Chapter 1

Chaz sighed, scratching her forehead and letting her eyes close, feeling relatively safe in her little hole, her back tucked into a corner where two stone walls met. They weren't really walls, but she couldn't really think of anything else to call them. She'd discovered the place almost accidentally. It was nearly a surprise to her how well she'd done, out here on her own in a place she knew nothing about. With a groan, she shifted and crawled toward the opening of the tiny cave, squinting in the bright light. She shook her head and backed up, back to where she'd just been sitting. Her eyes fell on the only weapons she had, lingering there with a sad gaze. She shook her head and fell into a fitful sleep.

---

Quinn looked on, his expression a combination of surprise and horror as the castle exploded behind Creedy, who'd just forced him into the safe room and started back up the steps to rescue the few children left on the upper levels of the castle. It all turned to slow motion as Creedy heard the roar of the fire behind him, staring over his shoulder and then back at Quinn, whose lips were moving, silent beneath the roar of the impending inferno. Finally, Creedy's limbs sprung to life, sending him diving back into the shelter, his fingers closing on the handle to yank it shut behind him. A few licks of flame danced around the edge of the door, but disappeared as the door latched, extinguished by the water raining from the pipes above. Creedy's chest heaved as he lay sprawled on the floor, propped up on an elbow he knew would be skinned to the bone when he looked at it. His eyes met Quinn's, and a tiny smile of relief appeared on both of their faces.

He groaned as he sat up, brushing his hands off and checking his arm. Might not be skinned to the bone, like it felt, but he'd definitely be hurting tomorrow. He shook it off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, and when the gray-green orbs reappeared, at least thirty smaller pairs of eyes were focused on him, some scared, some relieved, and some angry. He gave them all a small nod, wincing as he shifted onto his knees, his bloodied fingers protesting as he folded his hands together.

"What do we do when we wake?" he asked quietly, looking to the children around him. Quinn's hand clapped tightly on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

---

Chaz woke with a start, nearly smacking her head on the ceiling of her little cave, barely missing a large protrusion of stone right above her. She sighed, shaking her head and crawling toward the opening of the cave. Twilight. With a heavy sigh, she wriggled back into the cave and collected the few things she'd been able to salvage from the plane; nothing but her weapons and a small backpack carrying a few changes of clothes, several bottles of water, and a box of those little fish-shaped cheese crackers, among other things. She hopped from the ledge, landing with a heavy thud, and adjusted the straps of her backpack, trekking off toward the horizon, her blue eyes darting around rapidly. As she walked, she hummed to herself, moving slowly over the rocky hills to avoid drawing attention to herself. She'd have to find a place to hide soon. An hour wasn't long, and it would probably be a long time before she'd find a safe place to stay longer than the time it took for twilight to return.

"Can't fucking believe this," she muttered to herself, wiping a dirty sleeve over her forehead. She didn't care that it streaked soot and mud over her skin, only that it removed the sweat. A gasp passed her lips as her toe caught on a rock, and she barely got her hands up in time to keep her nose from smashing into another, larger rock. "Fuck!" She heaved a sigh and stood up, brushing dirty hands on dirty pants. Just as she moved to adjust the items over her shoulder, a sound caught her attention, and she froze, jaw hanging slack for a moment before she dared look over her shoulder. "Well, hot damn," she said, watching the helicopter rise over a mountain behind her.

She looked around for something to use to get their attention, instantly wishing she had a flare, and settled for getting to the summit of the hill she'd been climbing and jumping up and down, waving her arms like a mad woman. "Please see me," she pleaded, ripping her long sleeve shirt over her head and using it as a flag. The helicopter slowed, hovering close enough for her to see two people in the craft, one piloting and the other pointing at her. The chopper did a little nod with its nose and flew away. "Well, fuck you too," she hissed, stooping to snatch up her belonging and toss them over her shoulder. As she started down the backside of the hill, the beating of the helicopter's blades continued, and she lifted her head from watching where her feet fell, avoiding the rocks. She took off at top speed, hurling herself toward the waiting chopper, and was pulled in by a set of rather large and very tattooed arms.

