Page 159 of Demon Defeat: Part 2

“What did you think I meant?”I asked.

The tent flap opened, and Roni ducked in.

“Snuggle time is over unless you two plan on staying another night,” Roni said.

Molev released me and sat up in one fluid motion.

“No, we are ready to leave.”

We joined her outside.

“You missed some excitement,” she said as we made our way to the ladder.“A bunch of us had to collect the remains of the hounds you killed.Just the ones inside the fence.I think one of the soldiers almost peed himself when we lifted it and the head flopped to the side.”

She laughed and started down the ladder.Molev scooped me up and jumped down before I knew what he planned.

“Why did you collect the remains?”he asked Roni when she jumped down the last few feet.

“For the scientists.This is the first body they’ll have the chance to study.They’re hoping to find another, less-risky-to-you way to stop them.”

I glanced over at the enormous twin-rotor helicopter waiting on the far side of the parking lot.Nearby, soldiers were loading a large shipping container with items from the distribution center.I’d witnessed a supply drop with smaller bundles and knew how those worked but hadn’t ever witnessed something of this scale.

“Let’s go,” Patrick said.“Our team is on the first flight back to Gypsum.”

“How long will the others remain?”Molev asked.

“They’ll work all day to empty what they can and leave before dark.We don’t want to attract any attention that will follow us home.”

“We left a trail of bodies on the road leading to the gate,” I said.“If we don’t want to attract attention, that’ll need to be cleaned up.”

“Lieutenant Darbin and his people will take care of that on their way back,” Patrick said.

Molev grunted as we followed Patrick.The rest of the team was already waiting for us inside the aircraft.Sid’s head was back, and his eyes were closed when I took my seat.Katie looked almost as exhausted.None of us spoke as the aircraft lifted off the ground or as it hovered over the storage container.

Once the supplies were attached, we left.

We passed several others of the same type of aircraft along the way to Gypsum.All carried storage containers like ours.

After we unloaded the cargo at Gypsum and landed, we moved to a smaller helicopter that was waiting for us and the hounds.Flying with the corpses was unsettling even if a tarp hid them from immediate view.I could see the others were just as bothered by them.Not Molev.He stared at the tarp the whole way, and I wondered what he was thinking.

A team eagerly awaited the remains when we landed in Irwin.So did Waurlyn.With a smile on her lips, she marched up to Molev and extended her hand.

“We can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.With this, we might have a chance to find more than a cure.”

She shook his hand firmly.

“I know you’re likely exhausted and would like nothing more than your bed for a few days, but I’d like you to come with me to the testing facility.The doctors there would like to take a look at your injuries, and there are things I’d like to discuss along the way.”

Molev took my hand without looking at me.

“Yes.We will speak with you.”

Waurlyn didn’t give away any of her thoughts as she nodded.

“It’s not necessary for your whole team to join us if you think they would rather rest.But we do have the room if you’d like their company.”

Molev and I glanced back at the others.

“Up to you,” Sid said.“You lead; we follow.”

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