Condemn (BUNKER 12 Book 2)

by Tanpepper, Saul

  "There's the bus," Hannah cried. "I can see the bus!"

  "Shh!" her father warned.

  She sat in the passenger seat with Bix between her and Eddie. Bix's head had been keeping rhythm with the road's bumps as he dozed off. But it popped up when Hannah yelled and he cried out, "Banana cream pie!"

  Finn twisted to take a look, but they'd gone around a turn in the road by then and the dam was out of sight.

  "Everyone be on the lookout for Wraiths," Kari said.

  "Anything moves gets a bullet in the head," Susan added, and they all nodded.

  They pulled over at the last curve but remained hidden from the dam behind a line of trees. Eddie shut the engine off. "Good timing, too," he said. "We're running close to empty."

  "There's still fuel in the refueling tanks below," Jonah said, pointing to a small building visible a few hundred yards beyond the dam. "Only way to empty them would be to pump them out or burn them, and it doesn't look like either has happened."

  "That how you gassed up the bus?"

  He nodded. "By mouth."

  "Great."

  They piled onto the road and stretched their bruised and aching muscles. Finn and Jonah walked ahead to see what they might find. Nothing moved. After a few minutes, they returned to the group.

  "Think they're inside?" Kari asked.

  Finn shook his head. "What worries me is that the bus is still here. If they arrived two days ago, why haven't they left yet?"

  "Don't read anything into it, Finn," Eddie said. "Stay focused. It means they're still here."

  "Anyone see any motorcycles? Any other vehicles?"

  "No, but that doesn't mean anything. They might be somewhere else out of sight. We have to assume Cheever's here."

  "Maybe they took the cutoff road and are heading for the ranch instead."

  "Everything seems so quiet," Hannah said. "Maybe it's empty. They could already be gone."

  "You heard Eddie. Don't jump to conclusions," Susan warned. "Remember that it's supposed to look empty. That's why nobody ever came by when we were inside."

  "A few did in the beginning," Jonah quietly said. "I remember seeing them in the monitors."

  Everyone looked at him. Nobody said anything. They'd all seen people in the beginning, both infected and not. They'd all watched the former attack the latter and done nothing but sit in mute horror, too afraid to open the doors.

  "What's the plan?" Finn asked.

  "You're in charge of this little escapade," Jonah said. Finn couldn't tell if he was being patronizing or not.

  "The cave?"

  "We could try," Harrison said, "but I doubt Seth Abramson would have let an hour go by without sealing the door to Level Ten. He moved pretty quickly to seal off levels after the attacks he staged."

  "He tried to make it look like my father did it," Hannah said, her face growing red with resentment.

  Eddie shook his head. "Honey, don't."

  "And then he blamed Jonah."

  Jonah placed a hand on her arm. "It's okay, Hannah. Let's just focus on what we need to do now, which is find Bren and rescue the rest."

  "Then what, Mister Know-it-all?" Bix griped. He grabbed a rock and chucked it into the gorge below them. "They didn't want to leave last time. What makes you think they'll want to now?"

  "The base," Finn replied quickly. He gave Jonah a hard look, who returned it. "Tell them there's a community with more people, fresh grown food, sunshine."

  "You think Seth will give up what he's got now for fresh vegetables, especially if Bren's in there with him? Did you forget how he accused your father of building a kingdom inside the dam."

  "If memory serves, you made the same accusation," Bix replied. "So did your father!"

  "Bixby Michael!" Mister Blakeley said. "Enough."

  "But—"

  "Dammit, Bix!" Finn snapped. "You, too, Jonah. Both of you just shut the hell up for a second?"

  Everyone stared at each other before Finn spoke again. He didn't apologize for swearing, though he could see he'd hurt his friend's feelings. If Harper were here—

  But he's not here, so shut up. SHUT UP!

  "There are three possible ways in," he said, forcing himself to breathe slow and deep. "The front door—"

  "Which is probably locked," Susan said.

  "The back door on Level Six."

  "Blocked."

  "And the cave to Level Ten."

