Don't Look Back (Warders of Earth) (26 page)

Momentarily struck dumb, I watched her walk up to the cat and scoop the fur ball into her arms. She hurried back, a broad grin lighting up her face. The impact was like a sucker punch. All air left my lungs and something shifted inside me.

I would give anything to save her from her future.

The car door shut as she slid back inside, the cat clutched under one arm. Smiling, she clipped on her seat belt.

I swallowed, did a shit pile of throat clearing and still my voice came out hoarse as sandpaper.

“Dad’s going to be pissed off a cat’s joining our merry band, especially since Marnie is bringing along her father’s dog.” I tapped a beat on the steering wheel, conjuring up the scene that would surely greet us when we got back to the workshop. I sent the car in motion, checking the ute followed.

“He’ll have to suck it up. This is Mrs Andrews’ cat. I’m not leaving it here to fend for itself.”

One glance at the stubborn tilt of her chin and I caved.  I knew how to pick my battles and this wasn’t one of them. Besides, I’d spent quite a few sleepless hours myself thinking about this same crappy deal. People weren’t the only ones with their lives on the line.
If only I knew more about what’s about to happen.

The fur ball settled down on Tara’s lap and purred under her petting hand.

I’d be bloody purring too, if she stroked me like that
. I shifted on the seat, my body tightening with a hungry need.

From the back seat, Shay snuffled a snort.

Aw crap
, I’d forgotten to sever our connection. I rolled my eyes knowing my mate would give me curry later.

“Why does Marnie call her father by his first name?” asked Shay.

“He says it makes him feel too old.” Tara turned around and grinned at my mate. “I got the impression he wasn’t there that much when she was growing up.”

Shay grunted and returned to scanning for danger.

“What do you know about these so-called aliens? Do you know what they want with us?” Tara looked at me.

Those gorgeous soft-brown eyes of hers, made me want to move mountains. “I’m not certain, Tara.” I shrugged and changed into third gear, sending the car roaring down the street.

“I only know what I’ve been told.”
Do I tell her I suspect something quite different?

“That’s not much help,” she muttered.

In my peripherals, I saw her hand tremble. What could it hurt to spill what I did know?

“There’s two different races and once, a long time ago, they were deadly enemies.”

Tara smiled and placed her hand on my thigh.

I immediately covered it with mine. “They were both powerful and battled for centuries for supremacy in their galaxy. Neither won. But they brought their people to the brink of extinction. So they devised a different type of war; one which wouldn’t see any harm coming to either race.”

“They could have called a truce,” Tara said drily.

“Yeah, there is that.” I did an eye roll in her direction. “Whatever their reasons, they remained enemies and sent out exploratory spaceships, in packs of two, into the universe. One ship for each race. They would suss out solar systems with life forms and send out small, forward-scout shuttles to prepare for their arrival.”

“And that’s how we got the alien technology!” Tara exclaimed. “The scout ships.”

“Got it in one.”

“But what are they after? Our resources? Our land so they can live here?”

“I’m not sure. One race I believe has more peaceful intentions whilst the other is more aggressive. The Mundos Novus force supposedly answers to the latter. I can’t help but wonder whether they’re going off on their own agenda these days.”

“Then the Warders are with the more peaceful race?”

“Yes.” I felt rather than saw her gaze switch to the passing scenery. About to mention my doubts, I paused.

A red light blinked on the dashboard.

The same instant my mind sensed danger.

I checked the mirrors.

From a yard further down the road, a Wrangler jeep tore out of a drive way, crashing through the timber gate and swinging out onto the road. Five soldiers were crammed inside, the one sitting in the rear was perched behind a PKM general-purpose machine gun mounted in the back.

“It’s them!” shouted Tara, swivelling around and staring at the rapidly approaching vehicle.

I floored it. “Turn round and keep that seat belt on.”

She turned around and pointed. “Take a left here.”

I swung the wheel. The car swept wide, its tyres gripping the rough surface and spraying dust and dirt into the air obscuring my vision for a few seconds.

“Good. Nic’s turned to the right. Let’s see who these guys follow.” Another residential street but this one with a group of people standing about on someone’s front lawn. Looters by the amount of household gear they held. One even had a shopping trolley piled high with pilfered goods. They turned and stared as our car shot toward them.

“They’re behind us,” said Shay.

I glanced in the mirror. My mate had palmed his 9mm Glock and wound down his window.

A burst of automatic gunfire drummed into the rear of the car. The group of people on the lawn screamed and scattered in all directions.

The cat hissed then let out a hideous yowl as its hairs stood on end.

Tara gasped, her eyes were big with fear as she spun around to stare at me, one hand clutching her throat.

