Night Must Fall Sample #1
1
“This will do.”
The men stared at the log cabin. It was nice here, without the feel of corruption. It instantly reminded them of their old lives.
“How long are we staying?” Mark dropped his gear near the front porch swing that appeared as though it might hold his weight without collapsing.
“Overnight or for a week,” Alexa replied vaguely. “We’ll see how that goes.”
The men liked the idea of spending a week resting, of Alexa spending a week resting, but they heard the warning as well. Alert-mode kicked in. The six men circled the small farmhouse and then walked the property to verify they were alone here.
Alexa waited in the shade of the porch and pretended her skin wasn’t stinging. Walking in the daylight for hours had hurt. Not worse than her heart when she had spied their shadow, though. Brian would follow her forever now, no matter how many times she tried to warn him off. She had gone through the same thing with her father. All of her plans would have to account for it.
Alexa’s heart swelled as she considered that Adrian must have done the same thing when she had come to him or she would have been killed during one of his adventures that she’d been on the fringes of. It was a comfort, something she needed right now. Becoming this new creature was an adjustment Alexa wasn’t sure she was capable of making. In fact, a number of things would have to change, as of today. There would be no more walking in the sun unless she wanted to burst into flames. They would travel at night and sleep during the light.
“All clear here,” came from multiple directions and then the males rejoined her on the wide porch.
“We’ll get settled inside and then make some preparations,” Alexa instructed as Edward pried open the door.
The cool, dark cave-like interior beckoned to Alexa, but she forced herself to wait until it had been cleared. Maintaining her normal rituals would be much harder now.
“Clear,” Edward called. He was brushed aside as a blur spun into the coolness and vanished down the first set of steps to the cellar.
Edward exchanged looks with the other men, but didn’t comment.
The men got busy preparing their shelter, mindful of her words about over night or a week, depending on what happened. They assumed it meant they weren’t safe here yet and reacted accordingly.
Billy took up a guard post outside.
Edward worked on doors.
Mark took windows as the others went through the small home, gathering supplies. As they worked, conversations drifted down to Alexa.
“Will a week help her?”
“If we can feed her, maybe.”
“I’ve heard they can go a long time between meals.”
“Not at first.”
“Any idea what we’ll fighting here?”
“Hard to say. Zombies and soldiers? Ghosts? Take your pick.”
“How about feathers?”
The chuckles sent a nice vibe through the air and Alexa closed her lids against the faint light from the hatch she’d left open. She couldn’t stand to be cut off from her men completely. Their voices soothed the terrors. She drifted off with their bonding ringing in her ears.
“We could always go back for the rabbit, chop off a part at a time.”
“I think his parts are already being used.”
Snickers and laughter also echoed out to Billy, who had climbed the tallest tree to perch in the top branches like a parrot. There was movement in every direction and he was keeping a watch on all of them. The way they’d come from, was their newest shadow. Brian had camped in a small cave and erected a barrier over the entrance that he’d obviously scavenged while following. The cloth blended perfectly, as did the small pile of debris. If not for coming out in time to see the boy shoot a rabbit with a dartgun and disappear back inside, Billy wouldn’t have been able to spot his den.
The other directions held walking dead and lost soldiers. None of those was coming toward the cabin, but Billy planned to make sure he knew if that changed. They’d had too many narrow escapes recently. Pushing their luck wasn’t a good idea.
2
Dusk fell slowly despite the fighters wishing it would hurry so their mistress could come up. They’d reinforced the entrances and exits, and divided the supplies they’d found. Then there was little to do except force their brains to accept that they were on down time.
“What did you guys do before?” David asked, hating the restlessness whispering there were zombies to kill if he was bored.
“Yeah, you must have had free time before now on this quest,” Jacob added. He was sitting in the wide windowsill, also longing to kill something. That desire was one he’d fought all his life. Being with Alexa during a fight was freedom from that prison.
Edward and Daniel shared a glance that held a story everyone immediately wanted to hear, but the two men had an unspoken vow about those times. The first months alone with her had been magical.
“We took care of the things she’s already taught you-personal care and preparations,” Daniel pointed out.
“Then we read,” Edward added. “She likes men who know things, so we concentrated on that.”
“Does it work?” Jacob asked, fighting the itch.
“If you give it time,” Edward answered. “I suggest we distract ourselves. Someone needs to go relieve Billy or at least do a check-in if he refuses to come in yet. He’ll take it the hardest.”
“Why?” Daniel wanted to know. His own thirst for adventure should have placed him at the top of that list as far as he was concerned.
“Billy has a rough past,” Daniel gave.
“All of us do,” David stated.
“Not like his,” Daniel insisted. “And it’s his story to tell, so don’t ask.”
Silence came for a long moment, where each man considered either what he knew or what he didn’t. What could be worse that Mark’s beginnings? He’d been a convict.
David wasn’t sure he wanted to know and was the first to pull out of it. “Well, I have a few books and there’s a shelf upstairs with a bunch of paperbacks. I’ll bring them down.”
He headed upstairs as the others broke from their ugly contemplations.
“I have socks with holes again.”
“I wonder if she likes poetry? I don’t, but I can read it to her.”
“Bet she’d like a bath.”
They fell into caring for their needs and hers as the evening began to come in peacefully-one of the few they’d had since becoming a full group. Now that Paul was behind them, the magic had returned, but the restlessness hadn’t vanished and each of them remained on edge while waiting for the call to stay or the call of battle.
