by Jeff Olah
“One of my men has succumbed to his injuries. His death was caused by your people.”
Back to his board, he erased the text and began again. This time was different. Although only his eyes showed through the makeshift mask he wore, there was obvious anger in his expression. As he lifted the board again, Eleanor dropped to the badly stained carpeting below.
It read, “One of yours for one of mine. Bring me the pregnant woman.”
196
Off the highway and away from the ocean, the morning’s first light was less than two hours away. Savannah slept with her head resting against the rear passenger window as Mason searched the skyline for the building he knew would be their next crisis. Randy drove the SUV down the deserted off ramp and through the narrow side streets leading toward the city’s interior.
In quiet conversation, Dr. Lockwood and his son discussed the only thing that appeared to hold their interest since leaving their beachside community. “If there was a chance of getting ahead of this thing,” Lockwood said. “It needed to begin the day the infection did and with all that’s happened, I’m not so sure anymore.”
Positioned in between Savannah and his father, Sean shook his head. “Before you left for Oregon, you told me we were close. You said there was a real chance of finding a cure.”
“Sean, I just don’t know anymore. So much time has gone by. We needed to be at phase two, months ago. This thing is progressing faster than I can adjust.”
“Dad, I realize what happened when you went to Oregon put us back quite a bit, but I worked really hard while you were gone and I think I made some progress.”
Lockwood nodded. “Yes, the samples you put together are impressive and although I’m not sure how you learned so much in such a short amount of time, although there’s so much more. I just don’t know if what we have will work.”
“You think we ought to take the back way in,” Mason said. “Or go straight for the front doors?”
Randy rubbed the corners of his eyes and fought back the urge to smash his fist into the dashboard. “It’s not really gonna matter, is it? We should have already been out on foot searching the city. If the kid is right, we could have found them by now.”
Rolling to a stop at the last residential intersection before entering the city, Randy lowered his window and put his arm out, signaling the others. Turning to Mason, he switched on the walkie. “Brian, Jack, you guys read me?”
“Why are we stopping?” Brian asked.
Turning to Mason and the others, Randy spoke louder than was necessary into the walkie. “Our target is only a few miles away and I’m sure we aren’t going to be lucky enough to just slide into the underground parking garage without being noticed. So, if we run into trouble, Mason and I will exit first and Savannah will slide in behind the wheel until we’re all clear.”
Releasing the talk button, Jack’s voice came through. “What are Brian and I supposed to do? If we run into a large enough crowd of Feeders, we could be of help. You know, take care of the problem, before it actually becomes a problem.”
“That’ll work,” Randy said. “Just wait for Mason and I to get out and give you the signal before you do anything. We good?”
“Yep.”
Raising his window, Randy turned off the walkie and tossed it to Mason. “Here we go. You ready for this?”
Waiting to gauge Jack’s response, Brian followed the SUV through the intersection. He stayed within a few car lengths as they continued along the empty grey road and focused only on the area outside his windshield. He positioned himself close enough to the vehicle he was following so as not to lose them, although far enough back that he could maneuver around them if it became necessary.
“Hey,” Jack said. “What’s really going on? What changed? Mason is the same guy I left with and although he’s a bit more charged up tonight, I don’t see him as a threat to us.”
Wrapping both hands tightly around the wheel, Brian breathed through his nose and stretched the tension out of his shoulders. “I watched every single one of our men die in that house, every single one. The people that died were our people, not his. He and Randy want to go get the people that were taken…what about the people that were killed.”
“I don’t pretend to know what happened,” Jack said. “And I sure as hell can’t imagine what you had to see, but I truly believe that Mason feels like we are all one group.”
“One group,” Brian said. “But not one family. Those people in the SUV are his priority, not us.”
“I won’t argue with you, but Mason did save my life. If he hadn’t left Savannah and Lockwood to come back for me, those men would have killed me.”
“You never did fill me in on what happened after you all were run off the road. Are they part of the same group that busted down our walls? The same people that Mason and Randy are running toward?”
“If I had to guess,” Jack said. “And at this point, that’s all it would be, then I’d have to say that it’s too coincidental for them not to be from the same group. They knew we were at the beach and were looking for Lockwood.”
The SUV slowed ahead of them and Brian in turn matched their speed. From his vantage, there weren’t more than three long city blocks before their building. As both vehicles finally stopped, Brian reached for the walkie and before he had time to pop his arm out the window, Mason’s voice shot through the truck. “Hey guys, we’ve got some movement ahead. Check it out.”
The SUV’s lights cut on as Brian pulled the truck to the left and saw what Mason, Randy, and the others had already come to witness. One hundred yards ahead and covering an entire city block, stood the largest crowd of Feeders any of them had ever seen. Unable to process what he was seeing, the horde appeared so dense that the remainder of the world beyond the silhouetted mass ceased to exist.
Pulling alongside the SUV, Brian had Jack lower his window and motioned for Randy to do the same. He peered back at the crowd who’d begun their slow trek toward them and then nodded to Randy and the others. “I guess we’re gonna need another way in.”
