"Yes, I see. You know, we're aware of alphas," he said. "At the facility, we monitor all the information we can, try to learn as much as we can. There've been a handful of reports on these alphas from different parts of the world. They seem to be quite dangerous."
"They are," I told him.
He studied me closely for a few moments. "I think you may have been very lucky where this alpha was concerned. "
"Yes. I know."
Then he raised his eyebrows. "So you have a gun?"
"Not anymore. I lost it this morning."
"Oh, that's too bad. How did you lose it?"
"I dropped it and couldn't go back for it."
Melzer looked at me thoughtfully. "You know. It's entirely possible this alpha is stalking you."
"Yes, I'm aware."
"I suspect you've made a life-long enemy."
"I suppose so."
"Well, fortunately, he won't be able to stalk you where we're going. You and Sarah and Becky will be safe at the complex."
I couldn't seem to get a handle on Melzer. I had no real feel for who he was. He had remained as pleasant and amiable as ever, but I didn't trust him. And he seemed more than a civilian consultant, though I still didn't see him as a whistle blower. He just didn't seem the type. And even if he had been, what difference would it make?
I decided to change the dynamic, see if I could draw him out and get a feel for him. "You have access to a lot more information than I do. There seems to be different ideas about who was responsible for the attacks. Who do you think is responsible?"
"Hmm. That's a good question, Jake. There is a lot of conflicting information out there." Melzer paused thoughtfully and seemed to be weighing how to respond. "Keep in mind, you can't believe everything you hear or read.
"The truth is, I don't have any idea who was behind the attacks. But I don't think it's relevant at this point. The die has been cast. There's no going back. What's important now is what we choose to do about the situation we've found ourselves in. The human race can continue to stumble about as it has for thousands of years or we can come together to create the best possible future for ourselves.
"As far as who was behind the attacks, I'll say this. People are going to believe what they want to believe. They'll find whatever shred of evidence they can to validate their beliefs about the attacks. Some will believe terrorists were behind the attacks, others will believe the attacks were the result of some kind of conspiracy. They'll cling to those beliefs because it's what they do. In the end, there will never be any real consensus as to what happened."
Then he went on. "Again," he began. "The important thing is what we choose to do now. There's no question this has been... and still is... a terrible tragedy. But it will run its course. And then what?" And he raised his hands in a questioning gesture. Then Melzer answered his own question. "This can be an opportunity. A defining moment. A chance to come together and create something extraordinary from the ashes. Maybe this time we can get it right." He paused and watched me closely as if he were gauging my reactions to what he was saying. And then he went on. "I take it you're familiar with the story of the Tower of Babel?"
I nodded affirmatively.
He chuckled for a moment. "Don't get me wrong, Jake. No one has ever accused me of being a religious man. And for good reason. But there's a powerful allegorical message held within the Tower of Babel story. As I'm sure you're aware, the Tower of Babel is a metaphor. The tower itself represents man's aspiration to ascend to the heavens, to achieve extraordinary things, to rise to the level of the gods. Certainly, I think, a worthy pursuit. And while they had a singular purpose, which is always necessary to achieve great things, the timing wasn't right. Not then." He paused for effect. "There is a right time for everything."
Melzer spoke in a scholarly, philosophical tone. But behind it, I sensed an edge of repressed excitement bubbling to the surface. He could hardly restrain his excitement.
"As the story goes," he continued. "God, in his infinite wisdom, scattered the human race through a confusion of tongues. The people lost their ability to communicate and work together. Most importantly, they lost their singular purpose and were scattered to the ends of the earth. And while the Tower of Babel is just a story, the confusion of tongues accurately represents human reality.
"There's a direct correlation between the confusion of tongues and humanity's never-ending fascination with self-interest, what you might call the human ego. The ego is humanity's curse and is the root of all chaos and confusion in the world. Look around you. We live in a world fully invested in chaos and greed and self-fulfillment. Every ounce of human misery is self-inflicted. Human beings are constantly pitting themselves against one another. Even the threat of extinction hasn't been able to bring the human race together."
Melzer smiled sardonically and shook his head in bewilderment. He seemed bitterly amused by human folly.
If I were correctly reading the meaning behind Melzer's discourse, he seemed to believe the human race was better off being decimated by the apocalypse because it could lead to a new beginning and the possibility of a better world, as if all that were needed was to hit a reset button and everything would work out fine.
"People are willing to come together when they have a common interest. And now they do." He spoke hurriedly now as if he couldn't wait to get his discourse over with. "People want to survive. And when they're desperate enough, they won't care who was behind the attacks. They'll want us to keep them safe. That's all they'll care about. Then they'll be ready to come together because there'll be no other choice. They'll know the only way to survive will be to work together. It will be a start. And that's all that's needed."
Melzer stopped talking and seemed to be waiting for a response, but there was nothing I could say.
"There's a reason why I've told you these things, Jake. This is only the second time I've spoken to anyone about these things. I don't know if you grasp the meaning of what I've been saying. But I thought it important you know the reason why you're likely to die today."
