Chapter Thirty-Two
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ONCE AGAIN, NAZAB MOVED them to a different base the next morning. They were crisscrossing the state, moving ever northward. “This place has running water,” he told Monica when he returned to the truck. “I saw a generator and spare fuel in the garage.”
Monica’s eyes lit up at that news. “We can have hot showers tonight!” she said in delight. “I can wash our clothes in a washing machine instead of by hand, too. Not to mention heat some food up on the stove top.”
The knight’s heart swelled with pride that he could make his female happy. Monica wasn’t the type of woman who needed to be coddled. Small things brought her joy. To her, this was a big deal. For one day, she would get to have some normalcy again.
Nazab used the generator to power the washing machine. Monica practiced shooting her rifle while they waited for the cycle to finish, then they hung their clothes on an outside line.
“No one seems to be living within earshot,” the warrior said as he peered around to see if anyone had been drawn to the noise of target shooting.
“I’m glad the washing line is behind the house,” Monica said. “It would be a dead giveaway that someone’s staying here if travelers could see it from the road.”
Nazab had found a watch inside when he’d searched the house and it just fit on his thick wrist. “We should head out,” he said. Relying on the sun only worked when it wasn’t shrouded by clouds. It was sunny at the moment, but he could see a storm far in the distance.
Monica reloaded her rifle, then she took the wheel. Their guns were within easy reach on the back seat. The ham radio played static as she drove to the first location. It was empty, so Nazab directed her to the next one.
“We’ll need to skirt around a town,” the knight said as he consulted the map. “People will probably be living there and we’d best avoid them.”
“Agreed,” his female said, then followed his directions.
Nazab could see rooftops as they approached the town. “Turn right,” he requested. “We can follow a series of back roads and keep our distance from the town.”
Monica turned right, then left as he guided her away from the settlement. They both flinched when a loud bang came from the distance. The back tire popped and Monica floored it. She zoomed over to some trees ahead and stopped. “Someone just shot our tire!” she exclaimed angrily.
“We need to stay undercover or the sniper will take us out,” Nazab said grimly. They climbed out and inspected the tire. It was beyond repair, not that they had anything to repair it with. “We’re going to need to find a new tire,” he said with a frown at the delay.
“I can hear vehicles heading this way,” Monica said, cocking her head to the side.
So could the warrior. “We’ll hide in the trees and wait until they’re close enough for you to use your power on them to weaken them,” he said. “I’ll take them down, then we can either change the tire, or take one of their vehicles.”
“I’ll need to expel the extra energy I’ll be stealing from them,” Monica said. “It isn’t good for me if I hold onto it for too long without using it.”
“What happens if you don’t use it, female?” he asked.
“I don’t sleep,” she said wryly. “I’ll explain more later.”
She was right, this wasn’t the time for that conversation.
Two pickup trucks were zooming towards them.
They hid behind the trees, holding their guns ready.
Nazab peered through the foliage to see grim-faced men leaning out of the windows.
They opened fire on the truck as soon as they came to a stop.
Monica winced and slung her rifle over her shoulder to cover her ears. Nazab felt her magic rise, then it whooshed towards their foes. The gunfire cut off as the black-souled marauders grew weak.
“What’s happening?” one of the men asked, voice slurring like he was half-asleep.
Their guns dropped from their hands as they slumped in their seats. “I took too much,” Monica said in a strained voice.
“We’ll find someone for you to share it with,” Nazab vowed. First, he needed to take care of the threat. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, then strode over to the lead vehicle.
Their ride was ruined, but their attackers’ vehicles were fine. Nazab opened the doors and dragged the bandits out. He used his sword to kill the four men silently, then repeated the act with the second truck of four males.
“I bet there’s more of them in town,” Monica said. She was so full of energy she couldn’t stand still. “They might have some captives I can infuse the energy with,” she added in a hopeful tone.
“I can’t hear any more vehicles coming this way,” Nazab said. “I can sprint across the fields rather than driving. The sniper won’t be able to spot us if I move fast enough.”
