Rise of the Scorpion by Scott McCord

Author:Scott McCord [McCord, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798615315930
Published: 2020-04-04T22:00:00+00:00

25

Will

The death throes of day ooze orange across the sky as dusk closes in to claim the world. The color of battle between light and dark will end as it always does, with the sun bleeding out purples and yellows and reds across the atmosphere, gasping its last breath as we stare up and enjoy the show. Daytime has to work, but night only has to be…darkness is the natural order, so no matter how bright the fire burns, we always end in black. Mim used to love sunsets like this…so did my mom.

Being off duty for the first night in seven or eight weeks makes me squirm—worried all the training and work I’ve put into my men will unravel if I’m not there to keep an eye on them. But Starter ordered me to take the night off. He thinks I’m wound too tight…taking things too personally.

Several weeks ago I split my first group into five, letting two pairs of my original men take responsibility for training another woodland squad. It’s not the best way to do things, but it’s efficient, and Starter has promoted me to oversee the entire program. My special force Scorpions aren’t exactly ghosts in the woods, but they’re competent…almost shadows—a far cry from the left-footed clods I started with. Scorpions have always been able to handle weapons, and they kill as easily as breathing, but the skills they’ve learned from me make them nearly invincible. Properly outfitted, they’re worth a dozen Slitters each.

Black and crimson are the pride of every Scorpion, but in the woods it’s a target color—easily seen and easily struck. The wrong clothing is a devastating tactical error. I speak with Ven, he speaks with Ayden, and every group in Community is temporarily licensed to trap Outside deer on the Edge. They stretch and tan the hides to make buckskin uniforms for my men in return for keeping most of the venison they take. The opportunity to stockpile meat and burn low, day-long fires, pushes the war-effort into full tilt. People are happy, prosperity abounds, and only soldiers think of battle…dreaming of victory, heroics, and coming home unscathed.

In a few days, my men will be outfitted in light brown uniforms, and it will be time. It will be time to make every Slitter pay for what they’ve done to Community…for what they’ve done to me. I stare into the bleeding sky above as vengeance tip-toes through my mind. I don’t notice Starter until he’s standing next to me.

“Looks like God is flying our colors. Must be a good omen,” he comments.

“What?”

“The sunset, it’s a beautiful one.”

“It looks like blood to me.”

Starter turns his head upward, reconsidering the colors in the sky. He smirks and shakes his head. “It does, doesn’t it?” He waits for me to respond but I don’t. “I know I gave you the night off, but Ayden wants to see us. He asked for you specifically.”

“When?”

“Right now.”

I follow Starter across the compound to a ring of Scorpions encircling Ayden’s tent.

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