Over the past few months, Tyler and Clutch had almost become friends. Well, at least they put up with each other. Tyler respected Clutch’s experience, but he’d never gotten over the fact that Clutch had refused to report to duty when the outbreak first hit. Clutch respected Tyler’s leadership, but he’d never forgiven Tyler for abandoning me in the middle of a zed-infested wasteland. I knew the only reason Clutch stayed with Camp Fox was because of Jase and me.
Out of over thirty troops at Camp Fox, Clutch was the next-highest ranking officer after Tyler. Always one to follow the rules, Tyler had gritted his teeth as he made Clutch second-in-command of Camp Fox.
“What are we looking at?” Tyler asked, all business.
Tack handed him the binoculars. “A large herd surrounding a house with six or more occupants, including at least one kid.”
That a kid was with them was important. It meant that there was a good chance they weren’t bandits. Bandits tended to ditch anyone that would slow them down—and they often ditched them by using them as zed bait.
“The front door is broken but barricaded. There are three vans parked outside, but there’s no way for them to get through the herd and to their vehicles. I’m guessing they’ve been in there a while since the zeds aren’t attacking, but there are some curious zeds sniffing around the porch. The folks holed up inside look to be in rough shape. I doubt they can hold out much longer.”
“Well, they’ll have to wait just a little longer,” Tyler said, turning to face our group.
“Are we going with the Pied Piper plan?” I asked.
He nodded and then looked over all of us. “It saves our ammo and minimizes risk. The Jeep will lead as many zeds away as possible, and we’ll take out the rest. My team will go in for the survivors. Griz’s Humvee will take out any zeds that stay behind.”
A chorus of yes sirs and hooahs erupted.
Tyler nodded in Clutch’s direction. “Sarge’s team is with the Jeep. We need to get the zeds at least three miles out of town before you break and head back to Camp Fox. Call in if you run into any problems.”
Tyler had given us the easy job. Lure zeds away while keeping a safe distance. With each passing month, the zeds were moving slower and becoming less of a threat. I wasn’t surprised he’d assigned us as the Pied Piper vehicle. It was by far the least risky role to play in this gambit. Wes was old yet often overconfident. Clutch…well, everyone knew Clutch’s weakness. Heck, I was surprised Tyler was even letting Clutch participate today. He could’ve ordered him back to the park.
Then again, we all knew how well orders went over with Clutch aka Sarge.
As for my case, Tyler had always been protective of me, but assigning us as the Pied Piper vehicle was more than for my protection. It was a matter of practicality. For one thing, my injured leg was still slowing me down. Another reason Tyler intentionally kept me on the sidelines of trouble was my unique skill. I was Camp Fox’s only pilot. My patrols were critical to helping us stay ahead of zeds in the area. I could easily cover a fifty-mile radius and report back any herds heading our way. We’d finally reached the point of being a step ahead of the zeds. It was our first break since the world had ended.
We were still waiting for a second break.
“Are the streets cleared?” I asked finally.
Tack shook his head. “The north and west has been mostly cleared, I think. But as far as I know, no one’s started on the east or south yet.”
“Avoid the east and south. Got it. We’ll see you back at the park.” I grabbed the extra bag of ammo Tack held out to me and headed back to the Jeep with Wes. We waited with Clutch while the attack-force with two Humvees checked their weapons. There were as many homemade machetes and spears as there were rifles. Next to food, ammo was the most valuable resource. We’d collected a couple hundred thousand rounds in Doyle’s stash, but we knew that once it was gone, there would be nothing left. So, we were careful with every round.
Tyler turned to us. “You’ve got a green light. Be careful and keep a safe distance.”