Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4) (39 page)

Misha moved through the recently fallen darkness, wondering what the summons had been about. Once the sun was down, it became too difficult to communicate with those outside the walls. The flashlights weren’t as easy to spot as mirror-reflected sunlight—although the darkness did help with that—and nobody wanted to burn through batteries unless it was really important. Misha thought that since they were done talking to them, he was done for the night and could go to bed. It was while he was deciding whether to find himself a space in the community centre or find a way to climb back up onto his container in order to get inside, that Boyle had approached him and told him to meet at the end of the dock in an hour.

The night was clear; the large U-shaped concrete dock stood out as a pale patch within the dark, faintly glittering water. He could see a few people already moving about at the end. There appeared to be at least ten of them, more than Misha had expected. As he approached, another group of five drifted from between some containers ahead, also moving toward the dock. That put the count at sixteen including him.

When Misha reached the concrete, he glanced behind him. There were three more people moving through the darkness, coming toward the dock as well. Why were so many meeting out here? Were even more coming? He thought about his dogs, concerned for their safety. If some sort of plan to quietly abandon the yard was taking place, he’d fight whoever he needed to in order to go back for them.

As soon as he got close enough to make out features, Misha started putting names to people, hoping that would give him some sort of explanation. There was the old woman who was always sewing things sitting on a fairly large metal box of some sort. Flanking her like a pair of guards were Boyle and Karsten. Grouped next to them were the three outsiders: Tommy, Suzanne, and Mark. Jon was moving from them to a cluster made up of Danny, Bryce, Larson, Lenny, and Shaidi, who were most likely the group of five who had arrived just before Misha. Scattered about on their own, Harry shifted from foot to foot, Jans paced in tight circles, and Freya stood perfectly still, looking over the group. Attaching himself to the fringes of the gathering, Misha looked back again, spotting the same three as before but no others. As they arrived, he identified them as White with two sharp shooters from the wall, Katrina and Yasmin. Outside of Nessie, everyone here was extremely capable of handling themselves in a rough situation, and the majority knew about what was really on the other side of the wall: Dean, the overly smart zombie.

“We’re all here. Gather in please, I don’t want to have to speak too loudly,” Boyle gestured for the group to pack in around him, Karsten, and Nessie. Nessie continued to sit where she was, her hands busily cutting up strips of leather.

Misha manoeuvred himself so that he was shoulder to shoulder with Jon and Danny, who had gotten a sling since Misha had last seen him, that secured the arm attached to his injured shoulder against his belly.

“I’m going to make this as quick as I can,” Boyle said to the group, the lapping water helping to cover his words. “For those of you who don’t know, there is a super smart zombie beyond our wall. I’m talking about Roy kind of smart.”

Those who hadn’t known revealed themselves by shifting uncomfortably.

“We’ve only been able to come up with one plan in order to deal with him. We can’t just shoot him; he’s too far and covered in armour. Instead, we’re going with these.” Boyle patted Nessie on the shoulder, who then stood up.

The older woman moved over to Freya’s side, handing her the strips of leather. Karsten bent over and unsnapped the latches on the metal box, then lifted the lid to reveal its contents. Just in case it was too dark for some, Boyle clicked on a flashlight and illuminated the grenades for a minute, making sure everyone knew what they were.

“We have thirty-six in here, two for each of us.”

Misha guessed that Nessie wasn’t being included in that count.

“Now, based on the coordinates we were given, Dean, the smart zombie, is a bit too far from the wall to throw these at him. At least, too far if we wish to remain hidden. Freya here, is going to teach us all, Karsten and myself included, how to use a sling.”

Most of the gathering looked warily at one another.

“What about the rest of the zombies?” Harry asked, ever the thinker. Leave it to the man who guided their construction of the wall to immediately think ahead.

“The three who warned us of their coming have people out there, the ones who gave us Dean’s co-ordinates, who are able to spy on the horde from behind. When we’re ready, they’re going to set off fireworks immediately after our first volley of grenades, and continue to do so for a while after our second. The dumb zombies are drawn to this Dean thing which is why we can’t use them now, but if he’s dead, the fireworks should draw them off.”

“
Should
,” Lenny emphasised, poking a hole in the plan. “And what about the ones that aren’t dumb? The regularly smart ones?”

“According to our new friends here,” Boyle nodded at Tommy, Suzanne, and Mark, “the smart ones are usually the closest to Dean. They’re likely to be taken out by the grenades as well. Still, there will be some who’ll assault the wall, both dumb and smart. We’ll have to be ready for them. We’ve sent some others to reconnect the bridge to Animal Island. Those who can’t fight will be moved over there tonight, and then we’ll disconnect the bridge again. They’ll be safe even if things don’t work out the way we planned.”

Misha rolled his shoulders, attempting to loosen the tension that was building up in them. This plan was crazy, but it wasn’t like he could think of a better one. He was worried about his dogs, who wouldn’t be sent to Animal Island.

“I don’t think I need to learn to use a sling,” Harry spoke again. “Just attach two grenades to two of my arrows. I should be able to make the shots that way.”

Boyle nodded, not objecting to the idea. It was unfortunate that they didn’t have bows and arrows for everyone as they had been hard to find, and most were at the Black Box.

“I’d like to gather a team to move a few containers inside the yard,” Harry continued. “If we grab some of the empty ones, we can bridge a few gaps between the housing containers to make an extended walkway on top of them.”

“Can you do it silently?” Karsten asked him.

“Maybe, if we go really slow, and we’re really careful. If not, I’ll work out a method to use spare ladders to cross the gaps, although they won’t be as safe to cross.”

“Whatever you can come up with.”

