“Don't worry about it. I know this whole Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore thing was going to end one day,” she joked. She opened the Com-room door for Collin and followed him. “That's not why I'm here. I think I'm close to a vaccine, or at least being able to test it. I'm heading out this morning to the clinic again, and hopefully, I'll have a dose prepped in a couple hours.”
“It's about time your crippled ass got back here,” Matty interjected, spinning around his chair to face the two.
“Yes, mom, I'm back,” Collin teased, setting his crutches against the wall. He turned and faced Diane. “That's fantastic news. I'd say you’re in line for a Nobel Peace Prize if you do. Let me know how it goes. Who's going with you?”
“Tell me about it. Today could be the day the world changes...not to sound all dramatic,” she answered, following Collin over to the terminal that Matty was working at. “Usual group. Elias, Larry, and Cody.”
“Sounds like a blast. Watch out for that Larry guy. He’s not exactly my first choice for back-up. But like I said, let me know if you save the world today…”
“Ahem,” Matty coughed, intentionally clearing his throat to make his presence known.
“Hey, Diane. Mind if I interrupt you two secret love birds for a second?”
Diane's eyes darted to Collin's in complete surprise. “You told him?”
“What? No! I haven't told anyone!”
“No, he didn't tell me. But I guess that confirms it. I mean, come on, let's be honest. I'm pretty sure everyone knows you guys are hooking up. People don't come in and out of other people's tents,” Matty said with sass. “Don't worry, your secret, even though it isn't one, is safe with me. And Diane, I know your whole saving the world cure is really great and super awesome, but we just made some serious headway into figuring out who might have actually caused this.”
Diane wasn’t upset, but gave Collin the “we need to talk later” face.
“Seriously though, Collin check this out. We are in, well almost. This military grade security software is crazy hard without my equipment, but I created a program algorithm using…”
“English, Matty,” Collin interrupted.
“Right. Long story short we are one password away from full access,” Matty translated. He spun around and faced the screen. After pressing a sequence of keys, a security page popped up indicating the need for a password. “Unfortunately, this is the limitations of my software. We need a PW or we aren't getting in.”
“Wait, what?” Diane asked, dumbfounded. “That's what you guys have been working on?”
“Uh, oh. You didn't tell her about us?” Matty said, joking, “And here I am worried sick. I knew you had another woman on the side!”
Both Collin and Diane sneered at Matty's sarcasm.
“Ya. I didn't want to say anything to anyone else. But I needed Matty's expertise. When we were at the Eye, Mark showed me some of his binders and mission reports. And I don't have to tell you about his 'conspiracy' ideas because I know you think the same thing. Anyway, on our way up here, I found a bag with his binders and this flash-drive looking thing. He must have grabbed it and tossed it in the RV when he gave the evacuation call. I didn't think much of it since we didn't have a computer and when we got here, there were far more pressing issues to take care of. But for the last couple of weeks, Matty and I have been trying to crack into this hard drive. I'm hoping it's going to give some more clues as to who might be responsible.”
“Well, not to be a Debbie-Downer, but if we don't get the PW we aren't getting in,” Matty blurted, sounding exactly like a Debbie-Downer.
“And it's not like you can actually go ask Mark, rest in peace,” Diane added.
“So, should we just start firing off random words?” Matty started to say, but Collin shook his head no.
“That’s exactly what Billy and I tried in Mark’s office at Fort Kennedy. But wait a sec...one of the night's I was leaving Mark's chambers, he said something to me. He said something like 'Never forget my wife'...”
Collin said the last part under his breath. He pushed Matty out of the way and typed five letters that were replaced by stars.
The screen blinked green and granted them full access. Both Matty and Diane looked at Collin with faces that said, “How did you do that?”
“Susan,” Collin declared with a triumphant grin.
“Whoa,” Matty said, leaning in to take a closer look. “Let me take over for a second. This is some hard-core military stuff, man. Like in depth, top-TOP SECRET files.”
