“You have a better plan?”
Thompson shook his head. “I don’t think Dravko’s people deserve to die.”
“Dravko’s people.” Compton spoke the words slowly, emphasizing each one. He leaned back in his chair and studied Thompson, his brow crinkling with disapproval. “You’re beginning to sound like Paul and the others.”
“Maybe they’re right.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
Thompson paused for a moment to consider his response. “Yes, I do.”
Compton broke eye contact and pushed his chair back to his work station. “I’m beginning to think the concussion is affecting your judgment.”
“My judgment’s fine.”
“Really? You’re starting to exhibit the same affectation for those creatures as Robson and the others.”
Thompson stood and crossed over to the doctor. “I realize that this sounds strange, especially coming from me, but I’ve watched the way the vampires have interacted with the rest of the group. They seemed to have integrated themselves until they think and act like humans.”
“But they’re not human,” Compton shot back in a low but stern voice. “Wild animals can be trained to live with humans, but they’re still wild animals and usually turn on their masters. You’d do well to remember that it was the vampires who released this hell onto mankind in the first place.”
“I know that. And they suffered for it just as much as we did.”
Compton turned to face Thompson. “And because of that I’m supposed to forgive them? Let’s hug and make up, and hope they don’t bite us in the neck while we’re embracing?”
“Yes.”
Snorting in disgust, Compton returned to his work. “You should go back to bed and rest. I need to finish up.”
“You need to listen to me,” Thompson said forcefully, growing impatient. “Like it or not, the vampires are an integral part of Robson’s group. And we need Robson if we ever hope to get the vaccine back to Omaha, mass produce it, and start taking the world back from the revenants. If you go ahead with your plan behind Robson’s back, we’re screwed. We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t take the vaccine and abandon us here.”
Compton sat back in his chair, focusing his eyes on the wall as he contemplated what the colonel had said. Thompson did not say anything, desperately hoping that he had made a connection with his friend.
After several seconds, Compton spun his chair to the colonel, his normal pleasantness having returned. “You’re right. Not only about needing Robson, but also about the necessity for being honest with him. We owe him that much.”
Thompson felt every nerve in his body relax. He had psyched himself up to anticipate the worst, although he was not sure how he would have dealt with that situation. Fortunately, Compton saw reason.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re the one who deserves my gratitude. I never would have made it this far without you.” Compton looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. You should get your rest. You’re going to need it for the ride back.”
Thompson stood up and pushed his chair back to its work station. “What about you?”
“I want to finish the back-up files of my notes before I go to bed.”
“As long as you take your own advice about getting some rest. Good night.”
“Good night.” Compton waited until Thompson reached the door before calling out. “And colonel, thanks again for looking out for me.”
“That’s what you pay me for, sir.”
Exiting the lab, Thompson headed back to his room, suddenly feeling emotionally and physically drained.
Chapter Forty-three
Dravko and Tatyana had spent the past few hours loading up the school bus, the Ryder, and the two Humvees with all the supplies they had discovered in the facility. They would be more than adequately stocked for the run back to camp. They had tapped into the facility’s fuel storage tanks and not only topped off the remaining fifty-five-gallon drums, but also filled more than a dozen jerry cans found at the motor pool. In addition to the eight M-16s left in the Humvees, Daytona had discovered an arms locker off the main security room that contained another twenty M-16s, five shotguns, ten Glock 23 semi-automatics, a .357 Magnum, thousands of rounds of ammunition, plus two dozen each of smoke and concussion grenades, all presumably for crowd control. All the weapons were divided up amongst the convoy, except for the Magnum which Robson had commandeered for his own use. The remainder of the stash included surgical equipment and medical supplies, two biohazard suits, three portable generators, crates of engine oil, containers of bottled water, and as many boxes of MREs as they could fit onto the vehicles. Jennifer had even found in the infirmary twenty pints of whole blood that Robson confiscated and surreptitiously passed to Dravko.
Packing the vehicles had been time consuming. They had to make sure not only that everything was divided in such a way that the loss of one or two vehicles would not mean the loss of any one group of items, but they also had to make certain there was enough room for the group to travel comfortably. The Ryder housed the three generators and the bulk of the supplies, while the two Humvees fit what few things could be stored in the cargo area. When it came to the school bus, every other row of seats was packed as tightly as possible and the contents tied down.
“That ought to do it.” Dravko finished securing the last of the supplies on the school bus. He stood up, stretching the muscles in his arms. “Where did Tibor run off to?”
“I sent him off to the fire and rescue station to see what he could find,” answered Tatyana.
“That was over an hour ago.”
“You want me to go check on him?”
“No. I’m sure he’s okay. But we could have used his help.”
As if on cue, Tibor emerged from between the lab and dorm buildings pushing a cart filled with gear. He wore a huge smile, which wrinkled the scar across his face in an awkward manner. Since Tibor rarely smiled, Dravko reasoned he must have stumbled upon something good. He and Tatyana stepped off the bus to greet him.
“What did you find?”
