Andre stared at her for a moment then slowly nodded. “As you wish.”
Before she could reply, he turned and walked to the back of the SUV. Carol sighed and leaned against the front fender. She felt mentally and emotionally exhausted and was actually relieved when Davis appeared in the doorway. “It’s clear.” He held the door open as the researchers entered the building. “I would apologize for the lack of opulence but I thought we’d have better luck getting into the rooms if they didn’t have electronic key pads.” He held up a key with a room number attached. “They’re behind the check-in counter. Pick your poison and try to stay close to each other. Just in case.”
Carol waited while the others pulled keys from the pegboard. She tried to see what room number Andre chose so she could pick one furthest away. As she reached for the keys, Davis handed her one. “I took the liberty.” He gave her a knowing look. “I’ll be next door.” He glanced to the others meandering down the hallway. “In case you need…anything.”
She raised a brow at him and slowly nodded. “Thank you.”
He fell into step behind her and muttered, “Hope for the best but plan for the worst.” He shrugged. “My dad used to say that and it’s served me well over the years.”
She flicked on her flashlight and ignored Andre as she passed by him in the hallway. She found her room at the end and turned to see Davis waiting to open his door. She pushed her door open and watched him disappear into the darkness of the room next door before she shut and locked her own.
She fell onto the bed and squeezed her eyes shut. It was going to be difficult to fall asleep without Andre lying next to her.
Derek looked nervously towards the front door. “All I’m saying is, if things look like they’re going to go sideways, I’ll help you two escape.”
Veronica narrowed her gaze at him. “And I don’t understand why you’d stick your neck out for us. You don’t know us.”
Derek leaned back into the chair, unable to make eye contact. “Let’s just say that times have changed.” He glanced toward her then turned away again. “We’ve all had to do…things. Just to survive.”
She raised a brow at him. “So this would be some kind of penance for you?”
Derek shook his head. “Not exactly.” He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “But people I care about had to do things that they aren’t proud of to keep me and some others safe.” He wiped a heavy hand over his face. “We couldn’t have known there would be a cure one day.”
Veronica nodded as she sat back. “Ah. So, because you and yours had to fight off some of the infected and the infected lost, now you feel guilty?”
Derek slowly came to his feet and stared toward the front door. “Sure. If that’s what helps you to accept my assistance.” He glanced down at her then at Simon. “I’ve never been one for capital punishment.”
Veronica opened her mouth to reply with a snarky comment and caught herself. She swallowed that thought and simply replied, “Thank you. Hopefully we won’t need it.”
“Like I said, last resort.”
Both turned when the door opened and Vicky stepped inside looking much worse for wear. “Excuse me. I need to consult some of my records.”
“Do you need help?” Veronica offered. “You look exhausted.”
Vicky paused at Simon’s door and observed him sleeping. “This woman that he thinks he…that he saw. Would she kill someone?”
“Easily,” Veronica replied.
“And consume them?” She turned slowly and watched as Veronica’s features paled. “We found a body.”
“Oh my god.” She pressed a hand to her mouth and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know.” She swallowed hard and tried not to paint a mental picture. “But she is just off enough in the head that I wouldn’t put anything past her.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Vicky wiped at her eyes and groaned. “Whoever killed this woman ripped her throat out with their teeth. Then it looks like they sliced away the larger muscles.”
Derek shuddered. “To eat later, I assume.”
Vicky shrugged. “Who knows?” She turned and stared at Veronica. “I need to know everything you know about this woman.”
Veronica nodded and fell into step behind her as she moved down the hall and into a spare bedroom that was now an office. She began pulling manila folders and skimming them. “The victim was a female, approximately forty-five to fifty-five years old.” She flipped through more and began making two piles of folders. “Slight build with a tattoo on the right arm.”
Veronica shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like anybody from our group.” She leaned out the door. “Derek, anybody in your group a single woman, forty to fifty-ish with a tat on her right arm?”
Derek appeared at the doorway. “What was the tattoo of?”
Vicky didn’t look up as she sifted through more files. “A Tweety Bird with a musket and a Paul Revere type of hat.”
Derek froze and met Vicky’s gaze. His head slowly nodded and he reached for a seat. “I remember that tattoo.” He sat down carefully, his mouth going dry. “They called her Lilly. I don’t know if that was short for something else. She…” He paused and tried to swallow. “She bunked with a younger woman. I always thought they were related.”
Vicky slowly sat behind her desk, tossing the files to the side. “She have any other family?”
He shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“You might let your people know. See if you can find the woman she lived with. Maybe she can make a positive ID on her before they bury her.”
Derek stood on shaky legs and went to the door. “Do we know if it’s Simon’s ex for sure?”
Vicky and Veronica exchanged glances and Vicky came to her feet. “Tell them to spread the word. Somebody killed her. Whether it was his ex or not, we can’t say, but people need to be on guard.”
Lana sat on the edge of the bed chewing the last piece of thigh and watching the sky darken. “How did you live?” She tore off another chunk but didn’t enjoy any of it as she chewed.
