and a sick puss oozed from the tendrils as Jon sliced them.
'Trevor? It's me, Jon. Can you hear me?'
Trevor did not move. He did not react.
Boylen helped Brewer move Trevor from the table and through the cut membrane.
'We've got what we came for,' Jon said. 'Let's get out of here.'
Shepherd corrected, 'We got one more to find.'
Bangs and booms from the battle outside reached their ears. Jon felt the clock ticking.
'She put him here.'
'I'm not arguing with you,' Shepherd said.
Odin ran to the men and barked. Apparently, he had-yet again-found her scent.
– Nina paced under the solitary glowing orb lighting the small chamber. Her fists flexed closed and open. Her eyes darted around as if looking for something to fight.
Anger. Hatred. They burned in her but she found it difficult to remember why. Emotional energy without purpose, but the intensity of that energy took a physical toll: her muscles felt weak, her breath short, her thoughts unfocused.
She smelled something burning and spied a glowing spot on the door to her chamber. The glow turned into smoke and then a small hole formed. A knife poked through the hole and cut the membrane. A black and gray dog jumped through the opening. Jerry Shepherd and Jon Brewer followed.
Nina growled, 'Get away from me. Get out of here!'
Plasma shots sounded from outside the door as Boylen fended off a threat.
'Oh, to hell with this,' Jon had little patience for Nina Forest at that moment.
Nina saw a rifle butt. Then she saw stars.
– Trevor lay on a blanket underneath the cover of a white canopy, his eyes blinking occasionally but otherwise staring at nothing.
Jon Brewer stood overhead with Reverend Johnny at his side. Tyr lay at his Master's feet watching. Waiting.
'He hasn't said a damn thing since we pulled him out of there,' Brewer mumbled through clenched teeth. 'What the hell is wrong? You found some bruises and sores, that's it.'
'I fear he endured an ordeal far greater than anything I might detect. Sometimes the greatest trauma is to the mind.'
Jon turned sharp on the Reverend. 'What the Hell does that mean?'
Reverend Johnny did nothing other than return Jon's stare. The latter finally bowed his head, patted the Reverend on his shoulder, and the two walked out.
Crisp twilight air greeted them outside the white canopy strung between a wagon and a barren tree. Another wagon and another canopy waited on the other side of the camp, a camp assembled on dying grass next to a parking lot and the vertical kilns of the historic Coplay Cement Company.
Jon walked at a fast clip. The Reverend tried to keep pace.
Horses stood tied to tree branches; supplies lay scattered about; Ames struggled to start a fire and Whiskey drank from a bottle of something while tending to a bloody ankle wound.
'We can only wait, Mr. Brewer. And pray.'
'You pray, Rev. Pray I don't get my hands on Nina Forest. She did this.'
'Ms. Forest is a victim in this plot, Jon,' he grabbed Brewer's shoulder, spinning him around. 'Your anger for what has been done to your friend is best directed at those responsible. Last I saw, those responsible were being consumed by the fire raging at their outpost.'
Jon huffed a big, frustrated breath.
'You think they'll follow us?'
'Mr. Brewer, the blow we delivered unto their facility was mightier than we could have hoped. I believe they will abandon that outpost and start anew elsewhere.'
Tolbert-the large black man who once worked as a prison guard and who had covered their retreat from The Order's compound earlier in the day-approached.
'She's not happy about being tied up, I can tell you that,' he spoke to Johnny. 'I'm not sure how much longer those ropes are going to hold.'
'Yes, it's about time. I spotted the implant on her back. It should be easy enough to remove if the blasted girl will hold still.'
Brewer's radio crackled to life. Stonewall McAllister's voice called: 'I say, is there anyone about who could guide us?'
Reverend Johnny and Tolbert headed to the other tent. Brewer raised his radio and walked the opposite direction toward a main road adjacent to the parking lot.
'Hello, McAllister? This is Brewer. Where you at?'
First static and then, 'We are in the parking lot of a super market. There are several pairs of hungry eyes watching from the confines within.'
'Okay, yeah, look,' Jon walked faster. 'We're about a quarter mile-not even-northeast of you. Just follow Coplay Road and you'll see the parking lot and our camp to your right.'
Brewer waited. First, he heard the clop-clop of the horses, then he saw Stonewall and Shepherd riding toward him.
'Anything?'
General Stonewall McAllister reported, 'The rear guard is pleased to report nothing, Sir. Although we did see several scavenger-types heading toward The Order's facility. Still,' Stonewall glanced at the fading sunlight overhead. 'Sunset nears. No doubt, the nightmares will be out in full force. Perhaps we should endeavor to leave the city confines before then.'
'Can't be helped. The team is exhausted. We're better off trying to defend a position here than keep moving.'
'What about Nina?' Shep asked. 'Did the Rev get that thing out of her yet?'
'He was just going to do that. He said it should be easy, though. Must've been some sort of sleeper implant that didn't balloon up until activated. He grabbed those enzymes he needed from the facility before we bugged out; took the shit right out of the walls.'
Shep dismounted and handed the reigns to Cassy Simms who stood watch on that side of the camp. Like the others, her eyes sagged and she walked sluggishly. Pure exhaustion.
Stonewall split off to help Cassy with the horses while Jon and Shepherd approached Reverend Johnny's tent. They found Tolbert outside on his hands and needs coughing.
He struggled to tell them, 'I never saw her coming.'
Johnny stumbled from the tent with a hand grasping the back of his neck.
'I didn’t get it yet… ouch…blasted girl.'
Jon glanced to his left and saw Nina running toward the rows of ninety-foot tall vertical red brick kilns.
Tolbert mumbled between hacks: 'My pistol…she's got my side arm.'
Jon muttered a curse and joined Shepherd in pursuit…
…Nina darted between the old vertical furnaces that resembled smokestacks, dashing in and out of the long evening shadows. Her eyes worked back and forth, the handgun wobbled nervously; she stumbled every few steps. Finally, she navigated the maze and emerged at the rear of the tightly grouped structures. A short patch of woodland that might provide cover beckoned.
Nina sensed movement behind. She turned and pointed the gun at Jerry Shepherd.
'Nina,' Shep spoke with his hands raised palm-out. 'You put that gun down, and get back here so we can fix you up.'
Brewer stood off and watched.
'All I can feel is anger. Is hate! Why is that?'
Shep said, 'It's that thing they put in you. We have to get it out.'
'Is it? Are you sure? All I've ever known…all I've ever done is hurt and kill. Is that all there is to me?'
He stepped closer. Just a little. She backed off.
'They used that against me! Programmed me like some kind of robot!'
