Desolation: Chapters 25 & 26
Dominion of the Damned: Book One
In a world where zombies roam and vampires rule, how far will Hannah Jordan go to survive?
Desolation is the first book in my post-apocalyptic horror trilogy, Dominion of the Damned.
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Chapter Twenty-Five
Hannah awoke to the sounds of shouting. She got out of bed and ran to the front room to look out the window to see the street filling with people. For an awful moment she was back in her own room, her father having just gotten her out of bed. But these people, her neighbors in the here and now, weren’t wandering aimlessly like the dead. They simply looked confused and worried.
She checked on Noah and found him sound asleep in his crib. She went to the closet and took out a holstered gun, Eddie’s warning about the fence still fresh in her memory. Clipping it on the waistband of her drawstring pants, she went outside.
She joined Paula and Chris in the street. Zach was with them. He didn’t look good. “They took him,” he said as Hannah approached. “They trashed the lab and destroyed everything, and they took him!”
“Who?”
He was clutching his chest as though in pain. “Your uncle.”
Hannah didn’t understand. “Eddie? Who took him? Took him where?”
Zach shook his head. “Eddie did this. He and his men. They took Alek. I came to and stumbled outside just as they were driving off. They went in the direction of the main gate.”
Hannah was still processing what Zach said when a truck rattled up and stopped. Ned climbed out, looking like he’d just watched someone shoot his dog. “I found their bodies.”
“Whose bodies?” asked Chris.
Ned shuffled toward them, clearly still in shock. “Carl and the others. Someone took their heads, but left their bodies.”
“Sweet merciful Lord,” cried Paula.
Oh, God, thought Hannah. Alek. She started to run in the direction of the gate, but someone grabbed her arm, and she whirled back around.
“Wait!” said Chris. “We’ll all go.” He turned to the gathering crowd. “Whoever has weapons and wants to go with us, go get them and pile in the truck!” He looked back at Hannah, and released her arm. “They have to get through a wall of zombies once they’re through the gate. That should slow them down.”
Instead of arguing, Hannah ran into her house to get the rest of her dad’s guns. Paula followed her. “I’ll stay with the baby. You and Chris be careful.”
Hannah nodded. “Thanks.” She slammed a loaded cartridge into the automatic shotgun, checked to make sure the rifle was loaded, and tossed extra ammunition for all three guns in a bag before heading back to the truck.
Was this what Eddie had meant when he’d warned her to stay away from the vampires? Was he already plotting to kill them all, and he didn’t want her in the way?
Rage colored her vision red as she climbed into the truck cab with Chris and Ned. She wanted to hurt Eddie. To punch him, or… or something much more violent. If he had hurt Alek, if he’d cut off his head—just the thought made it hard to breathe. It felt like a fist wrapped around her lungs, squeezing the air out of them.
Alek had to be okay. He had to be. She still had so much to tell him, so much to figure out…
Except, suddenly, everything was crystal clear.
Family friend or not, if Eddie had killed Alek, she would put a bullet in his brain.
But she wouldn’t get the chance. When they pulled up to the gate, Eddie and his people were long gone. Bodies were strewn out on the ground, both inside and outside the fence. It looked like some of the shamblers that hadn’t been killed had wandered off in the direction that Eddie and the others had gone, but others, from other sections of the fence, were already coming to close the gap.
And in the middle of the gate, on the wrong side of the fence, hung Alek.
“I don’t get it,” said Chris. “Don’t they know shamblers aren’t interested in vampires? Why’d they leave him out there like that?”
“They didn’t leave him for the zombies,” said Hannah, with growing horror. “They left him for the sun.” She jumped out of the truck and ran to the gate. “Alek? Can you hear me?”
They’d bound his wrists to the chain link with handcuffs, high enough that his feet dangled. The cuffs were closed so tightly they bit into his flesh. His clothes hung in tatters, and so did the skin on his back. If he was human, she’d assume he was probably dead. But his head was still attached, and that gave her hope.
“Alek?”
He lifted his head. Just a little, but enough to prove there was still life in him. “Hannah?” he rasped.
“We’re going to get you down. Just—” she almost said “hang in there,” but stopped herself. “Just hold on.”
“No. Don’t come out here. Too dangerous.”
“We’ll figure something out. We’re not leaving you.”
“You have to. Hannah, don’t open that gate. Don’t you come out here.”
