The clock had struck midnight by the time we reached the farmhouse. We had a quiet drive, only broken by Payne's puttering as he tried to mess with his bandages while wiping the blood off his face.

Logan had his eyes on me the entire ride, gaze narrowed, on the brink of speaking his mind, but he held back his tongue instead. I was glad for the latter. I knew what he was going to say, but I had no mood for it. He would say that I didn't tell him that it would happen, but time was not our friend, and it was running out. I had to take drastic measures, and it worked.

I had placed a sack over Payne's head throughout the ride. Margot and Felipe stood waiting at the front porch, looking worried, but they let out a sigh of relief when they caught sight of us still alive. I was the first one out the door, dragging Payne behind me. I didn't want to give him any hints about where he was.

I gave a curt nod to Margot. She sidled beside me, grabbing a small bottle of chloroform from her pocket, and poured a good dose on a handkerchief. We both held our breaths just as I pulled off the bag over Payne's head. Margot wrapped the handkerchief over his nose. I had to hold down his wrist and shoulders as he struggled, but he went limp after half a minute.

"That should hold him until morning," Margot said.

Margot had surprised me when she revealed that she knew the ingredients for chloroform and that we could use it as an alternative to hitting Payne over the head repeatedly to make him sleep, which seemed counterintuitive. It wasn't like in the movies where you could walk off without a mild concussion after a bump on the head (which you definitely would). I didn't realize we had collected most of the ingredients here and there without noticing, solvents for adhesives, alkaloids, and rubber. I thought Steve had more use with it since he was the mechanic of our group, not a sedative.

I had no intention of killing him to protect our plan. All I had to do was leave him with nothing, no cars, no guns, no radios, waking up in the farmhouse with us already inside the walls. He had to walk to the walls himself, and that's where I stopped caring about what would happen to him. Besides, he's a big boy. He could protect himself.

Alfie and Felipe carried Payne to the top floor with Margot not far behind them. She said something about checking on his bandages to make sure it was clean.

"How's Gabe?" I asked her.

"Almost there," Margot said. "Had to give him water."

"So he's awake?"

She nodded and smiled, said, "Go easy."

"I'll give him five. Then I'll talk to him."

I stepped inside. Aria walked over to Yousef, who curled up beside the fireplace, and wrapped her arms around him. Henry was by the couch, having fallen asleep waiting. He jumped up when he saw us, shouting, "You're back!"

"Yes, we are, kiddo," Miguel said, sauntering over toward him and gave his hair a ruffle. "Go get your things ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Bren. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Logan asked me. He pointed toward the empty dining room.

I nodded and followed him there. I glanced back to see Felipe and Alfie carrying Payne up to the second floor. Luke gave me a nod that said he'd provide us with some privacy while he followed after the two men.

"You could have gotten him killed," Logan said, though his voice sounded tired.

"Good thing he didn't."

"At least let me know in the future? That way, we won't die of a heart attack."

I chuckled. "Fair enough."

"It's just that...the things you do scares me sometimes." Logan ran his fingers over his hair. "Look, I know we have to do what we have to do. But at least give me just a minute to wallow over it first, okay? If I don't, I think I'll go insane."

"Alright. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. You're trying to keep us alive. I meant what I said when I told you I trust you one-hundred percent. You got a plan, and I'm in. But I'm worried that this thing with the soldiers is gonna bite us back."

"Beggars can't be choosers. Peter is the only one who knows us well. The rest barely got a good look on our faces except for Payne. They're the only two soldiers we have to watch out for once we're inside. Let's be thankful that Albany is still a large city and pretty crowded, plenty of places to hunker down while we look for Major Clemons."

"Are you going to talk to Gabe?" Logan asked.

I nodded.

"Then, I hate to be in his shoes."

I scoffed as I walked toward the stairs. "I'm not that bad. I'm just asking him a few questions."

"You questioning someone usually ends up with them getting hurt."

"Shut up and just stand next to me while I talk to him."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "You gonna use me as a prop? Good cop, bad cop kind of play?"

"No. I didn't think that, you ass. I don't want it to be too intimidating for him, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Logan muttered, and I reckoned he didn't believe what I said.

