by Jeff Olah
Sean continued to stare out into the city as he asked, “You didn’t have any idea what was happening?”
“Not really, I just assumed it was a terrorist attack or something. I could tell by Cedric’s voice that it was bad and figured I’d just wait until I saw him to ask questions. I must have passed hundreds of those things on my way here and didn’t even realize it.”
“That’s probably a good thing,” Lockwood said. “You didn’t have the burden of knowing what the infected were doing.”
“Yes,” Veronica said. “As soon as Patrick and I got to the garage, Cedric hurried us into the stairs and up to this office. I only looked down a few times the first day and didn’t want to see any more.”
“Another good move,” Lockwood said. “So, have you been here the whole time?”
“Yeah, the building was empty and locked down within the first three hours. There were two other families that ended up getting stir crazy and left at some point, although we’ve had everything we need right here.”
“Food and supplies,” Sean said. “For over a year?”
“Probably enough for the next two years. The restaurant from the first floor stocked their surplus in the basement. With a shipment arriving the day before, we kind of hit the jackpot. Well, that is if you like canned food.”
Sean turned back to the window. “Is this the tallest building in the city?”
“There is another one the same size,” Veronica said. “But it’s right next door.”
“You ever have to deal with others coming to take what you have here?”
“Not so far. The doors are locked until we open them and I don’t think anyone wants to waste the time trying to get in, especially with the amount of Feeders roaming the streets.”
“What about—”
“Oh wait,” Veronica said. “There is one other group that kind of runs things on the other side of town. They don’t bother us and we don’t ask any questions.”
“Any questions,” Sean said “What do you mean?”
As Veronica began to answer, the door to suite 1604 burst off its hinges. Savannah ran in and pointed out into the hall. “They’re back, Mason and Randy. They have Jack and he needs help.”
The map, while wrinkled and faded, was serving its purpose. Veronica sat across the table from Sean and poured over the possible areas of the city where they’d begin the search for their people. Mason stood at the window and Randy paced near the door while Lockwood attempted to wake Jack.
Looking directly up Sixth Street, the new morning’s sun bounced from one rooftop to another as suite 326 began to warm. Sean stood and brought the map to the window, pointing out the area just south of the city limits and then looked at the map in his hands. “Veronica, what is that place and why does it look like that?”
“You mean so clean, like it was untouched?”
“Yeah.”
“We haven’t been out there. It kind of belongs to the others.”
“The others?”
“Like I said, we don’t ask them any questions and they leave us alone.”
Lockwood stepped away from the couch and joined the conversation. “How is it that the power is still on in this building? I wouldn’t imagine that the reserves could have lasted more than a few weeks.”
“They didn’t,” Veronica said. “This area doesn’t have any power, although one of the suites on the sixteenth floor does. It’s powered by a few solar panels. Cedric ran it down to a room on the south side of the building and we’ve been pretty lucky with the number of days we’ve actually had sun. Nothing too fancy, but it works for now.”
“So,” Lockwood said. “Those people on the opposite side of town, what exactly do you know about them? I only ask because—”
Randy had heard enough. “He wants to know because they’re probably the reason we came into the city. They may have his daughter and the rest of our people, and we need to find out, like yesterday… literally.”
Cedric sat down at the table next to his wife. “We don’t know anything about them. They’ve come to within three blocks of our building twice. Each time they turn back. I think they realize there’s nothing here for them and fighting that many Feeders just to get into the building isn’t a smart move.”
“How do we find them?” Randy asked.
“I don’t know. I believe they are somewhere at the edge of town although I can’t be sure, we’ve never ventured out quite that far. As my wife said, we keep to ourselves and so do they. We don’t mind helping to get you all back on your feet, but as far as going after those people, I’m not sure we can help you.”
“We’re not asking you to, Randy said. “We just need to be pointed in the right direction.”
Mason moved away from the window and stood next to Randy. “Those white SUVs in the garage, you have the keys for those?”
As Jack began to wake, Lockwood returned to the couch and placed a wet towel on the injured man’s forehead. Jack opened his eyes and winced as he blinked away the pain. “Where am I, where’s Brian?”
Lockwood turned to Mason and rubbed his temple. “Jack, about an hour ago you lost consciousness again. There’s nothing to worry about, although you need to rest. I think these episodes are brought on by stress. They’ll fade over time, but you need to relax for a bit.”
“Where’s Brian?”
Mason grabbed a chair from the table and sat next to the couch. “He’s gone. You both were attacked in the garage and I’m not sure how he did it, but he managed to move you to a safe spot and then led a large group of Feeders away. They took him down.”
The pain shooting through his head had begun to subside. Jack closed his eyes and laid back. Under his breath he spoke only to himself. “It should have been me—”
The room was quiet and with all eyes focused on Jack they almost missed it. A sound so familiar yet so faint, it nearly went unnoticed. Three times it came and went before anyone reacted. Cedric turned to Mason and said, “Is that a phone?”
