"Good god," Cole whispered.
Sam's heart leapt into her throat. She wheeled around to see he had left the children and was now standing by her side.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare ya."
"It's okay," Sam said and pressed away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes with her palms.
"You think they've been here this whole time?" Cole asked.
"No," Sam said.
"Where'd they come from then?"
Sam said nothing. Instead, she wiped the tears from her eyes, but the effort was futile. The tears continued to fall and soon Cole wrapped her in his arms and she sobbed heavily into his chest.
"It's not right," she said between tearful breaths.
"No, Miss Sam." Cole squeezed her tightly. "No it's not."
He held her until Sam stopped crying. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. Something had happened to her brain in the General's dining hall. Something unexplainable. She had transformed into some sort of killing machine, and after they left the bunker, the skills seemed to carry over to survival. But she wasn't prepared for this.
"You sure you don't want me to handle this?" Cole asked.
"I'm sure," Sam said and swallowed hard.
"We could leave them here," Cole offered.
"No," Sam said. "We can't."
Cole nodded.
She took a step forward and picked the knife off the cement but that was as far as she could make herself go. The dead woman looked up at her and then back to the child, but it didn't advance again. Instead, the corpse knelt down beside the infant and put a rotten hand atop it.
Cole put a hand on Sam's shoulder and whispered for her to look away. Sam did as he asked and looked back toward Las Vegas. A gunshot ripped through the air and the woman collapsed onto the blacktop with a thud. Frantic screams from the child cause Sam's skin to turn to gooseflesh…another gunshot…silence.
2
The sun broke from its slumber and clambered through the sky as the foursome journeyed back toward the intersection. An hour after sunrise, Sam had already broken into a sweat. It would be unbearable by midday. She glanced back toward the children who hobbled behind. An uneasiness overtook her when she saw how gray Nick looked.
"Let's take five," Sam said as she waited for Nick and Alex to catch up. "Hydrate and rest your legs." The refugees from Lost Angel half sat/half collapsed onto the blacktop. Nick broke into another coughing fit, spewing the asphalt with crimson.
"This ain't good," Cole said.
"You and Alex take a few sips and give him the rest," Sam said. "Make him drink."
"What about you?"
"I'm fine."
"The hell you are," Cole scoffed. He pulled the water jugs from around his neck and forced one of the bottles into her hands. "At least take a swallow."
Sam lifted the dirty plastic to her lips and took the tiniest of sips. She sloshed the warm gritty water around in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. It was one of the greatest things she had ever tasted. Her body yearned for more, but she handed the jug back to Cole.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Cole nodded and walked over to the children. Sam removed the binocular from her pants and searched the horizon for any sign of life. She listened as Nick protested and then gave in to Cole's wishes.
When the jugs were empty, the group set out again. They moved even slower than before through the sweltering temperatures and down the sand-strewn highway. They slid past the scorched shells of ash and bone until they reached a massive fork in the road.
"This is it," Cole said as they approached a metal overhang. Pieces of a smashed, faded green sign covered the ground below the broken metal scaffolding. "We can go east here until we get around the city. Then we head north and catch back up with I-15."
The intersection was three miles from the city gates but it had taken the withered and battered group almost two and a half hours to reach it. They shambled down the off-ramp and started east on the low road.
The sun's brutal rays hammered them as they continued to march forward. Sam's mouth felt like sandpaper and she regretted letting Nick drink the rest of the water. Then she caught a glimpse of him in the corner of her eye. His blood-red lips shone in the sunlight and the bright color of them made his skin look impossibly paler. She made the right decision.
"What's that?" Alex said and pointed toward the horizon.
A large metal object had appeared on the skyline. The sun gleamed off it creating bright orbs of reflective light. Whatever it was, it didn't belong in the middle of the road. Sam removed the telescope from her pocket and eyed the distant object.
"What is it?" Alex asked.
"A plane," Sam said. She glassed over the mangled fuselage. The debris covered the width of the road. "What's left of a plane, anyway." She handed the glass-piece to Cole who surveyed the object.
"Looks military," Cole said.
"C-7 Galaxy cargo plane. There's an airbase on the opposite side of the city," Sam said.
