EMPulse

by Deborah D. Moore

“I’ve been thinking about that, boss. Now that I’m not sharing my bedroom, I think that would be a good place for the pups and I can keep them corralled as they get bigger.” Chet turned to Aaron. “I’ll need some kind of box, a big box, for all of them to stay in for a couple of weeks. One with high enough sides to keep them confined when they get adventuresome.”

  ***

  “It doesn’t matter, Jeff, it’s part of your new rules.” Adele pushed the hunting rifle into his hands. “None of us go anywhere alone, and none of us go out unarmed.” She put her hands on her slender hips and blocked the doorway.

  “She’s right, boss-man. Take the rifle.” Aaron slung the shotgun across his shoulder and Adele stepped aside. “Chet is really excited about the dogs,” Aaron commented while he and Jeff slogged through the slushy snow.

  “I noticed. It makes sense, if you think about it. You have Beth and I have Adele. He doesn’t have anyone and a dog is a good substitute for him. Chet is a warmhearted, caring person, and now he’s got four beings to shower with attention,” Jeff replied.

  “How long do you think it will take before he has them all named?”

  Jeff laughed. “He probably has already done that and we don’t know yet.”

  “I think I should put the power back on before we go wandering around in the dark,” Aaron said.

  “Good idea. It will make it much easier and quicker being able to see,” Jeff agreed.

  Inside the maintenance dome, Jeff held the flashlight while Aaron reconnected wires and began flipping switches.

  “There, now we have lights in here, in the office building, both home domes, and we have water.”

  “That should make our ladies happy,” Jeff said.

  They approached the back of the hotel dome that they had been using for an entrance and found the window completely broken.

  “Was this broken when you found the dog?” Jeff asked.

  “I honestly don’t remember. It could have broken like this if she forced her way in to get out of the storm. Although it would have been an easy entrance for a dog if it had already been broken out.”

  “But you’re not sure?”

  “No.”

  “Then make sure you have a round chambered. We go in quiet.” Jeff led the way, silently thanking Adele for forcing him to take the rifle.

  The rain had stopped overnight and the brilliant sunshine that graced the day filtered in through the various windows, illuminating their way along the hotel corridor. They stopped at the big glass doors that led into the dining room.

  “Did either of you check out the kitchen or dining room?” Jeff whispered.

  Aaron shook his head, and pushed firmly on the heavy doors. Once inside the gloom, they each took a side, allowing the sunlight from the corridor to lead the way into the empty room. Jeff stepped on something near the bar and glass crunched under his foot. Now on alert, they quietly made their way to the swinging door leading into the kitchen.

  With each on either side of the door, Jeff risked a peek through the small window. The door burst outward sending Jeff against the wall. Aaron fired the shotgun at the fleeing figure. Aaron approached the person lying on the floor. He pushed the body over with his foot while maintaining a vigilant aim. Cal groaned.

  Jeff came up behind him as two more men came charging into the room. They all froze.

  “On your knees,” Aaron said in his deepest, most menacing voice. The men held out their hands, and remained on their feet.

  “Hey, we didn’t know anyone was here,” Enno said. “We only came looking for food.”

  “I said, on your knees,” Aaron repeated and leveled the shotgun at the duo. Jeff kept a bead on the second, shorter man.

  “Okay, okay,” Enno said, bending over as if to comply. He pulled the long-bladed knife from his boot and lunged at Aaron. Aaron deflected the wicked blade but it still caught him in the thigh.

  Derick raised his weapon and Jeff pulled the trigger on the hunting rifle, sending the shorter man flying backward in a bloody heap. He turned in time to see Enno go in for another jab, and pulled the trigger again.

  “Are you okay?” Jeff asked Aaron, who had dropped to the floor.

  “That son of a bitch stabbed me in the leg! Man, does that hurt!” Aaron looked up at Jeff. “Hey, you could’ve hit me!”

  “Never, my friend, I’m too good of a shot. Let’s get you into the hall where there’s more light.”

