“DP?” Collin cut in.
“Ah, you found those as well. Then you know the emails told me that if I wanted to die, I should go. After the misfortunes that had fallen on our base and surrounding area, I decided I could not follow those orders. Shamefully, I admit, I fled, using the panic of the evacuation as cover.”
“Steve and I stumbled across two officers in the containment cells. Is that what you mean by misfortune?”
“Not entirely,” Mark answered. “We were tracking a group of terrorists, but lost them days before the hit in New York.”
“New York? That’s where the outbreak started?” Steve asked.
The colonel breathed in deeply and ran a hand through his salt and pepper-colored hair. “Well, one of them. We received intel about a group who had acquired a new and potentially devastating biological threat, supposedly unlike anything we have seen. Both the disease and whose interest the group actually represented were unknown. The only accurate information we had to go on was the names of target cities. We did as much as we could, but as I said, we lost the terrorists.”
“Lost them? Why didn’t you just pick them up when you had the chance?”
“Orders.”
Collin sighed, remembering his time in the military.Orders are orders, he thought.
“But even when we finally received the go-ahead to intercept, it was almost like they knew we were coming. Every step we took, they were already one ahead.”
“That smells bad. Inside help?”
“Precisely what I thought, but who? Your guess is as good as mine. It couldn’t have been any of my men. I know that without a doubt. They were watched too closely. It had to be someone high up, someone untouchable. And before we had a chance to continue, it was too late.” The aged colonel took a long pause, as if he was reliving the tragedy. “We received scattered intel of outbreaks on both coasts, and the infection had just hit Salt Lake City. The police, along with military support, had done well, at first. My orders were to abandon the tracking and switch to testing. We gathered live hosts and found a great deal of information, but were still clueless as to the disease itself. We knew it was a virus that reanimated certain tissue and brain function. Those infected could turn in as long as two days, but as short as seconds, depending on the lethality of the contact.”
Collin sat still, listening intently, not believing his ears. The information was scary, but the part about both coasts being hit was by far the most unsettling. “So California was never really safe?” he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
“Oh, you’re thinking about those news broadcasts telling people to head west, that California was safe. It was true, at least initially. California had one of the best responses to the outbreak, but like everywhere else, they fell,” Mark answered. “All those poor souls who thought it was safe…”
Collin was shocked. Their whole survival game plan was based on the fact that the West had stopped the infection. But that fact was a lie, apparently used to calm Americans and give them a false sense of security.
Steve grabbed Collin’s shoulder. “There was no way you could have known, cuz,” he whispered. “You were doing what we all thought was right.”
The colonel got a glass of water for himself, and then continued. “But the misfortune you are referring to happened during a test. I had stepped back to my office to update my superiors. I had just received my orders to head back to DC when apparently one of the subjects had broken free of its restraints and attacked the medical staff on duty. All hell broke loose, and the base was soon overwhelmed. It happened so fast. That’s when I ordered a total evac.”
“And that explains why there was all that ammo and food left,” Collin added, trying to follow the sequence of events.
“Yes. I knew this was my chance to leave. I quickly wrote the letter to Robert and left with a small platoon of soldiers,” Mark said, shaking his head. “So many good men and women didn’t make it out of the compound. We lost more on our way here…”
“That’s terrible. Sorry to hear.”
Mark waved off the apology. “I got off topic. I apologize, Collin. You originally asked what this place is, correct?”
Collin took a sip of water and nodded.
“I call it The Eye. This was going to be my retirement home. About three years ago, I flew up from Fort Bragg by heloand saw this castle sitting on the top of the hill. I took leave shortly after and, remembering the place, I made my way through the town to the lot. I saw aFor Sale sign on the gate as I pulled up, took down the information, and researched the estate. Apparently, it had been built during the initial explorations of California. Vineyards of grapes and olives lined the property, and the castle itself was enormous. The offer was reasonable. What am I saying; you aren’t interested in my real estate endeavor. Long story short, over the past few years I began to modernize it, redoing the rooms and improving the landscape. As I’m sure you know, it’s best to use military contacts when you have them, so I made some calls and ordered military-grade generators and added solar panels and other top of the line equipment. This place virtually runs itself. It was going to be a nice retreat for myself, kids, and maybe someday grandkids.”
“That’s incredible, Mark.”
“Thank you, Collin. You seem like a nice enough group and that’s why it pains me to say this. I don’t think we can sustain any more survivors. The compound is nearly full, and our food and water supplies are nearing the red.”
Collin had seen this coming, and during the colonel’s speech he had made some mental points. He knew how much he and his cousins needed a place like this, a place to be safe. “Colonel, please, may I stop you right there? You said it yourself, you are taking care of survivors. While we may be surviving as well, my cousins and I were raised hunters. We all know how to handle weapons, and more importantly, we are great shots. Billy was a former electrician and can handle most of your compounds electrical problems. As you were told, we have a large supply of weapons, ammo, and food. If you permit us to stay, we will contribute in any way we can. We are hard workers and will do anything. Honestly, sir, we are burned out. We just want a place to rest. You have every right to send us packing, but if I may speak frankly, I think you’d be stupid to do so. I think we can only benefit from each other.”
