As they drove, picking their way through quiet streets unblocked by ruined cars David sent half his attention to using his spirits and domain to scout while he considered what they just faced.

  He thought about the creatures, the coordinated positioning, the threat displays. This was what the mutants were becoming. The problem was that his label was wrong. They showed no real trace of their humanity, yet they were coordinating. The odds of everyone changing into a social animal and organizing like that were low. Plus, that degree of coordination.

  So mutant was the wrong label here. Then he got irritated with himself.

  David, put a pin in that and focus on the important stuff.

  Whatever they were, they represented a new problem. The zombies were mindless and easy to predict and counter, even without his advantages. Their main threat was fear and sheer numbers, at least until the R’Nath showed up.

  These things thought, planned, worked together. One encounter with a group and one credible attempt to ambush. Even fighting the mutants, he kicked himself for the label, they tried to ambush and attack from advantageous positions.

  They were territorial. Beyond that who knew. Did they have magic of their own? Where did they come from?

  The convoy reached a wider street and the drivers began the slow process of inching past a crashed car that blocked part of the road. The tension was keeping everyone quiet as they scanned the surrounding buildings for more of the monstrous creatures they had just escaped.

  When they were finally on the highway and moving a bit faster, David allowed himself to relax slightly. One thing he noticed was that there were more cars now. People were moving about, mostly on the other side trying to get to the beacon or maybe the government buildings downtown.

  The mission wasn't even started, and they'd had to abandon the original route. But everyone was alive and they'd learned something valuable.

  There were new players in the game. Organized, territorial, and smart enough to set up ambush positions.

  He keyed the radio again. "When we get back, I want a full debrief. Everything everyone saw about those creatures. Movement patterns, numbers, behaviors. We need to document this. For now, I want you to get your heads back in the game for the airport. We expect zombies, minus their leadership but be ready."

  Carl glanced at him once he finished transmitting. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

  "That we just found our next major problem? Yeah."

  David stared out at the city, sadly noting the smoke rising from several places indicating fires breaking out overnight. The days of peace were over, now the question was whether humanity could pick up the pieces.

  "The zombies are a known threat now. We can handle them. But those things? They're organized. They claim territory. And I'd bet everything I own that what we saw today was just a small part of a much bigger group."

  The truck slowed as Carl moved past a crashed vehicle and David steadied himself against the door. His mind was already working through the implications. If these creatures were territorial, how much territory did they claim? Would they be looking to expand? What were their capabilities in a real fight?

  How did they compare to the individual newly hatched mutants they'd encountered before? He’d noticed that these had none of the wet look of the first they had fought and their bodies had no traces of their metamorphosis. He guessed they would be tougher in a fight.

  "You did good back there," Carl said quietly. "Lot of leaders would've tried to prove something. Would've gotten people killed doing it."

  David shook his head. "I just did the math. The numbers didn't add up for a fight. What would we even gain? I mean we would likely have to fight again to follow our original route, because somehow, I doubt that was all of them. So nothing to gain."

  "Maybe. But you also held everyone together when some of them wanted to go in swinging. That's leadership, David. Real leadership. Knowing when not to fight is harder than knowing when to fight."

  The words settled into David like warmth spreading through cold limbs. He'd been so focused on the tactical decision that he hadn't really processed the leadership aspect.

  "Thanks," he said. "Though I'm pretty sure half of them think I chickened out."

  "Then they're idiots." Carl's voice was flat, certain. "Anyone with sense saw what you saw. We were in a bad position against an unknown enemy with the high ground. Sure, most of them don’t know how fast those things are or that one of them marked several of us up pretty good at the station. You made the right call, and you convinced everyone to follow it. That's what matters."

  The convoy rolled on approaching the airport and David’s senses began to shift ahead to get a read on the situation.

  There were, to David’s great relief zombies ahead of them. Quite a lot of zombies but no signs, at least that he could hear, of the hard and loud thoughts of the more advanced creatures, let alone any evidence of R’Nath; at least there wasn’t anything that reminded him of the anomalies from earlier. Still, he had a plan to check quickly. He reached for the Radio and got started.

  “OK, we are coming up on the first terminal. I know that has some bad memories for people. We have two objectives. First, we get our fallen and lay them out with honors in one of the trucks. Second, we are going to make a nice noisy sweep of the terminal. Any survivors from our forces or people who have woken up get swept up.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  ALL the zombies die. We didn’t have the time or strength to do that yesterday. Today we finish the job.

  Dismount and pair up, same organization, squads around radios and stay in touch. I want people keeping a look out and I’ll be using my powers to scout.

  The first zombie we find we kill. Tell me when you do that.”

  Carl spoke softly as they approached, clearly not wanting to be heard over the radio. “I don’t think I can get any closer than last time. Also, why did you ask them to kill the first zombie they saw?”

  “The zombies didn’t scream at first last time round. I thought it was weird and they were new. Now I think it’s the hallmark of their being controlled by the smart ones. This way, if it screams we know we don’t have another smart one and we get the zombies cleaned up quickly. Win, win.”

  Everyone dismounted together and formed up. After a quick consultation they left two radio groups with the convoy. One to drive the vehicles if needed and one to stand guard. They would rotate as the operation continued.

  So nearly forty people moved out, someone, Mark maybe had thought about what they needed to retrieve their dead. While the medical team had claimed a lot of stuff they had apparently missed the stretchers the team had brought from the hospital. Those were now equipped with heavy duty dust sheets to wrap the bodies as they lacked proper body bags.

