“That’s a good thing,” Cassidy said, trying to reassure him.
“I think so too. I was just thinking about my last conversation with her. I gave her a clue about my whereabouts and told her to come find me.”
“Do you think she went to Denver?”
“She could be on her way, but I left the clue for her at our place in North Carolina. There’s a good chance she might be there,” Travis said and stood up, feeling hopeful.
“Looks like North Carolina is on the map now.” Cassidy smiled.
“Backyard,” Josh yelled.
Travis pushed the blinds down and looked. His heart dropped when he saw two gravesites. In a panic he ran out of the house and into the backyard.
Josh, Tom and Bill were standing over the graves, looking somber.
“Sorry, bro,” Josh said when Travis ran up.
Not paying attention, Travis read the wooden grave markers. He breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t see Tess’ name. The graves were her parents. He felt sorry that they had passed but felt happy at the same time. His Tess had at least survived the Death and was somewhere out there.
Charleston, South Carolina
Another night of tossing and turning for Devin but the usual nightmares were gone.
She was alive, Tess was alive, but she might as well be dead. Captured by the pirates, her demise would be brutal and harsh.
Pacing outside his tent, Devin kept wringing his hands and mumbling. His mind spun like a top as he calculated escape plans. The one thing he feared upon her return to the shipyard was that she’d be raped.
However, Renfield gave specific orders for her not to be touched by any man. He looked at her as a special case and had something worse in mind for her. In fact, he had ordered her to receive medical treatment for the wound she had received yesterday in the fall from the second-story window. Unsure if she had anything to do with the raid weeks ago, they’d interrogated her upon arrival. In typical Tess form she told them to fuck off and admitted to killing Renfield’s son or, as she referred to him, the bastard.
Her bravado and toughness made her the talk of the shipyard and in the circles and card games her name was frequently brought up. Most of the pirates expressed a desire to have sex with her, but all wanted to see her executed in a way that showed no mercy.
Devin couldn’t come up with a plan that would guarantee success, but that didn’t matter. He had to try and he had to do it soon.
She was being housed on the ship in sickbay and getting on there was difficult. No one was allowed up the gangway for any reason. A guard was posted at the base and at the quarter deck. Getting past them would be impossible unless he could find an acceptable reason.
Rumors had already circulated about her execution and many believed that burning her at the stake would not be it. The consensus was that she’d probably be tied to a stake, skinned alive and left to bleed out.
The thought of her dying like that horrified Devin. He had to find a way of saving her, even if he lost his own life.
“Hey, get over here!” Poppy called from a distance.
Devin looked up for where the request came from.
“Over here!”
There wasn’t any doubt that Poppy could see he was nervous about something and he didn’t plan on hiding it too much. “What’s up?”
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you yesterday, but you passed your test.”
“Oh, good.”
“Any thoughts on what happened?”
“Nope.”
“You’re a man of few words today. What’s eating at you? And don’t lie, I can see it written all over your face.”
“Can I be honest?”
“Sure.”
“That little girl, it bothered me, but I want you to know I did try to shoot her.”
“Don’t worry about it. You vindicated yourself later. I counted seven kills after that.”
Hearing the number upset him. Those people seemed decent and he went and killed seven of them.
“So what’s going to happen to the woman we found yesterday?” Devin asked.
“I’m sure you heard, the scuttlebutt has gone full circle, but she admitted to killing the captain’s boy.”
“What will happen to her now?”
“The captain is treating this as a special case. He’s going to let her heal; then he’s going to execute her in a most special way.”
“I don’t understand.”
“From my report yesterday he wants to put her to the test. She seems like a scrapper, so he’ll get her healthy, then we’ll have her participate in some gladiatorial games. You know, get to see how tough the bitch really is.”
“Aren’t you worried she’ll beat the man she fights?”
Poppy spit out some chew and laughed. “That will never happen. We’ll slip her something. I won’t stand for that little cunt even putting a scratch on one of my men.”
“Interesting.”
“Go get some rest, grab a piece of ass at the brothel and put it on my tab. After we’re done with her, we’ll set sail and you’re coming with us.”
“When will that be?”
“Few days at most. Now go get drunk or something,” Poppy said and walked off.
And just like that, Devin had a timetable to work with, what he still needed was a plan.
Dulce, New Mexico
Mueller never liked unexpected visitors at his lab, especially now that he had Lisa there.
Taking the same precautions as before, he had his pistol at the ready and called out, “Who’s there?”
“It’s the chancellor.”
Mueller gulped hard. He unlocked the door and opened it. “What can I do for you, sir?”
Horton pushed his way in and staggered over to a long stainless table to prop himself up.
By his walk and slurred speech, Mueller could tell he was drunk. “Sir, what can I help you with?”
“Can’t I just come down here and check on you?”
“Sure,” Mueller answered and looked down the empty hallway outside the lab.
