When Night Falls (22 page)

As the room rose to follow orders, Scarlett turned to Rolf.

“It doesn’t feel over.”

He touched her face, smoothing away what was probably dirt with the pad of his thumb. “It’s over. Isabella has been captured. The infected are contained and everyone is here, safe, and I…” He smiled. The first real smile she’d seen from him in three years. “I got the girl.”

She chuckled weakly. “Something doesn’t feel right. I’m still afraid.”

His hands took her shoulders and she was drawn into his chest. His lips found her brow, just between her eyes. “You never have to be afraid.” He pulled back to search her face. “I will always be there to protect you.”

Epilogue

The new world rose around them, bright blue and brimming with possibility. Endless miles of water yawned endlessly over the horizon like a carpet, broken occasionally by patches of green. Jericho Kozlov had never seen anything so beautiful.

This was their new home, a place humanity could start over, start fresh. All the imperfections and flaws of the old world would not touch this place. He would not allow it. He had come too far, had done too much to allow that to happen.

Small, pale hands slipped beneath his arms and crossed over his bare chest. Soft lips pressed between his shoulder blades.

“We will be landing within the hour, Silos,” Eira whispered into his ear. “Is it everything you dreamed it would be?”

Silos sighed. “Yes, and if not,” he turned and took her into his arms. “We will make it so.”

Eira smiled up at him. She was beautiful, as the wife of the captain should be. The passengers of the Dawn Light had accepted him without question, as he knew they would
because of her, because they trusted her. The daughter of a beloved, former captain. She was sweet and kind and gentle. She would never do anything to risk their lives and was in fact a hero. She had singlehandedly attempted to save them from Isabella at a great personal risk to her own safety. Of course they would blindly follow her lead, and thus put him in the place of power to command their lives and show them what needed to be done. He hadn’t expected anything less.

“Is everything ready?” he asked.

Eira nodded. “The last of the rooms were cleared this morning. There isn’t a single creature left on the ship. The passengers have moved back into their quarters.”

“And what of our cargo?”

Annoyance flickered across her blue eyes. “It took some convincing to shut those stupid children up, but they have agreed it would be best for all involved if no one mentioned the weapons room or the docking bay. I told them I had no idea why we had weapons, but it’s a good thing we did, considering. I also assured them that nothing in those rooms will be used, unless absolutely necessary. The boy, Rolf, seemed to accept this. He understands that we’re going to an alien planet and will need all the protection we can get. His little friend … she wasn’t as easily convinced. But they won’t give us any trouble. I made sure of it.”

Silos nodded. “And our supplies?”

“Vegetation, livestock, and grain were well monitored through the cleansing.” She smiled wickedly at him. “It was a clever idea, blocking the way after level seven. No one ever suspected that all productions were still underway despite the outbreak.”

He flicked her nose playfully. “That was the whole idea. The last thing we needed was for the livestock or vegetation to die while we weeded out all the undesirable weight.” He turned away from her to watch his new world unfold before him. “
This is the very beginning of mankind. This is our chance to build a utopian paradise, the way earth should have been, and not everyone can be part of that.”

He didn’t need to look to know Eira was nodding. Of course, she
would agree with him. This had been their brainchild. Years of plotting and planning finally realized. It hadn’t been easy, but he was a patient man.

The doors to his chambers slid open and Rager marched in.

“Sir!” He saluted. “Everything is going as planned.”

Silos studied the man before him. There were those who were loyal to him and had proven it during the infestation, but there had been the few, like Isabella, who had needed a reminder just who was in charge. Isabella hadn’t liked taking orders and Silos didn’t care for people who thought they could outsmart him. She didn’t realize she was no more a pawn in a much bigger game. It was no surprise when no one had so much as blinked at the mention of her execution. She, unlike him, had spent her captaincy making people hate her, while he had spent the last three years making the people believe he was one of them, gaining their trust. Of course, had they known that in the end, she had been trying to save them and it was in fact Eira in the control room, determining their fates, he was sure they wouldn’t have been so eager to be rid of her. But he had made certain no one would ever know the truth, except those within his tightly knit circle.

