by Mike Staton
Hall laughed. She felt the sound ripple through him and the knife loosened ever so slightly from her neck.
Kat reacted in an instant, her legs spread as she drove both heels into the tops of his knees and she jammed her head back into his nose once more.
The knife didn’t hurt. She didn’t feel it, but did feel a hot sensation and a steamy trickle down her neck as it bit her.
Chapter 25
Percival sat atop the convenience store, his breath fogging in the night air. The radio sat between his feet. He’d said he was going to try and raise Bonnibel Actual, but, in truth, he just wanted to get away from the others. He and Lieutenant Adams had cleared another two buildings before retreating back to the convenience store.
Samuel and Judith had been waiting for them. Unfortunately, they’d not returned with good news. The campsite was emptier than they’d left it. Bloku’s body had been removed and all but one tent struck.
If only Bloku’s body had disappeared, Percival might’ve explained it away as having been removed by some natural force. Predators still wandered the forest.
Zombies hadn’t driven bears or wolves or whatever carnivorous critter wandered the backwoods of Tennessee into extinction as they had almost done to the human race. The virus just hadn’t seemed to make the jump to other species. Percival felt that was a good thing. He certainly didn’t want to encounter a pack of zombie mutts.
The feral ones were bad enough.
He dropped his forehead to his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. The rogues in town had snatched his friend and he was powerless to retrieve her. He hated that powerlessness, the utter helpless feeling that came with a lack of action. Clearing buildings should have made him feel better, but all it’d done was remind him that they didn’t have any idea of which direction to run.
And his communion with the damned undead hadn’t helped any. The teenager he’d shot after discovering the first of the mutated zombies had taken up the call. And while he’d whispered to him of the size of the horde besieging the survivors of Valentine, he hadn’t said a thing of where Kat might be.
He lifted his head and scanned the town skyline. If you ignored the distant chorus of moans that drifted with the wind, the town itself was small and quite beautiful. Even in the twilight without the sun glaring down on it. Before the sun had set, he could make out the steeple tower. The sole reason he’d been able to see it is he knew which direction to look. He wished he’d been able to visit Valentine before the fall of society.
The gorgeous sunset over the quaint town had been the sort of thing that Sarah would’ve loved to have witnessed.
He’d spent it staring down streets with Lieutenant Adams’s binoculars while ignoring the radio he’d risen to the roof with. He hadn’t actually spotted anything useful.
“This group is bigger than even the one you rescued me from.” Evan’s voice drifted on the wind. “But they’re less focused.”
Percival shook his head. “Get out. That doesn’t help me any.”
“I’ll leave you be then, but I figgered you might like some company,” Judith said from behind him. She turned back toward the ladder that gave roof access.
“Huh? Sorry, I hadn’t even noticed you’d come up. Everything okay down there?” Percival turned his back to the dark townscape and faced Judith.
“No. Samuel’s not doing good. Just finished a five minute coughing fit and his fever’s spiked. The excursion today wasn’t good for him. No telling just how long he’s got left now.” Judith shook her head. Her gaze fell somewhere down and to Percival’s left. “Krista’s watching over him right now, but she’s on edge. Hard to tell with her, but…”
“Kat’s out there and not here safe with us.” Percival shook his head. He should have insisted on going to get her the prior night. Instead, he’d agreed to leave her alone. And now she’d fallen into a disreputable set of hands. He knew just how brutal those military dicks could be, and with the chain of command dwindling, Sarah had, after all, killed their lieutenant, who knew just what the grunts would do.
If they’d been perfectly pleasant, he might not be worried. But he’d suffered at their hands and seen the bruises left on Sarah. He shook the boiling anger out of his head. He needed to remain clearheaded for now.
“Yeah. And Samuel and I wasted a day going the wrong direction.” Judith let out a deep sigh. “Might’ve cost us Samuel.”
