by David Peters
Both men’s eyes were moving around the camp. They were trying to find any detail that would turn against them in an attack.
“I can imagine. How long do you think it will take them to react?”
“It’s going to depend on how bad the blue smoke really hurt them. Once they are able to clean up whatever mess we made you can bet that they will empty that hive out to wipe us off the map once and for all.”
“We should plan on being ready then, shouldn’t we?”
Dylan took another bite of his peaches then stared off into the distance. He once again found himself thinking back to night of the storm. It was barely over twenty-four hours ago yet it already felt like a lifetime. He cycled through images of himself running through the forest, the fear he saw in Williams eyes the instant before he pulled the trigger. His thoughts moved further back until he saw himself lying prone on a hill overlooking the Snake River Dam. He could see himself looking through his scope at men trying to take away what little others had. People trying to find safety from beasts and finding their own kind was the bigger threat. That time he had killed in self-defense. This time he had killed in sheer anger and revenge. With Niccole back he could feel the doubt begin to form, the second guessing and self-created what ifs. He could feel the first seeds of a deep remorse being planted. Of wishing he could have found another way and not given in to the anger that had overtaken him. Surely he could have talked to Williams and straightened the whole thing out. It had to be a misunderstanding, right?
He felt Cap-Cap put his hand on his shoulder, “You did the right thing you know.”
“I’m sorry. I guess it’s pretty obvious isn’t it.”
“I’ve seen that look more times than I can count and in a lot tougher situations to try and just explain away. I’ve seen war; I’ve had to shoot at people just like me that happened to be born on a different part of the planet. I have my own demons there. But what you did, well, you did the right thing. It doesn’t mean it was easy and it doesn’t make it much easier to deal with, but it was really your only option. You didn’t force the course that was taken, he did.”
Dylan looked at the captain; the man suddenly seemed much older than he had in the past, “I think about it all the time. Williams said some things that night that I will never forget. How can I be so torn between thinking I did the wrong thing and asking myself why I didn’t do it earlier?”
“Well think about it a little harder or at least a little differently. Put it this way. What would have happened if you had let Williams run off into the woods and not chased him down? Where would he be today? Tomorrow? How long would you worry about him coming back?”
“Hard to say I guess.”
“No it isn’t. That’s the guilt talking. Assuming he didn’t get torn to shit by a Hunter, at some point he would be back. He would either beg his way into the town simply to try and get his own sociopathic revenge, or would sit up on a hill somewhere with a rifle and take pot shots at people. He had a pretty big hatred for Niccole and you know it. He took advantage of this town for some time from what I have heard.”
“I did get quite a few ‘off the record’ complaints. I just couldn’t bring myself to boot him out of town.”
“You may not have booted him out, but for as much complaining as he did there certainly wasn’t anything keeping him here. He was free to leave at any time if life was so damn rough for him. From what Erica said he even kept the shed after he was offered a nicer place. He made his bed.”
“Ok, that is very true. But it was an easy ride for him. When they cleaned out his shed they found he had been hording a ton of food. He already had a stash of the stuff you guys just brought in. He must have been doing it for a while. He was the only person in town that actually managed to stay out of shape and overweight.”
Cap-Cap smiled at Dylan, “So stop kicking yourself and realize the options you really had. Let him go and wonder when the hammer is going to fall or make the hard decision and bring the hammer down yourself.”
Dylan nodded as he began to see what Cap-Cap was talking about. He could still see both sides and would have to live with the fact that he vengefully killed a man in cold blood. It was an evil inside him that he didn’t know existed, but in some strange way it was a comfort. There was a dark side he could pull from if things really got bad. Regardless of which decision he made on that stormy night the end result was decided by Williams when he made the decision to let Niccole and Jonathan be killed instead of warning them. The simple fact that he stole from the camp and horded supplies from those that sheltered and protected him might not have seen him sent on his way, but it would have been discussed. Cap-Cap summed it up best. Given the options of where Williams could be today, where he was now was simply the best choice, the only choice that left his loved ones safe from one more threat.
Cap-Cap saw the smile return to Dylan’s face and nodded as if he approved, “You know, I never really noticed before, but these peaches are actually pretty damn good.”
--5--
For most of the next day the three women laid motionless in their cots. Doc doted on them and made sure to roll them from side to side so they wouldn’t get bed sores. Jonathan woke up several times and asked Dylan how things were going. Doc had improvised a nearly full body cast but didn’t think he was going to keep it on long. The damage to his back may or may not be permanent but he didn’t want the young man moving about until he had given it a few days to heal and see if any feeling returned to his legs.
“They look like they are sleeping but Doc says it is some kind of long term sedative.”
