She jerked it back and then swung it sideways at him, slashing the sharp wood across his collarbone.
“Ow, hey! Stop!” Burke curled onto his side, covering his vital parts as she walloped on him.
Her anger didn’t fade. It blossomed hotter, fed by a well of white-hot rage. The storeroom door flew opened, and Paul charged in.
“Jessie!” His voice cut through her fury with unexpected power.
She paused, panting, broom handle raised high. Her eyes flicked to the mycologist. Paul stared at her with the magnetic power of an old wizard.
“Leave him alone.” He waved for her to follow him. “Come on. Come out here with me.”
She glared at Burke once more. He remained curled up, eyes shut, body shaking. A spot of blood stained on his shirt above his ribs on his right side. The sight of it gave her a sense of satisfaction, and a little shame.
“Come on,” Paul repeated, his voice soothing in its own gruff way. “Let’s get out of here. Let’s take a break.”
Jessie toddled toward him like a woman in a dream. He held the door open, and she stepped into the clean hall with him. Her breath came in ragged gasps and her shoulders sagged as her energy drained through her feet and into the floor.
He turned to her with his hands on his hips. “Now, you’ll have to scrub the room again and get the spore count back down to zero, so we can feed the bastard without killing him.”
“I don’t care if he contracts Asphyxia,” she countered. “He deserves it for everything he’s done.”
“It won’t bring any of them back.” Paul sniffed and snorted, leveling a stern look at her. “His time will come soon enough.”
Jessie pursed her lips and nodded, eyes falling.
Paul leaned in close, his voice firm. “We’ve got to keep him alive for a while longer. If what he said about the Arkansas facility is true, then we need him. He’s still useful. If it turns out he’s lying...” he let the implication hang in the air.
The clean hall door opened, and Fiona stepped in, awkwardly shutting it behind her. She gave them a hesitant grin, halting when her eyes fell to the bloody broom handle Jessie held.
The sliver of shame inside her grew. She felt savage. A person turned feral by circumstance and moral degradation.
“Are you okay, Jessie?” Fiona’s tiny voice ripped through the doubt and cast aside her dark thoughts. “You look sad.”
She tossed the bloody stick to the floor and knelt in front of her. “Yeah, baby. I’m fine. Come here.”
Fiona’s face lit up, and she flew into her arms. After a big hug, the girl leaned back. “Paul gave me more shows to watch, but can we go outside today?”
“We’ve been cooped up in here for a long time,” Jessie agreed, reluctantly. “We can go outside for a bit. Maybe Paul has a ball, or we can play Connect Four on the back porch.”
Jessie realized the danger of going out with Lexi lingering around, but they needed sunshine for their sanity, and she’d wouldn’t let them stay out long.
“I miss my dog,” Fiona said as they held hands and exited the clean hall.
Paul watched them go, inwardly agreeing everyone could stand some sunshine. The possessed look in Jessie’s eyes was haunting, but Fiona’s bright spirit had drained the darkness in a blink. She was the woman’s anchor.
Everything had changed with the death of the old world, and it occurred to him they needed to salvage every bit of humanity they could find. Understanding, love, and compassion were as critical to their survival as food and water. Living meant nothing if it made them as cruel and selfish as Burke.
With a shake of his head, Paul followed them down the hall. He wanted to mix more of the serum and get it cooking before he took a long, much-needed rest.
*
“You idiot,” Burke’s voice hissed through the RVs speaker.
Lexi stood in the vehicle’s living section with Pauline and Charlie, glaring straight ahead as her boss scolded her. She couldn’t talk back, because Burke couldn’t hear her, anyway.
“I told you they were leaving. I heard car doors open and slam shut. I heard the rumble of an engine as it drove off. There were only one or two places they could have gone. Either a store or a pharmacy. I made it easy for you to ambush them. But they returned. Bryant came in and fed me. And ten minutes ago, that bitch beat me with a stick for no good reason. How could you have screwed it up?”