Gabe was in the first bedroom up the second floor. Luke was already there, waiting by the door. He stood aside as I reached the door, wanting me to be the first person in. I opened the door and found Gabe trying to open the window facing the front yard. The porch's roof was directly below it, and I surmised he thought of using it and then rappel down the porch columns.

"That window's busted. We found that out when we tried to give you some fresh air," I said.

He jumped from the sound of my voice and quickly ran toward the corner, hiding behind the dresser. "I didn't mean to do it!"

Gabe's swift dash to the corner surprised me, and I couldn't say a word, my mouth hanging open, bewildered. Gabe acted like the rabbit that had seen the fox. I turned to Luke and Logan, but they merely gave me a shrug and bemused smile.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Gabe," I said, raising my hands. Gabe slowly stood up, still cautious. "I'm just here to talk, maybe get some explanation? I admit we are pissed at you right now, but I'm not going to do anything drastic. Promise."

"Look, I tried to convince Tessa to let you all know," he said, "but she thought you all wouldn't agree."

"Well, she was right about that."

"And that's why we decided as a family not to tell you, thinking it's what was best for us."

"But Steve didn't get in."

Gabe looked down and nodded.

"Where's Tessa now?"

"She's in the Quarantine Center. They had a bunch of army tents in this huge field..."

I pulled out the city map from my pockets and started moving toward him. Gabe reeled back warily, but I let him know I wasn't going to throw a punch. He relaxed.

"Show it to me."

Gabe studied the map for a few seconds, and then he pointed at the bottom right corner.

"Ah." I glanced back at Luke and Logan. "College of St. Rose Sports Complex. I'm guessing they're using it as a New Arrival Zone; get everyone checked in. Am I right?"

"Yes. We were there in line for a couple of hours. Lots of people."

Good. We can blend in.

"Is that when you told the soldiers about us?" Logan asked.

Gabe nodded again. "Tessa said she'll find another way to bring our grandfather inside, thought maybe she could find a better deal with another soldier to...well, with the thing. She didn't know I talked. She'd be pissed if I involved you guys. One moment, they sent me in with a squad, and they were asking me a bunch of questions like where the supplies were, and the next thing I knew, we were heading towards you. If they sent me in first, maybe I could warn all of you, give you enough time to save and hide some supplies, and Bren can do his magic."

"My what?"

"You know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Gabe shifted his weight and mumbled, "kill people?"

"I am not a...!" I bit my lip and paused. I turned to Logan. "Does everyone think I'm some psycho or something?" Logan opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my finger. "You know what? Let's not even get into it." I whirled back to Gabe. "What happened to Tessa?"

"She must still be in the center. I left her alone in a med tent. Now, I can't get back to her."

"You're in luck. We're going inside the walls tonight," Luke said.

Gabe's eyes widened. "But there are soldiers...the scouts! How?"

"We got that covered," I said.

"You killed them?" Gabe sounded surprised and yet a little relieved.

"No."

"Oh." He looked down at his feet again, felt like he was disappointed by my answer. "I'm sorry, man. I...I wasn't thinking. I just wanted my grandfather safe. I can't leave him out there starving. Think of it in my shoes. I know he won't return to you guys. He ain't like that, you know? He can't face people he disappointed."

"We are beyond disappointed."

"I...I know."

Luke chimed in. "I wished you guys could have talked to us about it, maybe have done something together."

"Tessa overheard Logan said something about heading west," added Gabe, "and we kind of felt that others were leaning toward that plan too, so we thought of going our own way. We don't have anything in the west. Most of our family lives around here and the Carolinas."

I looked at Logan. He had been talking about heading west to anyone who would lend their ears. Logan didn't look at me; I let out another sigh and said, "You could have talked to me."

Gabe shifted his weight again, perhaps wondering how to proceed. "I mean this with no offense, but like...you know...you're just a..."

I gritted my teeth. "A kid?"

Gabe's eyes became wider. "Er...I didn't say that."

I thought there was no point in being angry about this. I mean, they weren't wrong, but I didn't have the energy to argue. "Relax. Gather your stuff. We're leaving in two minutes. You think you're okay to walk?"

