by Jeff Olah
“I’ve got something I need to talk to you two about. It’s not going to be easy, although in the long run it’ll be best for the two of you.”
“Let me guess dad,” Megan said. “You’ve got another promotion and need to be away for a while.” She began to mimic her father. “I believe that you and your brother are adults now and you can take care of yourselves, blah blah blah.”
“Megan you know that I would never do anything to—”
“Yeah sure, we know. You’re only looking out for us. We’ve heard all this a million times before. Just go do whatever it is you need to do and leave us here to figure out the rest for ourselves.”
Sean’s father put his fork down, pushed his plate to the middle of the table and wiped his mouth. “I can see that no amount of explaining will make you understand what it is I have to say. Yes, I left you and your brother to fend for yourselves for a good portion of the last few years. Yes, once your mother left I shut down, for way too long. And no, I’ll never win any of the father of the year awards. For all of these things and many, many more, all I can do is apologize and ask that someday you’ll forgive me. Although if you choose not to, I’ll understand.”
Megan just shook her head and stared back at her father. She knew what was coming and almost wanted to hear what excuse he was going to give this time. She no longer cared about him leaving. Her heart broke, but only for her brother.
Sean held his chin high and acted strong, although only until his father walked out the door. It was then that his sister had to pick up the pieces left behind in the wake of their father choosing something else, anything else. Sean never fully recovered and with each new departure he sank further into himself.
School and homework became his entire world, his solace. He excelled before the many issues with his parents, although once he buried his feelings in books, he became a phenomenon. For two straight years, he averaged one hundred three percent across all of his honors classes. He’d pushed himself so far ahead of the other students that he could have skipped finals and still been ranked the number one student in his class.
Megan ran her fingers through his hair and looked back at her father. “Do you even know this boy? Do you? Do you know what he’s accomplished in the time that you’ve been gone? Oh, that’s right you couldn’t know, because you only call here to make sure we received the money transfers.”
“Megan, I am completely aware of your brother’s gifts. I know how intelligent he is and what he’s accomplished. I just—”
“Yeah, whatever. Just go, anything else you have to say will just look like an excuse. We really don’t need you, only your money.”
“Megan,” Sean said, looking up from his breakfast. “He’s still our father.”
Megan stood and started for the door. “No Sean, he’s just the guy that pays for our food.”
Sean and his father turned their attention back to each other and for a brief moment sitting across the table from one another, all that filled the air was silence.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“How long this time?”
“Honest answer, I don’t know. But the project I’m working on is the most important thing I will ever do. When I return next, it will be for good.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Okay, what do you need me to tell Megan?”
“I’m leaving my truck this time. They’re picking me up in a few hours and where I’m going is more than a few hours away this time. I’ll call in three weeks and will send a wire transfer tomorrow. If there is anything you need in the meantime, you know where to go.”
“The antique shop?”
“Yes,” his father said. “You remember how to get in?”
“I do, but what about your lab here? You just got it the way you wanted and the new security system is finally ready.”
“I’ll tell you what, you use it for whatever you need. One day when my name is forgotten and all of humanity looks back, they’ll remember your name.”
Sean giggled and as his father’s grin widened, they both stood and embraced. “I love you, Dad.”
“You too Sean. Take care of your sister for me, okay?”
“Sure.”
As Randy pulled back into the street and led the way back to the intended building, Sean turned to his father. “Dad, we’re going to figure this thing out. I can feel it.”
To the others in the vehicle, he said, “We have to get my sister back, I’m sure she’s worried about all of us.”
Randy pulled the SUV to a stop at the entrance to the parking garage. “That’s the plan Sean, that’s the plan.”
199
The main level of the underground parking garage was mostly clear, save for the three security vehicles near the ticket booth and two white luxury SUVs. The trio of silver and red mid-sized sedans formerly driven by the building’s security team had an obvious tale to tell. They’d no doubt been sitting in the same spot since the infection broke out just over a year before.
Of the eighteen separate windows along the three vehicles, only two remained intact. If the quarter inch layer of dust hadn’t given away their placement in time, the bloodied remains of their former occupants would have painted a clear enough picture.
Pulling alongside, Randy noted the nearest vehicle to be labeled by the security company as number eleven. Assuming there were at least ten other security cars somewhere on the grounds, he could safely assume that none were near the same condition as eleven.
Pushed into the matching vehicle to its right, the two appeared to be fused into one. Jutting from between them lay a badly decomposing female corpse pinned between the two. Swatches of her hair sat along the rooftop, cemented in place by once liquefied human remains, where they would remain for the rest of time.
The thick layer of soot, rubbed away in large patches revealed the true death that befell these vehicles and their owners. Torched from below, the bottom half of car eleven wore a blackened band that extended from the liquefied front tires to the rear bumper.