“Stay down.” I yanked her lower with my left hand. “Don’t worry. The car is armoured plated and has bullet proof glass.”

“Awesome,” she whispered. “Good kitty,” she crooned to the terrified animal. Tara had doubled over so far, her nose was all but buried in the cat’s fur. All colour had leeched from her face but she didn’t cry, didn’t scream, didn’t blister my ears with inane blabbering.

A girl in a million.

Clenching my jaw, I focussed on the job; keeping her and us alive.

Shay let loose with an answering volley of shots that boomed deafeningly loud in the close confines of the car.

The jeep veered to the right than the left but in a burst of speed came up faster.
Shit.
“We have to lose these guys.”

“One’s on the radio. We’re going to have more company very soon.” Shay leaned out the window and hit their pursuers with another round of bullets.

“Wonderful,” I said, spinning the wheel and sending the car careening into another street.

“One down,” Shay added coolly. “Stay nice and steady, Alex, so I can get a clear shot at that dickhead manning the machine gun.”

“I’m trying but this road is a shocker. Too many ruts. Tara, unclip that rifle will you and hand it over to Shay.”

Bullets punched into the car and instinctively we all ducked.

“No, I’ll do it.” Tara released her seat belt, placed the cat on the floor where it did its best to hide under the seat. Leaning forward, she unclipped the rifle bracketed under the dash. “Shay can distract them while I’m readying for the shot.”

“Fucking hell! This isn’t a game.”

“I know! It makes sense for more of us to return fire. Dad made me practice on rabbits. I hated every moment of it but he said I needed to learn. Now I know why.”

She was right. We needed more guns.

“Expose as little of your body as possible,” I said, feeling cold to my marrow.

“I will.” She pressed the button and the window slid down.

I rattled off instructions. “Right then. Take a good look at her. She’s a prototype with guided firearm technology, tracking ability and digital zoom plus locking-on-target ability. Basically, slick off the safety switch, turn it on, point it and pull the damn trigger.”

Tara wriggled about until she crouched on her feet on the seat. Angling her body to the rear she raised the rifle and leaned her upper torso out the window.

The car hit a deep rut with a loud bang.

Shuddered.

Spun sideways.

Fuck!

Tara squealed. I saw her body jolt, begin to slide forward out the window.

Hanging on to the steering wheel with one hand, I grabbed a fistful of Tara’s jeans with the other to keep her from falling onto the road.

True soldier that she was, she kept hold of the gun.

“Jeeze, Alex,” muttered Shay. “Nearly broke my arm.”

“Sorry.” I straightened the car, glanced in the rear-vision mirror. The following jeep hit the same ditch, bouncing the soldiers high in the seats and jerking the machine gun butt skyward.

Shay let fly with another volley of shots.

“Now, Tara!”

Three sharp blasts exploded from her rifle.

Shay whistled. “He’s down. I got another one.” He snapped in a fresh clip then fired off yet another round with his Glock. “They’re braking away. Slowing down.”

Tara flopped back onto the seat, the rifle cradled in her arms. I met her sherry-brown eyes, dismayed at the sheen of tears glistening there and felt like a total douse bag for putting her in this situation. That damn cat lashed out from under the seat and took a swipe at her ankles. Tara barely flinched. She sat there, staring out the window and I knew whatever she saw, was not the view.

“We’ll lose them, throw them off our trail by heading to the opposite side of town then making our way back to the workshop,” I said.

Tara nodded.

I muttered, “You did the right thing. They would have killed all of us.”

“I know.” Her lips twisted. “Doesn’t really help though.”

“I’m sorry, babe.”

“Not your fault.”

Wasn’t it? I should have been more diligent. I should have done a snatch and grab when I first saw her instead of following her to her friend’s house.

Then she’d already be safe at the workshop.

And she’d never have had to pull that bloody trigger.

Chapter 16 – THE VIRUS

Tara

The silence inside the car was deafening. The air stank with that horrible stench of cordite that burned at the back of my throat. I wanted to spew my guts up but I breathed through my teeth fighting for control. After slipping the safety back on, I’d replaced the rife then huddled in my seat, my eyes squeezed shut. Horror cringed deep in my belly. Everything inside me shook and I didn’t know how to stop it.

I’d killed a man.

Granted, he’d been doing his damn best to kill us but still...  The image of blood exploding over his uniformed chest formed behind my eyelids. He’d flopped backwards like a puppet with no strings.

Another shitty memory that would haunt me for a long time. They sure were mounting up. Exhausted, I opened my eyes and looked at Alex, sitting all stern and calm in the driver’s seat as he took us on a round-about tour of the town. I knew he was ensuring we weren't being followed.

