Thunder: The Shadows Are Stirring (Thunder Stories Book 1) (19 page)

“I wasn’t with it enough while you were jabbing me with the needle,” I say to her, “but, thank you. You did a good job.”

She shrugs her shoulders, but her eyes flicker to the side like she’s remembering something that bothers her. It couldn’t have been easy to be responsible for sewing me up, especially not knowing if the bull was going to wake up and hunt us down.

“Jamie could have done the stitches so well, they wouldn’t leave a scar. I hope I didn’t mangle it.”

“Hey, another scar wouldn’t bother me at all. It’ll be better than a tattoo; think of the stories I’ll be able to tell.”

We’re close enough to the blue house now to see some details and Olivia points over to it. “Look—do you see all the little clothes hanging from the line? The toys in the front yard?”

“Yeah. Does that mean something?”

She twists at her necklace. “Aww, Ethan,” she nudges me gently enough I don’t wince, “didn’t anyone ever tell you when you were little that if you got lost or needed help, go to a mom with little kids. Or a grandma. They’re the most likely people to help you. Everyone should know that.”

I think back to my mom and shake my head. Somehow, I never got lessons like that when I was a kid. I shrug my shoulders. “Okay. Lead the way.”

As we get close to the walk, which leads from the road to the little arched gateway in the fence, a small red-headed form toddles from the open front door and starts wobbling down the flagstone path in our direction. We make it to the gate by the time the curly-haired cutie has made it halfway towards us. Olivia lifts her hand to wave at the little girl. At the same time, I hear the pounding sound of running feet, and in my peripheral view, I see a dark blur streaking our way from the left.

Jerking my head, I make out a huge dog with gray, patchy fur closing the distance between us. Its maw opens in a snarl, flashing yellow teeth through curled-back lips and foaming drool. I have no idea who the dog’s aiming for, but I’m not reading “friendly” in its eyes. And there’s no time to think. It takes a leap over the side of the white fence, right as I dive through the gate and meet it head on, dagger clasped in my hand. Our bodies fall together with a crunch, and as I tumble over, I have just enough time to see that Olivia has hurled herself at the kid and is entirely enveloping the small form with her own body.

The dog snaps its jaws and twists its body trying to find a part of me to clamp onto. I manage to pierce his front leg in the tough tissue near its shoulder. It howls and jerks back but also manages to snap at my wrist as it turns its head. I cry out in pain as the dagger drops to the ground. Ignoring the throbbing, I grab with both hands, and I get ahold of its lower jaw and shove its head up and away from me, my thumbs pushing deeply against the soft flesh between the V of bones. Using my legs, I clamp at its sides and manage to wrench it around, keeping its back held in place against my chest. One of my arms is locked around its neck, while I use the other to get a firm grip across its chest near the front legs. Bucking and writhing to loosen my hold, it manages to twist its muzzle and sink its teeth into my right shoulder. I swear and press harder against its throat.

“You can’t beat us, boy,” the dog gasps, startling me. He’s got to be a Slider, or at least on their side because there’d be no reason for a regular Dweller to attack us. “We know who you are and where you plan to go. Your outposts have a leak. The girl’s brothers may not be here, but
you’ll
suffice for the beginning of her suffering. The girl will watch as I tear—”

“You talk too much, dog,” I grunt. “Nothing’s happening to anyone but you. We’re done here.” And fighting the agony of what must be ripped stitches along with the new puncture wounds, I squeeze for all I’m worth. I almost lose my hold with my legs as he struggles to turn his body against mine. But I can feel the hitching change in his breathing, and I hope Olivia has the kid’s face covered. She doesn’t need to see this.

I flop back to the ground as black smoke wafts away above me. That answers my question about him being a Slider.

“Oh, Lord. Oh, Lordy! Tab! Tabbie? Lordy!” I hear quick footsteps racing towards us from the direction of the house.

I raise my eyes and see a worried, round face staring down at me. It disappears, and I crane my neck and see a woman bending over Olivia, who is now unfolding herself. Snug in her arms is the little girl. Tab, apparently. The curly head dips under Olivia’s chin, snuggling in as close as possible.

