I turn to see Robert and Michelle, engaged in a conversation, near the railing outside of the cubicle they’ve been sharing. It’s apparent from their body language that, while not a heated discussion, they are at least having a serious one. I turn back to the interior giving them a semblance of privacy. They talk for a moment longer and then I hear Robert’s footsteps on the linoleum floor as he walks in my direction. I glance over and notice something close to a glare from Michelle as she looks at me for a second before going back in their room. Robert, with his black fatigues, vest, and M-4 slung across his back, leans on his elbows on the rail next to me.
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Trouble?” I ask.
“Nah. She’s just a little pissed that I keep going out with you. She wants me to stay here with her,” he answers.
“So that must be the twin laser beams she shot at me. She has a point you know. You should consider staying here with her,” I say.
“Yeah, well, that’s not going to happen. It’s not that I don’t want to but maybe when this all settles down. Right now, I need to learn and get the experience but she doesn’t want to hear that. After all, old man, someone has to be there when you slow down,” Robert says.
“Settle down? That may not happen in any of our lifetimes. I hope it does though. I’m getting tired,” I reply.
“Do you really think this pace will keep up?” He asks.
“I’m not sure. In some ways, I don’t think we’ve even started. There’s a shitload of night runners out there and we haven’t the slightest notion of what they are capable of,” I answer.
“Michelle isn’t going to like that, just like she doesn’t like the fact that we’re flying off again soon,” he says.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m having the same issue,” I say, hearing the curtain part behind me. Lynn parks herself against the railing on the other side of me.
“What are you two boys talking about?” She asks.
“Nothing much. You know, the weather, the best deodorant to use, that sort of stuff,” I answer.
“Uh, huh…. And I suppose that the fact that Michelle and I aren’t looking forward to you two flying out again soon never came up,” she says.
“How do you do that? Do we really have a teleprompter on our foreheads?” I ask, startled at how she always knows what I’m thinking.
“We have our magical ways,” she replies with a grin. “And to answer, yes you do. And yours, Jack, is bigger than most.”
“You know I love you, right?” I say.
“Yes, I do, and love you too,” she replies. “Jack, there was something on the cameras last night I think you should see.”
“What was it?”
“Just come look at the tape yourself before we head out,” she says.
Robert, Lynn, and I walk downstairs into the control room. She pulls the recording out and starts playing it. She fast forwards until night runners appear on the screen. I watch for a few moments as the replay of what she saw plays.
“Shit! Are they actually casing the walls and looking the place over?” I ask, stunned by what I am seeing.
“That’s what it looks like to me,” Robert answers.
“I was thinking the same thing when I saw it last night,” Lynn responds.
I continue to watch as the small band of night runners look at the walls. Lynn puts in another recording as the ones on screen move off to the side. They appear again and stop. I shiver and a sense of dread comes over me. I know not to underestimate the night runners or anyone else for that matter and didn’t think I had been. The actions I am watching certainly indicate that I may have been. I hope this isn’t a prelude to something and think about taking the AC-130 up tonight.
“We have to clear out the area,” I say, watching a night runner take a run toward the camera and wall.
I continue watching as the explosion from the mine fills the screen and the subsequent night runner reaction. They vanish into the distance after moments of apparently being stunned. Lynn reaches over and hits the stop button but we continue to watch the blank screen for a few more moments. The fact that night runners will, no can, openly observe and surveil doesn’t leave me with a warm feeling. Cold dread creeps up my spine. As with the other packs I’ve observed, this one had an apparent leader. Perhaps it’s the leaders that have the ability? Whatever the case, it seems they have a higher level of intelligence that I wasn’t aware of. Yes, they can open doors and the thought of them being able to escape from the hospital comes to mind. Not that it ever really left.
“I’ll go wake the others,” Lynn says, jarring me from my thoughts.
“Okay, thanks, I’ll meet you outside,” I say.
Robert and I check that the outside is clear and step out to an overcast day. The moisture in the air after so many clear days brings a chill. It’s barely light out and the parking lots are cast in a dim gray. The sun must just be peaking above the mountains but it doesn’t look like we’ll see much of it today. The air is still with not a breeze stirring. The morning fits my mood after watching the video. I was only partially kidding when I told Robert that we may not see a secure peace in our lifetimes. Once again, it feels like we are barely treading water, but we are still alive. Looking at Robert sitting on the curb next to me, resolve sets in. I’ll protect him, Bri, and Lynn to my dying breath. An image of Nic smiling fills my mind and fills me with sadness and longing to see her. Just to see my sweet girl once again. See her smile, hear her voice, and hug her just one more time. God, I miss her. My heart opens up and tears well in my eyes.
“So, what are we going to do?” Robert asks, breaking the silence of the morning.
“Kill every last one of the motherfuckers,” I answer, looking over at him.
“I’m with you on that. But how?” He asks.
“We’ll take the Spooky out and clear out the area. Scorched earth policy. Clear out every last place they can hide in. Strike fear in them. Make it so they won’t want to come within miles of this place,” I say.
What I don’t mention is the fear they’ve struck in me. I’ve dealt with a lot of bad guys in my time but nothing like the night runners. Sure it’s been a while since we’ve had to endure nightly attacks and the barrage of their shrieks but their ability to adapt so quickly and the level of intelligence they seem to have worries me. The sheer number of them that the CDC statistics compiled is mind-boggling, particularly compared to the lack of our numbers. I feel deep down that it’s only a matter of time before they come at us again. Especially if Frank is right about them running low on food. Maybe we could leave food drops for them far away so they wouldn’t think of coming here. I release that thought as it would sorely deplete our own resources. No, we have to clear them out of the area somehow.
Robert just looks at me. Team members begin to trickle out and toss their gear in Humvees. “Well, shall we go see what the sub captain has to say?” I say, patting him on the shoulder.
“Let’s go do it,” he replies. We head over to the Humvees for our journey north.
Sam the Unwise
The clouds remain over us on our journey to Fort Lewis. They don’t have the look of foreshadowing rain but they are more evidence of the fall and coming winter. Time continues to tick away. With the exception of the continued signs of night runner adaptability, we seem to be doing well with our own advances. I just hope we haven’t overlooked something drastic. It’s not like we are playing a video game and can pull up our last save if we make a mistake.
We follow the familiar terrain of I-5 north. The leaves of the few deciduous trees in the area are turning red and yellow, giving color to the otherwise dreary gray day the Northwest is known for. It won’t be long until the rains hit. And the shorter days. The grass in the median between the north and southbound lanes has grown tall, so much that the other lanes are hidden behind it. I look in the rear-view mirror and see five other Humvees climbing the hill behind. We take the first turn into Fort Lewis and make our way through the abandoned fort to the maintenance buildings.