Crawling among the rocks and rubble, she headed toward a small heap of black rubbish bags. She rolled behind them in the nick of time and wormed her body deeper into the soil, concrete, and old garbage.
With wonder, she watched the cavalcade of motorcycles roll past, each one shinier than the last. Each rider wore a full set of leathers and a helmet, and each had a red bandanna tied around their necks. “Shit! Ravagers.”
She counted beneath her breath as they swept past.
Twenty-two.
But, that wasn’t all.
A small convoy of trucks brought up the rear, each sporting mounted machine guns.
“Holy crap, these guys mean business.”
When the last one disappeared into the town, she scrambled to her feet and ran to their floor, securing the barricade behind her on the stairs again.
A relieved-looking Nadia grabbed her by the arms. “You’re safe.”
“Thank God,” Lisa said. “Those are Rav―”
“Ravagers, I know, and there’s at least thirty of them,” Cat finished for her. “Maybe more.”
“We’d better get out of here now,” Lisa said, rushing around as she began packing their things. “What are they doing here anyway? They’re supposed to be in the North. The North!”
Nadia grabbed her arm. “We can’t leave now. What if they see us? It’s still light out.”
“We have to,” Lisa cried.
“No, she’s right. We have to be careful about this, Lisa. We have no idea if there’s more coming. We might run straight into them,” Cat said.
“So what then? We stay? With a bunch of cannibals in the area?” Lisa cried. Her hands shook, and she seemed on the edge of nervous breakdown.
Cat grabbed her by the shoulders. “Lisa, calm down. Take a deep breath.”
Lisa stilled, her eyes wide and panicked.
“Listen to me. They don’t know we’re here. We’re hidden away in the last place they’d ever think to look, and…”
Lisa shook her head in denial. “No, no, no…”
“I know you’re scared. You’ve suffered at the hands of men a lot like these before, but you can’t allow that to override your common sense,” Cat insisted. “We are safe here, hidden, and so’s the car. Better here than out in the open, Lisa. You know that’s true.”
“Listen to Cat. She’s right. We need to stay put. For all we know, they’ll be on their way in the morning, and then we can make a run for it in the opposite direction,” Nadia said, adding her words to Cat’s argument.
Lisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Y…you’re right. We have to be smart about this.”
“Exactly,” Cat said, leading her off the side where their bedrolls lay. “Now, it’s getting late. Try to get some sleep. One of us will have to keep watch at all times. I’ll take the first shift and wake you in a few hours. Nadia can take the last watch.”
‘Fine by me,” Nadia said.
“Okay,” Lisa said, allowing herself to be coaxed down onto her blankets. “It’s a plan, I guess.”
“Best one we’ve got,” Cat agreed.
***
The hours passed by without any further incident. Cat stood watch at first, staring out into the night, every nerve alert to possible danger. Nothing happened. The Ravagers had disappeared into the town, and all was quiet.
Growing bored, she gathered up her shotgun and hammer, pacing the outer edges of the upper floor. At each window or opening, she paused, her ears strained for anything unusual. Anything that would indicate the presence of either humans or infected.
There was nothing.
Finally, Cat woke Lisa with a light touch on the arm. She jerked awake with a gasp, and Cat hastened to reassure her. “Don’t worry. It’ll all good. Time for your watch.”
“Okay,” Lisa said, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “I’ll take over, thanks.”
Cat rolled into her bag, tired after the long day, but sleep eluded her. For a long time, she stared into the darkness, listening to herself breathe. She had no idea what the morning would bring, and her gut churned at the thought of being captured by someone who’d be happy to eat her. Her mind couldn’t conceive of something like that. Do they really? Maybe Tess was wrong. Or maybe, she was right.
When she dozed off, at last, it was to wake up with a start, every sense in her body on full alert. She looked over at Lisa, noting she was in her bed but also awake. Faint sunlight streamed through the curtains, and she pushed herself upright to gaze around. Nadia was gone.
“Where’s Nadia?” she asked in a low voice.
“She’s patrolling outside,” Lisa answered.
“Alone?”
“She said she’d stick nearby until it was safe for us to leave,” Lisa answered, sitting up.
“And you believed her?” Cat jumped to her feet, scrambling around for her weapons and boots. “You shouldn’t have let her go.”
“She promised,” Lisa protested, likewise getting up. “She said she’d keep watch and go on a short walk of our perimeter. That’s it.”
“It? Do you even know her at all?” Cat asked, exasperated beyond belief. “Nadia is a daredevil, Lisa. More than that, she’s one with a death wish. Do you really think she’ll stay nearby and not go looking for these Ravagers?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think. I’ve been so scared, I just wanted the night over with,” Lisa said, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Cat sighed. She knew where Lisa was coming from having heard from others what the poor woman had been through in the past, but this was no time to panic. “It’s okay. I’ll find her and bring her back.”
“There’s no need,” a voice behind her said, causing her to whirl.
“Nadia? You’re back?”
“In the flesh.”
“Where have you been?” Cat asked though she had the awful feeling she already knew the answer.
“It’s like you said. I couldn’t help myself.” Nadia paused, an audible quiver in her voice. “I went looking for them.”
