Jacob nodded even though the pain in his hip seemed unbearable and was causing bolts of burning spikes to shoot to his spine. Not wanting to stop, he clenched his teeth and whispered back, “I’m good.”
“Okay then; Stephens is just ahead. I know you can’t see him in the dark, but it’ll get better as we go. Just stay close and keep your mouth shut, walk when I walk, stop when I stop, and if I run… try to keep up.”
Murphy stepped off briskly, hugging the front face of the house and moving south in the direction that Jacob knew would take them to the park. They stayed away from the sidewalk—crouching beside shrubs, moving between cars parked in driveways, and sometimes jumping a fence. When they came to a cross street, Stephens would duck near the corner of a house to wait for Murphy and Jacob to bunch up behind. Murphy would slap the tall man’s shoulder and he would dart across the street, the sound of his boots slapping the pavement and filling the dead air.
A signal invisible to Jacob’s naked eyes was received and Murphy got back to his feet, dragging Jacob behind him. As promised, his night vision slowly improved as they traveled. He was able to make out the shapes of houses, then objects in the yards. Now he could see nearly everything up to a short distance, and Jacob slowly recognized the neighborhood they were in. He often used this route as a shortcut when going to Katy’s daycare.
The streets were lined with well-manicured lawns on both sides. Many of the homes here looked untouched; the doors remained closed and windows were in place. Jacob found that more and more of the driveways were absent of vehicles as he traveled the neighborhood. Were they evacuated? Jacob pondered as he passed another long, empty driveway. They rounded the corner of a tall brick-faced house and suddenly, a bright floodlight filled a front yard. For a moment, Jacob could see the crouched figure of Stephens freeze just before he sprinted out of sight and vanished.
Jacob was turned back by Murphy before being rushed to the side of the house. They knelt down next to the side of the home in a dark shadow and away from the light. Murphy flipped up his goggles and raised his rifle to search the area lit by the floodlight. He scanned left and right as the area, again, suddenly went dark. Murphy pulled the rifle back into his chest and dropped his goggles. He crouched lower and pressed his body against the wall.
Jacob couldn’t contain himself and whispered, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing; probably just one of those damn solar security lights, tied to a motion sensor,” Murphy answered. “Come on, follow—”
A loud sound of feet falling on the sidewalk silenced Murphy. They both pressed tight against the brick house as several figures passed by within yards of their position. The Others moved beyond them, and the floodlight kicked on again, lighting the neighboring yard but this time, also illuminating six figures. They stood together but randomly spread across the yard—not searching, just standing in the center of the brightly lit space.
Murphy pushed Jacob back around the corner then skirted ahead of him to lead the way to the brick home’s backyard. They moved up a narrow walkway that brought them to a tight stone path between the house and a detached garage. Murphy moved through it with Jacob close behind. They rounded a stack of overflowing metal trashcans, then dropped low in the grass and continued on to the far side of the yard where they met up with a tall picket fence.
Murphy low-walked the distance to the fence and knelt down with his back to the wooden slats. They were now directly behind the brick house and all the way to the back of the lot. Next door was the home with the solar light in the front yard. Behind them, over the fence, was a narrow patch of high grass and trees that divided the lot from the home on the opposite side of the block.
Murphy had pulled his goggles down and was looking ahead at the brick house. He then lifted his rifle and probed the area of the neighboring backyard. “Three more of the damn lights up there by the roof,” he whispered.
Three quick shots, followed by two more, blasted from the front of the neighboring home. Murphy leapt to his feet, turned, and pulled Jacob up beside him. “Time to keep up,” he said and took off running toward the neighboring fence. When he got there, he let his rifle hang from a sling and cupped his hands, providing a step for Jacob.
“What are you doing?” Jacob asked.
“I’ll give you a boost. Get over and don’t stop until you hit the next yard.”
“But the lights—” He was interrupted by a long scream and volley of gunfire, this time farther away.
Murphy flexed his arms. “Let’s go; you’re wasting time!”
Jacob shook his head and lifted a foot into the soldier’s grip. He stood up and grabbed the top edge of the fence as he felt Murphy pushing him up and over. He cleared the top lip of the fence and fell hard to the grass on the far side. He scrambled back to his feet; the pain in his hip sent electrical shocks up his left side. Jacob had just stepped off in the darkness with his hands in front of him when the backyard exploded with bright light.
Three bright halogen lights, attached to the roof’s gables, kicked on simultaneously. Jacob looked directly into one, filling his vision with spots and momentarily blinding him. He heard Murphy thump to the ground beside him and felt a hand shove him forward.
“What are you still doing here?” Murphy yelled. “Run!”
Murphy again shoved him forward, causing him to almost trip. He ran past Jacob with his rifle up, sweeping the yard as he bolted to the