Mark sat back and folded his arms. He looked both taken aback and impressed. For a whole minute nothing was spoken. Collin knew he was being sized up by the colonel. He didn’t know what won him over, but eventually the colonel stood and shook his hand.
“All right, you and your cousins may stay,” the colonel said.
“But Dad!” Robert protested.
“Not one more word, Robert! I have made my decision. You know as well as I do that we can use their food and weapons, not to mention able bodies. They will be allowed to stay and you will treat them with respect,” Mark said, silencing his son. “And that goes for your group, too, Collin. Am I understood?”
“Absolutely, sir—I mean, Mark.”
Robert stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Mark apologized for his son’s outburst and continued. “As I’m sure you can guess, most of the twenty-four survivors here are just civilians with no combat experience. I’m just trying to do the best with the cards I was dealt. I’m no king, but I will have order in my house. We live by a simple set of rules here. First, absolutely no stealing. There isn’t much food or ammo to go around, just enough to sustain us. Take your share, but no more. Second, no fighting. We are already in a fight for our lives. Last, and most importantly, break any of these rules or do anything to jeopardize the compound or the lives of those within, and you will be gone. Do I make myself crystal clear?”
“Absolutely. Without a doubt. And I will relay that to Alex and Bill,” Collin said, shaking Mark’s hand with great thanks.
“Good. Now don’t make me regret my decision,” the colonel said, showing them out. “I will have someone come by and show you to your roo
m. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, but I have some business I need to get back to.”
1722 hours
Billy and Alex huddled outside the RV’s side door, still fuming from their fight. They saw Collin and Steve walk up and stopped talking.
“Let’s pack it up, boys. We can’t stay here,” Collin said, trying to maintain a sly look of disappointment on his face.
Steve was shocked. He had no idea why Collin would blatantly lie, but after a quick look at Collin, he played along. “Yeah, they won’t even let us stay the night.”
“What? We just got here!” shouted Alex.
“You have got to be kidding me. After all this, we get tossed like a dirty diaper?” Billy added, slamming his fist against the side door. “Such bullshit.”
Collin took a moment to let the little white lie sink in until the distress peaked. Unable to contain himself, he burst out laughing. “That’s for Danton, assholes. See, it sucks being on the receiving end.”
“And that’s what she said,” Steve added, slapping Collin’s hand. “That one was for Mike.”
Billy and Alex shook their heads in defeat, but both gave a small smile. Their joke in Danton had been rather morbid, and now karma had come back full circle. After the playful heckling had subsided, Collin proceeded to explain how he had convinced the colonel to allow them to stay, including the terms and conditions.
“So we’ll work around the compound and be used as shooters. Also, Bill, I told him about your electrical background, so if there’s a problem in that department, we’ll need you.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Billy wearily agreed, still clearly holding on to his grudge.
Two girls walked over, breaking up the chatter of the group. One, in her mid-twenties, was naturally pretty. She wore no makeup and had long blonde hair that complemented her slender body. The other was a younger girl. Her ponytails waved freely as she skipped alongside her older companion.
“Hi, my name is Sarah,” the older one said, extending her hand. The younger one was hesitant at first, hiding behind Sarah. “And this is the colonel’s daughter, Jennifer. Everyone calls her Jenny.”
Collin dropped to one knee and extended his hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Jenny.”
Jenny nervously came out from behind Sarah’s shadow and shook his hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, too,” she repeated back.
“Mark wanted us to stop by and show you to your room,” Sarah continued.
Sarah and Steve caught each other’s eyes flirtatiously. It had been a long time since he had interacted with a seemingly levelheaded girl, and Steve showed his nervousness.
“Hi, I’m Steve,” he stammered. “This is Collin, Billy, and Alex.”
“Sarah, was it?” Billy said quickly. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine right here.” He waved goodbye and ducked into Sweetie’s side door, shooting a dirty look at Collin on his way.
“Yeah, and I’m cool crashing here, too. Thanks anyway,” Alex said, following Billy inside.
“Okay, well how about you two?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah, that’ll be great. Thank you, Sarah,” Collin responded, speaking for himself and Steve. “Just let us grab a few things and we’ll be right out.”
Steve and Collin each filled a bag with a mixed load of clothes and weapons and came back out to meet the girls.
“Okay, follow us,” Sarah said, leading them away.
The entire property was situated on the northern side of a bay, giving the coastline a rounded appearance. Twenty-foot-high stone walls formed an elliptical shape and extended from the main entrance gate to the cliffs. The castle part and main housing of the compound took over from the walls and followed along the coast.
The area between the coastline and stonewall perimeter was like a gigantic courtyard of exposed land. A circular driveway surrounded a mammoth redwood tree. Gravel pathways led away from the center, resembling veins. All parts created a freakish looking “eye” design.
“Just so you know, Mark has weird little names for parts of the compound,” Sarah said, turning and walking backwards like a tour guide.
Collin and Steve arched their eyebrows in confusion.
