Black Winter
Page 10
As he stepped forward, he tried to come up with a plan.
"All right, what?" Riggs said.
"I'll help you find the cure, but I want something in return," Adam said.
"Do you think you're really in a place to negotiate? You're lucky I even chose you. There were thousands of other scientists who were dying to come here."
Yeah, well. They would have gotten their wish. Adam took another step forward. His mind was racing. What am I going to do? How am I going to get the gun from Special Agent Riggs without being shot myself, or my daughter? He decided it was too risky.
"You need me, and you know it," Adam said. "That's why I'm still alive. The antibiotics I've been taking the last twelve plus hours will eventually lose their effectiveness. I can feel the virus already mutating within my bloodstream. It's only a matter of time before it evolves to resist the medicine. There's not much time left. If you want your cure, I want something in return."
Adam was taking a chance. Men like Special Agent Riggs had huge egos, but what was even bigger than their ego was their desire to win. Riggs had already proven that he'd do whatever it took to get ahead. Adam hoped he'd take the bait. Riggs seemed to weigh his odds. It was true Adam would probably die in a few hours, but those were a few hours he could still be working on the cure. For Riggs' plan to work, he needed that cure.
"I suppose you'll be dead in a few hours anyway. What do you want?" Riggs lowered the weapon but held it by his side. Adam made sure not to make eye contact with his daughter. Instead, he held his gaze with Riggs'.
"I need access to the other pods."
Riggs laughed. "Absolutely not. The other pods are restricted."
"We don't have time for games. If you want me to find the cure, I need access to the other doctors' files and research. They may have something I can use."
He started coughing and collapsed to his knees. When he raised his face up again, the entire interior mask was covered in blood.
Riggs' face was repulsed, and he even stepped back.
"I don't have much time. What harm will it do to let me see their notes? We need all the eyes we can get to succeed, if you want to win." He emphasized the last word. Riggs looked up for a fraction of a second. Adam knew he had him.
Riggs pressed a button on his wristband. It beeped. "This is Special Agent Riggs. I need you to grant Unrestricted Access to all of the pods to Doctor Adam Richards effective immediately."
"It's done," a voice on the other end said.
Riggs pressed the button again and lowered his arm. "You have your access. Now find my cure."
Adam lowered his face marginally and held his hands together in mock bow. "Thank you."
Riggs holstered his weapon and took a step forward. He reached for Abigail's hand to drag her along. But his hand found only air. He felt his weapon leave his side as he swiveled. Abigail held the gun pointed at his chest.
Riggs held his hand up. "Now, Abigail, be careful with that. It's dangerous. You could accidentally hurt someone with that." Riggs slowly inched forward. His left hand was behind his back. With each inch, he dropped toward his knee.
"You're not a nice man," Abigail said.
"I am," Riggs said, displaying the biggest smile he could muster. He looked awkward doing it. "What about all of those nice things Doctor Mayweather gave you? Don't you like your new room? Your new friends? This place? All of this is because of me."
"I don't want any of it. You can keep it. You were going to hurt my daddy."
The gun shook in her hands, the weight too much for her small hands to hold steady for too long.
"Give me the gun, sweetie," Riggs said.
Adam joined his daughter's side and took the gun from her. He held it level to Riggs' face. Riggs immediately went still.
"Bring both hands behind your head," Adam said.
"Doctor, you're making a terrible mistake. You need to put that weapon down before someone gets hurt."
Adam fired a bullet through the ceiling. Crumbles of dirt and rock fell down. Riggs ducked, covering his head with his hands. He kept them there.
"Now, move over there." Adam pointed with the gun. Riggs did as he was told. "Open it."
"Doctor Richards, let's talk this through. We can work something out."
"I've heard all the talking I can stomach. Open it, or I'll send a bullet through your skull."
Riggs' eyes narrowed, and his lips curled in a snarl. He flicked his wristband on the POD 547. The front doors hissed open.
"Get in," Adam ordered. Riggs did as he was told. Adam followed him in.
"Stay here, sweetie. Daddy will be right back."
Abigail did as he asked. The door hissed closed behind him. The decontamination vents shot on, dispelling their chemicals and air.
"Open the door," Adam said.
"Adam, we can work something out. You want money? I can give it to you. You want power, you have it."
"I don't want anything you have. Now open the door or you die right where you stand. Think I'm bluffing, just try me."
