Teddy shook his head no. “I think I'll stop at three cups, thank you.”
Alex smiled and took out a package of candy. “I’m cool. I got Airheads.”
She stared at Alex blankly. She had no idea what he was talking about until she saw the candy.
“I'm going for a sugar rush,” Alex said, tearing into the blue raspberry taffy.
1159 hours
After docking the fishing boat, the group made their way, unnoticed a mile upriver to the construction site. One by one, they climbed up the exterior's exposed rebar to the third floor, making sure that they were completely out of view of any wandering, undead eyes.
Up to that point, the entire journey had been made without incident.
Reaching onto a metal liner just below the third floor, Matty sustained a minor cut. The others pulled him up, and Diane cleaned and bandaged the wound. As he was tended to, Matty complained about how he was going to get tetanus and die.
The only thing to stop his whining was a slap to the face from Diane- that and a threat.
“Computer hacker or not, if you don’t stop crying, I’ll throw you down to the infected.”
Instantly, Matty shut up.
Afterwards, they followed Eddy up three more ramps to the top level. Then, the group walked single file to the edge. From that vantage point, they got a vivid picture of the mob below.
Packed tightly against one another were thousands of bodies, some grotesquely mutilated. Moans and groans from the infected echoed, amplifying the terror.
After the initial shock and awe subsided, Eddy gathered the others around the tower mast.
“Alright, listen up. You guys are going to get in order and follow me up. See those bars there?” Teddy said, pointing to a ladder that ran up the entire mast. “Use those. It's just like climbing a ladder at home. Once we get to the top, you guys continue on to the arm. I'm going to hop inside the cab and power it up. Cross your fingers and say a prayer that it works.”
Eddy grabbed onto the bars first and led the ascent, then Matty, Diane and Alex. Step by step, the team of four pulled their way to the top of the giant crane. Their boots clicked on each bar, but the groans from the infected below washed out the sounds.
After two minutes, Eddy arrived at the top and entered the cab. Matty did as instructed and continued to the arm. Once on top, he shuffled to the side to make room for Diane and Alex. The three clung to the metal bars as Eddy attempted to power up the machine.
“Uh, Diane,” Matty said, pointing past her to the opposite end of the crane.
Behind the counterweights, Diane saw what Matty was pointing to. The Canadian flag went from a gentle flicker to a rapid flap. The wind was picking up.
Diane looked to her right and noticed a dark set of rain clouds heading their way, fast. A cracking of thunder roared in the near distance.
Shit,she thought.Lightning.
Diane tapped on Alex's shoulder to get him to relay the information to Eddy, but Alex's eyes were closed as he clung to the metal bars.
Diane knew she couldn't risk yelling, so she used a free arm and tried waving to get Eddy's attention. At first, the construction worker was busy familiarizing himself with the buttons and levers, so he didn't notice her. When he finally looked up and out of the glass encased cabin, Diane got his attention and pointed out to the distance.
Eddy's expression said it all. He, too, knew they needed to hurry up or abort. They were clinging to a gigantic lightning rod.
Wanting to know Eddy’s progress, Diane then held thumbs up, and then rotated to a thumbs down.
Eddy replied with crossed fingers, then seconds later, a smile. They had power, but before he could turn the crane, Eddy needed to raise the tower. After a minute, the crane reached Eddy's desired height. Then the foreman pulled a set of levers causing the massive crane to rotate counterclockwise. It was a slow move, but a move nonetheless. In thirty-seconds, the crane completed a one hundred and eighty degree spin.
Unfortunately, Eddy's projections had come up short. Vertically, the arm rested two feet below the roof and horizontally, there was another two-foot disparity in between the end of the crane and the rooftop.
There was nothing else Eddy could do, so he exited the cab and made his way over to the others.
“Can't raise it any higher or move it any closer,” Eddy said in a high whisper. “Should be able to make it onto the roof though.”
“Let's do it,” Diane said turning to Matty. “Lead the way.”