Randy glared through the windshield and mumbled something to Mason before reaching under his seat. He was momentarily lost in the darkness of the SUV before returning to the window. Pointing to the cross street that lay just ahead, he turned to Brian. “We’ll go around, it’s no big deal. Just stay right behind me.”
As the SUV rolled out, all Jack could come up with was, “Wow.” Brian wasn’t sure if this was his friend’s delayed reaction to the apparent sub-human roadblock or in response to Randy’s indifference to the whole thing.
Using the first right turn and then traveling two city blocks to the east, Randy stopped at the third intersection and waited before turning on the headlights. With the truck idling behind them, he looked at Mason and then to the others in the back seat. “This is it. Any farther west and we’re gonna miss our building. We may only have one shot at this, so stay alert.”
Off the brake, Randy took a left and moved out onto Central Avenue, traveling the darkened road one drawn-out city block at a time. Passing each cross street, he’d slow, checking for any unexpected guests and monitoring the area for any new hazards—human or otherwise.
“Next block is Sixth Street,” Randy said. “And our building is just ahead on the left.”
“Is this really going to work?” Sean asked. “You think we’ll find them?” His right foot tapping the floorboard, he realized the odds of finding his sister were astronomical, although he wasn’t actually looking for the truth. He just wanted someone to tell him it was possible.
“Yes,” Randy said as they began making their first pass around the building. “We’re going to find—”
Three seconds. That’s what he estimated the length of time was from the moment he located the underground parking until he saw it. Randy pulled to the curb, stopped the SUV and turned off the motor. “We have a problem.”
197
The room had gone quiet on more than one occasion and
although Eleanor pled for them to take her, these men had a plan, a plan which included making an example of the most vulnerable and least resistant. Making the mistake of moving out of line and reaching for the arm of the large man, she was grabbed by the collar and pulled backward.
The large man stepped to Eleanor and as his lips brushed against her ear, he spoke calmly. “No, this isn’t about you. Leave it alone, trust me.” He paused a moment before pulling away, the warm bitterness of his breath assaulting her without him saying another word.
Twisting violently to the right, Eleanor pulled free of his grip and wiped the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. The room collectively held their breath as she threw back her left arm and quickly swung at the large man. The lack of rest coupled with her weakened state attributed to her missing her intended target by more than a few inches.
The large man, much to everyone’s shock, grabbed her arm out of the air as it passed his face. He clutched her wrist and shoved her face-first to the commercial grade carpet. Holding her down by her left arm, he cocked back his right arm and zeroed in on her back, just above her waistline.
Sixty percent was all he’d need to put behind his fist to be sure Eleanor realized her mistake. As he drove his balled hand forward, the man in the chair let out what sounded like a warning. Although not quite human, the expression was clearly a command.
With all eyes now drawn to the man in the chair, he vocalized his displeasure, this time with a hint of something resembling English. “Tobias!”
The large man, clearly the intended target and now known as Tobias, lowered his right arm. As the man in the chair shook his head, Tobias pulled Eleanor to her feet and guided her back in line next to Megan. As he stepped back, attempting to compose himself, he looked into Eleanor’s eyes and mouthed the words “Be careful,” before turning back to the others.
No one spoke, least of all Eleanor. The room grew cold as the six women waited and watched the man in the chair. Blinking incessantly and his attention on the table only inches away, he stared at the dry erase board. Still awaiting his last directive to be realized, he motioned toward Megan and turned his steely gaze to Tobias.
Tobias nodded and moved around Eleanor. He reached out to take Megan’s hand and slapping it away, she stepped to the side, leaning into Eleanor. Tobias turned back to the man in the chair and awaited his response.
The man in the chair breathed in aggressively through his nose, having long since grown tired of the dramatic scene. He clapped his hands together for effect and motioned for Tobias to bring her to the table.
Not completely unaffected by the obvious show of dominance by the man in the chair, Megan relented. Slowly sliding away from Eleanor, she moved around Tobias and brushed her hair away from her face. Twelve feet of nothing but revulsion between the two, Megan placed her hands at her side and walked directly to the table.
On the white plastic folding table was a dry erase board and nine millimeter pistol. Megan focused on the weapon, willing it to slide toward her as the man in the chair slowly and painfully laid his hand on top of it. Moving her gaze up his arm, she continued along the crest of his shoulder and finally rested on his face.
She didn’t blink, and as Tobias moved in beside her, the monster sitting two feet away slid the gun across the table. Slowly reclining back into his chair, he grabbed the dry erase board and again began scratching out his instruction.
Reach for the weapon and take the chance of Tobias reacting without direction from the man in the chair or wait and let her fate be decided for her? Turning only her head to face Tobias, she knew that although the man in the chair lacked the reaction time necessary, the giant next to her did not. She’d be flat on her face long before she was able to wrap her hands around the handle of the weapon.
