by M. D. Massey
“Commander wants to see you as soon as you finish your meals and get settled. Head up to where you signed in at intake and tell them you’re there to see Captain Hillis.”
The wait to see the commander took no time at all. We were soon ushered into what looked like a principal’s office, where a trim and fit-looking man with light hair and glasses sat behind a desk reading what looked like mission status reports. He stacked and shuffled them neatly, tucking them inside a manila folder as we walked in. Then he looked us up and down for moment before gesturing to a pair of chairs in front of the desk.
“Please, have a seat. My name is Captain Paul Hillis of the 136th Military Police Battalion out of Tyler. We’ve been assigned here by request of the governor to aid local law enforcement and set up safe zones in the Texas Hill Country, where we can provide increasing support and protection to the people of this and the surrounding counties.” The whole thing sounded like a speech that he’d memorized and practiced in the mirror a few times. He reminded me of a politician. I had him pegged as a cake eater from the moment he opened his mouth.
“John Sullivan, and this is my son, James.” I gestured at Rayden, and he gave a smart-assed two-fingered salute. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, why do you have all the local residents sequestered here at the high school?”
He gave me a stern look as he replied. “Why, to protect them, of course. You carry yourself like a soldier, son. Did you serve?” I nodded. “Well, then you understand the importance of maintaining order under these conditions. We’re still under threat of further nuclear attack, we’re facing mass looting across the state, panic has erupted everywhere there are sizable populations of people left alive, and I’m certain I don’t have to explain the situation with the infected. Whether it’s a biological agent, chemical toxin, or some other unknown weapon, we aren’t certain. But what we do know is that it’s contagious, and we cannot let it spread among the local population. It has a 100 percent transmission rate upon exposure, so the safest place these people can be is here under our protection.”
“100 percent? So why didn’t you put us under quarantine when we came in?”
At that, a look crossed his face that told me he was hiding something. It quickly passed and his expression reverted to the baby-kissing politician once more. “If either of you were infected, we’d have known of it immediately. Once you contract the contagion, the transformation is almost immediate.”
I cleared my throat, because I was about to stir up some shit and wanted to be sure he heard me. “You do realize that this contagion is reanimating corpses, correct?”
The captain sat back in his chair with his hands on the edge of his desk. He fixed me with a look that clearly said he’d underestimated what I knew. “So, you’ve see this happen?”
I waved his comment away. “No, but several of the ‘infected’ that I’ve had to put down were missing so many body parts that there was no way they could’ve survived their injuries. I have yet to see a living person turn, so I assumed that it only affected the dead.”
He nodded. “Partially true. The infected have a toxin in their saliva that will kill within hours once it enters the bloodstream. Once the newly infected’s heart stops beating, that’s when they turn into those creatures you’ve seen.”
“Huh. That gives me something to think about as we continue on into Austin. I’m sure your people told you that we’re on our way to bring my parents back to the Hill Country?”
He nodded. “I assure you, we won’t hold you up. However, it is policy that we do not allow anyone in or out of the safe zone after 5 pm. It looks like you two will be spending the night as our guests. In the morning, your equipment, weapons, and vehicle will be returned to you, and you can be on your way.”
“That’s good to know, sir.”
“Now, I have some reports to review before evening chow, but I’ve arranged for Corporal Parker to place you in our overflow area, since the main living area in the gym is at capacity. It’s actually fortunate that you’ve come to us now, since you’ll only be sharing the room with a few other people.”
I stood up and extended my hand. “Thanks, Captain. We won’t be a bother while we’re here.” I noticed that Captain HIllis hesitated slightly before standing and shaking hands with me. I filed it away for future reference.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke. “I’m counting on it. Good evening, gentlemen.”
I motioned for Rayden to exit the office, then followed him out and shut the door behind me. He immediately grabbed my arm and began whispering in my ear. “Sully, I don’t trust that guy—”
I pulled him into an open doorway, covering his mouth lightly with my free hand. “Not here. Wait until I’m certain we’re alone.” I checked the hall before we exited the room, and we headed back to the front desk where Corporal Parker waited to guide us to our assigned quarters. I had a feeling it was going to be one hell of an interesting night.
10
Chaos
Since we’d just eaten earlier, we passed on the evening meal. Instead of heading back to the chow hall, we followed the directions Parker had given us and made a beeline for our “quarters,” which turned out to be a small classroom upstairs. Obviously it had been set up in a hurry, because all the desks and chairs had merely been pushed out of the way, making room for a few cots and some sleeping bags.
I quickly checked the hall to make sure no one was listening in on us, then did a quick visual check of the room for cameras and wires. Once I felt satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, I pulled Rayden over to the cots and sat down, taking a moment to mull over what I was going to say. I could tell by the look on his face that he was a little worried, but I didn’t think it’d do to mince words with him.
I just put it out there.
“I think we may be well and truly screwed here, kid.”
