“No, certainly not,” Higgins replied. “We disposed of them weeks before your cure was disseminated amongst the population.” He adjusted his glasses and gave her a false smile. “Actually, we ran out of ideas on how to treat them, and rather than let them starve, we…disposed of them.”
Broussard groaned inwardly and looked at Carol. “What exactly are we doing here?” He wiped a hand across his face and sighed heavily. He turned back to the group. “You’ve shown us all of your toys and resources. Now will you please explain why we’ve come here?” He narrowed his eyes on Higgins. “We could have simply sent you our research and data.”
Higgins cleared his throat nervously and stepped forward. “Yes, about that.” He glanced back at his team and they all seemed to grow anxious. “We needed you here. Personally.”
“As you’ve stated.” Broussard had to fight to keep his voice neutral. “But the million dollar question is, ‘why?’”
Higgins swallowed hard and gave them a curt nod. “We need your expertise.”
“For?” Broussard was growing weary of the games.
Higgins’ face flushed red and his forehead seemed to pop into a sweat. “We have a…‘problem’ that we think you can assist us with.”
Broussard felt the veins in his neck swell. “What. Is. The. PROBLEM?”
Higgins gave him another weak smile. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.” He turned and began to march towards another section of the underground facility.
Broussard took a deep breath and turned to Carol. “If we don’t get an answer soon, I think I’m going to choke him.”
She patted his arm. “Easy now, big guy.” She fell into step behind the CDC personnel. “You’ll have to wait in line behind me.”
Simon felt the sweat run down his back as he watched the three men walk around outside. He lifted the rifle to his eye and peered through the scope. “Oh no…” he groaned as Hatcher came into focus. “I know that asshole.”
Lana paced, nervously biting at her thumbnail. “Let me guess…”
Simon lowered the rifle and sighed. “He’s the leader of the cagers.”
“Great!” she moaned. “We need to make a break for it.”
Simon slowly shook his head. “We need to buy time.” He turned and sat in the floor under the living room window. “We can lay low, lock the place down and hope they go away.”
Lana gave him that look and he winced. “Do you really think they’ll just go away? Apparently they aren’t just going house to house looking for supplies.”
“Obviously.” He beat his head softly against the barrel of the rifle. “But they didn’t bring anything with them either so maybe they’re just scoping the place.” He looked up at her and gave her an apologetic grin. “I did sort of torch their place. Maybe they’re looking for new digs?”
“And they just happened to choose this place? Where we are? Heaven?” She huffed and glared towards the window. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, we chose it for a reason. It is defendable.”
“How does this help us?” Lana groaned as she fell into the chair. “So they’re looking for a new place to call home. I doubt they’ll want to start a neighborhood watch with us.”
“So maybe I take a few pot shots at them?” He shrugged slowly. “I can make sure I miss…just get close enough to scare them off.”
Lana lowered her head as a wave of nausea hit her. “Are you sure there’s only three?”
Simon nodded. “That’s all I’ve seen.”
She looked up and swallowed down the bile rising in her throat. “Two against three isn’t terrible odds. Especially since they don’t know we’re here.”
Simon’s eyes widened. “Kill them?” He studied her face, hoping to read more of her intentions. “When they don’t return, more will come looking, I know it.”
“But it will give us plenty of time to haul ass out of here.” She felt her breath catch in her throat. “If they’re as evil as you said—”
“I didn’t actually say they were evil,” Simon interrupted. “I just said that they wanted me dead.”
“Doesn’t matter. Either way, they can’t hurt us if they’re dead first.”
He nodded slowly and came to his knees. He pulled the curtain aside and propped the rifle on the sill. “I still think we should just scare them away. Buy time.”
“We buy more time if they’re not breathing.” Lana came out of the chair and stood behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you keep saying that you’re not that guy anymore, but…we need you to be.” She looked down at him and shook her head. “Or we’re both dead.”
31
Hatcher placed his hands atop the adobe wall and hopped, pulling himself up to look over the edge and into the river gravel yard of the property. “Oh yeah.” He dropped to the ground and smirked at Buck. “Rock garden. No mowing.”
Buck snickered. “Like anybody in our group is going to be mowing their yard.” He waved Hatcher’s comment off. “It’s the end of the world, Hatch. Nobody gives a shit what their yard looks like.”
Hatcher gave him a worried look. “These were half a million dollar homes twenty years ago. Maybe more.” He shook a finger at him. “People should take pride in where they live.”
“Something tells me that the law of supply and demand declares these homes to be worth a lot less than they were last year.” Buck couldn’t resist the smartass inside struggling to get out. “In fact, I’d bet that you could use these properties in a game of Monopoly and trade ‘em for a get out of jail free card,” he smirked as Hatcher tried the gate.
“Gate’s locked.” Hatcher ignored Buck’s jabs as he studied the wall. “If I boost you over, maybe you could—”
His idea was interrupted by the distinct crack of a rifle shattering the silence. Adobe erupted right next to Hatcher’s ear and he dove for the ground as a second shot sprayed him with more dried stucco.
