"Last head count put their numbers at just over seventy." Rec interjected. "How many can you take, Dakota?"
"Only friends call me that Blondie. Besides, I'm a lover. I just build and work with the tech. Ria is the muscle." Glitch put his hands behind his head and leaned back.
"So we all die while you what? Build a fort? Click some wires together?" Mer sneered.
"No one dies. No one fights." Coach spoke up in a sharp tone. "Eat your food. Then go pack. We leave ASAP." He stood and took his tray to the kitchen.
"Guess that settles that." I said.
"You're really just gonna leave?" Dexter said in a panicked tone. "But, you have everything you need here."
"Which ensures they'll leave nothing standing. They'll burn it all above us and come for us below. They revel in destruction." Abe said.
"It wouldn't take them long to find our escape hatches." Bud said.
"If they aren't already there waiting." Boe followed.
"Just tell us what we need to do to help. Even if you don't want us on the road with you we can help you get ready." Ria said as she stood hurriedly to take her plate to the kitchen.
"Awfully quiet over there, Cer." Dom spoke. "No thoughts?"
Cer pulled his eyes away from Ria and looked at Dom. He still had that troubled look on his face and he had started to sweat. He cleared his throat and sat a little taller, seeming to decide what to say.
"Everything is changing in a big way. I don't know if we'll ever get back to this. And I honestly don't know if any of us will make it much longer." Cer said in a broken tone.
"We've had it pretty easy as far as we can remember. Maybe it's time we see how the rest of the world lives." Dom said.
"Is it selfish to say I don't want to?" Cer spoke quietly.
"Not at all." I said. "This isn't going to be easy, you can't feel bad about dreading it. Nothing can outshine a soul that tangles itself into life’s chaos and keeps going." I looked from face to face. "A heart beats how it wants whether with fear or with bravery. Nothing about that should bring shame." There was a moment of silence and I cleared my throat, standing to clear my own tray.
"That's why he's my favorite writer man." Len said with theatric shivers. "Man oozes verbal gold like that on the fly."
"Words can be stronger than muscle." A voice I didn't recognize thick with what I thought to be a German accent said, followed by forks clattering and Zoe's gasp.
I turned to see everyone staring at Thirteen who had stood and was now looking at me. I looked from the eyes at the table to the alert brown eyes of the man stepping towards me. I cocked my head and was about to speak when he continued.
"I would rather be a man who knows what to say at the appropriate time than to be a man who instead causes great damage to fill the silence." He finished a quote from my book word for word without faltering.
"Thirteen. You-you know his work?" Len said clearly trying not to sound as shocked as the rest of them as his eyes darted around the table.
"Viktor." Thirteen cleared his throat and blinked several times.
"Viktor? His name is Josiah." Len answered.
"Viktor." Thirteen said before turning his head away as if he heard something.
"Is that your name? Did you remember?" Zoe asked from her seat next to him.
"There were bats in the cave." He said as he started to wander through the room pointing to the ceiling.
"That's what he kept saying when we found him." Dex said.
"Viktor?" Zoe stood, trying to get his attention.
He turned back to her and looked at her as if he didn't know where she had come from. He looked at everyone else and opened his mouth to speak, but closed his mouth and looked around the room again. He turned back to Zoe and nodded.
"That wolf bites. They put wool in the wounds." He nodded as if he was making perfect sense. "THAT BITCH!" He rushed forward and slammed his hand on the table, making everyone jump back.
"Hey, hey calm down." Rec stood and made his way over to him.
"The wool makes them itch!" He snarled, eyes boring into Ria. "Can't go in there. Can't go in there." His eyes went wide and he shook his head vigorously.
He pointed at Ria and she kept her eyes locked on him, looking terrified. Rec put his hand on Viktor’s shoulder and coaxed him back into his seat. Ria swallowed and blinked slowly looking back down at her plate.
"It's alright Thirteen, let's finish our food ok?" Zoe said quietly.
"NO! Viktor. Viktor." Thirteen started pounding the side of his fist against his head. "Viktor!"
