Humanity's Edge- The Complete Trilogy

by Paul B. Kohler

  “God only knows,” Norah said. “Let me pack a few things. Then I’ll go with you. And you”—she snapped at Daniels—“don’t you stay in here. Go outside.”

  Daniels turned toward Alayna, looking for affirmation. Was this really happening? But Alayna shooed him, shoving him toward the door. “Just keep a lookout for Carl. He’s most likely infected.”

  Alayna waited for Norah to finish packing, watching her drift through her downstairs, slide fingers over little knickknacks and portraits of her and her husband, probably photographed forty years before. Alayna recognized the love between them. She wondered if she and Megan could ever have that kind of love. The love that would last decades, even into death. Deep down, she knew she had it in her, but Megan was so unreadable sometimes. It made her crazy, and perhaps that is why she stayed.

  As she stood, she heard several blasts from a gun outside. Above her, Norah began to scream in her bedroom. Panicked, Alayna rushed upstairs to find her gazing out the window at the sidewalk below. She heaved with terror.

  “That monster,” she breathed. “He killed Carl.”

  Outside, Daniels stood with his gun still poised, staring down at Carl splayed upon the cement. His arms and legs were flung out, and his blood began to leak from his ear and the back of his head. His reading glasses were still perched on his face.

  “It’s okay,” Alayna whispered. “Carl was no longer the man you knew. He was coming to kill you. He was sick.” She rubbed the old woman’s back, feeling the spindly bones.

  “Great. Now your lieutenant friend will kill us next,” Norah said curtly.

  “Why would you think that, Norah?” Alayna asked. Her own reservations about Daniels were triggered by his chauvinistic tendencies, not because he was a manic killer.

  “Listen, I’ve been around long enough to know when I see a bad seed. That man is . . . is . . . he’s just bad news.”

  Alayna smiled. “He certainly is rigid, but I have to believe it’s just his training that’s made him that way,” she said, hoping she was right. Having only recently met him, and having endured his despicable flirting, she despised having to defend him.

  Norah turned back toward her suitcase and zipped it, her eyebrows furrowed. “All right. If we’re going to go, then I’d like to do it now or never. Thank you.”

  Alayna nodded, noting the time. The sun blasted orange across the many houses, making them look forsaken, somehow.

  Chapter 34

  “Megan?” Clay said, in complete surprise.

  “Hey, Sheriff,” she said sheepishly, sweeping her dark bangs from her eyes. “Sorry about the door. And the light. I just—I didn’t want to be found. But . . . here you are.”

  “Megan, you aren’t supposed to be here,” Clay said, feeling the all too familiar pangs of agitation for Alayna’s on-again, off-again mate. “Alayna said you’d already left for Austin. I sent my family that way as well. We were all going to meet you there.”

  Megan bit her lip, allowing an awkward silence to pass as the door creaked open a bit wider. She motioned Clay into the foyer.

  “Did you forget something?” Clay asked.

  “No. I mean, kind of,” Megan whispered, her voice cracking.

  “Then what?” Clay asked, incredulous. Once again Megan was making bad decisions. She had to understand the importance and terror of what they were dealing with, almost more than anyone because of her relationship with Alayna.

  “You know Al and I have had our troubles, right?” Megan asked, her voice wistful. “I’m sure she’s told you, at least a little. The two of you are close. I think she looks at you as more than just a boss.”

  Clay nodded slowly, sensing the passage of time. They were wasting it.

  “I told Alayna I wouldn’t allow us to be split up again. When she sent me to Austin, I started out of town but then turned back. I knew I couldn’t leave her here. Not alone.” She brought her lips together, allowing the silence to stretch on. “Besides, Alayna told me everything was going to be fine eventually. So I saw no reason to be so far away from her.”

  Clay’s eyes grew wide. “Sure, it’s going to be okay—eventually. But not for a long while,” he said, bringing a firm hand to her shoulder. “Listen, Megan. We need to get the hell out of here. They’re fumigating in”—Clay paused to look at his watch—“well, in less than two days, and it’ll most likely kill you. Do you understand?”

  Megan’s lip began to quiver with fear. “What—” she said, looking suddenly helpless. She was almost childlike compared to Alayna’s loud, brilliant beauty.

