"No." The other woman's voice was low, almost a growl. "I told you what they did to my daughters. They made me watch. You were there. For fuck's sake, Brenda, they tortured and raped them right in front of us! And that terrible woman laughing and telling them what to do next. Do you remember her? Do these people seem like her?"

Fear and uncertainty tore apart any group, no matter the circumstances. As I looked over the crowd, I had no doubt there were more like this Brenda woman. Fortunately the ones on our side were the most verbal about it. I let them work it out, saying nothing as they continued.

The Indian man spoke up again. "Justine's right. These people have done nothing but help us. You all saw the town when we came in. No slaves, no abuse. These are good people."

Brenda tried to rally the group to her aid again, but it didn't work. Most looked at her with bland disinterest. Someone from the back shouted, "Can it, Brenda. Justine and Vivek are right."

Justine gave me a curt nod and sat down. The group settled and all eyes were on me once again. There was still tension in the air, a fight imminent, but I planned to be long gone before it happened.

"We're trying to track down their main base. Did any of you come from an old factory?"

They all started answering at once. I honed in on a few bits and pieces. Most of them seemed to be independent survivors, or had been with small groups, when the crazies captured them. Some mentioned Generator Town, and that they'd been trying to get over the mountain to eastern Washington when they were captured.

Blaze quieted them with a raise of her hand. "By a show of hands, were any of you in a factory with the crazies at any point?"

One by one, each person raised their hand.

A woman sitting on one of the beds spoke up. "We were all there. Some of us longer than others. It was a coal factory. I recognized it because my granddad used to work in one and told us stories about it. They kept us in pens outside."

"How many people were there?" Blaze asked.

The woman bit her lip, fighting back tears. "Hundreds, I guess. Women, kids, men. They got me when I was going to eastern Washington, like a lot of us were. I was headed over the mountains to see if that Generator Town everyone talks about was true. They were coming from the east when they captured me and my sons. They had at least fifteen trucks carting people. They took me back down the mountains and eventually to the coal factory. Mostly women get...they get raped until they get tired of us, then they eat us. But then they took some of us away. I was taken to that place you found us. We'd been there for days."

Food to go. Takeout, a little voice in my mind said.

"Do you have any idea where the factory was?" Blaze asked.

"I know we drove on Highway 2 for a while before they turned off and drove on overgrown roads for a long time." She hugged herself, looking down at her lap. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything else."

"Do any of you know anything else?" I asked.

They were all quiet before an old man in the center of the room stood. His graying beard reached to his chest and he was filthy. But he held himself tall.

"I'll be honest with ya'll. They made it clear to us if we ever say anythin', or try to escape, they'll find us and kill us. If ya ben with 'em long enough, you know it's true. We're afraid." He looked around at all the prisoners. "But we don't hafta be any more. I know it don't seem possible, but we're saved now." He pointed at me. "Son, you get me a map and I'll show ya where they are. I know exactly where, 'cuz I went huntin' there every year until Judgment Day."

Ghost produced a map from his backpack. We went to the old man. I felt the survivor's eyes on me, questioning. I realized how right the man was. They were afraid this was too good to be true, that the Brotherhood would capture them again and they'd have it even worse than they did the first time. I didn't blame them. I would be afraid, too.

The old man's hands shook as he pointed the route to the factory. It was far east on Highway 2, then up a series of national forest roads into the mountains. The crazies must've picked up Alex in this general area, near Valtown. They were definitely on their way back to home base. Small towns littered the highway before the national forest roads, which was where a handful of housing developments were located.

The man gestured to an area close to the factory. "It's nearby here. They made their own road to it. One way up. It's an old coal factory. Ain't been used since before I was even born."

"They've been there a long time if they've settled it that well," Lasko said. "We need to think about booby traps, alternate routes in, their defense."

"She's right. Plus they have an advantage," Blaze said. "They've been planning this. I doubt they haven't considered an offensive attack."

Alex was trying to grab my attention. He stared intently at me and fidgeted as he cried to catch my eye. I shook my head not now and turned my attention back to the man. "What else can you tell us about the layout of the place? Anything could be hel-"

The first explosion shook the building, sending dust from the ceiling and shaking items on tables. A glass of water slipped from someone's hand and shattered on the ground. Shrieks and gasps rose from the group. My hand went to my gun as I crouched for cover, scanning out the windows.

Another explosion shook the building.

Ghost clicked off his safety. "We're under attack."

Chapter 18.

We ran from the hospital section to the double doors. A few people I recognized from the market were in the act of closing them. A thin layer of dust covered their clothes and faces. The first echoes of gunshots rang through the town.

"What's going on?" I asked one of the newcomers.

"Bomb! Someone set off a bomb at the gates and they're coming in. They're headed straight for us!"

Someone bumped into my back. It was Alex, shaking and leaning on his good leg. "We need to get out of here, Mr. Sinclair. That guy lied to you. There's more than one way in to the crazies' place!"