With their tail-lights illuminating the interior of the windowless vehicle, the interior presented equal destruction. All but the steering wheel had either been removed or obliterated. Blackened strands of ceiling liner hung free like giant cobwebs, threatening to devour any that’d dare enter through the rear doors. The authority these once ordinary looking vehicles held appeared to have been their undoing. They weren’t destroyed by the infected. They were torched by those who took control of this building in the days following the fall of the city.
With the SUV in park, Randy exited from the driver’s side and slowly circled the three security vehicles. Mason stood near the toll booth and eyed the white SUVs that sat alone near the elevators at the far end of the garage.
Growing weary of her confined space and needing a good stretch, Savannah also exited and moved to Mason. As he turned toward her, Savannah grabbed his neck and turned him back to the pair of white SUVs. “Is that the problem Randy was referring to?”
“Yeah, we’ve got to check them out before we head inside. It may be nothing, but then again—”
“If there were someone in them, wouldn’t we have known by now? My cousin drove up here with the lights on. They would have seen us, for sure.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Mason said. “But, I don’t think he’s taking any chances. He’s got his head wrapped tightly around this one.”
“Megan?”
“Yep, she’s the only thing on his mind, nothing else. Not us, not the others that were taken, and definitely not the dangers of getting to her. I know you two are family, although we really need to keep an eye on him. Keep him safe and see the dangers out there, even when he can’t or won’t.”
“I agree. I’ve been watching him and sitting back, waiting to talk to him, but I don’t want it to come off the wrong way. Even if I were to find a way to explain to him what we all see, who knows what he’d hear.”
“Al
l we can do is stay close and follow his lead; I don’t think there’s any reasoning with him at this point.”
“Okay,” Savannah said. “But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“I know you feel responsible for the people you’ve lived with for the last year. And I realize you want them back, especially Eleanor, but I think with Randy’s current state of mind, we really need you. The old you. I’d feel much better knowing who we have leading us.”
He knew what she was asking and what she needed to hear. He also knew what was necessary to reunite their family, although the rage sitting just behind his composed demeanor would be there when he needed to access it. Mason was hoping it would be sooner rather than later. “Savannah, you know me. I’ve gone through a few rough spots in the last twelve months and I have my own reasons for wanting to get back to our people, but you can trust that I’m okay.”
Returning to the SUV, now followed by Brian and Jack, Randy stopped at the rear door and waited as Mason and Savannah approached. Stepping aside, he opened the door and set his weapon on the back seat.
Sean leaned out and pointed toward the white SUVs at the opposite end of the parking garage. “Randy, is that the problem you were talking about? How do you know? They could have been there from the very first day.”
“Not likely,” Randy said. “Notice anything different about them? It may be a bit hard to see from here, but when we were on the street and our headlights lit up the garage, it was pretty obvious.”
“They’re perfect,” Mason said. “Too perfect. I mean when was the last time any of us saw a car that clean? I agree, something just isn’t right here.”
“Okay boys,” Savannah said. “We can’t just sit here. If there’s someone in those SUVs, we need to make a decision on what we’re going to do, like quick.”
“Do you think it’s them?” Sean said. “Those people from last night?”
Brian nodded. “I agree with Randy; something’s not right. If there were someone, anyone down here, they’d have shown themselves by now. It’s one of two things—either the owners of those SUVs are somewhere in this building and have no idea we’re here or they’re waiting for us to enter the building. And no, it’s not the people from last night. I can guarantee you that.”
“Either way,” Mason said. “We need a plan. Whoever they are, we have to assume that they aren’t looking to make any new friends. We get in; we set up on one of the top floors; and we stay quiet. There’s got to be hundreds of spots we can use. If we run across them, we talk first and only take action if absolutely necessary.” Looking to Randy, then over to Jack and Brian he said, “Good?”
“Sure,” Randy said. “We should leave the SUV here. You and I can cross the garage from the right and when we are close enough to those stairs, we’ll signal Brian and Jack to come from the left. Once both areas are clear, Savannah and Sean can bring the vehicles in close.”
Lockwood stepped out and rounded the SUV. “Jack, are you feeling any better? Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“I’m good,” Jack said. “But something about this building, this place, just doesn’t feel right. It seems rushed.”
All eyes back to Randy, who shook his head. “We’re going, this is it. Come with us or stay here; I really don’t care, but we are going.”
200
She couldn’t tell if the screams assaulting her ears were her own or those of the two women Tobias had shot only moments before. Megan dropped to her knees and began to crawl across the floor, moving around the lifeless corpse as she averted her eyes. Reaching out as she reached her injured friends, she was pulled from behind and dragged toward the opposite end of the room.
The space became a blurred mess of chauvinistic obscenities and forced restraint. Megan and Eleanor were shoved to the floor and made to watch as the two women writhed in pain. Seconds felt like minutes as the two injured women were dragged outside and forced to the cold, wet pavement.
