Surviving Passion Read online

  “We’ve got time to prepare but we should go after them in five or six days,” Dan said reluctantly.

  They all knew that the light from the moon would be minimal by then and they would have a few more days afterwards in the same favorable conditions. The time frame was more than enough for them to get ready.

  For the rest of the day, Selena was distracted as she went about her work. Since the Crash, her family survived by laying low and avoiding conflict. Adjusting to this new method of handling danger was difficult. The idea of meeting violence with violence had never been an option in her life, but then again, it was probably the best option if you had the numbers. Seeing as this group wasn’t mobile and consisted of eleven adults, fighting the enemy was the best choice. They were outnumbered a little more than two to one, but they had the element of surprise and organization on their side. What they didn’t know was how organized the enemy was. It seemed as though everyone was just assuming that they weren’t. Selena decided that there was definitely an undisciplined mien to this posse, but they could be full of surprises. She worried about the capabilities of this archer Cal had mentioned and suddenly wondered if her new friends had any ranged abilities. She had often hunted with a sling and it proved to be exquisitely effective and dangerous, but did the others use them?

  Selena resolved to find out immediately and sought Shane out for an answer. After a little wandering, she came upon him in the storeroom and made sure that she was heard before she was seen. It was taking practice, but she had surprised many people since her arrival and didn’t want to get hurt by accident. Shane turned with his usual friendly smile as she approached.

  “Hey Selena,” he greeted her as he organized the materials from his last hunting trip.

  “Hi, Shane. I have a question.”

  “Uh huh?” He ceased what he was doing to give her his full attention.

  “I was thinking about how Cal said that one of the other men was an archer. So I was just wondering what kind of weapons we have here.”

  “We’ll use blades and snares mostly. No one here has ever really bothered trying to make a bow.”

  “What about slings?”

  “We don’t have any of those. Not really sure how they work.”

  “I’ve used my sling all the time for hunting and I can make them quickly. You know how Dan mentioned having backup in certain places? What if they could attack from a distance? If people practice hard, they could get pretty good in five days,” she told him with growing anticipation.

  “Maybe if we can see how well they work, we’ll give it a shot,” he told her with genuine curiosity.

  “I’ll get mine. Be right back.”

  Selena hustled off to her cabin and dug it out of her pack. On her way back, she suddenly missed doing her own hunting.

  There was some yelling coming from Sara’s cabin as she passed by. Selena recognized Sara’s voice and thought the other was Jimmy’s. She winced at the volume and at a particularly torrid stream of obscenities that flew between them. It was no wonder the woman sounded raspy. Looks like I’m not the only one with social problems, she thought to herself. Suddenly worried that an intervention might be necessary, Selena stopped walking. Gina came around the corner then.

  “Hey, Selena,” she gestured at the cabin. “Don’t worry too much about them. When we start seeing bruises then we’ll probably do something about it but you know what? They’re a fair match in a fight. Sara can be real nasty, trust me. And Jimmy has some fucked-up emotional problems. Honestly they’re kind of a perfect pair, I hate to say. Sara would probably do more damage to him than vice versa.”

  Selena nodded, her concern still obvious.

  “Anyway, I wouldn’t feel too bothered by it. It doesn’t happen often,” she finished with a reassuring half-smile.

  “Okay,” Selena sighed. “It’s too bad though. Things have been so peaceful around here otherwise.”

  “I know, but don’t fault them too much. We’ve all got problems. Anyways, it’s just yelling.”

  “Yeah,” Selena replied absently, chewing her lip.

  The two of them continued on their way, and Selena wondered if the children were being sheltered from this stormy relationship. Jay seemed like a good boy, and if he was Jimmy’s, she hoped that his parents would work things out and avoid setting such an awful example for him. This made her wonder just how much of an impact parents had on their children. Did parents set your expectations for your partners? In her case, she hoped so. Her parents had enjoyed a very healthy relationship.

