Bad Company

by Joshua C. Chadd

  Alexis looked at him, the implications fully sinking in. “So we all have the virus and turn if we die?” she asked.

  “That’s the assumption, but I need to run some tests.”

  “Why don’t you know more? You created it.”

  “I didn’t. One of my scientists did, and he disappeared just before all this began.”

  “So how did the virus get out?”

  “We’re not sure. It started around our facility near home, then suddenly broke out across the nation. The only guess I have is that somehow our pharmaceutical drugs came into contact with the virus.”

  “You had the virus by your medications?”

  “Of course not! It was in a completely different building, but one careless doctor not following protocol could’ve caused it.”

  “So you don’t even know for sure?”

  “That’s beside the point now,” Albert said, walking towards the door. “You need to go before they find you, and I need to go run some tests. You’ve given me an idea.”

  “Wait, how’d you get here?”

  “They brought me up in a helicopter from the facility near Hill City once all this started. They wanted to get me as far away from it as possible once containment failed. They even brought Dr. Hart up.”

  A light bulb clicked in her head. She’d seen Dr. Hart in passing while in Hill City this summer.

  “I knew I recognized him! He was the new doctor in town.”

  “Yes, you probably didn’t see him much since he only moved to town a year ago when you were in school.”

  “But why is Vindex here?”

  “They had this facility ready for us, maybe as a backup plan in case things ended up the way they did. I know they’re finishing a much larger facility about an hour from here. Beyond that, they’ve kept me in the dark.”

