by L. T. Ryan
The tension drained from Emma’s face. She nodded and smiled for a second.
What an odd age, Addison thought. Ready to be independent and take on the world, yet still a child in some ways.
“Should we tell her?” Emma asked.
Addison leaned her head back, staring up at the hole in the ceiling again. Just once, she wished a breeze would blow down from it and clear out the foul stench that lingered. Every time she thought she had adjusted, it slammed into her like an eighteen-wheeler.
“I think it’ll be best that we don’t,” Addison said. “Your concern over her tells me that’s the best way to handle it. She’ll probably do best if it all happens in a moment or two. We’ll whisk her away. Before she knows it, we’ll be a mile from this place.”
Emma said nothing. She nodded a few times. The girl’s eyes closed and her breathing deepened.
Good idea, Addison thought. If only she could sleep too. From that point on, she determined that they wouldn’t say another word about the plan, even if it didn’t go down tonight.
And if it did, she hoped it wasn’t a trap. No matter what she said, life was worth living.
Chapter 40
“Pull off the road here,” Sean said.
“What?” Derrick said, as if he’d been knocked out of a trance.
“Pull over.”
“Why?”
Sean took a deep breath to compose himself. Yelling at the guy wouldn’t do any good. “I’m thinking we should bypass the checkpoint.”
Derrick angled the truck onto the grass shoulder and brought it to a stop. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “We’d have to walk then. This truck is too big to get through the woods.”
“We can pull it in, though, can’t we?”
“I guess so.”
Sean grabbed the GPS off the dash and studied it. They were almost five miles from the camp and hiking through the woods, which meant roughly two and a half hours, maybe a bit longer if he took into account corrections to their path. He didn’t trust the GPS. What if someone somewhere else could monitor it? Surely, a truck heading through the woods would throw up a few flags.
“How far are we from this checkpoint?” Sean asked.
“‘Bout a mile.”
He pointed at the tangle of streets and cul-de-sacs between them and the checkpoint. “This is a neighborhood here.”
“Was,” Derrick said.
“What do you mean, ‘was’?”
“We torched it.”
“Why?”
“Infected crawled all over the place, man. Sick people that wouldn’t die. They took out five of our guys. Rest of us got out, got back to camp.”
“Then what?”
“Like I said, we torched it.”
Sean had a few ideas of how they went about it. He didn’t push for more information. What was done was done. Nothing he could do about it or for the innocent who were unable to make it out of the burning inferno. Maybe they were better off anyway.
“There used to be trails behind that neighborhood,” Sean said.
“They still there,” Derrick said.
“Okay, we’re gonna stay off-road until we get to those. That’ll keep us out of view of your guys. If I remember right, it shouldn’t be difficult to head from those trails into the woods. We’ll go deep enough to hide the truck and then take the rest on foot.”
Derrick turned at the waist. He extended his arm along the back of the seat. “Why do you want to avoid them? They’ll let me pass. Hell, we put a hat on you and they’ll probably think you’re supposed to be with me. Then we can just drive the rest of the way. No need to get more ticks on us than we deserve by hiking through those damn woods.”
Sean ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair. “I know it seems that simple, Derrick, but it just isn’t. I don’t want any more bloodshed. We won’t get through the checkpoint that easily. Someone will die, and it won’t be me. It might be you. It’ll definitely be your friends. You don’t want that.”
“They ain’t my friends.”
“They’re the men you built this society with, though. You share a bond. Don’t break that by putting them in a position to die.”
“What makes you think you can take them out? Why’re you such a badass?”
Sean said nothing. He stared out across the grassy field and the woods behind it.
“Whatever,” Derrick said. “We’re going to the checkpoint.”
Before the man could shift the transmission into drive, Sean placed the barrel of his gun against Derrick’s head. “Don’t think I won’t pull the trigger, man. I know where I need to go now. I’m doing you a favor bringing you back. Yeah, maybe I’ll use you as a bargaining chip, but don’t for a minute think that I need to. I’m more than capable of doing this without you. If it means more people die, so be it. That’ll be on your hands, not mine.”
Derrick lifted his hands in the air. His face turned dark red from holding his breath. Sean imagined the guy’s bladder was ready to burst from fear. He’d probably never had a gun held to his head like that. It wasn’t a calming feeling.
“Now, get off the road and head toward those tracks.”
Five minutes later they bounced along the dirt path behind the houses. The air smelled of smoke. The smoldering ruins of the homes reminded Sean of the makeshift graveyard outside of the facility in Nigeria. No one would rise from these ashes, though.
“We go any further and they might spot us,” Derrick said.
Sean looked toward the road. They’d lose cover in another quarter-mile. “Pull off here. Drive straight out.” A few minutes later he instructed Derrick to turn left. They hit the woods shortly afterward.
Derrick slowed down as they passed the first trees. The bright sunlight turned to flickers through green and red and yellow leaves. The man operated the truck as if he were on a slow slalom course, weaving around one tree after another.
“That’s far enough,” Sean said. “We gotta leave some room to get out.”
“You’re thinking about coming back here?”
