He was able to find some ranger rope in the humvee to tie the men up with and gagged them with their own socks. He left them hog tied in the alley in the hopes that one of their fellow soldiers would find them unharmed long after Charlie and Madeline had made their escape.
They sat in the humvee. Charlie looked out at the kill zone, thinking.
“What now?” Madeline asked.
Charlie chewed his lip. “I’m thinking.” He sighed. “We sure could use a distraction.” He said.
Not a moment later, a call rang out over the radio. “Tangos at the West work site! Tangos at the West work site! We are engaging!” The steady rap of machine gun fire ignited to their South. It was coming from the area they had been scouting not an hour before. Charlie grinned and looked over at Madeline. “Two for two!” He said. “What should I ask for next? Chocolate cake?” Madeline smacked him in the shoulder as he pressed the start button on the humvee and it roared to life. He peeled out and turned towards the sound of gunfire.
The gate that the workers and their equipment used to get in and out of the safe zone was in total chaos. Soldiers were everywhere. Some ran for cover while others stood in shock at the carnage happening beyond the gate. Charlie floored the pedal and drifted into a hard turn, flying through the gate and past the soldiers. “Foxtrot three four engaging!” He yelled over the radio handset.
Pink phosphorescent trails of tracer rounds zipped past them on either side, ripping into the hoards of marauding vampires. One unlucky vampire made the mistake of jumping in front of the humvee and met the front end with a solid thud that sent it rolling underneath the tires of the big truck. They were pushing through the lines of vampires rather well when one pounced on top of the truck and tried to scramble in through the gun turret on the roof.
Madeline grappled with the thing, trying to pin its arms before it could get into the vehicle but she was too late. One of her hands held it by the throat and the other caught hold of one arm, but the vamp’s other arm had snaked its way around Charlie’s neck and it was all he could do to keep the humvee from spinning out of control. Madeline wrestled with the vampire, finally giving up on controlling it and simply lunged at its neck with her teeth, turning its head away with the powerful hand locked onto its throat.
Charlie breathed a little easier as its grip slowly faded. The last bit of life drained from the thing, Madeline threw it from the back door of the vehicle. She climbed back into her seat next to Charlie and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, taking a deep breath and letting out a heavy exhale.
“Much better.” She said.
He smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
She sat up straighter and said in an exaggerated prim and proper tone, “Well,” she smiled, “sometimes a lady needs to fill certain needs.”
They had made it past the vampires and Charlie slowed down to a reasonable speed so as not to take unnecessary risks. That was when he noticed the big black truck in the side view mirror speeding up behind them. “Crap!” He spat.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got company.” Charlie accelerated and the big truck lurched forward again. “Get up in the gun turret and man the fifty cal!” He yelled to Madeline.
“What’s a fifty cal?” She asked.
“The fifty-caliber machine gun on the roof of the truck.” He pointed to the portal the vampire had climbed in through. “There are two handles on the back of the gun. Hold them in your fists and the trigger is right where your thumbs will be. Point the gun at this truck coming up on us and if they make any sudden moves, light them up!”
She looked confused. “Light them up?”
“Shoot’ em!” He yelled.
“Oh.” Madeline climbed up into the machine gun turret just as the black truck pulled up next to them. That was when things got a little weird.
Chapter 25
Maggie had returned to the same spot for the past three days. She sat at a lonely park bench in the middle of a dozen flowering crab trees. Most of the blossoms were gone now, fallen to the ground or swept away by the cool spring breezes that seemed to be channeled through the streets by the buildings that loomed overhead, creating a subtle wind tunnel effect and cooling her dry skin. The temperature was still comfortable though sometimes, like now, she had to wear a sweater to keep the chill off of her shoulders. She watched a Chickadee hop from branch to branch. It would let out a tiny peep and wait for an answer that would never come. It hopped from branch to branch calling for its mate. It was alone. Maggie was alone.
