Dark New World (Book 2): EMP Exodus (10 page)

* * *

Well, Cassy mused, they’d made it back to camp. She explained everything, and now Michael was running around stringing up make-shift booby-traps and alarms around the camp. Cassy had insisted they keep two people on guard at all times through the night, and Michael had agreed. There was no resistance to the idea among the others. It just made sense.

As she stared out into the night, searching, she occasionally saw a brush move or heard a sapling rattle its leaves. Whoever made those noises was otherwise as silent as the dead, however, and they never heard or saw whoever was moving around out there.

Jed stood up. “I’m going out with Michael to look for tracks. I want to know what all we’re dealin’ with here, and how many of ‘em are out there.” Without another word, he walked out into the night toward where Michael could be seen rigging some sort of trip alarm with cans on a string. He’d found the cans and other trash all over the woods. Being close to people, it had been misused somewhat as a garbage dump.

Cassy stood and walked to Mary. She was pale and sweaty, still. “How are you doing, sweetie?”

“Well I feel like crap, but Ethan says I’m almost certain to make it without permanent damage. He says I should be ‘eighty percent good to go’ by tomorrow, or the next day at the latest. I can’t wait…”

Cassy chuckled. “Me neither. You really had us worried. Thank the Lord it wasn’t a rattler, eh?”

“Yeah. Thank God for small favors. Um, listen, Cassy, can I talk plainly?” asked Mary, and she looked around to make sure no one else was within easy hearing distance.

Cassy nodded and gave a shrug. Sure, whatever you want. “Fire when ready.”

“It’s kind of awkward. But I guess I should just rip the bandage off with this, so here goes. Do I have anything to worry about with you and Frank? I see how you look at him, and honestly, he looks at you the same way. Of course, only when you both think the other person isn’t looking. But I’ve had a lot of time to just sit and watch you all lately. I’m not accusing you of anything, mind you. It’s just that… Well, there’s enough dynamite in camp right now, and you know just who I’m talking about.”

Cassy froze, and for a second a shiver of adrenaline shot up her spine. But no, Mary wasn’t accusing her of anything. And anyway there was nothing to accuse her of in the first place. But did Frank really look at her, too? Another, very different shiver ran through her.

“No, Mary. No. He’s a handsome, capable guy for sure, but he’s mighty in love with you and you have a family together. Whatever passing thought I might have, it’s just that—a passing thought. Even if Frank tried anything, I’d shoot him down. We got enough problems, like you said, with the Jasmine-Amber bullshit going on. We’ll have to deal with that sooner or later, I reckon.”

Mary nodded but didn’t reply. Apparently exhausted from the effort of sitting up and talking, she leaned back against the tree again and closed her eyes. After a moment, she said, “Thanks, Cassy. I knew you were a good person, with a good head on your shoulders. It’s why you and Frank are our unspoken leaders, yeah? Anyway, I need to rest. Have a good night, sweetie.”

Cassy smiled. Then she stood and walked back to her log “bench” and sat. She looked around at the campers. These were all her people now. Hers, and Frank’s. She just hoped they could keep their bullshit under wraps long enough to get to her farm. Then she passed time running a headcount.

And half-stood, then froze. No no no… Where the hell were Amber and Ethan? Goddammit. She turned to look at Jed; he and Michael were peering at the ground and screwing around with cans on a string still, but that wouldn’t last long.

Cursing like a sailor under her breath, Cassy began the rounds of the camp, looking for the missing idiots and feeling sorry for herself that she had to babysit grown adults.

- 12 -

2300 HOURS - ZERO DAY +7

ETHAN AND AMBER sat in one of the lean-tos, the only one that offered any real privacy. He sat as far from her as possible, not yet comfortable with anything more than sitting and talking. But damn, she looked so pretty in the half-light from the fire. Jed didn’t know what a good thing he had, and someday soon it would bite him in the ass.

As far as Ethan was concerned it couldn’t happen fast enough, but for here and now, until they were safely at Cassy’s farm, what he was doing now was as much as he was willing to risk. Amber seemed to understand, thankfully, because she made no effort to move closer. She just smiled at him, and they talked and made jokes at each other’s expense. Sometimes rather crude or suggestive jokes, but they were only words, right? He tried to convince himself there was no harm in that.