Harry removed two of the arrows from the quiver he always wore upon his back and handed them to Boyle, who then passed them over to Nessie.

“Do you mind figuring out how to attach a pair of grenades to these?”

“I’ll need to get some things from my container, but I can do it. Just leave them with the grenades for now and I’ll bring my stuff here.”

“I’ll be heading toward your container to get some of my men around there. I’ll walk you.” Harry stuck out his elbow.

Nessie made a comment too quiet for Misha to catch as she looped her arm through his elbow, then the two of them headed back toward land in the darkness.

“Right, we should get started then. Freya?”

Freya went around the group and handed each person one of the strips of leather. There were at least a dozen more than they needed, but Freya seemed to have picked out which ones she thought were the best, and even appeared to have selected a few specifically for some of them.

“Um, will I be able to do this with my injured shoulder?” Danny asked as he was handed a strip.

Do you have full movement with this arm?
Freya signed and then gripped his uninjured shoulder.

Danny rotated it, showing that he could. Freya gave him a curt nod, and turned to Misha.

Misha accepted his strip of leather, running it through his hands to get used to the feel. He had never used anything like a sling before. He knew the younger kids had taken to carrying around slingshots, but unlike some of the adults, he had never borrowed one to take a few test shots. He had never even used a bow and arrow before; a spear gun was the only non-bullet-throwing projectile weapon he had experience with.

“We don’t speak sign,” Mark confessed to the group as Freya gestured something before handing him his sling.

“Freya is mute,” Boyle informed the outsiders. “If she says something you need to know, we’ll translate for you.” Considering that he didn’t translate right then, whatever Freya had said was deemed unimportant.

“When this is all over, think you can teach us sign language?” Mark whispered to Jon in such a low voice that Misha almost didn’t make it out.

“So long as you teach me Morse code,” Jon whispered back.

“Everyone has a sling now?” Boyle looked about the group and confirmed that they all did.

“Could you all please pick up a grenade?” Karsten ordered next. “Take care not to let the pin come out; I don’t think I need to tell you why. I want you all to get used to the size and weight of the grenade.”

A sort of circular line formed, and everyone walked past the box, plucking a grenade from its protective padding. Misha very carefully removed his, treating it like a delicate egg. He had seen enough war movies and played enough video games before the Day to respect the power of the small explosive. He looked to Danny, who was holding his just as carefully.

“Don’t be afraid,” Karsten said as he bent down and picked one up for himself. “The pins are more secure than you think.” He started tossing his grenade from hand to hand, causing several people to hold their breath. “You need to get comfortable with them. See the pin?” He pointed it out on his grenade in case anyone was confused. “When you pull that, it’ll allow this spring loaded lever here to fly free. Hold the lever in place, and nothing will happen. Let it fly off, and you have three seconds before it explodes. This means you’ll have three seconds to drop it into your sling and fire it over the wall.”

“Only three?” Lenny’s voice wavered slightly.

“That’s why we have to train with the slings most of the night,” Boyle told them all. “With the large number we’re letting loose, I doubt accuracy will be all that important, but speed will be.”

Misha wondered if the grenades really had a three-second fuse, or if Boyle and Karsten were just saying that as a safety precaution. If the fuses were really four or five seconds, telling them they had to be good enough for a three-second fuse reduced the risk of an accident. It wasn’t like the zombies were going to throw the grenades back. Still, make one mistake with the small explosives and several people could end up suffering.

“By the time your training is done, if you feel you’re not capable of loading and firing within those three seconds, we’ll give your grenades to someone else,” Karsten continued. “Now, we’re going to head to the rocky shoreline near the bridge to Animal Island and search for stones roughly the same shape and weight as the grenades you’re holding. Bring the grenades with you for comparison, and so that you can adjust to having them with you.”

“Unfortunately, due to the proximity to the wall, we won’t be able to use flashlights or anything,” Boyle added quickly, “so be extra careful with your footing. Let’s go.”

Boyle, Karsten, and Freya all turned to lead the way up the dock and back to shore, where they would follow the edge of the concrete wall until it became the rocky shoreline. Misha fell in step beside Danny, trailing along behind Bryce and Larson. He cradled his grenade in both hands, feeling its bumps and ridges. Despite what Karsten had advised, Misha didn’t think he’d ever be able to get used to it.

***

“
Oomph
.”

Misha had seen Danny slip on the slick rocks, a rush of air unintentionally leaving his lungs. Misha quickly scrambled over to his friend, who had already pushed himself back upright.

You okay?
Misha asked, using the simplest and most visible gestures in the darkness.

Danny nodded. Thankfully, he had fallen on his good arm, sparing his wound from further pain. Misha held up his grenade, silently asking Danny where his was. Danny showed it to him still firmly clasped in the hand held by his arm sling.

Turning away, Misha resumed moving around the rocks, searching more with his hands than his eyes for good stones. Danny hadn’t been the first to fall over, and he wouldn’t be the last. Several people had already taken a tumble on the wet, slippery rocks, but so far they had all been lucky. With the rocks and stones occasionally shifting beneath their feet, it would be too easy to break something.

Glancing outward, Misha spotted the dark shapes in the water. A group of people were performing the arduous task of reconnecting Bitch Bridge. They had swum over earlier and were now using the remaining kayaks and canoes to haul the bridge around. A few people still bobbed in the water, making sure nothing separated and attempting to silently organize the whole endeavour. At least the water wasn’t very cold. After getting someone to hold his grenade for him, Misha had gone in a few times himself. By diving down near the shore, he had been able to locate several good rocks with his hands. Thinking he should do this again, he scanned his surroundings for someone to hold his grenade, someone who wasn’t injured like Danny. This first person he came across was Freya.