Beyond The Walls (NOW ON AMAZON!!!)

The Harvest Room

Hadley led the girls to the Compound Pantry, where she'd been just that morning, chatting with Aunt Zee. That felt like a lifetime ago! Hadley entered the code into the electric lock that unlocked the Pantry doors and let them in.

"Elder Zenobia shared the code with you?" Jamila whispered in surprise as they walked into the Compound Pantry warehouse.

Hadley shrugged.

Aunt Zee had shared a lot more than the code to the pantry.

The Harvest Room was in the back corner of the pantry warehouse. Machetes and other harvest equipment were stored there. The machete blades would make for good weapons against the vampire dogs.

Hadley held the door open for Jamila and the others. For a split second, Hadley and Ruq's eyes met as the vampire walked by, too much passing between them in that moment to unpack it all. Hadley looked away and shut the massive door behind them. Before, when they had been fighting the dogs together, Hadley thought there could have been something between her and the vampire. That maybe, after they'd saved each other's lives more than once, they could find common ground and even try to be friendly. Hadley no longer entertained the thought. The second Ruqwik ceased to be useful was the second Hadley would make certain the vampire lost her head for good this time.

"Jamila," Hadley called out. Her best friend turned to look at her. "Get everyone who can wield one a harvest machete and protective gear."

Jamila nodded. Hadley didn't know what would happen with the Compound when this was over, but she didn't dwell on it. She just knew it had to be over. They had to kill the dogs. Whatever came after would be dealt with then.

"What about the children?" Jamila asked, turning to the group of younger girls, hurdled together in fear in the middle of the room. There were four children – three four-year olds and one of the six year olds who'd been at the herb garden when the creatures had attacked.

"I'll get them settled in, hidden." said Hadley.

She winced as she walked towards the girls. The adrenaline was wearing off and she could feel every ache and pain she'd been collecting all day. But it wasn't just the aches and pains that wracked her body. Her mind was torture too. Haunting thoughts played back in her mind. She'd hesitated with the lighter, knowing full well that sunset meant the UV lights would go off. The sound of her still-ringing ears was being replaced by memories of bloodcurdling screams. All her mistakes leading to this point mercilessly taunted her.

What was her mother going to say about all this?

'You made your bed, now lay in it!'

She would call Hadley out on all her mistakes, never letting her hear the end of it! Hadley was well aware that actions had consequences and she didn't balk at the inevitability of facing them, but she wished that, as an Educator, her mother didn't always use her failures as an example for others of what not to do. This personal, deprecating lesson on selfishness and self-destruction and would be preached to every student in the Compound for years to come.

Hadley sighed.

She'd deal with that later.

Right now, she had to focus on how to save the Compound from the danger she had brought into it.

Hadley turned to where Ruqwik was leaning against a shelf. The vampire's arms were folded across her chest, keenly watching Hadley and the young ones. Her clothes were mostly burnt off from the explosion, leaving most of her torso and legs bare. Hadley hated herself for admiring how the vampire's body was toned, her breasts full and her stomach flatter than the ground she was standing on. Perfection where everything else was chaotic imperfection. She turned away from the vampire and back to the children, making sure that they were calm and settled. However, despite trying to ignore it, there was only one thought taking up the real estate of her mind.