“There wasn’t much there that we could take with us. Mostly axes and some heavy duty crowbars we could use as weapons, if need be. But take a look at this.”
Tibor beamed as he removed what looked like a silver blanket and unfolded it. When he spread it out in front of him, Dravko saw that it measured eight feet square.
“What is it?”
“An asbestos blanket. I found ten of them amongst the rescue supplies.”
Tatyana looked puzzled. “What are they used for?”
“You throw them on somebody who’s on fire to douse the flames.”
Now it was Dravko’s turn to be puzzled. “You plan on spontaneously combusting on the ride home?”
Tibor’s smile morphed into a frown. “They’re heavy and impervious to fire, which means they’re also impervious to sunlight. I figure we put three on the bus, three on the truck, and two with each Humvee. That way, if we get trapped on any of the vehicles at sunrise, we can protect ourselves.”
As a demonstration, Tibor bent over and whipped the blanket over his shoulders. It covered him completely.
Dravko nodded his approval. “Good idea.”
Tibor stood up straight and refolded the blanket. “I’ll put them into the vehicles. How much more do we have to load up?”
“We’re done.”
“Oh. Sorry.” The tone in Tibor’s voice, though, indicated he didn’t regret missing most of the hard work.
At that moment, the blast door opened. The three vampires braced themselves, not sure what was on the other side. They were very relieved when Robson and Thompson entered. The colonel closed the door behind them.
“I didn’t know you went outside,” said Dravko.
“We wanted to check on the radio antennae to see if we could get a message to Omaha.”
“Any luck?”
“No,” said Thompson. “Looks like a bolt of lightning struck it. Ever
ything’s fried.”
“Can you fix it?”
Thompson shook his head. “Not without an engineering squad. No big deal, though. The radio’s still intact. I’ll remove it from the communications room and take it with us. We should be able to reach Omaha with it once we’re back in Maine.”
“Do it in the morning,” said Robson looking at his watch. “It’s getting late and we need to get some rest.”
“No arguments here.” Thompson offered a friendly salute and strolled off.
Robson turned to Dravko. “You almost done?”
“Pretty much. We just have a few more things to pack up and then we’re good.”
“Looks like I’m not needed here. Call me if anything happens.” Robson headed off to the dorm building.
Once both humans were out of earshot, Tibor leaned closer to Dravko. “It looks like the colonel is taking a liking to us.”
“Maybe. But I still don’t trust him or the doctor.”
Chapter Forty-four
Robson entered his room and flicked on the light switch. A soft voice startled him.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
Robson spun around. Natalie lay in the bottom bunk, the blanket pulled up around her. He immediately noticed her shoulders were bare and smiled in anticipation. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Long enough. And I’m chilly.”
Robson slid out of his leather jacket. “Is it too cold in here?”
“That’s not the reason I’m chilly.” Natalie pulled the blanket down to her waist. She wore nothing underneath. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders, the tips resting on her breasts. He admired how beautiful she looked. For so many months he had thought of Natalie as a soldier, the leader of the group’s rotter hunters. Only in the past few days had he seen the other side of Natalie — the passionate, vibrant, exciting woman she truly was.
“Hurry up and join me.”
“Patience,” said Robson as he began stripping out of his shirt. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Natalie ran the tip of her tongue across her lips. “I can’t wait.”
“What would the Angels say?”
“They’re happy for me. But that’s because they think if I’m getting laid I won’t be as much of a hard ass on them.”
“Come on. I love your hard ass.”
Natalie frowned. “You’re such a romantic.”
Robson sat on the side of the bunk to take off his boots. Natalie scooted closer, running her hand along his back. “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”
Robson didn’t immediately respond. He knew the reason why. It was because of Susan. The guilt flooded his conscience. He had not acted earlier on his feelings for Natalie because he didn’t deserve to love again.
Natalie sensed his mood and drew closer. Her tone was tender. “It’s Susan, isn’t it?”
He sighed deeply.
“You can’t go on blaming yourself for what happened. You couldn’t have saved her.”
“I didn’t even try.” It was the first time Robson had admitted that to anyone. He shifted on the bunk so he could face Natalie, but kept his head lowered so he wouldn’t have to look her in the eyes. “When we were trying to escape, she couldn’t keep up. I got ahead of her, and when I looked back she was being chased by swarmers. Half a dozen were closing in on her. She screamed for me to help her, begged me to save her. Instead of going back, I ran on ahead. I… left her to die.”
Robson looked up, expecting to see Natalie glaring at him in horror and revulsion. Instead he saw only sympathy and understanding. Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “You’ve been living with that the whole time?”
All he could do was nod and avert his gaze again.
Natalie placed her hands on Robson’s face and raised it, forcing him to look at her. “Stop beating yourself up. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“How can you say that? I killed Susan.”
“No,” Natalie said forcefully. “The swarmers killed Susan. You couldn’t help her without getting yourself killed. All you did was watch her die. Everyone here has watched a loved one die because they couldn’t help them.”