"Ok, ok, it's ok." Zoe pinned his hands down and looked to Rec.
"Come on...Viktor, let's go eat in our bunk." Rec slowly picked up his tray and started for their bunk.
Viktor looked at Ria, cocking his head. Rec cleared his throat at the door and Viktor looked at him. He rocked back and forth a couple of times before his eyes glossed over and he stood trance-like and followed Rec.
"What the hell was that?" Cer asked in a bewildered whisper.
"Stress does crazy things to people. Everyone finish eating and meet up in the rec room." Duncan said with finality.
An hour later everyone was sitting around the rec room, waiting for the game plan. The people from the farm sat on a couch in the corner and spoke quietly amongst themselves. Duncan and Rec were having a heated argument, exchanging angry whispers and gestures.
Tom stood and cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. He looked over a piece of paper in his hand and nodded before putting it back in his pocket and standing straighter. Everyone went quiet and waited for him to speak.
"Well, to the best of our abilities to see, Antrim's gang isn't on the perimeter. The dust doesn't seem disturbed any more than usual, Neffery is still up top keeping an eye out." Tom started. "It's...four ten now." He said looking at his watch. "We've got about four more hours to nightfall."
"They came just after dark. Some of us saw the dust, but it just looked like a storm." Glitch looked up and continued. "They waited until we couldn't run. We had to risk being exposed in the dark or stay and fight."
"Most of them ran." Ria said through clenched teeth.
"We could hear them screaming in the dark." Dexter said in horror. "We could hear...god the noises were so bad." He shook his head and covered his ears.
"That was my worry." Tom said, slumping slightly. "We need to be ready to leave by nightfall, but I don't think we should go until it becomes absolutely necessary."
"And where should we go? I think south is our only option right?" Zoe asked.
"Utah. I think we should go back to the lab. There may be someone there now." He paused and looked closely at the other kids. "I think we owe it to the world to figure out why we were there. If there's no one there, then maybe we can find a lead to where they went."
"That's a lot of ground to cover." Duncan said.
"Yeah. Beats staying to get eaten though." Mer responded. "So what's the plan?"
"We stay as long as we can. We get supplies together and wait for them to come to us. We lure them in with the lights and music rigged topside. Then we bail to the west exit. It should give us enough time to get a good head start." Tom explained.
"And if they attack during the day?" Bud asked.
"It isn't likely. Just as we would be exposed to them, they would be exposed to us. It's not the best plan. Antrim isn't one to pull punches." Tom said.
"It's not beyond him to go a little mad either." Glitch said. "Guy wore a tuxedo while he slaughtered our people."
"True, but I really don't think they'll come before dark. That's when they operate best."
"They see in the dark." Viktor whispered. "He leads them in the night."
Hearing Viktor speak so much seemed to still un-nerve everyone. Eyes shifted and people bit their lips. Viktor's eyes cleared for a moment and he looked at everyone with his brows drawn.
"He said fear makes the meat taste better." He continued. "People fear what they can't se
e, more than what they can."
"Did he say that?" Zoe asked timidly.
"He was in Antrim's tent most of the time we were there." Glitch answered when Viktor didn't reply. "I was in a cell next to his tent. I could hear Vik here screaming most of the night. I have no idea what they did to him in there."
"He has a crudely stitched incision in his back." Dom whispered.
"He ate it in front of me." Viktor said with a pained expression. "Blood dripping. He devoured it." He started to sob.
Curses and exclamations of surprise rounded the room. I approached Viktor and placed my palm on his shoulder. "You're safe now, Viktor. We won't let him hurt you again."
"He wants our souls." Viktor said through gritted teeth. "He seeks to cure himself." Viktor began to breathe heavily and became agitated. "He's not a man. He’s a monster."
He clutched my arm and shook me. I grasped his shoulders reassuringly and looked into his eyes. His usually vacant expression was gone and his eyes were clear.
"They have everything they need to destroy us all. And now he knows what we are." Viktor whispered so that only I could hear.
