sounded to the rear of the convoy, long and urgent. Both Evan and Maya stood up from the Harley and looked back. The dead were emerging from everywhere; buildings, trucks yards, boxcars, coming from behind containers, streaming into the road behind them as the refugees from Comfort closed on the left.
Evan saw a heavy, blue truck racing ahead of the warehouse swarm, passing the convoy on one side. It looked official, possibly military, and as it roared past he saw the words California Department of Corrections on the side. The engine was knocking like a blacksmith’s hammer as it went by, leaving a cloud of oily blue smoke in its wake. It did not stop, or even slow.
He looked into Maya’s face. “Hold on!” Then he hit the throttle and chased after the armored truck, the line of hippie vehicle keeping close behind.
And the dead followed with them.
THIRTY-FOUR
Oakland
“This is about to turn to shit,” Carney said, gritting his teeth and clenching the wheel even tighter.
TC nodded and went into the back, where Carney could hear him loading weapons. A glance in the side mirrors showed him that every millimeter of firepower the truck carried wouldn’t be nearly enough. And now the truck itself was about to fold.
They had followed the line of cars at a discrete distance, and Carney was encouraged when they turned west towards the water. Maybe they knew something about a boat? It was really his only shot, because the Bearcat was shimmying and knocking fiercely now. He had done some real damage to it saving the girl. Although he said nothing, it was clear TC thought Carney was crazy for doing it, the unspoken words obvious in the younger man’s expression. But he only shrugged and smiled, his faith in his cellmate apparently still intact. It was more faith than Carney had in himself. And that smile bothered him, it went past friendly. TC wanted the girl.
About the time they passed under the Nimitz Freeway, Carney heard rustling and the tearing sound of Velcro. “What are you doing back there?”
A pause. “Just making sure she’s not hiding anything.”
Carney twisted around and looked through the opening into the rear compartment. TC had bound the girl earlier, but now he had removed her rifle and vest of ammo pouches – the Velcro noise he had heard – and was kneeling beside her. Her tank top was pushed up to just below her breasts, and his palm rested on her flat stomach, moving across it slowly.
He looked up with a crooked grin. “She’s fit, man. Nice abs.”
“TC, leave her alone.”
The hand slid higher. “She’s burning up with fever. It ain’t fair, bro. A nice piece of ass like this…who ain’t dead…and she’s infected.” His other hand moved towards her. “I’ll bet as long as I don’t actually touch her with my-”
Carney slammed on the brakes, throwing TC forward in a heap. He reached down and grabbed the bigger inmate by his long blond hair, wrenching his head up painfully. His voice was soft. “Touch that girl again and I’ll bleed you out.” He gave the hair a yank. “Fast.”
“Fuck, man!” He grabbed at Carney’s wrist. “That fuckin’ hurts!”
“I’m not playing, TC.” His voice was soft and even. “You want to stay with me, you listen and do what I tell you.”
“Yeah, man, yeah!”
Another painful jerk. “Leave her alone.”
“I got it!”
Carney released him and got the Bearcat moving. It was several minutes before TC climbed back into the passenger seat, and when he did he said nothing, just stared out the window. Carney didn’t offer any gentle words to smooth things over this time.
Now TC was in the back again, loading up, but Carney was confident he wouldn’t go near the girl. His confidence in their relationship was not so strong, and he admitted the question which had been bothering him for some time; how many times could you hit an obedient pit bull before one day it went for your throat? Not too often, but not today, he decided. TC would leave the girl alone for now, not that it would even matter for much longer. She was sick, Carney had trashed their vehicle – their life support – rescuing her, and now it was about to leave them stranded. They were all dead anyway.
He had quickly caught up to where he could see the convoy again, and stayed back while they cleared an obstacle by a pair of tanks and drove through. Carney gave them a few minutes