The Invasion Trilogy (Book 2): The Shadows

by W. J. Lundy

  The bearded man passed inside, stomping the snow from his boots on the threshold. He looked up at Eve and smirked. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  She turned away from him, moving to the far wall. James shrugged and moved past her, setting his rifle near his pack, which he opened to return the NVGs to an inside pocket. Duke moved to the stove and shook off the wet snow before lying in his spot. James noticed the skillet of potatoes on the stove and pointed.

  “Help yourself,” Rogers said.

  Using a nearby mitt, James lifted the entire thing from the hot stove. He sat at the edge of the bed, hungrily scarfing down the food, tossing every other bite to the dog.

  “You all are up early,” he said, looking to the others. “It’s a cold morning.”

  Eve nodded. “We’re going into town. See how things look.”

  James glanced up at her and, through a mouth full of potatoes, said, “Gimme a sec. I’ll go with you.”

  ***

  Jacob stood, grabbed his pack and rifle, and swung open the door to the small cabin, walking out to the brisk morning air. He carried his loaded pack over his left shoulder; his rifle slung over the other. The smell of wood smoke and cordite was still heavy in the air. A thick white-gray mist hung low, covering the ground and limiting his visibility. He moved down the steps and looked over the property. Delta bodies were everywhere. They would have to do something about them soon. Rogers and Eve stepped down beside him, followed by Duke and James. Eve walked away from the porch and moved to the trail, the others following close behind her.

  “How was the hunting? Did you find what you were looking for?” Rogers asked, not looking back at James.

  James coughed, clearing his throat then spitting to the side of the trail. “Wasn’t much sport to it; these things are messed up. The ones I saw were wandering around blind. A few were clawing and fighting at each other. Didn’t see a single healthy one. The dioxin must be in the air or something ‘cause it’s still affecting them.”

  “I don’t think that’s it,” Eve said from the front. “I’ve watched them. They rely on the ponds. I think it’s how they feed. This being their local spot, they return to it on a regular basis. If they were animals, I’d tag and track their movements. Hell, maybe I will anyway. Poison or not, we killed off the entire colony when we introduced the dioxin to that lake.”

  “Did you work with animals?” Jacob asked.

  “I’m… I was a research assistant with the Department of Natural Resources. I tracked the movements of white-tailed deer. I could do the same with these things.”

  “So they just keep returning to the nest, poisoning themselves? You don’t think they’ll wise up to it?” Jacob said.

  Eve looked at him. “I don’t know. That’s just my best guess.”

  She led them farther from the cabin. As they entered the forest, she took a different route, completely avoiding the death surrounding the ambush site. Jacob thought it was for their benefit, but maybe it was a shortcut. Either way, Eve wasn’t the type to explain herself. Even walking wide, the wind carried the unmistakable stench of death. The team pulled up scarves and wrapped them around their faces. Eve moved them faster to high ground, merging with the lake view trail further west and dropping in just above the lake town.

  From their high vantage point, they could clearly see down the small lake-town’s main approach. Grand homes with long wooden docks lined the water’s edge. The far side of the street was interspersed with small shops, restaurants, a post office, and other businesses. The road was congested with abandoned vehicles, most parked at the curb, some in the center of the street. A tree had fallen across the town’s only intersection and lay across a bright red fire truck.

  Eve walked them to an overlook, where she knelt down and used a pair of binoculars to survey the distant streets. She pointed to a well-used hiking trail and indicated a number of small shops where they might find some needed supplies.

  “Where is the state police post?” Rogers asked.

  “One more street up,” she said. “It occupies an entire street corner.” Eve got back to her feet. She unslung her rifle, holding it at the ready, and approached the descending trail. Before she could move down, James and Duke moved ahead of her to the front.

  “Let me take point for a bit; Duke needs to stretch his legs.” James let the dog run out ahead while he kept an eye on him, looking for any signs of trouble.

