James Axler – Zero City

Chapter Nine

Outside, the streets were as dark as pitch, the sky a swirling, mottled mixture of greens and reddish-orange. The only faint light came from the twin searchlights steadily sweeping the clouds in an endless pattern.

Spreading out in a standard defensive pattern, the companions moved down the block and into the alleyway. The canvas sheet lay crumpled in a corner near an overturned garbage bin.

Dropping to one knee, Ryan studied the sandy street, brushing the surface lightly with his hand. “Nothing here,” he said bitterly. “Can’t tell if it was one person or ten.”

“One,” Jak said. “Used branches to erase his tracks getting here.”

“So we can’t backtrack him.” J.B. cursed. “Frigging pro.”

“Yep,” Jak agreed.

“Perimeter sweep,” Ryan snapped. “Five blocks in every direction, then another five until we find his tracks.”

“And there’s no need to bring him back alive if you find the med kit,” Ryan added in the tones of an executioner.

“That was the plan,” J.B. stated, switching the fire selector on the Uzi from single shot to full-auto. “He’s going down, my friend.”

Any further instructions were interrupted by a shape swooping from overhead, and the companions raised their weapons, staring into the darkness. Ryan whistled twice, and they followed him into the gutted paint store next door to the garage.

“Another one of those damn muties,” Krysty said, crouching behind a stack of cans.

Adjusting his glasses, J.B. scrunched his face. “Hate to say it, but mebbe we’ll have to wait until morning. In the dark, this thing could ace us one by one.”

“Set fire to place,” Jak suggested, his arms resting on the front counter, blaster pointed steadily at the smashed window. “Not like light.”

The shadow of something flew past the store as Ryan considered the idea. “No, can’t risk the flames spreading across the street.” As if forcing his hands through mud, Ryan lowered his blaster. Dean couldn’t be moved, and the muties ruled the night. They had no choice.

“Let’s get back inside,” he said, forcibly controlling his anger. At the moment, logic, not fists, would save his son. “We have to wait until morning.”

As they returned to the food court of the building, Mildred saw their faces and knew what the situation was.

“Is there another med kit in the redoubt?” Ryan asked hopefully.

“Does it matter?” she asked, confused. “Without the Hummer, it’s a two-, three-day walk.”

He waved that aside. “The wag was almost out of fuel, and we have the spare can. We might find it only a couple of blocks away dead in the street.”

“Well, there isn’t another med kit,” Mildred mused. “There’s an X-ray machine, and I could really use a view of his skull and spine. But it’s not portable. And even if there was a portable X-ray machine, the isotopes would have decayed into lead by now. The thulium core only has a five-year half-life.”

Tenderly, Ryan brushed the hair off the boy’s forehead. The skin was clammy to his touch. Privately, he cursed himself for a fool..He should have known there had to be a reason why a town full of treasure hadn’t been looted. Then he suddenly realized what he was thinking. That could be an answer to their problem.

“These ruins are in excellent shape,” Ryan said. “There has to be a hospital somewhere, or a doctor’s office. Might find what we need locally.”

“Worth a look,” J.B. agreed. “You never know, eh?”

“But right now, we recce this dump, and start ferrying over the supplies,” Ryan continued, shouldering his longblaster. “We’ll eat and sleep in shifts until dawn. Then we do a scout of the neighborhood. After that, we split into teams, J.B. and Doc hunt for supplies. I’ll track the thief.”

“Plus, we better get to work on the defenses,” Krysty added, shivering slightly from the chill in the basement. “We’ll need them if those muties come in a flock.”

“Can’t be many more around,” Mildred said, dampening a rag with the canteen and wiping down the boy’s forehead. “They’re too big. They’d eat all of the wolves and lizards and then start on each other. So unless they’re smart enough to open cans, logic dictates there are only a couple at most.”