Protect: A Dystopian Thriller (The Unwelcome Trilogy Book 1), page 1
PROTECT
BOOK ONE OF THE UNWELCOME TRILOGY
R.D. BRADY
SCOTTISH SEOUL PUBLISHING, LLC
BOOKS BY R.D. BRADY
The Belial Series (in order)
The Belial Stone
The Belial Library
The Belial Ring
Recruit: A Belial Series Novella
The Belial Children
The Belial Origins
The Belial Search
The Belial Guard
The Belial Warrior
The Belial Plan
The Belial Witches
The Belial War
The Belial Fall
The Belial Sacrifice
Stand-Alone Books
Runs Deep
Hominid
The A.L.I.V.E. Series
B.E.G.I.N.
A.L.I.V.E.
D.E.A.D.
The Unwelcome Series
Protect
Seek
Proxy
Be sure to sign up for R.D.'s mailing list to be the first to hear when she has a new release!
“The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.”
- Mario Puzo
“God, give me strength each day to fight for my family.”
- Nehemiah 4:14
1
Thirty-Five Years After the Incident
Lyla Richards crouched down, her head tilted to the side as she strained to listen. Her dark brown ponytail swung over her shoulder with the movement. She narrowed her blue eyes. The forest around her had gone silent. But she had heard something this way.
“What is it? What do you hear?” whispered Jamal Nguyen, one of her closest friends and fellow Phoenix as he crouched next to her. At twenty-four, Jamal was one year older than Lyla, but he deferred to her.
Since joining the Phoenixes at age seventeen, Lyla had quickly established herself as a top-rate fighter, hunter, and tracker with almost supernatural skills. She gave him a disgruntled look. “A very loud man talking to me and drowning out any other noise.”
Jamal cringed and shrugged. Sorry, he mouthed.
She shook her head. She and Jamal had been on guard duty at the northern end of the camp for hours. This part of the camp opened out into dense woods. There was thick underbrush and the trees had grown closer together, making it difficult to see anything creeping up on you until it was too late, which was why you needed to listen as well as watch.
It had been quiet. But she’d heard a shuffling noise, which she’d been trying to pinpoint just now. It wasn’t an animal. It was larger, although she supposed it could be a bear. She gestured for Jamal to stay where he was as she crept around the trees to her right, staying low to the ground, using the trees and brush for cover. Her olive-green cloak blended in with the lush woods around her.
She passed through the trees and then paused. There. She turned to her left, crouching low behind a dwarf Alberta spruce.
A huff sounded from ten feet to her left and she recognized the sound—human. She pulled out her staff and moved forward silently, her senses on high alert. She thought there was only one in the immediate vicinity, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a friend or two nearby.
Seconds later, a man stumbled into view only ten feet away. His sweat-stained clothes were shredded and he wore only one shoe. Dirt marked his face, and hair sprung from his head like it was trying to escape. He mumbled to himself as he walked. “Monsters. They’re coming. They’ll get me.” He let out a cry and sank to his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks. “They got Shelly. I’m sorry, Shelly. I’m sorry!” he wailed.
A branch snapped and the man whirled around, nearly losing his balance as he lurched to his feet.
She watched him from her hiding spot, trying to determine the best approach. Was he deranged or sick? Either way, they couldn’t risk bringing him into the camp. I’ll send Jamal for—
“You okay there?” Jamal asked as he stepped into view.
Damn it, Jamal.
The man’s eyes grew big and he let out a shriek as he flew at Jamal. “You have to run. They’ll get you, too. Their ships—the skies are theirs. They’ll kill us all.” The man grabbed Jamal’s shirt with both hands. “You have to go. They’re coming!”
Jamal stumbled back, but the man held on. Lyla burst from her spot. “Let him go.”
But the man didn’t seem to hear her. He pulled a knife from under his shirt. “They came from the sky. They’re monsters. They’ll kill you. You should die before they can.”
“No!” Lyla slammed her staff into the man’s arm and he screamed and dropped the knife. She swung the staff up and snapped it into the back of the man’s head. Jamal caught him as he dropped, lowering him to the ground.
“What the hell was he talking about?” Jamal asked.
Lyla didn’t look at Jamal. She scanned the area around them for anyone who might be with the man. “I don’t know.”
“Should we bring him back to camp?”
Lyla shook her head. “No. Get Simon and Frank. He’s not going anywhere until Simon looks him over.”
Simon Tolliver took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. “It’s rabies. Advanced. He doesn’t have much longer.”
Lyla’s stomach clenched at the pronouncement. Even if he had been in the beginning stages of the infection, rabies was a death sentence. Maybe in the Before they could have done something, but now, now there was no hope.
“Did he say anything else?” Frank Raffe, the head of the camp, stood with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. His deep, commanding voice was that of a man responsible for the lives of nearly two hundred people. White hair and lines in his face were testaments to the seriousness with which he’d taken the job for the last three decades.
“He mumbled something about ships and monsters. I couldn’t really make it out,” Simon said.
“Anything that can be done for him?” Frank asked.
