Seventeen

I could feel Ghua’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look up from my bowl of cereal.  Guilt and nerves kept my head down.

I hadn’t thought things would go so far.  After Ghua had asked me to spend my life with him, I only wanted to escape so I could give myself some time to think.  The last thing I should have done was entice him to shower with me when my mind was still in a jumble about how to answer him.  Yet, I’d liked every bit of what we’d done.  Did I want more?  Hell, yes.  But, should I?  Leading him on and making him think I would stay wasn’t right.  Would I stay?  My heart was screaming yes, and my mind couldn’t think of any reason I shouldn’t.  I blamed my conflict on Ghua.  I could barely remember how I was supposed to view the world anymore.  It was supposed to be scary, but it didn’t feel that way.  Not with him around.  That was a problem, wasn’t it?

“I don’t like this,” Ghua said, frustration in his voice.

I looked up at him, confused.  He wasn’t eating the cereal, I was.  He had a can of spam.  For breakfast.  Dawn’s early light was just brightening the sky outside.

“You don’t like what?”

“You thinking.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t talk when you think.  You won’t look at me, and you make angry faces at your food.  You are not happy when you think.  Stop thinking.  Let’s go play our game again.  You were happy playing our game.”

“Ghua, I—”

A knock on the front door saved me.

He grunted and went to answer it, clearly annoyed.

“Morning, Ghua,” Mya said.  Drav stood just behind her.  “You guys ready?”

“Almost,” I said, lifting my bowl and gulping the milk Ghua had made for me.  It was the first milk I’d had in weeks and tasted amazing.  I wasn’t about to waste it.

Chewing the last few bits of cereal, I took my bowl to the sink and made to wash it.

“Leave it,” Mya said.  “I’ll come back later and clean up.”

“You’re not going with us?”  The way she’d spoken last night, it had sounded like she would.

“No.  I’ve been placed under house arrest by the overprotective pain in the butt standing behind me.”

“Mya,” Drav said in a warning tone.

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Molev’s waiting by the wall.  So are the rest of the fey.”

Drav and Mya walked with us to the wall.  Nancy was already there, held in the arms of the same man who had held her last time.  Without warning, Ghua scooped me up, too.

“If you find any peanut butter cups out there, bring them back for me,” Mya called as Ghua climbed up and over the wall.

After that, I tucked my face against Ghua’s chest to avoid the wind.

*    *    *    *

Whiteman wasn’t quite what I’d expected.  After seeing Ghua’s home, I’d thought it would be something similar.  However, the base looked nothing like the well-protected, cozy neighborhood.  A metal, barbwire-topped fence stretched far in both directions.  Every one hundred or so feet, there was a makeshift tower with a light.  Every other tower had an armed guard.  Directly inside the fence, there was nothing but a large field of dormant grass.  Further in, I could see a few white buildings and trees.

“We’re here to see Matt Davis,” Molev called to the guard.  The first gate swung open, and our group crowded in.

“Can I get down, now?” I asked after almost kicking one of the other fey in the side.

Ghua’s hold on me tightened fractionally, and he glanced up at the armed guard staring down at us.

“Not yet.”

I didn’t argue.  The first gate closed behind us and the second one swung open.  The fey jogged across the grass and tarmac toward one of the large, white buildings.  As we approached, a door opened and a man walked out.

“Molev,” the man said with a nod.  “I wasn’t expecting to see you, but I’m glad you’ve come.  I wanted to personally thank you for the supplies you’ve been sending with your men.  Without your help, we would have never lasted this long.”

Molev grunted in acknowledgement, which made me smile.  Noncommittal grunting seemed to be a fey thing.

“Matt, this is Nancy.  Her children were taken from her by a group of humans.  They mean to force her daughter to have sex.”

Matt’s eyes widened, and he looked at Nancy.  Surprisingly, today, she was holding herself together.

“It’s true,” she said.  “My daughter’s seventeen, and my son’s fifteen.  The men who took them killed my husband.  Eden knows where they are.”

“We’re on our way to get them back,” Molev said.  “There are other humans being kept, too.  Mya thought you should know because they might want to return with us and stay here.”

“Yes.  Of course.  We’ll welcome them all.  We need the help after the last attack.”

“What attack?” I asked.

