Page 4 of Demon Shock

When I knew Will was getting close, I waved to Zach and Bram and ran down the hill.

I reached the trees alongside the group as Will’s vehicle approached.

“Get ready,” the one wearing the dress said in a deep voice. “Don’t shoot until we know where the supplies are.”

I sighed at hearing the confirmation that they had weapons. Too many humans were like that now. Angry. Demanding. More concerned about taking than contributing.

Will cut the engine and threw the keys on the dash. Then he got out of the vehicle and raised his hands up, palms out.

He insisted we give each group a chance to prove their worth. I understood why—there were so few humans left—but I also hated that Will, a good man, risked his life to test the worthiness of others.

“My name’s Will,” he said. “Who did I speak with on the radio?”

“Me,” a man said. “Adree. What did you bring?”

Will smiled. “Help if you want it. We have a community farther south. Greenhouses. Self-sufficiency. Cows. Chickens. Hell, they even found some goats. Not sure what we’ll do with those yet, but they’re pretty entertaining to watch.”

A few of the men exchanged glances.

“So you didn’t bring supplies,” Adree said.

“We’ve found that traveling with handouts only gets us robbed,” Will said.

One man swore and reached behind him for the weapon he hid there.

In a blur, I sprinted into their midst, disarming and knocking them out with a light tap to their heads until only the person in the dress remained standing. Although I’d taken his weapon, I hesitated to make him sleep like the others. Mom said that women could grow facial hair, but she’d said it usually was very light. My gaze dipped to his-her chest. Not all females had discernible breasts.

“You’re going to need to get undressed,” Will said, standing beside me as I stared at the person.

“Why?”

“Because you’re confusing him,” Will said. “He needs to know if you’re actually a woman.”

He-she glanced at me. I could see the revulsion and fear but also the anger and hate. Emotions I often saw when both males and females looked at me.

“What the fuck is he?” the person asked.

“He’s one of the guys who helped kill most of the infected a few weeks ago. Might want to be nice and listen.”

The man stripped, and I knocked him unconscious once I saw his penis.

“Sorry he wasn’t a she,” Will said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Maybe this group has a bigger home base like we do. But even if these guys don’t have some single ladies tucked away somewhere, I’m sure we’ll find one eventually.”

He moved off and started tying up the unconscious men. I lifted the naked one and tugged his dress over his head before tying his hands and tossing him back into the vehicle so he wouldn’t get cold.

When I faced Will, he had one man propped up and was tapping his face as our second vehicle came rumbling along the road.

“Time to wake up, sunshine,” Will said.

When the man didn’t respond, Will reached into his pocket for one of the vials that smelled so bad it woke unconscious humans. The man coughed as he came to.

“There you are,” Will said.

The man’s dazed gaze drifted to me. His eyes went wide, and he screamed at the same time he tried to climb over Will to get away from me. Will slapped him hard. He claimed it was the best way to shake a person out of their shock. I didn’t think it left a better impression of me.

With my grey skin, pointed ears, and yellow-green eyes, I’d not yet seen a human welcome one of my kind the first time they saw us. My extra height and bulk didn’t make me any less intimidating to new people.

The man froze and stared at Will as he gasped for breath.

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