“Someone was hurt. ”
“Shit,” Katarina whispered.
Curtis was instantly at Nerit’s side. “Think they got bitten and went at each other?”
Pulling what looked like a wadded up sheet to her, Nerit looked it over.
“No. This is full of surgical tools. See that neat slice in the fabric. I think someone got stabbed by one of the instruments. ” She fumbled with the makeshift bag a bit more. “My guess is Jenni. ”
“You can tell that by the blood?” Dale asked in surprise.
“No, sweetheart, by her wadded up, bloodied leather jacket,” Nerit answered pointing to where the article of clothing lay on the floor of the truck.
“Oh. ”
“There are drag marks through the grass. ” Katarina pointed.
“And along the side of the truck,” Curtis observed.
“And a helicopter settled down in the pasture,” Nerit added.
“What? How?”
“Look at the grass, Curtis. Flattened in a circle. And it was not one of Roger’s crop circles. ” Nerit sighed and moved around the truck slowly.
“Only two bodies,” Curtis said from behind her as he studied the drag marks.
“Yes,” Nerit answered. “Just two. ”
“So they got Jenni and one other person,” Katarina said in a soft, low voice.
Nerit’s intense eyes looked toward her. “Yes. ”
“Who?” Katarina asked.
“I can’t tell that. ” Nerit sighed and climbed into the truck. Turning the key, s
he furrowed her brow, listening to the engine try to turnover. Then it suddenly roared to life and she sat in silence in the cab.
Katarina was stoic, but Nerit knew she was in pain. Curtis just looked a little lost. Dale was still staring at the cows like they were walking hamburgers.
“What do we do now?” Curtis finally asked.
“We go back. We tell everyone we are not alone. We tell them the military is still functioning somewhere out there and they have Jenni and one other survivor. ”
Curtis shook his head. “Fucking shit! If Lenore hadn’t tried to save Ken and kept with the mission--”
“She did what I would have done, fucktard,” Dale growled. “You don’t let your friends die in front of your eyes. ”
Flinching from the harshness in Dale’s voice, Curtis drew back. “Okay, okay. ”
“We do what comes instinctively. Lenore saved her friend. But we lost two others. That is the nature of this world,” Nerit said firmly. “There are no second guesses, Curtis. We just do our best. ”
“Yeah, but Bill, Jenni, Roger and Felix…they’re fucking gone now,” Curtis said in a low, tight voice.
“Yes, they are,” Nerit answered in her calm tones. “Now, let’s go home. ”
Wordlessly, Katarina returned to the Hummer and climbed in.