Dead Team Alpha (Book 2): The Stronghold

by Jake Bible

  “Shit, Santiago, I’m sorry to hear that,” Val says. “Yeah, let’s get you guys out of there. Sister? You got this one?”

  “Latch is all shit fucked, but I can get it,” Sister says.

  “We shot the locks to keep the cannies from getting us,” Henshaw says. “They still got most of us.”

  Sister only nods as she yanks a heavy pipe from a dead man’s hands and then brings it down hard on the trolley’s warped latch.

  “But not all of you,” Sister says. “So you win.”

  TL Henshaw cautiously steps out of the trolley and eyes Sister.

  “Team Leader Allison Henshaw,” Sister states.

  “How do you know my first name?” the second woman snaps.

  “I knew your great—” Sister starts to answer then clamps her mouth closed. “I’m, uh, a spy. Yeah. That’s how I know. Spy stuff.”

  “Val? We cool with this woman?” Henshaw asks.

  “As cool as we can get,” Val replies as she manages to break the latch on the other trolley.

  Billy and Santiago climb out of the trolley. They stretch and then turn back to help the third man out. The third man is holding his arm close to his chest, a heavy, blood-soaked bandage wrapped around most of it.

  “Bite?” Sister asks, shifting her focus to the third man.

  “Yes,” Henshaw says. “And he’s coming with. We’ll let Commander Lee and Dr. Terlington decide when he needs to be dealt with. I’ve lost too many people today to put him down out here.”

  “Okay,” Sister says. “But he rides in back and if he turns then he dies. Right, Val?”

  Val scrunches her face up with a look of pure distaste, but nods. “Yes. He can ride back with us and I’ll handle him if he turns.”

  “Thanks, Val,” Team Mate Scotty Kurowski says. “I appreciate that.”

  “Least I can do,” Val says. “Sorry you got bit, Scotty. Sucks you went from gate guard to Mate and now have to deal with this.”

  “We all know the risks,” Scotty says, shrugging. He flinches and takes a deep breath, holding his arm tighter to his chest. “I’m just glad I can say goodbye to some folks before I get the ice pick to the temple.”

  “Shut up about that,” Val says. “Hamish will make that call.”

  “And ice picks are inefficient,” Sister says. “You need a good blade or you risk not getting the job done.”

  She gives Scotty a thumbs up then turns back to the Mates busy clearing the road.

  “Come on!” she shouts. “I can hear the herd! We load up and move out in five!”

  Henshaw starts to ask Val a question, but stops as Val shakes her head.

  “On the ride,” Val says. “Trust me.”

  Chapter Seven- Home Is Where The Huey Is

  The guards at the main gate to the Stronghold stare with their mouths hanging open as the diesel truck rumbles up to them. The sight is so foreign that it isn’t until the vehicle is halfway up from the former outer gate that they think to raise their weapons and hold out hands to halt the truck’s progress.

  On either side of the road that leads to the Stronghold’s gate, lay the ruins of what had once been the outer settlement of the survivor pocket that was Boulder, Colorado. Most of the residents had lived inside the secure walls of the Stronghold, but those with more independent spirits, or foolish spirits depending on who was asked, decided they couldn’t handle being walled up and had populated the many neighborhoods that had surrounded the former University of Colorado campus.

  But all of that was lost when the Code Monkeys sent a massive herd of Zs up the turnpike as a deadly distraction to their own attack. In all fairness to the Zs, it was members of the Stronghold that had pressed the buttons, detonating hundreds of pounds of explosives set throughout the outer neighborhoods, burning all of the houses down to their foundations in order to stop the Z herd.

  Now those foundations lay there, scorched and empty, skeletons of life and hopeful living.

  The truck slows to a stop and the driver’s side window rolls down. Sister unlatches the grate that protects her window and shoves it aside so she can lean out and give the guards a big, wicked smile.

  “Those are some impressive hands,” Sister says, nodding to the two men’s outstretched palms giving her the universal sign for stop. “In the future, which there won’t be, but could be, but probably not, you should lead with your weapons. Better safe than sorry when an armored and geared out truck comes rollin’ up on ya.”