“I’m glad you got her Dylan. I just don’t know how I would be able to live with myself if she was gone. I should have kept an eye on Williams. That bastard must have seen them coming from a mile away. I was so intent on trying to get that cable slapped in right that I wasn’t paying attention to anything.”
Dylan watched his wife as she slept, “I feel like I gave up on her. I was too quick to write her off.” He gently held her hand as he spoke. “She never would have done that to me.” He stared at her sleeping form, “Not ever.”
Jonathan sighed, “They took her away Dylan. No one thinks you gave up on her. The Corrupted aren’t known for taking survivors. There aren’t a whole lot of people here in the camp that haven’t seen what they are capable of and not one person that thinks you gave up on her. Quite the opposite, I think most thought the same as you, she was gone.”
Dylan didn’t respond for some time as he continued to watch his wife sleep. He placed her hand on top of the covers and quietly slid his chair next to Jonathan, “So, what does the Doc say about you?”
“He says it doesn’t look good. I probably won’t walk again, or at least not for a long time. I didn’t have any big trips planned so it isn’t all bad. My only fear now is that Travis will make me some kind of armed wheelchair and have me patrolling in the woods or something.”
Dylan laughed, “Don’t give him any ideas. That boys mind doesn’t rest. Now that I think about it, a tank-wheelchair sounds like it is right up his alley.”
Jonathan started to laugh, “Oh man, it still hurts to laugh.”
“You take it easy buddy. I need to do my rounds. I should be back later in the evening. You need anything?”
“Nah, the Doc is taking great care of me, can’t wait to see the bill.”
Dylan smiled and shook his hand as he headed out the front door.
--6--
It was late in the evening, two days since they returned that Niccole finally awakened. Dylan was asleep hunched over on the small metal folding chair with his head lying uncomfortably on the side of her small cot. She reached out weakly and brushed his short cropped hair with her hand.
Dylan raised his head and looked into her tired eyes, “Glad you are back. You have no idea how badly I missed you.”
“Glad to be back. I’m guessing you came and got me?” Niccole said quietly.
“Ya, I had to. I can’t fin
d the coffee.” He smiled and kissed her gently.
“Good thing you knew where the bacon was, you might have brought down the whole hive to dig me out.” She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Doc walked over from one of the other women, “They all seem to be coming around. The other two are much less aware of their surroundings but it sounds like they were sleeping in a tent off of a highway to the north when they were taken. The one that was left in the hive was their mother I think. How is Niccole?”
“She was coherent but seems completely exhausted.”
“I think that is an effect of the toxin that was injected into them. Keeps them complacent until the Corrupted get around to doing whatever it is they were going to do to them. They would be very docile and easy to manage that way.”
“Any idea why they were targeting women specifically, Doc? They must have some purpose.”
“I could come up with quite a few theories but I have no evidence to back them up. Without more information I really can’t say beyond something to do with reproduction.”
Dylan looked back down at his sleeping wife. He shuddered to think of her giving birth to thousands of new Corrupted and quickly moved on to different thoughts.
“I need to get some real sleep now that I know she is ok. Can you get me if she wakes up again Doc?”
“Will do Dylan. Go get some rest.”
Dylan closed the door quietly behind him and made his way across the now cramped square. The new arrivals had taken over the square with their olive drab tents but not one complaint was heard about the overcrowding. He nodded acknowledgements to people that said hello as he passed. He arrived at the cabin with the blue door and entered his home. Erica was asleep on the couch with Doug the cat sleeping lightly on her lap. He picked the two up as one and took her to the small bed she slept on in the guest bedroom. He shooed Doug away as he pulled the covers over her. Doug lay down next to her and gave Dylan his best ‘this time I let you live’ look before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.
Dylan stepped quietly out of the room when he heard a tired voice behind him.
“Is Mom going to be ok?”
“Yes. She is just sleeping now, like both you and I should be.” She curled up as he tucked the blanket around her and he made his way upstairs to the master bedroom. He didn’t even take his boots off when he laid down on the large bed. His last thought as he drifted off was to wonder how long it would take the Corrupted to respond to their trespass. He knew they would bite back hard.
--7--
In his groggy state Dylan wasn’t sure what he had heard first, the gunshots or the alarm bell in the town square. He stood up and wasted precious seconds to realize he couldn’t find his boots because they were still on his feet. He threw on his coat, grabbed his rifle and headed for the front door. Erica was standing there with his hat as he shot out into the square and headed for the alarm bell.
It was just past three am in Paradise Falls. Dylan found Julie ringing the bell furiously while still wearing her pajamas. There was sporadic gunfire coming from the West wall but the barricade entrance was quiet. Dylan ran towards the West wall as more people came running out of their homes in various states of undress.
Dylan met Cap-Cap running and struggling to get his jacket on, “Surprised it took them this long to react.”
