Fifteen

A plane flew overhead.  While the other humans gave relieved laughs, I worried.  I’d witnessed the destruction those planes could bring, if they chose, and thought their presence more of a warning than a comfort.  I didn’t know how the people of Whiteman would receive us.

My gaze tracked the progress of the plane until it disappeared up into the clouds.

“How much further, Mya?” Mary asked.

“According to the map, we should only have a few more miles to go.”

“That’s a shame,” she said.  “I rather enjoy being carried.”

I glanced at the fey who currently held her.  He winked down at Mary, and she giggled.

“Woman,” James called, “don’t forget who you’re married to.”

She grinned and winked at her husband, who smiled back.

The speed of the fey ate up the miles quickly, and only a few minutes later, we heard the faint reports of gunfire.  The men immediately slowed down.

“We need ten who are willing to scout ahead,” Molev said.  “I will lead.”  Nine other men stepped forward, and Molev nodded to Drav before taking off again.

The men continued to carry us, but they walked, letting Molev’s group scout ahead.  No one complained about the pace or continued protection. 

It didn’t take long for Molev’s group to return.

“I think the sounds are coming from the place we want.  It is a fence that stretches very far.  Men dressed like those with Willis stand inside the fence.  Infected surround the barrier.  The humans are using guns to shoot them, and the sounds are drawing in more infected.”

“Did you see a gate or a way in?”

“Yes.”

The hesitation in his eyes made my stomach dip.

“What aren’t you saying?”

“They are many people at Whiteman.  There are even more infected outside.”

The worry congealed in my stomach, and I looked off in the direction of the base.  We were so close.

“We should bait them like they’ve been baiting us,” Ollie said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“They’re still distracted by sound, right?  Let’s get a car or two and race up to the gate.  Honk the horn.  Rev the engine.  Whatever it takes to get them to follow the car.  Lead them away so the rest of our group can get in.”

Everyone else got excited about the idea while I dwelled on Ollie’s words.

“Wait,” I said, looking at Molev.  “The infected are attracted to sound.  They have been since the beginning.  The military would know that.  How many infected bodies are laying outside the fence?”

“None.  The bullets are missing their heads.”

I glanced at the humans.

“You think they brought the infected to the gate on purpose,” James said, watching me.  “Why?”

“Exactly.  Why?  We helped McAlester during a hellhound attack.  If not for these guys, the McAlester safe zone would be filled with infected already.”

“How do we know it isn’t?” Aaron said.  “All we have is your word that you helped.  Maybe that’s why Whiteman is blocking its gates.  Maybe they know you didn’t help.  Maybe these guys are the spread of the infection.”

“Keep talking like that, and I’m going to tell that nice man to drop you on your head,” Mary said with a scowl and a pat on her own carrier’s arm.  “You just ignore him.  We know you helped.”

The fey grinned at her.

“So what do we do?” Jessie asked.

“I’m not sure.  What if Aaron’s right?  Not about our help, but about their doubt of it?  Maybe Commander Willis didn’t let them know we were coming like he said he would.  Maybe the plane that flew overhead saw us headed toward Whiteman and told them a large group of grey-skinned people was headed their way.  How did you feel when you saw these guys?  If Whiteman wasn’t warned, they’re probably feeling the same way.”

“If you helped, why wouldn’t that commander share the information?  I saw what those hounds can do.  Bullets didn’t seem to bother them.  If these guys can take care of them, we need their help,” Taylor said.

I rubbed a hand over my face, wishing I knew what to do.

“Mya,” Molev said.  “We can get you inside.”

“How?”

“The infected are easy to kill.  We will leave you here with—”

“Nope.  Not happening,” I said.  “They have guns, and I don’t trust them not to use them on you.  If you’re so sure that you can clear the infected, then I’m going with you.”

“Us, too,” James said.

“Safety in numbers,” Emily added.

Jessie looked at her daughter and Timmy before meeting Byllo’s gaze.

“I will keep you all safe,” he promised.

She smiled at him, a telltale blush spreading across her cheeks.

“We go together, or we don’t go at all,” I said, looking at Molev then Drav.

When no one else said anything, I took a settling breath.

