The walk to the office complex went by quickly. Kell scarfed down his food without tasting it, wondering which of the very few reasons Will had for wanting to speak to him was the right one. The worst—that something had happened to John—was also the most likely. Being alone only a handful of miles from the abandoned lab was insanely dangerous. Their only hope was that the UAS thought John dead.
Anything but that, he could cope with. He had made the decision to move John, and he had promised to return quickly. That was a promise broken, which gnawed at him regardless of the logic behind the decision.
Light spilled from the window of Will's office, the stout glass square in the door dancing with refracted candles. Kell tapped a knuckle lightly.
“Come in.”
The sight of the room stopped him cold. Even at the height Hunter activity, it had remained organized. Messy, sure, but not chaotic. Will kept his work handy, arrayed in usable pieces. This was definitely not that. Maps were strewn everywhere, from walls to chairs, Will's desk, even on the floor. Stacks of reports sat in haphazard piles, files scattered like leaves on the wind.
Despite being calmly invited in, Kell had a brief, unreasoned fear that the room had been ransacked.
Will Price himself, leader of New Haven and head of the governing council, sat on his desk with his legs dangling over the edge, hunched over a book.
“You wanted to see me,” Kell said.
Will looked up sharply. Whatever the state of his work space, the man was still focused. Too focused, maybe, based on how Will looked. His clothes were wrinkled, the neck of his shirt stretched oddly, as if he'd been absently yanking on it. His hair, just long enough to need at least some taming, stuck together in clumps. For all that, he was not in a daze. It was as if things like personal hygiene or giving a crap what other people thought simply fell off his priority list entirely.
“Yeah,” Will said, his eyes latching on to Kell. “I'm glad you came by tonight. I've got some bad news.”
“Is it John?” Kell asked, dread rising in his stomach.
Will blinked. “What? No. John is fine, or he was as of the last scout mission.”
Kell deflated, putting one hand on the back of a chair for support. The map there crumpled under his fingers “Oh, thank God,” he said.
“That is why I wanted to see you,” Will said, pointing to a new map taped to the steel wall. Kell walked over to it, tried to understand what he was seeing.
It was a laminated map of the United States, or what was left of them now that governments had gone the way of cassette tapes. Tiny blue dots had been added, roughly corresponding to New Haven and other communities of survivors he knew of. There were many more he had never seen or heard of, also marked in blue. Out of curiosity, he glanced at Iowa, but there was nothing to note John's location.
At the deepest southern edge of the map, clustered at the bottom of Texas and spreading out thinly across surrounding states, were red dots. Three very large red dots sat at equal distances near the Mexican border, smaller marks interspersed between them.
“The UAS,” Kell said. “A lot of them.”
Will hopped down from the desk and walked over. “Yeah, and here's the really bad part.” He pulled a marker—red—from his pocket and popped the cap off with his teeth. His hand flew over the map, cleaning off dry erase here, adding more there, until the shape formed by the mass of enemies changed. It was no longer a scattering centered around the three huge dots representing enormous emergency bunkers.
Now the pattern bulged upward and to the east. The movement wasn't huge; they were nowhere near Kentucky. But it was enough to show their target.
“How long did that take?” Kell asked.
“About a week.”
Kell sketched out back of the napkin math in his head, using the map as a reference. “They could spread upward fast enough to get between us and Iowa in two weeks.”
Will shook his head. “Sooner. They've got advance elements moving all the time. Our best guess is they'll spend as long as they can entrenching themselves before actually picking the fight. There are so damn many of them, they can hit a lot of targets at once.”
Kell looked at the map again. “You're telling me we can't get to John any time soon,” he finally said.
“No, it's your call,” Will replied. “We knew the UAS would be a bigger problem eventually, but until now we had no idea how serious a threat they are. We didn't expect them to mobilize so quickly or quietly. I didn't want you to leave until we could start seeding new communities between here and John's place in Iowa, which couldn't happen until the UAS was either dealt with or stopped operating in the north.”
“What changed?” Kell asked. “I mean, it's more dangerous for me to leave now, right? There's a higher risk of both of us getting killed out there than before.”
“That's true,” Will said. “The difference is that.” He pointed at the map. “They know we're here, they have to know at least something about the communities allied with us. They're not afraid of a fight, and they have to know movements like this are going to look like a threat. I can't see this going anywhere but full-on war. Basically, it's going to be just as dangerous here as anywhere else.”
“No,” Kell said. “We're not ready. I didn't realize until recently just how much work we'll have to do to build a home out there. John can get by with the supplies he has and by staying close to home. There's almost no chance anyone would see him. But the entire group? We'd attract attention, probably even draw the UAS to us. Better for everyone if we stick things out here.”
Will nodded appreciatively. “That's...honestly more mature a response than I expected. I figured you'd take the chance while you had it.”
Kell shrugged. “I might have, before I found out how hard my people are working to learn how to survive out there. New Haven has been good for us. For me. Seeing the progress this place has made kind of opened my eyes.”
“Aww, shucks,” Will said, dropping into a southern drawl. “You're makin' me blush.”
