The Rotting Souls Series (Book 4): Charon's Coffers

by Ray, Timothy A.

  “Why don’t you go sit next to Zeke, looks like he could use the company?” she whispered in Alicia’s ear, who shook her head and tightened her grip on her water bottle.

  Matt answered in a gruff voice, clearly displeased with the whole situation, “No one has heard from them since they took off. Either they didn’t make it or they have some reason for being radio silent. One of us has a theory on that,” he finished, motioning towards Joseph.

  “There’s a slight chance that our communications have been compromised by the man that built this place. Our phones, while using a dedicated satellite network, may have another pair of ears listening into our conversations. That’s why I asked you all to leave them in that bin outside. Better safe than sorry,” Joseph continued for Matt, his face showing concern. “If it’s true, then Monica’s attempts at surprise has already been destroyed. I called Todd and told him what was going on last night and if our call was monitored, then I may have signed all of their death warrants.”

  “He’s just one guy,” an average sized man blurted out. He had gray and black hair and a beard, his right arm around the shoulders of the slim woman next to him. Three kids sat on the opposite side of the table, the family obviously still trying to adjust to their surroundings and coming to terms with their new existence.

  The man’s wife shoved her shoulders into the man, moving him slightly and then whispering, “I think they know that Hon.”

  “He’s the guy that helped design this place. Contractors and technicians were snuck in here while Rodger’s family was away, and changes were made. We are still trying to track them all down and find out what they do. Monica’s group may be flying blind,” Joseph responded, his face passive.

  “That woman’s nuts running off like that,” a new voice spoke up. The man was sitting with his body turned so he could face the assembled people before him. He was large, broad-shouldered, with black long hair and a mustache. A heavy woman sat next to him rocking a toddler, her short blond hair ruffled and looking like she had just climbed out of bed.

  Before Roxanne could answer, Michelle got to her feet and rounded on the man. “She’s not crazy! That woman you speak of is my mother, and what she is doing is trying to save all your asses.”

  “Michelle! Language!” Lynn exclaimed, her short curly black hair bobbing as she stared wide-eyed at her granddaughter.

  “No Grandma, I’m not going to let him talk about my mother like that. Not when she’s out there risking her life, so that prick to sleep easier tonight!” the young woman snapped, getting a stern look from her grandfather and a gasp of surprise from her brothers and sister.

  The man bristled at the rebuke, but refused to back down, “running off with a handful of people to attack a place like this? If that stupidity is what represents our leadership here, then I say we need to elect a new leader. This is America, after all.”

  “My wife is out there too, you know,” Michael spoke up, his daughter Ali in a carrier at his feet. “She wouldn’t have gone if she didn’t think it was the right thing to do.”

  “I’m not saying whether it’s right or wrong, I’m saying that maybe if you all didn’t run around half-cocked, people would still be alive today,” the man spoke, anger dripping off every word.

  Joseph glared at the man. “Brian, you knew what you were getting into when you came along. I brought you here, I offered your family safety, why not show some respect?”

  “Respect is something earned, and so far, I haven’t been given any reason to,” Brian returned with a hard glare.

  “If you want, I can take your family to the nearest city and drop you off. No one is making you stay,” the sniper snapped, not backing down either.

  Roxanne coughed. “Okay, it’s getting a little tense in here. Yes, I know things have seemed a little chaotic since you all arrived, but in case you have forgotten, it’s a lot worse out there. There are people that know we are here, and they want to take this place from us. It seems to me,” she paused to look towards the man bristling nearby, “that all our energy should be focused on making sure that doesn’t happen, rather than fighting amongst ourselves.”

  “On that note. I’m not back to where I want to be, and may not be anytime soon. I’m going to need all of you to be patient as we advance through your training. We are going to have to be extra vigilant about watching for anyone approaching the compound, and I need to know how many here are at least computer literate,” Matt announced, eyes scanning those assembled before him.

