by Bella Street
“Ew.” She glared. “Be serious.”
“Listen, blondie, I don't know. I'm just following orders.”
“So you work at this Fugere? What does the name mean?”
“Why don't you go ask your boyfriend. Maybe he knows Latin as well as Russian.” At this the other gunman snickered.
She took a deep breath. “Where is the compound?”
“Just a couple of miles from here.”
She got up when Gareth approached her. “That's what Malone said.”
“So why are we stopping if we're so close?”
“I guess he got hungry.”
Seffy raised her brows and looked at Popov's ample frame.
The man lurched to his feet, knocking the empty can to the ground. He grabbed his rifle, motioning wildly. “Get down!”
Gareth got a handful of Seffy's sleeve and yanked her down to the ground where she collapsed on top of him. He rolled her over and covered her body with his as a staccato of bullets shredded the air above their heads. She held onto him with her eyes squeezed shut, gritting her teeth together in frustration. When would this madness end?
After a moment, Gareth eased his head up for a look and swore. “Zombies.” Angling up at Popov, he yelled, “Let's get everyone in the jeeps and get out of here!”
“Can't!” he said between firing. “Only one has gas!”
“I thought the compound was supposed to be a couple of miles away. We drove around for over an hour!”
“We were trying to use the geography to reduce noise and avoid detection from the zombies so they wouldn't follow us to the compound!”
“Triangulation,” Gareth muttered. “Finally someone gets it!” He got off of Seffy and commando-crawled to where the others hunkered down, near the tree, dragging her, half-crawling, with him.
Sand got into Seffy's eye and under her contact lens. She blinked frantically in an effort to clear it. Maybe she should just pull the things out now. It was only a matter of time before they were ruined. Irritated tears dribbled down her cheeks, but she decided to see if they held up a little longer.
Seffy peered past Gareth's shoulder. The others had their hands over their ears to block out the noise of three automatic machine guns firing at a crowd of disco dancers who were just breasting the nearest rise.
“Are you okay?” Addison yelled at Gareth.
“We're trapped in time, surrounded by evil, and low on gas!”
“What?”
“Nothing!”
Seffy stared at him, wondering if he'd totally lost it. Maybe they all had.
The din of gunfire came to an end, the only sound the tinkle of the last of the shells piling on top of each other. They all stood up and looked toward the rise. It looked like the dancers were no match for Soviet-made guns.
Popov strapped his gun onto his back and approached the group. “My jeep's on empty. We'll have to all pile into the other one and see how far it gets us. After that, we'll hoof it if need be.”
“Do you think those zombies got to Malone?” Lani said, her voice broken.
Popov shrugged. “You can go check the bodies we just took down, but he wouldn't have turned so quick even if he had been bitten.”
She walked up to him and slapped his face. He grabbed her wrist, his eyes murderous. Gareth rushed to her side and pulled her away from him.
“I'll go look,” Trent announced.
“I'll go with you,” Gareth said, delivering Lani to Seffy. She put her arms around her friend and hugged her hard, still wondering at Lani's apparent feelings for the man. Then again, who was she to judge? She could hardly claim superiority in the realm of hooking up with strange men.
Trent and Gareth headed down the hill and Seffy waited for several tense minutes before they returned to the group. “He's not there,” Trent said, sounding almost disappointed.
Lani burst into tears of relief as Addy joined them.
“If you people are done with the soap opera, get into the jeep.”
Popov's thugs directed them with the points of their guns. Seffy blinked her irritated eye though most of the sand particles had been washed away. When one of the thugs leered at her she realized he thought she'd been winking at him. She decided life at the compound must be pretty rough if someone found her attractive considering the state she was in.
They clambered into the jeep and perched on the sides. One of the gunman started the engine, while the other climbed onto the spare tire on the back.
Popov sat in the passenger seat, drumming his fingers on the door ledge. “Let's go!”
The jeep lurched forward and proceeded down the next hill. They all held on for dear life as each bump threatened to toss them from the vehicle. The heat began to weigh upon Seffy and she tugged down the zipper of her top as low as she dared for a little relief. Maybe the unknown element at the compound would let her shower and provide her with saline solution before any more trauma could be forced upon her person.
Late afternoon magenta light angled across the horizon. Seffy couldn't believe another day in this place was about to end. Where were they really? Were there any other survivors who'd originated in Montana? Where were the dancers coming from? Why was Gareth so weird about the military food? What awaited them at the compound? More Soviet holdouts?
After at least thirty minutes, in the distance near a stand of some kind of evergreen trees, Seffy saw that the light hit the sand funny. As they approached, she realized it was a building. No, bigger than a building. And there was more than one.
A compound.
Painted to match the surroundings and hidden as it was among the trees and topography, Seffy doubted she would've noticed it aside from the fact they were headed straight for it. The low, one-storied buildings stretched over at least ten acres, she guessed. Not all of it was roofed. Part looked to be covered with some kind of brown netting, and the fading light glinted off what looked to be a parking area for military vehicles. Lots of vehicles. And a helicopter.
This was no low-budget get-away for naturalists or a local militia hideouts which were usually located in basements or garages. She glanced at Gareth and saw the same concern etching his features. What would these people want with her? With any of them? Were they going to be guinea pigs used in some quasi-government experimentation?
The jeep began to sputter as they crested a lower rise preceding the downhill stretch to the compound. The driver shifted the gear into neutral and they began to coast...to a place she never wanted to go, to a future which was as hidden and ominous as the buildings before them. Seffy suppressed a shudder.
Let the probing begin.
Chapter Fifteen
As they approached the largest building, Seffy saw armed guards around the perimeter of a leaning chain link fence topped by razor wire.