“Shut up, Alek. We’re rescuing you.” She turned back to the others. “We need to hurry, before this place fills back up with shamblers. Get everybody on the watchtowers with their guns. Right now there are few enough that you shouldn’t have any trouble keeping them off of me while I bring him in.”
“Hannah, wait,” said Chris.
“I’m bringing him in. We’re not leaving him out there.”
“No,” said Chris, “but we need to be smart about it. All of this commotion’s already bringing the shamblers from the other side of camp. You know how fast they can mob up.”
“But if we hurry—”
“He’s right,” said Zach. “It’s too risky. We need a better plan.” He looked over at the fence. “Maybe we can climb up and haul him over.”
“Over that barbed wire?” asked Chris.
“We could cut it away.”
“That fence is twelve feet tall,” said Hannah, “and Alek’s hung halfway. If we climb up, how do we get down to him on the other side?”
That seemed to stump them. Finally, Chris said, “This is an Army base. We go to the armory, get some body armor, some machine guns—”
“They probably took all of that,” said Hannah, suddenly realizing that was probably the reason Eddie had brought them there in the first place. “But it can’t hurt to check.”
“They didn’t take my tank,” said Ned. “I say we go get that. I can drive you out there. Use the gun turrets to hold ‘em off while somebody retrieves the doc.”
Hannah nodded. “All right. Let’s move.” As the others climbed back into the truck, Hannah went back to Alek. “We’re going to go gear up, but we’ll be back, okay? We’re going to get you down from there.” She reached up to grasp his hands through the chain link. She had to stand on her toes to reach them. It appeared to take a lot of effort, but Alek managed to turn his head to look back at her.
“I’m coming for you,” she told him.
“Hannah—”
“Just hold tight.” It gutted her to leave him there, but for the moment she had no choice. She got back in the truck.
She’d been right about them coming to raid the armory, but they hadn’t been able to take everything. Far from it. But the fact that Eddie hadn’t left them defenseless did nothing to soften Hannah’s rage. She, Chris, Zach and three other volunteers donned helmets and full body armor before arming themselves with machine guns. Then they loaded back in the truck and went to meet Ned and the tank at the gate.
More volunteers had gathered at the gate. The crowd of shamblers had grown thicker, as she’d known they would. Everyone piled out of the truck. Ned popped up from the tank’s hatch. “There’s a set of bolt cutters in the back of the truck. You’ll need those to cut him down. And somebody needs to get up in the tower to operate the gate.”
“We checked the tower while you were gone,” said one of the volunteers. “They smashed the controls. It’ll have to be opened manually.”
Someone else spoke without hesitation. “I’ll do it.” Hannah recognized Captain Burell, her home’s original owner, from pictures in her bedroom closet.
The first volunteer nodded. “I’ll stay with you and keep the shamblers off.”
“All right,” shouted Ned. “Everybody who’s coming with me, get in the tank!”
“Hannah.” Alek called to her, his voice barely audible. She went over to him as the others climbed into the tank. “Please don’t come out here. It’s too risky.”
“Sorry, Alek. You don’t get a say in this.”
“Not you, then. Stay inside. Stay safe.”
The pleading tone of his voice almost persuaded her. Then something made her ask, “If it was me out there, would you stay inside?” He turned his head to meet her gaze, and the look in his eyes said that he most definitely would not. She grasped the fence next to him and leaned in. “Here I come.”
Chris and Zach both leaned down to haul her into the tank. Along with them were Ned and two other volunteers whose names she hadn’t learned. “Get as close to him as you can,” she told Ned. “Once we’re there, the three of you can use the gun turrets to hold them off.” She turned to Chris and Zach. “I’ll go with you and take care of anything that gets past the tank.”
Nobody argued with her plan. “Here we go,” said Ned, and the tank started to roll. Minutes later, it came to a stop. “We’re here. Forrest, Graham, get in the turrets. The rest of you wait till I say it’s clear.”
Hannah gripped her gun and waited impatiently while rapid gunfire sounded above her. Finally, Ned gave the all clear. She burst up through the hatch and slid to the ground, gun at the ready. Chris slid down behind her, followed by Zach. Two shamblers came around the back of the tank. Hannah shot them both. She and Chris covered both ends while Zach cut Alek free. He and Chris hauled Alek into the tank. With Alek inside, Chris reached back down to pull Hannah up. She took his hand. Halfway up something grabbed her leg. She kicked at it for what felt like a small eternity before gunfire exploded in her ear. The shambler’s head exploded, and Hannah was hauled into the tank.