  “Thanks for talking with me, Grandpa,” Alexis said, standing and giving him another hug. “It helps to know.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie,” Albert said. “I know you have to tell those close to you, but be careful who you trust. If this gets back to me or you, we’ll have some serious problems.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Now, to get you out of here,” Albert said, looking at her and then around the room.

  ~~~

  James stood next to Emmett as they waited on the Vindex mercenary Emmett had called Clover to give them an update. He’d told them they didn’t know where Alexis was, but he was going to have his men search the entire building. James could tell that it was killing Emmett to just sit by. Hell, it was killing him, too, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Clover wouldn’t let them inside, saying something about it being after hours or some other crap. The man was a large, well-muscled weasel, and he didn’t trust him. Then again he didn’t trust any of those men. They had their own motives, and he knew it. It was supposed to take only five minutes to check the building, but fifteen minutes later they were still looking.

  Clover cocked his head, listening to his earpiece. He glanced at Emmett. “It seems—” Clover began but cut off, turning as the front door to the infirmary opened.

  Alexis walked out, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked unharmed and healthy, although exhausted. She came down the steps slowly and walked over to them.

  “Sorry, Dad,” Alexis said, walking past Clover. “I fell asleep in one of the old classrooms. It’s been a long day.”

  “That’s okay, honey,” Emmett said.

  James watched Clover’s eyes narrow as Alexis showed the guards her ID card. The guard, Smiles, briefly glanced at his boss, who gave a subtle nod. They let her through and one went into the small guard shack, returning with her gun belt. She took it and walked over to James and Emmett.

  “Let’s go home,” Alexis said, stifling another yawn.

  James took her hand and the two of them started to walk down the driveway. Emmett stayed behind and said something to Clover when they were out of earshot. James continued walking and Alexis laid her head on his shoulder as they went, leaning on him.

  “You that tired?” James asked.

  “It’s been a long day,” Alexis said under her breath. “I’ll tell you more about it once we get home.”

  “So you did go looking,” James whispered. She didn’t react, but he knew the answer. “I hope it was worth it because that guy back there—Clover—is the leader of Vindex, and he suspects something.”

  “Oh, it was.”

  34

  Hornet’s Nest

  Tank lay in bed with an arm around Chloe, wearing nothing but the sheets that covered them. He smiled as she nuzzled into his neck. How had he gone from trying desperately to get out of Fort Collins at the start of this to being safe with a girl he was quickly falling in love with? He’d known this was going to be a new start for him—hence the new name, no matter how ridiculous some people thought it was—but he’d never imagined that it’d turn out like this, not in his wildest dreams. He wasn’t going to complain about it though. He’d take all he could get.

  He glanced over at the nightstand where the picture of the Wolf Pack she’d taken earlier today sat in a frame. She’d gotten it printed up at HQ and had a copy for each of them, plus this framed one. Next to it rested one she’d taken of the two of them a few days ago when they’d made things official. She was one hell of a woman.

  “Why Tank?” Chloe asked.

  “What?” he asked, leaning up on one elbow to gaze at her.

  “Why did you pick that name?’”

  “Oh, that’s easy. Tank was my call sign in the Wolf Pack. We all had ‘em. Plus, I felt it summed up my personality and physical appearance perfectly.”

  “But why even change your name? Why not just go by Allen?”

  Tank shifted, looking away from her. Was he sure he wanted to go down this road? He was opening himself up to her and the old fears were returning. What if she cut out his heart? What if she devastated him? What if she left him? The final question really hit home and he felt the fear grip him tighter. He was giving her too much power, showing too much of himself, which could only end one way—a broken heart and years of pain to deal with.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want,” Chloe said, running a hand down his arm.

  “No,” Tank said, battling down the fear.

  He would not let himself turn back now, not after all the progress he’d made. The mountain had to be climbed because he was tired of living down in the valley. Things had to change, just like he’d told himself the night he left his old life behind. Not just physical or surface changes, but life-changing stuff.

  “Allen is my dad’s name,” Tank said after taking a deep breath. “He always called me junior, and I both loved and hated it. Then he left, and I wanted nothin’ to do with him or that name. I still don’t.”

  “Don’t you think some of that anger is misplaced?” Chloe asked in a soft voice.

  “How do ya figure that?”

  “Maybe you do miss him and wish he was still alive, but you don’t want to admit it. Or maybe you wish you’d made more of an effort to see him before all this happened.”

  “Damn girl, you aren’t pullin’ any punches, are ya?”

  “I’m just trying to help you work through all this. I don’t want you to have to run anymore.”

  “Fair enough. Yes, that’s some of it. I wish I’d at least seen him once before all this. All I have are memories of who he was, nothin’ about who he is now. Well, now he’s dead, but just before this.”

  “Do you think he changed?”

  “It seemed like it on the phone when he called a couple of years ago, but he was always good at fakin’ things like that. I didn’t trust him then, and I’m not sure if I would now either.”

  “So you didn’t have anyone but your mom growing up?”

  “My stepdad was there, but we never connected like he or I wanted. My stepbrother was older by five years and wasn’t a
round much. Of course, once I met James and then Connor, we connected. But other than them, I just had my grandpa.”

  “You haven’t talked about him much.”

  “It’s painful. We were always close. He lived in Michigan, where my mom was from. We went back to see him and our other family there sometimes, and he’d spend summers with us in Colorado. He loved to go fishin’ and we spent a lot of time out on the water. Those were some good memories. He taught me a lot about fishin’ and life on those trips.”

  “He sounds like a great man. What happened to him?”

  “He died a few years ago, old age. It was hard for my mom and I right after that. We were both really close to him. Shortly after that, my mom found out she had cancer. It was a rough couple of years.”

  “I can imagine. What was your mom’s name?”

  “Duh, I forgot to even tell you their names. My mom was Lynda and my stepdad is Grant. My grandpa was Carter. I always loved that name. If I ever had a son, I’d want to name him that.”

  “That is a good name.”

  “What about your parents? You haven’t told me much of your past either.”

  Chloe closed her eyes. “I don’t like to talk about my past. It’s too painful.”

  “Seems like I’m not the only one.”

  She opened her eyes, staring up into his. It seemed like she drew strength from the look. “My parents were harsh people. My mom used to abuse me and my dad.”

  “Wait, what?” Tank asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I know it sounds backwards, but my mom was a real bitch. She never touched us, but she didn’t need to. Her tongue was even more deadly. It broke my dad down to a spineless coward who didn’t stand for anything. He was more like a shell of a man than a real one.”

  “Wow.” He was taken aback by the pure venom in her voice.

  “You know what my dad used to tell me? ‘Trust no one. They’ll disappoint you.’ Try growing up when that’s the most encouraging thing your father ever said to you. I listened to that for years before I realized how messed up it was. Then I did my best to be the complete opposite of them, but it didn’t work well. I’m just not a super nice person.”

  “I think you’re nice.”

  “Shut up,” Chloe said, punching him in the shoulder. “I’m not like my parents, but I’m also not going to go out of my way to be kind to people.”

  “You shouldn’t have to. You should be true to who you are. Just look at me—I’m a complete asshole.”

  Chloe laughed, wiping tears from her cheeks. “You are not. That’s not even who you are; it’s to cover up who you are.”

  “Partly, but it is part of who I am. You don’t see me goin’ around shovin’ rainbows up people’s asses, do ya? They can take me for who I am or shove off.”

  “That’s what I like about you. You are who you are, and you don’t try to be anything else. It’s endearing.”

  “Thanks. It took quite a few years of bein’ a cynic, but I got it down now.”

  She laughed and he smiled. All it’d taken for him to find a girl was the end of the world. Better late than never.

  ~~~

  “It’s airborne?” Emmett asked, sitting next to James on the couch as Alexis finished telling them about what she’d discovered.

  “He’s not sure, but that’s what he thought,” Alexis said, sitting across from them in her living room.

  “That would explain how the ones not bitten would come back,” James said.

  “Then why haven’t we all turned?” Emmett asked.

  “He thought maybe it was a different strain or not as potent.”

  “That would explain a lot,” Emmett said. “You told him about your mother?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How did he react?”

  “He was sad, but he knew it as soon as we came into town without her.”

  “Can you trust him?” James asked.