  Chapter 27

  The team dropped off the trail onto a small gravel road that snaked between homes before merging with the main street. The road curved around, following the lake, its views disappearing beyond every sharp curve. The houses on the lake side were destroyed, front doors missing and every window shattered. The businesses on the land side shared the same fate. James moved the group to the side of the road, leading Duke off the sidewalks, worried about the dog’s feet and the shards of broken glass.

  They spotted the first one sitting against the trunk of a large oak tree, its arms and face covered with the broken blisters. A black oily gel leaked from its mouth and eyes, forming a dried cake that stained its clothing. James moved close to the body, while Duke held back, showing his teeth. James lifted his boot and kicked the Delta. He watched it fall onto its side, the body already rigid.

  James let out a low grunting sound that resembled a laugh. “This one is good… good and dead,” he said.

  He turned away and continued to hike them toward the western side of the town. Looking up, Jacob could see the hill to their south, steep and wooded with the overlook at the top. The ground was blanketed with snow; in places, deep piles of leaves covered the sidewalks and banked high against the buildings. This would have been a tough place to escape in the middle of the onslaught, trapped between the terrain behind them and the lake to the front. Jacob shook his head, trying not to think about what the people here must have gone through. Eve put up a hand, pointing to a large Victorian home.

  “I want to look inside,” she said.

  Jacob stopped and looked at the house. Like the others, the front door was open and all the ground floor windows were shattered. It did not appear to be anything special, not worth their time. Long, once-white curtains, now a hazy yellow, moved in the breeze. They parted just enough to allow them to see into the dark home. There was nothing there.

  “Why?” Rogers asked.

  “I just need to see,” she answered. Eve crossed the lawn, approaching the home with her rifle at the ready. She moved out quickly and alone.

  Rogers shook his head and pointed to James. “Keep watch out here. I’ll go in with Jacob while she has a look around.” He glared back at Jacob then steeped off swiftly, trying to catch up with Eve.

  She moved through the front door and into the dark interior of the home. Jacob followed her but was tugged back by Rogers as he entered the doorway. They waited in the foyer, allowing their eyes to adjust to the low light. “If she wants to rush in and get herself killed then let her.”

  They could hear Eve moving from room to room, stomping over the hardwood floors. After a few moments, Rogers strayed inside. Jacob followed him as they cautiously passed through the living room on the first floor.

  Even though destroyed from the outside, the house was neat and orderly within. They crossed through a large formal dining room where snow covered the floor beneath a broken picture window. Rogers stopped at a large, stone fireplace with a mahogany mantel. He leaned in, and then pointed at a row of family photos… in particular, a silver framed photo at one end. A young woman in a long evening gown stood at the end of a dock, a young man behind her. Rogers lifted the picture, examining it as Eve crept up behind them. She snatched the picture from his hand and stuffed it into her pack.

  “There’s nothing here, we can go,” she said, not waiting for a response.

  Rogers shrugged and followed the young woman back out onto the street. She continued walking, not waiting for James to lead the way. He stopped and looked at Jacob as the men passed him by. �
�What did you do to my girl?” he said.

  “Don’t ask,” Jacob answered. As they moved deeper into the little town, Jacob could see that many of the buildings had burned. Several of the sidewalks and entryways were coated with streaks of blood, showing signs of struggle. This place had a violent past, and it showed through every shattered window. Cars covered with bullet holes, a shriveled, badly decomposed body lay in a gutter with an axe planted in its back. “I don’t think this is what Rockwell had in mind,” Rogers uttered.

  They patrolled over a small plank bridge where they had a clear view of the water. Eve paused, allowing them to group up as they gazed at the lake’s cold water. The oily sheen was gone, replaced by a thick, black crust with the texture of roofing tar. The dry surface was scaled and flaking, bits of it broken off and floating in the lake and bunching together. Clear water escaped between the broken shards of the crust; bloated dead fish floated in the gaps. There were still no signs of The Darkness, the entire place giving off an eerie feeling of death.

