Broken Lands (Benny Imura 6)

The dead burned.

So, too, did nearly half the houses in New Alamo. Whole sections of the wall were scorched, and the stacked tires around the gate entrances smoldered until dawn.

In the cold light of a new day, with a bloody sunrise splashed across the horizon and smoke rising in columns, it was hard to tell if the town had survived or if winning the fight had killed it.

Three

The following afternoon they all gathered in Mr. Ford’s classroom at Misfit High.

Gutsy was there with Alice, Alethea, and Spider. They were all clean but bandaged. Karen Peak was there, along with a few of the townsfolk she said could be trusted. The Chess Players were there, heavily bandaged and looking older than their years. Benny Imura and his friends were there. Sombra and Grimm lay on the floor near each other. Sam sat with Benny. Ledger stood by a map on the wall.

“So, this is where the base was,” he said, making a mark. “This is New Alamo, and this is the forest where Sam has a cabin. Somewhere in this area over here is where Sam thinks is a big cache of weapons.”

“Do we need them anymore?” asked Spider. “The ravagers are all dead. And so is that guy, the whatchamacallit?”

“The Raggedy Man,” said Alethea. “Stupid name.”

“Stupid or not,” said Nix, “he’s dead, right? Captain Ledger cut his head off.”

“That usually does it,” agreed Benny.

“Actually, kids, I don’t know if that was him,” said Ledger. “I killed some weirdo out there who seemed to be running things. But if that was the Raggedy Man, then he didn’t live up to the hype.”

“It can’t be him,” said Karen.

“Why not?” asked Urrea.

“Because from what you said, he was telling the ravagers what to do, but did he actually seem to be controlling the shamblers? Or the fast-infected?”

Sam and Ledger exchanged a look. “Not really,” said Sam.

“What does it matter if it’s him or not?” asked Chong.

“Because,” said a cold voice from the other end of the room, “you have no idea who or what the Raggedy Man is.”

They all looked at Captain Bess Collins, who was tied to a chair. They had moved her from the holding cell to the school. It was quieter there, and none of them trusted anyone related to the town police or government anymore. Karen had helped them do it.

Collins’s nose was swollen and crooked and she had two black eyes and a split lip. Even so, beaten and helpless, tied and captive, she retained her sense of power.

“Oh, so now you’re finally going to say something?” said Alethea, puffing out her chest.

“Maybe,” said Collins, “if we can make a deal.”

“No way,” said Spider.

“Yeah,” agreed Alethea, “only deal you’re getting is whether I kill you or Gutsy does.”

“What kind of deal?” asked Urrea, ignoring that threat.

“You want to know about the project, yes?” No one answered. Collins nodded as if everyone had. “You want to know why we kept everything a secret from the people here? You want to know why we dug up all those bodies? You don’t have to say anything. I know you have a million questions and I have all the answers. So, sure, I have a lot to bargain with.”

“Going out on a limb here,” said Ledger, “but I’m pretty sure Dr. Morton would be happy to talk to us. He looks like he’s ready to unburden his soul.”

“Max is a weasel.”

“Maybe,” said Gutsy, “but if he knows all this, then we don’t need to make any deals with you.”

“Sure,” said Collins with a casual shrug. “Ask him. He’ll spill his guts. He’ll tell you everything he knows.”