Read THEM (Season 1): Episode 3 for Free Online Page A

another. There were two guards with her, and I noted that one of them entered the trailer with her while the other remained posted outside the entrance to the housing unit. They were probably concerned that she’d try to make a break for it and keeping her under close guard, a reasonable assumption. She appeared to be uninjured, if a little worse for the wear, so I figured we’d be able to get away quietly once I took out her guards.
    After dark, I realized there were some major issues with my plan. For one, the relative size of the camp was small, and there were roving patrols moving at odd intervals all night long. Just one slipup and the place would be crawling with bodies looking to put a hurt on us. Secondly, I needed to know more about what this group was all about. Although their actual numbers turned out to be a bit less than what I initially guessed, from what I could tell they were fairly organized and efficient. That had me worried, since a group like this could pose a severe threat to the Hill Country settlements and safe zones, should they decide to move north. And with a ’thrope pack threatening the area, the last thing I needed was a secondary threat in the form of a group of marauders raiding the settlements as well.
    Unfortunately, it looked like a simple rescue operation would be out of the question. The alternative was just as risky, but it would offer a greater chance of success over time, as well as the opportunity to collect a great deal of intel on this group in the process. It looked as though infiltration would be my only option. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to putting this plan into action.
    Once I decided on a course of action, I headed back to the Facility to let Gabby know what I was going to do. The last thing I needed was for her and Bobby to show up trying to rescue me and spoil all my fun. And, at some point I’d probably need their help to get the doc out, so it was imperative that I kept them apprised of the situation. Of course, this could all end up with me being shot, but I chose to look on the sunny side of things when it came to the risk of my imminent demise. Living under the constant threat of species extinction will do that to you.
    By the time I got back, Bobby had returned and he and Gabby were sacked out on the roof of the building we’d found earlier. Not wanting to get clawed in the face or shot, I tossed pebbles at them until they both woke up, and called up to them in a stage whisper. “What the hell are you two doing, sleeping without someone on watch?”
    They both rubbed sleep from their eyes, and then looked away. Finally, Bobby spoke up. “There’s nothing around for miles, boss—not even a single deader. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like somebody sprayed some sort of undead repellent around here that’s keeping them away.”
    I considered that information for a moment, and tucked it away for future reference. “Well, regardless of the lack of undead around here, there’s a paramilitary group patrolling and searching the area just south and west of us. So, you two need to keep watch no matter what when you’re not in a secure location—especially when I’m not around.”
    I raised an eyebrow and waited, knowing that at least one of them could see me. Finally, Bobby answered me. “I got it. Will do, boss.”
    Gabby spoke up then. “What’d you find out? Is Captain Perez okay?”
    “As far as I can tell. The thing is, there are too many of them for me to just break her out, and besides that they’re too well organized. I count at least thirty to forty inside the compound, and they may have more out on patrols and recon teams. They keep three men on their perimeter wall at all times, plus a gate guard, and they run patrols inside the perimeter on an unpredictable schedule that changes every hour.”
    I could hear Gabby rustling around in the dark. “Just let me get my gear together and I’ll go with you. I can create