Riggs knew you never called the bluff of a desperate man, especially one who was dying. Riggs opened the door behind him. Adam held the weapon level.
"You will pay for this, Adam," Riggs said, going beat red. Adam held his eyes on Riggs and smiled.
"I'm afraid it is you who will pay now," Adam said.
Riggs went for the weapon on his ankle. He pulled his hand up to shoot but was caught by something else. Four shadows swooped through the room and dragged him in. Riggs' eyes went wide with shock. As the door closed, Adam watched as the ragged bodies of the dead scientists, somehow reincarnated, tore into Special Agent Riggs' body. His screams were muffled by the soundproof walls as Richard left and rejoined his daughter.
He held out his hand for his daughter. She placed her tiny, delicate fingers into his and headed down the hall. They were leaving.
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CHAPTER
- FIFTEEN -
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Adam and his daughter exited the Dome and walked down to the shoreline. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining bright overhead. His daughter was wrapped in the heavy coat, still holding his hand through the hazmat suit. He wanted so desperately to remove the mask and hold his daughter close, to shower her with kisses, but he couldn't. He may never have the chance to touch her soft skin, hear her giggle, and experience her smile.
He didn't know how much longer he had before the virus took over his body, and he became whatever the other scientists had become. They were something between the living and the dead, as if they were undead. The images of their blood-shot eyes, teeth barred as fangs, ripping Special Agent Riggs apart echoed in his ears and eyes. He couldn't see the sky anymore, but he imagined it was beautiful.
He lowered himself to the ground with much effort so that he'd be eye level with his daughter.
"Abby," he whispered.
His daughter faced him. Her eyes were lit with joy at being outside again. When she saw her father's face, the smile vanished.
"I'm dying," he said.
She was old enough to know what that meant. He had explained it to her when her pet gerbil had died. They had held a funeral service for it in the backyard and even said a prayer. He didn't know if she fully grasped the concept, but that was okay. He wanted her to live in blissful ignorance and innocence as long as she could.
"Daddy is going away for a while," he said. "You'll be on your own."
She started to cry.
"I don't want you to go, Daddy. Why can't you stay with me?"
"Because, Daddy is sick, and he doesn't know if he'll recover. I want you to know, you're the best thing that ever happened to me. And what took place between your mother and I wasn't your fault. I messed up. That's on me. Not you, okay?"
She nodded.
"You're going to hear a lot of crazy things soon. Much of it won't make sense
to you, but I want you to promise me one thing, you will never stop fighting and you'll always do right by others. Can you do that?"
"Yes," she whimpered.
"Promise me that you'll never lose your smile and joy, that you won't let anyone take that away from you."
"I promise."
He held her tight for a long while then. He didn't want to let go, fearing that when he did, she would slip away from him for eternity. He wished he could just stay in this moment forever, but he could feel it inside. He pulled her away, her face streaked in tears.
"I want you to go back inside and find Doctor Sally White. Tell her what happened. She will understand. I want you to promise me something else," he said.
He held her hands in his.
"No matter what, you never leave the Dome until you know it's absolutely safe, you understand? You must stay inside until it's safe out here. I know it doesn't look like it, but soon, all of this will be destroyed and covered in sickness. I want you to be safe."
"Okay, Daddy. I'll stay in the Dome."
"Good girl."
He stroked the hair away from her face and put it behind her ear. In that moment, she looked just like her mother with the sun shining on her back and the cool breeze blowing, the mountains towering over her with their splendor. Adam memorized the image. The last he would ever see of his little girl.
He handed her his wristband and badge. "This will get you inside. Now go."
She tried to resist him, but he gave her a gentle nudge.
"It'll be okay, sweetie. Don't be afraid. You're strong. Doctor Kondo and Sally will look after you now. They're friends of Daddy's."
She walked ten paces and stopped. His heart ached. She turned and ran back to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her tight.
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, sweetie," he said through tears.
"We'll save you. Don't give up."
She gave him one bigger hug then ran up the hill.
He collapsed on his back and stared off into the gray sky. So, this was it. This was how he would go out. Knowing his daughter would be safe brought him peace.
"I'm ready," he said aloud.
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ALSO BY KRISTEN JUDD
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Standalone Novella : BLACK WINTER
LINK: Standalone Novella : Black Winter
This book is copyright © 2018 by
Kristen Judd
All Rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.
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