  Before all of that could get started they found their first zombies, shambling round outside in the area where Billy had died.

  David felt a surge of choked up rage as the draped forms of his friend and Bessie came into sight. He had to actually hold back the urge to release his power when he saw the zombies shambling around, the aim was to make them scream if they could and his power could interfere with that, especially if he started ripping their spirits, and he really wanted to do that.

  Carl took one look at him then nodded grimly striding forward his weapon already raised.

  “Hey ugly! That’s my friend and I don’t appreciate y’all defiling his resting place!”

  There was something deliberately theatrical in the way he spoke and moved, then he opened fire, his movements impossibly smooth, showing off his skill as he unleashed a series of deadly head shots as the creatures approached.

  Their death screams were music to David’s ears as he moved forward calling out to the rest of the raiders.

  “Mark, Katie – attend to Billy and Bessie. The rest of you spread out and form up. I hear more responding.”

  Raiders moved slowly, hesitantly forward even as David turned to the coat covering his friend. Mark and Katie steeled themselves and moved in, waving people to follow them. There was hesitation, then Mark turned and handed a small blue jar to the others.

  Even from where he stood David could smell the reason for their hesitance. There was a strong, distinct odor of death. Something which he realized had been missing from the zombies animated by the Nath themselves. Now he could smell that scent coming from where Billy and Bessie lay.

  Steeling himself and fighting back tears he approached accepting the jar he saw it was Vicks, which Mark motioned for him to dab under his nose. As the scent of menthol overwhelmed what his nose was sensing David focused on the coat covered lump in front of him,

  Two bodies. Now he was close he felt a single Nath. Billy was infected with the parasite. Bessie was free.

  Not knowing or caring why he focused on his friend.

  I should have saved you. I’m so sorry. I was arrogant and I should have told you to get out when I had the chance. You could have covered Mark without this. Why? Why did you have to let those fuckers surround you?

  Then he turned to the Nath worming its way into the body, into control, and he struck. He didn’t even need Halt, not for this, his power surged out of him enveloping the spirit like a kraken rising from the deep to engulf an unsuspecting ship.

  Gripping the thing inside his friend he wrenched, intent on only a single thing. Extraction. He wouldn’t see his friend violated, not even a twitch. With a snarl of anger that caused everyone else gathered around the fallen to pause he pulled the Nath free, absorbing it.

  Just another spirit now. Something to help and atone for its defiling of his friend.

  Mark looked at him with concern. Tears in his eyes. “David, man are you OK?”

  “There was one of them inside him, trying to turn him into one of them. I ripped it out root and branch. So yes, I’m about as fucking OK as I can be under the circumstances.”

  He knew Mark didn’t deserve his savagery and the other Man barely noticed.

  “Thanks. He saved me. Him and Bessie. A homeless dude and his dog. Saved my life at the cost of theirs. So, thank you for ending that desecration. He was just a guy we saw sleeping at the park when we were out running, and he stepped up. I’ll never know his story now. Never know who he was before, never know if he had family.” He was crying openly now.

  “More people than just us deserve to know who he really was, that he died a hero. Fuck man, now I’m bawling like a baby.”

  Camila had approached them without being noticed. She too was looking choked up and when she spoke, she too was battling through tears.

  “Mark, mi amigo. I didn’t know him either, but he came round St. Augustine’s, ate at the soup kitchen and slept in the shelter sometimes. We saved people from there because he told us to. Maybe they knew him more and can help you find his family.”

  She didn’t mention that even if he had family and someone knew them the chances of finding them now were slim.

  They all took a moment to pay their respects. Camila, speaking softly, offered a prayer.

  “Concédele, Se?or, el descanso eterno, y brille para él la luz perpetua. Que descanse en paz. Amén.”

  The others nodded respectfully and then Mark, with Katie helping him, spread out the improvised funeral sheet and they transferred and wrapped Billy before lifting him onto the stretcher.

  Carl’s words floated up from behind them. “You do NOT fucking let those things near the people attending to our fallen. I want nice clean head shots if you can manage it. Center mass if not.”

  There was a whoosh and a soft whump of fire.

  “Or I guess you can just light them up Charlie.”

  The funeral party continued their grim task. Mark, looking to David spoke again. “Do you need to do anything for Bessie?”

  “No, she isn’t infected.”

  “Ah,” Mark spoke, then paused before continuing. “I wonder if that is why she is experiencing normal decay,”

  “Perhaps, She gets laid to rest beside Billy. We need to wrap her too.”

  Solemnly the others again gathered and this time it was Katie who said a few words.

  “She was man’s best friend. Fighting beside her master at the last. Whatever comes next, she has earned her rest and the right to join Billy on his final journey.”

  Then, grave and serious, they wrapped her and placed her atop the stretcher on her master’s still chest. There was nothing more they could do for them.

  By the time they finished their duty the first zombies to respond had already fallen and their screams had joined the first in calling more to their location.

  David started grimly calling the plays, the fighting wasn’t hard, especially when he joined the line to unleash Halt to stem the tide. Along with Charlie unleashing fire and Sarah her ice there was never any real pressure. Everyone stayed focused, as they careful and grimly advanced. They even rotated the radio groups as they pushed in towards the sight of the ambush.

  There were more zombies to kill as the group worked through their collective grief, trauma and rage. More importantly there were fallen raiders to collect and lay in their improvised group hearse.