"How do you know?"
Sam shrugged. The flood of information had ebbed since the dining room incident but it was still there. "Same way I know how to harvest mesquite pods. Same way I know how to filter water or shoot a gun."
"The data stream?"
"Yeah."
Cole handed the telescope back to Sam and rubbed the back of his neck. "You think we should head back. Find another way around the city?"
"No," Sam said and studied the area again. "Nothing seems to be moving. Let's check it out. We can camp there if it's safe. It's getting too hot to be out here."
It took half an hour to reach the wreckage. When they neared, Sam and Cole readied their weapons and the children stood back at a safe distance. The center of the fuselage angled upward and had split into two halves. The front of the mangled plane was beyond recognition, but the rear remained largely intact.
"How do ya want to do this?" Cole asked.
Sam pointed her knife toward the rear of the plane and started to speak, but a loud scratching noise from inside the plane interrupted her.
"Get back," she hissed, spinning on her heel to face the teens. They were already retreating. The sound of claws screeching against metal blasted through the air again and Sam whirred back to the plane. The noise stopped, but her heartbeat continued to race.
"Go back?" Cole whispered after a long moment.
Sam focused all of her attention on the plane. The rest of her senses seemed to fade away. She heard Cole's steady breaths in stereo. Nick anxiously tapped his foot and Alexandria whispered prayers to whatever god she thought might save them. And then she heard the scratching again. Sam's mind flashed on the long claws of the midnight runners scratching against the rock floor of Lost Angel. The rational part of her brain took over as she concentrated on the sound.
"Rats," Sam said. "It sounds like rats. It's just amplified because there's nothing else out here."
Cole took a deep breath and took a step forward. Sam grabbed his arm.
"If it's not rats," Sam whispered. "If it's something bigger, you let me deal with it. You go back and get Nick and Alex out of here."
"Miss Sam, I don't think…" Cole's voice faded, and he frowned. "If something were to happen, do you really want me watching over them? I don't know nothing about caring for any kids."
Sam's blood turned cold. She stared at him for a long moment and sighed. "I trust you, Cole. If something happens you get them to a safe place…" she paused and looked into his eyes. "Promise me."
"I'll do the best I can—"
"Promise me you won't hurt them."
Cole gave her a long searching look. "Why would I hurt them?"
"Promise me," Sam said.
Cole's eyes darted to the ground as if he was embarrassed, but nodded his confirmation. There wasn't time to dwell on the moment. Another screech burst from the plane and Sam unsheathed her knife. "Let's go."
Sam's heartbeat quickened as they crept through the field of debris. The cargo bay door was missing, and they entered through the large opening. Sam gripped the chef's knife in her hand and then let out a low whistle. Nothing inside moved.
She took a tentative step inside and found two large steel crates against the interior wall of the plane. At one time they were ratcheted against the wall with cargo straps but the fabric of the straps had deteriorated, leaving two buckles lying on the floor next to the cases.
On the opposite side of the plane two Humvees slouched against the wall lined up behind one another. The harnesses holding the trucks in place had held firm, leaving the vehicles in relatively good condition. The tires were flat and the synthetic rubber had started to deteriorate, but other than that Sam couldn't see any discernible damage. If only they still had gas, she thought. Sam inched forward and the metal grating creaked under her weight.
Something flashed in the corner of her eye and Sam screamed as something bolted from under the rear vehicle and ran toward her. She cocked the knife back, and just as she released, she caught a true glimpse of the animal. She made a last second adjustment to the blade's trajectory, and it struck a bare spot on the floor. Sparks flew as metal collided with metal and the knife clanked across the grated floor. The creature yelped, changed direction and ducked behind one of the crates. Cole emerged at her side, his finger on the trigger and the barrel of the gun aimed in the creature's direction.
"Wait," Sam said. Her heart slammed against her chest and she struggled to catch a full breath in the sweltering heat. There had been something familiar about the animal. She took another step forward. The sound of claws grinding against metal filled the fuselage but this time the image of the midnight runner didn't flash. Something else did. Something unbelievable. She took another step and the creature's head came into view.
Sam gasped.