She came to her feet and stood in the upstairs window, staring down upon the people still scurrying about and doing…whatever the hell they were doing. “These have to be the same people we ran from. Why in hell would they save him if they hated each other so much?”
She shoved the last of the meat into her mouth and stared down at the people, her mind not really seeing them or what tasks they performed, lost in thought. Suddenly, she spun and marched away from the window.
“I guess that settles it. I’m just going to have to finish what I started.”
She had washed the black clothes in the cold water of the bathtub and squeezed out as much blood as she could then hung them over the shower curtain rod. They felt dry enough to wear.
If she were going to slip back into their world, she needed to be able to stay to the shadows. Luckily, the grand majority of guards looked for threats beyond their borders, and rarely, if ever, looked within their own walls.
She dressed quickly, shoving the pants legs into her boots. As she made her way towards the stairs, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and had to pause.
She stepped closer and studied her face. Running a finger under her eyes and along the edge of her mouth, she slowly smiled. “Looks like the change in diet is doing you some good, kid.”
She winked to herself before taking the stairs two at a time and slipping out into the darkness.
Jedidiah marched back and forth, his mind trying to picture how the battle would play out. He could load a large group onto one of the buses and drive right through their flimsy metal gates. Once inside, those on the bus could raise all levels of hell on earth to distract the heathens and allow his army to swarm the borders.
He sat down heavily and ran his hands through his long, white hair. He tucked it away from his face before lifting his head and reaching for the hair tie.
“I’m missing something. I can feel it in my b
ones.” He tugged the loose strands back and quickly snugged it, pulling the flowing locks from his eyes. He glanced at the mirror and tucked a few stray hairs behind his ear before tugging at his lapels and ensuring that his clothing was as pristine as an emissary of the Lord’s should be.
He turned back to the office and stared, his head aching from trying to account for every step of the battle and every possible outcome. He glanced to the small window mounted high on the wall and stepped to the side until he could see the moon, rising above them.
“The moon will soon be full. The light from it will allow our soldiers to see better when we mount our attack.”
But the uncleansed will see better, as well. The angel’s voice echoed in his mind.
“They are hungry.” He could hear them growling and scuffling in the theaters, and he knew that their frustration levels were high.
But are they hungry enough to do what needs to be done?
He stepped out into the lobby and pressed a hand to the door. He could feel them inside. Their anger and hunger and anxiety were all stretched thin; they were on the brink.
He nodded as he stepped back. “They are ready.”
Then do your worst.
18
Hatcher shook his head slowly as the men attempted to lift Bertha from her mounts. “It’s not going to work,” he repeated.
Willie stood next to him and cringed at the realization that he was right. “We have to do something. If we park the Howitzer inside the compound, we have maybe a ten-degree arc.”
“Even if you could bolt it down on top of my house, the first shot would rip the mounts from the roof—and probably the roof with them.” He crossed his arms and watched as the men attempted again to lift the giant gun. “Maybe with a crane…” He trailed off. “But even then—”
“Stop,” Willie ordered as he stepped towards the giant gun. “We have no choice. If we want the best field of fire with this thing, we have to put it outside the walls.”
Hatcher stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Whoever mans that thing will be exposed.”
Willie turned a stern face to him. “Then our snipers better do their damned job and cover them as they retreat back inside.”
“And if they can’t?”
Willie stared into Hatcher’s eyes and knew the threat his men would face. “They’ll have to.” He hitched his pants up and nodded to the men working the Howitzer. “Drag it out and set it up at the crossroads. I want to cover as much area as we can.” He turned back to Hatcher. “We only have three shells. My boys can fire them and hustle back to the compound split-lickety. The damage and chaos from firing this thing should give them some time.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Willie nodded to himself. “Me, too.” He turned and followed the men as they slowly pulled the big gun with an oversized ATV towards the gates.
Roger appeared at Hatcher’s side. “Any word from the spotters?”
“All’s quiet. So far.” Hatcher stretched his neck and groaned with the tension building in his muscles. “I wish we could know when…or even IF the infected are mounting an assault.”
Roger shrugged. “It’s been days, Hatch. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of them.” He gave him a hopeful look. “Maybe they couldn’t find us or moved on or…”
Hatcher slowly shook his head. “I’m not ready to give up yet.” He glanced at the darkening sky then at his watch. “We’ve got the beginnings of a real community here. Now that Willie’s people have arrived, I really think we have the numbers to do more than survive. We could actually start rebuilding.”
“Isn’t that what we were doing before they showed up?”
Hatcher turned and gave him a crooked smile. “We were trying. But consider the facts, Rog. Our numbers were light, and although Will and the others ensured we have luxuries like hot water and electric lights, we didn’t have the population to really thrive.”
Roger shook his head as he fell into step beside him. “I respectfully disagree. If there’s one man and one woman, then humanity has a chance.”
