Bone Dust & Beginnings (Alexa's Travels Book 1) (4 page)

The tremor was also hunting Alexa, and the grinding of earth shifted toward where she’d vanished.

 
“Come on!” Regan’s shout was distorted but understandable, and the small team of men gave chase.

Taking advantage of the violent shaking, Alexa hefted herself into the first branch of a thick tree, gasping. She was almost out of energy, out of time…

A guard darted under her without looking up… then another. In seconds, this tree would be uprooted.

The ground behind them was splitting open in a wide, ear-piercing rip that Alexa was sure was being guided by the tree she’d chosen. Its panicked pleas for mercy were vibrating through her head like a bell.

A third soldier ran under the tree as the earth pounded closer.

Regan neared her location…

Alexa tensed…

As if in response, the ground stilled…

The trio ahead didn’t go far. “Fall back!”

“Find a track!”

Nature hunted silently, determined to recover the energy that had been stolen…

Regan felt Alexa’s glare, turning,
arm
rising…

Alexa dropped onto Regan’s back, arms snaking around his throat. Her lips melded to his skin, drawing hard and leaving traces of her recent theft…

Energy flooded her throat at the exchange, sinking into her like water through dirt.

“Not again!” Regan slung her hot weight to the ground, finger tightening on the trigger. Dead was acceptable…

Alexa was helpless as his energy flew through her body, unable to move until it recharged her. All he had to do was fire and the quest was over. If Nature didn’t take the bait now, it was all for naught.

“Please forgive me, Father…”

Regan leered, mouth opening…

“Look out!”

Behind the evil man, the tree was shoved out of the ground. Tilting backwards as fell, the earth split open, and thick roots rose under Regan’s feet, making him stumble backward. The shifting tangles of dirt snared his ankles, seeming to jerk him off his feet.

Regan slapped the ground with his face…

Dead roots slithered eagerly his way…

Alexa immediately darted for cover. Even in her vulnerable condition, she was behind the dead trees and out of sight seconds later.

Behind her, gunfire and screams filled the air. It was a common sound in Afterworld.

Now

Alexa didn’t need to look at Edward to know he was finding her story a bit incredible. She didn’t disabuse him of the notion. In two days time, he would see for himself.

Without another word, she slid down into her bedroll and closed her eyes.

Edward watched her for a long moment, suspecting encounters like that might mark their quest. He could only hope he would be able to react through the shock.

7

“Should we bury them?”

The Commander’s harsh, one-eyed glare was answer enough, and the lower-ranking man took a step back.
Garbed in dark clothes and deadly gear, Corbin’s most outstanding feature was his missing eye. He kept a patch over it, but the sense of menace it delivered was thick.

“Burn it.”

They’d come (late) to aid Regan in recapturing the woman and found his body instead. Regan’s skills as an interrogator would be missed, but not his clumsiness.
He liked to kill, but wasn’t very good at it. It was better that he wasn’t around anymore to expose what really took place on the bottom floors of the compound.

Corbin studied the abandoned shacks and tents around them as the order was carried out. This was the first actual sighting of their prey in months. Alexa had been careful to stay on the move after the tracking venom had cleared out of her system. Before that, she’d been traceable but unattainable due to her preference for being underground.

Regan’s call had been unexpected, though the loss of him and two squads wasn’t. When challenging someone like Alexa, four teams of men were required, sometimes more.
Corbin had been glad to see he’d chosen to try and lost. Corbin didn’t want Alexa recaptured, though the big bunker would never know it.

The bodies flamed up brilliantly with a little chemical help, and the soldiers moved back to avoid the flying debris. When their commander motioned toward the rest of the abandoned town, his men obeyed. They had no problem with setting fires. It was one of the perks of being topside - no one cared if it burned.

“Where has she gone?” Corbin demanded of the short, hunched-over man at his side. If she had left with someone, - and their slow-packing informant had fearfully told them that was the case - then she’d begun the quest. With that proof, Corbin would be able to negotiate a different sort of future for Alexa with his superiors, one that didn’t involve killing her.
At least, not yet.

“Can’t you get anything, Rabbit?”

Rab shook his head. The screen in his hand showed only static. “It wore off. The tracker juice only lasts a few weeks… and you know that,” Rab tacked on quietly.

He didn’t want to draw fire, but was unable to pass up the opportunity to call Corbin on something. He was only alive at the Commander’s whims, but it did little to stem the hatred of captivity.
Rab had been raised in the complex, trained to work in the labs. He’d spent the last twenty years developing technology for the government that was holding him hostage.

“Yes, I do.” Corbin glared back.