“Infected found a way in the fence, and we lost a dozen of our people.  We have guards posted around the entire perimeter now.  It’s a very large area to protect.  We’re running four-hour alternating shifts.  People are getting tired.  More survivors will be very welcomed.”

He glanced at Molev, “If you’re open to the help, I have a truck I can send with you so you don’t need to carry the survivors back.”

Molev started to shake his head.  Nancy, who couldn’t see him from her position in Kerr’s arms, spoke before Molev could.

“Thank you,” Nancy said.  “That would be very much appreciated.”

Molev met Matt’s glance and gave a single nod.

“It will take me a little bit of time to ask for volunteers and rearrange the schedules,” Matt said.  “I’ll start on it immediately.  You’re welcome to use whatever facilities you want while you wait.”

“Thank you, Matt Davis.”  Molev didn’t sound surprised exactly.  More like unsure.

He watched Matt retreat into the white building once more then looked at his men.

“Meet back here in an hour,” Molev said.

Ghua looked down at me.

“Would you like to see Whiteman?”

“Sure.”

He split off from the group, walking north.

“You going to carry me the whole time?”

He grinned.

“If you’ll let me.”

“I’d prefer to walk.  My legs are starting to hurt.”

He quickly set me down.  Side by side, we walked through the base.  He pointed out what each of the buildings was used for, the derelict houses where no one wanted to stay, and the tent community back by the trees and fence.

“I’d pick a house over a tent any day,” I said.  “Why are they living like this?”

“Fear.”

I snorted.

“That’s why I’d live in a house.  There’s no way that a tent would keep an infected out.”  I didn’t mention the hellhounds because we both knew houses wouldn’t keep them out, either.

“It’s the fear of how close the houses are to the fence and what happened in the houses.  When the hellhounds first came, the people in the town were infected and came here.  The humans had many guns.  They eventually killed all the infected, but many of the houses were shot in the process.  Windows are broken.  Walls have holes in them.  The survivors did not want the reminder of what had happened.  The tents make them feel safer because they are closer together and further away from town where any noise they make might draw more infected.”

He stopped in front of a tent close to the fence.

“I wouldn’t feel safe here,” I said.

“This is where I lived before we moved to Tolerance.”

He pulled the flap aside, and I stepped in.  Before I could see much, the flap closed behind us, pitching the interior into darkness.  A lamp flared a moment later.

Three cots hugged the three walls.  Each had a single blanket and no pillow.  There was no woodstove like I’d noticed in many of the tents further from the fence, and out of the daylight it felt colder.

“I bet you’re glad you don’t have to sleep on these cots anymore.”

“I still stay here when it’s my turn to help at Whiteman.  We don’t sleep much, though.  The humans like our help.”

“How often do you come here?”

“About twice a month.”

“For how long?”

“A few days.”

“A few days without heat or decent sleep?”  I’d been in that position before and knew it sucked big time.  “We need to fix this place up for you or you’re going to get sick.”

I shivered and hugged myself.  Ghua immediately stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me.  His body heat made all the difference.

“I don’t get sick like you do, and this is more than I had in Ernisi.”

How could this be more?  What had he slept on?  Rocks?

His words about an eternity of loneliness took on a deeper meaning.  He’d literally had nothing before coming here.

“I think we should head back,” I said.

He grunted but didn’t let go.  I tipped my head back against his chest to look up at him.  His gaze dipped to my mouth.  Slowly, he lowered his head.  My pulse jumped at the first touch of his lips.

He took his time, kissing me slowly.  When he finally pulled back, I was breathless and my knees were weak.

The yearning look he gave me reminded me that I still hadn’t given him an answer.  Julie told me not to string him along, and I wasn’t.  At least, not intentionally.  I’d just spent too long living in the moment to think about the future like he wanted me to.  I needed more time.

“We should head back,” I repeated.

He didn’t look disappointed, but I couldn’t help but imagine that’s what he felt as he kissed my forehead then swung me up into his arms.  I didn’t like disappointing Ghua.

*    *    *    *

The truck rumbled along the road.  Ahead, Ghua ran with several other fey and moved cars out of the way.  They also cleared any infected trying to hide in the vehicles.

“This sure beats how we traveled to the base,” Nancy said from beside me.

