by Jeff Olah
Startled, Eleanor backed away from the computer and hurried to her daughter’s side. “Sweetheart, why are you awake? You’ve only rested for a few hours. Your body needs much more than that.”
“I can’t sleep and I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you why. Knowing what is going on with Justin and having Dad and Mason out there, do you think you could sleep?” April said.
“You’re right. There is no way we can be comfortable without the men here. When they get back, I’m sure things…”
“Come on Mom… things will get better? I’ll go out on a limb and say things will never get better, ever again. They won’t… they just won’t.” Frustration welling up in her eyes, April sank into her mother’s arms.
“April, this situation… today… won’t get better, although we cannot give up. We are wives and we are mothers. We have to continue to be strong. We have to move forward, even if we feel like we cannot. We have to.”
April pulled away from Eleanor without saying a word. She simply took a step back and blinked away the tears.
“I was going to wait until Tessa came back so she could explain it better, although it appears Justin has made a tiny bit of progress,” Eleanor said. “I am not going to pretend to know what this all means or anything else about his condition, although he seems to able to hear us talking to him.”
“What… When did this… I want to see him. Right now!”
100
The clearing beyond the cabin opened into an expansive field shrouded on all sides by a thick border of interwoven spruce and pine. The ground covering was damp and thick as the last hour laid down a mixture of sticky snow and light rain. Attempting a straight run through the middle was the shortest route, only it wasn’t the smartest. The east tree line would require equipment to scale the sheer cliff, although not everyone would make that climb.
“Ok… is there something I need to know before we move out?” Mason said. “And Randy, let the boy speak.”
“You’re not going to want to know my friend, trust me,” Randy said.
“Travis…”
“Goodwin, he’s coming back. Not exactly for what Anton indicated though. It’s much worse. Marcus Goodwin is insane and rapidly finding new ways to cause mayhem. Our unit was just a distraction,” Travis said.
Looking to Major Daniels and back to Travis, Mason said, “A distraction for what? Wasn’t your plan to get the information on the location of Doctor Lockwood?”
“Yes and no,” Travis said. “We were also detailed with reporting the status of Blackmore and how fortified you were after the outbreak.”
From behind, Major Daniels placed a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “You would have never gotten the location of Lockwood out of me. The man has been dead for a few years now.”
“Dead…why cover that up?” Randy asked.
“If Goodwin had found out,” Daniels said. “He’d have taken the project underground. We couldn’t let him do that. He’d go in search of someone else to guide the remaining phases of the virus… also, why on earth would he want to know about Blackmore’s security?”
Turning to face the others, Travis explained. “Sorry to disappoint, although Goodwin already knew that Lockwood was gone. He’s known for a few months. He sent the first team to find out how easily we’d gain entry, then report which family members you’d brought here and get you away from the facility.”
“My family?” Daniels asked. “Why on earth does he care about…”
“He’s going to kill them,” Travis said. “He knows you kept Lockwood’s death from him. He now wants to kill your family and…” Travis stopped.
“And what,” Daniels said.
“His plan,” Travis continued. “Is to release every single abomination you have locked up in Blackmore and make you watch as your family is literally torn apart. He thinks we have you in that shack down there and he’s coming here first. When he doesn’t find you here, he’ll simply take the second team to Blackmore and do it anyway.”
“When’s Goodwin coming and how many men is he bringing?” Randy asked.
“He’s coming by chopper and is scheduled to touch down here with Team Two shortly before sunset. Not sure of the unit size. He released us without any other details.”
Through the growing downpour, the sun hinted at its placement directly overhead in the sky. Under the partial cover provided by the low hanging branches of the thick spruce, the men turned their gaze upward guessing it to be sometime after midday. “So we have what… two, maybe three hours to get back?” Mason asked.
“Looks like it,” Randy said. “We’d better get to it.”
“It took at least that long to get here, “Major Daniels said. “Do you really think we’ll make it back before he does?”
“Before we run off into the wilderness, who’s to say all this is even true?” Mason asked. “Why would this kid give up his boss? Frank tried to be one of us as well. Travis, no offense, but why should I not put a bullet in you right here and be done with it?”
Before Mason had a chance to turn back to Major Daniels and Randy for their thoughts, Travis leaned in, pulled the nine millimeter from Mason’s hand and pushed it into his temple. Mason took in a long breath of the fresh mountain air as Travis released the clip into his free hand and held it out for Mason to retrieve. “That’s why… I could have killed all three of you already, if that’s what I had planned.”
Randy grinned. “Kid’s gotta point.”
“I’ve personally witnessed Marcus Goodwin do things to his own people that will haunt every free thought I have until the day I die,” Travis said. “I will sacrifice my own life to make sure today is the last sunrise that man ever gets to enjoy. You’ll just have to trust that’s the truth. Here’s your weapon.”
Without addressing Travis directly, Mason stepped forward and pointed to the opposite end of the ridge. “Randy that is where we need to go… and we need to go now. Richard, we need you with us and I know the kind of shape you keep yourself in. Don’t fall behind, we won’t wait.”
