Soldiers came into view as their boat moved beside the rows of barbed wire.
The men shot at the infected, carefully choosing their shots. Only a few dozen stood behind the fenced-off area, hiding behind sandbags and concrete barriers.
“I hope there are a lot more of them than that,” Cass said.
Lance nodded his agreement. “At least they have the area relatively secure.”
Tents filled the parking lots surrounding the stadium. Civilians walked between them, carrying supplies and bottles of water. Children held their parents’ hands. A handful of soldiers stood guard among them.
The open end of Heinz Field, where the enormous screen was erected, had dozens of military vehicles parked in front of it. A long line of people snaked away from doors under the screen, feeding back through the Hummers and MRAPs. Two tanks were on opposing edges of a vacant lot, their large barrels pointed at the barbed barricades.
The USS Requin, a decommissioned museum ship, sat by its usual dock, stoic against the flow of the river.
A helicopter approached from the East, flying low and fast before descending into the stadium with such speed that Lance wondered how the pilot was able to land it. It took off again ninety seconds later, heading back in the same direction from which it came.
“You think they’re flying people out?” Lance asked. He slumped in the seat, letting his head rest against the hard plastic.
“That’s my guess. They’re probably bringing supplies in and taking people out. Hopefully.”
“That might be our ticket out of here.”
“Looks like we might be waiting in line for the next decade.”
“I could use the sleep anyway.”
Cass frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“What?”
“Sitting around in a tent, waiting for a helicopter ride out of here, hoping every night that the Vladdies won’t break through.”
Lance didn’t disagree, but he wasn’t sure what other options they had. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Not yet.”
“So what are you saying?”
“Just that I don’t like it. Not sure we can do anything else, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.”
A few of the infected on the other side of the fence spotted Lance and Cass. They ran to the edge of the water and stopped, loosing shrieks and cries. None stepped from the shore.
Lance pointed at them. “They won’t come in the water.”
“Maybe we should just stay on the boat then.”
“If I don’t eat soon, I’m not going to have the strength to hold my head up.” He saw a frown spread across her face. “I’m a pussy, whatever. You can stay out here and float around, but I need food and water.”
“Fine.”
“Christ,” Lance rubbed his temples. “You’re practically a machine. What did you do, run Iron Man marathons?”
“No, but I didn’t sit around on my ass feeling sorry for myself.”
Lance put his feet on the pedals and slowly got his spinning. His legs ached as he angled them toward the shore.
“How old are you anyway?”
“Twenty-seven. Why?”
“Just asking. It occurred to me that I didn’t know.”
“What about you, old man? I’ve seen seventy-year-olds in better shape than you.”
“Thirty-six. And kiss my ass.”
They pedaled at an even pace, working their way across the relatively still water. Lance spotted a small fire close to the shore, a pot of something cooking over it. The aroma tied his stomach in knots. He wiped at his chin, wondering if he was drooling on himself.
A soldier hailed them when they were within twenty yards of the shore.
“Stop!”
They ceased pedaling, letting the boat coast.
Two other soldiers ran up, rifles at the ready.
“Have either of you been bit?”
“No! Don’t shoot us!” Lance imagined himself getting this far only to be shot as he reached a safe haven.
“Get one of the docs down here.” The smallest of the soldiers, and the only one not aiming his weapon at them, stepped to the water’s edge. “Come to the shore, but don’t get out. I’ll have you executed if you so much as move.”
Cass stayed quiet during the exchange.
The boat raked against stones as it lodged on the shore. Lance sat up with a groan, but kept his hands visible. Cass continued leaning back, acting unconcerned at the guns pointed in their direction.
A man in a filthy lab coat stalked away from the tents, walking toward the boat.
“Doc Brown!” Lance laughed, pleased at seeing a familiar face. He didn’t know the doctor well, at all really, but his instinct told him he was a good man. He’d been forthcoming with information at the hospital, despite being on a gag order. That’s all Lance needed to form an opinion on the man’s character.
“You know him?” Cass raised an eyebrow at Lance.
“Not really. He was working in the hospital when all of this broke out. He told me a few things he wasn’t supposed to.”
The doctor stopped beside the small group of soldiers, brow furrowed. “Do I know you?”
“It’s Lance.” His confused expression didn’t change. “Lance York—from the hospital.”
