Page 13 of Warrior

After a break to let Marinah eat and soothe her beast’s hunger for raw meat, we were back on the road.Two hours later, we reached the mid-sized village near my real home.

Marinah hadn’t asked any questions as we drove through miles and miles of farmland, but I knew she was paying attention to the humans she hadn’t known existed.She’d been quiet, her head turning every so often, storing the details of her surroundings in that Federation-trained mind of hers.

I didn’t fool myself into thinking she’d give up her allegiance to her country anytime soon.She didn’t have enough information yet to make that kind of decision.She’d been a Shadow Warrior for days, not years.There was so much she needed to understand about who she was now and what it meant.

But I didn’t doubt her.Once she had all the facts, Marinah would make the right choice.She’d do what was best for her people.

Hernewpeople.

My disagreement with Beck this morning, before Marinah joined us, was about how much to disclose to her.Beck demanded caution, insisting that our secrets be kept from her until we were certain she could be trusted.Labyrinth, serving as our unlikely mediator, abstained from voting, choosing instead to hear what Marinah had to say.

I wasn’t happy about what I considered minor squabbling.Marinah was one of us and deserved to be treated as such.When she put Beck in his place, she showed dominance.It was something the men respected.The most surprising part was that Beck’s beast accepted it too.That alone spoke volumes.

I needed Marinah to dive into our history texts to see if she could find anything about the female Warriors that might help us better manage her unique circumstances.

As we rode through the inlet town known as Cienfuegos, a few people stopped and waved.About five hundred people lived here, including over a hundred Shadow Warriors.Among the humans, there were just over a hundred children, several of whom would become Warriors, though their beasts wouldn’t emerge for years.

The Shadow Warriors lived in different towns across the island, but Cienfuegos was the largest.It was also the most secure, with both underground and aboveground bunkers ready to be used if we were ever attacked by the Federation or a large group of hellhounds.Most of the residences were connected to secure tunnels leading to the main bunker, where we could house and feed everyone within a fifty-mile radius.

When we first arrived, one of our priorities was reinforcing the island’s defenses.We tore apart old railcars made from the island’s abundant iron ore to fortify the bunkers.Securing the island to protect ourselves and the citizens was essential.It was one of the reasons the people here came together and accepted us.Their safety always came first.They worked and remained protected, with a roof over their heads and ample food.After years of living in fear, we became their saviors.

Our bikes rumbled through the streets as we headed toward a narrow lane on the outskirts of town.We turned down a dirt road running along the coast.Here and there, we passed Shadow Warriors standing guard, their sharp eyes scanning for any signs of threat.Every town on the island was manned with Warrior guards, ensuring that no one would take us by surprise.

In the beginning, we gave the citizens of Cuba one chance to flee to the United States.Not a single person took us up on the offer.The people here accepted us, and we accepted them.They adjusted to their new way of life far better than those in the United States did after the first hellhound attacks.

Pre-war, many people in the U.S.lived in luxury.When the power, water, and internet went out, they struggled to adapt.Here in Cuba, the people never had unrestricted internet access, and even the limited access they did have was often beyond their financial means.The government controlled all the news media, which meant the citizens were already accustomed to limited information.That made it easier for them to adjust to the new world order.

The people also helped us.They taught us how to repair the old military and civilian engines scattered across the island.Those older vehicles, free of computer chips, could still run even after electromagnetic pulses hit.There was so much more we learned from them, practical skills that made all the difference.

This line of thought jogged my memory, and I realized I needed to ask Marinah about the electromagnetic pulses happening in the United States.She’d mentioned they were having an impact on Washington, but I needed more details.

Labyrinth turned off the road toward his small villa by the ocean.My home was farther down the lane, a little larger than the homes of my guards.Beck and Nokita peeled off onto their driveways, and I revved the engine to get us up the last hill.

When we stopped, I helped Marinah off the bike.She took a moment to gaze out over the water before turning to look at the house behind us.

“This is your real home?”she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

“Yes,” I said simply.

We walked up the stone path to the steel front door.I reached around her and pushed it open.

“Unlocked?”she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Unlocked,” I confirmed with a small smile.

The entryway was large, tiled, and refreshingly cool compared to the heat outside.I hit a switch by the door, starting the generator.On the island, we relied on wind and solar power.When I was away for extended periods, I disconnected the batteries to let them fully drain, which helped prolong their life.

I walked across the room and opened the large bay window that led to a balcony overlooking the water.

“You live here?”Marinah’s eyes widened as she took in the view.Then she turned to me, her expression perplexed.“It’s like… normal.”

I grinned.“As normal as things can be right now.”

Anger flared in her eyes.“Then what is the Federation doing to take the U.S.back to ‘normal’?”she demanded, using air quotes around the word.

“They’re not,” I replied.“They use fear to keep people in line.It’s a tactic they’ve relied on for years.”

Disbelief flickered across her face, followed by a series of other emotions.She had a lot to learn about her country and its corrupt government.

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