Manning the machine gun was what appeared to be a ten-year-old boy and he was being helped by a young girl of about the same age.

  "What the hell are you shooting at?" I yelled as I looked through a peephole. I couldn't see anything, but tracers from the guns going down range.

  The boy had a look of terror in his eyes as he looked up at me.

  "Someone saw something moving out there."

  "Someone?"

  The gun above us was still firing and I turned to Michelle and told her to get up there and tell them to stop. She climbed the scaffolding like she had been doing it all her life and within seconds, the gun stopped firing and quiet was restored.

  "What the hell are you doing up there?"

  I turned and looked down to see Simon staring up at me with fire in his eyes. Calvin was standing right behind him and I couldn’t help, but notice his hand resting on his pistol.

  I turned and yelled up, "Michelle."

  "Yeah?"

  "Stay up there and keep a watch outside. Send that gun crew down to the ground right now."

  I could hear Simon yelling, "You can’t do that! We need them on the wall!"

  I turned and looked at the two kids next to me and said, "Down, now."

  They didn’t waste any time in heading for the ground and before I started down behind them, I looked over and saw Mike was clearing those crews from his side of the gate, too. The crew from above climbed down past me and they were a couple of girls, maybe twelve-years-old, at most.

  When we all reached the ground and Mike brought his group of youngsters over, I just shook my head.

  Simon came storming up and yelled, "I asked you what the hell are you doing?"

  It took every ounce of energy I possessed to keep from knocking him flat on his ass.

  "What the hell are these kids doing manning these machine guns?" I yelled back.

  I could see the veins in his neck pumping wildly as his face got beet red. If he wasn’t a full six inches shorter than me and about twenty years older, he probably would have taken a swing at me.

  A group of adults started crowding around our little group and Randy stepped through them and stopped next to me. The kids from the gun crews all crowded together, off to the side and Mike moved to where he was standing about two steps behind Calvin.

  "This is how we do things here. The kids have every bit as much responsibility for defending these caverns as the adults do."

  "I don’t see any adults on the guns! Where are they?"

  One of the ladies behind Simon spoke up, "He puts the children up there because he thinks they’re more expendable."

  Simon turned and looked at her and told her to shut her mouth or there would be consequences.

  I could see Deb and Ariel coming up to the back of the group and knew they were now armed. The last thing I wanted was a full-blown fire fight here at the gate, but this had to end right now.

  "These kids will no longer be used in this manner," I said as clearly as I could.

  I turned and looked at the kids and said, "Go to your parents right now."

  "Some of us don’t have parents," said the little girl from the platform I had climbed.

  I could feel the wind get sucked out of me as I looked into her fearful, blue eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder and patted it.

  "Okay, those of you who do have parents, go to them right now. The rest of you just stay right here."

  About half the group moved past Simon and into the arms of their mothers and fathers. I looked at Simon and could tell he was getting ready to explode and I decided it was best to have it done and over with right then.

  "You don’t have the authority to do this!" he screeched at me.

  He stepped up in front of me and was looking up at me. I could see the white foam of spit on the corners of his mouth and knew he was seriously unhinged. I glanced at Calvin, who hadn’t drawn his weapon, but his fingers were firmly around the grip. And Mike was about one step closer to him.

  "Your authority ends tonight," I said in a calm, cool voice.

  With those words, Calvin pulled his pistol and started to bring it up. It didn’t get past his waist. Mike kicked him in the back of one knee and he went down hard. In the same instant, Mike grabbed Calvin’s gun hand and twisted the pistol to the side and locked it against his finger that was now bent backwards. I could hear the finger snap and Calvin screamed like a little girl.

  Mike leaned down and growled into Calvin’s ear, "Michelle isn’t going to want to have anything to do with a bitch that screams like that."

  "You broke my finger, asshole!"

  "Yeah? You’re lucky I don’t break your neck."

  I turned to Randy and asked, "Are all the weapons in these caverns kept in one place?"

  "Yes, they are locked up in two sections down at the other end of A tunnel."

  "And the keys?"

  He looked right at Simon, who tried to back away from me. I reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him back.

  "I will only say this once. Give me the keys."

  All the fire had gone out of Simon’s eyes and the only thing I could see now was pure fear. He struggled to get his hand into his pants pocket and he pulled out a ring of about twenty keys and handed them to me.

  I yelled up, "Michelle, can I trust your uncle?"

  I saw Randy’s eyebrows go up, but they came back down when she yelled back down, "More than any man I know, sir."

  I handed him the ring of keys and said, "You’re in charge of the weapons vault. Change the locks down there and make sure it’s secure."

  He nodded as he took the keys and put them in his pocket.

  Mike had disarmed Calvin and pulled him to his feet and pushed him forward. He was holding his broken hand and there were tears streaming down his face.

  "Really, Calvin," called down Michelle, "Crying?" I could almost hear the glee in her voice.