He was very aware of the scientist’s talents, but he despised the gifted weakling for caving to servitude. Still, it had its uses to have a genius on the team. Rab had the blond hair and blue eyes of the DNA marker, but both were mussed, not quite in line with the other scientists. Those few he had contact with were sure to behave carefully, fearing he was Corbin’s eyes and ears…. and he was.

“How about a guess?”

Rab hesitated. Corbin was tall and imposing, with a quick fist and an even quicker cover-up when one of his favorite men got into trouble. Rab wasn’t one of those, though he frequently wished he were.

Due to the War, Corbin’s brutal research was mostly unhampered by outside authority. He ran his complex as he saw fit, and only the annual visit brought outsiders from the big government bunker. Four times a year, he also had to send reports and specimens, but those went with a flunky. Until the escape, neither Corbin nor any of his closest men had been topside in two years. If he made the man angry enough, Corbin would kill him… or leave him out here in this ugly wilderness.

“To gather the rest of her crew?”
Rab finally answered.

“Then they’ll bring Adrian back, and come for the others.” Corbin confirmed.

Rab agreed reluctantly. “She knows the kids are still being held, even if it’s not in the same bunker.”

Corbin’s new personal man stepped closer, tone curious. Shane had never met those he was guarding - had been surprised to get the orders. “Why don’t they use their gifts to escape?”

Rab spoke up quickly.
“Because of the bond.
They’re connected through the DNA marker. None of them are strong enough to walk away from the others. That’s why they’re so lightly guarded.”

“What about this one?” Shane questioned respectfully, not returning the scientist’s curious look. “She left them all and didn’t look back.”

The woman had looked back, but Rab didn’t correct the well-built man. “She’s not like the others.

“She is an Alpha.” Corbin stated, thinking thee was only one stronger than her that they’d ever discovered. It was really no surprise that those in charge wanted her dead. She and her infamous father were threats. “They follow her.”

The Commander moved toward the jeeps, thinking even Alexa had been unable to completely resist the pull. She had come back once, right after her escape, and found only an empty compound. She’d shown up alone, but Corbin had little doubt she would have been successful had the children still been inside.

“Back to the compound to deliver your report?”
Rab asked eagerly, sliding behind the wheel. They were setup in the mountains this time, and he felt very safe inside those granite walls.

“Send it in this time, use Shane.” Corbin started taking maps from his folder. “We’re not going back.”

Rab didn’t like the tone in the Commander’s voice.
“Until we find her, right?”

Corbin slowly turned his head, one eye glaring furiously, and Rab braced to be hurt. He never knew if would be mental or physical, but it was always painful.

“You’re never going back there, Rabbit. Your days of comfort at a complex are over now that the quest has begun.” Corbin shrugged cruelly. “I’m almost sure you’ll die somewhere along the way. Your kind always does.”

Corbin enjoyed the injured look, but only allowed himself a brief moment of it. There were more important things to handle, than this weakling who would never grow up to take his place. Rab’s days were numbered…and he liked making sure the boy knew it.

Rab didn’t say anything else, but he understood Corbin was scared of the quest he’d allowed to start. The Legends of Safe Haven and Adrian’s return had been smothered and twisted, but the heart of it couldn’t be changed. The woman would find Adrian, and then Adrian would come - but, not just for the Corbin. The Legends insisted Adrian would exterminate the very reason for the War. Surely that meant
all
of the surviving government? Those in charge were terrified of it, so much so that they’d put a bounty on Adrian’s head that rivaled any in history. Assassins of all sorts would flood this land upon the Guardian’s return.

It was a thought that had Rab ignoring the stench of charring flesh as they drove by the flaming tent. When Adrian came home, he and all the others being held would be set free.

Knowing Alexa’s quest had truly begun sent hope deep into Rab’s heart.
A second chance, no matter who you were or what you’d done…

1

Long before a cold dawn, Alexa and Edward were enjoying the warmth left from breakfast embers. As they shared a rolled smoke, she told him of their first adventure together. After the snakes, she’d felt it wise to let him sleep before explaining the newest danger to be faced.

“I have rats on my trail.”

Edward nodded easily, ignoring his sore places. They were minor twinges that he could function with. “I assumed so.”

“They’ll hunt in every place we go, follow me relentlessly...”

He heard the tone.
“Unless?”

“Unless they are distracted.
We must not let them keep us from the quest.”

She unfolded a battered map of the surrounding area. “We head here.”

Edward’s eyes narrowed onto the spot she’d pointed out. It was granite-mountain terrain. He shrugged. “I go where you go.”

