Five

The sun had already started to set by the time we heard shouts from the front gate.  My heart kicked up a notch from where I was snuggled against Drav on the couch.

“The scouting group is back,” he said.

“Come on.”  I stood, anxious to learn what the group had found.

Outside, the gate was just grating open for the line of fey on the road.  As the men jogged into the crowded yard, I noted the clean paths on their dusty cheeks, evidence that their eyes had watered throughout the day, despite the sunglasses.

I frowned at the sight of Bud flung over the last fey’s shoulder.

“What happened?” I asked over the sound of the gate closing behind them.

“What happened,” Bud answered, “is that these assholes wouldn’t let me set the pace.”

The fey carrying Bud dropped him like an unwanted sack of potatoes.  Behind me, I heard a few soft “arm wrestle” comments and almost grinned.

Bud grunted and climbed to his feet with an angry glare.

“You didn’t tell me how fast they would want to run.  As soon as I couldn’t keep up, one of them tossed me over his shoulder without giving me a choice.  I couldn’t see shit that way.”

“No sign of Will or Tubby?” Jerry asked.

“None,” he said bitterly.  Bud started off toward the barn and the rest of his men quickly followed.  I looked at the nearest fey.

“Would you be willing to follow them?  Keep your distance, but watch what they do and listen to what they say, if you can.”

He nodded.  Three of his friends went with him.  Once they left, the group’s mood turned from tension to open reunion as those who’d been out scouting welcomed the fey who’d joined us since they left.  There had to be close to two hundred of the fey on the surface now.

“Ghua, what news?” Molev asked over the greetings.

“We passed several cities.  Some whole.  Some destroyed.”

“Any signs of humans?”

“No.  We did find a new safe place, though, north of here.  It’s just outside a city Bud knew.  He called it Ardmore.  The large building has a lot of land with a high fence around all of it.  Safe enough to stay for a night or two as we scout further.”

I hated the idea of more sitting and waiting just because Bud and his friends wouldn’t talk.  I glanced at the barn where they’d disappeared inside.

“Did you tell Bud we were looking for a new place to stay?” I asked.

“No.  He thought we were looking for humans.”

“What are you thinking, Mya?” Drav asked when I continued to stare at the barn.

I sighed.  “I’m thinking that it would be dangerous to let those guys know we’re leaving or where we’re going.  I wish they would just tell us if they knew something, but I understand their fear.  I’m going to try talking to them again and see if Bud’s attitude can be persuaded to change.”  I put my hand on Ghua’s arm.  “Thank you for scouting and putting up with Bud.  I’m betting it wasn’t easy.”

Ghua grinned slightly.  “His mouth tempted me to leave him to the infected when they trapped us inside the warehouse.”

“They what?” I said, dropping my hand.

The image of the infected woman outside my window popped into my head, and a tingle of apprehension shivered over my skin.

“Let’s go inside,” Molev said.  “The scouting party can sit and eat while Ghua tells his story.”

Once inside the house, Drav and I scooped out four portions of stew and brought the bowls to the table.  We sat to listen to Ghua as the rest of the men began serving themselves.

“How did you get trapped in a warehouse?” I asked.

“The first time we came up here, the stupid ones moved around as if they were lost until they heard something.  Then, they ran.  The second time I came up to tell everyone to leave the surface, they seemed less lost.  This time, they don’t seem as stupid.”

“When we reached the first town, a line of cars stretched across the road and far into the trees on both sides.  Bud moved toward the cars, not seeing the lone person standing in the road further away.  Farco reached out to stop him.  Before he did, the infected made a noise.  It wasn’t a word, but a long, loud groan.  More infected swarmed from the woods.  Only twice our number.  We removed their heads while Bud cried and yelled.  The infected down the road had disappeared by the time we’d finished.”

“That’s disturbing,” I said.  “More than disturbing, really, but I don’t know that I would really describe that as being trapped, though.”

“We were trapped in the warehouse, Mya, not the street.”

The way he said it almost made me grin.

“I’m sorry.  Continue.”

“After that, we didn’t see any infected until we reached Ardmore.  Standing alone in the road was the same infected.  He wore a red shirt and only had one shoe.  He didn’t call out this time.  Instead, he turned and ran.  We followed, chasing him into a warehouse.  The door closed behind us.  Bud was yelling because it was dark, but we could see and smell.  Decay soured the air in the building from the hundreds of infected waiting within.  It was good that Bud could not see all of them.”

My stomach dropped at Ghua’s description, and I sincerely hoped this was like a fishing story.  One embellished to make the retelling more interesting.

“What did you do?” I asked, leaning forward, food long forgotten.  Most of the men in the kitchen lingered to hear the end as well.

“I considered throwing Bud to them, but we climbed the metal logs supporting the ceiling and ripped open the tin roof.”

“Why didn’t you just rip open the door?”

