Chapter 20: Scavenger Run
The view from Parker’s Ridge had changed everything. The vague notion of escape had solidified into a concrete objective. Their new plan was simple in its goal, but terrifying in its execution: get out of New Havenburg. To do that, they needed a vehicle, fuel, and enough supplies to last them until they could find a sustainable refuge.
"The downtown police precinct," Quinn said, pointing it out on the map spread on the apartment floor. "The armory was overrun, but the precinct held out for almost two days. There will be weapons in the lockup. Body armor. Maybe even an armored vehicle in the garage."
"It’ll also be crawling with infected," Hex countered, tracing a route with his finger. "Both cops and the things that got them. But you’re right. If we’re going to make a run for it, we need better gear than a fire axe and a shotgun."
The plan they formulated was their most ambitious yet. They would leave Lily in the apartment, which was as secure as any place in the city. They would hit the precinct first, then a large distribution warehouse for a grocery store chain on the industrial edge of the city. Speed and efficiency were paramount.
They left before dawn, moving through the sleeping city like shadows. The downtown core was eerily quiet. The hordes they had seen from the ridge were not here; they seemed to move in slow, predictable patterns across the city, and for now, this sector was calm.
The precinct was a fortress, even in death. Heavy steel doors, barred windows. The front entrance was blocked by a makeshift barricade of office furniture, a final, futile attempt by the officers inside to hold the line. The glass in the doors was shattered.
"We go in through the roof," Hex whispered, pointing to a fire escape on the side of the building.
The climb was tense, every metallic groan of the old iron ladder sounding like a gunshot in the silence. The roof was empty. They found a maintenance hatch and, using Quinn’s pry bar, forced it open. It led into a dark, silent ventilation room.
The inside of the precinct was a maze of dark hallways and overturned desks. Papers were strewn everywhere. The smell of death was thick in the air. They moved in perfect sync, back-to-back, clearing corners, checking every shadow. Quinn’s axe and Hex’s shotgun were a deadly combination of silence and overwhelming force.