Attempting to pull away, Megan threw her left hand out, grabbing at Tobias’s face and pulled back air. As he moved to get her back under control, she used her other hand to come up under his arms and clutched the patch of skin between his jawline and throat.
Howling as he pushed her into the wall, Tobias ran his hand along his neckline and drew back a fistful of blood. Instinctively pulling back his right arm, he used the other like an industrial strength vise to clamp down around her neck. Drawing air away from her lungs, Tobias constricted his hand and watched the life slowly draining away from her face.
Beginning to lose herself, Megan took short breaths in through her nose as her heart rate began to rocket. With her supply of air reduced by more than half, she again reached under his arms to claw at his face and neck. Nothing.
As she began to lose consciousness and the blackness engulfed her, she saw his fist. Megan blinked one last time as it plummeted in a straight line toward her face in slow motion. Locking her eyelids down, she twisted right, hoping to avoid the flat part of his fist and took a harsh, glancing blow.
Dropping to her elbows and knees, Tobias had knocked her free of his own grip. Megan crawled to the door as the man in the chair drove himself into the folding table. As it toppled to the floor, he wheeled forward and began slamming his open hand on the dry erase board.
Startled, the room grew still and Tobias backed away from Megan. Blood still ran from his neck and stained the already destroyed t-shirt he wore. Megan rejoined Eleanor near the door and locked arms as their captor again raised his instructions, this time only one word. “Cages.”
As the two men at the corner of the room pulled their friend’s corpse back out of the room, the man in the chair motioned for Tobias to follow him. Near the door he’d come through earlier, he turned his back to the room and wrote out additional instructions for Tobias. Moving through the door, he again tightened his face cover and looked back at Tobias for understanding. Tobias nodded and he was gone.
Before making his way back to Megan and Eleanor, Tobias called the other men back in, this time joined by a yet unseen individual. The third man to enter the room hung his head and avoided eye contact with the other men. He displayed the same destroyed appearance as the man Tobias identified only as Gavin. He marched to the center of the room and stood behind the others, awaiting directives from Tobias.
Inching toward the door with Eleanor, Megan watched as the men quietly discussed their next steps. As they parted, Tobias began to move away, although he turned after only three steps. “They are taking you back outside. I expect that you will both behave. You don’t want to test these men; they aren’t quite as nice or understanding as I am.” He smiled and started again in the opposite direction.
“You people are monsters,” Eleanor said. “You can’t just let those women suffer.”
Tobias stopped, although he didn’t turn to face her. “Is that what you think? You have no idea. We didn’t want this.”
“But you do seem to enjoy it, don’t you?”
He slowly turned and started back toward Eleanor and Megan, the other men now taking notice. “In this case yes, I did. When we first started communicating with that kid and found out that his father was the man we were looking for, we wanted to play nice, but knew getting into your little community wouldn’t be easy.”
Megan stepped forward. “My brother, you were talking to my brother?”
“Yes and no,” Tobias said. “When we were finally given the right satellite phone number, it wasn’t very hard to get the kid to believe the stories we made up. He may be as smart as his father, but the kid definitely isn’t built for this world.”
“He knew you were coming?”
Tobias smiled, but only for an instant. “Really, how dumb do we look? All he knew was that we were in the city and thought that we needed help. I’m sure wherever he is; he’s feeling pretty stupid right about now.”
“I think you and your entire group look pretty ridiculous, and I’ll bet your boss that’s s
trapped to that chair feels the exact same way. Your whole mission is to get to my father and you have no idea where he is. You’re out of options and haven’t got a clue as to what to do, because if you did, you’d have already done it.”
“You know Megan, I may just—”
“What, what’s the plan? Let me guess, you’re going to hurt me again, right? You’re going to punch me, kick me, or better yet, why don’t you just shoot me? You know that’s what you want.”
Again he grinned. “You have no idea.”
“Except,” Megan said. “That disfigured piece of trash in the chair won’t let you. You’d have to answer to him, and from the looks of it, you’re scared. Scared of someone who can barely move, who can’t string together three words and instead has to write everything out on his silly little whiteboard. Why don’t you just take it away and roll him out into the rain? Then you can go live happily ever after with—”
Seeing the rage brewing in the man less than ten feet away, Eleanor stopped her friend. “Megan, let’s just go back outside. These men don’t deserve another word.”
“That’s right,” Tobias said. “Listen to Grandma, she’s right. We don’t deserve anything from you, nor do we need it. We know everything we need to know about your father and once we go out and get him, we won’t need you at all.”
The last man to enter the room stepped forward and for the first time lifted his head from the bloodstained carpet. “Tobias, I’ll take them out and put them away. We need you to draw up another set of directions; he wants them to leave ASAP.”
Megan couldn’t stop herself. “What about our friends? You aren’t going to just let them bleed to death.”
Looking back through the doorway as the two women huddled together and quietly wept, Tobias nodded. “I’m going to show them the exact same courtesy that your people showed Gavin.” He turned and walked out of the room.