by Jeff Olah
“I have.”
“And what does that leave us with?”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“How much time do we have left on the generators at our current rate of consumption?”
Dalton again powered up the tablet and moved through four screens before tapping out a command and doing a quick estimation in his head. “Somewhere between six and seven days.”
“Okay, and if we decide to utilize the drone… send it on ahead to Blackmore, what does that do to our capacity?”
“You want to send an armed drone into the facility that you’re looking to occupy in less than a week?”
“I want it as an option.”
34
California Coastline - Day Nine…
The previous twenty-four hours had gone by in the blink of an eye. Emma again sat at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the third-floor lobby and stared down at the crowded streets as the sun made its way into her world. Scanning the city below and following the path to where Tom had left his vehicle two days earlier, she couldn’t imagine attempting a return trip.
Alone with only the sounds of the outside world for company, she slowly sipped the cup of lukewarm coffee. Veronica had made the uncontested decision that today would be the day that they used what little solar power they had left to heat a single pot of black coffee. The others agreed to forgo showering and a heated lunch for one morning of bliss.
The day before, after being educated about the other group that occupied the city, she and Tom had the opportunity to see the rest of the building. After a marginally acceptable lunch of canned green beans and prepackaged salami, Cedric and Patrick escorted her and Tom to the parking garage. They were only able to make it as far as the southwest corner—the one nearest the stairs—due to the sheer number of Feeders surrounding the building. The scene was mind blowing, as not a single inch of asphalt was left empty.
From there, the pair was handed off to Veronica and were given a tour of the first-floor restaurant that was to be their one true savior in this new world, where starving to death was a real and true possibility. She explained that the restaurant had received a shipment the day before the infection, and that most everything was nonperishable, having an expiration date well into the future.
By nightfall, she was more familiar with her new surroundings than she was with her former home. Although something about this new place and her new friends felt a bit off. Not that they appeared insincere or untrustworthy, but maybe a bit too agreeable, and overly accommodating.
Emma had been around genuinely good people in the past. She had friends that would do anything for her at the drop of a hat. But this felt different, almost as if Cedric and Veronica were fearful of them, or maybe it was someone or something else. She didn’t know, but now wondered if she also needed to be fearful… of whatever it was.
Tilting her cup back and finishing what remained, Emma pushed away from the table. She and Tom were to give Cedric ten minutes before heading down to the garage. He said he needed a few minutes with the man he referred to as Mitchell Blake before their introduction. And as Tom came through the door, she assumed it was time to go.
He was alone and moved more quickly than he had in last few days. “You ready to go?”
“Sure, but why are we even doing this?”
“I’m getting a weird vibe too, but it’s not really our place to question what they’ve asked us to do. They took us in when they didn’t really have to.”
Emma bit at the side of her lip. “I get that, but something about them seems different.”
“Yeah, almost like they owe us something.”
“That’s it,” Emma said. “You think we have anything to worry about?”
“No, I don’t think so, but I am keeping my eyes open—you never know.”
Standing behind the door leading out into the garage, Emma knocked three times. As Cedric had asked, she and Tom stepped back against the stairs and waited. A pair of muted voices could be heard on the other side; however, the words were lost to the steel-reinforced security door.
Twenty seconds had passed before the door finally opened. Cedric now stood on the other side of the threshold with the door pinned back. He waved Emma and Tom into the garage and motioned toward the two men standing in front of a white luxury SUV.
Clearing his throat, Cedric began. “This is Emma—”
The taller of the two men stepped forward and held up his hand. He looked as though he’d forgotten that the world had ended. From the perfectly tousled blond hair to the almost translucent blue eyes, he looked out of place in this new reality. His neatly pressed jeans and fitted long-sleeve t-shirt only intensified the already awkward situation. And although the man with the jaw chiseled from granite stood right at six feet, his obvious sense of self made him appear much larger.
Stopping Cedric mid-sentence, the blond man held his hand toward Emma. “Let her tell me.”
Narrowing her eyes, Emma stared back at the aggressively handsome stranger. “What is it you want to know?”
He smiled. “Let me guess, your name is Emma Runner, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, now that I know your name, how about you tell me about yourself. You know, from before all this.”
She couldn’t see any harm in it and turning to Cedric, his look hadn’t yet indicated otherwise.
“As you are already aware, my name is Emma Runner. I grew up in a small town in Colorado, and transferred to California for work. I left my home the morning the infection broke out and was in a car accident. I was—”
Interrupting yet again, the tall blond man said, “Okay, I think I get the point. How about you step back a bit and tell me a little about Colorado, specifically your family.”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but first I’d like to know who it is that I’m talking to.”
The blond man snickered. “Sure thing… okay, as I’m sure Cedric has told you, my name is Mitchell Blake, but most everyone just calls me Blake. I’m thirty years old and have been in this city since the second day. I’m also originally from Colorado and have family in Denver. Now, what else do you need from me before we proceed?”
