Dark Future (27 page)

Chapter Thirty-six

I
woke to the rhythmic jarring of my body, loud pants of air, and quick crunching of gravel below military boots. I opened my eyes. ConRad held me tight against his chest, running across the barren land, sweating like a bear on a treadmill, and sucking air like one.

The moons had almost set. Dusk was thick upon us. I peeked over his shoulder. Men flanked his sides, guns drawn. A few kept glancing behind to protect our six. I could make out Tank bringing up the rear, and Red hovering close to ConRad’s side. I couldn’t help but smile; they’d come. Our cavalry may be a little rough looking, but they were dependable, and I wouldn’t trade them for any other group.

We came to the base of the mountain, where inside the compound was located. ConRad lowered me to the ground, and then stayed braced on his knees gasping for breath. He made a quick circling motion with his finger in the air, indicating that the team should do surveillance. In quiet efficiency, the men scattered and ConRad went back to sucking wind.

“You weren’t kidding about the twenty pounds.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “Okay, maybe it was more like thirty. But hey, I eat when I’m stressed.”

His head cocked to the right giving me a view of his half smile. “I thought I’d killed you.”

I flashed a smile of my own. “I’m not that easy.”

He sat, leaning back on his heels and squeezed his thumb and forefinger over his closed eyelids. Moisture glistened on his long eyelashes. He took a deep breath. “I don’t know about that. I had you coming up against a wall, screaming my name within the first twenty-four hours I met you.”

I rolled my eyes, and for some insane reason I felt giddy. “I didn’t scream your name. That was your ego making up a bit of wishful thinking.”

He took his hand away from his face. In the middle of this desolate, God-forgotten place called Dark Planet—he gave me an ear splitting grin—and the sun came out. “Ah, my mistake, it was more like ‘thank you God.’ ”

“You are such an ass.” But my voice had no heat. I reached behind my head to where it burned. My hand came away red. I knew that head wounds bled a lot, but I’d already lost so much, I doubted I could afford more.

ConRad’s gaze followed mine to my bloodied hand. “The bullet grazed your skull. I checked the wound; it’s clean and should heal.”

I nodded.

“Are you okay?” Despite his previous smile, he looked worried.

“I think so, but I need someplace safe. Safe and soon.”

“The baby?” he asked. He spoke like he was afraid of the answer. This was so out of his league.

“Coming.”

“How much longer?”

I wasn’t sure. The contractions seemed to be getting closer, even though I hadn’t been in a position to time them. But my water hadn’t broken, so there was still time. “Maybe an hour, I really don’t know.”

He nodded. “Let’s get you back to the compound. We can use the infirmary.”

That was the best option, but the thought of hard metal chairs and wooden tables had my teeth grinding. “What about the Elders?”

“Dead, the aliens picked them off. They had no chance.”

“And Syon?”

“I don’t see how he could have made it. Unless he wasn’t there in the first place.”

And that was the crux of the matter. We wouldn’t know; we could assume, but never know for sure. “And us, how did we get away?”

“The men planted a decoy scent using some of your old clothes, and the aliens went crazy. Seems like I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of you.”

I laughed as ConRad came around and helped me up. He lifted my one arm around his shoulder and supported as much of my weight as he could.

Going back into the mountain was harder than when ConRad and I first came through the portal. The treacherous tunnels skirted natural springs, their spray coating the already slippery rocks. The path was narrow and I was fat. In the end ConRad had to lower me over the steep parts into Tank’s waiting arms.

Treading carefully, we made it to level ground. Curled against Tank’s unyielding body, I doubled over in pain as a warm sensation pooled down my legs. Tank’s arm and one pant leg caught the brunt.

The look of total disgust on his face made me tighten my arms around his neck. “Don’t you dare drop me, Tank. Just get me to the infirmary.”

He swallowed, the muscles of his throat working hard on his Adam’s apple. If he could hold me without me touching him, he would have. “Yes, ma’am.”

Tank carried me through the double doors of the infirmary, and I realized my prayers had been answered. There was Quinn, having taken her place as a real goddess in long white robes, standing next to a bed with clean sheets and a true honest-to-goodness pillow. On a table by the bedside were some sterile instruments, a basin of water, and clean bath towels.

Quinn, beautiful, fresh-faced Quinn, her complexion rosy, radiating one of health and youth. Her smile, one I hadn’t seen in mot seen nths, made her ethereal appearance all the more striking.

“Ahh Quinn, how did you know?” I asked, as Tank laid me down on the stuffed mattress.

“I saw this room in a vision, and when all the men decided to follow you and ConRad, I realized that I’d better prepare the room just like I’d seen it.”

“It’s perfect, thank you,” I said, surprised at the emotion welling up in my chest.

ConRad burst in the room looking like a stark-raving madman. His dust-covered hair stood on end and his face covered in whiskers and grime. He was shirtless, dirty, and caked with my dried blood, but he looked damn fine to me.

“I saw the stain on Tank. Is she bleeding?”

“No, it’s okay,” I said, stretching my hand out toward him.

He reached me and took my hand bringing it up to his lips for a tender kiss.

Quinn came up behind ConRad. “Sit down ConRad and relax, you did well. No wait, before you sit, go and wash up. You can’t expect to hold your new baby as filthy as you are.”

