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PETE STOOD WITH FINN high upon the wall Froe point, they could see below to the yard, onward to the town and south to the sea
Finn pointed to the inner yard, and the level of rooht of steps "Youher no discomfort Calloway is not a bad er exists, especially ht the years he has So many of the captains and commanders are old warhorses frouns or cannons, or they&039;ve seen men die of yellow fever and dysentery and other horrible diseases Death is all too final for theine a disease that causes the once-dead to ravage and ht"
"Except for Tre at him
Finn nodded
"Tara saved his life"
"Yes"
"You let her"
Finn nodded "Tara is stilllearning It was her choice, Pete"
"She is like my child"
"I know"
Finn was surprised to realize that he was feeling like an errant suitor; he didn&039;t have to explain himself And yet, he felt that he should "There was not really a choice, but what there was, Tara made it" He inhaled "I would do whatever it took to save her, Pete"
The Indian turned away He was a strong hts from the fort and the sky, his face seemed etched in character Finn found himself touched by emotions he hadn&039;t felt in years He wondered what Tara&039;s young life had been like, and he was glad that she&039;d had such a th far excelled his by the very nature of the being he tried so hard to protect
"I swear, I would never harm her," he added, and he heard the treht
Just one night And it was changing hile-hout the war, and he needed to rereater than either of them
But even as he looked at Pete, he felt an odd shift in the air
Pete, sos that other e in the wind," he said
Tara
TARA HAD GONE THROUGH her life knohat she was She knew huined the truth of what she ht have been
This er in his eyes He spoke, he moved, but he wasoff Finn said that some survived and learned to be crafty, to take care and live and move in the world But not this one So here, someone so adept at what he had becos visible, saliva dripping, eyes burning with insanity
"Let&039;s play, pretty girl Let&039;s play!" he said
Behind her, the sea in terror
She tightened her grip on the bedpost, hoping that her strength would not fail her at this rasped the bedpost and jerked at it, using all her strength The wood ca off the knobbed side of the post
The undeadthe bedpost, knocking it against his head with all her ht He stumbled back, and she stepped forward and thrust her ainst it, and i a massive hole in his torso
"Holy Mary, ain, Tara sla on the floor He went still, eyes open, but the glea flame dissipated He was truly dead at last, at peace, she could only hope
She turned to the seaman "Get up Sound the alarm The fort is under attack!"
He didn&039;t move
"Seaman! Get up Our lives remain in the balance!"
He still stared at the deadand stunned Tara reached out a hand to him, and he looked at her with uncertainty
"Please, e in may be far more horrendous than any you have seen at war"
He looked into her eyes, nodded, grasped her hand, and rose
FINN WAS ON THE WALL when he heard the cry to arht be watching as he tore across the grounds and up the steps to the rows of rooh he could not keep up
Finn paused when he reached the landing Men were running in from all directions They were armed with their swords, as instructed, but they surrounded Tara
"She&039;s killed one o&039; us!" aat her, and the men seemed ready to advance on her
Just as Tara was about to speak, another stepped forward "No-no It&039;s Irving Watson, and he threatenedno more, I can tell you that for sure!" the second man said "She saved my life, she did, and how she did it I do not know, except that God Himself intervened, and that&039;s all I&039;ll ever say!"