He’d been concerned for me; I’d read it clearly in his crystal eyes, the tight lines that had pinched his mouth deleting their normal curves and the tense set of his body.

The knowledge glowed inside my heart like a welcoming fire on a frosty winter night. It flared out, warming the cold hollows my father’s death had created.

My conscience twinged when I remembered Em and how much she liked this guy. Too hard to think about now.

Opening my eyes, I dug out a handkerchief and blew my nose.

“They wanted to kill us,” I said thickly.

Alex flicked me a glance. “Yes.”

“You said you’d seen the soldiers rounding people up and questioning them. Do you think...” I swallowed. “Do you think they’ll hurt anyone?”

“Fanaticism is a strong motivator.”

I frowned. “Like a religion?”

“Kinda. They believe in their cause.”

“Which is...? Come on, Alex, you can do it.” I managed a weak grin and was rewarded by his flashing smile.

“Sorry, habit. Okay, what I believe is the leaders or instigators of the Mundos Novus force see this
‘happening’
as an opportunity to grab power for themselves. So they’re doing a juggling act. I think they’re pretending to align with the Skeetishas, the more aggressive of the alien races heading our way and are doing some of their bidding. But on the other hand, I think they’re setting themselves up for a total takeover once the aliens leave our solar system.”

“
What?
The aliens aren’t staying?”

Alex heaved a sigh. “Shit, I really don’t know for certain. I’m hoping they’ll end up leaving us alone.”

“If they do, then it sounds like we may end up having to fight the Mundos Novus force. Won’t our armies deal with them?”

“Not if they’ve been taken out by the meteorite strikes or the virus.”

“Jeeze.” I stared blankly out the window, my head whirling.

Shay added, “I’ve heard a lot of Mundos Novus foot soldiers think they’re wiping out corruption and will be building a better world.”

“Amen to that,” said Luis.

I swivelled around to glare at him. The creep scrambled up off the floor where he’d flattened himself during the shooting. “You sound like you’re on their side.”

“I’m on the side that means I live.” Luis folded his hands over his paunchy stomach and gave a crocodile smile.

Deciding the ex-con wasn’t worth the time of day, I went to pick up the trembling cat. Bartholomew spat and slashed at me.

“Ouch.” I rubbed the scratch mark on the back of my hand.

“Use this.” Shay shoved a thin towel over the seat. Murmuring soothing noises, I managed to wrap the towel around the cat and secured him in my arms. A glance out the window, had me expelling a relieved whoosh of air. “We’re back, thank God.”

The car slowed and turned into the carpark to stop, engine running, in front of the workshop bay doors.

Shay leapt out and raced over to pound on the door. As soon as the door was heaved open, Alex reversed inside ensuring the car faced outwards.

Still holding the cat covered in the towel, I climbed out of the car and walked toward the pit where Garroway stood waiting, hands clenched at his sides. As I approached him, Nic’s ute drove inside.

The scowl on Garroway’ face was positively ferocious as he took in the number of people now milling about inside the workshop.

“This isn’t a refugee camp. You could have compromised our position,” he bit out.

“They’re friends and needed help,” Alex said. “They won’t be here for long.”

Garroway’s eyes fell on the cat and his face reddened. For a moment I thought steam would hiss from his ears. “I would have thought you’d have learned your lesson from the last time you ran off by yourself.”

I clamped my mouth shut, unwilling to try and justify my actions to him. The entrance door slammed shut, the heavy bolt clicked into place and shadows painted Garroway’s face in a grotesque mask.

I took a step back so I was out of his reach.

Just in case.

“Do not leave the workshop again.”

“Or what? The way I see it, is you need me,” I pointed out.

“Don’t push your luck. Everyone is expendable,” Garroway said coldly. “You will be responsible for cleaning up the animal crap.” He jabbed his finger in Alex’s direction. “Alex. I want a full report. You had no business bringing these people back here.”

“Sir. I had my reasons which I will explain in private.” Alex strode over and rubbed the curve of my back in soothing circles. “The force has dug in and surrounded the town. It’s going to be difficult to slip through when it’s time to leave.”

“Where are we going?” I looked into Alex’s face.

He lowered his voice, “A rendeavous with our ‘friends.’”

I swallowed.

“Is there a problem? Perhaps we shouldn’t have come here,” Marnie said, interrupting us.

I glanced at Marnie who until now had held back from approaching where we stood talking. Nic was by her side, a rifle slung over his shoulder by its strap and a hefty holdall in his left hand. A pale-faced Mrs Tolini tossed something from a hip flask down her throat. I suspected it wasn’t spring water.

I said, “All good. Come on, Mum, Dan and Em are here, too.”

