by Sam Sisavath
“Your guess is as good as mine, bud.” He looked over at Peters. “Know what I mean?”
“No,” Peters said. “What do you mean?”
“Black Tide,” Keo said.
“What about it?”
“I’d feel a lot better if they could send a hog or two over here and light those suckers up,” Jolly said. “I know we lost our radio, but Gaby’s still got hers.”
Gaby nodded. “I’ve been talking to Black Tide all day on it.”
“It’d take hours for them to get someone over here,” Bart said.
“You going somewhere?” Jolly asked.
“It’s a good idea. Some fire support would make a big difference.”
“What about friendly fire?” Bart asked.
“I guess they better be careful,” Jolly said.
“Sounds like a shit plan.”
“But it’s worth a shot,” Peters said.
Peters hurried over to the pew with the long-range radio sitting on it. While he was busy pulling it out, Gaby looked across the church at Keo, who had quietly made his way over to where Horse stood shuffling its feet in one of the corners. He was rubbing the animal’s mane, the thoroughbred nudging him back with its muzzle.
Gaby walked to him, and Keo glanced in her direction as she neared.
“How’s he doing?” she asked.
Keo smiled. “He’s pretty pessimistic about tonight.”
“He told you that?”
“Uh huh.”
“What else did he say?”
“He’s regretting sticking around after the ranch.”
“Tell him so do I.”
Behind them, Peters was standing next to the radio and talking into the mic. “Come in, Black Tide. This is Recon Seven. Can you hear me? Come in, Black Tide. I say again, this is Recon Seven. Can anyone over there hear me?”
“Nothing?” Jolly asked.
“Not yet.” Peters glanced over at the trapdoor. “Maybe some height would help.”
“Yeah, let’s ask those creepy crawlers if they’ll give us back the bell tower so we can use the radio,” Bart said.
Jolly chuckled. “Hey, if you ask nicely enough, pretty please with cherries on top, they might oblige.”
“Sure, sure,” Bart smirked.
Gaby turned back to Keo. He hadn’t said a word as Peters and his team went back and forth. The thoroughbred moved slightly next to him, clearly agitated—and maybe it would have been even more so without Keo’s presence. Gaby stood on the other side of Horse and joined Keo in rubbing the horse’s mane. The extra attention seemed to help comfort the animal, and it stopped moving around as much, though it never stopped completely.
She gazed across Horse at Keo. “What’s going on?”
“It’s the same one,” Keo said. He sneaked a look over at Peters, as if to make sure he wasn’t eavesdropping, before turning back to her. “The blue-eyed ghoul that was outside. It was the same one outside Jonah’s. The same one at the cabin.”
She shivered and didn’t try to hide it. Keo was staring right at her, and she had no doubt he could see the way her chest moved as her heartbeat accelerated noticeably, pounding away like the trapdoor had been earlier.
“Are you sure?” she asked, dropping her voice to almost a whisper. She didn’t know why she did it, but suddenly she was paranoid of being overheard, too.
He nodded. “It’s come for me, Gaby.”
“You? Just you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“For Houston, and for something it thought I did.”
“What did it think you did?”
“There was another blue-eyed ghoul. It thinks I had something to do with it dying.”
“Did you?”
“Sort of. It’s complicated.”
Of course it’s complicated. What wasn’t complicated tonight? Gaby thought, but the only thing she could manage was, “Fuck, Keo.”
He grinned. Or tried to. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure it was the same one?”
He nodded somberly. “It was the same one. I used to think they all looked the same, but that’s not true. That’s not true at all. There are differences. It’s in the eyes…” He looked away for a moment, at Peters and the others, before turning back to her. “It’s in the eyes, Gaby. It’s the same one from Jonah’s. The same one from the cabin. It’s here. It’s come for me.”
She shuddered, and Horse turned his head to look at her as if to ask, What happened? Is something wrong?
Everything’s wrong, Horse, she thought, but the only thing that came out between her lips was, “What now?”
“This is the calm before the storm.” He looked toward the doors. “It’s got us where it wants us. Trapped, with no place to go. And this time it brought a lot more friends.”
“More than at the cabin?”
“A lot more.”
“Where have they been hiding all this time?”
“I don’t know. But it’s smart. Blue Eyes. Who knows how many more it’s got out there that it’s keeping in reserve.”
She didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what to say, and everything that crossed her mind seemed so…lacking.
“It’s going to come in,” Keo continued. He sounded almost robotic, but she knew it wasn’t. Keo was trying to be even keeled. Trying not to lose control. He was trying hard even though everything he was saying, she was sure of it, terrified him. “It’s going to find a way. And we won’t be able to stop it.”
“We’ve withstood ghoul charges before. Against bigger odds than what’s out there.”
“Yes, we have. And maybe we’ll make it through this one, too.”
“But you don’t believe it…”
He shook his head. “I don’t.”
“Why?”
Again, Keo checked to see if Peters and the others were listening. They weren’t. Jolly and Bart had their eyes glued to the world outside, while Peters looked like he was getting frustrated with every failed attempt to reach Black Tide over the radio.
