Revolution

Deacon

For once, I almost hated the idea of leaving the bar for a day. Even though I had been curious to see what damage had been done to the city and surrounding areas, I still would have preferred to stay behind.

I charged my phone every day, while the generator was on. But there hadn’t been a lot of time for me to search the internet for news stories. Most of what I heard came from the Nightwalkers when they came in at night.

From what I have been able to put together, Curtis had been planning this for quite some time. Long enough that he was able to change a navy pilot or two into one of them. It wasn’t hard. He just had to hit up the military hospitals, looking for recent wounded who were not expected to survive. The ones that were desperate to stay alive. Their clearance hadn’t been deleted yet. With their help, he was able to steal a few bombs and hide them away. Then, when the time came, they stole a plane and dropped them, three nights in a row. One night per region.

In the meantime, Curtis and his team managed to get a bunch of other bombs made and placed them just right, and for the right times. Then came the systematic cleansing of neighborhoods. Fewer humans to fight back. Fewer humans to maintain. But plenty of food for the vampires in the state.

I hadn’t heard anything, but I was assuming that he had taken over a few of the military bases as well. California had quite a few to begin with. With all the drones that I saw the other day, and the stories I’d been told, it only made sense. I couldn’t help but wonder if he gave all those soldiers the option of being changed or being donors. They would have been like espresso for vampires. A quick pick me up.

The biggest piece of the puzzle came from my last conversation with Carter, before he checked out for the night last night. He was happily satiated in his booth, a small frown playing on his face when the teens got picked up by someone else. I didn’t want any problems, and I had a few burning questions, so I sat across from him, drawing his attention away.

“Well, you look a lot better. I told you that you just needed a boost.” I teased him.

He chuckled and rubbed his belly. “Hit the spot, that’s for sure. You really have an eye for donors. I’ve never walked away from here unsatisfied. But those two just might be my favorites. Where did you find them?”

“I found them, and their friends, in a shelter a few nights ago. They were just lying around, bored.” While I was sure he would love the specifics, I didn’t feel like going over them. “You said you finished your part of the wall. Just how big is this wall? Did Curtis lock us all in here?”

Carter chuckled and shook his head. “Nah. We could climb it without a problem. The strongest might even be able to jump it, with a good run. But it’s supposed to go around the whole state.”

I gave him an incredulous look, knowing his ego would insist on more information to prove him right, and the psycho he chose to follow.

“You all built a wall nearly 200,000 miles in length, in less than a month? With debris?”

Carter laughed, like I was being dimwitted. “No, of course not. Curtis had walls started months ago. Real ones, too. Mostly in the more hidden areas. The mountains near the Oregon border, Yosemite, and the deserts near Arizona and Mexico. I don’t know how he’s gotten it built during the day. Maybe he hired a construction company or something. Humans will do anything if you pay them enough.”

Or he found Vampire Borns and pulled them to his side. I wondered…

“Anyway. I don’t know if the whole wall is done yet. I am only in charge of the Mojave and Death Valley sections. We even built small ramadas, and put up those collapsible tents far enough away, for those on duty.”

“Curtis has you all monitoring the walls?”

He grimaced. “Yeah. We usually only do 24-hour shifts but with the roads being such a disaster, it ain’t easy getting there. We’ve been camping out in a few deserted houses. I only come back when I have more than a few hours off at a time. I wish I could come back more often. That area was already pretty deserted. Whoever the bombs didn’t get, ran away before the wall could be finished.”

“No wonder you came in tonight looking like a mess. Sounds like you might need to find a few humans of your own. I bet your guards would work better with food close by as well.”

“Eh, maybe. I’ll think about it.” He glanced around, keeping an eye on things. Or maybe certain humans.

I turned my eyes to my angel. She was walking around the bar, her hips swinging to the music. Colton went up to her as soon as she rounded the bar, grabbed her hand, and spun her in a circle. Her head fell back as she laughed and went with it.

“How are you guys getting back and forth? Are most of the freeways there and back intact?”

He snorted lightly. “Yes and no. There are patches of clear road, but then they suddenly give way. Plus, there are a lot of abandoned cars on them, blocking traffic. We have cleared what we can. I took over ownership of a Humvee, I don’t need a road with that sucker!”

He talked for the next few minutes about the various adventures he had been on with his new love. I listened, gathering details for the trip I was planning, while watching my angel dance with my best friend.

“You going to kill him or pull him off her?” Carter asked with a grin, tipping his chin at Carrie and Colton.

I chuckled and stood up. “Neither. That would be counterproductive. I may join them though.” I winked at him as I walked away, leaving him laughing.

Last night was the best night of my life so far. I never dreamed my angel was actually a witch, a pure blooded one at that. I felt a bit stupid now that I had time to think it all the way through. I should have known the magic in her blood would create an enticing scent. I had known many witches in my time, but none had ever called to my primal side the way Carrie did.

Most curses call for a touch of blood from the caster, it adds strength. Maybe that was it. Maybe her blood called to all of us because it was used in the curse that was laid upon us. That could be why so many in her family were killed and why they hid in the sun. And she had it from both parents. She was double the sweetness. Double the temptation.

Would the curse keep her from giving me a son? Or would the purity of her blood make her strong enough to survive it?

I pulled onto the 10 and drove for a few miles, my eyes peeled for a random drop off. I transferred to the 5, thinking this wasn’t so bad after all. Then reached the overpass and exit for the 14.

