Starting the Slowpocalypse (Books 1-3 Omnibus)

by James Litherland

  The young girl glanced longingly at the plate of food she’d just finished piling high and stood from the table with a heavy sigh.

  Watching Patience stalk out of the room with a determined stride, Kat didn’t imagine it would take long for this Bart character to be rousted from even the deepest slumber. It would be interesting to see what the four Cameron women brought to the community. She liked what she’d seen so far and soon enough she’d have the chance to see what they were really made of.

  Slathering a biscuit with honey, which they had run out of back at the FURC, Kat returned to Fiona. “Let’s get down to brass tacks. I’ve got an SUV with plenty of room—there’s just the two of us and a few supplies. But there are six of you. And how much baggage? You said vehicles, plural. Will they fit the seven of us and however much you plan to take? We can move some of your things to our SUV, after we reach it.”

  Fiona grinned. “We’ve got two vehicles of our own—call them jeeps. And we’ve got most of what we’ll need already stored in them. You and the odd couple will make it a bit cramped, but it’ll do.”

  “The odd couple? What’s he like?”

  “Wait a minute, and you’ll see for yourself.”

  It wasn’t long before Kat heard heavy footfalls coming toward them and the sound of swearing. A tall, skinny fellow in a white undershirt with tousled hair and stubbly chin stomped into the kitchen with a scowl. “What’s this I hear about leaving?”

  Patience followed him in and went to her seat at the table before addressing her mother. “He called me something I’ll not repeat and cursed when I told him to get out of bed. Then I kicked him—you did tell me to kick him out of bed.”

  Fiona glared at the man, and her voice was low and cold. “I would’ve thought even an idiot like you should know better by now. We extended hospitality to you in your distress, but I expect you to behave yourself while you’re here. But since we are leaving, we won’t have to put up with you for much longer.”

  He stared at her with his jaw clenched until she finished speaking. Then he scratched his shirt and looked around the kitchen for a minute before turning his flat eyes on Fiona. “Once you’re gone, I can act however I want.”

  “Nonsense. This is our home, not yours. We’re leaving and so are you. You can come with us if you want, at least until we find you someplace safe, but you’re not staying here.”

  He returned her glare. “We’ve found our someplace safe. Here. We won’t be going anywhere. You can leave if you want, but you can’t make us go with you.”

  Fiona looked at Kat. “This is Bart.”

  Chapter 2

  The Calm Before

  7:55 a.m. Saturday, March 1st

  LISA sat in the break room and sipped on her third mug of coffee—the first at home while she’d gotten ready, a second as she’d made her way to the office and this third while waiting to hear the start-of-shift update. The chief was running late. She wasn’t in any rush to begin work this morning, but if the boss was going to insist on giving these reports himself, he ought to be prompt.

  She watched through bleary eyes as her young partner poured a thick white substance into his own mug. “That’s not milk. Is it?”

  David turned to give her his gentle smile. “It’s cream, actually.”

  Lisa blinked. “Whole cream? Like from a cow?”

  David sighed. “We’ve run out of honey, and the sugar’s being rationed. So I’m giving this a try. We still have plenty of cows.”

  “Indeed, we can smell them whenever we patrol near the Ag Center.”

  Her partner replaced the jug of cream in the refrigerator and took the freshly brewed pot—to add a bit of actual coffee to his cream. “We could start our patrol on the southwest side, then you could begin the day with a more pleasant aroma. You look like you could use it. Sorry.”

  Lisa nodded and took a big gulp of the cooling black liquid that delivered her morning caffeine fix. The flowers along the walkway in the park area had started to bloom. Hopefully she’d be awake enough by the time they got there to appreciate the sights as well as the smells.

  “You’re forgiven. I didn’t get much rest with all the power outages. Little Joey needs his night light and he woke me up twice last night, upset. I had to calm him down before I could go back to sleep.”

  David nodded as he took his first sip of the concoction in his mug. “I slept right through it myself. But I’m sure you have it rough enough without that kind of headache.”

  “Hopefully they’ve got it all sorted out now and it won’t be a problem tonight.”

  Lisa looked around the otherwise empty break room. “I wonder what’s keeping Chief Nelson.”

  “I think it’s great that he takes the time to brief us personally. What’s a little wait?”

  She shook her head at her rookie partner. “He’s not trying to do us a favor. He just doesn’t want to bring Kirkland and Mori in off patrol to give report. So they can handle anything that comes up. It’s the same reason he has us all on overlapping shifts.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me. And I wouldn’t complain if I were you—you may have time to down another mug of coffee.”

  Lisa took a couple big gulps to finish what had been in her mug and held it out to him. “I’m taking you up on your offer.”

  David smiled and took her mug. She watched him refill it with hot brew and place it back on the table in front of her. She took her time with the first sip, enjoying the feel of the warm mug in her hands.

  “I’m starting to wake up now, but I think I’ll let you drive this morning.”

  When Lisa had first been assigned this rookie to mentor, she’d used her privilege as senior officer to make him chauffeur her around in the electric carts they had for transportation—at least until she found he couldn’t drive and listen to her at the same time. Not and actually hear her. So she took back the keys and made sure he paid attention.