Chris’s mouth moved as he seemed to ask her something, but she couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She crawled over to Alek, who lay with his head in Zach’s lap. His chest, torso and legs were as badly torn up as his back. It looked like every inch of him must be in pain. Hannah was afraid to touch him. But when she took hold of his hand, he squeezed her fingers and didn’t let go.
A moment later, someone tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the open hatch above. The others were climbing out. Carefully, she, Zach and Chris managed to get Alek out of the tank and into the back of the truck.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Her hearing was coming back. “Oh, man,” she heard Zach say. “He’s hurt bad.”
“Should we get him to the infirmary?”
He shook his head. “It’s trashed. We need to get him home.”
“My place is closer,” said Hannah. “Take us there.”
The sky was already beginning to lighten when they pulled up in front of her house. Chris and Hannah half carried, half dragged Alek up the front walk. Paula met them on the front porch with the baby. “What happened? What did they do to him?”
“They tied him to the wrong side of the fence and left him for the sun,” Chris told her.
“Get him to the couch,” said Hannah. Once they’d laid him down, she closed the living room curtains, and then headed into the kitchen to close those, too. At Zach’s request, she retrieved a pair of scissors so he could cut away what was left of Alek’s clothes. Hannah covered her mouth to hold in a wave of sickness and panic as she saw the true extent of his injuries. She had thought she’d seen the worst that could happen to a vampire without killing them when he’d gotten burned while rescuing Abby. But this was so far beyond that. His skin hung in shreds, with cuts so deep in some places you could see all the way to the bone.
He was going to need a lot more than grit and determination to come back from this.
“He needs blood,” she said.
Chris nodded and started for the door. “I’ll go get some. How much?”
Zach shook his head. “Don’t bother. They broke into the lab and trashed the place. They destroyed the blood bank.”
“Then we have to feed him,” said Hannah. She stripped off her helmet and vest as she crossed back to the couch, where she sat next to him and held out her arm. She didn’t let herself think about it. She just kept moving. She had to make him okay.
Zach put a hand on her shoulder. “Not like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s a chance he’ll be running on pure instinct. Once he starts drinking straight from the tap he might not be able to stop himself.”
She looked from Zach to Chris. “Then you guys can stop him.”
Zach snorted. “As strong as he is? I really don’t like our chances of going up against a feral version of the doc, even if he is weakened by his injuries.”
Undeterred, Hannah got up and returned to the kitchen, where she took out a tall drinking glass and a kitchen knife. She set the glass on the bar and – don’t think. Don’t stop. Just make him okay – ran the edge of the blade across her left palm. Paula cried out, which made the baby cry. She heard his sobs retreat as Paula took him to his room.
Zach and Chris both walked over to the counter and watched in resignation as blood flowed from her palm into the glass.
“Did that hurt?” asked Zach.
“Not really, but I’m sure it will when the adrenaline wears off.” She looked up at Chris. “I’ve got bandages and disinfectant in the bathroom under the sink. Can you get them?”
He went without a word, returning a moment later with a first aid kit and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He brought them over to the counter and tore open a large, square adhesive bandage for her. Then he picked up the knife.
Hannah heard the soft hiss of air being sucked through his teeth as he cut his own palm open. She let Zach doctor her cut as Chris bled into the glass, then she dampened another paper towel and cleaned his cut in turn as he held the knife out to Zach.
He stared at it for a moment, turning a shade paler. Finally, he swallowed and took the knife. Grasping its handle, he muttered, “Anything for Doc, right?” and then let out a small moan as he drew the blade across his palm. He closed his eyes and turned even paler as his blood poured into the glass.
Hannah brought him a stool so he could sit down before he passed out. “You work with blood,” she pointed out.
“Other people’s blood. It’s the sight of my own blood that I have a problem with. Oh, and by the way,” he opened his eyes and looked up at her accusingly, “that did hurt.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him that when he wakes up.”
She picked up the glass and carried it into the living room, leaving Zach to be tended by Chris. She set the glass on the coffee table and slid out of the rest of her body armor before gently edging herself onto the sofa. She lifted Alek’s head into her lap and helped him sit up enough to drink, then picked up the glass and held it to his mouth. He lay so still, his bruised and torn body lifeless and cold. Hannah wondered for a second if there was even anybody left in there. She stroked his brow. “Wake up, Alek. You need to drink this.”