  I wanted to laugh, but I yelled up at her, "Hey, no gloating, young lady. Aren’t you supposed to be watching the entrance to the caverns?"

  "Sorry, sir! I’m on it!"

  I released my hold on Simon’s shirt and he stepped away from me. I looked around at the group that was gathered around us.

  "How many of you voted for Simon to be in charge?"

  Simon whipped around and looked, hoping to frighten them into raising their hands. He was sorely disappointed to see not one hand go up.

  One of the ladies said, "He and Calvin scurried into the caverns as soon as the attacks came. When the rest of us started showing up here, they wouldn’t let us in unless we pledged allegiance to them."

  A man spoke up from the back, "One family was taken by the demons from right out front, because they hesitated and didn’t get inside in time."

  I looked at Simon and asked, "You just let them die?"

  "I run this place!"

  "Not anymore."

  I looked back at the group and said, "Over the next couple of days, you’re going to need to choose someone to be in charge. Someone you trust."

  The same guy in the back said, "I don’t need a couple of days, sir. I’d like for you to be in charge."

  I could see almost every head in the group nod in agreement.

  "Hold on folks, you don’t even know me."

  A teenage boy spoke up, "Weren’t you the commander of the International Space Station?"

  I smiled at him and said, "Yes, I was, but we didn’t have demons running around on the station. Well, Mike there was the closest thing we had to a demon, but we liked him and kept him around."

  He laughed and said, "Thanks, boss."

  The man at the back spoke up again, "I think I know everything I need to know about you, sir. I'd be happy if you took over the leadership of this place."

  It took less than five seconds for the rest of the group to agree with him and I was now in charge of over a hundred lives, with demons prowling around our front door.

  One of the mothers in the group whispered, "Kaylee, come here," as she motioned to one of the orphans.

  I looked down at Kaylee and she was apprehensive. I looked back at the mother.

  "They don’t need to sleep here at the gates anymore, do they, sir?" she asked. "We have room for one and I’m sure we can find room for the others."

  I turned and looked at the scaffolding and saw sleeping bags and other items that told me the kids had been forced to spend all their time at the gates.

  I turned and looked at Simon.

  "Really? You forced them to sleep up here? And I thought all the demons were on the outside."

  I walked over and patted Kaylee on the shoulder and said it was okay if she wanted to go with the woman and she bolted into her arms. Within seconds, the other orphans were offered places with the other families and that was taken care of.

  I looked at Randy and asked, "Is there some place secure we can put these two until we decide what to do with them?"

  "Oh, we have just the place."

  I turned back to the crowd and said, "Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, we’ll have a town hall, so to speak. I want to talk to all of you and I’m sure you have some questions to ask me."

  Then I asked for a few volunteers to man the gates until we could set up a manageable system for doing it. I actually had to turn men and women away because there were plenty that wanted to replace the children.

  After getting them squared away, I turned to Randy and said, "Lead the way."

  Mike grabbed Calvin by the back of his collar and I pushed Simon out in front of us and we followed Randy to the main tunnel. I glanced over my shoulder once and saw Michelle watching Calvin get led away and she looked like she wanted to do the happy dance. I pointed my finger at her and waggled it and she stopped, but no amount of waggling was going to wipe that grin off her face.

  We came to a section with a sturdy steel door and Randy unlocked and opened it.

  "Dean. Steve. Come on out, guys."

  Out of the darkness of the room walked a couple of young men. They looked like they were in their early twenties and both looked like middle linebackers for the local college team.

  "Really!" I said, looking at Simon. Looking back at them I asked, "What are you two in for?"

  They both looked at me, not sure who I was or whether I could be trusted.

  Randy spoke up and said, "These are the Winfield brothers. They have a penchant for sneaking out at night and doing guerrilla raids on the demons. Simon didn’t like that and had them locked up here for the last week."

  "Demon raids, huh?" I asked. "Any successes?"

  "We’ve killed 38 demons between us," said the blond-haired one.

  "Thirty-eight? Over what time period?"

  "Four nights," said the other brother.

  "My kinda guys," said Mike.

  After my mouth dropped open, I turned and looked at Simon.

  "And you locked them up? You should have been throwing them a party!"

  "They could have led the demons right back here!"

  I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the cell. He was followed quickly by Calvin.

  "You two are a thorn in my side and you will stay in here until we decide what to do with you."

  I heard some footsteps walking up behind me and turned to see Ariel walking up with an old man.

  "This is Dr. Sills," she said. "We’re here to see to Calvin’s hand."

  "I keep telling this beautiful, young lady, I am a veterinarian," he said. "I work on animals, not people."

  I turned and yelled into the dark cell, "Calvin, get out here!"

  He came back into the light and stepped out of the cell.

  "Here is your animal, doc," I said. "See what you can do for his hand."

  They had Calvin sit down on an upturned bucket and worked on setting his hand. Mike made sure to stand right in front of him, with the pistol in his hand, leaving no question that Calvin should just sit there and let them work without trying anything stupid.