“I don’t think I told you, but late next week or so we should have all the aircraft ready for dispersing the new virus. It’s not easy getting planes like those, what a pain in the ass. Took Wendell weeks to track them all down,” Horton mumbled, leaning against the table.
“I’ll be ready when you need it.”
“So, where are you hiding that little lady?” Horton asked, looking around the lab.
Those were words Mueller didn’t like hearing. “She’s resting.”
Horton walked over and put his arm around Mueller and whispered, “I have to admit, I never saw you as a horn dog.”
“Sir, maybe you should sit down.”
“Why, because I’m drunk?” Horton asked as he put a lot of his weight on Mueller. “So are you fucking her?”
“Um, no, sir, I’m just using her to do some other tests is all,” Mueller replied, fully dismissing any insinuation that he had a romantic connection with the woman.
“Oh, I see. Now that makes sense. Geeks like you get a hard-on from doing lab experiments instead of fucking,” Horton said, mocking him. He pushed off Mueller and sauntered further into the lab, looking for Lisa.
“Sir, she’s resting. I need her to get—”
“There you are,” Horton devilishly said after spotting her sitting up in bed, her legs curled up to her chest.
She was afraid of Horton and it showed in her eyes.
“Lisa, right?” he asked.
“Dr. Mueller, are you there?” Lisa asked.
“Right here, Lisa. Don’t worry, it will be all right. This is Chancellor Horton. You remember him from yesterday, don’t you?”
Horton drunkenly fell onto the bed and began to laugh. “God, I am so fucked up. I haven’t been this drunk in a long time.”
“Let me get you back to your quarters,” Mueller insisted, taking Horton’s arm.
Angrily Horton pushed him away. “Get your h
ands off me.”
Lisa squealed in fear and pulled further away.
“Come here. Let me take a closer look at you,” Horton said, grabbing at Lisa.
Lisa kicked at him and jumped out of the bed.
Horton became enraged and yelled, “Don’t you know who I am? Get over here!”
Lisa ran around the bunk bed and into Mueller’s embrace.
“Dr. Mueller, bring the girl to me.”
“Please don’t. He scares me.”
Mueller was torn. He was also afraid of Horton but felt compelled to protect Lisa.
“Dr. Mueller, bring her here!” Horton ordered.
“Sir, you’re very intoxicated. Why don’t you go rest? I’m sure you’ll feel differently about this once you sober up.”
Horton rose from the bed and came at Mueller. “Give her here.”
Mueller sidestepped and Horton stumbled past them and tripped over a chair and crashed to the floor.
“Sir, are you okay?” Mueller asked, now concerned that the incident was getting out of control. He walked over to Horton and put his hand out.
Horton swatted his hand and barked, “Mueller, I should have fucking killed you before. You’ve been nothing but a fuck up since you wiped out most animal species. What decent doctor creates a fucking virus without testing it?”
Feeling the need to explain the old error, Mueller said, “It is nearly impossible to have such a reaction; in fact, it is impossible.”
“Oh, shut up, you’re worthless. Always have been and still are.” Horton got back to his feet and immediately stepped up to Mueller, stopping mere inches from his face. “Now give me the girl.”
“No.”
Horton grabbed him by the throat and began to choke him.
Lisa, fearful but brave, took a metal tray and hit Horton with it. This did nothing to stop his assault of Mueller, it only enraged him more.
“I can’t breathe,” Mueller gasped.
Horton suddenly came to his senses as he watched Mueller’s eyes bulge and face turn purple. He released him and stepped away.
Lisa put her arm around Mueller.
Horton turned back and faced the two. He tucked his shirt back in and adjusted his belt. With a quick swipe he put his hair back into place. “Have the virus ready for deployment when I need it.” He marched towards the exit, bouncing off a couple tables along the way.
When the door slammed shut, Mueller collapsed to the floor. His throat ached, but the worst part of the entire incident was he had crossed Horton, and his past experiences told him that was a bad idea.
Day 239
May 27, 2021
Dulce, New Mexico
Lisa and Mueller had stayed up all night talking. The main topic being getting away from the base and as far away from Horton as possible.
Mueller was shocked that Horton hadn’t come back or at least sent men to come kill him and take Lisa. Looking at his watch, he began to feel that maybe Horton had forgotten all about it; maybe in his drunken stupor he had gone back to his quarters and passed out only to wake up and not remember a thing.
Lisa had so many questions for him, most of which he steered clear of answering honestly. The absolute truth was something he could never give her, because if he did, she’d never look at him the same way.
In his own eyes he was as big a monster as Horton. The more he came to know Lisa, the more he had regrets. He regretted being a part of the Order and he also regretted letting Lisa live. He was conflicted for sure, but if he were to have any salvation, it had to begin with saving her. He knew his fate was set and his demise would happen soon, but he now needed her to live, just how he’d go about doing that he didn’t know.
Each exit was either guarded or monitored, and if they were to make it outside the base’s perimeter, they’d need a vehicle to go anywhere and just getting one would be difficult.