Stepping forward, Tom said, “I don’t quite understand why we’re here. What’s all this about? You have to admit, it’s a tad awkward.”
“Tom Whitlock, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Alright Tom, I’ll be able to answer that question just as soon as I get a few more details from the both of you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Well Tom, I wanted to finish up with Emma first, but since you seem so determined to do this your way, here goes. Do you have any family, friends, or otherwise that you’re looking to bring into my town?”
“No, I don’t have any family and my friends already have a place outside of this city. And at some point, I’ll be going back to them.”
“That’s great,” Blake said. “So now if you’ll let me finish with Emma, we can wrap this thing up and get back to the business of trying not to die.”
“I do have family,” Emma said. “But they’re in Colorado and I don’t even know if they’re alive. Two days ago, I sent them a message letting them know exactly where I am. That I’m right here in this very building, and if they ever receive that message, I can guarantee you that they’ll end up here at some point.”
“Good,” Blake said. “Now with that out of the way, I can tell you why this information is important to me. You see, if we just let anyone into this city without some sort of a vetting process, who knows what this town will become in the next six months… in the next year. My goal is to keep this city as safe as possible, maybe one day even turn this place back into what it was. We have enough to worry about with what’s roaming the streets. Adding to that with the wrong sort of residents would be foolish, don’t you think?”
Emma shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it sounds a lot like you’re saying that my family may not be w
elcome here. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Emma, if and when your family makes it here, all you have to do is make an introduction. If they are half as lovely as you and your friend Tom, I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly.”
Growing weary of the conversation, Emma snapped back. “Your sarcasm is lost to me, especially where my mother, my father, and my brother are concerned. So save it for someone else.”
“Hey, there’s no reason for any hostility; I actually like you. My friends and I only want to make this city a place where we can rebuild. I would think that you would agree that we should at least assure every new citizen is up to a certain standard?”
“Your standard?”
“Maybe?”
Turning to Cedric and then back to Blake, Emma said, “I’m sorry if I’m coming across as rude or impatient, but don’t we have some sort of time limit out here?”
Blake nodded. “I have men on the street that are making sure none of those things get in. But yes, we do need to move this along, so I thank you for your candidness. It may not seem like it now, but we only want what’s best for this city. And when your family arrives, I’m sure they’ll be thankful we took these precautions to keep you and everyone else here safe.”
Blake turned and walked back to the white SUV. He jumped in behind the wheel as his yet unidentified friend climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door. Next, the engine roared to life, echoing through the empty parking garage. And in less time than it took for Emma to collect her thoughts on the unusual gathering, they were gone.
Turning away as the SUV disappeared into the street below, Emma cautiously regarded Cedric. “I hope I didn’t just cause any problems for you.”
“No,” Cedric said, the look on his face defying his rapid response. “Blake’s not that kind of guy. If he had a problem, he would have said something.” And then under his breath and only to himself he said, “At least I hope so.”
35
He wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, and as most everyone else had drifted back off to sleep, Ethan sat at the rear door. Sure his arms and legs were heavy, his back ached, and the pain behind his eyes was irritating; however, he didn’t feel like he needed any more rest. The sun had been up for a few hours, and if the bearded man kept his promise to return, he’d be waiting to greet him.
Frank and Griffin had also fought for the right to take watch, but Ethan had convinced the pair that if things went wrong, which they usually did, the group would need as many rested drivers as they could get. California was a long way off.
Sitting in the corner near the right side of the door, his view included the entire patio area and most of the greenbelt leading to the dusty hillside beyond the rear wall of the property. Over his left shoulder, he could also see the hall leading to the guest rooms, the front entrance, and a large portion of the lobby where his friends rested.
As the sun began to warm the area along the western edge of the hotel’s property, creeping slowly toward the patio, Ethan finished off what remained of the twelve-ounce soda he’d been nursing for the last hour. The caffeine had slowly dripped into his system and although the added energy was a welcome addition to his morning, the room temperature caffeine was marginal tasting at best.
Setting the empty can aside, he stared down at the weapon in his lap and wondered if he’d have the stomach to kill again. Up to this point, every single round he’d fired was more or less in self-defense and could easily be justified. However, as unconventional as the bearded man’s appearance in the middle of the night had been, he—up to this point—hadn’t necessarily been a threat. Odd, peculiar, maybe even a little eccentric, yes. But dangerous? Not so far.
Rolling the stiffness from his neck, Ethan was surprised to see Shannon moving quietly out of the lobby. She walked slowly in socked feet across the cold tile flooring, smiling as she approached. Her heather grey, long-sleeve shirt hung loosely above the faded denim that clung nicely to her perfectly sculpted legs. He couldn’t help staring—she was beautiful. And the look in her tender blue eyes told him that she didn’t at all mind.