Shaking his head, Tobias nodded toward the man in the chair as Megan turned away. She paused as the dry erase board crested the table, this time only six words spread across two lines had been etched out. “Make it even… Tobias please explain.”
The beast of a man bent at the waist and grabbed the weapon by the barrel. He offered it to Megan and as he waited for a response he addressed the room. “Last night, one of our men was shot in cold blood by one of your friends. His injury would not have been serious although your people also destroyed his vehicle and he was forced to make the long trip back here on foot.”
As he paused to take a breath, Megan attempted to interject, “Your men killed—”
He held up his finger and continued, this time specifically speaking to Megan. “Here’s where you have a choice. Our man died only minutes ago from his injuries. He lost too much blood and couldn’t recover. He was a good man and didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
“You people are animals,” Megan said. “Why can’t you just let us go? We did nothing to you. Your came into our homes and—”
Ignoring her rant, Tobias continued. “We have decided to let you fix the mistake your people made. We will allow you to take care of it on your own here and now, or we will fix it ourselves. Although if we do it, it will cost you twice as much.”
Back to the man in the chair, Tobias grinned. “Megan, you will take this gun and shoot one of the four women on the opposite side of the room. You will shoot her in the leg, just as our friend was shot. Yes, I am asking you to do this to one of your own. If you do not, I will be forced to do it myself. The person that you shoot will not be allowed any help, just as our man was left to die on the beach. They will survive or they will bleed to death, although no one here is going to help them.”
“No,” Megan said. “I won’t. You can do whatever you want to me. I’m not going to do that, ever.”
“I figured you would say that, hell we all did. Now, the only problem is that because you either can’t or won’t abide by our request and are now relying on us to do it ourselves, we’ll have to double the punishment. Instead of just one of the women here making up for our loss, we’ll have to take two.”
The man in the chair pulled the dry erase board back onto his lap and scribbled out another message. Holding it up for Tobias and Megan to see, his arms began to quiver. “Bring him in,” was all it read.
Tobias motioned toward the man with the jagged scar who was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. The man turned and walked through the door and returned only seconds later dragging a lifeless body by the heels. Sweat poured down the man’s face as he pulled the body to the center of the room and positioned him for the women to see.
His hands on her shoulders, Tobias turned Megan toward the body. “This is Gavin, well this was Gavin. He’s the man your friend shot and left to die. He was our friend. Now we have to even the playing field. So, one last chance, are you gonna do it or am I?”
“No.” Megan turned away from the body. She looked Tobias up and down and said, “No, I won’t.” Then, stepping back to the man in the chair, she leaned over and rested both hands on the table. “You do it, you crippled piece if trash… you do it.”
With his left hand, Tobias pulled Megan away from the table and moved toward the group of four women. He readied the weapon as they began to beg for their lives, each one dropping to the floor as he stood over them, looking down the barrel.
Fingering the trigger, Tobias turned and waited for the approval. As the man in the chair nodded, Eleanor leapt forward with her arms outstretched. “I’ll do it, give me the gun. Please, I’ll do it.”
Tobias shook his head. “I don’t trust you.”
Turning back to the four women, he fired two shots.
198
The discussion felt as though it had gone on for hours, although mere minutes had passed since they noticed the problem. Sean sat back and watched the others debate their next steps as Brian and Randy pulled the vehicles down the darkened backstreet and killed the engines. Turning to his father, he asked, “What if we don’t live? What happens if we all die before the world is fixed? Do you think there’s anyone else out there who ca
n do it?”
His father smiled. “Sean, do you remember what I told you the day I had to leave for Silo Nine?”
He did and he would forever.
His exact age and what school he attended at the time was a bit of a blur, which was odd. He was always able to recall those details. He did, however, remember everything else about that day. The weather, the smell of breakfast, and even what his father wore the day he left for that hole in the ground.
Megan was last to the table that morning and as usual she wasn’t happy. The job search she’d been working through for the last six months had begun to pull her apart. As each new morning arrived, so did the growing belief that she’d be relegated to a life of pouring stale coffee and slinging daily specials at the local diner.
As she slid into the chair next to Sean, his father’s phone buzzed once again. He looked down and immediately turned it off. “Sorry, I can’t tell you how—”
“Yeah dad,” Megan said. “We know. You are really sorry that you’ve chosen to value your career more than your children. We get it; it’s been pretty obvious since mom left.”
“Megan, that’s not fair. I’ve done everything to be able to provide for you and your brother.”
“Everything except being a father.”
He wanted to respond. He wanted to prove his sister wrong. He wanted to let her know that their father was right. That the man they both barely knew only had their best interest at heart. That leaving them alone for months at a time was just part of his bigger plan, although he also knew the truth. Sean knew his father was better suited behind the glass walls of his laboratory than ever attempting to be a parent.
Dr. Eugene Lockwood loved his children. He wanted to give them a normal life, a life that other families would be envious of; although this was something he really knew nothing about. He’d lived for his work and in ways he could never describe; he felt the work lived for him.