  "Also blocked. Probably."

  "If they got the monitors fixed, then they'll have eyes on the front and back doors. The cave is our best bet of getting inside without being seen."

  "Dad just said it'd be blocked," Bix grumbled. "Jeez, don't you listen?"

  Finn ignored him. "We've got Eddie. He tore his way through it once before, he can do it again."

  "I'm not so sure about that, Finn," Eddie piped up. "That was when I—"

  "You can still do it."

  "I was going to say, it was a highly emotional time. I'm not sure I could summon the same strength."

  "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

  He shouldered his rifle and stepped away from the edge. The rest of the group exchanged worried glances before following him.

  They made their way through the trees to a point directly above where they guessed the hidden opening for the gate was, then descended. Finn led with Eddie and Kari bringing up the rear.

  They all strained their senses for signs of Wraiths. But it seemed the ones that had attacked them nearly a week before were gone. Jonah theorized that they had probably been the ones that attacked the bus. They'd been scattered or killed since then.

  "And I think they followed that guy from Bunker Two," he finished.

  Finn didn't say it out loud, but if that were true, then his brother may have been one of them. He gave a shiver and stepped out onto the gravel path leading to the hidden cave opening.

  They found the gate wired shut, but it had clearly been meant to foil Wraiths, not people. Eddie unwound the wire and pulled the gate open.

  "Anyone remember to bring a flashlight?" Bix said.

  Jonah pulled the cell phone out with a smirk. "Always prepared."

  "You're no boy scout," Bix grumbled.

  "Okay, Jonah, you lead," Eddie said. "I'll bring up the rear. Everyone take hold of the person in front of you. Keep your rifles at the ready. If you encounter anything, only those at the front fire. Those in back, retreat. Kari, you follow Jonah, since you have the most experience with a gun."

  "Hey, I know how to shoot," Bix argued.

  "Back here with me," Harrison said.

  "This party sucks," Bix remarked.

  Jonah grinned and pushed past him. "Sucks even more when your folks chaperone."

  The heavy steel plate door at the bottom of the tunnel had been seated back into place, but not reattached. Instead, Seth had blocked it with objects he'd cannibalized from other parts of the dam complex— wooden crates, heavy equipment, furniture. He'd wedged it all tightly between the door and the metal railing of the walkway, making it impossible to push the door away.

  After several minutes of trying, Eddie reported that he'd only managed to move the pile an inch or two. Jonah suggested he try sliding the door to the side. With his help, the two men were able to clear a space big enough for Hannah to climb through. She began moving what she could away.

  An hour later, they regrouped on the catwalk above the sump pumps and made their way over to the chamber's inner door.

  "At this rate, we should hit the stairwell sometime around next week," Bix said.

  Finn pulled him aside while the rest went to check out the door. "You've been in a sour mood since we arrived back here," he said. "What's going on?"

  "Look at him," Bix said, nodding in Jonah's direction. "The guy's like a bad case of jock itch. Just when you think you've gotten rid of him, bam! He's back with a vengeance."

  "That's not really it, is it?"

  Bix was quiet for a moment. "It's this damn place. I thought we'd l
eft it behind for good. I mean, it's bad out there, but I'd still take it over being back inside here."

  "Last time I checked, nobody's trying to cage match us with Wraiths in here."

  There was a loud grinding noise from the direction of the door, then the sound of crumbling cement. With a grunt of effort, Eddie pulled the door open. "We're in," he panted, and dropped the piece of metal piping he'd used as a lever.

  Finn clapped Bix on the back. "Let's get Bren and leave."

  It felt strange to walk those halls again. Like Bix, Finn had thought he'd never return, never have to hear the familiar echoes and the low throb of the turbines. But here he was, back where he'd spent the last three years of his life, the one place that had kept him safe and alive . . . .

  And killed his father.

  They made their way to the end of the hall and stopped by the door to the stairwell. With some trepidation, Finn typed in his old code, expecting it not to work. But the light turned green and the latch released. He pulled the door open and listened for any sign that someone might be above them. All was quiet save for the seashell rush of air swirling through the ten-story shaft.