Ethan continued, “So then Thalis, my DK, or Dark Knight, did a Mirror Blur to boost his DPS and went all ‘fists of fury’ on the Shaman while Moktar, the Bard, did his Flute of Speed maneuver to dart past their last tank, I think he was a straight Fighter, and we took their Pennant. And so my Stalwart Blades took yet another castle from those noobs and got, I think, like two thousand Rep!”

Amber smiled and then pretended to yawn. “You already told me this one, oh mighty Thalis. You do know that sounds an awful lot like phallus, right?” She snickered, and Ethan made a big show of having hurt feelings. Amber rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t be like that. It’s not my fault you got all Freudian with your name.”

Ethan chuckled, and couldn’t seem to look away from her beautiful eyes. What an amazing woman. “Two thousand Rep is nothing to sneeze at, I swear! We used it to add a level three Enchanting Apparatus to our guild hall.”

“Oh? And is it enchanting? Your ‘apparatus,’ I mean.” Amber said it with a straight face, but Ethan saw her eyes crinkle in that alluring way they did whenever she was making a deadpan joke at someone’s expense.

“Oh yeah. Level three enchanting, bay-bee! With that, you can work the Apparatus for an hour, four times a day.”

Amber choked. “You wish, perv!”

Ethan was about to laugh, too, when the lean-to’s flap was thrown open. He looked up in surprise and saw Jed standing in the opening. Jed’s eyes were narrowed to slits, and he stood with his hands at his sides balled into fists.

“You sonuvabitch. You think you can just move in on a man’s wife? Get up, you bastard. Get up, or I’ll kick your ass sittin’ down.” Jed’s voice was flat and emotionless, but his eyes told a different story.

A jolt of fear shot up Ethan’s spine. “Wait, Jed, we weren’t doing anything, I swear! I was telling her about a castle raid, that’s all!”

Another voice, from outside: “What the hell are you doing, Jed?”

It was Michael’s voice, and it had the weird, monotone sound Michael got when he was in combat mode. Ethan had a brief hope that Michael would pull Jed away, but that hope was quickly dashed when Michael continued, “And what the fuck is your wife doing in there with Ethan…”

Jed snarled, “Getting his ass curb-stomped, that’s what.”

Amber stood up and got face to face with Jed. “Stop this! We weren’t doing anything wrong, Jed. Why the hell are you such a jealous prick? You think I don’t see how you look at Jaz? Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m your damn husband, that’s who,” said Jed, and Ethan thought he looked about ready to hit his wife.

From what Amber said, Jed had never struck her in anger, but he looked ready to do so now. Ethan felt his initial fear turning into anger, and a deep need to get Amber away from Jed. Right now. “Jed, I know you’re angry, but she didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no need for this. Just take a step back, and don’t do something you’ll regret in ten minutes.”

Jed’s eyes flicked back to Ethan, and his face was flushed red. “You threatening me, boy? Please say you are.”

Michael had been watching the exchange passively, but apparently came to a decision because he reached his hand out and put it on Jed’s chest, restraining him and even pushing him back a little. “Jed, it ain’t worth it. Not here, not now, and not in front of the whole damn clan. Kids, Jed. They don’t need to see this.”

That seemed to get through to him. Ethan saw Jed slowly and deliberately unclench his fists as he took half a step back, away from Amber. “This ain’t over with, geek. Not by a mile. Stay away from my bitch, y’hear?”

There was a commotion outside the lean-to, and Ethan saw the rest of the adults shuffling into view, all asking the same questions at the same time. What was going on, who did what, the usual questions.

“Well, I was talking to Amber about a castle raid my guild did in a game I played a lot before the lights went out. Jed here seems to think it was more than that, and wants to defend his wife’s and his honor, but Michael points out that the kids don’t need to see us fighting. That’s all, so far.” Ethan’s eyes never left Jed’s. Let the redneck take a swing, Ethan thought, and he’d find out what Hapkido could do against a brawler… How dare he talk about Amber like that.

Michael frowned and said, “Well, Amber, it doesn’t take a Marine Scout to notice how you two have been rather cozy lately. If it was Tiffany and Ethan, I’d probably have already taken him out back to work out who’s right.”

