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.”“The bad apple,” Sgt.Arnold observed.“One bad apple fucks up the rest of the batch.”Noble came back.“Yeah, but that was those fucks.And the people responsible got in trouble for it.It wasn’t us.”“You’re right,” Knight said.“But when we throw these fatigues on, we all represent the same thing.Like the Sarge said, one bad apple fucks up the rest.”“So what are you sayin’?” Noble asked, irritated.“You’re not with us?”Knight was just as irritated, but wanted to close the conversation by making things clear.“Let me stop all this nonsense right now.Yes, the U.N.sucks.But they’ve done good for people.Yes, the U.S.is great, but dumbasses in uniform have made us collectively look bad.My bottom line is this: My allegiance lies with you, Sgt.Arnold.I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and back again, sir, if you told me to.You’ve treated me better than anyone ever has in my life, and I thank you.Sir.”The spirit in the tent relaxed, recharged.The morale shifted in a positive direction.“So what’s the plan?” Noble asked.Sgt.Arnold measured the question.“Well, we have a lot of choices, really.We can swallow our pride and iron the patches on now.”Noble shook her head while Knight sat steady.“Or we can refuse the command and get court-martialed.”No one liked that idea.“Or we can refuse and go AWOL, which is just dumb.” The men shook their head in agreement.Noble pursed her mouth as if to say the comment was true.But the Sergeant continued, “But considering the state of the world at the moment, I get the feeling we’re not going to be the only ones on that list.”“Say we were to jump ship, where would we go?” Knight asked.“I don’t know,” Sgt.Arnold replied.The trio sat quietly, contemplating their choices.“I have some family in Houston,” Noble suggested.“Second cousin, I think.”“Yeah, and I have family in San Uvalde,” Sgt.Arnold said.“It might as well be the moon.”“Well, what lies between here and those cities?” Knight asked.“San Marcos, New Braunfels, San Antonio,” Sgt.Arnold said, referring to the path of IH-35 to San Uvalde.“Hell, those cities alone would present huge problems.”“But between here and Houston are a stack of small towns and countryside.I don’t think it would get bad until we got to Houston proper, you know?” Noble said.“I know this sounds stupid, but what about the airport?” Knight asked.“Knight, that solution would be just badass,” Sgt.Arnold said, “if only we knew how to fly passenger liners.Anyone?”The two charges shook their heads.“I think we can get to Highway 21 from 183,” Noble said.“But should we hit it going east from here or through Niederwald before Buda and Koehl?”Sgt.Arnold was surprised at Noble’s mental acumen.“How the hell do you know about highways in Texas? You’re from Seattle!”“Saw a Texas map before we came here.Just wanted to get familiar with the state.My mind just works that way.Good with numbers, too.”“Well, shit, Noble.A soldier with initiative.All right then, let’s hear it.What do you think we should do?”“I think going east would not be good because we’d be hitting neighborhoods filled with people, alive or viral.That would be bad.Lots of congestion and CCTV cams.But if we were to just hit 35 south, we’d just have to deal with people in their cars.”“I think staying on foot until we get to south Austin would be wise, seeing as how we don’t know about traffic and CCTV cams,” Knight said.“Traffic in Austin has always been the world’s shittiest,” Sgt.Arnold said.He took a moment to measure the suggestions.“Well, when it comes to plans, it’s not the greatest.We’ve got enough ammo to last us a while if we don’t get into any heavy shit.Our food, on the other hand, not so great.But we can get water easy.” He thought once more.“Okay, here’s the deal: We’re running.”A visible sign of surprise hit both Noble and Knight at the same time.Noble’s eyes widened.Knight gulped.They continued to listen.“We need to stock up, grab some fresh water, and stroll out of here.We’ll go straight down Congress, cross the bridge, then go down Riverside before hitting 35 south.When we get to William Cannon or Slaughter, we’ll find a vehicle and listen to Miss Mapquest over here.”“You’re not so bad yourself, Sergeant,” Noble said with a smile.“Well, it was only the route we took to get here.Just trying to keep it familiar.” He grinned.“All right, we good?”“Yes, Sergeant,” came the bold replies.“Then we move out at zero hundred, gang.Get ready.”CHAPTER NINETEEN11:01 PMSouth Point ApartmentsIt was not the safest hiding place.There was a window directly next to the bed and a sliding glass door in the living room that exposed the apartment to anyone—and anything—that could be standing on the third story landing.Even so, it was the best Keri Lawrence and Mike Runyard could do under the current circumstances.Once they settled in and decided they were safe for the time being, Keri bandaged Mike’s ankles and soothed the swelling with ice bags, and checked them regularly throughout the day
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