Melzer abruptly stood up and pushed his chair back in its place. "I apologize for lying to you. I'm afraid you and your friends aren't safe, and you won't be going with us. It's unfortunate this hasn't worked out. Becky would have been perfect for what we had in mind. But we'll find someone else. I can only wish the three of you good luck. I'm afraid you're going to need it."
I could feel my face blanch white and I sat motionless in the chair.
Melzer stood behind his chair, watching me. He seemed to be ruminating over something, and then he came out with it. "I got careless today," he said, clearly feeling uncomfortable. And he seemed embarrassed by his self-admission, possibly even contrite. "That was my fault, my mistake. I take full responsibility for it."
Then he walked away.
Chapter 18 – Redemption
I listened as Melzer opened the stairwell door. I could hear him start up the steps, and I heard the airy exhale of the pneumatic hinge as the door inched its way shut.
I wondered what I should do.
I was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. Melzer was the voice on the recording. There was no doubt about that now. Otherwise, everything would have been fine and we would have been heading to the complex in the morning. It crossed my mind he planned to kill us. I kept telling myself he wouldn't, but I couldn't trust that he wouldn't. He did say I was "likely" to die today. But didn't that leave open the possibility that I might not?
Then I realized Sarah and Becky were in the same boat. He had included them in his threat. He'd said, "you and your friends aren't safe." But I couldn't imagine him ordering Alvaro or Coleman to kill Sarah and Becky. Maybe he would simply leave us here. If he did, there was enough food and supplies to last us a while. But if I was likely to die today as he said, then it didn't make sense that he would simply leave us here. It had to be something else. Whatever it might be, I couldn't wait around. I had to decide what to do and it had to
be soon.
I got up from the chair still trying to decide what to do. Then I heard the stairwell door open and I froze. I had my hand on the back of the chair and I listened closely. After a few seconds, I heard another door open, a door close by. I knew it had to either be Sarah and Becky's room or mine.
I took my hiking shoes off and walked quietly to the cafeteria door, carrying my shoes with me. The floor was linoleum and my shoes had squeaked on it earlier. I peeked around the edge of the door frame. The door to my room was cracked open several inches and someone was in the room.
If they were there to kill me, they would have already been out of the room and been off trying to track me down. I thought they must have been searching for the gun I'd told Melzer about. It would be the smart thing to do—make sure I didn't have a gun.
I could hear the murmuring of the infected outside. The crowd of infected around the building was growing.
Alvaro came out of the room and was stuffing something into one of the oversized pockets in the front of his cargo pants. I stepped back out of sight. I could hear him heading in the direction of the back door.
I thought it was good news. If they meant to kill us, they likely would have done so already. I couldn't see any reason for them to put it off. On the other hand, I couldn't see them letting us go either. And then a new thought entered my mind and it chilled me to the bone. What if they forced us outside and gave us up to the infected?
I had to do something. Alvaro had to be close to the back door by now, and I wondered if his instructions were to guard the back door and keep us from leaving. It made sense. I walked out of the cafeteria and crept over to one of the windows on the street side wall to see how many infected were out on the street.
The windows were long and narrow and nearly four feet up from the floor. They were heavily tinted and I doubted the infected could see inside, but I wouldn't take any chances. I looked out the bottom corner of a window from an angle and could see a number of them milling about in the street. Then I positioned myself on the other side of the window to get a more comprehensive view. There had to be at least thirty of them out on the street. And I knew there'd be more in the front of the building and in the back parking lot.
I heard the light squeal of an office chair caster as Alvaro dragged a chair with him. He had to be camping out at the back door. If we wanted to leave, we'd have to somehow get by him. I silently crossed the carpeted floor and made my way to my room to figure out what Alvaro had taken. None of the vertical hallways lined up directly with the back door, so I knew Alvaro wouldn't see me.
The contents of my backpack littered the couch. He had removed everything. He'd left the desk drawers and the file cabinets drawers open. He'd obviously been looking for the gun. It didn't take long for me to realize my iPad and iPhone were missing. Everything else was still there, including my bat. I was surprised Alvaro hadn't taken it. But I could understand them not being too concerned about me or my bat. They had real weapons.
I put my hiking shoes back on and repacked all my stuff. I wanted to be ready to go in case we had an opportunity. I set the bat next to me on the couch. I thought about waking Sarah and telling her what was going on, but I was hesitant. I didn't know how she would take the news or if she'd even believe me. I'm sure she thought everything was fine.
Something else kept nagging at me. What was the purpose of the recording? Misinformation? Or were they trying to make a scapegoat out of Francis Copeland? The only thing I felt sure of was that Melzer or whoever he worked for weren't trying to expose a conspiracy. At the very least they had prior knowledge of the attack, regardless of who might have been behind it—terrorists of one stripe or another. I never suspected Melzer of being behind the attacks. People who were behind terrorist attacks rarely got their hands dirty; that honor usually fell to foot soldiers, those willing to die for a cause. But I didn't see Melzer as a foot soldier either. He was more likely a cog in the machinery. Middle management perhaps. And if that were the case, the agenda he followed wasn't necessarily his own. I doubted those he worked for shared his utopian vision for what was left of the human race. In the end, I had no idea what Melzer and those he worked for were up to, and I likely never would.
