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“Molev said the infected only fell for his tricks a few times. So we’ll probably only have one more chance to use the dummy again. Someone will need to head out with the fueler on their own while Molev secretly follows so the infected think the dummy on the roof is still him.”
“Agreed. Who do you want behind the wheel, and when do they leave?”
“Brandon knows what to expect already. I’ll talk to him and see if he’s willing to do it again first thing in the morning. He’ll need someone to ride shotgun.”
“I’m up for it,” Roni said.
“Okay. Then, you can talk to Brandon. If he’s not up for it, check with Roland.”
“On it, boss.” She jogged over to the Molev dummy sprawled on the ground, picked it up, wrapped her arm around its waist, and companionably walked it back to the housing.
I made my way to the western lookout and climbed the ladder, staying low as I joined the soldiers there.
“Any movement?” I asked.
One of the soldiers snorted.
“Not anymore. He’s already made a new pile of them.”
He handed me the binoculars, and I saw the pile for myself. But no Molev.
“Where’d he go?” I asked.
“He went south.”
It made sense that he would do a circuit to see what else is moving out there. Hopefully, everything would be clear, and he would be receptive to leaving the following day.
I returned the binoculars and left the roof to do rounds.
When I ensured everyone was okay and changing shifts as needed, I went to the communications room to see if we’d heard from Rick. His base was still secure, but news from the west wasn’t good. The infected and the hounds were sweeping through the mountains. The watchtowers had all fallen. Thanks to Molev’s information about the hounds and the scientists’ examination of corpses, the border operating bases were able to keep the hounds at bay so far.
Through Rick, Waurlyn reiterated our need to hurry, though. Once supplies and ammunition ran low, those bases would fall.
I stared at a map on the wall, studying the route between Vance and Whiteman as my mind raced. We had two hundred-plus people to move and one fueler to get us there. The armored vehicles would be safer but not effective, I realized. They weren’t fuel-efficient, and we would need too many of them to move everyone. I thought of the semi and frowned. It was bigger, but we wouldn’t be able to take the ditch to get around obstructions.
We had two Strykers, which could help keep the road clear. And Molev, of course. But we would likely need him to spend his time and energy keeping infected from swarming like he had on our trip into Loveland.
Leaving the communications room, I went back to housing and grabbed a few more hours of sleep. Roni woke me at dusk with an elbow to my side and a moody, “Get out of my bed, princess.”
Katie, who was snuggled behind me, groaned when I left her. Roni was quick to take my place and wrap a soothing arm around her.
Outside, I saw everyone had been working hard. Mobile floodlights surrounded the housing, connected to a waiting generator surrounded by gas cans. The sight was both a comfort and a concern.
I saw Molev—the real one, not the fake one with the exaggerated pants python—on one of the roofs and went to join him. His gaze briefly flicked to me when I topped the ladder.
“How’s it been?” I asked when I stood behind him.
“Quiet. I have been clearing outside the fence to keep the number of infected low. They are starting to avoid the area.”
“That’s good.”
He grunted and crossed his arms, his expression almost angry.
“What’s not good about it?” I asked.
“I saw a watcher with changed eyes. When it spotted me, it disappeared.”
“Okay. Yeah, that’s not good. What’s your gut telling you?”
