying and weird.

“He spoke to you.” Madison was bewildered.

“Yeah. We talked about the merits of beef. Why?”

Madison shook her head. “I...um... I haven’t had much
luck communicating with either one of them.”

“She’s very personable. In fact I think she’s really
hit it off with Charlie.”

“Did she tell you anything about the Adita?” Luke
asked.

“I didn’t want to be rude. After all her husband is in
a coma.”

Luke had his doubts about this woman claiming to be
Roxanne, but kept them private. Granted she looked like the woman in the
pictures, but he still didn’t trust her. And as far as the boy was concerned, he
didn’t know what to think. Two months ago Austin’s son was an infant. Humans
didn’t age seven years in two months.

 “I’ll talk to her,” Zack interjected. “We have to
find out what the Adita are planning. If she knows anything, even if it’s
minor, it’s still more than we know.”

The subject drifted back to Christmas and babies. Ed
suggested bringing the prospect up for a vote at dinner. Zack was against
majority rules, stating no one should be forced to go along with the masses if
they didn’t want to. Madison teased Zack, saying he must have been a hippie in
a previous life.

“I was a bird soaring free,” he corrected her.

To which she agreed. Zack was a free spirit and her
polar opposite. Maybe that’s what attracted her to him. Madison quickly struck
this thought from her mind and joined back in the debate.

In the end they decided to bring it up and whoever
wanted to celebrate was welcome to do so. No one expected dissent or mutiny
over having Christmas. Ed thought it would be a good distraction for the
younger people. To which Madison brought up a sensitive subject.

“Birth control!” Luke laughed and turned red. Sex was
not something he wanted to discuss with Madison or anyone at that table.

“Yes birth control,” Madison reiterated.

Zack jumped in. “She’s right. We aren’t really
equipped to handle babies. We’ll do fine with the ones coming, but I agree it’s
best to avoid any more for the time being.”

“Who’s gonna talk to them about it?” Ed grimaced at
the thought.

No one volunteered.

“I’ll do it for heaven’s sakes,” Madison huffed. “But
only the girls. One of you guys has to talk to the boys.”

“Sex ed. My favorite subject,” Zack joked. “I’ll talk
to them.” He looked at Luke. “If things get hot and heavy, use a condom boy.
Got it.” This advice was almost verbatim of the speech ole Bobby Londergan gave
him when he was nine. He didn’t even like girls when he was nine.

Luke choked and nodded.

“There. What’s the big deal?” He winked at Luke.

“Whatever. Guys never grow up,” Madison replied.

“And you young lady.” Zack wagged his finger at
Madison. “You make sure you take those little white pills everyday cuz us guys
can’t be relied on,” Zack teased.

Madison’s expression changed, as if she suddenly
remembered needing to be somewhere. “Let me out Luke.” She nudged him and he
slid out of the booth.

“I gotta go.” Madison hurried from the diner.

“Shit. Did I hit a nerve?”

 Ed nodded. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?” Zack demanded.

“Nothing. I mean I can’t say.” Ed shrugged and sighed.
“You know, ghosts from the past.”

“Bastards,” Zack muttered and kicked himself for
having upset Madison, when all he wanted to do was make her laugh. 

Ed guided them back to making plans for their first
flight. Zack fetched the map from the command center and soon they were deep
into planning and plotting. Wyoming would be the first stop on the search.

“A landing strip sits right here.” Zack pointed on the
map. “About fifty miles from that circle.”

“Are you sure?” Ed frowned.

“Sure as we have three damn suns in the sky,” Zack
replied. “I used to fly pot out of there,” he added.

Luke’s brow shot up. He knew Zack had been in the pot
business, but didn’t know much else about his former life.

“What?” Zack responded to their stares. “I never
claimed to be a law abiding citizen.”

“I thought your business was legit?” Ed asked.

“It was. Sort of. You know, mostly in Colorado. What
does it matter?”

“It doesn’t,” Ed replied and Luke agreed.

They went back to analyzing and detailing out plans.

Roxanne sat next to Austin’s bed, her hands folded in
her lap, a blank expression on her face. Caleb sat on the floor playing with
toy dinosaurs. However, where normal seven-year-old boys used their hands Caleb
used his mind, making the dinosaurs fight and run about. A pterodactyl flew
from the opposite side of the room, swooped down and attacked T-Rex.

“Where did dinosaurs come from?” Caleb looked up at
Roxanne.

“From a faraway place.”

“How’d they get to Earth?”

“Your great-great-grandfather brought them here.”

“For food?”

A soft smile graced her lips. “Yes.”

“For the Svan.”

Roxanne’s forehead creased and smoothed over. “Yes. I
told you about the Svan. Do yo remember?”

“Yes mother. The Svan are...”

The dinosaurs fell over and the pterodactyl crashed
down from the ceiling, right as a knock on the door interrupted them.

“Open the door for Mr. Taylor,” Roxanne instructed.

Caleb turned his head towards the door, but did not
move to get up. The knob began to turn.

“Caleb,” Roxanne scolded.

Caleb threw her a smile and ran over to the door.

“Come in Mr. Luke.” Caleb stepped back being the
perfect gentleman.

Luke stepped into the room and was quickly pushed out
of the way by German. “Hey mind your manners dog.”

German lay down at Roxanne’s feet, ignoring Luke.

“It’s ok. My dad likes having him here,” Caleb
informed Luke.

“He does? Did he wake up? Did he speak to you?”

“Not yet. I just know...”

Roxanne cleared her throat before Caleb could finish.
He gave her an ‘I’m sorry’ look and went back to playing with the dinosaurs,
this time using his hands.

Luke stood staring at Roxanne, not sure how to ask
what he wanted to ask, so he decided to spit it out. If he was wrong he would
spend the rest of his life apologizing. “Who are you?”