Mueller had never openly challenged authority, it ran contrary to his personality, but after years of being bullied and ridiculed he had had enough. He was going to stand up and resist.
When the knock on the door came, Mueller wasn’t alarmed. He knew who it was and what they wanted.
“Stay hidden back there and take this,” he said, handing her the pistol.
“I’ve never used a gun before,” she said, her trembling hand barely holding the large pistol.
“Neither have I, but it’s quite simple, point and pull the trigger.”
More bangs from the door.
He rushed off and hollered, “Who’s there?”
“Dr. Mueller, open up on the authority of the chancellor.”
“What do you want?” he said with a confident defiance.
“Last time, Dr. Mueller, open up.”
“Tell the chancellor the virus is ready. I just need to finish one last item before it can deploy. I can’t be disturbed right now,” he said. His confidence waned, so he came up with a story.
Several voices could be heard talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying, so he put his ear against the door.
As soon as his ear touched the cool metal door, an explosion blew him and the doors back.
Mueller flew a dozen feet and into a cabinet. His ears rang and he could feel warm blood ooze out of his ears.
The guards ran inside, yelling and barking orders.
Mueller went to get up, but a guard grabbed him and held him down.
Lisa began to scream.
Mueller struggled, but he was too weak and incapable of resisting.
Two guards dragged Lisa out of the lab and down the hallway.
“Don’t hurt her!” Mueller yelled.
Once Lisa was ferried away, the guard released Mueller and said, “The chancellor will return her. In the meantime he wants you to understand this isn’t personal. Also, make sure you’re topside for the shipment going out tomorrow.”
Mueller was injured and his entire body felt weak. He nodded and lowered his head in shame.
The guard pushed his head and said, “Know your place next time.”
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Travis was not thrilled about being in the south side of Chicago. The place just didn’t feel right and he often followed his gut feelings.
“You look tense,” Cassidy said.
“It’s been an hour. Where are they?” Travis asked.
“I’ll try the radio again,” Cassidy said and keyed the handset. “Rover Two, this is Rover One. Do you hear me?”
“When I was in the Marines, we had a sort of thing we did.”
“Okay, what sort of thing?”
“Before we went into battle we’d all exchange letters and such. You know, so you can give them to our family in case we die.”
“That’s a morbid practice.”
“Well, it may be, but it is what it is, and it’s helped some families cope. Here, I wrote this for Tess. If something happens to me and you find her, please give it to her. You’ll see on the front is our address in North Carolina.”
Cassidy gently took the envelope and looked at it.
“My handwriting is not the best; I never was one for penmanship.”
Gunshots sounded in the distance.
Travis snapped his head to the front and looked intently out the windshield. “I don’t like being in an urban environment. This is not safe, I’m telling you.”
The street ahead of them was littered with abandoned cars, garbage, debris and the occasional skeletal remains of the unlucky ones. To the north of them, the towering skyscrapers of downtown loomed, their shadows casting long against the city streets below.
“Rover Two, come in. Over,” Travis said into the handset. “Damn it, guys, I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Let’s give them a few more minutes, and if they don’t come, we’ll go looking for them.”
“Nope, if they don’t show up, we’re leaving.”
“We can’t leave them.”
“Cassidy, if they don’t come back, it’s because they�
��ve been killed. All we’d be doing is driving into the same fate. It’s not smart.”
"What's eating at you?" Cassidy asked.
"I've told you."
"Something else is, I can feel it. Is it because you didn't find anything in Bismarck?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her, but right now, I'm worried about this situation."
"How will this be any different than when we go into Manhattan?"
"Nothing and everything. This just feels wrong and it's unnecessary."
"We made a deal, that's just it, but I'll compromise and say if they don't return we don't go looking for them. I agree it wouldn't be safe."
"Finally, some wisdom."
"So you never told me exactly what happened to your hand," Cassidy said.
Travis looked at his arm and chuckled. He had become accustomed to not having it. "You know what's weird is when I can feel it, like it's still there."
"I've heard about that."
"It feels so real though, I have to stop and remember what happened. Do you know what's funny, in my dreams I have both my hands."
"So what happened?"
"Long story. I guess you can say I lost it trying to protect someone."
"Huh, would that someone be the woman in photo? Lori, right?"
The mention of her brought him back to reality.
"Where the hell are they?" he barked.
“Here, let me try again,” she said, taking the handset back.
She went to key the handset when Josh replied, “Rover One, this is Rover Two. We’re heading back your way. Over.”
“It’s about time,” Cassidy said.
“I’ll tell you all about it when we get back.”
Josh couldn’t stop talking; the excitement of finding his cousin as well as his aunt and uncle thrilled him.
Bill and Tom expressed a few more reservations about the encounter, but Josh dismissed them as paranoid.
“Now that you’ve had your family reunion, we can press forward to Indianapolis. Let’s find a rural area and set up camp,” Travis said.
“No, no, they invited us to come and stay with them. It’s really cool. They’ve, like, established a functioning group or town,” Josh proclaimed.
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 57