  They both sat there in silence sipping their coffee. David wasn’t a natural talker. Lisa had lots to say to him today, but it could wait—at least until she was alert enough to drive. He was a good kid and a fast learner, but he had no law enforcement experience. So he had a lot of learning to do.

  Unfortunately he’d already been promoted to a full officer. Too soon. Which made it her responsibility to bring him up to standard as quickly as she could.

  Lisa took another long sip of her coffee and saw her partner start guzzling down the rest of his. Of course with all that cream it couldn’t have been that hot to begin with. Then she noticed he was looking over her shoulder.

  Twisting around, she found what she’d half expected. The chief leaning there in the doorway was that half—the dark shadows under his eyes and his unshaven face were the half she hadn’t. He looked like he was actually allowing the frame of the door to support him.

  “She must’ve really worn you out bad, sir.”

  He blinked at her. “What are you talking about, Officer Courdray?”

  “Whatever woman you were out with last night, sir.”

  The boss shook his head at her and looked past her to David and back again. “I was working.”

  Lisa bit her lip to forestall further comment. If the chief wanted people to believe he patrolled the compound late at night, all on his lonesome—well, he could tell them that, but she didn’t buy it.

  David finished emptying his mug. “So. Is there anything we need to know about before we head out on patrol, sir?”

  “No patrol today. I have real work for you. Get down to the Guard HQ and see Chief Cameron first for all the details. I imagine this will take all day.”

  Still twisted around in her chair and staring at the boss, Lisa cocked an eyebrow at him. “What is it that’ll take us the whole day?”

  “A lot of guards fell ill last night. Officers Salazar and Whitaker were still on duty when we found out, and they helped me get the sick men over to the clinic. Looks like food poisoning. But with so many getting ill at the same time, we
have to consider the possibility that it was an intentional attack. I want you to investigate.”

  Lisa frowned. “If it was intentional, it could be the prelude to an attack on the gates. Reducing our strength.”

  The chief sighed. “We had thought of that. I’m sure Cameron is taking the steps needed. He was in and working on revising the guard rotations when I left there to come here. That’s his problem, though, don’t let him make it yours. Just do your job.”

  Lisa nodded. “We’ll start with who got sick and when and under what circumstances. Which I suppose are the details you want us to get directly from Chief Cameron. What about the sisters? If it’s food poisoning, shouldn’t they be dealing with it?”

  “They are. They’re testing all over the cafeteria for signs of contamination. And hopefully they’ll be able to tell you soon what those guards are actually sick with. But until we know otherwise, I want you to treat it as a crime.”

  Lisa stood and turned to face her boss. “I hope they’re already looking for any common denominators that would indicate the source of the poisoning. Whether it’s accidental or intentional, that’s how to find out which.”

  “Yes. And that’s your job. Get to it.”

  She snapped a quick salute. “Immediately, sir.”

  “Stop being cheeky, Officer Courdray. I’m in no mood for it this morning.”

  She grinned but kept her mouth shut. Her partner was already busy rinsing his mug in the sink in preparation for heading out. She grabbed her own mug from the table. Being able to finish her coffee on the way to the Guard HQ would be another advantage of having David drive.

  He must’ve been thinking the same thing as he was already holding out his hand for the keys. “Let me drive and you can take your coffee with you.”

  Lisa dug the cart keys out of her pocket for her partner and handed them over. “Just don’t get used to it.” She took another swig of her coffee, needing to get fully alert already. David’s driving would help with that, and the quiet would help her gather her thoughts.

  This would be the first proper investigation she worked since she started here. It’s been a long time since I’ve done real detective work. She only hoped she still remembered how.

  The chief stood up straight and gave them both a final appraising look, nodding before disappearing down the corridor. Motioning to David to go on ahead, Lisa breathed deep and took another swig of coffee. Then she followed her partner at a leisurely pace with her mug in hand.

  Watching David walking ahead of her reminded her of one of the things she needed to talk to him about. Though he wasn’t the only security officer to wear his weapon on his belt, she was the one training him. She’d have him carry his gun in a shoulder holster. Like a proper detective, not some beat cop. Maybe he thought he was a gunslinger out of an old western.

  Her partner raced ahead, and by the time she’d reached the cart, David was in the driver’s seat already. At least he waited for her to get settled before starting the engine.

  Lisa held her mug close against her chest while the cart lurched backward, wheeled in a tight circle and shot forward as if it were being launched from a cannon. She’d known what to expect. She relaxed and started sipping her coffee again—it would be smooth sailing from now on. At least until someone or something got in their way.

  “There’s hardly any other traffic to worry about, and any pedestrians should be watching to keep out of our way. You can relax a little.”

  David leaned forward over the steering wheel, swinging his head from side to side while scanning for potential hazards with a grim look. “Hardly. I’d rather not rely on other people’s vigilance to avoid a crash.”

  Lisa sighed and leaned back against the plastic padding. By the time they finished at the Guard HQ, she’d be more than ready to take the keys from David. She’d be awake enough then to tell him a few things, too. For now she’d keep quiet.

