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“Live to fight another day,” Sid said.
“Then let’s stop treating my love life or lack thereof like a daytime drama and get to work.Molev wants to see how the infected have changed since we’ve been here.Keep sharp, watch everything, and stay alive.”
I headed for the door, comforted by the familiar feel of my gear.
Molev waited outside by the jeeps, his expression stoic as he watched my approach.
“Are you focused?”I asked him.
He nodded once, and part of me wished I knew what was going through his head.Now and when he’d said all that stuff in the bedroom.Rather than focusing on it, though, I stayed in the moment.
“Which truck are we in?”I asked.
He motioned to the lead one.I got in and made enough room for him to sit beside me.
It was a quick drive to the meet-up point, where the rest of the platoon was already gathered.The jeeps stopped by a Stryker where Waurlyn waited with Patrick.He looked us over, his gaze lingering on me as I got out of the jeep after Molev.
“Patrick will accompany you and act as my eyes and ears to provide you with what you need while you’re away,” Waurlyn said to Molev.“Will that suit you?”
Molev nodded once, and she smiled.
“Patrick spoke highly of your resourcefulness when out in the field, but I still ask that you exercise caution and not take any unnecessary risks.”She glanced at the rest of us.“I look forward to meeting with you all again in three days.”
She left us with Patrick.
“Hope you’re rested up,” he said, moving to get into the Stryker.“We have a long drive ahead of us.”
“Where are we going?”I asked.
“Gypsum, Colorado, just inside the secured zone,” Patrick said.
“I thought we were doing a supply run.”I took the seat beside him and glanced at Molev as he sat across from us.
“We are,” Patrick said.“Everything between here and there has been evacuated through the mountains, and the supplies from the towns have already been cleared.We need to head outside of the barrier.Loveland’s not far from Gypsum.There’s a distribution center there that they want us to secure.”
I thought back to what I’d heard weeks ago as the door closed.
“Wasn’t the Denver-Fort Collins area bombed hard?”I asked.
“It was.But they focused the majority of it on the residential areas.There are pockets that are still standing.The highway near the distribution center is still intact.If we can reach the location, we’ll secure it and contact the Gypsum FOB.They’ll airlift the supplies out while there’s daylight.”
The Stryker’s engine rumbled to life, and I settled in for the ride.It was long and boring.Conversation wasn’t really easy because of the noise, and there wasn’t a whole lot to say.So most everyone napped or stared off into space, lost in their own thoughts.
Molev watched me, ignoring everyone else until our first stop.Katie, Roni, and I used a ditch and stretched our legs during refueling.Molev was gone from his seat when we returned and didn’t come back when the engine started.
“Thought for sure he’d rather stay in here with you,” Patrick said when we got underway again.
“Why’s that?”I asked.
“Does he ever stop watching you?”he asked.
“I’m not sure.Sometimes I sleep.”
Patrick snorted.“Same Andie.”
“Same world,” I retorted.
We slowly made our way northeast through the mountains.I saw Molev at each stop.He wasn’t watching me, though.He was studying the soldiers as they refueled or stood guard, or he watched the mountains around us.