  “No one will ever live here again,” Jacob whispered.

  Eve backed away, ignoring his statement. She pointed to an intersection in the distance. “The police station is just ahead,” she said.

  The two-story, brick-covered building on a corner lot looked like a reclaimed home. It stood in the open with wide views of the lake. The front entry doors were open, a set of squad cars on flat tires blocking the main entrance. Knocked over sawhorses and police barriers lay across the road. They moved closer, spotting the bodies of uniformed officers lying near the vehicles. Spent shotgun shells covered the ground. The team roved away, skirting around to the rear of the building, following the perimeter without entering it.

  At the backside, they spotted a number of National Guard trucks, two Humvees, and a larger troop transport. Several badly damaged police cruisers were in a line near an open bay garage. The only noise came from the fabric of a shredded tent as it slapped against the frame. Rows of black body bags lay organized in neat rows at the back of the tent. Rogers pointed to a tall radio tower then turned to Eve, stopping her. “That’s what we’re here for. Let’s see what’s inside.”

  She turned away from the lot and led them to a back door. The glass was broken but still hung in place. James moved up first, with Duke close by his side. He knelt by the door and pulled. Feeling it give, he let it open just enough for Duke to press his nose against it. The dog scratched at the door, ready to enter. James stood and drew the door back the rest of the way. Powering on a flashlight, he patrolled in with Duke leading the way.

  Jacob pushed the door open as far as it would go and slid a nearby brick into place, blocking it from closing behind him. He followed James inside, entering a small sally port—a bit of an airlock with an electronic lock on the far door and a red call button on the wall by the door. On the right was a small booth, separated from the rest of the entrance with a bulletproof window. Looking through the moisture-covered glass, they could see the booth was empty. James crossed the space to a large steel door, and pushed down on the handle. To their surprise, the door clicked open, the electronic lock disabled. James pushed ahead with Duke close at his feet, the dog excitedly moving into the dark, musty space.

  Jacob followed as they stepped into a wide hallway that opened to an even wider room filled with desks. They were moving in from the rear of the space, the desks and counters oriented to face away from them. At the front was a reception desk and the double door they had seen from outside. Now, Jacob saw the inside destruction firsthand. Bodies lay in the lobby, killed in whatever last standoff must have occurred here. Duke moved into the room lit only by the light pouring in through the lobby glass. The dog paced through the space, sniffing at objects on the floor. Several men were handcuffed to a counter, piles of brass and police batons at their feet. The bodies were badly beaten and contorted.

  “They cuffed themselves so they couldn’t be dragged off by the bastards,” James said, standing over the uniformed men.

  A stairway with a sign pointing to dispatch was over the stairs. Rogers moved up behind them with Eve shadowing him. He pointed to the stairs and James led the way. The second floor, a large loft with more cubes, was clear. It was apparent people had lived in the space. Cots and sleeping bags covered the space between the cubes. There were also stacks of military meals ready to eat and cases of water, which told them the space was overrun or—optimistically—evacuated without time for the defenders to take their essential supplies with them.

  At the end of the room was a long counter filled with computer monitors. Rogers edged around it and found the building’s radio base station. He looked it over and nodded. “High power. This should do. James, I saw a generator house out back. If you can get that running, we can try to get a hit on comms.”

  “On it,” James said, leaving the room with Duke.

  Eve watched James leave. She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “I’ll go cover him.”

  Jacob wandered through the space, looking at the desks; some were covered with police reports, others with personal belongings—spare clothes, parts of police officer uniforms. Jacob continued through to the far end of the room. He saw an area broken off from the others, divided by colorful blankets and rugs. Children’s toys and books were on the floor. “They must have brought their families with them,” Jacob said.

  “What’s that?” Rogers shouted from the back.

  Jacob turned away and moved back to the radio console. “They had kids in here. Families stayed here; there are children’s things in the back.”