As Matty searched through the vast number of digital files, no one heard Alex open the door and say, “Helloooo?”
The group was momentarily startled but quickly regained their composure.
“Seriously guys? You didn't hear me knock?” Alex asked, stuffing his mouth with a protein bar. He continued to talk with a full mouth. “What's going on here?”
“Come in and close the door,” Collin said, waving him in.
“A little pushy are we?” Alex said, licking his fingers. “Especially to someone who comes bearing gifts.”
Hidden behind his back, Alex revealed a hand crafted cane made from the wood of a Pacific yew. He handed the walking stick over to his cousin.
“Wow! You did this?” Collin said, taking a second to admire the craftsmanship. “I’m impressed, cuz. Thank you so much.”
The dark reddish-brown wood was sanded down smooth and the handle was curved for comfort. Carved along the length of the piece were a series of inside jokes.
“Nick was telling me that they use this wood for archery bows. It’s pretty tough.”
“Seriously, thank you. It looks incredible,” Collin said, gently leaning the cane up against the desk.
“Don’t sweat it. Besides, I got kinda tired of looking at you move around all retarded-like with those crutches,” Alex divulged. “Anyway, what are you guys up to?”
“Remember when I told you and Steve about the conspiracy stuff Colonel Seaton told me about?”
Alex raised an eyebrow and made a face like, “Yes, go on.”
“Well we, I mean Matty, hacked into his hard-drive, and hopefully now will get some answers that the mission papers couldn't tell us.”
“Congratulations. Sounds like a blast,” Alex said, showing a high level of faux-enthusiasm that eventually segued into, “Well, you ready for our work out? I got a whole plan to help with the rehab. I was thinking about starting off with a little work out on the beach, nothing too intense at first just…”
“Eesh, sorry, Alex, not today,” Collin interrupted. “I know I promised but I can’t. This is a huge breakthrough. I gotta stay on top of it.”
Alex threw up his hands. “Geez fuck me, right? Sorry for bothering you,cuz. Sorry for trying to help you with your busted fucking leg!” He turned to leave, and then pivoted back. “Actually, no I’m not sorry. What does it even matter who is responsible anyway? It happened! This is bullshit man, what's the point in still trying to figure it all out? You know what? Fuck this, I don't need this shit. Diane, you need an extra pair of hands today?”
Diane was caught off-guard by Alex’s tirade, but more-so when he involved her. She was hoping to stay out of the cousin-cousin quarrel, but in an effort to stay neutral, she nodded yes.
“Good,” Alex exclaimed, then turned his attention to Collin. “First Steve, now you. Happy fucking Bail-On-Alex day. I need to get out of this shit. I'll meet you outside, Diane.”
Alex slammed the door behind him.
“Alex! Come on, man!” Collin yelled, attempting to get up, but Diane stopped him.
“Let him go, Collin. I'll talk with him later.”
Collin sighed frustratingly, and then ran his hands over his face and shaved head.
“So I hate to be 'that guy' who breaks the awkward silence, but I think I got something,” Matty said, signaling for the others to check out the screen. “I haven't been able to find anything about the Kennedy assassination, yet, but these files are time-stamped
and this one is from around a year ago; right around the time of the outbreaks. Wait a sec, what is that?”
“I think that’s Arabic or something,” Collin said, attempting to read the title of the document. “Scroll down a little to the next section. There, stop there!”
“That's actually Farsi,” came a deep voice from behind.
For the second time in five minutes, the group was startled at someone's arrival.
“Eli, you scared us,” Diane said, hand to her heart.
“You speak Farsi, Elias?” Matty asked, apparently more surprised by the man’s linguistic knowledge.
The middle-aged African American, Elias Jackson, confidently entered the room.
“Just a little. Back from my teaching days. I can tell it's not Arabic, because of those letters there. Those are some of the pride and joy for Persians.”
“Is there something I can help you with, Eli?” Collin said, attempting to change the subject.