  Matt’s eyes flashed to the right and he smiled, “I know Zeke, you can put your hand down. You can’t do it all on your own, you will need to sleep, and we need constant eyes on those cameras we have out there in the woods. And Casey,” he remarked, glancing towards the rear of the room, “you’re excluded. I need someone that’s actually paying attention.”

  “Like sitting on my ass watching a monitor isn’t something I excel at,” Casey snarked and got a soft rumble of chuckles from those around them. “That’s what I was doing when you met me, motherfucker,” the man finished, laughing.

  “That may be, but as long as you’re smoking that shit, you’re out. Anyone else?” Joseph cut in before Matt could make a retort.

  One of the kids sitting with the first man that had spoken up raised her hand.

  “Ah, Jessie, that’s good. And you as well Caleb? Okay, so three of you should be able to pull eight-hour shifts without breaking a sweat. Just remember kids, this isn’t a game. I need you focused and on task,” Joseph grinned, trying to sound supportive, but his eyes said he had wished more adults would be at the helm.

  Roxanne looked towards Zeke, then nodded. Zeke got to his feet, put his hands in his pockets, and appeared too nervous to even talk. He got a nudge from his older sister and he flinched. “I was watching some videos today and it looks like things have begun to change out there. There are still a lot of those creatures running about, but there are quite a lot that aren’t doing more than crawling and appearing to actually be dead. I don’t know what’s going on, it’s not anything I’ve ever seen before.”

  “In a movie you mean, youngster,” Jim spoke up, turning to look at the younger boy. “Not something you’ve seen outside a movie. Sounds like those things are starting to break down. That could be a good thing.”

  “That’s my thoughts exactly,” Roxanne continued, nodding at the older man. “If they are slowing down, if they are crawling around, it could mean that the biology of these creatures doesn’t change after death. Outside the fact that they came back to life, that is. From what I saw, carrion creatures have begun to pick at them, weather is starting to affect their bodies, and they look to be decaying naturally, despite the fact that they are still moving about. If it continues, we might not be looking at months or years, maybe just weeks.”

  Patty, Jim’s wife leaned forward and had a huge grin on her face, “you’re saying there’s hope we can make it through this.”

  Roxanne was nodding. “Though, the ones still running around out there appear to be freshly killed, and if we are all infected with this thing, then any new death might restart the outbreak. But yes, if people are smart about it, take care of the dead properly, we might just pull through.”

  “But not if a bunch of gangbangers crash our party,” Joseph broke in, getting them back to topic. “So, let’s get to work. Any of you that still feel like you need weapon training, let’s get on that right away. I need people up in those towers, and I want to see the three of you in the Communications Room right after we leave here,” he finished, pointing to the two boys and girl that volunteered to help with the computer situation. “Meeting adjourned.”

  Chapter 5

  Adversary

  Todd

  Safford, AZ

  He awoke in a hospital bed and it felt disconcerting. He wasn’t hooked up, there were no meds flowing into his system, and the morning light stung as he swung his legs around, propelling himself upward. He hadn’t wanted to sleep that long and wa
s surprised no one had tried to wake him. Checking his phone, he was stunned to see he didn’t have any missed calls, how was that even possible? With a group of maniacs rushing towards the compound, with his wife and best friend flying north, someone should have been trying to reach him. Concerned, he hit the shortcut for Monica’s number. It rang until her voicemail picked up. He angrily hit the end button and put it back in his pocket.

  She should have gotten to Washington by now; he’d flown to Seattle before and they should have been on the ground for at least three to four hours judging by the time she’d left and the rising of the morning sun. She also had to realize that there was no way he wouldn’t know she’d taken off by now. So, not checking in? That bothered him on a level too scary to dwell on. If he lost her; nothing would prevent him from hunting Sean to the ends of the Earth, until either that psychopath was dead or he was. “Why the hell haven’t I heard from you?” he wondered out loud, his heart aching. Then the sounds of someone talking in the hall outside his room drew his attention and he stretched his back as he went to see who it was.

