“Brothers and Sisters, I ask that you now drink from that which is in front of you. Fear not the pain you will feel, for it is but a small price to pay for eternal salvation! We will all be with our Lord soon enough!”

–Father Elijah Campbell. Larkspur, Colorado. 20 Days After.

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Morale could not have been more low than now.

It had been almost a week since they’d left Aspen. Almost a week had come and gone since their happy little adventuring party had devolved into such desperate self-destruction. Leah had come inches from killing Liam, and had it not been for his last minute restraint, he suspected that he would’ve done the same.

The others had barely spoken to her since. Liam supposed that this was for the best. All he cared about was making it through this damned final stretch.

That’s all that mattered. Finishing the mission. Liam had only started this journey out of the hope of seeing Nelly yet again, and now that her trail had gone so miserably cold, the only path forward was finishing what he’d started. Otherwise, the messages that his wife left him would have been for nothing in the end.

Liam couldn’t allow that.

“Town up ahead!” Kurt announced.

The barren foothills of the lower Rockies rolled down into a populated valley. Hundreds of homes rose out of the otherwise olive-colored landscape, peppering the hills like white, square tumors before congealing together into a redbrick mass. It was the first artifact of mankind they’d seen in days.

“Do you believe this is the one?” Mastermind asked.

Liam opened the topographic map they’d scavenged a few days back and again scanned the surrounding terrain. “This is it. Cripple Creek.”

“What a peculiar name. I’ll never understand where you humans derived your nomenclature from. Why, this one is borderline offensive!”

“Don’t blame me, mate. I didn’t build the place.”

“You sure it’s a good idea to roll into town?” Kurt asked. “Could be watched.”

Liam nodded. “It’s been over a thousand miles since we’ve last seen Hades and his people. Even if they were to locate the truck we abandoned, we’ve traveled hundreds of miles since, through windswept mountains that don’t hold tracks for more than a few days. I think I can say confidently that there won’t be anyone else but us.”

“Would you do me the kindness and explain your purpose here again?” Mastermind asked.

“It’s simple,” Liam explained. “From the center of town, we should just be able to get through with the radio that Mother gave us. If she’s available, she’ll come get us.”

“This does seem to be an unnecessary risk. Perhaps we could meet Mother directly. We won’t know who’s on the other end.”

“The range of that radio is only twenty miles. Even if they had the right channel, what are the honest chances that they’d be close enough to hear our broadcast?”

No answer came in rebuke.

“Trust me,” Liam said. “We’ll be fine.”

He led them through the outskirts of the town from there, keeping to the high ground and bounding through whatever scarce brush was available. When they had a good line within, he surveyed the buildings, using the telescopic sight of his suppressed hunting rifle. The lens twisted this way and that until a target fell within his criteria.

A church, north of the center of town. The walls were made of solid red brick, and the roof had aged, green tiles. But it was the steeple that drew his attention. Three stories tall with a pillar that rose even higher, and unlike the rest of the building, it was surprisingly intact.

He shifted his sight elsewhere, looking for a clear path.

Hollows. There had to have been more than a dozen, mindlessly limping in circles on the road to the church. They always had a habit of clustering in towns, even this many years after the outbreak.

Well, no use dragging this one out. Liam relayed the obstacle and made his way down the hill. He discharged his standard hollow point .308s for subsonic cartridges to minimize their sound footprint, lest other hollows get drawn. After so many weeks around Hunters, he had absorbed a cornucopia of knowledge on firearms and ammunition, more than he’d ever needed during his pre-Hollowing days. Preparing for these types of encounters had become almost second nature.

The group closed in. Moans grew louder as the hollows shuffled their way.

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There had once been a time when Liam considered these executions barbaric. Part of him stared at these creatures and still saw the humans beneath. They had been no more than victims of this hideous pandemic.

But as Liam put down each hollow with ease, he could barely remember such a time. Hollows were a global phenomena now. There was neither reasoning with them nor placating their rage. They were as unbounded and dispassionate as the weather. To kill them was no more cruel than closing a window to keep the rain out.

With the hollows cleared, the group went through the church. The hardwood pews had all rotted into debris where the roof had caved in, and the windows were cracked where they weren’t missing. Mist emanated from the evaporating moisture of last night’s rain.

It was a tight squeeze getting them all to the top. The stairs groaned with each step, and nearly gave out entirely when Kurt made his ascent. But the view was worth it. Miles could be seen in any direction, unobstructed.

“Alright,” Liam said. “Let’s do this.”

Leah took the queue and pressed the radio to her scarf. “Mother, it’s us. Can you hear me? Over.”

Only static responded.

“We’re in range of your location. Answer if you are able.”

“Yes,” Mother said, distant and faint. “I can hear you.”

“We lost our transport but we have Liam secured. A ride would be nice.”