  Still digesting that idea, Selena found herself back at the storeroom. To her surprise, Shane wasn’t the only one waiting. Cal, Ben and Dan were all there too. Forgetting her previous train of thought completely, she hesitated just a little in mid-step when Dan’s gaze met hers. She clenched her jaw and continued moving forward, knowing it was too much to hope for that he hadn’t seen her falter.

  “Word moves fast around here,” she said wryly, praying that she wouldn’t screw up because of Dan’s presence.

  “Well I thought they should see it too,” Shane said apologetically. “And they were in the neighborhood.”

  Ben was holding one of those little apples they grew and stuck it on top of a post. “How’s that for a target?”

  “Fine,” Selena replied, fighting off the jitters. She glanced about for a stone and found one that was a decent size and smoothness. Backing up about ten paces she fitted the stone in the pouch, took aim, swung hard and released. The blinding speed of her ammunition took them all by surprise and when the apple flew off the post in pieces, almost everyone jumped.

  “Holy crap,” Shane said with obvious surprise.

  The men exchanged looks while Selena walked over to grab one of the cleanest remnants of the apple. She only did so to hide the grin of satisfied relief that was creeping up on her face.

  “It’s kind of like having an arm that’s twice as long,” she said, taking a bite as she turned to stand before them. “You don’t need all that much strength do destroy what you’re aiming for. So I told Shane,” she paused to chew some more, “that if you need backup, I can train the other women to use this, and then they can fight at a safe distance. You need everyone, but I don’t think hand-to-hand combat is a good idea for us girls, no matter how brave the others are.” She brushed off her hands and set them comfortably on her hips. “It’s a wonder that you guys never learned this for hunting. You’d be surprised what you can bring down with a sling.”

  Shane looked like a kid at Christmas. “Sounds great!”

  Dan said nothing. That was probably the most compliance she would ever get from him. Did he only speak to her if it was to disagree? Cal, on the other hand, favored Selena with an appreciative look and Ben nodded in approval as he analyzed the weapon.

  “Hey, can I try that thing?” Shane asked eagerly.

  “Sure.”

  Selena held it out to him and looked for another suitable rock. She found one and helped him fit it in the sling. Then she stood behind him and guided his arm through a few practice swings as the others watched. “Now just aim for the post. You’re gonna swing and let go of this end. It takes some practice.”

  The others wisely moved behind him so they wouldn’t get hit. Shane swung and released. The stone sailed over the target and he promptly trotted over to retrieve it before trying again.

  “It’s amazing how straight it flies,” Shane mused. After just a couple more attempts, he managed to hit the target.

  “The longer the sling the farther you can fire it,” Selena explained. “So I can make them for whichever distance you like. Of course the further away you are, the harder it is to actually hit the target. Best part is that there’s never much of a problem with ammo.”

  “So how about you make one for each of the girls and train them as well as you can in the next six days,” Shane suggested. “I think Susan is gonna stay out of it and watch the kids but you should train her anyway. It can’t hurt. We proba
bly won’t be able to keep Gina, Sara and Blaire out of this, so work hard with them.”

  Cal stepped in and added, “You just got here, so it’s not really your fight. You don’t have to risk yourself, but I’d feel pretty good if you were covering our backs. Up to you.”

  “Thanks. If I’m gonna eat your food I may as well throw in,” Selena told them. The prospect of hiding in some bushes and hitting moving targets with a sling while they were chasing something else was far from intimidating. If they thought that made her brave, then so much the better.

  When they all went their separate ways, she wished Dan had given some hint of his opinion. She hated not knowing what he was thinking. It made her self-conscious. Either way, her skill was impressive and if Dan didn’t think so, at least he knew the others did.

