The sounds of gunshots rang out around us again. Laurie focused on Coal properly for the first time and took in his strange appearance. Her grip tightened on her gun.
"Who the hell are-" she began but she was cut off by voices from the trench below us.
"Hey Bert, didn't you say there were people up top?" A voice shouted. "Maybe we can kill ourselves a Warden or two."
That was enough for Laurie.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, instantly professional.
"I'll carry him," Coal said indicating Taylor, though he didn't seem too thrilled about it. "You two just shoot anything that threatens us."
I glanced doubtfully at Taylor, he was big, it wouldn't be easy to lift him. Coal shifted four rifles across his back and swung Taylor up into a fireman's lift over the other shoulder, I tried not to show how impressed I was.
I took out my shotgun and pumped another round into position then ran my hand over my pistol holster to check it hadn't been dislodged in the fall as we started jogging.
"Where are you taking us?" Laurie hissed but Coal just grunted.
We moved quickly, picking our way around the last few trenches and powering over the broken ground towards the perimeter. I could feel our pursuers gaining on us, the hairs on the back of my neck rising in warning. I looked around just in time to see a man fall from the edge of the trench as Laurie took a shot. He fell back with a bang and a crunch.
We picked up the pace. Coal's forehead beaded with sweat but he barely seemed impeded by Taylor's bulk on his back.
Soon we were at the perimeter where the Wardens had been patrolling. They were all gone. Laurie and I paused, unsure how to proceed.
"Is this normal?" I asked Laurie. I craned my neck in both directions but they were nowhere to be seen.
"No, we aren't supposed to leave other Wardens in the field alone, it's like they forgot me." She glanced around.
"What now?"
The soldiers had made it over the top of the trenches and were filling the space between us and the way back to the entry zone.
"Follow me. And, before you ask, no you won't get contaminated," Coal called.
He ran towards the green wall at the edge of the cleared zone, showing no signs of stopping or turning aside.
"Maya?" Laurie caught my arm as I made to follow. "Contamination is worse than death." Her eyes were wide with pan
ic.
"He said there's no contamination. Laurie, it's this or death."
Coal had already crossed most of the barren land and was nearly at the green barrier.
"But-" She looked over her shoulder. The soldiers were closing the distance between us.
"Laurie, come on." I grabbed her wrist and started running. Soon she was keeping pace beside me and we were sprinting to catch up with Coal.
Taylor was bouncing on Coal's back as he ran ahead of us but was still showing no sign of waking up. The shouting and gunshots behind us were getting louder, closer. A meter to my right, a patch of dirt exploded in a puff of dust.
I twisted to look back at our pursuers. They were already falling back and I could tell they weren't going to follow us once we hit that green wall.
At the barrier, Coal slipped between two huge trees and disappeared.
I slowed. I'd seen pictures of trees and leaves from the old world but this was immense. They towered above me, casting a thick shadow that ran across the wasteland.
A leaf as tall as me and twice as wide blocked the path ahead and I pushed it aside to let Laurie pass through. She didn't look happy and I gave her a shove before she changed her mind.
I paused briefly to run the waxy leaf between my fingers taking in the strange, damp, earthy smell rising up around me. If I was wrong about this, I was going to die. I took a deep breath and stepped into the cover of the trees.