“You understand, don’t you, Hiran?” Ke Tau asked.
“Of course. He's a disgrace.”
“Yes, but he was good for something, though.”
“What’s that?”
“His arrival has served to remind me that every day those people live free, they mock my authority. Tomorrow night, we attack.”
Mpho’s terror grew when she heard his words. No, not tomorrow. The full moon is four days away. They’ll be caught by surprise. Annihilated.
A firm hand gripped her elbow, and she whirled. Rebecca’s old face peered at her from the gloom. “Grandmother!”
“Come with me, child.”
Mpho followed Rebecca from the room to the kitchens in the back. There, her grandmother shoved a knife and a small cloth wrapped bundle into her hands. “Grandmother? What’s this?”
“You must warn them. Now. Tonight. Or all is for nothing.”
“But...I can’t. How?”
“Go now. While they’re busy killing the boy. No one will notice. Slip out the back and over the wall. You know where.”
“But...they’ll come after me.”
“I’ll make an excuse. Do not worry.”
“I can’t do it. I’m scared, grandmother.”
Rebecca grabbed her hands in a painful grip. “Do not fear. Be brave, my child. Remember your father. We cannot live here like animals under that man’s rule.”
“I...I know.”
“Then go. Now.”
Mpho nodded and squared her shoulders. She slipped out the back and into the cold night, shivering with fear. She ran to the old wooden bench that sat next to the wall and climbed up. She reached up to grasp the edge of the wall and paused. For a brief moment, she remembered Michael and how brave he’d been. She remembered the way he’d held her and spoken to her. I can be brave too.
She scrambled up the wall and slipped over, landing on the other side with barely a sound. She was at the back of the building in a rubbish-strewn alleyway. It was deserted except for the rats and cockroaches that rustled for food beneath her feet. Her breathing sounded harsh in her ears, and she paused to regain her composure.
Fear pumped through her veins as she thought of the terrible punishment Ke Tau would mete out if he caught her, but thoughts of her grandmother and Michael sustained her. She looked into the darkness and blinked. I can do this.
Chapter 16 - Max
Max woke up to find himself sprawled across an empty bed. He was fully clothed and still had his boots on, a sure sign of the exhaustion that prompted him to pass out.
He sat up and checked his watch. It was a quarter past four in the morning and still dark outside. He yawned and stumbled to the bathroom where he splashed icy water on his face and brushed his teeth. Only then was he ready to look at himself in the mirror.
His hair had grown long and unkempt, curling down past his collar. A three-day stubble lined his jaws, and purple shadows underscored his eyes. “I look like shit.”
In the cold pre-dawn light, he faced several facts. One, Breytenbach and his party had not returned the day before. Two, neither had Kirstin. Three, they were short-handed to the point where every man, woman, and child had to work around the clock. Four, supplies were running out. Five, they had an attack to plan for three days hence. An attack they’d be sure to lose if Breytenbach didn’t show up. “Hell, we’ll probably lose anyway.”
He thought of Kirstin then and blushed. She’d have no time for a pity party. “She’d tell me to get my ass in gear and be the leader these people need.”
With numb fingers, he soaped up and reached for the razor, dragging it across his skin. Bit by bit, the stubble disappeared. The clippers were next. Long locks of hair fell into the basin. It had formed a golden pool by the time he finished.
Max stood up straight and squared his shoulders. Now his old army uniform looked like it belonged. He smoothed his hands over his shorn head and patted his clothes into place. “This is where it starts.”
He closed the door of his bungalow behind him and headed for the walls. The grass crunched beneath his booth, the faint crackle of ice betraying the thin layer of frost that covered the ground. The air escaped his lips in puffs of mists, and moisture clung to his lashes. He climbed the ladder and found himself on top of the wall, surveying the area below.
“Max, you’re here.”
He turned to face Michael who’d crept closer on balled feet and acknowledged him with a nod. “Everything quiet?”
“So far.”
