“There are two large teams of people, a mix of Eagles and members. They are the builders and gatherers. Each team is broken into two shifts of twelve hours each. We have ten hard days ahead of us folks, but nothing like the last ten in comparison, right?”

  Even David nodded to that. The last ten days had been a nightmare that none of them ever wanted to experience again, no matter what side of the battle they were on.

  “After you locate your name and shift, remember it. Be at the assigned place by the time on the board, no excuses. There wasn’t time for me to let you pick the crew or shift you’d prefer. I chose it by where I need you the most, based on the strengths you have. Please don’t ask to switch shifts or crews unless you’re confident that I’ve put you in the wrong slot. In ten days, we will be in the cave and then every team will receive a full week off all chores!”

  Another double cheer came and Adrian’s heart filled with pride. She had learned even faster than his own children had–certainly faster than Conner would. That son needed what he’d been unable to give the other one. This time, he would save the boy and himself.

  “Builders, you will go in, determine what has to be done, then clean and prepare that area. You will camp outside the entrance to help secure our men, our work, our supplies, and to be right there to get rolling each shift change. Large common tents and bathrooms will be provided for each crew. At the same time, gathering teams will be out rolling. As they bring in each load, they will get your new lists and go right back out, with only a short stop for sleep and food between each run. And when I say short, you know I mean that. Prepping and gathering is the start. This is stage one.”

  Adrian ignored the plate of steaming meat Conner sat by him, content to listen for as long as Angela was talking.

  “As you gather, you have to stay organized. Each building crew will be sending gophers to the dump areas, kids who don’t know what these items are for or what harm they can cause. It is part of your duty to help the gophers get the correct materials safely to the cave entrance, in the amounts asked for. If we bring too much up, we clog our work area. If we don’t bring enough, we slow down. You get the idea. To organize this a bit, gathering crews will camp next to their dumpsite. You will assist the gophers and provide extra security for our materials.”

  Adrian could almost see her standing with a plate, picking off bits of food to show a calm composure. His longing to be by her side was overwhelming.

  “As for patrols, there will be five per crew–senior Eagles who can assist in labor, provide security, and attempt rescues if there are any problems. For gatherers, there must be a sixth and seventh man to provide sniper rotations that will work when your team sleeps, sleep where your team works. Each crew is being given a copy of a map we’ve made which shows the best and worst places to search for the items we need. Any area shaded in red is too dangerous without multiple teams of Eagles. Don’t try those. Remember the Safe Haven code when you go into towns and neighborhoods: We don’t steal from people and we don’t tolerate people stealing from us. Help those who need it, but don’t be caught up in drama. We have enough of our own right here for you to work on.”

  Adrian dutifully snickered like the rest of her Eagles were likely doing, and then quieted so he wouldn’t miss her next words.

  “As each shift ends, drop off notice of your next run, tally your numbers, and deliver it to the contest box in the mess. Once a day, Doug will go through that box–he has the only key–and update totals on the board. To add protection and help even out the contest, descendants will also help. The builders get two and the gatherers get two, split between the day and night shifts to keep things fair. Use them wisely. And to spice that up, there will be another contest for the descendant who helps their crew the most. Betting is encouraged!”

  Laughter rolled across the mountain, but it didn’t carry far enough to lighten Adrian’s camp. His son and new soldiers were sharing glances and staring at him in disappointment. Adrian’s soul decayed a bit further as he realized Angela had set it up this way so he couldn’t wallow in his grief.

  “Everyone else has work. The older folks have lighter chores, like sewing curtains, rugs, and quilts. The teenagers are on duty with their Eagle teachers, learning to take their place. Pregnant women, non-Eagles, are helping with mess, babysitting, delivering meals and messages, and caring for our weaker members.”

  She’d obviously considered every angle in his notebook and sorted through to discover a solution. Adrian couldn’t have been prouder.

  “All rookies and fifteen senior Eagles will cover our main camp during this stage. I need everyone else out there. This is a level test for many of you. You have to listen, follow orders, and enforce all rules. You also have to keep our Safe Haven running, as in water, waste removal, and food. Follow the lead of the Eagles with you, and hurry. We’re fighting nature here and we all know how she feels about us. Let’s pull together and get inside that mountain before winter comes.”

  There was a pause and then Angela’s voice came again, ringing with confidence.

  “Yes, we can take a real break here, if we can get inside. Will we do that?”

  Cheers echoed again.

  Adrian’s faction felt left out of that safety, but Adrian knew it was a false promise anyway–which was why she hadn’t actually said they would be safe here or given them an amount of time for that break.

  “I’ve offered rewards for us doing this quickly and I’ll honor them. I’d like to give out some of that now. Kenn and Shawn are drawing up plans for the Eagles. They’ll also be implementing my new teams list. Be patient while you’re hounding them for your slot, but know that every fighter here earned the next level, as of now.”

  This time, the cheering and yelling was enough to startle a small colony of bats from their roost above Adrian.

  “I miss my team,” Conner whined suddenly. “Will she still have the Jr. Eagles?”

  “How would I know?” Adrian responded, trying to listen to the rest of her speech.