“It wants me,” Keo said when he looked back at her. “You didn’t see it outside of Jonah’s… It won’t be denied, Gaby. It’s got numbers, and it’s got all the time in the world.”
“We just have to get through the night. Even if Black Tide can’t send aerial support, we just have to get through nine more hours before sunup. The people who were here before us—”
“Didn’t have to deal with a blue-eyed ghoul. Nine hours is an eternity with one of those bastards out there. What do you think it’s doing right now?”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s looking for a way in. A soft spot. It’s taking its time because it can. The night, regardless of what we’ve told ourselves these last five years, still belongs to them. An hour from now—two hours—it doesn’t matter. This”—he looked around at the strangely lit interior of the church—“isn’t going to stop it.”
Gaby sensed someone watching them and glanced over to find Peters looking in their direction. The older man didn’t say anything, but he narrowed his eyes, an indication he knew they were whispering back and forth and was keeping him out of it. Instead of demanding answers, Peters returned his focus to the radio.
“Anything?” Gaby called over.
Peters shook his head. “I’m not getting through. There must be some kind of interference out there. Maybe a storm of some kind.”
“Keep trying. We might get lucky.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Peters said. He keyed the mic again. “Black Tide, this is Recon Seven. Can you hear me? If there are any Black Tide elements out there, please respond. I repeat: If there are any Black Tide elements out there, please respond.”
When Gaby looked back at Keo, he was still staring at her. “All right. So it’s looking for a way in. How? We’ve checked the place up and down. The front doors and windows are barricaded. So how is it going to get in?”
Keo shook his head. “I don’t know. If it can’t find a way in,
it’ll make one. You’ve seen how strong they are. What they can do with their bare hands, never mind a legion of ghouls to wield like a weapon. A bullet. Name your instrument of destruction.”
Gaby thought about the farmhouse, being surrounded…
She shivered again and said, “You’re right. They’re strong. And fast.”
“Very strong. And very fast. If it wants in…”
“…it’ll get in,” Gaby finished.
She sighed and glanced across the church at Jolly and Bart, with the pew-reinforced doors between them. She looked over at the nearby back office, where Donald and Carter were inside at the moment, with only a cheap flimsy wooden door separating them from the rest of the church.
If it wants it…it’ll get in.
He’s right. God, he’s right.
It’s just like back at the farmhouse all over again…
Gaby looked across Horse at Keo. He had an expression on his face that she’d seen before—and never liked, because of what it meant. She’d seen it on Will’s and Danny’s faces when even they weren’t sure if they were going to survive what was coming, and either couldn’t hide it or didn’t want to.
“What else is there?” Gaby asked. “There’s more, isn’t it?”
“Peters said Fenton’s men tracked them through the woods, but not into Axton,” Keo said. “Why not? There’s no invisible border to stop them, but they didn’t attack before nightfall. They had their chance. A slim one, but it was there. Why didn’t they take it?”
“I don’t know. Neither does Peters.”
“Maybe there’s a reason…”
“For what?”
“For Blue Eyes being here with that little parade outside our doors, and not Buckies. Why it was down at Jonah’s when I was there. And later, outside Winding Creek.”
“You thought it was hunting you…”
“After it ran into me at Jonah’s. Before that, what was it doing down there?”
“You never found out?”
He shook his head. “It was just…camping out.”
“‘Camping out?’”
“Like it was waiting for something…”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. But it didn’t know I was going to be there. It looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see it.”
“You think there’s a pattern, don’t you?”
“I think there might be something.”
“You know what it is. You’ve thought about it. A lot. What is it?”
“It’s out there…”
“Tell me.”
“Fenton.”
“What about Fenton?”
“Fenton and the blue-eyed ghoul. They were at all three places at about the same time. Four, now, counting Axton. That’s a hell of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
He gave her that attempt at a smile again. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Not that it mattered, because he failed spectacularly either way.
“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” she said, but Gaby couldn’t make herself believe it even as the words left her mouth.
“Maybe,” Keo said. “Anything’s possible. But it’s something to think about.”
Do I have to think about it?
The reality of Fenton running around out there causing so much mayhem was bad enough, but adding ghouls into the equation... And not just any ghoul, but a blue-eyed one. Somehow, that made it even worse, and it was pretty damn worse already.
When she looked back at him, Keo was smiling at her. This time he looked more like the Keo she was used to, though she wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or not.
“What?” she said. “What are you smiling at?”
“I have a plan,” he said.
She sighed. “It’s not a good plan, is it?”
“Depends on what you consider ‘good.’”
“‘Good’ is one where I don’t die, Keo.”
“I’d say seventy-thirty.”
“Seventy-thirty of what?”
“Seventy percent chance we all die.”
I had to ask, didn’t I? she thought, but said, “And thirty percent chance we survive? That’s…not so bad, I guess.”
He shrugged.
“What does that mean?” she asked, growing a little irritated with him now.
“More like eighty-twenty, but I wanted to be generous. As Danny would say, Captain Optimism.”
