Chapter 42

The two zombies reached the barricade before he was in position, but luckily or maybe not that luckily giving the arterial arrayed against them were turned to pet food before they scratched the barrier, let alone successfully damaged it. The ranged fighters had even staggered their strikes with over half the group on duty not bothering to contribute because they were not needed.

Daniel did not know when Luke had trained that level of discipline, but it was clear between this performance and the fights upstairs that as a whole the fighter teams had spent time training their coordination.

Then another feral tested them. It didn’t even get past the landing.

He was genuinely bored.

“Priscilla, something’s bothering me.”

Suspicious thoughts rolled to him from the mouse. Followed by an image of a spider whose legs almost looked muscular. The mouse shivered on your shoulder clearly unwilling to even consider exploring that area downstairs.

“I know you’re concerned about the spiders.”

Annoyed intentions reached out and flicked him on the ear. He even experienced the impression of teeth closing on his delicate ear lobe although she had not moved.

“They’re valid concerns.” He conceded.

Animal Sense.

The power flared out and Priscilla joined the spell through their link. Both of their consciousness spread out. Almost as one they looked to their left and slightly down. Less than ten metres away was the obvious energy concentration that represented a spider. Then others lit up, one after another. They were mainly in the ceiling spaces, but it was clear they could get out of them and while his spell had only extended a small distance, it more than proved that Priscilla’s reluctance to scout had been justified.

Not that he had ever thought any differently.

See. The indignant voice of the mouse cut through his concentration. Dangerous.

“I believed you,” he whispered. “And I will not risk your life. What’s bothering me is that I don’t understand the layout.” Daniel had organised what he knew in his head and he pushed that image through.

15

Two non-ferals

14

Ultras and Elites

13

Elites

12

Elites

11

Moths plus ferals in corner

10

Moths plus ferals in corner

9

Humans and Elites?

They were currently set up between floor fifteen and fourteen.

“What I don’t understand is that the humans were directly under me and Alisha said this stairwell is supposed to go down to level nine but the times I’ve felt movement between floors has been over there.” he waved in the general direction where the ferals had been stuck in the corner. “Rather than below us.”

Send Plants.

“I could do that Priscilla.” She had definitely worked out what he was planning on asking. Anticipating his question and jumping straight to the answer that suited her best. “But it will take a long time and I was hoping.”

Send plants

“To send you down the stairs to check why I use Animal Sense to ensure your safety.”

The rebuttal the mouse had clearly been designing stopped as she thought about that. The spell he had cast while it had shown the nasty monsters she feared were all around. None of them had been in the stairwell.

Finigan shifted and why the dog did not join the conversation, it projected an intention to protect its tiny friend. The stubborn resistance of Priscilla faded a little with those thoughts.

“What I need to know is why the moths are not reaching us here and whether the zombies are fighting the moths or the humans by using these stairs.”

Priscilla was thoughtful.

Important?

“Absolutely.”

Four packets.

“You’re very brave.”

The image of four packets repeated insistently.

“Yes. four.” There was, after all no point not paying the price as she could help herself if she wanted to and Priscilla knew that very well.

More images flashed.

“Yes, you can pick the flavour.”

He could feel her vibrating excitement.

Job? Very Necessary?

“Of course.”

Then there was an image of Finigan being ready to protect her.

“Absolutely.”

He heard a snigger from above and glanced up at team one who was standing above them. Tamara and Ingrid were trying hard not to look at him. He raised an eyebrow, and Tamara noticed. She was smirking but pointed at Ingrid throwing her under the bus as the person who had laughed. It wasn’t needed because he had recognised the archer’s voice, anyway.

“Was something funny?”

Ingrid looked up defiantly at his challenge. Tried to be look defiant but failed because the smile lines around her eyes gave away too much. “You don’t,” she loudly cleared her throat while biting down on the grin. “Often see a man talking in public to his mouse.”

There was more laughter this time. He was pretty sure it was Jordan. “Talking to his mouse.”

“Priscilla to you guys,” Daniel said stiffly.

“If only she was a boy.” Jordan muttered. “Then it could have been described as talking to his tiny boy in public.”

“Not funny.” Daniel muttered, but there was not much he could say. After all, Tamara was laughing the hardest out of all of them. “This isn’t professional. What happens if a feral was coming?”

They ignored him.

“Tiny package,” the secondary archer on the team suggested.

“That’s right Daniel,” Ingrid said loudly. “Its not often you see a man talking to his tiny package in public.”

“And patting it,” Jordan chortled.

“That’s.” Daniel threw his hands up in the air. He knew when a situation was pointless. Instead of participating in their juvenile humour he plucked Priscilla off his shoulder and put her on the ground. Subtly, the barrier he had set up shifted to create a space for Finigan to pass by. The dog stretched twice and then moved into position. He was ready to go if Priscilla was threatened but would stay up here if not. After all, Finigan would be lethal to a spider, but against the feral he was little more than a snack. They wanted to keep Priscilla safe but not be unduly risking the dog.