  For the next couple of days, Selena spent her time making the slings and training the girls how to use them. After a certain point, it was up to them to practice and Selena supervised here and there while she made more of the weapons. The first she gave to Shane after his snare-rigging trip. The rest she hung in the storeroom for whomever needed one. Gina was especially helpful with finding the materials to build them. She also quickly learned how to use the sling with the most precision and accuracy. Selena was warming to Gina’s courageous personality. It seemed like nothing worried her.

  Selena spent her whole life running and hiding, but Gina was a “face your danger head-on” kind of girl. Selena had trouble adjusting to this kind of attitude, and caught herself gawking on a regular basis. Once she got over the strangeness of it, Gina was kind of an inspiration to her.

  The men were so busy they were hardly around. It was obvious they were mentally preparing for the coming violence as much as they were physically. The tension in their little community grew with each darkening of the night sky. Selena was feeling more apprehensive every day. She realized that it was taking time for her to comprehend the magnitude of what was about to happen. People were going to die; many of the enemy and perhaps many of her new allies. Perhaps all of them.

  The truth was that she had grown to like most of the people here. Had fate planned for her to join them just long enough to grow attached before violently wrenching them all away? But these were pessimistic thoughts. The plan is a good one, she found herself repeating. We will win.

  Much as she tried to believe this, worry was always lurking. Strangely, Selena could not so much as imagine Dan dying. Such a thing was just impossible. How could anyone kill him? So far, he had given her every reason to think he was infallible. It was a surprising comfort that he would endure, no matter the dangers in his path. Selena knew it was a completely illogical belief, but she couldn’t shake it.

  Dan would be doing most of the killing, for certain. He had to be the best man for the job, and she knew that although he was reluctant about the coming war, his concern must be for the others. For the first time, she wondered how he had acquired the skills that seemed so superhuman to her. Thinking back to the night when she’d foolishly pulled her knife on him, Selena still couldn’t piece together what he’d done to disable her. She was kneeling behind his head and then she was on her back facing the opposite direction with him on top of her. A powerful curiosity gripped her and she resolved simply to ask him how he’d learned what he’d learned, no matter how hard it would be for her.

  Luckily, he was back that evening, so she decided to try to talk to him right after dinner before her courage failed. Unfortunately, Clint decided to sit next to her that night. She ground her teeth and refused to acknowledge his presence when he pulled out the chair.

  “We should have provisions for the next couple of days,” Blaire was saying once they were all seated. “But I divided them up today and everyone is going to take their share and ration it themselves. We’ll have to make trips to the stream for water.”

  “When are we starting this thing? Tomorrow or the next day?” Gina asked no one in particular.

  “Tomorrow,” Dan answered. “We ride out tomorrow and attack the first night we get there.”

  A grim silence followed.

  “Susan will be staying back with the kids but everyone else is going to be with us,” Dan went on.

  “I hope you girls are really good with those slings by now,” Cal put in. “I may get irritated if one of you cracks my head open by accident.”

  “Personally, I think I’d do a better job by clubbing ‘em,” Blaire said dismissively. She was okay with the sling but telling her to use it looked almost as silly as if you had asked Bear to do the same. Blaire was hefty and strong. She would hardly need a club to bludgeon them to death, Selena thought, looking at her sturdy hands and stocky build.

  “Sara and Gina are both really good now,” Selena offered on their behalf. “They’ve been practicing constantly.”

  “You do a good job at teaching,” Clint put in casually.

  Selena only pursed her lips in acknowledgement. He was acting very subdued and she wondered what he was up to. She hated how he sat angled slightly towards her in his chair. Dan’s gaze flicked to Clint and back.

  “How are they with moving targets?” he prompted.

  “Well they’ve both been able to hit a few birds. Gina even got a quail,” she explained.

  “That’s pretty impressive,” Clint said directly to Selena. “Those things are fast.”