Warm inside the cab of the big utility truck, I watched Ghua run tirelessly for another moment and looked at her.

“For us, maybe.  Not for them.”  We’d been driving for several hours.  Because of the fey running ahead, we hadn’t needed to stop like on the way to the base.  While it would get us to the old man’s house faster, which is where Ghua was leading us, it also meant the fey hadn’t had a break since we started.

“How do you know when to stop so they can rest?” I asked the driver, who’d introduced himself as Will.

Not only was I worried Ghua and the other fey would tire themselves, I was missing Ghua.

Will shrugged.  “We’ve never had to stop.  I think they’re used to running like this.”

“I was used to being harassed and starved, but does that make it right to keep harassing and starving me?”

The guy gave me a surprised look but immediately slowed down.  Ghua ran back to us as we came to a stop, and I rolled down my window.

“Would you guys like to rest a bit?  Maybe eat or drink something?” I asked.

“No.  We are almost there.  I think we will be able to reach your bunker before dark.”

“Okay.  If you’re sure.”

He smiled slightly and nodded.  “We are fine, my Eden.  Thank you for thinking of us.”

He patted the truck then ran ahead once more.  Will didn’t say anything as he started forward.

Although nothing looked familiar to me, I didn’t doubt that we were close.  Ghua had a freakishly amazing sense of direction, which I’d witnessed on the way to Tolerance.  And it wasn’t because he had a great memory for road signs because he couldn’t read.

When we pulled into the driveway of the old man’s place, I was quick to call a stop.

“There’s glass further ahead.  We should walk from here.”

Nancy waited with Will while the fey and a few of the human men followed me.  The house still looked boarded up like when we’d left it.  Except no old man threatened us with a gun as we approached.  I knocked on the door and waited for several minutes before turning the knob.  Ghua put his hand over mine and stopped me from opening the door.

“I will check the house,” he said.  “You stay with Kerr.”

“Check the little door in the pink room upstairs.  They might be in there.”

“They?”

“There was a young girl in there last time.”

He nodded and didn’t comment about me not telling him about the girl until now.  I stood in the yard while Ghua checked the house.

“There’s no one here,” he said after he returned.  “It looks like the old man and the girl packed up and left.  None of the windows are broken, and there were no infected inside.”

I hoped that meant they’d made it somewhere safe.

We got back in the truck and made our way to the house where Ghua had found me.  From there, it wasn’t hard for me to point the way to the bunker.

We arrived at the unpleasantly familiar entrance just before dusk.

Van’s truck and an extra car waited not far from the bunker door.  Light already shone through the small portal, a sure sign they’d bedded in for the night.

“Okay,” I said, getting out of the truck.  “What’s the plan?  How are we going to get in?

Ghua came over and took my hand.

“Do you trust me…us…to keep you safe?”

I stared up at him and felt torn between amusement and nerves.

“You want me to knock on the door, don’t you?”

“I want you to stand in front of the door and let me knock on it.”

It would work.  The men would open the door once they saw me.  What would happen afterward, though, worried me.

“Don’t forget that they have guns.”

“We will not forget.”

I stared at him a moment, my fear riding me.

“I’m trusting you to stay alive, Ghua,” I said softly.

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me close.  The press of his lips to my forehead comforted me more than any words could have.

Sighing, I pulled away with one last look at him, then went over to the door and stood in front of it.  Molev and Ghua stood on each side of the door.  The rest of the men stood off to the sides, ready to rush forward.

I nodded to Ghua.  He pounded on the door three times.

Despite the cold, my palms grew sweaty while we waited.  The light in the sky faded further.  I was just about to take a step forward to peer through the portal when I caught a shadow of movement.

Van’s face appeared.  He looked at me, a slow smile lifting his lips.

“It’s Eden.  I can’t believe you’re still alive,” he said, his words barely discernable through the thick door.

“I’m alive but won’t be for long if you don’t let me in.”

He grinned wider.

“Déja vu, don’t you think?”

“Just let me in, Van.”

“You want in?  Show me your tits.  And that’s just a down payment for what you’ll owe me.”

