Green Fields (Book 3): Escalation (33 page)

I wondered if she was talking more about her people than us, but decided that it didn’t matter. With Nate remaining the silent presence beside me, I was glad to take her offer.

“We’ll bring in the women and children. And a hot meal might be nice for a change.”

“You’re all welcome,” she replied before she turned around and signaled the men up on the palisade. With a grating sound, the gate started swinging open, revealing a second gate right behind it, leaving just enough room for a car in between. “A precaution,” she offered.

I studied the structure for a moment. “A kill chute. So you can block more zombies from pouring in with a car, and finish them off so none make it through the barrier.”

She nodded, suddenly looking a lot less like the carefree hippy she had seemed to be a few seconds before.

“I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you how to defend a base,” she remarked wryly, smiling. “Now, come on in. The people of the village are dying to meet you already.”

Once she’d disappeared through the door again, I turned to Nate. “Are you going to say anything, or is this all on me, too?”

Rather than the sarcasm I expected, he gave me a weary sigh. “We’ve been on the road for weeks. It’s been over a month since we’ve actually stayed anywhere we feel completely safe. What do you want me to say, Bree? That the idea of a hot meal, a chance to wash up and clean my clothes, maybe a good night’s sleep uninterrupted by standing watch is so tantalizing right now that I almost don’t give a fuck whether they slaughter us as soon as we make it through that gate?”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted.
 

He snorted and shook his head, laughing softly under his breath. “We have to trust someone, unless we want to remain huddled together in our bunker somewhere. Not Wyoming, because I’m pretty sure that by now Emma has organized the entire state to do her bidding. Choice is yours. But from a military point, I’m more than happy to accept their offer. What does your civilian perspective say?”

“Fuck you,” I ground out, disliking the teasing in his voice—as if I’d suddenly turned into a paranoid freak rather than just fallen in line with all the others.

There wasn’t a firing squad waiting just beyond the gate, and as soon as our cars and the vans had made it through, I led our convoy deeper into the settlement. The woman hadn’t been joking when she said crops; almost from the inside of the palisade on, rows upon rows of tilled fields stretched along the road, right up to the cluster of houses I saw beyond a lower fence. As we drove closer, I saw three more lines of defense hidden in the fields—deep trenches with sharpened stakes, with only the road left clear to either be barricaded or work as a funnel for another kill zone. There were a few people out and about, driving tractors and other small farming equipment. As we drew up to the inner fence, more guards waited, but they looked curious rather than cautious. Just as we got there, the gray-haired woman, riding shotgun on a small ATV, overtook us, signaling me to follow her. The cars came to a final stop in what seemed roughly the village center, but with less than fifty buildings, that didn’t say much.

I didn’t know what I had expected. We certainly were the spectacle of the day—or month, for all I knew—drawing people to gather around from everywhere. I hesitated, but Nate got out as soon as I’d killed the engine, leaving his rifle in the rack but not the knife and handguns strapped to his body that he even went to sleep with. I followed, a little more cautious, but there was nothing around that made my alarms go off. Sure, people carried weapons, but that was actually more assuring than disconcerting. The others left their cars one by one, remaining standing around, not quite sure what to do.

“I’m Amy Harper, mayor of this village. I’d like to welcome you all to Aurora,” the woman said, addressing our group at large. At her gesture, several women stepped forward, carrying blankets and—somewhat useless—first-aid gear, ready to fall on the once again huddled-together group we’d freed. Soft words were spoken and comfort was offered, but none of them did more than glance at us. Clearly, we didn’t look like we needed what they were willing to provide.

Amy turned to us, and for a moment I saw a conflicted look cross her face. “As I said before, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. The least we can offer you for helping these poor people is our hospitality.”

I could tell that all of us were looking forward to letting our guard down—although Pia kept eyeing the guards, male and female, with her typical weariness—and I didn’t really see a reason not to.

