Page 44 of Nazab

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.”