Hunter Of The Dead (3 page)

They all nodded. In truth, Eden suspected this decision worried Jordan more than the rest of them. Kaede and Taro only came on these assignments for the challenge. Apparently killing infected allowed them to blow off steam without drawing the attention of their family—a win-win situation, even if it didn’t say good things about their mental health. Eden wasn’t a hundred percent sure how they got started in this business in the first place. Probably the way everyone else did: they were approached because their combat skills attracted the attention of people in certain circles.

“We’re here,” Oz announced, his twang giving the words a stupid sound—or maybe that was Eden’s prejudice talking. He pulled to a stop in a section of jungle that looked exactly like what they’d been driving through since they left Iquitos. But Eden knew better. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, settling her thoughts and letting all her stupid worries and anger fall away. It was game time.

Chapter Three

They gathered at the back of the Humvee to strip down to their underwear, then pulled on the lightweight body armor their employer had started providing years ago. It covered Eden from ankle to the bottom of her ears and out to her wrists. While it wasn’t a get-out-of-jail-free-card, it would keep a zombie’s teeth from getting to her skin long enough for her to have a chance to kill it. Not that she’d recommend running through a crowd of infected—that would be a death sentence, armor or no armor.

Next were her boots and gloves. She rarely wore gloves while shooting, but they were useful when trampling through the freaking jungle. Eden slid her six-inch back-up knife into the sheath in her boot as Jordan dropped two packs at their feet. “You each have a gallon of water, a lightweight water filter and three days rations. There’s also a handheld radio in case something happens with the fancy new ones.” The distaste in her voice made Eden smile. Dad had used the same tone when talking about new electronics.

“Here are the satellite photos.”

She stepped forward, her shoulder brushing Kaede’s, to look at the pictures Jordan laid across the back of the Humvee. “If you head directly west, you’ll go through the open space in the cliffs. The village is situated here.” She pointed to a spot two-thirds into the valley.

Eden pulled Bernice’s case out of the Humvee. “So you just want us to take a look around and report what we find.” Just like they always did.

“Set up shop if you find a decent spot for it.”

“That I can do.” Eden grinned, adrenaline already pumping through her. She never felt more alive than when she was killing shit. She could almost hear Dad’s laugh, a masculine version of her own, echoing through the humid air between them.

Jordan scrubbed her hands over her face. “I know. We’re going to wait for your report and then follow you in. Try to find a safe place before it gets dark because I want to have all day tomorrow to get this done.”

Eden didn’t bother to tell her sister she already knew the plan; it was the same one they’d been using for years. Jordan liked to verbalize things to make them line up in her head. It was one of the annoying little OCD quirks her sister had, like folding all her laundry straight out of the drier. Unnatural.

“Do you need to rest?” Jordan’s words came haltingly.

Even if she did, she wouldn’t admit it; something they both knew. “I slept on the plane.” Eden double-checked Bernice and stuffed several boxes of bullets into her bag. She hefted it onto her back experimentally and winced a little at the weight. Oh well, this was what she trained for. A little weight wasn’t going to get her killed. She hoped.

“Here’re the earpieces,” Oz said, interrupting what might have been a really awkward moment. He went to put one in Eden’s ear, but she ducked out of his grasp. With a disgusted look, he handed it to her. “Shake your head to make sure it’s in.”

She slipped it into her ear and did as he told her, feeling stupid. It stayed. Oz nodded briefly before he went to stand in front of Kaede and do the same song and dance. They were ready.

Eden triple-checked Bernice before she slung the gun over her shoulder next to the pack. She rearranged her
bolo’s
sheath so it wouldn’t hinder her stride and then met Kaede’s gaze. “You ready for this?”

Kaede swung her
nagamaki
. Eden envied the Japanese woman her weapon. It was similar to a
katana
, except the hilt was nearly as long as the blade. When Kaede used it, it was one of the most beautiful things Eden had ever seen. It made her
bolo
look short and stunted in comparison, but the
bolo
got the job done so she didn’t complain. Aloud.

Of course Kaede was ready for this assignment. She was ready for anything. “Come on, princess. Are we going to stand around and talk, or are we going to scout this bitch?”