  “Who are you?” one of the guards yells, taking Sister’s advice and switching his focus from his hand to his rifle. “State your name and business or turn around and return the way you came.”

  “Oh, that way is no good,” Sister says. “Whole shit ton of Zs blocking it.”

  “It’s good, Trey,” Val says as she shoves the cage hatch open and stands up. “She’s with the Teams. Got our asses out of Denver.”

  “That place is lost,” Alastair says, joining Val. Diaz gives a wave of his hand out of the cage, but doesn’t stand.

  The passenger’s side window rolls down and the grate is shoved open as well. Cole sticks his head out and gives a thumbs up to the guards.

  “Let us in, boys,” Cole orders. “We have to get to Commander Lee ASAP. We are on full alert as of this second.”

  “We’re already on full alert,” one of the guards, Trey, responds. “We all saw the line of pyres before they were snuffed out.”

  “You did?” Cole asks. He opens his door and steps out. The guards flinch and Cole frowns. “What the hell? If you saw all the pyres then why are there only two of you on duty?”

  “Commander Lee wanted all hands on deck,” the other guard replies. “We’re packing up the Stronghold. Getting ready to move.”

  “Move?” Cole asks. “Move where?”

  “Into the real Stronghold,” Sister says. “Lee knows it’s over. She should have waited until I told her for sure, but she isn’t wrong so…” She shrugs and waves at Cole. “Get in and I’ll drive us through.”

  “Real Stronghold?” Cole asks. “What does that mean?”

  “You can’t bring that in here,” Trey says.

  “Want to watch me?” Sister smirks.

  “No, I mean, there’s nowhere for it to go,” Trey explains. “The streets are being barricaded and blocked off. Commander Lee is expecting an attack soon after seeing the pyres. She wants to slow down the herd as much as possible. Says we’ll need the time.”

  Cole looks at Sister. “Need the time for what? And answer my question, what is the real Stronghold?”

  “Commander Lee can explain that,” Sister says as she hops out of the truck. She tosses the keys to Trey and grins. “It’s yours now. Feel free to drive it around until the Zs show up. It’s fun.”

  “I…I don’t know how to drive,” Trey says.

  “That’s just stupid,” Sister says. “Everyone should know how to drive. So many cars in the world. So many fun, fun cars.”

  The Mates unload from the truck, and Alastair and Diaz get back to carrying Tiny D’s stretcher. The guards watch with dawning realization that the group is made up of the remnants from fractured Teams.

  “What the hell happened down there?” Trey asks.

  “Bad shit, man,” Diaz says as they walk past him and towards the huge gate protecting the Stronghold from the horrors of the wasteland. “Really bad shit.”

  ***

  “I want Val with us,” Sister says as she walks into the hospital room where Cole and DTA stand, all eyes on the sleeping form of Tiny D. “She needs to be part of this.”

  “And why is that?” Cole asks, his eyes going from Sister to Val and back. “She’s not a TL. I think Stanford and I can handle the briefing with Commander Lee on our own.” He looks at his watch. “She should be ready for us now if the council members have finally left.”

  “Val’s mom died helping set this up,” Sister says and walks out of the room.

  Val’s mouth drops open, but she snaps it shut
instantly as she sees the look of confusion, then suspicion, on Cole’s face.

  “I have no fucking clue what she’s talking about,” Val says before Cole can even pose the question.

  “You sure?” Cole asks. He studies her face. “You have a look, Val. I know that look. You may not know exactly what she means, but you know something.”

  “Jesus! Come on!” Sister snaps, ducking her head back in the room. “Bunch of old ladies in here, standing around and jabbering and chatting. Pull your granny panties out of your ass cracks and let’s get a move on, people!”

  Then she’s gone.

  “You guys have fun with that,” Alastair says. “Diaz and I have this. If anything changes, we’ll send a Runner to find you, TL.”

  “Hamish will be by soon,” Val says to Alastair. “Tell him I had to go talk to my aunt, will you?”

  “Will do,” Alastair nods.

  “Don’t know what you see in that nerd,” Diaz says. “A Mate like you should get a real man.”

  “So everyone thinks,” Val says, “and has no problem telling me. Hamish and I have been together most of our lives. I love the man and he loves me. So shut the fuck up.”

