There was no sign of intruders at the Culver’s, but all the ATVs had returned. Edward noticed that, even in the group’s hurry to get back here, they had all still parked the ATVs facing away from the store. The better to escape, Edward realized.
Rae pulled the car into the Culver’s parking lot, making sure it too was lined up for people to get in easily from the main door and then go straight on out into the street. Cory had reported before they left the library that the two groups were close but not quite here yet, so there was at least enough time to grab all the supplies Rae had packed away inside. Rae ran inside with Dr. Bloss toddling along behind her. Edward, seeing the way he moved, brought up the rear and did his best to act as the doctor’s shield. If anyone from Merton was here yet and decided to take a potshot just for giggles, it would be better for Edward to get hit instead of the doctor. Edward could survive any body shot. He just hoped any theoretical snipers didn’t realize who he was yet and aim for the head.
Dr. Bloss, looking all around himself like the Culver’s was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen in the world, ran right into Rae as soon as they got in. She’d stopped at the old registers and stared at something on the floor in front of her, but Edward didn’t see what it was at first. All he saw was Cory, Luke, and Jojo standing around with guns in their hands. Edward moved around Rae and Dr. Bloss to see that all weapons in the room were pointed at Larissa. The girl was on her knees in front of them with her hands on her head. There were tears streaming down her dirty cheeks, but no one looked sympathetic to her.
“What exactly is going on?” Rae asked.
“I caught her sneaking outside to make a call to someone. That’s how we found out,” Cory said.
“Did you check her phone to see who she was calling?” Rae asked.
“No, it looks like it’s programmed weird. Nothing I’ve seen before. Some really new model. But I did overhear her say something about where we’re located, and that you guys had gone to the library.”
“Did you ask her anything else?” Rae asked.
“No, we figured you’re running the show and would have a better idea what to be asking her.”
“Okay then, talk,” Rae said to Larissa. She snapped off the safety once again on Spanky.
“Please don’t kill me,” Larissa said.
“I’m not going to kill you,” Rae said, pressing Spanky’s barrel against her head, “if you start talking. Are you still working for Merton?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. I never actually quit them. They gave me a job, to keep track of you. They’d never actually trusted me with anything important before, and I just wanted to prove I could do it.”
“I can’t really say I blame you. There might have been a time when I would have done the same,” Rae said, but she didn’t move her rifle from the girl’s head. “If you told them this was where we went, why didn’t they come after us sooner in the week?”
“You weren’t a high priority at the moment, except I guess that changed when that woman from the CRS called them and said Schuett was on his way here.”
“Woman? Which woman?” Edward asked.
“Her name is Dr. Chella. She’s the one that gave me the phone.”
“Fuck!” Edward said. “That bitch. I thought I was done with her.”
“Not exactly a friend of yours?” Rae asked.
“Only if friends like to cut each other wide open and inspect their insides.”
“Hmph. Typical of the CRS,” Dr. Bloss said. “Why cut a specimen wide open when all you really need is a hole large enough to reach in and feel around with? Can’t really see what you’re doing, but the joy of accidentally finding squishy new things is part of the fun.”
“I really hope you’re joking,” Edward said.
“I think I am,” Dr. Bloss said. “Can never be sure anymore, though.”
“How did she even know to look for Edward here?” Rae asked.
“I don’t know. Something about a map and a van.”
“Crap,” Edward said. “The computer in the van we stole must have still had the map we programmed into it. They must have found it.”
“I didn’t know, and I really didn’t care,” Larissa said. “I just did what I was told. Please, just let me go.”
“Not yet,” Rae said. “How long do we have before they get here?”
“I don’t know. A couple minutes, maybe? They’re waiting outside the south part of town, just far enough away that the patrols wouldn’t see them. I was supposed to give them another call once you and Schuett got back, and they would ambush the place. When I don’t call in, they’ll realize something is wrong.”
“Do we still have the phone?” Rae asked Cory.
He indicated the phone where it sat next to a register. “Right there. How do you want to play this?”
Rae looked back at Larissa. “Was there any other situation where you were supposed to call them?”
“Um. Uh, yeah, there was. If it looked like you were going to stay at the library for much longer, they were going to reposition and take you there.”
“I’m hoping you mean they were going to try taking us alive,” Edward said.
“Only Rae and the others. You that woman wants dead. They’ve got instructions to aim for the head. They never said anything about the old man, but I guess they don’t care what happens to him.”
“They will once they see what’s at the library,” Rae said. “But we can use that as our distraction.”
“But my research!” Dr. Bloss said. “Letting them have any of it would be like letting a child use a precisely tuned guitar as a hammer for smashing protons.”
“Doctor, I don’t think that actually made sense,” Edward said.
“Of course it does.”
“I’m sorry, Doc,” Rae said, “but it’s either sacrifice everything you have at the library or let them catch us. Cory, hand me the phone.” He gave her the phone, and Rae held it near Larissa’s ear. “Stop crying, and don’t do anything else to tip them off. You’re going to tell them that me and Edward are planning to stick around the library for another hour or so. If you do what we say, we won’t fill that empty little head of yours with bullets before we leave. Got it?”
She nodded, but before Rae could press the call button Edward grabbed her by the wrist.
“What is it?” Rae asked.
He could smell it all around them. That distinctive scent of meat, of prey, of everything that was other than him. “It’s too late. They’re here.”
“Everyone, get low!” Rae said. The ducked down by the counter, but there they could probably still be seen outside through the broken windows. It wasn’t just the smell now. Edward could hear movement all around them, the shuffling of fabric or the rustle of walking through tall grass.
“Larissa, how many people are out there?” Rae whispered.
“I don’t know. No one told me.”
Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Twenty…twenty-four…no, twenty five. I think. Some of them might be farther away than I can smell.”
“Okay, that is just creepy,” Jojo said.
“Can you tell where they are?” Rae asked.
“No, not exactly. They’re spread all around.”
“No areas where they have more people grouped up than somewhere else?”
“No.”
“Not a very good formation,” Cory said.
“Yeah, well, what do you expect? It’s Merton.”
“They’re getting closer,” Edward said. “Any moment now, they’ll be coming on in.”