Caldera 9: From The Ashes

by Stallcup, Heath

  She averted her eyes and gave him a slight shake of the head. “Bad dreams.”

  Simon pushed himself up to a seated position and eyed her cautiously. “About the before?”

  She nodded, still not meeting his gaze.

  Simon rubbed at his stubbled chin then pushed himself up to shaky legs. He held his good hand out for her and she stood beside him. He turned and walked to the front of the store, his feet just behind the bright line of sunshine.

  He slowly extended his hand into the light and waited for his flesh to burn. He could feel his skin warm, and he knew something was wrong. He stepped into the sun and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the light to cause him to run back, screaming.

  He felt only warmth.

  Simon turned and gave her a long, solemn stare. “You remember, don’t you?”

  She shrugged. “Bits and pieces.”

  Simon stepped closer and cupped her face. “You remember more than bits and pieces.” He wiped a tear from her cheek and pulled her gently to him. “Whatever makes us Quee is wearing off, isn’t it?”

  She nodded against his chest.

  “That’s why the other women left. They remembered.” She gave him a slight shrug but he knew. He could feel it in his bones.

  Simon stepped back from her and sighed heavily. “I’m remembering the before, too.” He stared at her face and could almost see his ex in her eyes. Part of him wanted to dive head first into a whiskey bottle and forget her all over again.

  She stepped closer and turned him slightly, checking his wound. “We need to dress that.”

  He stared at her as she disappeared into the shadows of the store and for a brief moment, he lost her in the darkness. He blinked rapidly, trying to peer past the shadows but his night vision was fading.

  She reappeared a moment later carrying a small first aid kit. “I remembered what this was for.” She gave him a weak smile as she led him to the register.

  She helped him pull his shirt over his head then she cleaned the wound with a saline solution. “You’re not gonna lick it this time?” He shot her a twisted smile.

  She shook her head and pushed the memory from her mind. “I think this is more sanitary.” She smiled slightly and continued to wipe away the crusted blood then reached for the alcohol. She paused and gave him a sideways look. “Alcohol or peroxide?”

  He shrugged. “They’ll both hurt.”

  She nodded and twisted the lid off the peroxide. “This won’t hurt as bad.” She poured it over the open wound and he hissed, fighting the urge to swing his arm away.

  The wound foamed and a reddish yellow tint boiled to the surface. “It’s getting infected.”

  He nodded, already suspecting the worst. He looked away as she poured another stream of peroxide. “At this rate, my fighters will all bail on me.”

  “Some already have.” She glanced up at him, half expecting him to rant. He remained calm, his mind working around the problem.

  “Who’s left?”

  “Most of the old folks. A couple of the hunters, but they’re starting to remember, too.” She wiped the excess away and placed a pad of gauze over the wound. “I doubt any will be left after tomorrow.”

  Simon looked down at her and even with her head nearly bald and her skin still pale, she had remarkable features. Her eyes seemed almost exotic to him as she focused on dressing his arm.

  “Why are you still here?”

  She fought a small smile. “I believe you said that I was yours now.” She glanced up at him, raising a brow. “Or have you changed your mind?”

  Simon watched her wrap more gauze around his arm then tape it. He fought back a grin as he lifted her chin. “I think I’ll keep you around a while longer.”

  She returned the grin then reached for an ACE bandage. “This will keep the gauze in place and keep dirt out.” She began to wrap and he winced at the pressure.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  She shrugged slightly. “I remember doing this, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t remember everything yet.” She stepped back and gave him an approving look. “I think you’ll live.”

  “If I don’t get gangrene.” He tried to work his arm and froze. “I think the bone is shattered.”

  Her eyes widened and she reached out and gently took his arm. “I can’t know for sure without an…” She paused, her mind searching. “A…picture…of the inside.”

  He nodded. “X-ray.”

  “Right.” She slowly bent his arm, twisting slightly as she did. He winced but allowed her to continue. “How bad does that hurt?”

  “If you were a man, I’d punch your lights out,” he spoke through clenched teeth. “It hurts like hell.”

  She nodded and let his arm go. “I don’t think it’s broken, but there may be chips of bone. It just depends on where the bullet went.”

  He stepped back and reached for his shirt. She took it from him and helped him pull it back over his head. He glanced down at the rags she wore, her breasts mostly exposed. He looked over his shoulder and suddenly wasn’t cool with the idea that the hunters could see his woman in this state.

  “I need to get you clothes.”

  She pulled the tattered remains over her front and tied some loose ends together. “In time.” She stepped back and gave him a composed stare. “First we have to figure out how to finish your mission.”

  He raised a brow at her. “My mission?”

  She nodded as she gathered the things from the first aid kit. “Killing the…cagers?”

  He nodded. “I was a biker. People who drive cars are cagers. They’re cagers.”

  She nodded. “Your band of merry men are quickly disappearing.”

  Simon sighed again and leaned against the checkout counter. “What do you suggest?”

  She glanced out the window and rapidly fading sunlight. “Use them now. While you have them.”

  Simon glanced at the wounded and weary Quee. He slowly shook his head. “No.” He turned back to her and gave her a lopsided smile. “I have a better idea.”