“All right.  Let’s do this.”

Molev assigned an extra man to each human.  Shax moved beside Drav with a nod to me.

“Protect the humans,” Molev said.  “Even from their own.”

A shudder ran through me at his words.  I really hoped it didn’t come to that again.

“You will be safe,” Drav said, pressing a quick kiss to my temple.

“I know.  But will you?”

With a signal from Molev, the group started on our last stretch.  Anticipation and worry battled in my stomach.  I desperately wanted to see my family again but not at the expense of Drav.

The firearm discharges grew louder and more frequent as we neared.  The little ones covered their ears and looked scared, but they didn’t shed a tear or make a sound.  Ahead, the fields gave way to a road then grass leading up to the long length of zombie lined fence, just as Molev had described.

The gate, what I could see of it, looked like a dual system.  A long, wide channel of more fence separated the exterior gate from the interior gate.  Both of them were firmly closed.

As soon as we came into view, the gunfire stopped.

In the sudden quiet, the infected lost some of their drive to claw at the fence.  The forward push from those still arriving slowed then ceased.  The almost silent thump of the fey running over the earth drew the attention of the infected.

They began to turn toward us.

“Do not stop!” Molev yelled.

The sound of his voice started an infected charge.  The mass of them poured toward us, crashing into the fey at the front of our protective circle.  Without pausing, the fey ripped off heads, clearing a path toward the main gate.  Bodies fell, and the fey ran right over the top of them.

Drav held me tightly, sprinting toward the place of supposed safety.  A place still firmly closed to us.

“Mya!”

I barely heard the voice over the noise of the infected and shouts of the fey.  Through the fence, I caught sight of people running toward the group of uniformed men impassively watching us.

“Open the damn gate!  There’s people out there.  Kids!”

The cried demands from inside didn’t change anything.

With the gate still firmly closed, the fey fought their way through the infected.  Once the first of the fey reached the metal barrier, the men spread outward, killing the infected trying to press in at the sides.  The forward momentum didn’t stop until those of us in the center stood at the gate, a half-circle of fey protecting us.

Most of these infected didn’t seem as smart, their movements not as coordinated.  However, a few groups worked together, targeting a single fey and trying to pull him away from the rest.  The other fey didn’t allow that to happen.  They kept the infected at bay, beheading one after another in a bloody spray of gore.

A hum filled the air, and the outer gate began to move.  Byllo rushed through with Timmy first then the fey who held Savvy.  Drav waited until all of the fey carrying humans had wedged their way through before he moved forward into the press of bodies.  Slowly, the remaining fey followed.  I saw the problem right away.  We wouldn’t all fit.  Still, the rest of the fey backed toward the opening, keeping the infected from reaching us.

The hum filled the air again, and the outer gate began to close.

I twisted around in Drav’s arms and looked at the men.  They had their guns poised, ready to fire.  But at who?  Us?  The fey still outside?  The infected?

“If they start firing on the rest of our group, we need to stop them,” I said softly to Drav.

“Yes.”

The outer gate barely closed when the inner gate swung inward.

“Move quickly!” a man shouted.

Drav tensed.  I waited for the first bang to sound.  Instead, a man stepped forward and started waving for us to hurry.

“Move!” he said again.

Byllo sprinted forward, the rest of us following.  But not far.  A circle of heavily armed men surrounded us.  Drav stopped and turned back.  We watched Molev and the rest continue to fight.  My pulse raced as an infected bit down on his arm.  The last fey ran from the space of safety between the two gates, and the inner gate swung shut.

I looked back at the men with the guns then Molev.  The man shoved the infected back and ripped off his head before turning and dealing with another.

The outer gate began to hum once again.  The remaining fey backed into the opening, a solid front against the infected.  A garbled yell came from within the mass of milky-eyed bodies, renewing the frenzy of the creatures.

“Get in position!” someone yelled.

More men ran forward, passing around our guards to stand five feet from the fence, their guns aimed at the infected and the fey now trapped between the two gates.  The fey didn’t stop fighting until the last infected within the enclosure with them fell to the ground.

No one opened fire on the infected still outside the fence.  The gate didn’t open either.

