Spirits of the Earth: The Complete Series: (A Post-Apocalyptic Series Box Set: Books 1-3) by Milo Fowler (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“The children...” I manage, my voice thick with remorse. How many more people are going to die because of me? “They’re all that matter.” I set Jamison’s body back against the sofa cushions and close the man’s eyelids. “May I have a word with the sergeant?”

“Of course!” Willard nods to Perch, who prods Bishop forward with the gun muzzle flat against his skull. “This should prove to be quite entertaining.”

“Talk to your little buddy, jarhead,” Perch sneers.

Bishop stands like a statue, eyeing me warily.

“In private,” I clarify.

Perch laughs out loud.

Willard frowns. “No, I don’t think so. Whatever you have to say, I want to hear it. Perhaps it will grant me some insight into the grand scheme you were planning to accomplish here.”

“The children,” I repeat.

“The UW is on their way here,” Bishop says. “But they won’t arrive before Cain’s bunch.”

“Cain?” Willard looks mildly interested.

“You haven’t met him yet,” I reply. “He’s from the coast, and he has a couple dozen well-trained warriors as fast as I am. He’s coming here to take the children from you.”

“Not exactly,” Bishop says. “He…wants them dead.”

“Oh?” Willard glances at Perch.

“First I’ve heard of it,” Perch growls. “Making up this stuff isn’t gonna help you any.”

“You’ll find out for yourselves soon enough,” Bishop returns.

“How do you know?” I ask.

Bishop looks uncomfortable all of a sudden. He lowers his voice. “I had a little help getting here.”

I nod slowly. That explains how he arrived ahead of Luther and Cain’s people. “The spirits?”

“Right.” Bishop bites his lip.

Willard throws his hands into the air. “Could we be more specific, please? Unless you’re both speaking in code, which I will not abide.”

“The spirits of the earth.” The Julia-spirit was right: there is something special about this UW marine. “They brought you here?”

“Yeah. In a…dust devil or something.” Bishop avoids eye contact.

I raise my eyebrows. “That’s new.”

Willard curses. “So the sand freaks have their own religion now? Isn’t the God of the universe good enough for you people?”

“Not the one you believe in,” I reply. “You’ve molded him into your own image.” I sound like Luther. He must be rubbing off on me.

“Move the dogs into position,” Willard orders Perch. “All of them! Now!”

Without a word, Perch holsters the spare semiautomatic and retrieves the remote control. He makes a show of pressing three buttons in sequence. “They’ll hold the perimeter.”

“Now you’re protecting the babies?” I shake my head. Hard to keep up.

“Safeguarding my investment.” Willard stands and starts pacing, stroking his narrow mustache. “My deal with Chancellor Hawthorne will be null and void if there are no fetuses for the UW when they arrive.”

“The UW is right here.” Bishop holds out his hands. “Let’s discuss terms before things get—”

Willard laughs harshly, looking the sergeant up and down in his sweat-stained bodysuit. “I don’t think so. The only reason you’re still alive is to keep Milton in his place.” He casts me a disgusted look. “He seems to think your life’s worth something.”

“Mr. Willard—”

“Captain!” Perch roars.

Bishop doesn’t blink. “Captain Willard, I understand that you’ve been in communication with Chancellor Hawthorne. You have to understand that the people—sand freaks, as you refer to them—on their way here intend to destroy your investment.” He glances at me. “The ones leading the pack, anyway. I don’t know what Milton was planning to do, but allow me to offer a word of advice from one military man to another.”

Yeah right. Willard doesn’t qualify. But Bishop has his attention.

“Go on.”

“You need to lock down this place until the UW arrives, sir. You need to release your men from their quarters and get them ready for battle. Because from what I’ve seen of Cain and his warriors, they are very good at what they do.”

I half-expected Luther and Cain’s people to fight their way into Eden and barricade themselves against the UW troops. But now that Cain appears to be more of a threat than Willard, I find myself rethinking the entire situation. Maybe Bishop’s right.

“What do you have to say?” Willard stares at me.

“The sergeant makes a good point. I’ll have to defer to him on this.”

Perch snickers, but Willard shoots him a look that quiets him down. “For the moment, I would say that keeping those incubation pods in working order is in our combined best interest. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes sir,” Bishop replies in military fashion.

I nod, even as my insides twist in revulsion at the thought of teaming up with Arthur Willard. But Eden has to be protected from the impending onslaught where Luther, Daiyna, Samson, Shechara, and all the others, ignorant of Cain’s ultimate plans, will fight alongside him and his warriors.

Will the spirits aid them? Hinder them? Will Jackson appear as Gaia, soaking up the adoration of Cain and his people, leading them to slaughter at the claws and fangs of Willard’s collared daemons?

It’s all too horrifying to imagine.

“A ceasefire, then.” Willard extends his right hand. “We work together to fortify Eden, and we set aside our disagreements for the time being. After the UW troops arrive, we’ll take another look at where we stand. Agreed?”

I glance from Willard to Bishop, who’s rocking a steely-eyed gaze. Perch grins like a lunatic, enjoying the awkward silence way too much.

“Agreed.” Gun literally to his head, Bishop shakes with Willard.

“Alright.” I’m next to clasp Willard’s clammy hand, and I feel an instant wave of regret wash over me.

“Excellent.” Willard frowns at Perch, who withdraws his gun from Bishop’s skull. “Get these men proper uniforms. If they’re going to protect Eden from the powers of unholy darkness, then they need to look like God-fearing Eden Guardsmen!”

Perch nods. But he seems reluctant to leave. “I’ll inform the men. They should know these two are on our side now.” He winks at me.

I give him the finger.

“Of course,” Willard says. “We wouldn’t want to see our new allies downed by friendly fire, would we?”

Bishop gives me a crisp nod, and I have only a split-second to wonder what it means. Then he spins on one