The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(81)

“Agreed.” Denman sighed. “These are bizarre times. But at least within a month or so, we get to go home. All of this will be behind us.”

“I never thought we’d make it to this point,” Maria confessed.

For weeks it had felt like the forest of Inferi Scourge was never-ending. The mass of ruined bodies had spread out in every direction, always in her vision, like ghosts haunting her. Then one day, she realized she could look to the south and see nothing but grassy fields and ruined structures. The trees and bushes were green and lush, and, to her surprise, she heard birds singing in the branches. Hope had filled her in that moment. She’d clung to that emotion even when she was in the killing fields.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Soon there will be houses out here with kids playing in the backyards.”

“Your kids playing in your backyard,” Maria pointed out with a smile. “Little Michael Junior and Felicity.”

Denman’s usually-sorrowful expression lightened significantly at the thought. “That would be heaven. Megan has an amazing green thumb. I can only imagine what she could do with a decent bit of land to cultivate.” Whenever he spoke of his wife, Denman’s face became absolutely handsome. The love he had for his family radiated out of him and made Maria happy and hopeful. Not only him, but her own future with Dwayne.

Bumping Denman’s arm with her elbow, she said, “Maybe we can be neighbors. Have cookouts in my backyard.”

They were fast friends now as well as sort-of co-conspirators in their pursuit of truth. It was Denman that kept her sane during the long days. They talked about their childhoods, their time in the service, Denman’s family, and anything else they could think of. She wished she could share Dwayne with him, but she never felt comfortable with doing so. Though she could easily imagine Denman and Dwayne sharing a beer and getting along, she couldn’t bring herself to talk about her love. The pain of their separation would become unbearable in that moment.

Denman became distracted. “I wonder what he’s up to,” he said, standing.

Maria turned her attention in the direction Denman was staring just in time to see Jameson slipping into the ruined remains of a pre-fab house. The squad was still gathered in the shadow of the carrier playing cards and chatting.

“I’ll go check on him,” Maria decided.

“He’s been a moody son of a bitch lately.” Denman stretched and fussed a little with his armor. After so many months, they were all tired of wearing it.

“I don’t think all of this lived up to his very unrealistic action adventure dreams,” Maria said with a light laugh.

“But he’ll have great stories to tell once it’s all over. He’ll get plenty of women then,” Denman joked.

Jameson was always trying to hook up with the women in the squad. He was always rebuffed. Holm called him a “deranged, horny little puppy.” Now Jameson was called “Horn Pup” and he was not pleased with the nickname.

Maria walked briskly toward the house, stepping around the patches of weeds and flowers. She hated crushing the greenery under her heavy boots. The new life in the valley felt precious. A quick leap carried her over the ruins of the old fence and she landed in an overgrown yard. The building had collapsed at some point, leaving only one section still standing. Ducking, she crept inside.

Sunlight sliced through the broken roof illuminating the destroyed interior. The elements had taken their toll on the house and its furnishings. Wiring hung from exposed sockets and she stooped under broken pipes sticking out of the walls.

Maria opened her mouth to call out to Jameson when she heard a sound that she had not heard in months. It took several seconds for her mind to even process what she was hearing. Finally, it registered. It was the sound of someone eating. The slurping, wet sounds of biting and chewing were emanating from a nearby doorway. Slowly drawing her weapon, she crouched and edged forward. If another Inferi Anomaly was in the building, Jameson could be in serious trouble or worse. She knew they had cleared the building, but maybe the Inferi Anomalies were smart enough to evade them.

Sliding along a sloped wall, she held her weapon before her, ready to bludgeon anything that attacked her. Her feet were silent on the cold cement floor as she approached the sound. She was glad for her lack of breath and her body’s inability to show the symptoms of stress. A sterile calmness filled her as she listened to the wet noises of someone gulping down food. Her thoughts flashed to what had happened to Ryan as she stepped through the doorway.

Instead of finding Jameson being consumed by an Inferi Anomaly, he was hunched over a kitchen counter shoving canned food into his mouth. Digging into the can in front of him, he pulled out a thick brown paste and thrust it into his mouth, eating ravenously.

“Jameson?” Maria lowered her weapon, confused by the sight. The Inferi Boon didn’t eat, nor did they grow hungry.

Swiveling toward her, he kept chewing, his fingers dipping into another can. Dragging out green beans, he stared at her as he stuffed them past his stained lips.

“Jameson, what are you doing?” she asked in a soft voice.

“I’m so hungry,” he gasped around the food he was eating. “I can’t stand it anymore!” Turning his back on her, he grabbed another can from a cabinet and pried it open.

Maria quickly accessed her wristlet. “Denman, you need to get in here. Something is wrong with Jameson.”