“Yes, that's true,” Darby said slowly. “But you've also changed locations twice since then. You're also sitting a stone's throw from a major Zolos outbreak. I'm afraid it's just too risky.”
“We can't stay here!” she snapped, hoping she wasn't giving away too much to Jay over the radio with vague terms. “We have young children with us.”
The Mayor sounded weary. “I'm sorry, Ellie. You know how much we want to help you, but we just can't take that risk. Maybe once the outbreak has died down and this situation with Jay is resolved.”
By then that bald maniac might have shot up this camp! She'd suspected that with how ridiculously overcautious everyone in Stanberry was, there was a chance they'd refuse even after her group had finished their 21 days.
But suspecting and seeing her fears confirmed were two very different things.
Which begged another important question. “What about the people in the camp who've done their 21 days? They haven't changed locations, and we've been very careful about maintaining isolation.”
“Your outbreak that's hit almost six hundred people and claimed over four hundred lives so far would suggest otherwise,” Darby replied patiently.
“That's not an answer,” Ellie did her best not to shout. “What about them?”
“For the time being, no one will be entering Stanberry. Again, I'm sorry.”
“You can take your apologies and sh-” she started, then snapped her mouth shut. She was so furious that she simply flicked to the camp's frequency without saying anything more.
“The longer we stay, the more Stanberry draws a clear line between them and everyone outside,” Cara said. “We should just cut ties with the town completely and move the camp. Let them deal with Jay on their own. They're not giving us anything, so it wouldn't affect us one way or another.”
For once Ellie had a hard time disagreeing with Hal's mom. Although there was no way they could move the camp in the middle of an outbreak, even if everyone who had friends and family inside Stanberry would agree to such a drastic measure.
Hal hugged her a bit closer. “I'll dig the berms around our camp a bit higher, and dig another latrine,” he said quietly. “We'll be fine here.”
“I guess we'll have to be,” she replied. With a sigh, she squeezed his arm, then reluctantly straightened. “I need to plan these shift schedules.”
✽✽✽
Nick lowered his binoculars, nodding to Chet. “That definitely seems like it could be their camp,” he whispered.
They were five or so miles northwest of Stanberry, at the top of a tall hill overlooking a large pond surrounded on three sides by thickets of scraggly undergrowth. Through that undergrowth they could just make out a road leading to the open field on the western side of the pond, where they caught hints of parked vehicles and flashes of colored cloth.
Unless some group of refugees had set up there, an unusually large one considering everyone's leeriness about grouping up due to fears of Zolos, that was almost definitely the Wensbrook survivors.
Chet slapped Nick's arm in confirmation, and together they wriggled back down the far side of the hill and crept from cover to cover towards where they'd parked their vehicles, more than a mile north of the camp. It was slow going, Chet leading the way with utmost caution as they looked around warily for signs of Jay's sentries.
They weren't too close to the hidden camp, but close enough to be careful. Or as careful as Nick was capable of being in this setting; during the Zolos crisis he'd mostly shed the weight he'd put on over the last few years, replacing it with muscle, but he was still a programmer who hadn't spent much time outdoors.
He didn't have any experience with hunting or sneaking around in the undergrowth, and with every step he felt like he was blundering around making enough racket to bring people from the distant camp running. It wasn't just in his head, either, considering the nervous and irritated looks Chet kept shooting him.
But in spite of his worries they made it to their vehicles without being seen, or at least challenged.
Nick was relieved to see that the truck and car they'd brought were still sitting on the small gravel drive they'd taken to get here, with no signs they'd been spotted or that the rest of the group who'd waited behind had come under attack.
It had been easier to get out of Jay's cordon than he'd expected, without that convoy of vehicles roaring around. He guessed there were probably still scouts around keeping an eye on Stanberry, but if so they weren't showing themselves or taking potshots at passing patrol vehicles.
That combined with four days of peace might even let a less cautious person allow himself to believe that the threat was gone. But Nick seriously doubted it; given Jay's incandescent rage following the fires he claimed had burned half of Wensbrook, it wasn't likely the man would be satisfied with burning a few outlying houses.
Especially since his camp was still there, perched menacingly within easy driving distance of town.
They met up with Ben, Chase, Charlie, and Val back at the vehicles, the latter two with their heads together and expressions serious. Although at Nick and Chet's approach all four rushed forward to hear the news.
Nick quickly filled them in on what they'd seen and his conclusions. When he was done Ben spat off to one side. “So what now? Burn them out?”
When they're not doing anything to us at the moment? Nick thought. Then again, if Jay was planning to do something then hitting his camp might disrupt his plans. But he shook his head firmly. “For now, let's get back to camp before Jay's scouts spot us. We can see what Denny and Starr want to do about what we found.”
The young man sighed. “Which means our shift is done, and it's time to go back to wiping bloody butts.”
Val shot him a reproving look, while Charlie chuckled ruefully. “At least there's only been one new case in the last 24 hours,” he said. “We nurse the current survivors back to health, and hopefully that'll be the end of it.”
“It'll be the end of it when Jay faces justice for killing hundreds of people,” Chet growled.