They stood shoulder to shoulder in silence, staring out into the night. Max thrust his hands into his pocket. “Do you think we can win?”
“Do we have a choice?”
Mike grinned. “No, I guess not.”
“Then we will win.”
Their voices died away, replaced by the song of crickets and the rustling of tiny animals in the grass. Max rolled his head on his shoulders to get rid of the stiffness that had lodged there and thought of the day ahead. So much to do. So little time.
His worry over the failure of Breytenbach to return burned in his chest like a ball of fire. Ever-present. Never far from his mind. He could think of no good reason they’d stay out overnight. Unless they ran into trouble.
His morbid thoughts were interrupted when Michael pointed a finger. “What’s that?”
“Where?”
Max craned his head but saw nothing. The area beyond the walls was a deep, dark hole barely lit by the faint gleam of a moon covered in shadow. The clouds were spiteful, drifting to and fro across the silver orb’s face as if it were a disco ball casting scattered glimmers across the earth’s crust.
“It’s a person,” Michael stated.
“I don’t see anything,” Max protested. But the next moment, he did spot movement. Frantic, desperate moves toward the gate. Breytenbach?
Convinced it was one of them, Max ran toward the gate. “Come on. It must be Breytenbach or one of the team. They could be in trouble.”
Michael followed but laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Wait. It’s a woman.”
Max squinted, and the clouds relented for a second. They parted to allow the moonlight to shine down, and he saw a feminine silhouette running at full speed.
“Kirstin?”
“It’s not her.”
Max balled his hands into fists. “How do you know? Are you a freaking vampire?”
“Just wait.”
Together, they stood as the person came flying down the road toward them. At last, she was close enough for the floodlights at the gate to illuminate her face.
Max’s heart sank. It wasn’t Kirstin. Who is it?
Michael gasped, surprising Max who’d never seen the man startled before in his life. “Mpho? Is that you?”
“It’s me. Let me in, please. I have news.” She fell to her knees, both hands wrapped around the hilt of a steak knife.
Michael jumped down and hurried to open the gate. “Help me, Max.”
“Who is it? Do you know her?”
“I know her.”
Max gripped Michael’s sleeve. “More importantly, can we trust her?”
Michael stared at him with fathomless eyes before saying, “I trust her with my life.”
Max let his hand fall and turned toward the barred entrance. “Let’s get her inside then. Pronto.”
Minutes later, Max was faced by a shivering slip of a girl dressed in a threadbare shirt that barely covered her bum, no underwear, no shoes, a mop of wild caramel curls and a crazy story to tell.
Max raised both hands to ward off her stuttered words. “Whoa, there. Calm down. Take a deep breath.”
She sucked in a few lungfuls of air and smoothed her hair away from her blood-spattered face with the knife still gripped in one hand. Max reached out a tentative hand. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Um, uh, I don’t think so, I don’t know.” She looked at her bloody hands and stained shirt then back at him. “I killed a few sick ones on the way
here.”
“Sick ones?”
She nodded.
“Like zombies?”
“Them, yes. I don’t like the word, though.”
“Oh, okay.”
Michael, who’d been occupied closing the gate, walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re sure you’re fine?”
She gulped. “I’m sure. Scared shitless.”
Michael grinned, once more surprising Max. “You scared? I wouldn’t bet on it.”
She smiled and sidled closer to Michael, letting him take the knife from her hand and drape his jacket over her shoulders. Max watched in growing confusion. What’s going on here?
“Did you grandmother send you?” Michael asked.
“Yes, I have important news.”
“So important you had to run here alone in the middle of the night armed with a steak knife? You could’ve died, Mpho.”
She ducked her head. “I know, but this is important.”
“Can it wait?” Max asked.
She looked at him with furrowed brows. “Wait?”
“I mean, can we get you inside and looked after first?” he added and pointed at her feet. “You’re hurt.”
She looked down at her naked legs and bleeding soles with seeming surprise. “Of course.”
