Return to Yellowstone

by Heath Stallcup

  “Tell me what you mean, son.” Hatcher placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “What did you see?”

  “The clans…they fight over that mountain top. Well, what’s left of it.” He swallowed hard and nodded toward the crest. “I’ve seen them fight harder over possession of that mountain top than they do over food or land or…” his voice trailed off, his eyes scanning the horizon ahead.

  “What makes you think it’s sacred to them?” Hatcher asked.

  “Just the way they act when they’re there. They don’t scream to each other. They actually set up watches. The clans stay in the area, but they refuse to go to the very top. It’s like it’s a holy place or something.”

  Hatcher shot a glance to Hollis. “Their Jerusalem?”

  “Who knows.” He nodded to his driver. “Spread the word. We can expect heavy resistance near the peak.”

  “More than heavy resistance…the largest clan has possession of it now. You’re talking a group close to sixty strong.” Buck shuddered as he spoke.

  “How many are women or children?” Hollis asked.

  Buck gave him a surprised look. “Doesn’t matter. They’ll fight alongside the men. And most of the females are as vicious as the men.”

  Hatcher paused for a moment, remembering when Buck’s mother took on Mitch at the Center. He was right…the females were every bit as vicious as the men. He turned to Hollis, “Is there any way we can get more support out here?”

  Hollis shook his head. “It’s just us.” He gave Hatcher an evil grin. “But until they come up with something that can trump a .50 cal, I think we have the upper hand.” He turned and made a circle with his hand. “Load up!”

  Buck continued to shake his head and backed away from the truck. “I’m not. I can’t go with you.”

  Hatcher stared into the woods and held his hand out to him. “I can’t leave you here, Buck. This isn’t safe.”

  He turned wide-eyes to the man. “And you think we’ll be any safer up there?”

  Hatcher gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You can stay in the truck. In fact, we only need one person to get out and get a sample of the goo that started this.”

  Buck gave him a surprised stare. “That isn’t where it all started.” Hollis and Hatcher both gave him their attention.

  “What do you mean?” Hatcher asked.

  “My sister Keri. She was the first to get infected.” Buck turned slowly and pointed to the east. “We were camped at a hot spring.”

  Hollis came back around the front of the truck. “So, you’re saying there’s another hot spring? One that the virus originally came from?”

  Buck nodded. “Yeah, and it’s just over that ridge. We were camped there when there was an earthquake or something. This black goo came up out of the water and my sister swallowed some of it. A few minutes later, she turned into a zombie.”

  Hollis nodded to Hatcher who took the boy by the arm. “We need you to show us which hot spring. Do you think you could remember?”

  Buck gave him a duh look. “Of course.”

  Hollis slid into the front seat and keyed his radio. “Change of plans. Stay on our six and watch the perimeter.” He turned and gave Buck a sly grin. “Point the way.”

  Squirrel wasn’t surprised at how cautious the woman was being with him. He’d have probably done the same. Well, unless he was with Simon or some of his more trusted men. If that were the case, he’d have to be more ruthless. Brutal. Almost savage. He tried not to think of such things. Instead, he tried to focus on the here and now and the potential to not only save these people from Simon’s wrath, but possibly even redeem his own soul.

  “I asked you where you came from.” Candy slammed her hand on the table. Squirrel groaned and gave her sullen eyes.

  “I told you it doesn’t matter where I come from because it was just a camp. They’ve already pulled up stakes and they’re looking for you.”

  “Why would they look for me?” Candy took her chair and gave him a deadpan stare.

  “I told you. They’re looking for where the military truck came from.” He sighed heavily and looked toward the door of the small room they were in. “Is there somebody in charge here?”

  “Yeah, there is.” She poked herself in the chest. “Me. So if you want to stop jerking my chain, start talking.”

  Squirrel recognized the body language. She wasn’t adept at interrogation. She either learned this piss-poor method from watching somebody inept or from watching television. He nodded his head and leaned back in the chair. “Fine. Ask away, officer.”

  “Deputy.” She tried to growl her answer and he did his best not to laugh at her. She was in charge of this fiasco, so he had better do his best to give her the respect she felt she deserved.

  “Apologies, deputy.” He forced his face to be stoic and he sat up straighter in his chair. “Ask me anything.”

  “Where are your marauder buddies?”

  He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. As I stated, they pulled up stakes and were going to work an expanding circle. After running into your friend Hatcher, the leader of our group wanted…well, everything that Hatcher and his people might have.”

  She tried to remain calm, but he could read her face. She didn’t like the answer.

  “And this is the same group of people who tried to kill Hatcher and the couple he was with?”

  Squirrel nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She swallowed hard and jotted something on her pad he couldn’t make out. He assumed it was just scribbling to buy time.

  “And you are admittedly part of that group?”

  He shrugged slightly. “Well, yes and no.”

  “It can’t be both, pal. You can’t be a little pregnant, so what is it?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  She did her best to give him a menacing smile. “Enlighten me.”

