THE VALUE OF JADE (Mace of the Apocalypse #2)

by Daniel J. Williams

  "Shawn and I just got back from a gas run," Mace said slowly and deliberately. Gesturing to the right, he said, "We found a good sized shuttle van at a Comfort Suites down the road. We thought we'd use it from here on out. At this point we can all fit in one vehicle."

  Mace's eye twitched as he said the last words, but Bill's face remained calm. Mace continued. "Why don't you pack your stuff in the van and just leave the truck behind. This thing looks like its seen enough miles anyway."

  Bill looked at him seriously. "We both have." He turned and slowly gave the truck a long and sad look over. He remained quiet for a while. "I'll grab my things. I'll catch up in a minute," he whispered as he continued to gaze at the truck.

  Mace nodded, stepping back to turn away.

  "Wait," Bill said before he left.

  They locked eyes for a moment. "Thank you."

  Mace nodded again in understanding.

  Walking up after doing a quick sweep of their location, Shawn looked quickly at both men and said, "It's all clear. They all retreated back to wherever the hell they go." He nodded towards Bill and said solemnly, "Sorry about Mike, man. He was a good kid."

  "Yeah he was," said Bill in agreement.

  Back at the hotel, Lisa talked to Jade with Chelsea glued to her side, continuously looking around in fright. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," she said softly, trying to keep Chelsea from hearing. "It feels like back at the hospital, when it all fell apart."

  Jade took a deep breath, concentrating on Lisa's face, trying to keep it together. "We are almost there. We'll find out real soon if this was worth it. It has to be. You'll see." Glancing at Chelsea, she could see the fear in her eyes from the night before. She felt her heart sink.

  Lisa just shook her head. "I drank the kool aid, too, Jade. We all did. I'm just not so sure anymore. I'm losing hope."

  "It's all we've got left, Lisa. We can't afford to lose it."

  "How can we hold onto hope when there is no meaning anymore? The world has gone certifiably insane." She kept her voice low but her feelings came through strong and clear.

  She squeezed Chelsea’s hand and then reached down and kissed the top of her head. Her voice grew shaky as she looked up and continued, this time no louder than a whisper as Chelsea clutched her leg and concentrated on the door of the motel room to make sure it didn't move. "If anything happens to her I will not live another day, and if they come near her I will take care of both of us. I am done waiting for it to happen."

  Not knowing how to respond, Jade remained silent, sharing a look of quiet desperation. She said a silent prayer for strength.

  Piling the logs on, Yvette wept quietly. Jim had turned very stoic and distant. He and Mike had become good friends in a short period of time and his death was hard to swallow. He said nothing as they worked together. The very air seemed sullen and filled with despair.

  “Why did we have to come here?” he finally said. “We would have had a better shot back at home.”

  Choking back tears, Yvette couldn’t look at him. She felt responsible for their move. They were hours away from Kansas and it had all gone wrong. They could hear moans in the near distance and knew their lives were about as close to death as possible.

  “It was hope,” she said. “We had hope that things would get better.”

  Jim tossed a log on the pile and turned away. “There is no hope,” he said. “Hope is dead.”

  They were all gathered and ready to go an hour later. Melissa coughed softly into her hands in the back of the shuttle as Bill stared out the door at the large funeral pyre that burned the bodies of Mike and the others. The fires burned full and high and he felt empty as he slid the door shut and turned away.

  "Goodbye, son," he said as the van pulled away, pulling out his flask for a deep and desperate slug.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Bo rocked Sarah gently, holding her close as they sat on a bed in their new home on the compound, the top of his head wrapped tightly with gauze. His face was pale and drawn. It was two days after the attack. They had lost eighteen people, including Manny. Nineteen if you counted her unborn child.

  Sarah cried steadily as Bo stroked her hair. "The baby is gone. My baby is gone." Bo stifled back a tear as she sobbed, "Oh my God." She felt like she was going to be sick. She could still see Manny's severed head in her memory and her stomach churned. Right as she struggled to get up to run to the bathroom Manny's head danced around and the beginnings of a new vision stirred in her head. "Not now. Goddamn it, not now!" she said in revulsion and panic.

  "What, what is it?" questioned Bo, as she pushed off him and ran towards the toilet.

  She slammed the door and puke jetted from her throat, splashing all over the bathroom.

  The vision suddenly gripped her, and she grabbed her head, falling to her knees as images quickly streamed through it. Manny's dancing head was replaced by glimpses of people's faces, some shrieking in torment while others laughed with joy. A glowing belly appeared and she realized it wasn’t hers. She vomited again at the realization and more images flooded her mind. An old man stood to the side of her, whispering quickly in her ear and telling her secrets. He disappeared and a child appeared, standing on a mountain, overlooking the world. Flashes of faces and strange buildings appeared one on top of the other until it all went black.

  Bo burst through the bathroom door. He had heard her tumble and knew something had happened. She was on her back on the floor, passed out.

  "Sarah!” He bent over her, checking her pulse, and then lifted her up and carried her to the bed.

  "Are you okay? Sarah!"

