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

Woman is?” she asked the group, to a few more nods. “Well Wonder Woman is in New York trying to make sure everyone is safe, but she asked all of her Amazon sisters to come from Themyscira to help her. And she sent me to find all of you to bring you to safety. Why do you think I’m dressed like this? This is my magical armor, it protects me, just like her gauntlets do.”
    The children’s eyes were on her in wonder, and she really hoped they were buying this. She was trying to make it as convincing as possible, and putting all of her heart and soul into it.
    “Now I need to do my part, but I can’t do it without all of you. Was there another grown up with you?”
    “Miss Dez” one of the little ones in the back spoke up quietly. Okay, so there was another person, another adult. Maybe she could use that to get the kids to come with her.
    “When did Miss Dez leave?” she asked, sitting down on the edge of one of the bus seats, leaning against the back of the seat as casually as she could, trying to look as comforting as possible.
    “While ago, I dunno,” a little girl mumbled.
    “She said she’d be back by the time it got dark,” another kid piped up, one of the older boys in the back.
    So she had a decision to make. If this Dez was alive, if she was coming back, then Rachael didn’t want to move the kids, not if she was expecting to find them still here and safe. She could only imagine the panic that could cause, how she’d feel if she was supposed to be meeting her group somewhere and they weren’t there. How’d she feel if she went back to the hospital and they weren’t there anymore.
    She couldn’t do that to someone, even if she’d never met this woman before. Especially not with children involved.
    So they could wait it out until sunset; she didn’t think it would be much longer before the sun went down, and she just hoped that no more Orcs would come their way. If she barricaded the door of the bus then they’d be safe enough here, at least until nightfall.
    Then at nightfall they’d have to move.
    “I’m going to stay here and make sure all of you are safe, okay?” Rachael asked, trying to keep her voice light. “I want to make sure Miss Dez gets back here to you tonight, and I don’t want to leave all of you here alone. Is that okay if I stay with you”
    Most of their hesitations around her had faded when she told them her big “secret,” and they nodded. Of course they wanted a superhero around. She could protect them from the big scary monsters.
    Well, she would do the best she could.
     

 
~16~
     
     
    Dez Fox
     
     
     
    Dez approached the house slowly, with caution, her shock and weariness falling away as her training and common sense came back online. She was badly rattled by how stupid she’d been, and she was glad Biel wasn’t here to see it.
    When she placed her foot on the bottom riser of the short set of steps to the porch it creaked. Just a little. Enough.
    If there had been ears to hear.
    Dez pointed the gun at the front door and then swung it slowly toward each of the two windows. Heavy shutters were in place, the slats down. No one could see out or in.
    She took a breath and leaned on the step a little heavier, making the creak louder, more deliberate.
    Waited.
    Heard nothing but the wind across the tobacco leaves. Birds began to sing in the trees. A good sign, most of the time.
    Dez took another breath, and this time used it to call out. “In the house.”
    Nothing.
    “It’s cool,” she said. “I’m alone. I’m not here to raid or anything. Just looking for help.” A pause. “I’m a cop.”
    As if that meant anything. She wasn’t all that sure if it meant much before the world fell off its hinges, and a badge sure as shit carried no weight now. Not authority, anyway. Reassurance, maybe, and that’s what she was hoping for.
    Nothing.
    She mounted the steps. They all creaked. So did the floorboards on the porch. The house was old, probably mid to late