More words came through, but they were jumbled in a rush of other noise.

“Say again, Mother. We missed that.”

“–breaking up,” she said, now sputtered. “Giv–– location.”

Leah took her thumb off the radio. “What’s your call?”

“We should exercise prudence,” Mastermind suggested.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Give me that.” He yanked the radio and held it to his ear. “We’re in Cripple Creek. That’s Cripple Creek. Did you get that?”

Only silence met him.

“Are you still there?”

The wall of static held firm.

“I don’t like this,” Kurt said.

“Have some patience. I’m sure she just needs to get to higher ground. I could use the break anyway.” Liam reached instinctively for Thirsty and grabbed nothing but air. It would be a while before he’d get used to that one. How he missed that painted smile, most of all.

“This is a bad idea,” Mastermind said. “We need to withdraw from this position at once.”

“Look, mate. I don’t know about you, but I’d be much more comfortable having a guide lead us into an underground military complex. We don’t know who else is there, other than Mother, or what defenses she might have placed.”

“All the more reason to perform reconnaissance on our own.”

“I’d prefer not to debate this. We’ve been here less than five minutes!”

“Perhaps we should bring this to a vote,” Mastermind said.

Liam sighed. “Fine, mate. All in favor of not making it more difficult to pick up our radio transmission, raise your hand.” He raised his.

“And all in favor of surviving the day, raise yours!” His tiny fingers rose to the roof.

Both looked to Kurt. He sat dumbstruck. “I don’t know, you both make good points. Leave me out of this!”

All eyes then fell on Leah. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed and radio in hand. The silence could’ve been cut with a knife as she kept them in anticipation. Which way would Caesar’s thumb point this time?

She shrugged at last. “Only one path forward. Don’t let me slow us down.” She raised her hand in support of staying.

Liam let out a breath of relief. Another fight best left avoided.

* * *

Time wore on as the group sat in wait. Leah made more calls periodically, but Mother did not answer again. The occasional protest came up, though Liam was quick to shut them down. The decision had already been made.

Suddenly, Leah looked out the window and stiffened. “Shit.”

Liam leaned over her shoulder. A white blur whizzed overhead and into the distance before crashing into the hill outside town. Smoke and flame burst out where it collided with the ground.

Liam’s heart skipped a beat. “What the hell was that!?”

“Short-range UAV drone, used to quickly search large areas. It couldn’t have been launched more than ten miles from here.”

They have those too!? “Well they couldn’t have seen anything with us indoors, right?”

Leah peered down the street. “You sure about that?”

Liam stared below and his throat tightened. There the dozen bodies of murdered hollows lay, pointing like an arrow to the church they had claimed.

Leah held up the radio again. “Mother, get back on the line! Our position’s been made. I repeat. There are eyes in the sky!”

The radio crackled.

“I’m here, Leah.” Mother said, her voice now crystal clear.

“Please tell me that was one of yours.”

She paused. “I’m sorry. I really, truly am. But you took too much time.”

“What did you do!?”

The electronic whir of another signal kicked in.

“Well, well, fucking well,” Hades announced. “Looks like the gang’s all here. Hope you don’t mind me crashing the party.”

Leah turned off the radio. “Motherfucker!”

“Let’s bug out,” Kurt said.

“It’s too late, you nincompoop!” Mastermind shouted. “Have you seen how open these hills are?”

Liam winced. “Maybe we just find another house, yeah? Hide out until they move on?”

“Don’t you understand!? This isn’t some paper airplane that’s been thrown over our heads. If Hades has the ability to fly a UAV, then he has multiple radio towers to triangulate the signal, trucks to transport them, and dozens of men to build the infrastructure on such short notice. This is a worst case scenario. They won’t leave without us, even if it means reducing this valley to cinders first!”

“Got cars!” Kurt shouted from the window. “Coming fast!”

“We need a plan!”

Liam pounded his fist into his head. How the hell was he supposed to know they’d have bloody drones!?

The three of them started to shout over each other. They needed to think. To plan. To come up with a better idea. But there wasn’t enough time! Liam had doomed them with his arrogance, and there was no way out.

Except one. He noticed their other companion, still by the window, watching the approaching caravan with that vacant, resigned look she’d carried the past week.

“Leah,” Liam said.

She met him in the eyes and the rest of the conversation went unspoken. This was no time for argument, or to plead, or to walk in circles wishing for circumstances to change on their own. Liam was ready to do whatever she ordered to survive.

They needed her judgment. They needed the Hunter.

As if a bucket of ice had been thrown in her face, Leah snapped into action. “We’re heading downtown. Switch to M16s and only use armour-piercing cartridges. Even you, Mastermind. Nothing but those from here on out. Any questions?”

She gave them less than a second. “Good. Let’s move!”