The Killin' Fields (Alexa's Travels Book 2) (36 page)

Edward sighed. “Yeah, about that… Paul. We were rough on you against her wishes. She didn’t want you abused.”

“She wanted you trained,” David said.

“She can’t force that on you, so it backfired. I get it.” Paul’s face was growing red, showing the weak scientist they were used to. “You were jealous and didn’t want me there to take your time with her!”

None of them could deny it and they didn’t.

“There are already six of us,” Jacob explained ashamedly.

“And she told us we were a full group,” David added.

The senior men stayed quiet, trying to figure out what to do. Alexa was upset, they were upset, and so was Paul. Something had to be done to fix it.

“Unless we go the other way,” Billy said suddenly. “Paul, the truth is, we know you’re like her, a better choice for a mate, and our dna insists we get rid of you. Its nature, you understand?”

Paul, who enjoyed studying everything, did. “Sure. All species are territorial.”

“Exactly,” Billy agreed. “But it was the same when each man here joined. We all wanted to be alone with her. We got over it; saw the benefits of being stronger in number. With you, the balance tipped us back to chaos and therefore took away our strength. If you had tried harder, we would have accepted you in time. I know that because there isn’t anything I won’t do for the men in this room and they feel the same. You broke our harmony somehow.”

“Because he only cares about getting to Safe Haven,” Alexa said from the rocking chair in the front room. “If you all died tomorrow, he’d celebrate.”

Paul wanted to deny the accusation, to say if they could be reasonable, he could too, but the hatred had already set into place. He turned toward the stove to start cleaning up.

Alexa’s men couldn’t take much of the tension after that. They abandoned the kitchen for packing their gear in case Alexa wanted to get rolling.

As he padded through the front room, Mark spotted her dozing in an armchair and went to place a soft kiss to the top of Alexa’s head. “I’m sorry.”

Alexa sighed, leaning against his arm. “So am I. This wasn’t what I envisioned when I took you from that place.”

Mark flashed to the chains and the bit, to the tests and the torture. Instead of fading, it had remained vivid in his mind, often tormenting him in dreams. “You could rip my throat open right here and now lady, and it would still be a kindness compared to Slam.”

Alexa froze as doors swung open in her mind. Awful, terrible images came to her and she shuddered.

“Alexa?”

She looked up at him with dead eyes. “I won’t be able to stop it.”

Mark understood immediately and felt panic sweep over him. “Keep me by your side! I want that!” he insisted in a near growl. “I don’t care in what form.”

Alexa hugged him tightly, but didn’t make any promises and Mark wept lightly on her shoulder. He wasn’t ready to die yet, and not because of fear. He couldn’t handle the thought of being away from Alexa.

“I feel the same,” she stated gruffly. “And no future is set in stone. We’ll guard against it. For now, get me out of here. I can’t stand her stench.”

Mark helped her when she tried to rise and had to stifle a groan, then kept an arm around her hot skin as they limped up the stairs.

Thirty minutes later they were all going out the front door and none of them bothered with a goodbye or well wishes for Paul. Guilty of causing it or not, Paul hated them and there was no point in wasting their time with words they didn’t mean.

“Shouldn’t we get more information from Tabitha?” David remembered. “Paul brought her to help.”

“No, he didn’t,” Alexa refuted. “He knew if I had an innocent meal, I’d be tainted and no longer able to deny him a place in this group. He betrayed me. And her, but she wants to die anyway, so there was no sacrifice on her end.”

The men weren’t sure what to say after that and the fighters walked into the corn in silent contemplation of the last two weeks.

4

Alexa’s mood was ugly, but the men with her, minus the one following against her wishes, were ecstatic to have succeeded and ditched their noisy burden. Their thoughts were full of misconceptions and assumptions that could be dangerous, but she didn’t have the strength to correct them yet. That would come during her recovery.

Sensing Alexa wouldn’t berate them right now; the two rear men held a low discussion and managed to clear up a few of the questions for themselves.

“He said it should be out of her system now. We might get a break from the soldiers for a while.”

“Good. We need to find an ammo stash. Only four mags between us.”

“Yeah, none of them were carrying much in the way of supplies.”

“Neither were those other travelers. I didn’t understand why they were never concerned with water or food. Until we hit Lincoln that last time anyway.”

“Ghosts don’t need those things. Creepy.”

“The death dance is still freaking me out. They have to spend eternity dancing out their deaths for entertainment? That’s weird.”

“Agreed. What about that room with the portal she shut down? Have you ever seen so many?”

“Only in movies.”

“This should have been one. Might have become a classic. A ghost wagon train would be awesome if you hadn’t actually been there firsthand.”

Both men chuckled and fell back into quiet as Edward gave them a sharp look to curb the noise.

He had been studying Alexa, wondering how long she could travel in the daylight before she collapsed or started to burn. The baby had been sensitive to the light and that meant Alexa would be as well.

“Do you think he’ll survive?’

Jacob’s question was muttered, but Alexa heard it and let out a heavy sighed. “Only if he goes to the bunker.”

Alexa took the weed-dotted road at the first intersection, and all the fighters were glad to be on the cracked pavement again. They’d had enough of this corn.

5

Alexa walked until her ribs and lungs were burning, determined to be out of reach of their new enemies here. Until she healed, they were weaker, and she wasn’t going to shelter-in near Lincoln.

As the day wore on, her straight line became blurred, but the men didn’t speak up. This slower pace wasn’t hard for them, but it had to be murder on her and they respected her will to keep going.

