Page 41 of Nazab

“It’s still early enough for us to visit all of the sites on my list,” Nazab said, checking the height of the sun. He didn’t have a watch, but he always seemed to know what time it was.

“I’m good to go,” Monica said. She ducked inside long enough to put the venison with the rest of her supplies, then they headed to the truck. This time, they climbed inside without being attacked by wild animals. Monica used the map to direct Nazab to the first location. They didn’t see a single living soul along the way, but spotted skeletons inside vehicles that had crashed.

“I wonder how many lives were lost when people were raptured from their vehicles,” Nazab said as he drove around the wreckage of the second accident along their route.

“Probably lots,” Monica figured. “I bet the freeways and highways are riddled with them. Someone was always driving around even at midnight back before the Rapture.”

Now, the roads were empty and were beginning to deteriorate. In a few more years, they would become impassable. Everything would eventually break down without constant maintenance, signaling the end of civilization as she’d known it.

Chapter Thirty

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PROUD THAT HE’D BEEN able to provide fresh food for his female, Nazab could still smell faint traces of blood beneath his fingernails. He’d made a mess when he’d butchered the doe. At least he hadn’t ruined his clothes or shoes. The warrior had been skeptical that the venison would be edible until his cambion tasted it. Her lack of enthusiasm had changed as soon as she’d had her first bite. He figured not eating meat for almost a year had made it more palatable. Kissing her to taste the meat had been impulsive and had affected them both equally. Their mutual desire was growing stronger with each day that passed.

“You need to turn right ahead,” Monica instructed him.

Having his cambion beside him gave him more contentment than he’d ever experienced before. Nazab and his brothers had lived to do battle in the past. Fighting had been the sole reason for their entire existence. This time, it seemed they were being given someone precious to protect and cherish. Keeping his female safe had become paramount now. While he would still give his life to protect his commander and brothers, Monica Yamil was at the top of his list.

Part of keeping his cambion safe was to train her how to use a gun. Even with just a few hours of practice, she was already improving. Two rifles were on the back seat, just in case they ran into trouble. He would take one with him and leave the other one with Monica each time he scouted a location.

“The shooting club is only a mile away now,” Monica told him. “We might be able to stock up on ammo there.”

“My thoughts exactly,” the knight agreed. “That’s the main reason why I chose this place first.”

He drove a bit further, then pulled off the highway onto a smaller road. The grass was long enough to partially hide the truck, but he parked beneath some trees. The shadows would help camouflage it from a distance. “The rifle is loaded,” he said as he reached to the back seat and handed it to her.

“I’ll try not to shoot myself while you’re gone,” his female said solemnly, then snickered.

“May I have a kiss for luck?” he requested. This was the only time they allowed themselves to explore the passion they shared.

Monica leaned towards him and they came together. Nazab wanted to show his cambion exactly how he felt about her, but he kept his kiss almost chaste. He was determined to pace himself and they had almost two months left to wait yet.

“Be careful,” Monica said when she broke off their kiss.

“I will,” he promised, then exited from the truck. His mind was still spinning a bit as he raced to the shooting club. “Damn it,” he muttered when he came to a stop beneath trees that bordered the property. The door was hanging on its hinges and a skeleton lay in the entrance. Someone had already raided the place, but he felt compelled to check it anyway.

No one was lurking inside when he scanned the large building with his senses. Nazab entered through the broken front door and searched the place. Metal lockers had been broken into and the contents were gone. He lucked out and found a few boxes of ammunition in the office. It wasn’t the stockpile he’d hoped for, though. Whoever had searched the place hadn’t thought of looking on the top of a tall bookcase.

“How did you go?” Monica asked when he returned to the truck.

“Someone has already cleaned it out,” he reported. “I scored a few boxes of ammo, so it wasn’t a complete bust.”

He opened the door she’d just unlocked and handed her the boxes. She put them in the glovebox, then he headed to the next location.

By late afternoon, they’d searched four sites on the map. “This will be the last one,” Nazab decided as Monica stopped the truck. She’d taken over driving after the third location.

“Hurry back,” she said. “I’m dying for some coffee, even if I have to heat water over the firepit.”

Nazab chuckled at her cranky expression, glad he wasn’t addicted to anything. He raced to the large property that had a huge barn. It had been converted into a showroom for farm equipment. The nearby house had been added to over the decades and was easily large enough for twenty knights.

“They’re not here,” the warrior said in disappointment when he sensed a dozen humans. Their souls were gray, so at least they weren’t evil. One stood out from the others. The person’s soul was far darker and was bordering on turning black.

Nazab returned to the truck with a frown. “What’s wrong?” Monica asked when he came around to her window.

“I need your opinion,” he said, then told her about the humans. “I had the sense that the person with the dark gray soul could snap at any moment.”

“If they do, they’ll probably end up murdering someone,” Monica figured unhappily. “Can you use mind control on them to prevent them from snapping?”