Where once sat two roads, one over the other as they turned, now was a gaping hole. Very few pieces of the freeway filled it. Very few burned up cars remained. All the big pieces had probably been carted off to build Curtis’ wall. It was one giant, burned out, pit. It almost looked like it had been a bonfire at one time.

Was that how they cleared the bodies, after taking what they wanted?

I pulled to a stop and groaned.

The pilot had even taken out the truck routes. While those were originally carved into the hillside, they now gave way to deep fissures and had been overrun by giant rocks. More than one car lay flattened under them.

I ran through my memory bank for the way we traveled before the freeways were built.

I turned around, not caring which side I was driving on since I was the only one there. I took the exit to Sylmar. From there, I took the long way to Newhall, and was able to jump onto the 14. Finally.

I went as far as the Antelope Valley before I found the next hole.

The cities here looked mostly intact. I pulled up to a gas station, next to a McDonalds and some rundown apartment buildings, refilled my tank, then went inside the convenience store. Prices were higher than normal but everything else looked the same. They even had power.

“I’m trying to get to Mojave. Is the 14 drivable, minus the big hole down the way?”

“Nope. It got hit a few times. Sierra highway should get you most of the way there though. What you wantin’ to go to Mojave for? Ain’t nobody there.”

I shrugged. “Had a friend out that way, haven’t heard from them in a while. Thought I might get a look at this wall too.”

“Suit yourself.” He gave me directions and I left.

I didn’t go the way he told me to. I had what I needed. I had also been gone for nearly four hours already. I should be able to make the trip back faster, not having to backtrack this time. Still, the sun would be going down and vamp hour would start before I got back home.

I was going to be in so much trouble.

I would happily take it though. My angel was now my mate. My fated one at that.

Everything I had been feeling for her from the beginning finally made sense now. I didn’t remember the last time I heard of someone finding the one person meant for them. Not since we went into hiding anyway.

Which was probably why I didn’t recognize the pull. I knew barely anything about it. Rarely did anyone talk about fated mates, or mates in general. It didn’t matter how much time had gone by; as a mate was a mate. They were missed. Their absence was felt. Which was why when one died, the other usually went with them. We were still stumped on how not one of the men mated when the curse hit survived, while their mate was killed.

For me though, my life was looking up. My bar was busy all the time. I had my mate. I had my best friend. One day I may even have both at the same time (crossing my fingers). If I were to share her with anyone, it would be Colton.

It wouldn’t be the first time he and I shared a woman, but it would be the first time we both liked her. It was always just helping each other spice up a redundant life.

Growing up in a nearly all male society, your options were limited. There was a reason most vampires didn’t care about genders. We had our preferences of course, but we accepted anyone that could get the job done.

I would never complain about it being just my angel and me, I loved my mate. I would also never dream of betraying her like that. And not just because the last thing we needed was another curse. I just couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her. I didn’t know how anyone would be able to hurt their mate like that.

Her fear and sadness over me leaving today was hard to take. I had to leave before I caved to her pleading, if only to make her feel better.

I would be thrilled if Colton joined us though. Sharing someone I loved with someone I trusted and cared about would be fun for me. My mate was perfect in every way, and I wanted Colton to see that. To appreciate that. I wanted to show her off to my best friend.

My life was better than it had ever been before. I mean, yeah, the whole deal with Curtis killing lots of humans and closing up California sucked, but it hadn’t affected me negatively. On the contrary, I never would have met Carrie had she not gotten trapped in that bus station and then chased to my doorstep.

As long as Curtis didn’t find out that I was still alive, and here, or about my mate, I could continue living the way I had been. Only better. I wouldn’t have to work to ignore the scent of the constant arousal in the air from the Nightwalkers and the donors. My mate and I could join in the fun. Colton too. It had been some time since he and I shared a woman. Since we did anything together, actually.

We always tried not to use the donors, at least in the beginning. If we did, we shared her together. Right there in the bar. We both fed, at the same time. And got our needs met. The last one got really clingy after that. We accidentally turned her into a blood junkie. A week later, the cops found her body. She started seeking out the Nightwalkers a little too often, ignoring her own health.

After that, we never used the donors again. If the scent got to us, we just helped each other out. It was rare when it was just us. But I had tired of using human women a long time ago. As had Colton. It was actually better just us and without them. Sundays were always the harder days.

The cab of my truck filled with my own laughter when I remembered one particular Sunday. Colton had been gone for many months. He had lost the habit of ignoring the overwhelming scent. Every VIP room was full. The scent of the alcohol and cigarette smoke did nothing to cover it up for us. The moment the last human was out of the bar, Colton had his pants down and pushed me to my knees. I laughed all the way up until he made that impossible. Then I took a turn.

That was many years ago, and possibly the last time we had been together. Having him and my angel at the same time would be heaven. Just the thought of how good that would feel filled my heart. One day. One day it would happen.

If only my angel would get pregnant, and give me a son, then my life would be better than perfect.

I slammed on the brakes, the truck swerving to the right, as the next thought hit me.

If Carrie were to get pregnant, we would need to leave. A vampire being born from a human would draw Curtis’ attention my way. There would be no way to hide her from him then.

My son would not survive that. Neither would my mate, who smelled like heaven.

I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal again, feeling the need to get back to her as soon as possible. The need to see her, to smell her, to feel her. I needed to assure myself that she was still here. Healthy and happy.

I was only a few miles from home when I felt a sharp pang hit my chest. I gasped for air, rubbing the sore spot, trying to figure out what happened. It took me a minute to realize the pain wasn’t coming from me.

My mate was scared, really and truly scared.