Lasko and Blaze flanked the doors. Ghost stood back, his gun trained on the area behind us. We had two choices: defend the town or make a run for it.

Suddenly Arbuckle and Valerie ran down the stairs into the main reception area. A look of pure horror was on his face. "I saw them from upstairs. There are a hundred of them, at least."

I took a deep breath. This was what we were waiting for. Now wasn't the time to clam up.

"Blaze, Lasko, take watch down here. Ghost, come up with me to see what we've got going on. Arbuckle, we need to try and contact Surville on CB. Clear?"

"Copy," the women said firmly, holding their ground.

We thundered up the stairs to Arbuckle's office where the radio was. He rushed over and grabbed the radio, turning it to the right frequency. Ghost went up another flight of stairs, giving him the highest vantage point.

The main window overlooked the street that went almost directly to the main gate. A giant cloud of smoke obstructed my view of the gate itself. People were flooding in from outside, disappearing behind buildings and down streets as they entered. The Valtown guards on the walls were being shot down. Some of the crazies climbed ladders and pushed guards off, or hacked at their bodies with melee weapons.

Ghost came down a moment later. "Back gate was attacked, but it held. Enemy is rounding the town to the front gate. There is no more than a hundred."

If what Alex said was true, than the crazies had double our Valtown population. So this wasn't their coup de grace. This was another attack like Surville. Not their full force, but intended to maim us somehow.

"...is Surville. What is your status? Over."

"This is Arbuckle from Valtown. We're under attack. Hundreds of bloodthirsty crazies are out there! Need assistance ASAP. Over."

I dashed from the window, snatching the radio out of Arbuckle's hand just as it crackled to life again. "Arbuckle, this is Christine. We'll send everything we can spare. Hold tight. Over and out."

"Stop, Christine! This is Sinclair. Do not send reinforcements. Defend your own. I repeat, under no circumstances should you come here."

Static. Arbuckle lunged for the radio, but I sidestepped him easily. His hip slammed against the table. He cursed in pain. Valerie stood by the door, stone still, obviously in shock.

"Sinclair, are you sure? Over."

I took a deep breath. "This is not their full force. We can handle it. Stay safe. Over and out."

"What are you doing? We're doomed if they don't come! You told me to get help from them." Arbuckle righted himself and tried grabbing the radio, but I shoved him away. In that moment, he no longer looked like a grown man, a leader of a group of settlements. He was an anxious child, only interested in himself. "We need to run! We need to get out of here!"

"Listen, you cowardly fuck." I stepped closer to him. Invading someone's personal space encouraged submission. His chin tilted downward as he backed up. He glanced at Valerie. "It will take Surville hours to get here. By then, we'll be dead or have won, and what's going to happen while their people are away?"

His mouth hung open and he didn't say a word.

"They'll be defenseless. The Brotherhood could be outside of their city right now waiting for them to rush to our aid. We can make it through this. We aren't going anywhere. I asked you to contact them so we could stop them from coming, to warn them this was happening. Now, either get a gun and help, or get out of the fucking way. Got it?"

"I'm going up top," Ghost said leaving the two of us to take post. I guess he wasn't interested in politics.

I refocused my attention on Arbuckle, who slowly nodded. "I-I...you're right. We'll stay up here."

Still a coward, but at least one that would follow directions. Better that than accidentally shooting me in the heat of battle.

The first boom of Ghost's rifle sounded. I returned downstairs, my body tingling as I prepared for combat.

"They tried to attack from behind but couldn't break the gate. They're looping around to the front gate now."

A wicked grin spread across Blaze's face. She pulled two M67 grenades from her pack. "Took them from the nest egg before I left. I had a feeling they might come in handy."

I took one, securing it in my vest pocket. "We need to hurry. If we can get up on the wall, we can throw these before they reach the front gate."

I told Alex to stay put, then we left Arbuckle's, entering the fray outside. The smell of smoke and cordite was thick, the sounds of gunfire and screaming louder. A few stray crazies had already made their way closer, but they didn't spot us as we dodged behind the building and headed for the wall to the nearest ladder.

People had abandoned their posts, either leaving the wall altogether or falling dead. Beside me, a man I didn't recognize bled from a gunshot to the neck. Another had a gory wound in the middle of his stomach. All sinew and pink, shiny intestines. His body hovered on the edge of the wall.

Lasko and Blaze followed behind me, Lasko providing cover as we ran the length of the wall to the front. The path was treacherous. Between the blood of the fallen-they're going to turn soon; fuck the problems that never end-and debris falling off the wall, we tripped as we ran.

Up ahead, I saw the crazies. They were fast, weaving and darting around trees, making their way to the front gate. They were wild, something about them strikingly animalistic. Despite our terrain being difficult, theirs was worse. Dealing with rocks and the forest floor slowed them.