“No. I could give him some meds to make his last few hours comfortable, but we are running low as is.”
“Understood.” Frank looked over at Jamal, who stood guard over the man. They had carried the man into a cave that was a few hundred yards from camp. Now they all stood at the entrance of the cave, the man on a stretcher farther in, a blanket covering him. “Jamal, escort Simon back to the camp to grab some meds. We’ll give him a little, but it might be more humane to just put him out of his misery.”
Jamal nodded to the man. “What about him?”
Frank’s voice rang with authority. “He’s not coming into the camp. We don’t need people worrying about what’s out here. There’s enough tension because of the move. We’ll keep him here until it’s over.”
Lyla stayed quiet during the exchange and said nothing as Jamal and Simon headed back to camp.
Frank glanced her way. “You’re awfully quiet. Does that mean you agree?”
Lyla looked up at Frank. He’d been their camp leader for years, but she’d known him her whole life. He’d been her father’s best friend. And when her father passed, he’d unofficially stepped into that role. “I don’t disagree with any of it. But I hate that these are the choices we have before us.”
“This world is not an easy one.”
The man tossed and turned. Sweat rolled down his face as he mumbled. “They’re coming. Run, Shelly. Don’t let them get you.”
“What do you think he means?” Lyla asked. “He said there were ships in the air. People from the sky.”
“He’s hallucinating. You know that technology no longer exists.”
True. At one point, planes, cars, and computers were so much a part of everyday life that people didn’t even think of how remarkable they were. But ever since the asteroid, the world had changed. It was nothing like the Before. There were no governments. People banded together, creating camps, trying to eke out a living and defend against other camps. And Mother Nature.
Lyla wasn’t sure who was the bigger threat. They’d had to fight more than one group trying to steal their resources. But Mother Nature—there was nothing they could do to stop her. Swarms of tornados and waves of earthquakes decimated areas. Torrential rains could appear from a blue sky and wipe out a valley without notice. The asteroid had killed most of the world’s population and now the aftereffects seemed to be trying to finish the job.
“The ships are coming! Run!” the man yelled, struggling to sit up, but the yell proved too exhausting. Tears rolled down his cheeks again. “Shelly.”
The man’s pain was difficult to watch, and Lyla couldn’t help but wonder who Shelly was. Was she a figment of his imagination, too?
“Your shift’s up. Why don’t you—”
“No,” Lyla said quickly. “I’ll stay.”
Frank narrowed his eyes, searching her face. “You took a double shift already.”
“Yes. But we both know that this needs to be kept quiet. No more people should be let into the loop than need to be. Just do me a favor and stop by and let Muriel and Riley know, okay?”
Lyla knew Frank wanted to argue with her. But he also knew she was right. Finally, he nodded. “Very well. I’ll send Jamal back with some food, all right?”
Lyla was not looking forward to the night ahead, but she nodded. “Great.”
Frank headed back to camp and Lyla settled down by the front of the cave, her back against the wall.
“They’re coming. You need to run.” The man’s voice was soft, but the words were desperate and sent a chill up Lyla’s spine. It’s just his imagination, she reminded herself again and again as he rambled through the long night. Finally, as dawn broke, the man went silent and he found peace.
And Lyla wondered why his hallucinations had taken the shape they had. Why ships? Why monsters? She looked at the man one last time as she pulled the sheet over him, preparing him for burial.
What did you see out there that made you hallucinate something so impossible?
2
Two Days Later
Twelve-year-old Riley Quinn hurried down the path of tents toward the one he shared with his mom and his aunt Lyla. He ducked through two tents side by side. “Come on, Dave,” he called, looking over his shoulder at his friend, who followed him.
Dave grimaced, his limp a little more pronounced than when they’d started out. “I’m coming.”
Riley slowed. Shoot. He always forgot about Dave’s leg. Normally the limp was barely noticeable. It was only when he ran that it became truly obvious. Dave had broken his leg when he was around five, and it hadn’t set correctly. Back then, the camp hadn’t had a doctor and no one even realized it was broken. They thought he’d just banged it up good. By the time they realized what had happened, the damage was done.
Riley glanced past the last row of tents toward the barn. The camp was spread out over an acre on the edge of a long lake. The tents were at the western part with the crops to the east, nearer to the lake. It was a freshwater lake, meaning it worked for watering. A fifteen-foot wooden fence surrounded the crops, with only one entrance. The barn was north of the tents. But that wasn’t their destination. They were heading past it to the training yards to watch the Phoenixes, the camp’s security force.
David hurried to stand next to Riley. “Why did Mr. Tolliver have to keep us so long today?”
Riley shrugged. “You know Mr. Tolliver. He gets into certain subjects.” Mr. Tolliver, the camp doctor, was also their schoolteacher. And he did have a habit of going off a planned subject if he got distracted by something else. Riley wondered if he’d ever pick up on the fact that kids sometimes introduced those subjects just to get him focused on something else.