  He had to bite his lower lip to keep from smiling. “It’s a long story, but the short version is, I was under cover and infiltrated the gang. When the virus was unleashed and civilization went to shit, I was trapped. As I told your guy Henry out there, there is safety in numbers, so I stayed with them.”

  She leaned back in her chair and studied him. “You’re sticking to the story that you’re a cop?”

  He nodded.

  “And when did you go through the Academy?”

  “I went through originally back in ’09. I was fresh out of college and thought I could make a difference.”

  “Who was the—”

  Squirrel raised his voice to cut her off. “It doesn’t matter, deputy.” He paused and glared at her. “What does matter is that I found your two knuckleheads out there in a matter of minutes. Me. By myself.” He gave her a moment for the statement to soak in. “Now imagine that whole group searching this area. Nearly fifty men strong. How long do you think it will take them to track you down?”

  She visibly paled, but did her best to retain her composure. She sat back and studied the man. “Your point?”

  “My point?” He gave her a surprised look. “These guys are ruthless. They’re blindly allegiant to Simon and whatever he says, they will do. If he tells them to strap a bomb to their chest and charge the gates, they will do exactly that.” He sat back and shook his head. “I have no idea how many you are here, but unless you have a regiment of Marines hiding in the back, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

  “And I’m supposed to believe you are offering your help?”

  He slumped in his chair and shook his head at her in disbelief. “I came here, surrendered my weapon, allowed you to handcuff me and drag me in here for this sorry excuse for interrogation, and you think I have an ulterior motive?” He nodded vigorously. “Sure. Why not. What might that be? Allow myself to be captured…for what?” He leaned forward and nearly screamed at her, “Don’t you get it? I’m here to try to save you people!”

  “From your people.” Her voice was soft but accusing.

  “Fine. Yes. From my people.
Even though they aren’t really my people, from your point of view, they absolutely are my people.” He leaned back in the chair and lowered his voice, his eyes suddenly softer. “I don’t blame you for being cautious. But I’m trying to tell you, they are coming, and they will find you. Unless we take steps to hide this place, make it blend in…something. They will find you. They will destroy you, and they will take anything and everything of value.” His face suddenly turned sad, and his voice was barely a whisper as he concluded, “Anything they don’t think is of value, they will kill or destroy.”

  Candy nodded slightly and her voice cracked when she spoke. “And I’m supposed to believe that even though you are part of this group, you are the good guy and you want to help?”

  He hung his head and sighed. “Yeah.”

  She stood and he didn’t look up. He heard the door open and she muttered something to whoever was outside. When she came back in, she placed the notepad back on the table and he felt hands behind him unlock the cuffs. He pulled his hands to his front and rubbed at his wrists without looking up.

  She slid the notepad in front of him with a pen. “I want the names of the people you were with.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know most of them. They were underlings. Worker bees. Simon is the one you have to be careful of. He’s the lunatic running the asylum.”

  “Then tell me everything you know about him.”

  He opened his mouth to speak when she pushed the notepad in front of him again. “People tend to write slower than they think. It gives them time to include things that they might not think to the first time.”

  He glanced at her, then nodded. “Got it.”

  He pulled the notepad closer and picked up the pen. “Do you just want to know about the man himself or the crimes that I personally witnessed?”

  “Start at the beginning. From when you were approached to go undercover.” She stood and reached for the knob. “I’ll bring you some coffee if you like.”

  He smiled to himself. “Got any doughnuts to go with it?”

  She nodded. “I think we can find something.”

  He watched her walk away and for a moment he wasn’t sure if she were testing him or seriously wanted the information she asked for. Regardless, he would give her exactly what she wanted.

  Vivian went from test subject to test subject, charting their vitals and noting any changes in their condition. She paid particular attention to the second subject. His temperature had come down considerably and was close to normal. The red in his sclera was turning to brown, and she couldn’t be sure if it was his natural eye color or if the blood that had been pumped there was decomposing. What would cause the hemoglobin to break down?

  She stood back and tried to note any other physical changes that were noteworthy. She stretched her back and laid the chart down long enough to try to stretch her neck. She had spent so long studying the subjects she wasn’t sure if it was day or night.

  “Coffee?”

  She turned and saw Charles holding two cups of the steaming liquid. She gave a quick sigh of relief and peeled her gloves off. Pulling her mask down, she inhaled the dark nectar and smiled. “Thank you. This is exactly what I need.”

  He handed her an apple. “I’d hide it if I were you. I think it’s the last of the fresh fruit onboard.”

  “An apple a day?” She slipped it into her pocket and sipped the coffee.

  “That wasn’t exactly what I was thinking when I snagged it off the mess deck, but if you really think it apropos.” He leaned against the workbench and sipped at his own coffee. “I’ve gone back through the different sequences.”

  “And?” She hoped he had found something promising. She didn’t want to tell him before, but she secretly hoped that his gene therapy would work.

  He shook his head slightly. “Until we get the original virus to study, I don’t think I’ll be able to make any leeway.”

  She nodded toward the second test subject. “His vitals are improving.”

  “Which one is he?”