A faint growl rose from both Molev and Ghua, and I remembered the stern scolding Ghua had given when I’d flashed him.  He’d told me not to show my boobs to anyone.  Granted, he’d seen them when we’d showered and hadn’t seemed to mind.  A flush rose to my cheeks as I recalled that enjoyable experience.  What I needed to do now would be far from enjoyable, though.  If I lifted my shirt, we’d get in, and we’d likely get Nancy’s kids.  However, when I lifted my shirt, I’d be flashing Van, Ghua, and Molev.  I was only okay with one of those three seeing what I had.

I grabbed the bottom of my shirt.  Ghua started waving wildly.  I looked around, as if checking for infected, and saw that all the other fey were turning around.  When I focused on the door once more, Molev had his eyes closed and Ghua looked ready to rip someone’s head off.

“You’re a dick, Van.  And, someday, someone bigger is going to come along and kick your ass for it.”

I lifted my shirt and at the same time pulled the sport bra above my boobs.  I counted to three, so Van would be good and distracted by thoughts of what he imagined us doing once he let me in, then tugged my clothes back into place.

Van’s eager gaze remained fixed on me as the door unlocked.

Molev opened his eyes and looked at Ghua.  Even without shifting my focus from Van’s eager face, I caught the unnaturally dark hue of Ghua’s normal grey tone.

The handle moved, and the door groaned as it swung open.  Ghua tensed.  As soon as the gap was large enough for Ghua’s arm, he reached in and grabbed Van by the throat.  Van’s eyes bulged.  Before he could make a sound, Ghua pulled him from the protection of the bunker.

Around us, the men rushed forward and began their silent entry.  At least half their number stayed above.  Ignoring them, I looked at the man who’d tormented me for weeks.

“Van, let me introduce you to someone bigger.  Now, take it like a man.”

Ghua slammed his fist into Van’s face, and I heard crunching.  Van opened his mouth and let out a yell, which Ghua quickly muffled.

“I will leave you out here with any infected you call,” he warned.

Van sobbed quietly, but Ghua didn’t release him.

“No female will ever be yours.  You are unworthy.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.

A few shouts came from below but no gunfire.  Molev’s voice echoed up the steps.

“Bring everyone in.  We will stay here for the night.  Nancy’s children are waiting for her.”

Ghua shifted his hold on Van and walked him down the stairs by the back of his neck.  I followed, grinning the whole way.  When I reached the bottom, each gunman was either on the floor unconscious or being held by a fey.  All of my former captors were bleeding.  I even saw Steve and Ty.  The fey were completely unscathed.  I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for my part in helping the fey get in.

Will whistled low when he passed the cage that held all the supplies.

Moving further into the bunker, I found a familiar scene in the kitchen area.  May and the rest of the workers were either sitting at the table or waiting to be served by Oscar, who still held the ladle as he watched me approach.

While most of them looked terrified, including the two new kids, Oscar’s eyes held a hint of calculation.  Unlike the rest of the gunmen, he hadn’t been attacked nor was he being held by the fey.  Without a gun, Oscar looked like one of the captives, not the lead captor.

“Oscar,” I said, retaining my smile.  “It’s not good to see you.  I rather hoped you’d died a painful death by now.”

That got every nearby fey’s attention.

Ghua, who still held Van by the scruff of the neck, glanced at me.

“Who is this man?”

“He is the leader of the gunmen and Van’s father.”

“Is he a bigger dick than Van?” Ghua asked.

“Not bigger.  Just smarter.”

Oscar’s gaze flicked to his son.  He set down his ladle then held my gaze.

“What is it you want from us, Eden?”

“Your workers and half the supplies.”

Van started making angry noises, which Ghua stopped with a firmer grip.

“What if the workers don’t want to leave?” Oscar asked.

I looked at the faces I knew.

“There’s a military base a day’s drive from here.  There’s at least five hundred human survivors there.  They’re working together.  Real equality, not this bullshit.  And, these other guys, the fey, help keep those humans safe in exchange for nothing.”

Someone made a sound of disbelief.

“No one does something for nothing.”

I nodded slowly.  “I know.  Humans don’t do things for nothing.  These guys aren’t human.  They’re nicer.  By a lot.”

“Prove it,” May said.

I glanced at the fey around me.

“Anyone here want to see my boobs?  All you have to do is feed me in exchange for a peek.”