---

"They'll come back, Quinn," Creedy insisted quietly, eyeing the sleeping children littering the floor of the shelter. The water had long since lost pressure and was now only dripping in a few spots. He tilted his head back and caught a few drops before looking back to his friend, who only shook his head defeatedly.

"If he didn't kill them, they'll go on," he insisted quietly.

"You don't know that," Creedy countered, receiving a sharp glance. He managed a small smile and reached out to tousle Quinn's already messy hair. Quinn only sighed, catching a few drops of water himself, and closed his eyes to signal the end of the conversation. Creedy shook his head, resigning himself to sleep as well.

---

"What's your name?" The man yelled at her over the incessant noise of the chopper. Chaz yelled her answer, and he nodded. "Denton Van Zant. Kentucky Regulars," he continued, extending a hand. She shook it, smiling weakly. "Were you alone?"

"Long story," she replied, shaking her head sadly. "I can't yell that long." He flashed her a charming, albeit a little creepy, smile and turned back to the pilot, giving her a small nod before staring out the windshield as well. Chaz sighed, clutching her bag tighter to her chest. Her eyes widened, and she stood, crouching as she leaned out the door a little, her eyes glowing in the heat of the fire slowly dying out after destroying what looked to be the remnants of an old castle.

"We're too late," she heard Van Zant yell to the pilot, whose name she'd not yet learned.

"There might be survivors," the pilot yelled back. "We're going in to find them, Van Zant." He nodded once, glancing over his shoulder at Chaz watching her stare in awe at the destruction.

They landed at the base of the hill, and Chaz slowly gathered her things. As the helicopter's motor slowed, talking became much easier, and soon the air was eerily silent as all three just stared up at the burning building.

"That had to be one big fucking one," Chaz breathed, shaking her head slightly. Van Zant glanced at her sharply, as though he'd forgotten she was there. She managed a small smile, dropping her bag to the ground before starting up the hill toward the bottom of the steps. At the first platform, she turned to see if they were following, and they were just starting up the steps. She waited. They seemed to know this place, and since she didn't, she'd let them lead. The fire had burned down enough to be safe to explore, and Van Zant led the way, kicking aside charred debris.

"This way," the female pilot said, nodding toward a set of stone steps leading down to a lower level. Chaz sneezed, kicking up dust as she helped move the debris away from a the steps so they could make it down them safely.

---

Creedy opened his eyes slowly, his brows already furrowed. He sat up suddenly, whacking Quinn in the chest as he got to his feet. Quinn grumbled something, and Creedy held a grubby finger to his lips.

"You hear that?" he asked, straining to hear. Quinn's eyes widened, and they both looked to the door, then to each other, before bolting toward it and pounding furiously. The children woke, watching as Quinn and Creedy both beat on the heavy metal door.

"Push!" Quinn commanded, both straining against the weight.

"Back up!" came a voice from the other side, and they each took a step back, Creedy holding out a hand to keep the kids where they were. The door groaned and creaked, opening slowly to reveal two female faces, one Alex and another unrecognized, staring down at them, still bent over piles of debris. Van Zant appeared from behind the door, an almost apologetic expression on his face. He nodded at Quinn, who nodded back before pushing past the man and starting up the steps.

---

"Jesus," Chaz whispered, glancing at the pilot, who was also staring into the small room behind the door. She'd almost had a heart attack when someone on the other side of the door started beating on the metal, falling backwards and landing on her ass on the corner of a step. A lanky looking man emerged first, staring at Van Zant with an expression bordering on hate, and her eyebrow rose of its own volition. So he did know where he was going, she thought. And it doesn't seem to be a happy reunion. Another man appeared behind the first, soot and grime also smeared all over his face, his brown curls looking damp. Their eyes met for a brief second, and he blinked quickly, looking away first.

Chaz stood to her full height as the first guy brushed past her, staring at the children starting to file out of the room, numbering much larger than she would have figured. A tear slid down her cheek as they started filing past, most of them still in their pajamas, all staring around with wide, scared eyes. She brushed it away quickly with a sleeve, descending the steps to help the smaller children up. A few moments later, she was alone with the two she'd met in the helicopter. She managed a small smile, extending a hand to the pilot.

