“You can use this better than I can.” He paused for breath, then nodded toward Izzy. “She can’t go much farther.”

“Get her down from the wall,” gasped Haru, hiding in the brush. “They’ll see us.”

“She won’t be able to get up again,” said Marcus.

“Then I’ll carry her.”

Marcus and the last farmer, a man named Bryan, pulled the woman gently to the ground, propping her against the wall with her head between her knees. Marcus looked at her bandages—she’d been shot through the shoulder, miraculously missing the vital bones and arteries, but the wound was still bad, and she’d lost a lot of blood. He’d already patched the bandage twice, in quick stops like this, and given her all the painkillers he could without knocking her unconscious. The bandage was soaked with blood, and his eyes blurred from exhaustion as he started changing it again.

“I’m starting to wish we had a band of guerrillas using us as bait,” said Haru.

Marcus frowned. “That’s not funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

“You could do it right,” said Bryan. “The ambush, I mean. Enough guns in the woods, with a good clear shot, and you wouldn’t have to risk the bait at all.”

“You certainly could,” said Haru, still panting for air, “you certainly could.” He pulled out his radio and tried again, his voice hoarse with desperation. “This is Haru Sato, I have a medic and two civilians pinned down at the”—he looked up—“Huntsman Elementary School. I don’t know which city. If there is anyone out there, anyone at all, please respond. We don’t know how widespread this attack has been, we don’t know where to retreat to. We don’t even know where we are.”

Izzy coughed: harsh, racking coughs that shook her body until she retched on the ground. Marcus leaned out of the way, then finished bandaging her arm.

“I think something’s wrong with your radio,” said Bryan. “When’s the last time you got a call? In or out?”

“Not since the snipers,” said Haru, staring listlessly at the radio. It didn’t have any bullet holes, but it was pretty dinged up. Marcus wouldn’t be surprised if it was broken.

“Let me see it,” said Bryan, and stood up to take it. His head rose above the level of the surrounding brush and he jerked suddenly, a puff of red mist flying out from the side of his ear.

Marcus and Haru instantly dropped to the ground, flat on their stomachs. Unsupported by Marcus’s arm, Izzy slumped to the side, unconscious.

“Looks like this is it,” said Marcus. “Either your murderer swoops in to our rescue, or we get to say hi to Dr. Morgan.”

“You’ll forgive me for hoping it’s the murderer.”

“You’ll love Dr. Morgan,” said Marcus. “She hates humans almost as much as you hate Partials.”