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We needed more time.
I walked around town, paying attention to the homes.
We needed a plan for when the wave hit. Obviously, evacuating was out. But just sitting inside the houses and hoping the infected wouldn’t find their way in wasn’t a good idea either.
The subdivision was huge. The sprawling wall encompassing it would be hard to defend against the kind of numbers we’d likely see. While adding the third level would make it a decent line of defense, the survivors needed a second line of defense if that wall was breached. Something easier to protect against an insurmountable number of infected if the outer wall was breached.
No, not if. When.
How long would it take hundreds of thousands of infected to crash against that wall and trample over one another until they reached the top? Mere minutes?
I paused at the open space where they’d constructed a shelter for the livestock and watched them sleep.
What we needed was something smaller built in the center. Something big enough to house everyone for a number of days until…until what? Until the fey killed them all? How long could they fight before they dropped? Molev’s stamina was inhuman, but he had limits. I’d seen him after that night in Loveland. He’d been spent. Hiding away in some bunker-like fortress wouldn’t save us. We’d eventually starve, or the infected would find a way in.
We needed a better answer than walls to keep the infected out.
We needed a damn way to stop them in their tracks.
Restless, I turned toward Roni’s place and knocked softly on her door. Brog answered it a few minutes later. He looked tired and a little harassed.
“Is Roni awake?” I asked.
“She has been quiet for a while, but I am not sure.”
“Want me to check?”
He stepped aside to let me in and pointed me in the direction of the bedroom.
I opened the door quietly and peeked inside the dark room.
Something caught my shoulders and yanked me forward into nothingness. Training kicked in as my feet left the ground. The second my back hit the carpet, I used my momentum to flip Roni. The lights turned on as she sailed over me. She growled and disappeared.
Panting, I looked around and saw Brog had her wrapped in his arms, pinning her back to his chest and arms at her sides. She was completely naked and scowling at me.
I shifted my attention to Brog as I stood.
“I take it she’s done this before?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Get dressed, Roni,” I said. “Meet me by the front door in five. We’ll go for a run.”
“Fine,” she said, elbowing Brog, who immediately released her and moved closer to me.
We left the bedroom and returned to the entry.
“Her independence and drive have been an asset,” I said. “They’ve kept her alive until now. She thinks hooking up with someone means giving those up. She’s not wrong. Women have to give up a lot when they commit themselves to a man. You need to show her what she’ll be getting in exchange. Roni’s an amazing person. Vibrant and full of life. Don’t dim that.”
“I won’t,” he said.
Roni emerged with an attitude and full gear.
“I’m going to need more than a run,” she said.
“I’ll do my best. But I’m a little sore. Molev really laid into me before dinner.”
She scowled at me, and I smirked.
