Human Bait

Chapter 14: Phase Three

Twenty minutes from the fortress, I spotted the first Infected.

She faced away from me, as motionless as the trees around us. Clumps of graying hair clung to her scalp, and her tattered clothing drooped over sagging flesh. One ear dangled from a string of skin. The other ear was absent entirely.

I stumbled back a step, mouthing a curse as the underbrush crackled, but the Infected displayed no reaction. Although the virus's effects remained largely unknown, the Infected seemed to rely on human senses. As long as she did not see me, perhaps I was safe.

Eyes on the Infected, I backed toward a tall pine and grabbed the lowest branch. Planting a foot on the trunk, I swung up into the tree. I scrambled up higher and ducked behind the largest branch I could find.

Feet shuffled toward me, a slow rustle of snow.

I hunched my shoulders and drew my arms in front of myself, nails digging into the bark and forehead pressed into the branch. A glint of silver hair and angry red scalp passed directly under my tree branch.

She continued walking.

When the footsteps faded into the woods, I slid out of the tree, and set out toward the highway. For the next hour, only an occasional snuffling critter or twittering bird cut through the steady tromp of my boots through snow. The trees grew sparser until valleys of sparkling snow blanketed the ground.

When I passed the last few trees, the sun spilled fuzzy beams over an endless white field. Black asphalt from the former highway breached melted snow.

No trees for refuge. Nowhere to hide.

Rekkan had assured me I would lose courage at the edge of the woods and run back to him. He said it enough times it began to sound less like a taunt and more like a prayer.

Sucking in a breath, I continued onward.

    I trekked along the remains of the road. Only the occasional dilapidated farmhouses and silos marked my progress. Meanwhile, the horizon shaved off the bottom of the sun, and pink, orange, and yellow seeped over the sky like spilled paint, a stunning contrast to the monochrome landscape.

Before long, darkness would swallow the land.

Cold sweat pricked my skin, and I picked up the pace, legs snapping forward in a numb half-jog. Finally, I saw the billboard depicted beside the research base on Rekkan's map. A faded woman in a navy blue uniform proudly saluted the camera. Though half of the letters had worn away, I recognized the message.

The Northern Noble Forces: Fighting for a better future.

Assuming the map was drawn to scale, I would reach the base within an hour. Anticipation flooded me. Soon, I could prove my worth, clear my mother's name, and maybe even save the world.

But then I heard the toddler.

The wail carried from behind a farmhouse with a caved roof and half-stripped paint. For a minute, I froze in place, crushing my lip between my teeth as I studied the map. I was so close to the Research Base, where I could possibly help so many survivors and not just one lone toddler. Yet I couldn't bring myself to leave.

My boots punched through snow and skidded across icy patches as I approached the farmhouse. I started toward the back, but then a flash of motion caught my eye. Holding my breath, I ducked behind the wall and wrenched out my switchblade.

A man stumbled into view, glassy-eyed and mumbling. He gestured with both arms as he spoke, addressing some invisible person ahead of him. One arm ended at a bleeding stump near his elbow.