Angered Seasons: Volume Four (I Will Survive) Read online

  “I agree. Fucking zombie apocalypse.”

  Though every adult bone in my body wanted to tell her not to swear, I started to laugh. The girl had earned to right to say a couple of ‘fucks’.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Trick or Treat!”

  I turned to Shawn and laughed at the confusion on his face. Pete was grinning as he stood and went to the door. He leaned up against the frame to reveal Taylor and Jenny. They’d somehow managed to piece together two pirate costumes and were now standing on the porch, their bags spread open and waiting for treats.

  “Trick.” Pete stuck his tongue out at the girls.

  Taylor gazed at him wearily. “What kind of trick?”

  “Well, sing, of course.”

  Taylor looked at Jenny who grinned.

  “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat…”

  “Ok, ok. Good enough. God, I hate that song.” He looked back to Marie who was giggling. “Do we even have any candy?”

  “Hang on.” She disappeared into their then reappeared with a pack of Menthos. “Sorry, girls, that’s all we’ve got left that resembles candy.” She split the pack in two and dropped it in the pillow cases.

  Jenny and Taylor laughed as they came back into the house. Jenny took hers out and tossed one to Pete and Shawn while Taylor shared hers with Marie, Lane, and me. I bit into mine, loving the minty taste.

  “Where were you hiding these?” I asked Marie.

  She smiled. “In one of the hidden compartments in the diaper bag. I completely forgot about them until just now.”

  “Man, I can’t believe it’s the end of October already.” I sighed and leaned against Lane. “So long as we don’t come off this farm, it’s almost easy to pretend life isn’t fucked up.”

  Max came down the stairs and shook his head at out questioning glances. “He didn’t make it.”

  We’d managed to find another lone Yellow Eye not far from the farm and Max had taken care of sending the sprite back to its own realm. Unfortunately, the man had been too starved and dehydrated to survive being freed.

  Jenny handed something to him and he stared at it silently for a moment.

  “Is that a Menthos?”

  She smiled. “You tried your best, Max.”

  “Yeah. I know. I just wish I could have saved him.” He placed the candy in his mouth and closed his eyes. “I wish I could find a way to save all of them.”

  Jenny stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly. “You will.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “What do you figure, Maxy?” I watched as Jenny and Jason helped the newest recovered Yellow Eye off of the ground by the barn. The man blubbered and sobbed but no tears came out. The fact that he couldn’t stand by himself wasn’t a good sign. Of the six Max had freed, Taylor and Kathrine were the only two who had survived. Kathrine kept to herself most of the time and had decided that laundry was her chore to do.

  Max shook his head. “I think this one’s worse off than the last one. Fuck!” He ran his hands over his face. “I don’t understand why I can’t fix them!”

  Jenny put a hand on his arm and he relaxed. “Come on. I’ll go make some tea.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “If you’re talking about those weeds you put in the pot the other day, I’ll pass.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “They weren’t weeds. They were mint leaves I found in the cupboard.”

  “Well, either way. Man, I’d kill for a fucking cup of coffee right now.”

  I nodded. “I agree.”

  “Maybe we should make a trip to town.” Shawn flinched under Jenny’s glare. “Jenny, we’re going to have to go back there eventually.”

  Instead of arguing, his sister walked off toward the horses who were grazing nearby.

  I pulled at my tank top. “Good god. What month are we again? Are we still December?” I knew it was after the twenty-fifth because we’d managed to shoot a couple of ducks and had them for Christmas supper.

  “January tenth.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Time flies when you’re having fun, eh? Come on. We’ll go in the house. It’ll be cooler in there.” He glanced up at the sky in the west. “I think we’re about to get dumped on.”

  The clouds rolling in were phenomenal. I hadn’t seen them move like that since our last showdown with Glade and Terra. I looked back to the house, suddenly uneasy.

  “Let’s go get the house ready, just in case.”

  He nodded.

