Indestructible: V Plague Book 7 (10 page)

The group moved for the rest of the day, only stopping twice
when they crossed water sources.  Rachel was almost delirious from dehydration
when they reached the first, a nearly dry river with just a few muddy pools of
water evaporating in the sun.  She used her shirt to filter as much of the muck
and debris out of the water as she could, helping Katie drink.

Katie had been walking for the past several miles, and was
holding up surprisingly well.  She was well tanned from living in Arizona, but
this wasn’t saving her from a sunburn that was spreading across all of her
exposed skin.  Rachel, dressed in clothes that covered most of her skin was
faring much better.  Except for her legs.  She was still wearing the impromptu
booty shorts she’d created to distract the sentries at Tinker so they could
escape. 

Once they had drunk their fill she helped Katie scoop
handfuls of mud and smear it on her body for protection from the sun’s rays. 
Katie spread it on the backs of Rachel’s legs.

“I’m sorry about Martinez,” Katie said softly as they
worked, afraid to draw any attention from the infected.

“It’s going to really hurt John,” Rachel replied.  “He kind
of adopted her.  Like a little sister, or something.”

“He has a way of doing that,” Katie said with a sad smile. 
“There used to be a woman that worked for him that was more a sister than an
employee.  And, I’m sorry I questioned you earlier.”

“I’d ask questions too, if I were you.”  Rachel smiled as
she rubbed mud across Katie’s exposed back. 

“How did you two meet?”  Katie asked.

“The morning after the attacks,” Rachel answered, reaching
for more mud.  “I was in trouble.  Infected chasing me through a swamp.  Then,
there he was.  Saved me, and we’ve been running ever since.  Just a few days
after the attacks we were only hours away from getting on an Air Force flight
to Arizona, then the second outbreak hit and what had been bad turned into a
nightmare.”

“Second outbreak?  What are you talking about?”

Rachel stared at Katie with her mouth open.  She didn’t know
about the secondary outbreak?  How was that even possible?  The infected had
been a daily part of her life since the attacks.  Was it really that much
better to the west?  She wanted to keep talking to Katie, but the females all
suddenly got to their feet as one and soon they were trudging to the east
again.

Neither Rachel nor Katie was being closely guarded any
longer and they fell in next to each other.  Movement far to their right caught
Katie’s eye and she turned to look. 

“Did you see that?”  She asked.

“What?”  Rachel turned to look in the direction Katie’s head
was facing.

“Looked like a dog racing along.  Paralleling us.”  Katie
was still looking in the direction but didn’t see any more movement.

“Dog!”  Rachel said, tamping down her excitement.  After a
moment she told Katie about Dog.

“Do you think that means John is out there too?”  Katie
asked in a hopeful voice.

“Maybe.  John and I got separated for a few days in
Arkansas, and Dog tracked me down.  I think he thinks he’s my guardian angel. 
Well, he is my guardian angel.”

“OK, I’ve got to hear the story.  We’ve got nothing but time
while we’re walking.  Start from when you met John.”

Rachel took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts as she
scanned the horizon for any sign of Dog or John.  She didn’t see either of
them, but had no doubt that help was on the way.  Just like he’d come for her
in Georgia when she’d been taken, then jumping off the bridge over the
Mississippi River and later finding her in eastern Arkansas. 

“Well, I was at work the night of the attacks.”  Rachel
began.

“At a hospital?  You’re a nurse or doctor, right?”  Katie
asked.

“Almost a doctor,” Rachel smiled.  “Only had a year to go. 
But that night I was at the job that paid the bills…”

Rachel talked for miles as they trudged across the prairie. 
The sun was brutally hot, the mud they’d smeared on their bodies quickly drying
and turning to a brittle shell.  But it did its job and protected their skin.

Katie was a good listener, not interrupting as Rachel
relayed everything she, John and Dog had been through.  Rachel told the story
in a near monotone, for the first time leaving nothing out.  Not even the parts
where she’d professed her love to John and her attempts to seduce him.  She was
expecting questions, or possibly scorn, and was mildly surprised when she
received neither.

When she finished she took a breath, feeling more
comfortable around Katie now that everything was out in the open.  As she had
talked she’d kept a close eye out and had spotted Dog two more times, ranging
along beside them. 

“Thank you for telling me,” Katie said.  “I’m glad he had
you with him.  Sounds like you two made a good team.”

“We did.  We do.”  Rachel said.  “We did, I guess.  When we
get out of this you don’t have to worry about me.  You don’t need me in the
picture, and honestly, I don’t think I could handle being around.”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” Katie said
after a long silence.  “First things first.  I don’t believe that whatever they
have in mind for us will be a good thing.  It’s going to be dark soon.  You
should try to get away if there’s a chance.  Find John and Dog.”