  “Take care of this trash first.”

  Jeff checked Enno first, and, finding him dead, checked the one crumpled against the wall. The last was Cal, the young man that took the shotgun blast to his back. No one was left breathing. The menacing force was now leaderless.

  Jeff helped Aaron into the hallway and propped him against the wall facing the offices. He handed him the shotgun and said, “Keep an eye out, there could be more.” He wrapped a towel around Aaron’s thigh.

  “Would you rather I do that?” Chet asked, causing Jeff to jump.

  “Geeze, man, you almost gave me a heart attack! How’d you get here so fast?”

  “I was already outside when I heard the first shot, so I ran. I can be real quiet when I want to,” he said calmly. “What happened?”

  After Jeff and Aaron quickly explained the circumstances, Chet said, “Jeff, I think you and I should clear the rest of the building.” He looked down at Aaron, checked the long gash, and adjusted the towel. “It’s just a scratch. Don’t go anywhere.” He chuckled, and, following Jeff, they flipped on every light switch they came across.

  They checked the arcade and the gym, then Jeff’s office.

  “How deep do you think we should go, Chet?” Jeff asked, deferring to the one with military experience.

  “It feels like it was only those three. I could be wrong though. I’ll be honest with you, boss, that knife wound isn’t just a scratch. It looks deep and I think we should get Aaron back so I can tend to it.”

  “Let’s listen for a one minute. If we don’t hear anything we’ll go.”

  Chet closed his eyes in concentration. Jeff was tempted to do the same but knew one of them needed to watch as well as listen. When the minute was over, they double timed it back to Aaron.

  ***

  Beth hovered over Aaron while Chet cut away the pant leg. She groaned a sob when she saw the deep gash.

  “This is going to take stitches,” Chet announced. “I can’t do anything with him on the couch like this, it’s too low.”

  Jeff grabbed Beth by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Beth, go get two clean sheets and a blanket.” He and Adele cleared the dining table of everything. With the blanket as a pad and a sheet to protect it, the men lifted Aaron onto the covered table and Chet went to work cleaning the wound.

  “I thought you said he needed stitches,” Jeff commented quietly.

  “He does, only I don’t have any sutures. A dozen butterflies will have to do, boss. I’ve put on some Neosporin, which is better than nothing, barely. I’m concerned, though. I doubt that knife was very clean.” Chet expressed his fears in a whisper, allowing the running water to wash his hands to cover his words.

  Another, milder storm moved in during the night.

  ***

  “Hey, boss, we should do something about those bodies in the main complex. They’re going to start smelling soon, if they haven’t already.”

  “I’d forgotten completely about them. Maybe we should go before lunch. I don’t want to lose some of your cooking,” Jeff replied.

  “No need, Jeff,” Adele said slipping her arm into Jeff’s. “Beth and I took care of it yesterday. We dumped the bodies where Tanner’s was, which is gone now, by the way, and we collected two rifles and two knives. They’re in the weapons closet.”

  Jeff and Chet stared at the announcement.

  “You never cease to amaze me.”
Jeff kissed the top of her head.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  “We have a problem, Jeff,” Chet said quietly even though he had asked Jeff to join him outside. “Aaron is running a fever, and the wound is looking infected. One of us needs to go into Avon for antibiotics.”

  “During our evening walk last night, Adele and I noticed the snow is melting fast, real fast, even the avalanche slide. I think I can get the truck through what is left. That way it should take less than an hour to get there, provided nothing else is blocking the way. That also means we can be back tonight. First I need to put a battery back in the truck.”

  “I’ll pack you some sandwiches,” Chet said, hurrying back inside.

  ***

  “I think that’s a reasonable plan. When do we leave?” Adele asked when Jeff proposed the idea to her.

  “I was thinking of taking Chet.”

