Dead Force Rising (14 page)

Thorn moved to put herself between
Thomas and Caroline, giving the woman a glance over her shoulder.

“Oh my god, Thorn.
What are you?”

“Something far
better than what my brother has become.
If you value the life of your daughter, you’ll get
back to her and find someplace to hide. Don’t come out until I return. Do.
You.
Understand?”

Caroline shook her head or at least
Thorn thought she did. In honesty, the woman was shaking everywhere. Still she
managed to race up the stairs toward her apartment.

“You should not interfere in my love
life, little sister.”

“What you have planned has nothing to
do with love,” Thorn accused, taking up a stance which signaled she intended to
fight.

“You intend to battle me, Thorn?” Thomas
asked amused.

“No, we’re not done yet,” John said,
stepping behind him and striking Thomas across the back with what Thorn thought
looked like half a broken power pole.

The blow sent her brother flying
through the air and crashing into the side of an adjacent building, sending
small fragments of brick and mortar raining down. Thorn watched him get up
slowly, knowing from his slow pace that the hit had definitely taken something
out of him. John took advantage of Thomas’ weakness and pounced, throwing a
ménage of fists into the other man’s face.

A large roar sounded and Thorn
watched in shock as John sailed through the air this time, Thomas following
close behind him, turning the tables once again in his favor. Where were Hark
and Bell? Thorn wondered, looking about desperate to find John some help. To
her dismay, she saw both of them some distance away doing battle with several
of the werewolf looking creatures like the one she’d seen earlier. Neither was
in any position to offer her lover any help. Looking around on the ground
around her, Thorn spied something that might just provide the assistance she
needed.

****

John attempted to block as many of
Thomas’ blows as he could from his position. However, being flat on his back
with a monster straddling his chest made that a bit difficult. Summoning his
last bit of strength, John grabbed Thomas by the shoulders, shoved him backward
and sucked a deep breath into his lungs before jumping back to his feet. He
couldn’t lose. Thorn was counting on him. If he allowed Thomas to escape or win
this battle, the world as they knew it would become hell.

“I’m tired of this game,” Thomas
growled, grabbing a gun lost in the tussle from the ground. “I think a silver
bullet or two will be sufficient in dropping your sorry ass.”

John watched him raise the weapon and
take aim center mass. He prepared for the impact he felt certain was coming,
knowing it
 
wasn't the silver bullets
loaded in the chamber that would kill him. They would, however, put him out of
commission long enough for Thomas to finish the job.

“Just so you know, John, I would've
never allowed you to have my sister. You’re too weak,” Thomas said with a
laugh.

The laugh stopped mid way, Thomas’
eyes growing wide, his smile fading into a look of disbelief.

“Sorry, Thomas,” Thorn's voice said
as she stepped from behind him. “Looks like I’ve decided to make those types of
decisions for myself.”

John watched as Thomas collapsed to
his knees then fell face down, the broken shaft of a street sign protruding
from his back.

“I know that won’t kill him,” Thorn
told John with a shrug. “I figured you boys could handle that part.”

John ran his hand through his hair
and shook his head. This was the last thing he’d expected to happen.

“Baby, have I told you I Love You?” He
ask
with a grin.

Two Weeks Later...

Thorn stretched out across the cool
sheet and yawned. If someone had asked her a month ago where she thought her
life would lead, this would've been the furthest from her mind. Smiling contently,
she rolled from the mattress and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and t- shirt.
Becka would most certainly be awake by now, most likely sitting at the small
table in the day room watching her favorite cartoons. It took several days to
persuade Caroline to bring Becka and move into the Nest. In the end, it was
Hark who’d managed to bring them both into the safety of the newly reinforced
sanctuary. Every day since their arrival, Thorn had taken the time to color and
play with her niece while telling the girl all the good things she could recall
about the child’s father. She wanted Becka to think of him as the hero he’d
been, not the monster he became.

Thorn stepped out of the room she now
shared with John to find him seated on the large couch, Becka snuggled into his
side, her pink bunny under one arm and her thumb in her mouth as they watched some
cartoon mouse dance around on the television screen. Caroline and Hark sat at
the table to their left, engaged in a game of chess. The two had been spending
quite a bit of time together as of late and Thorn was happy to see them both
laugh and smile.

“Hey Baby, when did you finally get
up?” John asked, looking up.

“I thought I’d better get out here
and make certain someone was doing some work. Can't be resting on our laurels when
there
are
still M-O-N-S-T-E-R-S to find.”

“Uncle John, why is Aunt Thorn
spelling monsters again?” Becka asked, looking up at him.

“Because she doesn’t want you to get
scared sweetie and she thinks by spelling that word, you won't know what she’s
talking about,” John told the little girl with a wink.

“Well then I suppose your silly aunt
Thorn will just sit down and wait until this show is over like everyone else,” she
told them, taking her spot on the opposite side of the couch.

She guessed that the monsters would
all still be there waiting in thirty minutes and for every minute after. This
moment was for enjoying what she had here now. Tonight was soon enough to hunt
again.

THE END

About the Author

JL Oiler lives in the mountains of West Virginia with
her husband, two children, and boxer. She began writing stories at a young age,
but didn't begin sharing them until she was in her late teens. When not
writing, JL enjoys the outdoors and teaching shop to unruly middle
schoolers.
 
JL joined forces with fellow
authors BethAnn Buehler, Lila Munro, and Carl Franklin to
form
 
Wicked
Muses in June 2010. JL has
releases with Silver Publishing which include To Kiss a Demon, Claiming Night,
and Have Yourself a Rotten Little Christmas. Her Rebel Ink releases include
Kinship Trinity, Salvation,
Force
Recon: Beacon Bayou,
Were Menage, Force Recon Somalia, Ecliptic Hearts, Midnight
Menage
,
and Cold Storage as well as the final installment in the Force Recon series. JL
can be found on frequently chatting on Facebook,
Myspace
,
and Twitter.

Readers can find JL at
her author
site:
http://www.joiler.
weebly.com