The men seemed convinced by the plea, but before further action could be taken a co loud Finn turned
"It&039;s happening," he said He looked at the round, and saw that he had been armed with a rifle and saber He drew the saber frooing for the prisoners!" she cried "Richardhe, the others, they&039;ll have no defense"
They rushed down the stairs
In the parade ground, Finn quickly saw that two haggard men had fallen some of the other soldiers, who, forewarned, kept their distance and ed to behead both of the enemy
From the cells where the prisoners were kept, there came a scream as if Satan had squeezed a banshee Finn turned quickly, following Tara, both racing to the stairs faster thanwith the bolt on the iron door leading to the prison cells when he caught up
"Let lanced behind hi the bolt
Richard was doing his best to keep the three infectedthe others, but one already lay on the ground, gurgling as blood bubbled frole small stand in the room to battle off the two prisoners who had turned He was holding his own, but he was pinned atop the pallet that had once served as someone&039;s bed
Finn rushed in, sword at the ready, decapitating the ratitude, and Finn turned to the next being in the room When he had finished off the last attacker, he turned to see that Captain Calloway had rushed into the prison cell, as well Looking at the man, he said without pomp, "Sir, as you can see now, the truth is just as we have warned"
Calloway looked ill "They were ht, and these felloere simple prisoners we had taken in One had hurled tomatoes at my men, and now he is on the floor, in a pool of blood This can&039;t be real Disease makes a man sick It makes him weak"
The commander&039;s voice died For a moment, Finn just watched as disbelief turned into a sick truth within Calloway&039;sBut as he dies, he becoainst any odds"
Calloed hard, staring at Finn "So, you have seen this before"
"Yes And you must be prepared to deal with this situation I&039;ve known of such outbreaks in the past, as does the governives me authority to dispatch it I believe that most likely there is one individual who has hidden his contraction of the disease and perpetuates this chaos He thrives on the death-and the blood This will not end until the host is brought down-that individual who kills and creates death and oal You must be prepared to deal with it-as I have instructed you"
Calloway nodded, still watching hient Dunne, so we are already preparing"
"Thebehind hio with you," Finn told the Se fro bittersweet twisted in his heart He had her in a way that Richard never would; Richard had her youth, her history and her loyalty He held soo," he said to Pete
"I&039;ll send men with you," Calloway told hie thishorses," Calloway coround, and at the other prisoners ere huddled against the floors or walls, terrified
"If your hoo there Protect your families"
Some of the men scurried out One, and landless ht
Calloould have to handle the problems in the fort Finn looked at Tara Her eyesHe was fairly certain they had quelled the danger in the fort for the night, but she knew she had to keep guard, and he knew that she was up to the task
He turned and left with Pete Outside, horses were ready for theate was opened, and they rode across the island, seeking the civilian authority
Crossing the causeway, Finn found hiht, and the water and the uns stood tall and dark and oht The island was a mix of paths and dirt roads, and there were siun style; in suun&039;s bullet could pass clear through-allowing for the ocean breezes to cool down the inhabitants There were enore Barns were scattered here and there Dogs barked, and the whinny of horses could be heard as theyPete knew the way
The antly built with triht in from the Caribbean A boy rushed out to take the horses, and the pair hurried up the wooden porch steps Soant bay s They were stopped by a manservant in the doorway
"We must see the mayor," Pete said
"My naent business with the mayor"
"What is the ruckus?" someone demanded froed man suddenly filled the entryway He looked at the two of thenant query
"We have come to warn of an attack," Pete said
The her He al claimed to be on the side of the State of Florida first and foreo about life here, Pete, and you know that well Now, you&039;re interrupting irl-"
"This is an attack by neither North nor South, sir," Finn explained "You will not be prepared for the strange horde that has inflicted the fort, and which may well take to the people of Key West These sick men, they do not die, but awaken to feed on others"
"Feeding?" the ," Pete said
"You must see that the people are prepared There er? What is this danger?" the mayor demanded
"Please, can you sound the alarm?" Pete asked
"You&039;ve just said that the fort was diseased What would you haveSouthern citizens to bide in a Union fort, where this &039;disease&039; has already run ra them to the church," Finn said
"This is preposterous!" the mayor said "Is this some plan to harass the citizens yet further?"
"Neither of us is part of the Union military," Finn told him
An attractive wohtly pale "What will it hurt, to be safe? Edward, please Sound the alar the citizens to the church We&039;ll let these men have their say"
"Preposterous Utterly preposterous!" the s and pirates, and every forand in between Union and Southern But a disease in which the stricken rise and killsuch h at us, and say, &039;Ah, the citizens of Key West are but si matter to any man within the fort," Finn told him