Amber stiffened. “We’ve done nothing wrong, Michael. There’s no law against talking, and that’s all it’s been. I’m married, after all.”

Frank coughed once, and all heads turned to him. “Ethan, no one’s going to fight here. Not over this, not yet. But you must understand what it looks like, and how a husband would feel about his wife being overly friendly with another man.”

Ethan clenched is jaw and paused a second to consider his words. Then he said, “Frank, Jed, Michael. I can understand how a man might feel about that
if
that man wasn’t doing the same thing with a beautiful young woman who isn’t his wife, and
if
there was anything going on between his wife and another man. But Jed, you spend more time with Jasmine than Amber does with me because she
respects
you as her husband. Maybe she was just feeling a little left out and needed someone to talk to about something
other
than your relationship issues. Maybe Amber’s feelings are hurt, and maybe she’s insecure what with you spending so much time with Jaz. Either way, though, I swear to you that she’s done nothing to violate your trust.”

Jed slowly unclenched his fists, and took a deep breath.

But then Ethan narrowed his eyes and added, “Can you say the same, Jed?” The prick had probably at least kissed Jaz, he figured, considering how those two made goo goo eyes at each other all the time.

Jed roared and leapt toward Ethan with a snarl on his face.

Before he could get within striking distance, however, Michael grabbed Jed around the waist and by sheer strength dragged him away from Ethan. “Jed! Stop this. Right. Now!” barked Michael, and the iron tones of military discipline in his voice brought Jed to an abrupt halt.

Cassy stepped between Ethan and Jed, who was a couple yards away with Michael, now. “Stop this at once! You’re both acting like you’re in goddamn high school. We’re a clan, right? So act like it. Ethan’s right, Jed—you
do
spend all your time with Jasmine. You and Amber had problems even before the lights went out, right? So maybe just think about this—think about what you want, what you
really
want.”

Jed had regained control of himself, Ethan noted. Smug little bastard. Oh sure, he was all high and mighty about marriage vows when his wife
only talked
to another man, but trying to dip his wick in a woman almost half his age was fine? Total bullshit.

* * *

Peter watched the spy’s camp through his scope, which he’d unclicked from his rifle to make it easier. Here in these woods, he wouldn’t need the scope to shoot a bear, or whatever.

He chuckled when he saw the plump guy with some geek tee shirt almost come to blows with the wiry rough-neck who wore the straw cowboy hat. The soldier—or at least, he moved and acted like a soldier—broke it up before anyone got to swing a punch, but it was clear that whatever the argument was about had the spy’s group split down the middle. The cowboy, the soldier, and the older guy who Peter assumed was the group’s leader were on one side; the geek, the spy, the old lady, the three wives, and the hot young piece of ass were on the other. Peter’s money was on the three men if it came to a fight between them.

As he watched, the cluster of people broke apart, and they all seemed to just go about their business, but Peter noticed that the two “sides” from the argument were keeping mostly separate from each other. He was surprised to see the young woman, whom he had begun to think of as “Hotlips”—a name from an old TV show—was clearly on the geek’s side. Surprised, because from what Peter had seen she seemed to be always hovering around Cowboy. Of course, Cowboy’s wife had been doing the same thing with Geek. So, whatever was going on there, it had clearly blown up in all their faces.

Good. The rat bastards deserved it. If a man couldn’t trust his wife, a little kicking ass was only right. Cowboy’s wife shoulda kept her pants on, no matter what her man was doing with Hotlips. Dudes were just wired that way, he decided, and women needed to lighten up about it.

Peter grew bored watching them and sat down, leaning against a tree. He pulled out his pocket-sized journal, a brown leather-wrapped journal he’d picked up from some big-box chain book store. He hadn’t used it before the lights went out, but now he kept meticulous notes about everything he saw his prey and her group doing. He’d also taken to keeping a sketch map of his journey with detailed notes, as well, marking down every encounter, every danger, every possible place to resupply his own people when he led them to the Promised Land. If his folk ran low on supplies on the journey, a good leader would know where to raid for more. And he, Peter Ixin, was going to be a
great
leader.