“Good job, Rager. You have been faithful through all of this and I appreciate that.”

Rager straightened his shoulders. “Thank you, sir. I would not be here had it not been for your vision. It’s my honor to serve the leader of the new world.”

Only two of the people who knew he was responsible for the destruction of earth had been allowed to live thus far. Rager was one of them. Eira was the other. Even Marcus had been clueless of his true role. The fool had actually believed the trip would only be six months. But he had served his purpose. He had done his job, had calmed the masses while Silos bided his time. But then he, like Isabella, had gotten too curious, asked too many questions and had become too much of a risk. It had taken years and billions to achieve what he had. Building a ship that could reach space and filling it with just the right number of people, each one brilliant in their own fields, had not been an overnight thought. Every moment had been planned to the last detail. He had made certain it was filled with everything they would need to restart life, and the people to make it happen. It was regretful so many had to die. Every death was a wasted life, but weakness would not be permitted in his world. Only the strong survived and strength was what he required. The infected helped weed one from the other. The last thing he needed was knots in his perfectly weaved web.

Silos moved across the room and took the other man by the shoulders. “Get the crew and passengers ready for landing. Then I want you to take a few men and scout the area, establish a perimeter.”

Rager inclined his head. “Yes, sir.”

Silos watched him leave, waited until the doors had slid shut behind him before saying, “Arrange for Mr. Rager’s unemployment.” He turned to his wife. “He’s too ambitious and a risk. I can’t have him telling anyone our secret.”

Eira gave a slight nod. “I’ll make it happen.” She took his shirt off the back of a chair and went to him. “And who will you enlist as head of your security?”

He thought about it a moment, even though he already knew. “Rolf Gray. He has proven himself quite valuable and resilient. He will make a great leader. Plus, the others respect him and will listen to him.”

“It shall be done.” She handed him his shirt. “You’d better get dressed. Your loyal followers are waiting for you to show them the new world.” She gave him a sly grin. “Have you chosen a name for it yet?”

Dragging his shirt down over his head, he studied his wife. Beautiful, cunning, and
as lethal as he was, she was perfect, or had been when things had been desperate. But he knew he would need to dispose of her. A woman like Eira wouldn’t be placated for very long. She would eventually get bored and become tiresome. She would eventually become a liability. For now, he would indulge her and use her for the next step in his plan.

Giving her his best smile, he took her face into his hands. “
Thalassa.”

To Be Continued…

International Best-Selling author Airicka Phoenix lives in a world where unicorns, fairies and mermaids run amok through her home on a daily basis. When she’s not chasing after pixies and rounding up imps, also known as her four children, she can be found conjuring up evil villains, bad-ass heroines and swoon-worthy heroes to play with.

Airicka is singlehandedly responsible for her greatly anticipated collections, the Touch Saga, the Sons of Judgment Saga, The Lost Girl Duology, The Regeneration Series, Games of Fire, Betraying Innocence & My Soul For You. She also writes adult paranormal & contemporary romance under the dark guise of Morgana Phoenix.

For more about Airicka and the realm she rules with an iron fist—and tons of chocolate—visit her at:
Website

“Get to the boats!”
someone yelled.

A siren sounded so loud it pierced my eardrums. I could hardly hear what anyone was saying it was so loud. My father scooped me up in his arms and began running.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. The General has sounded the disaster alarm. Something’s happening, so we must go to the boats for safety. It’ll be okay, Rick.”

“Where’s Peter? I haven’t seen Peter!” I was only ten, and Peter Maddox was my only friend. Our fathers worked together in the Navy.

“I don’t know, Rick. But I’m sure he’s safe. He’s probably with his father, The General.”

I adjusted my grip on my father by putting my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, so that I could see behind us.

