Adam frowned again. “We don’t have secrets around here, but if that’s the way you feel …” He shrugged and pulled a shabby curtain across the entrance to the alcove. Sam thought it looked like an old sheet.
Pulling out three old wooden crates, Adam set them before the boys. “Take a seat, gentlemen. This sounds serious.”
They positioned themselves in a rough circle. Both Joshua and Adam were looking at Sam expectantly. With hands that were shaking slightly, Sam pulled down his hood.
Adam’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ah …”
The Black Ridge cave complex was extensive. Sam was surprised and impressed by the level of organisation that clearly existed amongst the survivors. As Adam led them through the various chambers, Sam took a keen interest in his surroundings — something that he hadn’t done when he’d first arrived in the caves. A few hours earlier, all he could concentrate on was the impending meeting with Adam. Now that was finally over, he felt he could relax and turn his attention to other things.
They passed many other alcoves. Some, like the one Adam used for his briefing room, were curtained off. Judging from the glimpses he caught as they walked past, they were used as sleeping chambers for the surprisingly large amount of people who had made the caves their home. If Sam had to guess, he would’ve said there were probably over a hundred people in Black Ridge. Most of these people had a smile or greeting for Adam as they passed. He was obviously a popular leader. Sam wasn’t at all surprised by the man’s popularity — anyone who could keep him alive for this long against relentless hordes of demons would get his vote of approval too.
Many greeted Joshua as well, especially the teenagers, both males and females — and there seemed to be a lot of them. Almost all acknowledged Sam’s presence with a nod or curious glance. Some of the girls smiled shyly at Joshua and Sam. Many had seen him fight the previous night and he guessed he had garnered their respect — if not their trust. That would change if they knew what lurked under his hood. He’d put it back on after his meeting with Adam, and if any thought it was odd, they didn’t comment about it.
Other chambers they passed were stacked with supplies — mostly tinned food, water and large barrels presumably filled with diesel or oil for the generators. The Black Ridge survivors were clearly prepared for a long siege. Sam wondered if any of them realized the actual length of time they were destined to be trapped within the caves. Seven years was a long stretch, even with this level of preparation.
Emerging from the caves into the wan, early afternoon light, they stood in the large open space between the cave entrance and the fortifications. Work crews were busy repairing the damage to the palisade which had sustained significant damage during the demon attack in the night. Sam knew that Adam had despatched other groups out into the forest to cut down more trees to replace the logs shattered by the horned demons. Some were already in place. Others were being prepared by survivors, whittling away at both ends with machetes.
Sam liked the atmosphere and general feel of the camp. All the survivors seemed to be quite upbeat about their predicament. They all had a job to do and were setting to it with a will.
Sam and Joshua stood quietly listening and watching as Adam consulted with a woman in her twenties who was obviously the foreman, discussing the problem of the arc light. Adam introduced her as Tesara. The post, she explained, was easily replaced but the light itself had been smashed beyond repair. They had a replacement but the problem was they didn’t want a repeat of the previous night’s disaster. The demons had obviously learnt to target the lights themselves.
“Can’t you set it back further behind the palisade?” suggested Sam, surprising himself with his outspokenness.
Tesara spared him a quick appraising glance before turning her attention back to Adam. “We could,” she said thoughtfully, “but that would reduce the effectiveness of the lights themselves. The reason we put them next to the palisade was to get as much light onto our killing ground as possible.”
Adam looked at Sam. “Any other suggestions?”
During his years of training, Sam had studied all aspects of combat, including various manuals on tactics and strategy. Fortifications weren’t exactly his strong point but he had covered them.
“How about a ditch and bank defence?” he said. He crouched down in the dirt and began sketching with his finger. “We could dig a ditch just in front of this palisade; use the earth from the excavation to create a bank where we mount the arc lights. We then line the ditch with spikes and build another wall around it. That way, you’ll have two lines of defence.”
Adam nodded, his face registering surprise. He was clearly impressed by this strange boy’s understanding of tactics. “Good thinking, but there’s two problems there. One, I don’t know if the cables from the generations will be long enough, and two, we don’t have time to dig this before it gets dark.”
“The generator leads won’t be a problem,”said Tesara, “I’ve got extras in one of the caves, but yeah, you’re right — there’s no way we can build the second line of defence tonight. It’s a good idea though. Something to think about for the future.” She smiled at Sam which made him feel oddly pleased.
“Ok,” said Adam. “Do what you can with the lights. Maybe put some extra spikes or protection around it and we’ll see how that works.”
Tesara pursed her lips. “Just so you know, that’s our last replacement. If it goes, then we’re down to one light.”
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Adam with a grin. “Worst case scenario, I can always send a team into Bryce Valley or one of the other cities. I’m sure we’ll be able to hunt out another replacement.”
Tesara looked doubtful but didn’t voice her misgivings.
They left her behind and continued their tour of the outer defences. Adam led them onto the killing field in front of the palisade. All the demon bodies had disappeared, of course, and as for the human casualties, they had long been removed for burial. The previous night’s battle had taken its toll on the Rapture survivors. Four humans had been killed while another five were so badly injured they would not be fighting for the foreseeable future. They were currently being treated in yet another part of the cave complex that served as a sickbay. Luckily, a doctor was amongst those who were resident in the caves.
Another two humans had simply just disappeared — probably carried off by demons during the battle. That, as Adam had explained during their meeting, was a source of great concern — he could just not afford to lose so many each night. Granted, the last battle was unusual in the sense that so many demons had attacked at once, but if the demons attacked with the same numbers again, they would be in serious trouble. That’s why he had welcomed Sam with open arms: he desperately needed more fighters, especially well-trained ones.
“Might have to clear some more of those trees,” said Adam, pointing in the direction from which the horned demons had attacked. The shattered tree limbs were intruding onto the killing ground and might provide cover for demons in the next attack. “Never seen anything like it. Those big, horned demons, I mean. Tough buggers.” He looked at Sam. “You ever seen that type before?”
Sam shook his head.
“Might have to use high-calibre hunting rifles on them,” said Adam thoughtfully. “The automatics were struggling to get through their armour.”
Sam couldn’t agree more. Adam had a matter-of-fact attitude that impressed Sam. When he’d revealed his demonic heritage, Adam had been surprised at first but this was quickly replaced with interest. He’d wanted to know the whole story, so Sam told him what Hikari had told him so long ago, omitting nothing.
After Sam had finished, Adam had whistled slowly through his teeth. “Well, all I know is that you kill demons and you kill them well. That’s good enough for me,” was all he’d said about the matter. That was it. Case closed. Sam had sighed inwardly with relief.
Of course, Adam had said that he would have to consult with his senior lieutenants, but as far as he was concerned, Sam was welcome to stay for as long as he wanted. This type of attitude was new to Sam. It was surprising, of course, but also one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to him. If it weren’t for his mission, he would be happy to stay with Adam and the other survivors. He could see why all these people gave their loyalty and respect to this likeable, dependable man.
“Ok,” said Adam. “I’ve seen enough for now. You two go and get some food and get your heads down for a bit.”
“Don’t you want us to help fixing the palisade?” asked Sam.
“No, but thanks anyway. I try to rotate my fighting and work crews. If you fight one night, you don’t have to work the next day and vice versa. Most of the folk you see working weren’t involved in the action last night.
