Dead and Dead Again: Kansas City Quarantine

by Dalton Wolf

  The car barreled at an impossible speed straight at the waiting group. Only when it appeared too late to stop—when the gang began scrambling for the safety of the building—did the car finally turn sideways and skid to a screeching halt.

  “Ok, you win,” Calvin admitted, climbing out of the passenger seat with a big grin and smoky eyes as he put away his favorite green one-hitter, waving away several clouds of smoke that rose from inside the vehicle. “You’re a better driver than I am.”

  “I would never admit that,” Tripper said.

  “I would never have sang that song,” Boomer added.

  “Yeah, well, I’m having sex tonight,” Calvin replied.

  Boomer looked sufficiently burned.

  “Well, so am I,” Tripper said haughtily, crossing his arms.

  “That’s what you think,” Sarah informed him with a snort.

  “OH!” Athena snapped.

  “I just meant I wouldn’t admit it to Athena,” Trip cooed to Sarah smoothly. “C’mon, baby. You’re a much better driver than I am. You know that.” He schmoozed.

  “We’ll see,” she acquiesced.

  “That changed in a hurry, didn’t it?” Scaggs asked with a big grin. “Who’s kissing butt now?”

  “Gus, Scaggs, when you’re cleaned up you can show the military to their bunks and help get them settled in, please,” Calvin ordered as instant karma for the new girl.

  The couple saluted as one and Calvin rolled his eyes. “Aye, Aye, Chief!” they snapped in such practiced unison Calvin had no doubt they had planned it in advance.

  The parents had set up three more showers outside for the group to use now. These were basically just cheap garden sprayers hooked up to hoses and y-connecters and ‘mounted’ by bailing wire to the flower pots hanging in the little gated entryway, but there was much less standing around waiting for an open faucet now. Five minutes later they were all clean and stumping into the lobby, wiping down with towels provided by anxious mothers who fussed and fretted over the worn ‘children’ and even the soldiers.

  “Captain, I’ll show you to our radio,” Calvin extended his arm and followed the captain who swept past without any acknowledgement to those waiting inside.

  “The rest of you get hots and cots,” Batmouche’ called over to where the mothers wiped at the exhausted soldiers with towels. The three saluted and shuffled behind Gus and Scaggs down a hallway to take care of their needs.

  Confessions

  Three days later, the old friends, along with the three newest members of the close-knit group, Quinn, Scaggs and Felicia, gathered at the Dungeon having an enthusiastic meal around Hef’s massive round table. The table, which he had made from the broken limbs of an ancient olive tree his father had sent from their family grounds in Greece, was more an oval ring with an opening in one end allowing access to the middle for serving dinner or entertainment. The table top extended only two-and-a-half feet from the diners so there was a lot of room in the interior. The center also held a triangle of monitors that hung from the ceiling and which could be viewed from any seat at the table. Music videos played now, set on random and turned down to a mild drone, barely heard over the buzz of scattered conversations filled with laughter and assorted merriment.

  Calvin leaned back in his chair and loosened his belt, watching the others and greeting their laughter with his own, a pleasant smile tugging insistently at the corners of his careworn eyes. It was good to see them celebrating as if their world hadn’t twisted into a stinking pile of shit. Even the recent changes in the EAS message hadn’t dulled their spirits. Some group had apparently tried to break through the wall en masse and those standing watch on the top had been forced to kill them all—men, women and children. The government had declared the skies a no fly zone and A-10 Warthogs and drones were now frequently flying missions into the zone and blowing up target vehicles and aircraft of interest to ensure no escape attempts would be duplicated.

  Whatever genius was making decisions outside the Quarantine Wall had decided not to send in another team to pull out the doctor since Batmouche’ still had control of the situation and so far the outbreak had remained contained within The Wall. When Tripper suggested that they were staying out because of the animosity of several survivalist groups on the outskirts that were shooting missiles at incoming air craft and even attacking the walls, the captain did not deny it. Other things had happened, but Batmouche’ would not pass that information on to the others, not even Calvin.

