by C A Gleason
That confused him a little. Jonah was in terrific shape. Maybe it was the added weight? Even though Molters didn’t weigh that much. Half the weight of the people they were born from? He could only guess. He wasn’t so curious that he would weigh the damn things. Just all strength and predatory instinct.
It’s all right to be uppity after a battle, he reassured himself. He took a big inhale and exhaled slowly, calming himself. What to do with all the corpses?
It was one thing to put his own life in danger and quite another matter to endanger his people, so he always considered what was best for them. What would keep them safest? He couldn’t very well rely on another blizzard to bury the evidence as he typically did, even though another one or two or ten snowfalls might be on the way. Like what happened last year.
Although the Infectors inside the Molters he’d cut open weren’t mature enough to scurry off on their own he decided he would burn everything, even the remains of the Behemoth, before all the decaying stench permeated the mountains. Similar to going loud when he shot Behemoth cocoons from the ridges, the planned rarity of doing so, he would apply the same strategy with one massive burn to get rid of all the dead, including the dead people, no matter how much billowy smoke it would produce. Even though they’d had ill intent, the thought of destroying human remains made him feel sick. Handling the remains of the creatures and the remains of his own species were very different for him.
Using the remains of the creatures to repel others wouldn’t work there, so a burning had to be done, and those people had made their choices. He wasn’t going to bury them. They didn’t deserve it. The strategy used at Henrytown had helped keep Molters away, but it wasn’t consistent enough to be relied on. Maybe it was because it had only been Molter corpses near the cabin but not Behemoths? Jonah didn’t want to chance it by experimenting. He decided that burning remains was what he would do from now on. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to do it again before they left the cabin for good.
When he walked back onto the porch, he rapped the back of his knuckles on the door, then said, “Stay inside. We gotta watch everything close for a few days. Extreme vigilance.”
“Did you get them?” Heike said from within.
“I got ’em. Most of them, I think. If there’s any more, I’ll try and lure them out over the next couple of days by walking around and making myself seen.”
“Yay!” Heike said, as if it were some kind of game.
That made Jonah feel sorry for her. He hated that all this was her normal. The close proximity of the creatures was even more concerning. There had never been an Infector bomb this close to the cabin during his watch. All those he’d encountered had been far enough away from it for him to feel in control. Unless they’d been close but passed by. Something very possible. What had just happened was too close of a call. Not just that but the other Molters, the starving Behemoth, and also those men. Too many threats.
Years ago, Jonah had conducted an experiment because he wanted to know if Molters could actually smell blood. It was a reasonable curiosity because blood was their food, just as he would recognize the aroma of meat being grilled in a neighborhood. It would also make sense that Molters could sniff it out as some other predators did. He planted bottles of rabbit blood in hard-to-find places: in an abandoned burrow, up a tree, places like that, but they were all still there weeks later. What he’d learned was something to rule out and confirmed what he always suspected: that they hunted by sight, instinct, and relative scent proximity. The way they hunted was in addition to the mysterious way they somehow found one another to group together.
The state of the cabin was getting worse by the hour, and he needed to do something about it immediately. Do more than he typically did, which meant actually forgoing his instinct to stay put and fortify. Instead he would leave that responsibility to the other trained soldier living with him and finally go on the mission that would worry her the most.
Similar to the rarity of his rifle shots—going loud—on the ridges to shoot and destroy the Behemoth cocoons that formed, the exploratory missions upon first arriving at the cabin, and the forthcoming burning, he would leave for his most dangerous mission but return as quickly as he could. It was risky. He knew it needed to be done, but Doreen wasn’t going to like it, even though she knew it was coming and even though it had been in Jonah’s mission forecast for some time.
CHAPTER 7
Not going past the perimeter for so long had made Jonah want to go even more. Exploring was something he’d always done, even before the Molting, was part of his personality, and like the times when he didn’t exercise because he couldn’t, like when he was injured, or decided to take a break, he missed it. Having Doreen and Heike in his life and living at the cabin had kept him content for years, but he’d sensed they were getting close to leaving for quite a while now, and although he wasn’t crazy about leaving his people to defend themselves, he knew they could.
He was looking forward to the outing because of the way that other missions always seemed to satisfy his curiosities upon their completion. It harkened back to his days in the military when he had to do something he didn’t want to do but made the most of it. Plus, Jonah liked to know things. It was who he was, and being on the move was exhilarating for him, like sprinting, and felt necessary every once in a while. Being uncomfortable, in pain even, was familiar for him, and after feeling that way for so long, it was almost desired.
Along the way, he would destroy them when he absolutely had to. Although that wasn’t the integral part of his current mission, he would earn that M-K tattoo he’d eventually have inked on his trigger finger. The idea for a tattoo had been Salgado’s after they’d killed the Behemoth together before Henrytown. Jonah hoped Salgado was still alive. But also Donnelly and Jacobs and everyone else he cared about. Who was elsewhere in places unknown or just plain old missing?
