Carrion (The Bren Watts Diaries #1)

Chapter 91

By four in the afternoon, we were already out of the door, geared up and ready, our stomachs filled with more of those powdered eggs, but Alfie managed to open a few cans of peaches, green beans, and corned beef that we also ate. We used the truck to drive to the mall.

"Good luck and watch your backs," Alfie said and gave us a thumbs-up as we clamored out of the vehicle.

"Don't get yourself killed," Jun said impassively.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not planning to. Be safe out there," I said. I watched them drove off until they disappeared into a corner, their engines fading into the hot afternoon.

The street we stood on was quiet with no vectors around, but I could already imagine thousands of them in a matter of hours, shoulder-to-shoulder. I shuddered, my heart already pounding, just by remembering their unnatural growls and hunger for blood. A small blue jay flew overhead with a worm in its mouth, flapping in the air as if winking at me. I watched it land on a nearby branch. It was peaceful here, and it was a shame to ruin it later.

"Where to, Charlie boy?" Peter asked, clapping his hand around the boy's shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Only a couple blocks this way," Charlie said, pointing at the street called Brusko. He wiggled out of Peter's grip.

Peter didn't let go of his shoulder and took the opportunity to step forward until his nose was an inch closer to Charlie's face. "If you're trying to fuck us up, I swear to God I'm gonna pull your head out of these pretty shoulders of yours, got it? Even if I'm hurt, I'll make sure to kill you first before I die."

I sidled in between them and gently shoved Peter off Charlie's face. "Oh, we don't doubt that, Peter. But for now, behave." Peter grunted and walked off.

I gave Charlie a look that if it came to that, I would not stop Peter from doing precisely what he just said. Charlie made a little whimper and started leading us down the walkway. It wasn't dar, and by the time we reached an intersection, we switched to the adjacent Driscoll street until we got to the Alphas' outpost.

"There it is," Charlie said.

It was a two-story building, a typical suburban McMansion for average people without taste or style, now with its once perfectly curated lawn grass unmowed, its too large windows barricaded shut. A little footpath had begun to form on the grass from the countless times people had walked through it to get to the gate leading into the backyard.

"Some Queen of Versailles shit that probably lives here," Peter commented.

"You mean Marie Antoinette?" Logan asked.

"That the queen who got her head chopped off, yeah?"

"That's the one."

I shook my head. "Yeah. Walmart Marie Antoinette. Come on, guys. Focus."

We went around the perimeter to come through the backyard by using the neighboring house. Charlie swore it was safe because they used the path as an escape route just if the outpost got compromised. It seemed to me like a security breach, but who am I to correct the Alphas when I lucked out on their stupidity. After all, we were only expecting to find one man inside.

"Are you going to kill him?" Charlie asked me as we entered the neighboring house.

Logan chuckled. "What do you expect us to do? Hold hands?"

"We'll knock him out," I said.

"Maybe," Peter mumbled as he passed by.

"Ah, ignore them," I said. "Though if he does try to kill me, well, that really leaves me no choice."