  Grant and Jason were already boarding up the windows when we got indoors.

  Jason glanced up. “Shawn’s bringing all the guns and ammo up from the basement.”

  Taylor’s eyes widened. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s probably nothing, Tay. We just need to get ready.” I gave her a hug.

  We all jumped at the knock on the door.

  “Who is it?” Lane grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the door.

  “It is I.”

  Shawn swung open the door and Time walked into the house, not a bit bothered by the fact he had a gun aimed at his chest. His silver eyes met Max’s.

  “I have to say, I’m impressed. Staying hidden from me is one thing, but managing to slip under your mother’s radar, now that is another feat entirely.”

  Max frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you’ve managed to cloak yourself. I should be able to feel where you are, but I can’t. And this,” he gestured at the living room, “may be the most genius of hiding places. Who would thing you would actually stay where you’d already been known to be?”

  “Um, Time, dude?” Grant held up his hand like he was in school. “If he’s so brilliant and is managing to hide, then how did you find us?”

  “I had to ask a few dozen, but finally the dogs decided to tell me where you were.” His eyes narrowed and focused on Brat who was staring him down. “It seems your attitude has filtered down to them.”

  Max raised an eyebrow. “My attitude?”

  “Your distrust.”

  Max grunted. “Oh, I’m very trusting. I trust these guys.” He spread his arms out to include everyone in the room. “I trust those who have earned it. You have not.” He leaned back against the wall. “Why are you here?”

  “I was wondering how your memory was coming along? Have you remembered more since we last spoke?”

  Mad nodded. “I’m ready, if that’s what you’re wondering. We’re just waiting on the other half of the family to show up.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Time looked pleased, proud even. “That’s why I asked the dogs to bring me to you. You’ll be waiting for eternity if that’s your plan. They can’t find you. If you want this fight to happen, you’ll need to go out and find it yourself.”

  I grunted as the old man vanished into thin air. “You figure he could at least say goodbye.”

  Lane ran a hand over his face. “What do you figure, Maxy?”

  “I figure it’s time we show Mother Nature she picked on the wrong species.”

  Everyone murmured their agreement.

  “Alright.” I gave Lane’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s do this.”

  Brat barked then ran outside.

  “What’s he doing?” I turned to Max.

  He grinned. “Calling in reinforcements.”

  Brat’s barks and howls echoed through the yard and carried out into the woods and fields. It didn’t take long for the other dogs that had stationed themselves around the farm to join in.

  “You know what this reminds me of?” Johnny was grinning. “That scene from ‘A Hundred and One Dalmations’. You know, the one where Pongo sends out the call that the puppies have been stolen?”

  Grant laughed. “Dude, really?”

  “Don’t tell me you can’t see it in your head right now!” challenged John.

  “Alright. Fine.” Grant turned to Max. “How long is this going to take?”

  Brat barked his answer and Max translated. “Shouldn’t take much more than an
hour. Brat says they’ll meet us at the yellow farmhouse not too far from here.”

  “So that’s it? That’s where we call him out?” The butterflies were starting to fight for room in my stomach.

  Max shook his head. “That’s where we get organized.”

  “Alright! You heard the man. Let’s get these trucks loaded.” Lane gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Taylor, Kathrine, Pete, Marie… I need you guys to hold down the fort.”

  Pete nodded, now used to being in charge of keeping the house safe. The rest of us went to gather weapons, ammo, and medical supplies should we need them. The wind started to pick up and a flash of lightning sparked through the sky.

  I smiled at Taylor, trying to make her feel better. “Go to the house, okay?”

  She scurried off as if I’d yelled at her. Lane looked up in time to get the first rain drops on his face. He wiped them off and clenched his jaw.

  “I don’t think we’re going to have an hour.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Twenty minutes later, the trucks were loaded.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. What the hell were we doing? This had to be suicide, right? There was no way a handful of humans, a pack of dogs, and a… I frowned. What was Max, anyway?

  “Maxy?”

