approves of the sudden fondness that has developed between Katia and me. I can’t read the guy. He’s a granite slab. You don’t know what he’s thinking until he’s yelling profanities and waving a gun in your face.
“Okay, so, me, you, Tim, and we’ll get Tyrell to go too. I’ll send Tyrell around to gather up enough ammo and supplies for the trip.”
“We should really bring some more people this time,” Katia says.
“I’ll see.”
Bethany stands and runs to the center of the room. “What about me?” The sword is out of its sheath and resting across the back her shoulders.
“ No, sis, I need you to stay back on this one.”
“Oh, come on, I’ve been in this as long as you have , Tim. It’s bullshit. You can’t protect me forever.”
“Maybe not forever, but, for right now, I certainly can.”
Before she can continue her tangent, Ruiz swoops in. “Bethany, how about, while we’re gone, you work with the head of our security detail. You’ll be up on one of the balconies; we’ll put you behind a scope. That way, anymore Biters break through, you can pop em’.”
Her face lights up. “Awesome !”
“You just make sure they’re Rabid b efore you get all trigger happy,” I say as she swings the sword around her body on the way back to the corner.
“Yeah, yeah, Tim.”
“So, we got a target?” Katia asks.
“We’ve got scouts out there right now looking for a checkpoint.”
“What are these checkpoints for?” I ask.
Bytes blows a bubble, pops it across his lips and then smiles quaintly. “Well...us, of course. They clear an area, they set up checkpoints, they rinse and repeat. They’re running a grid pattern. The grid is getting smaller. Eventually, they’ll find us and we’ll be forced to fight them.”
“And how will that work out?”
Ruiz shakes his head. “Honestly? Probably not too good. But not much we can do. We can’t move all of these people. I’m not going to leave them here either. That information you brought us, that’s our only real weapon against them, that’s our trump card. We sure as hell can’t beat them in a straight up brawl.”
“Well, it’s not a weapon just yet. Right now, it’s just a stick of data. Until I can get us online, there’s not a whole lot of threat there. I’m working on some things though.” Bytes smiles and bobs his head, quite proud of whatever he’s got brewing.
I ignore the insinuation. It’s not the time to raise objections. The last thing the group needs is Ruiz and I in another Mexican standoff. If it’s gotta be, then it’ll be later. Not now. Not when we’re only hanging on by a thread.
Priorities, Tim. Priorities.
“We’re doing what we can,” Ruiz says. “Anyway, let’s get everyone on alert and get the supplies ready. We want to be prepped come go-time.”
“Roger. ” Katia gives a lazy salute.
Ruiz stops me as we’re going to leave. “Hey, Tim, can I have a word?”
Oh, boy, here it comes.
“We’ll be waiting downstairs, ” Katia says, her arm around Bethany.
“I’m just going to go lay down for a bit.” Bytes disappears into the bedroom.
I cross my arms over my chest and stand back against the wall, trying to gather my confidence while Ruiz circles back around to the other side of the computer.
“I picked t his up off the ground last night, figured you might want it back.” Ruiz pulls the empty Ruger out from behind his back. Black blood still stains the grip where Loco used it to hammer away at Rabid skulls. “Didn’t have time to really clean it off or anything.”
“I don’t need that . Bad voodoo attached to it.”
Ruiz chuckles lightly. “Yeah, guess maybe you ’re right. I’ll leave it here for Bytes, a souvenir.”
“Better than letting it go to waste.”
Ruiz drops the gun on the table. “So, listen. I wanted to let you know, everything that went down between us, it’s cool. What you did last night, well, we owe you our lives. I know that you may not agree
“Okay, so, me, you, Tim, and we’ll get Tyrell to go too. I’ll send Tyrell around to gather up enough ammo and supplies for the trip.”
“We should really bring some more people this time,” Katia says.
“I’ll see.”
Bethany stands and runs to the center of the room. “What about me?” The sword is out of its sheath and resting across the back her shoulders.
“ No, sis, I need you to stay back on this one.”
“Oh, come on, I’ve been in this as long as you have , Tim. It’s bullshit. You can’t protect me forever.”
“Maybe not forever, but, for right now, I certainly can.”
Before she can continue her tangent, Ruiz swoops in. “Bethany, how about, while we’re gone, you work with the head of our security detail. You’ll be up on one of the balconies; we’ll put you behind a scope. That way, anymore Biters break through, you can pop em’.”
Her face lights up. “Awesome !”
“You just make sure they’re Rabid b efore you get all trigger happy,” I say as she swings the sword around her body on the way back to the corner.
“Yeah, yeah, Tim.”
“So, we got a target?” Katia asks.
“We’ve got scouts out there right now looking for a checkpoint.”
“What are these checkpoints for?” I ask.
Bytes blows a bubble, pops it across his lips and then smiles quaintly. “Well...us, of course. They clear an area, they set up checkpoints, they rinse and repeat. They’re running a grid pattern. The grid is getting smaller. Eventually, they’ll find us and we’ll be forced to fight them.”
“And how will that work out?”
Ruiz shakes his head. “Honestly? Probably not too good. But not much we can do. We can’t move all of these people. I’m not going to leave them here either. That information you brought us, that’s our only real weapon against them, that’s our trump card. We sure as hell can’t beat them in a straight up brawl.”
“Well, it’s not a weapon just yet. Right now, it’s just a stick of data. Until I can get us online, there’s not a whole lot of threat there. I’m working on some things though.” Bytes smiles and bobs his head, quite proud of whatever he’s got brewing.
I ignore the insinuation. It’s not the time to raise objections. The last thing the group needs is Ruiz and I in another Mexican standoff. If it’s gotta be, then it’ll be later. Not now. Not when we’re only hanging on by a thread.
Priorities, Tim. Priorities.
“We’re doing what we can,” Ruiz says. “Anyway, let’s get everyone on alert and get the supplies ready. We want to be prepped come go-time.”
“Roger. ” Katia gives a lazy salute.
Ruiz stops me as we’re going to leave. “Hey, Tim, can I have a word?”
Oh, boy, here it comes.
“We’ll be waiting downstairs, ” Katia says, her arm around Bethany.
“I’m just going to go lay down for a bit.” Bytes disappears into the bedroom.
I cross my arms over my chest and stand back against the wall, trying to gather my confidence while Ruiz circles back around to the other side of the computer.
“I picked t his up off the ground last night, figured you might want it back.” Ruiz pulls the empty Ruger out from behind his back. Black blood still stains the grip where Loco used it to hammer away at Rabid skulls. “Didn’t have time to really clean it off or anything.”
“I don’t need that . Bad voodoo attached to it.”
Ruiz chuckles lightly. “Yeah, guess maybe you ’re right. I’ll leave it here for Bytes, a souvenir.”
“Better than letting it go to waste.”
Ruiz drops the gun on the table. “So, listen. I wanted to let you know, everything that went down between us, it’s cool. What you did last night, well, we owe you our lives. I know that you may not agree
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