Page 84 of Demon Defeat: Part One

“What?”

His lips started to curve. “I will help you forget the questions you need answered.”

I crossed my arms, trying really hard not to let my surprise show.

“Your solutions only offer short-term amnesia. I’d prefer actual answers.”

He took a step closer to me, and I quickly held up a hand.

“However, I’m willing to forego any answers in this case and exercise some blind faith.”

He laughed. The low sound wrapped around me and had me smiling in return. Not wanting him to think it was an invitation, I gathered the maps and waited for him to open the door.

The rest of the team was already gathered at a table in the mess hall, and several women were moving around in the kitchen area.

“So what’s the plan, boss?” Roni asked, looking at Molev.

“We’re headed for Parsons at first light,” he said.

“At least, it’s a route we know,” she said.

“Any particular part of Parsons?” Brandon asked.

“Where my people first met yours,” Molev said.

* * *

The convoy enteredthe fenced-in corral with little trouble. A few infected sprinted out from the houses, but not nearly as many as we’d originally attracted. Molev ended them as soon as he spotted them.

I knew right when we’d reached the point we’d first sighted his people. The decaying body piles gave it away. The woman next to me turned away from them and focused on me.

“I’m really glad the windows are up,” she said. “I don’t think the weather’s cold enough to keep them from smelling.”

“Probably not,” I agreed.

“Molev’s calling for a stop,” a voice said over the radio.

“Here?” the woman asked, sounding panicked.

“He never does anything without a reason,” I said calmly. “Sometimes it’s hard to see the reason, but it’s always there. Breathe. Calm down, and focus on what’s moving around us. And, yes, you even need to look at the bodies. I wouldn’t put it past an infected to hide in that mess.”

She swallowed hard and went back to watching like she was supposed to be doing.

Molev appeared beside my window.

“Wait here,” he said. “I will return quickly.”

“Do you have a radio?” I asked through the glass.

He shook his head.

“Get one, and hurry back.”

He disappeared, and down the line, engines went quiet.

“He’s never just left us before,” the woman said.

“I know. But he’s worked really hard to build our trust for a reason. If he wanted us to die, he could have just let the hound have us the first night, right?”

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