  “You need to come with us if you want to live, Megan,” Clay said, his eyebrows furrowing. “I’m not fucking around. I’m not being dramatic. Alayna wasn’t straight with you, and she should have been. But she just didn’t want to scare you. Okay?”

  Megan swallowed sharply, cutting back toward the side of the house and gripping her backpack, which was still packed from her previous attempt to leave. She sighed heavily and flung it around her shoulders, easing her feet into her tennis shoes. “You don’t have any food, do you?” she asked, her voice high-pitched. “I’m starving.”

  “We can get something when we get back to the hotel,” Clay said, finding the first grin in a while stretch across his face. Despite his frustration with Megan for coming back, it was good to feel that he’d actually done something positive during their search. He’d found someone; he’d convinced her to come to safety. All was not lost.

  Megan sat in the back of the cruiser, her backpack on her lap, blinking wide doe eyes and not speaking as they drove closer to downtown. The doctor had begun to shiver, large beads of sweat on his forehead. Clay gripped the steering wheel with increasing intensity, punching his foot against the gas pedal. Houses whizzed past them.

  At a stop sign, Clay paused, catching sight of a house with an upstairs light on. He stopped the vehicle and barreled up the steps of the house, rapping on the door, and collecting two more individuals. Ralph and Connie Sullivan were panicked, sure that staying was the “right thing to do.” As he eased them into the back of his cruiser, his hands on their quivering backs, he assured them that everything would be fine. Safety was elsewhere. But they’d get Carterville back to normal soon, he promised. He lied.

  Chapter 35

  Clay parked alongside Lieutenant Daniels’s military vehicle, noting that the hotel’s lights were blaring, giving it an aura of warmth. He sighed with relief, listening as his two latest rescuees twittered with mild panic in the back seat. Clay remembered seeing the married couple many times at Sunday service, but he’d never interacted with them directly. It was clear now that they had an incredibly Christian background, bordering on the fanatical, as they prayed with manic zeal the moment they’d buckled in. Beside them, Megan rolled her eyes, gripping her backpack closer.

  “Can you let us out of here?” Megan asked, bringing her lips together tightly. “I, for one, would like a bit of breathing room. And a bit less praying.”

  “Prayer is the only thing that will get us through this terrible time,” Connie rasped. “You have to know that.”

  “Seriously, Clay. I can’t open the back door myself. We’re in a cop car, remember?” Megan said.

  “Right,” Clay said, rushing to open the door. Connie, Ralph, and Megan spilled out, stretching their limbs and backs and eyeing the warmth of the hotel. Willis took tentative steps from the vehicle, clearly weakened, fading with every moment.

  “You gonna be okay, Doc?” Ralph asked with a twang. “It looks like he’s bleedin’ bad.”

  Clay placed a hand at Willis’s back, guiding him toward the door. “He’ll be fine. We’re all going to be fine,” he said, feeling more and more unsure of whether those promises would hold up. Willis made momentary eye contact with him, looking like a tired, lost child and not like the emboldened doctor who’d volunteered to stay behind.

  Clay opened the door to discover Daniels and Alayna standing at the foyer desk, their eyes upon the town map. Immediat
ely, Alayna’s face broke into a grin. She rushed toward Clay and wrapped her thin arms around his neck, shuddering. “I was so worried about you guys. Welcome back.”

  As she broke the hug, her eyes gazed over the people behind him, including the injured doctor, Ralph, Connie, and, of course, Megan. She took a tentative step back, bringing her fingers to her red-tinged cheek. “Megan? Wha . . . what are you doing here?” she gasped.

  Megan stood in the doorway, allowing Ralph and Connie to skirt past her, muttering to themselves. It was unclear if their words were complaints or prayers.

  “I was worried about you,” Megan whispered. “I couldn’t let you be here alone. I told you we wouldn’t be without each other again. Not after our fight.”

  Alayna closed her eyes tightly. Crow’s feet formed on either side, along with a small, intimate wrinkle between her eyebrows. “Damn it, Megan. You don’t know what you’ve done.” She flung herself forward, then, and kissed Megan fully, grasping her dark hair. A single tear swept down her cheek. “But it’s so good to see you. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too,” Megan said. She grinned, similar tears showing in her eyes.

