months ago.”
Sylvia put a hand on Avery’s arm. To Richardson, she said, “Niki and Stoler got into a really bad fight after that.”
“About what?”
“Ben, you don’t understand. When the Red Man takes over a compound, he’s usually after people. If they’ll join him voluntarily they can become one of his black shirts. If not . . .”
“They get turned?”
“Most of the time.” She frowned. “But he didn’t do that at Calimar. He was furious about losing to them at St. Louis. I saw the pictures Niki and his patrols took of what they found at Calimar. Ben, he didn’t even try to take prisoners. He slaughtered them all.”
Richardson was quiet, waiting for her to go on. Lightning flashed outside, followed by a deep, bellowing roll of thunder.
“After Calimar, Ken wanted Niki to take the fight to the Red Man. He thought if they beat the Red Man once, they could do it again.”
“But Niki didn’t agree?”
Sylvia shook her head. “She said that would be suicide. She said the Red Man would just keep her busy in the field while the rest of his troops did to Union Field what they did to Calimar.”
“So she wanted to fight a defensive war?”
Sylvia and Avery smiled at each other. “No,” Sylvia said. “Niki wouldn’t even consider fighting a defensive war.”
“So . . . what then?”
“Niki was looking for a cure.”
Richardson stared at them, a half smile on his face. “You’re joking?”
“No, Ben, I’m not. She was pretty sure she found one, too. That’s why we left Union Field. That’s what we’re doing out here.”
Richardson shook his head in dismay. “Sylvia, that’s absolutely ridiculous. I have been all over this country. I’ve even been into Mexico a few times. People everywhere talk about finding a cure. It’s like some kind of fairy tale.”
“That’s what Stoler said.”
Richardson laughed. “Huh, what do you know? I never thought I’d agree with that idiot on anything.”
“It’s real, Ben. Niki believed in it.”
“Yeah, so much that she turned her back on however many people you’ve got back at Union Field. She’s your best fighter, and she went off hunting red herrings when her people needed her most. No wonder Ken Stoler is pissed.”
Sylvia’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, Ben.”
“I understand things just fine, Sylvia. I understand that there’s no such thing as a cure to the necrosis filovirus. The only cure for a zombie is a bullet in the brain.”
“Now you really sound like Stoler.”
“Yeah? Well, it sounds like he finally came to his senses, if you ask me.”
“That’s the difference between us, Ben. You never did believe.”
“And you were always a dreamer, Sylvia.”
She slapped her palm down on the floor, kicking up a thin cloud of dust. “You don’t mean to tell me, after everything you’ve seen today, that you still believe these people can’t be saved. I would think this, finally, would convince you.”
“What do you mean, after what I saw today? Were we watching the same thing? Because what I saw was some guy who fed a living person to a huddle of zombies, and then deliberately infected another man. That doesn’t sound like somebody in need of saving. What I saw was a man in need of being cut up into little bits and buried beneath a ton of lime.”
“He’s insane, Ben. I’ll give you that. But he is regaining his sense of self. He is living proof that the disease isn’t permanent. That’s there hope.”
“Hope? Sense of self? Sylvia, I didn’t think it was possible, but you might actually have gotten crazier since San Antonio.”
“Crazier?” She pulled her hair and made a noise that, to Richardson at least, sounded a lot like a growl. “What do you think is going on out there, Ben? The Red Man is proof that this disease can be dealt with. You’ve seen him with his troops. Surely even you can see that he’s capable of working with uninfected people to achieve
Sylvia put a hand on Avery’s arm. To Richardson, she said, “Niki and Stoler got into a really bad fight after that.”
“About what?”
“Ben, you don’t understand. When the Red Man takes over a compound, he’s usually after people. If they’ll join him voluntarily they can become one of his black shirts. If not . . .”
“They get turned?”
“Most of the time.” She frowned. “But he didn’t do that at Calimar. He was furious about losing to them at St. Louis. I saw the pictures Niki and his patrols took of what they found at Calimar. Ben, he didn’t even try to take prisoners. He slaughtered them all.”
Richardson was quiet, waiting for her to go on. Lightning flashed outside, followed by a deep, bellowing roll of thunder.
“After Calimar, Ken wanted Niki to take the fight to the Red Man. He thought if they beat the Red Man once, they could do it again.”
“But Niki didn’t agree?”
Sylvia shook her head. “She said that would be suicide. She said the Red Man would just keep her busy in the field while the rest of his troops did to Union Field what they did to Calimar.”
“So she wanted to fight a defensive war?”
Sylvia and Avery smiled at each other. “No,” Sylvia said. “Niki wouldn’t even consider fighting a defensive war.”
“So . . . what then?”
“Niki was looking for a cure.”
Richardson stared at them, a half smile on his face. “You’re joking?”
“No, Ben, I’m not. She was pretty sure she found one, too. That’s why we left Union Field. That’s what we’re doing out here.”
Richardson shook his head in dismay. “Sylvia, that’s absolutely ridiculous. I have been all over this country. I’ve even been into Mexico a few times. People everywhere talk about finding a cure. It’s like some kind of fairy tale.”
“That’s what Stoler said.”
Richardson laughed. “Huh, what do you know? I never thought I’d agree with that idiot on anything.”
“It’s real, Ben. Niki believed in it.”
“Yeah, so much that she turned her back on however many people you’ve got back at Union Field. She’s your best fighter, and she went off hunting red herrings when her people needed her most. No wonder Ken Stoler is pissed.”
Sylvia’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, Ben.”
“I understand things just fine, Sylvia. I understand that there’s no such thing as a cure to the necrosis filovirus. The only cure for a zombie is a bullet in the brain.”
“Now you really sound like Stoler.”
“Yeah? Well, it sounds like he finally came to his senses, if you ask me.”
“That’s the difference between us, Ben. You never did believe.”
“And you were always a dreamer, Sylvia.”
She slapped her palm down on the floor, kicking up a thin cloud of dust. “You don’t mean to tell me, after everything you’ve seen today, that you still believe these people can’t be saved. I would think this, finally, would convince you.”
“What do you mean, after what I saw today? Were we watching the same thing? Because what I saw was some guy who fed a living person to a huddle of zombies, and then deliberately infected another man. That doesn’t sound like somebody in need of saving. What I saw was a man in need of being cut up into little bits and buried beneath a ton of lime.”
“He’s insane, Ben. I’ll give you that. But he is regaining his sense of self. He is living proof that the disease isn’t permanent. That’s there hope.”
“Hope? Sense of self? Sylvia, I didn’t think it was possible, but you might actually have gotten crazier since San Antonio.”
“Crazier?” She pulled her hair and made a noise that, to Richardson at least, sounded a lot like a growl. “What do you think is going on out there, Ben? The Red Man is proof that this disease can be dealt with. You’ve seen him with his troops. Surely even you can see that he’s capable of working with uninfected people to achieve
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