“Hurts?” Tara asked. “How so? Are you sick?”
“No, just stiff. Fighting a bunch of zombies is hard work,” Dylan explained.
“And I’m grateful for it. Because of you guys, I can carry on with my research,” Tara said, her face wreathed with smiles.
“Glad I could be of service,” Dylan said. “Where’s Ethan and Saul?”
“Still sleeping. Ethan came home at the same time I did, after twelve,” Tara said.
Dylan whistled. “That late, huh? How are you even awake?”
“I’m used to pulling late nights in the lab, though I must admit it’s getting harder every year,” Tara admitted.
“On the bright side, guess what I discovered yesterday,” Dylan said.
“Do tell.”
“I had an episode, but this time, I was able to control it.”
Tara’s eyebrows raised. “You were? That’s amazing!”
“The weird thing is, Nick fought with me, and I don’t think he had one at all,” Dylan said.
“Maybe, he did,” Tara said, “but his was so mild, he was able to control it.”
“I’ll have to ask him,” Dylan said. “This is interesting stuff, and it makes me wonder. Am I learning to control it on my own, or is my brain healing by itself?”
“That’s what makes my job so great,” Tara said. “What I wouldn’t give for a look at your brains.”
Dylan raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“With an MRI scan, of course,” Tara added hastily.
At that moment, Saul and Ethan entered the kitchen. Ethan, as usual, looked tired, but Saul had a spring in his step, and he greeted Tara with a bone-crushing hug.
“Someone’s in a good mood today,” Tara exclaimed when he finally let her go.
He shrugged. “I feel good, that’s all.”
“Glad to hear it. Coffee?” Tara offered.
“Yes, please.”
“Me too,” Ethan groaned. “I don’t feel so hot today.”
“Maybe you should see a doctor,” Dylan quipped.
“Why? So he can lecture me on the dangers of burnout?” Ethan asked with a wry smile. “No, thanks.”
“Seriously, though. You should take it easy,” Dylan said.
“I will. I’m pulling day shift today. I’ll be home just after five this afternoon,” Ethan said. “There’s rumors among the hospital staff of a storm tonight.”
The roar of an engine interrupted the flow of conversation, and Tara frowned. “Is that a car in our driveway?”
“It must be,” Saul said, walking toward the front door. She walked with him, curious to see who it might be. They stepped onto the porch and shielded their eyes against the glare of the headlights.
The lights switched off, and Tara squinted into the pre-dawn gloom. “Who’s there?”
A slender figure dashed up the steps, and Tara gasped when she recognized Amy. “It’s me, Tara.”
“Oh, my God. Amy? I can’t believe it,” Tara cried, hugging the girl close to her chest.
Amy grinned. “In the flesh, and Alex is here too.”
“How did you know where we lived?” Tara asked.
“Your friend, Nick, showed us the way,” Amy said.
The next moment, Dylan stormed out onto the porch and latched onto Amy with a glad cry. Nick, Alex, and Ethan joined the group, and introductions were made. For a while, the porch became extremely crowded.
Once everyone had greeted everyone, Tara hustled them all inside. “Come in, you lot. It’s freezing.”
“We’ll be right in, Tara,” Nick said. “First, we need to unload the truck. There’s a shitload of supplies in the back.”
“You, guys, go ahead. I’ll boil more water,” Tara agreed.
The men proceeded to carry in all the stuff while Tara made more coffee. Once they were all seated around the table, she asked. “So? Tell us everything?”
“It’s a long story,” Alex said.
“We’ve got time, and don’t leave anything out.”
In bare terms, Alex laid out their story from the moment the horde crashed the safe house to the time they arrived at Fort Detrick.
“Seem like you had quite the adventure,” Saul said.
“I’m just glad you made it out alive,” Dylan added. “To think I was going to leave in the next day or two to go looking for you.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Alex agreed.
“How did Nick find you?” Tara asked.
“A buddy of mine was on gate patrol when they showed up and asked for you by name. He called me, and I put them down as civilians in need of refuge.”
“What about the major?”
“He won’t know they’re friends of yours. According to the report, they’re ordinary people seeking a safe place to live. They’ll be issued with rations and a place to stay like the rest of you. I’ll try to get them the house next to this one.”
“Not that you need the rations judging by everything you brought with you,” Ethan said as he eyed the huge pile of supplies on the floor.
“Yeah, before we came here, we went back to the safehouse. I loaded all the weapons, ammo, and a bunch of other stuff. Water, food, batteries, candles, and so on.”
“That’s good news,” Tara said.
“I also took the liberty of adding a few duffel bags of cold-weather gear for you,” Nick said. “Thermal underwear, thick socks, scarfs, beanies, gloves, and parkas.”
“Why so much? It’s not that cold,” Tara said.
“We got reports from Mount Weather that a snowstorm is moving in. It’ll hit us tonight, and the major has ordered that the base go on lockdown.”
“What does that mean?” Tara asked.
“It means that all civilians will be expected to stay inside their houses while the storm rages. Only personnel with permission are allowed to move around,” Nick explained. “Including you, Tara.”
“And it’s hitting us tonight?” she said.
“That’s right. I suggest that whatever you need to do today, you make sure you’re back here by five at the latest,” Nick said. “Which brings us to our other point of business. What do we do about the attacks on Dylan?”
“Attacks?” Alex asked with a frown. “What attacks?”
Tara quickly laid out the story as she’d memorized it with input from Dylan and Nick: The incident in the cafeteria, the graffiti on the side of the house, and finally, the attempt made to isolate Dylan during the clearing of the USAMRIID building.
“I saw her run and followed,” Nick added. “That’s how we ended
