Several rounds hit the ground in front of Devin and Poppy, blasting dirt into the air and hitting them.
“Let me get sights on where this gunfire is coming from,” Devin said.
“Argh,” Poppy grunted in frustration.
Devin ignored the cold steel against his head and pivoted the rifle towards the houses. He began to scan for targets.
“Find new targets and this time don’t fucking miss!” Poppy barked. He lowered the pistol and pulled out a set of binoculars.
Devin wasn’t sure what would happen to the little girl, but knowing that he hadn’t killed her made him feel good. Although, he’d later have to deal with the fact he had pulled the trigger and only by fate did she move out of the way. With no time to focus on such things, he surveyed the houses, finding targets and engaging. One shot after another erupted from his barrel, striking targets.
Renfield’s men advanced over the bridge and in the far distance the hum of engines signaled the amphibious assault. The battle was on, and if they won, they’d discover the person behind the death of Renfield’s son wasn’t there, because that person was within their own ranks.
The community put up a strong resistance until the men came ashore. Forcing the people of the community to defend two lines stressed their defenses and soon they collapsed. The fighting then turned bitter and bloody as Renfield’s men went house to house, killing and maiming.
Once the fighting began to wane, Poppy pulled Devin and, with two other snipers, drove into the community. Smoke billowed from many homes as uncontrolled fires moved down streets. Bloodied bodies were strewn across roads, sidewalks and front yards. Those who hadn’t been killed by Renfield’s men begged and cried for their lives as they were gathered up for prizes or execution. The search was on for anyone who might have played a part in the shipyard raid.
Poppy made a turn and saw a large group of his men massed near an old country club. They were cheering and chanting.
Devin couldn’t make out what was occurring, but he knew it wasn’t good.
Stopping just feet from the group, Poppy jumped out and hollered, “What’s going on?”
“We found their leader. He’s holed up inside,” a man answered.
Several of the pirates were holding torches, ready to set the building on fire.
“Everyone stop!” Poppy ordered as he pushed his way to the front. “Stop and shut up!”
Slowly the mob calmed down and grew quiet.
Poppy turned and called out, “To the man in charge, come out. We need information that you have. If you give us this information, we’ll spare you.”
Devin watched from the top of the truck. He was curious how this would go down. If he was the leader of this community, there’d be no way he’d surrender to these pirates.
“I say, my name is Poppy Morant. I’m with Captain Renfield. Surrender and help us or most surely die!”
No formal response, but voices could be heard arguing inside.
“I’m counting to ten, and if you don’t surrender, I’ll burn that building down and show no mercy after that!”
The volume of the voices inside increased. It was clear that whoever resided in the building were having a major argument.
“One, two, three…”
A single gunshot came from inside and seconds later a hand holding a white sheet emerged from the front door.
The pirates cheered at the sight of the surrender.
“Come on out,” Poppy ordered.
A short and chubby man nervously stepped out, the white shirt he was wearing was covered in blood, and the small-framed eyeglasses perched on his nose were crooked with one lens cracked.
“Come, step forward. I have a few questions for you,” Poppy ordered, his tone lowered.
The man continued his cautious approach, slowly taking each step.
“Hurry, man, I don’t have time for this. Hurry your ass up!” Poppy finally bellowed.
Scared out of his mind, the man flinched when Poppy yelled and scurried towards him with haste, stopping a few feet from Poppy.
Poppy looked the man up and down and wasn’t impressed. “Are you the leader?”
“Um, yeah, yeah.”
“You don’t look so sure.”
Standing more erect, he said, “Yes, I am.”
“Did you shoot someone inside?” Poppy asked, genuinely curious.
“Ah, yes,” the man answered, almost stuttering.
“Why would you kill one of your own?”
The man stared at Poppy and then looked at the twenty others behind him. “He, ah, he didn’t want to surrender.”
“Ha, so you wanted to surrender and this other man didn’t. Please don’t tell me he was your leader, was he?”
“Yes, he was the constable of the town.”
“Oh, you call this richy-rich hood a town. Hmm?” Poppy said as he played with a single braid that hung from his goatee.
“Please just take what you need and leave us,” the man said.
“What is your role in the town?” Poppy quipped.
“Treasurer.”
“So you’re a bean counter. Listen, I have to move on, and I only need a couple questions answered. If you answer them honestly, I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Did your town raid our shipyard several weeks ago?”
Answering quickly, he said, “No. I don’t know who you are.”
Poppy looked at him closely, trying to pick up on anything that could tell him if he was lying. “Are you harboring anyone who might have attacked us?”
The man looked down.
“Are you?”
“Not sure, but someone did wash ashore a few weeks ago. They were a bit beaten up.”
“Where is this person?”
“At the Mattinglys’ house, 15896 Palm Drive.”
“Anything else you’d like to share?”
“Like?”
“Do you have anything of value that’s hidden? By telling us it does prevent these overzealous men from ripping everything up.”