“Why don’t you get her inside, Michael? The kitchen lights were on, so I think Elise is up. I’ll be along as soon as I get someone to take over the watch.”
Max watched Michael hustle the girl away while shaking his head in wonder. “I’ve never seen him so worked up about anyone.”
He got back onto the wall and stared in the direction of the outside gates. With the coming of dawn, the birds had awoken and called their morning song into the chill air. The first streaks of pink and yellow announced the rising sun. He sighed, wondering what the new day would bring. “Where are you, my love? What happened to you? Something’s wrong. I know it, and this girl...whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
He walked a short patrol while clearing his mind before getting down and going in search of a replacement. He was met by Liezel carrying her long range rifle and binoculars.
“Hi, Liezel. You ready to take over?”
“I am.” She smiled, and he was relieved to note she seemed fresh and bright-eyed.
“Got enough sleep? Had breakfast?” he asked.
“Yes, and yes.” She punched him on the arm.”Run along, Max. I’ll manage. If anyone needs more sleep, it’s you.”
“Yeah, okay.” He grinned in response.
“At least you clean up well,” she called over her shoulder as she ascended the ladder. “Keep it up.”
With a chuckle, Max made his way to the kitchen where he found a warmly dressed Mpho drinking soup and tea while a worried Elise clucked around her like a mother hen.
“Just look at those feet. My goodness. You’ll need to see Jonathan,” she exclaimed.
“Thank you, ma’am, but I assure you I’m fine.”
“Such beautiful manners. Your mother taught you well, young one.”
“My grandmother actually. My mother died when I was young.”
“Oh, you poor thing. Let me see if I can find you something more substantial to eat. You’re so thin!”
Elise bustled away despite Mpho’s protestations that she was okay. Max shook his head and took a seat across from her. “Don’t bother. She needs someone to mother. It’s in her nature.”
Michael nodded. “Now tell us your story, Mpho. What happened?”
She placed her cup down on the table with a sober expression. “Kabelo returned last night.”
Max sat back in his chair with shocked surprise. “Kabelo? So the little shit made it. Lisa won’t be happy to hear that.”
“She will not,” Michael agreed.
“Well, he got back in one piece and told Ke Tau everything about you,” Mpho said.
“I’m not surprised,” Max replied.
“That’s not the reason you’re here, though,” Michael said. “It can’t be.”
Mpho shook her head. “No, you’re right. Kabelo’s appearance reminded him once more how much he hates you, how much your presence here mocks him. He...he told Hiran to get ready.”
Max stared at the scarred wood of the tabletop beneath his hands and took a deep breath. A feeling of foreboding washed over him, and he didn’t want to hear Mpho’s next words. He forced himself to ask, “Ready for what?”
“They’re attacking here, tonight.”
The world spun around Max as her news sunk in. It was as bad as it could get. No, worse.
Michael stared at Max with flat eyes, though a flicker of worry crossed his face. “You’re sure of this, Mpho?”
“I’m sure. That’s why I had to come. I had to warn you.” Her hands folded into fists. “Ke Tau cannot win. We cannot let him.”
Max raised his head. “Thank you for taking such a risk to warn us. I’m indebted to you. We all are.”
“It’s my duty.”
“Even so, after today, we might owe you everything.” Max sighed and looked at Michael. “This couldn’t come at a worse time.”
Right then, Elise returned with a small bowl of chopped carrots fresh from the garden. “Here you go, dear. Eat this.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
Elise paused when she noticed the miserable expressions on all their faces. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll fill you in over breakfast, Elise. In fact, I’ll need to see the whole camp, even the guards.” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “I’ll gather everyone up and have them assemble here in an hour.”
“Is it that bad?” Worry washed over Elise’s face, and a hand fluttered at her throat. “What about the children? We can’t alarm them.”