“I’m not about to leave you,” Rachel protested.  “We go
together or we don’t go.”

“You’re smarter than that,” Katie said.  “I’m hurt.  It’s
all I can do to stay on my feet.  I’m feeling better, but there’s no way I can
run.  You’ve got a shot, especially with Dog out there, and John probably not
far behind.  At least I hope he is.  Either way, when you get a chance, you
go.  Understand?”

Katie looked at Rachel who finally lowered her eyes under
the intensity of the gaze.  She wasn’t surprised Katie was such a strong
woman.  She couldn’t be married to John if she wasn’t.  Not that he needed to
be told what to do, but there had been a few times she’d had to insist on a
course of action and had been surprised he’d actually listened to her.  After
meeting Katie, she understood why.  John had been trained well by his wife.

Just before sundown they reached a small river, well shaded
by the spreading branches of several large trees.  Rachel hoped the females
would decide to spend the night near the water, but after a brief pause to
drink, they set out again into the twilight.  Within a few minutes the sun had
dropped completely below the western horizon, night falling as they continued
their journey.

Katie seemed stronger, but slowed as they walked, moving
slightly slower than the pace of the group.  One by one the females passed them
until there was only one infected remaining behind her and Rachel. 

“Soon,” Katie said in a low voice.

“What?”  Rachel asked, then realized that Katie had been
slowing on purpose.  She wanted as many of the females in front of them in the
dark as possible so Rachel could make a break and have a head start.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Rachel said as the rearmost
infected pulled abreast of them.

“You have to,” Katie said.  “If John was out there he’d have
attacked by now.  He wouldn’t still be waiting.  If you can get away, maybe you
can find a way to come back and get me.  But we won’t make it together.”

Rachel wanted to argue, but everything Katie said was
right.  Maybe John hadn’t survived the crash, or if he did he was hurt too
badly to have come for them.  Either way, it was looking like it was up to
her.  If she could reach Dog, she might have a chance as long as the whole
group wasn’t in pursuit.  She didn’t think that would happen.  The majority
would stay on course.  Maybe three or four of them would come after her.  That
many… well, that was a lot, but with Dog’s help, maybe.  It was a chance.

“Have you seen Dog?”  Katie asked.

“As it got dark I saw him way off to our right.”  Rachel
answered.

“Then that’s the way you go.  As soon as this one is a
couple more feet in front of us, just come to a stop.  They aren’t paying
attention, and maybe won’t notice you’re not there until you’re out of sight. 
Either way, you’ll have a head start.  I’ll do what I can to slow them down.” 
Katie said.

Rachel nodded, then said “OK” when she realized Katie couldn’t
see her gesture in the dark.

“One more thing,” Katie said.  “When you find John, tell him
I love him and I didn’t give up on him either.  Now… STOP.”

Rachel automatically did as she was told, coming to a halt. 
The group of infected, with Katie trailing behind them, continued on, starting
to fade into the night.  Turning to her right, Rachel began moving through the
grass, failing to see the low anthill in the darkness.  Her toe caught on the
loose soil and she stumbled, not making a lot of noise but enough to cause
several of the females to turn their heads.

Not waiting to see what would happen, Rachel broke into a
sprint.  There were several screams behind her, then a shout from Katie as she
tried to slow the rush to pursue the escaping prisoner.

Joe returned quickly with water and I carefully poured some
of it into Rachel’s mouth.  I trickled more over her hair and onto her throat
and chest, trying to bring her body temperature down some more.  Watching me,
he reached out and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

“We need to get her out of the heat,” he said, standing up. 
“It’s only a few minutes to the river on horseback.  If we don’t get her body
temperature down she’s in real trouble.”

I nodded, hesitating for a second.  He was right about
Rachel needing to cool down, but if this was the condition she was in, what was
happening to Katie and Martinez who both had bullet wounds?  Making my
decision, I scooped Rachel up in my arms as Joe turned Horse to the side.  Lifting,
I draped her over the horse’s back, just behind the withers.  Despite being
moved and put into what had to be a very uncomfortable position, she didn’t
wake.

Joe bent and laced his fingers together, offering me an
impromptu stirrup.  With his help I swung onto Horse’s back without knocking
Rachel off, got the big animal turned and moving.  Dog was on his feet and
trotting next to us, but he hadn’t recovered fully, his head and tail drooping.
 Soon Joe was riding next to me, the third horse trotting along behind us.

As I rode I spread the shemagh across Rachel’s back and
poured water on it.  I wanted to press the horse to a full run and get to the
river as fast as I could, but I was worried about Dog.  He would push himself,
not wanting to be separated from us, and I was concerned he’d run flat out
until he died.

