“Chloe!” Josie whispered harshly. “Is that…is it…”
Instead of finishing, she pointed at a dark shape lying in the lot.
A body. No question.
“Both of you wait here,” Chloe said.
“No. I’m coming,” Josie told her.
“You’re staying.” Chloe shot a look at Miller.
He put a hand on Josie’s shoulder. “We’ll be right here,” he said.
“What if that’s Brandon?” Josie argued.
“It’s not,” Chloe said, as she pulled one of the pistols out of Miller’s bag before leaving.
When she reached the tree line, she stopped and scanned the camp. She spotted three more bodies along the path leading down from the rectangular buildings. The rest of the camp was quiet. Much too quiet. Her pistol at the ready, she stepped out of the woods and crossed the dirt lot.
A dozen feet from the first body, she stopped. It was a woman, middle-aged. The clear signs of the flu were etched on her face.
Her chest tightening, Chloe turned and looked toward the other bodies. Though they were farther away, there was no question they had also been downed by the flu.
It seemed as though the planned safe haven hadn’t worked out the way the government had intended.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Brandon!”
His name echoed off the buildings and across a small lake.
She turned to the larger buildings. “Brandon!”
There was a noise behind her. She whipped around and saw two teenage girls emerge with some difficulty from one of the rectangular buildings.
After a false start, one of them managed to call out, “Are you here to help us?”
Chloe took several steps toward them. “I’m looking for a friend of mine. A boy.”
“Everyone’s sick here,” the other one said. “You should go. It’s not…safe.”
“My friend’s name is Brandon.”
“Brandon?”
“Yes.”
“He’s not here,” the girl said, wincing in pain.
Chloe’s brow furrowed. “I’m sure he was brought here.”
“I mean…he’s gone. Him and some others. They got away last night.”
Got away? “How? Where did they go?”
A man wearing an army uniform staggered out from between two of the other buildings. “You can’t be here,” he said.
“I’m not staying,” Chloe told him. “I just need to—”
“This is a private…facility,” he went on as if he didn’t hear her. “You can’t…be…here.”
“I said I’m leaving.” She looked back at the teenagers. “Do you know where the others went?”
“No,” the first girl said. “But they’re in the…in the…truck.”
“What kind of truck?”
“Like an SUV but…big.”
“A Humvee?”
“No. Like a…um…”
“A Suburban,” the other girl said. “It was a Suburban.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw the uniformed man raise a gun into the air.
“I said you need to leave!”
She started to back away. “I’m going, all right? See?”
Whether he believed her or his weapon was too heavy for his condition, it dropped back to his side.
When she reached the edge of the parking lot, she turned and sprinted into the woods.
“Come on!” she yelled at Miller and Josie as she neared them. “Back to the car!”
“What about Brandon?” Josie asked.
“He’s not here.”
“Where is he?”
“Come on!”
Chloe raced past them and back to the road, confident they would follow. As soon as she reached the car, she got behind the wheel and started the engine. Several seconds later, Josie and Miller climbed in, too.
“If Brandon’s not there, where is he?” Josie asked, breathing hard.
Chloe swung the Audi into a Y-turn and headed back to the main road. “I don’t know,” she said.
“We could hear you talking to someone. Didn’t they know where he was?”
“Josie, please. Just wait until we get out to the highway, okay?”
Chloe checked her watch. Scouting the camp had taken longer than she’d planned. The last place she wanted to be was on this dirt road when the Project Eden team arrived. She pushed the Audi as fast as she dared, the bumps and jerks doing more to keep Josie from asking more questions than Chloe’s request had.
When they finally reached the highway, she slowed momentarily, and peered down the road in the direction of Colorado Springs. Less than half a mile away it turned out of sight. What she could see of it was clear, but she knew going that way would be too risky.
It turned out not to matter one way or the other. As she turned left to take them farther up the mountain, Miller said, “There they are!”
She looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, a dark-colored sedan, nearly identical to the one they’d originally taken from the base, had come around the far corner. Chloe gunned the engine and the Audi accelerated up the slope.
“What are they doing?” she asked.
Miller, looking back, said, “They’ve seen us. They’re speeding up.”
Chloe banked around a curve, putting part of the mountain between them and the other car. When the sedan appeared behind them again, it was closer than she expected.
“What the hell?” Miller said.
Chloe increased their speed as the road continued to wind back and forth like a snake.
“Careful!” Josie screamed as they went wide around a curve.
“Not helping,” Chloe said.
“Sorry.”
The highway straightened out for a bit. Chloe glanced at the rearview mirror. The sedan was about the same distance behind them as it had been at the last check.
Great, she thought. Leave it to the air force to be sure their cars performed above expectations.
Once more the sedan disappeared as Chloe rounded another bend. They passed a sign indicating an intersection ahead. If she could get there before the other car appeared again, she could take the new road and maybe lose them.