  "You know," Bix whispered at Finn. His voice shook as they ascended. "You always talk about your brother like he was some kind of hero."

  "He was. Everyone liked him."

  "It just got me thinking."

  "Drop it, Bix."

  "No, I mean, you're always comparing yourself to him and—"

  "I said drop it."

  They lapsed into silence at the landing, hastily checking inside. But there were no sounds of people. They repeated the quick checks at the next two landings.

  They skipped Levels Six and Five, which Seth Abramson had sealed off, as well as Level Four, which, other than the storage of heavy equipment and other nonconsumable items, had served no real function for them during their stay. Instead, they hurried up to the quarters on Level Three, impatient to find the others.

  Eddie held back, a frown on his face. When asked what was wrong, he commented that the air smelled stale, rotten.

  They opened every door that wasn't already open, but it quickly became evident that the old rooms were no longer being used. Everything useful had been removed, leaving only garbage behind.

  "They might have consolidated upstairs," Finn said. "Closer to the kitchen. We'll find them. I know we will."

  He could see the doubt and concern growing on the other's faces.

  They proceeded to check the remaining rooms on the level and eventually arrived at the door of Sato and Asuka Fujimura. Finn remembered thinking that the couple would never leave the bunker.

  "I was thinking about what Byron said about Harper," Bix said.

  "Seriously, let it go, Bix."

  "Don't you think it's strange he never mentioned you to anyone in his bunker? Or your dad? I mean, you talked to us about Harper all the time."

  "I haven't given it much thought," Finn lied. He tried the door, found it locked, and punched in his code.

  "I'm just saying."

  "Harper made the best of the moment he was in, Bix. He never dwelled on things he couldn't control."

  "Break it up, lovebirds," Jonah said, stepping out of the room across the hall. "Let's check upstairs and get the hell out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

  "Yeah, well, you give me the creeps," Bix replied.

  Jonah rolled his eyes and hurried away.

  "Why do you always have to antagonize everyone?" Finn asked.

  "Because I care, bro. Sometimes I think I care too much."

  "You never know when to stop."

  Finn pushed the door open, then reeled back, gagging. He slammed the door shut before Bix could get a glimpse inside. But the smell was enough to tell what happened. Finn had caught a glimpse of the couple laying arm-in-arm on their mats. He'd seen no blood, no signs of trauma. They appeared to have been dead at least a week.

  They checked the top two levels in silence, but found them empty as well. The kitchen had been ransacked, and most of the food was gone. The game room was left as they'd remembered it.

  "They didn't take the homemade Monopoly board I made," Bix said, picking up the box. "Sammy Largent loves this game." He tossed it back onto the table.

  "We still haven't checked the power plant," Finn said. He turned to head for the stairs.

  "They're not going to be down there," Jonah said.

  "You don't know that!"

  "Why would they go there? Why would they take everything and go there, Finn?"

  "We still need to check!"

  "It's a waste of time! God, you are just like your father! You know that?"

  "Don't you dare talk—"

  "Stop!" Eddie shouted. "That's enough out of you boys." He turned to Jonah. "Finn's right. We have to check."

  "We should be on the road, going after them."

  "Where?" Finn challenged, pulling out of Eddie's grip. "Tell me, where did they go? Huh?"

  "I don't know! But how is checking in the power plant going to help? They are not there!"

  "If you're so worried about time, then why don't you use your mouth for something useful. Go pump some fuel out of the tanks for the truck."

  Jonah glared at him for a moment, then pushed through the group and headed for the stairs.

  "Uh oh, you've hurt his feelings," Bix mocked.

  "You really are a jerk sometimes, Bix," Hannah said, shoving him into the wall before going after Jonah.

  "Stop, Hannah!" Eddie said. "Jonah! We stick together. Now, we're going to check Level Four. As a group."

  "There is nothing there."

  "We go and we check it off our list, Jonah. Then we head down to the power plant. If we still don't find them, then we put our heads together and come up with a plan. But until then, let's finish the search."

