Free Sanctum (The After Light Saga) by Cameo Renae Page A

here,” his partner yelled.
    “ Hot damn! It’s grass. Actual grass , growing right here on the ground. This place can sustain life,” he was smiling from ear to ear. He bent down and brushed his fingers over it.
    I had to blink a few times, just to make sure I wasn’t h allucinating. But he was right. A small patch of green, about a foot wide, was sitting under an old rusted water pipe. There was life in the middle of the destruction.
    “Why is it onl y in that area?” Pike asked.
    I looked at Dr. Banks, and he had a smile. “I’m not sure. But it looks like it was sitting under that pipe? Maybe this town was far enough from the radiation zones and wasn’t directly affected. We’ll have to mark this area and let the leaders know. This looks like a great area to rebuild a community.”
    Then, the one thing I ha d feared the most, happened. A familiar, hair-raising scream pierced the air. As heated as I was, the sound sent a cold shiver down my spine.

Chapter 5
     
     
    “Arvies,” I screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear.
    Tina turned to me with wide, horrified eyes.
    “Stay right behind me, Tina. Don’t run. Everyone needs to stay together. If we separate, they will pick us off.”
    T he soldier near the grass stood, and something grabbed him, dragging him behind the building. All we could hear were his screams of pain.
    Finn took off running in his direction.
    “No! Finn, don’t,” I screamed. I knew it wasn’t going to help. Once he set his mind to something, he wasn’t turning back.
    “Tina stay here. Pike, stay with her. I’ll be back,” I said, taking off after Finn. Another soldier started running after me. I couldn’t run fast enough to catch Finn.
    We ran around the building, just quick enough to see him disappear behind another building to the left. I followed him, Hellfire gripped tightly in my hand. My heart hammered so hard it hurt. With every step, a shooting pain throbbed in my head. It was almost unbearable, but I wasn’t going to let Finn be alone.
    Agonizing screams from the captured soldier echoed through the street. I glanced down at the dry earth and saw a thin trail of blood. If the soldier had been bitten, there was no way we could save him.
    “Finn,” I screamed.
    There was a gunshot. My breath and heart seized.
    “Finn!” I yelled again. We quickly rounded the building. About thirty yards ahead, Finn was standing over the soldier’s limp body. His right ear was gone, bitten off. Blood poured from the wound.
    A bout ten yards ahead, a lifeless Arvie lay between two buildings, face down, with a gaping hole in its back.
    Scr eams and growls echoed all around us. From the sounds, I knew we were outnumbered, and the sun was quickly setting.
    Finn knelt and felt the soldier’s neck. When I reached them, I saw the soldier had been bitten twice. His ear, and there was a large chunk of his neck missing. Blood poured from his wounds. I wanted to throw up.
    “Finn?”
    He looked up at me and shook his head. The soldier was dead. This was the first time I’d actually witnessed a dead body. A few minutes ago, this soldier was full of life, talking, laughing, and filled with hope, as his fingers brushed the soft, new grass.
    “He’s dead?” his fellow soldier’s voice shook.
    “Yes, and we will be too if we don’t get back to the others,” Finn urged.
    “We can’t leave him here,” the soldier said.
    “We have to,” Finn said. “There is nothing we can do for him. He’s gone.” Finn reached down and pulled the soldier’s tag from his neck and handed it to his friend.
    The soldier took the bloodied dog tag and placed it in his pocket.
    Finn took the dead so ldiers weapon and extra ammo. “Let’s get back. The others will need our help.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.
    When we made it back to the group, they all looked completely terrified. The Arvies had awakened, and sounded like they were ready for war. We were in their territory. I just hoped we