“She fell forward, like something had shoved her,” Gray continued. “But she didn’t fall toward me. It was more this way.” He jostled Remy again to indicate the direction Avi had fallen. “I don’t know if that’s any help or not.”
Cade nodded slowly and tried to look at her own wound. “He’s definitely shooting from off the ground,” she agreed. “My entry wound in my back is higher than my exit wound, which means he was aiming downward. Maybe from a second- or third-story window.” She lifted her rifle and carried it to the opening of the alley. She walked slowly, keeping a hand pressed against the wall for support. Brandt followed closely behind her and watched her worriedly.
Cade slid the barrel of her rifle over the corner of the wall. Her eyes focused as she aimed it in the direction they’d come, looking through the sight and studying the buildings behind them, trying to find one suitable for a sniper’s purpose. A faint grin crossed her face as she saw an opened window on the second floor of a building just a bit down the road from them.
“I see him,” Cade whispered, spotting the faint glimmer of a hunting rifle’s scope as the sunlight reflected off of it. She edged closer to the corner of the building, and Brandt hooked an arm around her waist to steady her.
“Take your time,” Brandt murmured in her ear. “Don’t worry about the infected. Just do what you do best.”
Cade nodded and closed her eyes for a moment before she let out a slow breath, repositioning the rifle, taking aim. A shot rang out, and she fell back, pushing Brandt backward; the tall man staggered back and fell against Ethan, who barely caught himself against the dumpster beside him. A shard of brick shattered off the wall near Cade’s head and cut into her cheek. She wiped furiously at her face as a trickle of blood oozed down her cheek. “Jesus, fuck!” she yelped in surprise before she could stop herself.
“Are you okay?” Brandt asked urgently. She looked back at him, and Ethan recognized the look of determination in her eyes as her face flushed with anger, her chest heaving with adrenaline. Nothing was going to stop the woman from taking out her target, not now that he’d pissed her off so badly.
“Yeah,” Cade replied. “Brandt, are you absolutely fucking sure that there were no survivors last January?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because there is no damned way a regular hunting rifle would have that kind of fucking range,” Cade bit out, sliding back to the corner. “And there’s no way anybody would have that kind of skill unless they were trained to handle a rifle like that.”
“So what does this mean?” Remy asked, trying to avoid being seen while studying the building at which Cade had aimed.
“Means we’re fucking stuck here until I shoot the bastard,” Cade grumbled.
“Unless the infected get to us first,” Brandt said with a sigh, his arm looping around her waist again.
“Not an option,” Ethan retorted. His tone didn’t allow for any further argument.
Cade gave both men dirty looks, and Ethan snapped his mouth shut before Cade had the brilliant idea to point the rifle at him. The woman positioned herself at the corner once more and aimed her rifle at the window. She took a long time making sure she had the man in her sights, and then she squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, echoing around the alley and the street beyond. A long moment of silence descended on them as Cade squinted at the building.
When an answering gunshot struck the brick near her again, Cade swore loudly and colorfully. “I’m not spending all damn day here trading bullets with him!” she snarled. “We don’t have fucking time for this!” She looked past Ethan and narrowed her eyes. Ethan stiffened and turned to see a red fire escape winding up the side of the building beside them. Cade made a beeline for it, reaching for the lowest rung of the ladder. “Brandt, help me up this thing,” she ordered.
“Where are you going?” Brandt demanded, storming after her.
“On top of this building where I’ll have a better view of the fucker!”
“So he can have a better view of you in return?” Brandt said. “No fucking way am I letting you go up there, especially not with a damned bullet hole in your side!”
Cade whirled on Brandt and staggered wildly, putting her hand to her head as she stumbled sideways. Ethan reached out and caught her, steadying her on her feet as she slurred out to Brandt, “Do you have a better idea?”
“I don’t know! How about something that doesn’t put you in direct danger?” Brandt replied.
Cade glared at him as she clung to Ethan’s arm; the older man looked at his friend with concern as she blinked hard, squeezing her eyes tightly shut before opening them again. “Name me one fucking place in this city that isn’t dangerous,” she managed.
