Stone stepped up to me before we could start toward the gate and the cars parked beyond it, disbelief still heavy in his gaze.
“Why?” was all he asked.
I thought about it for a moment, not sure if I could give him an answer that he would understand.
“Because I’m not going to support a system that defines itself once again through oppression,” I replied. “If I have the choice between being free or being locked in, I’d rather take my chances out there.”
“But you could have everything here that you ever wanted. You could have made a difference,” he said, clearly frustrated.
Cocking my head to the side, I studied him, deciding that I wanted to tell him the truth, whether it mattered or not.
“There’s no vaccine. There never will be one. You’re wasting your time hunting an idea while you could do something useful instead.”
His brow furrowed, disbelief clear on his face.
“How can you say that? You yourself carry antibodies that—“
I interrupted him with a smirk, hard-pressed not to grin at Nate. “Acquired immunity, yes. But that won’t do shit against a zombie bite.”
“I don’t understand,” Stone began, but then cut himself off, a calculating quality coming to his gaze. I was too tired of this shit to keep this up for much longer.
“Do I really have to spell this out for you, Stone? When a man and a woman are really into each other and too lazy to go loot for condoms because he can’t knock her up anyway, there’s that certain possibility that sooner or later her body will adapt. Although I’m still not completely discarding the theory that it’s simple survival instinct to keep me from having to blow his head off because he’s an asshole all the damn time.”
We really must have been more discreet than I’d expected—including back when Nate had leveled the Green Fields Biotech building to the ground—because Stone looked surprised beyond comprehension. Snorting, I shook my head. “I still stand by my statement that I’m morally opposed to the shit you’re pulling here, but the fact that he’s hung like a horse and fucks like a Trojan doesn’t hurt.”
Anything further that I might have said got drowned out by Burns’s laughter, but I was pretty much done anyway. Turning around and looking at my ragtag band, I jerked my head toward the gate. “Let’s get out of here.” No one protested, yet when I let my eyes skip over the gathered people, I caught Amy smiling at me. Us, really, as Nate suddenly grabbed me and bent me over his arm, leaning in to kiss me in the most cheesy, overly dramatic way possible, to a chorus of catcalls cheering us on. So much for that.
Of course he had to ruin it the moment he pulled back with the worst impression of a neigh ever, making me laugh and snort at the same time—very ladylike indeed.
“You’re such an asshole,” I told him, pulling away until I was steady on my own feet again.
He answered me with a bright, absolutely non-apologetic grin. “‘Then we’ll fuck in the shade’?”
“That’s the Spartans. Wrong side of the Aegean Sea,” I pointed out between peals of laughter.
“You’re impossible to satisfy, woman,” he accused.
“Gotta try harder?” Burns supposed, slinging one heavy arm across my back, almost staggering me. “I can give you suggestions if you need ‘em.”
“No, thank you. We’ve managed just as well on our own so far.”
I saw a few slightly scandalized looks directed at us, but I so didn’t care—and that was the best fucking feeling in the world.
We gathered up the rest of our gear and weapons by the gate, and as we drew up to the cars, another surprise was waiting for me. Grinning, I stepped up to the driver’s side of the Rover, running my fingers above the bright red logo and stenciled script that was completely ruining the camouflage paint job, but was too awesome to complain about. It was simple, really, just a “13” leaning to the side, made to look as if there was motion in the lines, as if someone had casually scrawled it with paint on a moving surface. Below, the stencil read, “Bree Lewis—Thirteen Alpha pilot,” using the number and the greek sign. The scent of fresh paint still hung in the air so I refrained from touching it, but I couldn’t help the inane grin spreading on my face.
Straightening, I looked at Nate over the roof of the car. “What would you have done if I’d stayed?”
He gave a noncommittal shrug as he stashed his stuff in the back row. “Spent the night cursing and scrubbing with turpentine, most likely. I’m really glad you came along.”
“So nice to see what my presence means to you,” I griped, looking over the other cars with their similar markings. Ours was the only one that also had the logo on the hood, while the Jeep—Andrej and Pia’s car, usually the last in the convoy—had one below the window of the back hatch.
“I don’t think anyone actually slept last night,” Nate remarked, once again reading my thoughts. “I’d say, let’s get as far away from here as we can before you send us tumbling into the next ditch, and then we’ll find some cozy, easily defendable, well-hidden spot where we can crash for a couple hours.”
“Sounds like a deal,” I said, but paused when I realized that the crowd that was gathering by the gate wasn’t just there to make sure that we would leave as swiftly as possible.
When she caught my gaze, Amy stepped forward, carrying what looked awfully like an old-fashioned mail carrier bag, and a stack of papers in her hand. I didn’t need the slight burn coming from my neck and hand to feel a certain disdain well up inside of me.
“What’s with that?”
“Exactly what it looks like,” she offered. “No obligation, of course, but if you happen to pass by any of the neighboring communities, we’ve gathered some mail. And here are maps of the state and some lists with things that most people require. You can also get them over the radio, but sometimes it’s easier to have them written down already. For trading, you know?”