“Timer!” someone yelled.

“Three minutes,” someone called back.

“Put me down, Drav,” I said.

He started too, but a shot into the air and a yell stopped him.

“Do not move!”

I looked over his shoulder anyway to the man who was doing all the yelling.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.  “They just killed a quarter of the infected out there.”

“And they were bit.  Some of you could have been bitten, too.  Timer,” he said again.

“Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” another man answered.

“So you’re waiting to see if some of us will change?  These men won’t.  Didn’t Commander Willis contact you?”

“He did.  And I surely hope that these fey men can do what he said they could.”

For the next eleven minutes, we all just stood there with guns trained on us.  I honestly didn’t mind so much because, beyond the lines of men with weapons, there were lines of people fearfully watching us.  The guns were meant to protect them, the survivors.

“Time’s up!” the man with the watch yelled.

There was a long moment of silence then the inner gate made a noise and swung open for the remaining fey to enter the base.

“Now, which of you is Molev?” the man in charge asked.

“I am,” Molev said, stepping forward.

“Welcome to Whiteman.  You and your men are sorely needed.  Will you follow me so I can explain our situation?”

“No,” I said before Molev could move.

“No?” the man asked.

“Who are you?  And, where are my parents?”

“I’m Matt Davis.”

“No title?”

“None that would really matter anymore.”

The way he said it set a lead ball in my stomach.  As bad as it had seemed out there with the infected getting smarter, I’d hoped that was just my skewed perception.  Having someone in charge of a safe zone say something like Matt just had, meant we were as screwed as I’d thought.

From the sea of uniformed military personnel, two people rushed forward.

“Mya!” my mom yelled.

Drav immediately set me on my feet.

“Mom!  Dad!”  I ran toward them, meeting them halfway.  Their arms encircled me.  Mom sobbed and held me tightly.  Dad pressed several kisses to the top of my head.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Mom said, pulling back to look at my face.

“Me either,” I studied her just as hard, memorizing the new worry lines creasing the corners of her soft brown eyes.

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked.

“Cleaning up infected at another gate,” she said.

Drav moved behind me, drawing her attention.  I realized he had Dad’s attention, too.

“Mom, Dad, this is Drav.  He’s the reason I’m alive.  He found me that first night and kept me safe even though he had no idea what I was.”

“You smelled good,” Drav said.

I grinned and blushed slightly.  Mom’s gaze flicked between us.

“I see.”

“And there are your parents, as promised,” Matt Davis said.  “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to speak to Molev.”

I glanced back at Matt.

“They need to clean up first.  Although the infected blood doesn’t bother them, it could contaminate others.”

“I understand your concern,” Matt said.  “However, I’m hoping they will be willing to leave again.  We need to clear the infected from the fence line so we can do a supply run.”

“You were using your guns before, use them now.”

“The sound draws them in.”

“Yeah, which makes me question why you started using guns after your plane flew over and saw us coming.”

He glanced at everyone around him then back at me.

“We had to know if what Commander Willis said was true.”

“And what did he say?” I asked.

“That these men fought like demons and could kill anything.”

“They can and have been.  First showers, then talking.”

I looked at my parents.  Mom still silently cried.  Tears of joy that broke my heart a little.  I wanted to hug her some more.  Both of them.  But I knew that Drav and Molev needed me more at the moment.  Matt had plans for them, and I had to be sure those plans wouldn’t lead to their annihilation.

“I’m so glad to see you,” I said quickly.  “Let me clean up and listen in on the talks, then I’ll come find you.”

Mom nodded and waved me off.  Dad hugged her.

I turned to Matt.

“These men are not your new weapon.  They might be your new allies, though.”

He nodded.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the showers myself,” he said.

The other humans in our group walked beside their newly made fey friends.  Matt didn’t question their presence, relieving me a little.  When we reached a large building, he pointed toward the two labeled doors.

“Ladies to the left and gents to the right,” he said.  “We converted this building for temporary public showers to accommodate all the families, which you’ll see when we tour the zone.  It’s rustic, but it will do the job.  You’ll find what you need inside.”

“I’ll stick with them,” I said, taking a step toward the men’s room.

Matt started to frown, but I held up a hand.