“Hi, Mumma. See mine angel? I tolded you.” Her pudgy little hand pats at Olivia’s face. Olivia briefly presses her nose into the girl’s hair and makes a move like she’s going to hand Tab back to her mom, but the little girl will have none of it and holds tight.

“Oh, sweetie,” the older woman sighs at the little girl. The lady doesn’t seem to know where to look or what to do first. By the way she’s bobbing back and forth, she seems to want to swoop us all up at the same time. She must decide her daughter is safe with Olivia because she comes bustling back to my side. “Alright, dearie, my husband’s out tending the fields; I’m going to lift you myself. That dog took some good bites out of you.” Judging by her muscular build, she’d be strong enough to heft me over her shoulder and cart me away. And, of course, she doesn’t know a lot of the blood is from reopened wounds; she’ll be thinking the dog attack was worse than it was.

“Naw, I’m good. Maybe help me to my feet and I’ll be good to walk?” As long as there’s breath in my body, there’s no way I’m letting anyone carry me anywhere. Much less the mom of a toddler. That’s just not right.

She shoots me a skeptical glance but helps pull me up with firm hands. My shoulder aches and Olivia’s going to have to do some creative work with my stitches. My old wounds are freely losing blood.

“Please come in. I can help clean you up. Both of you could do with some bandages and a good scrub. And food, too, mayhaps? I was making lunch for Her Little Miss, when she snuck out on me. Didn’t realize she’d left the house. She’s been yammering on for days about her angel, and when she mentioned such today, I’m afraid I let it drift right out of my ears. But here you are after all!” She takes a gulp of air and goes on, “My name’s Lispeth Keyes, pleased to meet you, I’m sure, and Little Miss here is Tabina.”

Tab grins out at us. “Me Tab. Me two.” Her brow creases as she unfolds two fingers for us to see. Then she pokes Olivia, stating, “You mine guardin’ angel.”

“She’s awfully sweet,” says Olivia and introduces the two of us. “How come she’s calling me her angel?”

“Oh, the wee thing has a touch of the Sight, we think. Can see some things through the layers of time, even as she lacks some of the words to explain. Mayhaps she saw some of what happened today, before, if you understand me.”

Lispeth leads us through the doorway, across a small room cluttered with squishy arm chairs, sagging couches, and little tables and lots of wooden toys, and into a kitchen which also serves as a dining room. It’s fresh and clean, but old fashioned, something from a story. She directs me to a wide wooden bench, which runs the length of a long dining table.

“Let’s see what we have here, hmm?” she asks.

“I’ve got it, ma’am,” Olivia interjects as she presses a bottle of medicine to my lips. Man, sitting like that makes everything burn. I lay back gingerly. “If you could maybe grab us some water and soap, and some bandages, please?” She blushes as she mentions bandages, and avoids my eyes. I tip my head back and laugh, and she retaliates by sticking out her tongue. Lispeth is watching us with some speculation.

Tab stands contentedly next to Olivia’s legs, patting at the stains on her pants. “You gots ow?” she asks with some concern. She turns her face towards me. “Him, too gots ow?” She searches my face with wide clear eyes. “You be ’kay soon. Mine angel help you.”

“Yeah,” I agree, “your angel will do just fine. She’s had lots of practice.”

Lispeth bends down to lift Tab out of the way.

“After I finish with Ethan, is there somewhere we can wash ourselves and rinse our clothes?” Olivia asks her.

“Of course, sweetheart, I’ll help get you all shined up in no time. We’ve plenty water in our well out back. Where are you dears heading?” she asks, readying the items Olivia asked for.

Her eyes have taken in the fact that Olivia’s stains are old, but she doesn’t ask about them. She does, however, inhale sharply when she comes back to hand over the supplies. Olivia has helped to pull off my shirt, and I’m unquestionably mangled. “What in heaven’s name have you two been up to?” Then her eyes go round and she places both her hands over her mouth. “Why, you’re The Ones. Oh, lordy, just you wait till Derrick gets home. He’ll be boggled. That explains the Slider hound coming so close, now doesn’t it?”

