by Vohs, J. W.
Will snarled again, but his eyes flickered with understanding. “Yes,” he hissed.
Luke was temporarily taken aback by Will’s clear verbal response. Adjusting to this new development, he decided to ask a few questions. “Are there others like you? Others who remember?”
Will considered the question before answering in a voice somewhere between a snarl and rasp, “Not sure.”
“Can others communicate with you? Can you understand each other?”
Will was slow to answer again, but finally growled, “Yes.”
“I need you to find the others like you, ones who can communicate, or ones who are starting to remember who and what they were before they were infected. Don’t show yourself to anyone but me. I will come back here every morning until my human group heads west.”
“Yes,” Will snarled again, but his anger was no longer on the verge of exploding.
“Together we are going to build our own pack, and together, we’re going to make Barnes pay for what he’s done.” Luke sensed nothing but satisfaction from Will as they parted ways, but his own heart was bursting with renewed fury. He’d thought that he understood the extent of the evil Barnes had unleashed upon the world, but he was wrong. What Will was experiencing was a hell beyond anything Luke had ever imagined.
“So where were you off to so early this morning? Same as yesterday?” Gracie poked Luke in the ribs as they finished breakfast. “I bet you thought I didn’t notice you sneaking out in the middle of the night.” She got up to mix herself a cup of MRE instant coffee.
“I wasn’t sneaking; I was trying to be polite and not wake you up—and it wasn’t the middle of the night,” Luke objected as he wadded up a napkin and launched it at his wife. “Technically, it was morning.”
“So you still didn’t answer my question.” She sat down next to Luke and put her hand on his leg. “It’s okay, baby. I figured one day you’d start to wander, maybe find yourself a nice female hunter to stalk livestock with and—”
“Very funny,” Luke interrupted, “but if you’re really interested in my morning exercise, maybe you can join me tomorrow.”
Gracie narrowed her eyes and studied her husband. “You know I’d rather sleep than run around and freeze my butt off in the dark. I know there’s something you’re not telling me—good thing we have the whole ride to Vicksburg to talk about it.”
Luke leaned over and kissed Gracie passionately. “We can talk about whatever you want; just never doubt that I love you with all my heart. I think I would die if anything happened to you.”
“Don’t say that!” Gracie admonished. “Don’t ever say that again; where did that even come from?” She quickly thought of Andi and felt like a fool. “Oh, babe, I’m so sorry. It’s Andi, isn’t it? I guess my brain just isn’t awake yet this morning. It’s only natural for you to be thinking of Jack and what happened to Andi since we’re on our way to visit him.”
Luke slightly shifted the direction of the conversation, “So what’d you find for Andi’s girls?”
Gracie’s eyes lit up. “I think you’ll agree that I’ve found the perfect present—well, presents. Wait here . . .” She pulled on her coat and flipped up the hood. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“We’re leaving in ten,” Luke called out as the door closed behind her. He felt like he was being dishonest, not telling Gracie about Will. He argued with himself about what he should say, and when. Part of him wanted to share everything he knew about Will—his ability to communicate, his emerging memories, the excruciating pain and the anger about what had happened to his family . . . But what would be served by that? Did Gracie need to know Will’s truth? If so, did she need to know it now? This is bigger than us, he thought, and until I know for sure what it all means, I shouldn’t try to explain it to anyone.
Gracie actually was back in less than three minutes, carrying a good-sized box and smiling from ear to ear. “A momma cat and three kittens,” she announced proudly. “Off the charts cute and cuddly, plus, they’ll earn their keep as stone-cold rodent killers. Just look at them . . .” She lifted one side of the lid and tilted the box toward Luke. The mother cat was stretched out, nonchalantly washing her paws. Next to her three fluffy kittens were wrestling like maniacs.
Luke stepped up to get a closer look. A smoky gray kitten looked him in the eye and hissed. Luke laughed and reached in to pick it up.
“Aren’t they adorable? Such pretty kitties,” Gracie cooed in a high pitched voice. She looked up at Luke. “You don’t want to eat them, do you?”
Luke cradled the kitten next to his chest and stroked it gently. It relaxed and started to purr loudly. “Of course I don’t want to eat it,” he said, only slightly offended. The kitten crawled up and rubbed its face against Luke’s chin, then stared at him with big, melancholy eyes. “I think you did find the perfect present for the girls. And this one likes me after all. I’m going to name him Wolf.”
“What?” Gracie took the gray kitten from Luke and put it back in the box. “The girls get to name their own pets—and anyway, what kind of name is Wolf for a cat?”
Luke shrugged. “Don’t ask me—he told me his name is Wolf, and that’s what I’ll tell the girls when we see them.”
Gracie rolled her eyes. “Fine, let’s get going. I know Jenkins has all the vehicles on your list fired up and ready to roll.”
This trip to Vicksburg consisted of four Hummers and twelve people—three soldiers per vehicle on the way there, six on the return trip since two of the Hummers were to remain behind with Captain Harden. Both Zach and Maddy were eager to return to Vicksburg to catch up with Jack and Carter, but they understood that their leadership was essential at the depot in Luke and Gracie’s absence. Sergeant Jenkins drove Luke, Gracie, and the cats in the lead vehicle, and he talked so much that Gracie never got the chance to question Luke any further about his early morning activities.