A sharp burst of gunfire rang out from the street. The echoing sound of footsteps sprinting wildly over the pavement followed it. Ethan sucked in an involuntary breath and looked to Brandt, his eyes wide. “What in the hell was that?”
Brandt swore and slung his rifle over his shoulder. “Looks like we’re going onto the roof after all,” he said, motioning frantically to Remy. “Come on, get going,” he ordered.
“Wait, what is it?” Remy demanded, even as she obeyed Brandt’s order. She jumped up to grab the bottom rung of the ladder and started to climb, aiming for the first landing, where the metal stairs began their zigzagging ascent to the roof.
“Infected,” Brandt answered. “They’ve heard the shots and figured out where we’re at.”
Ethan bit out a curse and bolted for the ladder, leading Cade to it. “Go faster, Remy,” Ethan urged, motioning to Gray. “You’re next. Then Brandt and Cade.”
Gray made a face at Ethan to express his displeasure at taking orders from the older man, though he didn’t bother to complain vocally. Ethan ignored the look and watched Remy intently as she reached the first metal platform and started to scurry up the stairs. Once her boots hit the middle of the flight, Gray began his climb. He only made it up two rungs before the first of the infected reached the mouth of the alley. “Guys, we’ve got company!” Gray warned, climbing faster.
Brandt, Cade, and Ethan all turned as one, Cade still clinging to Ethan’s arm, to see four infected coming into the alley with the slow deliberation of a hunter stalking its prey. Cade lifted her rifle to aim at the nearest one, but the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her side, and she let out an involuntary cry. Ethan shifted in front of her protectively, barking orders as he took aim with his own gun.
“Brandt, up the ladder. When you get to the top, I want Cade to go next,” Ethan said. “She’s going to need help getting over the top of the building, and I don’t trust anyone but you to do it.”
Brandt nodded and grabbed the ladder’s rungs, starting to work his way up them. “Good to know you trust me with her, Ethan,” he said, attempting a half-joke despite the tense situation.
Ethan smirked and opened fire on the infected.
Chapter 45
Cade’s side hurt. It hurt more than she thought anything could hurt. And it hurt even worse as she lifted her rifle and stepped away from Ethan to join her cover fire with his. She still felt woozy, but she forced herself to put the dizziness aside, aim her rifle, and squeeze the trigger. The recoil jerked her shoulder back and twisted her side, and she bit back a pained whimper.
“Cade, go,” Ethan ordered, pausing to reload. The end of the alley slowly filled with infected, and they approached at an almost cautious pace. Their eyes glared hatefully at the man and woman standing defiantly at the end of the alley. “I’ve got it from here.”
“Not leaving without you,” Cade said, squeezing the trigger again, shooting down the infected as quickly as she could, despite the dizzying pain in her side.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Ethan insisted. He fired two more bullets into the growing crowd. Then he turned and pushed her toward the ladder. “Now go.”
Cade looked up and saw Brandt above her, beckoning with both hands. “Come on, Cade, get up here,�
� he called. She glanced back at Ethan and then started to haul herself up to climb the ladder.
Ethan suddenly grabbed Cade by the arm and pulled her back to him. Mindful of the wound in her side, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly. He pulled back after only a short moment. Cade felt a tugging at her hip, and she glanced down and realized that Ethan had taken the hunting knife from her belt and was even now gripping it, blade down, in one hand.
“Be careful. I’ll catch up,” Ethan said.
“Ethan,” Cade said almost desperately, shaking her head.
Ethan flipped the knife over to point the blade at the sky. “Go. I’ll track you down and give your knife back later.” He pointed to the ladder sternly. “Go. Now.”
Chapter 46
Ethan waited until Cade was halfway up the fire escape ladder, out of reach of any grasping hands, before he raised his gun and opened fire once more at the mass of oncoming infected. A surge of adrenaline churned into his veins as he stood tall, his back straight, elbows properly relaxed and finger depressing the trigger in rapid succession. He made every shot count.