Olivia concentrates on cleaning and reworking the stitches and swabbing my skin with a hefty dose of antiseptic. Considering how toothy the dog had been, not many stitches are needed to sew up the new wounds. As Olivia applies the bandages, I notice they’re made from the same spider gauze material we’d used at Xaiben’s. I rotate my shoulders and stretch my arms, careful not to move too much.

Slouching against the edge of the table, I wait for Olivia to finish washing her hands. When she returns, she sits next to me and asks “Do you get many Sliders in the area, Mrs. Keyes? We don’t want to put your family at risk for more attacks.”

“Oh, no, dear. We are honored to have you here and we’ll do all we can to help you. It’s good folks around these parts, but there have been disturbances as of late. And rumors, of course, about both Sliders and traitors in our midst. Can I ask where you’re headed?”

Without going into fine detail, I explain we’re trying to find the Greensway Road, which we’d been told is in the city of Cropton. “Are we getting close to it?”

“Oh, yes, dear. That’s the nearest city to us, where we do all our marketing. We’re a couple miles out. I know the exact road you want. Now, you must stay with us until you are fit enough to continue.”

~~~

T
HAT NIGHT
we camp out on the living room floor, scrubbed and in a fresh change of clothes while our old ones hang to dry over the stove. (“No sense in flagging down the neighbors till we need them,” was all Lispeth had to say as she strung them up inside.) Tab did not want to leave Olivia’s side and her father had to drag her away to tuck her in bed, with big hiccupping sobs trailing behind them, “Mine angel, Dada! Wanna seep wif mine angel.”

When the household is all settled, I whisper over to Olivia, “Hey, did you hear what the Slider said to me?”

“Nuh-uh,” she turns to her side, facing me across the floor. “What happened?”

I explain about the leak he mentioned, and about how her brothers might not be in the Shadows yet. “What do you think about it?”

“I don’t know what to think about my brothers. Maybe he just meant they weren’t with us, here, now, where we are; but I don’t feel their presence at all. I know they’d come after us. I don’t know how it would work out, though. Mr. Gunther always said timing was different here. The leak? Well, it has to be someone at one of the outposts we contacted while we were with Xaiben; it certainly wasn’t the Dells themselves. I’d have felt it. They’re
good
, Ethan.”

I feel the same about the Dells, but I still ask, “You’re sure you can trust your gut on this?” I don’t want to challenge her, but we are running on her instinct here, and I want to make sure she doesn’t start second guessing herself.

“Yes, Ethan.” She says softly, not offended. “It’s what I learned with Callie, and something I was born with I guess, if I was born the Seeker.

“Does the air here, in this Layer, I mean, feel charged to you?”

“Yeah, I get a kind of before-a-lightning-storm feeling. If that’s what you mean.”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I mean. I get that, too, but something in the current shifts when a Slider’s near. I questioned it back after the fields because I was assuming the needle farm was set up for our benefit. But now, thinking back, I’m pretty sure the field was all Adelade, who’s got to be some little old lady working hard for a living; it was the bull who was all Slider. Just now I felt the same with the dog, and it’s how I felt when those mosquitos came after us. I need more practice, though, being able to pinpoint the specific source.”

“Dude, Olivia,” I groan, “don’t go asking for more practice. You know what will happen.”

“Oh, cripes, that’s not what I meant! Gads, I have to be careful of what I say, don’t I?”

“Uh, probably it would be the safest way to go. Words are powerful here. Do you think you’d feel it the same way, if you’re around a Dweller who has turned, but not an actual Slider?”

“Sheesh, I hope so. I have no idea. But I don’t think we should search out any outposts now. In a large group, the feeling might be diluted, and I might not be able to pick up on it in time. You ready to go off the grid with this?” She grins a challenge at me. “I trust these people. We should take them up on the offer to stay and let you heal.”

I agree with her, stretch out on my back, and fall asleep.

When I wake up in the morning, Olivia is still asleep, her breathing deep and even, with a pint-sized curly-haired bundle wrapped in her arms.

Chapter Sixteen: A Shepherd’s Tale