210
Sliding the map across the table and turning to the door, Sean knew exactly where the ringing had originated. While fleeing his father’s burning home with Mason, he remembered three things. The black backpack that had yet to leave his side, the sixty-four gigabyte flash drive with every ounce of data he and his father had collected, and the satellite phone he’d previously used to communicate with the people who’d taken his sister.
As he slid the chair away from the table and walked toward the ringing, he remembered the last conversation he and his father had before he watched him walk out the door.
Dr. Lockwood told his son they’d get to Oregon, collaborate with the other scientist, share what they knew, and be back home before the end of the month. Even before his father belted himself into the back row of the SUV alongside Mason, he knew that was nowhere near possible.
Although Sean downplayed the severity of the trip, he knew the importance. Telling Mason the trip would only take a few days wasn’t necessarily a lie, although he actually calculated the more realistic figure of one to two weeks. Sean kept that information to himself, as his father had asked.
As the others began loading the supplies into the SUV, Dr. Lockwood sat at his workstation for the last time. “Sean, how close are you to understanding this sequence?”
“Dad, I told you yesterday that I could recite it in my sleep. Once you get back we can complete the research, that is if Randy is okay with it.”
“I’m sure he will be,” Lockwood said. “Just don’t mention it to him before I return.”
“Sure thing.”
“You know Sean; I’m impressed with how quickly you’ve picked this up. You already have a much better understanding of the data than I could have ever imagined. We just need that missing piece.”
“We’ll find it, Dad.”
“Okay then, we’ll pick this up again when I return.”
“Stay safe, Dad; I love you.”
“You too son.”
&
nbsp; Sean unzipped the bag as the phone rang for a fifth time. Pulling it free, he looked around the room. Dead silence, only stares.
Back to the phone, he zoned in on the talk button as it continued to flash. The eight other occupants of the room collectively held their breath as Sean held his index finger above the flashing button and again surveyed the room.
“Do it,” Mason said.
Sean depressed the button and pushed it to his ear. “Hello?” Nothing.
“Hello?” Still nothing.
Back to the others he said, “They’re gone.”
Randy grabbed the phone from Sean’s hand and held it to his ear. Listening for a moment, he handed it back to the boy and once again paced the area near the door. “Damn it!”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“Sean,” Randy said. “There isn’t time to hesitate, Megan is still out there and we need—”
The phone vibrated for a half second in his hand before he dropped it to the ground. As it hit the low pile carpeting, it again began to ring. During the pause between the first and second rings, Sean dropped to one knee and scooped it up. “Hello?”
There was no need to hold the phone to his ear. The volume combined with the deafening silence of the room made it such that all nine individuals could clearly make out the voice on the other end of the line.
“I take it the person I need to speak to is listening?”
Mason took in a long breath and deliberately stepped toward Sean. Calming the rage in his voice, he breathed out slowly through his nose and then responded. “My name is Mason Thomas, who is this?”
“Well,” said the man with the deep gravelly voice on the other end. “Since we’re introducing ourselves, my name is Tobias Cane and I believe I have something you may want.”
“Our people,” Mason said.
“Yes, although you also have something we want. If you play nice, we can all walk away from this in one piece. If not, I can’t be held liable for what happens to these beautiful women.”
Randy lunged for the phone as Mason pulled it away and held out his hand. Whispering to the others, he said, “Let’s see what he wants.”
“Yes,” Tobias said. “Listen to Mason; he sounds like a smart man. We can do this the easy way or we can get into something altogether different. And I can guarantee you that you won’t like it, so—”
Interrupting Mason said, “What do you want?”
“Okay, right to the point, I like that. But Mason, you already know what we want.”
“Oh yeah?” Mason asked. “How about you refresh my memory, since I have no idea who you are.”
“The doctor,” Tobias said. “It’s as simple as that. You bring us Dr. Eugene Lockwood and you leave with the women and the children.”
“How do I know you haven’t hurt my people or worse? I want to speak to them, right now.”
A brief moment of static through the speaker and then came her voice. Slow and calm she condemned her captors. “Mason, don’t negotiate with these monsters, they won’t—”
Her words trailed off and then were replaced again by Tobias. “Okay, now you can be confident that what I’m saying is accurate, so bring us Lockwood and we’ll release the women and children to you. If you do not, we will kill every single one of them and come find you anyway. So do the right thing here and no one else gets hurt. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to think it over.”
Mason tightened his grip around the phone as the line went dead.
211
Lockwood stared at the floor contemplating the gravity of what was demanded of him by the yet unknown group. He knew exactly what they wanted and what the opinion of the room would be, although he had made his decision the instant it was asked of them.
Looking around the room he watched as Mason and Randy now stood toe to toe, obviously at odds over the group’s next move. They spoke quickly and in hushed tones, although as their voices increased, so did the disparity between the two friends.