  Rogers nodded as he opened his pack and removed small toolkits divided into nylon cases. He laid them out in front of him for easy access. “I would. Wouldn’t you if you had family and knew you couldn’t abandon your post? Why not bring them here? They probably thought it was the safest place for them at the time.” Rogers looked down and shook his head, pushing away a dark thought. “We can’t fault them for trying.”

  Jacob walked to a window overlooking the city below him. He reflected on Laura and Katy safe back at the base. “Do you have family?” Jacob asked over his shoulder.

  Rogers stopped what he was doing and looked up at him. “What, like a wife? Kids and all of that good stuff? Or you mean a mom and dad?”

  “Yeah, like a wife,” Jacob said.

  “No, I was never married.”

  “Girlfriend then?”

  Rogers laughed. “Yeah, lots of ‘em.”

  Jacob turned away from the window and proceeded to the cases of MREs. Pulling back a cardboard flap from an already opened box, he dug through the contents until he found a sealed beef ravioli. Jacob moved to an empty cube and plopped into an office chair, tearing open the brown plastic package. “So why no wife then?” he asked.

  Rogers took a deep breath and sat in a chair behind the computer screens, searching for the right words. “I don’t know… the travel, I guess. Maybe because I never wanted to give it a chance, always running off to someplace else before things got too serious.”

  Jacob held up a pouch of toasted corn kernels. Rogers nodded and Jacob tossed them over. “So you were one of those guys, huh? A girl in every port,” Jacob said.

  “I guess. Hell, even if they were willing to take a chance on me, I would become a big enough asshole until I scared them off. Yeah, I’m one of those guys.” Rogers laughed. “Guess I should be thankful, not having that extra weight to carry right now. I couldn’t imagine having a wife or even a kid right now.” Rogers stopped, seeing Jacob’s expression change.

  “Sorry, bro. I didn’t mean nothing by it,” Rogers said.

  Jacob shook it off. “It’s fine.”

  Suddenly the lights flicked on, dimming low then coming on bright. Computers located in the office cubes clicked and buzzed, beeping as they booted up, as did the communications console. Rogers pressed buttons and raised an eyebrow. “It’s coming online,” he said.

  Chapter 28

  Rogers pulled cables tight, yanking them
through tiny holes in the back of the countertop. He lifted large, flat-panel monitors, sliding them back and dropping them to the floor. He dragged out a long power strip, tugging cables away from a black radio console before dropping a tangled bundle of wires to the floor. Rogers slid his hand around the countertop, removing bits of equipment, and then reached under a cabinet. He knelt down then rose, holding a second radio console and set it on top of the first, routing wires through both devices and plugging everything into a long black power strip that snaked back to an outlet.

  “Everything okay?” Jacob asked.

  “This system was designed to run on an uninterrupted power supply—a kind of battery backup. It looks like it died when the generator came on and off line. I would probably find that the UPS is fried if I pulled it apart. Doesn’t help that it was all plugged into these computers—probably a dispatch application of some type. I don’t have time to figure that out. I’m rerouting things so it will pull its juice directly from the generator, and run it old school through a mic and speaker.”

  With another flip of a switch, the console power came to life with a whirring of fans. The radio speakers let out several rapid beeps. A light lit on the main console then several windows with blinking lights and gauges popped to life. Rogers smiled and lifted the hand mic just as James and Eve entered the room.

  “The genny just needed diesel. Did you get the radios to work?” James asked.

  Rogers turned his head sideways, looking down. “If it does, this may be our ticket out of here. I don’t have the frequencies so we’ll be talking in the open. I hope someone is listening in the clear.” He pressed the transmit button, pausing before he said, “Bravo Two Six, Bravo Two Six. This is Bravo Two One, over. Bravo Two Six, Bravo Two Six. This is Bravo Two One, over.” Rogers let his hand drop from the transmit button, listening to the sounds of static.