A relieved smile spread over Marnie’s strained face. Clicking her fingers to the dog who was growling, his eyes fixed on the cat in my arms, she hastened back to the ute saying over her shoulder, “We’ve brought food.”

The dog trotted at her heels.

“Great. I’m starving,” Alex said easily.

And just like that, the tension dissipated.

Mum called me over and I ran, anxious to be close to her. She fussed over the cat until it settled sufficiently to be placed on the ground. Bartholomew immediately wound his body around my legs and Mum said how I’d made a new friend.

With Marnie and her grandmother handing out plastic containers of food, which when opened filled the air with the rich aroma of Italian pasta, Bolognese and lasagna, the atmosphere quickly became more settled.

Thank God, those awful ration bars weren’t on the menu today.

Chairs were unfolded and closed eskies were used as extra seats as everyone sat around eating and talking quietly. Even Bob Garroway appeared to have shed his
‘I’m the man in charge’
persona and tucked into the pasta Mrs Tolini handed him with the air of a man on a serious mission. The knowledge we had the stout walls of the workshop surrounding us, I think gave us a sense of protection.

For the moment.

As the hours passed, I learned how Marnie had received a message from her father on the day of the super-storm and immediately left to find him. A burst tyre had delayed their return. I suspected though Nic had wanted to wait until the search for him and his jail mate had moved further afield.

We chatted.

We even laughed.

What was strange was how Em treated Alex as soon as we’d arrived back with Marnie and her family. It was if he no longer existed for her. Instead, she had inserted herself in between Marnie and my mother and begun her usual rapid-fire sixty questions.

Had she given up on him? Had she sensed his focus was me?

And if that was the case, had she decided to give me an open field?

I had to talk to her. The last thing I ever wanted to do, was hurt my friend.

Under Em’s determined interrogation, Mum gave a carefully edited outline of our short history. When she admitted that both Dan and I were the results of a particular research, Em appeared to lose the power of speech. She stared at me as if I’d grown horns on the top of my head.

Or sprouted tentacles.

It was downright uncomfortable.

I felt a shift in the air, a coldness as my friends and Marnie’s family continued to eye me off.

This was what I’d dreaded ever since Mum had confirmed my deepest fear that I was
‘different’
. Mum always said
‘special’
but I knew otherwise. Being
‘different’
had made for a difficult childhood.

Now it looked as if it was directing my future too.

I counted down the seconds while no one spoke. The Warders kept their attention on their food. Generous, strong Marnie was the first to act. She jumped down from where she’d been sitting on the ute’s tailgate and raced across to pull me into a big hug.

“You’re still the best friend I’ve ever had,” she said. “It’s not like I’ve got the perfect past.”

I had to work hard to keep from blubbering like a baby.

Em piped up, “Hey what about me?” Then she also rushed over and gave me a quick hug and a radiant smile as if she’d won the Lotto. She whispered in my ear, “He’s all yours. Go for it.”

There was nothing like true friendship.

The day drifted into late afternoon and it gradually became darker inside the workshop. I guessed we were waiting for the dead of night or even early morning before we made our move.

And so the day wore on.

Mrs Tolini and Mum passed out more food. For a while everyone talked and conjectured and wondered while we ate.

Picking over my cold lasagne with a fork, I gazed at my friends and family. Their familiar faces settled me on some profound level. Marnie, her sleeping bag wrapped about her shoulders, had curled up in the corner furthermost from anyone. Bluey, her father’s dog lay by her feet. Her energy had flagged during the afternoon, not surprising after that scary car chase.

Em was leaning back in a fold-up camping chair, eyes closed, buds in her ears as she listened to her iPod. A tiny smile played about her lips.

My mother and Mrs Tolini busied themselves counting and re-counting our food supplies and discussed in low voices how best to ration what we had over the coming days.

Lying near my feet, Bartholomew swatted playfully at my shoelace.

Em had smiled when I presented the cat to her but refrained from taking him, saying that he really was her mother’s pet not hers. It sure looked like he’d chosen me as his new owner.

I didn’t mind. With a childhood spent always on the move, my parents had vetoed the idea of pets. Reaching down I scratched Bartholomew behind his ear, grinning at his purrs.

Soft footsteps heralded Alex’s approach.

Our gazes snagged and my heart skipped a beat at the heat in his eyes.

Smiling, I placed my plate on the ground and stood up. Bartholomew pounced on the leftovers and began to scoff it down.

Alex took my hand and I linked my fingers through his, enjoying the tingle and warmth racing through my veins. If there was one thing I’d learned these past few days, it was make the most of every second. I intended to do just that; and hopefully he’d come to the same decision.