Hard to argue with that, as long as the two brothers didn't intend to personally go do it now that they knew where the Wensbrook camp was; Nick had been quietly keeping a closer eye on the two since the Wensbrook fires, but so far they'd been as reliable as usual.
He shook his head, dismissing those suspicions, and climbed into Chet's truck, Ben crowding in next to him. Charlie, Val, and Chase wasted no time piling into Val's car, then they were on their way back to camp.
Nick called ahead to alert the patrols that they were coming in, and was a bit surprised when Ellie chimed in to ask him if he'd swing by her camp on the way so they could talk about something.
She'd been in a sour mood ever since Darby barred her from entering Stanberry yesterday. Not that he could blame her, considering she and their son were just hanging out right outside the entrance to the quarantine camp, beyond Starr's fortifications.
They had fortifications of their own that Hal had dug, and they were pretty solid, but even so Nick worried for them. In fact, he sort of wished he was assigned to guard south of town instead of west so he could personally look out for them, even though that meant he wouldn't be able to guard the remaining cache at the Norsons' house.
Chet dropped him off as close as he could to Ellie's camp, and Nick slung his rifle on his back and trekked the remaining distance, calling over the berm to let them know he was there.
Ricky was first to pop into view, expression eager. “Did you find it?” he called.
Nick couldn't help but smile. “We did, or at least we're pretty sure it's them. We should be able to watch them more closely now, get more advance warning if they try anything.”
“Good. After what Jay did to all those poor people in camp, he-” Ricky jumped and broke off when Ellie wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed the top of his head. Then she ducked to whisper in his ear, making him scowl. “I guess I'll talk to you later,” he grumbled, then reluctantl
y climbed back down into the camp.
That left Nick alone with his ex-wife; even if Ricky and everyone else could still hear everything they said, that probably wasn't a good sign.
“What's going on?” he said, settling back into a more comfortable position.
She gave him a sober look. “Darby's people on the radio in Stanberry got in touch with some friends of theirs who live down near Wensbrook. They've been keeping half an eye on the place from a distance, contacting us through very obscure, prearranged HAM radio frequencies.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. They haven't been able to give us much, right?” Which wasn't too surprising, since the bulk of Jay's thugs didn't seem interested in spending much time in their former home. They were too busy hovering around Stanberry like vultures, plotting ways to make everyone's lives miserable.
Ellie nodded. “Well they were at least able to confirm Jay's accusations about the fires in Wensbrook. They snuck in early this morning to give the place a look.”
Nick felt a sinking in his gut. “How bad is it?”
“Worse than what Jay did in Stanberry,” she admitted grimly. “By far. Dozens of houses, and according to Darby's friends they were in the more upscale part of town, and spread to some of the tourism spots along Main Street.”
He bit back a curse, although in a way he felt almost relieved. He might have suspected Chet and Ben, but he didn't think they'd go that far.
Which meant it couldn't have been them, didn't it?
Nick's relief was short-lived when he realized that Ellie was watching him closely. He tensed as she continued quietly. “There's only so many people it could've been, and unless they're crazy those people would have to be Zolos survivors. I've been working with Starr, Johnny, and Betty, asking around for any information about suspicious activity in your camp that night.”
That was news to him, and not good news. “But not me?” he demanded, flushing.
“Well considering we've got four eyewitnesses who insist they saw two figures lurking around the gas tanks that night, then they drove off in a pickup truck, we've got some suspicions.”
That reinforced Nick's own suspicions about that night, although he didn't like what she was suggesting. “You think I did this?”
Ellie immediately shook her head. “Of course I don't think you would. But you've got some hotheaded young men in your group.”
Nick took a deep breath. “I don't know who it was, and if I have suspicions I haven't confronted the people in question. Are you trying to find who did it so you can arrest them?” Chet and Ben were working themselves ragged defending the town and helping the sick.
Her eyes narrowed, but she shook her head. “A crime is a crime, even if Jay's been besieging us for weeks and you could argue that hitting him back is part of that war. But for now we're just trying to find answers.”
“Well if I find out anything you'll be the first to know.” He meant that, but he didn't plan to do much digging.
He started to turn away, but Ellie called him back. “One more thing.”
Fantastic. Nick reluctantly faced her again, waiting.
She fidgeted a bit, looking embarrassed. “Look, I didn't mean for that to be a fight. I probably should've given you the good news first, started things off on a more cheerful note.” She smiled wanly. “I've talked it over with Hal . . . since we can't move into Stanberry, and Jay's been quiet for the last few days, and now you know where his camp is, I think it's safe to go ahead with the wedding. We're going to have it tomorrow at noon.”
Oh. Yeah, that probably would've been a better subject to lead off with. Nick forced himself to give her the warmest smile he could manage. “Congratulations! You still want us all from the survivors' camp to try to attend in person?”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Ellie gave him a sincere look. “Thanks, Nick. For everything. It means a lot that you and Tallie will be here for this.”
“I think we could all do with a happy event, with everything we've been through. Give my congratulations to Hal, too. He seems like a good guy.”