The edges of Lexi’s lips lifted in a slight grin. No one needed a good reason to beat Burke. She’d dreamed of killing him herself a hundred times.
“You’re playing games with our arrangement.” His tone took on a warning note. “If you ever want to see your precious boy again, you’ll learn to be more efficient.” The former CEO paused for affect. “I hope you can hear me, Lexi. Because if you show up in Cali without me, they’ll eviscerate him and toss his guts into the ocean. Only I can reunite you, so get it straight.”
“I hear you, boss,” Lexi whispered through grinding teeth. “I hear you loud and clear.”
She glared at Charlie. “Turn him off. I’m tired of listening to him prattle on.”
Chapter 18
Moe, Chinle, Arizona
“I love nights like this,” Sage said, wrapping her arm around Moe’s waist and squeezing. “After the winds have died down, and it’s just a little chilly.”
They sat on a sleeping bag on the desert floor, and Sage had her knees drawn up and a coverlet pulled to her chin.
“Me, too,” Moe agreed, hugging her shoulders tighter against him. “It’s so peaceful. You’d never think we were struggling to survive, at war with crazy people.”
Sage chuckled. It was like honey in his ears. Her warmth was the simplest thing in the world. Moe had just come off scout duty with nothing new to report. Chinle had been quiet. No gunshots, car engines, explosions, or bonfires. No smoke stained the sky.
“So, the military at Window Rock won’t help?”
“It’s not that,” Moe said. “I spoke with Colonel Sturgis today. She’s in charge of the US forces there. She’s tried establishing communication with Carver, but he’s not answering.”
“Why don’t they just attack him?”
“Things aren’t going so well for the forces at Window Rock,” Moe explained. “Like Melissa said, they’re on lockdown and not in a position to attack. She’s worried the camp might be breaking down. Maybe it’s the infection, or chain of command.”
“And what about our people? Did she give you a status?”
Moe’s gut twisted with resentment. “She said a few had died from the infection, but that’s all. The citizens are quarantined to their homes with food and water rations.”
“What about John Wolf?”
“That’s a point of contention.” Moe shook his head. “She apologized for the deaths but won’t punish the soldiers who fired on us.”
Sage clicked her tongue. “Did you tell her you were there?”
“Yes.” Moe shrugged, slipping his hand over hers.
“They should be forced to take responsibility.” Sage’s voice took a hard tone. “He has our people hostage. They’re trespassing in our capital city.”
“None of that matters now,” Moe said. He stared up at the stars and then down at the flat horizon, broken only by boulders and jagged ridges. The sight took his breath away, the cold openness contrasted with Sage’s warm body. “Boundaries, borders, and territory. They no longer exist. All that matters is keeping our people safe in the canyons.”
Sage nodded.
He leaned his head against hers. “And if we can free those at Window Rock, we will.”
“What about Chinle? Do you think we’ll ever be able to move back?”
“Maybe,” he replied, hopefully.
High-revving quad-runner bikes rode up from the gully behind them. Moe looked back to see headlamps working their way toward them between the brush, taking a path too bumpy for cars or trucks.
They stood and turned, watching the approaching l
ights.
“Someone’s coming up from the basin,” Moe said. “It might be Rex and Casey, back from their scavenging trip. Let’s meet them in camp.”
He stooped down and picked up the sleeping bag. Then they descended the shallow rise, Moe favoring his sore ankle.
The tents lay off to the left, and the scout teams had taken a more relaxed posture when they weren’t on duty. The horses had caught a break, too. They’d ridden them hard the first few days in camp, and at last they were receiving a much-deserved rest.
Moe glanced right as the two ATVs trundled parallel to them on the path. Each had a driver with a passenger on the back. They pulled up to the motor stalls, killed their engines, and dismounted before heading for the scout canopies.
“It is Rex and Casey,” Moe said, hurrying his steps as fast as he dared.
“And Sheriff Ahiga and Cynthia Tso, too.” Sage had outdistanced him but turned back to give him her hand.