  “What’s up, Gabs?” He put a duffle bag into the back of the one ton and came to stand by me.

  “I just… I was just wondering what you were.”

  He blinked. “Um…” He smirked. “I’m some sort of immortal offspring of two Greek gods?”

  “Right.” I grinned. “Okay. I feel better now.”

  Max laughed and gave me a hug. His now green eyes met mine. “I’m not going to let her win, okay?”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  Lane started the one ton and I hopped in beside him. His hand went instinctively to my leg and I covered it with mine.

  He stared straight ahead. “We’ll get through this.”

  “Yeah.”

  Our little convoy of trucks rumbled down the dirt road and I gawked as we pulled into the small yellow farmhouse’s yard.

  “Holy fuck!” What I’d assumed was going to be a small pack of maybe ten dogs had turned out to be closer to fifty. I looked them over and noticed every breed imaginable and every form of mutt God could have thought to put together.

  Brat waited until the truck had stopped before jumping over the top of the cab and onto the hood. Every dog in the yard turned toward him at his bark and sat. Whatever he had to say didn’t take long and soon the chorus of barks and howls filled the air.

  A sudden clap of thunder deafened me and I screamed in surprise. I looked back into Max’s silver eyes.

  “Glade’s here.” He jumped out of the truck and threw me his riffle.

  “What about you?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not going to need it.” He looked up at the sky, all the while walking farther away from the house. “Why don’t you stop with the chicken shit weather antics and get your ass down here, big brother?” His yell was all but blown away by the wind.

  “Oh, my god.” Jenny’s eyes were the size of saucers as a funnel cloud descended from the sky. Max looked back at us.

  “Get in the house!”

  “Max!” Jenny ran to him and kissed him hard. “Please be careful.”

  He nodded and pushed her back toward us. Shawn and Grant were already holding the door open, waiting for the rest of us to get inside. Dog’s scattered and yelped, running as fast as they could to get out of the twister’s path. I watched from just inside the door, horrified, as trees were uprooted and Pete’s truck was pushed into ours.

  Max bent his head against the wind. A silver glow formed in front of his face. He knelt, put his hands palm up on the ground and stayed immobile.

  Lane grabbed my arm and tried to pull me toward the basement.

  “No! I can’t just leave him out there!”

  “Gabby! You can’t do anything to help him! If you go out there, you’re dead.”

  I gasped as I watched Max stand as though he was lifting something heavy and suddenly, the tornado was no longer touching the ground.

  “What the…” Lane gawked at the scene before him. Max’s arms trembled with the effort it took to somehow control the weather phenomenon. With one final heave, he sent it back up into the sky where it had come from.

  He fell to one knee, his shoulders and chest rolling with his breaths. Lane was two steps behind me as I ran out to him.

  “Maxy! Holy fuck! Are you alright?”

  His silver eyes met mine and his grin made my worry disappear.

  “Holy shit! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to, but how sweet ass was that?!” He stood and turned toward the field where the twister had touched down. The largest group of yellow eyes I’d even seen was making its way toward us. I made sure the safety was off on my rifle.

  “I think that should keep your little friends occupied for the time being.”

  I screamed at the sound of Glade’s voice coming from right behind me. I whirled around, my gun aimed and ready to shoot.

  He chuckled and raised an eyebrow at me. “Really, my dear. Do you think a gun would do anything?” His eyes widened in shock as I pulled the trigger.

  When he didn’t fall to the ground in pain, I reloaded.

  “Just the look on your face was worth the try,” I grumbled.

  “You shot me!”

  I nodded and assumed he wasn’t used to having anyone try to do him harm. The yellow in his eyes brightened and suddenly, the air around us was full of static. I felt the hair on my arms rise and I brushed it down with my hand.

  Max grunted and Glade screamed as a lightning bolt speared through him. A gun shot echoed along with the thunder and Max pushed me into Lane.