She pressed the pedal to the floor, hoping they wouldn’t hit any hidden ice.
The turn was nearing.
Going right would be the logical way. The easy way. The way most people would turn.
She went left.
The new road dipped into a shallow valley full of trees. Without reducing their speed, she raced through it and up the other side. Just beyond the ridge, she spotted a dirt road leading into the forest. She took the turn, and didn’t stop until they were a good two hundred feet within the trees. There, she found a wide spot, turned the car around, and killed the engine.
“Everyone out,” she said.
“Why?” Josie asked. “Aren’t we safer in here?”
“I need your ears.”
They exited the Audi.
“Listen for them,” Chloe instructed.
“What are you going to do?” Josie asked.
“I need to make a call.”
Chloe walked farther down the road so that the sound of the other car wouldn’t be masked by her voice. When far enough away, she called the Ranch.
“Yes?”
Chloe recognized the voice. “Devin, I need to speak to Christina.”
“Who is this?”
“Chloe.”
“Did you find him?”
“Working on it. I need Christina.”
“Hold on.”
The line was silent for a few seconds before Christina picked up.
“Chloe? What’s going on?”
“Do you still have satellite access?” Chloe asked.
“For the most part. There’ve been some access issues cropping up on a few systems. Why? What do you need?”
Chloe gave her the location of Camp Kiley. “Sometime in the last twelve to eighteen hours, a Suburban left ther
e and didn’t come back. I need to know where it went.”
“Could be difficult. How are the skies?”
Chloe looked up. “Clear. Have been since we arrived last evening.”
“That’ll help. Let me see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Chris.”
Chloe hung up and returned to the others. “Anything?”
Miller shook his head. “Quiet.”
“What happened back there?” Josie asked.
Chloe hesitated, then said, “Everyone at the camp was sick. Brandon and some others must have realized this, and got out of the camp last night. I know what kind of car they were in, so I’ve asked Christina to figure out where they went.”
“Can she do it?”
“She’s trying.”
Josie was silent for a moment, then nodded. “She’ll find them.”
“Shhh,” Miller said, tapping his ear.
Chloe cocked her head, and after a second, heard it, too—a car on the main road, heading their way.
“Everyone in,” she ordered.
While the other two climbed back into the Audi, she paused by her door and tracked the other vehicle’s progress. The sound of the engine dipped for a moment as the other vehicle passed through the nearby valley, then it grew louder and louder as it neared the top of the ridge.
She held her breath as it crested the top, knowing the entrance to the road she and her friends were on was now visible to those in the sedan.
“Don’t you dare stop,” she said under her breath.
Closer and closer it came. If it was going to take the turn, it needed to start slowing immediately, but the hum of the engine remained unchanged as the car raced past them and continued down the highway. Once the noise dwindled to almost nothing, she climbed back into the car.
“Aren’t we going?” Josie asked.
“Not yet,” Chloe said.
“Why not?”
“Where exactly are we supposed to go?”
Josie was silent for a moment. “So…we wait?”
“We wait.”
26
ISABELLA ISLAND, COSTA RICA
8:18 AM CST
BY THE TIME Robert had returned to the resort the night before, all the residents knew about the boat that had washed up on shore with the body on board. They also knew that Dominic was the first on the scene, and was now trapped out there in case he had been exposed to the virus.
No one knew who had started calling it Dominic’s Beach, but the nickname quickly took hold as a spirited discussion ensued over what, if anything, should be done. The most militant in the crowd insisted that Dominic needed to get into the boat and row it back to the mainland, while the more fatalistic had said, why bother? They were all going to die now anyway.
Robert let them go on for a while before informing everyone they would be sticking with Dominic’s self-imposed quarantine zone, and wait to see what happened.
Robert and Luis then hauled a cot, some food, water, and other supplies across the island and put them at the edge of the beach. After they had retreated into the jungle, Dominic retrieved everything.
“Thanks!” he yelled.
“You’re welcome,” Robert called back. “Still think you planned this so that you could have a little vacation.”
“If I’d planned it, I would have chosen a bigger beach.”
“Yeah, I’d definitely suggest that next time.”
“I’ll try to remember…” Dominic paused. “Hey, what are these for? A campfire?”
Dominic was holding up two one-gallon containers of gasoline.
“Thought it might be best if you burn the boat,” Robert said.
That was not something Robert had mentioned to everyone. While he was sure many of the others would see the benefit of burning the boat, some would be sticking with the idea that Dominic needed to float away in it. That was not something Robert could stomach, so the boat had to go.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Dominic said, not sounding very enthusiastic.
“Just splash some gas on the sides and throw the cans in. You won’t have to get that close.”
Dominic repositioned his supplies farther up the beach, away from the water. Once that was done, he carried the gas cans over to the boat. It was low tide so it was fully stranded on the beach. Carefully, he tossed gas over the wooden hull, quickly emptying the first can. He added more from the second, then tossed both cans on board.
