Joe bristled a little at that. “I think I should come with you guys.”
“Fuck, man. We don’t have time to argue.” John was clearly frustrated.
Craig intervened this time. “That’s fine, Joe, you come too.” He looked past Joe. “Nancy?”
“No problem, Craig.” She turned to the rest of the crowd. “OK, people, let’s get upstairs.” The old lady started herding the group out of the room.
Rachel and Christine were about to resist, but Joe stepped in and ordered them upstairs before they could complain. They grudgingly followed the others out of the cafeteria. Joe called Ethan before the boy disappeared.
Ethan jogged back and looked up into his dad’s eyes expectantly. “Son, you’ve had a bit of handgun training now. Go catch up with Emily and collect a weapon from the armory. Stay with your mom and sister. If anything goes wrong... you keep them safe.”
Ethan’s eyes lit up and he smiled proudly. “You got it, Dad!” The boy ran out of the room.
Within a minute everybody except for John, Craig and Joe had left. The three men looked at each other. Joe seemed nervous, almost as if he regretted his request. Craig was excited, obviously anticipating a positive exchange with these newcomers. John’s expression, however, was calm and neutral. He was ready for anything.
Emily arrived shortly after with Ern and Nat. Each was carrying two M4 carbines. Mel also returned, indicating that Bill was set up on the roof. The carbines were distributed so that only Craig would be unarmed. The tall man would be their main spokesman. Joe looked clearly uncomfortable with the weapon, so Emily gave him a couple of quick instructions.
John granted everybody a few more seconds, then got their attention. “OK, let’s go. We’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
The ex-soldier turned to the Ren’s official leader. “Craig, you walk up front. I will follow a couple of steps behind you with Emily and Joe. Mel, you and Nat stay back at the door and provide cover if needed.”
They walked up to the door but stopped in their tracks when they heard shots outside and exchanged concerned looks.
“They’re shooting some zombies!” Ethan called down from upstairs.
John nodded, and with a final look at his team, he opened the school door.
THEY STEPPED OUT INTO sunshine. The heat of the sun and the fresh air felt good. But those feelings were quickly forgotten as the foursome walked down the steps and towards the gate. John could hear Joe breathing rapidly. It occurred to him that this was the first time the veterinarian had stepped outside of the school since they’d arrived a week ago.
“Keep your cool,” John instructed when they got to the bottom of the steps. “Spread out behind Craig, so you’ve got a clear shot,” He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and added, “If you need it.”
Fuck, Joe. Why did you insist on coming out here in the first place?
John forgot about his team and focused on the new arrivals. He could clearly see the military vehicle. It was a Humvee. One soldier had popped out of the top hatch. He was the one taking out any approaching zombies. He noticed John’s group and pounded the roof of the Humvee, yelling something down to the people inside.
Adjusting the grip on his M4, he put the weapon at “low and ready.” He heard rustling beside him and knew that Melissa was doing the same. He hoped that Joe was following suit, fearing that the big man might panic and start shooting if startled.
“Steady,” he said, hoping to keep nerves calm.
John was surprised to see a civilian woman get out from the back seat of the Humvee as they approached. The woman was wearing army clothing, but it was instantly apparent to Craig that she was not military. An older man, also dressed in army gear, jumped out of the passenger seat, and came around the front of the Humvee, his weapon low and ready.
All right, so some of them are military.
The woman spoke up when Craig was ten feet away.
“Hi!”
“Uh, hi.” Craig responded.
She smiled hesitantly. Something about the dark-haired woman seemed familiar. She certainly was good looking.
Like a movie star or something.
John switched his focus to the soldier whose top half stuck out of the Humvee’s hatch.
Like a prairie dog out of its hole. OK, prairie dog. Just don’t make any sudden moves, John silently warned the soldier.
“Look, would you mind if we pulled our vehicles inside the fence?” the woman asked.
Craig almost glanced back at the people behind him. He wasn’t sure if they would agree with that. A single gun shot rang out as the soldier in the Humvee destroyed another approaching target.
Yep. Prairie dog is the real deal, John confirmed mentally as he watched the soldier handle his weapon.
“It would be a better, safer place for a conversation,” the woman continued.
“All right. OK.” Craig nodded and looked back at John.
“Just pull the vehicles up the driveway,” John interjected, pointing where he wanted them to park. He made sure that their guests parked in a spot where they could still be covered by Bill from his position on the roof.
“And close the fence behind you,” John added.
A short woman, also dressed in army gear, got out of the Humvee, and opened the fence. Within thirty seconds, both the Humvee and the minivan had pulled up to the indicated spots. Craig and the team backed up a little, keeping a small space between them and the newcomers.
A tall, beefy woman was the first person out of the minivan. She was also the first person not dressed like a soldier. “Hiya!” she said with a friendly smile.
The black woman and Hispanic kid with her, also not in army gear, were decidedly less friendly-looking. They frowned, clearly distrusting the armed people in front of them.
The short,
