The corn that towered above us let only slithers of moonlight through, there was no way to tell how far we still had to go.
The inflexible stalks were practically impossible to move through with any semblance of stealth. Every movement we made caused a chorus of rustling, signalling our position to the pack of wild dogs that were slowly forming a circle around us.
The yapping carried on, picking up from several directions.
Coal took a knife from his belt and motioned for me to follow suit. Rather than empowering me, the feel of the weapon in my hand just made me more worried. Great aim wouldn't do me much good against an attacker that I wouldn't see until they were on top of me. I pushed against my inclination to panic and found the cold, calm place within me that would help me focus on the fight.
A strong gust of freezing wind sent a wave of movement through the field. On and on we slipped through the maze of corn while howls broke the night air all around us more and more frequently.
The wind finally let up and I tried to get the chattering of my teeth under control. The metal hilt of my knife was so cold that it sent shooting pains up my arm and made my hand feel numb. I adjusted my grip and held the blade steady.
A shape burst between the stalks and I raised my knife only to have Coal knock it back down with his free hand. It was Kaloo, her hackles were raised and she let out a high pitched bark that sounded like a warning. She circled us once then started purposefully forward, keeping close.
The yapping and shrieking of the coyotes had gained a frantic edge. Kaloo snarled, showing a full set of gleaming white canines which reminded me that she was as much of a beast as anything that was hiding within the field. I was grateful to have her on our side.
A flash of movement to my right made me jump and I nearly dropped the knife. The coyote slipped out of view as quickly as I spotted it but Kaloo gave chase.
Rustling broke out around us in earnest. Coal stopped short and I walked straight into the back of him.
"Ow!" I complained, rubbing at my nose.
"Shhh," he spun me around and pressed his back to mine. "They're getting ready to attack, get your gun out."
I did as commanded and shoved my knife back into my belt before snatching my shotgun from my back. I held the gun up in front of me like a talisman, my numb fingers slipped into place as I repressed a shiver. Slowly, Coal started to move, I took his lead and we turned in a circle with our guns raised and ready.
My breath huffed out in little clouds which momentarily obscured my vision. The growling and yapping sang out all around us, making it impossible to guess where the attack would come from. I clenched my teeth and steadied my breathing, my eyes darting back and forth.
The husks beneath our feet split and crunched as we wore down the ground in a small circle.
Sounds of canine fighting replaced the excited yapping in the direction that Kaloo had taken and I felt a small bubble of hope swell in my chest.
The curtain of corn stalks in front of me rattled and began to part. I slipped my finger onto the trigger, ready to fire. Snarling and the snapping of jaws came from the rippling crops followed by a screech of pain.
I let out another breath as Kaloo stuck her head back through to look at us. Her blue eyes held a question which I answered with a shaky laugh.
The sounds of approach had halted and we took the opportunity to make our escape.
Kaloo lead us out of the corn field with her nose in the air. We were a short distance from a set of wooden steps that led up to a grand old farm house. We sprinted up the steps onto a porch that ran the length of the building. Kaloo circled behind us and growled at the field, a clear warning to anything that might try to follow.
From the porch we could see the tops of the corn stalks, waves rippled back and forth as around ten shapes moved within its depths.
The door opened behind us and Alicia stood there with her hands on her hips.
"Really? What happened to 'stick together no matter what'?" She raised her eyebrows at us, waiting for an explanation.
"I tripped and by the time I righted myself you were gone," I muttered to my feet as I dragged my eyes away from the field behind us.
"Sure, whatever. Are you going to stand out here all night and wait for those coyotes to try their luck with Kaloo or are the three of you coming in?"
We stepped past her and Kaloo trotted up the steps behind us. Her tail was in the air, wagging profusely as she strutted through the door.
Chapter Twenty Five
Hunter laughed for a solid fifteen minutes when we relayed our story to him. I was beginning to think that near death experiences must go hand in hand with life outside The Wall and it was certainly better to laugh about it than cry.
He headed back to our truck with Coal and they towed it to the farm house so that it could be charged overnight. The plan was to reach the end of the road around midday at which point Hunter and his men would split off and start a series of small fires to draw the attention of any Creepers that happened to be nearby.
The four of us would then head for the bunker, hopefully uninterrupted by terrifying mutants hellbent on killing anything that crossed their path. Easy.