  Her pulse was racing and her breath was shallow. All of a sudden her eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath like she'd been underwater. She struggled for a few minutes to get her breathing under control. She looked at Bo and said in amazement, "I saw it! I understand what could happen!"

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The weather was getting worse the further they drove into Kansas and Melissa's cough was getting worse right along with it. She was having long drawn out coughing fits, and as it began to mist outside she was wracked with one so severe Mace pulled the shuttle over so they could take a look at her.

  “I’m fine. Just leave me alone,” she said as Jade moved up next to her.

  “I just want to check your temperature.” Jade felt her forehead and shook her head. Looking up at Mace, she said, “She’s burning up. We’re going to have to find some medicine.”

  “I said I’m fine!” Melissa snapped, pulling away, coughing harder.

  “Just hang on for a little while,” Jade said softly, ignoring the comment. “We’ll be in Overland Park in a few hours. We’ll search for some once we get there.”

  The weather grew continuously worse and the mist turned to rain. Grey clouds overhead darkened considerably and the rain turned into a heavy downpour. They entered Overland Park and weren’t even aware of it.

  “Shit. I can’t keep driving in this. I can’t see a thing,” Mace said as he tried to peer through the windshield. Even with the windshield wipers going full blast he was nearly blinded by the steady pounding of water on glass.

  “We might as well find a place to get out of this for a while,” he said as he took the first exit. It took them down into an industrial area. His foot hit the brake when he saw several infected moving towards a large industrial building ahead. Their clothes had been burned off their bodies and they looked hideous. They entered the building without seeing him. “Damn, keep your eyes peeled. We’ve got activity.”

  Inside the industrial building, the female hissed at the infected as they moved past her. Three burned, walking corpses tingled with anticipation as they drew closer to the liquid vats. It had taken them two days to return, some invisible inner radar leading them on. It was their only focus and only desire. Nothing else mattered.

  Driving slowly through the streets, Mace strained to see through the liquid windshield. He drove on for a few miles through resid
ential streets until he came upon a chain link fence running horizontally at the end of the block and blocking access to the next street. Mace pulled the shuttle slowly forward until it was almost resting against the fence. He put the van in park and exited the vehicle, getting drenched immediately as he looked in both directions at the endless line of fence. Three lines of barbed wire ran across the top, and Mace couldn’t help but wonder why a fence would be erected in the middle of a street.

  He got back in the van and Jade looked bewildered next to him. “What is that? Where are we?”

  “I have no idea,” he said as he ran his fingers through his soaked hair, trying to push the water out. “I’m going to turn around and see where it ends. Something’s going on in there.”

  He did a three point turn and drove block after block until the fence stopped and ran perpendicular to the road. He turned right and drove slowly along the fence line until he spotted a gate up ahead with a guard shack behind it. As he drove up a guard exited the shack wearing a yellow slicker and carrying an M-16 rifle covered in plastic pointing directly at their vehicle. Mace stopped the van, mystified by what they’d found, and everyone began talking at once about the man standing on the other side of the fence.

  A few seconds later a black Ford F-150 pulled up and two more men got out with automatic weapons. They took positions behind the truck, providing cover fire if needed.

  Mace got out of the vehicle slowly and put his hands over his head. He could barely see with the rain pouring down his face. He tried to shrug it off but didn’t want to make any sudden moves.

  “Can I help you?” the guard called out over the rain, pointing the machine gun at Mace’s feet.

  Surprised by the audacity of the question he said, “If you’ve got food, water and heat, hell yeah you could help us.”

  He looked at the gas mask dangling off the guard’s belt and then past the guard at the neighborhood beyond. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a safe haven.” The guard looked past him towards the faces in the van. “How many of you are there?”

  “Eight.”

  Mace looked bewildered and said softly, “How big is this place?”

  The guard ignored the question. “Are you alone?”

  “Yes, just us.”

  ”Has anyone been bit or cut?”

  “No.”

  “Have you come into contact with any undead within the last five days?”

  “Yes.” Mace bit his lip. “We lost 4 members of our party in the last 24 hours. The rest of us are clean though.”

  “Is anyone sick?”

  “We’ve got a kid with a fever. We think she may be coming down with the flu.”

  The guard eyed him suspiciously. “You’re gonna have to be checked before you enter. Just hold on there and we’ll send some people out.”

  He kept his eyes trained on them as he went back to the shack and picked up a walkie-talkie. He came back out a second later.

  Another vehicle approached from inside the compound a few minutes later. There were two men and a woman inside. The guard ran back towards them, sloshing through the rain and said something through their window. The two men from the 4 x 4 kept their guns aimed at the shuttle van. Moving back towards Mace the guard said loudly, “This is our medical crew. They’ll want to give you a full examination. Just follow them once I open the gate.”

  Mace nodded and got back inside the vehicle. He was sopping wet. The guard sloshed over to the gate and pulled it open, shutting it immediately behind them.

  As they entered the compound and began to follow the first vehicle, the 4 x 4 fell in directly behind them. It felt like they had stepped back in time as they drove through the streets. For the most part, the streets were clean, the lawns were all manicured, and amazingly enough, they were passing homes where lights were on.

