Chris leaned out away from the ladder and searched shaft. The light was a good ways up, but it was clearly an opening. They continued to climb at a much slower rate. The light proved to be an open elevator door and a head bobbing in and out of the opening caught everyone’s attention. Chris was two floors below when the onlooker made itself known.
“You’re going to have to hurry.”
The owner had a distinctively feminine voice and the tone said she was in a rush. Jafar leaned out, swinging the ladder below him. He eyed the opening as he swayed closer with each pass. It took several agonizing minutes for him to get the momentum he needed. He reached out with both hands and grabbed the ledge. The swing of the ladder pulled at him in the opposite direction, but he managed to hold on.
Jake climbed up the opposite side of the ladder then used Jafar as a makeshift bridge. The boy had a discreet conversation with the yet unseen person then looked to Jafar for direction. Jake took a while to follow through with Jafar’s orders, but in the end, the rope ladder was locked in place with the help of a broken chair. Jafar climbed up next and the line moved.
Chris was the last to go and the whispering conversation above was out of earshot until he was eye level with the elevator door. Jenn and Michael helped pull him up onto the floor and he scrambled to his feet. A long hallway ran east and west, each turning at the ends. The once lavish furnishings gave a hint at the former condition of the hotel, but there wasn’t much of use.
The owner of the faint voice was as tall as Jake, but much thinner. Chris guessed the preteen was suffering from a lack of food by her dark, sunken eyes. She held onto a smile as she nodded to him and the others. He baby blues were wide, taking in as much of her surroundings as she could while constantly checking down the hallway.
“We can’t stay out here,” she said.
“Why not?” Jenn asked.
She hesitated and her smile cracked. “I shouldn’t have come here. We’re not supposed to-”
“We?” Chris approached and the little girl snapped back in an automatic response. “How many people are up here?”
She shrugged and took another step away. Jenn move in front of him and got down on a knee. “We’re not going to hurt you.” The girl didn’t respond. “What’s your name?” Jenn urged Alicen to join them. “We’re looking for a friend.” Alicen waved and the girl waved back. Her stance softened after a moment of contemplation.
“Mila,” she said, then eyed the hallway. “We should go.”
“Mila,” Jenn tried to get her attention. “What are you looking for?”
“We’re not supposed to bring in new people,” she said. “You’re going to take our food.”
Jenn looked up at Chris with concern. He stepped forward and in the softest way he could, he furthered the questioning.
“Who told you not to bring in other people?”
“Nicholas,” she said as if that was supposed to clear everything up. “I don’t want to get in trouble, so maybe you shouldn’t come back with me.”
“We’re looking for two people,” Jenn interrupted. “Tom and Nell, they would look like your grandparents.”
“My grandparents were eaten,” Mila said plainly.
Jenn drew a blank. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“We just want to look for our friends,” Chris said. “We’re not here for anything else.”
Mila started to walk and waved for them to follow. Chris stepped in stride with Jafar and Michael.
“We need to be ready,” Jafar said.
“Ready for what?” Michael asked.
“That little girl’s more scared of whoever’s leading her group than she is of the greeters we met downstairs.” He looked back at Sarah and Jenn. “Keep your eyes open. Let’s get your parents and get out of here as quickly as we can.”
The big man’s concern was enough motivation for everyone. They followed after Mila who was already halfway down the hall. She made a concerted effort to wave them forward, and then sprinted off the rest of the way. She’d disappeared around the corner long before Chris reached the turn.
The view that opened up was a confusing one. Chris came to a stop and locked in on a carefully constructed barricade running across the hall further down. Mila had disappeared, but there was movement beyond the barricade. The hall was lined on either side with wide doors each covered in big letters that read, cleared. Chris led them forward, not sure what to expect. He tired one of the doors along the way, but found it locked. They were midway between the barricade and the turn in the hall when a voice called out to them.
“That’s far enough.”
Mila’s high-pitched voice was replaced by a deep call with a southern accent.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Chris said. “We’re looking for two people who are supposed to be holding up here.” He wasn’t sure how true that was, but he was going to stick with Jenn’s story until the truth revealed otherwise.
“They’re my parents,” she added.
Chris felt her close behind him.
“We’re not taking people in,” the voice said. “You need to go.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Chris said, then stopped as the distinct end of two separate barrels pushed out between openings in the barricade. “Wait, wait.” He raised his hands in an effort to calm the situation. “Let’s take a step back here.”
A long silence followed and when it was finally broken by the southern twang, it offered little hope to improve the situation.
“I’m going to give you the count of three, and then we’re going to open fire.”
18.
“One…two…”
“Get down,” Chris shouted and pulled Jenn down with him.
Everyone hit the floor in anticipation of a hail of bullets. Neither the bullets nor the count of three ever came. Chris peered down the rest of the hallway at the barricade and heard a lot of commotion followed by an intense debate. He wasn’t sure if he should try to get everyone back down the hall and around the corner before their hosts decided what they wanted to do.