Today, it had been ancient Egypt. And Riley had to admit, he loved when Mr. Tolliver took them with him into the ancient past, back before the asteroid, when the world had created incredible things. Ancient Egypt held a special interest for Riley. Pharaohs, the pyramids, the Great Sphinx—he couldn’t get enough of it.
He dreamed of one day going to see it all with his own eyes. But he knew that was just a dream. No one crossed the ocean anymore. Besides, who knew if Egypt even still existed? The Great Pyramid was right next to the Nile River. It was probably underwater. So much land was now underwater that Mr. Tolliver couldn’t even show them an official map of the world. He’d crossed out a lot of places he knew were underwater from reports before all the electricity and worldwide communications systems went out.
“Did you hear what Mr. Tolliver said about electronic libraries? A machine with thousands of books in it, but it could fit in your hand. Can you imagine?”
Riley shook his head. “No, I can’t.” And he really couldn’t. Whenever anyone talked of the Before, it all seemed so incredible. Cars that could transport people miles in minutes, planes that flew through the air, even machines that made food.
“Man, I would give anything to see that.” David grinned at him and then his eyes lit up. He nodded down the road. “They’re coming.”
Riley looked to where David motioned and saw them—the Phoenixes. Mr. Tolliver explained that the Phoenixes had been named so because they stepped out of the ashes of the destruction to help people survive.
He and David ran to the edge of the path and stopped as the group of warriors marched past. They were in charge of protecting the camp’s residents—everything from humans to animals. Each had a brown or green cloak that helped them blend into the trees. Each had a sword strapped to their side, and each carried a tall staff. They trained every day without fail, and there were always a handful patrolling the perimeter of the camp.
Each soldier was tough as nails and ferocious in a fight. Jamal and Addie Hudson, Lyla’s closest friends, went by, giving both boys a grin.
Riley stood on his toes, trying to see through the group. He grinned when he caught sight of his aunt and nudged David. “There she is.” Lyla stood in the middle, dwarfed by the Phoenixes around her.
At twenty-three, she was one of the youngest and looked it. She was the smallest warrior by far. But Riley had seen her take down everybody she’d ever gone against. She was fearless and respected by every single Phoenix. Even the older Phoenixes asked her for help. And Riley knew one day she’d be in charge of all of them.
Lyla caught sight of Riley and gave him a smile.
He waved. “Have you started your training yet?” he yelled. “Can we watch?”
A few of the warriors grinned at his yell.
She said something to the man next to her before jogging over to Riley. She reached out and ruffled his hair. “We haven’t started yet. Weren’t you supposed to go help your mom get ready for the move?”
Riley groaned. “We have two whole days.”
“Two days is not a lot of time to get things done. We’re even cutting our training time down so we can get the camp ready. It’s going to take all of us”—she looked at each of them—”to make this move happen.”
“Sorry, Lyla,” David murmured.
Lyla looked over her shoulder at the Phoenixes as they disappeared behind the barn, then turned back to the boys. “Tell you what, if you guys get done what you need to get done, you can come watch.”
Riley grinned, opening his mouth to thank her.
Lyla put up a hand. “But then you will help us get the camp ready.”
Riley and David were already nodding before Lyla finished speaking.
She smiled. “All right. Go. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
3
Lyla caught up with the Phoenixes as they entered the training area. The ‘training area’ was really just an open piece of ground between the barn and some of the wooden cabins. Otto Swingler glanced back at her and then waited until she caught up, falling in step with her. He leaned down, way down, and whispered, “Can we meet up tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah. By the old oak.”
He nodded.
“See you then.” Otto hurried toward the rest of the group.
Addie caught the exchange with a raised eyebrow. She grinned, the sunlight shining off her dark skin. Lyla knew Addie thought something was going on between her and Otto, but Lyla was pretty sure his tastes did not run in her direction. No, Lyla was helping Otto with his fighting skills. He was easily a foot taller than any member of the camp and built of solid muscle, which made him a target whenever they got into skirmishes with other groups. Most people figured they should take out the big guy first.
With Otto, that was relatively easy to do. He had no feel for fighting. He needed to know exactly what he should do in each situation to respond. He couldn’t make it up on the spot. But the bigger problem was that his heart wasn’t in it. Otto’s size was impressive, but he was a gentle giant. Lyla could only get him to fight by reminding him he was protecting other people. It was why it was so difficult to train him—he never went full out or even close to full out during training. He was too worried about hurting someone.
Lyla had spoken with Frank about it. But Frank knew that just the sight of Otto could be a deterrent, so he asked Lyla to work on getting his fighting skills up. Lyla had been working with him, but she hadn’t really seen any improvement.
She caught the gaze of the head of the Phoenixes, who stood in the middle of the training yard, his legs braced. Allan Carter looked at her and then looked away. Allan was another big guy, but he liked to fight, maybe a little too much, in Lyla’s opinion. Allan had made it clear that he viewed being in charge of security as a stepping stone to camp leader. And the fact that Frank had made clear his preference for Lyla taking over one day had not helped improve Allan’s opinion of her. It also didn’t help that his ego always seemed to need feeding.