  “They have electricity!” said Lisa, excited.

  Chelsea, who had been asleep, woke just in time to see a large playground on her left.

  “Mommy! A swing and a slide! We’re here! We’re here!”

  Lisa stayed silent as they drove, unsure of what to think. The only sound in the vehicle came from Melissa, whose sniffles and coughs persistently continued. They passed the bombed out shell of Bo and Sarah’s house and got an uneasy feeling. Passing a few more homes with boarded up windows they couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.

  They drove for several more blocks through residential neighborhoods until they hit a small shopping complex, with a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, an Ace hardware and a medical facility marked Overland Park Urgent Care. They all looked long and hard at the sign.

  “We’re here,” said Mace. “Holy shit. Do you think?” He looked at Jade and she just stared back, stunned. “I have no idea.”

  The car they were following passed the medical facility and Jade said, “Where are they taking us?”

  Mace looked in the rear view mirror at the armed truck behind them and started getting nervous. “I don’t know. They said they were gonna check us out. The urgent care would have made sense to me.”

  They drove slowly back into a residential neighborhood and then turned left, continuing on until they reached a large section of buildings on the outskirts of town. The perimeter of the fence ran behind the buildings.

  “What is this place? Where are we?” There was a tremble to Lisa’s voice. They all felt it.

  “Shit,” said Mace. “Courthouse and jail. What is going on?”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The vehicles stopped in front of the jail and the men in the 4 x 4 were out immediately, pointing their guns at both sides of the van. The one closest to Mace yelled, “I want to see your hands over your heads and no swift movements. You are going to exit out the side of the vehicle and follow the medical personnel into the building. Anyone makes any sudden moves and they will be shot dead.”

  “Oh my God. What is going on?” said Jade.

  Looking at the guard and trying to contain his anger, Mace said, “I don’t know, but let’s just do what they say. I’m going to assume it’s just a precaution.”

  “This is bullshit,” said Shawn from the back. “They don’t need to treat us like criminals.”

  The other guard placed the canister mask over his face before pulling the van’s side door open. He put his hand back on the gun and said loudly through the mask, “C’mon, let’s go! I want to see hands in the air!”

  The rain had let up a little and was no longer coming down in sheets. Lisa and Chelsea were closest to the door. Lisa picked her up in her arms and said angrily to the guard, “You’re scaring my daughter,” as she exited. “We’re no threat to you. This isn’t necessary and my daughter is not going to be treated like some criminal.” Buster immediately jumped over the back luggage area, scaring everyone, and trotted next to Lisa. Seeing the new people, he moved towards the guard happily, sniffing as he went. The guard lowered the gun towards the dog and said, “Keep him back. Don’t make me shoot him.”

  “Don’t you hurt my dog!” yelled Chelsea, squirming in Lisa’s arms. “You leave him alone!” At the sound of Chelsea’s voice, Buster trotted back towards her, still happy as ever. Chelsea looked at the guard and said, “You suck!”

  The guard remained quiet and just pointed to the three medical personnel who were now waiting at the doorway to the jail, wearing surgical masks. They all exited the van slowly, hands raised, and Jim said to Yvette, “Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay,” as they entered the facility. Jade helped Melissa, who was hunched over and weak with fever. Bill was completely worn out and buzzed. He didn’t make a sound.

  Once they were all inside, they were greeted by two more armed men, both wearing canister masks.

  “What the fuck is going on,” said Mace. “Don’t you think this is overkill?”

  One of the men that had been identified as the medical crew spoke up. “This is as much for your protection as ours,” he said through the mask. “Just do as you’re told and we’ll ge
t this over with as quickly as possible.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” said Shawn, staring at all the guns that surrounded them. “What do you plan on doing with us?”

  “We’re going to have to keep you isolated for a few days. The girl there, the one who's sick. She’s going to have to come with us.”

  “What are you going to do with her?” asked Jade, concerned.

  “Get her medical attention. The rest of you will be taken good care of until we are assured there are no complications.”

  Yvette leaned into Jim, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “Don’t worry. It’s just a precaution. Just like Mace said,” he whispered back. He hoped he was right.

  The woman from the medical crew tried to gently remove Melissa, saying, “It’s alright. We’re going to take you to a place where we can take better care of you.”

  Melissa pulled back. “No,” she said weakly. “Just leave me alone. I don’t want to go.”

  The woman pulled on her a little harder and Jade said, “It’s okay, Melissa, just go with her. You’ll be okay.”

  Melissa put up no more resistance and they left out the front of the building, with one of the armed guards following.

  “If you’ll come with me,” the man said, “We’ll get you all situated.”

  They walked through another corridor until they came to a row of jail cells. “My name is Dr. Harman. I am the chief medical officer for the compound. Please forgive the intrusion but we’re going to have to keep you separated.”

  “What?” said Mace, moving towards him in anger.

  One of the guards yelled, “Don’t move!” Pointing the gun at Mace’s chest, he said to one of the other men. “Check them for weapons.” Mace lowered his head, trying to keep his cool as the other guard frisked him, pulling out the 9mm tucked behind his back.