Felix heard the laughter and bantering of the three soldiers long before he spotted their horses slowly making their way down the steep slope. His ears burned and his body trembled with an overflow of adrenaline as he listened to their boasting and then their more serious conversation about what they’d done and how they were sure Ari would never tell.
They were so busy bragging and reminiscing about giving her what she deserved that none of them exercised their soldier skills and his presence was completely missed.
He battled over what to do. Should he confront these monsters? Should he let them pass and go to Ari? Should he go back to camp and tell of their heinous act or simply kill them on the spot?
Memories of the torturous treatment from Baelil and soldiers dressed just like these fools flooded his mind and something snapped. The world and his actions seemed surreal as he pulled the rifle that he’d taken right beneath the soldier&rsq
Josie wrung her hands while she paced the room in front of Kendra who was quietly nursing baby Rexford. The more she looked at the infants little face, the more she had herself convinced that he’d been sired by her husband. Josie had finally noted that her stomach wasn’t growing and had suggested that she run some tests to make sure that all was well, leaving Kendra no choice but to admit that she’d miscarried long ago. Now, as she cradled the innocent little boy in her arms while he greedily partook of her milk, she waited to see what fate awaited both her and the child. Would she be placed back into the breeding rotation? If so, who would feed little Rexford? Worse… would they punish her for lying to them like that and send them both to the food bin?It all rested on Josie. What was she going to do with the information that she’d just been given?After an easy ten nail biting minutes, Josie turned t
It was a nauseatingly disgusting job that neither Ari or Felix found easy to do -or were quick to recover from-, but they eventually managed to remove the bullets from the three dead men and mutilate their bodies to look like they’d been attacked and eaten by zombies. If enough of the human’s flesh and most of its brain was consumed, the odds of it becoming a walking corpse were almost nil.When they were finished, the two stood side by side while they bent over and emptied the contents of their stomachs.Weak from the exertion of mutilating the bodies of three dead men in the most gruesome way possible -as well as vehemently vomiting up every spec of stomach contents- Felix sat on the ground and wiped at the moisture on his neck and brow.“I’ll have nightmares about this for the rest of my life,” he managed to say.Ari plopped her petite body down next to him. “Never in a million years did I think tha
The afternoon sun was abnormally brilliant as Kendra followed Josie out into the yard. Once again, she noticed the nervousness in her new friend as they closed the door to the building behind them and walked across the courtyard toward the two bug men guarding the gate. She had no idea why she’d been asked to follow her. Then, there’d been little discussion about their upcoming plans to escape since Josie first spoke of them due to the risk of being overheard.When they were half-way between the gate and the building, Josie motioned Kendra to go to the wall. Once there, she spoke in a low voice. “I wanted to speak where I knew there would be no recording devices.”Kendra closed her eyes and nodded. “I hoped that it was something like that.”“Tonight. Be ready tonight,” the woman said with hushed urgency.“During the feeding?” Kendra asked with a calmness that d
Olga shifted to a more comfortable position in the saddle while she wiped the sweat from the back of her neck with a handkerchief that was in dire need of washing. The trip had been far longer and more grueling than she’d expected it to be. It was another clear indication of how much she’d softened since they’d left their home in the cave. That, plus the fact that she was getting older.They were close to the alien city. Jax and the four remaining soldiers had gone ahead to – as Jax put it – do Ari’s job since Felix had adamantly refused to let her leave his side after they’d returned from burying the men. Jax was sure that she’d told him about the accusations that they’d flung at her over not hearing their fellow soldier’s need for help and staying up on the ridge where it was safe being similar to what she’d done to her own brother, but he didn’t care. She deserved th
The morning sun was just coming over the horizon, but Ari felt no joy in the prospect of observing it. Thanks to Trevor and his accomplices, it would be a long time before she quit associating the sunrise with what happened to her.“Come, girl,” Olga said in a firm tone. “Let’s watch the sunrise together.”Knowing that Olga was aware of her love for the morning’s light, she could think of no justifiable way to decline. With a sigh of resignation, she joined the older woman who was sitting on a fallen log with her body facing in the direction of the rising sun and wearing a smile of anticipation. Within seconds, Felix joined them.The light that grew stronger with every minute of sunrise showed the three spectators something that they never expected to see. There, in the field where they’d held council just the night before was a small herd of walking dead battling a half dozen creatures that had the body of a
Kendra stroked the stubbled hint of a beard on Rex’s face as she debated whether or not to give him his first shot. She cursed herself for not having the presence of mind to have asked Josie to explain what type of reaction Rex might have. Would it be physical? Emotional? Was she capable of handling it on her own? Or, should she do her best to get back to her family where she’d have help.Taking the water jug, she carefully tipped it to his lips to make sure that he stayed hydrated during their long journey.After checking on the baby’s position to make sure that he’d stay secure during the travel, she loosely propped the tarp over them to protect them from the sun’s rays, but still allow a comfortable air flow for them, and then climbed back into the driver’s seat.By the position of the sun, she guessed that she had about four hours of sunlight left to her before she’d have to find a
Olga and Felix had just finished packing up their camp when Ari returned with Jax’s soldier. She quickly explained that the others were bringing Kendra, Rex, and a baby by pony cart but that he wanted them all together for strength in the event of a battle against the aliens as well as peace of mind in knowing where everyone was. She’d hardly finished her explanation before Felix and Olga were mounted and ready to leave.They were closer to each other than they’d imagined. Within an hour Kendra’s cart – surrounded by Jax and his soldiers- could be seen making its way down the road.Felix kicked his horse into action and raced toward them. Not as expert in the saddle and very aware of the hard macadam beneath her horse, Olga had to be content with urging her horse into a trot.The reunion was bittersweet as they embraced and cried while giving just enough information about what had been happening to each
The location that Ari found for them was as close to perfect as Olga could have asked for. She quickly went about assigning tasks for everyone so that the camp was set up in record time. Kendra was amazed at the lack of resistance Jax gave Olga when she barked orders to his men. Most of them obediently obliged her right away. Of the one or two who looked to Jax for guidance over what to do, he simply nodded his approval of her request and they went about it without question.Felix took charge of the baby that Kendra had rescued. As he swaddled the infant in a clean shirt from his backpack, he noted how familiar the features of the little tyke were. Was he Kendra’s child? No. He had Rex’s bone structure and -although he was still too young to tell for sure- it looked like he had his nose as well.Olga took a brief moment to coo over the infant before she poured her attention towards Rex’s well-being. She accepted the littl