“The western, or ocean side of this place is called the Inner Eye. It’s where most everything is. Mark’s chambers are in the middle, on the second floor. You can only get to it by that staircase,” Sarah said, pointing. “The dining room is directly beneath. Aside from the colonel’s, I think there are only ten more rooms.”
As they followed Sarah, they couldn’t help but notice how lush and green the interior was, not to mention well groomed; the grass was mowed and the weeds picked. Near the southern cliffs, the colonel had dedicated a plot of land for gardening. The area was enclosed by chicken fencing and plastic netting. The garden was well taken care of and the last of the winter vegetables were almost all sprouted. The land next to it was aerated and churned up in preparation for the summer seed.
“And this is garden,” Sarah said, walking over to a part of the chicken fencing that had mistakenly been left open.
“No code name?” Steve asked, jokingly.
Sarah turned and smiled. “No code name, just the garden.”
Jenny rushed by and stopped Sarah from closing the fencing. The lively girl bent down and uprooted a baby carrot, then brushed the dirt off and took a bite. “Carrots are my favorite!”
Sarah hugged Jenny. “Let’s keep going, shall we?”
Next to the garden stood the original servants’ house. Five raggedy wooden steps led up to the front door. Bits of the oak walls were splintered and sections of the stone had fallen off. The structure had not aged well, but seemed cozy.
The girls led Collin and Steve to a room on the first and only floor of the land facing wall, twenty yards from the garden. The cousins immediately noticed a difference in the architecture.
“The wall forming the perimeter was originally designed to serve solely as the fortress wall,” Sarah explained. “Mark was told by the real estate agent that the king of this place had so many slaves and servants, he ordered the construction of additional housing and storage rooms. That’s why the stone is shaped differently and doesn’t go all the way to the top. It makes me think that the architect would have been terrible at Tetris. You know, stacking the two-by-two squares on top of the three-by-one lines,” she said, touching the protruding section and laughing to herself.
Beautiful and a sense of humor,Steve thought.Stop staring at her, before she catches you!
Sarah’s association seemed surprisingly appropriate. There were four similar room additions, and each bulged out rather inconsistently around the interior of the fortress wall. Martha Stewart might not have approved of the aesthetically unorthodox design, and the Eye might not win “Castle of the Year” any time soon, but the cousins didn’t mind. They finally had a room.
“Oh, and so you know, Mark calls the fortress wall and the rooms here the Outer Eye. I figure it must be a military thing, but the associations work, especially until you get familiarized with this place. It’s easy to get confused and lost.”
“Inner Eye: castle overlooking the ocean. Outer Eye: fortress wall and weird rooms. Got it,” Collin said, looking at the two very different structures.
“Well, here we are. Hope you like your new home,” Jenny said, running ahead to open the door.
The word “home” hit Steve hard. He hadn’t realized how much he missed having a place he could call home. He looked back to the opposite side of the castle. Sweet Tooth sat near a designated parking area. It wasn’t far by any means, but after spending months with all of the cousins in the same vehicle, the space felt like the Grand Canyon.
Jenny flicked on the light, exposing their small but spacious room. The hardwood floor creaked as Collin and Steve entered. There were two twin beds on each side, divided by a small dresser. Across the room were a closet and a door that led into a bathroom.
Collin set his belongings atthe edge of the bed, then fell back onto the mat
tress. “Finally, a real bed.”
“Yes, and it’s got a closet, and a shower, and a window,” Jenny said, overly excited to go over the rest of the room’s amenities.
Steve chuckled and sat his bag down on the bed, then turned to Sarah. She stood by the side of the door, and for some reason, seemed hesitant to enter.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine, thanks for asking,” Sarah answered, wiping a tear from her eye before it had a chance to trickle down her cheek. “It’s just, the last person who used this room didn’t make it back.”
“I’m sorry to hear. Believe me when I say I know how you feel.”
Sarah turned and walked back outside. Steve followed.
“So how long have you guys been here?” he asked, trying to find a new topic.
She brushed her hair back. “Honestly, I don’t even know. It’s been a long time. Four or five months, maybe?”
“Wow. Well, it sure beats a life on the road, I’ll tell you that much.”
“I don’t know about that. I haven’t had a chance to leave here since I came. I don’t feel like a prisoner though. I just miss the freedom of movement. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I understand exactly what you mean.”
“Well, Jenny and I should probably get going. We have a few chores to finish before dinner. But maybe I can show you around the grounds after dinner?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I’d really like that.”
Both of them blushed, and Steve thanked her again.
A place to call home for a while was one thing, but a beautiful girl living twenty yards away was icing on the cake. It almost made him forget about all he’d lost. Almost.
Sarah called inside for Jenny, who came running out, being chased by Collin. Steve laughed. Collin had clearly taken a liking to Jenny, probably because she reminded him of his own little sister: outgoing, talkative, one of those kids who just light up the world around them. The girls excused themselves and strolled off.
“Oh, I almost forgot, dinner is at seven,” Sarah said, turning back.
The Longest Road (Book 1) Page 18