Page 44 of Terror

“Joy-us Days coffee shop.”

Though I wonder what kind of stupid chooses a place in the Stronghold where an army of Collectors guard the walls, the irony of the meeting place Travis suggests doesn’t escape me. The coffee shop sits on a nice pedestrian square right across the street from the parking lot where a man he sent stabbed my Omega. I smile, anticipating ripping this man’s guts out.

“I’m on my way.” I hang up the phone, eyes on Dreikx, who’s tapping his com unit and speaking in Telean to his crew.

“Nothing,” he says.

“Fuck.”

“I’m curious how he’s bypassing my sensors.”

I walk back into the kitchen, where my aunt sits where I left her. I plop my ass down next to her.

“I like her house. Simple and warm. Not a lot of places to hide. Once an intruder enters, he’s in the open, ripe for the taking.” she says. “The panic room is sturdy. Roof needs repairs, though.”

Dreikx leans against the stove. “Naturally, you will not leave to meet this man.”

I shake my head. Unfortunately, I won’t. Oh, but I fight the urge.

Dreikx claps. “You are not letting your impulses make your decisions for you. Your father would’ve already been at the shop, waiting.”

I smile. “Yes, he would.”

“I’m not following,” my aunt says.

“He’s drawing me out of the house,” I tell her, “so he can come in for the kill. The Collectors are still collecting. We have minimal security next door, not to mention guarding the Stronghold, the safe houses, and maintaining a wide Silence perimeter.”

“How far away is the Horde right now?” my aunt asks. Mission accomplished, the Horde is returning.

Dreikx purses his lips. “A few days out.”

“My brother?” I ask.

“A day or two at most.”

“We have to hold until then,” I say.

Dreikx fiddles with his com unit. “My crew is ready to engage any air traffic.”

Air traffic has been suspended and the ground traffic minimized. People travel on foot or ride bikes or wait for the four-hour tech window that’s been disrupted today. “Damn. The laundry.” I grab the basket and descend the steps, then load up the washer. On my way back, I pause at the wide black door to the panic room. It needs a password. “Dreikx,” I shout. “Can you override this thing?”

“Which thing?” He stands at the top of the stairs, then comes down and pokes the door with a claw. “I hate it when you yell as if I’m in a village across the mountain herding my pous.” He glances at the digital display and digs into his pocket. Out comes another tiny white sticker, which he places on the control panel. The unit lights up green, and Dreikx presses a few numbers. It beeps, and voilà, the door clicks.

I push the heavy door and enter the room.

Blank holographic monitors hang on one wall. Those project the camera feeds around the house and the entry points of the home, though there are more entry points than doors. I consider the windows, and this entire fucking house makes me feel like it’s made of glass. My aunt has a point, but I still dislike the open space.

The room contains a sofa bed, a coffee table, and a small pantry that I open and check inside. Canned goods and dry food. Oh, beef jerky. I get a bag. “I love this stuff.” Tearing the seal, I lick my lips. I get a big piece and pop it in my mouth, then offer Dreikx one, which he accepts. We chew, staring at the monitors. Dreikx commands the hologram.

Over twelve screens, the property comes into view. Dreikx asks for a news station on one screen. They’re showing Alphas working on strapping Betaren people onto the power poles. Below the poles, people gather and cheer. I sit on the sofa and munch on beef jerky. Dreikx joins me and grabs another strip. “This is excellent. What is it?”

“Beef jerky with honey. Low in sodium.”

The news cameras zoom in on Sotay. Judging by the street name I read behind him, he’s on the other side of town climbing a pole, one hand holding a human man’s hand. He hauls him up, and one of his Guardians climbs up to help him strap the man on. Sotay slides down and lifts his thumb, a big smile on his face.

“We’ve scooped up and delivered almost an entire birthday list.”

“Well done, Dreikx.”

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