Webb couldn’t nail it down, but there was something definitely off. He looked to be in his early forties with black hair, a thick black beard, and had on tactical pants, boots and a t-shirt with a tactical vest.
“Sir, we are sorry, but the answer is no. We will not open our gate to you. There are too many unknowns for us to do so.”
The man nodded his head. “Ok, ok, that’s how it’s going to be? That is your last answer?”
“It is,” Webb replied.
“Ok then. Have it your way, but remember it was you who put us in this position. The blood is on your hands.” He looked around and then a smile crept across his face, “I wonder if this fence could hold back thousands? It would be interesting to watch.”
The man turned around without saying a word and walked away. He went about 10 yards, stopped and stared dead in the camera, “The name is Brody. Remember it, because you will hear it again.” And he walked off.
Webb looked at Priest. “He will lead all those fuckers here.”
“Well, it makes sense. Lead them here, let the infected take us out, then they come in to clean up and take over the facility when the infected move on,” Priest surmised. “Fuck, they could screw this entire thing up,” he said it low under his breath.
“What?” Webb tried to hear.
“We need to lure them away. We need to make sure they never reach this compound. They need to be led in the opposite direction.”
Webb stood there and pondered for a minute, taking in all that Priest was saying. The more Webb thought about it, the more dangerous it sounded. The problem was, Webb couldn’t think of anything else that would accomplish what they needed to do.
Webb took in a deep breath and exhaled, “Who are we going to get to do it, and how are we going to execute the plan?”
Priest looked and him with that resolved look, “Me.”
“What? You? Why you?”
“Marcus, think about it. It needs to be someone fast, ma
neuverable, quick thinking and who has experience solving issues in case things go south. Who is better equipped than yours truly on the bike?” Webb hated when Priest made so much sense. It didn’t suppress the feelings of worry and dread that one of his team, his brother, his friend was going out there with basically no support.
“I don’t like it,” Webb finally said.
“I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but do you have a better idea?” He didn’t and Priest knew it.
Webb was one to lead from the front, not hiding underground while your people are out doing the job he should do. He hated things to be this way. Priest could see the internal turmoil written on Webb’s face and he put his hand on his shoulder.
“Dude, it’s fine. It’s the only way and we both know it.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”
“It will be fine.” They spent the next hour planning the route and coming up with a few contingencies. Half way through, Lia had joined them and asked to go. She was denied, but she stayed to spend time with Priest before he left.
Priest packed a ruck with Lia’s help and loaded up with ammunition. He added a second holster with a Glock and outfitted the front of the bike to hold two combat knives.
After a couple minutes to double check everything and make sure it was secure, he kissed Lia goodbye and made his way down the access road, being cautious about whether any of the town’s group was lingering around.
All the streets looked deserted as Priest made his way east to intercept the coming herd. As he rode, Priest tried to focus on the feeling of riding, trying to compartmentalize everything he had going on. He exited the town going east on Rt. 421. He went a couple miles, fully expecting to come across the horde by now. What the hell was going on? He thought.
As he continued on, he saw dust clouds in the distance. Priest didn’t know if this was because of the horde or something else. He proceeded another ¼ mile, stopped and pulled his binos to get a better view.
He saw a dozen trucks driving in a large circle attempting to corral the infected, like they were on some damn cattle drive. It wasn’t working all that well, but it was obvious they were trying to round them up.
“Shit,” Priest thought to himself. This makes the mission ten times harder. His team could help, but it was way too dangerous to take on a dozen trucks and the infected. He sat there for what seemed like hours, even though it was five or so minutes. An idea came to him, so he raced back to the compound as fast as the bike could take him.
He keyed his comms, coming up the road. “Hey, get me 10 grenades.” Most of the team came out to meet him. When they came out and handed him the grenades, Priest explained what he had seen.
They all wanted to go with him and no one more than Shaw, who was champing at the bit. He assured them it would be like a snatch and grab. Quick and easy. They still didn’t like it, but they would follow his orders to stay. He told them to be on standby in case he needed them, then said his goodbye’s and rode back down the access road toward the horde.