She still found it hard to believe that Charlie was gone. The doctor had been so rushed and callous when he told her that Charlie had turned, he called it. ‘Turned into that thing we fear most,’ he had said. They had had to put Charlie down and destroy the body, ‘to contain the infection’ the doctor said. Put him down? Like he was some kind of animal? She was beginning to think that the thing she feared most was not the vampires, but the change she saw in the people around her. People had stopped caring about other people. They would squabble in the middle of the street over the simplest of things. And most people barely went outside, except to get to and from their government appointed jobs.
She had been working in a clothing factory for the last few days. Veterinarians were nonessential, she was told. The people were allowed to keep their pets, for now, but the task of keeping them healthy would be up to their owners. She looked down at Tank lying next to her feet. He had pressed himself up against her lower legs and laid his head down, one big, floppy ear covering the toe of her right foot. He was breathing softly and she was happy that at least one of them could relax.
The job she had been thrust into was mind-numbing and tedious. She hated it. Her coworker, aptly named Gabby, didn’t help much. She would talk and talk without stopping for breath. Earlier that day, in fact, Gabby had been talking about who one of the girls was dating and about some escaped prisoners that everyone was talking about, or some such. Maggie became so lost in her own thoughts that she had absent-mindedly agreed to meet Gabby and her friend Chris after work for a drink. ‘Chris is so sweet.’ Gabby had said. ‘You’ll just love him. He is so your type!’ She said with a giggle. Ironic, Maggie thought, because in the three days we’ve worked together, I’ve barely said three words. And this stupid gossip queen thinks she knows my type?
But alas, she had agreed that she would meet them for a drink after she got Tank some exercise. Not much exercise, she had to admit, but something was better than nothing. With a sigh, she rose from the park bench to begin the short walk back to her apartment.
After dropping Tank off at the apartment, she walked to the bar where she was supposed to meet Gabby and Chris. She walked in and was met by Gabby’s always superfluous wave and a beckoning hand to come join them at their table. Gabby half-stood to greet her then stumbled and nearly fell back into her chair, then sat down laughing. Great. A sober Gabby is bad enough, but a drunk Gabby? Maggie rolled her eyes at the thought. She quickly recovered, hoping Gabby hadn’t noticed. If she had, she made no mention of it.
“Sit down, girl!” Gabby yelled loud enough for the bar to hear. She introduced her friend Chris with a flourish from her manicured hands, the bangle bracelets on her wrists jingling the whole time. Maggie had to give credit where credit was due. Gabby was right about Chris. He stood and shook her hand with a firm, ‘Hello, it’s nice to meet you.’ He was slightly taller than she, yet younger, she guessed. His slimness was hidden by the long, bulky leather jacket he was wearing. His slightly shaggy hair and eyes were a muddy brown, while his chiseled jaw held a dark five o’clock shadow. He offered her a seat and even pushed it in for her as she sat down. He sat back down in his chair at the small square table in the center of the room and pushed his wire rim glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Gabby had been right. In a different time and place, Maggie could see herself attracted to the man. But definitely a different time and place. Not here, not now.
“So, Gabby tells me you just came in from th
e outside?” He started off the conversation.
“Um, yeah.” She answered. She couldn’t remember what she had told Gabby about her situation, but she chose to avoid the subject of Charlie. Talking about him would only make her already fragile mood that much worse. “A patrol found me a few days ago and brought me in. Me and my dog.”
“Wow. You must have seen some awful stuff. Hey, you want a drink?”
Whew. I thought he’d never ask. She nodded. “Sure. Anything fruity will be fine, thanks.” Chris hopped up from his chair and strolled to the bar.
“Well?” Gabby started. “What do you think? Cute, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he’s cute, Gabby, but I...”
“I knew you’d like him. Maybe I’ll head over to the bathroom and give you two some alone time.”
“Gabby, really...” Maggie was starting to get irritated when Gabby’s attention shifted elsewhere and she began tapping Maggie’s arm excitedly.
