Free The Fall (Book 4): Genesis Game by Joshua Guess Page B

is only half a mile from where we're headed.”
    “As far as we know, this place is still a secret,” Kincaid said. “Marco is going to stay behind to make sure we're ready to roll at the drop of a hat. I'd rather not have anyone knowing where our ride is stashed.”
    “That's great and everything,” Lee said, “but can we have a few minutes to get some lunch? If we're gonna meet someone who might kill us if we sneeze wrong, I'd like to do it with something better than granola in my belly.”
    “There's a camp stove and a bunch of propane,” Emily said. “Here, I'll show you.” She and Lee went off through a door that presumably led deeper into the building. Mason and Marco gravitated toward the racks of weapons, quietly muttering to each other. Kincaid took Emily's spot on the recliner, and Kell situated himself on a stack of mattresses nearby.
    “Any particular reason no one filled me in on how dangerous this guy was earlier?” Kell asked in a carefully neutral tone.
    Kincaid shrugged. “It's not a big issue. I didn't even know until last night. He's apparently pretty harsh with threats, but he doesn't pose one to other communities. His people are almost all farmers. No real fighting force aside from a dozen or so scouts and former soldiers.”
    “How is that even possible?” Kell asked. “How do they fight off attacks?”
    Kincaid smiled. For once it wasn't a soulless crack in the man's blunt face, but a genuine (if small) show of amusement. “You know, I think it'll be better if you figure it out for yourself. I've only been told, but I still don't know if I believe it.”

Ten
     
     
     
     
    “I don't fucking believe it,” Kell said.
    “Yeah,” Kincaid agreed, standing next to him. “I'm seeing it and it's pretty hard to compute.”
    The road the safe house was situated on bent and turned continuously, buildings and growth hiding the distant boundaries of Trenton, the name of their destination. Kell had suppressed a mighty curiosity as they wended their way through the choked streets. He had seen a lot of cities being retaken by Mother Nature in his time, but this place went beyond. Everywhere—every thing —was slowly being devoured by greenery.
    So when they came upon Trenton's boundary, those of them who hadn't been there before didn't even realize it. One second they were among a thinning expanse of buildings, then a sharp turn ran them straight into a wall of growth so thick it was impossible to see through at all. It ran across the road at a right angle, seeming to sprout from one building to another.
    “What am I seeing here?” Kell asked Emily, who had a vaguely smug look on her face.
    “That's their wall,” she said, jerking a thumb at the twelve feet of vines in front of them. “Somewhere inside that is pavement broken down to the dirt. There's reinforced chain link shaped into an inverted V. They grew all this shit on top of it. Through it, too.”
    A resonant clang sounded in one of the buildings engulfed by the vines, prompting Emily to raise a hand in warning. “They know we're here. Do not touch a weapon.”
    With little more than a whisper, a heavy steel door set into the building on the right swung open. A small woman carrying a submachine gun stepped out. Though the weapon was slung comfortably low and in their direction, she seemed at ease. Even if her finger was laid straight out next to the trigger guard.
    “Hey, Emily,” the woman said. “Didn't expect you back so soon.”
    “Shelly,” Emily said by way of greeting. “Told you I had a doctor interested in those people I met up with. This is him.”
    Kell nodded. “Ma'am.”
    Shelly smirked. “Politeness. Almost forgot what that's like. Come on in, all of you. Never know what might bite out here.”
    They followed the guard through the door. It was a narrow space, at least for Kell and Mason. Their shoulders brushed the walls and ducking was not optional. The concrete walls were fairly new, not more than a few