  “He received both of the vaccines. The secondary antigen has the stronger adjuvant.” She took another sip of the coffee then set her cup down. “His temperature is only slightly elevated, and his eyes are beginning to clear.”

  Charles gave her a surprised look. “His vitals?”

  “Blood pressure is still a bit elevated, but that could be normal for him.” She shrugged. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s responding.”

  “Dare we pray that he recovers…”

  “If praying works for you, Charles, feel free.” She gave him a look he couldn’t read. “I gave up on a divine creator the moment this monstrosity raised its ugly head and wiped out nearly all of humanity.”

  Charles nodded. “I may not have much faith left, but I think I’ll exercise it.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “I’ll try to be believe enough for the both of us.”

  She picked her cup up to take another sip when a weak and trembling voice asked, “Is that coffee I smell?”

  Both researchers turned and stared at the source of the voice and Vivian’s cup fell from her hands, crashing on the deck below.

  Candy paced outside of the room she held the biker in and chewed nervously at her thumbnail.

  “Thoughts?” Vicky asked.

  She shook her head. “Part of me thinks he’s telling the truth.” She glanced back toward the door, then added, “The cop in me doesn’t trust a word he’s saying.”

  Vicky groaned and tried to stop her from pacing. “What does your gut tell you?”

  Candy sighed. “My gut is just as confused as my head.” She hooked a thumb back toward the door. “Prince Charming in there shows up, surrenders his weapon, and tells us he’s with the marauders, but he wants to help. What am I supposed to think?”

  “Is there a reason to doubt him?” Vicky was simply trying to play Devil’s advocate.

  “Part of me worries he’s some sort of advance force that comes in and reads our strengths and weaknesses then uses it against us so that his people suffer the least losses.”

  “What does the other part tell you?”

  Candy’s eyes narrowed. “I’m hoping his report will cast a bit of light on that.” She gave Vicky a sly grin. “If he really is a cop, I’m hoping he’ll use terms or acronyms that cops use in his write up.”

  “But even if he does, there aren’t any police left.” Vicky added. “Who’s to say he wasn’t a cop at one point, but then joined with this group just to stay alive?”

  Candy nodded. “Exactly. Even cops can have bad apples.” She sighed and wiped a hand across her face. “I can go in circles with this kind of logic all day.”

  “Okay, let’s assume he was a cop once.” Vicky began. “And let’s assume that what he’s saying is true. All of it. He stuck with the group because it increased his survival odds. Why would he suddenly jump ship and try to help us?”

  Candy shook her head. “I dunno.”

  “Because I want to do what’s right.” Both women jumped at his voice and Candy spun on him. He held his hands up in surrender and shot her another brilliant smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I heard voices.” He handed her the notepad. “Apologies. I didn’t use much cop-speak in the write up.”

  “You need to go back inside and sit down until—”

  “We can’t waste any more time. There are four more men out there in neighboring towns searching for the source of the smoke…from the car? We spotted it last night and played a hunch.”

  “You need to go back inside and SIT DOWN. I will be with you in just a—”

  “Candy, is it?” He stepped back into the room, but held the door. “We don’t really have much time, so let me just say this,” he paused and took a deep breath. “Yes, I rode with those assholes. I witnessed things I wish I could scrub from my memory, but I can’t. I’ve pondered leaving them in the middle of the night and just riding until I hit an ocean and…and become somebody else. But I never did
. And I think the reason I never did was because I had to atone for the things I allowed to happen.” He stared into her eyes and prayed she could understand what he was saying. “You and your people give me that opportunity. Who knows? Maybe the reason I never left was because I was supposed to help you.”

  Candy shook her head. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  “I understand that. But I need you to understand something…just because I rode with them, and yes, it was mutually beneficial, that doesn’t make me like them.”

  “Ever hear of guilt by association?” Vicky tossed in.

  Squirrel nodded. “Fine. You do what you need to do, but trust me on this. You need to get a crew out there and hide that car and the trail it left back to your doorstep. Otherwise those four men will find it and they will report back to Simon. Then you’ll have the whole damned gang breathing down your neck.” He pulled the door shut and walked back to his seat.

  Vicky looked to Candy. “It couldn’t hurt to send a crew out. Maybe…somehow they could disguise the damage the car did?”

  Candy shook her head. “How?”

  “Haul in dirt.” Squirrel said loudly from behind the door.

  Candy turned and gave a dirty go-to-hell glare at the door then turned back to Vicky. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “See if the guys can find a county dump truck and jump start it. See if they can haul some sand or something down the road and…bury it or something.”

  “On it.” Vicky turned and disappeared down the hallway.

  Candy spun and reached for the door. Her hand hovered just above the knob and she contemplated the man sitting on the other side.

  He did turn over his weapon.

  He didn’t hurt Hank or Wally.

  She glanced at the notepad in her hand and skimmed through what he had written.

  She squared her shoulders and opened the door. “Tell me more about Simon.”

  Chapter 18

  Hatcher stared at the hot spring with Buck while Hollis directed his men in setting up the perimeter. Captain Hollis slithered into the white body suit and double checked his filtrations system before donning the head piece.