Holmes (2 page)

As he ran past one spider perched on the hood of a truck, he saw it was eating through the metal. It seemed to excrete a poison that burned through the steel. Its legs were a strange mix of bone and metal.

He raised his pistol and fired. The spider flew off the truck and disappeared from view.

People were shouting, snatching up children, fleeing. A few people were smacking at the spiders with whatever they could—blankets, knives—one man was using a bat.

Adam saw a spider heading toward a terrified family. He kicked it and sent it flying into the wall of cars. It bounced back onto its legs and Adam fired at it. The first shot of laser only made it twitch. He kept firing and finally the thing collapsed on the ground.

Then he spotted a woman flat on her back, her arms and legs twitching, a spider attached to her face. He heard laser carbines firing, saw the soldiers taking out the creatures. He spotted Doc Emerson running into the mêlée, her white lab coat bright amidst the pandemonium.

“Emerson.” He pointed at the woman.

The blonde doctor nodded, her face grim. Gabe, Hell Squad’s largest and deadliest fighter—who also happened to be Emerson’s protective lover—appeared beside her. He gripped the alien spider while Emerson knelt to help the woman.

Adam turned and spotted two more of the balls bouncing into their camp.
Dammit
. Then he heard a cry and turned. A young boy, maybe ten, was trying to scramble away from an oncoming spider. Adam sprinted, lifting his pistol and fired. The spider leaped away, flying through the air.

“Here.” Adam grabbed the boy up, holding him tight.

The spider hit the ground on its back, flipped onto its feet and spun. It had a row of small red eyes across its head.

The boy whimpered. Adam set him down and pushed the boy behind him, just as the spider leaped at them.

Adam grabbed it. He held the nightmarish insect just inches from his face, shocked at how damn strong the thing was.

He needed all his strength to keep it off his face. Slowly, he managed to push it down. Then he dropped it to the ground and stomped on it…again and again. He heard it crunch under his boot.

The young boy was making a sobbing noise with each harsh breath.

“Get back up the hill.” Adam shoved the boy in that direction. “Climb on top of a truck.”

With a jerky nod, the boy turned and sprinted, following orders.

Adam heard more screaming. All around him, the soldiers were fighting the mass of creatures. He saw a flash of blonde glinting in the sunlight. He saw a woman slamming a stick down on a spider. Nearby, a terrified little girl screamed, tears running down her face.

Adam sprinted toward them. “Liberty.”

The woman looked up, her beautiful face strained. She slammed the stick down again and the spider skittered backward.

Adam glanced at the tiny girl. She was crawling toward the body of a prone woman lying on the ground. One look and he saw the woman’s neck had been burned by the spider poison. Her eyes were closed and he had no idea if she was dead or alive.

“Mama.” The girl gripped the woman’s shirt.

Dammit
. Adam felt his blood run cold then hot.

The spider had only retreated for a second before it jumped forward again. Adam kicked it and it leaped back, but it was watching them with a predatory gaze.

“Take the girl,” he said. “Run.”

Liberty hesitated, then she handed him the stick and snatched up the crying girl. Adam turned, just as the spider leaped at him again.

He swung the stick like a bat. He’d played baseball at the Coalition Military Academy. The stick connected with a satisfying
thwack,
and the spider sailed through the air.

His shoulders sagged. All around him he heard screams, cries and laser fire. It seeped into him, the weight of it dragging him down like a drowning man in a river.

It looked like the squads were weeding out the last of the spiders. The medical team was working frantically to help the injured…but there would be nothing they could do for the dead.

He turned, trying to pull himself together. He had to be strong for everyone, help rally them and get them out of here.

There was a flash of movement to his left, then something slammed into his face.

As the spider wrapped its legs around his head, Adam staggered backward. It clamped on hard and he felt the sharp bite of the clawed legs digging into his skull. He tried to pry it off and it made a hissing sound. He stumbled over something and fell.

Falling flat on his back, all Adam could hear was his own frenzied breathing. The more he tried to pry the damn thing off, the more it tightened on him, until he was sure it would crush his skull.

