With Derrick’s body weighing down his shoulder, Nick considered his options. Burning the body would be noticed by someone, especially if the fire was still smoldering in themorning. He decided he would walk into the forest and figure it out there.
“What the hell happened?” a voice from Nick’s right cut through the silence, and Nick’s heart leapt into his throat. An older guard, Jerry or Gary, stood leaning against the outside of the warehouse with an unlit cigar and a lighter in his hand. Nick was certain he had been introduced to the man, yet he could not grasp hold of his name, and it was far too late to ask it now.
The light surrounding them was dim, and Derrick’s body was face down. Nick scrambled to determine if Jerry/Gary only saw a dead body, or if he recognized that it was Derrick and simply did not give a shit. Did anyone around here actually give a shit about each other?
“Infected,” Nick replied. When in doubt, say little and let them come to their own conclusions. Someone probably said that once. Jerry or Gary’s face grew perturbed.
“One of the captives? Do you think it was the food? Are they all infected?”
Well, now this is a problem.
If this guard went back and created hysteria about the food that was being fed to the prisoners, Nick would be outed and called into question.
“No, it’s just this one. Can you come help me bury him?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, no problem. We’ll stop by the shed and grab a shovel.”
The two men walked across the stiff grass to a small metal storage building. The guard entered and rummaged through the tools within until he emerged holding a shovel.
Nick and the man traipsed through the woods without conversation. The forest was an eerie glow of green through Nick’s night vision. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath his boots as he walked with no destination or specific distance in mind.
When Nick felt he had gone far enough, he stopped before a broad pine tree and tossed the body to the ground. It landed face up. Jerry or Gary leaned over the body and squinted his eyes.
“Wait, that’s—”
The butt of Nick’s rifle connected with the man’s head before he could finish his assertion. Jerry/Gary’s knees hit Derrick’s body, and he fell unconscious atop the corpse. Shallow breaths wheezed from the guard's mouth. Nick repeatedly brought the rifle down on the back of Gary or Jerry’s head until the chances of him rising again were slim. Given the world’s circumstances, the chances were never zero anymore.
He wrested the shovel from his latest victim’s hands and dug a hole next to the bodies. Using the tip of his boot, he shoved both corpses into the hole and covered them with dirt.
Nick leaned a hand against the pine tree and bent over; the disquiet within had stolen his stamina. He pulled off his helmet and set it on the ground, then removed his gloves. Nick shut his eyes and let the dread encircling his brain take hold until a scream threatened to break free from his lips.
Instead of shouting, Nick’s fists pounded the tree on repeat. His knuckles collided with the rough bark until they were bloody and covered in sap. After his hopeless feelings were purged, Nick dropped to his knees and clutched his head in agony.
All Nick wanted was to rescue Kate from this prison. He was wholly unconcerned about the others trapped inside, despite knowing that he should be. A good person would not be so detached from the plight of strangers. The person Nick thought he should be would have composure and risk everything to save the souls captured by these evil men. However, being the hero everyone expected him to be was entirely overwhelming. The weight of this role was crushing him.
Adam’s picture of Nick, drawn as a superhero soaring over the crowd of dead Infected, came to mind. At the time, the capeweighed heavy on his shoulders as if woven from canvas. Now, he was being choked by the garment.
Tears stung Nick’s eyes. His hair clung to his forehead, pasted to his skin with sweat. Ragged grunts escaped his lips as the outpouring of pain tried to make itself verbal. After a long time, Nick steadied his breathing and pieced himself back together.
Nick stood and retrieved his helmet, securing it onto his head. He gloved his hands and proceeded to the meeting spot where his small army awaited his arrival.
Chapter 44
“Hey, brother. Are we still on for tomorrow?” Ryan greeted Nick near the broken-down building they claimed as their meeting spot. The air clung to the environment in a thin, chilled layer, reminding Nick of the approaching winter. The drop in temperature would make survival a more difficult task.
“Change of plans. We’re letting the drop happen,” Nick explained and watched the faces staring at him twist into confusion.
“What? Why?” Ryan exclaimed.
“Kate wants to tear down this entire operation. She wants to be transported to the headquarters of this trafficking group so that we can destroy it from the inside.” Nick strained to keep his voice steady and without emotion. If his friends suspected he was losing his shit, he feared they may refuse to help him or make their own plans.
“Shit,” Phoenix said, assessing his words. Worry covered his face like paint, yet he started nodding as if Nick’s proposal was the only viable option.
Ryan shook his head. “Tumbleweed is such a badass.”
“After the drop, we’ll meet back here. Then I’ll lead us back to Kate. We’ll have to survey the area and find the best way to take out the guards. Get what gear you can from Fort Vanguard. We’re going to need it.” Nick gave orders while the group listened intently.
“We’re gonna get her back in one piece,” Ryan consoled.