“We can offer you some things to trade,” I said, nodding toward our vehicles. “Medicine, batteries, some limited gear and weapons…”

I trailed off when she hastily shook her head. “That’s not necessary,” Amy assured me. “Unless you want to, of course. I can’t in good faith turn down things we desperately need. But you don’t have to. Food and shelter is free for you here. Among other things.”

It took me a few moments to understand what she meant and why she kept glancing at a few women who’d gathered closer to the cars than most others, smiling rather invitingly at our group. And it wasn’t like they weren’t already getting their eyeful of looks and appreciative murmurs in return. “You’re such pigs,” I called out to the guys, not that any of them deemed it worth protesting. Burns gave me a shrug and one of his inane grins.

“It’s been a long winter,” Nate remarked, a hint of scorn in his voice. I glared right back at him when I realized that he was actually chiding me.

“Well, do whatever the fuck you want,” I grunted, trying to take some of that back as I smiled at Amy. “I for one could do with some food. And a place to clean my gear and clothes. We haven’t really had much chance to wash on the road.”

“I can have someone do that for you,” she offered, looking around for a victim to set to the task.

“I’d rather do it myself,” I interrupted her. “Gear maintenance, you know?” That wasn’t exactly it. But the very idea that someone would go through my things and have to deal with the blood stains was making me increasingly uncomfortable.

“Of course,” Amy was quick to say, although she looked somewhat doubtful. “It’s still early in the day so we haven’t really started cooking, but there should be some leftovers from breakfast that we can warm up for you. I’ve already sent someone to the bathhouse to warm up some water.” She smiled apologetically. “We have some limited electricity due to the solar panels that we installed a few weeks ago, but we reserve it for the heavy stuff. Water heats just as well over fire than on a stove. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll show you around. Or you can just ask anyone in town. It’s not large enough that there’s any confusion here.”

She stepped away from us to a respectful distance where she briefly chatted with one of the guards, making the woman nod emphatically.

Our group started dispersing slowly, although not before Pia made the rounds, briefly talking to everyone in hushed tones. A few of the guys looked guilty enough that I figured they’d gotten quite the reprimand, but even so I caught sight of Burns and Santos making off with two of the girls—each. That made me snort to myself, but who was I to protest? Nobody, really. Nate was busy coordinating with Campbell and Martinez—likely about what part of our cargo we could trade away, and what for—so I just waited until the Ice Queen made her way over to me.

She taxed me with a quick look, but even she seemed more relaxed than usual. “Carry your weapons with you at all times,” she murmured to me. “If they ask us to leave them with the cars, switch to concealed holsters for your knife and gun, but don’t go without.”

“Not trusting these people?” I ventured a guess, hard-pressed not to tease her at least a little.

“I’m trusting them to do exactly what is best for them,” she replied. “So let’s repay the favor and hope that our goals stack up.” Then she flashed me an unexpected grin. “Besides, don’t tell me you wouldn’t feel naked without your Beretta. You always keep fondling it like a talisman when you’re nervous.”

I pointedly removed my right hand from my thigh holster, crossing my arms over my chest. That deserved no further acknowledgment.

“What are you going to do now?” I asked.

“Taking a bath sounds like a really good idea,” she said, stretching. “Or at least a chance to clean up and get into a fresh set of clothes. And then, nothing, if those idiots manage not to get a pitchfork-wielding mob to chase them out of town.”

That sounded like an idea I could get on board with. Yet as I turned around, looking for Amy, someone called my name, making me go still.

“Dr. Lewis? You’re Dr. Brianna Lewis, right?”

It was an unfamiliar voice, but then again, the fact that the man used my full name made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t one of ours. I wasn’t even sure if all of the guys knew my full name. Nate always called me Bree when it was outside of duty, and the others had flawlessly adopted that. And it wasn’t like I was a celebrity or something, for anyone to recognize me.