  Near the formal dining room, Ralph and Connie glared at them, their jaws dropping. Clay was incredibly grateful that they didn’t spout any of their biblical speak in that moment and simply allowed Megan and Alayna’s beautiful embrace. Inwardly, he felt anxious and sad, wishing Valerie could be in his arms. As his mind wandered, he noticed Norah glaring at him.

  “What are you looking at?” she asked.

  Feeling slapped, Clay raised his hand in the air, ignoring the woman, and Megan and Alayna broke apart. “Everyone. I’d like to suggest that we regroup on the second floor to recap the events of today, make plans for tomorrow, and relax, above all. Get cleaned up if you like, and meet in the bar in thirty minutes. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look at our food situation.”

  “I’ll come too,” Alayna said, leaving one last peck on Megan’s cheek.

  The group split up with somber looks, walking off to claim hotel rooms for themselves. The doctor moved with intent but struggled visibly. His feet paused at every other step, and his eyes narrowed with concern. Clay and Alayna watched him until he reached the landing, when Alayna whispered, “We really need to watch the doc. Is he going to be okay?”

  “I think he’ll be fine. He was bitten by one of the crazed but hasn’t shown any signs of the infection. We talked earlier, and he says that he can treat himself. Seeing as nobody else in this group has any medical training, I think he’s his own best option.”

  Alayna gave him a knowing glance. “Are you sure about that?”

  “No. Of course not,” Clay said, turning toward the kitchen. “But we have to be optimistic. I honestly don’t know what to think anymore. But if he stayed behind to help medically, then he should be able to at least treat the bite himself. Don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” Alayna whispered, trailing off.

  Chapter 36

  They popped open the kitchen door and found themselves in a gleaming aisle of stainless steel refrigerators and cabinets, all stocked with meats, cheeses, breads, vegetables, and fruits—enough to feed their small group for a week. They allowed themselves a few moments of play, nibbling on bits of cheese and creating a large tower of fruits, before carrying as much as they could to the second-floor bar. They splayed the foods upon the bar top and waited for the survivors to assemble.

  Megan appeared in the doorway of the bar first, her freshly washed hair dribbling down her back. She grinned sheepishly at Alayna, who grasped her hand and squeezed it before dropping it away. “Have something to eat. You look hungry,” she said.

  Megan lifted an apple to her mouth and bit into it, creating that familiar crisp, fresh sound. Alayna held her gaze, leaving Clay to stuff his hands in his pockets and monitor the liquor cabinets. Eyeing the massive collection the hotel bartender, Harvey, had amassed through the years, Clay was generally impressed, even though his own knowledge of wine and spirits was limited.

  Several minutes later, the entire group had arrived, poised and attentive. Clay placed his palms upon the mahogany bar top and assessed his random group, noting that the doctor was alert but his appearance had deteriorated even further in the short time since he’d last seen him.

  “All right, guys,” Clay began, clearing his throat. “I want to thank you all for your hard work today. Alayna and Lieutenant Daniels, I appreciate you bringing Norah in. And discovering Megan, Ralph, and Connie today was truly a blessing. We wouldn’t have wanted them out there in this hell.”

  “Hear, hear,” Alayna said, raising her fist. Daniels looked at her with disdain, clearly reeling from her refusal of him and her sure lesbian love with Megan. He grunted and defensively crossed his arms across his chest before leaning back heavily in his chair.

  “That said, it’s clear we didn’t cover enough ground today. And, as many of you know, we encountered a number of the crazed individuals who ultimately had to be taken down. Lieutenant, I understand you had an issue as well?”

  “There was no problem,” Daniels scoffed.

  “That was Carl. That creep,” Norah scowled, sniffing her nose sharply. “He had it coming.”

  Clay withheld a smile at the woman’s words. Otherwise, the mood in the bar was grim and barren, and a single look at the doctor forced him back to his somber mood.

  “Now, as you can see, our doctor here isn’t feeling so hot,” Clay began.

  “So much for being a doctor, eh?” Ralph cried from the corner.

  “That’s right, baby,” Connie whispered after him, his personal cheerleader.

