We searched the room for anything useable, finding a knife and a small bottle of water purification tablets. I confiscated them and continued following Fawke to the next floor. Score. A backpack lay next to the remains of another body.
I opened it to reveal vegetable seeds and articles of clothing. I grinned. Sharon didn’t know of these things. I could use them to barter with. In a city of overcast skies, no vegetables would grow. Only Soriah had the means to make artificial sunlight.
By the time we reached the roof, we hadn’t found anything else, and my lungs burned from the climb. I slid to the cold concrete roof to rest until the chopper arrived. I pulled a canteen from my belt, took a deep drink, then handed it to Fawke who sat next to me.
“Thanks.” He didn’t look as if he’d just climbed ten flights of stairs. He wasn’t panting for breath or wiping sweat from his brow. How did he continue on as if everything was an afternoon stroll?
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. We were safe enough on the roof. With only one door leading to us, we’d pick off any Malignants who dared follow. “I hope we don’t have long to wait. I want to search the area the fighting occurred yesterday.”
“Me, too. I’d like to get back before dark.” He took another drink from the canteen and handed it back to me. “It’ll be slow going if a crate arrives with the five new people and we run into Malignants.”
We always ran into them. The creatures were an infestation. I couldn’t remember how long ago the world had gone dark or when the plague released. Way before my time. Even before my parents. I’d once heard it had happened a hundred years ago. I didn’t think anyone thought it possible the Malignants would breed. I’m sure they believed they could eventually be killed off.
The thwump of an arriving chopper pulled me to my feet. I squared my shoulders and waited to see who Sharon had sent us.
The chopper hovered just off the rooftop. A crate was pushed off first, followed by two women and three men all forty-years-old and younger. At least we hadn’t been sent any elderly people. These all looked strong enough to be of some worth. The two men dragged the crate toward us, then the five lined up as if for an inspection.
“I’m Crynn Dayholt, your leader. This is Fawke our top fighter.”
The oldest man, his gray hair shaved close to his head nodded and pointed to each person down the line. “Riva, Samson, Jep, Lotus, Zed. Thank you for asking for our release.”
“Your crimes?”
He sneered. “I’m the only murderer here. Killed someone in a drunken brawl. You won’t have to worry about any of us. The air might be foul here, but at least we’re in the open.”
“Time will determine how grateful you are.” I smiled. “Did they tell you what you’d be doing?”
“Spending the rest of our lives fighting monsters.”
“Can you fight?”
“Time will tell.” He chuckled.
“Let’s see what we’ve been sent.” I motioned for them to open the crate.
Seven rubber suits, two flame throwers, swords, food, and long-range rifles. My smile widened. Sharon really wanted us to live long enough to find the survivors Soriah sought.
“Don the rubber suits. It helps hide your scent. Then, each of you grab a gun and a sword. You’ll need them before we get back to camp. Very little time passes without a battle.”
The pretty woman named Lotus paled. “I’m here because I refused to accept my fate on the wheel. It landed on red. I’m not a fighter.”
“You will be,” Fawke said. “If you make it back to camp alive, I’ll train you. If you don’t learn, you’ll die. That goes for all of you.”
“How many of us are there?” The young man named Jep asked.
“You five make us seventeen.”
“That’s all.” His eyes widened.
“That’s it.”
I waited for one of them to comment on my age, glad when they didn’t. These people had been trained not to ask a lot of questions. Good. They’d follow orders without too much trouble.
Once they had donned the suits and picked up the crate, we headed down the stairs and onto the street. Lotus gasped as shrieks rose from an adjoining building.
“No sound,” I hissed. “No sudden moves. The suits confuse them, but if you run or make too much noise, they’ll attack.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She nodded.
“And absolutely no tears. There’s no room for weakness out here. If you must cry, do it in the privacy of your bed.”
“You’ll make a good replacement for Alga someday,” Fawke said, his gaze warm on mine.
Pleased way more than I should be, I headed in the direction of the fight yesterday. Unless those who’d fled had returned, we’d find things they’d left behind. I didn’t mind scavenging for the sake of my group. Why let Soriah’s bloodhounds find everything?
15
“Let’s show these newbies how it’s done.” Fawke held out his hand.
I slipped mine in his and got to my feet. We’d chosen the courtyard of a small building with a collapsed roof as our temporary camp. Surrounded by a block fence, we were protected by any surprise attacks. It was the perfect place to spar and train the others. Only one way in and that was by squeezing past an iron gate hanging by one hinge.
I pulled my sword and took up my stance, a grin spreading across my face. “I’m better than I used to be. Are you sure you don’t want to use sticks?”
“That’s good, and no. This way you’ll fight harder to avoid my
