The Killin' Fields (Alexa's Travels Book 2) (10 page)

Jacob wasn’t sure why Mark hadn’t pulled the trigger yet and he lined up his sights to take care of it before remembering Alexa’s no-gun rule was still in place. As Jacob had the thought, Mark snatched his knife from his belt and threw it.

It was amazingly accurate. The blade sank into the creature’s eye and dropped it to the ground with only a whimpering and then the dull thud of the body falling.

Mark retrieved his blade and little girl remained by his side.

“It’s so big!” Jacob exclaimed, examining the carcass.

“Yes.” Mark bent down and scooped the child onto his hip, where she curled as if she’d been there all her life.

“Let’s get you to your family.”

Jacob trailed them, watching the corn for more predators and replaying the throw in his mind. He wasn’t nearly as good. He wondered if Mark had learned that skill before or after the war.

3

Alexa was at the flap as they emerged from the corn and she sighed tolerantly when Mark first carried the little girl to her shed and waited for her to slip inside.

When he returned, Mark paused for Alexa to punish him over becoming distracted, but she only returned to her place and lay down. After a few minutes, there was silence again except for snores.

Jacob joined Mark on duty, unable to go back to sleep. Daniel and Billy had the best places in the tent (either side of Alexa) and Jacob was still admiring Mark’s throw. He wasn’t sure he could have even hit the wolf in these foggy conditions, let alone have killed it.

“Can you teach me?”

“Have to pick up a stronger blade than the one you carry now,” Mark said.

“Okay. You’ll advise me on it?”

“Yes.”

The men enjoyed the coffee and the end of night finally coming, though they both also dreaded it. Right now, they were alive. Come daylight, Alexa would put them all in danger once again. The morning was to be savored, as each one with her had been, because there was no promise of another.

In a dark corner of the circle, a shadow pulled a handful of dust from a pocket and blew it across the station. The tiny yellow spores scattered, vanishing as they landed, and those who inhaled them slid into a deep sleep.

As the bodies fell and the dreams ceased, the shadow walked calmly into one of the camps and resumed a hiding place among the sheep.

The girl giggled and was quickly hushed by her brother.

The sight of a single, lanky white wolf inside their ring of protection was something of a concern to the fighters lying on the hard floor of the tent. To see dozens of glowing eyes waiting hungrily in the tall corn behind it, was terror.

“No one moves!”

Alexa’s command froze the men who were taking aim on the wolf inside, closest to her

Time slowed as the animal in the open flap also reacted, baring its fangs to grin furiously.

“We will leave. Now,” Alexa tried to barter.

The predator snarled in response, death in those red eyes.

There was a slow pause as the sun came up, then chaos ensued as the wolves attacked and Alexa opened fire.

The wolf in the flap had been lunging and the bullets now hitting it knocked the corpse into the side of tent, clearing the exit for a second. More wolves took its place and there was little time to plan or think as the fighters shot their way from the tent to find wolves spilling through the corn. Most were going toward the warehouse, but small groups were also attacking the other travelers. Alexa didn’t have time to aid anyone else as she and the others helped Mark and Daniel to their feet.

“Use the wall!” Alexa led them to the warehouse, shooting as she ran. They placed their backs to it as she did, and Paul pulled his own weapon, intending to help.

Edward shoved the scientist behind them in annoyance. “Clear my line of fire, Rabbit!”

They had no idea if Paul was as clumsy with a gun as he was everything else, but they didn’t need to discover it right now.

With the wall behind them, Alexa’s group was able to defend themselves and even clear a small area of safety. They were also able to keep the animals away from the grandmother and kids, but everyone else was on their own. They watched in horror as soldiers and civilians were mauled. Blood ran repeatedly into the ground.

At first it appeared the attack was random, but Alexa’s men knew herding when it was happening to them. The wolves were coming from three directions, pushing the people toward the corn behind the buildings.

The travelers were fleeing toward the main warehouse where Merrik had no doubt promised them safety if they could make it, and most of them did. Those who didn’t fell to the mauling with horrid screams for mercy.

Alexa’s men fell into that deadly V formation without an order, firing at will.

“Line up!”

Merrik’s loud command drew the fleeing soldiers into a shaky line in front of the ramp. They’d clearly done it before by the way they hurried forward together without any more orders.

The wolves also knew what to do, and the area emptied of the predators in seconds. Less than two minutes into the attack, it was over. Other than the moans of the wounded, there was silence.

4

Alexa reloaded and holstered her guns, and her men did the same. Paul stayed behind them.

“I’m sorry, I—”

Alexa cut Mark off, holding up a finger dusted with yellow pollen. “It wasn’t your fault. We were knocked out purposely.”

Mark let the relief fill the growing black spot in his heart and heal it. Thinking that he’d fallen asleep on watch had been devastating.

The other groups were tending their wounds and salvaging their valuables from the debris without any complaint, and Alexa understood these people had been suffering these attacks regularly to be so desensitized. Other than Paul, there hadn’t even been screams.

Alexa raised a brow at Merrik.

Merrik felt her disapproval across the blood-splattered dirt and wasn’t able to cover his shame. “There are only so many bullets. Base says to protect, not hunt.”

“Base doesn’t understand how bad things are out here.”

Merrik snorted. “You got that right.” He waved Zale over. “The usual.”

“Wagon’s got some damage from slugs,” Zale stated, glaring at Alexa and Paul. He still didn’t care about her men, though he wore the print of Edward’s boot on his face.

