Page 19

From the top, I can finally see the scope of the invasion. Biters dot the land around the collapsed wall while some smaller groups break through our lines here and there to rush into the compound interior. Around thirty Biters lie dead at the breach, and the few people that were bitten are already turning, adding to the army of Biters terrorizing the guard. A hundred more monsters are trying to fight their way into the compound. How the fuck did this happen?

The plain, horrible truth is that there aren’t enough of us to kill them all. Our compound has only seventy-four residents total, including fifteen full-time guards, five more reserve guards, five hunters, and ten supply runners. Even if every single one of us were down there fighting, we’d never survive. If we want to make it out of this alive, there’s only one thing that we can do: a controlled burn.

I quickly drop to one knee, prop my hunting rifle on my shoulder, and use the rail of the tower to assist me in shooting down as many Biters as I can see breaking off from the main group. When I’m done, I practically slide down the ladder to discuss with Dair.

“There’s nearly a hundred more Biters waiting to get in! We can’t kill them all,” I shout. “Best bet is a horde burn!”

Dair’s eyes are stormy, but he agrees, “Let’s try and contain them into one area, then.”

He follows me as I run toward the nearest group of guards. “Corral them!” I yell. Those closest to me begin relaying the message down the line until everyone changes tactics and begins pushing the horde into a contained semicircle around the gap in the wall, like building a dam.

Dair stays with the guard, meeting back up with Aspen so the two of them can shoot down any Biters on the compound side of the human dam. I run back, round the base of the watch tower, and break the lock on the emergency chest under the ladder with the butt of my hunting knife. From inside, I grab the bottle bomb kit, secure it to my body, and climb the ladder once more. Below me, the surviving guards are doing their best to keep the creatures contained to the narrow mouth of the broken wall. I can only hope they hold out just a little longer.

At the top, I crouch and unbundle the kit, setting the three antique glass oil lamps on the deck. As I quickly prep them, my mind wanders to Raine, hoping she’s safe inside a cellar. My alpha is disgusted with me, reminding me that, as her scent-match, it was my responsibility to make sure she was safe.

Right now, it feels like the weight of everything—the compound’s survival, Raine, and my mistakes—rests solely on my shoulders. It’s hard to breathe under the responsibility. Where the fuck is River? He should be here, helping me, and making the decisions I’m not equipped to make. I didn’t even want to be the captain of the guard, for fuck’s sake. My skills lie in tinkering with old tech, but as the leader, River didn’t think that was a good enough position in the compound for his packmate.

Fuck him, the dark part of me growls. Anger and resentment light my blood on fire, keeping me going, keeping me focused.

Once the lamps are filled with combustible oil and new rags have been threaded into the wick tubes, I grab the pack of matches stashed in the kit and take a deep breath.

The match lights immediately as I drag it over the starter, and I quickly light the first lantern. I watch as the flame takes hold and then move to the next and the next. Three lanterns lit by only three matches. It feels lucky, so I hold on to that feeling as I stand.

I peer over the platform into the compound and raise my hand, signaling to the guard with a thumb up. Bombs away.

I lob the first lamp at the back of the horde, cutting off their retreat by making their own incinerating bodies into a wall of flames. Their deteriorating bodies and waxy, thin skin easily ignite, and the fire begins to spread among the writhing bodies. Zana always said they burned like dried leaves; good for getting rid of hordes, but potentially dangerous in wooded areas like this. Today it doesn’t feel like a risk, not with the lake behind them. Instead, it feels like salvation when just one month from now the fallen leaves would have dried into perfect wildfire tinder.

I lob the next lamp at the front, creating a parallel effect near the wall, essentially boxing them into a cage of flames. The last lamp shatters in the middle of the horde, helping to speed the process and ensure the flames continue to grow and spread throughout the entire horde.

The guard is already backing away from the now-burning mass of creatures. Those with rifles continue to train their scopes on the Biters, ready to pick off any that manage to break through on the sides. Dair and Aspen shout orders and help shoot down any strays, and I prop my rifle on the rail once more to do the same.

The fire burns fast and true, taking only a handful of minutes to scorch through the horde. With nothing to feed the flames, they quickly reduce to embers, leaving only burned bodies, smoldering ashes, and black noxious smoke.

The combined stench of rotting, acidic Biters and burning corpses stings my senses, and I know I’m in for a long wait for my sense of smell to return. Forcing puffs of air from my nose, I descend the ladder for the last time, bringing our now empty bomb kit back to the base. The lamps will need to be replaced, which is going to be a real pain in the ass to do, but at least the matchbox is still half full.

While the fight at the wall is over, there’s so much shit to do that my muscles tense with the stress. Any unexposed guards will need to do a sweep of the compound, finding and eliminating any Biters that escaped notice. People will need to volunteer to monitor the dying fire to prevent spread, and another group will need to assist Doc in checking compound civilians for injury. Another crew will need to work day and night to fix the wall while a dedicated group of guards watches their backs.

All the guards that were in direct contact with the Biters will also need to follow protocol to be isolated and checked for eyeshine. Doc will probably keep them for a few hours after their exams, might even look for bites too.

For the first time, it feels like our smaller size is a severe disadvantage. After we tally deaths, will there even be enough people able to help with all this shit? It’s going to be a really tough seventy-two hours, and I know that River is going to lose his fucking mind once he realizes what a vulnerable position this puts us in—both in general and in the eyes of our potential allies.

Through the hazy smoke, I finally see a familiar set of shoulders running directly toward me. River collides into my chest, his strong arms wrapping around me. “Shit, man,” he breathes. “You’re alright?”

My hand comes up instinctively to pat his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m alright.” He releases me, holding me by the shoulders to glance over my body, presumably looking for injury or bites.

“What the fuck happened? How did a group of Biters manage to destroy an entire section of the wall?” River’s shrewd eyes scan the scene before us, the whites now red and watery from the sour scent and thick smoke.

My body aches and my ears feel full of cotton, but even I know that this was bizarre. Biters don’t just magically know how to do anything, especially nothing this organized or complex. When Biters first change after a bite, they are as intelligent as they’re ever going to be while still holding on to the last threads of their dying humanity. As Biters rot, their ability to problem-solve and reason disappears entirely until they are nothing better than decaying corpses driven by the sole need to bite. To feast.

So how did they manage to take on our compound and nearly win? River faces me, his green eyes now hard as stone, as if he’s come to the same conclusion that I just did. Either the Biters are evolving, or they had help. River’s increasing paranoia about a secret faction of dissenters now seems incredibly poignant.

“Not here,” River mumbles, eyes straying to where Dair and Aspen are regrouping with Tore and Koda. I nod. We’ll talk later, but first we need to organize what everyone will be doing, make sure exposed guards are secured for examination, and confirm that Doc has everything she needs.

[ 14 ]

RAINE

Grand Prairie Compound