Jafar was already up on his feet. He motioned with his eyes back in the direction they came and it was enough to get Chris moving. They got everyone up before the next set of instructions was called out. The voice and its owner were noticeably fairer than the first.
“We’re going to open this up, but you can’t cross with your weapons.” Jafar looked like he was going to balk at the idea, but the speaker had no time for debate. “Either you give up your weapons or no entrance. It’s your choice, but if you want in, you better take this opportunity.”
Chris didn’t have to look at Jafar to know his opinion of the deal. He also knew he couldn’t ask Jenn to leave Vegas without at least trying to make contact with her parents. The fact that these people were held up in the building increased the chances of her parents being alive. Chris laid his weapon on the ground and held his hands out in front of him.
“We’re coming in.”
He didn’t look back for Jafar. He didn’t have to come if he didn’t want to. Chris was only a few feet from the barrier when he looked over his shoulder long enough to see everyone was following him. A loud screech pulled his attention to the barricade as it parted and one side slid back out of the way. He was through the other side before he saw the first of their new hosts.
The initial contact was a scruffy looking man whose sole focus was down the sights of a rifle pointed directly at Chris’ head. His thin face was pale beneath a patchwork of facial hair and his eyes were dark and gaunt. There were four others, three men and a woman. All carried a gun of some sort, but none appeared as jittery as the first.
There was a look of desperation about the group. They were all suffering from malnutrition and a general lack of hygiene. The smell hit Chris the moment he stepped behind the barricade. There was enough body odor to put down a horse and something fouler lingering in the air beyond the site.
“We’re looking for Tom and Nell Ande
rson,” Jenn said.
No one from the group appeared to be concerned about Jenn’s assertion. Two of the men started a search of Chris and the others, taking away anything that could be used as a weapon as they went.
“We just want to find our people, and then we’ll be on our way,” Chris said, trying to keep everyone on the same page.
Again, there was no reply. Jafar was visibly angry, but Chris couldn’t tell if it was because they’d given up their guns or he didn’t appreciate the idea of someone going through his pockets. The searches were quick, but thorough. The scruffy one motioned for them to continue down the hall toward the opposite end, but he didn’t offer a hint at their destination. Jake and Alicen had their hands up as if it was a hold up, but they stayed quiet. It wasn’t until they reached the last door in the hall that the first hint of life beyond the barricade showed itself.
The woman in their group stepped past Chris and opened the door. A smell of human waste burst from the opening, nearly dropping Chris to his knees. The sound of the kids gagging erupted behind him as everyone covered their faces. The open door exposed another long corridor. The hall was lined with opened doors mirroring one another all the way to the end. Soiled sheets hung from most of the doorways blocking the view within.
A series of coughs echoed from beyond the makeshift curtains and carried on in a chorus. People moved about further down, walking between the doorways. The smell was nearly unbearable. The woman leading the way seemed immune to the curdled scent. She led them past several doors before stopping.
“You wait in there.” She nodded at one of the curtains. “We’ll come for you.”
Jenn pushed past Chris.
“What about my parents.”
“You wait in there,” the woman repeated. She adjusted her grip on the shotgun she was holding.
Chris grabbed Jenn by the arm and swept the curtain aside. The move forced him to take his hand away from his mouth and he was sorry for it. The stench was so bad that he had to swallow to keep from vomiting. The room beyond was already occupied. Four kids looked up from a card game they were playing on the bed. The trio of girls and a single boy varied in age, but none appeared older than their mid-teens. A familiar face locked eyes with Chris as Mila turned to face him.
“Why did they take our guns?” Chris asked.
Mila shrugged as, one by one, Jenn, Jafar, and the others poured in to the room. There was little remaining in the way of comforts with only two folding chairs stacked in one corner of the room. Sarah was quick to shut the bathroom door in the hope of keeping down what little food she had in her stomach.
“You people live like animals,” she said under her breath.
Jake and Alicen headed for the chairs and the boy opened them up. They took a seat and watched the other kids. Chris leaned back against the wall and called the group in, keeping his eyes on the curtain covering the door. The loose gathering stared back at him, some obviously aggravated with his decisions.
“We weren’t going to get in here any other way,” he said in defense.
“And who says we’re ever going to get back out?” Jafar asked then ground his teeth. “We have no way to defend ourselves.”
“What the hell is that smell?” Michael asked. The pale color of his face didn’t look good. “I can’t sit here in this.”
“The plumbing probably stopped working months ago,” Sarah said, “But that hasn’t stopped these people from going…”
Michael held his hand up, then convulsed as if he was going to blow. His mother slid out of the way to avoid what was coming. Michael lurched over involuntarily and the spew that hit the floor was filled with the morning’s meager breakfast. Chris jumped back a good three feet.
“Oh hell.”
A series of childish chuckles rang out from the bed. Each kid pulled away although they were nowhere near the impact.
“You okay?” Sarah asked patting him on the back.
Michael nodded, but didn’t say anything. He steadied himself against the wall, looking up at everyone as if nothing had happened. His face was pasty white, but he looked better than he had a moment before. Chris promptly moved the gathering a few feet towards the windows, then tried to remember what he was talking about.
