Grady winked at Sergeant Turner. They’d get this shit done. “Take your top off, Kenny. You’re gonna help save the LT’s life.”
28
LIBERAL, KANSAS
MARCH 8TH
Another long night was finally over. The sounds of the infected in the streets below had been nearly maddening. With each passing minute, Sidney had wondered if their inadvertent movements would alert the horde and whip them into a frenzy once more. Thankfully, the night passed without any problems.
Now, it was time to assess the day’s odds of leaving their hideout.
She relieved herself, then walked to the bedroom window. Below, she saw a few straggling infected, but the impossibly large group that had filled the space between houses was gone. “What?” Sidney mumbled in confusion.
“What’s up?”
She glanced over at Mark. He rubbed both of his eyes with the palm of his hand. “The horde is gone.”
“Really?” he asked, walking to where she stood.
She jutted her chin out to indicate a few of the infected about a block or so down the street. “There are a couple of them still hanging around, but the thousand or so that were here yesterday are gone.” Sidney pointed to her bag. “Hand me the binoculars, please.”
When the boy handed them to her, she glassed the two trucks. Two days ago, there’d been four soldiers trapped in the cabs of those trucks. Yesterday, there’d been two single gunshots as the men in the lead vehicle committed suicide, or murder-suicide, she wasn’t sure. The result was the same. This morning, the farthest door from the camp was open on the trail vehicle. They’d tried to make a run for it.
“I think I know where the horde went,” she said softly.
“Where?”
“The last vehicle,” she handed him the binoculars. “Looks like the two guys in there tried to make a run for it.”
“And the crazies followed after them.”
She nodded. “If I were a betting girl, I’d say that’s what happened.”
Mark yawned. “Why’d they’d try to do it at night?”
Sidney shrugged. “Lack of understanding about their enemy, maybe?” It was incomprehensible to her that the soldiers hadn’t known that the infected were much more active at night than in the daytime. But then again, they’d been pretty amped up after the excitement of the attack and the opportunity for all of that fresh meat. She shuddered involuntarily as she remembered the dismembered bodies being devoured before they ever got the chance to turn.
“So, what’s on the agenda then, boss lady?”
“Breakfast first,” she replied. “Then I want to see just how many of them are still around.”
They heated water over a small fire in the master bathroom’s clawfoot tub. When it was near boiling, Sidney poured the water into their bowls along with some instant oatmeal they’d scavenged from the home’s first floor pantry. It was surprisingly good. The chemicals and preservatives in the packages had kept it from going bad. She used the rest of the water to make coffee. That was not so good. The coffee grinds kept getting stuck in her teeth and she finally gave up after a few sips.
“God, I’d kill for a Starbucks right about now.”
“Eww, gross,” Mark chuckled. “That overpriced crap tastes burnt. Why would you ever drink that?”
She regarded him for a moment, considering whether to question his upbringing or challenge the fact that the kid had no idea what he was talking about. She decided to just let it go. “And what do you think is a good cup of coffee?”
He waved generally in the direction of town. “The Loves over on Pancake Boulevard, man, they—”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” Sidney interrupted.
“Huh?”
“Pancake Boulevard?”
He laughed. “It’s a real street. Heck, it’s the main drag through Liberal.”
“What kind of redneck dump did you grow up in?”
“Sorry that we can’t all be Washington, DC socialites with law degrees,” he teased back. “I like it out here… I mean, I liked it out here. It was a much slower way of life. I went to Wichita and Oklahoma City before, even went to Colorado Springs one time, but none of it was what I expected. Sure, there were lots of bright lights, new restaurants, and big, fancy buildings, but there were just too many people. They were all up on top of each other. I didn’t like it.”
“And that’s where you tried Starbucks?” she asked, bringing the conversation full circle.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “Nastiest stuff I’ve ever had. Like I said, the Loves Country Store had the best coffee. On days that I missed the bus, or that my mom took me to school, we’d stop at the Loves and I’d get a cup of coffee and a donut—a filled long john with maple icing. So good.” He sighed with the memory. “We’d sit in the parking lot at school jamming out to classic rock until they unlocked the doors. That was awesome.”
He quieted down and stared off into the corner of the room. “I’m sorry about your mom, Mark,” she said, placing a hand on his knee.
“Thanks. It’s been a long time, y’know?”
“Still doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
“I’m okay now,” Mark said. “I almost went crazy in that supermarket by myself. That’s over now.”
Sidney watched him carefully. He wasn’t normally a moody kid, but, God, she couldn’t even imagine what he must have gone through by himself for all those months. The mental trauma that he must have suffered. “We’ve got plenty of time until we can go anywhere. You wanna talk about it?”
He pushed himself to his feet. “No. I’m good. I’m gonna go downstairs and see if the way’s clear. I’d like to get moving today if we can.”
“Mark.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “It’s