Daniel triggered Animal Sense and then Priscilla took off.

He launched pulses of Animal Sense. Blasts of energy whose purpose was to provide as close to continual coverage as possible with low mana expenditure. When she approached level twelve, he pumped more power into the spell to maintain its sensitivity. One of the nasty arachnids was perched presumably on the roof of the hallway metres from the stairwell.

Calm determination filled Priscilla as she shot past it hopping down the steps at a breathtaking speed. Finigan stood ready to run and provide interference, but the dangerously positioned monster remained inactive.

As she charged, Daniel monitored what she saw. She passed the intact door on level eleven and the same repeated on level ten. That explained why the moths were contained, unlike what was happening on the higher floors these stairwell doors had been maintained.

Alarm filled Priscilla

She skidded to a stop.

Directly in front of her, a mass of stones filled the stairway.

Finally, bits of the puzzle clicked into place. While moths filled level ten and eleven, the ferals had not broken the doors, so they could shut them and prevent them from taking over the higher floors. That solved the first mystery and all that debris filling the stairwell explained the second observation about them using an alternative path to get down to level nine.

It raised questions, and what jumped into Daniel’s mind was not pleasant. It seemed like the humans had blocked the stairwell and potentially released the moths, and despite that the feral army had come up with a way to attack downstairs, anyway.

Terrifying.

Not for the first time, he was extraordinarily glad the super was dead, and he hoped they never met another one like it.

And while the raid last night had only been successful because of Ivey’s unexpected ability it had absolutely been the right choice. Just like the octopod, the super led ferals would have come for them, eventually. This was not a world that rewarded caution anymore.

Priscilla spun and sprinted back as Daniel mentally adjusted his map. There was no connection between floors nine and ten, except for the spot where Animal Sense had caught them transitioning.

Priscilla passed floor twelve, and Daniel relaxed.

She was safe.

There was no way a spider could intercept her now. A moment later, she was up on his shoulder. He reached out and opened one packet of chips that Tamara had dropped off for this purpose. Apparently she carried them as a matter of course.

“And?” Tamara called out.

“Doors to the moth floors are locked, and the stairwell is blocked off between ten and nine.”

“So nothing changes. We kill the zombies and then pause while we consider how to deal with the moth barrier.”

“Yep, I think so.”

Now that he was no longer distracted by figuring out what was happening below, Daniel’s mind focused on upstairs.

All he could think about was that mutated girl and the actual intelligent feral. What were their stories? What could they tell them about the Moths and the capabilities of the zombies that they needed to kill along with the humans below? What about the carnivores plant? Did they know about that, or was that a newer addition?

Were they even related to the humans below or was their source of information about their feral status already dead an unfortunate victim of the ferals? There were so many questions to answer.

Nothing was happening below them. He was tempted to draft Janice to do some screaming, but he figured that was irresponsible. Eventually, he moved up and away from the barricade to sit next to Tamara on the step. She was still on duty, looking down the stairs to be ready-to-use lightning if any dangerous ferals approached.

He patted Priscilla absently.

“You really shouldn’t stroke your little pet in public.”

“Not you to–”

“Not me what?” She asked innocently.

“Tamara, they’ll be consequences.”

“What on earth do you mean Mr…” She lowered her voice. “Dan.” Giggled and then leant back into him. “While we wait, you can massage my shoulders.”

Daniel obliged her request, and she moaned appreciatively. “How do you think the discussions are going?”

Tamara looked up to where the interrogation would be occurring. “I don’t know, but they better be treating them right.”

“I hadn’t even thought about it.”

“You needed to be here. So did I, but both Luke and Alex are sensible. Providing their masculinity doesn’t get in the way they’ll be treated okay. Can you imagine what it would be like to live with ferals for days on end.” She shivered.

“Yeah.”

They watched the empty stairs in silence. Her hand reached out and held his. “I’m getting sick of being stuck in doors.”

“You’re saying that and you’re a city girl. I’m a country boy. I reckon this is harder for me.”

She laughed. “You’re basically outside wherever you set up. Immediately end up surrounded by greenery. When I came down last night, you were literally sitting in a seat made of leaves and hadn’t even realised.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Plus, what do you mean I’m a city girl?”

“Wait aren’t you? Didn’t you to live in the city?”

“Well,”

Daniel wracked his brain remembering their chatting last nights. “Suburbs?”

“Maybe… but I go camping.” She stopped talking. “Once or twice a year.”

Daniel laughed at the admission.

“You win. I’m a city girl. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy being stuck inside a goddamn tall rise.”

“None of do.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying being close to each other.

Luke and Alex both turned up.

“Forty minutes?” Ingrid asked in annoyance.

Luke shrugged. “That’s how long it took.”

Tamara stood abruptly. “Are they okay? What happened? What’s the story?”