  She took a long swig of coffee and looked at her partner’s profile. “What are we going to do when we run out of coffee? I don’t know about the rest of the FURC, but at Security we practically run on coffee.”

  I know I do. Though she doubted other people ran themselves as hard as she and her colleagues.

  David slowed to a crawl and glanced over at her. “I hear we have plenty of coffee stored away. Eventually we’ll run out, of course, but they’ll have other ways to deliver a caffeine fix to those of you who’re not addicted to the brew itself.”

  He sped up again with his eyes fixed front, so he didn’t see her shaking her head. Her partner barely had any coffee with his honey or cream. She did like having the son of the deputy director for a partner, though—he usually knew about things like the strategic stockpiles.

  Then she remembered that he’d also worked for Ken Cameron’s construction business. “This ought to go pretty smoothly since you know Chief Cameron personally.”

  David shot her a weak smile before he snapped his attention back to the street as they zipped down the main thoroughfare. “I wouldn’t count on it. I left him to come to Security. He’s probably not too happy with me.”

  She wondered if that could be true. Her young partner was the kind of person it was difficult to get mad at, even with good reason. “I’ll take the lead in any case. Hopefully Chief Cameron won’t have any problem working with me. And Lt. Miles might be there—that would help, since she knows both of us. She’s not holding some kind of grudge against you, is she?”

  “She almost got killed saving my life, but I don’t think she’d hold that against a person.”

  That was true. When Lisa had worked with the director’s daughter, she had found the girl straightforward, and very good at the job.

  Lisa looked forward to working with her again. “She saved your life?”

  “Twice, actually.”

  “Well, don’t expect the same from me. I expect you to be able to take care of yourself if you get into trouble.”

  David smiled at that, but he kept his eyes on the road and his mouth zipped. By the time they got to the Guard HQ, she had finished her coffee and was awake, alert and ready for anything. It was a good thing, too. David jolted her badly when he banged the cart straight over the curb.

  He plowed across the grass and screeched to a halt right outside the main entrance. Lisa couldn’t understand how he was so careful of some hazards but then went and treated the cart itself in such an abusive fashion—not to mention her tailbone.

  She set her mug on the floor at her feet and held out her hand. “Give me the keys right now—I don’t want to fight you for them when it’s time to leave.”

  After the chief had taught David some basics of self-defense, Lisa had been the one to take over his training. While he’d been a good student, she could still kick his rear end with her hands tied behind her back. And he knew it.

  David removed the keys from the ignition and handed them over without protest. “I’m more than happy for you to drive—especially now that you’re awake.”

  She wondered if that was meant to be an insult. She knew how David reacted when she drove—like he was taking his life in his hands. He tried to hide it, but she could see his every muscle tense as if he was bracing himself for a potential crash. One that never came, of course. He’d been her partner just over a month now and he still didn’t trust her driving. What will it take?

  David hustled to open the door for her, and she allowed it since it put her back in the lead. She was the one in charge of this investigation. Of course it remained to be seen if there was much to look into, but for as long as it lasted it was hers.

  There was no guard posted in the lobby, so she walked down the main hallway and looked over her shoulder at her partner. “Which way to Chief Cameron’s office?”

  “Keep going to that big open door on the right.”

  Lisa nodded to herself and strode halfway down the corridor and into an outer reception room. The middle-aged woman who sat at the desk wore civilian clothes and her thick br
own hair pulled back into a tight bun. She gestured at the closed door to the inner office. “Go right in. He’s expecting you.”

  Lisa nodded at her and rapped once on the door before opening it and walking right in. She trusted David would follow and close the door behind her. This needed to be a private conversation.

  The man behind the desk stood and extended a beefy hand and a steely glare. He was tall and there was a lot of him, but it was mostly muscle, and his buzz-cut hair had gone gray. Lisa found him intimidating. But she had a job to do and she couldn’t let that get in the way.

  Chief Cameron waved at the pair of chairs set in front of his desk. “Please. This may take a while, so you might as well be comfortable.”

  The square wooden chairs didn’t look inviting, but Lisa nodded to David to make sure he knew he was free to sit as well and then took the chair on the right. She paused until she was ready to proceed—she wanted to set the pace from the start. “Do you suspect there may be something more to this than a simple case of food poisoning, or is our chief simply being thorough?”

  The man snorted. “That’s for you to figure out, isn’t it? I have thirty-two guards out of action, and only eighteen left to keep the watch. I’ve split them into two twelve-hour shifts, but that will take a toll. And then there are the ones who are sick. I’m concerned about their welfare, and how I’ll defend this place. That’s enough for me.”

  Lisa focused on the important part of what he’d said. “Your strength is down by about two-thirds? You should be concerned. This could be softening up for an attack on the compound.”

  Chief Cameron growled low in his throat. “Of course that’s what’s worrying. I’ve got some of my old employees working right now, sealing the east and west gates in the perimeter wall permanently. So I don’t have to worry about protecting those. Then the men I still have can better cover the others.” He shifted his eyes to her partner. “Maybe I could talk you into coming back to work for me.”

  David shook his head. “I’ve got a job—to help my partner look into how your guards got sick.”