“I don’t think they’re going to hurt us,” he said. “Why would they? More than likely, they’ll throw us out once they find out what they want to know.”
Jafar crossed his arms and remained silent. He didn’t look convinced. Jenn broke from the group and knelt down in front of Jake and Alicen, opening herself up to Mila and the kids on the bed. She smiled and waved them closer.
“How are you guys doing?”
The girls shrugged and Mila slipped off the end and got to her feet. The lone boy among them spoke up.
“We’re hungry,” he said.
“We’re always hungry,” Mila countered.
Jenn dug in her jacket pocket and pulled out a bag of crackers. “It’s all I have,” she said. She handed it to Mila as the others stared with wonder. It wasn’t until Mila began snapping each cracker into fours that the true weight of their hunger became evident. The kids devoured their sad portions as if they were slices of birthday cake. Jenn got straight to the heart of the matter.
“We’re here looking for some people.”
“Are they your parents?” Mila asked.
Jenn nodded as she looked from one face to the next.
“You think you could find them for me?”
“Sure,” the blondest of the girls said.
Jenn searched her back pocket and found a small picture.
“This is my dad and mom.” She pointed at the figures in the image. “Tom and Nell.”
All four kids leaned in close. Alicen slid off the chair and took a look for herself.
“I’ve seen that man,” Mila said.
Jenn’s face lit up.
“You have?”
Mila nodded followed by a similar response from the boy.
“He’s upstairs, I think,” the boy said.
Jenn looked at Chris then back to the boy.
“Can you show us the way?”
The boy’s face went cold as he shook his head. He finished his last cracker, and then choked it down. “You’re not allowed up there and he’s not allowed down here.”
“Why can’t he come down here?” Jenn asked, her voice showing signs of concern.
The boy shrugged as his eyes went back to the empty bag of crackers.
“He’s a trouble maker.”
Jenn stayed quiet, holding a fake smile in place. Chris watched the fear creep across her calm demeanor. Her hand started to shake and she was forced to stand up to control it. She brushed Alicen’s hair with her finger, and then encouraged the girl to sit by her brother.
“Thank you, guys, for the info,” she said as she made her way back to the group. “I don’t like the sound of that,” she said low enough so only Chris and the others could hear. “If my dad’s causing trouble, it’s for a damn good reason.”
“These kids are starving,” Sarah said.
Chris looked back at the bed as Mila jumped up and invited Jake and Alicen to join in on a new card game.
“Let’s take this one step at a time,” Chris said, trying to be reassuring. “We’ll get our chance to speak-”
He stopped as the drape over the door was swept aside. The scruffy man from the barricade stepped in, followed by two others, each well armed. “Let’s go,” he said, then stepped out of the way.
“Where are we going?” Chris asked.
“Let’s go,” he repeated.
Chris went first. The scruffy one led the way as the other two fell in behind the group. Chris was overcome by a sudden sensation of imprisonment that he hadn’t felt before. He half expected to be put in chains at the next stop. The hall was quiet and still and the remaining doorways were covered with no hint of what or who lay behind the curtains.
They were led through the emergency exit at the end o
f the hall, then up several flights of stairs. Chris counted three floors as they went, before stopping at a landing. The sign above the door read, 14thfloor. The way was opened for them and hall beyond was cleaner than the one below and void of the god-awful smell.
The guide stopped at a set of double doors, knocked twice then pushed one side open. The wide space was one of the hotel’s many conference rooms. The area spanned the width of several common bedrooms. One entire side was littered with roll out beds lined up like a homeless shelter. The other half was comprised of a series of tables, most of which were dotted with guns and ammo.
A number of people moved among the beds with fewer near the row of windows across the room. A small group was gathered at another double door beyond the tables. Chris and the others were brought to a halt a few paces from the gathering. A woman eyed Chris before addressing the new comers.
“We don’t take in strays,” she said in a faint Bostonian accent. “Not enough food for the group we have now.” Her dirty, black hair clung to the sides of her face. “It’s too late to leave, but you have to be out in the morning.”
“I’m looking for my parents,” Jenn said before Chris could get his mouth open.
“Never heard of them,” the woman replied without looking at her. “I want you out of here.”
“I didn’t even-”
Chris cut in before Jenn started more trouble than they could handle. “We’re not interested in your food,” he said trying a different approach. “We’ll leave without causing you any problems.”
“And you are?”
“Chris,” he extended his hand for a shake, “Chris West.”
She looked at his hand as if it might bite her. “Isabel,” she said, finally taking it.
Her hand was cold and sticky, but the shake was firm. Chris noted neither her nor any of the others in the gathering looked as undernourished as the others. She examined him from the floor to the top of his head without a hint of shame then moved her eyes on to Jafar. The awkward silence held everyone still until her inspection was complete.
“You’ve got a strong looking group there, Chris,” she said at last. “How’ve you managed to stay alive?”
The Last Infection (Book 1) Page 15