“Hey thanks, man, right back at you!” Hal called from behind the berm. Nick heard Ricky and the other kids all laughing.
He shook his head ruefully; there wasn't much privacy in the camp, especially when you were talking to someone at a safe distance. “Well I'm going to go get Tallie and bring her back so you can say goodnight and give her the good news.”
“I can't wait to see her face,” Ellie said. She looked happy, which he was glad for; he genuinely hoped her marriage turned out well. The two deserved that, after everything they'd been through.
Nick waved goodbye and headed for the survivors' camp, feeling a conflicting mix of emotions.
Well, at least someone had found some happiness in all this chaos.
Chapter Six
Nuptials
Ellie squinted into the mirror she'd borrowed, twisting and turning to try to get a view from head to toe.
She'd hoped a bathroom mirror would be big enough, since finding a full-length one on short notice had proved impossible. But this one was proving frustratingly inadequate. Which was just one of the less than ideal things about her wedding day.
The least ideal of which, unfortunately, was her wedding dress. She'd needed to be a bit creative when it came to finding one on short notice; one of Winn's friends had been willing to loan her an older but well cared for white gown, just fancy enough to fit the occasion. But it was embarrassingly loose around the hips and bust, and even after her friends had spent a few hours working on the fit it was still far from flattering.
“Don't worry,” Gen had told her when she expressed her reservations about walking down the aisle in the borrowed dress. “With your figure you can make anything look good.” Her kindly eyes had crinkled with humor. “Besides, any idiot can see Hal's head over heels for you. He'd give you googly eyes even if you came out covered head to toe in cardboard.”
That was all well and good, but as Cara and Linny helped her with the final fitting before her walk down the aisle, she couldn't help but feel like a girl playing dress-up. It wasn't a feeling she'd expected to have in her early 30s.
Hal's mom was either surprisingly perceptive about Ellie's inner thoughts, or she'd been thinking along the same lines, because after stepping back and looking Ellie over with a frown her first words were, “Well, you could always stuff your bra to fill out the chest area. It wouldn't be your first time, I'm guessing.”
Ellie felt her face flush, wondering what it would do to the celebratory mood of the wedding if she kicked her soon to be mother-in-law out of the tent. She knew the woman was just talking nonsense anyway since she hadn't ever done that, and even an overlarge dress wouldn't fool anyone into thinking she needed to.
So, as was often the case when dealing with Cara, she dismissed the needling comment, turning her focus back to trying to get her hair and makeup just right.
Although unfortunately not everyone ignored it. “What's stuffing your bra mean?” Linny asked, forehead wrinkling in confusion.
Surprisingly, her mom had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “Nothing you'll have to worry about, honey,” she said airily. “The women in our family do just fine in that department.” She smirked over her daughter's head at Ellie. “Good thing for your brother's daughters, if he has any.”
Ellie again entertained a brief fantasy about kicking the woman out. By a firm boot to the seat of the pants.
Breathing through her nose, she clapped her hands briskly. “I think we're done here. Linny, do you want to go let Hal know we're ready to get started?”
“Yay!” the little girl shouted, bolting out of the tent.
Thankfully her mother was quick to follow. “Break a leg out there!” she called back cheerfully as she disappeared through the entry flaps.
Ellie grimaced. That parting wish for actors wasn't exactly a proper comment for a wedding, especially since the woman sounded like she might have meant it literally.<
br />
Well, at least she was finally gone, even if there were still a few finishing touches needed that would be tricky to do alone. Ellie would've preferred to have pretty much anyone else helping her prepare for her big day, but unfortunately there were exactly two other girls she could safely get within ten feet of. And one was seven.
Beggars couldn't be choosers.
“Break a leg,” she muttered. “Probably shouldn't say something that vague right after insulting the bride on her wedding day. You might be surprised which leg she decides to break.”
Those sorts of thoughts were beneath her, and anyway didn't do anything to help her actually be ready for when Linny passed along her message and the Wedding March started up, announcing it was time to make her way down the aisle.
Besides, she'd rather be thinking of other things besides Cara on her wedding day. Like the wonderful man waiting at the end of the very short aisle across their little camp to become her husband.
She was looking forward to seeing how he'd dressed himself up for the big event.
As she peered into the mirror again she noticed she was grinning like an idiot, stomach fluttering with excitement. Considering she was living in a glorified campsite without running water or electricity, in the middle of a crisis and suffering from lack of sleep and severe stress, she thought she looked pretty good.
Hopefully Hal felt the same way when he saw her; she'd done her best.
She jumped a bit as someone slapped the door of her tent. “Mom?” Ricky called. “Linny said you're done getting ready.”
“I am,” she called back. “Come in, honey.”
Her son ducked into the tent, then stopped and stared at her with wide eyes. Ellie supposed he wasn't used to seeing her in fancy dresses, let alone a wedding gown. She bit back a smile. “Well? How do I look?”
“You look beautiful, Mom,” he said, the words sincere, almost awed, rather than dutiful, “like you do in your old wedding pictures with Dad.”
Isolation | Book 4 | Holding On Page 9