The thought stilled him mid-kiss as if the realization of what was about to happen finally sunk in. And with me too, the pain had begun to radiate up my back, in pulsing waves, feeling as if I’d split in two.

I gritted my teeth and tried to breathe through the sharpness. I was no newcomer to pain, but this time around, at least there would be something to look forward to at the end.

The hours passed in a light glow of red haze. Near the end I stopped holding back my screams and just let ’em rip, shaking dust from the ceiling.

ConRad sat beside me and held my hand, whispering encouraging words to my white-knuckled grip. He wiped the sweat from my eyes and laughed as I threw curses at his head. “Oh yeah, sweetheart,” he said, “you can do all that and more. Just get through this.”

Finally, I wanted to push . . . needed to get her OUT.

Then she was there, with a loud, robust cry that resonated deep into the marrow of my bones.
Mine.

Quinn placed the wiggling baby on my stomach as ConRad, with shaky hands, cut the umbilical cord. Quinn wiped the trauma of the birth off of her, and wrapped my new daughter in a clean towel.

My gaze rested lovingly on ConRad, my husband. His warm blue eyes were red rimmed and wet. Pure awe shone from his face. Quinn placed the baby in my arms as ConRad climbed in behind me. There the three of us lay, ConRad holding me, and me holding our daughter. We wrapped ourselves in a protective cocoon of love, with shining sappy grins and whispered kisses.

“So what are you going to name her?” Quinn’s voice, though soft, still startled me. The world was sitting up and demanding attention.

I glanced at ConRad. “Do you have a preference?”

He shook his head, his eyes still slightly glazed. “I’m still reeling from the fact that I have a daughter.”

I laughed, at least I had nine months to prepare, and he had what? Less than a few hours. I’d thought of names, but they all seemed better suited to the twenty-first century, not really for here, for this new future.

I lifted my shoulder in a shrug, nothing was coming to me. I looked at Quinn.

“It needs to be something special, something that signifies her role in The Prophesy,” she said.

My heart sped with trepidation. My new baby was no part of The Prophesy. “Her role? I should know, Quinn, I wrote the damn thing. The Prophesy begins and ends with me. She’s no part of it.”

Quinn smiled. She wasn’t here to convince me, just to state things like she saw them. Either she was right, or I was. Only time would tell.

“You can’t deny who she is or the miracle of her birth. The child of our new leader and of The One, she’s the dawning of our new era—our hope,” Quinn said.

“I like it,” ConRad said. “Dawning Hope Smith, it has a certain quality to it.”

I nodded. The name rang true to me. Something bright had to come out of all this darkness. “We’ll call her Dawn.”

I stroked her wrinkled forehead as she peacefully nursed. I refused to acknowledge the foreboding that fluttered in my stomach. I would not place that much responsibility on one small child.

After a few minutes, ConRad stood. “I need to go tell the men that you and the baby are okay. They’ll want to know.”

I smiled. The responsibility of his leadership was never far from his mind. When ConRad walked out the door with an ear-splitting grin on his face, I could hear a loud cheer rise up.

Once he was gone, Quinn helped me dress in a soft flannel nightgown and stretch leggings. After Dawn and I were comfortable, Quinn came and sat down next to me and took my hand. “Are you up for it?”

“Quinn, damn it. I hate when you do that. Stop asking questions when you know I have no idea what you are talking about.”

She laughed and it sounded musical and light. “I know. I’ll work on that, I promise, but I was wondering if you’re ready to go and greet the men. Some have traveled miles from all over to be here.”

She nodded toward the infant sleeping in my arms. “She is their symbol. She is one of the last signs that The Prophesy was fulfilled.”

I sighed. This was what I wanted, right? I wanted to show these men the truth of The Prophesy, to give them the strength to take up arms against their oppressors and defend their children. But now that it was here, all I wanted to do was take my baby, and ConRad, and live someplace where I could protect her.

“There’s no mistake,” Quinn said. “Her birth was miraculous, a full-term baby in less than twenty-four hours. That’s the stuff that makes hardened warriors become believers.”

I nodded.

“Here, let me help you up.” She took my arm and steadied me as I walked on shaky legs, holding my baby girl.

I stepped out of the infirmary and into the now-cleared-out command center. My eyes widened in surprise as I took in the whole area filled with men, and more than a few women. Their desperate faces personalized the rebellion. Dirty, fatigued, some hardened. Some were riddled with pain at the loss of their own daughters sacrificed to the Elders for greed and power. The faces of soldiers who’ll never have the chance to have a family, who’ll die so others can break free from the ominous yoke, so their children can have a better life. There is no greater cause.

Acknowledgments

T
his book would have never seen the light of day unless I had a few people to thank along the way. Much appreciation goes to my agent, Jill Marsal, and my editor, Esi Sogah, for believing in me and this book. Thank you to the ladies at WriteSpot: Julie Ellis, Jo Gregory, Kathleen Grieve, jj Keller, Lynnette Labelle, Theresa Sallach, Jenn Thor, and Dee Ann Williamson for teaching me so much about the craft of writing. Thanks to Kris Tualla, Tes Hilaire, and Nora Needham for your unwavering support and great advice. To Pam for being the best friend and cheerleader a gal could ever have, and last but not least, a huge shout-out to Erin Kellison whose wise critiques and loving advice have never been wrong.