"What?"

"Walk?"

"What?"

"Are you dizzy? Do you have a headache? Signs of concussion?" I paused. "Or maybe your confusion is one. It is a known symptom."

"I...I feel fine, I guess."

"Good. Meet us downstairs."

"But! How are you going to get past the guards? I'm assuming we're heading to the walls—"

"Luke will fill you in during the drive. Am I right, Luke?"

"Me?" Luke pointed to himself, confused. He looked at Gabe, then at me. "Um, of course."

They followed me down the stairs toward the first floor. Everyone was already waiting by the front porch, most of them dressed in combat uniform. If you placed us side by side with the soldiers guarding the walls, we would look no different.

Miguel told me he left Payne where I specifically told him to leave any guns or a CB radio with him. He was now lying asleep in the master's bedroom, unrestrained. He could wake up in the next couple of minutes, and I would hardly care. We'll be gone by then.

Everyone headed off to their designated vehicles. Luke sidled beside me and grabbed my wrist, whirling me around until his lips found mine. I pressed my lips deeper, heard him moan a little.

"You be careful, alright? I'd hate to watch you get shot," Luke said as our lips parted.

"If someone plans on shooting me, they already have a bullet through their head," I said.

"Can we please not joke about this?"

I let out a deep breath and took a step back. "You don't have to worry about me, Luke. I'm just a friend, remember?"

Despite the darkness, Luke's eyes bore down on me, searching and studying my face. When he didn't find the answer he liked, he let out a breath. I didn't mean anything by it. I wasn't angry, nor was I upset, but I didn't think he interpreted my reaction too well. Perhaps he thought I had an issue with it. After all, we were sleeping together, but I understood where we drew the line. I was trying to downplay his worries, but instead, I did a piss-poor job. I didn't know what else to say, so I turned my heels and started walking toward the humvee.

Logan was leaning against the hood as I approached. "Lover's quarrel?"

"He's fine. And for the last time, he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh?" Logan raised his eyebrow. "You've been hitting that for a few days, and you're telling me you didn't put a ring on it?"

"Jesus Christ, we're fuck buddies, not asking him to marry me. Get inside," I said, annoyed. I climbed into the driver's seat.

Logan climbed on the other side. "You know, I never thought of you as a player."

"Who's a player?" Alfie asked, joining our conversation as he sidled into the back seat.

"No one, Alfie. Ignore the idiot," I said, striking a glare at Logan.

Logan mimed as if zipping his mouth shut. I turned to look at the side mirrors, watching as the others got into their vehicles.

Logan gestured a finger into a hole to Alfie and then pointed at Luke at the corner of my eye. Alfie stifled a chuckle, and Logan just grinned at me. He was trying to lighten the mood, even if I was the butt of the joke.

However, I was a man of my word, so I ignored Logan for the entire ride toward Albany.

——

Before we headed off directly toward the gates, I sent Gabe to find his grandfather in the refugee camps. I couldn't leave Steve behind. Margot, Felipe, and Aria accompanied Gabe as they were the only ones who were not in combat uniforms, and they were quick at finding him. New survivors had been trickling off the past couple of days, and the new ones stood out.

The others returned to the same hill where Steve parked the second humvee. Steve couldn't look me in the eye as he passed by me. Once the others were inside the bus, we took off for Gate Eight-Five, the designated gate that Payne's squad was assigned to report. Technically, he told me that they were assigned to three gates, all of them at the western and southern side, but they rarely passed through Gate 85 since its the farthest of the three from Albany Med, the science complex in the middle of the city that had been used to house most of the troops.

When I thought I was nervous back on the farm, nothing compared to how my heart pounded as we neared the city. Logan noticed my nervousness, but he didn't say anything about it. Maybe I wasn't the only one.

It was a fifteen-minute drive toward Gate Eight-Five on Slinglands Bypass. Most of the refugees were asleep as we passed the camps, but a few had organized watch parties to guard the perimeter. Some had guns, but others had makeshift weapons. As we passed, I caught a few people carrying hatchets, knives, and shovels on their patrol. At least the army let them keep those; perhaps it's because they were extra manpower, freeing the soldiers from also having to patrol the refugee camps. Once someone found an easy way to do a particular task, they'll take it without hesitation. Humans were always predictable like that.