Still alive but safe too.
Well, safe was never truly possible, but at least alive. He often thought about how few people were even still breathing. Whenever someone died—it didn’t matter how they passed away—or molted, it gave the creatures a stronger foothold in terms of dominance. Every human death made the enemy stronger. Jonah’s knowledge of that motivated him.
The faster he accomplished the mission, the faster he could return, and then they could establish themselves at another home. Wherever that was, deemed safe or dangerous by him—he couldn’t know that until it was discovered—exploring would also give him a better understanding of the area surrounding the cabin. That was the point. Another reason was to identify the safest path to go on to that next place. But there was also a very real possibility they might remain where they were. It all depended on the state of beyond.
Doreen had offered to go with him, which meant Heike would have to come along, of course, but that would have defeated the purpose because it would put all three of their lives in danger. It was much better to risk only one life, the person whose life was the most expendable. Jonah had to go by himself and get it done quickly so they could eventually have a semi-normal life. He was tired of always looking over his shoulder. Over their shoulders. It would be nice to get a decent night’s sleep knowing there were dependable armed guards surrounding their living quarters.
After the Infector bomb, Jonah had chopped up all the grotesquerie with the ax and moved the remains. Jonah and Doreen stood on the porch together while the dead burned in the distance, billowing smoke up into the sky, dangerously high enough to give their position away. It was a necessary task and a brief risk they were willing to take because flesh could only burn for so long, and Jonah had already dug the shallow holes to bury the remains. It wasn’t as if they had a choice. They’d been attacked, and cleanup after a battle was mandatory. Never ideal and always messy. Especially in this case.
Both held pistols, watching for more Infectors. She’d convinced him another gun would help, but together they were going no farther than the porch until after the burning was ove
r. He realized she just wanted to talk some more as Heike was inside napping. The Molters appearing had little effect on Heike. They were nothing new to her. Them being killed wasn’t either. Similar to an enemy during any normal war, Heike had no choice but to live with it, and not even bloodthirsty creatures would deter a little girl from taking a nap when she was tired.
Doreen said, “With as much as you do, it doesn’t seem possible that so many could just show up.”
“I agree,” Jonah replied, “but there’s so much we don’t know about them.”
“You probably know more than most.”
“Maybe, but every question answered leads to a different question mark. Lately endless. Not just about them but everything. I can’t allow myself to believe I have this territory completely under control. That’s the day one of us gets killed. I’ve always suspected that when they appear like this, it’s because a nearby community was overrun.”
“How far is nearby?”
“I don’t know. Within ten miles, I’d guess. Twenty maybe. There’s gotta be more people out there.” Something occurred to him and he had to ask. It had been weighing on his mind. “Are you all right with what you had to do?” Jonah saw her remember shooting the man off the porch.
“I’m fine. Really. I’m a little surprised by it . . . how I feel, but I was in the right.”
He just wanted to make sure she was OK. “Did Heike see?”
“No. She was in her room.” Clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore, Doreen said, “I hate that you have to leave.”
“I do, too, but with the roads clearing—”
“They’re not completely clear, though. There’s still snow on the ground.”
“I have a feeling it might always be that way at this elevation, and there isn’t much we can do about it. There isn’t as much as usual, and it is melting, which means I can venture out the way I have to. The way I used to.”
“And if it snows again? That could strand you somewhere. I lived in Henrytown for years before I met you. These days, another blizzard seems to be always around the corner. Even when it is supposed to be spring.”
“I won’t be gone long. Even if I was gone for three weeks, I can make it back in time to take care of any cocoons that have formed. And if I missed one or two and a Behemoth was born—”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“The likelihood of it heading directly for the cabin and not somewhere else is . . . a thousand to one. No . . . a hundred-thousand to one. No . . . a million—”
“OK, OK. I get it. If you’re confident enough . . .”
“I’m confident in what I’ve done, what I’m about to do, and I’m confident in you. Long enough to be gone for just a little while. I know it’s a risk with everything that’s happened lately, but soon it could be even worse. Much worse. Now is the best time because we’re relatively in control. I can feel it.”
Although Doreen understood, she still looked like she wanted to talk him out of it.
“You’ll be fine. You’re trained and well armed. You and Heike have plenty of food and supplies. I’d rather be away from you for a short time than . . . stay and then all of us . . .” Don’t say die. “Are in grave danger because of it. Because I didn’t prepare enough. The end could be approaching. I need to know what’s out there. If we get overrun at night, we’re dead.”
“What’s your objective?”
“I told you that already.”
“Your main objective.”
“To get the lay of the land.”
“What haven’t you told me?”
Jonah hesitated, carefully revealing his plans. “To locate potential threats if they exist. And eliminate them.”
“You believe you can accomplish all that in only a few days?”
“Maybe. This scouting mission might branch into others. It’s what I don’t know that’s gnawing at me. I need to gather intel.”