He didn’t move, didn’t respond. But as she parted his lips and tipped the glass so that a small trickle flowed into his mouth, he suddenly came alive. His eyes opened, glowing bright white, like crystals illuminated from within. His hands grasped the glass and he drank greedily. “Slow down,” she told him, but he’d already drained the glass.
He licked his lips and let it fall to the floor. “More.” His voice sounded weak and ragged, but at least it sounded alive. “Need… need more.”
“That’s all there is.”
“We’ll get you some more.” Hannah looked up to see Paula coming out of the hallway. She crossed the living room to retrieve her purse from the end table nearest the door. “We’ll go round everybody up and have an emergency blood drive. The baby’s sleeping,” she told Hannah, “so you shouldn’t have to worry about him for a while.” She turned toward the kitchen. “Chris, you come and help your mother.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, coming out of the kitchen. He opened the door for her, but lingered there, looking at Hannah. His eyes drifted down to Alek, lying in her lap. When they met hers again, they were filled with uncertainty.
“Thank you,” Hannah told him, and he nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and followed his mother out the door. Hannah felt a pang of guilt as she watched him go.
“I guess I should see what I can salvage from the lab and get ready to draw some blood,” said Zach, coming out of the kitchen. “I’ll send some over once we collect a few pints.”
“Thanks,” Hannah said as he let himself out.
Once they were alone, Hannah looked down at Alek. The progress he’d made seemed to be fading as his breath became so shallow it was barely there. He couldn’t wait for them to organize a blood drive. That was plain to see.
Hannah tore the large Band-Aid off of her hand and squeezed the cut until it started to bleed again. She pressed her palm to his mouth. “Drink.”
A shiver went through her as she felt his tongue dart out and taste her cut. But then he turned his head away. “No.”
“Alek, you have to.”
When he opened his eyes again, the glow was gone. They were back to their usual shade of crystalline blue. He pointed at the glass that still lay on the floor. “Whose?”
“All of ours. Chris’s, and Zach’s, and—”
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes again and turned his head the other way. “Swore I’d never drink you.”
That surprised her. She looked down at her good hand and realized she’d been absently stroking his hair this whole time. “You didn’t swear it to me. Besides, it’s not like you had a choice. You still don’t. You have to drink.” She placed her good hand across his forehead and pressed the bleeding one to his lips. “It’s okay, Alek. I want you to.”
She felt a soft sigh against her palm as he took hold of her hand. But instead of drinking from her cut, he surprised her by kissing it. Hannah went still, her heart pounding, her breath coming in shallow gasps, as he pressed another kiss to the center of her palm. Then he held her hand to his chest, near his heart. “I don’t need it.”
At first she thought he was only saying that to be stubborn, but as she looked down at his torso she could see that he was telling the truth. His cuts and scrapes were already healing, new skin growing where it had been flayed off. It still looked pink and raw, but that was a big improvement. His breathing grew stronger as well. He lay in her arms like that for a few more moments, his eyes closed. Then he opened them and struggled to sit up.
“Careful,” she said as she helped him. “I don’t care how fast you heal. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Tell me about it.” He swung his legs over the front of the couch and leaned over, resting his head in his hands.
“Alek, I’m so sorry. Eddie… I never even imagined he would… that he even could—”
“Don’t blame yourself. There’s no way you could have known.”
That didn’t make her feel better. “Carl and the others… I’m so sorry. I know they were your friends.”
He leaned back and let his hands fall in his lap. He stared at them as he spoke. “I told them when they came on board that I’d protect them. From Esme, from the Council. I thought all of the danger came from our own kind.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “Once again, I failed. I can’t protect anyone.”
“That’s not true. You’ve done a pretty great job with me and Noah.”
He looked at her. “Why did you come for me?”
Hannah suddenly felt self-conscious as his gaze bore into her. She looked down at her lap and shrugged. “We weren’t about to leave you there.”
“But why did you come, Hannah? The others could have handled it without you.”
She gave a scornful laugh. “What, because I’m a girl? I’m a good shot, maybe even the best marksman in this whole damn camp. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve gotten pretty good at killing shamblers. I’ve certainly had the practice.”
He gave a frustrated shake of his head. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. You didn’t need to risk your life for me, but you did anyway. Why?”
Hannah’s heart sped up and her stomach fluttered. This was it, wasn’t it? There was no more denying it, no more putting it off. Still, the words wouldn’t come. She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Don’t be stupid, Alek. You know why.”
“Do I?” He leaned closer, his eyes searching hers. “The other night, in my kitchen, you were about to tell me something before we got interrupted. What was it? What did you come there to tell me?”