Two infected men staggered toward Ethan, well in the lead of the others in the horde. Two well-placed shots quickly put them down. Their momentum carried them forward an extra step before they collapsed to the pavement. Ethan didn’t wait to see if they were dead; he immediately turned his fire to the ones behind them, taking careful but quick aim and squeezing the trigger again and again.
The sound of gunfire echoed loudly in Ethan’s ears, until he could no longer hear the snarls and growls of the crowd before him. The sound became so rhythmic that he startled when his gun ran dry. He reached for the spare magazine of bullets Cade had always ensured he had on hand. But he didn’t quite manage to finish reloading his weapon before the infected were on him.
When they hit, it was like being struck by a large wave of limbs and flesh. Ethan’s breath slammed out of his lungs, and he tried to suck in a desperate breath. Hands pawed and clawed at his skin.
Flooded with adrenaline, Ethan barely felt the pain as fingernails tore into the skin of his right forearm. His gun was wrenched from his fingers by scrabbling hands, and it clattered to the ground below. He raised the knife he’d taken from Cade in his left hand, and he hacked frantically at the hands that grasped him and the faces raised up toward him.
Somewhere above him, Ethan heard a woman’s voice scream out his name. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognized it as Remy’s. No, no, God, don’t watch this, he pleaded silently, even as he slashed repeatedly at his attackers.
When the force of their bodies lifted Ethan off the ground, he knew the fight was lost. But he continued on, determined to distract the infected from his friends’ escape for as long as his body would allow. He thrashed free and staggered back, limping painfully as a surge of agony ripped up his leg. He stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground, and slashed the knife at the air in front of him again.
They were coming toward Ethan more slowly now, step by creeping step, a pack that knew its prey was cornered. The pain in Ethan’s leg grew more intense with each passing second. Blood ran down both legs, and a steady stream eased down his right arm. The pain was unbearable.
Even worse than the pain, though, was the knowledge of what was now in his blood, what was working through his system, fighting to take away all that made him Ethan Bennett.
Michaluk.
He’d never hated a word more.
Ethan reached to pick up his gun, hoping to feel it in his hands, hoping to manage to slam the magazine into the weapon and use one of the bullets on himself. He knew that the moment he took his eyes off of the infected, it would be his death.
He took a step toward the gun. His fingers brushed its cool metal.
The infected rushed him.
As they bore him backwards away from the weapon, and as their teeth sank into his flesh again, Ethan could imagine he heard gunfire from somewhere nearby.
No, Remy, get out of here, Ethan thought as the cold hands bore him up. Then pain overwhelmed him, sending him into blessed unconsciousness.
Chapter 47
Cade made it halfway up the fire escape’s stairs before the pain and blood loss made her collapse. Brandt had watched her ascent from the roof, and as she fell to the rusty red metal landing, he was over the edge of the building and running down the steps as fast as his boots would carry him.
When he reached her, Brandt saw blood oozing through the bandage covering her wound, staining her shirts a deep, vicious red. His stomach turned in fear. Gunfire erupted on the street below, but Brandt didn’t chance a look down. He merely scooped Cade into his arms, made sure her rifle was secure, and began the climb to the rooftop again.
Gray was at the edge of the building when Brandt arrived, and he helped Brandt wrestle the nearly unconscious woman onto the roof. Brandt gave Gray a grim yet grateful smile and hauled himself over the ledge before he took Cade in his arms again. “Gray, get that door open,” Brandt ordered with a short nod to the rooftop access door.
“Where’s Ethan?” Remy demanded, striding toward Brandt, a hard look he’d never seen before in her dark brown eyes. Brandt could tell that Remy already knew the answer; she was merely hoping Brandt would tell her something different. Brandt, frankly, wasn’t in the mood to play her games.
“He stayed behind to give the rest of us a chance,” Brandt said gruffly. He shifted Cade’s weight more firmly against his body, looking past Remy to Gray. The other man attacked the access door with a surprising level of fury, kicking at the locked door with the heel of his boot over and over again.