Eden laughed and followed Kaede into the trees. The heat was intense, making her body armor cling uncomfortably to her skin even as she wiped sweat from her eyes. “You know, sometimes I really hate the heat.”

“Sometimes? Try always.”

Both spoke softly. Once they hit the edge of the valley, they wouldn’t speak at all. Zombies were attracted to light and sound. If they ran around gabbing, it would attract every infected within hearing range. As much as Eden loved her job, she didn’t have any desire to do it without her team as backup. “We’ll rest at the mouth of the valley before we head in.”

Eden almost argued. She didn’t need rest, and she seriously doubted Kaede did either. But even as she opened her mouth, she saw the intelligence in the plan. Once they breeched the infected zone, they wouldn’t be able to rest until they found a safe place. Tiring themselves out needlessly was foolish.

“Okay.”

She let the silence drag on. Unless she was black-out drunk, Kaede wasn’t much of a talker, and Eden had things on her mind. Like a certain Columbian asshole. It was so ridiculous, but she couldn’t help wondering if he’d come striding out of the jungle like he had so many times before, a machete slung across each shoulder and a smile on those gorgeous lips. He had been one of the few new guys who actually had the skill and knowledge to stick it out for the long run. And he had the most amazing laugh. She’d been a goner the instant that sound escaped his mouth. The rest, as they say, was history. Well, not really. But she sure as shit wasn’t going to dwell on their last night together.

Eden flushed, the sudden rise in her body temperature having nothing to do with the humidity of the forest they slipped through. She still couldn’t believe she’d gone to him wearing only a blanket and thinking that because he didn’t turn her down, he actually felt something. What a fool she’d been. Of course he wasn’t going to turn down a willing piece of ass.

Kaede glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. In a movement almost too fast to follow, she spun around and pinned Eden to a nearby tree by her throat. The other woman’s grip wasn’t painful—mostly—but it prevented Eden from moving.

“Let me go.”

Kaede’s black eyes scanned her face. “Your head isn’t in the right place for this. It hasn’t been since we finished up yesterday. I know who you’re thinking about. You get that same look on your face whenever you mope about him. Fix your shit, princess, or I’m taking your ass back to the Humvee.”

Eden grinned, more a baring of her teeth than anything else. “You can try.”

“I can have you tied and gagged in three seconds flat. It’s not my fault you’re in love with a jackass who took off after you gave it up, and I sure as hell don’t want to get eaten because you’re too distracted and mopey to watch my back.”

“I. Don’t. Mope.” Eden ignored the rest of Kaede’s statement. It was her own damn fault for getting drunk and weepy and spilling her guts to Kaede one night six months ago.

Kaede waited, completely unimpressed by Eden’s anger. Damn it, she was right. Eden took a deep breath, and let the crap go with her exhale. “Okay, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

Eden pushed Kaede back a few steps and slipped out of her hold. “I said I’m fine. There’s nothing else to talk about.”

Kaede started walking, forcing Eden to hurry to catch up. The vegetation was so thick it forced them to keep to the road or cut their way through. The mouth of the valley was just that—the road bordered tightly by sheer cliffs. It was enough to make Eden a tinge claustrophobic. She looked at the small space they were supposed to walk through, feeling like the walls were too close, too tall. Annoyed with herself, she closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them, the feeling faded to the back of her mind.

She followed Kaede to the right wall, grateful to be free of the weight of her pack and Bernice for a little while. None of the three packaged meals sounded the least bit appetizing, but she opened one and dug in. Food equaled strength. She also took the opportunity to drink some water.

Eden wanted to tell Kaede that she was good, that she wasn’t going to be thinking about
him
when she was supposed to be doing her job. The truth was, it was impossible to go too long without Alejandro coming up in some way. She couldn’t help it, especially with the freaking jungle closing in, a constant reminder of him. But Kaede didn’t want to know about Eden’s mental issues; she just wanted to make sure Eden wasn’t going to get them both killed.