Scanning the landscape and then back to each of the three men, Daniels said, “Mason if you think you can lead us out of this…”
“Yes… I’m going to get us to Blackmore and back to our family. All of us,” Mason said, also acknowledging Travis.
“What about Goodwin?” Travis asked.
“I’m going to kill him myself.”
The moving cloud cover caused the intermittent bursts of sunlight to dance through the tall spruce and sharpen the inconsistent hillside. Randy pointed east where the jagged terrain gradually melted into a less extreme route. “Mason… is that our path?”
“It’s the only…”
Extending his hand to Mason, Travis held a credit card size, stainless steel device in the palm of his hand. “One last thing,” he said.
“What is this?” Mason asked.
“Goodwin forced every one of us to carry these at all times. These little GPS devices gave him an instant location of every man on the payroll.” Setting it in Mason’s hand he said, “This one is mine, we should leave it somewhere along the way to confuse him.”
Looking back at the cabin to where Anton finally came to rest, Randy said, “What about his?”
Pulling his other hand from his coat pocket Travis said, “Anton passed it to me in the cabin when he realized what was happening. We should leave it with his body… make sure Goodwin doesn’t catch on to what we’re doing.” Travis stepped through the trees and tossed the small device to within four feet of Anton’s corpse.
Not waiting for the others, Mason began making his way through the rough foliage and staying in the shadows the abundant tree line afforded, before turning to Travis. “Thanks.”
101
Sixty floors below, the streets looked like any other large metropolis in the country, the movement caused by the increasing number of Feeders shuffling from one place to the next appeared to move the earth beneath the massive structure. Beyond the individ
ual grey monoliths that comprised the interior of the city and into the horizon, fires peppered the landscape. The attacks had subsided within the last four days and the city was quiet. The only remaining souls free from infection within a five-mile radius resided in the top six floors of the structure he stood over.
The cost associated with BXF Technologies having their entire building redesigned now appeared to be the best money he ever spent. The option of having the entire world locked out seemed to be a bit of an overshot three months ago, although today his doubters were all dead. The six million dollars he spent wouldn’t do him any good sitting in a bank and now it kept him and his little slice of the world safe. Marcus Goodwin smiled as he watched the world beyond his walls suffer.
The only door leading to the rooftop opened as Goodwin turned away from the edge and started for the helipad. “Dalton, what’s the status?”
“Sir, the Skatt is returning now, although… it most likely won’t have the fuel required to return home.”
“That’s not going to be a problem. Crash that unmanned, flying piece of garbage into the side of the mountain, I don’t care. I only need the intel from Team One before you do.”
“Mister Goodwin sir, the last transmission from the site was a garbled distress signal from one of the four men,” Dalton said. “We have the location of each tracking device. Two have been stationary for over an hour, one has more recently gone cold and the last one is moving toward Blackmore.”
“So Team One failed? I would imagine Daniels is either dead or has taken one of ours and is on his way back home.”
“That appears correct. He may also have some help.”
Running his hand through his salt and pepper, neatly groomed beard, his smile returned. “Does the Skatt have enough fuel to reach Blackmore?”
Dalton looked confused. “Yes sir?”
“Perfect,” Goodwin said. “Fly it directly into the front door of Building One.”
. . .
The lights flickered to life and April was surprised to find her sleeping less than twenty feet away. Was Tessa asleep while she wept for her family? Did she realize how far gone she was? April walked quickly to the bed at the far end of the room as Tessa rolled to her side shielding her eyes from the unforgiving fluorescent lights. The excitement of what she was about to learn matched the fear boiling in every cell of her body. April waited for Tessa to find her way into the moment and sat at the foot of her bed. “So… you have some news?”
Without addressing April’s question, Tessa turned her less than enthusiastic stare to Eleanor, who unsuccessfully tried to convince her daughter to wait an hour before demanding answers. “Well that didn’t take long.”
From the opposite side of the room, still trying to get situated, Savannah simply sat at the edge of her bed, pulled off her shoes and watched as the others carried on.
“I’m so sorry Tessa, I just have to know,” April said. “Has he improved?”
“I wanted to give him a bit more time before I came to you with any news and hoped your mother would do the same.”
“I didn’t want to come here just yet…” Eleanor said.
“I know Eleanor, it’s fine. April’s just looking for something to hold on to; I’d do the exact same thing.”
“Thank you Tessa,” April said.
Pulling her knees to her chest and sliding back against the headboard, Tessa pulled the blanket in tight. “Justin seems to be showing a slight improvement in his ability to recognize audible signals.”
Confusion was apparent across April’s face. “What does that mean?”
“Well, there’s nothing concrete,” Tessa continued “Although it appears he’s able to understand or at least hear when we speak to him. The most positive aspect of which is that his responsiveness increases with the use of his name. Now I don’t want you to get…”
Jumping to her feet, April grabbed Tessa by the hand and pulled her in close. “Can we see him… can we see him right now?”