The refugees had already moved the abandoned cars from the roads and highways to build their own walls around the camp, leaving a clear path toward the gate. The military also provided chain-linked fences with barbed wires. Someone inside probably thought that they would lessen the riots if the people inside the refugee camps felt a little safer having walls around them, too, even when I could tell that the vectors could easily trample through them with a massive horde. At least it would deter the stragglers, the handful of vectors who would wander too close to camp.

I looked at my side mirror on the bus following me. I could distinctly see Luke driving behind the wheel and the mountain of supplies looming behind him (and underneath the seats and thick blankets, the others hid). Not far behind was the second humvee where Miguel and Yousef were.

We were approaching the gates, our vehicles cast by the giant floodlights secured over the watchtowers, saw the silhouettes of a couple of soldiers behind the rails. Refugees still lined just to the side, separated by a guardrail, never giving up their position to jot their names down on the forms and be one of the lucky ones to get inside. They slept out in the open under the cold night air, wrapped in sleeping bags, while others merely had their jacket to protect them from the elements. I felt sorry for them.

"Alright. Call it in," I said.

Logan got his radio out. "Millenium, this is Kilo Thirty-Four, designation Seven, One, Sierra, Zulu, Tango. We're coming home from our supply run. No need for assistance. Approaching Gate Eighty-Five now. Over," he said with authority and restraint.

Logan and I looked at each other, holding our breath. Millenium was the command post for the scouts, the soldiers guarding the walls reported for Berlin, while HQ was called Olympus. I remembered Payne pointing to Olympus around the Empire State Plaza and the State Capitol, and I had marked it on the map. Major Clemons should be there.

A voice followed right after. "We hear you, Thirty-four. We were expecting you at Gate Eighty-Seven, over."

"Anomalies south of Sector Thirty-Two," Logan explained, looking at the map Payne had kindly pointed out for us. "We have to turn back and take Gate Eight-Five. Suggesting to send the second squad to check, over."

"How close, Thirty-Four?"

"Fif—fifteen miles? Um, over." Logan winced, mouthing: What now?

I shrugged, gesturing for him to wait.

A moment's pause.

"Thirty-Four, you were an hour late from the interim. The second squad has been sent to Thompsons Lake."

I whirled around to look at Logan, my mouth hanging open. This was not what I was expecting. But how far were the second squad from the lake? Could this Captain Ramos or even Peter make contact with them yet? I looked at the clock. Payne's team was supposed to be relieved of duty in the morning, but we were only thirty minutes past midnight.

Payne lied.

I wanted to turn around and beat the living shit out of him. If he could lie about that little detail, what else did he say that was untrue? If he had masked some for bullshit, then we're toast. I gestured for Logan to calm down and to continue.

"Steady," I said between gritted teeth.

"Uh, copy that, Millenium. We have collected all the supplies from Thompsons Lake. No need to worry, uh, over."

Logan flinched as soon as the latter escaped his lips. I did, too. But the silence after that was the worst. It extended for several seconds, and I wondered whether my paranoia sent me red flags, or was I just overthinking it? Maybe they had us now, sending a platoon just behind the walls to take us out? Imprison me? Perhaps beat me, too? I held onto the wheel until my knuckles turned white. I hated the silence.

The radio crackled to life once again. "Copy, Thirty-Four. Rerouting the second squad to Sector Thirty-Two. Consider yourselves relieved upon entry. Millenium out."

I heaved a sigh of relief, freeing my grip on the steering wheel. I popped my knuckles and stretched out my fingers.

"That bitch was trying to let us slip!" Logan grumbled, talking about Payne.

I nodded. "He was banking on the second squad having us. He knew they were going to send them out after their radio silence."

"One o'clock, my ass. Fuck that little fucker," Logan spat.

"Do you think they're going to detain us?" Alfie asked. "The second squad could have made contact with them already and reported in."

"Could be. I hope not." I pulled out my pistol and placed it on my lap. "It doesn't hurt to be careful."