Call of the Last Survivor by Ken A. Moore

Author:Ken A. Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2018-11-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

They left the Traveler behind in the apple grove and headed back to the desert landscape of Canny Valley. The trees gradually gave way to grasslands, and the grasslands to desert. Soon there was only rock and sand beneath their feet.

“Are we far enough away to talk about what just happened?” Janet said.

“I hope we are,” added Sammy. “But I have the feeling that the Traveler is the kind of guy who could just suddenly pop up behind a boulder.”

“I don’t see any boulders around here,” said Sam. “It’s flat.”

“I don’t know,” Sammy said. “Maybe he could hide in a hole.”

Mikaleh stopped walking and took out the key with the handle of red ruby that was not actually ruby at all. Night had gradually descended, and now she stared at it in the soft glow of the moonlight.

Mikaleh had wanted to get some distance between her squad and the Traveler, but there was a mental distance she needed too. The Traveler’s story was a lot to take in. And if it were true, then the implications were powerful.

“My mother always used to say ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’” Mikaleh said. “You ever hear that one?”

“Oh yeah,” Janet said. “But I was never particularly powerful or responsible. So, as sayings go, it was never one of the ones that I thought about very much.”

Mikaleh said: “I knew that we were probably the best squad in the world—whatever world this is now—but I never thought we’d have to do anything like this. Mostly, I was just having fun kicking butt and obliterating husks wherever we found them. But I guess it can’t all be a party. This feels different now. I guess it’s just been a long time since I’ve felt like something important was at stake.”

“What do you mean?” said Janet. “I think beating up on husks is plenty important.”

Mikaleh looked at Janet with the side of her eye.

“I think you know what I mean,” Mikaleh said. “When was the last time you were really afraid that we’d lose a fight to the husks? Or that there would be serious consequences if we did? If we’re out-fought or outgunned—which we haven’t been in what seems like forever—we can always retreat to a safe distance. Fortifications can be rebuilt. Shields can be restored, even if the husks trash ’em. Those of us who have survived have gotten good at what we do. Heck, it’s the reason why most of us have lasted this long in a world full of crazy monsters that want to eat us.”

“I guess it has been a while since I was really afraid of anything the husks were going to throw at us,” Janet said.

“And it’s not a bad thing that we’ve gotten so good at our jobs,” Mikaleh said. “It’s just that this is … different. If what the Traveler is saying is true, then we really can’t screw up. The fate of everything could be at stake.”

Sam was typically a more analytical guy, so the whole squad noticed the emotional tremor in his voice.

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