Page 17 of The General’s Captive (The Rift #1)

Dreams.

Some think dreams reflect the cognitive functioning of the brain, the way we process memories. Our conscious and unconscious thoughts, and our experiences in the world.

But some think dreams represent unconscious desires and wishes.

And if that is true, what does that say about me?

What does it say about me when he is all I see each night?

Present Day

I often thought back to that day I first arrived.

I honestly didn’t think I would have lasted as long if they had turned me away at the gates that day. The day I met Riley and my life changed forever.

For the better.

Since then, my feelings for him had only grown and I had harbored a secret love for him all this time. Because despite how much we flirted, how much banter we had, and how much I knew he cared for me, it didn’t take me long to realize it would never happen.

He refused to put himself through that again.

Now what exactly that was, I still didn’t know, because Riley was a closed book for the most part.

He rarely talked about his life before the Rift, and he definitely didn’t talk about anyone he had lost. But after seeing his reflection that day in the mirror when I mentioned my uncle, I knew that he understood what it felt like.

It was the look of a man who knew heartbreak.

Who knew of the guilt felt for surviving in place of people he wished to have saved.

I saw that same look for the last two and half years whenever we lost someone.

So, he protected his heart with an iron clad fist. And I accepted it, because I loved him.

So, we settled for a friendship.

One as loyal and as strong as they came.

It was a bond that had formed that day and one he wasn’t willing to give up when they tried to turn me away. Instead, he had fought for me, going so far as to say, if she leaves then I leave with her, and we take our loot with us.

That was all it had taken, and I will never forget it.

Never forget what he did for me, because every day since felt like he had saved my life again and again.

Until I was finally accepted. Of course, I had worked my ass off to prove to them that I could be an asset like Riley was.

And it had taken time, but he started training me.

Homing my body into a weapon and I, in turn, helped others with my knowledge.

My knowledge of the creatures which aided in their battle against them.

And when I thought we were ready, I finally had a voice in letting other civilians in, calling this place a sanctuary before it became home for many.

And they each had their own stories to tell, stories that could potentially hold a clue as to how to kill the different Myths.

More to add to my journal that had become the guide to turn this war around, finally giving us the edge we needed.

The attacks on the base became less and less, as if they knew. Knew how strong we had become.

We started training people, just as I had been trained.

We created a small army to fight, so supply runs were coming back with less and less casualties.

But not only that, we also discovered that with each new person came a new skill.

Those that knew how to build, knew how to farm, were engineers, mechanics, or had medical training.

Those that could teach others so these skills wouldn’t be lost but would continue.

At first, my role had been the one to welcome in those survivors, showing them around and finding out their stories.

Most of which were like mine, but whereas I had grown stronger since being here, they had felt on the edge.

On the verge of giving up. I could relate because I had needed this place and I wanted to give that to others.

Only now I knew I had gone too far the other way.

I had become so hardened to this new brutal world, fighting them was all I knew.

Each year, I slowly started to lose a piece of myself.

Until I barely recognized that girl I used to know.

In fact, most of the time the only one who brought it out of me was Riley.

Which was why I was on edge whenever he wasn’t here.

When he was out on a supply run, and these missions were getting longer.

Because one-day runs quickly turned into several days or weeks as local supplies ran low.

We were made to search further afield to continue to feed the growing population of the base.

My Action Man, my best friend, Riley, had gone solo all those years ago to find fuel, batteries, or parts for generators to enable the base to continue to run smoothly.

But now he had a team as our numbers grew.

I remember being shocked but also greatly encouraged to see how many people had survived the creatures of the Rift.

And with more people joining us all the time, we were soon becoming a force to be reckoned with and the Myths knew it.

Who knew, maybe even the General knew it.

Because that was the one person we had never seen at our gates. To be honest, for the longest time we all lived on edge that it would happen one day. But as the years went by, he never came. No waking up to find an army at our door.

But that didn’t mean we never got attacked and, usually, it always came with deaths and injuries. Morale would drop, fear would increase as it began to ripple throughout the base until time, once more, passed in peace.

But it meant that supply runs increased, and sometimes felt continuous, thanks to the destruction caused by the Myths that were able to breach the high walls we had built.

It was as if they were becoming smarter and more cunning.

Focusing their attacks on our food stores before even contemplating attacking us mere humans.

It was like they were trying to force us out from behind these sacred walls, into the unknown territory we protected ourselves from.

As for my book, a pattern had started to emerge as the Myths that attacked were the ones usually shroud in shadows.

The aggressive ones. But there was also one that had been spotted every now and again, that came without the darkness.

Like some fabled version of the myths or like the General, not much was known about them.

Only that they looked different and acted more intelligently.

They were more cunning, more powerful, they worked in a team.

As if they were the captains of the General’s army, because they were usually always seen with him.

The strongest of the Myths.

All of them fought like a class two because they didn’t just kill, they eradicated.

There were stories of so many that were taken, never to be seen again, leaving nothing left to mourn.

Nothing left to bury. Stories of them being taken as slaves or as a fresh food source.

Others had told of the ones who had seen them kill but had taken the bodies away, feeding on our essence released after our death.

And through all the stories, I didn’t know what to believe.

None of it… or all of it?

But every single one I wrote down just in case.

