“You okay? What happened?” Fridge asked.
“She tripped,” Keo said. He held out his right hand toward Suzanna. “Right?”
She didn’t say anything. She also didn’t reach for his outstretched arm, either.
“I said, right?” Keo said.
She nodded and took his hand. “Yeah. I tripped.”
He pulled her up—maybe a little more roughly than he really needed to—and the woman let out a grunt. Her face contorted in pain, beads of sweat appearing along both brows. He felt a sudden pang of guilt but didn’t let it show on his face as he pushed her forward—just hard enough to make it convincing.
Toby and the other Shaker left, while Fridge waited for Keo and Suzanna. The young blond was all smiles. Apparently getting gut punched by Harvey for disobeying orders hadn’t dampened his spirits any.
“She gonna live?” Fridge asked, looking at Suzanna.
“Toby thinks so,” Keo said.
“You know that guy’s not a real medic, right?”
“I figured that.”
Fridge chuckled, then turned to walk alongside Keo as they headed farther into the woods to rejoin the others. The horses were waiting fifty yards back, where they’d left them to get ready for the ambush.
“You get any?” Fridge was asking him.
“Any what?” Keo said.
“Those guys back there. I’m pretty sure I got two of them. Maybe three, if you’re counting the horses.”
Asshole’s real happy about it, too.
He said, “I’m not sure. Too many bullets flying to keep count of who got who.”
“But you squeezed off some rounds?”
“I did.”
That was a lie, but Fridge wouldn’t know that. Once the blond had started shooting, everyone had joined in. Everyone except Keo, and possibly Harvey, who had been waiting to give the order. But of course no one would know those facts. Keo hadn’t seen anyone looking at him during the brief five or so seconds of shooting.
That was all it had taken. Five or so seconds. Suzanna (or whatever her real name was) and her friends hadn’t stood a chance.
Keo had managed not to take part in the massacre, but he had a feeling that wasn’t going to last. The day was still young, and they were only a few hours out from their real target. Suzanna was part of a scouting party that kept an eye on the area. Once her people found out what had happened to her, there would be retaliation.
And then things would get really…interesting.
Nine
Arrowhead was located less than an hour from Shaker Town.
By car, anyway.
By foot—or in the case of Keo and his Shaker “colleagues”—it was more like five hours of painstaking travel. The fact that they had horses meant they could get there in less than a day, but even then it was already nightfall by the time they glimpsed the first patrol.
Like Shaker Town and many of the settlements Keo had found himself crossing in the post-Purge years, Arrowhead was a former ghoul collaborator town. It was chosen for its proximity to a nearby stream that ran around a half-mile stretch. That body of water supplied it with not a source of H2O, but plenty of sea life. The area itself used to be a wildlife preserve, which meant there were more than enough animals in the woods surrounding it to survive on. The ghouls themselves had whittled the number down, but as with everything involving nature, life found a way to make a comeback.
Arrowhead was the rural equivalent of Shaker Town’s urban, with people living in log cabins and similarly constructed buildings. From the background information he’d been given, Keo knew that the Arrowheads, as they were called, had torched the town they’d been resettled in and created a new place for themselves in this valley. It was a thriving community, one that, while not necessarily shut off from the rest of the world, didn’t proactively engage in it. Or, really, need it.
In a state that was quickly coming under the control of one dominant force—Shaker Town—Arrowhead was the last remaining holdout. And maybe that explained what Keo was doing here, now, though the whys of it was not something he was too concerned about at the moment. He had other things on his plate right now.
Keo and the Shakers had made their way through the heavily forested area that surrounded Arrowhead without much trouble. They avoided the main roads and kept away from the spurs. There were so many trees and greens they could have gotten lost and not been found for weeks or months. They had to let two patrols pass them by on the way here, but once they reached a high point in the surrounding hills, they were able to look down at the main town.
It hadn’t been that difficult, and Keo made a mental note to let Black Tide know so they could tell Arrowhead just how vulnerable they were.
But that was for another day.
As for right now…
The men settled into the darkness around Keo, spreading out in a jagged line among the trees and bushes. They were high up enough that they could look down at the town and spot figures moving around. There were lights, but Arrowhead, unlike Shaker Town, didn’t depend on solar-powered LEDs. Most of what Keo saw were torchlights—stationary ones, and others being carried by people walking along the darkened streets. The creek flowed somewhere behind the settlement, the sound of moving water the only other noise in the darkness besides the crickets and owls.
Keo was glad to hear the sounds of living things. That meant the unliving ones weren’t moving around the area. Not that he wasn’t prepared, but, well, a night where he didn’t have to contend with ghouls was a good one. Just in case, though, Harvey had made sure every one of the Shakers had armed themselves with silver-coated blades. Keo had one in his hip, but he’d give anything for bullet equivalents. But that, of course, was too much to ask. Silver-tipped bullets were not as plentiful as they used to be. Ironically, you could find gold anywhere if you cared to look.
So Keo had to be satisfied with the knife on his left hip. That was fine. He’d had to make do with less in the past.
