The Stones of Angkor (Purge of Babylon, Book 3) (37 page)

“Yeah, but who cuts the grass?” Nate smirked.

“Who cares. We didn’t go there for the golf.”

Will stood up. Harris tensed, then looked over at Gaby and Nate. She could guess what was probably going through his mind at the moment:
“Now what?”

“Do we just…leave him here?” she asked Will.

Will didn’t answer right away.

That, more than anything, unnerved Harris. “Leave me here,” the man said. “I told you everything you wanted to know. You promised.”

“Did I?” Will said.

Harris opened his mouth to protest, but stopped short. It was true. The only thing Will had promised was pain if he didn’t talk. Other than that, she didn’t remember anything about letting Harris go.

“Look, I was just following orders,” Harris said.

Will ignored him and glanced down at his watch before looking over at Nate. “What’s the word on the Beetle?”

“There are at least four bullets in the engine block,” Nate said. “It’s not going anywhere.”

“Transfer everything you have over to the Saleen.”

“Now?” Gaby said.

Will nodded.

Gaby took the hint and started off, but noticed Nate wasn’t following. She glanced back at him. “Nate, come on.”

He hesitated, before grudgingly leaving with her.

They walked along the feeder road for a moment, then crossed over to the highway’s southbound lane, back to the Beetle farther down the I-49.

Nate kept glancing back at Will and Harris. “Is he going to kill that guy?”

“I don’t know,” Gaby said. “Maybe.”

“Should we stop him?”

“Why?”

“It’s murder, Gaby.”

“He was trying to murder us.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Isn’t it?”

“If we killed him during the gun battle, that’s fine. I won’t lose sleep over it. But this…this is murder.”

She gave him a sharp look, ready to get pissed at him, but saw the very real conflict on his face. He looked so young, even with that Mohawk.

“When did you get so soft and gooey?” she asked instead.

He chuckled. “Is that what I’m being? Soft and gooey? Just because I don’t want Will to murder some guy?”

“You really think he wouldn’t do the same to us if the shoe was on the other foot?”

“I’m sure he would. But we’re better than him. He and this Kellerson guy. These collaborators. That’s what sets us apart from them.”

Gaby didn’t reply. She didn’t really know how. Maybe he was right. The old Gaby would have jumped at the chance to agree with him. But she had seen too many things, faced too much ugliness from her fellow man, and lost too many friends to just forgive Harris for “following orders.”

When she didn’t answer, Nate said, “Gaby?”

“What?”

“Nothing. I expected you to say something.”

She shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. That you agree with me would be nice.”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t?”

“No. Why do you find that so hard to believe?”

“I thought—” He paused. “I just thought you would.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“So you’re fine with Will shooting Harris in cold blood?”

“I’m fine with whatever Will decides to do with him.”

“You trust him that much?”

“I trust him more than I trust you. You’re cute and all, but you haven’t been through the shit me and Will have been through.”

He grinned crookedly at her. “You think I’m cute?”

She gave him a wry look. “Really? From arguing for Harris’s life in one breath to grinning like an idiot over me calling you ‘cute’ in the other? Classy, Nate, real classy.”

“Hey, a guy’s gotta make some points where he can. Girls like you don’t come around very often, you know.”

“I have bruises and scratches all over my face, and my forehead looks like someone cut it open with a hammer, then poured dirt into it.”

“Scars heal and bruises fade, but you’ll always be beautiful.”

“Wow. That was almost…sweet.”

He laughed. “I get some brownie points for that, right?”

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

*

Gaby was amazed
they had survived the ambush unscathed, given the state of the Beetle. It was almost completely destroyed, every single window shattered, even the back windshield. The doors were covered in bullet holes and the car seats and dashboards were shredded. The man had really unleashed on them, but then again, given how much ammo he was carrying inside the Saleen, she guessed he wasn’t exactly trying to conserve bullets.

Before she left Benny, Gaby had taken some of the emergency supplies from the gym bag they were hauling around, giving Benny the bulk of it to take back to Lara. The ham radio she had brought with her was in pieces in the back of the Beetle, with a nice big hole in the center.

They grabbed their packs and headed back to Will.

*

“Radio’s kaput,” Gaby
said.

Will nodded, keeping one eye on Harris, who was still seated on the curb in front of him. As she expected, Will didn’t look all that torn up about the loss of the ham radio.

Of course not. He left before I came back for a reason…so he wouldn’t have to explain to Lara why he isn’t coming back to the island yet.

Slick, Will, real slick.

Next to them, Nate was busy taking inventory of everything from inside Harris’s truck, including one of the green ammo cans that had been stolen from Mercy Hospital. The bullets inside were 9mm and 5.56x45mm silver rounds, not that Harris had cared or noticed. There was also a white Level B tactical hazmat suit in the backseat, along with a spare M4 rifle, a backpack, gas mask, and a crate of food.