"I'm going to take Viktor to my bunk. I think the excitement has him riled. We'll return once he's settled a bit." I said as I held his eyes.
Once in my bunk I paused at the door to make sure no one had followed us then shut the door. I sat on the edge of my bed and Viktor took a seat in the corner of the room.
"So, you're uh, feeling better?" I asked, trying to sound passive.
"Clearer of wool. I've been remembering more and more. At first it was just flashes, but then I realized they fit together. It's all slowly coming back." He cleared his throat and sighed. "Still bats." He tilted his head occasionally as if he couldn't help it.
"Do you know why?" I asked.
"New blood draws away the madness. There's still mud, but the voices aren't so loud." He spoke slowly, as if remembering how as he went along.
"You mean the transfusion? That's the new blood?"
I took note of his eyes as they glazed and cleared. I wanted to try to get Viktor to talk a little before everyone else overwhelmed him or his detached state returned. It seemed Viktor knew a lot more than anyone could have guessed.
"Yes." He answered simply. "I don't know how long until the wolves return."
"Do you remember anything about the research LifeSpark was doing?" I asked.
"Cure. They were close. Cer was talked about. There's something wrong." He looked worried and stood to open and shut the door.
"Wrong?" I sat straighter, more alert.
"Cer is sick." He paused and met my eyes.
"Sick? You mean-?"
"Bitten. He was bitten. I remember, it was right before his last trial. 'Don't go in there', they said. Didn't listen. The muncher got out." His eyes shifted and he stood straighter.
He began to speak in a defensive tone. "They had always tested the strain on isolated blood. It was important to the doctors that it all be as humane as possible!"
"Yes of course. I don't think anyone doubts that." If they did, they were stupid.
"Yes. Draw blood and take vitals. No harm. Once they found a strain of the cure that worked against the virus in isolated blood, it was injected into the patient. Any progression was terminated immediately if there were any negative results." He sat again in the chair and continued. "They kept the bats away, you see?"
Viktor's eyes drifted for a few moments and I sat quietly so as not to push him. He looked up suddenly and blinked a few times. He squinted at me and then nodded as if understanding something unseen.
"I remember a time when Javier suffered a severe allergic reaction to a strain and they removed him from the study. He was only put back into rotation when he went ballistic and demanded they continue his trials." He chuckled sadly. "All of us were there voluntarily and willing to sacrifice our lives if necessary."
"So, Cer was bitten. Do you know how he-?" I trailed off.
"The doctor favored him. As a mother. His mother. He doesn’t know. She used an untested strain on him through the vein against all regulations. And against all odds, it saved him." He went quiet. “Even when he was exposed again.”
"If that's true he’s immune. And Cer for certain has a successful strain of the cure in him. He still seems so, sick." I rubbed my jaw. "We really need the patient files. It's probably too big a dream to hope those doctors are still alive." I muttered the last to myself.
"We can all keep the bats away. We are the wolves in a way. We are the key to ending SunDown." Viktor said. "Or the death. Of all."
"All of you have the cure.” I said dumbfounded. “Then your survival just became all that more important." I ran my hands over my face. "We can't let this information get into the wrong hands. You'll be targeted even harder." I again spoke to myself as Viktor's eyes glazed.
"We've been lucky for so long." He said sadly.
"And I fear that luck will run out soon." I said.
There was a knock at the door and I stood to answer it.
"Hey, Joe." Duncan peeked around me to look at Viktor. "There's been a development. He said much?" He spoke quietly and hesitantly.
"In a way." I glanced at Viktor and then stepped out to talk with Duncan. "He's still not entirely with it, but I think I get the jist of what he's trying to tell me. I think he and all the children, have the cure in their blood. He said something about new blood bringing him clarity. I think he means the transfusion."
"So, he's speaking better." Duncan said in a low voice.
"I suppose it's more shocking for all of you." I said.
"It's going to take me a while not to handle him with kid gloves. Two years. Two years he was all mumbles and profanity. It's bizarre." He shook his head. "He say anything else to you? Anything important?"
