Luther aimed his Glock at it. It must have been a woman once upon a time. Its ratted hair was pulled back from its bulging forehead, crowned with a golden jewel-encrusted tiara.
She–it—painstakingly walked to the base of the bleachers, staring at him with cognizant eyes.
“Dude, shoot it!” Justin shouted.
The Glock wavered in Luther’s hand. Sure, he could shoot it. But there were hundreds of them. He didn’t have enough grenades or ammo to get them out of this one.
The horde went into a sickly-sweet chorus of moans. The leader held up its hand. The horde immediately hushed. Using his newfound ability, Luther peered beyond the Z’s physical body. The wave of energy emanating from its body actually appeared benevolent. Nothing like Mad Dog’s evil energy.
Ella gasped. “Her aura—she’s almost human!”
Luther didn’t know what the hell to think. It lifted a pendant from its neck. “Ths blngs ttt Scrltt,” she attempted to enunciate as she ripped it off.
“Uh, did it just say, what I thought it said?” Justin quipped in bewilderment.
“O-M-G! That’s the lapis lazuli pendant Shari gave Scarlett.” Ella stared back with utter amazement, tears pooling down her cheeks. She dashed down the bleachers.
Luther was too shocked by the turn of events to stop her.
With surprising agility, the Z placed the pendant in Ella’s hand. Luther and Justin rushed down to Ella’s aid. “Ella—got my finger on the trigger,” Luther cautioned. He certainly didn’t want to provoke the horde into attack mode.
“Tll Scrltt thnk yyy. My cln wll ggg wst. Wll wt fr th hlrs ttt fnd sss.”
Luther and Justin turned to each other in a what-the-fuck moment. His physical hearing heard garbled nonsense, but his inner hearing translated, “Tell Scarlett thank you. My clan will go west. We’ll wait for the healers to find us?”
Justin rubbed his ears erratically.
“I’ll tell her.” Ella’s voice cracked. Apparently, she understood it.
The horde looked on with lustful, hungry eyes, but they heeded the Z’s order.
“G-g-g wth G-g-gd,” it labored to say, with the ever so slightest yet graceful hand gesture to go. Then, it–she–whatever the hell it was, made the sign of the cross.
“Vaya con Dios,” Ella whispered back.
“Uh, what just happened?” Justin retorted, barely moving his lips like a confused ventriloquist dummy.
The Zs groaned in apparent protest. The Z woman hissed and shrieked at them. Telling them to obey? And then, miraculously, the Zs parted.
“Dude, uh, uh,” Justin choked out, “me thinks we’re supposed to leave. Like now!”
“And walk through the horde?” Luther struggled with the concept.
“It’s okay,” Ella said. “Her aura is good.”
“Auras, talking Zs, magical crystals . . .” Luther muttered as they walked through the opening. The horde growled and glared and pawed at them as they walked by. Others stared back in bug-eyed wonderment. He avoided direct eye contact. It was too much to take in.
The three of them disappeared into the maniacal mob of defectors just as Humvees charged Zoat Street. Luther patted his skipping heart. “Oh, Aunt Mattie, what kind of crazy Voodoo shit did you get me into?”
Chapter 32
Scarlett Lewis pushed her heavy cart along the edge of the country highway as if expecting fast-moving vehicles to pass by. But the rut-riddled road amuck with grasses protruding from the cracks was void of traffic.
Living in Last State the past several months, she had forgotten the desolate emptiness of the Lost States of America. Occasionally, she glimpsed travelers off in the distance who must have escaped through the tunnel. Did they know where they were going?
Dean wanted to reach the rally point before dark. Naturally, it was the smartest plan of action, still she guilted over leaving Luther, Ella, and Justin. If anyone could find them, Luther could. He was a protector like herself, only he was far more powerful. He adamantly denied having metaphysical abilities. However, denial only worked for so long.
Anxiousness lingered in the air, freezing her lungs. Walking down a main road in broad daylight rattled her core. From what Justin had said, Enforcers didn’t venture far from Zoat’s border.
“Everyone doing all right?” Dean asked for the hundredth time.
“How much further?” Scarlett asked after walking for nearly two hours.
“Reckon another ten miles or so,” Dean said with a positive note. “Once we get there, we’ll hole-up in the first decent building we come across. And wait for the gang. Providing you gals think it’s safe.”
Only Dean knew where they were going. All she knew with certainty; they were in New Mexico. They hadn’t discussed the exact location, concerned she might unintentionally give it away to the Ancient Ones. It was difficult maintaining her Merkaba while sending protective energies to Ella and Mateo. And Justin and Luther.
Lost in thought, the peculiar odor wafting in the breeze brought her back. She couldn’t quite place it. As she squinted into the late afternoon sun, the blackened fields came into focus. Black specks drifted in the erratic wind gusts.
“Not to worry, it’s ash,” Dean said. “Looks like the fire swept through here recently.”
She stopped and stared at the sky, waiting for Mindy’s reaction. But she found no comfort. As usual, Mindy remained aloof.
Dean eyed the sky warily. “Let’s keep moving.”
The desolation must gnaw at his nerves too. Mindy’s baby broke the uncomfortable silence. The whimpering turned into bawling, which was unusual. Starla was the epitome of the perfect baby: she never fussed.
“Feeding time?” Scarlett asked.
Mindy gaped at her with fear-filled eyes. Dean jolted to a halt. A piercing pain spiked Scarlett’s forehead.
“They see us!” Twila screamed from under the tarp. “Make your mind go blank!”
Their squawking gave them away. Scarlett spun around. What they had assumed was ash morphed into a swarm