Sunset saw them barely moving as she trudged along and Edward couldn’t take it anymore. He gently scooped her into his arms.

Mark hurried to take point, relieved.

Alexa mumbled in his ear, trying to stay conscious, and Edward listened carefully to her instructions.

Those around them didn’t need to hear it to know what she wanted. She’d walked herself into near-collapse again to be away from here.

“She needs meat,” Edward stated, voice not betraying his true feelings. “Bloody.”

“I’ll hunt,” Mark offered. “One hour.”

Daniel took Point as the convict disappeared into the tall grass with his knife in hand.

“We need a shelter across the state line,” Edward delivered the next order. “Out of Nebraska.”

Billy dug for his map, saying, “I’ll do that right now.”

“We also need the nearest mall and a good plan for scavenging with only half a crew. Ammo, water, and tools this time.”

David was already thumbing through the telephone book from his kit. He hadn’t understood why Alexa gave it to him, or even when she’d taken it as they reached Nebraska and found a small library. Now, he was thankful and held more respect for his mistress. Every day she proved herself worthy to lead them on this quest.

With the entire group distracted and night falling over them, danger lurked nearby, but the fighters didn’t concern themselves with what might be. This was the way they lived now and there would always be times when they were unprotected. It was part of the risk.

“If we keep going up 77, we’ll hit Fremont by morning,” Billy informed them. “We can take 43 and be in Sidney this time tomorrow.

Alexa muttered again and Edward passed her words on. “She said it doesn’t matter where we want to be, so long as we avoid Kansas completely, especially Leavenworth Penitentiary and the state line towns.”

“I say we cross into Iowa and find the closest hotel,” Billy joked.

“Agreed,” Alexa forced out. “Put me down.”

Edward gently set her on her feet and Alexa spent a minute pulling herself together. She stayed in the center as she waved them into a normal pace.

Edward wasn’t sure she could keep up, a big change for them, but nightfall had returned some of her strength and she even managed to stay in the right spot. Around her, the men monitored her progress and continued with their preparations.

“We’ll have to hole up when daylight comes,” Daniel tossed over his shoulder.

Alexa ignored the silence, concentrating on regaining her rhythm, her stride. Not being in the lead was an adjustment.

“Wahoo is the closest town, but its due north.”

“East, to Syracuse,” Alexa said. “I can make it that far.”

No one argued, but thoughts were full of doubt. Even with the extra night boost, she was still weaving and slower.

Alexa sighed. “The noise coming isn’t a threat or an option, so put both notions from your mind.”

The men twisted around to discover headlights behind them, chugging down the road at a slow speed and a low rumble.

Brian behind the wheel of the long black van wasn’t a surprise, but none of the men got into the inviting vehicle. They stopped only because he pulled across the street and forced them to.

“Put her in here,” Brian called out the window that gushed wonderfully warm air over the fighters. “But be clear, she wouldn’t allow this for any of you and she resents you doing it to her.”

Alexa had a scathing retort ready and was shocked when Edward scooped her up and deposited her in the rear of the van. Billy held the door and quickly shut it in her face.

The two men exchanged worried grins as they went to hang onto the side rails. They didn’t want to be in there with her right now. No one did.

The other men also found a place to hang on, sure that Mark would know where they’d gone and with whom.

The van rolled quickly, covering ground too fast to see most of it, and Alexa’s sarcasm spewed all over the inside of the vehicle, chilling it. “Stop and let Mark climb in. He’s behind the trees. You just scared off my dinner.”

Brian ignored her anger, but did as she told him, glad to still be driving. If she were truly offended, he would be on the ground writhing in pain.

“I won’t accept you yet,” she stated. “I won’t cause your death.”

Brian also ignored her warning. There was nothing she could say or do right now to hurt him. Her men had accepted his hospitality and Brian took them straight to his hide out. He’d been waiting for Alexa since the season changed and he was sure she would like the preparations he’d made for her arrival. The dreams had told him to be ready and he was.

A short time later, Brian stopped the van to let everyone inside and the men were relieved when Alexa only glowered. An hour in the wind and they were sorry in a number of ways, including upset stomachs from Brian’s wild driving. He didn’t believe in taking it easy.

Edward took the spot on Alexa’s right and Billy took the left, there to take her anger or her directions, but Alexa had neither for them. The driving had been rough on her as well and she slumped over into Edward’s lap with a groan.

“Damn kid!” Billy snapped, helping Edward get her into a more breathable position. “Slow down!”

But Brian didn’t. He wanted her safe in the den he’d created and he wasn’t pausing for anything, including broken roads.

“Hang on. It gets bumpy through here.”

“That’s what we’re used to, kid,” Edward stated, shifting Alexa’s head to rest on his kit. “Wouldn’t know we were still alive any other way.”

6

Brian stopped in front of his hiding place a little before dawn, and the men climbed out of the van warily, not sure exactly where they were or what to expect. Edward and Mark stayed with Alexa as the other four cleared their surroundings.

When they returned to the van, their expressions said trusting Brian had been a good idea.

“There’s a lake, a bunkhouse, and a cave down by the creek. Two roads, no power lines. Hell, I can’t even find it on the map and I used these every day as a dispatcher,” Billy informed them happily. “We’re good here.”

Alexa was unloaded and carried into the long bunkhouse where a rear corner had been built into a private bedroom area. The female decorations told the fighters that a woman had lived there, but Brian’s words disproved the theory.

“I hope she’ll like it. I made most of it for her.”

Edward noticed the boy’s roughened hands then and the quiet intelligence that Mark had also picked up on.