Monica nodded and he swung her into his arms. He felt her give him a tiny amount of extra power and his speed increased.
Spotting the sniper in the church steeple, Nazab raced towards the back yard of an unoccupied house.
He put his female down, then scanned the whole town.
His senses had been enhanced enough to make it effortless.
“I can sense thirty-one people with black souls,” he reported.
“There are twenty-four humans with gray souls. They’re all clustered in the same building in the center of town. ”
“Can you draw the bandits to the same spot so I can siphon their energy?” Monica asked.
“You’ve already taken too much,” he reminded her.
“I know, but I can sense how weak the captives are,” she said with a grimace. Apparently, her senses were even stronger than his right now. “They’re going to need a boost. I’ll just take enough energy to slow the bad guys down.”
Nazab nodded in reluctant agreement. “I’ll draw them towards the building where the captives are being held, but I need to take the sniper down first.”
“I’ll move closer to the prisoners,” Monica said. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of sight.”
He hated to leave his female vulnerable, but the warrior knew how determined she was.
Racing towards the church, the knight didn’t bother to enter the building and use the stairs.
Instead, he leaped up and grabbed hold of the roof and heaved himself onto it.
He scaled the steeple before the human even knew he was in peril.
Snapping the sniper’s neck, Nazab climbed back to the ground and took off.
He fired his rifle into the air to gain the bandits’ attention, then shot two men who exited from a house.
Shouting a challenge in a long-lost language from a bygone era, the Knight of Order drew the humans towards the town hall.
Monica was waiting in an empty store across the street.
Her magic rose and hovered in the air, then settled on the marauders.
The males and females staggered drunkenly, unable to aim at their target when their energy was siphoned from them.
Nazab’s mind control had also been enhanced.
He enthralled the mob and kept them still as he entered the town hall.
Monica stayed out of sight as he went from room to room, unlocking the bolts that had been installed on the doors.
Bars had been added to the windows from the outside to imprison the townsfolk.
“Who are you?” a starving, badly beaten male asked fearfully as the survivors shambled out into the hall.
“I’m just someone passing through,” Nazab said.
His mind control sank into them and they became enthralled as well.
“Take the weapons from your captors and cut them down,” he ordered.
“Then gather all the supplies you can find. Drive to a town that’s safe.
They’ll take you in as long as you have your own food.
” He gave them directions, then sent them outside.
Monica’s magic went to work again and she expelled the energy that suffused her. It sank into the survivors, reviving them enough to follow Nazab’s orders. With screams and shouts of victory, the prisoners stripped the weapons from the bandits and slaughtered them all.
Nazab loped across the street to find Monica smiling widely. He leaned down and she went up onto her toes to kiss him. Her hand came to rest on his bearded cheek. “Thank you for your assistance, my beautiful female,” he said. “It was pleasant not to be shot in the back this time.”
Monica laughed huskily, which instantly made him hard, although their kiss had already sparked his desire. “I’m getting better at wielding my talents,” she said proudly.
They were both back to normal now, which was a relief. “Tell me about the first time you used this skill,” he requested after he’d carried her back to their ruined truck.
“I’d just reached puberty and a boy was bullying me at school,” she said.
“He shoved me against a wall and I tried to push him away. The next thing I knew, I was pulling his energy out of him. It was only a bit, but it shocked him into letting me go. I felt invincible and I punched him in the nose. He left me alone after that, but I had no idea what I’d done.
I didn’t sleep for three nights until it finally wore off. ”
“Everyone needs to sleep or they pay the price eventually,” he said, now aware of how dangerous it could be for his female if she assimilated too much power. “Which truck should we take?” he asked.
“The black one,” Monica decided. “It’ll be easier to hide behind trees than the white one.”
They transferred their belongings to the vehicle, which had a full tank of gas. The ham radio had survived the onslaught of bullets. It continued to play static as they headed to their next location.