Roxanne feigned surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I mean who are you? Are you really Austin’s wife?”

“Yes. Who else would I be?”

“I...I don’t know.” Luke scratched his head. Ever
since her arrival a colony of ants had built a hill on top of his head. “How’d
you get away from the vampires? I mean the Adita?”

“Eve helped us.”

“Why?”

“For Austin. She did it for him.”

“What about Ed’s wife? Did Eve know who she was?” Luke
wasn’t convinced Eve or any Adita would perform an act of kindness for a human.

“I don’t know her reasons, but I think it was because Jenny
is a mother,” Roxanne offered.

“A mother? So were a lot of the women those blood
suckers murdered. What makes her so special?”

“I don’t know. She must have felt something for Jenny.
Compassion or empathy or,” Roxanne shook her head, “or I’m not sure. She didn’t
say.”

“Do you know anything about the Adita? I mean were you
in the warehouse with the others or did they keep you somewhere else?”

“All I remember is waking up and seeing Eve. It was
all very confusing and we had to hurry.”

“Hurry? Why?”

“She didn’t say.”

Frustration built inside Luke, but he couldn’t take it
out on Roxanne. If her claim was true, that she was Austin’s wife, the captain
wouldn’t take too kindly over Luke harassing her.

“I’m truly sorry I don’t have any more to offer.”
Roxanne stood up.

“No. No, that’s ok. I shouldn’t have bothered you. It
doesn’t make sense is all.” Luke walked to the door and opened it. “You’ll let
me know when he wakes up?” Luke nodded towards Austin.

“Of course I will.”

“Thank you,” Luke replied before closing the door
close gently behind him.

Roxanne sat back down. She took Austin’s hand and held
his wrist to her lips, but resisted sinking her fangs into his skin. Her
longing wasn’t driven by the need to eat, despite her growing hunger. Food was
not an issue, being that stored in a giant cooler under Cheyenne Mountain were hundreds
of vats filled with human blood, all compliments of General Roth. Her longing
came from a different part of her brain, a part she seldom used or understood.

Her son was not having any problems with his diet, having
maintained a healthy carnivorous appetite that didn’t include human flesh or
blood. His only interest in the humans seemed to be as new friends. He was the
future of the Adita and as she watched him play, she wondered what the future
had in store for them, for him. Her green eyes darkened to black, her skin lost
some luster, as she longed to shed her human form. Caution advised against
doing so. The boy, Luke, was suspicious of her, of the Adita’s motives, so
pretending to be Roxanne would be necessary for a while longer. However, Luke
was not her main concern. The woman, Madison, posed a bigger danger. Her mind
was sharp, her eyes quick to observe. When people spoke, she listened as much
to their words as to the feelings and actions behind the words. These things
were not what made her a threat. No, love was something Eve knew nothing about,
but had witnessed humans doing tremendous things in the name of and Madison believed
she loved Austin.

Eve faded back into Roxanne. She placed Austin’s arm
back under the blanket. He was regaining full color and before long would
awaken. For a moment Eve’s brow creased. She shouldn’t have been surprised that
his body fought the change, but hadn’t expected the strength he exhibited.
Having had time to consider her situation, Eve felt Austin being human served
her better for now. Still, no human she’d bitten had ever survived the change.
In the past rather than killing them right off, she had at times watched them
fight to live, curious to see what they might become after the transformation
was complete. No one ever came through. No one ever lasted as long as Austin or
required being bitten more than once. Humans were resilient, she’d give them
that much. They had a strong desire to live, but desire and ability were two
different beasts.

Eve turned her attention towards her son, who was busy
twisting his toys into contorted shapes. On the outside he was every bit human,
his father’s son, but the outside did not matter. His mind mattered, his
strengths, his power, these things would determine his survival and that of the
Adita. In nine moons the Elder’s time will have run out. If Agra had not found
Austin so many years ago, there would have been no hope for the Elders or the
Adita. Now they were guaranteed to live for a long time, if not forever. Few
things meant absolute death to an Adita, and Agra had taken measures to ensure one
of those would never take place. Caleb was one of those measures. An experiment
Agra had called her son. One to be terminated if the results did not turn out
precisely as the Elders expected. 

Caleb jumped up as if poked. “Oh can we mother?” His
hands flew up to his face and covered his mouth.

Eve shook her head. “Caleb. You have to be more
careful.”

Caleb ran over to her. “I will I promise. Now can we
go for a walk? I’m tired of playing with these toys.”

“Yes, but you better mind me and act like a human
child.”

“I will. I promise.” He jumped up and ran for the door
where he stopped to wait for her.

She joined him at the door and knelt in front of him.
“Do you remember what to say?”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Yes I remember. Agra kept me
locked in a room where I had no contact with anyone except you, I mean Eve. I
don’t know about the harvest or the people in the warehouses or much of
anything because I’m only seven. How’s that?”

“Very good.” Eve stood up. A vision appeared before
her causing her lips to turn downward.

Caleb grasped Eve’s arm. “You won’t let them die will
you?”

Eve’s brow furrowed. She tried to absorb her son’s
compassion for the humans, thinking it would help her better understand him and
them. Empathy was something Agra considered a weakness, as he did all human
emotions, and not something she discussed with her father.  “I’ll do what I
can,” she told him, uncertain how far she was willing to go to save them.

Eve listened before opening the door. Madison was in
her room preoccupied with cleaning her weapon. A good thing as Eve did not want
to run into her. She’d a difficult enough time pretending to be Roxanne without
having her every movement scrutinized. Luke and the others she handled with
ease, but Madison required more finesse, which did not cause concern. If,
however, Madison ever became a problem, Eve would take appropriate measures.