We were sitting under the shade of an oak tree about a hundred yards off the main road and about a quarter of the way up a small hill which this part of the world had more than a few of. Our bikes were laid down in the grass and dirt next to us. The terrain was starting to flatten out which was not really a good thing. I already felt more exposed than I cared for. I could only imagine what the Great Plains were going to be like. At least the bike units behind us would be able to pick up the pace.
"Hey G."
"Yeah Loco?"
"You feel it?"
"Yeah. They're out there again." Loco was sharp. Maybe as good as I was at feeling it when someones eyes where on us.
"Shit. This is get irritating."
"Yeah Loco. The problem is I can't find the fucker." Which was true. Even looking through the eyes of one of Freyas birds didn't help.
"The birds not picking it up?" This was from Ricky. He usually felt it but it took him longer, and he usually lost it quicker. "No. Nothing. Who ever it is, or whatever it is, is pretty freaking slick."
"I think it is one of those fucking drones from the gov. Them birds don't get up high enough to see that shit" was Locos reply. "Probably. So far they have been quiet. Mount up. We need to find a vehicle and gas." I told them. I loved saying "Mount up" It was really cool to have a reason to say it without sounding like a total ass. I had to bite my tongue and just say it occasionally. I didn't want to ruin the coolness of saying it.I picked up my bike, straddled it and coasted down to the road.. Behind me I didn't hear anyone bother to groan or complain. It wouldn't have done them any good and it would have pissed me off anyway. They were good though. As good as we had available. I would have rather have been out here with Max and Ninja but life never did pay a whole hell of a lot of attention to what I wanted or didn't want.
In two days we had begun to figure out how we were going to do this. We had too. If we didn't -- we would probably die. I wasn't big on dying and I sure didn't want to get stuck or bitten by anything sharp again. My leg never did come back completely after that damn dog had bitten down on it. I didn't tell anyone, including Night, that sometimes I lost feeling in places. That wasn't all bad I figured. It beat the alternative. Plus, if I did get hit there again I wouldn't notice it until I had time to deal with it.
You would think that three guys, all of them experienced in dealing with the different faces that violence wore would be a team right off the line. It didn't work that way. It helped of course. It also helped that we all knew the difference without talking about it. There is a team and then there is a pack. A team works up to a certain point. That point is when you run into situations that practice never covered. A pack could care less what the situation was. It was just more of the same. No discussion was needed. Looking over your shoulder never crossed your mind. You knew your brothers and sisters would be where they needed to be when they needed to be. If they weren't -- it was because they were dead or dying. I didn't have to practice with Max and Ninja. I knew. That is where we had to get to and the sooner the better.
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