The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(73)

Chapter 20


The world was full of death, fire, and endless days and nights of killing.

The day of the conference call, the SWD had reclaimed control of the wristlet alarms, locking out any chance of Maria reviving herself so she could speak with Dwayne. The loneliness that ached inside her only worsened every night before she fell into torpor. She missed him so much. She craved the ability to cry and to dream. Perhaps crying would have brought relief. Maybe her dreams would have been filled with Dwayne. Instead, she spent her days killing in the shadows of the high mountains and the city she had once called home.

The camaraderie of the early days had faded as the days droned on. The mixed group of SWD security and Constabulary often socialized apart. Sometimes there were tense moments, but overall the squad was working well together. Though Gutierrez was SWD security, he often hung out with Mikado and McKinney playing ball. Hopefully, the group would continue to integrate.

It was hard to find respite during the days of killing. Though there was still some joking and laughter during the breaks, it was easy to be foul-tempered when the small joys of life were missing. Even though they didn’t need food and drink, they all missed sitting down to meals. Though they didn’t need to sleep, being unable to find comfort in dreams was taxing.

As the first days faded into weeks and the weeks faded into a month, Denman lobbied Chief Defender Omondi for more down time for the sake of the squad’s emotional well-being, but Omondi replied that the SWD had declined. They were on a tight schedule and the SWD was closely watching their progress.

It was hard to still feel human at the end of the first month. The squad could finally see their progress as they made their way through the valley. Each night the bonfires smoldered as they dragged the dead to the flames. As the bodies were cleared away, the ramshackle remains of the old settlements became visible. Old sealed subway stations were cleared of debris, listing fences were knocked down and used for kindling, pre-fab houses lay in broken ruins among the growing weeds. Little by little, the cleared areas began to sprout grass and weeds. Any bushes that had survived being trampled began to grow leaves. When the rain came, the ground was muddy and difficult to traverse, but the next day the valley was a little greener, a little more alive.

Some days were easier than others.



* * *



One day they had tallied up their kills and tried to figure out what nice additions they could add to their future home. There had been a lot of laughter and gentle ribbing as each person shared their dreams. Holm’s desire for a cloned horse was met with some surprise, while Jameson’s desire for a hot tub in bright red was to be expected.

“What about you, Vanguard Martinez?” Mikado asked.

Maria smiled at the thought of her and Dwayne sipping beers while staring out at the lake from their new home. “A nice porch that overlooks the lake. I’d like hanging plants, too. Maybe a nice barbecue pit to cook something other than soy protein.”

“I cannot wait for them to start cloning livestock again!” McKinney said with a feral grin. “Damn, I want a steak so bad.”

“You don’t know what a steak tastes like,” Cruz reminded him.

“It looks so good in all the vids. It has to taste good,” McKinney responded.

“It’ll be a few years before there will be enough livestock for actual meat on our tables,” Cormier said in a sober tone. She blew her hair out of her face and sighed.

“I can wait,” McKinney said. “It’ll be worth it.”

“What about you, Denman?” Cruz asked.

“A nice yard. For the kids to run amok,” he answered simply.

“Kids, huh?” Cruz grinned. “I think I want one of those.”

“Want to start practicing?” Jameson asked, leering playfully.

“With you? No. With him,” she said pointing to Mikado, “maybe.”

Mikado grinned at Cruz. Maria sensed the pulse of attraction between them and she missed Dwayne all the more. Jameson’s face clouded with anger as he looked away from the exchange. Maria felt sorry for him, but the young man had been rather testy of late. He seemed more on edge than the others.

“Enough talking. Back to work,” Omondi ordered.

There were groans all around as the squad broke up into teams. There were ten groups and Maria walked behind Denman, Jameson, and Cruz. The Inferi Scourge horde around the city had dissipated around the edges now that there was not a regular human presence on the wall. There were still thousands clamoring against the walls, but the din of their cries was muted now.

Maria slammed the end of her bolt weapon against the head of a Scourge and pulled the trigger. The bolt thrust out, whirled, then the Scourge fell. She barely glanced at its body before advancing on the next one. Denman worked beside her, efficient and silent. Ahead of them Jameson was giving Cruz a hard time. Though he was always joking, Maria sensed there was a bit of venom in his comments.

“This one has a better ass than you do,” Jameson said, slapping the buttocks of a naked Scourge with long blond hair.

“It also has a bigger dick than you,” Cruz grinned.

Maria smirked as Jameson yanked the Scourge around to realize it was a very young man. With a hard shove, Jameson knocked it over and dispatched it.

Cruz’s laughter trailed on the wind.