Olga shuddered from the morning chill as she forced her body to climb out of the sleeping bag that she’d snuggled in throughout the night. It seemed abnormally cold to her. Was it? Or was she simply getting soft after living in the compound that Rex led them to with his jacuzzi bath and soft mattresses, only  to relocate to the village that offered those luxuries along with amenities such as modern medical equipment and motorized tools.  It made her forget that the majority of the planet was doing without these things. Center Land made it easy to forget the total devastation that the world struggled to recover from. Felix’s mouth twisted in a wide yawn as he rose from his slumber and stood next to his aunt. “One night down. Two more to go.”“I’m feeling it in my bones, son,” Olga admitted. “The years are gaining on me.”A mischievous grin spread across his face as he said, “You’ll

Felix heard the laughter and bantering of the three soldiers long before he spotted their horses slowly making their way down the steep slope.  His ears burned and his body trembled with an overflow of adrenaline as he listened to their boasting and then their more serious conversation about what they’d done and how they were sure Ari would never tell.They were so busy bragging and reminiscing about giving her what she deserved that none of them exercised their soldier skills and his presence was completely missed.He battled over what to do. Should he confront these monsters? Should he let them pass and go to Ari? Should he go back to camp and tell of their heinous act or simply kill them on the spot?Memories of the torturous treatment from Baelil and soldiers dressed just like these fools flooded his mind and something snapped.  The world and his actions seemed surreal as he pulled the rifle that he’d taken right beneath the soldier&rsq

It was a nauseatingly disgusting job that neither Ari or Felix found easy to do -or were quick to recover from-, but they eventually managed to remove the bullets from the three dead men and mutilate their bodies to look like they’d been attacked and eaten by zombies.  If enough of the human’s flesh and most of its brain was consumed, the odds of it becoming a walking corpse were almost nil. When they were finished, the two stood side by side while they bent over and emptied the contents of their stomachs.Weak from the exertion of mutilating the bodies of three dead men in the most gruesome way possible -as well as vehemently vomiting up every spec of stomach contents- Felix sat on the ground and wiped at the moisture on his neck and brow.“I’ll have nightmares about this for the rest of my life,”  he managed to say.Ari plopped her petite body down next to him. “Never in a million years did I think tha

Olga shifted to a more comfortable position in the saddle while she wiped the  sweat from the back of her neck with a handkerchief that was in dire need of washing.  The trip had been far longer and more grueling than she’d expected it to be. It was another clear indication of how much she’d softened since they’d left their home in the cave.  That, plus the fact that she was getting older.They were close to the alien city.  Jax and the four remaining soldiers had gone ahead to – as Jax put it – do Ari’s job since Felix had adamantly refused to let her leave his side after they’d returned from burying the men.  Jax was sure that she’d told him about the accusations that they’d flung at her over not hearing their fellow soldier’s need for help and staying up on the ridge where it was safe being similar to what she’d done to her own brother, but he didn’t care.  She deserved th

Kendra stroked the stubbled hint of a beard on Rex’s face as she debated whether or not to give him his first shot.  She cursed herself for not having the presence of mind to have asked Josie to explain what type of reaction Rex might have.  Would it be physical? Emotional?  Was she capable of handling it on her own?  Or, should she do her best to get back to her family where she’d have help. Taking the water jug, she carefully tipped it to his lips to make sure that he stayed hydrated during their long journey.After checking on the baby’s position to make sure that he’d stay secure during the travel, she loosely propped the tarp over them to protect them from the sun’s rays, but still allow a comfortable air flow for them, and then climbed back into the driver’s seat. By the position of the sun, she guessed that she had about four hours of sunlight left to her before she’d have to find a