Moderating Horse’s speed, it took us close to 20 minutes to
reach our destination.  Coming to a stop in the shade I jumped down, sparing a
glance at Dog who flopped onto his belly in the cool mud, panting so hard his
whole body shook.  Pulling Rachel down I cradled her in my arms and waded into
the water.

Half an hour later her eyes fluttered open and she began
struggling.  I raised her head slightly and spoke to her as I rubbed water
across her face.  She relaxed when she heard my voice, closed her eyes for a
few moments then reopened them and looked at me.  The delirium that had been
there earlier was gone.

“You found me,” she said with a smile.  “We knew you would.”

“We?”  I asked, unable to contain my hope.

“Katie is still with them.  She’s alive.  She talked me into
escaping.”

“That sounds like her,” I said with a smile.  “Goddamn woman
is always more concerned about everyone else than she is about herself.  What
about Martinez?”

Rachel’s face changed, a look of sadness darkening her
features.  “She didn’t make it,” Rachel said, then told me the whole story.

“How long have you been out there?”  I asked, grimacing at
the pain the loss of Martinez was causing.

“I escaped last night.  Maybe an hour after sunset.  I was
really thirsty by sunrise and was wandering around trying to find water.  Once
the sun came up it got worse.  Much worse.  Dog wouldn’t leave me, either.  I
thought we were both dead.”  Rachel looked over at Dog, his tail thumping the
mud when their eyes met.  He had consumed a lot of water and was lying quietly,
keeping an eye on us.

“Any idea what they want?  Why they took you?”  I asked.

“None.  Don’t know if they think they’re protecting us or
were leading us to the slaughter.”  Rachel said, finally moving and sitting up
in the water.  When she did she looked down and ran her hands over her hips.

“Why don’t I have any pants or boots on?”  She asked, then
reached up under her shirt.  “Or a bra?”

“We needed to cool you down.  Fast,” I said.  “Feeling
better?”

“Much.  I’m actually cold,” she said, trying to get her feet
under her to stand up.  “And weak.”

I helped Rachel to the edge of the water where she sat down
in the shade next to Dog.  Joe had turned away to give her some privacy and I
handed over her cut off pants, boots and bra.

“How bad is Katie?”  I asked as she dressed.

“She’s not great, but she’s tough as nails.  The work I did
before the crash stopped the bleeding, but she’s got to be in some pretty
serious pain.  She’s walking, and I’m amazed she is, but we need to get her
somewhere so that wound can be cleaned out and she can get started on
antibiotics before an infection sets in.”

I helped Rachel to her feet and steadied her as she pulled
her pants up and fastened them.  She didn’t hesitate to pull her shirt off to
put her bra on, Joe looking over just as her breasts were bared.  He quickly
turned away, and for a moment I swear I thought I saw him blush.

While Rachel finished dressing I stepped out from under the
tree and looked to the west.  The sun was heading to the horizon and I guessed
we had about an hour of daylight left.  Making up my mind, I turned back when
Rachel touched me on the shoulder.  Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t
fasten her bra, so I hooked it for her and helped her work her shirt on over
her head.

“Who’s you’re new friend?”  She asked, tilting her head in
Joe’s direction.

I called him over and made the introductions, surprised when
he couldn’t make eye contact with Rachel.  She picked up on his embarrassment
and smiled.

“They’re just tits, Joe.  No big deal.”  She said.

That brought his eyes up to hers and despite my worry over
Katie I nearly laughed at the look of shock on his face.  Grabbing my pack, I
dug out two MREs and handed one to each of them.

“What’s this?”  Rachel asked, holding it up in an almost
accusatory manner.

“You need some time to recover,” I said, working the M4 over
my head and handing it to her before pulling all the spare magazines out of my
vest.  I still had the Sig 9 mm rifle and wanted Rachel to be armed with a weapon
she was familiar with.  “I’m going after Katie.  You stay here with Joe and get
some food and more water in you.  When you’re ready, follow me.”

“I’m good to go,” she said, stepping closer to me.  I
recognized the look on her face.

“No.  You’re not.  You couldn’t even hook your bra two
minutes ago.  You need food, water and some rest.  So does he,” I said,
pointing to Dog who rolled onto his side and grunted at me.

Rachel stared back, ready to argue, then wobbled slightly as
a tremor went through her arms.

“See?  Now stop arguing with me.”  I said as I stepped
forward and wrapped her up in a hug. 

Rachel’s arms circled my waist and she buried her face in my
chest.  We stood there for a few moments, then I stepped away after kissing her
on the cheek, turned and headed to where Horse stood munching on the rough
prairie grass.