“Oh, yes! My apologies. It’s been a long couple of days.” He looked even more fatigued than he had at the hospital. Dark bags hung under drooping eyes. His coat was so stained that it resembled any color other than white.
“You know these two, Doc?”
“I’ve met the gentleman, yes.”
“Give ‘em a quick scan. We ain’t got all day.”
Doc Brown huffed, but did as he was ordered. He walked down to the boat and offered his hand to Cass, helping her out.
“I’m Doctor Emmett Brown.”
“Cass.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why is your name familiar to me?”
The doctor lifted her arms and inspected them, mumbling incoherently to himself.
Lance held in a chuckle. “It’s from Back to the Future. The white-haired guy who invented the flux capacitor.”
“Oh. That sucks.”
“Yes, it does.” Brown inspected her legs and torso before examining her eyes. He turned and gave the soldiers a nod. “She’s clear.”
“I think it’s a great name, Doc.” Lance spread his legs and lifted his arms, letting Brown screen him.
The other two soldiers stared at Cass as she lifted her axe from the boat. Two of them whispered to each other as their eyes ran up and down her body.
Lance felt a pang of protective anger at their ogling. He knew it was stupid, she could take care of herself after all, but he didn’t like the way they looked at her. He also knew that she dressed that way for a reason, and he was fairly certain that it wasn’t to repel men.
“Clear,” Brown said after another minute of looking Lance over.
“Here are the rules, so listen up.” The soldier in charge pointed at the line of people running into the stadium. “We’re airlifting people out of here—that’s the line. You’ll be waiting for days, probably. Get out of line, lose your spot.” He gestured to the tents. “If you can find an empty tent, it’s yours. People are leaving them to get in line. Most are full, but you can probably find one.
“Past the civilian tents are bigger ones with red crosses on the front. You’ll find food and maybe some medicine in there if you need it. We’re running low on supplies though, so you can each only have one MRE for now. Our last shipment never arrived.”
“Why not?” Lance asked, not liking the sound of that.
“The fuck do I know? They’re probably all dead.” He gave them a nod before heading back to the crowds.
One of the younger soldiers smirked at Cass. “Why are you dressed like a hooker?”
“Because I am a hooker, dipshit.”
“Oh really? I haven’t been laid in two weeks. How much?”
Lance clenched his fi
sts.
“Unfortunately for you boys, I only sleep with real men. Why don’t you run along and find your daddies.”
“You better watch your pretty mouth.”
“Everyone relax,” Doc Brown said. “We have too much to do without this kind of bullshit. I’ll take care of these two. Go on, get out of here.”
“We’ll talk later, sweetheart.” The soldiers went back amongst the tents, grumbling to each other, stopping only if they needed to shout at someone.
Lance extended his hand to Brown. “You look like hell, Doc.”
“I feel like it too. You aren’t looking so good either. When was the last time you ate?”
Cass stood behind him, working her axe into its holster. She managed after a few seconds, but it was definitely easier as a two-man operation.
“I had two protein bars this morning. That’s been it for a few days.” Lance caught a whiff of eggs and had to fight the urge to run to the tents and steal someone’s food. “You bossed those soldiers around pretty well. How are you in charge?”
“When everyone is dead or dying, doctors become commodities I suppose.” He shrugged. “Those are just young, scared boys.”
“Why haven’t you hightailed it out of here?” They started up the shore, stepping across large rocks and walking on trampled grass.
“I’m needed here. When the camp is empty, or close to it, I’ll leave.” Brown nodded at Cass, who walked in front of them. “Who is she? And why does she dress like that?”
“She’s an artist.”
“Well, I guess that explains the ludicrous style. Where’d you find her?”
“Actually, she saved my ass. Some militant assholes were about to kill me. I escaped, but damn near became a late breakfast for some of the daywalkers. She helped me out.”
“Daywalkers? That’s interesting.”
Lance shrugged. “It fits.”
“Keep her close, Mr. York. Bad things are happening to the women in this camp. It disgusts me to say it. This is a time when everyone should band together. Instead, we’re dealing with rapes and murders on a daily basis.”
“Lance.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Call me Lance. Doc, this place is nirvana compared to what’s happening out there. The world is gone. Just gone. Barbarism is the new norm. Get yourself a gun and watch your ass.”
“I don’t believe in guns, Mr.—” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, Lance. I’ve never used a gun, and I never will.”