  “Because she’s just following your notebooks,” the teen answered sullenly. “We all know that.”

  “You don’t know shit,” Adrian growled. “Stop underestimating her intelligence.”

  “I have a couple of reminders next and then we can relax for the rest of our evening. First, please don’t bother the ants. We have a deal in place. I promised to protect them for their help with the government and for future assistance. Make friends with them. They’re not the enemy anymore.”

  Adrian sighed in obvious awed approval.

  Conner was confused and disappointed. This wasn’t what he’d envisioned.

  “And what was it you envisioned, boy?” Adrian rasped out sharply, annoyed with his new crew and their expectations of a fallen idol. “That we would roam through the wastelands, killing evil and being heroes?”

  Conner flushed. That was exactly what he’d hoped.

  “Your sister has that honor. You’re still a pup,” Adrian sneered harshly. “Now shut up and let me listen. It’s almost all I have left now.”

  “You have your son!” Conner retorted loudly, drowning out Angela’s last words.

  The radio fell silent and Adrian pinned the teenager with a resentful glower. “Yes, let’s talk about that. I have a rebellious, know-it-all, banished, peeping-tom, untrained child to care for. Great trade-off there.”

  Crushed, Conner left the light of their small fire.

  “Was that right?” David questioned from the other side of the short flames. “He needs guidance.”

  “Was it guidance you needed while you were hunting your fellow man?” Adrian shot back. “Was that right?”

  David’s profile changed to stone.

  “That’s what I thought,” Adrian grunted. “Mind your own business until you understand what I’m doing.”

  “What are you doing?” David insisted, anger lacing his tone. “All I see is a disgraced leader following his old camp, like he’s waiting for a chance to steal it back.”

  “That’s because he is.”

  Peggy emerged from the darkness, flanked by

  Allan, and saved Adrian an explanation that he would have had to lie through.

  “That’s why I voted for Marc,” Peggy stated ruthlessly. “Angela can’t recognize this traitor for what he really is.”

  Adrian stiffened, switched off the radio. This won’t be pleasant.

  “Get lost, rookie,” Peggy snapped at David, gingerly taking a seat on the rock near Adrian.

  David opened his mouth to argue and Adrian jerked a thumb over his shoulder. He didn’t need direct witnesses to the coming, well-deserved humiliation.

  Also a bit crushed, David vanished into the shadows after Conner.

  Peggy regarded her former leader, her one-time hero. In the beginning, she’d been among Adrian’s staunchest believers. But he had quickly fallen short and then disappointed her, and now, he was a traitor. He even looked the part with his unshaven face and bloodshot eyes.

  “When did I lose you?”

  Adrian’s sudden question surprised Peggy, but it wasn’t hard to answer. She just hadn’t thought he cared. “Your game with Tonya. You punished her for killing Joe, who was a useless drunk, instead of helping her change. Angela did that for her, made her an Eagle and returned her self-worth. The others think you did it, but I know better and so does Tonya.”

  Adrian’s countenance darkened further, but he didn’t respond.

  “Doug told me he’d make me come, but he didn’t have to,” Peggy stated, switching topics. “I don’t want to die.”

  Adrian winced. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop that.”

  “Can you slow it?” she asked in a dreading rush.

  Adrian understood she had permission to be here because she had an Eagle escort. He was filled with bitterness as he realized who had given that permission and what she expected from him.

  “For a while,” Adrian finally confirmed. “But it will fade faster each time, like when she helped John.”

  “How long?” Peggy asked in a whisper. The new doctor hadn’t been willing to give her an estimate, but Hilda was sure it was weeks.

  Adrian didn’t want to do it and he hesitated, trying to find a way out.

  “Tell me!” Peggy insisted. “You owe me that!”

  “A few months more,” Adrian ground out. Angela had trapped him with this one. He had expected her to tell Doug no.

  “I want them!” Peggy swore furiously. “I want every second you can give me!”

  Adrian sighed, suddenly weary. “There are prices for deals such as this.”

  Peggy hesitated for only an instant, and then said, “I agree.”

  “Don’t you even want to know the cost?” Adrian asked snidely. “I could be betraying you again.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” Peggy stated firmly. “She’d never forgive you for hurting the herd or the dream while they’re in her hands.”

  She had thought hard about this visit before coming.

  “Got me all figured out, do ya? Be careful, Ms. Kelly. I’m not as harmless as you seem to think I am.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered, still angry and even more upset that she had to barter with him. “What do you want in exchange for helping me?”

  “You’ll have to bring Doug,” Adrian informed her, standing up. “It’ll take a few hours and you’ll need a day off. Kenn will help you arrange it when I tell him to.”

  Already suffering a great deal, Peggy had been hoping for something immediate and her expression grew dark with fear. What if the cancer did too much damage before Adrian helped her?

  Unable to feel her terror and ignore it, Adrian let guilt force his hand. He grabbed her by the arms, jerking her up as he stood, and slanted his mouth over hers.

  Too shocked to react at first, Peggy quickly realized it wasn’t a kiss. He was sending a heat down her throat, warming her insides and connecting their minds in awful flashes that made her stiffen and try to pull away.

  The life he was giving her had been taken, through deception!

