Matt’s eyes narrowed, “yeah, the extinction of the Human race, that’s a bad thing.”
“Is it?” he returned quickly as he pulled open the double doors to the tunnel and began walking down the stairs. “I’m not trying to sound like an asshole, I’m really not.”
“Oh, in that case, by all means, carry on my psychotic friend,” Matt mocked with a smirk. “Asshole.”
He had to chuckle. “I resemble that remark.”
“I know,” Matt laughed, hopping into one of the jeeps.
He climbed into the driver seat and turned over the engine. “It’s not that I’m saying I wish this virus had been released, that so many had died. All I’m saying is that maybe, just maybe, Agent Smith had it right.”
“Agent who? Is this like a Men in Black thing? I thought they were just letters,” Matt returned, his brow furrowed.
“Matrix,” he corrected, then continued, “he said that Mankind was like a virus. Consuming an area and then spreading out to consume some more. We just about covered all the landmass outside of Antarctica with buildings and the trappings of civilization. Oh, I know, Africa not so much, but shit, just about everywhere else. Cutting down rainforest, polluting the air, melting icecaps, global warming, fossil fuel draining, the death of thousands of species a year due to our negligence. Not to mention the increased population growth that would eventually lead to famine and mass casualties when the Earth finally had nothing more to give.”
Matt watched the lights overhead pass by, then glared at him. “Are you saying that this shit was a good thing? That we needed to be culled?”
“No. I swear to you that I’m not in favor of this—at all. All I’m trying to say is that from a certain perspective you could see it as something that nature would have preferred happen in order to save itself. Every generation has a great plague or war, something that wipes out millions of people and keeps us in check, but with the advances in medicine, the focus on healthier foods and lifestyles, we were beginning to exceed our natural lifespans and threatening to outrun the means to sustain it. Personally, I always believed that expansion was needed. Colonization in space, not having all our eggs in one basket, but I think that’s another thing that went the way of football; an extinct way of life.”
Matt was silent for a few minutes and seemed to be reflecting on what had been said. He let it go, not wanting to stir it up even further and sound like an even larger jerk. He didn’t fully believe all that he was saying, but from a certain point of view, the facts were just too hard to ignore. Someone had just flipped a massive restart on civilization and who knew if it’d ever really get started again. This just might be it.
People were walking down the other tunnel in the direction of Compound 3, several covered in ash and dirt, and he was suddenly grateful that he had invited Bill’s group to join them. In the days ahead, they’d need them more than ever if they were going to survive.
“Glad you guys got over here. Though, took your time, didn’t you?” a gruff voice broke through his thoughts and he looked up to see Bill standing at the top of the stairs.
“What’s up?” he asked, not seeing anything on the faces of those that had passed to indicate that something serious was going on. “I was told it was urgent, not why.” He reached the top of the stairs and grasped Bill’s extended hand. He gave it a hard shake, then looked out the doors at the ruined compound beyond. “Fuck, we really got hit hard.”
“Well, I’m told most of that was your daughter’s work,” Bill grunted. “Either way, not the reason I called you. Seems like we have some visitors and thought it best that you have the say on whether or not we let them in.”
He stopped dead in his tracks. “Visitors? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Someone named Michelle is out there, claiming that she’s your cousin, and has nearly two hundred or so people spread out in the forest behind her,” the older man related, thrusting his hand in the direction of the main gate. “Didn’t want to just open up and let them through without hearing from you first.”
“Did you say two-hundred?” Matt asked in surprise. “How big is your family?”
That last was directed in his direction; he smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “That’s not all my family. Probably some of the townsfolk that were left behind in Safford after that asshole left.”
“Either way, what the hell are we going to do with two-hundred people? Are we capable of feeding and housing that many?” Matt went on, almost more to himself than to anyone else.
Bill’s mouth pulled slightly to the side and it looked like he was searching for chewing tobacco that wasn’t there. “We could probably take a few our way, but I’m not entirely sure they’d be comfortable with us.”
“We can worry about all that stuff later. A few seconds ago, we were worried about being under-strength and now we are worried there are too many? We’ll deal with the logistics when the dust settles. For right now, let’s go greet our guests,” he told them, as he began walking to the gates and the people waiting for him on the other side.
Chapter 30
Fuel
Monica
Fargo, North Dakota
For the second time, they touched down to refuel. The first had been in Billings at a ghost town of an airport and though they had been ready to be greeted by scores of undead, it had been a relatively quiet—almost boring stopover. While she watched the soldiers pile out of the helo, she hoped that this would be uneventful as well.
“Shouldn’t take long,” Captain Weir told them as the last of his men jumped out. “You should all just stay here.”
“No offense, Captain, but I need to stretch my legs,” John announced as he got up.
“Me too,” Jenn declared, speaking for the first time since they had set out.
