As soon as they passed the first few grass huts, it became obvious that the village hadn’t been spared either the disease or the violence in its wake. Even in the darkness, Tyler could see the remnants of burnt-out houses and scattered belongings. It was an interesting mix of mostly primitive-looking dwellings and more modern stucco buildings.
Jason steered them around what appeared to be a military truck left sitting in the middle of the road. Like several others they’d seen over the past couple of days, it was abandoned after an attack left it immobile.
Garbage littered the road beyond it, and several bicycles were scattered haphazardly, leaving a sort of obstacle course for them. Tyler spotted the first person as they approached a large sign that read ‘Medische Kliniek’. Based on the red cross below the words, he assumed it was a medical clinic.
The shadowy form of what looked to be a large man stepped out from behind the rubble of the burned building. “Company,” Tyler whispered, pointing out his window.
When Jason hit the brakes, the man dodged back out of sight again. Grunting, he gunned the engine and continued on. “Guess he’s not up to playing tour guide tonight,” he grumbled.
“I see some lights up there,” Peta said with some urgency.
Both Tyler and Eddy leaned forward, trying to see out the front window. She was right. Only they weren’t lights, but flickering campfires. At least three of them, off to the left. It was beyond the last couple of larger buildings and in what looked like a row of the grass-huts, spread out along the bank of the river.
“Uh, guys,” Devon said, sounding nervous. “We’ve got some more admirers.”
Tyler twisted around, and made a hissing sound as he sucked in an extra-large breath between his teeth. He could see at least three other shadows creeping along behind them. “So, maybe stopping isn’t such a hot idea.”
“Yeah,” Devon urged. “I’m not getting the best vibes here, compadres. I mean, the creepy sign was the first big clue, right?”
Tyler didn’t feel any relief or extra sense of camaraderie at not being the only one to have those same thoughts. He really preferred not to be right about that.
“Not so fast,” Jason said, as they pulled up closer to the fires. “There’s people here, and they aren’t hiding from us.”
The stalkers disappeared again when they stopped, slinking back into the shadows. His unease growing by the second, Tyler trusted Devon to be the lookout, and checked out the guys by the fire.
There were two of them, seated on stumps and watching them casually like they were simply new tourists passing through. Putting the Jeep in park, Jason shifted so he could see everyone. “I think Peta and I should go talk to them, so they don’t feel outnumbered. They’ve got weapons, but haven’t picked them up yet. Unless they do, I’m going to approach them as if they’re friendly.”
“And if they do?” Devon asked.
“Then we react appropriately,” Eddy answered before Jason had a chance to.
Jason stared at Eddy for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. “Be ready. And Tyler,” he added, looking at him. “Why don’t you get out too, but stay near the front of the Jeep. Seeing a kid will make us less threatening and help put them at ease.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Peta asked, clearly not a fan of the strategy.
“I’ll be fine,” Tyler said with some irritation.
“Just make sure you’ve got the Glock in your waistband,” Jason replied with a wink. Glancing back at Peta, he ignored her glare and went to get out of the vehicle.
His legs were a little unsteady when he stepped outside, and Tyler didn’t know if it was from fear, sitting still for too long, or a lack of sleep. Probably all three. As he walked near the hood of the Jeep, he saw the two men had stood as Jason and Peta approached. Their hands were empty.
Looking over his shoulder, Tyler confirmed the area behind them was still unoccupied by any creepers, but he knew they were there. He could feel the other people watching them, and he hated how he couldn’t tell if it was out of curiosity, or because they wanted to kill them and take all of their stuff.
“Hello!” Jason called out.
Tyler jumped, and shifted his attention back to where it was supposed to be. He was only ten feet or so from the fire pit, so he was able to clearly hear and see everything.
Both of the indigenous guys looked between thirty and forty years old. They were dressed in jeans and old t-shirts, and definitely didn’t look like they were eager for a fight. In fact, if Tyler had to use a word to describe them, it would be exhausted.
“Hallo,” the older of the two said back in greeting. “Amerikanns?”
Tyler had never heard the language before, but Eddy had said the main dialect there was Dutch. Fortunately, you didn’t have to speak it to know they were saying American.
“Yes,” Peta answered, although technically she was Australian. “We need help.”
The men exchanged a look, before the younger one spoke. “No Kra Puru?”
“You mean The Kuru?” Jason asked.
The man shook his head, and spoke in halting English. “Here, is called Kra Puru. You are not sick?”
“No,” Peta said. “We’ve come to try and stop it. We’re looking for the Libi Nati.”
The older man stiffened and took a step back. “No Toevlucht,” he said, waving his hands like he was trying to keep something away. “No…resort. Has been touched by Kra Puru.”
Tyler felt a small twinge of relief when he saw the obvious fear on the man’s face. At least they were immune like them, and not part of the new freaky race of