“Your version of Captain Optimism sucks.” She closed her eyes, then opened them back up. “All right. So tell me this wonderful plan of yours, where I have a thirty—no, make that twenty—percent chance of surviving…”
Twenty-Seven
“You’re insane,” Peters said. “Either that, or you have a death wish. Which one is it?”
“I’ll take Number C, Alex,” Keo said as he tightened the strap on Horse’s saddle. The animal shuffled its feet nervously (Horses get nervous, too, right?), but didn’t object.
“Number C?” Jolly said.
Peters wasn’t amused, and continued. “Even if everything you say is true about this blue-eyed devil coming for you because of a grudge, what you’re proposing is seriously insane. You think they’re going to find a way in, so we should make a way for them first. Is that it?”
Keo took a moment to brush some dirt off Horse’s saddle before he answered. “Trust me, Peters, I don’t want to do this. I wish there was another way. But it’s coming, and it’s going to get in. The question is, do we just sit here and wait for the inevitable, or do we take action and increase our chances of survival in doing so?”
“That’s only if this works. If this insane plan of yours actually does what it’s supposed to.”
“You know, there is another way to say ‘insane’ without actually saying ‘insane.’ Besides, it’ll work.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.” Keo glanced in Gaby’s direction. “And so does Gaby.”
Peters followed his gaze over to her. So did Jolly and Bart.
“Is he right?” Peters asked.
I don’t know. He might just be as insane as you keep saying, Gaby thought, but she nodded, and with as much conviction as she could fake, said, “Keo knows what he’s doing. That thing will come in here one way or another before morning. When that happens, there’ll be no way out of this. At least this way, we have a shot.”
“If it works like he says it will,” Peters said.
“It will,” Gaby nodded.
“But you don’t know that. Neither one of you knows that.”
“I trust Keo.” She looked over at Keo for effect, and thought, God, I hope this is convincing, because I can barely convince myself. “It’s the only way. We can stand here and wait for it to come on, or we can take the fight to it. As long as it’s out there, we have no shot of making it to morning. But with Keo’s plan, then we at least have a chance.”
Peters shook his head, the frustration clear as day on his face. “We should wait. Sooner or later, whatever’s blocking our radio transmission is going to clear out and we’ll be able to raise Black Tide. If we can get a couple of Warthogs over here, we can clear a whole lot of the bastards out, blue-eyed ghoul or not.”
“If you finally get through to Black Tide,” Keo said. “If the Warthogs get here in time. If said blue-eyed bastard gives you the hours you’re going to need to make all of that happen. You know what my father used to say about soldiers that rely on ifs on the battlefield? They go home in body bags.”
“Your pop must be a real hit at parties,” Jolly chuckled.
“Kinda a buzzkill, but that’s beside the point.” Keo tightened another strap on Horse’s saddle. “I don’t want to do this, boys and girl. Trust me when I say that. I do not want to do this, but it’s the only option we have. You’ve all been out here before. None of you are starry-eyed virgins. You survived The Purge. You know what’s going to happen. Don’t bullshit yourselves. Some of you may have even faced one of those blu
e-eyed fuckers in the past, or you’ve heard about people who have. It’s true. All the stories people tell. They’re all true.”
“He’s not wrong,” Jolly said. “Remember in Dallas, six years ago? That horde outside right now is different when one of those blue eyes are around. Keo’s got a point there. The rest of it? Man, that’s way above my pay grade.”
Peters didn’t answer, but he also didn’t look even remotely convinced, either.
“Never mind six years ago,” Donald, who had come out of the back room to join the conversation, said. “I saw one four years ago. Watched it tear Louie apart with its bare hands and disappear like a ghost. If one of them’s out there…”
“It was, I saw it,” Bart said.
“So did I,” Gaby said.
“Christ,” Donald said, almost whispering the word.
“You sure it’ll work though?” Bart asked. He was sitting on a pew next to the radio, having taken over (and failing just as spectacularly) from Peters to raise Black Tide. Whatever was out there, whatever was blocking their signal, it hadn’t gone anywhere in the last thirty or so minutes.
“I think that without Blue Eyes, that horde will be a lot easier to handle,” Keo said. “They’re predictable. Dumb. They’ll smash their heads into a wall over and over and hope it breaks. Bottom line, without Blue Eyes around to command them, the chances of survival goes up exponentially higher.”
“So you keep saying,” Peters said. “And I say going through with your plan puts us in jeopardy. Voluntarily.”
“Peters, you’ve been out here before.”
“Of course…”
“Then you know I’m right.”
Peters didn’t answer him.
“You know I’m right,” Keo said again. “Goddammit, man. You really think I want to do this?” Keo laughed. Or tried to. It came out painfully forced. “I don’t. I fucking don’t.”
The two men stared at each other.
Finally, Peters nodded. “You’re fucking insane, Keo.”
“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Broken Record,” Keo said. He picked up his pack from a nearby pew and slipped it on. “If this is going to work, I need everyone onboard with the plan. Everyone.”