Free Dark of Night - Flesh and Fire by Jonathan Maberry, Rachael Lavin, Lucas Mangum

her hands on the ground, she straightened up slowly, her eyes looking around to make sure there were no other Orcs ready to strike.
    “I know you’re in there, I’m not going to hurt you,” she said softly, knowing they were listening as she sheathed her daggers and knives, holding her hands out peacefully.
    There was no answer, though Rachael could hear the movement inside, and she cautiously pushed the partially open door of the bus.
    What if this was a trap? The thought echoed through her mind, and part of her wanted to draw her dagger in case of an ambush.
    But she definitely heard a kid before; it was a different scream than the sounds of a dying man. She only hoped whoever had a kid with them was a good person.
    Taking a cautious breath, she stepped up into the bus, wondering who or what she’d find inside.
    There were a handful of children clustered at the back as far away from her as they could. None of them looked old enough to have reached their double digits, though she was awful at guessing ages so she could be mistaken.
    Their eyes peering over the tops of the worn seats of the bus were terrified, their dusty and dirty faces stained and damp with tears.
    They were the eyes of children who had seen too much. They were the eyes of children who had grown up too fast.
    Suddenly Rachael was incredibly conscious of what she must look like, with beat up leather and metal armor of her warrior costume, the splattered blood of monsters on her clothes, the blood of the man who had died protecting these children on her hands.
    What had this world come to? What had this world made her into?
    Say something.
    “Hello…” Well, that was something… though definitely not helpful.
    She tried again.
    “Hi… I’m Rachael, and I’m here to help you.”
    Nothing. Silence, only broken by the occasional sniffle of a child holding back tears. None of the kids moved a muscle, their eyes still fixed on her, some in wonder, some in confusion, but all of them distinctly registering fear.
    “I’m going to get you somewhere safe,” Rachael added.
    A few more sniffles, but no movement, no response.
    If the gravity of the situation wasn’t so serious, she might have laughed at how horribly this was going. It was like a scene from a bad horror parody. She needed to get them moving, she needed to get them somewhere safe. The gunshots would draw more Orcs, and she couldn’t fight off a horde while trying to keep a bunch of scared kids safe.
    Though of course they weren’t going to go with her. To them, the bus was their temporary home, their place of safety; she could only imagine how long they’d been hiding in here. Probably since the world ended. And now she was a stranger, covered in blood and armed with a sword, which they just watched kill the only adult that was keeping them safe, telling them they needed to come with her.
    She wasn’t sure she would even trust her right now in their place, so why would they?
    There needed to be a solution, she needed to get them somewhere safe. She wasn’t going to leave them behind, not without any protection. She would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t get them at least to a safe zone with adults and supplies.
    “Please, I know you’re scared, I know that you don’t know me, but I want to help you. If you stay here the monsters will come back, and I can’t stop them all.”
    A few of the kids glanced at the windows, the threats of monsters and nightmares enough to make them question what to do. But she was still a stranger, and the older kids eyed her with suspicion. They’d seen enough of this new world not to trust her.
    Time for plan B.
    “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked them quietly, and all of their eyes were on her. “Can I trust you?”
    There was a slight nod from a few of the kids, and Rachael gave the most sincere and trustworthy smile she could.
    “I’m actually from Themyscira. I’m an Amazon, just like Wonder Woman. Do you know who Wonder