They met the four at the edge of camp along with Aponi and Waki. They shook hands and patted Rex and Casey on the shoulders. The former waitress grinned tiredly as they herded them toward the command canopy with their maps and radio equipment.
They passed the scout, Quicktail, who’d been grazed by a bullet the previous day. He tilted his hat to Sage for the excellent patch job she’d done on his shoulder.
At the command canopy, the team gathered around the central table. Moe and Sage sat together on one long side. Casey, Rex, and Aponi sat opposite them. Cynthia Tso took the seat at the head of the table to Moe’s left while Ahiga occupied the one on his right. Other scouts and interested parties gathered around the edges of the canopy.
Moe nodded to Captain Melissa Bryant who stood off to the side with her pilot and two soldiers. The woman had cried with joy when she’d heard that her husband was alive somewhere in Ohio. He secretly wondered if she was making plans to go there, though she still had military responsibilities in Chinle.
Someone brought them sodas, coffee, water, and tea. With the map between them, and refreshments in hand, Sheriff Ahiga stood and made quieting gestures.
“As you all know, Rex and Casey took a scavenging party north to gather water, food, and supplies. I’ll turn it over to them to give their report.”
The sheriff sat down and nodded for one of them to start.
“I guess I’ll go,” Rex said. He remained seated but leaned in, eyes roaming across the group. “We took four pickups and left the North Rim Camp just after dawn. Two trucks each carried two five-hundred-gallon water tanks. We made our way north to Many Farms and met our forward team there. They’d cleared out the rest of town and had all the supplies they could find stacked and ready to go. First thing, we filled the water tanks and sent those trucks back to the North Rim Camp.”
“That’s a great relief,” Cynthia Tso said as she pressed a lock of gray hair behind her ear. She lowered her gaze at them. “But we have around thirty-six hundred people in camp. What you brought is only a day’s worth of water. We need that coming in every day, with no disruptions.”
Rex was already nodding. “We’ll be making a daily run and may be able to send more trucks and tanks tomorrow. But there’s a problem.”
“What’s that?” Moe asked.
Rex’s face grew dark. “Our forward team reported a group of Carver’s people drove through. They checked houses and other buildings for stragglers, but almost everyone evacuated days ago. Our people stayed hidden and did not engage them.”
“Did they leave, or set up camp?” Moe asked.
“They left, but they know about the well.”
Moe raised his eyes to Aponi before shifting them to Ahiga. “We need to place guards on the well. If we lose that, we’ll lose our immediate source of water.”
Aponi and the sheriff both nodded.
“We need a good leader for this one,” Moe continued. His eyes lifted, flitting at those standing around the edge of the canopy. “Quicktail.”
The dark, rangy man stepped forward, tipping the brim of his hat. “What do you need?”
“Can you lead a group to protect the well?” Moe half turned in his seat to address the man.
“I’ll take my four sons and sixteen others,” Quicktail nodded, chest stuck out with pride. “I can’t shoot, but I will lead the defense. No one will trifle with our water.”
“Very good,” Moe agreed, confident in the man and the numbers he wanted to bring. “Do not put your people in plain sight. If you must engage, do it with snipers from the rooftops. Pick your best shooters and give them good rifles. Keep the rest hidden inside the buildings to confront a larger force if necessary. Only strike if it appears they are trying to destroy the well. If they just want water, let them have it, for now.”
Quicktail nodded and backed up.
Moe turned to Rex and gestured for him to continue.
“Thanks.” The athletic director proceeded. “It doesn’t get much better from there. We picked up the remaining goods from Many Farms. Then we drove north to Rock Point, the Hat, and even White Mesa. We saw, maybe ten people total.”
“There won’t be many up that way,” Moe shook his head. “They’ve either fled west or came here to join us in the canyons with all their worldly possessions.”
“We’ve received some folks from as far north as Bluff,” Cynthia Tso added. “They came down here, hoping we would protect them and offer food and water.”
“What about Blanding or Monticello?” Moe asked. “Those are big towns. They should have a lot of supplies.”