“You’re going into mission mode right in front of me.” She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, then eyes that were doing their best to accept the situation found him again. “What kind of threats? Molters?”
“Or people. Those men got too close to us, Doreen. I have to make sure there aren’t any more incoming. Even though we’d have no trouble handling ourselves.”
“You mean the arsenal?”
Doreen was referencing all the weapons in the cellar. “Very funny,” he said. “Yes, but I also want to differentiate between friend and foe. We’ve been on our own for a long time. Isolated, really. We cannot get to the point where we see everyone as the enemy.”
“I don’t think that way.”
“I’m beginning to . . . and it isn’t right. And it scares me a little.”
“What are you prepared to do?”
Whatever it takes, Henry. “Whatever I have to.”
“When will you leave?”
“As soon as we make sure there aren’t any more of those little bastards running around, and I bury those smoking remains. Please stay vigilant, especially when you use the outhouse. Always go together.”
“We always do.”
“I know, I just . . . I’ll be worried, and . . . I trust you but even I need to be reminded of things on occasion.”
“We all do.”
“Don’t leave the immediate area around home until I return.”
Doreen almost teared up. “What if you don’t?”
“I will. I promise. Make sure to move the spare truck every day. Don’t let it run for too long either.”
“OK.”
He leaned over, still aiming the pistol, and kissed her on the cheek. She hugged him for a while. Held on, really. “I’ll return. You’ll see. And once I come back, that’ll be the last time. Before we all leave together.”
Doreen hadn’t completely believed him though. He’d seen it on her face. It was a familiar look and one she gave him sometimes when she never thought she’d see him again. He’d seen that look far too many times, and it was one of the only ways he ever hoped to prove her wrong. He’d also told her to be prepared to drive away in the spare truck parked and poised for her and Heike’s escape if it were absolutely necessary. He didn’t have to tell her when that would be. She would know.
If the shit hits the fan.
Although it had been a difficult decision, Jonah chose to leave his first truck buried in the snow where it had crashed all those years ago after he rammed it into a Behemoth. It was totaled anyway, and instead of spending precious time and resources fixing it, he decided to find another one, besides Henry’s. Even though he’d abandoned the truck, and then hurriedly went back to it later to grab weapons for the battle in Henrytown to save whoever they could, after they’d settled at the cabin, he returned to the crash site one last time to strip everything of use.
After that was completed, he’d been meticulous about finding the replacement truck and ensuring its dependability by basically finding an exact replica. The large, powerful new truck—to them—was equipped with snow tires and also loaded with supplies and weapons. He started it up every day, even when it was close to being buried beneath a fresh snowfall. Before it could be immobile, he would move it. Now starting the truck up every day would be one of Doreen’s tasks.
If the satellites above were still taking pictures, those who saw them would likely think him crazy, even paranoid, because of how often he had moved the trucks only a few feet. During the winter, it was especially easy for it to get stuck, and it was imperative that they were mobile in case they needed to flee. With the roads clearing, preventative maintenance checks were one of his main concerns, to ensure both trucks were FMC—fully mission capable—and he was thankful such diligence was drilled into him while in the military. That knowledge had saved his ass too many times to count.
Carefully steering down the dirt roads in Henry’s truck, he did his best not to speed. He wanted to because he hadn’t done so in a while, and he was full of testosterone. Still, he kept the part of him that wanted to
accelerate for no reason in check. No needless risks, only necessary ones. That was the spine of this exploratory mission.
There were a few places he wanted to investigate, and one of them was Henrytown, or what was left of it. He remembered how long it took to drive to the cabin from there, but a reverse direction wouldn’t take as long this time as the roads were nearly bare of snow, but it wouldn’t be his first destination. It would be his last before returning to the cabin. He intended to explore east first.
Driving in the snow and mud was a skill he’d honed as a soldier and was confident of, but he would still steer with caution. He couldn’t afford to crash and become stranded. He was a family man now. Getting used to driving through snow or on ice was required while living in Germany or during a field exercise while operating a utility vehicle (UV), but as he’d learned as he wore an American military uniform, traversing the elements took practice, and practiced skill required many attempts. The trick while driving in snow was not to panic when things got squirrelly. Tires slipping typically caused the driver’s heart rate to speed up all of a sudden. Jonah had learned to resist the urge to oversteer when panic flashed throughout his insides.
It wasn’t as if he had never been involved in an accident though. After all, Jonah had been the one driving the van with Eric, Sharon, Gil, Daisy, and Danielle as passengers when it crashed on the way to the military base he’d been stationed at in Oberstein. But he didn’t count the accident when he’d lost his temper and crashed into the Behemoth before he made his way to Henrytown because he’d done that on purpose. What a stupid thing to have done. Worse than stupid: a reckless, foolish, and asinine thing to do because that truck had kept him alive. Plus, it had been a nice one. For a brief time after he’d done that, his chance of survival had lowered to near zero.
