The other let off a string of expletives but moved forward to grab the trunk. I left the men struggling with the old tree, crept silently away and, as soon as I could, took off through the grass.
I raced back to the camp, which was already packed up and on the verge of departure. I saw Darren and Zeke standing near the front with Jebbadiah and Ruth. Darren had a couple of skinny rabbits in one hand, looking uncomfortable, while Zeke seemed to be in an argument with the girl. They were still too far to notice me, but I heard snippets of their conversation, drifting over the wind, and strained my vampire senses to listen.
“I don’t care if her tent is empty,” Zeke was saying, holding out both hands in a pleading gesture. “Jeb, we can’t just leave someone behind. I swear, I saw her just before Darren and I left to go hunting. Ruth, are you sure you didn’t see her go after us, or leave the camp?”
“No,” Ruth said in a voice that was almost as worried. “Like I said, no one has seen her tonight, and when I realized that, I went to check her tent. It was empty, and all her stuff was gone. You don’t think she left for good, do you?”
“Regardless—” Jeb’s voice cut in, flat and cold “—we cannot wait for her. I made that clear from the beginning. If she has left us, so be it. If she chooses to flaunt the rules, as you two have done tonight—” he glared at Zeke “—then that is her choice. She can live or die with the consequences.”
“Well, it’s good to know where I stand,” I said, striding into the circle. All four humans whirled on me.
“Allison!” Zeke exhaled with relief, but Ruth looked at me like she had just swallowed a spider. “You’re back. Where did you go? We were about to leave—”
“Me behind? I noticed.” I looked at Jebbadiah, who gazed back emotionlessly. If he felt anger or guilt that I’d overheard his conversation, he didn’t show it. But I couldn’t think about that now. “Jeb, I saw men on the road, coming toward us. They’re riding strange motorized bicycles, and they have guns.”
“Motorized bicycles?” Ruth said, giving Zeke a puzzled frown. Jeb, however, caught on much more quickly.
“Raiders, on motorcycles,” he said grimly, and Ruth gasped. Briskly, Jeb turned on me and Zeke. “Get everyone off the road,” he snapped, pointing back to the group. “We need to hide. Now!”
No sooner had he spoken than the faint growl of engines echoed down the road, and the glow of headlights appeared in the distance. People gasped, and one of the kids screamed.
Quickly, Ruth, Zeke and I herded everyone away from the pavement, driving them back into the rolling plains. I snatched up forgotten cans, wrappers and bowls from the ground, flinging them into the tall grass, doing my best to cover the tracks a dozen people left behind.
The raiders drew closer, the hum of engines roaring in the night. Diving behind a log, I flung myself to the ground as the headlights pierced the spot where the group had been. A half second later, Zeke joined me, jumping over the log and dropping to his stomach as the raiders appeared over the hill.
We peeked over the rim, watching the two men on those strange machines cruise past. Again, I was struck with how familiar they looked, how they were very like the two humans I’d met earlier. The two men I’d killed. One of them drove right by, but his companion suddenly pulled to a stop along the side of the road, shutting off his engine. The other turned his machine around and came back, pulling alongside his friend before shutting his off, too.
“Whacha lookin’ at?” I heard him growl. Even at this distance, my vampire hearing could make out the words perfectly. The other man shook his head.
“Dunno. I thought I heard something. A scream or something, out there.”
“Rabbit, probably. Or coyote.” The other man spit on the pavement, then pulled a large machine gun out of a side holster. “Wanna fire a few shots to make sure?”
Beside me, I felt Zeke tense, one hand inching toward his gun, and I put my hand over his. Startled, he looked at me sharply, and I shook my head.
“Nah, don’t waste bullets. It’s probably nothing.” The raider started his engine with a roar, and I caught the last few sentences over the sudden noise. “Jackal is gonna be pissed if we don’t find them. He was sure they’re somewhere on this stretch.”
Jackal. Where had I heard that name before? It was instantly familiar; I knew I’d heard it somewhere. It hit me then—the other raiders I’d met on the road. The dead man had whispered it, right before he died.
Jackal…would’ve laughed.
I felt a chill run up my spine. It couldn’t be coincidence. The tattoos, the bikes, the raiders I’d met before. There was something about this group I didn’t know. Someone wasn’t telling me something.
“Ain’t our fault if they’re not here,” the other raider shrugged. “Ain’t nothing out here. And I’m getting tired of looking for ghosts.”