At the end of the arm, Matty hoisted himself up the metal bars. Cautiously, he balanced himself on the top beams. With the wind picking up to an aggressive fifteen miles per hour, he waited to jump.
“Now or never, Matty,” Diane said. “It's not that far. You're going to make it.”
“Says the person second in line to a potential death jump. Being the Guinea pig sucks balls.”
Diane laughed. “Hey, remember you volunteered for this trip.”
Before he gave himself another reason to back down, or for the wind to blow him off, Matty threw himself off the crane. His waistline hit the edge of the roof, and with ease, he pulled himself up and over.
“Wasn't so bad,” Matty whispered, brushing dust off his shirt.
“Says the guy who's a foot taller than me,” Diane mumbled. She tightened her backpack and followed Matty's lead. Her jump was successful, and with Matty's help, she pulled herself up and over.
Alex was next in line. It took him a while to find the courage to lift himself to the top bar, but he found it. It took even longer for him to stand on the four-inch metal beams. His whole body trembled.
“Don't look down,” Eddy said, trying to encourage Alex.
“Screw you, Eddy,” Alex hissed. “Don’t look down, who says that? Of course I'm gonna look down now.”
He did and became even more infuriated. Had it not been for the howling wind, the hungry mouths below would have heard Alex’s growl.
Eddy smiled and waited patiently. He knew what he was doing. He wanted Alex pissed off so he would use that rage to forget about the heights.
“Fucking heights,” Alex whispered to himself. He looked up and gave a quick prayer to every god and then thrust himself off the metal arm. After his body hit the edge, he kicked and clawed his way up and over.
Last to go was Eddy. With his height and build, the jump was more like stepping onto a curb from the street.
“See that wasn’t so bad,” Diane said, attempting to motivate everyone, especially Alex.
“Wasn’t so bad? Who are you people? I may or may not have shit my pants,” Alex replied.
The others weren’t sure if he was serious.
“Now how to get inside?” Diane said, scouting the rooftop.
A stone walkway with gravel surrounding it covered the roof. Here and there were protruding vents, empty buckets, electrical panels and HVAC units. Enormous blue solar panels were attached to metal braces on the inside ledge.
Then, across the way, Diane spotted a stone-encased structure. She pointed and said, “Alright, looks like that emergency exit-”
“Roof maintenance hatch,” Eddy quickly corrected. A smile formed in the pits of his mouth. “Sorry, Doc, I’m not one of those guys who constantly correct people, but all this construction-related activity has really brought me back.”
Diane returned the smile. “Don’t be. I know what you mean. Anyway, thatroof maintenance hatch looks like our only way in. Let’s get going.”
When Alex's acrophobia-induced shock was appeased, Diane led her team counterclockwise to the door located on the opposite side of the circular structure.
“Remember,” Diane said, backpedaling, “We don’t know who or what is in there, so be ready-”
Just then, the door burst open. Behind it, two individuals rushed out and broke to their left.
The closer of the two had a head full of unkempt white hair and wore a blood stained, long-sleeve collared shirt. The other, sizably smaller in frame, had
short brown hair, and wore blue jeans and a pink long sleeve shirt, sleeves rolled back to the elbows.
Immediately, Teddy grabbed Diane's shoulder and yanked her back behind him. Matty hid behind her.
Alex instinctively unsheathed both his machete and Nick's hatchet. In a split second, he transformed into a hunter. He tried to tell the others, “Back up guys, I got this!” but his command was washed out by a loud crack of rolling thunder.
He didn't actually care if they heard, it was more of a courtesy. His mind was already made up. Attack. His body tightened like a jungle cat, and then he gave his weapons a double twirl and rushed in.
Alex was unable to tell if these individuals were hostiles or not, but he wasn't about to take any chances. Everything about the situation set off his internal alarm; from the aggressive way they burst through the door, to the blood on their clothes. Alex even noticed that their hands were free of weapons.
