***

  Jo fired and Jed pulled her back down. The grenade impacted and the air around them filled with the stench of garlic and burnt meat. Jed slotted a fresh box home in the SAW and set the belt into the feed tray. Closing the cover, he shifted and leaned up to see spears of smoke spiraling out from the mass of sucker faces. The monsters shrieked, and not for the first time Jed felt a hint of mercy for them. The street was filled with their crawling and flailing bodies as the phosphorous ate into their skin. Jo had fired into the center of the group, and most of the pack there had been hit.

  The ones that weren’t seemed to dance around the main group, looking for the weakest ones. A sucker face shrieked behind Jed and he spun around to see another swarm racing for the truck. They streamed out of the neighborhood ruins, over crumbled walls, out of the wreckage, and around splintered tree trunks. Jed sent a burst at them and they split apart, into smaller groups that raced around the street, dodging and juking so fast that he couldn’t aim if he tried.

  Like they’d done back on Park Avenue, the two tribes of suckers charged into each other in the street, ripping and slashing at each other in a frenzy of blood and howling. The ones from the neighborhood sped by the truck, like they didn’t even notice Jo and Jed sitting in the back.

  “They’re not even looking at us,” Jo said.

  Jed wanted to believe her, but he knew different. “They see us,” he said, “but they got bigger problems. At least for now.”

  The swarms clashed and fought, with screeches and roars filling the street and echoing in the dead air of the city.

  “They could just swarm us right now,” Jo said.

  “They could, but they aren’t. They’d rather figure out who gets to be on top. Then they’ll come after us.”

  “They’re fighting for the privilege of killing us? That’s so disgusting, I can’t—”

  “Fucking animals,” Jed said through a chuckle. Then he spotted one that had its eyes locked on him. It danced around behind larger ones that were plowing forward into the battle with the sucker faces from the el-tracks.

  “That one knows better,” Jed said, lining it up in his sight picture.

  A roar of rage filled the air around them just as Jed fired. He hit the one that had been staring at him. It dropped in a heap as the others charged forward. Another big one came stomping out from the neighborhood ruins. The smaller ones in the street raced ahead of it with a tiny, fast one out front, like it was leading the pack. A blast from the truck cab put it down. The swarm drew together, slowing their progress, but still closing in around the truck.

  The big one picked up the broken body of a dead sucker face and flung it at the truck. It impacted against the front fender and slid across the hood. The small ones formed a circle around the truck while others still sped onward to join the battle up ahead.

  Jed sent a burst at the big monster. It didn’t flinch, even as two of the rounds struck it in the chest. Instead, it reached for another of its fallen children and hurled it toward the truck. Jed had to duck to avoid getting hit. The body bounced off the cab and landed in the street. Jed and Jo stayed tucked down as low as they could, but he kept firing sustained bursts toward the giant.

  ***

  Gallegos stared at the big fucker outside as she slapped her final magazine into the receiver and released the bolt. The monster reached for another body and hoisted it over its head. It threw it at the truck and roared. The Willie Pete round tore up the swarm from the tracks. Most of them had crawled away to lick their wounds. Gallegos spotted some being eaten by the stronger ones from the neighborhood, which were rapidly closing in and forming a melee that filled the roadway and spilled over into the ruins on either side.

  Gallegos lifted her M4, locating the big sucker face in her sight picture.

  I could go for a head shot, but these are my last thirty rounds. Every single one has to count and count good.

  The monster dodged one way, then the other, before it leaned down and hurled a severed limb at the truck. The arm bounced off the door to the rear cab and Dom ducked away from the window. A second later, something threw the arm back toward the big monster, and it was followed by rocks and other bits of debris from the battlefield.

  The monsters from the el-tracks were hurling anything they could find at the big fucker and its minions. Then their leader appeared from behind a wrecked semi-trailer. It had a bench seat hefted in its hands and raised it overhead as it ran forward. With a growl that seemed to shake the city itself, the giant sucker face heaved the bench seat into the melee, scattering the smaller ones.