“Like?”
Poppy leaned in and said, “If you don’t tell us where you’ve hidden everything, I’ll have your tongue cut out and then have you flayed.”
“There’s a basement—”
Poppy held his hand up, interrupting the man. “Tell it to this man. I have to go.” Poppy turned and walked back to the truck. Along the way he grabbed several men and ordered them into the truck.
Devin was constantly amazed by Poppy. He was a tyrant and bloodthirsty killer, but he had an interesting way about him.
“Where are we going?” Devin asked.
“To the Mattinglys’ house, we have someone of interest there that I’m sure the captain will want to meet.”
Dulce, New Mexico
It had been a long time since Mueller had been excited, especially about another human being. He wasn’t looking at Lisa romantically, but she had grown on him quickly. They talked endlessly like two old friends. Having the warmth and charm of another made him feel good; it was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a while and he was enjoying it.
When he heard her shuffling around in the lab, he rushed out of his office to check on her. “Good day, Lisa.”
“Hi.”
“Good nap?”
“I’m feeling better and better. If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom,” she said, slowly making her way across the room.
“Um, do you play cards?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Like a child he jogged into his room and grabbed a deck from his desk drawer and raced back out. He pushed the box, her makeshift nightstand, in between his chair and the bed.
As he shuffled he heard the rubber soles of her slippers scuffing along the laminate floor on her way back. She plopped onto the bed and leaned against a pile of pillows.
“What would you like to play?”
“When can I leave?”
“Soon. Do you lik
e poker, pitch?”
“Can I walk around, get some sun?”
He stopped shuffling the cards and looked at her. “I don’t see why not.”
“Let’s go now. I want to play, but I need to feel the sun on my face.”
“Now? I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, you’re still weak and you really need to rest.”
She grunted under her breath and sighed.
Seeing her disappointment, he thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that he probably could take her out. He grinned widely and said, “Oh, why the heck not, let’s go.”
She perked up immediately and asked, “Is this appropriate?”
“You’re fine. I just hope it’s sunny out.”
He escorted her through the long passageways and eventually to an old freight-style elevator.
To her it felt like they were riding the elevator forever.
“How far down are we?”
“Twenty floors?”
“Whoa.”
“What did you do before?” he asked.
“I was an assistant at a chiropractor’s office.”
“So you understand a bit about medicine?” Mueller asked.
“I hope it’s sunny out,” she said, not following along with every detail of their conversation.
“I hope so too.”
The large elevator slowed slightly then without notice stopped hard. This caused her to lose her balance and fall against the metal wall of the elevator.
He steadied her and asked, “You okay?”
She looked at the small details of the elevator and could see that it was old. When the doors opened, she took notice of the long passageway’s gray faded concrete walls. Not only did it look old, she swore it smelled old too.
Her excitement began to build as they drew closer to the exit. As they approached the door, several uniformed guards passed them.
When they reached the exit door, he stopped her and said, “The outside is right through that door.”
“Yeah.”
“After you,” he said and pushed the door open.
The door swung wide, but a shadowy figure darkened the door.
Mueller froze when he saw it was Horton.
“Dr. Mueller, what a pleasant surprise,” Horton said and offered his hand.
“Chancellor, nice to see you.”
“Who is this lovely lady?” Horton asked, staring longingly at Lisa.
“She’s a patient. Her name is Lisa,” Mueller answered, gulping.
“A patient? How peculiar. Tell me, Lisa, where are you from?”
“Las Cruces.”
“What brings you here?” Horton asked her while cutting Mueller a look.
“I was at a camp when several men gathered me, my brother and a few others, and brought us here. The doctor here told me we were sick with this new virus. It was scary; I almost died. Thankfully because of him, I lived.”
“I see.”
“If you’ll excuse us, Chancellor, we were headed outside to get some sun,” Mueller said, beads of sweat building on his upper lip and forehead.
“Absolutely, please go. I’d hate to take time away from your field trip,” Horton said with a tinge of sarcasm.
Mueller took Lisa by the arm and hurried her along.
Horton turned with a devilish smile and watched them rush off.
Charleston, South Carolina
“Nice McMansion,” Devin joked as they pulled up in front of the address.
Poppy ignored Devin’s humor and briskly hiked up the long sidewalk towards the front door.
Devin got out and quickly followed Poppy. The three other men fanned out.
Unafraid, Poppy walked up to the front door and with one powerful kick the door exploded open. He pulled out his pistol and marched in with no regard for his safety.
Devin heard several shots but was unsure who had done the shooting. He raced in and a dozen feet away lay a man at the bottom of a long flight of stairs.
“My name is Poppy…” Another gunshot cracked and hit Poppy in the shoulder. He reeled back and screamed in pain, “Motherfucker!”
Devin dove and took cover behind a wall. Foolishly he had come inside with no weapons. He remembered seeing a pistol lying on the floor next to the dead man.
Glass shattered in the back of the house and within seconds two pirates appeared from the rear door.