As Alex was steps away from dishing out a series of lethal blows, the white-haired man turned.
The crunching of gravel under Alex’s boots gave his position away, but Alex didn’t care. In a second, he would impale his machete into the man’s head, killing him instantly. Like the countless times before, he would leave the blade and continue with his secondary weapon. Maybe he would throw the hatchet and be done, or perhaps he would get more up close and personal. That was a game time decision.
“Got you,” he whispered to himself. He cocked his arm back and began his deadly dance.
As the machete came bearing down on the man’s forehead, Alex’s rage fueled eyes met the man’s terrified, uninfected eyes. The white-haired man was human.
Fortunately for the man, Alex was just as quick to end an assault as he was to start one. His blade came within an inch of the man's left eye.
“Geez, dude!” Alex yelled, coming to a skidding halt. “Do you wanna get yourself killed? Maybe next time, call out that you're not infected!”
Diane and Eddy rushed over. Matty maintained a safe buffer behind them.
The white-haired man was in shock. He stared wide-eyed at Alex. His body shook, and he unable to take full breaths.
During Alex’s attack, the other person turned around, revealing a shorthaired woman. She saw Alex’s blade retract from her friend's head and hustled over. She thought that her friend had just been killed.
“Dr. Bauer! Are you okay?” She momentarily ignored Alex and the newcomers to tend to her friend. “Dr. Bauer, are you hurt?” she repeated multiple times. She grabbed his shoulders and searched her friend's face, but found no signs of trauma.
“I-I'm fine,” the man said, blinking back to reality. It took him a few seconds to regain his motor skills, but when they returned, he wiped the cold beads of sweat from his forehead. He grabbed his female friend and in a German accent repeated, “Laura, I'm fine, really.”
The woman named Laura turned to Alex. She furrowed her brow and glared at the man who almost killed her friend.
“You!” Laura exclaimed. The woman’s petite, 5’5” tall frame was physically not intimidating, but the surprise came when she stormed over to Alex like a ferocious pit bull and laid on a verbal assault.
Laura spoke so fast that Alex barely caught her words. In between some of what he assumed were French insults, Alex made out things like, “You asshole! You almost killed him!” and “What in the hell did you think you were doing?”
Alex was now the one in shock. “Wait- wha?”
Alex didn't know what to do. He was completely caught off guard. Speechless. He turned to his companions looking for support, but they backed away with smiles on their faces.
Had Alex been in any physical danger, they would have naturally helped, but they were not about to jump in this crazed woman's path.
Laura’s tirade lasted an entire minute. It would have carried on longer, but the white-haired man forcibly pulled her back. She managed to break free and deliver a strong kick to Alex's shin.
“Idiot!” she spat.
“Hey, lady, what the hell?” Alex yelled, hopping on one foot. “You're nuts!”
Finally, Diane managed some sympathy. “You alright, Alex?”
“Ya I'm fine, just hurts like a bitch.”
“Did you just call me a bitch?” Laura asked. Her eyes indicated that she was ready to deliver a second kick.
Fearful of another attack, Alex held up his arms. It had been a long time since something scared him like this girl. “No, I said it hurts like a bitch. Damnit to hell!”
“Alright, everyone calm down,” Diane said, walking in the middle of the two parties. “I apologize, Alex here gets a little quick on the trigger, but it was an honest mistake.”
“Honest mistake?” Laura hissed with her arms crossed tightly in her chest.
“Ya, I thought you were infected!” interjected Alex.
“You could have just asked-”
“Wellyou didn't have to act like you were infected!” Alex rebutted. “Running out all crazy and shit.” He continued to rub the pain away from his shin.
“Alex, cool it,” Diane ordered. “Go walk it off. Come back when you’re good.”
Alex hesitated, mumbled some curse words of his own, and then decided to stay.
“I'm good,” he growled. His pride hurt worse than his leg.
“Laura, it's fine,” the old man insisted, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. He turned to Diane and the newcomers. “I apologize as well. How do you say...no harm, no foul?”