  While they worked, the doctor hummed a happy little tune. Then he looked Calvin right in the eyes.

  "Karma’s a bitch, ain’t she?"

  As they worked on him, I left Mike in charge as Randy and I went to the weapons vaults and was amazed at what I saw. It looked like the complete inventory of a National Guard armory. There were more large bore machine guns, lots of racks of M-16s, some anti-tank rocket launchers and more. There was enough ammunition to last for years if we needed to.

  The one thing that put a smile on my face was the crates of Claymore mines we found. For front line security, there was nothing better.

  He also showed me a locked vault next door that contained enough combat rations to keep us fed for years to come.

  "So, what are some of the things I should take care of as leader here?"

  He looked at me and said, "Well, the first thing I would do is tell everyone that they don’t have to sleep ten people to a section anymore. There is plenty of empty space that we can spread out and be a little more comfortable."

  "Why didn’t they allow that to begin with?"

  "Keep the masses huddled and it makes them easier to control. At least that’s what they thought."

  "You crowd people in like that," I said, "and it makes it easier for them to plan an insurrection."

  "There was one in the planning stages, Trev. You can’t imagine how happy we are that you came along."

  10

  Over the next couple of days, I oversaw the rearranging of the population into better quarters. Beds were moved and walls were built in sections that allowed people to have more privacy. Families were able to have places of their own and not have to share them with others.

  After everyone had got themselves settled, we still had only used about ten percent of the empty space in the caverns. Michelle and Randy moved into the empty section across from Deb and I. We were all quite thankful for the thick, earthen walls every night because Mike and Ariel were still acting like a couple on a honeymoon.

  Mike took over the training and manning of the gate security. At first, I said that we needed volunteers to man the machine guns and the minimum age would be eighteen years old. After getting the evil eye from Michelle, I changed that to sixteen, but only with a parent or guardian's approval. Randy knew better than to deny her that.

  After asking for those volunteers, we had a couple dozen people that were willing to help defend the gate. The rest of the people were going to be needed in other positions so that everyday life could go on with as little stress as possible.

  Mike, Randy and Michelle worked on some installations just outside the gate. Built out of rocks and thick mud, they created some emplacements for the Claymore mines, to be used as a last resort if the gate was going to get swarmed.

  I prayed that they would never be used.

  Ariel set up an infirmary and began having people come through, especially the children, so she could get an idea of the health of the colony. Other than a couple of colds and one case of advanced arthritis, the population was in remarkable health.

  Dr. Sills turned out to be more than an old, country veterinarian. Though his training was with animals, working next to Ariel, she got him whipped into shape and he became her assistant. I think he was open to the idea because she was such a beautiful woman.

  I asked Mike to be my main security guy and I wanted Randy to be my second in command. Mike knew that was the smart move because it would put one of the original survivors in a position of authority in the caverns. Working next to Randy we all came to know he was everything Michelle said he was and the rest of the colony trusted him.

  So, that's how it went for the first couple of days. And surprisingly to me, there were no demon attacks. Which actually had me wondering what they were up to.

  On the third day since our arrival, Mike, Randy and I were sitting in the dining hall, going over plans for what needed to be done to make the caverns even more comfortable for the residents.

  Mike had found himself a new toy in the armory. A Mossberg shotgun with a very short barrel. So, besides the 9mm pistol he carried on his hip, courtesy of Calvin and the two combat knives stuck in sheaths at the tops of his boots, he had the ultimate weapon for in close shooting.

  He was looking very comfortable in his military uniform he had found in the combat food storage unit. He looked like he had been born in it.

  I almost had to laugh the first time I saw the Winfield brothers come around a corner and they were dressed exactly the same way Mike was. He wasn’t kidding when he said they were his kind of guys. He took to teaching them everything he knew from his Special Forces days and they picked up on it very quickly.

  As we sat at the table, Randy was just getting started with a plan to be able to have hot showers when he was interrupted by the sound of a couple of machine guns going off.

  We were out the door and running full speed toward the gate and we could hear the guns being fired just like Mike had taught them. Short bursts of no more than a half a dozen rounds to keep the barrels from overheating.

  I went left and Mike went right and we both started climbing the scaffolding to the first level. One thing I noticed was Randy always stayed on the ground when we would climb the scaffolding.

  When I reached the first gun, I saw a couple of young men manning that gun, but they weren’t firing. Just traversing the barrel back and forth across the cavern entrance.

  I continued climbing and reached the second level and stepped behind Michelle and another young woman. The barrel of their gun was smoking slightly and I looked across to the other side and saw the upper gun was also smoking over there.

  "What do you have, Michelle?"

  She stepped to the side slightly and pointed through the view hole.

  "Right there, about a hundred yards out, near where the road out of here goes to the left."

  She handed me a set of binoculars and I looked toward where she was pointing. It took a second, but then I found it.

  Laying in a heap on the far side of the road, was what was left of a demon. I could see his clawed hand still wrapped around the blade he carried.

 

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