Rayden chewed his lip and scowled. “Man, I should have stayed in Ingram. At least with Cody and his dickhead buddies, I knew what I was in for. Here, all I know is that these people have a seriously creepy vibe going on, but I have no idea what’s coming. Feels like I’m in a horror film or something, where you know something bad is going to happen, but you don’t know what.” He shivered like a wet dog and wrapped his arms around himself as his eyes darted around the room.
I punched him lightly on the knee and smiled in a way that I hoped was reassuring. “I know how you feel, but trust me, I’ve been in worse situations than this. That’s why we’re not spending the night; in fact, we’re going to sneak out as soon as it gets dark around here.”
The kid perked up at that. “Alright, so what’s the plan?”
“Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but the second floor roof is just outside this window. Should make it easy to sneak out of here. So as soon as it’s dark I’m going to go find my gear, and you’re going to wait here in case anyone comes by while I’m gone. Once I get my stuff and locate the truck, I’ll come back to get you.”
He shook his head and frowned. “I don’t know if I like the idea of being left by myself. What if they come to take me away while you’re gone?”
“I doubt they’ll do anything to us unless we’re together, so just tell them I went to the bathroom and stall until I get back. Deal?”
“I guess so. But don’t leave me here with these people, no matter what. I don’t like it here—this place creeps me out.”
“Yeah, me too. I won’t leave you here, kid. We made a deal, and I’ll see it through.” I smiled again, this time with more conviction. “Although you have to admit, this is a helluva lot safer than Ingram.”
He smiled back, but his heart obviously wasn’t in it. “Yeah, I’d say that’s a matter of opinion. I bet those people who disappeared don’t think so.”
“Don’t worry, kid. In a few hours we’ll be out of here and on our way to Austin.”
He dropped back on the cot and tucked his hands under his head. “I am sooooo looking forward to it.”
Later that evening two more people were brought into the room, a mother and who I assumed was her child. Strangely, they were brought in by two armed soldiers; I chalked that up to the fact that they were illegals. I figured they hadn’t met anyone around here who spoke Spanish, so I started up a conversation with the mom to pass the time and put her at ease.
She seemed nervous at first, but eventually she opened up to me. Her name was Lupita, and she told me they’d crossed the border together before the outbreak, and that she’d come to Fredericksburg to work for a bed and breakfast service doing house work. Her daughter’s name was Elena, and she spent most of our conversation hiding behind her mother’s leg, at least until Rayden pulled out some licorice whips.
“Hey, where’d that come from?” I asked.
“Duh, the convenience store. You don’t think I went in there just to get Cody his beer and cigarettes, do you?” He gave me the universal “adults are so stupid” look that all kids master by the time they hit puberty, and handed Elena two licorice strings, which she took with a shy smile.
“Nice to know you’ve been holding out on me all this time. Also nice to know you’re smart enough not to bring chocolate with you on a road trip.”
He laughed. “You kidding? That’s the first thing I ate.”
“See if I give you any more jerky once we get our shit back.”
He rolled his eyes. “You can keep it. I have enough candy to last me a few more days.”
“Whatever, kid. Enjoy it while it lasts, because you may not be able to get any for a while. I have a feeling that the trucking industry is going to be out of commission for a good long time, so you’d better get used to eating jerky.” He shrugged, and I turned back to speak with Lupita. I noticed that she kept glancing out the window and scanning the skyline outside. I asked her in Spanish if anything was wrong.
In response she grabbed me and took me aside, away from where her daughter and Rayden were playing. “El cucuy, viene en la noche! Por favor, usted debe salir y nos llevará con usted!”
Rayden perked up and spoke to me over his shoulder. “She sounds upset. What’s she saying to you?”
I shook my head. “Something about a monster that comes at night. She’s asking me to leave and take them with us.” I continued to try to get more information out of her, but all I could get her to tell me was that the guards wouldn’t let them leave, that a dark figure had come the night before and took some people out of the room.
I figured that if it was real it was probably soldiers, and if it wasn’t she was in shock and having nightmares. I tried to calm her down, but it was no use. Eventually she gave me a frustrated look and grabbed Elena, then sat on a cot on the other side of the room.
“What’d you say to piss her off?” Rayden asked.
“Nothing. Maybe she’s just scared that the soldiers are going to take her and Elena to jail or something. She says a dark figure came in the room last night and grabbed some people. I think it may have been the soldiers moving people around.” I glanced outside and noticed that it was finally fully dark. “At any rate, it’s none of our concern. We just need to grab our gear and get the hell out of here.”
Rayden looked at me like I was the biggest asshole in the world. “Yeah, but if something really is going on, you’re not just going to leave them here, are you?”
“Not my monkeys, not my circus, kid. Believe me, I would if I could, but we’re barely going to have room for my folks on the way back. Besides, I’d feel terrible taking these people out of here and putting them in harm’s way. Things are only going to get hairier and scarier the closer we get to Austin, and I’m going to have my hands full just keeping an eye on you.”
He gave me the evil eye. “That’s cold, man.”
“That’s survival, kid. I learned in Afghanistan that you can’t save everyone, no matter how much you want to or how hard you try.”