Satisfied, Alexa shook her head at the dregs, letting him enjoy it. “Are you set for two days of straight travel?”

“Four times as much.”
He opened his mouth again, to question how it would work, but Alexa’s words stopped him.

“We have no need for that.
Everything
is shared.”

Edward relaxed, went back to his coffee and smoke. They’d spent a calm night, and after seeing her in action, he wasn’t dreading the mountains. She would lead and he would follow.

It was odd, however, to be topside with the dawn - for both of them. There was silence as they watched the dark green sky begin to lighten. This new world was full of things Edward had little understanding of. Safety, what little there was to be had, came from staying in the light, and it was something he was already sure Alexa wouldn’t do.

Edward looked toward his new companion as he had the thought, wondering if her strengths included such things. Did this hard woman know how to handle that darkness? They’d camped around a small fire at the base of the cliff, and she hadn’t stood a watch or slept lightly. He’d been up before her, as well. Did those things matter? Edward sensed a toughness and ability to deal with whatever came, but if she was careless…

“Speak your mind.”

Drawing in a breath, Edward did just that. “We should have a guard when we camp… and use cover for our fire.”

“Do you think so?”

Her curt words made him look up to see her almost mocking expression. She already knew those things. He flushed at his own arrogance.

“I felt no need to guard what could only be had if the snakes were conquered first. The screams and gunfire would have warned us.”

It was a simple answer, and his cheeks darkened further.

“You are not wrong to question,” Alexa conceded evenly, rising to her feet. “In your place, I would do the same.”

Edward hurried to kick sand over the coals and catch up. He wouldn’t again, though. One disdainful glance from those eyes had already been lesson enough. She was leader on this quest. Time would prove it.

2

They traveled for the next two days, finally reaching her goal as late afternoon fell.

Set on an acre of flat, wooded ground, the bunker was much smaller that the Utah Facility, but more fortified. A mere ten foot of it was above ground, and the single door was time-locked except in case of a fire. There was no way they were storming those walls. The inside, would have to come out.

Finding this alternate underground facility hadn’t been hard for Alexa after her escape, but leaving once she had, was a torment she still carried. Alone, she’d had little hope of keeping her kids free once she rescued them, and they couldn’t come on the quest.

Then there was also the question of what to do with the children once the soldiers picked up the trail. Until she’d had that settled, taking them away from here hadn’t been an option. That had changed now. She would free them before Corbin chose to use them against her again. Even a week’s hunted freedom was worth it, a small light of hope that would spread o the others still waiting.

And it would rattle Corbin. He knew the quest had begun. His determination to find Safe Haven matched her own, but not his intelligence. If he’d been truly smart, he would have killed her long ago. It was a mistake that either she or her father would see he paid for in time.

Alexa glanced over at the tired, determined man at her side. She hadn’t had an energy source to draw from then, wouldn’t have been able to send for the birds after her escape.

The woman wondered briefly what Edward’s reaction would be to finding out that his energy was a part of why he was here. The horseman hadn’t been with her long enough to know that it was a lot more than that. She honestly needed a crew for this journey, but he would think it was the only purpose he had for a while. Would he still be at her side after that revelation? Alexa pushed the worry away, and continued studying the bunker.

Edward stared in concern at the concrete entrance set into the granite cliffs. They’d spent two hard days getting here, hours where he’d copied her movements and habits, and tried not to feel inferior. She hadn’t stopped the whole time - not to eat or sleep - and even bathroom breaks were quick trips into the brush.

They hadn’t encountered any problems, other than the wind that was cold enough to make a man’s eyes water. He’d been glad of the goggles and gloves she’d had in her kit for him. Her own skin didn’t seem to get cold, and he had envied her steady stride more than once. By the time they’d gotten here, Edward had been grateful it was over for more than a minute so he could sit down and try to feel his feet again.

Alexa was aware of his soreness, she had her own aches and pains, but if she let him rest, he would stiffen-up and be useless for an entire day.

Grimacing at the pop of her knees as she stood, she waved him to the place directly behind her. “Watch the south.”

Edward started to argue that he was too exhausted to be part of a rescue, but stopped himself. Had he thought a life with her would be easy?

They moved toward the main door openly, hands hovering over holsters.

The guards inside noticed them with shock. Other than those being guarded here, they hadn’t seen a survivor in years. Alarms began to blare all over the government compound.

“Stay behind me, no matter what.”

“Aye.”
Thinking it was to guard her back, Edward did as he was told, while wishing he’d asked what her plan was.

She stopped ten yards from the reinforced door, an easy range for anyone decent with a gun. Edward waited tensely to see her shot.