“You needed proof to trust.  I’m no different.”

“Fair enough.”

I stepped inside and studied the ceiling while giving basic instructions for turning on the showers, adjusting the temperatures, and rinsing away the infected blood.

“Rinse your clothes out, too,” I said.  “You’ll probably need to wear them around wet.  Sorry guys.”

As soon as everyone finished, we stepped back out into the light.  My parents had joined Matt in waiting.

“Mya, I thought you might be more comfortable with your parents showing the rest of your group around while we speak.”

Mom gave me an encouraging nod and glanced at Drav again.  I turned to Molev.

“You okay with the rest of the men going with my mom and dad?”

“Yes.”

I focused on the group behind me.  “These are my parents.  Remember the rules.  No swear words in front of them.  No asking the questions you know you’re not supposed to ask.  No challenges until after you get back.  No matter what.  We clear?”

A bunch of “Yes, Mya,” followed.

“Mom, do you have more daughters?” one of the guys in back asked.

“Are you married to Dad?” another asked.

“New rule.  No questions at all until you get back,” I said.

“Mya,” Mom scolded with a hint of amusement, “they can ask us whatever questions they want.”

“No, they can’t.”  I felt on the verge of a heart attack just thinking of one of them asking to see her southern parts using the p-word.

I gave the men a hard look.  “I mean it.”

Matt cleared his throat.

“Follow me,” Mom called.  The men walked after her, and I could already hear her talking about the base.

“They will keep her safe, Mya,” Drav said.

I smiled and shook my head.

“I know they will.  I’m more worried about what they’re going to say.”

Drav, Molev, and I followed Matt to another building where he had maps pinned to movable boards.

“What is all this?” I asked, looking at the colored pins placed here and there.

“Bombed cities, clusters of infected, fallen safe zones, remaining safe zones, and sightings.”

“Sightings?”

“Of the two men you’re hunting and of the hellhounds.  I won’t go into the boring details of how we know all of this—”

More like he still worried the fey would somehow use those details against them.

“—but I wanted to show you what we face so you understand why we need your help.  The black pins are bombed cities.  The red pins are fallen safe zones.  The green pins are functioning safe zones.  The yellow pins are high volume areas of infected.  The white pins are sightings.  We’re here,” he said, pointing to the lone blue pin.

Black, white, and red dominated the area around us.  McAlester had a red pin in it.

“Commander Willis?” I asked, touching the pin.

“On his way here in an armored truck.  The infected breached his fence this morning.”

“They’re getting smarter,” I said.

“They are,” he agreed.  “But, a bullet to the head will still end them.”

“So, what do you need from these guys?”

“Their help.  We need to end the most aggressive source of the infection.  The hounds know we’re here and want in.  Without the perimeter lights, the fence is useless to keep us safe.  But, if we can eliminate the hellhounds, we might have a chance.  Not just here but worldwide.”

“Do you know how many hellhounds there are?” I asked.

“We’re estimating over one hundred here and almost as many overseas.”

I looked at Drav and Molev.  Why had it taken them so long to catch onto the fact that eating the deer made them monsters?  Sighing, I faced the board again.

“What’s the plan?” I asked.

“The hounds hide during the day.  Usually in abandoned buildings.  We’re hoping if these guys go in after them, they can pick them off when they are at their weakest.”

“We will help you,” Molev said.

“Thank you.”  Matt’s relief showed in the droop of his shoulders.

“I was thinking we could divide your men into three groups to attack here, here, and here,” he said, pointing at white pins on the map.

“When?” Molev asked.

“Just after first light tomorrow.”

“We will meet you at the gate.”

Matt extended his hand, and Molev looked down at it.  I reached forward and shook Matt’s hand.  Matt gave me a surprised look but caught on when he glanced at Molev and found the fey studying our hands.  Molev shook his hand after I let go.

Although we’d just reached Whiteman, I knew the world outside the fence wasn’t going to give us a break because we were tired and wanted to rest.  The fey needed to go.  And the fact that I didn’t like it one bit didn’t matter.

“Make sure the men who go with you come back,” I said.

Matt nodded and resumed his study of the board as we walked out.