Paradox Valley

by Gerri Hill

  “Come on,” she said, pulling her mother into the hallway.

  Corey was slumped against the wall, her eyes half-opened. One hand was clutching Lucky to her, the other still holding her gun.

  “I’m so sorry,” Corey murmured.

  Dana knelt down beside her. “No. Thank you,” she whispered. Then, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Blacked out for a minute there. I’ll be okay.”

  Dana brushed her cheek gently, then reached out and touched Lucky’s head, hearing him whimper.

  “Yeah…I think he’ll be okay too,” Corey said. As if to prove her right, Lucky’s tail wagged weakly.

  Dana squeezed her hand. “Let me get my mother settled. I’ll be right back.”

  She took her mother into the kitchen and pulled out a chair, pushing her down into it. Her mother’s eyes were wide, darting around the room nervously. Dana took a glass and filled it with water, then set it in front of her mother.

  “We’ll need to leave soon,” she said. Her mother met her gaze, but Dana wasn’t sure she’d heard her. “That…that man. Who was he?”

  Her mother frowned.

  “Richard Filmore was one,” Dana said. “And a soldier. But who was the other one?”

  Her mother opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, her eyes blinking several times.

  “Mom?”

  Her mother looked down. “It was…it was Carl Milstead,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. “He lives…way up in Squaw Valley, I think.”

  Dana leaned down and hugged her. “I know you don’t understand what’s going on,” she said. “I’m not sure I can even explain it. But that wasn’t Dad. And that wasn’t Mr. Filmore and that wasn’t Carl Milstead.” She stared at her. “And that wasn’t a real soldier. Do you understand?”

  Her mother looked up at her, her eyes searching. She finally shook her head. “No. I don’t think I do.”

  Dana sighed. “No. Of course not.” She sighed again. “You’ve got to trust me, Mom. Please?”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Corey hated leaving the horses behind. In fact, she was shocked by how much she was going to miss the white stallion. But the pasture had plenty of grass this time of year and the water pump was working again at the trough. They should be fine for a while. She knew Dana was watching her and she turned to her.

  “How do you feel?” Dana asked.

  Corey tilted her head thoughtfully. “I think the question should be, how do you feel?”

  She saw Dana take a deep breath, saw her put on a brave face. “I haven’t really processed it yet.” She waved back toward the car where her mother was. “And Mom is in shock. She won’t…she won’t talk. She’s totally unresponsive now.”

  Corey went to her and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. She felt Dana’s hands clutch at her shirt, folding it into her fists.

  “I shot…my father,” Dana said simply.

  Corey felt the wetness of her tears, even though Dana made no sound. She held her while she cried, rubbing her back soothingly. Dana said she hadn’t processed it yet, but her tears said otherwise. She’d lost her father. Butch’s parents were apparently gone too. And her mother was nearly catatonic. Yes, she’d processed it, whether she believed it or not.

  Dana pulled away, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “Sorry.”

  Corey had no comforting words for her, and she didn’t bother with some trivial apology or empty words of remorse. She knew from experience that neither would do any good. So she merely took Dana’s hand, holding it gently as they headed over to the car. Dana’s mother and Lucky were in the backseat. They’d already stored their packs in the trunk and she’d found a container of fuel to top off the tank.

  “You want me to drive?” she asked.

  Dana nodded. “Yes. I’ll show you the way.”

  It felt strange to be in a car again after all these days on horseback. As she pulled away, she glanced back to the barn, seeing the white stallion watching them. Dana followed her gaze.

  “They’ll be okay,” Dana said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back soon. I mean, if—”

  “I know. Hopefully it’ll all be over very quickly.”

  When they got to the end of the lane, she turned right on the county road. She looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Mrs. Ingram staring blankly ahead, never blinking.

  “Where does Butch live?” she asked Dana.

  “There’s a cutoff road up here, to the right. Why?”

  “Let’s swing by there. Just in case,” she murmured.

  Dana nodded. “Thank you. I promised Butch—”

  “We both promised him,” Corey reminded her.