Max paused. “You’re right. I’ll ask Michelle to keep them busy in the schoolroom while we meet. Someone can fill her in later. I don’t believe she’ll be capable of fighting anyway.”
“Fighting? Has it come to that now?” Elise asked.
“It has.”
“Well, I imagine we’ll need our energy, so I’ll see what I can scrounge up for breakfast. We could all use a solid meal, even if it’s the last.”
Max looked at her and felt gratitude well up inside him. No matter what, she was always there for him. No, for everyone. “Thank you, Elise. You don’t know how much your help means to me.”
She reached over and squeezed his hand. “We’re family, Max.”
With those parting words, she rushed away, and Max turned to Michael. “Can you take Mpho to the infirmary? Have Jonathan treat her feet then meet back here?”
“No problem.” Michael placed a protective arm around Mpho’s shoulders. “See you soon. We need to plan.”
“That we do,” Max affirmed. He left the dining area with a heavy heart and went about the task of assembling the entire camp. As he walked, one thought repeated itself over and over. The next twenty-four hours will decide all our fates. Good or bad.
Chapter 17 - Lisa
Lisa worked with silent concentration, doing precisely as Jonathan had shown her. It was an ugly job, but she wanted to help, and the doctor already had his hands full. Not only did he have to run the infirmary and look after the camp’s sick people, but he also had to take his turn on the wall, short-handed as they were with people out repairing fences.
Lonny, Ruby’s brother, lay as still as a statue. His skin looked waxen, and his breathing was shallow. She’d given him the most potent dosage of pain medicine allowed, and now he slept. A good thing too because she needed to clean his various wounds, a painful process.
She started with the worst one. The third-degree burn inflicted by Carlito to the boy’s right thigh. The tender flesh had been seared away by a naked flame and was at serious risk of infection.
Lisa peeled away the saline dressing that had been allowed to dry, and a layer of dead tissue came away with it. Jonathan called it mechanical debridement. She called it torture. It was for that reason sh
e’d sent Ruby away with Julianne.
For now, the young girl would be placed under Michelle’s care with the other children. While not exactly a child, she was grieving both for her father and her brother and would be better off with the gentle Michelle and the other kids.
Lonny mumbled under his breath and cried aloud. Lisa froze while she waited for him to calm down. Once he settled, she pulled further on the dressing and worked it free of the skin. The wound was an open sore, red, raw, and weeping. She dressed it as Jonathan had taught her, breathing more easily once it was covered. “There, that’s better.”
She moved onward, disinfecting the cuts Ke Tau and his men had inflicted with their blades and smoothing cream over the purple bruises that discolored his face. His eyes were swollen shut, and she placed a cold compress on his forehead.
Bandages had been wrapped around his torso. Jonathan was sure he had a few cracked and broken ribs. The last hurt she addressed was his left hand. Every single nail had been yanked out with pliers, leaving the tips exposed and glistening.
“You poor boy. I’m so glad I got there in time.” Then she bit her lips when she realized he likely wouldn’t see it that way. In time for what? To prevent further torture? Death?
The hard knot of rage that Lisa carried around in her breast on a permanent basis grew more prominent when she thought of his pain. Ruby’s pain. My pain. “As long as men like Ke Tau walk the earth, there will be no peace.”
“Agreed,” the rumble of Michael’s voice intoned from the entrance.
Lisa turned and saw him supporting the fragile form of a young woman. “Who’s this?”
“This is Mpho, the girl I told you about earlier. Rebecca's granddaughter.” He looked down at the girl in question and frowned. “She’s hurt. Where’s Jonathan?”
“He’s on guard duty, but I’ll see if I can help.”
“Please.” Michael helped Mpho onto a bed and pointed at her feet. “There."
Lisa examined Mpho’s swollen and cut feet and clucked while she cleaned them. “What did you do? This must hurt a bunch.”
“It’s not so bad,” Mpho demurred.
Live Another Day (Dangerous Days - Zombie Apocalypse Book 4) Page 13
