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Hours later, the sky started to lighten, and someone came to relieve us.
“There’s a mess hall that way,” he said with a nod.“Hot coffee and hot food.”
We nodded our thanks and headed in the direction he’d indicated.
Patrick found us in the mess hall fifteen minutes later.
“They lost ten men last night,” he said without preamble.“Undead got ‘em.I heard you were both at the breach.”
“We got there when the bodies were already piled halfway up the fence.”
He nodded and leaned closer.“And what did you hear?”he asked softly.
“Something I’ve never heard before,” Roni said.
“Same,” I added.
“Take a car and circle the base.Bring Cody and Roland with you.You know what you’re looking for.”
A sick feeling settled into my stomach at his implication.The greys were terrifying enough without an animalistic roar.
Hoping Patrick was wrong, I stood and followed Roni out of the mess hall.
We found Cody and Roland easily enough and left the base with little fuss.Twenty minutes later, we spotted a pile of headless bodies tucked away behind a line of trees on the other side of the field.
“Jesus.How many are there?”Cody asked.
“Don’t know; don’t care,” Roni said.“Turn us around, Andie.”
I executed a slow one-eighty, careful of the unseen bumps and ruts in the snow-dusted field.The last thing I wanted to do was to get stuck.No one spoke as we headed back toward the gate.
Patrick was waiting for us just inside.
“One or more followed us,” Roland reported quietly as we walked away from the vehicle.“There were at least two dozen headless bodies out there.Left them in a pile like last time.”
Patrick swore under his breath and looked at the fence.I knew he wasn’t really seeing it, though.He was thinking.Weighing his options.His gaze settled back on us.
“Vance has lost too many men to hold it through another night.Air pickup is coming later this afternoon.The resources here are being reallocated but not to us.
“Our mission hasn’t changed.We need to know what those things want.Having some of them follow us makes our job easier.Head back out.Try to track them down and attract their attention.”
“And when we have it?”Cody asked.
“They talked to us once.Get them talking again.”He looked at me.“The big one was willing to tell you about the baby.They might be interested in the pregnant woman we picked up.”
“You want us to tell them we found a pregnant woman?”I asked, not sure I was hearing right.“And what if they want her to join them?Her husband might have something to say about that, I think.”
“We just need to get them talking.About anything.Find out what they’re interested in.Then we have a bargaining chip and a means for potential negotiations.It doesn’t mean we hand anything or anyone over.Remember, we’re trying to get information.What do they want?What is it going to take to stop the attacks?”Patrick gave each of us a hard look.“We’re all putting our lives on the line to end this.I don’t want to lose any more than necessary.But if another sacrifice is what it takes to save millions, who here wouldn’t step up?Don’t think for a moment that woman wouldn’t do the same to save the child she already gave birth to if that’s what it takes.”
That cold, sick feeling settled into my middle again.I hated that Patrick was right.I’d seen firsthand the heartbreak a parent had to face by choosing one child’s life over another.I thought of Zion again.No one had forced me to volunteer.I’d done it without hesitation for a chance to save him.Any sacrifice that mother made or didn’t make would be her own choice, too.
“Take a Humvee this time.You want the attention.Good luck,” Patrick said.
He walked away from us with purpose, flagging down someone in uniform.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Roni’s scrutiny.
“You all right?”she asked.
