From The Ashes (Life After War) (64 page)

Cynthia delivered a light slap to Matt's mouth. “
Ms
. Bitch.”

Matt's hand came up to his mouth, eyes filling with fury. “I won't take...”

Slap!

Matt's arm came up to hit her back, and Cynthia nodded. “I'll let you get one in, and then I'm beating your ass.”

Matt hesitated.

Cynthia watched his arm go down. “Wise choice.”

She handed him a paper from the front pocket of her shirt–his cicada drawing.

“
The boy who gave me that said art was his only dream. Is that still true?”

Matt slowly shook his head.

“
Good, 'cause I have needs to be serviced, and I'm asking you to see to them.”

Matt was floored by the adult conversation, by the smell of her and the concern in her eyes. “You want me?”

Cynthia gave him a soft smile and avoided the question. “Is that a yes?”

Matt nodded quickly. He would live with Cynthia!

“
Good. I'll arrange it with Adrian. When John releases you, you'll come straight to me. Understand?”

“
Yes...” Matt didn't know how to express his emotions and tears welled again.

Cynthia gave him a sharp pinch on the wrist that snapped his attention back to reality. “No more tears, Matt, unless you just can't keep from it. Okay?”

“
Okay,” he agreed, wiping them away. He would have a new life now, one where crying wasn't needed.

Cynthia slowly opened her arms to him and let the teenager curl into her protective embrace. She'd done what Angela wanted and claimed Matt. Wtf?

Billy listened to the deal with only a little surprise. What would have been shocking was if Adrian hadn't tried to save the boy. These methods might seem extreme to the camp, who wanted Matt and Mitch tossed out, but Billy thought this was a good idea. In time, Cynthia might even come to care for Matt.

It would leave Kevin on the outside, but it was a needed sacrifice for the dream. Banishing Mitch and Matt would hurt Adrian. And that man was currently suffering enough. He didn't need another weight on his shoulders. Watching Marc love Angie was more than enough to bring things down. They didn't need any more help.

Chapter Eighteen

Route of Travel

1

“
Are you sure?” Kenn asked. They'd just pulled into sight of their target. Last night's horrors weren't forgotten, just replaced with the next ones to come.

Adrian stared at the demolished city with a fierce determination that had the Eagles on guard taking repeated glances at his face.

“
Yes. More of our people are down there, and we’re going to go get them,” Adrian replied.

Kenn didn’t doubt that, he was just leery of the chore. Going into a city that hadn’t been leveled was dangerous. Going into one that had been toppled over like dominoes was near suicide. They didn’t even know where in all those miles of collapsed buildings that they needed to search, though Kenn was sure Angela could help.

Kenn was almost sure he’d get to go this time, and he was eager to leave Samantha, John, and Brady with the responsibility of leadership. He wasn’t as fond of it as he had been before Adrian’s hiatus with the Slavers.

“
Do a long lunch out of sight. Double the guard, Marc and John as first and second in command while we're clearing, but tell Sam they’ll probably need help.”

Kenn was writing in his notebook now–the sixth one Adrian had given him–not upset that Brady would be in charge. Most of their fighting was over, had been since he’d realized that Marc could have taken his place all along. Besides, Brady might be in charge, but he wouldn’t have an easy time of it. Safe Haven was hard to deal with when the boss wasn’t around.

Adrian jumped down from the idling semi before Kenn could ask any of the dozen questions that came to mind, slamming the door shut.

Kenn picked up the mic, and seconds later, the lines of waiting jeeps, cars, trucks, and vans began to come around, using the smooth technique they’d been taught. All it took was patience, but sometimes that was the hardest thing to come by. The last vehicle in line–full of Level Seven Eagles–backed up in a wide circle and pulled around, freeing up space for the vehicles in front of them to do the same, alternating.

A lone Blazer broke the chain, and people stared as Angela pulled onto the shoulder. The simple ballet continued, but with even one missing, the magic was broken.

Angela parked next to the rig and got out, giving Kenn a casual glance as she went by. She could feel his jealousy, the small flashes of the past he was still battling. His greedy, resentful thoughts bounced off the cab walls, and she tuned him out. Everyone was having a rough morning. It was mostly the same with Kenn when she checked, though. Brady was still at the top of his shit-list. Adrian took a small recorder from his pocket. “Mitch got this two nights ago. Same every time, and it’s broadcasting over a lot of waves.”

He hit play.

“
Say again.”

Thick static in response.

Mitch tried again. “This is Safe Haven. We are an American Red Cross convoy. Who is calling?”

Static again, and then a very young voice floated out of the tape player, horrifying Angela as she registered the fear and helplessness behind it.

“
The grownups left us! We need help!”

It was whispered but clear, even though odd noises in the background should have drowned it out.

“
Where are you, honey?” Mitch asked, not as steady now.

Angela flinched at the awful cry in the background. The child waited for it to stop, and it did, in a long, unbroken howl of agony that finally ran out of breath.

“
Little Rock. Hurry! They’re closer!”

“
Where exactly? We’ll come and get you!” Mitch’s tenor was full of outrage and worry as he tried to find out where the abandoned kids were.

Static garbled the transmission.