  She looked once again in the mirror, seeing no reaction from Dana’s mother. As Dana had said, she was in shock. She’d just witnessed something that was extremely traumatic. Corey knew very few people would have come out of it unscathed. She was only thankful Dana was holding up as well as she was. She had a feeling she was going to need her.

  But her fears weren’t warranted, it turned out. Her aunt and uncle’s house was indeed empty. However, it was obvious there had been a struggle. Chairs were tipped over in the kitchen and a lamp was smashed next to the sofa.

  Dana was staring at a spot on the living room rug. She turned to Corey. “Is that blood?” she asked quietly.

  Corey nodded. “Looks like it.”

  “Aunt Fredda kept an exceptionally tidy house,” Dana said. “Except for the kitchen. She, like my mom, was always cooking or baking something.” Dana impatiently wiped a tear away. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I know, honey,” Corey said gently. “But right now, we need to get your mom out of here.”

  Dana nodded. “Yes. Okay.”

  Back out at the car, Lucky was sitting up in the backseat, watching for them. Corey paused at the window, reaching inside to ruffle his face.

  “You feeling better, boy?” she asked softly.

  He had been limping badly and she feared his front leg or shoulder was broken. But he seemed to be putting a little weight on that leg now. She slid her gaze past Lucky to Dana’s mom. Like before, she simply stared straight ahead, as if unaware of what was going on around her.

  “I’m really worried about her,” Dana whispered beside her. “I wish Miss Jean was here. Maybe she could talk to her.”

  Corey nodded. “Hopefully tonight.”

  They looked to the sky as thunder rumbled off to the north. She’d just now noticed the thick clouds overhead.

  “Wonder what time it is?”

  “Have you checked your cell since the power came back?”

  “Yeah. Battery is apparently really dead. I’ve got a charger for the car. I didn’t even think to grab it,” Dana said.

  “Well, I’m sure it’s late afternoon. Hard to tell with the clouds. Four? Five?”

  She got inside and slammed the door shut, waiting for Dana to do the same. Before she started the engine, she glanced at her.

  “I think we should go into Paradox.”

  Dana’s eyes widened. “Why? If they made it this far south, then surely they’re in Paradox.”

  “Most likely, yes. But I need to be able to give an accurate report when we get out.” She met Dana’s gaze. “And I think we owe it to Anna Gail to check on her and Holly.”

  Dana bit her lower lip, but nodded. “You’re right. I don’t want to go there, but…you’re right.”

  They drove on in silence, and Corey wondered if Dana was doing as she was—checking their surroundings for people on foot. Well, not exactly people. Dana had said that the fourth man had been Carl Milstead. According to Jean, he had been with Hal when they’d first set out to look for the helicopter. His body should have been badly decomposing by now and she assumed that it was, judging from the smell. On the outside, he still appeared to be human. But obviously, something was inside him, controlling him. If she’d had her wits about her, she would have ex
amined the bodies better. But the truth was, she was afraid to be alone with them. Dana had been consoling her mother, and even though Corey knew they should have burned them, she didn’t want to take the time. Besides, she wasn’t sure that Dana—or her mother—could have handled that. As it was, she only hoped that the bodies were disabled enough to be useless to them.

  Which brought another thought. Whatever was inside of them…did it simply die if it couldn’t find another host?

  She jumped when a hand touched her thigh, and she smiled quickly at Dana. “Sorry.”

  “The turnoff to Paradox is coming up,” Dana said. “To the left.”

  Corey nodded, then reached down and covered Dana’s hand with her own, holding it against her thigh. She didn’t say anything and neither did Dana. She glanced in the mirror once, but Mrs. Ingram’s expression hadn’t changed. She was still staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and unblinking.

  She slowed when she approached Paradox. It looked even more deserted than before, if that was possible.

  “Looks like a ghost town,” Dana said quietly, echoing her own thoughts.

  Corey pulled to a stop in front of the grocery store. She wasn’t surprised to find the doors closed.