“Go! Go! Move!” Hatcher scrambled to his feet, his boots throwing gravel as he pushed Buck towards the corner of the thick adobe wall. They leapt to the ground behind the wall just as another chunk of adobe rained down on them.
“Where the hell is that coming from?” Buck fought to catch his breath.
Hatcher shook his head. “Other side of the street if I were to guess.” He stared down the row of houses and cursed under his breath. “I guess we were trespassing and didn’t realize it.”
Buck turned and plopped into the dry gravel under the wall. “Well, the good news is, there are more people than just us.”
“Too bad they want us dead,” Hatcher commented.
Buck looked up at him, his eyes hopeful. “Maybe we could wave a white flag? Try to actually talk to them?”
Another shot echoed off of the houses and Buck withered closer to the ground.
“I’d say wave my underwear but I doubt they’re white anymore,” Hatcher grumbled. Another round exploded over their heads and he ducked instinctively. “Son of a bitch! Whoever it is, I don’t think they want to talk.”
A flash of light flickered in Buck’s peripherals and he glanced across the street. He caught a glimpse of Will waving something reflective, catching their attention. He waved to Buck then pointed farther down the street. He held up two fingers.
Buck slapped at Hatcher. “Will’s trying to tell us something.”
Hatcher stared at Will then nodded. “The shooter is two houses down.” He popped his head up and glimpsed over the wall. As soon as he ducked back down, the top of the wall erupted in another shower of stucco and compressed earth. “It’s the house on the corner.”
Buck wiped the grit from his face. “Damn! That was gonna be your place! I guess it’s a good thing we started knocking on doors on the other side of the addition.” He huffed and stared at Hatcher. “You keep his attention. I’ll go around and try to come in behind him.”
Hatcher shook his head. “No. We should just find a way back to the truck and leave. There are plenty o
f other places that we could settle.”
Buck rolled his eyes. “This place is so close to the old one. We could walk back and forth.” He shook his head. “We either need to make this guy realize that we’re not the threat he thinks we are, or we take him out.” Hatcher opened his mouth to argue when Buck interrupted. “The guy tried to kill you. Me. Both of us.” He pointed to Will. “If he knew Will was over there, he’d be shooting at him, too.”
“It’s too dangerous, Buck.”
Buck came to his feet and flexed his legs. “I’m going.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll run behind these houses to the main road. See if I can come in through the back and shut him down.”
“I said no.” Hatcher tried to inflect as much authority into his statement as he could.
Buck nodded at him. “I heard you.” He pulled his pistol and checked the chamber. “I’ll yell for you once he’s subdued.”
“What if there’s more than one?”
Buck shrugged. “Then I’ll hope they don’t see me coming.” He turned and ran the length of the wall, rounding the corner behind the house.
Hatcher squeezed his eyes shut and uttered a string of epithets, then a short prayer for the kid. “Let’s keep this asshole busy, then.”
He counted to three then popped his head up again just before another round sprayed him with dirt and concrete.
Higgins stepped into a short alleyway and beat on a steel door. A small window opened and a set of eyes appeared before it was unceremoniously slammed closed and the steel door opened.
“What is this?” Broussard asked.
“You’ll see in just a moment.” Higgins held his head down, eyes averted.
A short series of clunks and thumps echoed and the steel door began to open. A fairly bright light escaped into the gloomy hallway, then a man in tactical gear and a rifle stood framed there, the light behind him.
“These are the people who developed the cure,” Higgins said softly. “They’ve only just arrived.”
The guard studied them for a moment then stepped out of the way. Broussard glanced at Carol, that uneasy feeling creeping back into his gut.
As they stepped forward, following Higgins, they realized that the other CDC personnel had moved away and disappeared. Broussard turned and opened his mouth to say something, but the guard interrupted him by slamming the steel door shut.
“What is this? Why are the others not joining us?”
Higgins cleared his throat and motioned them forward. “I’m afraid access is rather limited to this area.”
Carol hiked a brow. “And yet we’re being ushered right in?” She shook her head. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Higgins continued walking into the brightly lit area, rows of bunk beds and footlockers lining the walls. “This is where the surviving government members would still be living, had they stayed.” His voice seemed almost monotonous and robot like, as if he’d given this tour too many times.
“You’re not answering our questions,” Broussard hissed, unable to keep the anxiety from his voice.
“All in due time.” Higgins turned back and continued leading them through the complex. “In here is the kitchen and recreation areas.”
“We don’t care about this,” Carol nearly shouted. “Why won’t you tell us what’s going on?”
Higgins stopped and spun on them, a flash of anger in his eyes. “Because in order for you to understand completely what you are needed for, you first have to understand the underlying context.”
Broussard opened his mouth to say something but Higgins shot him an angry look and thrust a finger in his face. “All in due time.” He glanced to Carol then back to Broussard. “Now, let us continue.”
He turned and began marching through the complex again. “Over there is where the president would do whatever it is he would do. It’s an office with the presidential seal and, believe it or not, TV cameras and radio broadcast equipment.” He turned and gave Carol an odd look. “They say there’s even a direct line to the Kremlin, if you can believe that.”