"He still has a bit of riddle talk going on. I think Antrim knows about the cure though. Viktor said they have everything they need to destroy us. He also said Antrim knows what they are."
"We've got to get them out of here. Sooner than we thought. Let's head over, we're about to update everyone." Duncan shifted his hat on his head.
Viktor joined us and glanced at Duncan with a worried look. He looked up and watched the ceiling as he had in the mess hall and then turned towards the others in the rec area. Duncan patted his shoulder and smiled at him then Viktor went to join the others.
Everyone was gathered around and caught up in various conversations. The voices died down and heads turned to where Viktor approached. I could see that none of them knew how to react to the situation.
"I'm trying to speak clearly." Viktor started. "The new blood, I think, helped me with my...impairment."
"Still mad at me red?" Glitch winked at a glaring Zoe.
"I thank you, but respect my family." Viktor said in a sharp tone, surprising everyone.
"Apologies." Glitch looked appropriately shamed and I bit back a chuckle.
"I hope that the bats stay clear of my eyes. I want to help. I remember things the rest of you don't, some of it I've shared with Josiah." I avoided their glances towards me.
"Some things are safer for you not to know so please don't press him or I. We don't know how stable he is and we don't want him to regress if it can be helped." I said quickly before anyone could ask questions.
"Wait a minute, man." Mer spoke. "We have a right to know just as much as you do."
"Yes you do. And I'm denying that right for the time being." I said simply.
The atmosphere changed and Viktor received a few nervous glances. Cer took a small step away from the others and kept his eyes on the floor. Tom began to stand and I could see the wheels turning.
"He's right. We have people coming after us and the less we know about some of this stuff the better." Tom said to the others. "For now we need to go over the plan."
"Let’s hear it." Ria said quietly with her now wet hair pulled over half her face.
"Nef was just down here. He saw dust coming from the e
ast and the west." Tom said. "They'll be here soon. Going north would pull us into the mess they left behind when they attacked Ria's crew. It's still best to go south. I think it's still best we take the west exit and go from there. That's where our truck is. We haven't brought it back in since our last run. We also have three ATVs"
"Stupid. I can't believe we didn't think to bring them in." Rec said on a sigh.
"We've been too lax in our habits." Zoe said with a worried look.
"Are you guys forgetting we have a truck too?" Glitch asked and the others looked at him silently.
"No. We didn't." Tom said.
"So we have the room. I don't know if you noticed, but it's an old prisoner transport truck." Glitch looked around in disbelief. "They had over twenty of us crammed in there when they took us into the mountains."
"And supplies?" Tom asked. "The more weight in the truck the slower it goes. We'll need the ATVs for scouting in the future and the filtration gear on the truck. We try to always stay prepared."
"Ok, so we ditch our truck. What's next?" Glitch waved away Tom's statement and sat up.
"It's not that simple." Tom sighed.
"Then get to it, we're wasting time!" Glitch yelled, clearly getting more nervous.
"Calm yourself immediately." Viktor scolded. "They won't leave you, but I will." He took a step towards Glitch, earning a few gasps. "Now is the time to prove yourself useful. Not as an insufferable pain in the ass." He turned back to Tom and motioned for him to continue.
"Yes. So..." Tom shook his head and collected himself. "We'll need a diversion. Someone will need to take your truck north. Once the 'body snatchers' as you call them, see the dust, they'll follow. As soon as they're far enough away the rest of us will go south.
"That's not a diversion, that's-" Dex started.
"That's a friggin’ sacrifice." Glitch spat.
"Volunteering?" Mer shifted towards him aggressively.
"Of course not. I can...prove myself valuable." Glitch's gaze went to Viktor.
Zoe sniffed and my eyes caught hers as she wiped away a tear. Duncan stepped up behind her and grasped her shoulder. I cursed silently as I realized what was happening.
Apocalypse Chronicles (Book 1): SunDown, Part 1 Page 6