The convoy received a warm reception at the Vicksburg gate this time around; Jack was there to personally greet his son and daughter-in-law.
Gracie jumped out of the Hummer and threw her arms around Jack. “I know you’re not really the hugging type, but I can’t tell you how good it is to see you—is Carter with you?”
Jack picked her up in a bear hug and spun her around. “It’s good to see you too, Gracie. Carter’s at his mom’s new place—I promised to take you directly there. Andi’s girls and Lucy are driving everybody crazy asking if you’re here yet.”
Luke walked up to Jack and shook his hand. “What’s the news on the Castle?”
Jack pulled Luke in for a stiff embrace. “Everyone’s fine—our folks were just staying well-hidden underground and maintaining radio silence in case Barnes still had his eye on the place. Turns out that the hunters were there for less than 24 hours before the choppers came back and got them moving again.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “What about the sheriff; wasn’t he affected by the helicopter signals? Did Doc Redders say anything about him?” He was secretly wondering if the hunter Redders kept to study at the Castle was exhibiting any unusual behaviors. Did he know that he used to be a human?
“Redders didn’t mention him,” Jack replied as Captain Harden pulled up in an old Jeep. “Looks like our chariot has arrived. The captain here is anxious to see what you brought him, and I need to get you and Gracie over to Grandma Wilson’s. I’ll give you the full Indiana update on the way there.”
Harden tossed Jack the keys to the Jeep and gave Luke a friendly pat on the back. “So which of these beauties do we get to keep?”
Luke grinned. “You get to decide—pick two Hummers and we’ll take the others back with us.” He motioned for Jenkins to join them. “This is Sergeant Jenkins—he’s our chief mechanic. I’m sure he’d be happy to go over each of the vehicles with you.”
Jenkins nodded. “It’d be my honor.”
Jack was already revving up the Jeep. “Come on, we’re burnin’ daylight.”
Luke hopped in the fron
t seat with Jack. “You must be spending too much time with Carter—you’re starting to sound just like him,” Luke teased.
Gracie grabbed the box with the momma cat and kittens and climbed in the back seat. “The present for Andi’s girls,” she explained. The mewing gave away the contents before Jack could ask what they’d brought, and he smiled with approval. Gracie didn’t say much else as Jack updated them about the status of the Castle. She was watching him closely—she hadn’t expected him to be in such a cheerful mood. She reasoned that he was happy to see Luke again, and that he was probably emotionally distancing himself from the trauma of witnessing Andi’s murder. Also, the news from the Castle was good.
“After the infected were drawn out, about two dozen of Barnes’ men moved in and made themselves right at home. They drank up most of my good whiskey before the Utah troops hiding out with Redders took care of the situation. By the time Tina and the others got there, everything was under control.”
“So what’s the plan for the Castle now?” Luke wondered. “We have to assume that Barnes is gonna be keeping an eye on it.”
“We’re maintaining the same minimal crew there, with orders to lay low and keep up the appearance that the place has been abandoned. They have enough repair work to keep them busy for a while.”
“Don’t you expect Barnes to try to establish his own base there?” Gracie asked with concern. “I mean, he seems so obsessed with you, and that’s your home. I think leaving anybody there is asking for trouble.”
“We added ten prisoners of war from the group that moved in after the hunters were pulled out. Marcus debriefed each of them, and I’m comfortable with the situation for now.” Jack’s tone made it clear that the issue wasn’t up for discussion.
“What are you doing with the prisoners?” Luke was almost afraid to ask.
“Proud Southerners that they are, Tina and John were anxious to see Vicksburg—they’ll be escorting them down here in a day or two.” Jack took one hand off the steering wheel and gestured toward the cabins lining each side of the boulevard across the bridge. “This is a pretty impressive settlement.”
Gracie pictured Tina and John; married for nearly a decade, they were both former military officers who’d joined up with Jack at the Castle when the outbreak was just getting started. “I thought they were from Texas,” she said as the Jeep slowed down in front of what was obviously a newly built cabin.
“They are,” Jack confirmed as he parked the vehicle, “but even though most Texans probably considered themselves Texans first and Southerners second, the rest of us have never doubted that the Lone Star state was part of the South.”
The cats were a big hit with the girls; even Charlotte and her mom appreciated their value since mice were a constant nuisance in the settlement. Six-year-old Greta told Lucy she could pick one of the kittens to take home when it was big enough—just not Wolf. She’d promised Luke that she’d take special care of him herself. Cassandra was two years younger than Greta, and she claimed the mother cat and the extra kitten. When she said she was going to take special care of the momma cat till her own mommy came back to take care of them all, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
After lunch, Jack handed Luke a large notebook. “It’s your update on Utah. Not much has changed—Carlson runs a tight ship. The Mormon custom of maintaining a long-term food supply has certainly been an advantage for them.”
“Where do they live?” Luke knew the state was huge.
“From Provo to Logan they’ve used mountains and water to secure their flanks and kill every infected along the Wasatch Front and the entire Cache Valley. South of Provo, they’ve cleaned up the state as far as they know, so towns like Richfield and St. George are being resettled.”
