The Hungry 5: All Hell Breaks Loose (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series) (12 page)

The air smelled crisp and clear and a light breeze kissed Miller’s exposed skin. They were all outside together now, resting close to the cave entrance but standing in the nearly blinding sunlight. Miller looked up. She searched the wispy clouds for airborne enemies, but all she saw was a hawk that was returning to a nest in the jagged rocks. The drones were gone. Perhaps they’d had to refuel—Miller didn’t know how that stuff worked—or maybe they just had other assignments elsewhere.

“We’re listening,” Miller said.

“I came alone and unarmed,” Vanessa said. “I want to come with you. I know my way around this area and where supplies are hidden. I can help.”

Scratch and Sheppard both shrugged in unison, almost as if choreographed. Brandon watched and Rolf studied the sand.

“Please, Sheriff, you have to trust me.”

Scratch snorted. “No, we don’t.”

“Brandon, tell them that they have to listen to me.”

Miller turned to face Brandon. He’d saved their lives. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Scratch, Sheppard, and Rat were now watching Brandon as well. Rolf had dropped down on one knee to pet Dudley. He was muttering, face half in shadow, those erratic eyes darting around. His big machine gun was lying carelessly on the rocky ground nearest the cave. Miller still had no idea where he had picked it up, not that it mattered. Miller worried about sand getting into the weapon but she figured Rolf would clean it as soon as they’d stopped running. Just then Rolf looked up and whispered something about one of his imaginary gods. Miller ignored him and asked the question on all of their minds.

“Well, Brandon? Can we trust her?” Though the real question she wanted to ask was,
can we trust Brandon?

Brandon met her eyes. “I don’t know, Sheriff. I like Vanessa, but she really drank the Kool-Aid back when Father Abraham was running things.”

“I did not,” the woman said. Her eyes flashed at the betrayal.

“Hell, that’s probably even Abraham’s baby,” Brandon said, flicking his hand in the direction of Vanessa’s belly. “The way she talked about Abraham afterwards… Well, she sounded pretty happy about it.”

“No!” Vanessa shouted. “It was a cult and I just wanted to survive. I did what I had to do. How can you turn on me like this, Brandon? I’ve always been good to you. We took you in when you were almost dead. We didn’t harm you, or try to eat you, though we could have. Please, all I’m asking is that you help me get away too.”

Brandon opened his mouth to argue. He said it again, “Sheriff, I don’t know.”

They were wasting precious minutes. Miller cut off their conversation. “Okay, I’ve heard enough, Brandon. Thanks. If you’ve got something to say, Vanessa, you’d best say it.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Vanessa relaxed a bit, but her eyes moved back and forth between the cave entrance and the open desert. “The bottom line here is, I didn’t want my baby to be born in a pit of despair. I can help you, and we need each other. I want to get out of these terrible caves and away from these people for good. You’ll need someone like me to help guide you past the Army patrols. I don’t know exactly where you are going, but they’ll be searching for us, and Brandon hasn’t spent as much time outside. So you won’t get very far without me.”

“Back up,” said Rat with a frown. “What was that part about Army patrols?”

Brandon sighed. “Vanessa’s right. There are military patrols day and night, in addition to the drones. They are always searching here and there for stragglers and to capture new zombies to experiment on. If they spot us, they will stop and question us, and we don’t know the correct pass codes.”

“I can’t be sure,” Vanessa said, “but I think I do. I’ve used most of them and as far as I know they haven’t changed lately.”

“Like I said, I don’t know them,” Brandon leaned in close to Sheppard and said almost as an aside, “Neither does Rolf, or Walter, for that matter.”

“My bet’s on the dog knowing his way around,” quipped Scratch.

“How can we trust you?” Miller asked. She took the woman’s measure as best she could. Was she scared and desperate enough?

“I’m telling the truth,” said Vanessa. She was sweating and wiped her face on the bottom of her dress, exposing worn panties and the big belly. She covered herself again. “They will track you and stop you. You won’t get very far without me. You have to take me along.”

Miller studied the others. Sheppard finally spoke up. “I think we should listen to Brandon.” He turned to Vanessa. “How do we know you won’t just betray us to one of the patrols? You tried to serve us up for lunch just a few minutes back. You don’t exactly have the cleanest record when it comes to keeping our best interests at heart.”

