Biowar

59

Karr and Gidrey took turns humping Foster through the jungle, working their way across a pair of hills. While his com system still refused to work, Karr was confident that he was being tracked by the Art Room and figured that they’d eventually send a rescue team. The problem was to get to a place where a rescue would be easy.

They also had to stay alive long enough to be rescued.

The second time he took Foster over his shoulder, Karr nearly slipped with the weight. He got only about a hundred yards, then practically collapsed against the trees. Barely holding himself up, he slid Foster down. The Marine groaned.

“Wow,” said Karr. “I’m dizzy as hell.”

Gidrey said something that Karr couldn’t quite decipher. He slid down against the tree, trying to focus his thoughts. His body felt as if it had been pummeled.

“I can carry Foster but not you,” said Gidrey. “Maybe you’d better rest awhile.”

“If I rest I don’t know that I’m getting back up,” said Karr. He held out his hand; Gidrey pulled him to his feet.

“I’m no doctor, but I’d say you got a monster fever.”

“Really? I feel like horseshit.”

“You shoulda taken a flu shot, man. Flu shots keep that crap from happening.”

“Yeah, next time.” Karr exhaled as slowly as he could, trying to force his body into concentrating. The tiny hamlet he’d pointed them toward lay down the slope at about three o’clock, roughly two miles off. He thought of sending Gidrey there by himself but decided that wasn’t the best solution; the Art Room would be tracking him, not the Marine.

“All right, let’s go,” said Karr. “We got to get to that field near the village before nightfall.”

“Christ, it better not take us that long,” said Gidrey.

“At this point, if we get there this year I’ll be happy,” said Karr. He tried to smile but couldn’t quite pull it off.