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The girl ran to her as soon as the orc was down.
“Run!” Rachael yelled to the man to follow, to run, but it was too late. He screamed as orcs swarmed him, ripping and biting. Rachael grabbed the toddler, hoisting her up on her hip, fighting back the wave of nausea that threatened to overcome her.
Too weighed down to fight, and barely able to run, Rachael panicked as the orcs turned their attention away from the now dead man to her. Struggling to move with any agility or speed, she tried to dodge around an orc as it grabbed at her shirt, shredding the cloth but missing her skin.
Suddenly something smashed down on the orc’s head, and Brett was there, spinning his steel hammer like it was a children’s toy.
“Move, Rachael!” he yelled as the orc crumpled in front of him. He moved on to the next as she struggled to keep pace, her legs screaming from the extra weight, but she gritted her jaw and fought through the burning muscles, focusing on safety.
They made it to the door of the hospital a few paces ahead of the orcs, and Alice held the door open long enough for them to get in before slamming it shut, barricading it. Letting the crying children climb to the floor and run for their parents, Rachael collapsed against the door as her legs gave out, adrenaline crashing. A hand stretched out in front of her. She looked up at Brett, letting him help her up off the floor and into his strong embrace.
— 3 —
The grounds were overrun with orcs, lurching and moaning as they roamed looking for their prey. Rachael watched with anxiety from a second-floor window, leaning on the sill, forehead pressed against the cool glass. She tried to ignore that each one of the horrible, ruined creatures below her were once humans, each one with their own story. No time for that now. They needed to get to the fence. They needed to block any more of the orcs from getting in, and they needed to clear out the ones that had gotten in already.
“They’re not ready,” Rachael said, disheartened. “I can’t ask them to fight that many, not yet.” She paused. “I’m not ready to lead them. I let them all down, I trapped them here.”
Brett stood behind her silently for a few minutes, before setting something down next to her hand.
“You’re more ready to lead them than you think,” he said as he walked away. She looked down at the Wonder Woman tiara he’d laid there, her fingers wrapping around the metal.
— 4 —
Rachael stood on a chair, pieces of metal Wonder Woman armor strapped over layers of clothing and leather, a mismatch of costumes and protective layers. Her eyes traveled across all of the men, women and children watching her silently, one by one, meeting their eyes. She could feel the fear in the air, but she could also feel their hope. Their faith. Their trust in her.
“You’ve faced every challenge to get this far,” she told them. “No. You’ve defeated every challenge to get this far. You’re not afraid. You’re not weak. You are survivors. Yes, we’re no army. We don’t need to be. You are strong. Every single one of you. You are heroes.”
She looked from face to face, her fingers clutching the tiara.
“I won’t ask you to fight if you don’t want to. I won’t make anyone do anything they don’t want to. But know that we fight to protect our home; to protect our family. This is our family. You are my family—and I will fight to defend you.”
There was silence for a moment, then a rising murmur in the crowd as Alice stood.
“You fought for us before you knew us. I’ll fight with you.”
One by one, all of her students stood, followed by more and more people until every single person in the cafeteria was on their feet.
Pride rose in Rachael’s chest as she looked around.
“We must move fast before more of the orcs come through. I know we can block the fence and clear out the orcs. Gather anything you have that can be a weapon.”
As she stepped down from the chair, Maria and two other teenage girls, Eden and Kate, pushed through the crowd gathered around her.
“We . . . uh . . . we were on the track team,” Maria started shyly, “and . . . um . . . we wanted to volunteer to run to the fence to try to block it.”
“We’re fast and strong and we can outrun anything that tries to get us,” Eden piped up.
“We want to help,” Kate added.
Rachael looked at the three teens with a smile. “If you promise me you’ll be safe, I will gladly accept your help.”
“It was Maria’s idea, but all three of us were the fastest on our team and we all want to help!” Eden said.
Maria wouldn’t meet her eyes, and Rachael smiled at her proudly. Holding up the crown, she gently placed it on Maria’s dark hair. The teen looked up in surprise and confusion; then reached up to feel the crown on her head.
“I’ll make you proud,” Maria whispered.
“You already have,” Rachael replied.
