Carrion (The Bren Watts Diaries #1)

Chapter 46

We entered the outer limits of Highland Falls, a small village lying right at the bottom of the hill next to West Point. Just a mile north of that would be the military school itself, sitting on top of a large rock overlooking the Hudson River. We couldn't see it directly from our perspective as Logan steered the boat toward a small dock of some private residence, surrounded (and protected) by the deep woods. A big White House stood not far from the dock; It looked like nobody was home with an open boathouse.

Miguel, Alfie, and Felipe jumped off the boat and onto the wooden platform, quickly securing the line by the posts. I hopped out after them with my shotgun and the NYPD duffel bag sling around my shoulders.

"Are you sure nobody's home?" Miguel asked.

I pointed up to the sky. "Hear that?"

Miguel and Alfie looked up, listening. Alfie shook his head. "I don't hear 'em things, sir," he said. I detected a slight hint of a southern accent slipping through his words.

I smiled. "Exactly. No cars. No planes. Hell, not even the sound of civilization. We're pretty close to the suburbs based on what I saw back up on the deck, so we should be hearing people."

"Hiding, maybe?" Miguel suggested.

"Vectors?" Felipe chimed in.

"I don't hear them. Even when they're hiding from a corner, they still make those horrible little sounds. A horde of them would make a ruckus."

"A child might be nearby," Miguel said, shivering slightly. Alfie scrunched his face in confusion, and I realized he had not faced them yet.

"Let's hope not. But we still have to be careful and keep an eye out. Plus, the boathouse is empty. I think the owners bailed."

Or I hoped they did. This was the only riverfront property we could find along the river bank that would hide us from the rest of the village. I saw a dock half a mile down, but that was next to the railway station, closer to downtown, and I wasn't comfortable revealing the boat like that for everyone to see.

Vectors were predictable creatures, but humans were a different matter.

Luke was the next one down, followed by Yousef, Aria, Gabe, Margot, and Logan. Only a few of us carried weapons—me with the shotgun, Logan with the AR, and Miguel and Luke with the spares. We didn't have enough ammo left to prevent a direct horde attack between all four of us. We had to make every bullet count.

"Are we staying here?" Aria asked. I could tell that she was less enthused about the idea.

I shook my head. "I don't think that would be a good idea. Those things are only thirty miles away, give or take. We'll be safe to stay here overnight if we have to, but I'd rather we grab our supplies and leave as soon as possible."

"Forgive ma meaning, but you talkin' about sick people, right?" Alfie corrected, clearly uncomfortable that I seemed to regard them like animals. I realized he didn't have enough time to wrap his head around the severity of the situation.

Behind Alfie, I caught that Gabe Katinger had already accepted the situation faster than he did. He gave me a civil nod. Gabe and his family had no weapons or belongings to bring when they got on board, but he had Alfie's hatchet in his hand while Alfie used his second weapon, a spiked baseball bat.

I bit my lip and calmed my voice. "Alfie, they were people, yes, but not anymore. People don't bite and eat you. No matter how you rationalize this and believe me, it won't help; they cannot be reasoned with. They're gone."

Alfie stayed quiet, nodding. I had already told him where we came from once he got on the boat. Hopefully, that will be enough to fill in any gaps in our history with vectors.