“You need to reconsider that. Those things out there don’t give a shit about your political beliefs. Hell, politics are a thing of the past anyway.” Lance pointed at the road beyond the barbed fence. “Half a mile down that road is a whole camp of lunatics. They’ve tried to kill me twice now. They’re taking anything, and anyone, that they want. We’re up shit creek without a paddle, Doc.”
“I can appreciate—”
Cass spun around, hands on her hips. “How do you survive the night? What’s stopping the Vladdies from coming in here and wiping you out? These tents are sitting in the open.”
“The Vladdies?”
“It’s a long story,” Lance said. “She’s talking about the mutated people that come out at night.”
“Oh. Well, the military has a network of large generators setup around the stadium and the grounds. They start them at night and turn all the lights on out here. They’ve also setup some enormous, battery-operated spotlights that they weave around. They attack us every night, but between the bullets and the lights, we’ve held them off.”
A family of four, huddled around a tiny fire, stared at Cass, the mother frowning. The father appeared to be mesmerized by the shortness of Cass’s skirt. That earned him a shot to the ribs from his wife. A little boy, no more than eight, grabbed a book from a pile behind him and tore a few pages free, putting them in the fire.
There goes our literature and history.
“And how long do you think they can keep this up?” Cass asked. “Are there enough bullets and gasoline to do this for a week? A month?”
“I don’t know.” Brown stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “I’ve heard rumors from a few of the soldiers that they’re running low on everything. A few days ago, we had supplies coming in from three different military bases. We’re down to one now.”
Cass looked at Lance and shook her head. “We should leave.”
“No, you should eat and rest,” Brown said. “Both of you are nearing exhaustion.”
Someone screamed nearby, startling Lance and Brown. Cass continued staring at Lance, hands still attached to her waist.
“I have to see what’s going on,” Doc Brown said. “Please get some sleep. Your bodies can only take so much.”
He took a step in the direction of the scream when Lance caught his upper arm.
“Just one more question. The people that I left the hospital with, what happened to them?”
“Hmm? Oh, the mother with the newborn? She was on the first chopper out of here.”
“So Ashlee is safe? Do you know where they took her?”
“I believe she is. There are camps set up all over the countryside. She specifically asked to go to one near Greensburg, if I’m recalling correctly.”
Lance let out a sigh. At least she’d gotten away before everything went to shit.
“And my wife and her… boyfriend?” He almost choked on the last word.
Brown shuffled his feet, as if he felt uncomfortable talking about it. “They went with her in the same chopper. They were fine the last time I saw them. Now, I really must be going.”
He disappeared amongst the plethora of tents.
Lance stared off into space, feeling a little better. The three of them had gotten away. No matter what issues he had with Liz, he truly wanted her to escape the city. Perhaps she was already near Philadelphia, in search of her parents. Hopefully, Ashlee was tucked away in her uncle’s cabin, taking care of her little boy.
“Earth to dumbass. Are you there, dumbass?” Cass snapped her fingers by his face.
“Yeah, just giving myself a mental pat on the back.”
“What?”
“I helped three people get the hell out of here just when everything went down. Feels good.”
“Oh. Good for you then. Ignore my snark. Was one of them your wife?”
“And her boyfriend.”
“That must have been difficult.”
“Well, if I’m being honest, her boyfriend beat my ass and they left me on the sidewalk.”
“I really need to teach you how to fight. But first, we need to get out of here. Look around. This place is going to burn. Soon.”
The father of the family sitting by the fire looked up from his book burning.
“Hey lady, do you mind not scaring my kids?”
“They should be scared, and so should you.” Cass stepped directly in front of Lance. He could feel her breath on his cheek. “I saved your ass again in the river. You owe me. If we get out of here now, I’ll call it even.”
Lance locked his eyes on hers. “OK. We’ll go. But I have to get some food and water. Let’s grab two of those MREs and then we’re out of here. Deal?”
“Deal.”
She grinned at him, a small sparkle in her left eye. For a moment, he thought she might kiss him. He could have used that just then.
Instead, Cass stalked off, heading in the direction the soldier said the military tents were. Lance followed, wishing he’d kissed her rather than waiting for her to make the move.
They walked through the maze of tents. Lance was shocked at the squalor people lived in. He expected people to have little, but some of them didn’t even have shirts or shoes. Children played in the dirt, making car engine sounds as they swirled their fingers in circles.