Yet as I turned around and realized that it must have been the man—boy, really, he couldn’t be much older than twenty—in a lab coat who came walking hastily after me, a different idea started forming in my mind. Just then he confirmed my guess, adding, “You’re the woman from the video.” He must have seen confirmation on my face because before I could say anything, he turned to the woman next to him. “Go fetch Brandon and Greg. Tell them to hurry.” Back to me, he positively beamed. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally meet you! Or meet you at all. You’re officially presumed dead, you know? But there are some people on the radio who kept insisting that you’re still alive, and I was hoping that one day I’d get this chance.”

He finally stopped babbling when I raised both hands. “Easy there. Breathe. You’re not helping anyone if you faint.” And he did look like he was about to. That, or continue to vibrate with excitement.

“Of course, of course. And where are my manners? I’m Ethan Sullivan. So nice to meet you.” He grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically, never minding the weeks of dirt that was stuck under my fingernails. “I can’t wait to show you our results. You’re staying awhile, right? Just wait until you see this, and you’ll stay for sure. We could really use someone to help us interpret the data, and seeing as you’re like the foremost authority on this…”

I helplessly looked around for Pia, hoping that she would rescue me, but she’d disappeared from sight and was likely already soaking in a tub somewhere. Bitch. I couldn’t find it in me to be too concerned, though. As much as Ethan’s gushing was kind of stressing me after being so used to days of almost not talking to anyone for so long, it was a quirky diversion from the norm.

That assessment changed when my gaze fell on the two men who followed the woman that Ethan had sent scurrying off. Even before conscious thought made me tense, my right hand had crept behind me, reaching into the waistband of my cargo pants to wrap around the grip of my backup Glock, safely concealed at the small of my back. It was as if months fell away, transporting me back to that fucking glass cube where Gabriel Greene had tried to either strangle me or smash my head in—whatever kept me out of the hot labs underneath the Green Fields Biotech building—and neither of the two jerks now sauntering toward us had lifted a finger to help me. And judging from their relaxed shoulders and somewhat conniving grins, I knew that they still saw me as the helpless, weak girl they’d been happy to sacrifice for… what I still didn’t quite understand, because the zombie apocalypse had gotten in the way of resolving everything.

But then, they looked beyond me, the older one missing a step and almost stumbling, while the younger, scrawny one blanched visibly—telling me that Nate must have made an appearance at my side.

“Dr. Lowe. Mr. Stone. What a surprise seeing you here,” I said, unable to resist falling into a kind of simpering singsong. Greg Lowe was still taken aback, his eyes snagging back to me, while Brandon Stone quickly got over it.

“Doctor,” he amended, making me grin. Yeah, right. And I could tell that he knew exactly that I was more than just passingly aware of his qualifications—or lack thereof. “Greg—that is, Dr. Lowe—here, is the leader of the local lab. Because of how vital the job is, I’m helping out where I can.”

I couldn’t help but feel like Stone was lying through his teeth, and in a split-second decision realized that this was my chance to make the most of this—or at least not lose everyone I cared for in a backhanded kind of delayed vendetta.

“Gentlemen, a word, if you please?” I said, forcing my fingers to let go of the gun so I could make a gesture to the side, indicating that this should stay between us. Lowe was still staring at Nate—and likely some of the others, too, who hadn’t dispersed yet—while Stone was quick to follow along. The moment I had them as far away from prying ears as I could get them, I started talking, forcing a fake, pleasant smile onto my face.

“Let’s make a deal here. I’ll be brief. You don’t tell anyone where exactly you know my… associates from, and I’m not going to spill the beans that of the three of us, I am the only one qualified to head a lab of any sort. You…” I looked at Stone “…don’t even have any education in life sciences, and you…” I nodded to Lowe “…are a damn botanist. I don’t care what bullshit you’ve been feeding these people, but it looks like you’re having a really sweet dig here. Wouldn’t want to risk that in a witch hunt, now, would you?”

Lowe looked ready to bristle but had yet to say a single word. Stone, though, was more than happy to jump into the breach and do damage control—old habits die hard, it seemed.