She reached out and grabbed at is pants leg, pulling him inside with frightening strength. Trevor tried to crawl but before he could balance himself she dragged him into the building and behind her. He stared at her with wide eyes. “How did you…?”
She turned and held her tiny hand over his mouth then slowly turned back and stared into the night. Trevor crawled up beside her and stared over her shoulder. He thought he saw movement; he felt his body stiffen as his fight or flight instincts maxed.
He tried to swallow but his mouth was dry. He felt his hands shaking as he watched three pale adults dart between two buildings and out into the street near where they had been. The first adult was obviously a male. He sniffed hard at the air then turned to the other two and screamed, sending chills down Trevor’s spine.
He clutched Patricia and pulled her back, away from the opening. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and stared at the trio as they grouped together, all sniffing at the air.
They can’t possibly smell us, can they?
Trevor feared that his beating heart would sound like a drum to the Ragers and he tried to slow his breathing down, tried to force his body to stay calm. He could feel himself shaking as the trio ran up the street in the direction he had just come. He felt the AR pressing against his back and pulled it around to the front, gripping it tightly as the infected’s feet slapped on the paved road.
When the sound faded, Patricia pulled from his embrace and crawled to the edge of the wall. She peered into the darkness then stepped out of the building and into the cooling night air. Trevor watched her with horror and fought the urge to call her back. She stood just outside the building, sniffing at the air. He crawled toward her and she reached out to him.
Trevor stepped into the night once more and took her hand. He held the rifle tightly in his other hand as she led him back to the street. “I guess it’s safe now?”
She didn’t answer, but she tugged at him and he fell into step with her. He breathed a sigh of relief and gripped her hand tighter. “I guess I owe you for that one, huh?” She didn’t respond, but Trevor had gotten to the point that he didn’t expect her to.
He felt a deep sense of pride, a strong emotion that he couldn’t explain. Somehow he knew that they were now family. They would work together to keep each other safe.
Chapter 14
Hatcher spun the wrench, tightening the last bolts on the section of scaffolding. He stepped back while men stacked boards between the two sections. He nodded with satisfaction. “I think this will work.”
“Maybe we could find some more scaffolds at the rental center.” Roger grabbed the wrench from his hand and tossed it in the canvas bag with the others. “Potentially, we could have a walkway that goes around the whole perimeter.”
“That would be nice, but as long as we have at least one sentry on each wall, I’m happy.”
Will tapped his shoulder. “I have another idea that could lessen the load on your sentries. But it will take time, supplies and skilled carpenters.”
Hatcher slipped his gloves off and nodded, “I’m always willing to hear you out, doc.”
Stanton seemed to cringe slightly but nodded. “Rather than keep men on the wall, looking for threats, we could build a guard tower. A single, tall structure with a covered area at the top. One or two men could station themselves up there and scan the entire perimeter.”
Roger nodded. “Hey, I like that idea. With the height they could see out much further. We’d have more warning.”
Hatcher had to agree. “It sounds great on paper, but how big of a chore would building it be?”
Will shook his head. “Not as terrible as you might suppose.” He turned and pointed to the center of the courtyard. “If we built a structure here in the middle, at, say, fifteen-feet tall, the average man would have a twenty-foot eye height. They could potentially see well beyond the fences and to the surrounding structures.” He sighed slightly and pointed to the main building. “They would have blind spots, of course. The roof line of our buildings would preclude them from observing anybody that was right along the wall.”
Roger shook his head. “But in theory, they’d see them coming long before they got that close.”
“Exactly. And in the event of a close quarter combat situation, we have the walkways adjacent to the wall. Others could man those stations and simply shoot over the wall.”
“What about the tower itself? How hard would that be? I mean, we don’t have a crane or anything.”
“It wouldn’t be necessary,” Stanton explained. “We build it as we go up. Bracing for the legs would allow the men to stand in place and build upward as we go. When we get to the top, I have an idea that would speed up construction as well.”
“What idea is that?” Hatcher asked.
Will stifled a smile. “I noticed a few places that used to sell pre-made outbuildings and the like. One such place had a child’s fort on display. It’s made entirely of wood, precut and ready for assembly.” He lowered his voice and admitted, “I considered building one for my step daughter’s son but…” He trailed off, unpleasant memories rising to the surface. “In any event, it would hasten the watchtower’s construction by days.”
Hatcher shrugged and looked at Roger. “I have no objections. You?”
Roger shook his head. “Make me a supply list, Will, and I’ll head out in the morning and see if we can’t get you what you need.”
“The biggest item on the list would be skilled carpenters.”
Hatcher smiled and patted the man’s shoulder. “I’d speak to Candy if I were you. I think she can hook you