But he was well aware that at any moment, the damn thing would spray him with that corrosive poison, and he’d be dead.

Old memories flashed behind his eyes. Of life before the invasion, of his distinguished career, of the wife he’d only had for a few years before she’d left him, telling him he was too driven, too absorbed, a workaholic who’d die alone.

Well, it looked like Diane was right. Even with the band of survivors around him, the ones he’d tried to protect and care for, he was going to die alone.

Chapter Two

“No you don’t, you ugly little fucker.”

Adam heard the fierce feminine voice, felt hands tugging at the spider. Then the creature gave a high-pitched squeal and released him. Panting, Adam sat up…to see Liberty stabbing at the spider with a pair of scissors.

Finally, she sat back, her hand covered in blood. She glanced up at him, looking like some Amazon warrior. “I hate spiders.”

Adam rubbed his face and then probed the small wounds on his head from the creature’s claws. “No disagreement from me.”

“Are you okay, General?”

He nodded. “Thanks to you. And under the circumstances, I think you should call me Adam.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome, Adam.”

He got to his feet, his body aching. Damn, he was getting too old for this. He might only be in his early forties, but since the invasion, most days he felt like a hundred and three.

Liberty grabbed his arm and steadied him. “Take a minute before you stride off to do boss-man things.”

He glanced down at her. God, he wasn’t that old that he needed the most beautiful woman in camp propping him up. “I’m fine.”

He stared at the convoy. It looked like the alien spiders had been contained. People were helping the injured and consoling the frightened. The squads were stacking the spider corpses in a pile.

“Dammit.” His neck throbbed and the sick feeling of failure rose. His gaze snagged on the handful of dead bodies lying around.

“General.” Elle ran toward him. “The squads are awaiting orders. They’ve contained the spider creatures…do we just leave them, burn them, or bury them?”

“General Holmes!” Doc Emerson was striding over. “I have more wounded than I can fit on the medical bus. We need a secondary vehicle. Thankfully, most of the wounds are minor, but I have two who are in a serious condition. A woman with neck burns and a man with burns to his legs.”

Adam drew in a deep breath and ran his hand over his hair. Damn, his hair really was getting too long—it had gone well past regulation length. He saw Liberty watching him, her blue eyes laser-sharp. He dropped his hand.

“Emerson, talk to Captain Bladon…Laura. She has no one in the prison truck at the moment, so you can put some of the wounded in there.” He turned to Elle. “Tell the squad leaders to have their teams bury the alien corpses. Hide them well. I’d prefer the raptors don’t find out we’d been here.”

Elle nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“And Elle, do you or the drone team think the aliens know our location?” He scanned the mess of their camp. “Did they send those things here on purpose?”

Elle shook her head. “No, sir. Lia said her drone operators have noted lots of these ball-like things all over the area. And pteros appear to be randomly bombing areas just south of here.”

Damn. “They’re taking pot shots, hoping they get lucky and hit us. Force us to reveal our location.”

Elle nodded. “That’s our assessment, sir.”

They had to get to the safety of the Enclave. “Tell the squads I’ll address them all shortly and please inform everyone to get ready to move out.” The sooner they got to the Enclave, the better.

“Everyone needs you, don’t they?”

Liberty’s quiet voice made him raise his head. “I’m the leader. It’s my job.” But he knew the truth—while they needed his skills and his leadership, no one actually needed him, Adam, the man.

Liberty tilted her head and damn, he felt like he was under a microscope. He knew she was an expert at keeping the civilians happy, anticipating their needs, providing a black market of sorts in beauty products and toiletries. Most people might write that off as unimportant, but he knew differently.

Just having a bar of soap, a spritz of perfume, or a bottle of shampoo that smelled like home, helped soften the harsh edges of their new lives.

He suspected Liberty was well aware of the impact.

“I think it’s far more than a job for you,” she said.

Before he could answer her, Marcus strode up.

“General.” He gave a brief nod. His armor was splattered with alien blood. “Liberty.”

“Hey, Marcus.” She stepped backward. “I’ll go and help with the injured.”

