“You wanna get shot in the leg and see how long it takes you to recover?” Collin said, dropping his role as mediator. Now he was seriously contemplating suspending his role as leader so he could get a few punches in of his own.
“Oh that's just great, keep blaming it on your bum leg,” Larry continued, clapping his hands mockingly. “Fine, let's just put that on the back burner for a second. What about your doctor girlfriend. The one who 'claims' to have this magical cure! Hah! That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard since being here! If she wants to live some crazy fantasy, great, good for her, but last time I checked she took three able bodies with her. Three extra sets of hands that could be helping! And I’m supposed to be the one pulling their slack? On top of it all, you basically convinced everyone to leave for winter...to go where?”
Collin didn't realize it, but his hands were curled into tight fists and his nostrils were flaring. His teeth were grinding and slowly his posture shifted into a fighting stance- and he wasn't the only one.
Behind him, the others inched their way closer to Larry. They were all out of patience.
***
Travis was just coming off a long night shift when he heard the yelling clear across Camp. He went into the Com-room to get Nick and the two rushed over as fast as they could. Had it not been for their arrival, Collin and the others would have attacked Larry like a pack of hungry wolves.
“Everybody settle down!” Nick shouted, bracing himself between the two sides. “What’s going on?”
But as he asked, he was bombarded with complaints from everyone. The mob was livid and the collective grievances washed themselves out.
“Everybody, quiet! Now!” Nick roared.
At once, everyone quieted down. Everyone but Larry.
“Better listen to Nick,” Travis said, using his body to block the CFO. Travis didn’t match Larry's 6'2" height, but his broad shoulders and muscular build more than made up for it. He jabbed two strong fingers into Larry’s chest to emphasize his point. “Or you're going to have me to deal with.”
Rather than test the second lieutenant, Larry closed his mouth and stepped back, but continued to pace back and forth.
“Good. Now here is how this is going to go. Collin, I am going to ask you what happened. You and only you will answer.”
Nick turned around to Larry for the second part.
“While Collin is answering me, no one else will interrupt. After that, I will ask you for your side of the story. Now, what happened, Collin?”
Collin took in a deep breath and exhaled some of the stress. “Sarah told me that there was a situation out here. When I arrived, the others informed me that Larry and Kelly decided to take off from their work duties today. I tried telling Larry that was unacceptable, and then he went off on me.”
“That it?” Nick asked firmly.
“Ya, basically.”
“Okay, Larry, your turn.”
Larry stopped his pacing to give his account.
“Well, Kelly and I got a late start to the day. We were planning on doing our chores, but they were already done for us. So, we took the rest of the morning off. Isn't that right, Kell?” Larry said, turning around to face his girlfriend.
“Is that true, Kelly?” Nick asked.
Kelly had not expected to be called in as a witness. Dressed in pink pajamas and large DIOR sunglasses covering her bruised face, she was shocked when Larry threw her to the jury. Before she answered, she glanced over to Larry who was giving her a look that said, “If you don't confirm my story, I will hurt you.”
The evening before, Kelly received a backhand to the face for simply questioning her boyfriend. She could only imagine the pain he would inflict upon her if she were to expose him as a liar publicly.
“Yes,” she replied in a near whisper. She followed her answer with a subtle head nod.
Larry threw his hands up. “See! Are we done now?”
“Wait,” Nick said, holding up a stern finger. Nick pulled Collin aside far enough from anxious ears. “Did you see how terrified that poor girl was? If Larry MacArthur is telling the truth, I’ll let one of thosethings bite me. As much as I'd love to lay it into him, I don't think we can risk it. He may be a pompous, arrogant, self-loathing, bastard of a man, but he has one thing we don't…”
“Transportation,” Collin sighed.
“Exactly. I hate to say it, but we need his boat. At least we need him happy enough to not skip town on us.”
Collin gritted his teeth. But Nick was right, they needed the CFO. “What do you want to do with him?”
“No punishments. Just have them switch work assignments.”
Collin nodded his head and the two men made their way back to the others. Collin stood off to the side and let Nick speak.
“Here's what's going to happen. Larry and Kelly are going to make up the work they missed this morning, but there will be no disciplinary chores or work added…”
A wave of disapproval surged from the group. Josue and the others knew the truth. They knew Larry and Kelly deserved a punishment, but for whatever reason, Nick opted against it.
“Are you serious, Nick? That’s it?” Joey asked.
Wally followed next. “So they get to sunbathe and sleep in, while we do their work? And they get off just like that?”
More complaints were lodged but stopped immediately.
“Everybody quiet! My decision is final! Larry youwill take whatever job Joey assigns you. And thiswill never happen again. Do I make myself clear?”
The CFO wanted to make a snide remark but held his tongue. As far as he was concerned, this was a win, so Larry agreed with the nod of his head.
Joey was still fuming, but he accepted the verdict. After all, Camp had many messy chores to be completed. He would make sure Larry received the worst of them.
Jenny could tell her mentor was upset by the decision, so she stood strong next to Joey and mimicked his facial expression. She even crossed her arms and pounded her foot into the sand in an act of frustration.