“I wanted to see what the infected would do.”

“And?”

“They didn’t do much.  They couldn’t climb like we could.  After the warehouse, we left the city and found the fenced-in place.  The return trip was much quieter,” Ghua finished.

“Eat, Mya,” Drav said softly, nudging the bowl toward me.

I picked up my spoon and ate a few bites as I considered everything.  Although I trusted Ghua’s word, he knew very little of humans, uninfected or otherwise.  Maybe what he’d thought was a sign of intelligence was just his lack of understanding.  Or maybe I just didn’t like the idea of smarter infected.

“I need to talk to Bud,” I said, pushing the bowl aside.

“Why?” Drav asked.

“I don’t like the idea of shuffling around from place to place in a blind attempt to find the safe zones.  I’m hoping after a day with Ghua and the others, he might be more willing to share whatever information he knows.

“I’m also thinking about telling him we’re leaving.  Part of me thinks that’s a bad idea.  That they’ll go running to whoever they’d thought had shown up when Ghua arrived.  Yet, the other part of me feels…I don’t know.  Worried maybe?  They have two men out there who haven’t come back.  How long will four humans last against the infected and hellhounds, even with this fence protecting them?”

“I think you should tell them,” Molev said.  “If they go to tell other humans, then your people will find us.”

“Yeah, that worries me.  You saw how they destroyed the cities.  I’m worried they will try to do the same to you if we can’t find and talk to them on our terms.”

Molev shrugged.  “I still see no reason to remain quiet.  Perhaps they tell other humans, and we find women sooner.  Perhaps they come with us, and we must look longer.  We cannot know the outcome until we make the choice.”

“All right,” I said, standing.  “I’ll go talk to them.”

Drav stood, too.

“Together,” he said.

“Together,” I agreed.

His company came in handy when we walked into the barn to an openly hostile one-sided argument between Bud and the four fey who’d been keeping an eye on the men.

“Is there a problem?” I asked Bud, interrupting his tirade about privacy.

“Yeah, tell them to get lost.”

“They’re keeping an eye on you because I asked them to,” I said, walking toward the aisles of supplies.

“Why, and what are you doing?” he asked, angrily following in my wake.  “Leave our supplies alone.  You’ve taken enough.”

“You’re right.  We have.”  I turned to look at the man.  Drav stood inches behind him, the intensity in his gaze a bit awe-inspiring.  Bud wouldn’t even be able to sneeze in my direction without immediate intervention by Drav.

“We’re leaving.  Tomorrow morning, if I have my way.”

“Good,” he said with a satisfied smile.

“Is it?  You said you’re missing two men.  How long do you think just the four of you will be able to stay here on your own?”

“Long enough.”

“That’s such a macho bullshit answer.  The real answer is not long.”

“We’ll last plenty long if you give us our guns back.”

I shook my head, not in denial but annoyance.

“You’ll get them when we leave and not before.”  I glanced past him to his men who watched us and listened.  “If any of you want to come with us, you’ll be welcomed and protected.”  I looked at Bud again.  “What happened in the warehouse?”

“How the fuck would I know?  Those idiots ran into a pitch-black building.  I couldn’t see a damn thing.”

“What about what you smelled or heard?” I asked.

“I didn’t smell or hear nothing.”

The steady almost daring way he held my gaze told me the truth.  Ghua hadn’t embellished.

“Right.  You weren’t stuck in a building filled with infected who only wanted to rip you apart so they could taste fresh human flesh.  I get that you’re not worried about you.  That’s fine.  But think of everyone else out there.  You wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for the fey.  There are other survivors out there who need their help.  Please, tell me where they are.”

His eyes narrowed.

“There ain’t nothing to tell, demon whore,” he said with menace.

Drav growled low behind him, and I had the pleasure of watching Bud pale.

“Fine.  We’ll see you again in the morning.  Enjoy your night,” I said, walking past him to Drav.  Drav wrapped an arm protectively around my shoulder and led me to the others.

“Keep watch,” I said.  “All night.  I don’t trust them.”  I didn’t bother to lower my voice.

Outside, Drav scooped me up into his arms.

“Why do they keep calling you something you are not?” he asked, pressing his forehead to mine.

“They use insults to try to make me as angry as they are.  By staying calm, I’m robbing their insults of any power.  Next time, ignore them.  It will make you the bigger man.”

“I already am the bigger man.”

I grinned knowing he meant that literally.

“Let’s go to bed, big guy.  We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.  There’s no reason to stay here if everyone who’s coming from the caves has joined us.  It’s time to start seriously looking for my family.”

No one stopped us as we made our way to the bedroom.  Most of the men already lay wherever they could find an open spot.  Ghua once again rested on the floor beside our bed.

Drav didn’t say anything about all the bodies crammed into the room.  He just set me on the bed and snuggled close.  I toed off my shoes and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow, for better or worse, we would leave this place.