100 Days in Deadland (part 1 of the Deadland Saga)

Malice (Chapter 21)

MALICE: The Eighth Circle of Hell

Chapter XXI

“Why can’t anyone just leave us alone?” Clutch growled as we drove back to the church two days later.

I reached out and intertwined my fingers with his. “That’s because we’re irresistible.”

Neither of us laughed. I wasn’t any more comfortable with the idea of tying ourselves to Camp Fox than Clutch. When Tyler had called in on the radio this morning and said he needed to meet with us, a rock had formed in my stomach and had been expanding ever since.

As we rolled up to the church, we found two Humvees waiting for us.

When Clutch turned off the ignition, the back door on the first Humvee flung open, a nearly full-grown coyote jumped down and a teenager with a wide grin stepped out.

My eyes widened. “Jase!”

He waved wildly and met me midway with a bear hug. Clutch came up from behind me and patted him on the shoulder. “Damn, it’s good to see you, kid.”

Jase took a step back. “Man, when Griz told me you guys were okay…well, it’s just good to see you. Really, really good.”

The golden coyote sat behind Jase, and I grinned. “I see Mutt’s turned out all right.”

He bent down and picked up the furry canine, and she licked his cheek. “Yeah, she’s a regular zed hunter now. She comes with me scouting.”

Clutch frowned. “You go on scouting missions?”

“Yeah.” Jase nodded back at Tyler, Griz, and Tack, who were now walking our way. “They asked for folks to join up after the attack. Eddy and I are on Captain Masden’s squad.” He stepped to the side, making room for Tyler, while Griz and Tack stood back with their rifles ready, scanning the area.

Tyler smiled at me. “It’s good to see you again.” He held out his hand, and I shook it, having a hard time returning his smile.

Tyler didn’t even try to shake Clutch’s hand. Tyler never liked Clutch, and Clutch still held a grudge against Tyler for abandoning me in zed and Dog country. I wasn’t angry. Not anymore. Tyler had simply been trying to do the right thing in a world where all the old rules had changed.

I still wanted to punch him.

“What do you want, Captain?” Clutch said.

Tyler gave a thin smile. “Always to the point, Sarge. I respect that. Griz said he filled you in on our current situation with Doyle and his minutemen.”

“He said you guys were at war,” Clutch said.

Tyler chortled. “It’s been more like a hunt than a war. Though, Jase might have found a game changer.”

“How’s that?” I asked.

“Your boy here came across one of Doyle’s outposts.”

“When are you going in?” Clutch asked.

“Tonight.”

Clutch narrowed his eyes. “But you’re not here for a briefing.”

“You’re right, Sarge. To be honest, we’re tight on resources. Before the outbreak, we didn’t have many troops with real field experience. And Doyle’s attack on the Camp put a hell of a hurtin’ on us. You’ve served two tours, Sarge. I need you out there with my men tonight. It’s not a request.”

I watched Clutch turn and pace the sidewalk. When he returned, he ran a hand through his short hair. “What’s the SITREP?”

“From what Jase and Southpaw reported, this isn’t Doyle’s primary camp, but we believe he’s running out of multiple small camps instead of one larger camp now. Nevertheless, the camp Jase and Southpaw found would be a critical hit from a payback perspective. The payload is three fuel tankers, which we believe constitute all of Doyle’s mobile fuel reserves. We could really use that fuel at Camp Fox, so we can’t go in with guns blazing and risk blowing the trucks sky-high.”