“Yeah, that’s what worries me,” Rogers said.
Marks shrugged in agreement. “If it goes south, we kill her and stick to the original plan.”
James stopped and looked back at them. “Come on now, you can’t shoot my girlfriend on the first date,” he protested.
The team continued walking down the steep trail. When they were within fifty feet, she put up her palm, halting them. “That’s close enough. Who are you and why are you stirring up the natives? You’ve made enough damn noise to spin up every black eye in the county.” Her voice was quiet, yet assertive. Duke continued forward and walked around her, sniffing her legs and ankles before stopping and sitting at her feet.
James opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Marks put a hand on his shoulder. “Excuse me, ma’am, we're with the United States Armed Forces. A small recon team,” he said. “We are here to—”
She shook her head, giving half a smile. “Nah… there is no US Armed Forces anymore. Who you are? And don’t lie. I have shooters in the trees just waiting for a reason to take you down.”
“Oh boy, I think I’m in love,” James said.
Marks put his hands in the air, stepping in front of James, pushing the Marine back. “It’s true. We are with the US Armed Forces, operating out of Canada. We were on a recon mission south of here when we ran into trouble. Had some trouble with the radio so we're trying to make our way north.”
“All of you? You’re all military?” she asked, eyeballing Jacob.
Marks cleared his throat and waved his hand around the group, making brief introductions. “James is with the Marines, Rogers is an Army vet. Stephens is also Army. I'm with the Air Force. Jesse and Jacob there are—hell, I don’t know what to call them. Let’s say conscripts.”
“Conscripts? What, like they were drafted?” she asked.
“Something like that. We do what we have to these days,” Marks said.
She looked the men over, seeming to focus on their matching uniforms and equipment. “Okay, follow me and stay close.”
James jumped forward, extending his hand. She brushed him off. “We need to hurry before they pick up your trail; they’ll be coming through this way soon.” She moved out quickly, leaving James dumbstruck with his hand still extended. The men passed by James, slapping him on the shoulder as he mockingly grabbed at his heart. Duke moved by his side, looking up at him as the others passed.
She moved them fast over what looked like a well-worn game trail, except this one had seen a lot of human traffic. The surface was packed earth, occasionally turning to stone. Some places were even built up and compacted with logs and brick. She veered them off the trail, moving downhill into thicker cover and heavy underbrush. She moved at nearly a jog, the speed making it impossible to communicate. Because of the pace, Jacob doubted her story of the far-off shooters. If there were any in the trees, they would have lost them. Or she was running them into a trap.
They came out of the underbrush onto a small, recreational, two-track trail that looked like it had once been used for all-terrain vehicles. She followed the trail for a few hundred yards then turned north, marching them up a steep incline. The top leveled out into a high overlook; here she finally stopped the vigorous pace. She moved to a moss-covered log and lifted back a green tarp. Underneath was a gallon water jug. Jacob also spotted several rifle magazines for her AK and a tactical tomahawk. She removed the jug and took a long drink of water before passing it to Marks.
“There aren’t any shooters are there. Who are you?” Marks asked as he passed the jug to Stephens.
She ignored the question. When everyone had a drink, she placed the jug back under the tarp, pushing dried leaves and pine needles back in place to conceal the cover. “We have to keep moving. It’s not safe here with the increase in activity. Come on; the camp is this way.”
They moved slower now. She led them over the soft needles, crisscrossing the undergrowth of the forest floor, leaving no discernible trail. James, with Duke beside him, worked his way back to the front. “I didn’t catch your name,” he said, moving beside the woman without taking his eyes off the surrounding forest.
She hesitated then looked at him briefly. “Name’s Eve,” she said, stepping slightly ahead and avoiding a follow-up question. Jacob roved near the back, where he could see that Stephens and Marks were constantly exchanging looks. Occasionally, Rogers would move close to them and flash a number of fingers or some other sign. Jacob looked over at Jesse, who was walking next to him. The big man shrugged his shoulders. Jacob watched as James pursued, sticking close to the woman as the others seemed to plan their next move.
James looked back at the rest of the team now that he was leading far ahead and walking beside the strange woman. He turned back to her. “So where are you taking us?”
She suddenly stopped and looked them over, allowing them to move close and gather around her. James stopped and stood beside her, as if he’d already picked a side and was on her new team. He knelt down and stroked Duke’s head as he waited for her to speak. “Something is happening and it’s been happening fast. They are congregating around the lake, their numbers growing every day, and it makes it hard enough to get supplies without people like you stirring them up. Just ahead is my father’s hunting cabin. He won’t be happy to see you. I was out gathering supplies when I heard the shooting, and it was probably stupid on my part to bring you back.”
“Okay, slow down, miss. What hunting cabin?”