She had started to get worried about the younger girl. She had put her head in the sand and had refused to even acknowledge anyone’s presence since she’d strapped in. It was starting to look like an unwise move bringing her along and she had wished that she’d sent the girl south with the others before leaving Montana. She sighed, it was past the time of being able to do that. Dropping her off now would be sealing her death warrant.
The Captain followed after them and she paused to look around the helo interior, thinking of how far she’d come from home. She was in a part of the country she’d never visited before, the chill in the air alien to the touch of her skin. She glanced at the western horizon and was surprised to find that the sun was already starting to set.
Where the hell had the day gone?
Unstrapping herself, she grabbed her weapon and leapt from the edge of the helo to the ground below. Her knees absorbed the impact and her head immediately swiveled to take in their surroundings. A three-person team had been sent after a fuel truck and she saw five pairs of headlights streaming their way from the terminal. There were six helicopters in their entourage and eighteen soldiers had their weapons raised, tracking the progress of the unknown visitors headed their way.
“Crap. Had to figure we’d run into somebody eventually, but damn,” John commented, his shotgun resting in the crook of his shoulder as he rolled his neck to relieve the tension built up from an already long ride.
“Maybe you three should get in the helo,” Weir told them and Jenn looked her way as if to gauge her reaction.
She nodded at the young hacker, “you’re no good in a firefight anyway. Go ahead.” Not waiting to see if Jenn listened, she rolled her shoulders and brought her weapon up. She didn’t know if these people were hostile, but these days you couldn’t take anything for granted.
The headlights were near blinding as the larger vehicles came to a screeching halt, fanned out, all facing their way. The occupants were hidden from view and the soldiers immediately began to spread out as well.
Weir was calm as he hovered in the center of the group, his sidearm holstered, but his M-16 held ready in case he needed it. “Identify yourselves or be deemed hostile and fire
d upon!”
The world was quiet outside the hums of the vehicles and the occasional shuffle of feet. A cool breeze whipped her hair, goosebumps rising in response to the cold, despite the suit she was wearing. “I don’t like this,” she muttered and could feel the tension dripping even stronger in the thick northern air.
A figure in black jeans and a leather jacket strode in front of the center vehicle’s headlights, brown hair slicked back and a cigar in the corner of his mouth. There was a large double barrel shotgun in his hand and a necklace of rotten ears about his neck. “I’m afraid you folks are trespassing.”
“I don’t think so,” Weir replied curtly.
“You see, this here is airport has been claimed by the North Dakota Militia and you have no business here. Your presence is not welcomed and we’d appreciate it if you got right back in those fancy helicopters and got the fuck out of here,” the man continued, ignoring Weir’s remark.
Weir’s hands tensed, but his face remained passive. “As soon as we refuel, we’ll be on our way.”
The man stepped forward, “yeah, I don’t think so. That fuel isn’t yours to take. So, if you’d like to leave here without joining the rest of the population of Fargo in a ditch, I’d hit the road Jack.”
“Quit screwing around Quincy, let’s just ice these fuckers!” someone yelled from one of the vehicles and her fingers twitched, nearly discharging her weapon.
Weir may be calm, but her nerve endings were lighting up. Her adrenaline leapt into high gear and she felt John move a step closer, as if to shield her from view. “I got this,” she whispered, but he ignored her.
“Now, now, Rick. There’s no call for that. These gentlemen were just leaving, right?” the man asked, the smile stretching so wide that she was sure that cigar would just plop right out. Somehow, it stayed dangling from the outstretched lips and she visualized putting a bullet clean through it.
“I say again,” Weir returned, “once we have refueled, we will be on our way. I don’t recognize your authority nor your claim of ownership of federal property. I would suggest you get back in your truck and return from whence you came or deadly force will be authorized.”
The man’s grin faltered, but only slightly. “I don’t think you fully understand your situation. Kill the lights!”
All five sets of headlights winked out almost in unison and thirty shadowy figures appeared on the backs and sides of large trucks, all with weapons leveled in their direction.
“You’re outnumbered hombre. You have ten seconds to reconsider your options,” the man chuckled, as if it were all a joke and he was his biggest fan. The figures surrounding him were fidgety, a few heads swiveled constantly to assess the opposing force, and one couldn’t decide who he wanted to point his gun at, her or John.
The soldiers around her remained exactly where they were, having not moved an inch since the confrontation began, and even though they were outnumbered, she felt it was the other guy that really needed to rethink what he was doing.
“Listen!” she cried out, feeling that at any second the shooting would begin and not wanting to be amongst the dead when the dust settled. “We are on our way to a medical facility that may be housing a cure to this shit! We just need some gas, then we will be gone. No harm, no foul! Surely that’s more impor—.”
“Times up!” the man hollered, cutting her off.
“Fire and maneuver!” Weir commanded and instantly the soldiers around her opened up and laid into the opposing force.
A bullet slammed into the ground at her feet and she was moving, trying to find cover before one found its mark. The best she could do was duck around the front of the helo, so she dodged that way as fast as she could, oblivious to what was going on around her.