“Maybe so, but it’s still messed up.”
I shrugged. “You’ll get no arguments on that point from me, but that’s just life. The sooner you learn to accept it, the better.”
He ignored me and rolled over on his cot. I decided to leave him to his thoughts, which were likely filled with disillusionment. Wouldn’t be the first time I’d let someone down, and it wouldn’t be the last. My main concern was getting us out and long gone before the local law and those Guard troops knew we’d disappeared, then I’d focus on rescuing my parents. Outside of that, all other concerns would be secondary, at least until I had us all safe and sound back at the ranch.
I tried to get Rayden’s attention to give him a few final instructions, but he pretended to be asleep. Since the kid was giving me the silent treatment, there was nothing else to do but wait. I fluffed my pillow, laid my head back on the cot, and waited for lights out. After that, the black ops shit would commence.
Just as I suspected, at 10 pm sharp a soldier came by to check on us and turn the lights out. After he left I heard him messing around with the door, so I waited for a few minutes and then snuck over to whisper in Rayden’s ear. “Kid, keep your eyes peeled. If anything happens while I’m gone, you beat feet out of here, you hear me? Head down to the gymnasium and hide there. If I come back and you’re gone, I’ll come get you down there. Got it?”
He paused before replying. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Good. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I gave him a pat on the shoulder and tiptoed over to the window, then I popped it open and slipped out into the night. It was darker than hell outside, and from what I could tell the place was running on generators for most of the settlement’s power. That meant minimal lighting in non-mission critical areas, and it also meant that the sound would help muffle my movements.
I crawled along the wall and climbed down a drain pipe, then crept around the place until I figured out where the HQ area was in relation to the room they’d put us in. After that, it was just a matter of sneaking and peeking in a few windows to find where they’d stashed our stuff. I used my multi-tool to get the window open and rifled through the room until I found my ammo and knife.
The firearms were a bit more of a hassle, as I had to jimmy a few storage cabinets until I found what I was looking for. The assholes hadn’t even tagged my shit, which told me they had no intention of returning any of it. I decided that I’d best find my vehicle and get us the hell out of here before we experienced firsthand what was really going on in this place.
It didn’t take much to sneak past the guards on patrol. They were sloppy and not at all concerned with keeping anyone in the place. I headed down to the parking lot where Bibi had said the cars were kept, and sure enough my baby was parked in the back. There was only one guard on duty, so I snuck up behind him and choked him out. I gagged him and tied him up, leaving him in the back of a Hummer for the next shift to find him in the morning.
After that, it was a matter of pulling my taillight’s fuse to keep the headlights off as I pulled out of the place. I only had to drive a few blocks to find the fence perimeter they’d set up; once there I parked the truck in someone’s driveway near the fence line, back behind the house where no one would see it. Later I planned to use my bolt cutters to clip a hole in the fence and get us the hell out of there, right after I went back for Rayden.
I checked my watch; it was roughly 30 minutes past midnight. Plenty of time to jog back to the high school, get Rayden, and be gone before dawn. I headed back over, being mindful of patrols, especially since they were probably rolling with night vision on blackout lights. I managed to evade the only patrol I saw and snuck around the back of the high school where I had climbed down a few hours before.
Just as I climbed back on the rooftop that led to the room we’d been assigned, I saw a shadow moving away from the window at high speed. It looked like a man, but I’d never seen anything on two legs move that fast before. It looked as though it might have been carrying something in its arms, but I couldn’t be sure in the dark. I followed it with my eyes, watc
hing it jump off the roof. It landed upright and continued on without pause, speeding in a southwesterly direction in the span of a few seconds. Momentarily stunned, I ran back over to our room, frightened of what I might find inside, hoping it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.
Sure enough, it wasn’t anything I’d have wanted to see. Lupita was sprawled on the ground, her neck twisted at an odd angle. My eyes searched the room, but the kids were nowhere to be seen. I stuck my head inside and started calling out in the lowest voice I could for Rayden but got no answer, so I climbed inside to see if he’d run off like I told him to.
I was just about to go looking for him in the mess when I heard some moaning off to one side of the room. I ran over and found the kid lying in a tangle of plastic school chairs, battered but basically unhurt. He was dazed, but as he came around he described what had happened.
“Just a couple of minutes ago, I got up to look for you out the window and saw something outside. I thought it was you and went to open the window. Then I saw what it was and went to wake up Lupita and Elena so we could get the hell out of here. She was already awake, but I couldn’t get her to move. She just laid there whimpering and holding on to her little girl. So, I ran to the door to get help, but it was locked. I banged on it and banged on it, but no one came.”
I sat him up and checked him for injuries, allowing him to pause and tell me the story at his own pace. “By that time, the thing was inside the room. I turned around and it had Lupita by the neck. She was struggling and struggling, but she couldn’t get loose. Elena was screaming and screaming—the thing broke her mom’s neck. It was so loud I could hear the crack, even with Elena screaming at the top of her lungs. Then he dropped her and reached for Elena, so—I rushed at it to try to save her. That’s all I remember.”