  The general conversations from her superiors seemed to ‘suggest’ that it was up to her to get the package out, and as quickly as she possible, but to avoid the freeways where feasible. She had wanted to set off right away in the Hedgehog and Paddy Wagon, but Calvin firmly refused her access to the vehicles, which was another reason the friends had moved to the Dungeon, bringing all vehicles, the case and the doctor with them. She wouldn’t leave without the doctor when the entire mission hinged on his safe extraction.

  Calvin again insisted that the military mission was his top priority. However, if the government wouldn’t make it their priority, there wasn’t much he could do about it. It was pretty clear now that the entire country had written off Kansas City as lost, along with everything within a hundred miles. But this group knew that they weren’t lost, and even if they were, they didn’t plan on going down easily. In fact, their confidence was at an all time high after so many successful rescue missions without losing anyone. In their minds, things were only getting better.

  As he watched, he gently rubbed his tender chest, thankful that the pain was finally easing. There had been a tense moment two days prior when the doctor had noticed his pale features and given him another examination. He’d then ordered Trip and Athena to surreptitiously drive out and bring back some special equipment and medical supplies. When they had returned, he’d performed some minor surgery on Calvin and removed some nasty-looking fluid from inside his chest with a needle the size of a spear and ordered bed rest. Calvin had ordered them to remain silent and not tell the others until he had begun to improve. The doctor took that order a step further and waited until he was past the danger zone before telling him that he would have been dead within a week if he hadn’t received the treatment. Hey-Calvin had responded, we could still all be dead within a week.

  The doctor was even now doing experiments on some of the captured Infected bodies in a room Hef had prepared for him. It wasn’t much of a lab, but it was equipped well enough for at least some work to be done. Everyone else had been left at the Fortress for three full days now without any negative incidents reported from Saul Rosenthal. The soldiers were getting along well with the parents and vice versa. Calvin had been patting himself on the back for some time about the decision, knowing that the captain, at least, would have had issues with how the group decided to entertain themselves and the parents would have driven the ‘kids’ all mad by now. As it turned out, the friends were not in Hef’s way at all. Instead, he had put them all to work readying things for the final assembly. As his Chief Assistant, Athena had worked out a work schedule for everyone.

  No calls came over the radio other than Rufus checking in and letting them know his people were doing well and that they had received the government supplies from their designated drop points. Teams occasionally made forays into the wilderness to bring back this or that, but the friends had spent most of the week calmly preparing to leave. What remained was mostly packing with some specialty jobs for those with the required talents. No one other than Calvin had been thinking of the packing they were going to have to do and the shear amount of supplies they would need had been quite a shock to nearly everyone.

  Hephaestus had them boxing-up everything anyone felt they might need and putting it all before two double-doors next to the big mural and Quinn and Hephaestus would then alternate taking it all through to the mysterious vehicle inside. Even with Calvin angrily pointing out that the vehicle would be done faster if they could all help, Hef had insisted it wo
uldn’t and that even if it would, this surprise was worth the wait.

  In the end, Calvin had relented and they still had no idea what awaited them on the other side of Mt. Olympus. But now nearly all of the packing was done. Hef had said the vehicle was nearly complete so they were all sitting around the table finalizing the details of their departure over a full four-course Italian meal cooked-up by Sarah, Boomer and Athena. Subtle hints of garlic, tomato sauce, oregano and cinnamon danced and intermingled with other spices on every slight draft that wafted through the spacious dining room. Even the pungent odor of El Supremo was drowned out as the main course was laid before them on the great table.

  “We’ll want to make sure the Fortress is closed up tight before we leave,” Tripper said before stuffing his face with pasta, dripping rosy red sauce down his front and either not noticing, or more likely not caring.

