Chapter 4

When the sun sank behind a mountain peak, her expression changed, just like she'd put on a mask. She looked hard, no longer a mischievous pixie, but a faerie queen, still beautiful, but but dangerous. She took his free arm. He didn't think it was by chance that her hand rested on the pistol on her belt. "Come on up to the CP, required medical check for everyone entering."

"What?"

He felt her tense up. "You need to be checked for bites, Tyler too."

"Oh, so it's true about the bites, I wasn't sure. Didn't feel like letting one of them bite me to find out. Tyler doesn't have any either."

She relaxed some, and patted his arm, but still didn't let go. "I'm glad, I'd hate to see that happen to you" She squeezed his arm as she said it, then pushed him ahead up the steps to the porch of a double wide trailer. "go on in then to the left, I'll have your gear brought up."

She'd shoot him herself if he didn't allow himself to be inspected. He was sure of it without knowing how he knew, but she'd been careful not to even imply it. He blinked in the bright indoor light, the room was a makeshift hospital. There were half dozen cots set up around the room, and a TV played at one end. The nearest held a girl, nine or ten years old. She was strapped to the cot and he thought she was dead until he looked closer and saw her shallow breathing. She had a bite mark on her right arm and veins traces out from it in black nearly to her shoulder.

"I think she'll be next." The voice came from over by the television. He was big, but not more than eighteen. He had a bandage wrapped around his chest and a shotgun in his lap. It took a moment to realize he was tied to the chair. "You a doctor?" He sounded hopeful and his face fell when Joel shook his head.

Whatever else he was going to say he bit off when Melody came in. She walked over tot he boy, "Good to see you awake Chuck."

He turned sulky, "Not like I could sleep when those three could change into monsters any minute."

Joel got the feeling that if he wasn't wounded, she would have torn into him, but instead she just shrugged. "If I had anyone else to watch them..." She stroked Tyler's hair wistfully, then tugged on Joel's sleeve, "This way."

They walked past some closed doors to a living room/kitchen area separated by a wall. The kitchen was busy with several young girls working under the direction of an old woman, while in the living room two soldiers and some older kids looked over a map table. From an adjoining office a radio broke squelch. "Seirra-Seirra-Six, Understand no pickup tonight, be advised we have only two days rations, Over."

A young voice answered. "India-Charlie-Two, we're working on a plan, more details at zero-six-hundred. Give exact spelling on drugs at this time, Over." He thought the voice was a woman, but he took a step closer to see an office filled with computers and radio equipment. A teenage boy spoke into the mike. A girl of twelve or thirteen sat in the corner, a notepad and pen ready.

"Roger, For the antibiotics, I spell Alpha-Mike-Papa..." The girl copied the letters as they came over the radio. There was something wrong with the picture and it took him a while to realize what it was. She had a collar around her neck and a chain attached it to an eye-bold sunk into the wall.

He pointed to the girl, angry. But Melody had been ready for him. She put a finger to his lips, and whispered to him with twinkling eyes. "That's Amy, she was bitten, but she says not by one of them. Personally I believe her, but we're not taking any chances. The chain is just to be sure, the last link is only a snap-link so she can undo it if she needs to. It was either this or strap her to a cot in the infirmary." His doubts must have shown. "If you like you can ask her after she's done with that transmission, but look again, she's armed."

He did, she had a small pistol in a shoulder holster, and a bite mark on her shoulder. It was scabbed over and healing. She looked happy enough and kept glancing shyly at the boy. As for him, he seemed oblivious.

One of the soldiers, a Spec/4, came over. "I think we have a plan sergeant."

"Brief me later, pick an assistant and check this gentleman for bites." She turned to Joel. "This is Specialist Roland, my second in command."

Joel offered his hand, "Pleased to meet you specialist, Joel Hansen."

Roland appraised him much as Melody had, taking in his boots and the brown t-shirt underneath his flannel one. "Glad you're with us sir."His handshake was firm and confident. "Right through there please." Joel passed Tyler to Melody and went into the back with Roland, one of the older boys followed. "Just take everything off and toss it on the bed." He held his rifle ready but not pointed at Joel and the boy stood well out of the line of fire. Well, they could do worse than modify POW procedures for this.

Joel stripped down quickly and held his arms out to the sides, then turned around slowly without waiting to be prompted. Roland hesitated when he saw the dog tags. "If you could just step away from the bed a moment sir... " It was phrased as a polite request, but it was really an order. He picked up Joel's pants found the wallet and flipped it open. He snapped to attention without seeming to realize he'd done it. "Tommy," he spoke to the kid. "Go get Mel now."

"Why?" Roland just looked at him, so the kid spoke again. "She'll want to know why, you know she will."

"Tell her to come and that I wouldn't tell you why." The kid shrugged and left. Roland handed him back his pants. "Thank you for your cooperation sir." The sir was real this time, and not a polite fiction given to a civilian.

He was lacing his boots when Melody came in, she saw his questioning look and volunteered what he wanted to know. "Tyler's in the kitchen, eating." she looked at Roland, an unspoken question in her own eyes.

"He's clean Sergeant, but you need to see this." he handed her Joel's wallet, holding it open to his military I.D.

She looked at Joel, relief shone clearly on her face, but there was something wistful hidden underneath. There was only a flash of it, then she was professional again. "Lieutenant Hansen, You're a little old to be a butterbar ... Mustang?" She handed the wallet back to him.

"That's right, just finished OBC, I have..." He frowned, "had promotion orders to first, but I left them in my car."

"Any orders from your unit?"

"We have a drill next month, but I haven't heard anything else. Besides my unit is hundreds of miles away. I'm not even in the right state."

"Thank God." She thought for a minute, looked at him, then over at Roland. "You're about the same size, lend the lieutenant a uniform."

He hesitated, "You're sure?"

She looked straight into Joel's eyes, searching for something, eventually she nodded. "Yeah," she said, "He'll do, better than we hoped for."