"I'm Chaz," she said quietly. The woman grasped her hand and smiled.

"Alex," she answered with a nod. Chaz nodded back, heaving a sigh as she started back up the steps.

---

Chaz sat on the ground, her legs hanging over a ledge, feet bouncing off the wall below her in a haphazard rhythm. The argument below continued, something about going to London. She couldn't catch much more than that. As the conversation had drawn on, she'd learned the first man out of the little safe room was named Quinn, the second Creedy or Greedy or something like that. His brogue was too thick for her to really understand much of what he'd said anyway. She sighed, watching her feet bounce. A few minutes later, someone plopped down next to her with an equally heavy sigh. She glanced up, quickly turning back to staring at her feet.

"Everyone okay?" she asked quietly. Another heavy sigh, and she shook her head.

"Not really," he answered. She felt his eyes on her, and looked back at him, managing a small smile.

"I'm sorry." He nodded once, breaking his gaze on her. "I'm Chaz," she offered.

"Creedy."

"What was that all about?" she asked, nodding to where the argument had taken place. He licked his lips, shaking his head.

"Alex has this theory that there's only one male."

"So they're going to London to kill it," she finished. His eyes met hers, and she read her answer there. "So that Quinn guy," she pressed. "He's your brother or something?"

"No," Creedy said with a small laugh. "He's not my brother. Longtime friend." Her eyebrow twitched down a little, and she looked away, swallowing thickly. "Where'd you come from?" She laughed a little, glancing up at him. "What I mean is," he corrected slowly with a twisted grin, "you weren't with them before." He nodded to where Van Zant and Alex stood, discussing something quietly. "Obviously you're American, like them." She snickered, rubbing her forehead. "Where'd they find you?"

"I was walking along the hills," she said, nodding in the direction she'd been. "Heard the chopper and started jumping up and down hoping they'd see me." A small laugh vibrated in her throat, a sound he decided he liked. "Figured I'd either flag them down or turn my ankle and have to stay there, so I flagged them down. They picked me up and here we are."

"And before that?"

"What?" she asked quickly. His eyebrow rose, and she laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just so busy paying attention to your accent I forget to listen to the question." He gave her a small laugh as well.

"I'm not the one with the accent," he said, wincing as she brushed against the arm he'd scraped. She glanced down as he pulled his arm away.

"Oh my God," she gasped, grasping his wrist and peeling the sleeve of his shirt away from the wound. "Jesus, you need to do something about this."

"With what?" he asked, amusement in his voice. She made a face at him and produced her backpack, digging for her little travel first aid kit. His eyebrow rose as she pawed through, finally getting to work on his arm.

"I was on my way to Glasgow," she said quietly, watching him glance up at her quickly.

"Did you see it?" She paused in caring for his arm to meet his eyes questioningly. His eyes fell, and she sighed, going back to work.

"No. Is that where you're from?" He only nodded a little. "No, we didn't get that far. The plane crashed not too far from here."

"If I may ask…" he trailed off, wincing as the rubbing alcohol invaded his nerves, stinging unforgivingly.

"Sorry," she said quickly, wrapping his arm in gauze. "Why was I going to Glasgow?" He nodded. She sighed, pulling away from him after taping the gauze in place and dropped her hands in her lap.

"Did you have family there?" She shook her head, reaching for her backpack. He whistled as she pulled out a crossbow and set it down in her lap, running her fingers over the metal frame. "So you're an archer." She remained silent, only nodding. "And?"

"The U.S. Army figured out that you can kill the damn things if you can get a bomb down its throat," she said quietly. "They started calling up all the professional archers. Mass produced explosive tips for our bolts." She took a breath to continue.

"Bolts?" he asked.

"Arrows," she said with a smile. "Bolt and quarrel are usually used for the arrows you use on a crossbow, but it doesn't really matter." He nodded. "Anyway, they didn't give us much choice."

"Sounds familiar," he said flatly. She followed his gaze to Van Zant and smiled a little.

"Lemme guess," she started. "He tried the same shit here." Creedy nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. "Ass."