“Don’t you start wearing that mantle, Judith. Leave blaming ourselves to Adams and I.” Percival crossed the convenience store’s rooftop until he stood only a few feet in front of her.
“But I argued for going back to the campsite on our own. And Samuel was healthy before we went out this morning. The exertion of the long hike did him in.” Judith’s shoulders sagged and she refused to meet his gaze.
“You can’t know that. And it was a good idea to check the campsite. You gathered valuable intelligence anyways. We know they, or at least someone, went back there. And it wasn’t solely your decision to go there, you know. Lieutenant Adams or I could have told you no.” Percival brought his hands up to her shoulders. “And Samuel? He’s infected. The infection’s running its course through his body. He’d likely be like this if he’d sat around doing nothing. You’ve seen how quick it progresses.”
Judith nodded without looking up at him.
He felt the tiny tremors in her shoulders. Without seeing her hooded face, he couldn’t tell for certain if she were crying or not, but it certainly felt like she was. He closed in and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
It took a moment before her arms snaked around his middle and her face buried against his shoulder, the opposite shoulder from his injury.
“I’d like to lie to you and tell you it’ll all be okay,” Percival spoke softly. “But it’ll only mostly be okay. It’ll be rough without Samuel, but you’ll persevere. Especially when we get Kat back.”
“Why would they take her?” Judith asked after a few moments of silence as the zombies nearby serenaded them.
A few reasons flashed through his mind. Not foremost was what the faux military at the depot’d done to Andrina. He’d murder every last one of the Army jackasses and leave them infected without limbs if they’d violated Kat like that.
Of course, he already intended to put a bullet to every last one of them to begin with. Using his infected blood to ensure that their waking corpses continued to exist was an added punishment for them if they spoiled his little savior.
He didn’t see the point of mentioning that particular aspect to Judith. He shook his head and drew in a deep breath. He let it out slowly in a light haze into the cold night air.
“Likely the same reason Lieutenant Adams wanted Bloku alive. She wasn’t terribly pleased that Kat shot him in the neck before we got that chance.” Percival released Judith and turned to the side. “Not that she would’ve gotten to question him in the first place.”
“Kat beat you to the punch?”
Percival nodded. He let out a shaky breath. “I was seein’ red.”
Judith patted his shoulder.
“When I was in their ‘capable’ hands, they weren’t particularly gentle with me, but all they did was ask me questions.” He closed his eyes.
“What else?” Judith clearly saw better in the dark than he did.
“Outside of our initial interaction, they didn’t lay a finger on me. They left Sarah with bruises. Helped me to justify some of what I did to the guard left outside my ‘holding cell.’ Of course, the one who laid hands on Sarah isn’t in this world any more, so… Who knows.” He shook his head and turned away from her before scrubbing a hand across his eyes and discarding tears that had formed there.
“Who was the guy who hit Sarah?” Judith asked quietly.
“Their CO, Lieutenant Proxies. She crushed the back of his skull into the front right before he got the chance to shoot me.” Percival stared at the dark town. Clouds rolled in, casting the scene into further depths of darkness. “He’s also th
e one who questioned me. The others, not so much.”
“So, it’s possible they just took her captive simply to hold her?” Judith’s tone held a brightness that Percival wished he could siphon off and use.
“I hope so.” He didn’t think so. He moved to the edge of the convenience store roof and leaned against the concrete ledge. He heard her pick up the radio he’d left behind.
“Did you raise them?” Judith set the radio down on the ledge.
“No.” Percival studied the clouds overhead. They were fat, heavy, and oppressive, just waiting to spill their contents out onto the town.
“No answer?”
“Didn’t try. Honestly? Was an excuse to retreat away from everyone else.” Percival didn’t look away from the clouds.
Judith let out a quite audible sigh. She clicked the radio on. “What’s the frequency?”
Percival rattled it off for her.
Judith keyed the radio over to the appropriate frequency and depressed her call button. “Bonnibel Actual, this is Wandering Rats. Is anyone out there? Come back.”