I stared at her blankly, debating with myself exactly how hostile I wanted to be.
“And what makes you believe that we don’t just dump that all in the next sinkhole or burn it to ash?”
Her gaze was a lot more calculating than I would have given her credit for.
“Nothing. But what made you risk your lives to uproot those cannibals and bring the survivors to safety? I can’t fathom that a stack of mail and some shopping lists quite compare to that. Besides, if you meet another convoy, you can always hand our baggage off to them if they go where you’re not. There’s also a map in there that shows the most-travelled roads that have been cleared already or are deemed safer than others, and the network’s expanding them daily. Strawberries and the first cherries should be in season soon. If you want any, just drop by again any time. And if you happen to have some mail from another settlement or some spare parts that we’ve requested, we will be very grateful to you.”
I glanced at Nate but he was mostly ignoring what was going on, clearly meaning that part about this side of our operation being my business from now on. I still hesitated another moment, then held my hands out to Amy. “I’ll see what we can do about the spare parts. Not sure where we’re going next, but if we come across something useful, we’ll let you know.”
“That’s all anyone can ask,” she assured me, handing off the bag and papers to me. I stashed the bag in the back row below my pack, and gave the rest to Nate.
“You’re supposed to be my navigator, right? So, navigate.”
In the meantime, Andrej had finished installing the new radio in our car, making sure that the antenna was secured to the rails on the roof rather than trail behind. After a last grin at my door decal, I slid into my seat, sighing contently as my ass hit the familiar shape of it. Buckling myself into the harness, I started the car, loving how the engine purred to life.
“Did you have Martinez check the exhaust system? Sounds smoother now.”
“We needed a new muffler. This one should hold a little longer, provided you don’t slice it all up again on the first s
tone you go over.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I eased the gas pedal down, making the car ease onto the track leading to the palisade gate.
“How’s this thing supposed to work?” I asked, nodding at the radio.
“I think there’s that thing called a microphone where you talk into—“
“I meant with the frequencies. Campbell said something about that being a bitch.”
Nate shrugged. “I think this one’s actually built to work on the move.”
“We should get one for each car,” I proposed.
“Positive.”
At the gate, we had to wait a while until all cars were through as they wouldn’t just open both of them, making me feel like this town was maybe a little less of a lost cause. Nate was busy scanning the lists and maps in the meantime.
“Any idea where we want to go first?” I asked. With no real goal ahead, that was a legit question.
“There’s a base nearby that we might raid for ammo and weapons. And someone pencilled in a hardware store here, if you want to go for the radio parts first, if we don’t have them already. Gotta ask Campbell. I think they expect us to sign in with the radio network, judging from the Post-It note Amy left us here.”
I glanced over at that, shrugging.
“How do we do this? And does this thing come with a tracker that we can deactivate?”
Nate grinned. “Sometimes I just have to admire how paranoid you are.”
“Like that wasn’t your first thought,” I complained.
“Sure it was. I may be an asshole, but I’m not a stupid asshole.”
“So do we sign in or not?”
He shrugged. “Might as well. Let’s see what’s out there.” Leaning forward, he started fiddling with the controls until he handed me the old-fashioned mic that looked straight out of a police squad car. “Frequency for Dispatch is open, whatever that is. It’s listed on every state list so it’s probably important.”
Might as well give it a try, I figured. Pushing the button on the mic, I cleared my throat. “Hello? Anyone copy?”
Static hissed over the line, until a female voice replied, surprisingly clear. “Who’s that? We don’t have your transponder number listed in our directory. Please identify yourself.”
Trading glances with Nate, I nodded for him to get the stupid sign-up sheet back out where I thought I’d seen something like that. I read the number back to her, vowing to myself that I would memorize it quickly if we’d need it all the time.
“I don’t have you in the list yet,” the woman replied. “You’re new?”
“Ink’s still drying on the contract,” I said, making the worst pun ever, and her answering laugh held that same sharp note as mine did.
“Ah, right. Well, gimme your names so I know who I’m dealing with. I’ll fill you in about the details then. There’s a whole lot more to us scavengers than we let the townies know. Would be neat if you could keep to that code.”
“Scavengers, huh?” I asked. “I like it.”
“Sounds a little less derogatory than looting,” the woman explained. “By the way, I’m Tamara. I’m your operator during the day. Mike’s on the night shift right now. If you need any info, just hail us. We’ll see that we’ll get you out of any sticky situation if possible.”
“Bree here, and the dead weight on my passenger side is Nate. We’re the glorious Lucky Thirteen. Without the ‘glorious’ part. Just Lucky Thirteen. Although we’re twelve, really. Long story.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” she remarked, then paused. “Wait, that name rings a bell.” Another pause, followed by a rather emphatic curse. “Holy shit, you’re the guys that took down the fucking cannibals, right?”
Looking at Nate, I couldn’t help but share his grin, even if I still felt that sadness deep inside. “Yup, that’s us.”