As he settled down along the line—he had Fridge to his immediate right and Toby the-not-really-a-medic medic to his left—Keo swiped at the mosquitos trying to nibble at one of his earlobes. The female insects’ buzzing was incredibly loud, but he passed that off to the lack of any other sounds.
Keo didn’t question why Harvey hadn’t given the order to attack yet. There were two reasons for that.
One: The Shakers were outmanned and outgunned. There were a good 500 or so people (according to Black Tide intel) down there, which would easily dwarf the 20 men Harvey had brought with him.
Two: It was stupid to attack the town now, while the citizens were just starting to settle down for the night. The smarter move would be to strike when they were asleep, with only the guards walking around to deal with.
And three: This was a guerrilla raid. Harvey wasn’t here to put an end to Arrowhead; he was simply tasked with hitting back after what had happened in Shaker Town. Wham, bam, go fuck yourself, ma’am. This was all about the suicide bombing this morning. Keo still didn’t know who was responsible for that, but it was very clear that the Shakers thought the Arrowhead folks were.
True? Not true?
That wasn’t for Keo to say. He had a mission, and it didn’t include getting involved in the back-and-forth between the two settlements. This was something that had been going on for years now. It was the reason Black Tide got involved. And, in a lot of ways, the reason why he was here in the first place.
And yet, here he was.
About an hour after they arrived at the outskirts of town and sat to wait (That old Army motto, “Hurry up and wait” came to Keo’s mind), Harvey himself moved down the line and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Come with me,” the big man said.
Keo got up. He was glad to be on his feet again and moving. It kept the mosquitos from zeroing in on him and let him stretch his legs.
“When’s the attack?” Keo asked as they moved through the darkness, with only the growing moonlight to
guide them. The woods were so dark Keo could barely make out Harvey in front of him, but thankfully he was able to see where he was going without tripping over a log or, God forbid, running smack into a tree.
“I’ll let you know when it’s time,” Harvey said.
“Just wondering.”
“Again with the wondering.”
Keo wasn’t sure where Harvey was leading him, but he figured it out about ten seconds before they got there.
Suzanna.
(Or whatever her real name was.)
She was sitting on the damp ground, her back against one of the bigger trees along the hillside, about thirty meters behind the line of Shakers. There were two men keeping watch on her. They had bound Suzanna’s hands behind her back with zip ties and slapped duct tape over her mouth. There was no missing those big eyes of hers as she looked up and over when Keo and Harvey approached.
Keo’s mind raced with the things Harvey had planned for poor Suzanna. Most of all, anything that happened to her now would be his fault because he’d kept her alive. This was one of those times when a good deed might end up punishing him. Whereas Suzanna might have received a quick death before…
No good deed goes unpunished, pal, Keo thought as he stopped beside Harvey.
The big man stared at Suzanna, and she returned it without blinking.
Tough chick.
Keo had to admit, there was a toughness about the woman that was very much genuine. She wasn’t about to back down now, even though she had absolutely no leverage.
But how tough was she, really? That was probably what Harvey had brought him here to find out. Keo wasn’t excited to discover the answer. Because, whether he liked it or not, what happened next was going to be partially his fault. He should have let them kill her. It would have been more merciful. Not to mention sparing him the guilt.
Should have, would have, could have.
That was the story of his life these days, it seemed.
Harvey crouched in front of Suzanna and drew a big Bowie knife from its sheath. He held it up so she couldn’t miss it, not that she could have not seen the damn thing, as big as it was. The blade, coated with silver, gleamed against the little moonlight that managed to pierce the canopy above them.
The big man put a finger to his lips, before saying softly to her, “Scream, and I gut you, then watch you bleed out. Understand?”
Suzanna didn’t answer him, not that she could with the duct tape over her mouth. But she could have nodded or indicated understanding with her head. She didn’t do any of those things.
Instead, she continued to stare back at Harvey as if that big knife of his wasn’t capable of cutting her up from head to toe with barely a flicker of Harvey’s giant wrist.
She was tough, all right. It was too bad she was going to die soon.
Harvey ripped the duct tape off her mouth. He didn’t do it gently, either. Suzanna could barely contain her yelp as the tape pulled layers of her lips with it. She turned her head slightly, and when she turned back to face Harvey, strips of blood dripped down her chin.
But she bit her tongue and didn’t cry out. Either because Harvey had already warned her, or she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Keo was leaning toward the latter.
He was waiting for Harvey to commence the interrogation when the big man stood up and turned around to face Keo. “Come with me.”
Keo followed Harvey. They didn’t stop until they were far enough from Suzanna that she would have to strain to overhear them.
“It’s your turn,” Harvey said.
“My turn?”
“Find out which building Horatio’s in.”
Horatio, Keo thought. So that was the reason they were here.
Horatio was the leader of Arrowhead. The man, as far as Black Tide knew, had been here since the Purge days and had stayed behind to lead his people from the ghoul settlement to start over. He was The Deacon’s counterpart and the only man who had been able to resist Shaker Town’s expansion in recent years.
“What if she doesn’t tell me?” Keo asked.