Elias unfolded a sheet of paper, and then handed it over to Collin. “I ran into Josue outside, and he asked if I could give this to you. I believe it is the additional equipment you have stored in the RV. A pair of shotguns, C-4, grenades and some other weapons.”
Collin accepted the list, but set it aside momentarily. “Thank you, Eli. Is there anything else you need?”
“Well, I don’t mean to intrude, but may I ask what you’re working on? Maybe I can be of some assistance?”
It wasn't strange that Elias knew Farsi, but it threw Collin off.
“Thanks, Elias, but it's not really anything important. Just something Matty and I are working on,” Collin said, attempting to end any more discussion about his secretive project.
“Okay. But those look like government documents,” Elias insisted, inching closer to the screen. “I used to be a Political Science teacher at Georgetown, specializing in Middle-Eastern affairs. If you need any help I have experience in…”
Collin got up and nonchalantly attempted to block Elias' view of the computer.
“I appreciate it, Eli, really. But I think we're good. If we need any help I'll let you know. Don't you guys have to get going?” Collin asked, now ushering Elias out. He didn't want any more people to know about what he was working on until he had more information.
Elias tried to peer over Collin one last time, and then ceased all efforts to help. He turned to the doctor and said, “We are all good to go, Diane. Just waiting on you.”
Diane nodded then turned to Collin. “Alright, I should probably head out. Wish me luck.”
“Of course. And feel free to let me know if you save the world today,” Collin said, closing the door behind them.
Inside the Com-room, Matty continued to click the mouse and stroke keys. “Dude, this is a shit ton of info. A lot of this stuff looks like intelligence field reports, some in other languages...”
“What are you getting at?” Collin said, limping to his chair.
“We have a dude who not only speaks this language, but taught government stuff. He is probably familiar with reports like this and you shut him down? Just seems odd, that’s all. But hey, it’s your gig.”
Chapter 2
Furnace Grove, Oregon
November 20, 2009 (5 days ago)
1533 hours
Furnace Grove was a quiet, simple town tucked away in a thick forest fifty miles southwest of Portland. It was home to a small but hardworking population whose main industry was the wholesale of lumber and wood products. The town was incredibly prosperous and that good fortune continued even after the outbreak. Sure, the population dealt with the occasional undead assault, but the worst of it passed over the town, leaving them relatively unscathed; Furnace Grove saw no riots and there was no fighting with neighboring communities over natural resources. For almost an entire year, they survived.
...and then came Los Tres Demonios.
Within minutes, the town of Furnace Grove was over run and the inhabitants were murdered or enslaved. The remaining men, that is, those who chose to put down their weapons and surrender, were herded into fenced off areas and forced to fight to the death. All the women were taken- the lucky ones were killed immediately. The unlucky ones were raped repetitively, and then killed.
Standing on top of a green pickup truck's hood, a man with a three-inch scar over his right eye and a body covered in tattoos gave all the orders. Jimmy "The Grim Reaper" Sanchez, gazed out at the conquered town. He smiled at the carnage and laughed at the poor girls whose bodies were being violated, again and again.
Jimmy's best friend and captain, Tyler, strolled over. He took a sip of tequila, then looked up and asked, “What do you want to do with los ganadores?”
Jimmy heard Tyler’s words but didn't respond; he wanted to relish in the death and destruction for a few seconds more. He took out a fresh packet of cigarettes and hit the bottom with his palm multiple times.
“How many does this make now, Ty?” He asked, with a Mexican-American accent.
“Viente dos, jefe.”
Jimmy hopped down from the rusted Chevy’s hood.
“Twenty-two towns in a year. That is almost two towns a month. Not bad,” he said, smiling. He was proud of his gang's track record of raping and pillaging.
“Yo, Jefe,” Tyler started to say, “los ganadores?”
“You know the rules,” Jimmy answered. He lit up a cigarette and inhaled a deep, relaxing drag.
The captain relayed the message with a lone hand signal.
A thumb slowly dragging across the throat.