  The groups from the neighborhood moved off to the sides of the street and climbed onto ruined walls and into the remains of trees. Those from the el-tracks stayed in formation around their leader, grouping up in twos and threes again like they had on Park Avenue, when Gallegos had first witnessed their tactics.

  They’re down on numbers, but I still think this is their fight. The ones from the neighborhoods don’t have the same combat sense. And they’re all ignoring us now, like we’re just bystanders to their feud.

  The el-track tribe paced around their leader, still clad in its shirt of bones and, Gallegos now noticed, sheets of skin that it wore like a cape. It roared at the other leader, which strode into the street behind a pack of five smaller ones. Those were immediately met by a dozen of the el-track sucker faces and taken down quickly. Then the neighborhood’s leader roared and waved its hands. As Gallegos stared, dumbfounded, the two tribes flooded the roadway in a roiling mass of claws and teeth. Shrieks and howls filled the air, and through it all the big ones continued to throw whatever they could find at hand. Bodies launched through the air to rebound off the truck, or to collide with small groups of the monsters.

  Soon enough the tide clearly turned, with the el-track sucker faces beating back their enemy from the neighborhood. The path behind the truck was clear now, with the monsters grouping along the sides of the road as the neighborhood tribe was chased away or torn to pieces on the sidewalks.

  “Get us out of here, Reeve.”

  He wheeled the truck around, away from the melee. Behind them, the street was a bloodbath of dead sucker faces. Clutches of the monsters scampered away from the road to hide in the ruins while gangs of now three and four gave chase. Finally the big one wearing the bone shirt held up the broken body of the neighborhood leader.

  It roared and flung the body at the ground where it landed in a heap. Then it pointed at the neighborhoods. The hordes around it moved as one, grouping up and scrambling over debris and corpses to disappear into the ruins.

  Gallegos couldn’t believe their luck. They’d escaped only because they’d been a less important target. That wouldn’t last, though, and she knew it. A new leader ruled the streets now, and it would send its minions after them as soon as it was done cleaning out the remains of the enemy tribes.

  Howls and pain and shrieks of rage followed them as Reeve pushed the truck farther from the chaos. He floored it, taking them back beneath the el-tracks and onto Park Avenue again.

  — 22 —

  Jed snapped his attention away from watching the big monster stomp around the battlefield, throwing bodies and rubble in every direction. It had ordered the others off to fight the ones from the neighborhoods.

  “Guess he really wants a clean house for his grand opening tomorrow.”

  “What?” Jo asked. Jed wasn’t surprised she missed his warped attempt at humor.

  “You know, when he puts a sandwich board out and opens his deli? I figure that’s gotta be why he’s so pissed off. He’s just an honest businessman trying to earn a dollar for his family, put food on the table. You know, like ya’ do. Street all shitted up like this, he can’t expect customers want to eat at his place.”

  Jo let a smirk crease her mouth, but that was about it. “I’m glad you can laugh about it. One of us probably should.”

  The truck bucked and wobbled as Reeve took them over the corpses of dead sucker faces. Jed put his head back in the game and scanned the street, checking every shadow and possible hiding spot for suckers that might jump out.

  Or for Tucker to come racing out. Motherfucker got off easy. Not next time.

  Off on the side of the road, two sucker faces were taking bites out of a third. They quickly left their meal and came charging after the truck. Reeve had them moving fast enough that the two suckers couldn’t keep up, but they didn’t leave off the chase.

  Jed kept his eyes on them, watching them peel off the road and into the maze of ruins around them.

  “They’re stalking us. Keep your eyes open,” he said to Jo.

  “How do you know they’re not just going to find the quickest meal they can? Maybe we’re too much trouble, you know?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I almost feel sorry for them. But not really.”

  Jed nodded his agreement.

  Just like wild animals. Eat to survive. Fight to be better. Lock horns. Come out on top and get the prize.