Percival found himself bringing his gaze down from the sky just as the first flakes of winter split from the clouds. He watched the radio on the ledge.
For a long moment, nothing but static answered them. Judith lowered her hooded head and raised the mic to her lips and depressed the call button once more. “Wandering Rats calling Bonnibel Actual. Are you out there?”
The static was brief before a young man’s voice crackled out of the speaker. “Wandering Rats, we hear you. It’s really good to hear your voice. We thought something might have happened to you when you did whatever it was that’s breaking up the horde. Over.”
Judith’s gaze snapped up to meet Percival’s. “We haven’t done anything but avoid them.”
“Kat might’ve.” Percival stared at the radio. “Maybe whatever they’re using to direct the horde has been disrupted by our presence? Or she did something the night we were parted.”
“I don’t know.” Judith shook her head.
“Wandering Rats? Over.” The radio crackled to life once more.
“Sorry Bonnibel Actual. We were distracted for a moment. We’re glad to hear that the horde is breaking up and losing interest in you.” Judith took Percival’s hand. “What’s your status? Over.”
“Other than overjoyed?” Bonnibel Actual asked. “We’re hungry. Been on half rations for over a week. But that shouldn’t be a problem before long. We can wait them out for another week, especially without anyone shooting at us. Over.”
“That’s good.” Percival looked at Judith. “And bad.”
“Bad?” Judith quirked an eyebrow at him. “The raiders aren’t shooting at the people we came to help and the horde is breaking up. How is any of that bad?”
“The raiders are those military jackholes who likely have Kat. And they’ve stopped shooting at the poor folk here because they’re busy looking for us and dealing with her.” Percival plucked the mic from Judith’s hand. “Bonnibel Actual? This is Wandering Rat Two. Did you happen to see where they went? Over.”
“Wandering Rat Two, happy to hear that there’s more than one of you.” Bonnibel Actual went silent for a few moments. A new voice returned when the radio crackled to life once more. “We saw the truck head out north. Couldn’t tell you beyond that. Is everything okay on your end? Over.”
Percival looked at Judith and squeezed his eyes closed. Everything was far from okay. “We’re missing one of our number. Over.”
Static spoke louder than any words that Bonnibel Actual could say.
Judith cleared her throat. Percival passed her the mic.
“This is Wandering Rat Three. We’ve misplaced our forward scout and we’re hoping to get her back. If you have any other intel, being natives to the region, it’d be greatly appreciated.” Judith paused and took several deep breaths. “She’s precious to us. Can you help? Over.”
“If the raiders took her north, there’s only a few places outside town to stash her. We’d assumed they’d been hitting us from some base in Valentine, but, it would seem we were mistaken.” Bonnibel Actual interrupted the static after a moment. There was a pause and a new, older man’s voice came over the speaker. “We can’t say for certain, but there’s only a couple homesteads that weren’t compromised north of us. If the raiders retreated north, I’d say start with the farmstead a mere three miles north of town. Follow the dirt road off Holbrook Lane. It’s just past a large oak tree. Over.”
“Thank you, Bonnibel Actual.” Judith let go of the call button. “I don’t think we should talk more shop over the waves. Just in case someone else is listening in. Over.”
Percival nodded in agreement. If the rogue military unit who had Kat were listening in, they’d know Percival and company were coming and would have the chance to move.
Judith depressed the call button. “We appreciate the help with everything. We need to go. Over.”
“If there’s anything more we can do for you, let us know. Bonnibel Actual over and out.”
“We’ll be in touch. Wandering Rats over’n’out.” She clicked the radio off.
Percival started toward the ladder leading down from the roof.
“Where’re you going?” Judith trailed after him.
“We have a direction and time is of the essence.” Percival hopped over the rail and started down. He knew the issue with moving quickly was akin to rushing into something without proper scouting. He’d be going in blind. No plan. No escape route.