“No lakes south of Provo,” Luke added, remembering the maps he’d been studying.
“Nope,” Jack agreed. “Carlson says that the vast distances and inhospitable terrain have kept interstate-packs to a minimum.”
“In other words,” Luke mused, “once the Utah-infected were cleared out near the Nevada and Arizona borders, they haven’t had to deal with any large packs.”
“Basically, yeah,” Jack concurred. “They eventually expect trouble from the west, mainly because I-15 connects to Las Vegas and southern California, so they have observation posts along the highway through all of northern Arizona.”
Luke considered the layout of the areas they were discussing for a moment, then decided. “We’ll follow the river until it’s too shallow for our boats, then we’ll pick up I-40 all the way to Flagstaff and wind our way north from there using the state highways.”
Carter had been listening to the exchange, and nodded in agreement. “Ya do that and ya should be able to enter southern Utah not too far east of I-15.”
Luke appreciated the plan. “That would put us firmly across the most likely route of invasion if Barnes is planning a spring campaign.”
“So how long do you plan on staying at the depot?” Jack was talking to Luke, but his eyes flickered to Charlotte on the other side of the room. They briefly made eye contact, and Charlotte smiled demurely before looking away. Gracie was sitting on the floor in front of Charlotte, playing with one of the kittens, and she watched the exchange with curiosity.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Luke replied, “probably another week or so.”
Jack nodded. “That base is massive. I assume you’ll be leaving some folks behind to continue building resources and keep at least a section of the depot secure as an outpost for the Resistance?”
Luke blinked. “To be honest, I hadn’t even thought of that, but it makes total sense. I wish I had more soldiers; we’re a pretty small outfit. We’ve only secured a fraction of the base—just keeping guards around our established perimeter zaps my resources.”
“How do you feel about moving some of Harden’s troops there, along with some civilian mechanics, and putting Tina and John in charge.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Luke replied. “I wish I’d thought of it first.”
Carter scowled, “Ya ain’t the only one with limited resources. We should think this thing through ‘fore we go makin’ promises.”
Jack ignored his friend. “Carter and I will get with Harden and organize things on this end to set-up a permanent base at the depot. You should stay focused on getting your mobile fortress on the road.”
“And here I thought I was my own boss, now,” Luke complained half-heartedly.
“Ya lost that chance the day ya got married,” Carter said with a wink to Gracie. “Tween yer wife and yer daddy, ya may need t’start askin’ permission to poop.” He glanced at Jack. “Just hope they ain’t gone deaf thinkin’ they know everythin’ . . .”
CHAPTER 21
Work at the depot had continued unabated while Luke and Gracie were in Vicksburg. Some of Maddy’s troops had found a ridiculous amount of flat-black paint, and one of the base body-shops began painting vehicles that were otherwise prepped and ready to join the mobile fortress. By late afternoon, half the soldiers on the base were referring to themselves as members of the Black Battalion.
Zach was watching one of the bulldozers receive finishing touches from the painting crew when Maddy strolled over. “What do you think of the new color?” she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Whatever makes the troops feel better, I guess,” he half-heartedly responded.
“I thought you liked black?”
Zach snorted. “It was one of our school colors; yeah, I like black shirts and coats and stuff. But the purpose of uniformity is so we can tell the difference between us and the bad guys. We could be wearing every color of the rainbow and still know our troops from the hunters.”
“Yeah,” Maddy sarcastically added, “I’m sure that a name like the Rainbow Battalion inspires ferociousness.”
“You know, Maddy,” Zach scowled, “I shouldn’t have to keep reminding you what a great guy you think I am—which means deep down, you really
have a lot of respect for my opinions. Personally, I think ‘Rainbow Battalion’ would be bad ass. Just picture it . . .”
Maddy was grinning. “OK, I’ll concede that it might confuse the enemy—if the enemy paid attention to such things. Too bad for you that we only found black paint.”
“I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with it.” He gave Maddy’s dark blond ponytail a tug. “Turn around, butt-head—it looks like our fearless leaders are returning.”
A few seconds later, the gate guard announced over the open channel that Luke and Gracie’s vehicles were pulling into the depot. The husband and wife duo arrived minus two Hummers and a litter of kittens. They were hungry and anxious for a situation report on the day’s progress. Courtney delivered two travel-plates filled with roast beef and baked potatoes, while Zach and Maddy informed them that the mobile force they were now commanding was in the best possible condition for travel and eventual combat. Luke especially liked the name, “Black Battalion.”
Zach’s pride was obvious from his bearing and tone of voice as he finished up his report, “We’ll be ready to move out way sooner than we thought—how long until our replacements arrive?”
Luke shrugged. “At least a week. Tina and John are still in Indiana, and I’m sure Harden will want to personally approve the crew he’s sending from Vicksburg.” He didn’t want to damper Zach’s enthusiasm, but even though the troops at the depot were making impressive progress with their vehicles and trailers, they still had a lot to learn about how to effectively fight with their new toys. “Anyway, even if all the vehicles were ready tonight, we’d still need to spend at least a few days training here on the base.”