Hatcher stopped and stared at him. “You’re seriously talking Adam and Eve to me?”
Roger shrugged. “It could happen.”
Hatcher raised a brow at him. “And their kids? Who would they hook up with? Siblings?” He gave him a look of disgust. “The genetic malformations alone would—”
Roger held a hand up to stop him. “Point made.” As the sky grew darker, he spun a slow circle, counting the sentries along the wall. “We’re going to have to start rotating the watches out more often or they’ll be burned out before we know it.”
Hatcher nodded slowly. “When you have time, create a new watch rotation. Just make sure that they know to remain on high alert.”
“Minutemen. Got it.”
Hatcher clapped his shoulder as he turned for his house. “And make sure they rotate the batteries in their radios at each shift change. We can’t have our communications being our weak point.”
Carol tossed and turned and ground her teeth when sleep refused to come. She threw the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed, fighting the urge to curse, lest she wake any of the others.
She was about to retrieve the bottled water from her pack when she heard a light rapping at her door.
Her head spun and her first thought was that Andre had decided to come calling. Almost immediately, she feared that it might be Davis. The way he watched over her lately gave her the impression that he might be interested in being more than friends.
She stood slowly and stared at the door, wishing she could know who stood on the other side. She made her way across the moonlit room quietly and reached for the door. She turned the handle slowly and cracked it open, her eyes adjusting to the near perfect blackness of the hallway.
“Can we talk?”
She breathed a sigh of relief at Andre’s voice and pulled the door open slightly. “What about?”
“Us.” He made no move to enter as she held the door cracked.
Carol thought for a moment then pulled the door open. Andre wasted no time slipping in and she shut the door behind him. She walked past him and stood in her stockinged feet beside the open sliding glass of the narrow balcony. Andre appeared on the opposite side and stared at her. “At least out here I can see you,” she whispered.
He fidgeted with his hands as his educated mind attempted to find the right words. “I need to apologize to you.”
She wasn’t expecting to hear that. “Why’s that?”
He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. “You were right.” He turned and stared out into the deepening darkness. “It is a different world now.”
She fought the urge to reply and stared at him as his eyes probed the shadows surrounding them. He finally turned to her with a sigh and leaned against the doorway. “I must admit that our different cultures don’t always…mesh.” She caught a weak smile he gave her in the moonlight. “I was not prepared for your…” he paused, searching for the right words.
“Machismo?” She couldn’t hide the bite in her tone and instantly regretted it.
“No.” He reached for her hand and caressed the back with his thumb. “Your eagerness to assume the mantle of protector.” He lifted her hand to his face and kissed it gently. “Know that my feelings for you are real. Regardless of whether you desire to risk yourself for the others.”
“It’s not a desire, Andre.” She cupped the side of his face and gave him a sad smile. “Everywhere else, until now, we had people willing to put their lives on the line to keep us safe.” She lowered her eyes and sighed. “Now we have only Davis. And while I’m certain he is effective, he can’t do what fifty men used to do.” She looked up at him again and stared into his eyes. “Believe me when I say, I know that the world is safer than it was before we released the cure, but we can’t be naïve about it. There are still a lot of risks and a lot of danger out there.”
“And that is precisely why I worried.” His voice was
soft as he spoke, “I am not prepared to risk losing you.”
She stiffened slightly then forced herself to relax. “Nor I you. And that is exactly why I asked for the gun.” She turned back into the room and retrieved the weapon from the bedside table. She removed the magazine and ejected the round from the chamber. “It’s just a tool, Andre. It has no soul, no brain, and no heart. It has no more desire to hurt someone than a hammer does.”
He stared at the weapon in her hand and slowly nodded. “I know this.” He lowered his voice again and almost regretted what he was about to say. “But the worst a hammer might do is smash your finger. That thing is designed for one purpose: to take lives.”
She nodded. “Or to protect them.” She held the weapon out to him. “Take it.”
He stared at her for a moment then slowly extended his hand. He was surprised at the weight. He wrapped his fingers around the grip and held it up, staring at the large bore barrel. “It’s much more…substantial than I’d imagined.”
She nodded. “And well designed.” She reached forward and tapped his trigger finger. “Unless you plan to fire it, you should keep your finger along the slide. Like this.” She pulled his finger from the trigger guard and aligned it with the slide. “For safety.”
He nodded and held the weapon out to her. “Here.”
She shook her head. “Familiarize yourself with it.” She stepped back and watched as he gave her a surprised look. “You never know. The day may come that you’ll need to use one to protect me,” she shrugged slightly, “or others.”
Andre sighed heavily and stepped more towards the moonlight. “Very well.” He glanced over his shoulder to her. “Show me.”
She felt a smile pull at the corners of her mouth as she stepped forward.
Simon started awake and clenched his jaw as sharp pain radiated through his entire midsection. “Son of a…”
“Are you okay?” Veronica hovered over him, a wet rag in hand to mop his brow.
Caldera | Book 12 | Kingdom Come Page 14