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The two of them followed the doctor while the rest of us accompanied Rick to one of the few permanent buildings on the plateau. He opened the door to a large conference room littered with maps and powered-down computers.
“Here we go,” he said, moving to a map on the center of the table. “I’ve already taken the liberty of marking the locations. We’re here. The personnel you’ve trained are coming from here and here. I’m guessing you’ll see some of them tomorrow. But Waurlyn said supplies are dangerously low and emphasized getting you in the field as soon as possible. So, I can have you at a drop point here”–he pointed to a new spot–“an hour after dawn.”
Molev and I studied the map. We were on a plateau in New Mexico east-southeast of Santa Fe. Our goal, Whiteman, was in Missouri, almost one thousand miles away as the crow flew. In between, three locations were marked. Amarillo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Kansas City.
Kansas City would bring us the closest to our goal.
“Weren’t the biggest cities bombed?” I asked.
“Waurlyn said the distribution center is just outside of the blast zone. It’s funny that one caught your eye first. She said it’s likely to have the biggest payoff but the highest risk too. Vance would have been an ideal refueling location, but it was evacuated a few weeks ago. The fuel’s still there. Not sure we can get to it, though.”
“We can,” Molev said. “Was everything left behind in the evacuation? Vehicles? Food?”
“It was an air evac, so yeah. That doesn’t mean it's still there, though.”
“There were a lot of people out there still looking for supplies,” I said to Molev. “Remember the gunshots when you were out of it in the MRAP? Those were from raiders. If they saw the evacuation, they might have tried to go in.”
Molev considered the map.
“The infected are drawn to large gatherings of humans. I saw it at the last base. The barrier is at risk because the humans on the other side have already drawn the attention of the infected. Once the volunteers arrive, I want to move quickly so we don’t draw the infected here.”
“Understood,” Rick said. “Waurlyn promised adequate air support to move everyone. I’ll make sure my people are ready to refuel and get you off the ground as soon as they arrive.”
Molev grunted, still looking at the map.
I could see it in his eyes.
We were so close to home now.
CHAPTERNINE
Quiet timetogether wasn’t realistic. Not when we returned to the bunks and found several of them occupied. I patted Molev’s arm.
“We can still cuddle,” I said softly.
Roni overheard and snorted.
Molev’s gaze flicked to her before he picked me up and left. We ended up on the roof of the commander's building. Molev sat with me in his lap, and we watched the sunset together as he held me.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“I’m thinking of my brothers, wondering what I’ve missed since leaving them. Hoping they are well and some of the females have changed how they think.”
“How did they think?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if he still meant their fear of them or something else.
“That we’re too different to love.”
I twisted to look up at him. “If they haven’t, we’ll help them change their minds.”
He dipped his head and kissed me tenderly.
“I feared you would have changed how you think,” he said, studying me.
“And how do I think?” I asked with a slight grin.
“Too much and too often.”
I elbowed him. It was like elbowing stone. He wrapped me tighter in his arms.