Harvey shrugged. “Then I guess she’s useless.” He smiled. There wasn’t a whole lot of humor in it. “You’re the one who wanted to keep her alive. So make her useful, or cut bait.”
The big man slapped Keo on the shoulder. It was a hard and loud slap and nothing Keo would ever mistake for genuine friendship.
“Show me what you got, Chang,” Harvey said before walking away.
Keo looked after him, wondering if Harvey expected Keo to actually make Suzanna talk or if this was just…
No, he clearly hadn’t expected Keo to be able to make Suzanna give up information. This was all about making Keo prove himself.
…by killing a helpless woman.
Fuck.
Harvey disappeared back into the dark woods, his boots crunching against the wet stalks of grass as he rejoined the others.
Keo turned back around to face Suzanna.
The woman was glaring at him.
She might not have heard his conversation with Harvey (at least, Keo didn’t think she could), but she probably already knew what was going to happen next. After all, she’d have to be an idiot not to know why they’d kept her alive after killing her four comrades.
Suzanna’s guards were two men Keo hadn’t been personally introduced to, but he recognized the tall and lanky one. He had shaggy red hair, and Keo had seen him back at the armory. The other guard was almost the exact opposite—squatty and fat. This one clung to his FN FAL battle rifle as if it were glued to his stubby fingers. Neither man seemed especially interested in either Keo or Suzanna, and stood to the sides of her watching out for any Arrowheads that might wander across them.
Keo walked back to where Suzanna sat and crouched in front of her. Her eyes—light brown—zeroed in on him and stayed there. He wasn’t quite sure what was going through her mind at the moment. Maybe she was thinking about why he’d kept her alive. Or maybe she just wanted to punch him in the face.
“Did you hear what Harvey asked me to do?” Keo asked her.
She didn’t reply.
“He wants to know what building Horatio is in,” Keo continued.
Again, no response.
But she also didn’t look away from him.
Keo leaned in closer to get a better look at her bandages. Toby the not-really-a-medic medic hadn’t done a very good job, and it showed. She was bleeding, fresh red spots covering her waistline. There was more blood on her right leg pants where the other bullet had struck her and went through. If she was in pain, Suzanna didn’t show it.
“Let’s start with your name,” Keo said.
She didn’t say anything.
“How about Suzanna?” he said.
Her eyes lifted slightly in puzzlement.
He grinned. At least he finally got a response. “Suzanna. That’s my name for you, since you don’t want to give me one.”
She smirked. It was partially amusement, but mostly annoyance.
“Okay, Suzanna,” Keo said, “tell me where Horatio is. If you’re so inclined, you can even point it out for me. What do you say?”
She continued not saying anything.
He sighed. “You know he’s not going to accept that answer. Harvey, I mean. He’s giving me first crack at you, but when I tell him I didn’t get anywhere, he’ll do it himself. That’s if he feels like wasting time. He might just kill you. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“Why not?” she said.
That caught Keo by surprise. Not just the fact that she’d finally spoken for the first time, but also the question.
“Why not?”
There was more to that question than met the eye. She’d said “Why not?” but what he heard was “Why don’t you want that?”
Or maybe it was “Why did you keep them from killing me back at the road?”
The other possibility was “Why didn’t you not tell them I tried to take your gun?”
Of course, Keo could be making all those questions up in his head. He’d never been particularly good at reading women’s faces, and Suzanna’s wasn’t any different.
“Why not?” Keo said, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Why not?” she said again.
Keo sneaked a look over at Shaggy to his left to see if the tall and lanky fellow was listening in on them. He wasn’t. If he even knew what Keo was doing with Suzanna, it didn’t show in his posture. The man was staring off at nothing, M4 rifle in front of him and his back turned to them.
Susanna saw where he was eyeing and shot a glance at Shaggy’s direction, too. She also did the same when Keo turned toward Squatty, whose back was also facing them. Like Shaggy, Squatty was at least ten meters away and seeming as if he’d rather be asleep in his bunkhouse back in Shaker Town than out here trying to swat away mosquitos.
Keo returned his gaze to Suzanna and saw something surprising.
It wasn’t the same defiant woman he’d been seeing all day. Instead, Suzanna looked almost…curious? She had also noticeably relaxed her body against the tree trunk, and there was something that could almost pass as an expression of Who are you? on her face.
Keo shook his head before slowly easing his knife out of its sheath.
Suzanna’s eyes went to the blade, then quickly back to him.
He shook his head again while putting a forefinger to his lips.
She nodded.
He moved slightly to her side until he could see her zip ties, then reached for them with the knife.
“Hey, what are you doing?” a voice said.
Squatty, from his right.
At the same time, the rustling of movement from his left.
Goddammit, Keo thought as he dropped the knife and grabbed his slung MP5. While still on his knees, he squeezed off a burst in Squatty’s direction.
Then Keo was on his feet and looking past Suzanna’s head at Shaggy as the man fumbled with his M4. He was moving too quickly, panicking, and was barely getting a grip on the rifle when Keo stitched his chest with at least three rounds.
Road To Babylon | Book 10 | 100 Deep Page 8