  The truck lurched and they both slid around the bed as Reeve took them back down Lexington at a steady pace. He wasn’t moving fast enough for Jed’s peace of mind, but right now wasn’t the time to be arguing about their rate of travel. Sergeant G was in the cab. If she was cool with their pace, then Jed would suck it up and get cool with it himself.

  He sat back against the truck cab, holding the SAW against his chest and mentally counting the ammo he had for it.

  One in the bags, and half a box ready to rock.

  They had three rounds of HE left for the thump gun.

  If they hit another swarm like the last one, they wouldn’t get very far.

  ***

  Gallegos’ tracked the pair of sucker faces in her mirror. Reeve had them moving fast enough that the monsters couldn’t keep up. After following for a block, they darted away from the road and disappeared into the ruins.

  “Keep going, Reeve. We have to get inside and regroup. Pick out every last round of ammo we have stashed in there.”

  Reeve put the pedal to the floor and the truck raced forward, closing the distance to Lexington in half a breath. At the corner, he slowed down to a crawl before making the turn. Gallegos watched the dead streets like they would come back to life at any minute, full of hungry sucker faces out for blood.

  “Eyes out, men. Watch high and low.”

  A chorus of grunts and Rahs filled the cab, and Gallegos felt the calm of leadership again. Her men were willing and able. They didn’t have much ammo, but they still had fight left to bring and bring it they would. Whatever came at them, it wouldn’t be leaving in the same condition, if it left at all.

  Reeve took them around the corner and accelerated down Lexington. The firefighters struggled to stay upright in the rear cab, holding themselves steady on the headrests of the front seat. Gallegos kept her eyes to the front, holding her M4 out the window and ready to light up anything that moved into her sight picture.

  No such thing as friendlies out there. Not anymore.

  They were still four blocks from the hide when she saw Tucker’s truck come around a corner two blocks up. She leaned out her window, took aim, and fired. She hit the hood and the truck swung down another street and out of sight.

  “Fuck this hide and seek bullshit,” Reeve said and stepped on the gas.

  ***

  Jed whipped around and checked their path. They were on Lexington and coming up on the bus depot fast. Reeve had punched it hard and the truck surged forward. Jed ducked back down into the bed. Jo was holding herself steady with her feet on the wheel well.

  The dead sucker face kept rolling side to side as the truck swerved along the road.

  “Can’t we get rid of that thing?” Jo asked.

  “Maybe. I’m starting to like him.”

  She gave him a look that said What the fuck?

  “No shit,” Jed said, chuckling. “I think I’ll name him Tucky Two. Bet they look alike.”

  Jo seemed ready to laugh, but slid down the truck bed and grabbed the dead monster under its arms. With a heave she lifted up and set it tumbling out of the tailgate.

  “Sorry, Tucky,” she said, scooting back up near the cab again. “There’s only room for two back here.”

  “See, you can laugh about it, too. That’s good—”

  A rattle of small arms fire and the pinging of metal on metal startled Jed out of his skin. He whipped to the left and right, scanning the shattered buildings for muzzle flashes. Another volley came in from somewhere he couldn’t see, impacting on the tailgate and rear of the truck bed.

  “Gotta be the shooter they had up top. In the high rises.”

  “We’re sitting ducks back here. Can I hit him with this?” Jo asked, lifting the grenade launcher.

  “Maybe, but—”

  A string of rounds impacted against the fender from above and Jed rolled to the side. Reeve swerved them as another burst rained in, peppering the truck bed and missing Jed and Jo by inches.

  “Shooter’s in the high rises! Sergeant G, we’re taking fire from the high rises!”

  Jed and Jo swung around in the truck bed as Reeve swerved a serpentine trail down Lexington. A steady rattling beat told Jed they were still in someone’s sight picture. Heavy thunks sounded up front.

  Shooter switched his aim. He’s going for the engine.