The small dog cowered against the metal crate, its big ears pressed against the top of its head. It was scrawny, and its brown and black fur was matted together in thick clumps. It made eye contact with Sam and gave a low whine and then its tail beat against the steel floor of the plane.
"Well I'll be," Cole said as he stepped closer. "You think it's infected?"
Sam shook her head. "RIZ-4 only affected humans."
"What is it?"
"Terrier if I had to guess." She took a step closer and extended a tentative hand. "I think I used to have one…before."
The terrier lowered its head and wagged its tail harder. From the corner of her eye, Sam saw something else move and jumped back. The dog's ears shot up, and it hopped to its feet. A rat, almost as big as the dog, emerged from the shadows and scurried past them. The dog chased it from the plane, and a second later, Sam heard Alex squeal and Nick shouting something indistinguishable.
"Go check on them," Sam said.
Cole bounded out of the cargo door leaving Sam alone. The fuselage canted 30 degrees into the air and she climbed its length, slowly but steadily, using the Humvees for support. When she reached the open air separating the two halves, she looked out and saw the children. They huddled together where she had left them. Just beyond, Cole was chasing the dog, which was chasing the rat.
She bent forward and looked over the edge into the mangled shaft. There was nothing of interest. She gave another low whistle and listened. No movement. No sound. She half-walked, half-slid back down to the bay door. The plane felt solid and even though it was hot inside, there was enough airflow from the broken windows and cargo opening to serve as a tolerable camp for the afternoon.
A few minutes later, all four of them were standing inside the plane. The rat terrier had escaped with the rat and Cole's face was beet red and he breathed heavy, short pants. Chasing after the dog had expended a lot more energy than it was worth. He would need to rehydrate. Sam looked at Nick and Alex. They would also need to drink soon. She would have to scout while the rest of the group rested or wait and hope to come across some tonight.
"Try to get some rest," Sam said to the group. "I'll take first watch. We'll move again at sundown. Any halfways join the party and you know the drill." When no one spoke she said, "And what's the drill?"
"Hide and let you and Cole take care of them," Alex sighed as she lay down next to the tire of the Humvee. Nick sat down beside her and Sam's heart broke at the sight of him.
"And then what?" Cole asked.
"Wait until we get the all clear," Alex said through a yawn. "If we don't get the all clear after ten minutes then we turn around and go west until we hit the ocean or until we find someone that can help us." Alex situated a thin arm under her head and a moment later was snoring.
"I can take care of us," Nick said through gritted teeth. He had said little since they had reached the intersection. His eyes were glassy and his skin even grayer before. "You don't have to worry."
"I'm not worried," Sam said.
Nick lay down beside his sister, and a moment later, he was asleep. Dark sweat stains were prevalent underneath his arms and through the back of his shirt.
Sam found both of the crates in the rear cargo hold locked. Maybe they could bust them open. Maybe not. She walked to the bay door and stared out into the wasteland. Cole appeared at her side a moment later.
"You want me to take first watch?" Cole asked. "You look tired."
"No," she said. "Get some rest. I'll look for water."
"When are you going to rest?"
"Later?"
"Miss Sam—"
"I said later."
There was a long moment of silence before Cole spoke again. "Are we okay, Miss Sam?"
"What do you mean?"
"Seems like things are different since Lost Angel. I've seen you lookin' at me. It's different from how it used to be, ain't it?"
"Yes," Sam said as tears stung at the corners of her eyes.
"The reason you don't sleep is 'cause you think you're gonna wake up and I'm gonna be changed. Changed into one of those things from Lost Angel."
"A midnight runner," Sam whispered.
There was a long pause and then Cole asked, "Is that what this thing in the back of my head does? Turn me into one of those monsters?"
She didn't answer him. Sam would have cried if she could but she was too thirsty. The thought of Cole as a midnight runner stung just as bad though, tears or not.
"Shoot me then." Cole said. "Go ahead and get it over with."
"No."
"Why?"
Sam stayed quiet.
"You think you can fix me?"
"Maybe," she said. But she didn't believe it. The truth was she didn't have the heart to kill him. He had saved her in New Hope; twice. She owed him more than a bullet in the brain. That was the real reason.