  He was talking like they had some kind of camaraderie between them, she realized, and wondered with a stab if anyone thought they were actually seeing each other. No one could possibly believe that, Selena thought. But Clint had her socially pinned. There was no way she could disconnect herself from him without being rude. That was why he was so mellow, so relaxed and confident. No one could claim that he was saying or doing anything wrong. He was giving her no opportunity to rebuke him or even disassociate herself at this point. All she could do was respond to him as minimally as possible and wait it out. She hoped her quiet discomfort wouldn’t be mistaken for some kind of shy acquiescence, if it was apparent to them at all. Living around people is so complicated. I’m no good at this, she thought, bemoaning her situation yet again.

  Still, the food made it worth the trouble. A very tasty bite of the juicy pork that Blaire had slow-cooked in the ground helped to remind her of this. The dinner was especially delicious tonight. Selena guessed it was meant to boost morale, but somehow, it felt like a last meal. A sidelong glance at Bear indicated that they probably slaughtered one of their pigs for the purpose. Then again, it could be the impending battle that had his features so drawn. Selena decided that it was probably both. She couldn’t feel too bad about the pig. It might have been the best meat she had ever tasted, and she wondered which animal had the misfortune to be culled.

  “When we get out there, everything will be explained carefully, but the plan is simple. As long as you do as you’re told, we’ll have the best chance. If this is going to happen, it has to be organized and precise. That means no one moves unless they are supposed to,” Dan explained with a very pointed stare at Clint. The other man tensed a little before pretending to ignore the warning gaze.

  Selena was fairly happy with her role. Still, it would be hard waiting out there and not knowing what was happening to everyone else.

  When dinner was finished, Selena was the first to jump up from the table. She began clearing the plates with Blaire and Susan when, to her miserable surprise, Clint joined them. Dan saw this and actually paused for a fleeting second. His expression was a mask, as always, and in another moment he was gone. Selena sighed audibly and resolved to finish cleaning up whether Clint was there or not. When they were finished, however, she left in a hurry and hoped that would make things clearer to the tenacious man. She wasn’t walking out of there with him. He followed, but by the time he came out the door, she had hurried off in the direction opposite her cabin. As she saw his figure move the wrong way, she felt a wave of relief.

  Knowing that he would check her cabin first, Selena wandered to pass the ti
me. Her feeling of well-being was short lived when she spotted Dan in the dimly lit storeroom. Selena steeled herself and strode forward before she could change her mind.

  “Hey Dan,” she greeted, leaning against the doorframe. He was facing the other way selecting supplies for the following day and stuffing them in a pair of old leather bags.

  “Hey,” he replied, casting a brief sideways glance in her direction.

  “So I’m guessing you have worked it out so you will be taking on the riskiest jobs.”

  That did turn him. But he didn’t look bothered. “Yes,” he replied simply, slowing his foraging to watch her.

  “Why?” Selena asked him, fiddling with one of the unlit lanterns lined up near the entrance. She was careful to keep her voice emotionless so he would not become defensive.

  “Because I’m the most likely to do them without getting killed.”

  She mulled that over before posing the same question, “Why?”

  This time he stopped what he was doing to give her a searching look, clearly trying to figure out why she was asking. When she held her neutral expression, he sat back on an old, empty steel oil drum before answering.

  “I was trained for it.”

  Selena looked up, quirking a brow skeptically. It sounded a little contrived, but she knew Dan was not prone to exaggeration. “Trained?” she repeated so he might elaborate. He didn’t. So she waited. When it became clear she wanted an answer, he finally started talking.

  “My dad was a member of the United States Army Special Forces. That’s probably the only reason why he and I lived through the Crash. When everything fell apart, he trained me as much as he could. Passed on a lot of neat tricks.”

  She frowned at his dismissive brevity. “Like what, exactly?” She knew she was being nosy, but if he didn’t like it, he would have to tell her so.

  “Survival techniques, armed combat, hand-to-hand combat, some things that made hunting easier. Stealth training, obviously. Most importantly, he taught me how to kill.” As he explained these things, it occurred to Selena that Dan was more detached than usual. She hadn’t known such a thing was possible.