“Good. Now I have some news for everyone. I was going to wait until lunch, but since most of you are here, I'll say it now...”
Frustrated faces turned anxious as Nick changed subjects.
“...I just got off the radio with another group of survivors. There was a lot of static on the channel, but from what I gathered, they aren’t too far south of here. I gave them directions and they should be arriving by nightfall.”
A line of questions broke out, but Nick answered them with one statement.
“Guys, I just told you everything I know. I don't know how many, names, where they were from- anything. I figure we will have plenty of time to ask them after they arrive. That being said, let's all get back to work. We have a lot to take care of before they get here. So let's get on it people.”
As the mob disbanded, a quiet chatter of gossip filled the air. The survivors asked each other a million questions and answered with hypotheticals. It was refreshing to know there were more survivors out there. Everyone was excited at the prospect of new people. Everyone except Larry.
“Great, more mouths to feed,” he complained under his breath.
Nick glared at Larry, so the CFO decided it best to leave.
Kelly led the way back to the yacht, intent on changing into work clothes. A few feet away, Travis stopped Larry with a hand on his shoulder. Kelly continued walking, not noticing that her boyfriend wasn't behind her.
“Hold up,” Travis said, walking around to face Larry man to man. “Nick let you off the hook. I don't know why and I don't care. Just know this, next time you even think about laying a hand on your girl, I will reign down hell all over your worthless little existence. You don't even know what pain feels like. That’s a promise.”
Larry swallowed into a dry throat. He wanted to say something, but he was too clammed up. Instead, he stepped carefully around the second lieutenant.
Travis watched Larry scurry away. He hated abusers. Many children who
grow up in abusive households take on abusive traits, but not Travis. He was fortunate enough to get his mom and little brother out from the clutches of his stepfather.
Travis shook off the memories of his youth and walked back over to Nick and Collin.
The two men stayed behind to discuss more of Camp’s affairs. They were just finishing a conversation about the arrival of the mystery group.
“I agree with you about the food, Collin,” Nick said, running his thumb and index finger over his lips. “We know that we have enough fresh water, but our food supplies are barely holding our numbers over. And what else do we tell them? Thanks for showing up, but we are actually just leaving?”
“I guess we will just have to play this one by ear,” answered Collin.
Travis waited for their conversation to end, and then asked, “Hey, Nick, have you heard back from Diane or the others?”
“Yes, I did, about an hour ago. They are all safe and accounted for. No trouble as of yet. Alex said they had to take back roads and were almost in view of Vancouver. The radio started getting mild static, though. I'm not sure how much longer we'll have radio contact. That truck’s receiver isn’t the best. I told them to call back around nightfall if they could.”
Vancouver, British Colombia
1120 hours
The World Health Organization building was erected a few dozen feet from the northern side of one of Vancouver's many river outlets. A grove of newly planted Maple trees lined the northern half-circle road surrounding the structure.
The fifteen story, cylindrically shaped facility was to an architect what an amateur local play was to a Broadway theatre critic: plain and without talent. Its bland concrete exterior and extensive window paneling was something that mimicked the quality of a two-star hotel. The building's sole highlight could only be appreciated from a bird's eye view- a hollowed circular interior gave home to a garden that mimicked the world's continents.
Most critics expected a new-age look or something refreshingly modern, but that was not the case. After its completion two years prior, the chief architect was met by harsh reviews for his lack of vision and creativity.
To those who ran the organization, this was exactly the kind of reaction they could have hoped for. They did not want flair or any unnecessary attention. On paper, the building served as the North American headquarters in charge of the organization's administrative affairs. While the top fifteen floors indeed ran the business operations, the real purpose was hidden four levels and one hundred feet below.
A handful of highly trained scientists- the ones with the highest levels of clearance- worked in the underground section of the building. The four levels were home to various laboratories for purposes of disease research.
From the abandoned parking lot at Wayne's, a local deep sea fishing business located on the south side of the river, Diane and her three volunteers stared at the building.
“Well, no one said this was going to be easy,” Diane declared, lowering her binoculars.
Alex grabbed the binoculars from Diane and lifted himself onto the truck's roof. From a higher vantage point, he was able to obtain a better picture of the World Health Organization facility. After taking thirty-seconds to survey the scene, he jumped off, landing softly, and then walked over to the rest of the group.
“Diane, a couple things. First, there's 'easy' which is basically shooting a walker in the head from a safe distance. BAM, done. Then there's hard, which, for example, was yours truly barely escaping from the roof top of an electronics store in a town filled with a hundred infected, with a gun and a few rounds of buck shot lodged in my body...see what I'm getting at here?”
Matty, Diane, and Eddy stared at Alex, waiting for him to finish. They all knew where he was going with the speech, but none wanted to admit it.
“Then there's freaking insane! Which is this. Us somehow trying to get past what I'm guessing is a fewthousand not-so-alive Canadians,” Alex said, walking toward the business's wooden dock.
In an attempt to emphasize his point, Alex extended his arm and pointed to the World Health Organization building located about a half mile across the water. Surrounding the structure was an army of infected laying siege to its walls.