Taking the seat across from him, she pushed her chair in front of his, kissed him gently on the forehead, and sat down. Again offering a wide smile, Shannon lifted her legs and set them in Ethan’s chair. She smelled of fresh linen and warm lavender. And although the showers the group had endured the night before were torturously cold, they now seemed completely worth the trouble.
Shifting in his seat to allow her room to stretch her legs, Ethan looked back toward the lobby. He rubbed his hand over the rough stubble on his face and yawned.
“Anyone get any sleep?”
“I think so,” Shannon said. “Off and on, maybe a few hours at a time. But someone—I think Ben—was really out. Snored louder than I’ve heard in a long time.”
“Good, the kid needs the rest.”
“Carly said he’ll be fine. He won’t have any motor loss or range of motion issues, at least I think that’s what she said.”
“How about Griffin? Did you notice if he was getting any rest?”
“I’m not too sure. Every time I rolled over last night, he was either sitting at the window or talking to Frank. But when I got up just now, he was at least lying down.”
Ethan nodded and turned to look back through the doors. “I have a feeling today is going to get weird.”
“The crazy bearded man?”
“Yeah, he called this his town.”
“Maybe he lives here?”
Ethan turned away from the window. “I’m almost certain of that, but what about all the others that lived here as well? Something’s not right about this place.”
“Yeah, but what can we do? I doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to—”
“I’m thinking we may just want to pack up and leave. Put this place in our rear-view mirror before he comes back. I mean there’s really no reason to push our luck. For all we know, the bearded guy has friends, and I’m through putting all of you in the way of danger.”
Shannon leaned forward and reached for his hand. “Ethan, I know what you’re trying to do, and I know why you’re doing it. But you can’t save everyone; you can’t be everything to everyone. The rest of us all have to learn to stand on our own as well. We do need you, just like we also need Griffin and Carly and even Ben. We can all contribute. You just have to give us a chance. Thinking that you have to protect all of us in every situation make us weaker as a group. You need to give the rest of us the opportunity to step up, to show that we can help.”
Ethan dropped his head. “You’re probably right. I’ve done nothing but get people hurt… or worse. My father, Cora, Ben, and even my best friend. None of them deserved what happened to them.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. None of those things were your fault. Not what happen to Cora, or Ben, or even your father, and especially not what happened to David.” She squeezed his hand. “He was gone before you even ran into that bank.”
His best friend’s death wasn’t something he had any interest in reliving, not now, not ever. He had dealt with it in his own way, and only wanted to remember his friend as he was before the world went to hell. David was a good person, as good and kind as anyone Ethan knew. He didn’t deserve the ending he got.
“It’s not something I really want to talk about. It’s over now and there isn’t anything I can do about it.” Ethan could feel himself beginning to get angry. “Griffin made sure of that.”
Shannon pulled away. She leaned back in her chair and slid her feet onto the floor. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and she began to quiver. “It… it wasn’t Griffin.”
“What?”
She took a deep breath and again leaned forward, her face just inches from his. “David was already gone. There wasn’t anyone or anything that could have changed that fact. He was a danger to every single person in that vault, and that’s exactly why I did what I did.”
“You?”
&n
bsp; “Yes,” Shannon said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “He had you down and would have killed you. I didn’t have any other options.”
“You shot David, and you made me think that it was Griffin?”
“It wasn’t something that was planned, and I don’t know why he told you that he did it. I’ve wanted to say something, but it just never seemed like the right time.”
His first instinct was to give into the anger that was pulling at him. To let out what had been building for the last forty-eight hours. He needed to feel something other than fear, regret, and sorrow. But unloading on Shannon wouldn’t change anything about their current situation. It wouldn’t help him decide what to do about the bearded man, and it wouldn’t give him one ounce of peace. The woman sitting twelve inches away was right. Now he just needed to find a way to convince himself of that.
Standing, Ethan gripped the nine millimeter he’d carried since escaping the university, and avoided looking back at Shannon. Stepping aside, he unlocked the door and said, “Let the others know I’m taking a quick walk around the property.”
36
He’d made it to the street before he realized that someone was following him. Stopping near the brick planter, Ethan waited as Griffin hurried over. When his friend was within ten feet, he turned and began walking west along Main. He followed the same path they’d walked the day before, but now purposely walked at a much quicker pace.
After ten minutes, neither man had spoken. And as they reached the offices for City Hall, Griffin stepped out into the street; however, Ethan continued walking.
“Hey,” Griffin said, “I was thinking we may wanna check to see—”
“If he’s in there, which I don’t think he is, he already knows we’re out here. No need to rush things.”
Griffin shook his head and jogged the short distance back to his friend. “Then where are you going?”
“I didn’t ask her to send you out here. This was something I was going to do on my own.”