A few women, their eyes blackened and cheeks yellowed, cowered in the corners of tents. Lance gritted his teeth at the sight of them, wishing he could get his hands on the men that assaulted them. What kind of monster wou
ld do that at a time like this?
Cass stalked onward as if she didn’t see them, eyes scanning ahead. She ignored catcalls as she moved by a group of men that looked at her like a piece of meat. Lance considered punching the nearest in the face, but he intended on keeping his promise to Cass—they would leave as soon as he got his hands on some food.
Navigating the maze of hovels and people took much longer than Lance liked, daylight burning too quickly.
They broke through the abundance of tents into a short clearing with police tape cutting off certain areas. Larger tents, each the size of a bus, ran in a line along the road leading to the front of the stadium. Soldiers hustled about, carrying supplies or helping the wounded.
A hand-painted sign leaning against the opening of a white tent read ‘FOOD’. Cass ducked under the yellow tape and went straight for it, ignoring the designated routes. She passed through the opening without waiting for Lance to catch up.
He followed her inside, having to walk around the stakes and ropes that held the structure up.
MREs and bottles of water filled the inside. Boxes and crates stacked atop one another, blocking the view of the back of the tent.
“Running out of supplies my ass,” Lance said.
Cass grunted. “It’s not much when you figure there are at least a thousand people in tents out there.”
“Lance?”
“What?” Lance turned around, looking for the person who said his name.
“Holy shit! You made it!”
Eifort stood behind a folding table covered in stacks of MREs.
“Eifort!” Lance walked over and proffered his hand. “Glad to see you’re still kicking.”
“It took you long enough to get here. I thought you died.”
“Not yet. I’ve had a couple of close calls though. Fortunately, I’ve got my guardian angel with me.” He cocked a thumb over his shoulder at Cass.
Eifort’s eyes widened as she took in Cass. “Where did you find her? She looks, uh, interesting.”
“It was the other way around—I found him.” Cass stepped over to the table. “I’m starting to think that you know entirely too many people in this camp.” She nudged Lance in the ribs.
“Sergeant Eifort helped me—”
“Staff Sergeant, actually.”
“Staff Sergeant Eifort helped me get the people away from the hospital.”
Eifort stared at Cass’ butchered hair. “What happened to your head?”
“I’m a blonde, as you can see. I leaned too close to the garbage disposal.” Cass shrugged.
Lance rolled his eyes. “Ignore her—she’s a pain in the ass. So the doc told me that Ashlee got away with her boy. Thanks for helping.”
“I’m still ashamed that I almost didn’t,” Eifort said. “Anyway, you guys look hungry. Want some grub?”
She pulled two MREs off a stack on the table and handed them over. “Sorry I couldn’t give you more, but we’re on tight rations. We’re losing more contact with the outside every day.”
“So we hear. That’s why we’re leaving, actually. Cassie Sassy here doesn’t feel safe.”
Cass gave him a harder shot in the ribs. The elbow knocked some of the wind out of him, though he tried to play it off as if nothing happened.
Eifort gave them a confused grin. She leaned over the table, whispered, “It isn’t safe here. We’re running out of everything. We had to stop sending out patrols in the helicopter because our fuel is so low. I expect them to pull us out of here soon.”
“See? I was right all along. Dumbass.”
“We ran into one of those patrols. A couple of Special Forces guys blowing shit up. Are they here?”
“We lost contact with them.” Eifort looked at the table before her. “We’re losing people by the hour.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Lance decided to change the subject. “We’re going for the mountains outside of Greensburg,” Lance said. “Do you know if it’s still safe there?”
“That’s the only place we still have radio communication with, as far as I know.”
Cass jerked her head toward the opening of the tent.
“Ok, Ok. Thanks for the food, Eifort. And for everything else. Keep your head down, you hear? Maybe we’ll see you in Greensburg.”
Eifort waved as they went back outside, the lowering sun bright against the light colored fabric of the tents.
Cass stopped at the police tape, her head swiveling from side to side.
“What is it?” Lance asked.
“I don’t particularly want to go back through there. Seeing all of those people is upsetting me.”
Lance understood. Watching the cowering women and starving children saddened him more than he could have expected.
“Let’s go around.” She pointed to the edge of the camping area on their left. The parking lot ended by a small roadway by the side of the stadium. “It might be faster anyway.”
It took a tremendous amount of willpower for Lance to keep himself from tearing open his MRE. Knowing that he had sustenance in his hand made him salivate. Cass kept her head straight, not looking at the mass of people in and around the tents.
