The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(92)

The scan of the hydroelectric station didn’t reveal a concentration of Scourge as she feared. “Sir, where are you?”

“We’re trapped. We’re under siege by some…” Omondi frowned deeply.

“Sir?”

“Those talking Scrags…” he said with some reluctance. “Like the ones that attacked Jameson and you.”

“Anomalies,” Maria breathed.

“Is that what you’re calling them?” Omondi sighed wearily, rubbing his brow. “There were a lot more than we anticipated. They’re also armed. Projectile weapons. Handmade. Our bolt weapons are useless against them unless you bludgeon them.” He laughed bitterly.

“You went there looking for them?”

“I’m not supposed to be telling you any of this, Martinez. In fact, I was told to stay put until I hear back from the SWD, but we’re not going to make it if they break through the doors. They’re deranged. Insane. They don’t just bite to infect, they f*cking eat you.” Omondi shook his head in disbelief. “I’m down to five squad members, including myself. I’ve been ordered to stay put. By the time they decide how to rescue us, it may be too late. Come get us.”

“Understood, sir.”

Omondi rubbed his face, smearing the blood across his features. “Vanguard…tell your squad what is going on. Don’t let them come in here blind. And arm them.”

“I could put in a request for weaponry from The Bastion,” Maria ventured. “Surely they won’t be opposed to us rescuing you.”

“Vanguard, they’re saving all the remaining ammunition for their big finish. They’re not going to waste it on us.” Omondi’s dark eyes flashed with barely—contained anger.

Maria peered past the image of Omondi projected on her helmet visor to her console. She knew he was right. Ammunition was a scarce resource. Though Omondi wasn’t saying it directly, she understood precisely what he was saying.

They were expendable.

“We’re on our way,” Maria said at last.

Omondi nodded his head and cut the transmission.

Tugging off her helmet, Maria spun her chair around to face the squad. As she suspected, their attention was already focused on her. Cruz looked especially worried, her hands clutching her bolt weapon tightly. It saddened Maria to realize that at this point the squad expected the worst after what had happened to Jameson.

“We’re heading in to rescue the Chief Defender and the other squad. They’re pinned down in the hydroelectric station. We need to get there quickly, but unfortunately I don’t believe we can take the carrier all the way there.”

“I don’t understand,” McKinney said, confusion on his face. “Who has them pinned down?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Maria caught Denman’s sharp look in her direction. Words caught on her tongue briefly as she considered the potential fallout of what she was about to do, yet what did it matter anymore. The SWD had betrayed them all by not disclosing vital information. They were all at risk as long as the modified ISPV was in their system. She was a soldier of the Constabulary and sworn to protect The Bastion at all costs. The Anomalies were a danger to The Bastion. They had to be stopped. Waiting around for the SWD to get their heads out of their asses was going to get the rest of the squad killed.

Stepping forward, she crossed her arms over her chest, took a deep breath, and told her squad the truth.



*



The area surrounding the carrier was a mess. Items retrieved from the Inferi Scourge dead lay scattered in heaps. After burning the bodies, the squad had left the containers filled with the salvaged goods stacked in heaps to be recovered at a later time. Maria had Cormier drive to each pile along their route to the hydroelectric station so the squad could rifle through them for any potential weapons.

“More knives,” McKinney said with a sour look, handing them to Maria.

The containers were the ones filled in the first days of the valley clearing. Maria didn’t recall there being anything more exciting than a few hunting knives. There was an old gun with no bullets on one body, but that was all.

“What did you expect?” Holm rolled her eyes and kept digging.

“We’re wasting time,” Denman decided as he kicked over a container.

Maria shaded her eyes as she looked toward The Bastion and the heavy crowd of Scourge gathered at the base of its walls. The last estimate of Scourge destroyed since they entered the valley had been over three million. Now they were down to hundreds of thousands gathered around the city perimeter. The end was near, but not close enough.

“We’re up against projectile weapons. We can’t wear our helmets until we’re past the Scrags, so we’re vulnerable any way you look at it.” Maria handed Denman a dagger and slid the other one into a sheath on her arm. It had a rusty blade, but she didn’t care. It might help at some point.

Cormier jumped out of the carrier and ran over to them. “I think I figured out how to get to the station without going on foot and wasting time.”

“Let’s hear it.” Maria followed Cormier back to the vehicle as the squad finished up rummaging through the containers.

“We’ll have to make a first pass by the hydroelectric station by skirting around the horde that is located just before it. We need to pull them behind us. They’ll definitely pursue us.” Cormier leaped into the carrier and led Maria over to the navigational computer tucked in beside the driver’s seat. “Once they’re following us, we’ll head over here at full speed.” She pointed to an outcropping of rocks that bordered the foothills.