Sean shrugged. “I don’t know how things are going to go down. It’s just one option.” He opened his door and let himself slide off the seat. Marley hopped down. Sean bent over and scratched the dog on top of the head.
“You stay with me, but stay quiet.”
The dog let out a slight whimper in response.
Derrick’s door opened. Sean heard the leaves crunch under the guy’s weight. Derrick looked up at the trees, then over his shoulder.
“You hear something?” Sean said.
Derrick shook his head. “Just looking.”
“We need to head east north east. Got it?”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“I’m gonna ask you one more time, Derrick. There’s no traps or anything like that I should be aware of, right?”
“None.”
“And outside of the four men around the camp, we aren’t going to run into anyone else?”
“Four men inside, four outside.”
“Right.” Sean walked past the truck, stopped and turned back to Derrick. “You walk in front.”
Derrick took the lead. The two men walked in silence. The air cooled after the first twenty-five yards, and stabilized not much further than that.
Sean used the compass on the edge of a hunting knife he found in the glove box of the truck to guide them. He estimated the miles they walked by the minutes that passed.
Roughly a mile and three quarters in, he said, “Let’s stop here.”
“Why? We’re almost there.”
“I know. I want to rest for now.”
“How long?”
“Until sundown.”
“Why then?”
“Sit down and shut up, Derrick. Close your eyes and get some rest if you need to. We’re staying here until I say it’s time to go.”
The man lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against a tree trunk. Derrick glared at Sean for a few minutes befo
re shutting his eyes and drifting off.
Sean watched the wavering green canvas in front of him. The sounds of the woods kept him on edge. Twigs snapped frequently, and leaves rustled when the breeze picked up. The flickering sunlight paled. He looked up. Dark clouds moved in. They raced overhead. Precursor to a storm, Sean thought. Hopefully a quick one.
He fought off the urge to sleep. His body could use it, but it wouldn’t be a good idea under the present circumstances. If someone walked up on them, he wouldn’t know. If Derrick rose, he could disarm Sean and lead him back to the camp as a prisoner. That did no one any good. So Sean kept his eyes and ears open and played mind games to keep himself going. Marley lay down next to Sean’s feet and closed his eyes. The blood stain on the bandage had stopped spreading. Sean wanted to change it before they started moving. He reached down and scratched the top of Marley’s head. He felt more comfortable with the dog around.
The clouds that gathered grew darker. He managed to track the sun through the sky despite them. The temperature dropped to an estimated cool sixty degrees.
A skittering sound rose from the south. He hadn’t heard anything like it. The pops and cracks and rustles had become white noise to him. They were the constant in the woods. This was different. It reminded him of a distant helicopter.
He remained low, keeping his gaze focused on the spaces between the trees. The sound grew louder by the moment.
“What’s that?” Derrick whispered.
“Get back here,” Sean replied. “Stay low.”
Derrick crawled on his belly and stopped next to Sean.
Marley’s ears perked, and he growled. Sean patted the dog’s head to calm him.
“Goddamn,” Sean said, not trusting his eyes. “It can’t be.”
“What?”
“Look.” Sean pointed ahead. A mob of afflicted shuffled and stomped and staggered and limped through the woods. They headed southeast. Had the men arrived around this time, they would have intersected paths.
Derrick gasped and started to move backward. He tripped over his feet and fell on his back. A hollow sound escaped through his mouth.
Sean pounced on the man. He covered Derrick’s mouth with one hand while holding the index finger of his other hand to his own mouth. He knew that these beings were sensitive to sound. Derrick’s clumsiness might have alerted the horde to their presence.
“In through your nose,” Sean whispered. “Out through your mouth.”
Derrick breathed as instructed. The redness left his face.
Sean got to his feet. “Come on, we need to move away from them.” He reached out and helped Derrick up. Heading northeast, Sean glanced back numerous times to make sure they weren’t being followed. If one came within striking distance, he knew it would be over if they moved as fast as the afflicted in Nigeria.
As he walked, Sean recalled all he could about the experience. So much of it had to be reconstructed after having his version of reality torn to the ground and built back up on a foundation of lies. Some were fast, others weren’t. Some were more human than others. Their eyes stood out. From what he’d seen so far, limited as it was, he’d noticed that with Kathy. They seemed attracted to noise, both loud and abrupt, as well as deep bass-like sounds.
Where had that mob come from? The neighborhood?
He guessed it was possible. Perhaps the truck had roused them. That didn’t make sense, though. The angle they walked was off. Then again, perhaps they had only deviated recently, picking up on another scent. He realized that group of afflicted may have been after them after all.
“If we continue in this direction, what happens?” Sean asked.
“Well, I guess we hit the road, or we hit the trail in.”
“It’s visible?”
“To me it’ll be. To most others, not really. Part of the daily chores is someone keeps it up so it isn’t noticeable.”
“But there’s no one on it?”
“Nobody.”
“All right.” He glanced back. The area behind them was empty. At least, that’s how it looked. “Let’s stop here. We’ll move at dusk.”