A gray trailer on their left had large antennas and an array of satellite dishes atop it. Lance figured it to be the operations center, but he didn’t care enough to investigate it any further.
They approached the edge of the tents when someone shouted from behind them.
“Well, well, well, look who it is. Little miss smart mouth and her pussy boyfriend.”
Cass spun around, hand going to her holstered pistol.
“Don’t even think about it. Toss it.”
Lance sighed and turned around.
Two of the three soldiers they’d encountered on the shore stood behind them, rifles aimed at Lance and Cass once again. The older, wiser, and nicer of the three was nowhere around.
The men before them couldn’t have been more than twenty. Their baby faces betrayed their ages.
“I won’t tell you again, bitch.”
Cass lifted the gun from its holster and dropped it to the ground.
“Guys, let’s be smart about this. We’re leaving—there’s no reason to start any shit with us.” Lance doubted he could reason with these men. Seeing the way they glared at Cass, a combination of lust and hate in their expressions, answered Lance’s question as to who might be harming the women in the camp.
Shouts came from somewhere in the tents. Dozens of people screamed for help. The men ignored the sounds as if they weren’t happening.
Lance let his eyes roam the area around them, trying to see someone who could help. All of the other military members they’d seen were helping the people here—all of them except these two. He spotted a few service men, but they were too far away. Most ran into the tents, checking on what the shouting was about.
“You think we were just going to let Xena Princess Warrior’s attitude slide? We’re in charge now and we don’t appreciate taking shit from the peons.” The taller and tanner of the two kept his gaze on Cass, though he spoke to Lance.
Lance saw the man’s eye twitch every few seconds. That had happened to Lance a few years ago when he’d been fired from a job and they struggled to make ends meet. His doctor said it was stress and that he needed to take it easy. Clearly, the young soldier wasn’t handling things well.
“Everyone up front! Now!”
Fifty yards behind the soldiers, Major Reynolds burst from the command trailer. He spotted Lance and Cass and his two subordinates with their weapons pointed at them.
“Rodgers! What the hell are you doing?” He strode over to them, a glint of recognition on his face when he got a closer look at Lance. “York, right?”
“Is there anyone here that you don’t know?” Cass asked.
“Sir, these two were trying to… steal from the weapons cache.” Rodgers lowered his gun, saluting the major.
“Doesn’t matter. Get to the North Shore, now! We’ve been breached. If w
e don’t clear those bastards out, right now, there won’t be anyone left to use the goddamn weapons.”
Rodgers and his partner hesitated, casting glares at Cass again. “But—”
“Now!”
“Sir!” They turned and ran into the tents, disappearing.
Reynolds pointed his finger at Lance. “You and I are going to have a discussion later on. Everywhere I see you, problems follow.” With that, he followed his soldiers into the fray.
Cass picked her gun out of the dirt and stuffed it back in her holster.
“Can we not run into anyone else who doesn’t like you?” she asked.
“Hey, those two nitwits have a problem with you, not me.”
“Looks like they have a problem with a lot of women.”
The shouting in the tents intensified, frightened cries churning to pained.
“Now what?” Lance looked up at the sun, which was closer to the horizon than he would have liked. Where had the day gone?
“I told you—this place isn’t safe. We need to leave, now. I’m not even sure we can make to the shore before dark.”
People streamed from the tent line, dragging their loved ones behind them. Some had blood running from bites and scratches. Soldiers tried to maintain order, direct them toward the stadium, but panic pulled everyone’s strings now.
The fleeing crowd filled the street in front of the stadium, cutting off Cass and Lance’s escape route.
Knowing that Cass was right, they had to leave, Lance stepped in front of her.
He cupped the back of her head in his hand and pulled her face to his. He breathed her in as he kissed her surprised, stiff lips. They loosened after a moment and she kissed him back with vigor.
Lance pulled away after a few seconds, breathing heavily.
“What was that for?” Cass asked.
“Just in case.”
“Don’t say stupid shit like that. Just stay close to me so I can protect your out-of-shape ass.” She reached over her shoulder and pulled her battle-axe free. “Let’s do this.”
Lance took his Rambo knife from its sheath, gripping the handle so hard that veins bulged in his forearm. They tossed their MREs in the dirt, their hunger forgotten.
Together, they plunged into the tents.
Chapter 23