Alexa concentrated, eyes fluttering closed. In her mind, doors swung open.

“The time has come… I have come!”

Inside the bunker, guards were distracted from the mild entertainment by captives surging for freedom. Alexa and her companion were quickly forgotten.

3

Edward watched the door, hoping he would be able to kill the first one out and maybe convince them to negotiate for whatever it was that she wanted. The noises behind those doors were uneasy, louder than a government complex should be. His hand tensed as the lock clicked.

“Stand your ground.”

Her words were firm, and Edward let go of his butt. Before he could say anything, the door swung open… and kids began streaming out.

Dressed in white, many of them were stained with bright red streaks and splatters, telling Edward how their freedom had been gained. They helped each other, carrying the younger ones, and he was horrified at their bruised, abused condition.

Some of the kids moved alertly to Alexa’s side, but most headed straight for the trees and disappeared.

“Should I try to get them…
”

“No.”

The group around them slowly grew from a dozen, to two…and then three. How many children were in there?

Two tall girls of about thirteen ran to Alexa and threw themselves at her boots. Crying her name, the bald twins were panicked in their grief and joy.

“We did it!”

“We killed them all!”

“There’s no one left inside! We killed them all!”

Alexa’s hands settled onto each head, and the girls visibly calmed.

“
Sshhh
… You did what you had to.”

Alexa’s eyes swept over her large group of kids, seeing all the injured and weakest had been left. Not even those with the DNA marker were immune to fear. Those who had run stood little hope of evading the soldiers with an injured party.

She looked at the bunker and then back down to the twins. “You’re sure there’s no one left?”

The girls’ simultaneously spoken words were eerie. “They took many of them to other places when we moved. This complex held only a hundred.”

They had half of that number around them now and only minutes before a patrol would discover the escape. Alexa closed her eyes, sending out the power again. Without being told, the children joined her, feeding off their joy at finally being freed.

Edward listened to the waves of power with a slightly disbelieving ear. It was like a call for help and a challenge in one, and he forced himself not to wince as it grew stronger. What they were calling to, he wasn’t anxious to see, but he was honored to be a part of something
so
noble as rescuing children. He stood proudly behind her.

The thought of traveling with these kids all the way to find Safe Haven didn’t cross Edward’s mind until he began really looking at them. Some of their injuries wouldn’t allow a slow trip, let alone a fast flight. What would Alexa do?

“Watch the south side.”

Clearly that’s where she expected trouble to come from and he turned his attention that way… in time to see a pack of very large dogs running towards the children.

“Look out!” Edward started firing before the snarling animals were close enough to hurt any of the kids, and heard Alexa spin to do the same.

Their guns barked loudly, drawing screams and running feet that they were forced to ignore as more dogs burst from the south perimeter and charged their way.

Edward let go of his control and proved his words of being very, very good with his guns.

The pack thinned quickly as he protected them, and Alexa stopped firing to watch in admiration. There weren’t so many left that he couldn’t handle it, and she studied his technique, his fast reload with only a seconds’ pause. He was better than good. He was on
her
level.
Excellent.

The perimeter soldiers followed the dogs from the trees, and Edward switched targets, hitting them with beautiful head-shots before they could draw and fire. He blew them off of their feet, never hesitating. These men had held the kids, hurt them. That wouldn’t be allowed to continue!

Alexa let him take care of the dozen guards, ready to hit any he missed, but there was a thick silence after he stopped firing that said he could have handled much more.

The few bullets the soldiers had managed to get off, hit nothing vital.

Instinct made her turn suddenly. “Get down! Down!
Down!”

A second squad of soldiers came from the side of the bunker, and the kids scrambled to get out of the line of fire as Alexa started pulling the trigger.

Edward finished the last two guards with a quick aim. None of these first men had returned fire, but the ones coming from behind the bunker were, and he hurried to help Alexa.

More of the kids were running for the trees now, unable to take the noise and death, and Alexa let them go. The mental ties that had kept them all captive were guilt-laden cords that no longer existed. Their kind wouldn’t leave a man behind if they had another choice, but it didn’t mean they wanted to be around each other. After the torments these kids had suffered, being left alone to fend for themselves was a relief.

The soldiers were all down, only a few wounded for Edward to pick off from where he stood, and Alexa narrowed her eye on the darkening sky. Their call had gone through.

“Mind the south!”

Alexa’s words snapped Edward from his shock at the sight of so many doves diving down from the apocalyptic sky. The birds were everywhere, and he couldn’t help watching in amazement as they landed on the children. Giggles and laughter rose with the wind, a powerful noise that seemed to improve their health as he watched.