“It was Gary who did that,” Vanessa said. “He’s the one who wanted to betray you. I was thrilled to see you, Sheriff. I swear to God.” She took a step forward, always one hand on her bulging belly, and pointed her finger at Brandon. “Brandon is just as suspect as I am, and you seem to trust him.”

Rat moved forward, and leaned into Miller’s ear. “She’s got a point, Penny. We don’t know anything about this kid other than he’s really smart and knows enough psychology to get us to save him back there.”

Miller’s head hurt. It was a combination of the sunlight, dehydration, and just plain being frustrated. Who could she trust, anyway?

She looked at Brandon one more time. Could she trust any of them, Rolf and the dog included? But the more important question seemed to be, could she and her team—her friends—survive without them?

Miller noticed no one was speaking. They all stood, waiting for Miller to make up her mind.

She did. She would leave them all behind. She hated herself for the cold, calculating decision. And she hated to abandon the cadaver dog, but they would be back in civilian territory in a few hours and it wouldn’t matter.

“I don’t know what we’re waiting for, Sheriff,” Brandon said, “but those soldiers aren’t stupid, and they aren’t slow. We need to leave, now!”

“He’s right, Sheriff. Look, let me make a gesture of good faith.” Vanessa walked past Miller and went out into the sun, shading her eyes with one hand. She crossed a few yards, and approached a high, blunt outcropping of rock that was partially covered by a wall made of clumps of dead sage. As Miller watched, Vanessa yanked the dry sagebrush out of the way. It moved in one giant piece. Her actions revealed a hidden shape that was covered with a large, tan canvas tarp that had been desert camouflaged. She pulled that tarp away and revealed a vehicle hidden beneath. It had been parked nearby the whole time, a late-model cream-colored SUV with decent tires. It was dented as hell and covered with dust but it looked serviceable. Scratch whistled in appreciation. It was big enough to take the seven of them and the dog. Vanessa turned around and smiled. “I’ll even drive.”

Miller took her measure very carefully. “Vanessa,” she said slowly. “If you knew there was a car here, why didn’t you just leave? Why wait for us?”

Vanessa looked as if she was losing her patience. “That guy’s a doctor, right? How about I just take him and leave the rest of you behind? Would you prefer I do that?”

Scratch and Rat closed on Sheppard, blocking him from Vanessa’s view. “You can try,” Scratch said.

Brandon came towards her. “This is getting us nowhere, Sheriff.”

Miller signaled her people to come over to her for a huddle. They came, but Scratch kept his eye on Vanessa, and Rat on Brandon.

“Penny,” said Scratch, stepping closer as they’d watched, “I don’t think this is a very good idea. Don’t trust her. We can deal with whatever’s out there. We don’t really need Vanessa.”

“I don’t know about that, Scratch.” Sheppard came closer as well. Miller’s confidants now bracketed her, whispering. “It seems rational to take her along, and Brandon agrees with her, to a point.”

“I don’t give a fuck what your boyfriend thinks, Karl.”

Sheppard rolled his eyes. “I am not having this conversation with you right now, Scratch.”

“Good,” Scratch said. “Then it’s settled. We dump them.”

Miller turned to ask Rat. “What about you, Rat? What do you think?”

“I think you better make up your mind pretty damned quick, Penny. You’re in command. I’ll back you whatever you decide to do.”

Miller nodded, but mostly to herself. At the last moment, she realized she would not be able to live with herself if she abandoned any of them. “Okay, that’s it. She might know a code that could bluff us through if we get stopped. She comes with us.” She turned to Rolf. “You, too, Idaho.” Then she looked at Brandon. “You’re coming too, I take it.”

“That was the deal, I thought,” said Brandon.

Vanessa smiled, relieved. She waited by the vehicle. “Thank you, Sheriff. You won’t be sorry.”

“Scratch, you and Rat clear the SUV of weapons and be damned sure to look for any kind of tracking device.”

“What if there’s a bomb inside?” asked Scratch. Miller looked at him. He looked back. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

Miller smiled. “Then I promise we will somehow manage to get on without you.”

“That’s a comforting thought.”

“Good. Now, come on, let’s get going.”