Chapter 41
Turk sat back-to-back with Sarah. It was clear now that she was as much of a prisoner as he was. His wrists were bound. His ankles weren’t. These guys were amateurs. Still, he found himself outnumbered twenty to one. Those odds were not in his favor. They didn’t have to be, though. He only needed to take out as many as it took to get away.
Three men sat twenty feet away. They paid little attention to their prisoners.
Turk pulled and twisted and jerked his hands, working the rope to the point where it was loose.
“Can you sit still?” Sarah said.
“Quiet,” Turk said. “I’m trying to get us out of here.”
She lowered her voice. “You’ll get us killed.”
“I don’t plan on dying. If you don’t want to, then your best bet is to shut up and stay behind me.”
“They’re all armed. You’ve got nothing.”
“I got a knife in my boot. That’s enough.” He slipped his left hand through the rope. He drew his right foot back and reached down for the tactical knife hidden inside his sock. Now, he only needed one of the men to approach.
Rustling in the woods caught his attention. He straightened up, closing his hand around the knife. His bare shoulder blades brushed against her cool, damp shirt. She pressed back against him. Turk scanned the area around them, but saw nothing.
“I’m gonna cut the rope,” he whispered. “Keep your wrists together. After I’m done, I want you to start coughing and gagging, like you’re choking.”
“What? Why?”
“That’ll draw one of them over here.”
“Why don’t we just run?”
“You wanna get shot?”
She said nothing.
“Tell them it’s a bee sting and that you’re allergic, all right?”
He felt the back of her head rub against his as she nodded. A moment later, she began to cough and hack. Her lower back pressed against his for support as she leaned forward.
“What the hell is going on over there?” one of the men yelled.
“She said ‘bee’ and then started freaking out,” Turk said.
All three men rose. Two walked over. The other jogged off in the other direction. Turk assumed the man left for help. That gave him thirty seconds to work with, give or take. He watched the men approach. One went to Sarah’s left, the other to her right. Turk had to act now.
He rose quickly, powering himself into the air by launching off his right foot. He sighted the man on Sarah’s left. Before the guy could react, Turk twisted and drove his left hand down at an angle. His thick fist, clenching the folded tactical knife, met the side of the guy’s head near his right eye. Blood sprayed in an arc in Sarah’s direction.
The other man pushed off his knees and straightened up. “What the hell?” He reached for his holstered sidearm.
Turk tossed the knife in the air in front of him, catching it with his right hand as he lunged toward the man. The guy barely managed to get a hand to his waist by the time Turk clotheslined him with his left arm. He opened the knife, brought it to the guy’s throat and held it tight to the man’s flesh.
“Sarah,” Turk said. “You all right?”
“Yeah,” she replied.
“He’s got a gun on his hip. Take it, then take the one from the guy on the ground. I want you to put one in my right pocket, handle out. Got it?”
“Yeah.” She stepped around Turk and did as instructed.
He felt the heft of the pistol weighing down his pants, reassuring him. “Okay, now, aim that other one at this guy’s head while I grab that one you just gave me.”
She emerged from behind him, gun drawn and aimed at the guy.
Turk closed the knife and passed it off to his left hand. It might come in handy soon. He retrieved the pistol from his pocket and held it to the guy’s head.
The man breathed h
eavily, grunting and groaning. Other than that, he cooperated.
Turk started to walk backward. “Get behind me, Sarah.”
Through the trees, more men approached, including the guy who had killed Marcus. It took every ounce of will power Turk had to keep from shooting the man. He couldn’t. At least, not yet. He had to get Sarah out of here. Now that he knew where the men camped, he could return late at night and take them all out while most of them slept.
Three men stepped into the clearing. Four more followed. There were others coming up from behind. They were armed with rifles, pistols and shotguns. A couple had submachine guns.
“Back off,” Turk said. “I won’t hesitate to shoot him.”
The guy who’d killed Marcus laughed as he stepped forward. “You think we care if you shoot him? Shit, I’ll do it for you.” The man hoisted his rifle up and aimed in Turk’s direction.
“I’m not kidding,” Turk said.
“Neither am I. So if you’re going to do it, do it.”
Turk didn’t move. Sarah’s hot breath hit his upper back in quick spurts. He reached behind and gestured for her to take a few steps back.
“Now, you might have been tough enough to watch your brother die, but I doubt the others inside that bunker could handle the same happening to you. I know they’ll cave and open up for us. So, here’s how this is gonna work. You go ahead and kill him. Or let me. Doesn’t matter. Then, when we get inside your place, I’ll make you watch me slaughter every last person in there. We’ll keep you alive for a few weeks afterward. I figure a guy like you has a wife or a kid in there. You’d have to in order to sacrifice your brother, right?”
Turk said nothing. Anger clawed through him. His finger pressed against the trigger, removing any remaining slack.
“Now, you let my man go, and you’ll get the quick death after we gain access. All your people will be allowed to leave peacefully. The women will have an opportunity to stay of course.”
“Goddamn you,” Turk said. “I’m gonna fucking kill you…” Something caught his attention.
“Oh, is that right? Well, you might succeed. Hell, it’d probably be doing me a favor.” The guy laughed.