“Granted, yes they are Canadian, so I'm sure they are the most passive of the infected population…” Alex paused, waiting for some recognition to his rather dull Canadian joke.
Two-seconds. Three. Four. Five. No laughter, not even a chuckle.
“Damn, rough crowd. It's cool. I got more. That was just the warm-up,” Alex said, rubbing his hands together, searching his brain for another joke. “Okay. Got one! Why don't you ever see a Canadian without a long sleeve shirt? Anyone? Matty? Eddy? They aren't allowed to bare arms! Hah! Get it? Bear arms! Classic, right? Thought I was going with the cold, didn't you?”
To Alex’s surprise, the joke received a decent review. At least from Matty and Eddy. Diane was a different story.
“Alex!” she roared. “Focus. We need ideas, not jokes. We need to figure out a way inside. So, if you don't have any valuable input, shut up until you do.”
“Eesh, just trying to lighten the mood,” Alex mumbled. “But honestly, short of a helicopter, I got nothing.”
“Matty, any ideas?”
“Computers Diane. That's what I do,” he replied bluntly. A bit of wind picked up, causing him to shiver. “But one thing is for sure. If there are still people alive in there, they haven't figured a way out. Which means finding a way in, isn't looking good.”
The computer hacker was referring to the multiple banners hung from the top of the structure. The signs were weathered, but the writing was clearly visible. The two facing the river read "HELP" and "ALIVE INSIDE.”
“Alex, mind if I use those binoculars?” Eddy said, reaching out to grab them.
“Knock yourself out.”
As Eddy checked out the facility, the three others stood, racking their brains for any plan that would get them safely into the building. After a few minutes, Eddy came back to the group.
“Alright, I got an idea. Ya'll probably won't like it, but I think it's our only option.”
Eddy took the next few minutes and described his plan. Step by step, his idea was met by gasps, raised eyebrows and slack jaws. It was rough, raw and dangerously risky- bordering on insane. After disclosing his plan, he asked, “So what do you think?”
Matty stared at the giant. He was awestruck, and not in the way that a fan gazes at their favorite celebrity. It was similar to an innocent child who accidentally stumbled upon the unrated version of The Exorcist. The computer hacker was terrified. Worse, mortified.
Diane was at the other end of the spectrum.
“Sounds doable,” she said trying to appear optimistic. Unlike the others, Diane was willing to do whatever it took to get inside the building and finish making her vaccine. She had worked too hard, for far too long, dealing with heartbreak after heartbreak just to turn around.
Alex found himself halfway between Matty and Diane. The adventurous side of him loved the idea of an Indiana Jones approach; the other side of him knew the reality of the situation.
He looked out over the water leading to the WHO building, swiveled his head back to Teddy, and then repeated the motion twice more. “Great, this is so Salt Lake City all over again.”
“What happened in Salt Lake?” Matty asked, finally finding words.
“Nothing good.”
1145 hours
After borrowing a fishing boat from Wayne's dock, Eddy navigated the double-decker across the ice-cold river as slowly and quietly as the boat would allow.
With the first part of Eddy's plan underway, the team huddled around the top deck, some checking weapons and gear, others not so productive.
“So, I know we just went over the plan,” Matty said, kneeling to get out of the wind, “but what happens next?”
From behind the boat's steering wheel, the giant construction worker stood unaffected by the cold.
>
“We are going to tie down at that dock about a mile west of the facility,” Eddy replied, pointing to the landing spot.
Matty didn't care to leave his position to check. “Got that part. I mean after.”
“We hoof it to the construction site next to the WHO building. Once we get there, we climb up a few stories of what I am guessing is an unfinished parking structure-”
“It is imperative that we stay out of sight. The dead are focused on the facility, so they shouldn't be looking back,” Diane added.
Eddy nodded his head, and then continued.
“It looked like the floors on the parking garage were completed, so we can use the ramps and walk up to the top and then make our way over to the other side where the tower crane is. From there, we climb up the crane to the top. I'll jump in the operator's cab, and hopefully I can move the arm around. Then we scale across and get to the roof.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Alex added. “I’ll be honest, I'm not looking forward to scaling two hundred feet of crane, a million feet high. I fucking hate heights.”
“Whoa,” Matty said, not referring to the cold. “Acrobat activity aside, what is all thishopefully talk, Eddy? You don't know how to work it?”
“No. I knowhowto work it, I just don't knowif it will work. The only reason why it wouldn't would be power. Those cranes run off of either the electrical grid or a diesel generator. Either way, it's not a for sure thing.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked, reassembling his field stripped pistol.
“Well, if it's a generator, there might not be any fuel left. And if it's connected to the power grid, the power may be off.”
“Great,” Matty said, rolling his eyes. “Diane, I'll actually take some of that coffee now.”
Earlier, Diane had found some coffee inside the kitchen below. She tossed her filled canteen over to Matty. “Thought you didn't drink coffee?”
“I don't, but for this insanity I think I need the caffeine,” he said unscrewing the lid.
“Teddy, Alex, I'm going to head back down to brew another pot. You guys want a refill?” Diane asked.
The Longest Road (Book 2): The Change Page 13