“Ooh! Maggie! Those are the fugitives I was telling you about!” She pointed at a television on the wall near their table and squealed. “Mm, mm, mm. Isn’t he cute? I tell you, fugitive or not, it’d take all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to keep me off of him.”
Gabby prattled on but Maggie wasn’t listening anymore. Charlie’s face was as big as life on the TV screen. He had escaped? From what? The hospital? Son of a bitch! She thought. Her lip curled in anger. That bastard doctor lied to me! He lied right to my face! Watched me cry! Left me there by myself, sobbing like a child! Son of a bitch!
She tried to keep her composure but the whirlwind of emotions got the best of her. She could feel her face flushing hot with anger, worry; panic. “I… I have to go.” She got up quickly, too quickly and stumbled before regaining her footing.
“What? You just got here, Sugar.” Gabby’s voice came from a faraway place. Concern marred her normally cheery demeanor.
Maggie moved from the table and stumbled again. She felt Gabby’s fragile hands grab her elbow to stop her from spilling onto the floor but she wrenched her elbow free of the delicate grasp. “No.” She mumbled. “No.” and stumbled on.
“No what, Honey?” Gabby turned to get Chris’ attention. He was still trying to flag down the bartender when Maggie burst from the bar into the long shadows of early evening. The crisp air cleared her head and she regained her balance as well as her grip on reality. She quickened her pace towards her apartment but it wasn’t long before she heard the door to the bar open behind her as Chris and Gabby’s shuffling footsteps tried to catch up to her. They were calling to her but she wasn’t listening. Hands grasped at her elbows, her arms. “Please, Maggie! Stop!” Gabby yanked on her arm and turned her around to face them. Maggie was in no mood to explain herself.
“I need to go home!” She growled and shoved violently at the first body she could find. It just happened to be Chris who staggered back a few feet under the force of the blow looking hurt. She paused for a moment suddenly feeling terrible about her overreaction to their concern, then turned and quickly stepped away leaving them in shock. They didn’t try to follow. Maggie thought she was going to make it until Chris yelled to her.
“We can help you find him, Maggie!”
His voice boomed at her and echoed all around, bouncing off of buildings and ringing in her ears. She froze in place. How could they know? What could they be after? Better to play stupid. She turned to face them. “What are you talking about?” Chris grinned. She couldn’t have made it any more obvious that she knew exactly what they were talking about, but she wasn’t about to admit it.
“Your friend, Charlie. You came in with him, right? We can help you find him.” Chris was cautiously moving towards her now, not wanting to scare her off. “We can help you find him, but you have to trust us.” Her eyes flashed down to the butt of a gun peeking out from behind his jacket, under his arm. He saw her attention shift and put his hands out in a submissive move. “Easy. Here, you want the gun? It’s just for protection, but if it will make you believe me…” He slowly pulled the gun from its shoulder holster with the tips of his index finger and thumb and let it hang in the air in front of her. “Go ahead, take it. Just don’t shoot me until we’ve had a chance to explain, okay?”
With a wary look, she snatched the gun from his hand before he could pull it away. She drew the bolt back slightly so she could see that it was loaded (just like Charlie had shown her) and then popped out the clip to make sure that was loaded as well. She slapped the clip back in, clicked off the safety, and pointed it at him, keeping it low in case there were any nosy people around. “Alright, let’s go then.” She said. Chris’ eyes were as wide as saucers. She had gotten the reaction she wanted. At least, if they intended to do something awful to her, they would think twice about it after seeing that she knew how to use the gun they had so willingly given to her. Chris nodded and turned to lead them the opposite direction down the street where Gabby waited for them. Not so gabby now! Maggie noted.
Chris led them through a number of twists and turns and finally stopped in an alley only a few blocks from where they had started. Chris stepped up to a large metal door that led into a solid looking gray brick building. He looked around to make sure no one was around and then made a series of knocks on the door. The knocks were too precise to not be a pattern. Maggie almost laughed out loud. Really? She thought. Have these guys been watching too many spy movies or what? She half expected to walk in and be greeted by a group of pimply-faced teenage boys playing some geeky role-playing game. Seriously, the cloak and dagger crap is a bit much. She thought again.