“Did any of them see you?” Lisa interrupted, grabbing Nadia by the wrist. “Do they know we’re here?”
Nadia shook her head. “No. I was careful. They didn’t spot me, and I made sure not to leave a trail. We’re safe. For now.”
“Oh, thank God. We can still get out of here before they find us,” Lisa exclaimed while returning to her former frantic packing.
Nadia looked at Lisa’s scurrying form before turning to face Cat with haunted eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t go with you. I can’t leave. At least, not yet.”
“What?” Lisa asked, freezing to the spot.
“Why not?” Cat asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“I overheard two of them talking. They’re going from town to town, looking for survivors to take back to their base. Once there, these…captives are sorted into two groups.” Nadia hesitated, her face turning even paler than usual. “Those who will be killed for sport and those who will be assimilated into the ranks.”
“That’s awful,” Lisa exclaimed, “but I still don’t understand why you can’t leave.”
“I saw the captives, Lisa. They’re being held inside cattle trailers on the edge of their camp. Some of them are just children. Children!”
Lisa pressed a fist to her lips, shaking her head, but she remained silent while Cat waited for Nadia to make her point.
“Anyway. The upshot of it is, I can’t leave knowing those kids are being sent to their deaths. You heard Tess. Those people are cannibals. I can’t run knowing those monsters are going to kill and eat innocent children.”
“But how do you propose we save them, Nadia?” Cat asked. “They outnumber and outgun us by a million times.”
Nadia nodded. “I realize that, but I have to try.”
“You’re crazy. We can’t take them on. Not alone,” Lisa said, shaking loose from her funk. “Why not get help and come back? Martin and Max will be happy to assist us.”
“That could take a
ges!” Nadia exclaimed, “and by the time we get back, they could all be dead already.”
“It’s the only way,” Lisa insisted. “If you try to do this by yourself, heck, if we do this, we’ll all end up dead. Including the captives.”
“She’s right, Nadia. Much as I hate to admit it. This is one fight we can’t win,” Cat said. “We have to leave. Now.”
“I understand that, but I can’t. I’m not going anywhere,” Nadia said, taking a step back. “You two have to leave, though, while there’s still time.”
“No, wait,” Cat said, raising her hands. “What are you saying?”
“I’m staying, Cat, and I’m attempting to rescue the captives, tonight. If I fail, so be it. At least, I’ll have tried.”
“Don’t do this, Nadia. Please,” Cat whispered, her heart breaking into pieces at the stubborn set of her friend’s shoulders. She knew that stance, knew what it meant. She’s not changing her mind.
“I have to. I’m sorry, Cat,” Nadia said. “As for you, I need you to tell Max and Martin about the Ravagers. That way, if I fail, maybe somebody else can do something about these monsters.”
Cat turned away, one hand going to her brow. “This can’t be happening. It can’t. I followed you all the way from St. Francis, and now you’re abandoning me for a suicide mission?”
“I’m sorry, Cat. I really am, but this is something I have to do. I’ll wait outside, and let you two sort this out for yourselves,” Nadia said before ducking through the door.
Lisa appeared by her side. “Cat? What do you want to do? What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, I…” She looked at Lisa, despair rising in her chest. “What do I do? Do I leave her to die? Do I stay and die myself?”
Lisa sighed. “I don’t know, Cat.”
“And what about those kids? Do we leave them to die?” Cat grabbed her hair by the roots. “This is crazy.”
“I know.” Lisa sank down to her haunches. “This is nuts.”
Silence fell as the minutes ticked by, and Cat ran through every possible scenario in her head. None of them appealed to her. Each carried risk. Each promised loss. Finally, she sighed. “I can’t leave her. She believes she’s doing the right thing, and maybe she is. Maybe we can actually pull this off.”
Lisa raised stricken eyes to meet hers. “And if we can’t?”
“Then I guess our number’s up. At least, we’ll have tried.”
“I see.”
“There’s still time for you to get out of here, though. To warn Max and Martin.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Lisa said, folding her hands into fists. “As scared as I am, I know one thing for sure. I will not abandon my friends when they need me the most.”
“Do you mean that? Both of you?” Nadia asked from the doorway.
“Of course,” Lisa said. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
“So do I,” Cat replied.
Nadia smiled, sticking out her hand. “What will it be then? All for one?”
Lisa snorted and slapped her hand down. “Don’t push your luck.”
“Yeah, just be glad we don’t knock your ass out cold and drag you out of here,” Cat said.
“Fair enough,” Nadia conceded with a rueful shrug. “I’m just glad you’re staying.”
Chapter 14 - Nadia
Once it was decided Cat and Lisa would stay, they got down to business. After a hasty breakfast and lukewarm coffee, they converged around a bare piece of paper with a pen and their worn map of the area.
“This morning, I circled their camp about three times. The good news is, they’re not very alert,” Nadia said. “It’s fairly easy to dodge them.”
“Their successes have probably made them arrogant,” Lisa said. “They cannot conceive that anybody would have the guts to oppose them. That makes them lax.”
Nadia nodded. “It’s true. They don’t even care about all the noise they’re making. When the undead converges on them, they simply open up with those mounted machine guns of theirs and tear them to pieces.”