The captain nodded his agreement and pulled the charging handle on his rifle, “No kidding. I’m guessing that gas was a lot more effective than we thought.”
Dylan climbed the wooden stairs to the fortified walls and looked out over the field in front of him. There were several burning pools where Sappers had detonated but the attack overall was a mix of Hunters and Sappers. Dylan worked the lever action of his rifle and blew away a Hunter far in the back that appeared to be screaming commands. None of the attackers was getting even close to the wall. A few would make a mad dash across the open field but they would go down in a hail of bullets before they even made it half way to the wall. Dylan stopped to look at the defenders. He noticed a marked difference between those with proper training and those without. Cap-Caps team would take aim and fire single killing blows. Those with less experience would often fire half a dozen fully auto rounds and not connect with anything.
The attacks came to an abrupt stop as a Hunter scream came from somewhere in the forested darkness. The defenders on the wall tensed as they waited for the next attack. For nearly twenty minutes the forest was quiet. Dylan never lowered his rifle as he continually scanned back and forth across the forest line hoping for a shot. Only the crackling of the few pools of fire to their front broke the silence.
Sporadic gun fire came from the front gate and continued to escalate as more and more fighters added their weapons to the battle. Cap-Cap and his team began to displace to double the defense at the entrance when Dylan stopped him.
“Everyone stay where you are! Do not move to the new attack yet!” Dylan looked around to make sure everyone was staying in their position.
Cap-Cap threw a confused look at Dylan, “What are you thinking Dylan?”
“I’m thinking like a Corrupted.” He replied back. Then louder he yelled out, “Be ready for it!”
The firing on the barricade was beginning to subside. None of the attackers were moving any closer than a hundred yards and the defenders there decided to conserve ammunition.
Dylan turned his head slightly to try and hear what was going on in the woods a little better. He thought he could hear something but couldn’t pin it down. Without a sound a deep line of Sappers came running forward from the darkness as the Hunters behind them silently pushed them forward. Dylan began firing into the masses then was joined by the rest of the guards on the wall. Sapper fueled explosions rolled through the moving mass. The closer the attackers got to the wall the more accurate the defenders fire. Nearly the entire field to their front was scorched or burning when the final wave of Sappers was destroyed before even reaching the moat. In the forested darkness far to the rear of the battle several Hunters screamed in frustration.
Dylan called a cease fire as the last visible Hunter escaped into the woods. Several fires still smoldered to their front but the battlefield was empty of all but ash.
“That was a half assed attack.” Cap-Cap said as he changed out the magazine on his rifle. “I expect better from them.”
“They usually lead with a probing attack. Put that way that was one hell of a probing attack. I don’t think we were supposed to be here, we should have moved to the other wall. Without the Hunters screamin’ their heads off they would have gotten all the way to the wall before we realized the decoy had worked and we were exposed.”
“Good call on the diversion. They may have been able to break through if we had reinforced the fake attack at the gate.”
“If they follow their normal attack strategies they will hit us hard tomorrow night.” Dylan said flatly as he reloaded his rifle. He found his spent brass on the ground and filled his pocket before heading over to the barricade to see how things faired there.” Dylan looked out over the battlefield and was satisfied that nothing else was coming, “Let’s see how the barricade is doing.”
The two walked down the wide staircase and jogged over to the guards at the main entrance to Paradise Falls. Dylan nodded to them as he climbed up the ladder to the top of the wall. The road outside was nearly empty save for several still smoldering holes in the gravel road and a few puddles of burning Corrupted.
“Looks like you took care of things on this side.” Dylan told the guard next to him.
“It was strange; they just kept coming up the road one at a time. They didn’t run, just kinda moseyed on up this way. Eventually they just stopped and milled around down by the far bend. We took out a few of them but then decided maybe we should sit tight and see what the hell was up.”
Cap-Cap looked at the few burning pools then nodded his head, “You totally called that one Dylan.”
“I don’t see them attacking
again tonight. I will bet even money tomorrow night will be different though. I think we are in for a world of hurt.”
Dylan spent another hour checking on all their defenses. His final stop before heading to bed was to peek in on Niccole and give his sleeping wife a kiss goodnight. As his head hit the pillow in the cabin with the blue door a smile crossed his tired face. An idea was forming and he thought it was a particularly good one. He just needed to figure out how to make it happen.
--8--
He opened his eyes to the pitch black around him. It was dark enough that he couldn’t tell if he blinked. Then the smell hit him. The overwhelming smell of decay and death rolled over him. Something was moving around the room but he couldn’t move. His arms and legs felt as if they were caged in concrete. He wasn’t on blankets that much he could tell. He felt something flash by his face. The passing wind filled with the stench of the Corrupted so strong he could actually taste it. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness around him. The glowing blue writing on the wall told him he was in the hive. His heart began to beat faster as the fear overtook him.