Too many things warred for his attention at once.
Liz’s worry and need to get to her grandma pulled at him, but his own worry of running into enemy troops topped it. He was careful to keep her turned away from the south where he’d spotted aircrafts chasing each other above the treetops, it would only worry her more.
He was familiar with both the black and yellow ship as well as the silver and red, and while it was a relief to see the Commander had finally arrived with their own troops, he knew they wouldn’t be close enough to help yet. They would secure and reinforce the city first, likely trying to wait out the enemy before sweeping along the ground to clear out any that remained after their cannons took down or dispersed the ships.
Blaide slowed as the smoke grew thicker, his vision limited too much to keep running. Setting Liz on her feet once more, he gripped her hand tight, ready to throw himself between her and anything that appeared. As they crept closer to the village, he wished he’d convinced her to stay at her grandmother’s house, the scent of fear and blood growing enough to coat the back of his throat and reanimate memories he’d rather keep dormant.
This wasn’t the first ruined community he’d stalked through checking for survivors. The sight of the first broken building was enough to let him know what happened, and a twisted sort of relief flooded through him. The only thing that could cause enough damage to collapse a building was cannon fire from a ship hovering above, which meant he shouldn’t have to worry about ground troops just yet, though they wouldn’t be far behind. It was the enemy’s typical invasion tactic: to attack from above before bringing in soldiers to take care of what was left.
His lips flattened into a thin line as they moved through the rubble, the breeze stirring the smoke enough to keep him on edge as shadows moved within. Liz’s hand trembled in his and he did his best to send assurances through their bond, but the memories flooding him made it difficult to be optimistic. The last time he’d been in a situation like this he’d had to be dug out of a collapsed building while his unit was under fire. Their loyalty to each other was all that had saved him when the rest of their fighters had pulled back.
A figure stumbled into view on the street ahead of them and a growl burst from Blaide’s chest before he had time to stop it. He had a knife in hand before he realized from the smudged ash and grime that this was one of the locals.
“Please, we need help. The school collapsed with people inside.”
It took a moment for the male’s words to penetrate through the adrenaline flooding Blaide’s system but Liz pulling herself back to his side forced him to focus.
“We’re looking for my Nana. She lived near here. Looks like me with different coloring.”
She pulled them closer to the man as she spoke, and Blaide had to bite back his grumble of irritation as the man’s eyes grazed over her before he gave a nod.
“Clarette was keeping the children safe in the school basement. She’s in there with them.”
Liz’s hand flew to her mouth, a fresh surge of panic flooding from her as she turned to look up at Blaide. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, he pushed out a purr as his attention moved back to the man in front of them.
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Yesterday morning. We’ve been doing our best to dig them out after we gathered the survivors, but we need more help. We don’t have many alphas. Please.”
Blaide nodded and straightened his shoulders, releasing Liz as she wiped fresh tears from her eyes and swallowed back her sobs.
“Lead the way.”
Still wary, Blaide followed the man as he turned around and headed back through the smoke and rubble. They walked about two blocks before the smoke cleared enough for him to see the building the man was leading them to. It was the largest he’d seen yet, and most of the top floor had collapsed into the floor below. People were gathered around the end that still partially stood, carrying away piles of rubble or trudging back to repeat the process.
Blaide surveyed the situation, wondering how close they were to getting the people out and how long they had until the wave of troops that were surely coming arrived. Striding past the man who’d led them, Blaide pushed his way through the people gathered at the entrance to the building, wincing at the noise of machinery. Moving deeper into the building he realized they were trying to remove rubble from a stairwell leading down but were barely a quarter of the way in.
“This isn’t going to work.”
The people nearby stopped and looked at him, stunned expressions on their faces. Many bore tear tracks through the dirt coating their faces, and his heart twisted knowing these were likely the parents of the children trapped below.
The two men operating the machinery breaking up the pieces of debris too large to move realized everyone else had frozen and shut off their equipment. Blaide didn’t waste any time, knowing they didn’t have much if they were going to rescue everyone and get them out of harm’s way.
“That stairwell is going to be packed solid with debris. You have no idea if the roof collapsed. If it did, digging through it will bring down more. You’ve barely made it a few feet after a day, and you don’t have the time it’s going to take to reach the bottom.”
Faces turned to stare at each other before turning back to him, the two men with the machines moving closer.
“What else can we do?”
“What do you mean we don’t have time?”
Blaide could scent the fear around him. The hopeless desperation. Liz pressed against his back, her trembling firming his resolve.
“Troops are coming. They usually follow about three days behind the ships. That means you only have the rest of today and tomorrow to get them out and get away from the town. Your best bet is going to be putting a hole through the floor and finding a way to lift the people below through it.”
Once again the people glanced around at each other, but this time their gazes settled on the only two with the equipment to do what Blaide suggested. Scrubbing his face, one of the men sighed before looking back at the stairwell.
“You’re probably right.”
The man didn’t waste any time, turning to pull his machine from the hole and looking around for a clear spot on the floor to start digging through. The others moved out of the way, dropping what they’d been carrying against the walls as they watched.
Blaide turned to Liz, taking her into his arms. Tugging on her hair, he made her tip her head back so he could press a kiss to her lips. He wished his unit was with him to help, but she was all he had, and as much as he hated the idea of letting her out of his sight, he needed her help.
“I need you to do something.”
She studied his face in silence before giving him a slow nod. He could already feel her reluctance, but they didn’t have time to do things any other way.