  Clay paused, gritting his teeth. “We need to make sure that we have searchers tomorrow, even without the doctor’s help.”

  “I’ll do it, son,” Ralph said gleefully. “I’ve always wanted to kill me somebody.”

  “He’d be great,” Megan said, rolling her eyes. Alayna and Megan shared a glance, communicating volumes between them, without saying actual words.

  “Well, that settles it, then. Ralph, you’ll come as Doctor Miller’s replacement. And Megan, Norah, and Connie, you’ll stay behind with the doctor to ensure he rests up. No working too hard, Doctor. Bed rest,” Clay said, eyeing Willis once more. The doctor forced a smile, but it was clear that he was in far more pain than he’d let on earlier.

  Sensing he was losing the room, Clay reached toward the liquor cabinet and grasped a bottle of Harvey’s bourbon reserve. He cleared his throat, thrusting the bottle onto the bar. “In any case, the best thing we can do for ourselves right now is relax. Seeing as Harvey’s not here to object, and I’m sure he won’t mind anyway, I think we could all use a belt from his special selection.”

  “Are you mad?” Norah howled. “That bottle must be worth five hundred dollars!”

  “So be it,” Clay said, rather pleased with himself. He popped the top from the bottle and poured himself an initial glass, sniffing at the powerful liquid. “To Harvey. And to all of us. We’ll get out of this alive. Or this stuff will kill us. One or the other.”

  Clay grinned, tossing the drink back and sending the bottle toward Alayna, who began to pour drinks for the rest of the group. Each accepted their crystal glasses with a sheepish smile, understanding that this foray into leisure was a false safety.

  Chapter 37

  After several slugs of bourbon, after champagne bottles were popped and wine bottles were uncorked, the remaining derelicts of Carterville became wildly intoxicated, high on their survival and the fact that they were left behind. “It’s biblical!” Ralph continued to cry in the corner, yanking at his wife’s hand. “We’re left behind. Just like the Good Book said!”

  “That’s not how it works,” Alayna spouted back, pouring wine into her half-empty glass. “You chose to stay behind. God didn’t leave you here.”

  “That’s just it,” Ralph spat. “We chose, but God put it in our heads to choose that. Don’t you see? You’re a puppet. You don’t
even know that what these heathens tell you isn’t true at all.” He eyed Megan, who stood close to Alayna, tracing her finger against the bar and dangerously close to Alayna’s breast.

  Clay stood near the liquor cabinet sipping his drink, his feet shoulder-width apart, feeling the alcohol course through his system. Daniels appeared beside him, his eyes exhibiting a glossy sheen.

  “Sheriff,” he said curtly.

  “Lieutenant,” Clay answered, swiping the back of his hand across his lips. “What can I do you for?”

  “Ha. Now you sound like him,” Daniels said, eyeing Ralph.

  “He’s quite a character, isn’t he?” Clay asked. “We’ve got a motley collection of individuals here. I saw Norah take a shot of bourbon faster than anyone else, and she took it like a champ.”

  “Characters, all right,” Daniels said. “You know, that Alayna’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. At first, I really thought she dug me. So I went for it, you know?” He sighed, almost looking human for a moment, gesturing toward Alayna and Megan, whose noses were mere inches apart. “I laid it on thick. But it just goes to show you: all the best ones are either gay or already taken. I don’t have a chance in her world.”

  “You don’t seem like a terribly romantic guy, though,” Clay answered bluntly. “Didn’t think it’d bother you at all. After this, you’ll just be on to the next town, the next love. Alayna wouldn’t have been a forever thing anyway.”

  “Sure. But you can’t curse a man for trying,” Daniels said.

  A silence stretched between them. Clay took another sip of his drink as he thought about the man beside him. Sure, he was a dumbass. But Daniels was pushing himself to save Carterville, a town he had no ties to. He was handling those crazed individuals who came after his townspeople without prejudice. And he was taking an interest in some of Clay’s favorites, including Alayna. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad. Just misguided. Clay supposed that here, in a moment of terrible significance in his small community, he had to give people the benefit of the doubt. He reached toward the lieutenant’s shoulder and clapped it heartily, like an old friend.