  Adrian held on until the entire life had been delivered, not letting her revulsion or her ugly words in his mind break the hold.

  The last of it rushed from him like a bullet and Adrian shoved her, not caring when she tripped and landed on her ass. He stumbled to his knees, vision blurring, stomach clenching. He’d forgotten what this felt like, why he had stopped doing it and began using others to do it for him.

  Peggy rose to her feet, ready to blast him with her annoyance and froze at the sight of his body glowing with dull blue light. As she stared in surprise at the beautiful hue, it faded and Adrian shut his eyes.

  “I’ll need a couple weeks,” he ground out through the pain in his chest. He controlled his breathing and the squeezing fire gradually subsided. “Get lost, will ya?”

  Peggy slowly did as he bid, casting worried looks over her shoulder. In her concern, it took her a moment to realize she wasn’t in pain anymore.

  She strolled faster as the tall gates of Safe Haven came into view and she dismissed her shadow as soon as she was inside. She was positive Doug had requested a full report since he hadn’t been free to come with her.

  Following the bell that signaled a meal being served, Peggy veered toward the mess. She assumed Angela would still be there, but she hadn’t even gotten under the canopy before Angela’s cool voice echoed in her mind.

  He can only do that once more for you. Don’t waste such a precious gift.

  Peggy got in line for a tray and tried to act normal as Adrian’s light continued to work on her body and Angela pulled every second of the meeting from her mind.

  5

  “I’d like to talk to you…about the new people.”

  Storing Peggy’s memory of Adrian, Angela motioned to the bench across from her, glad that Samantha had a full plate. She wanted everyone well fed and with a good night’s sleep under their belts come dawn.

  “I caught something while you were feeling them out. I think we should eliminate the first group that comes, and maybe we can avoid another war.”

  Angela sliced off a small chunk of the rare beef and dipped it into the steak sauce. “Samantha, for a little while, can you please just concentrate on the weather, the garden, and hunting? Those three things will save more lives than you’re worried about sacrificing.”

  Scolded, Samantha wanted to argue, but was interrupted by the arrival of the ants.

  Every person in the mess, including sentries and leadership, stopped eating and talking to gawk at the colony.

  The line of ants held roughly one hundred workers, led by a huge red Captain who inspected the scrap boxes lining one side of the mess. He then swiveled toward his crew and squealed.

  The people winced and cringed from the high-pitched noise, but it only lasted for a brief blast and then the worker ants came forward to create five lines that led from each box to the edge of the mess. From there, a single line of ants completed the assembly. This meal was full of proteins and fats that the ants also needed if they were to survive. Later, there would be other, less palatable food options, but Angela intended to honor their deal and even extend it. For now. Safe Haven would get a second, smaller harvest from the garden and the new seedlings she was having them plant would be a source of mega-vitamins in about a month. By then, the snow would be here and growing topside wouldn’t be feasible.

  Samantha shifted restlessly, waiting for Angela to focus on her. She had a lot to say.

  “Samantha?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I already have plans running. Do you want to be a part of them? I always need hands, especially ones as good with a rifle as yours are.”

  Samantha considered the question, understanding she was being given an option to skip the gardening and hunting, if she was ready for action.

  “I can do things for you, if you need them, but I’d rather not yet,” Samantha chose, not mad or sad. “I’ve thought about resigning, to find out if I like it on the other side.”

  “A few people are considering that option. Some have already chosen it,” Angela confided without rancor. “Each person has to do whatever is best for them. I’d be sad to lose you, happy to hold a place if you go that way,” Angela told her, leaning in. “But you don’t want that, do you?”

  “No,” Samantha answered slowly. “I still want the glory. I just need the peace too.”

  “I understand,” Angela comforted. “When you find your name under the gatherers instead of security, don’t stress over it. Enjoy what peace you can get for a few weeks.”

  “And then?”

  Angela sighed. “Be ready to do whatever you need to.”

  “I’ll stay that way forever, I think,” Samantha confessed, letting a bit of her inner turmoil show. “Once you kill someone, you really can’t go back. Ever. You know?”

  Angela flashed to Little Rock and her grip tightened on the fork. “Yes, Sam. I do.”

  “Good,” the storm tracker stated. “I’d hate to think I’m the only one who’s damned.”

  Suddenly eager to examine the board and see who she was teamed with, Samantha stood up. “You need anything?”

  “I’m all good,” Angela forced out.

  Samantha left to join the crowd around Doug.

  Angela took a moment to inspect the rest of the camp mentally, even though she knew Marc was on rounds.

  And your pet killer is outside on duty, the witch reminded.

  Angela ignored the jab, closing her grid. It was amazing how she saw a gift, or thought of one she didn’t have yet, and then the ability appeared in the form of a new door. Her hall of choices was long, but unfortunately, it was all fueled by the same amount of energy. She felt like a gamer with new spells available, but no extra power to run them.

  She had asked the witch how to increase her energy levels, but that answer was one neither of them had cared for. Taking more lives wasn’t an option for Angela and the witch understood the problems that could come from her host accepting her corruption and pursuing it to gain more power. Greed was a fault of many descendants and had cost too many lives to count over the centuries.