  Once more, they entered the stairwell, this time heading down. They exited at Level Four and stepped out into the hallway.

  Almost immediately, Eddie raised a hand to stop them. He had a troubled look on his face, and he raised his nose into the air and took a sniff.

  "What is it?"

  "Feel that?" He raised a hand to his cheek. "A breeze. There's a breeze. And . . . ."

  "What?"

  "Nothing." But the furrows on his brow deepened.

  They ran the length of the hallway toward the front door. Rounding the curve, they could see that it was slightly open. It didn't seem to have been forced.

  Eddie arrived ahead of them and pulled it wide. His rifle was up, ready to shoot anything that might come through. But nothing did.

  "Oh my god!" Hannah screamed, seeing the scene. She tried to run out, but Harrison Blakeley stopped her.

  Bodies littered the ramp outside, at least a half dozen. Blood was everywhere. Bags and boxes of supplies, some of it food, sat in heaps, as if it had been readied to move. Everything, including the concrete walls, was riddled with bullet holes.

  Strewn throughout the killing field were the motorcycles.

  "It's Cheever," Eddie said, quickly turning over the closest body. He waved a swarm of flies away. "Shot in the head. Couldn't have been more than a few hours ago. Rigor hasn't set in yet."

  "We must have just missed them," Jonah said.

  "Anyone see Bren?" Finn cried. He ran from body to body, turning them over.

  "They're people from the base," Susan said. "Cheever's men."

  "Not all of them. I recognize this woman as one who left the base with Bren," Jonah said, turning over another body.

  "Um, guys," Harrison said, grimly motioning them to the body of a man he stood over. "It's Dominic Green."

  "And here's Chip Darby."

  "Jesus," Eddie said. He ran a hand over his scalp. "It was a massacre. What the hell happened here?"

  Finn shoved past him and ran for the bus at the top of the ramp. He screamed Bren's name.

  "Wait!" Eddie shouted after him. "Let me."

  He boarded the bus. But after quickly checking
it front to back, he reappeared shaking his head. "They're not here. It's empty."

  "No Bren or Seth or Kaleagh. No Largents or Caprios, either. That's at least nine missing. Where are they?"

  "Plus at least a dozen more from the base unaccounted for."

  "How could they have done this?" Kari asked. "There were no firearms in the bunker."

  "Could they have taken the guns away from Cheever's men?"

  "Disarmed them? And then done this? With only two casualties?"

  "We are talking about Seth Abramson. I wouldn't put this past him."

  "I don't see Ramsay's body," Eddie said. "I can smell him, so I know he was here."

  "He did this? Why?"

  "He didn't like Cheever," Jonah replied. "He might've killed the man to discourage anyone from the base seeking revenge."

  "If it was him, then he wasn't alone," Bix announced. He stood at the doors and swung them away from the walls. "They left us a message."

  The words had been scrawled across the scratched and faded surface in blood.

  Eddie read them each aloud: "Salvation . . . or damnation?"

  "Daddy?" Hannah asked. "What does it mean?"

  "It means I know where they were taken," Finn said. "And why."

  "Horses," Finn confirmed. He pointed at the telltale pile of manure on the ground. There were several more within view.

  "Maybe a half dozen, by the look of it," Susan noted. "But why didn't they take the bus?"

  "Because it's dead," Jonah said. He pulled his head out from under the hood, where he was trying to figure out why it wouldn't start. "Battery's got juice, but the engine isn't cranking. By the smell, my guess is the motor overheated and seized."

  "Even if it did work, Adrian wouldn't have taken it," Finn said. "He was anti-vehicle."

  "Motorcycles are dead, too," Harrison said. "They pulled the wires."

  "Not all of them." Eddie wheeled one of the bikes up the ramp. He straddled it and gave the starter a kick. It roared to life and ran for a moment before he switched it off again. "They must've been in a hurry. With a little luck we may be able to repair the others."

  "Still doesn't explain why he didn't take them," Susan noted. "He couldn't have had enough horses for everyone to ride."