“Hey, Alex!”

I heard my name shouted and it was enough to jar me out of my thoughts.

It was my turn to patrol the high walls, along with a few others.

A wall we had built inside the first initial fence, along with a lookout tower.

The walls had been built around the abandoned county jail, and each side had three people patrolling at any one time.

The lookout tower was situated closest to the main gate with two people taking turns on rotating shifts.

“Dust ahead!” a shrill Californian accent rang out from one of the towers.

“Looks like one of ours,” Tiffany shouted, and by far, she was the best lookout of the whole base. She had a keen eye, a quick wit, and didn’t take shit from anybody. Naturally, we hit it off right away, since the day she came to the base just over a year ago.

People didn’t take her seriously for a long time, and it was down to the fact she turned up at base wearing daisy dukes, showing off her silky-smooth tan legs, and a halter neck crop top that revealed tight abs and a cute belly button piercing.

Her platform trainers were still impossibly white, like she took the time cleaning them, even in an apocalypse.

Her moto was, why should I lower my standards just because my world went to crap?

And well, I couldn’t argue against that one.

The revealing outfit had most the guys walking around with hard-ons for a week straight.

That was until I got her some army fatigues and, thankfully, she exchanged her outfit.

Her sun-tanned blonde hair was perfectly styled around her faultlessly sculpted face.

She was super cheery when she had arrived, like nothing bad had happened in the world.

But I knew this was a self-defense mechanism.

A way to cope with the situation this new life had handed her.

I couldn’t help but admire her for that.

I jogged along the wall and entered the lookout tower, standing beside Tiffany with my binoculars raised to my eyes. I couldn’t see anything.

“Where am I looking?” I asked her.

I wasn’t going to say she was wrong, because she was never wrong.

She grabbed my binoculars gently and moved them slightly to the left.

I saw the cloud of dirt and the wheels of a military vehicle, making my heart pound.

But then, it was always the same when Riley was gone.

The sleepless nights and the restlessness that plagued me. Not that I ever admitted this to him.

“Is it them?” my voice came out raspy in anticipation for her response. Tiff giggled and pushed her hip against mine.

“Yep, looks like lover boy is back.”

I groaned at her teasing, wishing she would cease trying to play match maker.

But then again, she wasn’t stupid, she knew how I felt without me needing to say a word.

A lot of people underestimated her, but I wasn’t one of them.

Because under the mask of makeup and big hair and even bigger smiles, she was one of the smartest people I knew.

She was also one of the most perceptive.

I smirked and elbowed her in the arm.

“I’ll be right back.” I ran out to the middle of the wall before shouting down to those waiting below.

“The boys are back, open the gates!” They did as I asked and I all but jumped down the stairs to meet the truck as it came to a stop securely inside our protective walls.

“Riley!” I shouted out as I threw my arms around him before he had even removed himself properly from the vehicle.

I squeezed him tightly and he leaned against the frame, hugging me back in such a tight grip, it was like he never wanted to let me go.

I pulled away and ran my hands down his scarred arms, the raised bumps a forever reminder of the first day we met.

I looked into those hazel eyes and there was something haunted looming there.

I knew him better than anyone, which meant I knew every look.

Something had happened.

Something that pained him.

“What’s happened?” I asked, my voice full of concern as I noticed the mixture of dried dirt and blood on his face. The other soldiers were hauling the supplies out of the truck and from what I could see, it had been a successful run. Although some of them most definitely looked worse for wear.

Riley sighed and wiped his hands down his face in frustration before admitting, “We lost Rodriguez.”

He shook his head, not looking me in the eye. I checked out the other soldiers again and noted that Rodriguez wasn’t with them, as if I needed the confirmation. He had been a good friend of Riley’s before we had met, and therefore by extension, had also become a good friend of mine.

The pain I felt was not uncommon, but it didn’t make it any easier as tears instantly sprang to my eyes, a glimpse of my old self unleashed.

I could see that he was putting on a brave face for me, but then, there was something else there too. Something in his expression. Something he was hiding from me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said and put my arms around his waist. This time he didn’t hug me back.

I pulled away and looked up at him, and his eyes darted everywhere else but at me.

“What is it, something else happened didn’t it?

” I asked as I let go, stepping back just before he pushed himself off the truck.

He didn’t answer me at first and I knew not to push straight away, letting him busy himself with the supplies.

Other civilians came to help and welcome back the soldiers.

Soldiers who went on supply runs were seen as kings, because it was the most dangerous job at the base.

Everyone admired them, thanked them for their service to the base, for keeping everyone fed.

“Riley? Talk to me,” I said when I could take it no more. I grabbed his arm and tried blocking his path, so he had no choice but to tell me what was on his mind. He sighed, pulling me away from the others.

“Nobody else saw, except for me. I have not said anything because I don’t want to cause alarm.

I need to see the Council.” He continued to walk away from the truck and head toward the Council’s office.

The ones who had been here the longest and were the ones who made the decisions.

Those with the most experience, like Riley.

But I wouldn’t be swayed and I rushed after him.

“What is it, Riley? Tell me!”

My stomach filled with dread as the words he had been holding back suddenly fell out of his mouth. He looked me dead in the eye and admitted everyone’s nightmare aloud…

“The General’s on his way.”