  Rosilynn was standing against the wall across from his doorway, her long brown hair ragged and her brow furrowed. She was talking heatedly into her phone and when their eyes met, he could feel her frustration flow into him. “No, this is not a prank. I am completely serious. I was a nurse at Mountain View Medical and have seen firsthand evidence proving exactly what I’m telling you. How the hell should I know how many people call you a day? No, I don’t want to be on hold, I’ve been on hold all morning,” she snarked, shaking her head. “Do you realize how hard it was to even find this number? Give me a break. I’m telling you, his name is Sean Flaggerty. Yes, the author. No, I didn’t know you were a fan. Look, I’m telling you, he was a defense contractor before he wrote those books. I’ve met the man, yes. No, I’m not kidding. Dr. Frisk, that’s the name of the guy that died in that airport. Fact check that. I don’t think the President made that common knowledge, do you? Can you—let me talk to someone in charge, please. Fine, I’ll hold.”

  He walked into the hallway and gave her a questioning look. “What are you doing? Who are you talking too?”

  “I’m doing what we should have done the second we found out about this shit, telling someone,” she replied, her eyes stern. “You may be all right with the knowledge that we might have killed the world, but I’m not. Son of a bitch! They hung up on me,” she growled, looking at her phone in disbelief.

  He sighed, “and that’s why I haven’t bothered telling—.”

  Her phone rang.

  Hitting the talk button, she put it to her ear and gave him a surprised look. “Hello? The NSA? Uh, yes, I said the name Frisk. Okay. Uh huh. I understand. Well, I don’t have the evidence on me, it’s back at our place. But we are headed—uh huh. We call it the Ninth Compound. Somewhere in Michigan. No, I don’t know exactly, like I said—okay. I get it. Will you—,” she trailed off, listening to the voice on the other end. “Got it. I will, thanks,” she finished, hanging up her phone. “Well, that was interesting.”

  “Did you really just get a call from the NSA?” he asked, incredulous. “I thought that shit only happened in movies.”

  “That’s what he said,” she nodded, her eyes looking stunned. When he snickered, she rolled her eyes. “Grow up. They picked up the name Frisk through a keyword search. They were monitoring my call remotely. Obviously, anyone that knows the man who started all this would be popping up as a red flag, but still, that was eerie.”

  “What did he want?” he pushed, his heart racing. Had they just been compromised? If they were clued in on who they were, where they were staying, then their families could not be in jeopardy.

  She glanced at him, stunned at what had just happened, her mind still processing. He reached out and held her hand, trying to comfort her the best he could. “They want everything we have, of course. I don’t have any—I need to call Joseph,” she finished, punching a button on her phone and lifting it once more. “Hey, it’s me. Look, I need you to find a way to email—wait, my phone just went off. Okay, I’m going to forward you a text. I need you to find all that crap we have on Sean and forward it to that address. No, I don’t think that matters, they are after Sean not us. I know. I know okay? Yes, I should have discussed—I get it. Todd is already giving me a nasty look. Just do it, all right? Okay. Bye.”

  “I guess I don’t have to say anything after all,” he smirked, and she playfully slapped his shoulder in return.

  “No, I guess not. I’m sorry, okay? It’s just—we know who started it. We know where it was created. How could I not say something? I was trained to do no harm, and keeping a secret like that—how many people could be saved if they find a cure? It’s possible it’s just sitting there, waiting for someone to find it. How could I live with myself knowing that there was a chance that all this could end, but I did nothing out of fear for my own life? That’s a hell of a selfish thing to do and I couldn’t take it anymore,” she returned, her eyes becoming misty. “I had to try.”

  He stepped forward and embraced her, running his hand up and down her back, trying to soothe the grief he knew she was experiencing. “I know. It’s okay. Whatever happens, happens. Don’t think I didn’t want to do it myself. I just wanted—but Ben—I get it, that’s all I’m trying to say.”