“That’s so fucking awesome!” Tamara cheered, making my grin spread. “You got to tell me more about this. It’s been all anyone’s been talking about for a week now, and so far no one really knew who you were and what you’re up to. There’s this guy Dave who keeps bragging about having known you for forever, but no one’s really taking him seriously.”
“Can you say hello from us to him? Been a while since we had a chance to chat. I really miss meeting once a week with him for coffee.”
Tamara laughed, clearly not having any issues with it being on her account entirely. “Well, I’ll be damned. Say, this is probably a little personal, but how many triple-Xs does your bunch have? There’s a betting pool going on here, and I’m more than happy to keep your share for you until you can drop by and collect it. Unless the topic’s still too raw, know what I mean?”
Nate’s audible sigh made me snort, and I could already tell that Tamara and I would get along splendidly. She had the same kind of humor as me. The day was getting better and better.
“Six Xander Cage impersonators. Would have been seven if one of our guys hadn’t bit it back at the cannibal compound.” I didn’t see why we should keep this a secret. It was spelled out on our contract, and I doubted that any of the guys would mind, seeing as people could just walk up to them and check for themselves.
“I know, right? First thing I thought, too, when I heard about this shit,” she piped up, but sobered immediately. “Sorry about your guy, though. That really sucks. But six? Are you fucking shitting me? What are you guys, the GI Joe rejects? The most we have so far is four, and that’s in a group of twenty. Just saying, I’m not talking you guys out of doing some diaper runs, but we have a stack here with high-class bounties. What do you guys think about raiding a mall? Probably a three-day operation because you need to get all the zombies out first, but that just guarantees that all that sweet merchandise has remained untouched for almost a year now. Just say the word and I’ll plot you a course right from where you are. Bragging rights included, of course. Malls get ranked by number of shops and square feet both.”
I only got about half of what she said, but judging from the calculating look on Nate’s face, I knew that it wouldn’t be long until I would ring her up on that.
“Later, maybe. Right now, I think we need a little time to just, you know, deal with the shit that happened. We also have a mailbag in the back that needs delivering.”
“Sure, take as much time as you need. Just let me know if you’re interested.” She paused. “You’re starting from Aurora, right? Road’s clear in both directions for the next thirty miles, but I wouldn’t get too far south. Oh, and you can turn off the transponder if you hit the second button on the right three times in quick succession. If you drop by us, we can set you up with the new, better equipment that’s not rigged and also works in thunderstorms.”
“Where’s your base?” I asked.
“Indiana. Grissom Air Force Base. Right near—“
“We know where that is. Half of our old stash of weapons is from there,” I said, unable to hold in a laugh. “When did you guys set up there?”
“Late August.”
“We were there in… June? July? Shit, I can’t remember.” What I did remember was that we’d lost Innes because of that stunt, but without the weapons, ammo, and mashed potatoes we would have had a much harder time surviving.
“Well, then why don’t you just drop by once you’re done recuperating? It’s only seven hundred miles from where you are. You should get here in a week and a half, maybe less. Much fewer zombies here, too, than, say, Texas.”
I looked at Nate, but when all he did was shrug—that again—I mulled over her proposition.
“Let me get back to you on that. I think for now I just don’t want to deal with people for a little while, if you get what I mean.”
“Perfectly,” she said, adding what I thought was meant to be a catty purr. “We do have hot, running water, though. And a whorehouse that looks like a spa, and is almost as well equipped as one. Just saying. The idiots in Aurora might not appreciate you, but you’ll always be welcome here with open arms. You’re heroes. Mig
ht as well make the best of it.”
I hesitated for another minute, but the lure of actual hot running water was just too strong.
“Then plot me a course, sweet cheeks. Maybe throw in a mall or two on the way there, I think the guys have started going fat from all that lazing around over the past couple of days. Gotta keep them busy or else they get stupid ideas into their heads like painting our cars or changing exhaust pipes.”
“We have excellent mechanics here, too,” she promised. “I’ll get back to you with a course in an hour or two. Morning’s always busy with everyone checking in to make sure that no one’s fallen off the grid. You can listen in if you switch to our secondary frequency. Should be in your notes that you got with the radio. Or you can switch to frequency three, that’s just music, all day long. We provide whatever keeps you awake and alert on the road.”
I thanked her before I handed the mic back to Nate—who promptly turned the entire thing off and unplugged it.
“Let’s wait another week or so until we get swept up in that chaos, okay?” he proposed.
“Fine with me,” I agreed. “I have everything I need right here.”
He gave me a rather dirty grin for that, making me shorten my estimate until I needed a break by a good hour or two.
“Well, then, let’s roll, shall we? Your choice—left or right?”
“I think I’m feeling like left today,” I said, easing the car onto the north-bound direction of the road, with Burns falling in behind me at a good five car lengths’ distance.
“If you ask me, everything is right today,” he replied, laughing when I made a face. “You think you’re the only one who can make bad jokes? Wait until you hear this one. I’ve had two weeks to perfect it, so it should be flawless.”
The Green Fields Series Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 93