  “Since Richard was…well, I mean—”

  “I know,” Corey said. “The chances of finding Anna Gail are slim.” She left the car running, then got out. Before she closed the door, she looked back at Dana. “Get behind the wheel,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “In case…in case something happens,” Corey said. “You can—”

  Dana shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving you.”

  Corey lifted up a corner of her mouth in a quick smile. “Well, I was kinda thinking in case we needed to make a quick exit, you’d have the car ready to go and I’d just have to dive in.”

  “Oh,” Dana said sheepishly. “Okay.”

  “So yeah, try not to leave me behind.”

  Dana smiled briefly, then glanced to Corey’s hip where her holster was, eyeing the gun briefly before looking back at her. “I should probably come with you. Or at least Lucky should.”

  Corey shook her head. “Stay with your mom.” She glanced in the backseat at Lucky, who was sitting up, watching her. “And I think Lucky has done his duty for the day.” She turned back to Dana. “I’ll be okay. Come get behind the wheel,” she said again.

  Corey waited until Dana hurried around the car, then she closed the door. She turned, eyeing the store before walking across the sidewalk. The afternoon was growing late and thick clouds had settled overhead. A low rumble of thunder sounded, and she looked up just in time to catch a lightning bolt shooting across the sky followed by another clap of thunder. She could smell rain and she hoped they made it out before the storm hit.

  She walked close to the window and cupped her face, peering inside, hoping like hell there was no one with a gun pointed at her. Of course, she knew Richard Filmore was gone. But that didn’t mean his rifle was.

  “Anna Gail?” she called. She pulled her face from the window and knocked on the glass, then moved to the door. “Anna Gail? You in there?” She tried the handle but it was locked. She looked again through the glass on the door, but the inside was dark with shadows.

  “Anna Gail? It’s Corey. And Dana,” she added. “We were the ones with Butch the other day.” She waited, still hearing nothing from inside. She jiggled the handle again, then shrugged. But just as she was about to turn away, she heard a thump from inside, as if something had banged against the wall or the counter. She put her face to the glass once again. “Anna Gail? Holly?”

  “Should we try their house?” Dana called from the car.

  “Let me try the back first. I thought I heard something,” she said as she went to the side of the building and rounded the corner.

  She pulled her gun from her holster…just in case, she told herself. She was aware of each beat of her heart, the sound echoing in her ears as she crept along the wall. A sound behind her made her jump and she twirled around, finding Lucky limping toward her. She smiled, her relief so great she nearly laughed at her nervousness.

  “Thought I needed help, huh?” she whispered as she touched the dog’s head. Most likely Dana had thought she needed help. Well, she was glad he was here. His presence calmed her a little.

  However, at the back door, she refrained from sticking her face against the glass. Again…just in case. Yeah, just in case there was a rifle pointed at her. Instead, she reached for the doorknob, shocked when it turned easily. She pushed the door open—waiting, listening. All she heard was her heart pounding in her ears.

  “Anna Gail?” she called. “Holly? Anybody here?”

  She pushed the door all the way open and Lucky went in ahead of her. Corey watched him, looking for the signs she’d come to recognize, but there was no growl from Lucky, no bark. He disappeared around the counter and she heard a startled scream from inside.

  “Holly?”

  She followed Lucky around the corner, finding the young woman huddled against the wall, her father’s rifle wrapped in her arms. It was obvious she had no clue how to use it. She put her own gun back in its holster, holding her hands up.

  “You remember me? Corey?” she asked quietly. “You okay?”

  Lucky’s tail wagged as his wet nose nudged Holly’s face. Corey could see tears in her eyes and she squatted down beside her.

  “Where’s your mother?” she asked gently.

  At that, Holly’s body shook with tears and Corey untangled her fingers from around the rifle and pulled it away from her.

  “Come here,” she said as she pulled Holly up. “What happened?”

  “Where’s…where’s Butch?” Holly asked.

  “He’s…he’s not with us now, but he’s fine. Where’s your mother?” she asked again.