Reaching for her socks and shoes, Tessa slowly arched her neck and eased the tightness from her overtired joints. “Sure, although I still have much work to do with him. I really don’t know what to make of his progress… It could be nothing.”
Moving to her mother’s side, April held her tight and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks Tessa, but if it’s all the same, it does mean something… at least to me.”
The three women exited the bedroom, left Savannah to her nap and continued on down the hall. Passing the command center, they could only see the back of Parker’s head as she sat backlit at the main computer, oblivious to the world around her.
She worked the mouse carefully, attempting to position the cameras on the exterior of Blackmore so she’d have advance notice of the men’s return. Parker’s plan was to have the rear door unlocked only moments before their entry and lock it back down once they arrived safely. If that actually happened.
Turning the corner to the Cage, which also doubled as Justin’s care center, all three women gasped and April began to lose consciousness as she dropped to the floor. Tessa slid in from behind, caught April and laid her gently along the wall.
Rising back to her feet, Tessa turned to find Justin’s grandmother motionless, hand over her mouth. “Eleanor, your daughter is going to need some water when she comes to and we need it right away, please go now.” Sending her away was just as much to benefit April as it was for Tessa to gain some perspective on what they were witnessing. Watching Eleanor silently scoot off toward the kitchen, Tessa turned back to the room whispering to herself, “Justin…this cannot be happening.”
With the rear cameras set, the only thing left for her to do was be prepared for their return. Parker strategically moved through each camera of the entire facility noting the subtle changes brought on by the insurgence they fought off only hours ago. She rested on the last camera, focused on the helicopter brought in by her new friends and pulled back to reveal the desolate courtyard. Something in the right corner caught her eye and it initially appeared to be an errant fleck of dust struggling to adhere to the illuminated screen.
Upon further inspection and as it continued to grow, the possibility of what it could be caused her to slide on her reading glasses. With three clicks of the mouse, Parker zoomed and then refocused the lens bringing the drone into full view. “God help us all...”
102
The continued downpour, as well as the slick groundcover, proved a challenge for the men as they struggled to move quickly through the thick offering of trees leading up the hillside. Cascading layers of steam rose from the undergrowth as the men stomped up the steep incline. Mason led the group around the far east end where the sheer cliff ran into the somewhat passable alternate route. He was followed closely by Major Daniels, Travis and finally Randy, who was keeping his distance to maintain a well-trained eye on the rear and their new friend.
The group made short work of the detour and in passing the jagged rocks; Mason estimated they might have actually saved time going around, instead of climbing up the sheer wall. Figuring they still had at least an hours’ worth of hiking to do, he turned to Randy for confirmation. “We still headed in the right direction, my friend?”
Randy bypassed Travis and the Major and as he caught up to Mason, the two marched forward together. The pace they were keeping made for short conversations and even breathing at this altitude didn’t come easy. “Yeah, I’ll holler from the back if we start to move off course,” Randy said. Continuing to walk shoulder to shoulder with Mason, he leaned in and pulled his friend close. “I’m still leery of the kid. Not that I don’t buy his story, I’m just keeping an eye on him.” That was the extent of the dialogue his body would allow him without stopping to catch his breath. Randy slowed his pace, looked to the sky and began to fall back into formation. “Did you hear that?” Randy asked.
“Hear what?” Mason said.
“Don’t quite know, sounded like some sort of explosion. My mind just playing tricks, I ass
ume.”
As he slowed and Major Daniels passed him, Randy glanced over his left shoulder expecting Travis to come next. When he didn’t appear, Randy turned to the rear and noticed the kid had stopped twenty yards downhill with his back to the group. Even at this distance Randy could see him shivering, although the outside temperature wasn’t the cause.
Instinctively Randy broke out in a full sprint, which caused Mason and his father-in-law to also turn. As he ran toward Travis, Randy withdrew the nine millimeter pistol and in one motion slid to the ground, knocking the kid from his feet. The two narrowly avoided the smaller gray wolf as it lurched forward with the intent of making the last of their group its mid-day snack. Confused and reeling from its misstep, the wolf backed away a few feet. It then crouched, lowered itself into an attack position and bared its teeth.
With only seconds to react, Randy pulled Travis in behind and scanned the area, attempting to locate the second, more aggressive and much larger wolf. He needed to conserve what firepower he could with the looming battle only a few hours ahead, as he sighted the smaller wolf and waited for it to make a move. As they started to rise, Travis began to speak and was hushed before the first syllable left his lips. The wolf shot forward as Randy pushed Travis aside and fired one round into the neck of his oncoming attacker. The wolf slammed to the ground and went limp before it came to a stop three feet from both men. Randy lowered his head to his chest and dropped his weapon.
His love for animals began as his trust in humans deteriorated. Randy brought home many a stray during his attempts as a child to form a bond with something other than the strained silence he received from his parents. Most animals that made it through the front door only lasted a few days in the house. The excuses varied, although most had to do with a lost pet sign posted in the neighborhood or the unfortunate new home demand, forced upon him with great urgency. The last pet Randy ever cared for was one he found the day after his high school graduation.