“Yes. No harm, no foul,” Diane repeated, chuckling. “Now that that's over, I'm sure you'd like to know who we are and what we are doing here.”
“Where I'm from it would be rude to have introductions outside, especially in the rain,” the man started to say, “Please, come inside. The others are going to be glad to meet our rescuers as well.”
Chapter 4
Vancouver, British Columbia
November 26, 2009
1255 hours
“Welcome to the World Health Organization,” said the white-haired man. He reached for the handle to open a door marked with the number twelve. “My name is Dr. Freiderik Bauer, and my rather spirited friend here is my colleague, Laura Gonyea.”
Laura turned back to the newcomers and exchanged pleasant nods with everyone except Alex. She scowled at him.
Pretending as though he didn't see, Alex leaned over the stairwell railing and peered down to the bottom. Something caught his eye. There were chairs, desks and other office furniture piled up like a barrier. “Hey, Doctor German guy, what's with the spring cleaning in the stairwell?”
“Ah, in good time, in good time. Please, come inside,” Dr. Bauer said, trying to usher them out of the stairwell.
The group followed Freiderik and Laura into the twelfth floor, veered right and continued on a path of dense, gray carpeting that followed the building's circular curve. To their left, the group noticed large, glass-encased offices- many of which appeared as though a tornado had passed through. Regardless of their condition, all rooms contained the same simple amenities: desk, computer, chairs and metal filing cabinets. Every other room appeared to have large window paneling allowing for clear, unobstructed views of the Vancouver skyline.
“Dr. Bauer,” Diane started to say, “how did you know we were up on the roof?”
“We have someone watching the North, South, East, and West at all times,” Laura answered for him. “I was watching the West, and couldn't believe it when I saw people climbing along the crane.”
Freiderik Bauer took over. “Yes, yes. Then Laura came and got me. By the time I arrived at her station to see for myself, you were no longer on the crane, so we assumed you had made it to the roof.”
“That's when you came running out,” Diane said, mentally connecting the dots.
“Precisely,” Dr. Bauer replied, eyes focused down the hallway. “Almost there. It's just up ahead.”
Two office lengths later, Freiderik opened up a pair of double doors, exposing a conference
room. Inside, eight anxious faces stared at the newcomers. Their appearances were at best, unkempt. Their clothes were stained and soiled and their collective stench, nauseating. Some of their bodies displayed moderate signs of moderate malnutrition.
Before Diane and her team had entered the room, they were met with a tidal wave of questions.
“Who are you?”
“Are you here to save us?”
“Are you with the military?”
“How did you get in here?”
“When are we leaving?”
Doctor Freiderik Bauer silenced the group with an ear-piercing whistle.
“Everyone, please. I know you have questions, but please allow them to get inside the room first,” he said, attempting to usher back the crowd as politely as possible.
“Bitte, bitte,” he said in German first, then switched to English. “Please, please give them space.”
Diane, Alex, Eddy, and Matty, made their way to the large rectangular table. They dumped off their bags and stretched their exhausted bodies. Matty collapsed into a cushiony leather chair; he was just happy to be out of the cold. Eddy sat quietly on the edge of the table, bending the frame. Alex paced around the room searching for the area with the least amount of stink.
Representing her team, Diane faced the others. “Before you start asking questions, you should know a few things. First, we aren't exactly here to save you…”
A wave of gasps and questions took over, cutting her off.
“Please, everyone, calm down, let me explain,” she said, putting up both hands. When the chatter lessened, she continued. “My name is Dr. Diane Phillips. I used to work for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This is Alex, Eddy, and Matty...”
Each of them acknowledged their introduction with a head nod or half-wave.
“...We came from upstate Washington and intend on returning to our camp in a couple days. Those of you who wish to join us then, feel free to come along. I don’t think anyone can promise you absolute safety, but when we get back I can promise you a pretty safe location near the coast…”
The Longest Road (Book 2): The Change Page 14