1
“This will do.”
The men stared at the log cabin. It was nice here, without the feel of corruption. It instantly reminded them of their old lives.
“How long are we staying?” Mark dropped his gear near the front porch swing that appeared as though it might hold his weight without collapsing.
“Overnight or for a week,” Alexa replied vaguely. “We’ll see how that goes.”
The men liked the idea of spending a week resting, of Alexa spending a week resting, but they heard the warning as well. Alert-mode kicked in. The six men circled the small farmhouse and then walked the property to verify they were alone here.
Alexa waited in the shade of the porch and pretended her skin wasn’t stinging. Walking in the daylight for hours had hurt. Not worse than her heart when she had spied their shadow, though. Brian would follow her forever now, no matter how many times she tried to warn him off. She had gone through the same thing with her father. All of her plans would have to account for it.
Alexa’s heart swelled as she considered that Adrian must have done the same thing when she had come to him or she would have been killed during one of his adventures that she’d been on the fringes of. It was a comfort, something she needed right now. Becoming this new creature was an adjustment Alexa wasn’t sure she was capable of making. In fact, a number of things would have to change, as of today. There would be no more walking in the sun unless she wanted to burst into flames. They would travel at night and sleep during the light.
“All clear here,” came from multiple directions and then the males rejoined her on the wide porch.
“We’ll get settled inside and then make some preparations,” Alexa instructed as Edward pried open the door.
The cool, dark cave-like interior beckoned to Alexa, but she forced herself to wait until it had been cleared. Maintaining her normal rituals would be much harder now.
“Clear,” Edward called. He was brushed aside as a blur spun into the coolness and vanished down the first set of steps to the cellar.
Edward exchanged looks with the other men, but didn’t comment.
The men got busy preparing their shelter, mindful of her words about over night or a week, depending on what happened. They assumed it meant they weren’t safe here yet and reacted accordingly.
Billy took up a guard post outside.
Edward worked on doors.
Mark took windows as the others went through the small home, gathering supplies. As they worked, conversations drifted down to Alexa.
“Will a week help her?”
“If we can feed her, maybe.”
“I’ve heard they can go a long time between meals.”
“Not at first.”
“Any idea what we’ll fighting here?”
“Hard to say. Zombies and soldiers? Ghosts? Take your pick.”
“How about feathers?”
The chuckles sent a nice vibe through the air and Alexa closed her lids against the faint light from the hatch she’d left open. She couldn’t stand to be cut off from her men completely. Their voices soothed the terrors. She drifted off with their bonding ringing in her ears.
“We could always go back for the rabbit, chop off a part at a time.”
“I think his parts are already being used.”
Snickers and laughter also echoed out to Billy, who had climbed the tallest tree to perch in the top branches like a parrot. There was movement in every direction and he was keeping a watch on all of them. The way they’d come from, was their newest shadow. Brian had camped in a small cave and erected a barrier over the entrance that he’d obviously scavenged while following. The cloth blended perfectly, as did the small pile of debris. If not for coming out in time to see the boy shoot a rabbit with a dartgun and disappear back inside, Billy wouldn’t have been able to spot his den.
The other directions held walking dead and lost soldiers. None of those was coming toward the cabin, but Billy planned to make sure he knew if that changed. They’d had too many narrow escapes recently. Pushing their luck wasn’t a good idea.
2
Dusk fell slowly despite the fighters wishing it would hurry so their mistress could come up. They’d reinforced the entrances and exits, and divided the supplies they’d found. Then there was little to do except force their brains to accept that they were on down time.
“What did you guys do before?” David asked, hating the restlessness whispering there were zombies to kill if he was bored.
“Yeah, you must have had free time before now on this quest,” Jacob added. He was sitting in the wide windowsill, also longing to kill something. That desire was one he’d fought all his life. Being with Alexa during a fight was freedom from that prison.
Edward and Daniel shared a glance that held a story everyone immediately wanted to hear, but the two men had an unspoken vow about those times. The first months alone with her had been magical.
“We took care of the things she’s already taught you-personal care and preparations,” Daniel pointed out.
“Then we read,” Edward added. “She likes men who know things, so we concentrated on that.”
“Does it work?” Jacob asked, fighting the itch.
“If you give it time,” Edward answered. “I suggest we distract ourselves. Someone needs to go relieve Billy or at least do a check-in if he refuses to come in yet. He’ll take it the hardest.”
“Why?” Daniel wanted to know. His own thirst for adventure should have placed him at the top of that list as far as he was concerned.
“Billy has a rough past,” Daniel gave.
“All of us do,” David stated.
“Not like his,” Daniel insisted. “And it’s his story to tell, so don’t ask.”
Silence came for a long moment, where each man considered either what he knew or what he didn’t. What could be worse that Mark’s beginnings? He’d been a convict.
David wasn’t sure he wanted to know and was the first to pull out of it. “Well, I have a few books and there’s a shelf upstairs with a bunch of paperbacks. I’ll bring them down.”
He headed upstairs as the others broke from their ugly contemplations.
“I have socks with holes again.”
“I wonder if she likes poetry? I don’t, but I can read it to her.”
“Bet she’d like a bath.”
They fell into caring for their needs and hers as the evening began to come in peacefully-one of the few they’d had since becoming a full group. Now that Paul was behind them, the magic had returned, but the restlessness hadn’t vanished and each of them remained on edge while waiting for the call to stay or the call of battle.