"So you're the only one that made it, yeah?" Creedy asked. She nodded, sighing.

"I better put this away before he sees it," she said quietly, lifting the crossbow to put it back in her pack. "I don't think he noticed my compound."

"Too late." Her head snapped up just in time to see Van Zant and Alex glance at each other, then to her before heading up the steps.

"Fuck me," Chaz muttered, shaking her head.

"I'll think of something," Creedy said quietly, nudging her arm as he stood. She zipped her pack up and started to stand, noticing he held his hand out to her. With a smile, she let him help her up just as Van Zant and Alex appeared at the top of the steps.

"So you're an archer," Van Zant said, rocking back on his heels.

"That's right," she said, her gaze not wavering from his. "What's your point?" Creedy glanced at her quickly.

"You're coming with us," Van Zant informed her, turning to head back down the steps.

"Like hell I am," she snapped, watching the man pause before turning to her slowly.

"What was that?"

"Van Zant," Alex started, but he held out a hand and cast her a gaze that would make anyone shut up.

"How did you get to this side of the world, huh?" Van Zant asked, his voice suddenly low and warning. Chaz stood her ground, taking a stance that made it obvious she'd do anything to keep from going. Creedy took a step away from her, attempting to stay out of it.

"Plane crash. I'm sure you saw the wreckage coming in," Chaz said evenly. "A week ago." Creedy's jaw dropped. She'd survived out there on her own for a week, with no shelter and only what she'd brought with her. "We were headed to Glasgow."

"You're with the cavalry then," Van Zant surmised. She noticed the glint in his eye and decided to side with Creedy's assessment of the man.

"I guess you could say that."

"Then you're coming with us and doing your fucking job," Van Zant said flatly. Chaz only quirked an eyebrow at him, tilting her head to the side.

"And what happens to the rest of them," she started, nodding toward Creedy, "when the females come back while you're out trying to save the fucking world on your own? They don't have a castle to hide in now, thanks to you, I'm sure, so what the fuck are they supposed to do?" Van Zant's eyes narrowed, but she only raised her brows in a challenge.

"You better watch yourself, little girl," he growled, taking a step toward her. "You were drafted into the U.S. military to do a job. Don't tell me you're refusing orders."

"I never had the luxury," she spat back. "You all didn't exactly ask me if I was willing to do this. You just assumed I would and forced me into it. Well, I'm here now," she huffed. "And I say I'm staying to help take care of thirty some odd kids who don't have many adults left to look after them." She took a step toward him. "And to be completely honest with you, I think you know I'm right and just don't have the rocks to admit it."

"She's right," Alex said quickly, grasping Van Zant's shoulder. "Between you, me, and Quinn, we should be fine. We can't leave them here like this." Van Zant glanced over his shoulder quickly, and turned back to Chaz with a snarl. She only stared right back at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well?" she asked.

"How many tips do you have?" he asked sharply.

"You mean how many explosive heads do I have?" she asked with a smirk. "Tips are the butt end of the arrow. I have 40 of those. But I only have ten explosive heads."

"Give us three. That'll leave you seven. Should be enough, don't you think?"

"Wow, he even does math," Chaz quipped, receiving a glare from Van Zant and a snicker from Creedy. Alex cleared her throat and Chaz sighed, crouching to dig through her bag, handing Van Zant three of her precious arrowheads. He let her drop them into his hand and walked back down the stairs without another word. Alex managed a small smile before following. "So what now?" she asked quietly, leaning against the railing. Creedy stood behind her, watching Van Zant, Alex, and Quinn climb into the helicopter and fly off.

"Now we start over," he said. She nodded slowly.

"We only work in twilight," she started. "I'll keep watch." Creedy nodded, watching her jog down the stairs. He heaved a sigh, finally deciding to follow. "Will you give me a hand?" she asked quietly, crouching to grab one end of a large chunk of charred wood. His eyebrow rose, but he nodded, helping her carry it toward a tree somewhat off the main area of the castle grounds, where she pulled a padded plastic target out of her backpack and pinned it to the wood.

"Practice?" She nodded, picking up her pack and following him back up to the rubble.