“I’m no good to anyone right now,” Clutch said, the words sounding forced.
After a moment, Tyler gave a single nod. “Understood. Get yourself to bed.”
“I’ll take Clutch back to the cabin and get right back,” Wes said.
I squeezed Clutch’s shoulder just before I climbed out. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
He touched my hand briefly. The Jeep pulled away.
Tyler watched the Jeep disappear around a curve. “It’s too early. Clutch shouldn’t have been out there today.”
“Our detour today jarred him around too much,” I said. “He needs more time in bed, but you know him.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
Doc waved toward Tyler and then gave him a thumbs up. The newcomers had been cleared. I walked with Tyler toward the ragtag group of newcomers. When we reached the gate, a middle-aged man with white hair and a scruffy beard stepped forward.
Tyler said, “Thanks for your patience. I apologize for the delay. I know you’re tired and hungry, but we have protocols to follow.”
“I understand. You’ve treated us fair,” The man said and then held out a hand. “The name’s Manny.”
Tyler nodded rather than taking Manny’s hand. “I’m Captain Tyler Masden, and this is the current base of operations for Camp Fox.”
The man smiled. “Oh, I know who you are. We were on our way here to find you when the zeds found us.”
Tyler frowned. “You were coming here?”
“I heard Camp Fox was a safe place.”
“Word travels. We’re the largest camp in the area for a reason. But you nearly didn’t make it here. You’re damn lucky one of my men saw your sign,” Tyler continued. “We only scout Freeley once a month.”
Manny smiled. “Luck? No. I’d call it a goddamn miracle you found us. We’re mighty obliged you stopped to help. Most folks would have just kept on going. You saved our lives. To tell the truth, we were starting to lose hope.”
“We’re happy to be of service,” Tyler replied. “Nowadays, we have to look out for one another. After all, there aren’t enough of us left. So, where are you folks from?”
“Marshall,” Manny replied.
“Marshall, Minnesota? You mean the group holed up at SMSU?” Tyler asked. “What are you doing this far south?”
My brows furrowed. Marshall, with all its radio and telecom equipment, had been one of the first to develop an entire network of communities, with Camp Fox being one of its weekly contacts.
Manny cocked his head. “You haven’t heard? Marshall was overtaken. When the herds hit the university, we couldn’t get back to the student center where everyone else was. We were out on a supply run, and the herds cut us off. Anyone else who couldn’t get back to the student center scattered to the four winds. So we radioed the center and took off to scout somewhere safe from the zeds. We’ll go back to pick up everyone as soon as we find somewhere safe in case the zeds pass through again. Before we lost contact with them, they’d said several herds were still there. They don’t have much food in the student center, enough for a few weeks, maybe.”
I gulped in shock. Marshall was a large settlement. With survivors from the Twin Cities, they’d had a couple thousand survivors and had set up walls around the small university. No herd should’ve gotten close.
“I don’t get it,” Tyler said. “What kind of herd could get past Marshall’s troops?”
“Not just any herd. Many huge herds all moving together.” Manny waved his hand. “One was at least a hundred thousand strong.”
A hundred thousand zeds. I shivered. A herd of forty nearly got the best of us today. The last thing I could fathom was an endless herd heading straight toward us.
Manny continued. “They’re slow, but they make a wide path, and they trample everything. The bastards are relentless. They only stop to feed. As soon as we’d get in front of one herd, we’d run into another. They got my Marcia when we first tried to leave the house we’d spent the night in. I tried to get to her, but…well, she’s with them in hell now.” He rubbed a hand through his greasy hair. “We’d finally put a couple hundred miles between us and them. We stopped at Freeley when the sun set. We were planning to come here first thing in the morning, but when we’d awoke, a herd had found us. We tried to get out, but we lost several good people. We’d been holed up in that house for damn near a week, losing time that we don’t have.”
“You think these herds are headed this way?” I asked the instant before I knew Tyler would voice the same question.
Manny nodded with a pained expression. “They’re headed this way, that’s guaranteed. We figure they’re migrating. Near as I can tell, zeds from as far north as Canada are picking up small herds as they move south, until their numbers become like locusts.”
Tyler pursed his lips before letting out a sigh. “Well, shit. I definitely want to learn more about this zed problem, but your folks need food and rest. We can talk more over dinner. Tonight, Vicki is making a rare treat, pumpkin for dessert. You and your people are welcome to stay as long as you need.” He pointed down the road to the south. “I have a farmhouse set up about a mile from here for you to stay in tonight. As long as you play fair, you’ll see no aggression from Camp Fox. If you want to make your stay more permanent and live within the park, we’ll have to talk. There are conditions all residents must agree to.” He motioned to Griz and Tack in the Humvee closest to the gate. “My men will take your people into the park for dinner and then to the farmhouse so you can clean up and rest. Sound good?”
The other man nodded. “I owe you my life and my thanks. Your offer is more than fair.” Then he held out his hand.
This time, Tyler shook it.
A blond guy approached Manny. I could see the white tip of a thick scar peeking out from the V-neck of his shirt. He reached behind him and I readied my spear. Instead of pulling out a weapon, he held up a picture of a family. I assumed he was the man in the photo, though the beard and a hundred pounds less fat made it tough to tell. In the picture, a middle-aged man posed with a kindly looking woman and a teenaged girl. All three looked happy. Obviously, it had been taken before anyone had heard of zeds.
He shoved the picture in my face. “Please, you have to help me. My wife and daughter are still in Marshall. If you can give me some supplies, I can go back for them while the others go ahead and find somewhere safe.”
“Bill, we’ve talked about this already,” Manny said with a sigh.
“I know, but I can’t leave them alone for much longer. I need to get back to them,” Bill replied before looking again at me. “Please. It’s my family.”
My lips tightened. He was clearly trying to get me on his side, likely because I was a woman. He was playing to the wrong person. Of the pair in front of him, Tyler had the softer heart. He was generous, always ready to help someone in need. I was selfish. Everything I did was to protect Jase, Clutch, and me. With every stranger we helped, we put ourselves at risk. Our days were already full from sunrise to sunset with keeping Camp Fox clear of zeds and searching houses and gardens for food. The idea of giving up even one day to help someone I didn’t know or trust brought on an instant tension headache.
“We’ll consider your case later,” Tyler said, pressing Bill’s hand down. “You need food and a good night’s rest.”
The man frowned and fervently shook his head. “No. This can’t wait. The herds will hit you here, just like they did in Marshall. Then there will be nothing left. I have to get my family and head south, find an island or somewhere the herds can’t get to us. If we stay here, we’ll die. Just like you’re all going to die.”