  Footfalls were approaching and he turned his head and looked at his cousin, her face filled with fatigue, her arms swinging slowly by her side. “Robert’s awake. I promised to tell you.”

  “Thank you,” he responded, not breaking away from Rosilynn just yet. He got a raised eyebrow, but he didn’t care. There was no point in hiding his private life any longer. If they all went back with him, it would be a hell of a hard thing to hide. They either accepted it or not; that was on them. “Come on, let’s do this,” he whispered in Rosilynn’s ear, grabbed her hand, and walked down the hallway towards Robert’s room.

  He paused at the doorway, trying to lock away the anger that was slowly rising to the surface, then reached forward and pushed the door open. It went a little too easily and he flinched as it rocked into the wall. Well, that would make his feelings known despite his best efforts. He almost laughed, but it died when he walked into the room and faced the man that had killed members of his family, and had wanted to do the same to him as well.

  “Hey,” Robert greeted, nodding his head slightly as they entered.

  Michelle hung back, giving him a wary look, and then disappeared. Apparently, he looked calmer than he did the previous night. He wasn’t sure he felt it. “You don’t get to say hey, like we’re just old buddies about to catch up,” he sneered, refusing to go anywhere near the bed. Rosilynn remained by his side and he felt her grip tighten on his, her unwavering support giving him the strength he needed to stay in control. “What you’ve done, there is no coming back from.”

  “I know,” Robert croaked, then reached for the glass of water on the table hovering over his waist and took a quick sip. “I deserve whatever you want to do to me. I won’t fight you. You didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t have done, taking care of your family first. And it was wrong of me to hold you responsible for what happened to my daughter. That was the maniac that let this shit loose, and you didn’t have anything to do with that.”

  Oh, if only you knew. He didn’t want to imagine the conversation that would take place if Robert knew the truth of things. He was partially responsible for what happened after all. Yet, there was nothing in the world that would get him to admit that now, not to this man, not after everything he did. “Drop the act,” he snapped, “I don’t know how you convinced these people you’re a good guy, but I know better. So does she.”

  Robert’s eyes glanced towards Ros, then back at him. “Another one of your girls?”

  “Don’t even start that shit, you have no right to judge me. Not after all the shit you’ve done. Sabrina is safe by the way, despite your best attempts to run her down and subject her to the same treatment Marisol got
. Tell me, you sadistic fuck, what happened to Caesar? The man we worked with that you once called friend? Is he still alive?” From the way Robert’s eyes shifted to the side, he knew the answer. “That’s what I thought. So you know what? When it comes to my personal life, it’s not any of your fucking business,” he snapped.

  “Todd,” Ros began, putting her hand on his arm.

  He shrugged out of it, he was getting fired up. “No, he deserves exactly what he’s getting, and a lot more. He killed innocent people. Not only friends, but his followers that looked to him to lead, not butcher them for his own failings. I cleaned up your mess at the Three Way. I didn’t bury them, but cremation is still more respect than you ever gave them. They risked their lives for you and you left them to rot.”

  The bed-ridden man nodded, “you’re right, I did all those things you’re accusing me of. I admit it. I was in a bad place after the death of my daughter, but that doesn’t excuse to violence I’ve done in the wake of that. I have come to terms with it in the worst possible way and if you would like to see me punished, then get to it; finish it. I won’t stop you. I told your cousin that I was not a good man, that I didn’t deserve their help. That they were better off just letting me die. I didn’t try to convince them otherwise. I was fighting for my life. There was nothing on my mind but surviving and killing the man responsible for what was happening to me. I tried telling them that, but they refused to listen.”

  “You obviously didn’t try hard enough,” he returned. “A brother of the man you killed, my uncle, is just down the hall. He wouldn’t mind a few words with you as well, behind a closed door.” The somber, easy way that Robert was just taking everything he threw at him and readily admitting to doing it was putting him off-balance. This was more the man that he remembered, and not the one he’d faced not two days before.