Scratch looked like he’d been about to say something else, but in the end, he and Rat just trotted off to inspect the SUV. Rat gently opened the door and looked inside. She took a minute to study the ignition. Meanwhile, Scratch slid beneath the SUV on his back to search for modifications, explosives or any obvious tracking devices. Unbidden, Sheppard opened the hood and studied the engine—which surprised Miller, considering he had gone out of his way over the time she had known him to remind everyone that he was not a mechanic. Nevertheless, he seemed pleased with what he’d found. “She looks clean.”

“So, we’re going north to Idaho, right?”

Miller looked up. Vanessa had crossed the sand and was now standing very close to her. The two women searched the sky. Miller hesitated but decided to continue to trust Vanessa, at least for now. “Yes, we’ll go north. As long as Nevada is still zombie-occupied territory, we don’t want to hang around. Idaho it is.”

“Okay. I know I can get us as far as Elko without a problem.”

“Good.” Miller sighed. “We’ve had enough problems for one day.”

Sheppard slammed the hood and stuck both his thumbs up. Rat exited the driver’s side door nodding in satisfaction. Then Scratch crawled out from under the SUV and got to his feet. He dusted off his clothing. He waved. “All clear, Penny. I didn’t blow up.”

“Yes, and we’re all thrilled. All right,” Miller said. “Let’s do this.”

She marched toward the dusty SUV and Vanessa followed obediently. “Everyone pile in. Brandon, please get Rolf and his canine companion settled in the back seat. You get in there with him.”

“Got it.”

“Scratch,” Miller called as she approached. “Vanessa’s driving. She knows how to pull this off, but I’m gonna want you on shotgun. Don’t drop the ball.”

His head snapped up at the unnecessary dig. He had the good grace to only reply with, “Okay.”

Miller turned to Sheppard. “Sorry I have to separate you from your new friend, Karl, but you and Rat are sitting with me.”

“Look, Penny, you’re the one who wanted me to make friends. So I made a friend. So far, it’s paid off. But until we’re safe—and the data is safe—he’s just one of the team. Is that clear?”

Miller looked at him. In all the time she’d known Karl Sheppard, he had never challenged her, openly or privately. She had obviously hit a nerve. She backed down immediately. “Clear, Karl. Get in.”

Miller opened the side door of the SUV and got in. Rat and Sheppard entered through the other passenger side. Rolf, Brandon, and the dog were already in the back. Rolf was chewing on something and Dudley was drooling on the leg of Rolf’s jeans. Scratch and Vanessa waited in their seats, with Vanessa at the wheel. Miller stuck her head out the window. She checked the skies one last time and saw no drones. Their absence made her uncomfortable, but not half as uncomfortable as facing one would have. Miller said a silent prayer and then slammed the door shut.

Vanessa started the engine. It roared to life immediately. Sheppard was right. Someone had been looking after it all these months. Miller couldn’t believe their luck had held. Maybe there was a God after all.

Miller gave the signal and they moved out.

Charlotte Williams turned the executive chair. She moved slowly. When she adjusted her suit coat, she reminded Crespi of a four-star admiral preparing for an inspection of the USS John F. Kennedy. She twirled a wooden pencil as she spoke. “Well, have we heard back from the recovery team yet?”

“No,” Crespi said, his voice hoarse with tension. “I mean not exactly.”

“Clarify.” Dr. Williams narrowed her eyes. It felt too much like a laser sight being directed at him. “What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”

Crespi looked down at the thick report he held with both hands, and opened it to the relevant section. He stopped on a page, and looked up. “We have a recent communiqu� from the Children of Abraham—that’s what the locals call themselves. They say that the recovery team we inserted has been…” Crespi’s face lost its color.

“Has been what? Spit it out.”

“Wiped out.”

“How?”

“Eaten by the undead.” Crespi’s features tightened at the thought of such a gruesome death. His eyes went wide, pupils fully dilated. “There were no survivors.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have reassigned the drones that quickly.”

Dr. Williams rubbed her temples. “So they’re gone?”

“What, the drones?”

“No, you imbecile. I know the drones have been reassigned. I gave the order myself. I meant Sheriff Penelope Miller and that ragged band of misfits she travels with. Are they now completely off our radar?”

Crespi cleared his throat to cover his rising discomfort. “Effectively, yes.”