of an effort to restart industry, and people seem to think that we can salvage forever for almost everything we need. It’s like in the old days, when people drilled for oil for cars and factories without making much of an effort to find renewable sources for energy. It’s a pillage-and-plunder mentality, and it makes us scavengers. That’s not the best place to be on the food chain. Charlie’s happy with it, though, because a cleanup job is big money.” He looked back over his shoulder in the direction they’d come. “The Children, on the other hand… They may be crazy and they may be misguided, but they do what they believe is the right thing.”
“How do they round up zoms? Especially in a town full of them?”
“They wear carpet coats, and they know the tricks of moving quietly and using cadaverine to mask their living smells. Sometimes one or another of the Children will come to town to buy some, but more often guys like me bring some out to them.”
“Don’t they ever get attacked?”
Tom nodded. “All the time, sad to say. I know of at least fifty dead in this part of the country who used to be Children. I’d quiet them, but Brother David won’t let me. And I’ve even heard stories that some of the Children give themselves to the dead.”
Benny stared at him. “
“Brother David says that some of the Children believe that the dead are the meek who were meant to inherit the earth, and that all things under heaven are there to sustain them. They think that allowing the dead to feed on them is fulfilling God’s will.”
“That’s stupid,” Benny said.
“It is what it is. I think a lot of the Children are people who didn’t survive the Fall. Oh, sure, their bodies did, but I think some fundamental part of them was broken by what happened. I was there, I can relate.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“I have my moments, kiddo, believe me.”
Benny gave him a strange look. Then he smiled. “I think that redheaded woman, Sister Sarah, has the hots for you. As disgusting a concept as that seems.”
Tom shook his head. “Too young for me. Though… I thought she looked a bit like Nix. What do you think?”
“I think you should shove that right up your-”
And that’s when they heard the gunshots.
10
WHEN THE FIRST SHOT CRACKED THROUGH THE AIR, BENNY DROPPED to a crouch, but Tom stood straight and looked away to the northeast. When Tom heard the second shot, he turned his head slightly more to the north.
“Handgun,” he said. “Heavy caliber. Three miles.”
Benny looked up at him through the arms he’d wrapped over his head. “Bullets can go three miles, can’t they?”
“Not usually,” said Tom. “Even so, they aren’t shooting at us.”
Benny straightened cautiously. “You can tell? How?”
“Echoes,” he said. “Those bullets didn’t travel far. They’re shooting at something close and hitting it.”
“Um… it’s cool that you know that. A little freaky, but cool.”
“Yeah, this whole thing is about me showing you how cool I am.”
“Oh. Sarcasm,” said Benny dryly. “I get it.”
“Shut up,” replied Tom with a grin.
“No, you shut up.”
They smiled at each other for the first time all day.
“C’mon,” said Tom, “let’s go see what they’re shooting at.” He set off in the direction of the gunshot echoes.
Benny stood watching him for a moment. “Wait… we’re going
Benny shook his head and followed as quickly as he could. Tom picked up the pace, and Benny, his stomach full of beans and the hated jerky, kept up. They followed a stream down to the lowlands, but Benny noticed that Tom never went closer than a thousand yards to the running water of Coldwater Creek. He asked Tom about this.
Tom asked, “Can you hear the water?”
Benny strained to hear. “No.”
“There’s your answer. Flowing water is constant noise. It masks other sounds, which means it isn’t safe unless you’re traveling on it in a fast canoe, and this water isn’t deep enough for that. We’ll only go near it to cross it or to fill our canteens. Otherwise, quiet is better for listening. Always remember that if we can hear something, then it can probably hear us. And if we can’t hear something, then it might still be able to hear us, and we won’t know about it until it’s too late.”
However, as they followed the gunshot echoes, their path angled toward the stream. Tom stopped for a moment and then shook his head in disapproval. “Not bright,” he said, but didn’t explain his comment. They ran on.
As they moved, Benny practiced being quiet. It was harder than he thought, and for a while it sounded-to his ears-as if he was making a terrible racket. Twigs broke like firecrackers under his feet, his breath sounded like a wheezing dragon, the legs of his jeans whisked together like a crosscut saw. Tom told him to focus on quieting one thing at a time.
“Don’t try to learn too many skills at once. Take a new skill and learn it by using it. Go from there.”
By the time they were close to where they thought the gunshots were being fired, Benny was moving more quietly and found that he enjoyed the challenge. It was like playing ghost tag with Chong and Morgie.
Tom stopped and cocked his head to listen. He put a finger to his lips and gestured for Benny to remain still. They were in a field of tall grass, which led to a dense stand of birch trees. From beyond the trees they could hear the sound of men laughing and shouting, and the occasional hollow crack of a pistol shot.
“Stay here,” Tom whispered, and then he moved as quick and quiet as a sudden breeze, vanishing into the tall grass. Benny lost track of him almost at once. More gunshots popped in the dry air.
A full minute passed, and Benny felt a burning constriction in his chest and realized that he was holding his breath. He let it out and gulped in another.
Where was Tom?
Another minute. More laughter and shouts. A few scattered gunshots. A third minute. A fourth.
Then something large and dark moved quickly toward him through the tall grass.
“Tom!” Benny almost screamed the name, but Tom shushed him. His brother stepped close and bent to whisper.
“Benny, listen to me. On the other side of those trees is something you need to see. If you’re going to understand how things really are, you need to see.”
“What is it?”
“Bounty hunters. Three of them. I’ve seen these three before, but never this close to town. I want you to come with me. Very quietly. I want you to watch, but don’t say or do anything.”
“But-”
“This will be ugly. Are you ready?”
“I-”
“Yes or no? We can head northeast and continue on our way. Or we can go home.”
Benny shook his head. “No… I’m ready.”
Tom smiled and squeezed his arm. “If things get serious, I want you to run and hide. Understand?”
“Yes,” Benny said, but the word was like a thorn caught in his throat. Running and hiding. Was that the only strategy Tom knew?
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
