“They are!” Buck whispered loudly. “That place is…it’s like it’s sacred to the infected.” He stepped back and froze, his eyes scanning the woods.
“What do you mean?” Hollis suddenly appeared from the front of the truck. “Sacred how?”
Buck shook his head. “I can’t explain it. I just know what I’ve seen.” He suddenly bent low and had to slow his breathing.
“Tell me what you mean, son.” Hatcher placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “What did you see?”
“The clans…they fight over that mountain top. Well, what’s left of it.” He swallowed hard and nodded toward the crest. “I’ve seen them fight harder over possession of that mountain top than they do over food or land or…” his voice trailed off, his eyes scanning the horizon ahead.
“What makes you think it’s sacred to them?” Hatcher asked.
“Just the way they act when they’re there. They don’t scream to each other. They actually set up watches. The clans stay in the area, but they refuse to go to the very top. It’s like it’s a holy place or something.”
Hatcher shot a glance to Hollis. “Their Jerusalem?”
“Who knows.” He nodded to his driver. “Spread the word. We can expect heavy resistance near the peak.”
“More than heavy resistance…the largest clan has possession of it now. You’re talking a group close to sixty strong.” Buck shuddered as he spoke.
“How many are women or children?” Hollis asked.
Buck gave him a surprised look. “Doesn’t matter. They’ll fight alongside the men. And most of the females are as vicious as the men.”
Hatcher paused for a moment, remembering when Buck’s mother took on Mitch at the Center. He was right…the females were every bit as vicious as the men. He turned to Hollis, “Is there any way we can get more support out here?”
Hollis shook his head. “It’s just us.” He gave Hatcher an evil grin. “But until they come up with something that can trump a .50 cal, I think we have the upper hand.” He turned and made a circle with his hand. “Load up!”
Buck continued to shake his head and backed away from the truck. “I’m not. I can’t go with you.”
Hatcher stared into the woods and held his hand out to him. “I can’t leave you here, Buck. This isn’t safe.”
He turned wide-eyes to the man. “And you think we’ll be any safer up there?”
Hatcher gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You can stay in the truck. In fact, we only need one person to get out and get a sample of the goo that started this.”
Buck gave him a surprised stare. “That isn’t where it all started.” Hollis and Hatcher both gave him their attention.
“What do you mean?” Hatcher asked.
“My sister Keri. She was the first to get infected.” Buck turned slowly and pointed to the east. “We were camped at a hot spring.”
Hollis came back around the front of the truck. “So, you’re saying there’s another hot spring? One that the virus originally came from?”
Buck nodded. “Yeah, and it’s just over that ridge. We were camped there when there was an earthquake or something. This black goo came up out of the water and my sister swallowed some of it. A few minutes later, she turned into a zombie.”
Hollis nodded to Hatcher who took the boy by the arm. “We need you to show us which hot spring. Do you think you could remember?”
Buck gave him a duh look. “Of course.”
Hollis slid into the front seat and keyed his radio. “Change of plans. Stay on our six and watch the perimeter.” He turned and gave Buck a sly grin. “Point the way.”
Squirrel wasn’t surprised at how cautious the woman was being with him. He’d have probably done the same. Well, unless he was with Simon or some of his more trusted men. If that were the case, he’d have to be more ruthless. Brutal. Almost savage. He tried not to think of such things. Instead, he tried to focus on the here and now and the potential to not only save these people from Simon’s wrath, but possibly even redeem his own soul.
“I asked you where you came from.” Candy slammed her hand on the table. Squirrel groaned and gave her sullen eyes.
“I told you it doesn’t matter where I come from because it was just a camp. They’ve already pulled up stakes and they’re looking for you.”
“Why would they look for me?” Candy took her chair and gave him a deadpan stare.
“I told you. They’re looking for where the military truck came from.” He sighed heavily and looked toward the door of the small room they were in. “Is there somebody in charge here?”
“Yeah, there is.” She poked herself in the chest. “Me. So if you want to stop jerking my chain, start talking.”
Squirrel recognized the body language. She wasn’t adept at interrogation. She either learned this piss-poor method from watching somebody inept or from watching television. He nodded his head and leaned back in the chair. “Fine. Ask away, officer.”
“Deputy.” She tried to growl her answer and he did his best not to laugh at her. She was in charge of this fiasco, so he had better do his best to give her the respect she felt she deserved.
“Apologies, deputy.” He forced his face to be stoic and he sat up straighter in his chair. “Ask me anything.”
“Where are your marauder buddies?”
He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. As I stated, they pulled up stakes and were going to work an expanding circle. After running into your friend Hatcher, the leader of our group wanted…well, everything that Hatcher and his people might have.”
She tried to remain calm, but he could read her face. She didn’t like the answer.
“And this is the same group of people who tried to kill Hatcher and the couple he was with?”
Squirrel nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She swallowed hard and jotted something on her pad he couldn’t make out. He assumed it was just scribbling to buy time.
“And you are admittedly part of