We rounded a corner and came upon the front gate where a group of them still waited to file in. Some of the smoke had cleared, revealing one gaping hole in the gate, only big enough for two people to squeeze through at once.

I was grateful for the little things, like how it perfectly queued the group up for a grenade.

A spray of bullets whizzed by me from below. Some of them spotted us. I dove, crawling the remaining distance to get me to a better vantage point to toss the grenade. I glanced behind me. Lasko supported us with suppressive fire.

We moved in synch, Blaze pulling the pin and tossing her grenade seconds before me.

I'd never thrown a grenade before. The surge of fear and adrenaline that flooded my system the second I twisted the pin was surreal, but the dread when it wouldn't give topped it all. I twisted harder, finally feeling it release, and plucked it out. I threw it with everything I had towards the center of the waiting targets.

Blaze reached up to yank me to the ground, but she wasn't fast enough to stop a searing hot piece of shrapnel from embedding itself into my shoulder. Her grenade exploded first, mine following a second after. The entire wall beneath us shook from the impact.

Then we were both flat on the wall, bracing ourselves.

It was agonizingly loud, then I heard nothing. All I saw was patchwork metal and stone right in front of my face. Blaze shifted next to me. The tang of copper flooded my mouth. I'd bitten my tongue when I hit the floor.

I spat a mouthful of blood and saliva to the side then tried popping my ears. To no avail. I brought my hand to my shoulder. A splotch of blood spread from the wound. It didn't feel deep, but I needed to do something about it quick.

Let's throw these grenades, she said. It'll be a great idea, she said. Now I'm fucking deaf and bleeding.

I moved into a crouch and peeked over the side of the wall, forcing my brain to function even though it wanted to go into full blown panic.

Two craters were surrounded by gore. The bodies were mangled, most of them missing legs and arms. Blood seeped into the mud, forming pools as it pumped from the dying crazies. Those farthest away who weren't fatally harmed were getting to their feet, but still staggered. Others were taking cover or trying to find the source of the attack.

Some of the bodies already twitched violently, on the verge of turning.

I doubled over in pain, hands clasping my ears as ringing pierced through me when my hearing returned. Behind it, I heard moaning and screaming, people shouting where did it come from, run, fuckohfuck!

"Move, Cyrus! Move!"

Blaze crawled down the ladder. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the pain, wondering if my ears were bleeding. They sure as fuck felt like they were. With every step down, a stabbing pain shot through my body, matching the rhythm of my rapid heartbeat.

We were in the housing district. Two story buildings that all looked alike stretched as far as I could see. Small paths shot off to the front and sides. Blaze opened fire beside me, mowing down two crazies that ran around the corner.

Lasko was beside us a second later, scanning our surroundings.

"Everyone good?" It sounded like we were under water. Her mouth moved but the words didn't sound right.

"Hit." I gestured to my side.

She frowned and tapped her ear. I nodded. Lasko crouched down, taking a quick look at my side, but I couldn't read her expression. Whatever the case, she nodded curtly and diverted her attention.

"We gotta start clearing the streets!" she shouted. "Can't do much for your wounds until we're safe. Let's move. Watch your six and embrace the suck, girls and boys!"

We moved in a triangular formation, Blaze and Lasko in front and me taking up the back. Even though my ears were in the worst agony they'd ever experienced, I still managed to rally myself enough to do what we needed to.

We were a machine, taking down the stray crazies that wandered into our path. When we got closer to the bodies, we took headshots or put blades through the brain. It would make cleanup later easier. A fight with crazies was never a simple process, but the Zs rising afterwards created greater complications.

We were lucky to be in the housing area where there weren't many places for people to hide. It seemed like the enemies we found didn't expect to see us, giving us an advantage.

Eventually we moved out of the area. I was low on ammo, only one mag of thirty rounds left for my rifle. I switched to my handgun.

The market street stretched in front of us. Here, the battle still raged.

It was a deadly combination of runners, our people, and the crazies. Some still fired guns. Some missed shots, hitting unintended marks, while others went hand to hand. I needed to take only sure shots or I might take out one of our own.

Ten feet away, a runner caught sight of me. It was someone from the Brotherhood. He stood naked from the waist up, with a giant emblem of the sword and flames carved over his heart. His glassy eyes locked onto me and he howled. Loops of intestines seeped from a gaping shotgun wound in his stomach, jiggling as he sprinted forward. My shot missed as the Z tripped on his own innards and crashed to the ground. I took aim again and put him down for good.

Beside me, Lasko switched to her handgun and a spiked blade. She impaled a crazy through the ear with her blade before turning and placing a bullet right between the eyes of another.

My vision blurred. I stumbled back and tried to shake it off, but fell to my knees.

"Aw hell. Cyrus is down!"

Who said it, Blaze? Lasko? Had anyone said it, or was I hearing things?