dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames (25 page)

Most of the prayer group members sat at the other end of the room. I was surprised to discover a few of them didn’t raise their hands. Most of them did, though, including a family with two young children. Some of the non-religious people raised their hands, too. I counted a total of fifteen votes. There were twenty-nine adults eligible, not counting Justin, who abstained.

“You may lower your hands,” he said after he finished his count. “Now raise them if you prefer the ranch house.”

My arm shot up and Danae raised hers as well. She glanced over at me and whispered. “There is no way I’m joining a church!”

“What are you doing?” I asked when Trish didn’t raise hers.

“I can’t decide.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I like the idea of the ranch house better, but Justin and I can marry if we go to the church.”

I sighed. It didn’t matter anyway since the ranch votes couldn’t be as high as the ones for the church. I counted a total of twelve. A couple people had abstained.

“You may put your hands down,” Justin announced. “It appears that if we choose to leave the library we’ll be going to the church. Please raise your hands if you’d rather not move anywhere.”

Danae and I shot up our arms again while Trish continued to abstain. I glared at her. “Has it occurred to you that you can still get married even if we don’t join the church? I can’t imagine they’d refuse to do the ceremony if you’re serious.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Her brows furrowed. A moment later her hand shot up as she joined in the vote.

When Justin reached us for his count, he paused on Trish for a few seconds. I couldn’t be sure what was going on behind that serious expression of his. Annoyed? Surprised? He had a knack for hiding his true feelings. I got my own count and was relieved to find it at seventeen.

“It appears we’re staying here,” he announced.

A few people let out excited shouts and a couple others groaned. I was relieved. Not that I had anything against religious establishments, but something told me it would be a lot harder to get away from there during times I had to train with Aidan. When it came down to it, that was my priority. I’d made a deal with the shape-shifter and he was my only chance of getting back to my family.

“What if some of us want to go to the church anyway?” the man with the family asked.

Justin gave him an understanding look. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to have you if you choose to go there instead. We don’t require anyone to stay here, but you can only take what you brought with you. All other supplies must stay with the group.”

“Then we’ll go there.” The man grabbed his wife’s hand and led his family out of the common room.

“That vote was close,” Conrad said, coming over to me.

“You didn’t want to go live with the church people?” I teased.

“Fuck no.” He shook his head. “That shit’s reserved for Sundays so I can do my sinnin’ the rest of the week.” He’d mentioned once that he used to attend services with his grandma.

Miles walked up and grabbed Danae’s arm. “You and me need to talk.”

“Oooh, kinky.” She gave him a saucy smile.

He just glared at her and dragged her along.

“Scream if you need backup,” I called out to her.

Danae looked over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Chapter 26

Bailey

“Damn, girl. You’re getting good,” Conrad said, coming up the second level of the parking garage.

I was going through a series of sword strokes as I moved across the floor. Aidan had started me on combinations that seemed complicated at first but got easier after a lot of practice. Had it really been almost a month since we first started training? According to the calendar we kept in the library, it was already the end of June. Sometimes it felt as if the dragons had just arrived yesterday and at other times it was as if they’d been here for years.

“Yeah, I just wish I could nail Aidan during training,” I said, finishing my set.

Conrad smiled, flashing his white teeth. “You almost got him last time.”

“Almost only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades.”

He snickered. “True.”

For the last few training sessions, I’d been practicing with my sword against Aidan. He moved faster than any human and could anticipate my every move. It was frustrating, especially to my bruised body. One day I planned to knock him down the way he’d done to me dozens of times. The man was a brute when it came to training.

“So what’s going on?” I asked.

Conrad shoved his hands into his pockets. He’d made it into an art keeping his khaki pants clean and wrinkle-free despite the lack of modern conveniences. “Justin wants a couple guys to go with us in your truck to scout for supplies. We’re running out of batteries, bandages, and a bunch of other stuff. He’s got a list of what to look for.”

“Damn.” I sighed. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to get more gas before my next training session with Aidan.”

We’d found a car dealership to meet our needs. Most of the vehicles didn’t have much, but if we took some from a few at a time it was enough to fill up the tank. Conrad had wanted to steal one of the trucks. We spent a couple hours searching for the keys, but the owner or managers must have hidden them. Neither of us knew how to hot-wire and we weren’t desperate enough to learn yet. My truck might be banged up, but it still ran fine.

“I’m with you on that. It’s my turn to siphon.” Conrad wrinkled his nose. Poor guy had the worst luck with getting gas in his mouth. It was part of the reason I made him do it.

I put my sword in the truck behind the backseat. “When do we go?”

“As soon as possible.”

It was almost noon. We’d have to make the trip quick and even then it would be risky. “Bomber coming with us?”

He shook his head. “Nah, he got a cut on his paw this morning while out on patrol and needs a few days for it to heal.”

Well, that sucked. “Alright, go get the guys. I’ll wait here.”

Conrad took off at a jog down the garage ramp. I tucked the sword behind the backseat and grabbed a washcloth from one of my bags, using my canteen to pour some water over it. My face and arms were covered in sweat. The storms had been inconvenient when they came almost every day during the spring, but I would have gladly taken them over this crazy heat. I wiped myself off and put on a fresh shirt before the guys returned.

“Where should we go?” I asked after everyone piled into the truck.

The two teenage guys who’d come along weren’t ones I knew well other than their names. Freddy had red hair and Nate had brown. They appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old and looked nervous. Not surprising, considering they’d only joined our group a few days ago and hadn’t left the library since.

What the hell had Justin been thinking to send them with Conrad and me? He should have kept them close to the library and let them pull guard duty. They looked too young to be going out on a supply raid. Then again, what was the appropriate age for kids to start stealing from abandoned stores during an apocalypse? I would have guessed eighteen, but I had a younger brother close to Freddy and Nate’s age I wouldn’t want to see out on this mission. Maybe I was biased.

