Heroic Measures (continued)

He took a moment to orient himself. Second Street was ahead, with Greene running perpendicular to it on the left. He had trouble remembering the one on other side, as it was an area of town that he rarely visited.

Porter? Hudson?

Not that it really mattered, he realized. Second was one of the main thoroughfares through the city, connecting to most of the important streets. He knew where he was; he just could not remember the name of the other street.

It must not be an important one, he finally decided, moving his thoughts to other matters.

Standing in the limited shelter provided by the eaves of the building, he tried again to remember how their grid system mapped to actual street locations. Knowing that his had been designated “Twenty-Three Gamma” did not help a whole lot, as he could not recall how the numbering scheme radiated out from there. The lingering haze in his mind did not help matters either.

Red had been sent to . . . Eighteen . . . Beta?

Walter shook his head, trying to clear it.

Was Grid Eighteen north or south from here? Or was that Beta?

He had no idea where Vivian had been assigned. Knowing Harrison, he probably would have kept most of the women—except maybe for Valerie—away from the direct front lines. Not that it mattered, for without the reports coming over his headset, he had no idea where the hot spots of conflict might be.

He paused in his thoughts to listen once more. He could hear little beyond the sounds of the rain. After a few moments, he realized what was missing. It was too quiet. There was not even the occasional reptilian hiss of vehicles driving through the water-soaked streets. The citizens of the city had been warned to remain inside or seek shelter. It seemed as though, for once, they had listened.

Despite their supposed absence, Walter could still feel eyes watching him. His skin tingled with the realization. He looked up, seeking windows or balconies, but could spot none on any of the buildings surrounding him.