2012: Winter Harvest Read online

“Just those like you can.”

  The major arched an eyebrow and tugged the Infrared camera out of Vrain’s pocket.

  Vrain shook his head. They couldn’t save everyone. He’d given up trying after the Deck Park massacre. Maybe the major had pegged him correctly. Maybe he really would have left her behind if she had told him everything she knew about the Danavas. “You want my rifle to protect yourself against other people?”

  “We don’t have time to negotiate.” The major snapped, drawing Granny’s attention. “Tonight, the galactic equator is perfectly aligned with the sun and the harvest will be at its peak. We’ve got to hide.”

  “Freezer’s full.” Granny compressed her lips and crossed her arms. The man in the doorway thumped the bat against his palm

  “That freezer is a death trap.” The major panned the occupants. “You need to come with us.”

  While their clothes hid some of their body heat, they still glowed against the cold interior. Easy pickings for the Danavas, if they got through the door.

  “Where you headed?” Granny scratched her chin. Was the old woman trying to decide if the major’s uniform was army issue or scavenged?

  The major smiled. “The national guard armory in Sunnyslope. It burrows into the mountain, has a generator and plenty of MREs.”

  The old lady rubbed her hands together. “Meals ready to eat will taste like heaven after twelve days of ice cream. Unless they’ve completely renovated the place since my husband’s service, there should be a water tank above the armory.” A brown Chihuahua darted out of the freezer to dance at Granny’s feet. “Done. Take what you need. Don’t worry sonny, I won’t slow you down. What do you need the ice for?” Granny scooped up her dog.

  “To hide our body heat.” The major shifted so Granny could see the screen. “See the colors on the screen. Notice how the people look red and yellow. Well, the Danavas can see everything but the blue.”

  Vrain leaned closer. Granny’s Chihuahua growled, flashing its white fangs. Vrain ignored the rat-like creature. Blue. The man with the bat had blue spots for eyes. The same color as the buckets of water near the door. Could the answer really be that simple or had the man’s glasses froze? “Major.”

  “What’s there to talk about?” The major glared at him. “We not leaving them.”

  “Vrain.” The boy’s shout echoed from the dining room.

  “Just a minute.” Vrain yelled back before addressing Granny. “This ice cream, do you have any bricks or is it all in pails?”

  “Just pails.”

  “Vrain!”

  The fear in the boy’s voice registered just as the creature sauntered into the kitchen. In a gray blur, the demon grabbed the man by the door and snapped his spine. A shiny substance sprayed between the Danavas’s sharp teeth silencing the man’s yelp as his bat clattered to the ground. The creature cocked its head as it assessed the interior of the freezer then tossed its load to the ground near the major’s feet and arched its neck. The dog whimpered.

  “Everybody needs to get out of the freezer!” The major shouted above the cries of the occupants. “It’s calling the others.”

  “No!” Vrain slammed the metal insulated door, hefted the fire extinguisher off the peg on the wall and sprayed the demon in the face.

  The creature immediately stopped.

  Granny picked up the bat and smashed the Danavas upside the head. It crumpled to the ground. “I killed it.”

  The major shook her head. “I think you just stunned it. It’ll revive soon and we need to clear out before it does.”

  The two teenagers slid around the corner. The boy said, “The other monsters flew off with a couple of people.”

  Vrain opened the door of the freezer. “Inside. Now.” The children rushed to obey.

  “What about the armory?” Granny shook the bat at him.

  “We’re not leaving them.” The major stood shoulder to shoulder with Granny.

  Vrain gritted his teeth. The woman wanted to argue while more demons could be on their way. “We have no choice.” He held up his hand when the major opened her mouth. “We’ll come back for them.” If they survived the trip.

  “After we get ice?”

  “No. Look.” Vrain turned the camera to the dead man’s face. “I thought the Danavas broke windows to get to the chewy center. Now, I think they did it to check for people concealed behind the glass.”

  After flinching, the major peered closer at the screen. “His glasses don’t emit any Infrared. We don’t need ice, glass can hide a body’s heat signature.”

  “We’ll need sheets of it or maybe a few storm doors.” Vrain turned his attention to Granny. “Where’s the closest home improvement store?”

  Granny divided her attention between him and the major. “About two blocks north next to the grocery store. It’s small, might not have any glass.”

  Vrain grunted. It was a chance he would take. “How long will the generator last?”

  “A couple hours. Turned up the temperature but it’s still damn cold.” Granny knotted her scarf under her chin. “After the Gennie dies, we’ll have another hour or so of air then...”

  The major laid her hand over the older woman’s. “We’ll be back before then.”

  Granny nodded, banking the hope in her eyes. “How you gonna get that far?” She jerked her head toward the camera screen. “You stick out more than a missing tooth in a perfect smile.”

  Vrain tugged off his Hoodie and dunked it into the bucket of water breaking through the skin of ice. Gritting his teeth against the cold, he worked the dripping, icy material back over his head, torso and arms. “Wh-what do I look like now?”

  “Hypothermia waiting to happen.” The major powered down the camera before removing a gun and an extra clip from a pocket in her pants. She offered the weapon and ammunition to the older woman. “Just in case.”

  “I’d rather eat a bullet then let them monsters get me.” Granny nodded, handed Vrain the bucket and stepped inside the freezer before accepting the weapon. “You’ll have to do your legs.”

  After dowsing the rest of himself, Vrain set the bucket on the counter. “Let’s go.” He locked his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering.

  “Knock twice, pause then knock again.” Granny winked at him. “Now that I got ammo, I plan to shoot first.”