  Reeve cranked them to the side again, and Jed slid up against the wall of the truck bed. Jo crashed into him as more rounds came in from above. The truck jerked right, coming up closer to the ruins near the bus depot. The shooter sent another volley their way, hitting the pavement beside them. The truck bounced hard and Jo slammed into Jed, driving a shock of pain up his back. The truck pitched toward the street and Jo slid away from him again. He held tight to the bed wall with one hand and reached for her with the other.

  Their hands met and they both tensed up their arms to maintain space between them. A series of shots came from up top and Matty screamed inside the cab. Jed did his best to get eyes on the shooter’s position, but with all the jerking he could hardly focus for more than a second before he had to put his mind back to staying steady in the truck bed.

  ***

  Gallegos hated being on the run. It was her job and her mission to make other people turn tail.

  Or die where they stand.

  “Anybody got eyes on their shooter? Welch said the high rises. I don’t see anything up there!”

  “They’re up top somewhere,” Matty said from behind her. “Shots are coming dow— Shit!” he screamed.

  Gallegos spun around to see Luce slumped with blood pouring down his shirt front. His head lolled to the side. Dom reached for him and held him up.

  “C’mon, Luce. Stay with us. I got you, hermano. I got you. I got you…”

  “He’s gone, Dom,” Gallegos said.

  She didn’t need to check a pulse to know it. The bullet went through Luce’s head and out his neck.

  “Goddamit,” Dom said between barely held in sobs. He wrapped his arms around Luce. “Goddamit, goddamit…”

  Gallegos let the anger and fury burn hot inside her. The day had now taken three of her own.

  The truck roared down Lexington, sliding left and right as Reeve wove them through the kill zone. Sniper fire kept coming. The hide was just a block ahead now. All they had to do was get inside.

  And then we find these culeros and put them down.

  Reeve had their truck on the sidewalk down the block from the bus depot. The sniper stopped firing.

  “Welch was right. Shooter is in the high rise next to the hide. Gotta be.”

  “The hide’s blocking his view now,” Reeve added.

  “Since he’s not firing anymore, that’s where he is.”

  Reeve slowed them down, slotting the truck in behind the wrecked busses in front of the hide. The front end was just behind the wheels of the bus. Reeve edged them forward, but the space was too narrow to continue.

  “Shut if off. Let’s get inside.”

  The engine idled a ragged beat until Reeve turned it off.

  “Eyes out. Reeve, you got point,” Gallegos said, opening her door. She had both feet on the ground when the rumble of Tucker’s truck echoed through the street. It was close by and getting closer.

  ***

  Jed struggled to his knees behind the cab of their truck as they came to a stop behind the busses. Jo sat in a crouch beside him, keeping her head down and shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

  “I’ll go out first,” Jed told her. “Stay behind me.”

  Sergeant G’s door opened and she got out.

  “Let’s go,” she said and moved out to a position against the depot wall. Reeve came out next, sliding from the cab. He moved out around the hood to post behind the bus. Matty and Dom followed from the back seat. They moved into position behind Sergeant G.

  “Where’s Luce?” Jo asked.

  Jed leaned around the cab and checked in the backseat. He nearly slipped out of the bed but caught himself against the door. He pushed off and spun back to sit against the cab.

  “Luce ain’t coming,” he told Jo. “C’mon. We gotta get under cover.”

  She didn’t move and the heavy growl of Tucker’s motor came closer still.

  “Jo, c’mon now,” he said, climbing onto the bed wall. “We—”

  She stood up and lifted the thump gun, sighted, and fired.

  The street shook with the explosion and Jed fell back into the truck bed. Jo came down beside him and they huddled against the cab as the air filled with the stink of burning fuel.

  “Hell yeah! You hit him.”

  Jo moved to stand up; Jed reached to pull her back down. “Sniper might still be able to see us. C’mon, we should get with the others.”

  ***

  “Direct hit, Jo. That’s how you do it,” Gallegos said as Welch and Jo joined them on the sidewalk. They all hugged the wall of the bus depot, staying low and keeping eyes on the street around them. Reeve was still at the end of the nearest bus, half hidden by their truck.