Her humor left her when a thin viewing portal near the top of the door slapped open and a pair of cold eyes stared out at them. An uncontrollable shiver ran up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Chris Daniels. I need to see Milo. He’s expecting me.” There was a grunt from the other side of the door and the portal slid shut again. A din of clacks and clicks sounded as the door was unlocked. She could see a meaty hand on the door as it creaked open. Chris and Gabby walked in. Gabby glanced back and motioned for Maggie to follow. She flicked on the safety and hid the gun in the small of her back, under her waistband and stepped through the door.
Inside were two men. The big one that opened the door glowered at them from underneath a thick brow. The other one sat on a chair in a nearly empty room, save for the random debris scattered around the floor. He picked at his nails absent-mindedly with a long knife. A small, but lethal looking, machine gun lay across the man’s lap. He never bothered looking up.
“I need to frisk you.” The big one said to Maggie after resealing the door.
The big man with beetle’s eyes began to pat her down. He felt her forearms and shoulders then tapped her elbows so she would lift her arms out to her sides. His meaty hands reached from behind and came dangerously close to groping her breasts before she swept his hands away.
He gave an evil little laugh and tapped her sides down to her waist. “What’s this?” He asked, yanking the pistol from her belt and throwing it on the table next to him.
She didn’t bother to answer him. “Are we done here?” She asked with obvious contempt.
“What’s your hurry, little girl? I’m just getting started.” The big man said. The greasy man sitting in the chair smiled and snickered.
“C’mon Baker. Hurry it up.” Chris said with a deep scowl.
Baker, the big man with the beetle’s eyes, grunted at him and knelt down to feel her ankles, but he certainly didn’t move any faster. His left hand patted the outside of her left leg while his right hand slithered up the inside of her leg like a sickly serpent. Her skin began to crawl as his hand slid closer and closer to the space between her legs. He’ll stop at my thigh. She thought. This sick son of a bitch is just trying to get a rise out of me. He’ll stop at my thigh. But he didn’t. In fact, he made no attempt to hide what he was doing as his hand slid all the way up to her crotch. She wasn’t sure if it had be
en the stress of the weeks of struggle or the sheer outrage at being pawed at like a piece of meat, but she kicked up with her right heel as hard as she could and caught him across the temple with a glancing blow. She whirled around and found him still off balance and kneeling. His left arm had caught his weight and kept him from falling over but his rotund size made him slow to recover. She kicked him in the face and sent him sprawling backwards to rest on his back, totally exposed. She stomped down on his genitals with everything she had left. She was afraid now and her heart was racing. If she let him get up, he would surely kill her. The big man groaned and rolled over on his side in the fetal position, pulling his knees up to his chest.
The little man jumped up out of his chair to intervene, but Chris had already moved to intercept him. “That’s enough!” He yelled. The skinny man stopped in his tracks. “We’re going down to see Milo, now. So back off!” He yelled at the little man. The little man sneered at him but left the machine gun resting at his side. Chris turned around slowly, eyeing the skinny man.
Chris grabbed both the women lightly by their elbows and led them quickly down a dark corridor. They turned left, then right. A few more yards and they turned right again and stood in front of a freight elevator similar to the one Maggie had had in her apartment before it burned down. The elevator brought back memories. She thought of Charlie and Tank, wrestling in the living room. She thought of the night she had had the terrible nightmare in which her long dead father came to see her, but he was a vampire and he attacked her. She woke up screaming and Charlie held her all night long, stroking her hair. She exhaled a deep, mournful sigh as they stepped inside and Chris closed the doors behind them. The elevator motor hummed and none of them spoke as they descended. The air got thicker as they dropped, one, two, three floors before coming to rest. They stepped out onto the floor of a large room cluttered with desks and computers. People were shuffling to and fro. Some were dressed in normal clothes. Others wore what seemed to be military uniforms. “Where are we?” Maggie asked.
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