“Our fearless leader suggested we check out that outdoor supply store over on 24
^th
,” Conrad answered.

I started the truck. “Alright, but I’ll be surprised if there’s anything left in there.”

We made our way across town, using the neighborhood roads where there was less clutter and damage to the street. I caught glimpses of a few people working on gardens by their houses. They’d seen my truck go by a few times and didn’t hide from me anymore. I slowed down for a stop sign.

“What are you doing?” Conrad asked when the truck came to a halt.

“There’s a stop sign,” I said, but then it hit me. “Oh, right. Old habits die hard.”

He snickered. “Worried the cops might pull you over?”

“I haven’t seen any police since D-Day.” That was our new term for the day the dragons invaded. Miles had been the one to coin the term, borrowing it from its original meaning.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m beginning to miss the cops. Can’t tell you how many times in the last six weeks I started to reach for my phone and call 911.”

“Seriously?” I glanced over at him. “I thought that was just me.”

“Nah, it ain’t just you.” He stared out the window. “I wonder where all the cops went. Except for Jennifer’s husband, I haven’t seen or heard about them since after this started. Not that there’s much they can do to help us anymore.”

The brown-haired guy behind us cleared his throat. “My dad was a Norman police officer.”

There was something in his voice—a sadness layered underneath that let you know he was revisiting a tragic loss. Checking the rearview mirror, I caught him looking out the window, hiding most of his face.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He tried to fight the dragons when they came to our neighborhood,” he said, his voice raw with pain. “My mom stood out there with him holding a shotgun. They managed to fire a few rounds but…it didn’t go so well. They made me stay in the house. I should have gone out there with them, but I didn’t.”

Listening to his story distracted me so much I almost hit a huge pothole in the road. I quickly veered around it. “I’m sorry to hear that. How long ago did it happen?”

“A couple weeks,” he answered.

I didn’t know what to say. There were no adequate words to make someone feel better when they’d just lost both their parents. Not to mention he’d had to abandon his home soon after to stay with a bunch of strangers in a library. I was amazed he’d been holding up as well as he had. He’d been helpful since he first arrived. Maybe that was his coping mechanism—staying busy. It worked for me.

“That’s the place up there,” Conrad said, pointing at the store.

I’d never been in there, but I’d driven past it a few times in the past. If memory served, it had once been a large box store with a fenced outdoor area on one side for garden supplies. That part was gone, along with a third of the building.

It looked like it had been hit with a huge wrecking ball a few times—if you ignored the scorch marks at the edges. A dragon had burned a hole large enough for a semi-truck to drive through. At least, it could if not for all the debris piled in the way. I pulled the truck up, getting as close to the opening as I could.

Conrad pulled out the gun he’d gotten from Justin. “Freddy and I will go check it out first. You two wait here.”

“Be careful,” I warned.

They stepped over the debris and disappeared into the store. Nate and I got out to stand next to the truck. I checked my gun, making sure it was ready just in case. Satisfied it was locked and loaded, I scanned the area for potential threats. Something about this place bothered me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what triggered my internal alarm. Maybe it was the silence. Not even the birds chirped and I couldn’t see any squirrels around. That was never a good sign.

“We’re clear and there’s still plenty of stuff in there,” Conrad said, coming out ten minutes later. He made his way over the rubble while gripping plastic bags filled with batteries, flashlights, and other miscellaneous items.

I nodded. “I’m going to stay here and keep an eye out. The rest of you should hurry up and grab everything you can. I don’t want to stick around long.”

After Conrad and Freddy dumped the first round of their loot in the back of the truck, Nate followed them inside. I watched with growing trepidation as the guys kept coming out with sleeping bags, lanterns, clothing, cookware, and even food. Something was wrong. This place shouldn’t have so much stuff left six weeks after D-day.

“Just one more trip,” Conrad promised, noticing the worried look on my face. “This is too good an opportunity to pass up.”

The back of my truck was overflowing. One of the guys took out some rope they’d found and started tying it all down. I checked the nearby woods, the street, and the sky. Nothing. Prickles began to form at the back of my neck and the hairs on my arms rose. We needed to go. I felt like a bank robber who’d spent too much time collecting the cash.

A distant roar came from over the trees, sending my heart racing.

To hell with a gun that would just get burned. I pulled the truck door open, tossed the Glock on the seat, and went for my sword. Dammit, this was going to be bad. I wasn’t ready to take on a dragon by myself, but what choice did I have? The guys came running out with their hands full of more stuff. They heard the next angry roar and froze. All their gazes turned to the sky where the dragon had yet to appear, but would any second.

Conrad moved first. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Take the truck,” I said, holding out the keys for him.

He dumped the bags and turned to face me. “I’m not leaving you.”

“There’s nothing you can do other than get yourself killed and you know it.” I forced the keys into his hands. “You have to get these guys to safety while I distract the dragon—it’s the only way any of us survive.”

Nate and Freddy still hadn’t moved from the gaping hole in the store. They stared up at the sky with their mouths hanging open. Oh, for crying out loud, now was not the time to freeze up. The dragon roared again, this time much closer. Both guys dropped their bags and I was pretty certain Freddy pissed himself, considering the spreading stain on his pants.

“Start the truck,” I urged Conrad. “I’ll get the guys.”

He worked his jaw. “Fine, but you better not get yourself killed.”

While he dashed toward the driver’s door, I went for our frozen companions. Did they have no sense of self-preservation? I screamed at them. “Get in the truck!”

Nate started backing up. I grabbed him first and dragged him over the debris. Halfway to the truck his common sense finally took over and he ran the rest of the way himself.

“You, too!” I went for Freddy.