Salty pulled his Zippo and brought a flame to life. “Do you know how to hotwire one of these things?”
Savage shook his head. “No fuckin’ clue. But I’m gonna try.”
He stripped the wire back and tried touching them to each other, praying that one would eventually turn the engine over. He found one that brought the interior lights to life, but that was the most he could get from it.
“Maybe it’s got an interlock? Hold the clutch in.” Salty suggested.
Savage tried pressing the clutch to the floor and touching the wires again. “Nothing, man.” He threw both hands to the top of the steering wheel and rested his head on the edge.
“What are we gonna do?”
Savage looked through the side mirrors again. “I can’t see them.” He turned to Salty and shook his head. “We either wait ’til morning and hope the herd hasn’t come back, or we hop out now, fight off any stragglers and take our bikes.”
“I say we go now.” Salty stared out into the deepening darkness. “We may not be able to see too good, but I don’t want to give them a chance to muster up more of their kind.”
Savage nodded. “Agreed.” He reached for the door handle. “On three. One….two…”
The CDO knocked and entered Colonel Vickers’ office. “We just got word from the chopper, sir. They’ve refueled and are en route.”
Vickers nodded. “Very well. ETA?”
“Should only be a few hours out now, sir. It will still be dark when they arrive, but they’re hoping Captain Hollis is monitoring the radio.”
“Very well.” Vickers leaned back in his chair and rocked gently. “If they can’t make contact with Hollis, see how close they can get LaRue to the source. Maybe she can get her samples before they head back to Ft. Collins.”
“Copy that, sir. I’ll relay your instructions to the chopper.” The man paused. “Do you think Hollis and his team survived?”
Vickers smiled. “If Hatcher’s still with them, then I imagine they are. The man is like a cockroach. He just doesn’t die.” Vickers reached for his coffee and took a long pull from the cold cup. “Unless the chopper went down with all hands, then my money is on them still breathing.”
“And you think they’re still in the area? Would they have tried to hump it out of the hot zone?”
“No idea, lieutenant. We’ll just have to hope that Captain Hollis has the foresight to monitor his radio.”
“Understood, sir.” The CDO snapped a salute, then turned and left the office.
Vickers sighed and stood from his chair. He checked his watch, then poured a glass of whiskey. “They’d better still be breathing.”
Roger leaned to the left of the ATV’s handlebars, firing into the back of the crowd. Hank was standing on the rear rack and firing to the right.
Roger flipped on the headlight and felt an eerie sense of déjà vu as the crowd closing on the bikers suddenly turned and focused their attention on the interlopers. “Keep shooting! I’m gonna turn us around!”
Roger pulled the ATV to the far side of the street and pointed the machine in the opposite direction. Hank was now seated on the rear rack and firing behind them. “Go! Go! Go!” Hank yelled as he continued shooting into the crowd.
Those who had fallen at the feet of the others were soon trampled as the wave reversed direction and began pursuing the pair.
Roger gunned the engine and made a straight shot away from the trap that had cost his cohorts their lives earlier. He had no way of knowing if Savage and the other two had survived long enough to take advantage of their actions, but he prayed that at least one could get word to Simon. For their plan to work, he had to know there was not only a handful of survivors in town, but a potential ally.
Roger knew that Simon couldn’t be swayed from within his own ranks. But perhaps if he could discover there were other survivors and they were willing to cooperate…to share with others, then perhaps humanity still had a chance at surviving this plague.
Roger slowed the ATV when Hank slapped at his shoulder. “Let them catch up!”
Roger glanced over his shoulder and could just make out the crowd in the twilight, racing down the streets and across sidewalks, hoping to catch the ATV. He pulled over and waited a moment, praying he could see some kind of sign the bikers had survived.
“Okay, man, go.” Hank fired a few wild rounds into the front of the crowd as Roger accelerated again. They made it to the main intersection and Roger slowed, turning the ATV only slightly so that the advancing throng could see them. When he was certain the lead runners were close enough, he kicked the ATV into gear again and opened the throttle. It was a straight shot to the grocery store and he didn’t want the Zulus to catch them before they reached the building.
He slowed the ATV as the parking lot came into view and swung in a wide arc. Hank lit the rag on the Molotov cocktail and launched it at the closest abandoned car. The bottle shattered on impact with the front wheel and the flames wrapped up and around the hood of the car.
Roger grinned, knowing full well that once that front tire caught fire, the rest of the car was certainly a goner. He revved the engine and shot the ATV down the block, away from the approaching throng.
Once they turned at the next block, he slowed the vehicle, praying that the exhaust was quiet enough they could sneak past any stragglers or scouts for other Zulu clans. Beyond the infected, he prayed that Savage and his crew wouldn’t spot them.
He pulled the ATV into the staging area and the doors opened for him. Pulling into the warehouse, he quickly shut down the ATV and searched for Candy.
She approached the pair, her face unreadable. “Good news, bad news.”
“Hit me.”
“Roof