“Very interesting,” Broussard barely kept the irritation from his voice. “Can we please get to the point?”
Higgins sighed then turned to the right. “Over here is where the various cabinet members would work…congress…and so on.” He stopped and beat on another door. Without fanfare, the steel door opened and Higgins stepped inside. “Follow me.”
Carol glanced at Broussard and muttered, “Yeah, now I’m not feeling so good about this.” She looked over her shoulder and shook her head. “But I don’t think running is an option any longer.”
Higgins led them into a large chamber and both researchers froze in their tracks. “This is why you are here.”
Broussard stepped forward slowly and stared at the numerous acrylic cells. Most had smears of dark fluid that could be dried blood or perhaps even fecal matter. The people inside appeared to be afflicted with the same mutated strep that Dr. McAlester had. “What is this?”
Higgins took a deep breath and eyed the two. “This is what is left of Congress.”
“You missed on purpose!” Lana all but screamed.
Simon readjusted and fired again. “They’re moving, dammit!” He fired again then paused, cursing under his breath. “They got around the corner.”
“Why didn’t you just shoot them?”
He turned and gave her a look she hadn’t seen before. “I tried.” He pushed away from the window and sat in the floor again. “Between my bad arm and them moving, it’s more difficult than I thought it would be.” He turned back around and peered through the scope again. “They aren’t running.”
“Christ!” Lana exclaimed as she began to pace. “What do we do?”
Simon shook his head as he tried to control his breathing. “I don’t know.” He fired another round then cursed as the target ducked. His fight or flight response was in high gear and he knew it.
“Well, now they know where we are.” She continued to pace. “And there’s three of them.”
“I know this, Lana,” Simon said softly. He continued to stare through the scope as she paced. “Grab what you can. Load the Ferrari.”
“Why the Ferrari?” She stared at him blankly. “It has like zero trunk space.”
“It’s fast,” he replied steadily. “If we have to outrun them, that car will do it.”
Lana stared at the garage then across the street at the car they had driven there. She knew there was no way she could get to it without being in the line of fire. “What should I pack?”
“Whatever you think we can’t live without or would be difficult to replace.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “The meds for sure. Weapons and ammo. I think everything else we can replace easy enough.”
Lana cupped her hands together to prevent them from trembling. “Okay. I’m on it.” She felt her mouth go dry and her mind seemed to freeze up.
He gave her a soft smile then added, “Go ahead. I’ll keep them pinned down over there. By the time we’re ready to leave, they’ll be too scared to even look at what we’re driving.”
She bent low and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I’m not used to…” She trailed off, her voice cracking.
He let go of the rifle and took her hand. “We’ll be okay.” He kissed her knuckles. “I promise. I won’t let anybody hurt you.”
She nodded slowly then pulled away. He picked up the rifle again and peered through the scope. “Let’s keep you assholes busy for a while.” He popped off another round, then another for good measure. “We’ll see just how bad ass you are.”
32
Hatcher gripped the pistol in his hand and cursed under his breath as more bits of earth rained down on top of him. He clenched his jaw and felt anger begin to rise up inside him.
He fought the urge to pop around the end of the wall and pepper the house. He knew that Buck was working his way towards the place and he didn’t want to i
nadvertently put the boy’s life in danger.
Hatcher duck walked to the end of the wall and put his hand beside his mouth, trying to direct his voice. “Stop shooting!” He paused and repeated himself. “Stop shooting! This isn’t what I want!”
The voice that yelled back at him shocked him. “I don’t care what you want! You shouldn’t a come here!”
To punctuate the statement, another shot separated the compacted earth wall, sending shards of debris into Hatcher’s shoulder. “Godammit!” he yelled as he pressed his other hand to the wound. He pulled back and saw tiny specks of blood. Leaning away from the corner, he pulled his shirt back and looked at the spot. It was just dirt imbedded in his skin, no entry wound.
Hatcher growled as he gripped the pistol. “We didn’t come here to hurt anybody!”
“I don’t care!”
More rounds.
Hatcher ground his teeth then stepped away from the corner. He popped his head up over the wall and fired three quick rounds directly into the front of the house, just over the stucco wall. He watched as large panes of glass shattered and noticed the puffs where the bullets struck the stucco of the house.
He immediately ducked as more rifle rounds thumped into the wall.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Hatcher screamed. “We’re just looking for a place to live!”
More rounds punched into the earthen wall then a voice replied, “It’s a big fuckin’ town! Look somewhere else!”
Hatcher popped his head up again, hoping to see Buck. He quickly ducked as shots echoed, peppering where he had just been. “Son of a bitch.”
He glanced over at where Will still stood, watching the gunfire exchange. He stiffened suddenly then turned to Hatcher, his face a mask of surprise. He pointed animatedly at the rear of the house and Hatcher nodded. He knew exactly where Buck was now.
He popped up again and fired three more rounds at the front of the house. He wanted the shooter distracted in case Buck accidentally made his presence known.
Caldera 9: From The Ashes Page 20