What Following Brings by S. E. Campbell Page A

easily.
    â€œ Yuri, ” Eden said, touching his cheek, “ I wish you would listen to me . I ’ m going to help you, but you have to let me do it. ”
    Yuri stared at her and then gritted his teeth. “ Help me? I don ’ t need anybody ’ s help. I do just fine on my own. ”
    â€œ You are so stubborn, ” she said, glaring at him.
    â€œ And you are so much trouble, ” Yuri said , scowling back at her .
    The two of them continued to gaze at each other, Yuri with narrowed eyes and Eden with wide ones. She placed the lamp on the table beside Yuri with a thunk, illuminating him so the Raiders couldn ’ t get close. But without the lamp, Aaron would be in trouble too. Unless…
    â€œ Remove your uniform, Aaron, ” Eden said, whipping around.
    â€œ Excuse me? ” Aaron said. “ I like you too, Eden, but a public expedition in front of Yuri? Shouldn ’ t we do this somewhere— ? ”
    â€œ Ugh, no, no , ” Eden said. “ Where is your mind, Aaron? The Raiders are after g uards . It ’ s all a part of the deal I made. Remove your soldier ’ s clothes , so they won ’ t come after you. I will be waiting in the hallway. ”
    She stepped outside the examination room, shaking her head.
    ****
    A few minutes later, Aaron stepped out of the examination room wearing a T -shirt and a pair of jeans. She did a double-take when she saw him. Half of her had expected to see Aaron running around the place in naught but his undergarments, but this was much better. She rather would have faced a Raider than seen that.
    â€œ How did you do that? ” Eden asked. “ Put on new clothes? ”
    â€œ I didn ’ t, ” Aaron said. “ They just, sort of, appeared when I took off the old ones. ”
    Thank heavens.
    â€œ Listen, Eden, about what I said in there, ” Aaron said. “ I do like you, you know. ”
    She whipped around, horrified. They were surrounded by Raider mist, and that was what he thought about?
    â€œ Aaron, we ’ ll discuss this later, ” Eden said. “ Now tell me, is Adanna okay? ”
    â€œ Adanna is with Sergeant Dale outside of the prisoner, ” Aaron said. “ He ’ s guarding her. ”
    â€œ Okay, then I won ’ t have to worry about her, ” Eden said. “ I won ’ t have to think she ’ s going to get hurt if the Raiders turn on me. Help me smash some more bottles. ”
    ****
    Eden stepped into the hallway again fifteen minutes later ; it was so thi ck with mist she could hardly see a centimeter in front of her face. It ’ s odd, not being afraid of this. The Raiders have had me twitching whenever I walked out in the dark. Yet she still felt uneasy. As she walked forward, she heard the imp ’ s words in her head, “ Never trust a Satan Spawn. We know no loyalty except to our Dark Lord. ”
    She had seen that first-hand, hadn ’ t she? She knew these Satan Spawn did nothing except that which enhanced their own personal gain.
    As she walked with Aaron following close be hind her, nearly stepping on her sneakers with every step he took, she heard roaring downstairs and smelled fire. She then heard a prisoner ’ s scream. An imp. I just heard an imp. The other prisoners.
    â€œ Hurry, ” Eden said, “ they ’ re in trouble. ”
    Before Aaron could say anything in response, Eden sprinted down the stairs and hurled herself across the threshold. On the next floor down, where she had been kept, she had to leap over one of the Demon soldiers rocking back and forth with black energy. It was Yuri ’ s right-hand man, Jared. When she went around a corner , she saw the imp terrorizing the prisoners.
    The imp was bigger than the one she had released upstairs. The imp had to have been twenty feet tall . The horns on his head were the size of a strong man ’ s bicep and as sharp a s the edge of a kitchen knife. His claws were