Willop, Washington
November 25, 2009 (present day)
1053 hours
Willop was a medium-sized town established in the early 1990s. The track homes and commercial real estate were all relatively new. Since it was located just one mile from Highway 5, Willop received its share of commuters and transients. Unfortunately, after the outbreak, this trend continued until the wrong people stopped by and infected the entire town.
After speaking with Collin, Dr. Phillips and her team of scavengers departed Camp. Their destination, a medical clinic situated in the heart of Willop, was located four miles to the east; but this trek was not an easy one. With gasoline and diesel being rationed, the group was forced to walk the arduous uphill route.
Diane, Elias, Alex, Cody, and Larry made their way to the outskirts and took a minute to survey the streets.
From behind a dense forest line of trees and small shrubbery, Alex lowered his binoculars and stuffed them into his bag.
“Minus those two walkers, it looks all clear to me,” he said, unsheathing his machete.
The others followed Alex and readied their weapons, too. Cody held his firefighter's axe near the blade, Diane, her expandable baton, Elias, his aluminum bat, and Larry pulled the slide back on his 9mm pistol. The click caused the others to look back.
The thirty-year-old fireman was the first to notice Larry’s choice of weapon. “Whoa, put that thing away,” Cody Campbell ordered.
“No way,” Larry hissed.
“Do it!” Diane commanded. She noticed that her volume was too loud and lowered it. “You know the rules.”
“I don't get it! Your no guns policy is ridiculous,” replied a very nervous and very annoyed Larry MacArthur. He unhappily stuffed the handgun in his pocket and readied a wooden baseball bat. “I mean, if I'm risking my life like this, I should at least get to use a gun. This is stupid.”
“No, what would be stupid is letting youuse a gun,” Cody retorted dryly.
Larry shoved Cody from his squatted position. “Shut up!”
“Grow some balls, man!” Cody said, shoving back. “You aren't in your comfy CFO office in Hollywood anymore. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!”
“Everybody can-it!” Diane hissed. “This isn't a walk in the park. We need supplies and more importantly, I don't want to be working in the lab and come out to a hundred infected because someone couldn't keep their mouth shut!”
The two men
stopped their playground fight and straightened up. They knew Diane meant business.
“Cody is right,” followed Elias, “blades and blunt instruments. These things are attracted to noise. ONLY use your gun if it's absolutely necessary.”
Larry mumbled a series of curses, but he listened as Diane took over.
“Here's how it's going to be and I don't want to hear any bitching. Elias and Alex you two are with me. Larry and Cody get over your shit because you two are on supplies...”
Diane grabbed a nearby stick and began to draw lines in the dirt. In a matter of seconds, she had a rough sketch of the town.
“...Cody you know the routes and what stores haven't been tapped yet. As soon as you’re done, book it to the emergency exit on the south side of the lab and we'll open the door for you. Got it?”
All the men nodded, although Larry still continued to mutter unpleasantries under his breath.
“Take this,” Alex said, handing Cody a short wave radio. “Tune into channel four. Keep your volume down and only get on the radio if you need to.”
Everyone in the group readied their blunt objects and weapons.
“Okay, we need a plan to take out those two infected, then we get to our assignments,” Diane started to say, but a plan never came to fruition.
Instead, Alex twirled his machete and darted out from behind the bushes, fearless. Diane tried to call Alex back, but held her words for fear of attracting the undead.
Alex moved with the speed of a leopard and attacked with the ferocity of one, too. Within seconds, the two shambling residents of Willop were down and out.
At full speed, Alex ran at the closer of the two men. At the last second, he pulled the machete back and swung, putting his entire body into the hit. The bearded man with a red and black flannel shirt never even heard Alex coming. The man's neck split open like a watermelon, as the blade tore through the upper vertebrae and exited cleanly out the throat. The man’s body stood awkwardly for a moment, and then collapsed on top of its own head.
At the sound of his friend's skull bouncing on the concrete, the other man turned and let out a subtle grunt. The last thing he experienced was Alex's blade embedding itself vertically into the upper left portion of his forehead.
The Longest Road (Book 2): The Change Page 5