  “Chet? He’s our only medic and you know Beth won’t leave Aaron’s side. You’re stuck with me since we’ve agreed no one goes anywhere alone,” she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You’re right. Dress warm, and don’t forget your pistol and extra magazines, and I’ll grab the lunch Chet is packing for us. We leave in fifteen minutes.”

  ***

  “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Jeff said, coming to a stop on the other side of the drift.

  “Not bad at all. We only got stuck twice with snow up to the axle. I’m glad you remembered to put a shovel in the truck,” Adele said sarcastically. The quarter mile drive took them an hour, with Adele doing most of the shoveling and Jeff blasting through the deep spots only to get stuck again.

  “It won’t be as bad going back though, and from here out it should be much easier,” Jeff said.

  “Look over there, Jeff. There’s smoke coming from the chimney and there’s a bunch of snowmobiles parked there. Should we stop?”

  “Another time maybe, right now we’re on a mission. Aaron really needs those antibiotics.”

  They drove in silence until they reached the town limits.

  “Without power, I wonder how the hospital has managed, or if they’re even still open. I think we should stop in to the sheriff’s office first.” Jeff parked the old truck in front of the municipal building, not bothering to turn around.

  “Jeff! Good to see you,” Claude greeted him. “Who is this lovely lady?”

  “Adele Michaels, meet Sheriff Claude Burns. Adele is, was, one of my long term guests. Claude, Aaron is really sick and needs antibiotics. Is the hospital open?”

  “It’s open, but we had to relocate it. It’s only a short walk, come on,” Claude said.

  “I’d rather drive so we can leave right from there,” Jeff pressed.

  “I sure wish we had something like this truck. It would have made a number of things so much easier,” Claude said.

  “Tell you what: once Aaron is back on his feet, I’ll have him start on fixing up the Willy’s jeep for you,” Jeff offered.

  “Deal! Make a right here.”

  Claude led them into the new hospital to find Dr. Sam Cory sitting at the desk filling in a chart.

  “Dr. Cory, nice to see you again.” Jeff held out his hand. “I’m glad you’re here. Aaron suffered a knife wound a couple of days ago and now it’s infected.”

  “Is he running a fever?”

  “Yes, Chet said it’s 103°. He butterflied the gash after cleaning it, however, it still festered. Do you have some antibiotics?” Adele asked.

  Kyle’s eyes flashed open when he heard Adele’s voice.

  “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  “Oh, and doctor, do you have any sutures you can spare?”

  He descended the basement stairs. A few minutes later he was back and closed and locked the door behind him.

  “Why do you lock the door?” Jeff asked. “I thought this was a safe town.”

  “Since the EMP, it’s not as safe as it once was,” Claude said.

  “We had a break in about two weeks ago,” Sam told them. “Whoever it was took more than half of the painkiller drugs, killed one of my nurses, and then killed one of my patients.”

  “After looking around the next morning, I found snowmobile tracks leading up Hog Back. There was no way for me to follow except on foot,” the sheriff continued. “Several days before that, we had another run-in with the guys on the sleds. It was a member of their gang that was here being treated for gunshot wounds that was killed, his throat slit. I think it was to keep him from talking. I kept the sled they left behind, but during the night, someone came by and took it. Nothing is safe anymore.”

  Jeff and Adele exchanged a glance. “On our way here we spotted a number of sleds parked at a house about two miles south of the resort,” Jeff said. “The timetable would fit in with an incident we had too. Three guys broke into the office section of the domes. In defending ourselves, Aaron and I killed all three.” Jeff looked at the sheriff when he made that confession. “It’s how Aaron got stabbed. One of the guys, a kid, really, looked familiar. Maybe he was a local, but I don’t know.”

  “This is getting interesting. There’s a local family here, the Cummings, who has a teenaged son and a house up on Hog Back,” Claude said.

  “Wait a minute. Are you talking about Cal?” Sam asked.

  “That’s him, why?”

  “Cal was in here asking for some aspirin; he saw me go downstairs.”