  “Yes. And this place,” Calvin agreed favoring Hef with a broad, bleary-eyed grin. All three men were clearly stoned out of their minds, but at least Hef was up and walking about. He had already grabbed a plate from the kitchen over the protests of the ladies, but he had some things to do before they were ready to close up and leave and, after all, it was his kitchen. “Did you get that vent up there yet?” Calvin asked through a mass of spaghetti noodles hanging out of his mouth, each dangling end dripping delicious red sauce into his lap.

  “Do not talk with your mouth full, Calvin,” Hef chided him. “It is rude. And I am not certain I want to put the other vent back up yet,” He continued with a grimace.

  “Why not?”

  “I am not confident in my own craftsmanship anymore. I must be losing my edge. I thought a half inch weld used to hold skyscrapers together would be enough for one sheet-metal roof vent. Now I am no longer certain I can secure it adequately…”

  Shocking everyone with the suddenness of her anger, Athena slammed down a pepper shaker in front of the three and carried a heaping bowl of sauce across to Scaggs and Gus, dropping it unceremoniously before turning to stump noisily for the kitchen.

  “I would hate for it to fall to its doom,” Hef added dramatically over his shoulder at her retreating back. “Who knows who or what out in that confusing universe it might have pissed off. You know how vents just happen to fall off of roofs around here so often. Maybe it is some kind of plot to put us all out of business. For all I know there are big birds ripping them from roofs and crapping inside to run us all out. Vents all over seem to be falling from roofs at the drop of a hat and what-not—”

  “—alright!” Athena snapped, stomping back from the open kitchen doorway. “It wasn’t an accident. I killed him!” She screamed. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “Not really. I was just wondering if there was going to be a reason for me to worry about the other vent. Brick’s questionable demise never came into my mind.”

  “You’re a damned liar, Hephaestus Antonopoulos. You’ve been giving me side-long looks since it happened.”

  “Maybe I just think you are pretty,” he smiled back, eyes half closed from too much weed.

  “Screw you! Yes, I killed him. Are you happy now?”

  “Well, you can’t just jump over the loony stick and not try to wrangle a flibly,” he warbled in an overdone mid-western twang that sounded eerily like the rest of them, putting into contrast the perfectly enunciated, slightly stilted accent he usually spoke with. He finished by crossing his eyes and making a funny face.

  “What?”

  “You cannot just throw a man from a roof and not explain why,” he clarified. “Even if everyone here was a total stranger, I believe they would have a right to know.”

  “I’m a total stranger and I don’t give a crap,” Scaggs held her hand up. “I didn’t like the guy. Beautiful as hell, but he creeped me out. I can step out if necessary. Although I’d rather not, because this sounds like it’s about to get interesting,” she admitted honestly, eyes nearly as marbled as the other victims of El Supremo.

  “I didn’t throw him off…” Athena breathed quietly.

  “Athena, it is ok. It is no secret that I did not like Brick,” Hephaestus assured her. “I believe you did everyone here a favor. He would have only become bolder with us to counter his fear of the dead. You need not convince me, but you might want to explain the situation to them,” he pointed to the other half of the room, where mouths hung open and food spilled back onto plates and laps without discretion.

  She studied the others, only now fully realizing they were all there, that they were all together. Even when Scaggs had made her little joke it simply hadn’t occurred to her that she had just confessed before everyone. El Supremo’s foggy blanket had convinced her that this had been a private thing between her, Sarah and Hephaestus. The questionable nature of the jokes he had been throwing at them all night during his visits to the kitchen. In the matter of only a few hours, her whole world had become a running battle, a steady defense deflecting every Hephaestus jab, somehow seeing blame or suspicion in each message, which was probably no accident. He was throwing it in her face with jokes about dropped food or anything that she spilled or knocked over, almost as if he had been pushing her into something…something just like this. He was very smart. Except for Calvin, Quinn and Sarah, he had been the only other one who knew…until now. And she had just told them all. No need for secrets anymore. No need for hidden guilt and unexplained tantrums. Everyone knew and it was time they understood why. She held out her hands to the others as if showing them blood she couldn’t wipe off.