And then I wondered how much of the recording was based on fact. Some of it had to have been. But how much? Couching lies in the truth was a great way to hide them. I thought the recording might be a kind of shell game like Three-card Monte. A misdirection of sorts. I didn't know what their agenda was, but I believed Melzer and those he worked for were opportunists of one ilk or another, whether they were behind the attacks or not. I knew Melzer was right about one thing. There would never be a consensus as to who was behind the attacks.
I needed to focus on getting us out of there alive, and I needed to talk to Sarah. I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. And then I heard a smooth, metallic droning sound somewhere off in the building. I soon realized it was the elevator. But why would anyone be using the elevator? It made no sense. The infected outside would likely hear it. Then again, maybe that's what they wanted.
I slipped into my backpack and grabbed the bat. For once, the bat didn't give me much comfort. I was no match for Alvaro or Coleman. I would have to avoid a confrontation with them at all costs. I knew if I ran into them, it wouldn't end well for me. I opened the door enough to slide through and then I looked toward the back of the room. I couldn't see Alvaro. The cubicles effectively blocked the view of the back door, and I knew Alvaro had no angle to see me either.
I closed the door silently behind me and walked the few steps it took to get to Sarah and Becky's door. I stood there a few moments but didn't hear a thing inside their room. They had to be sleeping. The soft drone of the elevator came to a stop. I turned the door knob slowly and eased into their room. Sarah and Becky were curled up together on one of the couches. Becky lay facing the back of the couch and Sarah was behind her. Sarah was awake and turned her head to look at me.
I closed the door quietly and walked over and sat on the edge of the couch opposite them.
Sarah gave me a surprised look. "Was that the elevator?" she whispered.
"Yes, I think so."
She rolled over all the way in order to face me. "What's going on?" she asked, speaking in a hushed tone.
Before I could answer her, I thought I heard a sudden, discernible spike in the sounds coming from the infected. The sounds were muted by the air conditioning and I knew it could have been my imagination. I was on edge and feeling paranoid.
"I think they're going to leave us here," I blurted out.
"What?" she asked, and she turned her head in the direction of the sounds that seemed to be coming from the front of the building. Sarah must have heard them too.
I wasn't sure how to explain things to her. "Lukas Melzer isn't who we think he is. He may be involved in the attacks in some way."
"What? That doesn't make sense." She said it with conviction as if it were a fact. "Mr. Melzer works with Homeland Security. How could he be a part of this?" She looked at me as if I were crazy. Becky stirred slightly behind her and Sarah quietly stroked her back. It was clear Sarah didn't want to let go of the belief we would be leaving the valley and that she and her daughter would be safe.
The elevator started to move again and Sarah had a puzzled look on her face. She had to know something wasn't right.
"He told me we weren't going with them, and then he told me we weren't safe." I left out the part about Melzer telling me I would likely die today.
"Why would he do that?" she asked.
I lowered my voice even further. "Do you remember when he said we were all humans and that we all share this planet, and that we had to work together as if we were all part of one family?"
"Yes. I remember."
But before I could respond, the elevator stopped again. It couldn't have moved more than one floor. Sarah sat up, careful not to disturb Becky. Her face was tight with concentration.
"It was almost w
ord for word the same thing I'd heard on a whistle blower recording about a week ago. The voice was disguised, but I'm sure it was him. When he said it today, I hesitated drinking my Coke. I stopped raising the can halfway to my mouth. He must have noticed. And he must have realized I'd heard the recording."
"But they need Becky," Sarah protested.
"He said they'd find someone else," I told her.
I looked down at the floor, afraid to look Sarah in the eye.
"You're sure about this, Jake?"
"Yes."
"What are we going to do?"
This was the hardest part of all for me, because I had no idea what we should do. With Alvaro guarding the back door, we couldn't leave, and even if he weren't there, the building was surrounded by the infected. We were trapped and Alvaro and Coleman were well-armed.
The door to the stairwell creaked open. Sarah's eyes grew wide and she craned her head to listen. I eased my backpack off and grabbed the bat. I gripped the bat handle tightly and faced the door, ready to spring if the need arose. A shadowy silhouette passed by the opaque windows. It was impossible to tell who it was.
After he'd passed by, I whispered to Sarah, "I don't think they plan on harming us. But they've got something in mind."
"What do you think they'll do?"
"Maybe they'll just leave us to the infected. There's a group of them outside. They've surrounded the building." And while I was hesitant, I knew I had to tell her. "The one who grabbed Becky is out there too. He's the same one who killed Raj this morning."
I hadn't said anything to Sarah about the Swimmer killing Raj and she looked surprised at the news but not frightened by it. She looked resolved and had the same look of determination I'd seen over the past few days. I knew Sarah wouldn't go quietly into the night.
"But there's plenty of food and the infected can't get in. Right?"
"Yes, that's true. But I don't think Melzer plans on just leaving us here. They have something in mind. I just don't know what."
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