Kell opened his mouth to make a joke, but an idea stopped him. “The entire group would be easily noticed, but I bet a small group could get there and stay under the radar. It would make the move easier on everyone if we had some people out there to gather supplies, prep the house, get things ready for us. Or, worst case, keep John safe if something happens here. Do you think we could manage something like that?”
Will smiled.
An hour (and a hasty explanation) later, Kell had his volunteers. At first no one had been terribly excited to leave the group, especially after he explained how, one way or another, the trip was likely to be permanent. That attitude changed quickly after he mentioned the likelihood of New Haven coming under attack.
There were few young children in the group, and it was a small blessing none of their parents volunteered. Kell would have been heartbroken to explain the need for able-bodied adults for the early trip west.
In the end there were four in the group. Kell perched on the counter in the cramped RV's kitchenette, boots resting on the edge of a half-open drawer. The four men sat in the dining nook, with Laura standing on one side and Andrea on the other.
“I know you'll all work together,” Kell said. “It's going to be a lot to handle. Dan will coordinate the preparations. That means he'll be in charge. Scotty will work with John on gathering everything we'll need for medical care and day-to-day needs. Chris, you're our construction guy. Plan for a big group, and for it to grow larger over time.” Kell turned to the last of the four, the only volunteer he didn't know well.
“Jim, I don't know what you've been studying, but I've seen you fight. Help out where you can, but keep these guys safe. John, too.”
Jim, a burly man who had the proportions of a Middle-Earth dwarf, nodded. “Horticulture, mostly. I used to be a farmer.”
“Nice,” Kell said. “That's gonna come in handy. Do you think you'll be able to plan out our food supply and get things started?”
> “Sure,” Jim said. “It's farm country anyway.”
“Good,” Laura said. “The schedule is going to be tight, so we'll need to load you up with everything you'll need tonight. That way you'll be ready to leave whenever Will puts together a scout escort.”
“That'll probably be soon,” Andrea chimed in. “If there's an army moving this way, we're going to have people all over the place keeping an eye on them.”
Laura nodded. “Which will make it easier to explain where these guys are going. Will can use the scouts as cover...”
Jim cleared his throat. “Don't mean to interrupt, but can you tell me why you're staying?” he asked Kell.
“A bunch of reasons,” Kell said. “Partly because there are things I'd like to learn here. A little because I still think New Haven is safer. Doesn't hurt that we have the entire eastern third of the country to retreat to, where the UAS can't get us.” He glanced around the tiny kitchen. “The biggest reason is because I think I can finally make some headway here. Part of why I want to work with John is because he has a lot more data than I do about the way the disease has mutated over time. But even his information is taken from limited samples.”
Jim's eyebrows came together. “You find something better?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kell said, a note of excitement in his voice. “This place has tons of records about treatments, tissue samples, even a time line of extensively documented symptoms and physical changes. It's a treasure trove. I need time to study and copy as much of it as possible.”
Which was true, as far as it went. He didn't tell them the sneaking suspicion crawling through his brain every minute since the medical records of Josh and every other person in New Haven had been put at his disposal.
Chimera might not be curable at this stage. More vital, Kell was no longer sure it should be.
Twelve
Kell watched the zombie intently. The zombie watched Kell watch him. It was creepy.
“If Gabrielle finds out I'm fighting before she clears me, she's going to cut off something I'll miss,” Kell said, never taking his eyes from the dead man.
“Nah, you'll be fine,” Josh said casually, waving his hand dismissively. “You're just my backup, and anyway it's chained up.”
That was true; the captive New Breed had a collar at its throat and a heavy chain leading to a steel peg in the ground. The testing area was behind the clinic, a back yard with its swing set and picnic tables long since removed. Nothing grew there now, the ground packed dirt marked here and there by the occasional stone. A tall chain-link fence surrounded the area, reinforced to a ridiculous degree. No zombie had ever managed to get out, not that a single escapee would fare well in New Haven for more than a minute or two.
“Now watch,” Josh said.
He approached the zombie, whose attention shifted with the careful intensity of a stalking predator. It moved, chain clinking as it dragged the ground, but stopped before the slack was taken up.
It knew how much space it had to fight. It had learned. This itself wasn't surprising, but it sparked half a dozen questions, all of which Kell forced to the back of his mind as he observed.
Josh wore armor of his own design, made up of a martial arts uniform and a hundred additions to make it as resistant to zombie bites as possible. His face was bare, however, and he wore no extra protection around his neck. This was, he said, and intentional choice to goad the zombie into focusing on that area when it attacked.
Josh stepped forward, deftly striking out with his staff. It was almost identical to Kell's spear in dimensions if not composition. Josh's weapon was wood and had no point. Too easy to kill the test subjects, otherwise.
The tip of the staff darted toward the zombie's knee. It dodged, hopping back to avoid being hit, its foot catching on the dangling chain. It tripped, falling on its ass as Josh backed just outside of its reach.
The zombie hauled itself back up, giving the chain a shake as if to get it out of the way. Its eyes remained fixed on the armored man the entire time. There was no hate in them, no expression at all on its face, only impassive calculation.