She licked her lips. “I came there to finish what you started.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion, but before he could say anything else, before her courage could fail her, she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.
His mouth was both strong and soft, and it responded eagerly, without hesitation. She welcomed his tongue as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his lap. He tasted like copper. She realized with a start that it was blood she tasted. Her blood, along with Chris’s and Zach’s.
She pushed that thought away. She knew what he was, what she was getting into, and she was no longer afraid. Kissing him felt too good. It felt right.
It felt like coming home.
She tried to be mindful of his injuries as she straddled his lap, but he didn’t seem to care. He wrapped her in his embrace and pulled her close against him. “Hannah,” he rasped as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. When his mouth reached her throat, coming to rest near her jugular, she tensed up.
Alek paused, and placed a slow, deliberate kiss on the spot before pulling back to look her in the eyes. His gaze held both a promise and a question. The promise, she knew, was that he would never hurt her. Not on purpose, not like that. She had nothing to fear from him. His eyes also seemed to ask if she was sure, if he should keep going, or if he should stop. In answer, Hannah pulled her tank top over her head.
His eyes roved her body, drinking her in. Then he caught her and pulled her back to him. She let her head fall back, giving him better access as he tasted her, trailing lingering kisses across her collarbone while his hands, strong and large, explored her flesh. She gasped and shuddered as his thumb traced her breast through the thin cotton of her bra, and she reached back to unclasp it just as a knock sounded on the door.
She and Alek both froze. The door opened and Hannah dove for her shirt. Alek tried to jump to his feet, but stumbled, doing a poor job of blocking her from view while she struggled back into her tank top. She got it on and turned to see Chris standing there, a mix of surprise, hurt and betrayal on his face.
“Chris—”
“I brought some fresh blood for the doc,” he said, cutting her off. He looked Alek up and down, not bothering to hide his anger. “Although it looks like you’re doing just fine without it.” He tossed the bags to Alek, who caught them effortlessly, then turned and walked out the door.
“Chris, wait!” Hannah started to go after him, but Alek caught her arm, just as effortlessly.
“Let him go.”
“But I should talk to him.”
“Hannah, you broke his heart. He doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” He let go of her arm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I should have been straight with him. I should have broken it off with him as soon as I started....” She let her voice trail off. Started to what?
Alek asked the same question.
“Started falling for you. I should have been straight with myself about that, too.”
She felt strong hands on her shoulders, and cool breath on her ear as he nuzzled her hair. “I know I haven’t made it easy. I know you had good reason to hold back.” He was quiet a moment. Then he said, “It wasn’t easy seeing you and him together.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Hannah went to lock the front door. She crossed back over to Alek and leaned into him. “I hate that I hurt you. And I hate that I hurt Chris.”
“I know.” He wrapped her in his arms and held her, burying his face in her hair. “But I can’t say I’m sorry you’re with me now.” He leaned back to look down at her. “You are, aren’t you?”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I am.” He kissed her then, long and deep, and she remembered where they’d left off.
Noah started to cry. They broke apart with a sigh. “You should drink that,” she said, pointing to the blood. “You should rest, too. The curtains are still closed in my room if you want to lie down in there.”
“Thanks,” he said, and she started to leave. He caught her hand and drew her back for one more kiss, making her laugh.
She was still smiling as she walked into Noah’s room and lifted him out of his crib. “When you’re older, your big sister’s going to have to teach you about a little something called timing.”
By the time she changed and dressed him and took him to the kitchen for his breakfast, Alek had already gone to lie down in her room. Heating Noah’s bottle, she wished she could join him. She was exhausted after being up all night, and with all that had happened, but Noah was obviously up for the day. She briefly considered asking Paula to watch him for a few hours, but she had been up all night, too, and had other responsibilities.
Besides, after what had just happened with Chris, it would be a long time before Hannah felt right about asking Paula for anything again. As she settled onto the couch with Noah and his bottle, she yawned and fought to stay awake. His afternoon nap couldn’t come soon enough.
When it finally arrived, she put Noah back in his crib and crept into her room. There was enough ambient light from the hall to see Alek, sound asleep in her bed. She watched him sleep a moment, glad to see him looking peaceful for once, before turning on the baby monitor and climbing into bed with him. Without waking, as if by instinct, he turned over and put an arm around her. Hannah smiled and snuggled closer, closing her eyes.
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I’m a sucker for romance. Loved it!🩶
Wow! So much suspense!