  “That lightning was meant for you. You can thank me later. I’ll deal with Glade! You deal with them!” He turned away from us and swept his arm in front of him. A gust of wind picked his brother up and threw him forty feet through the air. I watched until I saw Glade hit a pine tree before turning toward the Yellow Eyes.

  I had one small moment of doubt. Those poor people were still alive in there. I shook off the feeling. I could puke about it later. For now, it was me or them and I wasn’t ready for it to be me.

  We ran to stand in front of the house with Jenny, Grant, Shawn, and Johnny. There was nothing else to do but to start shooting. I concentrated on my targets, making sure each bullet counted. The dogs coming back hesitated at the sound of gun shots, but quickly charged in at a barked order from Brat.

  Even with fifty dogs on our side, it was hard to believe we even stood a chance against the hundred Yellow Eyes coming at us. Through my scope I saw faces disappear, brains blow out of heads, and blood spray through the air.

  I glanced to where Max and Glade were having their showdown. By the way I had to brace myself against the wind I didn’t think they’d decided to call a truce. I caught a glimpse of Max throwing himself to the ground as a large icicle flew at him. His arm bled where it managed to slice through skin.

  He stood, holding his arm, then reached to the sky with both hands. His eyes let off a flash of silver and a hail ball the size of the truck fell from the heavens. Glade managed to blow the ball of ice away from him with a gust of wind.

  Since there was obviously nothing I could do to help Max, I turned back to the Yellow Eyes. I quickly took the scope off of my rifle and aimed once again. I caught a glimpse of Jenny glancing at Shawn and I knew she was thinking what I was. The bastards were starting to get close. I watched as dogs and Yellow Eyes alike were torn apart by their enemy. Dogs yelped in pain and anger. I was glad the wind was strong enough to whisk away most of the moans and screams of pain.

  “Jenny, Gabby, I want you to take the rifles and ammo and get up on the second floor of the house. Use the balcony. If they manage to get into the house, get up onto the roof. You can only access it from that balcony so you’ll be able to get rid of them as they try to get up
.” Lane kissed me roughly then pushed me away. “Go!”

  I handed him the hatchet from the ammo bag. “Be careful.”

  He smiled and turned back to the mob, his rifle already up. Jenny and I ran for the house. Once on the balcony, we laid out everything weapon we had so we’d be ready. The rain was making it hard to see in the distance and everything was slick. Jenny swore as she slipped on the old boards.

  Max had somehow figured out how to pick up large rocks from in the earth and was throwing them using mini wind storms. One of them connected with his brother’s head and I cheered as the yellow-eyed immortal fell to the ground.

  “Do you know what I don’t get?” I took my shot then glanced at Jenny. “I shoot the fucker and he barely blinks. Max throws a rock at him and now he’s gushing blood from the side of his head.”

  She grinned. “Maybe it’s because of the magic. Only magic can hurt them.” She wiped the rain from her eyes and started to fire again. The dogs had done a good job of overpowering and thinning out the crowd. By the looks of it, the Yellow Eyes were down to about thirty. Lane, Grant, John, and Shawn were backing up as they shot, trying to keep the distance between them and the sprites.

  “Brat!” John’s yell made me scan the yard to see what the shepherd was up to. I found him surrounded by four of the Yellow Eyes.

  “Johnny! Don’t!” Lane’s yell fell on deaf ears and the youngest in our party ran toward the dog. His last shot managed to take one down. Brat’s teeth clamped onto the second and he pulled it to the ground. John swung the rifle like a bat but lost his grip on the wet weapon. It flew out of his reach. His quick thinking had him tackling the sprite. He rained punches on the woman’s face. I kept my aim on the fourth one, a man.

  “Damn it, he’s too close.” Another look revealed another woman coming to join into the fight. “Johnny! Look out!” I let off a shot and managed to take down the woman. John fell with the weight of the man on his back.

  Brat finished biting through his Yellow Eye’s throat and turned on the one who was now tearing at John.