Poppy looked at his shoulder, grunted in pain and barked, “You two, upstairs!”
The instant the first man touched the bottom stair he was shot in the chest, killing him instantly.
The second man fell to the ground in fear.
“Get up those fucking stairs. I’ll cover you!” Poppy ordered. He raised his pistol and began to fire at the second-floor landing. “Go!”
The second pirate stood and ran up several stairs but no more as another gunshot took him down. His dead body face-planted and slid back to the bottom of the stairwell.
“Fuck this!” Poppy screamed. He looked over at Devin hiding and motioned for him to make a run for the stairs.
“Smoke them out!” Devin recommended.
“Whoever is upstairs, be warned, we’re going to burn this fucking house down!” Poppy barked and exited the house. Blood freely ran down his arm and soaked his flannel shirt.
Devin looked at the twelve feet between him and the front door. Those twelve feet were in the kill zone. With no weapons he would have to make a run for it. He hated his situation with a passion. “God, I hate my life.”
A gunshot from the backyard drew his attention.
Poppy’s voice bellowed from the side of the house followed by several more gunshots.
Devin’s heart was pounding; he had to make a run for it, he thought. “One, two…”
“Devin, get your ass out back!” Poppy hollered.
“Three,” Devin finished and sprinted towards the front door. He cleared the distance and bolted out the front. The cool air hitting his flush face and hot skin felt good. He bent over and caught his breath.
“Devin!” Poppy again yelled.
Knowing he better get back there, Devin jogged around back. When he cleared the side, he saw Poppy standing over someone. He came up behind him and asked, “Is this the person?”
“Don’t know, but when we get this bitch back, she’ll pay for her crimes.”
Devin looked down at the person and recoiled in shock because the unconscious person on the ground was Tess.
Day 238
May 26, 2021
Bismarck, North Dakota
Making his way down the back country road at breakneck speed, Travis couldn’t drive fast enough. A trail of thick dust swirled behind him as he drew closer and closer to Tess’ parents’ house. Anxiety gripped him. His mind kept flashing images of what he’d find, some happy, others sad. His grip on the steering wheel was firm and his body was tense.
Cassidy sat in the front passenger seat; she too was on edge, mostly because of Travis’ erratic driving. She worried about his ability to handle the sharp turns with only one hand, but to mention such a thing would only enrage him.
A loud beep came from the dash; Travis looked down and saw the fuel light had turned on.
“What was that?” Cassidy asked.
“Fuel light, we’re almost there, though,” Travis said.
She grabbed the radio and keyed it. “Josh, we’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
Travis made a hard right and stopped just feet from a metal gate, just beyond was a small ranch-style single-level house with two small outbuildings. Towering in the backyard was a windmill for solar power generation. He got out but discovered the gate had a padlock on it.
“Think he has a key?” Bill asked from his seat behind Cassidy.
Travis looked around for a few seconds. The house stood back several hundred feet, and from his vantage point, he couldn’t see any sign of life. His anxiety was reaching a fever pitch; he needed to see inside that house. He pulled his
pistol and shot the lock.
“Looks like he does have a key of some sort,” Bill joked.
Travis tossed the broken lock and pushed the gate wide open. He climbed back into his vehicle and sped towards the house.
Josh and Tom followed right behind him.
Travis slammed on the brakes feet from the garage door. He got out and didn’t bother closing the door.
Everyone else just stayed put. They could see he was emotional and they couldn’t blame him.
Over seven months and thousands of miles and billions of deaths later, he was back in Bismarck and in front of the very house Tess had grown up in and the last place he knew she’d been. Fear began to replace his anxiety because what he saw was a lifeless house. He reached down and tried the doorknob; to his surprise and adding to his fear, it turned. He pushed the door open and was hit first by a musty and stale smell. The morning light enabled him to see inside. Still standing outside, he looked into the first room, a small living room. The sun’s rays hit the side of a floral-patterned sofa, which he long ago determined was the ugliest sofa ever made, but it also had the fond designation of being the first place he made out with Tess.
Ready to take the plunge and find out what happened to her, he stepped over the threshold. Nothing seemed out of place and oddly it looked tidy. A thick layer of dust covered all the surfaces but absent was any garbage or debris. The house looked as if no one had lived in it for months. This wasn’t a good sign. There were two reasons the house would look like this, either Tess or her parents left long ago or they died. He sped off towards her bedroom and found it similar to the other rooms. From room to room he went, but found nothing, no clue, but more importantly no bodies.
He made his way back to her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Her hairbrush sat next to a spray bottle of detangler. He picked it up and pulled out several strands. Feeling the thick hair on his fingertips brought him closer to her than he had been in a long time.
“Travis?” Cassidy called from the front room.
“Back here,” he answered.
Cassidy appeared in the doorway and asked, “You okay?”
“They’re not here. No one is here, and from the looks of it, they haven’t been here for a long time.”
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 56