  Holly pointed to the small office, and Corey glanced past the door, seeing a body on the floor. She hurried toward it, finding Anna Gail half-covered with a sheet, her head resting on a pillow. There was dried blood on the pillow, and Corey bent down, her hand trembling as she reached out, touching Anna Gail’s neck. Her skin was cold to her touch and there was no pulse.

  She turned, finding Holly standing in the doorway, her eyes locked on her mother’s face. Corey slowly pulled the sheet up, hiding Anna Gail’s face from Holly.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Holly said. She blew her nose into a wad of tissue she was holding. “I found her in the store, on the floor.”

  “When?”

  “I think…three days ago,” Holly said. “She didn’t come home. She…she brought supper to my dad and she didn’t come back.” Tears started again. “It was dark, but I was worried. And scared. So I walked down to the store,” she said.

  “Was your father still here?”

  Holly shook her head. “No. And I haven’t seen him. Mom was…she was alive, but I didn’t know what to do.” She blew her nose again. “I’ve been staying here with her.”

  “What about people in town?”

  Holly shook her head, her eyes scared. “No. Something’s going on. I didn’t dare go back outside. I locked the doors.”

  Corey frowned. “The back door was unlocked.”

  Holly nodded. “When I saw it was you, I unlocked it. But I was too scared to go outside.” Her eyes darted to the window. “Something’s going on. I’ve heard screams. I’ve heard gunshots.”

  “Yes. Something’s going on,” she agreed. She looked back down at Anna Gail’s body. “When did she die?”

  Holly’s tears started again and she wiped at them. “This morning. I was sitting with her, holding her hand. And she just stopped breathing.” She looked at Corey helplessly. “She never woke up. She never opened her eyes. She never talked to me. And she…she just died,” she sobbed.

  Corey took the younger woman into her arms, holding her tightly as she cried, trying to offer her some comfort, however meager it was.

  Lucky whimpered
beside her, and she knew it was time to go. She loosened her arms, letting Holly pull away.

  “Come on. We need to go.”

  “Go where? I can’t leave her. I can’t—”

  “Holly, you said yourself, there’s something going on. You’re not safe here. Come with us. Dana and her mother are outside in the car.”

  Holly’s eyes widened. “The car?”

  Corey had been so used to there being no electricity, it didn’t occur to her how dark the store was. She reached for the light switch and turned it on. Holly gasped.

  “The power’s back? I didn’t know. All the coolers and the freezer, they’re all hooked up to the generator now. I should…I should plug them in. Mom would want—”

  Corey grabbed her shoulders. “Holly, let it go. We need to get out of here. It’s getting dark.”

  Holly pulled away from her. “No! This is my mom’s store. I’m not going to let everything spoil. She would never forgive me if I did.”

  A loud rumble of thunder sounded, loud enough to shake the glass. Lucky pressed close against her leg.

  “Okay,” she said, thinking it would be quicker to do it instead of arguing with her. “Let’s hurry.”

  There were three coolers and one freezer. The cords were a tangled mess as Richard had hooked up extension cords between them all. Corey flipped on lights so they could see better, even though she thought it was a terrible idea. If any one of…of them were in town, they were just calling attention to themselves. Of course, with Dana sitting outside in a running car, it wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.

  Another clap of thunder made them both jump, and Lucky tucked his tail and whimpered. Corey couldn’t take the time to reassure him that he was safe. Instead, she fumbled with the cords, finally finding the one for the freezer and plugging it in. It hummed to life and she went to help Holly.

  A horn honked outside twice, then a third time.

  “We need to go,” she said. She found the last cord and shoved it into the outlet, then pulled Holly with her to the front door.

  She jumped back as a lightning bolt sizzled across the sky, the roar of thunder vibrating around them in almost the same instant…its boom still echoing long after it hit. As if on cue, the dark clouds opened up, sending a downpour of rain over Paradox. Dana honked the horn again and Corey saw what the urgency was. Four people, two in army fatigues and two civilians, were hurrying down the street toward them. One of the civilians, a woman, had an M16 slung over her shoulder.