Adam watched the swing of her hips as she walked away. He’d always thought he preferred tall, slim women, like his ex-wife. But his gaze was drawn to Liberty’s rounded curves and lush femininity.

“My squad’s supervising burying the carcasses of those ugly little things.” Marcus’ voice was a growl.

“How many dead?” Adam asked.

They both knew he wasn’t talking about the alien spiders.

“Four. One missing. A teen. He either ran off to hide or…”

Adam released a long breath. Or he got dragged off. “Bury our dead. But nowhere near the damn spiders. Send a team to search for the boy. If they think he’s left the illusion, send Devlin Gray to find him.” The former spy was part of their intel team. The man could sneak in just about anywhere without being noticed. Tough choices rose again. “We can’t afford to stay here much longer. Find him, Marcus.”

The soldier nodded. “We’ll find him.”

Otherwise, Adam would be forced to save the lives of the others and leave another family broken-hearted and a kid out there to die.

Another black mark on his soul.

“Wherever we make camp tonight,” Marcus said, “I’ll buy you a homebrew. You look like you need it.”

Adam nodded, but they both knew he wouldn’t take Marcus up on the beer.

The squad leader made to leave, then hesitated. “You have friends here.”

Adam dragged in a deep breath. Coming from a soldier he respected, one he’d butted heads with numerous times, it meant a lot. “Thanks, Marcus.”

With a nod, Marcus strode away.

But Adam knew Marcus was wrong. Adam didn’t have friends here. He had subordinates, civilians and followers. He couldn’t afford friends—for his sake and theirs. He had to make the hard choices, the choices that meant lives, and he knew he’d be forced to make more before this war was over. That meant he couldn’t afford to be anyone’s friend.

Shaking off his foul mood, he walked among the people, offering words of comfort and encouragement. He saw shoulders straighten, faint smiles emerge and people nod. That had to be enough to sustain him.

He rounded a vehicle and heard two people arguing. He spotted Shaw and Claudia, both in their armor. Claudia had her hands on her hips, her face set, while Shaw looked like he was trying not to laugh. They traded a few barbs, then Shaw swept her into his arms, slamming his mouth on hers.

She fought him, for about two seconds, then her strong legs clamped onto his hips and she kissed him back.

Adam swallowed. He’d allowed her to sacrifice herself, had almost cost these two their piece of heaven in the chaos.

He turned away, unable to watch any longer. The pressure felt like it was driving him into the ground. God, he really needed a double-strength coffee. Maybe tonight, he’d allow himself a shot of the cheap Scotch Whiskey he had hidden in his truck. He’d run out of the good stuff a long time ago.

But for now, he dredged up some strength from somewhere deep inside of him and raised his voice. “Okay, everyone. Let’s get ready to move out.” He’d brief the squads, send them out to risk their lives creating diversions, and hoped to God the missing boy was found before they left.

***

Liberty climbed out of her truck and stretched her legs.

Her home on this crazy road trip for the last week or so had been a converted RV she shared with some of the schoolteachers and other single ladies. It was cramped, and by the end of each day, they were mostly all ready to kill each other.

She looked around and watched others getting out of their vehicles, dragging tents and bedding with them. They had stopped for the night at what looked like an abandoned farm. She glanced through the deepening twilight and decided the straight rows of trees in the distance were an orchard.

She spotted a slim figure heading closer to the trees. As Liberty watched, the woman stroked the trunk of one tree and half turned, a smile on her face, her pale hair like moonlight falling past her shoulders. Liberty still wasn’t sure what to make of the alien woman in their midst. A former prisoner of the raptors, she was a long way from home, and now part of their little band.

Liberty knew from her few conversations with Selena that the woman was desperately sad. Hell, she had a right to be, knowing that there was no way for her to return to her planet. Selena lifted a hand and Liberty’s breath caught. A group of colorful butterflies appeared and fluttered around Selena’s slender fingers. The alien woman laughed.

With a shake of her head, Liberty focused back on the camp. There was an old farmhouse nearby, flanked by a handful of rusted sheds. Not much, but it would do. She really hoped they reached the Enclave soon and they could get out of these vehicles. There was no privacy, no space…but at least they were alive.