If I die, Todd will find a way to come up here and kick my ass!
There was a roar of a shotgun to her rear and she knew that John was covering her retreat. A hole got punched in the nose of the helo, nearly missing her head, and she threw up her arm to cover herself as she rushed around its side and quickly turned, trying to provide cover for the man behind her.
He wasn’t there.
The soldiers were moving in waves. Half would move forward and stop, then the ones behind did as well. She caught flashes of gunfire off to the right, beyond where the vehicles had parked and thought the opposing force was trying to flank them until she realized they were firing in the direction of the trucks as well. Had to be the refueling team returning and lending a hand.
She fired her weapon, making sure to take single shots and aiming high as to not hit one of her own. Taking the time to sight and pick her targets, she fired three shots in succession and winced as two of the men to her left went down.
Twenty seconds later it was over.
Battles might seem to take forever on the movie screen, but in real life, the only thing that stretched was time itself. Most of the men surged forward to ascertain the state of the enemy while several remained behind to tend the fallen men around them.
Weir calmly walked over to one of the soldiers lying prone on the tarmac, nodded at the soldier that relayed that the man was dead, drew his sidearm and put a bullet in his head. The other man was sitting up, looking winded and not severely injured, and Weir nodded once more at something exchanged between them.
Coming out from the front of the helo, she glanced to her right and froze.
John was lying on the ground, blood gushing from a head wound, his face already growing pale; the stench of rancid fluids upon the air. She didn’t have to check his vitals, he was gone.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” Weir said, nearly making her jump out of her skin.
How did he get over to her so fast?
She felt tears rising and nodded. Reaching down, she slipped the strap of his shotgun off his arm and gripped the weapon tightly as she lifted it free. His arm fell with a thump and she felt sorrow flow through her heart. “I should have stayed put. He was covering my ass.”
“You don’t know that it would make a difference. I know it’s hard right now, but in a firefight, shit happens,” Weir told her and even though she knew his intentions were good, she felt anger roll through her in response.
“Never should have happened to begin with. Don’t we have enough problems with the dead without all this shit too?” she threw back, sliding the strap for the shotgun over her left shoulder and letting it hang loose. He loved it and there was no way she was going to just leave it here—no way.
Weir didn’t respond. How could he? He nodded to two of the soldiers standing idly nearby and they whipped forward, seized John by the hands and feet, and lifted him up. Then they walked briskly towards the rear of the chopper and out of sight.
“I don’t want him left here, not in the open like this,” she managed after a minute, Weir still standing at her side.
“I understand, I’m not leaving Kawosky either. They’re being taken to one of the other helos,” he replied steadily, then gave her one last look before moving off. “You should get back inside, who knows if these people have friends lurking about looking to take another shot at us. Let’s get them refueled and back in the air!” he hollered at his men as they walked briskly back from the parked vehicles. They immediately snapped to and got to work.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped.
Jenn was kneeling down, her face grim. “I’m sorry about John.”
“I hardly knew him,” she retorted quickly.
“You knew him enough,” Jenn replied softly. “Come on, let me give you a hand.”
Taking one last look at the runway, she felt her eyes dragged to the left and at the blood on the ground below. “Yeah,” she commented, distracted, as she reached blindly up and felt the woman’s hand grip her own. Turning away from the lifeblood of one of her own, she used her legs to propel herself up and back inside. “I want to go home.”
Chapter 31
Settling in
Todd
Compound 2
The hospital generators had failed earlier that afternoon and even when refueled, wouldn’t be a lasting solution to the crisis they were facing. It was one building and there wasn’t enough fuel in town to keep it going for much longer. Especially since most of it was already being siphoned for people’s houses and cars.
A refueling truck would not be along anytime soon.
Leaving the room where his uncle lay, he glanced at his Aunt and smiled as he clicked the door shut. Standing in the hallway of the house he’d put them up in, he heard rustling upstairs and knew that the other family was quickly settling in.
With as many people as Michelle had brought, there was just no other option than to have people bunk up together. Strangers or friends, they would have to sacrifice privacy out of necessity.
He didn’t want to put anyone into the underground bunker. Even though he knew that Sean was caught, that the man could do no more damage, he wasn’t confident enough to sacrifice anyone else to that man’s lunacy. He’d move his own family out here if he thought it was feasible. But at the moment, there wasn’t room for that even if he wanted to.
Luckily, there hadn’t been a lot of single people in the two-hundred and seventeen people he’d found standing in the forest behind his cousin, or else there’d be a lot of bed-sharing between a bunch of strangers tonight. A family of seven was easier to settle in than a group of complete strangers. Still, there were only sixty houses, which stretched the living space to capacity, and he almost had to take Bill up on his offer to send people his way.
The Rotting Souls Series (Book 4): Charon's Coffers Page 17