Stephens pursed his lips and nodded his head. “I’m listening, Mr. Engineer.”
“It’s like with anything else… have a problem, look for the patterns, right? Like with a Tsunami. How do we know when they are coming?”
Stephens looked at him sideways. “Well, earthquakes then a really low tide.”
“Exactly. All those things sound the warning and an alarm goes off and you head for the hills. With these things, it’s the same principal. We always see a hunter, usually two; they call a warning and it’s followed by a massive wave attack… or the Tsunami. Well, what if we were ready for the Tsunami, even called for it? And what if we had a way to stop it?”
“So we would intentionally trigger the mass, like alert the hunters on purpose instead of hiding from them?” Stephens said skeptically.
“Yeah… but at a place and time of our choosing—a place where we could box them in and kill them all.”
Stephens grinned at Jacob’s sudden enthusiasm. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll bring it up with the L-Tee. Seriously, it’s good work, but right now I need you to focus on the task at hand, okay?”
Jacob nodded and drank the rest of his coffee before pulling on his boots. He got to his feet and kicked Jesse’s bag as he moved past him to find a makeshift, rooftop bathroom.
During the night, the mass on the ground had dissipated and moved on. Currently, they were nowhere to be found, having moved back to their daytime hiding places or wherever they nested during the day. Searching the immediate area, they looked to be alone. The city streets were empty with the exception of the occasional hunter quietly walking the odd street.
Plotting a direct route to the chemical plant took them through a grassy, overgrown area that would provide good cover. On the map, it was designated as a park, but from the rooftop it appeared to be nothing more than a long-forgotten vacant lot. One of those areas that gets returned to nature until the city has funds to do anything else with it. Still, now it would serve their purpose well and give them standoff room as they patrolled forward toward the plant.
After packing up their gear, the team scarfed down Meals Ready to Eat, drank water, and changed out their socks, not knowing what the day would bring. Rogers tried again to reach the Navy ship. Even using the long-range antenna from the top of the building, they failed to get a message out. Slowly, the clouds thinned, opening up and allowing the sun to break through. Marks stood, took a final look around, and ordered them all downstairs.
They opened the stairway door and listened for signs something may have moved in during the night. After feeling confident it was clear, they pressed on. Moving tactically, they followed James back into the musty lobby. Sunlight now filled the space, allowing them to easily navigate. With a quick search of the ground floor, they confirmed the building was empty except for odd bits of furniture. As suspected, the place was vacant long before the fall. They moved the desk away from the door and cautiously stepped back into the now empty street.
The Suburban was where they left it. Every surface on the vehicle was marred. Dented body panels and broken windows showed the effects of the mob pressing against it. They formed up into a tight Ranger column and crept along the sides of the building, hiding in the shadows. James once again moved far ahead on point with Rogers walking slack. The patrol moved slowly. In no hurry, James checked every corner, ready to knock down any hunter that came into sight before it would have a chance to report their position.
The streets were empty, the sidewalks covered with shards of broken glass. The men had to watch where they stepped to avoid stepping on the fragments and the noise of crushing glass. Jacob roved on, looking at the stalled vehicles. Most suffered broken windows; he could see where people struggled with the things trying to remove them from their cars. Blood on windshields and door handles, bloody tire irons lying in the street. Two blocks of narrow streets filled with death, flanked by commercial brick and concrete buildings before they reached the overgrown field.
James stopped at the edge of the building across from the field and knelt down, observing the way the grass moved and looking for any disparity in the motion. Anything that would indicate someone or something was hiding in the tall grass. He got back to his feet and waved the column forward, leading the way across the street and into the waist-high grass. He stopped when he reached a narrow dirt trail and decided to follow it, as it would allow them to move more quietly and to see what was in front of them. Avoiding the grass silenced their movements, even if it made them easier to see.
Jacob was relieved at being off the city street and back in the open terrain. The air was clear here and the stench of the decay less prominent. As they hiked along, he could push out the horrors of the death-filled streets for just a moment. Although they were walking through a large open field surrounded by tall tree lines, Jacob felt concealed in the space even though he knew the feeling was unfounded. He looked at the trees in the distance and realized any of them could be out there right now, watching, planning their next move… running to intersect them when they left the woods. Jacob shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly to clear his thoughts then focused on the ground immediately to his front.
At corners on the path, James would halt the patrol, allowing the men