“
You’re breaking up! Say again!”

There was only more fuzz, and Adrian switched the recording off.

“
He tried them for the next two hours and got nothing. We heard it on another channel yesterday. Same message, different kid. We won’t be the only ones hunting them.”

Angela closed her lids. “Play it again.”

He did, and they both winced at the loud moan when it came.

Angela pushed, stretched, listened. When Adrian cut it off, her lids snapped open.

“
Trapped on the East side, near where the water is coming in.”

He ignored the tone of the dead that was coming from her lips. “I want to go in and get them.”

“
And if it’s a trap? If we’re ambushed?”

“
We go in assuming it is. I've planned for it.”

Angela concentrated on the unrecognizable city below them. They were down there. She could feel them waiting to be captured and killed, or rescued, and she couldn’t even find a way in. It was all pile after pile of rancid debris.

“
Let me worry about that,” Adrian told her.

He blew out a tired breath, staring at his people as they began to make camp–Brady completely in charge for the first time. “We’ve observed armed men. They dress like cowboys, but act like soldiers. I need to know if they are.”

Her lids closed immediately.

Adrian waited as patiently as he could.

“
They’re not all from the same branch. Bounty hunters, I think. There’s a small group on duty inside that mobile home. They’re waiting for us. Word has spread about what we’ve done.”

Adrian was now the one frowning. Eliminating the Slavers was only a small part of the death he and his army would end up dealing out.

“
Mercs are as bad as Slavers,” he stated gently, a bit unsure how to bring it up with her. Neither of them was fully recovered from the last massacre.

Angela cut him off. “If they follow us in, they won’t come out.”

Skipping over the lecture on duty that she obviously didn’t need, he gave her a stern glance. “Stay close to me once we’re in.”

Angela frowned suddenly. “You should watch your six on this run… closely.”

Adrian tensed. “You know something I don’t?”

Her daze cleared slowly. “Something about a bad decision? I'm not sure.”

Adrian agreed uneasily. “We make those every day.”

They laughed halfheartedly, but Adrian took her words to heart.

“
I’ll keep you out of the ugliness as much as I can.”

“
I need a map.”

Adrian pulled one from his pocket, putting the tape player away. “We’ll go down after dark. Be in the Mess in half an hour.”

He turned from her many questions–like what happened if she couldn’t convince the kids to come out and at least talk. She walked slowly to her Blazer, searching what used to be Little Rock, Arkansas.

There were no landmarks to use. The entire city was crumbled on top of itself like broken Lego blocks–almost impossible to tell where one building started or ended. There was nothing she could find to navigate by, except the Arkansas River, which was literally surrounding Little Rock on three sides due to post-war flooding. That mass of scummy liquid would be a nightmare for Safe Haven to cross.

Adrian lingered a few feet from the truck. He knew that Kenn was impatient to get started, but it was quiet here, and he could think. It was foolish to risk their lives again so soon for what would probably be so few, but his heart demanded that he at least try. His blood was down there in that hell–alive and waiting for him to fulfill his promise–and he would. Adrian gave the death trap below one last lingering glance and then joined Kenn.

Kenn had his pen ready when Adrian opened the semi door. The boss man began speaking as he shifted the big rig into gear, and Kenn copied it exactly with a lightly trembling hand.

“
It's excitement,
” Kenn told himself. They were about to go into battle again, and this time he was second in command for the run.

2

“
Are you happy?”

Charlie wasn't expecting the question and he hesitated. “Most of the time.”

He looked over at his mom. “What about you?”

Angela recognized the distraction technique with a smile. “I'm content. That's enough.”

Neither of them were totally satisfied with those answers, though. They each wanted happiness for the other.

Maybe I can help,
Charlie thought.

What else can I give him?
Angela wondered.

Their thoughts crossed and they both chuckled as they brought up metal walls and continued with plans.

“
Yeah, you're mine,” Angela joked, hugging him. She missed moments like this.

Charlie hugged her back loosely, afraid to scare her away by saying the truth.
Now, I'm happy.

Angela held Charlie as long as she thought he would allow, scared of ruining the moment. She didn't want to ask for more than he could give. Being a teenager wasn't easy.

Worried he was clinging, Charlie slowly backed away.

Angela turned around to wipe away the light tears. He would have a great future. She wouldn't rest until he could live in safety. “Here they come.”

They went to meet the small group, both aware of the extremely nervous demeanors.

Angela lingered with Kyle and Cynthia as Charlie got their charges settled inside the training tent. Seth and Becky were reluctantly here, as well, and Charlie motioned to the girl. “In here.”

Becky wasn't sure why she'd been put in this class or even what teenage recovery lessons were. She suspected it was Adrian's version of a reform school.

“
Not at all, though the camp probably will think that,” Angela stated quietly. “And you don't have to come back after today. It's not therapy.”

“
Liar,” Becky accused without malice. “He wouldn't have us all here if it wasn't going to help.”

Angela didn't respond and Becky went toward the tent, taking curious glances back.

Angela waited until they were all inside and then spent a minute with their protectors. “They'll come back wound up and eager to practice if this goes well. If not, they'll need a release at the defense ring.”