  “Albert may be in way over his head, but he’s not a bad man,” Emmett said. “Misguided and sometimes indifferent, but not evil.”

  “I think they took Mark,” Alexis said, speaking the fear she’d had since she overheard the conversation. “They talked about having a new ‘test subject.’ I think they infected him to study the virus.”

  “Do you know that for certain?” Emmett asked.

  “No, but I have a feeling.”

  Emmett nodded. “Vindex is capable of that, and so is Albert.”

  “You sound certain,” James said.

  “I am,” Emmett said. “I’ve seen them do it before.”

  “What?” James asked. “How?”

  “I used to work for LifeWork as one of their private security personnel. Albert hired me personally to help me out after I left the service. While I was there, I saw them experimenting on people.”

  “That explains how you were so prepared,” James said.

  “Exactly,” Emmett said. “I saw enough to worry me. I tried to get an investigation into the company started, but they had power high up because it never went anywhere. When I worked there, they said they were developing a drug to cure everything. It makes a lot more sense now that it was a cover-up for the real goal.”

  “It was never a drug,” Alexis said. “It was a virus that somehow came into contact with their drugs.”

  “They claim it was an accident?” James said. “No way. Has to be more to it.”

  “Probably is,” Emmett said. “Is that all he said?”

  “Yeah,” Alexis said. “Oh, and Dr. Hart is from Hill City.”

  “Really?” Emmett said. “I don’t recognize him.”

  “Grandpa said he was new to town, and you know how you could go weeks, sometimes months, without seeing anyone.”

  “I guess that’s true. I need to talk to Saul,” Emmett said, standing.

  “Dad, he warned us to not tell too many people.”

  “I trust Saul. If they’re experimenting on people, he needs to have safeguards in place,” Emmett said, walking over to Alexis and giving her a big hug. “I love you, sweetie. We’ll have to do our dinner date tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll plan on it,” Alexis said. “I love you too, Daddy.”

  He smiled at that. “Sometimes I forget you’re a woman now and not my little girl.”

  “I’ll always be your little girl.”

  His smile widened. “That you will.”

  “I need to go tell my brother and Tank,” James said, standing up. “They need to know.”

  “I agree,” Emmett said.

  “Come by after a bit and we can go for a walk,” James said to Alexis.

  “I’d love that,” Alexis said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Come on, lover boy,” Emmett said, holding the door open for him.

  “Yes, sir,” James said, walking out.

  “Daddy,” Alexis said, giving him a look.

  He shrugged his shoulders and shut the door, walking down the porch to stand by James. “I apologize for insinuating you were with my daughter earlier. Those papa-bear instincts kicked in.”

  “Nothin’ to apologize about,” James said, sticking his hand out. “I would’ve done the same thing if it was my daughter.”

  “I know,” Emmett said, shaking the offered hand, “which is why I’m allowing you to continue to date her. You remind me of myself when I was younger.”

  James smiled. “Thanks.”

  “That wasn’t wholly a compliment.”

  James laughed. “I’ll take it, either way.”

  Emmett chuckled, starting off towards HQ. “Be careful, James. We’re stirring the hornet’s nest, and there’s no telling what might come out.”

  “I will,” James said as he started towards his place.

  35

  Behind the Gun

  Connor lay on his cot, embraced in an intoxicated state. It was enough to make him feel good but not enough to make him forget. He didn’t drink
to forget; he drank to help him think, not to mention that it helped him relax. He needed that, especially after a day like this one. His contemplations were broken after a time as the door opened and the lights flicked on.

  “What the hell,” Connor growled and closed his eyes against the sudden brightness.

  “Sorry, bro,” James said, walking in and sitting down on his cot. “Forgot you were a vampire.”

  “Just enjoying the dark,” Connor said, sitting up. He could tell by his brother’s voice that he wanted to talk. He hoped it wasn’t like the last time.

  “I know how all this started,” James said.

  “The apocalypse?” Connor asked, the sudden spike in interest driving some of the effects of the alcohol from his mind.

  “Yep,” James said.

  James spent the next fifteen minutes telling him how Alexis had snuck into the basement and about meeting her grandpa. He continued, telling Connor about the conversation between them and the leader of the Vindex mercenaries and then what Emmett had witnessed while working there. Connor asked him a couple of questions here and there. It was just as they’d thought—the Vindex Corporation did have their hands in all this.

  “We need to tell Tank,” Connor said after James finished. The whole conversation had been a literal buzz kill, but one that he was glad to have.

  “I was going to tell both of you at once, but I assume he’s with Chloe,” James said.

  “Yeah, we can tell him in the morning,” Connor said.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “James?” Alexis said from the other side.

  “I’ll be back in a few,” James said, standing.

  “Take your time,” Connor said as he picked up his ACR, checking the chamber and then setting it down under his cot.

  James opened the door, leaving Connor to his musings. If Vindex found out they had this information, things could get ugly—real ugly.

  ~~~