William Stacey - 01 Source Mage by William Stacey

Author:William Stacey [Stacey, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bastard Sword Press
Published: 2020-04-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Angie paused to adjust the straps on her backpack, letting her rifle hang by its sling, and then hurried after Erin through the dark night. After the mad sprint from the Ferals, Erin had eased the pace but still maintained a faster tempo than Angie was used to. She's worried about the Shrike, Angie knew. The response aircraft was going to scour the woods anywhere near the settlement for Feral stragglers, with successive sweeps going farther out. The state-of-the-art stealth aircraft were equipped with night-vision canopies and infrared targeting. A good crew could track a rabbit through dense brush, and the Home Guard's crew were all very good at what they did. If they pick up two-people sized signatures this far from a farming community, they’ll fire a rocket first and ask questions never.

And I have no shade for protection anymore.

But the attack she feared never came. They moved north, keeping the broken remains of the old Highway 43 on their right while staying in the woods that paralleled the one-time major artery. Sometimes, Angie saw flashes of the highway through the trees. In the bright partial moon and clear night sky, the ruined highway was littered and blocked by long lines of burned-out vehicles, cars, trucks, buses—anything that could have carried people away from the deathtraps the cities had become in the absence of power or order.

The highways had been no escape. Most of the people in those vehicles had starved to death; she didn't want to think about the others. The things humans did to their own kind were infinitely worse than anything the Fey had done.

After three hours, Erin called a halt, and they sat, resting their feet and drinking water, eating another MRE. Erin wanted Angie to change her socks, replacing the ones she had taken from her apartment with a dry pair from the backpack, but Angie didn’t want to put on socks that were too large until she had no other choice. A poor fit produced blisters just as quickly as wet ones did, and they had a long way to travel in dangerous country. All too soon, Erin rose to start hiking again. With a weary sigh, Angie followed her.

The air was hot and dry, but at least it was marginally cooler than during the day. The scents of pine and wildflowers thrilled her. There was an earthy smell to being out in the wilderness, decomposing leaves and animal droppings, but it was all so ... clean when compared to the city—or the sewer. Her sweat dried on her skin and turned salty, and soon her clothing stiffened and began to chafe. At one point, she heard coyotes howling, and the sound sent a shiver down her spine.

Erin glanced at her over her shoulder. "Don't worry about them. They're just telling me they're there. Kind of a courtesy."

Angie forced a smile to her lips as she followed the other woman. A courtesy, she says.

It wasn't as if she hadn’t ever been out in the wilderness before.

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