“I have to go. ”
Tom nodded. “I hope that means the same thing for you as it does for me. I’m not going to baby you. We’re going to have to move light and fast, and we’re not going out there for fun. This is going to be ugly work. Can you deal with that?”
“I was at the Rileys’ too,” said Benny, and that was enough answer for both of them.
“Okay. ”
“There are two of them now. ”
“Two?”
“Lost girls. Nix and Lilah. We have to save them both. ”
Tom put his hand on Benny’s shoulder and gave it a single, solid squeeze. “Then let’s go. ”
They started out walking toward the fence, but after a block they were running.
30
A TALL, SLIM FIGURE STOOD IN THEIR PATH, AND AS THE BROTHERS JOGGED past, he turned and fell into step between them. They ran down the length of Main Street and then cut over toward the Red Zone, the wide, flat area that lay between the town proper and the fence line.
“I heard,” said Chong as he ran, and the shared awareness of what those two words meant carried them for a dozen yards. “I just came from the hospital. Morgie’s in bad shape, but Doc Gurijala says he’ll make it. ”
“Thank God,” said Benny as he exhaled a knot of hot tension that had hung burning in his chest. “When you see him again, tell him we’re going to get Nix back. ”
“I will. He’s going to need to know that. ”
Despite the early hour—or perhaps because of everything that had happened—the streets were filled with people. The closer the brothers got to the Red Zone, the thicker the crowds. Eventually they had to slow to a walk. A lot of people stepped forward to offer condolences to Tom, and some school friends of Benny’s asked about Morgie. Tom said very little and kept moving, his face set and grim. Those people with common sense stepped back and gave him room when they saw the look in his eyes.
The crowd thinned abruptly once they crossed over into the Red Zone, and for the first time in his life, Benny realized this: On some level he’d always known that people avoided the Red Zone, but he’d always assumed that it was because they were afraid of zoms. Now he realized that they stayed on the far side of the line because in town, and away from the fence, it was easier to pretend that there was no wasteland of zombies outside. This realization made him feel both sad and disgusted.
When they were out of earshot of the other townsfolk, Chong said, “Tom, my dad was talking to Captain Strunk and Deputy Gorman. I heard them arguing about the coin they found at Nix’s house. The one Vin is always tossing and catching. ”
Vin Trang was one of the two men known as the Mekong brothers. The other man, who was not even related to Vin, was Joey Duk. Despite their clear Vietnamese heritage, both of them had grown up in Los Angeles. The closest they’d ever been to Vietnam was selling ph and bánh cu n out of their food cart on the campus of UCLA before First Night.
“The captain said that Vin and Joey are the ones who attacked Nix and her mom. And probably that artist guy. ” Chong looked at Benny. “Did Morgie say anything?”
“No,” Benny said. “All he said was that they took Nix. He didn’t give any names. ”
Chong looked back at Tom. “Did … did Mrs. Riley say anything?”
Tom kept his eyes fixed on the fence as they walked through the Red Zone. “She only had the breath to say one thing. ” He paused for so long, the boys thought he wasn’t going to finish, but then he said, “‘Save my little girl. Save Nix. ’”
“I can’t believe this is happening. ” Chong wiped tears from his eyes. “My dad said that the Mekong brothers sometimes work with Charlie Matthias. ”
“I know,” said Tom.
“Dad told Captain Strunk to have Leroy Williams look at the footprints you found. I think he was going to. ”
Tom nodded.
“What can he do?” Benny asked. He knew Williams as a farmer who had lost an arm in a car wreck while driving an SUV filled with refugees through the Ruin.
“Before First Night,” Tom said, “Leroy was a robbery detective in San Diego. He’d have been captain of the guard here if it hadn’t been for the arm. ”
They reached the blockhouse that was used as a guard station. A pair of horses were tied up outside, and Leroy Williams and Captain Strunk stood near them. A knot of fence guards and deputies from the town watch were clustered behind them.
Leroy, dressed in denim coveralls and a white cotton T-shirt, came to meet them. He offered Tom his left hand, and they shook.