Ashes (Of the Earth Series)

Chapter 15.1 - Strangers in the Night

The piercing wail of the Banshee jolted me awake. I bolted upright, fumbling for my shotgun as my heart hammered in my chest, dashing down the stairs and bursting out the front door of the cabin. Kendall was already there, alert and scanning our surroundings.

"Pretty sure that's alarm seven - it's close," he said tersely. "Damn. Means one through six failed."

I set a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, but seven worked."

Around us, the rest of the camp was stirring. Mathis emerged from his cabin, rifle in hand, bleary-eyed but alert, Irene close behind him, loading bullets into a revolver.

I heard doors slam open as the others roused from their beds. "Grab weapons and get to defensive positions," I barked, my voice rough with sleep but firm with authority.

I grabbed my walkie-talkie. "Stali, report. What's going on?"

Static crackled for a moment before his voice came through. "Southwest quadrant. I'm checking the monitors now." More static. "Got a visual. Single vehicle approaching from the main road, half a mile out. Not one of ours."

"Prep the defenses. We're on our way," I responded. I turned to Kendall. "Let's go."

Adrenaline drowned out any remnants of sleep. As we neared the perimeter, I could hear the rumble of engines over the alarm's wail. The car blustered and whined, backfiring as it grew closer.

As it approached our wall of vehicles, it slowed to a stop, sputtered, and died.

Several of us took positions among the embattlements, taking aim at the vehicle. Mathis, Kendall, Irene and myself stepped through the narrow gate between two minivans, weapons at the ready. Kendall and Irene took up flanking positions, eyes on the woods, while Mathis and I held steady aim on the windshield of the small sedan.

Stali's voice crackled through the loudspeaker system. "Step out of the vehicle. Toss your keys over."

The driver's side door creaked open and a disheveled man slowly emerged, his hands raised in surrender. He was unarmed and unkempt - his clothes were dirty and torn, his face unshaven. He obeyed Stali's command and gave a slight jerk of his arm. Mathis snagged the keys out of the air. A spotlight turned on from a nearby post and the man covered his face. "Ah ah!" I warned. "Hands up!" He obeyed, turning his face to the ground and raising trembling hands into the air.

"Please, I mean no harm," the man called out, his voice raspy. "My family, we need help. Our group was ambushed down in the town. We have no food or water."

I kept my rifle trained on him, unsure whether to trust him. As I glanced at the vehicle, the interior now illuminated by his open door, I saw a woman cradling a crying toddler in her arms. Two more small children peered out of the backseat, their faces far more haggard and worn than any child's should ever be. I beckoned with my fingers at the woman, who exited slowly, bouncing the child on her hip, speaking softly to him.

The man took a cautious step forward. "We heard there might be a settlement out here. We were trying to reach you when we got attacked. Please, if you've no room, we just need some food and water. Maybe some gas if you can spare it."

I hesitated, then lowered my weapon slightly. If he had wanted to attack, he wouldn't have approached so obviously and definitely not with children in tow. That didn't mean it wasn't a trap. I jerked my weapon at the woman. "Stand by him, away from the vehicle." She quickly obeyed, staring at the ground as she walked over to stand by her companion. The toddler in her arms quieted at the sight of us surrounding them, burying his face in her neck.

"Mathis, Kendall, check them out," I ordered. "Make sure they aren't armed. The rest of you, stay alert." I grabbed my walkie. "Alicia, come down here, grab the hunter's rations for tomorrow."