Gone Series: Plague Part 10

Lana had come around the back of the hotel and was throwing a tennis ball to her dog. They were outlined against the faint glow of western horizon, and illuminated by the light of the moon just coming from behind the hills.

"I'm going to refuse to do p.u.b.erty," Virtue grumbled. "It makes you stupid."

Sanjit barely heard him. He was walking toward Lana.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?" Lana snapped. "No one comes to Clifftop without me saying so."

Sanjit said, "You missed a beautiful sunset."

"It's an illusion," Lana said. "It's not the real sun. None of it's real. The moon, the stars, all of it."

"Still beautiful, though."

"Fake."

"But beautiful."

Lana glared at him. And Sanjit had to admit: the girl could glare. The pistol in her waistband definitely added to the tough-girl look. But more it was that hurt-but-defiant expression.

"So asking you to take a moonlit walk with me, that would totally not work?"

"What?" Again that glare. "Go away. Stop being an idiot. I don't even know you."

"You're healing my little brother Bowie."

"Yeah, that doesn't make us friends, kid."

"So no moonlight."

"Are you r.e.t.a.r.ded?"

"Sunrise? I could get up early."

"Go away."

"Sunset tomorrow?"

"Just what is your problem, kid? Do you know who I am? No one messes with me."

"Do you know my name?"

"Which part of 'go away' do you not get? I could shoot you and no one would even say anything."

"It's Sanjit. It's a Hindu name."

"One word to Orc and he'd play basketball with your head."

"It means 'invincible.'"

"That's great," Lana said.

"Invincible. I can't be vinced."

"That's not even a word," Lana said. Then she ground her teeth, obviously annoyed with herself for having been baited.

"Go ahead: try to vince me," Sanjit said.

Just then Patrick came rushing over. He dropped the ball at Sanjit's feet, grinned his delirious dog grin, and waited.

"Don't play with my dog," Lana said.

Sanjit s.n.a.t.c.hed up the ball and threw it. Patrick went tearing after it.

"You don't scare me," Sanjit said. He held up a hand, cutting Lana off before she could answer. "I'm not saying I shouldn't be scared. I've heard some of the stories about you. About what happened. You went up against this gaiaphage thing all by yourself. Which means you are the second bravest girl I ever met. So I probably should be scared. I'm just not."

He watched her struggle to resist asking. She lost. "Second bravest?"

"I'll tell you the story when we go for that walk," Sanjit said. He jerked a thumb toward the helicopter. "I better get back to town. Edilio wants a report from me."

He turned and walked away.

Chapter Nine.

54 HOURS, 9 MINUTES.

SAM FOUND HIS little crew where they were supposed to be.

Dekka was almost smiling. Almost smiling was giddy for Dekka.

Taylor was checking her fingernails, being elaborately bored. Sam wondered if he should say something about the kiss. Something like, "I'm really sorry I groped you."

Yeah: that would be really helpful.

Better to pretend it all never happened. Unfortunately Taylor was not known for letting things just drop.

Furthermore, she irritated Dekka. Dekka was Sam's friend and his ally. The three people Sam knew he could always count on were Edilio, Brianna, and Dekka. Strange, because it wasn't like they hung out together. Sam spent his time alone or with Astrid. He barely saw Edilio lately. He had nothing at all in common with Brianna-she was too young, too crazy, too ... too Brianna to be someone Sam would hang with.

Quinn had been his best friend back before. But Quinn had a big job, a job he loved. Quinn's friends were all his fishing crews. They were as tight as a very close family, the fishermen.

The fourth member of the expedition was Jack. Formerly Computer Jack-there were no longer any functioning computers around. Jack was wasting his days reading comic books and pouting.

Jack's superhuman strength might come in handy, but Jack had never been much use. Although, Sam noted thoughtfully, Jack had stepped up during the big fire. Maybe he was growing up a bit. Maybe getting his head out of a computer was actually a good thing.

"You guys up for this?" Sam asked.

"Do I have to go?" Jack whined.

Sam shrugged. "Albert's paying you, right? It's better than playing strong man for him all day, isn't it?"

Jack's eyes flashed. Albert had started using Jack's physical strength-to carry loads to the market, to move furniture- and Jack resented it. In Jack's mind he was still the tech genius, the supergeek, not the freak strong man.

"Why do we have to do this in the middle of the night?" Taylor asked.

"Because we don't want the whole town knowing why we're going and where we're going."

"How can I tell anyone if I don't even know myself?" Taylor stuck out her lower lip.

"Water. We're going to look for water," Sam said.

He could almost hear the wheels in Taylor's head spinning. Then, "OMG, we're out of water?" She bit her lip, took a couple of dramatic breaths, and wailed, "Do you mean we're all going to die?"

"That would be a pretty good example of why we're keeping this secret," Sam said dryly.

"I just need to go-"

"Uh-uh!" Sam said. "No you don't, Taylor. You don't bounce anywhere or talk to anyone without me agreeing. Are we clear?"

"You know, Sam, you're nice. And so very, very hot," Taylor said. "But you're not really much fun."

"Let's get out of here while we can," Dekka said. "I brought a gun, by the way."

"Are we going to be in danger?" Taylor cried.

"The gun's in case you get on my nerves, Taylor," Dekka warned.

"Oh, so funny," Taylor said.

Sam grinned. For the first time in a while he was actually looking forward to something. A mission. And at least a temporary escape from Perdido Beach.

"Dekka's right. Let's get out of here before something happens I have to deal with," Sam said.

Just at that moment he heard a sound like something large breaking. It was some distance away. A noise like twigs snapping. Probably some drunk idiot.

Sam chose to ignore it. Edilio's worry, not his.

He headed toward the dark hills above town.

After a while Dekka took Sam's arm and slowed him down. She let Jack and Taylor move out in front.

"Did Edilio or Astrid tell you?"

"I haven't talked to Edilio. I steered clear. He's going to be mightily annoyed with me when he realizes I skipped town and didn't even tell him."

Dekka waited.

"Okay," Sam said with a sigh. "Tell me what?"

"It's Hunter. He's got some kind of ... Well, it's like these bugs all inside him. Astrid says they're parasites."

"Astrid says?" Sam snapped. "So I guess you did see her before you left. And she didn't tell you?"

"We had other things going on."

"Oh?"

"No," Sam said. "Not like that. Unfortunately. Tell me about Hunter."

Dekka told him.

Sam's face grew darker as he listened. So much for getting out of town before anything went wrong. This had "wrong" written all over it.

It sounded as if Hunter wasn't going to be hunting much longer. Which meant the town would be running out of meat as well as water. They could probably survive without Hunter's kills, but it sure would increase the sense of panic.

This mission had just gotten more important, not less.

"He said the greenies are on the morning side? Off the lake road? That's what he said?"

Dekka nodded.

Sam called up to the other two who were arguing over something stupid. "Taylor! Jack! Veer right up there. We're stopping off to see Hunter."

Hunter woke suddenly. A noise.

It was a noise unlike anything he'd ever heard before. Close! Very close.

Like it was on him. Like it was ...

Just in one ear.

He twisted his head. It was full night. Black as black in the woods far from the starlight.

He couldn't see anything.