And if they didn’t catch up with Kat’s kidnappers before they had the chance to vacate their location, they may never find her. Or may never find her alive, more accurately. He wouldn’t put it past them to shoot her and walk out.
He dropped to the ground and moved into the back of the convenience store.
“You’re a man with a purpose. What’ve you learned?” Lieutenant Adams stepped out of the darkness before him.
“Horde around Bonnibel Actual is breaking up. They’ve recommended a search location for Kat. I’m going out after her.” Percival moved to Lieutenant Adams’s side trying to sidestep around her.
“What intel are you operating off of?” Lieutenant Adams slid to remain in front of him. She folded her arms over her chest.
“They saw the Humvee head out north. There’s a couple homesteads that way and we’ve directions to them.” Percival dropped his gaze to Lieutenant Adams. “We don’t have time to argue over this.”
“I’m not arguing.” Lieutenant Adams dropped her voice. “I’m questioning. You don’t need to point out that this information was relayed over an open channel. If they were listening, they’ll know you’re coming. You’re tired, it’s well into nighttime with cloud cover remov—“
“And it’s snowing. I don’t care. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve navigated dark streets with light solely from a flashlight, Lieutenant Adams.” Percival stared down at the smaller woman. He wasn’t budging on this. He’d leave without any of them if necessary. It wasn’t like he hadn’t traversed the countryside by himself before.
“Samuel won’t make it and we should at least have a plan.” Lieutenant Adams fixed him with a glare that made her seem twelve feet taller than him.
“What do you mean, ‘Samuel won’t make it’?” Judith appeared at the door behind Percival.
“He’s lapsing in and out of consciousness with increased confusion. Won’t be long before he doesn’t wake again.” Lieutenant Adams’s shadowy form didn’t shift from looking at Percival.
“Where is he?”
“We can’t leave him here. It’s not right to leave someone behind. And there’s the added effect we’d be, essentially, setting an undead landmine for anyone who came here,” Judith protested.
“In the manager’s office.” Lieutenant Adams finally stepped out of his way. “I feel obligated to point out the trap potential in this situation.”
Without saying a word, he moved through the back storage area and int
o the main portion of the convenience store. He bypassed looted shelves and bee lined for the manager’s office. He stopped at the closed door. He drew a shallow breath, closed his hand on the knob. He let the breath out and pushed the door open.
The room was a small with barely any room for the cabinet and the desk, but they’d managed to turn it into a tiny bedroom by shoving everything off to the side. The bikini clad calendar was the sole thing that hadn’t been moved.
Samuel lay on the floor, curled into a semi-fetal position atop his sleeping bag. His head lifted off his pack and twisted toward Percival.
He couldn’t make out any of Samuel’s facial features in the darkness.
Samuel racked with a few full body coughs, and spat something wet and heavy onto the floor with a smack. “Hey, boss. What’s going on?”
“How’re you feeling?” Percival stopped at the edge of the room. He couldn’t bring himself to cross the threshold.
“Shitty.” Samuel’s head dropped back to the pack. “Think… think the end’s near.”
Percival nodded, even though he doubted that the man on the ground could see him. “We got in touch with Bonnibel Actual.”
“Are they—“ Samuel stopped with another wet cough. “Are they okay?”
“Better than. They can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Horde’s breaking up and the raiders haven’t pestered them in a few days. They also gave us a suggestion of where to look for Kat.” Percival heard Judith and Lieutenant Adams come up behind him.
“What?” Samuel sounded a thousand miles away.
“We might know where Kat’s being held.”
“Ah… that’s good.” The big ballplayer curled in on himself a little more.
“But the bad guys might’ve been listening.” Percival hoped he wouldn’t have to spell it out for Samuel. He knew, firsthand, how fuzzy the virus made someone’s brainpan.
Samuel remained silent for longer than Percival would’ve liked. After an eternity, Samuel laboriously pushed himself up to a sitting position. “I want to exercise my option.”