“How long?” Merrik asked in annoyance.

“Three hours.”

“We leave as soon as it’s ready.”

“I’d wait another day,” Alexa advised.

Her suggestion gained the attention of all the soldiers in hearing distance. No one openly questioned captain Merrik, but none of them had faith in him either.

“Why is that?” Merrik asked. His tone gave nothing away.

“Second wave is gonna do more damage than you’re used to.”

“What second wave?” he asked angrily. “We’ve been living here for five months! There’s nothing you can tell me…”

“Duck!”

The red-talon crows came from the corn in silent, pecking shadows that hurled towards the people now fleeing from them.

“Get down!”

Alexa signaled for her men to get low, but Paul had been staring at the blood and bodies, and missed the entire conversation.

A line of crows slammed into his hip and knocked him into the small pile of corpses that the soldiers had been stacking.

“Nooo!” Paul’s screams were full of revulsion. “Get me out of here!”

Seeing he was fine, the fighters left him there to wait out the flyover. The small crows couldn’t do much…

“Decoy!”

The shout came from behind them and everyone turned to find the wolves streaming through the corn again.

“They never hit us like this!” Zale shouted through his bruised mouth. “This is her fault!”

Alexa didn’t spend time giving orders like Merrik was now doing. She got her men into the line the soldiers had used and headed for the point where the wolves were coming in.

The soldiers joined her line, curving at the ends, and they were able to drive the wolves back, but not before the grandmother and kids had been forced from their shed and into the warehouse. Bloody handprints on the rails said one of them was hurt.

Zale pointed toward Alexa, ready to shout.

Edward slid in front of his boss. The barrel of his gun rested against Zale’s chin.

Zale went still, but his face screamed for Merrik. None of the soldiers wanted to miss what might happen and no one went for the boss.

“May I?”

Alexa wanted to tell Edward yes, blow the idiot’s brains out. “No, and I’m sorry for it.”

Edward stepped aside to let Alexa handle it, glowering with intent.

Zale brush with death gave him a respect that showed in his lowered tone. “You’re trouble. You led them to us.”

Alexa walked away, not answering, and Edward smirked at her insult before following.

Paul was still wiping away blood and other disgusting things, hating everyone for his own cowardice. He’d thought about helping them during all of it, but in the end, it had been easier, safer, to let them protect him. He shoved his way by Zale.

Still angry himself, Zale stuck out a foot and tripped the scientist.

Paul fell again, right back into the same pile of bodies, and screamed in revolted rage.

Zale laughed cruelly and turned away.

Paul rolled over and shot him through the neck with the same gun he’d used to kill his father.

“And we didn’t think he was learning anything!” Mark exclaimed in the stunned silence.

“Time to go,” Alexa ordered pointedly. She scanned the scattered station’s residents, then Merrik, who was angrily moving toward them.

Alexa grabbed a camo-wearing shadow on her right, wrapping him up tightly in front of her. “We’re leaving now.”

Merrik stopped and signaled for his men to do the same. He had no doubt that Alexa would kill the boy.

Alexa felt the pause, the shift, and scowled as her target was confirmed. “What’s this kid doing here, Merrik?”

“He’s part of the delivery that came through last month. I bought him.”

“From the slavers or from the draft?”

Merrik shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Not yet.” Alexa let go of the perfectly still boy.

She moved toward the corn at a fast clip as her men covered her with their guns. “There are a few possessions we’re going to want back. I’d be careful with them if I were you.”

Alexa spun and vanished into the corn, and her men came swiftly behind her.

Last man to disappear, Paul shoved his gun into his shirt and tried to keep up. He was one of them now.

Brian came to Merrik’s side with a pale face and confusion. “Why was she asking about me?”

Merrik ignored the question and headed inside to get ready for the trip. “We leave as soon as the wagon is fixed!”

5

Alexa led her men in a wide circle, and then brought them back to the edge of the waiting station. She’d counted on Merrik not wanting to lose men to hunt her in the corn and the eight of them watched the soldiers pack up their things and toss them into the rear of the last wagon. They didn’t know if it had been an order, but nothing was stolen or destroyed, and they all assumed Merrik had taken her words about their stuff seriously.

Alexa silently gave her fighters their assignments. She put Edward with Paul, after telling the horseman to take Paul’s gun. She directed Mark and Daniel to the wagon with their things, and she took the rest with her to create the distraction. It was a simple plan she had used many times. Simple was often the best choice anyway. It was easier to remember the details in the chaos of battle.

Mark and Daniel stayed on their stomachs as they crawled through a few feet of corn to the clear area. They were only a couple seconds from the wagon when gunfire on the opposite side of the weigh station echoed.

Men ran that way and Mark darted forward on their heels, with Daniel right behind him. They were in the wagon seconds later and hidden by the thick cover.

Alexa whistled.

A few hundred feet to the left, Edward fired into the air, then grabbed Paul and ran for the place where Mark and Daniel had snuck through. A minute later, he dumped Paul into the wagon and joined him.

Alexa and her three fighters ran into the corn as the soldiers spotted them, vanishing and the angry shouts of Merrik and his men filled the air.

“Give yourself up!”

“Come on out!”

Alexa began circling around again. In a little while, she and these men would be with the others-in the wagons to rest and conserve their strength for a few hours of the trip. If they stayed lucky, they might pass a full day’s travel that way and be ready for whatever came.