The man was still coughing dirt when Lachlan dragged him out from under the wreck of the second truck.

One boot on the raider’s wrist kept him from grabbing the knife half-buried in the mud. The guy had the wild-eyed look of someone who didn’t know whether to keep fighting or start begging.

Lachlan wasn’t in the mood for either.

"On your feet, sunshine," he purred, but there was a definite edge to his tone.

The man hesitated.

Lachlan leaned down just far enough to let him see the grin that didn’t reach his eyes. "Or I can cut your legs off and prop you up myself. Dealer’s choice."

The raider pushed himself upright fast enough to nearly fall over again. His hands were empty, Lachlan made sure of it before shoving him toward the shell of the barn where the others waited.

The field behind them still smoked. Two of the trucks were burning. The third had rolled into the ditch and wasn’t climbing back out anytime soon.

The bodies stayed where they fell.

The stupid zombies had wandered off after the last scream choked out. No interest in the living anymore. Not when they were so close to "those who should not be touched". Food wasn’t a benefit if it meant dying for it.

Again.

Inside the barn, Elias sat on a broken crate with his rifle across his knees. Zubair stood with his arms folded near the door, heat still shimmering faintly around him like the world hadn’t figured out yet that the fight was over. Alexei leaned against a support beam, idly spinning a knife between his fingers like the outcome of this little chat didn’t matter either way.

Sera waited near the back wall with Luci at her feet, one hand absently resting between the dire wolf’s ears. Her face didn’t give much away. It rarely did.

Lachlan shoved the prisoner into the center of the barn and propped his machete against his shoulder.

"Alright, mate," he drawled. "Time for a friendly chat."

The prisoner looked around like he couldn’t decide which of them would kill him first. His eyes stuck on Sera longer than Lachlan liked.

Zubair noticed it in a blink of an eye.

He pushed off the doorframe slow, like a storm cloud deciding whether or not to ruin someone’s day. The heat in the room climbed a notch. Sweat broke along the raider’s hairline.

"Eyes over here, champ," Lachlan said lightly, stepping into the man’s line of sight. "She’s not on the menu."

The man swallowed hard. His voice cracked when it finally showed up. "You... you don’t know what you’ve done."

Lachlan raised his brows. "Enlighten me. Because from where I’m standing, looks like we just redecorated your little parade route with bits of your friends."

That got him a glare. The man wasn’t brave enough to do anything about it, just stupid enough to show his displeasure. "The General won’t let this stand," the man spat.

"Ah." Lachlan smiled without humor as he nodded his head. "Here we go. The mysterious General." He crouched until they were eye-level. "Why don’t you tell us about him before I start removing pieces you might miss?"

The General’s man pressed his lips together like a kid trying not to tattle.

Zubair moved closer. Not a threat, just a simple reminder that Lachlan wasn’t the only threat in the room. The heat coming off him made the air shimmer between them.

The man broke first. They always did.

"He runs everything south of the river," the raider blurted. "Every bridge, every road, every town that’s still standing. You cross him, you don’t make it to the next sunrise."

Lachlan tilted his head. "Funny. We crossed one of his bridges this morning, and here we are. Breathing. Mostly."

"You don’t understand," the man snapped, then flinched when Zubair’s shadow fell over him. "He’s got men. Guns. Places you can’t find on any map. He owns the whole territory if not the whole region."

"Big man with a bigger ego. Got it." Lachlan twirled the machete once. "Why send you lot, then? Doesn’t sound like bridge toll duty is worth his personal attention."

The man hesitated. Then his gaze slid toward Sera again before he could stop it.

Zubair’s jaw flexed.

Lachlan caught the look and filed it away for later. "Oh," he murmured. "Now we’re getting somewhere. What’s the plan, mate? Grab the trucks? The guns? Or was it her you wanted?"

The man didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Alexei’s voice drifted from the wall, smooth as ice over deep water. "World like this, one woman’s worth more than any bullet."

The raider flinched like the words hit something raw.

Lachlan’s grin went sharp. "That it? Take her back to your boss so he can play king of the ashes?"

The man looked at the floor.

Zubair’s hand closed slowly around the hilt of the long knife at his belt.

"Right," Lachlan said after a moment. "Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell us everything you know about this General of yours. Camps. Patrols. How many bridges he’s got strung up with these little toll collectors of his."

"And if I don’t?" the prisoner muttered.

Lachlan smiled like it was Christmas. "Then we let him ask you." He nodded toward Zubair. "And trust me, mate. He doesn’t ask nicely."

The man talked.

Not all at once. Not clean. But it was enough to paint a picture.

About the river towns flying the General’s colors. About the hunters who ran his roads. About the Palace rising out of the center of Oklahoma City like some kind of crown.

About how nobody crossed the General and lived.

When the words finally ran out, Lachlan looked over at Zubair. "Anything you want to add before we thank our guest for his time?"

Zubair stepped forward without a word.

The man scrambled back until his shoulders hit the wall. "I told you what you wanted!"

"You shouldn’t have looked at her," Zubair replied with a shrug, his voice flat as dry earth.

The blade flashed once.

The body hit the floor before the echo faded.

Lachlan sighed and wiped his machete on the man’s jacket. "Well. Guess we’re not paying bridge tolls anytime soon."

Sera didn’t look at the corpse. It wasn’t all that interesting, and the creature was still a bit full from all the food at the lab.

Outside, the wind shifted, carrying with it the promise of more trouble to come.

There was nothing Lachlan could do to get the smile off his face.