“So what’re we gonna do with this asshole?” she asked Will.

Harris narrowed his eyes at the insult.

“We’ll leave him here,” Will said. “If he survives the day, fine. If not, that’s his problem.”

Gaby glanced over at Nate to see his reaction. He looked satisfied with the compromise.

“I can live with that,” Nate said.

“What about my suit?” Harris asked.

“What about it?” Will said.

“I need it.”

“That’s too bad, because we’re taking it, too.”

Harris didn’t bother arguing.

She left Will and Harris and climbed into the front passenger seat of the truck.

Nate settled down behind the steering wheel, moving his butt around the luxurious leather sports seat and whistling his approval. “I could get used to this.”

“Considering the fates of every vehicle I’ve been in lately, you probably shouldn’t.”

“Oh come on, your luck’s changing.”

“What gave you that crazy idea?”

“You met me, didn’t you?”

“Unbelievable,” she said. “We’re probably going to die soon, and all you can think about is getting into my pants.”

“Is it working yet?”

“You’re not even at the belt.”

“Damn,” Nate said.

She watched Harris outside the window, looking forlornly back at them. He hadn’t bothered to move from the curb, probably realizing there was nowhere to run anyway.

Will soon showed up, riding his Triumph motorcycle across the flat highway lanes over to them. He stopped next to Harris, who remained seated like a kid sent to the corner as punishment.

“What’s the point?” Harris asked. “So you save a couple of kids. Then what? There are hundreds—
thousands
—of people out there. You’ll never be able to save them all. Why even bother?”

“How many did you personally hand over to the ghouls?” Will asked.

“Enough.”

“Maybe you can explain to them how loyal you’ve been when you see them tonight.”

Will gunned the motorcycle and shot forward, up the southbound lane, before switching over to the northbound. Nate eased the truck back onto the road, then increased speed as they hopped the lanes. Will had slowed down for them to catch up before increasing speed again.

They drove past a sign that read, “Sandwhite Wildlife State Park. 29 Miles.”

Gaby looked in her side mirror, back at Harris. He was still sitting on the curb, watching them go.

“How long do you think he’ll last out here by himself?” Nate asked. “Without food, weapons, or the hazmat suit?”

Gaby remembered the kids, their faces pressed against the rear windshield of the Humvee, looking back at her, horror frozen on their tear-streaked faces.

“Gaby?” Nate said. “How long do you think he’ll last out here?”

“I couldn’t give a shit,” she said finally.

*

Sandwhite was only
twenty-nine miles from Harvest, but as they approached the five-mile mark, Will slowed down and pulled over to the side, motioning for them to drive up next to him.

Gaby glanced down at her watch: 11:55 
a.m.

Nate pulled up alongside Will and put the truck in park.

Will flicked up his helmet’s visor. “How big is Sandwhite?”

“It’s big,” Nate said. “About 10,000 acres the last time I was there. The state might have expanded it since.”

“Ten thousand is massive,” Gaby said.

“Yeah, it’s pretty big. Some rich family originally owned it before gifting it over to the state. It’s essentially halved—one for the hunters and the other for campers. It’s got trails, but honestly, it’s a good idea not to get lost inside at night.”

“What kind of wildlife?” Will asked.

“Squirrels, rabbits, wood ducks, and large herds of deer. And oh, woodcocks.”

“Woodcocks?” Gaby said doubtfully.

“Yeah, you know, small birds with long, skinny beaks?”

“You’re making that up.”

“No, I’m serious. They’re called woodcocks.”

“Trails?” Will asked.

“About twelve miles in all, mostly used by hunters. We used to notch some nice trophy bucks from those woods.”

“What’s the plan?” she asked Will.

He glanced at his watch. “What are you loaded with, Nate?”

“I have Harris’s 9 mil Beretta, and I swapped my rifle with his spare M4. Thought it’d be more appropriate if we run across this Kellerson asshole.”

“I reloaded all the mags with the silver from the ammo can,” Gaby added. “Just in case.”

Will looked forward. “If Harris was telling the truth, then Kellerson will have already delivered the kids and left yesterday. You said there are places in the park where the sun doesn’t reach?”

“A lot of places,” Nate said.

“This is where I give you the option of turning back,” Will said. “Gaby—”

“Forget it,” she said, cutting him off. “The only place I’m going is wherever you are.”

She thought she was in for an argument, but instead he looked at Nate. “What about you, ROTC?”

“Hell, I came this far,” Nate said. “Why the hell not?”

“You could die.”

“Yeah, well, I could die tomorrow. Or the day after that. If I am going to die, I might as well do it for a good cause. And rescuing some kids is as good as any.”

Will nodded. “Harris said they drove to the main parking lot and waited for the others to come get the kids. You know where that is?”

“There’s only one main parking lot, in the center of the park. I know where it is.”

“All right. You take point.”

Will flicked his visor back down and waited. Nate pulled on ahead, and Will followed behind them.