Free The Hunger (Book 3): Ravaged by Jason Brant Page A

boots, but he figured that to be better than twisting an ankle while running away from a vampire. Besides, he only put them on when he thought bad things were about to go down.
    Cass looped the holster over her shoulders and secured it. “Dunno. I thought they would have come today. Maybe they’re playing it safe and scoping us out.”
    “You think they sent a scout to see what our operation is?” Lance hadn’t thought of that before. He shivered at the idea of someone sitting in the woods during the day, watching them as the Vladdies did at night.
    Just when he’d thought that the day was safe, someone new came along and screwed it up.
    “That’s what I would do,” Cass said.
    The light outside the window waned.
    Nightfall had arrived.
    Lance walked over and lifted Cass’ axe from the corner. He helped her guide it into the holster before grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around. “Don’t take any chances tonight, OK? Just a swat from one of these things could make you miscarry.”
    “I want this baby as much as you do.”
    “I know, but—”
    She shook her head, cutting him off. “Trust me.”
    Lance took a deep breath. “OK.”
    The doc knocked on the doorframe. “Are you guys done having your... uhh... fun? You were chasing each other like a couple of teenagers while I was giving my hero speech.”
    “Hero speech?” Lance’s face scrunched. “Wait, you know how ridiculous you sounded?”
    Brown shrugged. “It worked. Besides, I’m not sure I want to take any guff from someone who was just chased by his much smaller girlfriend.”
    “Small, but feisty,” Cass said. “How’s Eifort doing?”
    “I’m fine.” Eifort stepped beside Brown. Her eyes still had a distant, unfocused look.
    “There wasn’t anything—”
    “I said I’m fine,” Eifort interrupted. “It’ll just take me a bit to get over it.”
    “Listen, we just heard from Nathaniel,” Brown said. “He went out to see why the military hadn’t arrived yet. He said they’ve made a small camp down the road. They’re setting up generators and big area lights. It doesn’t look like they’re coming until tomorrow at the earliest.”
    Lance checked the darkening sky through the window. “I wonder what they’re waiting for?”
    “Maybe they’re as concerned about us as we are about them.” Brown grimaced. “It gets worse. He saw some of those holes you were talking about.”
    “He went the whole way to Latrobe?”
    “No. He saw them about a mile down the road.”
    Cass walked toward the door and stopped in front of Brown. “So they’re moving their tunnels closer to us?”
    “It would seem that way, yes.”
    “That settles it then—tomorrow we’re going on the offensive. We can’t let them dig the ground out from under our feet.”
    Lance asked, “Wait, how could they have tunneled that far? There is no way they could have dug the whole way from Greensburg in a month. They have to be coming from somewhere much closer.”
    “Maybe,” Brown said. “But this is a conversation for the morning. For now, we have to—”
    As if on cue, the first shriek of the night cut him off.
    They left the cabin and joined the ranks in the field.
    Everyone had a gun and light source of some kind. Most didn’t have the high-powered spotlights that the guards carried, but they had flashlights or lanterns.
    Those didn’t supply the diffused, encompassing glow of the overhead lights, but their concentrated cones would agitate even the biggest of Vladdies.
    Most of the pregnant women were hidden in the converted water tankers. Fresh cloves of garlic hung from the sides. There had been some debate over whether the masking smell would work on the newer, more intelligent infected. In the end, everyone had relented, agreeing to discuss it when time wasn’t of the essence.
    The shrieks moved closer over the next hour, filling the night like an oncoming marching band. Muscled horrors danced just beyond the range of the spotlights,