A man raised his voice and called out, “The Gizzida won’t stop either. They’ll keep trying to destroy us.”
Holmes nodded. “And we’ll keep refusing to let them.”
Now, there were a few laughs.
“The road ahead isn’t going to be easy,” the general said. “When has it been? Some of us might die in sacrifice to the fight. But all of us will fight, in our own ways, from the cooks who feed us, to the soldiers who protect us.”
He glanced over to where Liberty stood, her golden locks shining in the sun and her hand resting on her pregnant belly. She looked at him and smiled—a warm, sexy, love-filled smile.
A smile flickered on Holmes’ lips as he turned back to the crowd.
“We fight,” he said. “For love, for hope, for our home. Every day, we fight so the aliens won’t win. They can’t have our home.”
Cheers erupted.
“They can’t have our people.” Holmes raised his voice.
The cheers got louder.
“And they can’t have our planet!”
The whole crowd erupted, cheering and slapping backs.
“He makes it sound easy,” Arden murmured.
Dom pulled her tighter against him. “It’s not easy, but we take it one day at a time. And we hold on to hope.” He dropped a kiss to her lips. “Feel like sketching?”
She lifted her shoulder. “Maybe.”
“I’ll be a willing model.”
She smiled, letting her gaze wander down his chest. “My nude model?”
“Any way you want me, Arden. I’m all yours. Whatever you need from me, I’ll give it to you.”
She pressed her palms against his shirt. His heart beat, strong and steady, beneath her palm. And now she knew it beat for her.
“Your heart, my dark knight. That’s all I need.”
I hope you enjoyed Arden and Dom’s story!
Hell Squad will continue with Hell Squad: Survivors, a novella collection containing stories of survivors outside the Enclave including former Marine Nate Caldwell, Groom Lake Head of Security Captain Dak Vaughn, and Alexander Erickson in Norway. Read on for a preview of the first chapter of the first novella, Nate.
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Preview - Hell Squad: Survivors
As Nate Caldwell strolled out of the trees, axe resting on his shoulder, he let out a sharp whistle.
It was hot, and he’d worked up a sweat. His ratty T-shirt—which had definitely seen better days—was clinging to his chest. His blue heeler peeled out of the trees, tongue out, tail wagging. His dog didn’t mind the heat, as long as she got to run, sniff, and chase small animals.
As long as Blue got fed, she was happy. She didn’t care that aliens had invaded and destroyed the world.
Nate had mixed feelings about the apocalypse. He was perfectly fine here in Australia’s Blue Mountains, alone and off-grid. Once, he’d been a social guy and enjoyed beers with his fellow Marines, and dinner with his family in Colorado. And he hadn’t minded a hot, sweaty night with a curvy woman, either.
But that felt like a lifetime ago. He’d been alone even before the aliens had come with their ships, and he’d been alone the two years since.
Too many deployments, the loss of too many friends, watching good men and women blown apart, had worn him out. His last few months in the United Coalition Marines had felt like someone had a boot on his back, grinding him down, until one day Nate had woken up and realized there was nothing left of him.
PTSD. That’s what the Marine Corps shrinks had said. He’d been honorably discharged, did his stint in therapy, tried medication, but he hadn’t really adjusted to life out of the military. He’d started drinking, fighting, pushed his family away.
Reaching his cabin, he slammed his axe into a log resting near the door. An ugly mix of emotion—like battery acid in his gut—churned inside him.
He’d been really fucked-up back then. Discovering that his crusty great-aunt had left him a cabin in the Australian mountains had happened at just the right time. He’d left his family and disintegrating life in Colorado behind. Being alone here had helped him find some sense of balance. Thanks to Aunt Janine, he’d regained a few pieces of himself that had gone missing.
The alien invasion had also put things in perspective. His family, like most of the world, were probably dead. He had no way to contact them anymore. Either way, he figured they were better off without him.
Nate reached up and stripped his shirt off. He grabbed a bucket of water he’d left resting there and tipped it over his head.
He was in better shape now than when he’d been an active Marine. Living off the land and spending his days out in the forest had left him fit and lean.
He glanced toward the western horizon, above the dense trees. The sun was setting, painting the sky with a pink-tinged, golden glow. He didn’t spot any Hawk quadcopters in the air today, or the distinctive, triangular alien ships that reminded him of flying dinosaurs.
But he’d seen them before. He knew that some human survivors were fighting back. Nate stared hard at the trees. Not for the first time, the thought occurred to him that he had the skills to help… He shook his head and turned to his cabin.
He liked being alone. He was better alone.
He jogged up the steps and inside the cabin. It wasn’t fancy, and as usual, he wondered if anything had changed since his aunt had first lived in it. He knew he sure as hell hadn’t spent any time decorating.
He opened some cupboards