Once they finished eating, they repacked their bags and headed into the valley. Eden touched her ear, turning the transmitter on. The earpiece was a pain in the ass. It had amazing range, but its batteries died after little more than a day. And it gave constant feedback just below the range of hearing that set her teeth on edge. “We’re going into the valley now.” Her voice was just above whisper range.

“Head directly west for two miles and you’ll be at the village. Report back with your findings.” Jordan’s voice was tinny and distant. “And, Eden, be careful.”

Instead of answering, she turned off the earpiece. Jordan knew better. She’d never been crazy overprotective before Dad died, but back then Eden hadn’t officially been part of the team. As much as she loved her sister, working under her within the team chafed. If Eden had ever been able to confirm rumors of other teams who hunted zombies, she might have petitioned to switch out. Not that she would rush around without taking precautions if she were on the ground team—she didn’t want to die—but these assignments were anything but safe. It was why she loved them so much.

Eden came even with Kaede. “The village is two miles west. How do you want to approach it?”

Although Eden had been fighting and shooting since she could remember, Kaede had more experience on actual assignments with tactics and weapons...everything. If Eden couldn’t outshoot Kaede, she might have developed a complex. Hell, who was she kidding? Where Kaede was concerned, Eden had a complex the size of Texas.

Kaede closed her eyes, and Eden knew she was picturing the layout of the valley in her mind. “The valley opens up after we get through here. We’ll follow the road for another kilometer and then head north and circle around. Hopefully the infected will stick to easier pickings and not go into the jungle. We should be able to get a better idea of how bad it is before we charge in there.”

Eden nodded and pulled her
bolo
from of its sheath. Having it out might just save her life even if it was a pain in the ass to carry. She had limited range of motion because of the pack, but it was better than nothing.

Kaede pulled her
nagamaki
out and swung it a few times. “Let’s go.”

They moved into the valley. It was impossible to tell how much the area widened because of the thickness of the trees. For some reason, it bothered Eden less than the cliff walls did. Not that she would ever admit to being scared. The others would never let her live it down, plus admitting it would only confirm Jordan’s belief that Eden wasn’t capable of being on the front lines.

As they moved down the road, Eden became aware of the utter lack of noise around them. Before there had been all sorts of annoying bug and bird sounds, but now there wasn’t so much as a peep. The silence wore on her, making her want to check over her shoulder every three seconds to make sure no one was behind her. She resisted the urge—barely—and forced herself to concentrate on listening. The infected weren’t stealthy. Even if they weren’t moaning or grunting, they still lumbered around. In a forest this thick with plants and trees, she should be able to hear them long before they reached her.
Should
being the operative word.

Kaede glanced over her shoulder and made a quick hand motion. It was time to leave the road.

As much as the road sucked, having to cut her way through vegetation sucked more. Not that she actually cut—it would be too loud—but she still had to wriggle through trees far too close together and duck low-hanging branches. Ahead of her, Kaede moved like water. The branches which caught in Eden’s hair never quite touched the other woman.

The humidity stuck to her skin and coated the back of her throat until she felt like she was drowning. Eden ignored her fanciful imaginings and picked up her pace. She kept a constant watch as she moved through the trees. The zombies in the immediate area would be drawn to the village, which meant they might cross paths with Eden and Kaede.

Kaede’s hand on her arm stopped her. She pulled Eden close and murmured, “The village is just through here.”

Eden nodded. She was once again struck by how quiet the area was. This close to the village, there should be sounds of children playing, people going about their business, animals making their respective noises. But there was nothing. It didn’t bode well for the citizens of the town. Her heart twisted in her chest at the thought of so much life lost. The feeling was quickly followed by something undecipherable that raised the small hairs on her arms and shot a jolt down her spine. Two hundred infected. More than they could handle on their own. No, that wasn’t productive thinking. It was entirely possible the survivors were holed in their houses and smart enough not to make noise. She shook her head, annoyed with herself all over again. There was no point in worrying about what they would find. They needed to walk into the village to know for sure.

The trees spit them directly into the edge of the village. It was completely empty. Eden looked over the rundown houses and caught sight of something she would have recognized anywhere.

Bloodstains.