  “What’s that?” She tucked the first aid kit under her arm and turned to face him.

  “Wait until we have our wits back. Completely. Then figure out a way to burn them to the ground without killing off the rest of my…” He stopped and shook his head. “I was going to say my army. They aren’t my army any longer.”

  “Use them while they still are.”

  He shook his head again. “I’d be sending them to their deaths.” He inhaled deeply and released it slowly, the gears in his head turning. “No. The handful that are left couldn’t do any real damage. The only hope we had before was the sheer numbers.”

  “How does one man with a bad arm take out that many people?”

  Simon smiled. “With this.” He tapped the side of his head. “I’m smarter than them now. Once I’m back to my old self, I’ll be unstoppable.”

  She gave him a crooked smile. “At least you’re humble.” She turned to put the first aid kit away.

  “Don’t forget sexy.”

  10

  Hatcher laid the hammer at his feet and bent upward, stretching his lower back. “I’m no carpenter.”

  Buck scoffed. “You can say that again. Now I know why you carried a gun for a living.”

  “Man, you are just full of jabs today, aren’t you?” Hatcher gathered the tools and dropped them into the satchel. “I thought you were all smiles because Leslie was glad to see you.”

  “Oh, that made me happy.” Buck stifled a yawn. “But I didn’t get any sleep and here it is, already dark.” He stretched and gave Hatcher his own satchel. “I have to hit the hay. Get me in the morning when you’re ready to hunt Simon.”

  “Go on.” Hatcher swatted at him as he walked past. “I’ll get you bright and early.” He hefted the two satchels full of tools and carried them out to the courtyard.

  “Mr. Hatcher.” Will Stanton appeared entirely too pleased with himself. “I’m proud to say that we
are well ahead of schedule on the repairs.”

  Hatcher set the satchels on a workbench and stretched his back again. “That’s good news, right?”

  “It is.”

  Hatcher leaned on the workbench and lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. “Before Roger got speared, he and I went for a drive through town.” He looked up at him and tried to read his face. “He was talking about moving out into the world. You know, once the cure thing runs its course.”

  Will seemed genuinely surprised. “Really? Why would he want to leave the creature comforts of this place?”

  Hatcher shrugged slightly. “I guess he doesn’t care for the idea of sharing walls with other folks. Especially with a child on the way.”

  Will seemed genuinely confused. “I would think he would want the security of more people around with a newborn on his hands.”

  Hatcher shrugged. “You’d think.” He pushed up off of the workbench and lowered his voice. “How feasible do you think it would be to adapt what you’ve done here, but to individual homes?”

  Will’s head began to shake. “We’ve created so much here…I don’t…”

  Hatcher held a hand up to keep him from overthinking the question. “I’m not saying scattered across town. I mean, what if we found a gated community? A small subdivision with individual houses. Would it be feasible to…I dunno…move the solar and the greenhouses and—”

  “No,” Will interrupted. “It wouldn’t be feasible.”

  Hatcher held a hand up to stop him. “Okay. That’s all I needed to know.” He placed a gentle hand on Stanton’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to cause your blood pressure to spike, doc. It was just a thought.”

  He turned to leave and Will cleared his throat. “Ahem. I may have…” He paused, trying to select the right words. “I may have spoken too soon.” He sounded defeated before Hatcher even turned around.

  “How so?”

  Will sighed heavily and waved toward the rooftops. “Of course, the solar could be moved. I just don’t know if there are enough panels to adequately supply an entire subdivision.”

  Hatcher gave him a hopeful look. “But if we found more of them…” he trailed off.

  Will nodded. “Then yes, it would be feasible.” He quickly added, “Considering that the homes were on either individual wells or even a community well. We’d still have to have water.”

  “Of course.”

  “The greenhouse probably wouldn’t survive the move, but I guess we could build another one. Perhaps even a larger one.” He rubbed at his chin as he thought. “The hydroponics could easily be moved, though. We’d have to completely drain the systems and refill them with fresh water, but it could be done.”

  Hatcher nodded approvingly. “What else?”

  Will sighed. “Without seeing the place you have in mind, I can’t say for sure. But a gated community would have to have durable walls. Not a simple fence.”

  “Agreed.”

  “And we’d still have to have security. If the cure works, doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be threats. Traveling nomads could be worse than the Zulus ever thought of being.”

  “Like the Marauders.”

  “Yes, exactly.” Will tapped nervously as his mind continued community building. “Yes, it could be done. But it would be just as much, if not more work than we’ve already done.”

  “Well, the project isn’t a definite thing. Right now it’s all conjecture.” Hatcher patted the man’s shoulder again. “Think about it some. Maybe once the dust is settled we can see about finding a place like that.”

  Will nodded. “Nothing says it has to be here in Rio Rancho, does it?”

  Hatcher raised a brow at the question then slowly shook his head. “No sir, it doesn’t.”

  Will gave him a wide smile. “Perhaps it’s worth looking into.”

  Hatcher gave him a quick wink. “Good night, doc.”

  “I’ll try to get you a preliminary set of requirements first thing in the morning.”

