“Good lord.”
“And since I know the place—”
“Hatcher, that place must be crawling with Zulus. You’d be walking into cannibal central.”
“I won’t be alone. There will be soldiers with me.” He slung the duffel and tried to step around her. She immediately put herself in his way again.
“There were soldiers there last time, and last I heard, they didn’t walk out.”
“That was then. Surely they’ve either moved on or…or have starved to death.” Daniel tried again to step around her and Candy placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
“Hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute.” She pushed him back farther into his room. “Talk to me, Hatcher. People are going to want to know what the hell is going on.”
Hatcher sighed and dropped the duffel again. “Look, Candy, all I know is, they’re working on a cure and they need me to get through the park.”
“And how did they pull your fat from the fire?”
“Oh. Yeah. That.” Hatcher scratched at his chin. “You might want to keep people close on their scavenger hunts. There’s groups of people out there that…well, they’re not infected, but they’re worse than the Zulus.”
“Bandits?”
“That’s one thing you could call them.” Hatcher glanced passed her shoulder and saw Henry approaching. “Just keep our people close. Don’t take any chances.”
“What about Jason and Bren?”
Hatcher paused and shook his head. “Apparently Fort Collins is gone. There’s nothing there.” He waved Henry closer as the man approached. “They’ve got a makeshift CDC on one of the ships and we’re going to fly Jason and Bren to the flotilla before we head up to the park.”
“Woah. You’re going back to Yellowstone?” Henry wedged himself between the two in the small quarters and gave Daniel a questioning stare. “What the hell for?”
“They need me to escort them through the park. They need a sample of the original contagion.” Hatcher sighed. “Candy can fill you in. All I know is, time is of the essence here.” He picked up his duffel again and turned to Candy. “Remember, keep our people close. Extra diligence on the wall and keep your eyes peeled for these assholes. They don’t play well with others.”
“Meaning they like to shoot first and ask questions later.”
“Exactly.” Hatcher clapped Henry on the shoulder. “Keep a close eye on everybody. Especially Skeeter. She’s…getting too big for her britches.”
“You know it, Hatch, but—”
Candy interrupted, “I’ll fill you in Hank. Daniel has places he has to be.” She stepped aside and let Hatcher pass.
“What the hell is going on here, Candy?”
She sighed and watched Daniel practically run through the hall. “They’re with the government and they’re here to help.”
Henry groaned. “Fuck me.”
Daniel tossed his duffel into the chopper and stepped up into the craft. He quickly sat and strapped in.
“Got everything?” Hollis asked.
“What I could think to grab.”
“Maps?” Hollis asked hopefully.
Daniel tapped the side of his head. “Got all of that up here.”
Hollis banged on the backside of the cabin and yelled into his mic, “Let’s go. I want to be back onboard before sundown.”
Hatcher listened to the engines rev and watched as the craft gently lifted from the roof of what had become their home. He closed his eyes until they reached cruising altitude and he could feel the air whipping through the open door. He settled into his seat and slowly opened his eyes.
Buildings slid by underneath the craft and he craned his neck to see if he could spot the marauders anywhere near the town. To his relief they weren’t to be seen. He leaned back and felt a gentle touch on his leg. He glanced to the side to see Bren staring at him with wide eyes.
He keyed his coms. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you sure we can trust these guys?”
Hollis leaned forward, catching her attention. “We can hear you.” He smiled, tapping his headphones.
Bren blanched and sat back, eyes studying the soldier across from her. Hatcher waved the man off and turned to her. “If we could have gotten you and Jason to Fort Collins, odds are, these are the same people who would have tried to help. The only real difference is, you’re going to a much safer place.”
Hollis nodded. “We have the best equipment, the best minds…hell, the only minds left now. But don’t worry. We’ll take good care of you. You’ll be safe offshore. You won’t have to worry about anything attacking you in your sleep.”
Jason watched the pair as they spoke, listening to every word. He wished he could know what the large soldier was thinking, as something about his demeanor, his voice…something about him was setting off alarm bells.
He switched to the secondary channel and listened to the pilots chat, occasionally reporting their whereabouts to a third party. They used jargon he wasn’t familiar with, but he felt he had the gist of most of it. After a bit, he switched off his headphones and simply watched the ground go by underneath the craft.
He’d lost track of time. He was originally looking for a building he could identify, some recognizable structure to give him a perspective on where they were. But between each small gathering of buildings that constituted a town were endless miles of barren terrain. He could feel the heat increase on the wind and he knew it was one last surge before the air started chilling. It wouldn’t be long and the skies would darken. He leaned toward the door and stared outward. With no idea how far they actually had left to go, he decided to close his eyes and pray for sleep.
Simon drew a circle on the map and stared in the general direction of where the truck had come. “It’s out there somewhere. We’re gonna find it.”
The minion he called Squirrel piped