Robson clasped Natalie’s hands and gently pulled them away from his face, then lowered his head in shame. “The guilt is killing me.”
“Don’t let it. You may not have been able to help Susan, but look how many lives you’ve saved since then. None of us would have survived as long as we have if it wasn’t for you. Everyone at camp owes their lives to you. So don’t fall apart on us now. They need you.” Natalie cupped his face and turned it towards her. “I need you.”
Robson felt nothing but adoration and respect for Natalie. Instead of condemning him, she had offered him acceptance and understanding. It was more than he could have hoped for, and so much more than he deserved. If Natalie could forgive him his sin and still love him, then maybe he could afford to do so. At that moment, all the pent up emotions that had eaten away at his soul dried up. Anger. Guilt. Self-loathing. Solace filled the void, a solace he had not known for months. He burst into tears, relieved that his pain could finally be reconciled.
Natalie reached out, wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him close. She comforted him until his crying devolved into a series of heavy sobs. Maneuvering Robson so he laid beside her on the bed, she wrapped the blanket over them and held him close until they both fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter Forty-five
What a fuckin’ waste of a day. O’Bannon yanked open the door to the dorm building with enough force that it slammed against the outer wall, the bang echoing throughout the facility. Cracks spider webbed through the glass pane. O’Bannon could give a shit about the door or whether he woke the others. He didn’t even bother closing it behind him. Instead, he stormed down the corridor heading for his room.
After his shift monitoring the surveillance cameras in the security office, he found himself with nothing to do because the Angels would man the remaining shifts. He went to check in with Robson, hoping to help him plan the route back to camp, only to find out that not only had Robson and Natalie plotted the return trip without him, but that he and the colonel had then gone topside to check on the radio antenna. So much for being third in command.
Jennifer had suggested that the fuckin’ bloodsuckers were packing the convoy for the ride back and could use his assistance, but he’d be damned before he helped them. So he grabbed some rest, or at least tried to. The shift work had screwed up his schedule. He had laid there for two hours but still couldn’t fall asleep. Saying the hell with it, he decided to take a tour of the facility. Rather than occupy him for a few hours, it merely provided him time to stew in his own anger.
He had a right to be angry. He had spent months tolerating Paul’s turn-the-other-cheek bullshit when it came to the bloodsuckers. When Compton first arrived at camp, he could sense that the doctor and the colonel knew the score when it came to dealing with them, and hoped that maybe they could get Paul to see the light and finally purge the world of this evil. Instead, this mission had only embedded the tolerance for the bloodsuckers into the others. No one seemed upset about how Dravko and the others had savaged those bandits back in Pennsylvania when given the chance. That could just as easily have been their group, and more than likely would be before too long if someone didn’t stop them. Rather than see the bloodsuckers for the monsters they were, Robson and the others thanked them. Like a pack of sheep thanking the wolves for inviting them to dinner. Even Thompson seemed to have a change of heart after Tibor had saved him. Big fucking deal. The bloodsuckers had saved a few of them during this mission, but that couldn’t possibly balance out the billions of humans turned into rotters due to them.
However, the free time did give O’Bannon a chance to think things over. He knew he couldn’t stay any longer with Robson and the others, waiting patiently for Dravko to turn on them. As difficult a decision as it was to make, especially after seeing how d
angerous the world had become, he had made up his mind that if an opportunity presented itself on the way back to camp, he would set out on his own. If not, then he would ask Compton to take him back to Omaha where at least he’d get the chance to do something good for the country.
Entering his room, he found Tatyana waiting for him. She lay across the bed, the covers pulled up around her waist. Her clothes sat in a pile on the floor. As he closed the door, Tatyana rolled over and propped herself on one arm.
O’Bannon looked away and slid off his jacket. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” Tatyana pulled down the covers to reveal her naked body.
As attractive as he found Tatyana, she was not human, and right now he wanted nothing to do with her. “Not tonight.”
Tatyana partially morphed into a vampire, allowing her teeth to grow into fangs. She bared them at O’Bannon and snarled, the gesture meant to be one of seduction. It had the opposite effect, however. In that moment, Tatyana represented everything he hated.
“Come on,” she cooed. “It’s been a week since we’ve made love.”
“We don’t make love. We fuck.”
“So let’s fuck.”
O’Bannon turned his back to her. “I’d rather throw myself into those things around the front gate.”
“You can’t mean that,” Tatyana whined.
“Stop deluding yourself.”
“But I love you.”
“Love me?” O’Bannon spun around. His fists clenched in anger as he fought back the urge to step over to the cot and cut off Tatyana’s head. “You’re not even human. You have about as much emotion as the rotters.”
“Why are you trying to hurt me like this?”
“Because your kind destroyed my world.”
“I had no part in that,” Tatyana cried. “At least you’re still alive.”
“No, I exist. My life is now a daily struggle to survive in the rotter hell your kind created. And the worst part is that the only thing that cares for me in this miserable world is a fucking inhuman bloodsucker.”
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