  “Hey, just saying that he’s not up to your standards, Val,” Diaz says, his hands up. “But if you love soft men then you love soft men.”

  “Fuck and you,” Val says.

  “Come on,” Cole says, pulling at Val’s arm. “I think I hear Sister freaking people out down the hall.”

  “Tell Hamish where I went,” Val warns, her eyes deadly serious.

  “No problem,” Diaz says as Val and Cole leave. As soon as they are gone, he looks at Alastair. “We going to tell him?”

  “Nah,” Alastair replies, grinning from ear to ear. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  ***

  The scene in the streets of the Stronghold is one of controlled and organized chaos. Residents hurry in one direction pushing carts and wagons loaded with supplies and personal belongings. Every few yards, a volunteer stands trying to keep people from pushing and shoving, trying to keep the peace that threatens to shatter at any second.

  “Where are they all going?” Cole asks.

  “No idea,” Val says.

  “The real Stronghold,” Sister says. “I already told you that. Pay attention. Don’t be stupid.”

  “No, you said…” Cole starts to argue then shakes his head and gives up. “Never mind.”

  “Keep moving, people!” a man hollers at the crowd. “Keep it moving! You’ll get instructions when you reach the Gym! Don’t get comfortable because we’ll be hiking after that!”

  “Dad?” Val asks, stopping short as she recognizes the volunteer. “What the hell?”

  “There’s my little girl,” Collin Baptiste says as he turns to his daughter’s voice. “How is my Valencia Stella Baptiste today?”

  “Are you high?” Val asks, getting close to her father so she can inspect his pupils. “You don’t stink like hooch, so I know you’re not drunk.”

  “Nope, baby, not high,” Collin replies. “Just happy to help.”

  Val looks over her shoulder at Cole and he shrugs, nodding at an impatient Sister.

  “Don’t look at me,” he says. “I’m going to get the nervous-looking killer over to Commander Lee. Meet us there ASAP. I don’t think your aunt is in the waiting mood.”

  “You can say that for sure,” Collin responds. “She’s busting balls, cracking heads, and—”

  “Tweaking nipples?” Sister asks. “Once you bust balls and crack heads then there’s really just tweaking nipples left. Unless you break bones, but that’s not a thing.”

  “And tweaking nipples is?” Collin asks. He nudges Val with his elbow. “So, who’s your sexy, older lady friend there, Val? I knew you were on a mission, but I didn’t know it was to bring a fine piece like this back.”

  “Oh, my God, you are gross,” Val says. “Maybe scratch your nuts and fart next time you want to be this disgusting.”

  “He’s high,” Sister says. “But not wrong. I am a sexy piece.”

  “Come on,” Cole says to Sister. “We’ll leave the Baptiste drama to the Baptistes.”

  “I knew a Baptiste once,” Sister says. “He was a wonderful man. Great in the sack. We broke up because I had to keep leaving. But he found a really nice lady and that’s how these two eventually came about. Ah, those were the days.”

  Collin’s smile falters and he narrows his eyes.

  “Who did you say this woman was?” he asks Val, his voice suddenly cold.

  “Excuse me,” a woman with a wheelbarrow full of blankets asks as she pulls up next to Collin. “Do you know if—?”

  “Not now, Bitsy,” Collin snaps. “Go ask someone that gives a shit.”

  “And there’s my real dad,” Val says. “Didn’t take long for him to come back.”

  “Who is this, Valencia?” Collin asks. “Where the hell did you find this woman? She’s not some wasteland trash you rescued, is she?”

  “I could be,” Sister says. “I’ve been called worse.”

  She sighs and rubs at her face. One of her radiation sores breaks and a clear liquid starts to ooze from it. She swears and wipes the ooze from her cheek before turning back to Collin.

  “Collin Baptiste, you disappoint me,” Sister says. “You had promise when you were little. You had promise when you married Molly. You even had promise when Molly got sick. I thought you’d get stronger, use your life to help and be a proud member of your bloodline. I know some ghosts are rolling in their graves that an ass like you is even still allowed to live here. Keep your nose clean or I’ll make sure that when those doors slam shut and lock, you are standing on the wrong side of them.”

