“What’s going on Avi? Why are you here?” I repeat Jane’s question.
“I went on a short supply run with two other members of the community. You remember Cody and Ian?” Jane and I nod, recalling the brothers that worked as the town peace-keepers. Both had experience in Iraq. “We were specifically checking on how some of the gardens we cultivate herbs and small vegetables from were faring after the cold winter.” He coughs and I shoot Mary Ellen a look. She disappears into the kitchen and returns with a reused bottle of water. He accepts and takes a large gulp. “Thank you. I ran out several hours ago.”
“You went on a supply run. Did you encounter Eaters? Where are the other men?”
“No Eaters. There’s a nursery and greenhouse about five miles out of Catlettsburg. We’d hoped that maybe the greenhouse varieties had some early budding because it’s located in a massive field, allowing for direct sunlight. We were almost there when I stopped to check an area known for fungus growth, telling the others to go ahead. It was dumb separating from them, although I don’t know what I would have done differently.”
“Avi,” Jane says, growing impatient with his rambling. “What happened?”
“When I caught up to them it was nearly dark. I could see what they couldn’t. The specks of fires all through the valley behind the greenhouse. Dozens of campfires out in the open. I found blood splatters on the road and Cody’s cap on the ground. In the distance, soldiers swarmed the country side. They had no care. No worries. They didn’t fear attracting the infected or alerting anyone to their arrival.”
Jane and I share an uneasy glance.
“What kind of uniform were they wearing?” Green asks.
“Similar to the one you wore when you got to Catlettsburg. All black.”
Erwin’s men wear camouflage. Jane’s Fighters wore black. The Hybrids adopted the same look. “Did they see you?” I ask.
“No.”
“No?” I clarify. “Or you don’t think so. It’s not the same thing.”
He stares at me in annoyance. “It took me two days to find you Alex, do you think they would have left me go that long if they were following me?”
“I think they can’t be underestimated.”
Green speaks up. “They’ll find out from your men about Catlettsburg. They’ll go there next.”
Avi nods. “That was my thought, too. It’s why I came here instead of going back home. I hoped to catch you on the return home.” He looks at my wrapped ankle and Green lying on the couch. “Looks like you guys ran into some trouble yourself.”
“Franklin is lost. The infection spread through the community just before the first snow,” Jane tells him.
He frowns. “How? I vaccinated them myself.”
She explains her theory about the lack of prior vaccinations in their system. When she finishes he simply says, “That’s unfortunate.”
“I’d planned on going back to the lab to figure out a way to stop the Hybrids, but it may be too late.”
He gives her a hard look. “We talked about this. No more biological warfare.”
“I’m not trying to create warfare, Avi!” she shouts, surprising us all. Jane is always calm and collected. “I’m attempting to repair the damage I’ve already done. I need something that will override all of the vaccines, keep the parasite from taking over the body, as well as disable the EVI-2 vaccine that creates the Hybrids.”
“Don’t forget the Mutts,” Green adds.
“What the hell is a Mutt?” Avi asks, but no one answers him.
“All of it.” Jane looks at Avi. “We either fix this or we’re doomed. They’ll kill us or we kill them. There’s no other option.”
“It may be too late,” Parker says. “The Hybrids could already be in Catlettsburg.”
I think for a moment but I already have an idea forming. “Finn, go get Wyatt and Jude.” He nods and moves quickly.
“What are you thinking?” Benjamin asks me. We haven’t spoken directly since our fight the day before.
“Remember when you said Wyatt has a weakness?”
“Yeah, sure.”