Perfection

the occasional voice carrying across an unknown distance, or the echo of barking, it stayed silent.

Tired from staying in the same position for so long, a kink biting at the back of his neck, Rein rested his head on his arms, fighting to stay awake. The doctor had dozed off a half-hour earlier. He felt the pull on his lids too, urging him to join Doc, when the squeak of rollers along a rusted track broke the monotony. He nudged the doctor.

“We have visitors.”

From beneath, two distinct sets of footfalls stepped across planks. Rein put his finger to his mouth, but the doctor didn’t need any warning, his body tighter than a taut wire.

Whoever roamed below didn’t bother to be quiet. A crash sounded, and Rein knew the boxes next to the door had fallen over. He tracked the sound of the intruders to where the ladder lay useless on the ground. From the light scraping, it sounded like someone was pushing bits of wooden litter around with his foot, before he proceeded deeper into the barn toward the back, where Rein had parked the truck directly below the crawl space. His body became like Doc’s, still, unmoving; even his breath was shallow.

For the first time ever, he was happy he’d followed the procedures dictated by Jordan. The The rules were a big pain, but he performed them religiously.

Then, a seed of doubt sprouted. Had he cleaned out the cab?

He thought back, trying to remember. The backpacks were with them, trash shoved inside. The gun wasn’t in the cab. He remembered picking out everything. Yes, he’d cleaned it out, and he’d smudged dirt on the window to make the truck appear abandoned. The hard, dry ground didn’t show tire tracks, and Doc had placed rubble around the rusted hunk of metal. All necessary precautions had been performed.

Hopefully, the searchers would wander around a bit, and then leave.

“Alex,” said a disembodied voice. “Where are you?”

“Over here. Check this out,” said Alex, apparently the one directly below them.

Heavier thumps echoed through the floorboards and stopped. “Wow. Is that an Oshkosh? I’ve only seen these in history books.”

“I know. I can’t believe it was left behind.”

“Probably broken or something. Not worth bringing out during the evacuation.”

“No. It must have been missed during the sweep.”

One of the men smacked the truck with his hand. A metallic bang sounded.

“We can file a report on it later. If they want the metal, they can come get it.”

The silence wavered for a moment, and was broken by a loud popping; the truck door opened. Rein closed his eyes. Although he had never believed in a higher power, he mouthed a prayer anyway.

The door slammed shut, and he heard some more scuttling around. Something scraped across the floor, accompanied by muttering, as if suddenly the intruders were afraid of being heard. Rein strained to hear, but their voices were too low. Then his fear was realized. The trapdoor leading to the loft swung open and two huge hands appeared, followed by blond hair. Rein and Doc ducked into the concealment the darkness offered.

“Just a little further,” said a man as his head popped up like a jack-in-the-box. Sharp, angled jowls completed the squareness of his face.

“You weigh a ton,” said the voice belonging to Alex.

“Muscles.”

Rein realized the man wasn’t kidding. He positioned his hands accordingly, and lifted his body on two arms befitting tree trunks. Muscles bulged and rippled under the dark clothing. He tilted to the side to bring his leg up, but a sharp snap stopped further movement. He readjusted.

Snap.

“Hold up,” he screeched. “Stop.”

“Can you see anything?” said Alex.

His partner scanned the area, craning his head to see behind him and around the door. “Just dust. No one would be crazy enough to come up here. It’s not safe.”

“Come on, it’s getting dark.”

“Okay.”

But before he lowered himself, the man glanced toward the back of the barn. Rein’s prayer died and was replaced by a thrumming heart. Doc’s chest stopped moving, as if he’d lost the ability to breathe.

“Wait,” the muscle-bound man said, narrowing his gaze and inclining his head forward.

“What?”

“Just…” He didn’t finish, his stare unwavering.

Rein felt the man’s eyes boring into him, the tension of the trigger familiar against his finger. If the man noticed them, he’d have to be quick. First Mr. Muscle, then Alex. Sweat dripped from his hairline and down his neck.

“Do you see something or not?” Alex asked, his voice strained.

His companion’s voice seemed to break the scrutiny of the muscular man. He blinked. “I thought…” He squinted again before he relented. “No, nothing, just shadows. Lower me down.”

A mountain of relief collapsed on Rein as the man disappeared, and he risked breathing again. Doc followed suit, as his chest expanded. He listened as incorporeal voices faded and the barn door closed. Emptiness, and the certainty the searchers had left, didn’t matter; neither man spoke until complete darkness engulfed the barn.

“It’s night, let’s get out of here,” said Doc, pulling himself forward. His feet hit the floor with a dull thud.

“Wait.” Rein placed the shotgun to the side, before flipping himself onto the ground.

“What?”

“I’m guessing they’re camped close by.”

The doctor looked disheartened. “We can’t just stay here, like sitting ducks.”

“I don’t think they’ll come back. At least, not tonight.” Rein went to the corner of the barn. He pulled out his blanket and spread it across the floor, then took a seat. “We have to leave the truck behind, now that they know it’s here, and hoof it back to the caves.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow night. Hopefully by then, they’ll move along.”

The doctor sighed while he settled next to Rein. “I’ll take the first watch,” he said, pulling the rifle on his lap.

Rein’s lips pursed in uncertainty.

“What? Just because I never carry doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use one.” He slid the bolt back and chambered a round. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

24

Sweat dripped down Ellyssa’s face. Her body remained in perfect balance while she strengthened her arms and legs. First, an extended knife strike to the throat of her invisible enemy, then she spun around into a roundhouse kick, taking out her enemy’s knees. Much like a dancer, she moved fluidly, as she practiced the sequence of katas she’d been performing daily since she had turned three.

The discipline had developed her, mind, body, and spirit, into the warrior she was bred to be. It helped keep her muscles strong and flexible even without the ability to run or use weights. She felt them pull under her skin, tightening, flexing, and stretching. Even after her accident, her body was ready, if need called for action. And, eventually, the call would come. Right now, though, the exercise kept her focus off Rein.

She swept her foot from Hachi-dachi to Zenkutsu-dachi and snapped her arms out into a series of tsukis, yelling kias to accompany the movements. Performed perfectly, as always. If she had on her gi, instead of the black shirt and camo pants, the material would snap with the strength and form of her attack.

The kata completed, she brought her hands up and around, ending with her feet together and her arms at her sides. She bowed. Clapping erupted behind her. Unsurprised, Ellyssa turned around and bowed to Trista, who’d been watching her for the last five minutes.