“That’s where we headed next,” Rex confirmed, shifting in his chair. “The road into Blanding was blocked by trucks. A handful of townsfolk greeted us.” His expression turned dark. “They were armed to the teeth. They told us in no uncertain terms they weren’t receiving visitors.”
“They’re protecting their people.” Moe understood. “But even they’ll run out of supplies soon if they don’t plan to farm.” He turned to Cynthia Tso, looking to the Navajo elder for hope. “What do we have in terms of sustainable crops right now?”
She scanned a piece of paper sitting in front of her as she sipped tea from a clayware mug. “We’ve got a small harvest of corn, peaches, watermelon, and various other melons. But it’s not enough to sustain a population of thirty-six hundred for too long. The good news is that we’re marking off ground for new fields, but they won’t be ready to plant until next spring. We wouldn’t have a full harvest for nine months to a year.”
“We should look at hydroponic farming,” Moe suggested. “Can you ask if anyone knows how to do that?”
Cynthia was already nodding. “We have two farmers with hydroponic experience.”
“Good. Help get them space. I want to see greenhouses all through the basin. Now we just need to keep up on supplies until we’re able to expand in those areas.” Moe sighed and turned back to Casey and Rex. “What were your total supplies?”
Casey pulled a piece of paper out of her breast pocket and smoothed it out on the table in front of her.
“Three hundred and fifty pounds of potatoes. Twenty cases of bottled water. Two crates of over ripe bananas. Three hundred pounds of corn. Twenty-five cases of canned goods, and ten cases of fruit juices and tea left from the market.” Casey took a deep breath before continuing. “We’ve got a hundred cases of soft drinks, two hundred pounds of flour, two hundred pounds of sugar--”
“That’s enough, Casey.” Moe waved for her to stop. “It’s a drop in the bucket of what we need.”
Cynthia Tso nodded her head in agreement. “The combined inventory of the Chinle market and personal pantries, plus everything from Rex and Casey, along with the crops...” she made a futile gesture, “...our people will be starving within two months, maybe sooner.”
Moe’s face grew hot with worry. How would they feed everyone in the canyon without a food source and supply chain to keep it rolling in? Like most small towns, they depended on trucking to resupply their stores and restaurants with goods.
Chinle especially. The best farmland was down in the basin, and his people hadn’t worked it seriously for a hundred years.
The crowd shifted uncomfortably as they realized what this might mean to them. Stuck in the canyon with no safe future in sight.
“We’re caught between slow starvation and a madman,” Cynthia said, summing up all her thoughts. Her head lowered, expression falling to sadness. She closed her eyes, and a tear rolled slowly down her left cheek. “I worked my whole life for the benefit of our people.” She turned her glossy eyes up to the sheriff. “We raised money for the well and to bring business to our town.” Ahiga nodded as Cynthia went on. “We’d put aside the pains of the past and were moving ahead to the future. Our schools were so strong. We were preparing our children to pave their path through the world we inherited while preserving our heritage. Now, we face extinction yet again.”
The crowd grew stone silent as the weight of her words settled on them.
Anger stirred Moe’s guts as he stared down at the map. He saw Chinle and the surrounding canyons from a bird’s-eye view.
He’d been one of the children in Cynthia’s early school programs, encouraged to join the outside world while keeping his people’s history close to his heart. Yet, he’d forgotten so much.
His mind raced to find a solution, some way to guide them from the trap slowly closing in on them. As his eyes traced the canyons and boundaries around them, an idea began to form. They had the right idea, but they weren’t thinking big enough.
Waki’s words from the other day returned to him, striking him in the heart and invoking his pride.
We should find their soft spots and hit them hard, not sit back like cowards.
“I think I know a way to get the supplies we need,” he said, eyes roaming around those gathered. “But it will be risky.”
“What do you suggest, Moe?” Cynthia asked, leaning forward with narrow-eyed interest.
“We need to steal back my rig.”
Chapter 19
Spore Series | Book 4 | Exist Page 18