  “I killed him! I killed Brick!” she cried. “But I didn’t throw him off the roof. It wasn’t like that. He tried to rape me and promised to do it again,” she explained, examining each face for sympathy or understanding, or…something. But they had not even had time to register her initial words yet. “He said he’d done it before and would do it again. So I dropped him from the line he was climbing before he could,” she finished this statement with her chin in the air, as if that little extra assurance could help her stand tall in the coming barrage.

  She could already sense the feelings starting to shift. It would be coming soon, a Tsunami of blame she hoped to break with only her stoic chin. But instead of blame, she heard something unexpected, a voice of support.

  “We dropped him from the roof,” Sarah stated firmly from the only shadowy corner in the entire room, next to the kitchen, her skin so pale she could easily be a ghost.

  “The vent. The…he was climbing and the rope was tied around the winch to the pipe. We didn’t want Calvin to think his knot had failed so we kicked the vent until it broke free.”

  “But my weld snapping is so much better,” Hephaestus threw his hands up. “Hephaestus has no feelings. He no longer needs to be confident in his work…”

  “Hey, she was almost raped!” Sarah snapped heatedly.

  “But you didn’t know that yet, did you?” Joel interjected calmly. “So why would you have helped her?” His concern seemed to stem more from curiosity than anything else. In fact, after asking the question he spun another heaping pile of noodles around his fork, dipped it into the sauce and fed El Supremo’s greedy demands.

  Sarah’s teary eyes watched Trip, then moved to Athena, searching, uncertain..

  “I…I heard what Brick tried to do to Athena. My…my watch was over and…and I went to get Brick for his turn. I was there, outside the room. It was when you all left to go get Lucy and Lola. He said things to her, he…he was going to do things…He was…he wasn’t him anymore. But he hasn’t been himself for a long time.”

  Her pleading eyes targeted Tripper and she almost stopped, but this was the right time. If not now, then there would never be a time. Athena nodded for her to continue.

  “That’s not true. Or…it’s not everything,” she took a big shaking breath. “Three months ago he raped me.” It came out in a rush. She couldn’t believe she’d finally said it. The past three months had been indescribable. Fear. Shame. Guilt. So many other emotions and fe
elings she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

  “It’s worse than anyone knows!” she cried. “We were watching that movie you made us all promise to watch,” she accused Tripper. “For Tripper’s Midnight Movie Club Review Night. Whatever the movie was that week. Killer of the Dying Death or something stupid like that. He drugged me and…did everything…bad things. Not normal things. He tied me up and marked me with a tattoo, but I hid it with makeup and had it removed before you could see it, Trip.” Her knees nearly doubled-back on themselves, but she fought, and remained standing.

  “How?” Trip whispered, tears streaming from his high cheeks like water spilling over a dam.

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “We’ve all hung out so many times. I’ve hung out with him before. You know that. He never even made a pass at me. I thought because I was your girlfriend, he knew I was off-limits, like with Hephaestus. I didn’t drink alcohol or smoke anything, and I’d taken a nap before I got there, but I still fell asleep half way through the movie. One minute I was wide awake, the next…I woke up the next day naked on the couch next to him trying to…to get started in on me again with my wrists tied together. I started hitting and kicking and cussing him out and he just laughed,” she broke off for a few seconds to catch her breath and stifle a few stubbornly controlled sobs.

  The tears rolled freely and she stared at anything but Trip—the piles of steaming pasta scattered about the tables before the group, the exotic murals painted on the wall behind them, her plain white tennis shoes with fresh spots of spilled tomato sauce.

  “He told me how much I had wanted it the night before, that I was begging him for it all night. When I denied that, he said it was ‘his word against mine’ and that he had witnesses hearing me ask him to go to his place—which I did because we were going to watch the movie and you know my blue-ray is broken. He…he took pictures and…and maybe even video. He said he was going to send copies to everyone if I told. To my parents, he would send a movie of that to my parents, to…to everyone…I couldn’t say anything. What could I do?”