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“—I don’t think that it’s necessary. That’s all I’m saying! There is a way to take him out without killing all of those people!” Her normally low voice raises an octave or two before she steps back to dig a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket.
Captain Russo drags his hand down his face. “Do you really think it’s what Iwantto do? Wehaveto. Their numbers are concentrated, but they’re kicking our ass. They’re doing the same thing in other cities to curb the numbers.” The chrome color of his coffee mug reflects the cold winter sun into my eyes as I get closer.
“New coffee mug?” I can’t help but notice that this one is actually clean.
He answers by simply raising one black bushy eyebrow before frowning at Angela.
“He was out again! More footage shows him herding people. They aren’t just killing them. They’re farming them!” Angela waves the stack of papers that are actually more photographs.
My chest tightens. “Did you see Jenny again?” I almost don’t want to know. There haven't been any other photos of her pop up. I hope she’s still alive.
Angela shoves the wad at me, her eyes still digging into the captain.
“Look! She’s in this one!” I wave one of the clearer shots at him. “She’s right next to him. We can’t just bomb her!” Panic grips my stomach. “She’s still alive! Angela’s right. We have to try something!”
Captain Russo drops his head and shakes it. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he says gruffly. The vapor of his breath trickles through his beard. “We have to take drastic action. We’re losing.”
“In most other wolf species, if you take out the alpha, the pack disbands or falls to infighting. It would be easier to reduce their numbers quickly if we could take him out.” I’ve been trying to research as much as I can. Thankfully, many veterinarians seem to have survived, and have been gathering critical data about this new species. For the most part, they tend to follow similar traits.
“We need to kill this bastard,” Angela hisses. “I need to kill this bastard.” She pokes her fingers into Captain Russo’s chest emphatically.
I wonder if the captain knows her history.
“Fine, we can try before the planes come in. Come on.” He gestures with his coffee cup for her to follow.
Sam’s voice drifts from the barn where he’s directing the loading of the livestock. The deep baritone tickles through me, stoking the ember that burns for him with the force of a bellows. Every day I love him more.
Thor slips from between two of the tents and falls into step next to me. “Hey, boy, let’s go find Sam.” Heavy pants are his only reply as he stays close.
I wonder if he realizes we’re leaving today. Maybe that’s why he’s so clingy?
“Dani, push that door around, please?” I can hear Sam call out to me, but can’t see him within the shadows of the barn. The heavy door of the trailer is wedged open. It rocks against the frame of the barn from the shifting weight of the cows inside.
Swinging easily on greased hinges, I’m able to push it around and latch it, confining the bull in with his harem.
“Perfect timing, babe. He wanted to wait until all his girls were loaded and I didn’t want to spook him out.” Sam’s hands find my waist as he places a light kiss on my temple. Alfalfa and manure cling to his coat; the smell is nearly overpowering.
“Well, it was pretty tough closing that door,” I giggle.
The vibrations from his deep laugh bounce through my chest making me feel giddy. I’m like a damn school girl around him.
“Is that the last of the stuff?” His thumb traces the strap of the bag over my shoulder.
“Yea, I know the captain worked hard to get my laptop back for me. Even though I’ve copied the pictures, I couldn’t leave it behind.” I’ll forever be grateful to him for retrieving it. I’ve printed off a few of the pictures of my dad and my mom so I’ll have hard copies. The main electrical grid fell last month, but the prison has a solar system set up.
Yet another reason we’re leaving. No one’s making fuel runs right now, not when it isn’t safe to leave protected encampments.
“Go ahead and put your bag in the truck. Cap said it’s going to still be a couple of hours until the choppers can babysit us.” He tilts his head as he looks at me, the corner of his lips falling into a small frown. “Do you hear a ticking sound?”
His jaw twitches beneath his dark blond beard, and I’m momentarily mesmerized until I hear a low thumping that grows louder with every breath.
“Huh, chopper already.” It’s loud enough now I can tell which direction it’s coming from and spot the small black speck to the east.
“I thought they were a few hours out?” I still have things I need to pack up in the med tent. Elly is still gathering things from the house, too.
“Let me go find out.” He brushes his lips against my forehead and steps past me into the sunlight of the yard in the direction of the captain’s tent.
Thor whines softly and looks to the east. The helicopter’s close enough now that it’s noticeable.