“I need you to talk to the people outside. Gather the women and the ones too weak to help here. Get them to look through the wreckage and find all the water containers and food you can. Any medical supplies, clothing, bags. Bring it all together and start building packs. Make sure no one else is trapped and start getting everyone ready to leave.”
Her eyes grew larger with each instruction, breath catching in her throat. Her arms tightened around him, and he could feel the fear growing inside her.
“Anyone who stays will be killed when the troops arrive, and our soldiers aren’t going to be here in time to help. We have to get these people to safety. You know your Nana isn’t going to leave them behind.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed hard, but her shoulders straightened, and she gave him a nod. When she released him and took a step back one of the women standing nearby came forward.
“We’ve already checked the other buildings for survivors, and everyone is accounted for except the ones who were with the children. We’ve gathered some supplies in a house nearby, but we were mostly focused here. I know where we should be able to find more.”
Liz squeezed his hand before taking another step back and smiling at the woman.
“Thank you.”
Giving him one last look as she turned, Liz sucked in a deep breath and pushed her appreciation through their bond.
“I’ll take care of it,” she assured him.
“I’ll find your Nana,” he promised, watching her walk away.
***
It took longer than he’d hoped to get through the floor. He and the two men were the only alphas in the group, and the only ones strong enough to operate the equipment. They took turns, working non-stop until a chunk of flooring finally gave way and fell into the space below.
Cutting the machines off, the silence that first met them had worry clogging his throat.
“Hello? Is everyone okay?”
The Alpha beside him lowered the hands he’d cupped around his mouth to direct his voice into the hole, the slight shake in his last syllable showing his worry.
A cough broke the tense silence as one of the people still waiting held a lamp over the hole. Scuffling sounded from below before a voice called back.
“We’re here. We’re okay.”
Cries filled the hall behind him, but they still had to find a way to get the people below up through the hole.
“Is there anything you can climb on to get up here?”
Blaide asked as he lowered his upper body into the hole, a firm grip taking hold of his belt as he tried to get a better look below, but there wasn’t enough light. Taking the lamp thrust down at him, he finally spotted the people huddled in the far corner of the large room.
“Maybe. Give us a minute.”
A body moved just outside his ring of light and another broke away from the group in the corner to walk to the far wall. A clank sounded before a screech, but the sound cut off.
“There’s bleachers against the wall, but we aren’t strong enough to move them.”
The new voice came from a small figure that stepped into the light, arm raised to shield her eyes. By her stature she was likely an omega, and since the other voice had been female as well he was willing to bet they were omega too. They were the most natural caregivers and the obvious choice to be with the children in a time of crisis.
“Okay, give me a minute.”
Blaide sat up and looked around for the pack he’d removed earlier. Finding it, he dug out his rope and looked around for something to anchor it to, but there was nothing he’d be able to wrap it around.
“We’ve got it,” one of the men said, stepping forward with his hand held out. “We can lower you down.”
Nodding, Blaide wrapped the rope around himself as the two alphas did the same. The other people waiting in the hall moved behind them, taking up the end of the rope.
Scooting to the edge of the hole, Blaide swung his legs over before turning and lowering himself as far as his arms could reach. It was still quite a drop to the floor, but the rope should keep him from falling.
A rough call came from above, letting him know they were ready. Releasing his hold, he waited for the drop but was relieved to find the rope held. He was lowered slowly until his feet hit the floor and he called out.
He could hear the children murmuring and letting out little whines, but it was the woman who approached him who held his attention. Tall and regal, her three tails stood proud behind her, still in a way Liz’s never seemed to be. The only difference between the woman and his mate was the woman’s pure white hair and fur.
“Over here,” she said, waiving toward a set of metal bleachers not far away.
Blaide realized they must be in the school’s gym as he looked down the wall at another stack of metal. There wasn’t enough light to see the opposite end of the room, but he got the impression of more rubble scattered throughout the space.
Moving to the end of the bleacher, he gave it an experimental pull.
“They haven’t been moved in so long the wheels rusted.”
He nodded at the information, another screech filling the air as he moved it a couple inches. Adjusting his grip, he put his shoulder to the metal, digging his feet into the floor as he strained to shift the weight. It was slow to move but after an excruciating few minutes it shifted enough for the end to be under the hole. There was still a large gap between the top step and the ceiling, but he could lift the children if someone above helped take them.
Explaining his plan, he climbed the steps as the others began to stir. It took a little coaxing to get the first child to the top, but the women managed, holding hands and creating a soothing blanket of purrs.
Blaide added his own as large eyes blinked up at him from a chubby face. The little boy trembled as Blaide gripped his waist, but he remained silent, hands clinging to Blaide’s fingers as he was lifted up into waiting arms.
There were eleven children in the group, and when they realized their parents waited above, they were eager for Blaide to lift them up. Once they were out, he helped the first two omega caregivers up, Liz’s Nana waiting until last. As he knelt to form a stirrup of his hands to lift her like he had the other adults, her eyes narrowed at him, nostrils flaring.
“You smell familiar, but I’m sure I don’t know you.”
She left the statement hanging, but Blaide didn’t know how to explain everything that had happened over the past few days. Giving her a cheeky grin, he shrugged and said the only thing he could think of.
“It’s complicated, but you’ll find out why up there.”
Lifting his hands suggestively, he waited as she placed her foot in his palm, hands lightly resting on his shoulders as he stood and lifted her to the people waiting above.