When Josh moved in again, the zombie turned before the staff could come close to its knee, latching its hands onto the weapon as its teeth snapped together inches from the exposed throat before it.
Josh, to Kell's surprise, laughed. It was more of a giggle, really. “You silly bitch,” he said, letting go of the staff. He leaped back, once again just outside the zombie's range.
The dead thing moved forward, pulling its chain tight. Josh stood confidently as it struggled to move further before giving up.
“Now watch this part,” Josh said.
The zombie gazed hungrily at both men, glazed eyes narrowing in contemplation. Then its fingers tightened on the staff. It took a clumsy swing, which Josh ducked, laughing again.
“Has it done that before?” Kell asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Nope,” Josh replied. “But I figured it would. Damn things know how to use tools and their problem-solving skills get better all the time. If they had better coordination, we'd all be screwed. That's why we've been studying them, so we can exploit every advantage. Eventually they'll figure out how to get over the walls in numbers.”
Kell opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the rattle of the chain-link gate. He glanced over to see Kate standing with her arms crossed. She motioned for him to come over.
“I know better than to get between two people when a woman has that look on her face,” Josh said. “You go talk. I'm gonna take my stick back from this asshole over here.”
Kell steeled himself as he moved toward her. Try as he might, he could never quite put her out of his head. Too much history there.
“Kate,” he said, nodding.
Her face was unreadable, though she gave him a searching look. “Your boys were delayed heading out. I know they were supposed to leave for John this morning, but Juel broke her ankle this morning. They need a replacement scout to go with them.”
It wasn't hard to figure out. “And you're the only other person who can make the trip, because nobody is supposed to know John exists.”
“Yeah. I told Will I'd do it. I'm going to either way, but I need to know if this is going to be a problem between the two of us.”
Kell stared at her for a long time. When he spoke, it was in a voice devoid of tone, of any feeling whatsoever. He chose his words with care. “Not if you do your job the way you're supposed to.”
Her eyes flashed. “Of course I will. I'm not an idiot. I know how important this is.”
Kell snorted. “I thought your friends were important, too...”
“Don't give me that shit,” Kate spat, red spots blooming on her cheeks. “I didn't hurt anyone. I wasn't going to actually hurt Laura, you have to know that.”
Ice began to flow through his veins, a wave of cold fury so powerful it actually shocked him. “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. The problem is, you don't seem to get how badly you betrayed our trust. We'd have died for you. Laura suffered the worst things a person can live through by your side. Threatening her that way...I can't even imagine what could have made you do it. I'd have never thought it of you, Kate. But then I've always had that blind spot with people, haven't I? Can't see what they're really capable of until it's too late.”
Kate had murder in her gaze, but somehow she wrangled it under control enough to speak. “For your fucking information, I did it because I wanted us gone. Out of here, as fast as possible. Because there's a fucking war coming. We've known it for months, but we still stayed here. I was trying to get us all to safety before it was too late.”
Kell knew as much, of course, but it didn't change the basic and unbridgeable gap between who Kate was and who the rest of them were. “I know that. My problem is that you never tried to talk to me about it. You never made your case. Instead of taking a chance of being rejected, you tried to manipulate me and the rest of the group, and you hurt your best friend in the world to do i
t.”
For a moment, it seemed as though a glimmer of understanding danced across her face, a brief surge of understanding. It was gone so quickly Kell assumed it was his imagination, as Kate's face fell back into the impassive mask she wore at the start of the conversation.
“So yeah, go do your job, Kate. Make sure Scotty and the rest are safe. Say hello to John for me, if you want. But until you grow the fuck up and take some responsibility for the things you do, don't bother talking to me again.”
Kell walked away without looking back.
The dogs greeted them when they returned to Josh's house. Jess was nowhere to be found, but that wasn't unusual. She spent most of each day overseeing an improbable number of agricultural projects. Kell rarely saw her unless he came to the house especially early in the morning.
He wrestled with the dogs while Josh stowed his weapons and armor. It was becoming a bit of a ritual upon entering the house. Something about the doggy grins made him incapable of feeling the weight of the world. For those brief minutes, it was just him and the furballs engaging in mock battle.
Josh bustled around the house, surprising Kell with a dark brown bottle. He looked at the other man quizzically.
“It's beer,” Josh explained. “Well, okay, it's closer to bread, but my brother brews the stuff and he calls it beer, so we try to do the same. Thought you might like one. I hate the stuff, myself.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Kell said, twisting the cap off with one hand. The beer was not a fan of this treatment, foaming over immediately. Kell tried to catch the overflow, bringing the bottle to his lips as quickly as he could, but his chest took a dose of suds despite his best efforts.
Josh grinned. “Dave—my brother—calls that a baptism. I think he brews it that way on purpose, just so everyone knows you've been drinking his creation.”
He threw Kell a towel and dug out a fresh shirt, handing it to him. “Might be a little small, but it'll do. You're welcome to take a shower if you like.”
The Fall (Book 3): War of the Living Page 12