With the soft onshore breeze, it took him a few tries before he could get one of the matches that had been in the supplies to stay lit long enough to ignite the boat. But when the fire took hold, it spread quickly, its flames rising high.
Dominic, caught off guard, stumbled backward and fell onto the sand.
“You all right?” Robert shouted.
“I think I singed my eyebrows.”
“That’s a good thing. They were too bushy before.”
“Gee, thanks,” Dominic said. He stood back up and took several steps farther away from the fire.
Robert, Dominic, and Luis watched the blaze consume the boat until only the gutted keel remained intact. Robert had then bid his friend goodnight and gone back to the resort.
Upon waking that morning, he’d asked Juan, one of the resort’s cooks, to whip up Dominic’s favorite omelet. As soon as it was ready, he went down to Dominic’s Beach to deliver the meal.
“Hey! You hungry?” he yelled when he reached the edge of the jungle. “Brought you something you’re going to like.”
He looked at the beach. Much of the burned-out boat had been washed away in the high tide early that morning, and only the keel remained. Dominic had set up his cot near the trees at the center part of the beach, but it was empty.
“Dominic?” Robert yelled. In a panic, he took a step onto the beach. “Dominic, where are you?”
Surely he hasn’t gone into the jungle. Dominic was the one who had first insisted on being isolated, setting up the boundaries himself.
Robert looked out at the ocean. Had he gone for a swim?
“Dominic!”
“I’m here. Relax.”
Dominic stepped out from behind some rocks just beyond where his cot was set up.
“What the hell, man?” Robert said. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t hear me.”
“Sorry, had to take care of a little business, you know? Kind of hard to answer when you’re in the middle of things.”
Robert chuckled, both relieved and a little embarrassed. “Brought you an omelet.” He set it on the ground. “You’ll want to eat it before it gets cold.”
“Thanks.”
Robert stepped back into the jungle. “How you feeling this morning?”
“Could use a shower, but I’m okay.”
“That’s great.”
“How are things at the hotel? Anything new on the news?”
Robert shook his head. “Most of the channels went off air last night.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“That can’t be good,” Dominic said. He paused for a moment, looking tired. “Listen, you need to start planning long-term. I have a feeling it’s going to be awhile before anyone here can leave the island.”
“As soon as you can come back, you and I will do that.”
“Sounds good,” Dominic said. “Now get out of here so I can come over and get that omelet before some bird flies off with it.”
“All right. I’ll come back in a few hours to see how you’re doing.”
“If I’m asleep, don’t wake me up!” Dominic admonished him.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
With a wave, Robert headed back to the resort. For the first time since discovering the boat, he felt okay. He was sure now that Dominic would be fine.
Thank God.
__________
DOMINIC WATCHED HIS friend disappear into the jungle, then waited another minute to be sure he was gone. Satisfied he was alone, he glanced behind the rock where he
’d been when Robert had shown up.
Contrary to the impression he’d given his friend, he hadn’t been relieving himself or taking a crap. He’d been throwing up, and not for the first time.
The pains had come on right before dawn. Not only in his stomach, but in his chest and neck, too. Surprisingly, he wasn’t experiencing the congestion they’d talked about on TV, but there was no question in his mind that this was the flu. Maybe it changed from person to person. He knew other diseases could hit one person one way and someone else another.
It didn’t really matter. What did, though, was the fact that he knew now he was going to die. What he needed to figure out was how to do it without harming anyone else.
Dying on the beach was a problem. The same birds he’d pretended to be worried about stealing the omelet could pluck away at him, and carry some of his diseased flesh back to the resort.
And swimming out to sea? He didn’t know if he was strong enough to get to a point where the currents wouldn’t pull him back to the island.
Someone else might not have cared, but he was the manager. The safety of the guests was his responsibility, even if it meant protecting them from him.
So how the hell was he going to do that?
As he tried to come up with a solution, his stomach clenched again.
27
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA
8:10 AM PST
THE KNOCK ON the door was loud and unwanted.
Martina pulled the spare pillow over her head, and turned so that her back was to the noise.
Another knock. “Hey, Martina. Wake up.”
“Who’s that?” Riley asked sleepily from the other bed.
Martina glanced at the clock and groaned. A few minutes after eight. Only five hours since she’d fallen asleep. She flopped onto her back and yelled, “Just a minute!”
The evening before, she and her former teammates had decided that staying together made a lot more sense than going their separate ways every night. So, after Martina picked up Riley, they had all gone over to the Carriage Inn and taken rooms.
They’d ended up talking into the wee hours of the night, which was why she hadn’t planned on getting out of bed until noon.
She sighed as she stood, and shuffled over to the door. Sunlight poured in the moment she cracked it open. She blinked several times and finally settled on a squint so she could see who thought waking her was a good idea.
Ashes (A Project Eden Thriller) Page 20