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“There’s nothing inside the barrier?”Steve asked.
“Everything known between the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and the Rockies has been cleared and moved to storage facilities in western California.Everything that is shipped to the sanctuaries or sent out with the FOBs is from there.
“Collection between the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains was postponed until we better understood the threat.”
“Fine,” I said.“We’re not sure what to expect, and that’s why you want Molev outside.But is it smart to ask him to use his energy on four hours of running when we have no idea what we’ll face at the watchtower or when we reach Loveland?It makes more sense to conserve and wait to use him until necessary.”
“The roofs of these vehicles are sturdy and can hold me,” Molev said.“I won’t expend unnecessary energy while still watching and listening.”
I glanced at him, taking in the multitude of scars he already wore, and felt a surge of annoyance at myself and him.We really couldn’t have picked a worse time to try to start laying the groundwork for a relationship.
While holding my gaze, he very subtly shook his head.The warning told me he knew exactly where my head was going.
“You want to ride up top?Fine.Knock on the roof if you see something and need to deal with it.That way, the convoy knows to slow down and wait for you.”
Roland made an unhappy sound.“Twice when you’re leaving and want us to slow down and three times if you’re leaving and want us to keep it steady.”He glanced at me.“I don’t want to slow down for traps if we don’t need to.”
I agreed, and Patrick moved to radio the change in plans.Molev took his seat.
“Don’t start with me,” I warned.“If you don’t want me to pull away, make sure you don’t wear yourself out before the fighting really begins.It’s not easier for me to watch you be bitten than it is for you to watch me.Only I don’t have the luxury of telling your opponent to stop biting so hard.Got it?”
Molev cupped the back of my head and pressed his forehead to mine.
“Thank you,” he said.
“There was still plenty of censure mixed in with that concern, so I don’t know why you’re thanking me.”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead.Five minutes later, he was on the roof.I closed my eyes and tried to rest, knowing there wouldn’t be much opportunity for it once we finally reached the shitstorm we were heading into.
The drone of our vehicle’s engine faded into the background as I drifted.When I tipped into Patrick because of an incline, I roused enough to check my watch and saw an hour had passed without incident.Then two.Then three.My ass went numb from the vibrations somewhere in there, and my lower back started to tweak.I leaned forward to stretch it.And that’s when the first double-knock echoed from above.
Patrick radioed that Molev wanted us to slow down and asked if anyone had eyes on him.
“We see him on the FLIR,” someone reported.“To the east.Four other people.Nope.Not anymore.I really hope they were undead.I’ve never seen anything move that fast.He’s like a damn mountain goat.”
The radio went silent for a moment.
“He’s headed north.There’s a group ahead.”Another few moments of silence.“He cleared them too.”
“Gunners ready,” someone else said.
“Hold fire,” another said.“Do not shoot the grey.I repeat.Do not shoot the grey.”
I glanced at Patrick.
“They were warned,” he said.
I hoped, for everyone’s sake, there wouldn’t be any accidental discharges in Molev’s direction.
The terrain didn’t make it easy to see where the infected were without the FLIR, and sometimes, due to the steep slopes, it was impossible.Yet, Molev seemed to know right where they were.Disappearing occasionally, only to return with news of what he’d found.
We continued like that, at a slower pace, until we reached the watchtower.Molev’s kill tally totaled fifty by the time he opened the door.His shirt was a mess of red and brown bits as his gaze swept the others and locked onto me.
The engines quieted as everyone got out.I scanned his arms and face.
“Turn around,” I said.
He did, and I saw his back was clean.