It was utter mayhem as everyone, all the families of the navy officers
, ran toward the vessels. My father and I walked across the plank into the navy vessel. The higher we climbed the more people I could see. At the height of a few stories above the dock, I could see everyone’s heads, and not one of them was Peter. My father seemed to sense what I was thinking and put me on his back.

“It’ll be okay, Rick. I think the General and his family are already on board.” I nodded,
but not that my father could tell what I was doing.

When we were aboard the vessel, my father walked down a few hallways, down a flight of stairs
, and down two more corridors, before stopping at a door. He knocked, the door opened, and I heard a familiar voice.

“There you are. I was beginning to get worried.” My father handed me over to my mother
, and I hugged her tight.

During dinner that night
, I finally found Peter and sat beside him. Our families were friends, so we all sat together. Another friend of ours, Clinton, sat opposite us with his family. I had a feeling General Maddox hated Clinton’s father, though. I think it’s because Clinton’s father once stole the General’s exam answers in chemistry, and he’d never really forgiven him.

Peter and I kicked and shoved
at each other under the table. We vowed to sneak out of our cabins when our parents went to sleep later that night to explore the vessel.

Once everyone was asleep, Peter and I both met in the corridor outside our rooms
, and using one of his father’s flashlights, we crept into the darkness.

“Do you think we could find the food storage room?” I asked.

“That’s in the cargo hold.”

I gasped. “You know where the food is?”

“Yep,” Peter said as a matter of fact.

“Do they have chocolate?”

“Yep. And ice cream in the cold storage.”

“Cool! Let’s go!” We picked up the pace. When we climbed down the stairs to the lower level, the ship suddenly jolted, throwing us down the stairs and into a wall at the bottom. I landed on top of Peter.

“Peter! Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I would be if you got
off me!”

“Oops. Sorry.” I stood up gingerly and held out my hand to help him up. Once Peter was to his feet, the ship rocked again, more violently this time. We both went flying into another wall.

That’s when we heard another siren. It was the second time in our lives we’d ever heard it. I wondered how many more I would have to hear. I hated them.

I tried to stand, but saw that Peter was unconscious.

“Peter!” Another voice called Peter’s name at the same time as me. Someone had noticed that we were missing.

“Peter! Rick!”

“Down here, Dad!” I responded, but the effort was for nothing, because at that exact moment, a giant wave rolled the ship over and capsized the boat, dowsing the lights, and plunging our world into darkness.

***

The first thing I hear was nothing.

Then gradually the sound
came rushing back all at once.

My ears, eyes
, and lungs were filled with water, but somehow, life was pushed back into my body.

“Rick, breathe!”

I could feel warmth and the soft caress of a breeze across my skin. I was no longer wet and weightless. I was no longer drowning in the darkness. I was above the water in the light.

I was no longer drowning! I opened my eyes. The sea air and the salt stung my eyes, and so did the glare from the sun, but it was better than seeing nothing but the back of my eyelids
, and the murky depths of the ocean. A shadow came across my sun, and I moaned. I almost wanted to tell the person to move out of my warmth. I was like a reptile that needed the sun to move, to live. I was desperate for it, desperate for life.

“Rick?”

Hang on. I knew that voice. That was one voice that made me want to live.

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

“Mom?”

“Rick, honey. You’re alive.” She pulled me to her chest, but it was suffocating. I tried to push her away.

“Mom, what happened?” She finally released her hold just a little bit and looked down at me. She wiped my bangs out of my eyes.

“A big wave hit the boat, but it’s okay. We’re all okay.”

Then I remembered Peter, my one and only best friend.

“Peter!”

“Peter is fine, honey. You refused to let go. General Maddox saved you both and brought you to the surface.

The surface. I looked around and saw lapping blue water all around us. I looked down and saw I was laying on a large piece of
steel. Was it the remains of the navy vessel?

“Where are we?”

“We’re almost to safety. We’re going to rebuild everything and start over. Rick, we’re going to have a brand new life.”

I looked around and could see nothing but ocean. There was no land in sight. There were others floating on pieces of
steel like my family and I, but where we were floating to, I did not know.