  “Who are you?” Collin hisses as if Sister didn’t just give him a seriously condescending lecture. “Do I know you? I do, don’t I. I’ve seen you before.”

  “Maybe,” Sister says. “Probably. But it doesn’t matter anymore.” She points at the crowd of people moving, moving, moving past them. “Do your job and answer questions. Keep telling them to move along. Get them into the Stronghold and then pray I don’t put a bug in your sister’s ear and get you tossed out on your butt.”

  Sister grabs Cole and yanks him away from the Baptistes.

  “I guess we’re going now,” Cole says, looking very confused and shocked. “Uh. Don’t take too long, Val.”

  “Not planning on it,” Val says. Once they are a few yards away, she whirls on her father. “You said you weren’t high? She says you are. What are you on?”

  “Maybe some fermented aspen bark,” Collin answers. “Cranky worked up a batch last month and it was ready today so he let me have a taste. It’s not strong, just enough to take the edge off.”

  “What edge, Dad?” Val snaps. “You work on the sanitation crew. Since when does digging latrine ditches count as an edge?”

  “You don’t know what’s going on, Val,” Collin says. “My sister is not talking to me. She’s been hiding something big.” He waves his arms around at the moving crowd. “And here it is. But none of us know what ‘it’ is.”

  “Well, I’m about to find out,” Val says. “Get back to work and I’ll come find you when I can.”

  “Sure thing,” Collin says. “But before you go, answer my question. Who was that old broad?”

  “I’m not sure,” Val says. “But she’s important. And tough as nails. The woman is a stone cold killer so if you run into her again, be nice and keep your stupid mouth shut or she’ll slice your lips off. I’m not kidding, Dad. That woman will slice your fucking lips off.”

  A few people turn to look at the Baptistes and frown at Val’s words.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Hoffstein,” Val says. “I got carried away.”

  “Just mind your own fucking business, people!” Collin snaps.

  “Jesus, Dad,” Val growls. “Listen I have to go. I’ll find you later. Try to be sober so we can talk. Things are moving fast and I don’t know what I’ll be doing next.”


  “You’ll be stepping through the Stronghold doors with me, is what you’ll be doing next,” Collin says.

  “Yeah, I don’t even know what the hell that means,” Val says. “We’ll talk later.”

  “When we do, Val, you’ll tell me all about that crazy-looking woman,” Collin says, jabbing a finger in her direction. “I know I’ve seen her before, but I don’t know where.”

  “She’s nothing you need to be concerned about,” Val responds. “Just do what you’re supposed to do and try to stay out of trouble.”

  Collin gives her a wink and two very sarcastic thumbs up. Val flips him off and then turns to hurry after Cole and Sister.

  ***

  Val knocks softly and opens the door before anyone can answer.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she says as she squeezes into Commander Lee’s crowded office. “My dad.”

  “No more explanation needed,” Commander Lee says from her chair behind her desk. “You have already wasted too many words on my inebriate of a brother.”

  “Inebriate,” Sister snickers from her place against the wall. “That’s a funny word.”

  “Take a seat, Mate Baptiste,” Commander Lee orders, motioning to the last open chair in the room.

  The other chairs are occupied by Cole Wright, Stanford Lee, Allison Henshaw, and Oscar Santiago. Sister leans against the office wall behind them looking amused.

  “No one from DTB3?” Val asks. “We thought we saw Fitzpatrick on a water tower back in Denver, but there was no way to get to her.”

  “We haven’t heard anything from DTB3,” Commander Lee responds. “And TL Wright has already given me a full report. As have all the TLs. Take your seat Mate Baptiste and just listen. You are here because Ms—” Commander Lee clears her throat. “You are here becauseSister has asked that you be here. But this is a meeting for TLs, so do not interrupt.”

  “Sorry,” Val says and takes her seat quickly. “I’ll only speak if I’m asked a question.”

  “Thank you,” Commander Lee says. She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. “When I saw the pyres I knew it was time so I have already had this discussion with the council. You’ve seen the residents packing and hauling belongings and supplies, so you know we’re moving everyone to a more secure location.”