“I wonder where they got those?” Cat mused.
“The army base in Upington. It’s the closest military base, and the place they’ve chosen as their main camp,” Nadia said.
“Makes sense,” Cat said. “It’s bad news for us, though. These people are armed to the teeth.”
“Not if they don’t know we exist,” Lisa said. “The zombies are slow and stupid. We’re neither.”
Nadia watched Lisa while she talked, admiring the way she was facing her fears head on and standing firm. I can learn a lot from her.
She also couldn’t help but feel the warmth of true friendship well up within her breast whenever she looked at Cat. Even though this mission would most likely mean their end, her friend still stuck with her. Best friends to the end.
Nadia took the pen and drew a line on the paper with a square next to it. “So this is us, and this is one of the main roads into town coming from the West.” She continued the line and filled in a few more buildings and blocks with another line running to the North and one to the East. “These are the other two exits from town that I know of.”
“Which one of these will be our escape route?” Cat asked.
“I vote for the Northern route,” Nadia said. “It will be the one they least expect us to take, plus the trucks with the captives are closest to that route.” She proceeded to draw a rough layout of the camp.
“How many trucks are there?” Lisa asked.
“Two.”
“How big are they?” Lisa asked again. “Are we talking big haulers here or…”
Nadia shook her head. “No, these are small. Two tonners with trailers attached. We can drive them, I’m sure.”
“Ok, good. That solves one problem. Next, where are the keys?”
“The guards keep them. We’ll have to take out the guards if we hope to escape, and there are two for each truck,” Nadia said.
“Damn, that’s a lot. We can’t afford any noise,” Lisa said.
“What about a diversion?” Cat said. “I can distract them, and you sneak up on them, take them out and voila.”
“Sounds too easy,” Lisa said. “What about the rest of the camp?”
“We’ll have to keep the noise level down, wait until the rest are asleep, maybe?” Cat said.
Nadia smiled. “No need. They’re having a party tonight. Something about a recent big score.”
Lisa sat up. “That’s perfect. We’ll wait until the party is in full swing, Cat distracts the guards, we kill them, hide the bodies, take the keys, and drive the trucks away.”
“Won’t they raise the alarm if someone sees us driving the trucks?” Cat asked.
Nadia dragged over her backpack and pulled out a red t-shirt. “Not if we look like one of them.”
Cat grinned. “Clever, girl.”
Lisa nodded. “Smart.”
“I have my moments,” Nadia said, glad that she was once more in sync with her best friends, For the first time in days, she felt almost normal, like a big chunk of her wasn’t missing and bleeding out all over the floor anymore. She reached out a hand. “Have we got a plan, ladies?”
“We do,” they agreed, placing their hands over hers.
“Then it’s all set.”
***
Late that night, Nadia was hunkered down in her chosen hiding spot not far from one of the captive trucks and its guards. By her reckoning, it was past midnight already, but the party was still in full swing.
It had begun early that afternoon with bonfires, music, and booze, and it was still going strong. The Ravagers had been smart though. An early morning sweep had cleared the area of the undead and netted them a few survivors. These were soon added to the ranks of the others in the trailers. Barricades and guards were put in place as a precaution against any more zombies who might get drawn in by the noise, and the rest wasted no time getting shit-faced.
A few more minutes passed whil
e she waited, anxiety swirling around in her stomach until she wanted to throw up. Any moment now…
A familiar feminine figure appeared out of the gloom and approached the guards with sashaying hips. “Hello, boys.”
The guards straightened up from their slouching positions, all four turning quizzical looks on Cat who walked closer with a big smile on her lips. Her red bandanna hung around her neck like a flag, and they relaxed, certain she was one of them.
“Sandra? Is that you?” one of them called.
“Maybe,” she answered in a flirtatious tone, taking care to keep to the shadows.
“Come on, Sandra. Show yourself,” another called. “We all know you like to play.”
Nadia used their moment of inattention to slip out of her hiding place and stalk them from behind, her ice ax held firmly in her two hands. Not far away, Lisa followed suit, and together they stalked their prey like two lionesses on the prairie. They’d almost reached their quarry when the unthinkable happened.
One of the men pulled out a flashlight and shone it in Cat’s face. In an instant, he realized she wasn’t one of theirs. As fast as a cobra, he struck, pouncing forward and knocking her unconscious with the heavy metal light.
Cat crumpled to the ground like a wet paper bag.
Nadia’s mouth opened in a silent cry. Cat! No!
Acting on instinct, she ran forward to help her friend, but Lisa reached her first, grabbed her and pulled her into the shelter of a low wall running adjacent to their spot. Nadia struggled against the other girl’s hold, but Lisa held strong, clamping one hand over Nadia’s mouth when she opened it to protest.
“Keep quiet. They’ll catch us both if you don’t, and then where will we be?” Lisa whispered in Nadia’s ear.
Nadia didn’t care. Guilt coursed through her veins, overriding her sense of self-preservation. At that moment, she didn’t care what happened to her. The only thing she cared about was saving Cat, a prospect that grew slimmer with each step they took away from the scene.
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