Lockwood moved to his son and listened to what the men had to say, although knowing it wouldn’t matter.
“No,” Mason said. “This isn’t up for discussion; he isn’t going. We’ll just have to find another way to get them.”
“Mason, you’re insane. There is no other way. We don’t know these people or what they’ve done with the children, with Megan and Eleanor. If they call back, you need to tell them we’ll do what they want. Once we get the rest of our people back, then we figure out what’s what.”
“No, that’s not gonna happen. Lockwood stays put and we… you and I go out and bring them back. Just you and I, and that’s it.”
“I see what you’re trying to do,” Randy said. “But it’s not the right thing, not now. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, but we have to keep our people safe. All of our people, not just the ones we think need it or deserve it. All of them.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. This is the only way. Listen; think about what it is those people want and what they’ve always wanted. They came to our home; they killed and set fire to our community for only one reason.” Pointing at Lockwood, Randy said, “For him… they only want him. If we don’t do what they say, they’ll just kill more of our people until we do.”
Mason shook his head.
“They aren’t going to hurt him. Think about it, they obviously need him for something and I’m sure we can all guess what it is. They don’t need the women for anything. They are expendable to them and they’ve proven that they’ll kill to get their hands on the doctor here.”
“You may be right, but there has to be another—”
Lockwood stepped forward. “There isn’t another way. I have to do this. Randy is right, they’ll kill the women and when they find us they’ll do the same to everyone else. I’ll go with them so you can bring my daughter back, so you can bring back Eleanor and the others. Once you all get to a safe location, you can come back for me. They won’t be expecting it.”
“I doubt that,” Mason said. “I’m sure that’s exactly what they’ll be expecting. And we don’t know for certain they’ll even keep their promise.”
“I’m going, Mason. You can’t stop me. It’s what’s best for our group. Once I’m gone, you all need to leave the city. Sean knows of a place where you’ll never be found. Wait until the time feels right and only then should you come back for me, once everyone is safe.”
“Dad?” Sean said. “Am I taking them to the place where—”
“Yes. But don’t ever tell anyone where you’ve gone. You can rebuild there.”
“We will come back for you dad, and then we can all be together again.”
“That sounds great, son.”
“I don’t like it,” Mason said. “But you’re right, there isn’t another way and they won’t hurt you if they actually think they need you. They must think that you’ve already come up with a cure for this thing and that will allow them to dominate this new world. It sounds absurd, but I’ve seen and heard crazier things over the last twelve months.”
“I think we all have,” Lockwood said.
The rooftop was warmer than he would have liked and the sun cutting into the back of his neck only served to add a layer of annoyance to his out of control headache. He told himself he’d eat and sleep once they had the group back together. And as soon as they reached the mystery location only known to Sean and his father, he’d turn right around and come back for the doctor.
Cedric’s idea of having Randy drive out in one of the two white SUVs couldn’t have been a better strategy. The group that took Megan and Eleanor probably wouldn’t know which vehicle to come looking for once they left the city, and saving every last drop of fuel for their trip was vital for this to actually work.
Mason, Sean, and Jack leaned over the edge of the sixteen story building. They looked on as Randy drove out onto Sixth Street, following the instructions laid out by the voice on the other end of the sat phone. Randy agreed to take
Lockwood to the meeting point alone while the others viewed the ordeal from the roof.
Mason held the phone out in front of him and confirmed they were on their way. “Okay, they should reach Newland Avenue within the next few minutes.”
“Good boy,” Tobias said. “And don’t toy with me Mason; I’d hate to have to take it out on sweet old Eleanor.”
Mason turned away from the others and held the phone to his mouth. “Tobias, I don’t know who you are and I don’t care. I know your type and they always lose. Just so we’re clear, once this is all done, I’m coming back to this city and I’m going to break your neck. And then I’m going to make you watch yourself die.”
“Listen,” Tobias said. “This is simply a business transaction. No reason to get your blood pressure up. Just play nice and you’ll have your people back within the hour.”
Mason didn’t respond. He turned back to the others and nodded toward the street. “Spot anyone else out there? Anything look suspicious?”
Cedric handed Mason a set binoculars and grabbed a second set from his son. He pointed toward where Sixth Street bled into the horizon and focused on the area just north of Newland Avenue. “You see that parking garage, just beyond the old animal shelter?”
“Yeah why?”
“Keep watching the far right corner. You’ll see someone… wait there he is. Are you seeing that?”
They both watched as a young man of not more than twenty-five paced back and forth, monitoring the street below. “It looks like he’s talking to someone,” Cedric said. “Do you think he’s our—”
Coming into view, both men witnessed the women at the same time. Eleanor, followed closely by Elizabeth, Sheila and the three children were marched to the staircase that sat along the exterior wall of the parking structure. The young man led them into the street and paused as another much more aggressive looking man walked away from the shadows of the first floor of the garage.