  Hatcher turned and waved him off. “No rush, doc. Roger is still recovering and we have a lot of other things that take priority, I’m sure.”

  Will watched him walk away and his mind continued to build the ideal community. “Maybe a swimming pool?”

  Carol sat quietly at her workstation going over the test results from Kelly’s blood. “This still isn’t making sense.” She pushed away and rubbed at her neck, her eyes straining in the candlelight. “I know there were a small handful of people who were immune, but they wouldn’t have manifested the virus only to beat it on their own.”

  “I’m an anomaly.”

  Carol’s head whipped around and she stared at Kelly. “I’m honestly not sure what I’d call your situation.”

  “Frightening,” Kelly deadpanned.

  Carol rolled her eyes. “I told you I was sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound the way it did.”

  Kelly gave her another deadpan stare. “Yes, you did.” She sighed as she settled onto the stool opposite her. “I can’t say I really blame you, though.” Her voice was soft enough that Carol had to strain to hear her.

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I was infected.” She gave her a knowing look. “You know what we did to survive. Then I open up and tell you that I enjoyed killing people. I’m sure that didn’t put your mind at ease.”

  Carol attempted to be dismissive. “It’s not a big deal, really. I may not completely understand what you went through, but I know that it was traumatic.”

  Kelly shook her head. “No. You have no idea.” She propped her elbows on the counter and studied the ponytailed researcher across from her. “To look at you, I’d think your life was perfect. Probably had adoring parents who doted over every little thing.” She leaned back and cocked her head to the side. “Probably a varsity cheerleader in high school. And even though your parents were loaded, you got a full ride scholarship to some Ivy League dump where you met a wonderful guy, got awesome grades, decided you would get married before one of you got cold feet.”

  Carol was shaking her head as Kelly droned on. “That’s nothing at all like—”

  “And even though you got a doctorate in something that could make you a ton of money, you went into public service. Hooked daddy with a huge student loan maybe? Or better yet—”

  “You don’t know me!” Carol yelled, instantly regretting it. She glanced over her shoulder towards the glass doors of the lab then lowered her voice. “You don’t know me. That is nothing at all what my life was like.”

  “Exactly.” Kelly crossed her arms over her chest. “And just because I was infected doesn’t mean you know my life either.”

  Carol sighed and bowed her head, nodding. “Agreed. Neither of us knew the other.”

  “So let’s stop pretending that we’re suddenly besties. You’re here trying to solve a puzzle and I’m just trying to survive…this. Whatever the hell this is.”

  Carol nodded. “Fine. You want full disclosure?” She pushed away from the counter and glared at her. “Yeah, you scare me. Maybe partly because you were infected. Mostly because you sounded like you might still enjoy killing.” Her eyes narrowed as she spoke. “That’s the impression I got when you said it. You didn’t just say, ‘I enjoyed killing people,’ it was the way you said it.”

  “Because I did enjoy it.” Kelly stated flatly. “I also told you that it was the first and only time that I felt like I had any real power.”

  “So?”

  “So?” Kelly mocked. “You don’t get it, do you?” She stepped away from the workbench and planted her hands on her hips. “The only power I had before this was my looks. I was the varsity cheerleader, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I screwed my way to the top of the food chain. I fucked half the varsity football team until I was hanging off the arm of the team captain. I was counting on him to carry me even further up that food chain.” Tears began to roll down her sallow cheeks as she retold her life story. “How was I to know that he didn’t c
are about me? He got me plastered and let the rest of the team have their way with me. Then he dumped me, drunk and naked, in the middle of the football field.”

  “I d-didn’t know.” Carol’s voice was a whisper.

  “How could you?” She scoffed and waved a hand over her body. “How could anybody tell now? No hair, no body, no color left.” She choked back a sob. “I look like death on a stick now.” She paced the small area, her mind spinning. “The only ‘power’ I had was my looks. But even that backfired on me. I was left humiliated. My sorority sisters blackballed me, locked me out and burned most of my stuff. ‘Sisters for life’ my ass.”

  Carol stood and slowly approached her, hoping she could calm her down. “It doesn’t matter now though.”

  Kelly snorted. “You still don’t get it.” She sank onto the stool again and her face softened, her expression going blank. “The first thing I did when I was infected…” She swallowed hard. “I was so full of rage anyway, but the virus just…focused all of my anger.” She turned slowly and stared at Carol. “I went to my sorority and I…” Her voice trailed off.

  Carol nodded, patting her arm. “Your anger is fully understandable.”

  Kelly scoffed again. “That wasn’t all though. I went to his frat and hunted his ass down.” She chuckled as the memories flashed through her mind. “I remember ripping his cock off and throwing it in his face. The look he had…priceless.”

  “Kelly—”

  “No!” Kelly yelled. “You still don’t know me. That’s only the beginning.” She held a finger up, holding Carol off. “I tore through the entire campus. Anybody I recognized, I either killed or infected.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I finally had real power.”

  Carol sat down next to her and gently put her arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s over now.”

  Kelly sobbed. “I wish it wasn’t though.” She lay her head on Carol’s shoulder. “Because now I have to live with the remorse.”