  “The pieces are falling into place,” Claude said. “There were six in that snowmobile gang, adding Cal, and taking out the four dead, leaves a minimum of three left up there. That’s a number I can handle. Let’s talk outside, Jeff.”

  ***

  “Here is a kit I made up for Chet. I’m familiar with his background and that he knows how to use this,” Dr. Cory said to Adele. “There are injectable antibiotics, plus syringes and a couple of Z-packs. I added some sutures of various sizes, and a few painkillers. By the time he runs out of these, the roads should be open.”

  “Thank you so much, doctor. I don’t know what we would do without Aaron,” Adele said.

  “There is something you might be able to help us with,” Dr. Sam said quickly. “Shortly after the EMP, Claude was up Hog Back and found a man half buried in the snow slide. Maybe you can identify him for us.”

  Adele’s back went rigid and her eyes went wide with fear. “Where?” she barely whispered. Dr. Cory pointed to the closed curtain, concerned with her response. She took a step forward, the doctor at her side. He pulled the curtain aside.

  “Good morning, Kyle,” the doctor said.

  “Good morning, Dr. Cory. Do I have a visitor?” Kyle kept his face neutral even though the rage was coursing through his veins at the sight of Adele. His hands twitched at the thought of placing them around her neck.

  “Kyle doesn’t remember anything before the avalanche. He had a wallet on him, so we know his name is Kyle Polez and he’s from Texas. Do you know him, Adele?”

  Adele looked at him, her heart beating so loudly she was sure they both could hear it. There had been a moment of recognition in Kyle’s eyes and it was gone just as quickly.

  “No, I don’t. Sorry.” She spotted his bandaged hands. “What happened to his hands?”

  “Frostbite,” the doctor said. “I’ll be back later, Kyle.”

  ***

  Adele went straight for the door and once outside, leaned against the building, hyperventilating.

  “Adele, what’s wrong, honey?” Jeff grabbed her before she collapsed.

  “It’s Kyle,” she sobbed into his chest.

  “So you do know him?” Dr. Cory asked, confused. She nodded silently.

  Jeff immediately went on alert. “He’s alive?”

  “What’s going on?” Claude asked, looking bewildered.

  “It seems that Adele knows our
amnesia patient,” Sam explained. “Why did you say you didn’t?”

  Adele pushed away from Jeff to face the sheriff and the doctor.

  “Kyle Polez, master architect of the most secure websites in the world, is a sadist and very violent. He’s also my ex-husband. I divorced him a year ago, after he broke several of my bones,” Adele confessed with a suppressed whimper. “Last time I saw him he was in a secure mental hospital in Texas. That is, until he showed up at the domes right after the EMP.”

  “He also is the one who started the avalanche. He was trying to kill Adele when his shot went wild. He was swept away by the snow slide and we thought, hoped, he was dead.” Jeff tightened his grip on the woman at his side.

  The sheriff wiped his hand over his face in thought. “He tried to kill you? No wonder Henry didn’t like him.” He looked at the doctor. “Can you discreetly keep him sedated until I decide what we should do?”

  “Sure. His physical therapy is next, and I usually give him a pain pill afterward.”

  “What’s the physical therapy for?” Jeff asked.

  “Being buried in the snow for forty-eight hours cost him fingers and toes. He’s still learning how to walk without the counterbalance of his toes,” Dr. Sam explained.

  “Please be extra cautious around him, doctor. He’s a master manipulator and is very, very good at lying,” Adele said, regaining some of her composure. “He’s a dangerous man. Don’t ever let your guard down around him.”

  “Now, Jeff, about this other matter,” Claude brought him back to their previous conversation.

  “Yes, Sheriff, we can wait while you round up a posse,” Jeff said, which made the sheriff grin. “We can’t stall too long, though. We must get this medicine back to Aaron; I can’t lose him. Not only is he my best friend, he’s also a genius. He even got our power up and running again.”

  “What?” both the doctor and the sheriff said in shock.

  “When this is all over with, come up and see what he’s done,” Jeff offered.