Remy stared at Brandt for a second longer and then ran for the edge of the roof. Brandt swore and nearly dropped Cade as he set her down as gently as he could manage. He ran after Remy, wrapping both arms around her waist to stop her. Remy let out an indignant shriek.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Remy kicked and bucked against him so violently that he almost dropped her too.
“Remy! Stop!” Brandt shouted. He spun the woman away from the edge, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her. The sounds of the fight below continued.
“We have to help him!” Remy wrested herself free from Brandt and darted toward the edge again. Brandt caught her wrist as she passed and drove her to the roof. Remy screamed incoherently and tried to claw her way free, tearing her fingers raw and bloody on the rough gravel surface. “Ethan!” she shrieked, her entire body vibrating with the fear and desperation in her voice.
Brandt wrestled Remy onto her back and, with a snap of his wrist, slapped her across the face. Remy fell still, stunned at the stinging pain. Then she gave him the most hateful look Brandt had ever seen on an uninfected person’s face. The expression was marred only by the tears that coursed down Remy’s face, running down her cheeks to soak into her hair.
The gunfire from the ground below ceased.
“Get the fuck off of me,” Remy snarled, her face contorting as she struggled to get control of her emotions. Brandt didn’t dare refuse her order; judging by the expression on her face, she was likely to kill him. He hefted up onto his knees and dusted his hands off before he rose to his feet. After a fast glance at Gray—who’d managed to get the access door open and now knelt beside Cade, gently patting her cheeks—Brandt offered Remy a hand to help her up. She slapped his hand away and rose to her feet unassisted.
Remy pushed her hair back and took two slow, trembling breaths to steady herself. Then she recovered her weapons from where they’d fallen when Brandt tackled her. “What now?” she asked. The young woman’s voice was oddly flat and unemotional, almost a monotone. The lack of life in her voice disturbed Brandt to no end. This wasn’t the Remy he’d come to know over the past year. The Remy he knew was a little unhinged, but she wasn’t like this, emotionless and cold, almost distant.
Brandt didn’t have time to dwell on Remy’s mental state, however. He had a mission. The group’s numbers had been halved, and one of their remain
ing members was badly injured. He had to get them moving, had to get them all to the Tabernacle. It was their only hope left, and he refused to allow any more of them to perish, even if going there meant bringing down trouble on himself. His friends were worth more than he was. Cade was worth more than he was.
“First, we get the fuck off this roof,” Brandt decided. He knelt beside Gray, putting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Keep an eye on Remy, okay?” he requested. “I can’t do it all myself.” He looked at Cade and saw that she had begun to come around.
Cade groaned and covered her eyes with a hand to shield them from the fading sunlight. Brandt didn’t wait for Cade to come around more fully. He stood, lifting her onto her feet and slinging the arm on her uninjured side over his shoulders.
“Come on, Cade, we’ve got to go,” Brandt said, leading the woman toward the access door. He paused and looked at Remy and Gray, hesitating as he tried to decide his next orders. Finally, he said, “Remy, you’re on point. Get us out of here. The front door faces the street on the other side of where we are, so down the stairs and out through the front. Nothing fancy.”
Remy gave Brandt a short nod and strode wordlessly to the door, sliding her knife into its sheath and drawing her handgun and flashlight instead. She flicked the light on and aimed it into the dark doorway. Brandt watched her for just one moment more before he nodded to Gray.
“Bring up the rear?” Gray offered. He brandished his own gun as he dug for a flashlight in his bag.
“If you don’t mind. Cade and I are a bit incapacitated,” Brandt said ruefully.
Gray gave Brandt a slight nod, and Brandt led Cade into the stairwell beyond the doorway.
Chapter 48
The darkness inside what appeared to be an apartment building would have been oppressive and frightening to anyone else, but to Remy, it was comforting and calming. Remy didn’t care that one of the infected could spring out of that darkness at any moment. Indeed, she welcomed such an event, even hoped for it. Maybe fighting some of the infected would help distract Remy from the sudden hole that had opened up in her chest. She ached for a fight so badly that she didn’t bother keeping her footsteps quiet as she worked her way down the stairs, shining her flashlight into the corners and rooms they passed.
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