“So it's not a friendly compound,” Addison said. “What a shock.”
As their jeep rolled up to the blocked entrance, the guards trained their weapons on the driver and Popov.
“That's not the reaction I expected,” Gareth said in a low voice. “I assumed Popov and his men were from the compound.”
“Maybe we're at the wrong one,” Addison said. “There are a lot in Montana, as we know. All painted beige and such, it could be easy to get 'em mixed up.”
A uniformed armed guard walked up to Popov. “We already discussed this, Sergei. You're not welcome here. Turn this jeep around and get out of here.”
Popov didn't seem to mind the guard's brusque manner. “While you might not like me a whole lot, you must admit I'm a necessary...inconvenience. Someone like me, no longer in the loop, has to have his ear to the ground.”
The guard's stoic expression remained unchanged.
“So when I hear about certain...” he leaned forward and lowered his voice, “experiments, naturally my curiosity is piqued.”
A muscle in the guard's face twitched. Seffy looked at Gareth to see how he was taking it. He was leaning forward, his attention avid.
“Sounds like you've been involved in some experiments of your own, Sergei, hence our added layer of security.”
Popov sat back in his seat and surveyed the fencing and the dozens of armed guards. “Yes, well, like your people here, sometimes our experiments can go awry.”
“It's time for you to leave.”
Popov put up his hand. “But you haven't let me finish. I have some collateral, in both senses of the word, you might be interested in.” He motioned behind them. “Found them in the desert wandering around.”
“You didn't find us!” Lani said. “Malone did!”
“Actually we found Malone,” Addison corrected.
The guard looked over their group. “Probably infected. We have enough on the outside without worrying about them on the inside.”
“We're not infected, “ Cynthia said in a whiny voice. “And we don't want to go to your stupid compound either!”
Trent coughed loudly.
“No, no, you don't understand,” Popov said, “You see, my passengers have some special qualities you may be interested in, especially the blonde one in the middle.”
“Hey!”
Seffy turned at Eva's outburst.
Eva scowled. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Seffy raised her brow. “Feel free to take my place in the experimentation that's certain to come.”
Addison jabbed her in the side. “Look!” she hissed.
Seffy turned back to see Popov pull Gareth's cell phone from his pocket and open it up. “A communication device.”
“Well, duh,” Addison said with a snort.
The guard's eyes widened. “Give that to me,” he said, making a grab.
Popov snatched it away. “You can have this and the passengers for a mere five thousand.”
“Hey!” Lani struggled forward, “you already took—!”
One of the thugs pressed his machine gun to her side. Lani recoiled from its touch.
“That's impossible,” snapped the guard.
“No, it's necessary,” Popov insisted. He turned to his gunmen and nodded.
They jumped from the jeep and pointed their weapons inward. Seffy looked at a muzzle close to her tattered, yet still designer, track suit. Great.
“These people mean nothing to us,” Popov said. “We can kill them now or release them to be taken care of later. Of course then they could prove to be a threat to you down the road.”
The guard's expression became wary. He twisted away and spoke in a low voice into a walkie talkie. After several minutes, he turned back to Popov. “There will be a delivery made at the usual location.”
“Ew,” Seffy said, fanning herself from a rising heat. “Popov's extorted them before? I don't want to have cruel and unusual experiments done to me by a group of people who give in to lowlifes. Only mad scientists of high moral ethics get to work on this bod.”
Gareth shushed her. Seffy could tell the cogs were turning fast in his brain. Those cogs had come in handy of late, but once they were back on L.A., his biceps and six pack had better retake precedence—even if Verity received all the benefit. Seffy glowered at the notion.
“Five?” Popov asked.
The guard smirked. “Three. Apparently you've already profited once from this. No need to get greedy.”
Popov's grin faded, but he jerked his head toward his gunmen. They stepped back and motioned for everyone to get out of the jeep.
“Well, that was fun,” Trent said in a derisive tone, which earned him a poke in the ribs from one of the thug's guns. Jared's laughing response was silenced as well.
The compound guards surrounded them and herded them through a gate which opened inward. Seffy looked back to see Trent saluting to Popov. What an idiot. The gate slammed shut behind them, making her jump. She wiped a trickle of sweat from her temple. Goodness, it was hot.
A middle-aged man with an alarming mustache wearing the same coveralls Popov and his men wore approached their group and offered a measured smile. “Welcome to Fugere.”
Seffy stared at him, overheated and exhausted from the emotional and physical extremes she'd endured the last few days. “Does it mean anything that we don't want to be here?”
The man's brows rose a notch. “Oh, I was under the impression you were seeking asylum from the exterior threat.”
“He means zombies, Barbie.”
“Shut up, Trent,” Gareth said.
Seffy looked around at their group. “Well, it's true we don't really want to be chewed on by those fashion-challenged creatures out there, but we don't know why we're in Montana in the first place.”
The man regarded her for a long moment. “We do.”
“How?” asked Addison in a disbelieving tone.
Seffy narrowed her eyes. “So, if you're expecting us, that means we have a certain amount of value, right?”
Gareth bumped her shoulder. “What are you doing?” he said in an undertone.
“Don't worry, I just want to milk this thing,” she whispered back, suddenly shivering despite the sweltering weather.
The man's expression grew stiff. “I'm not sure I understand you, miss.”
Seffy took a deep breath. “My point is that we all require hot showers, clean non-daggy clothes, and real food that doesn't come out of cans before you start the whole probing thing.”
“Probing? You mean like asking questions?”
“Hah! Don't try and fool me. I've heard my friend here talk about probing.” She pointed at Gareth.
“Geez, Seffy!” His face darkened. “That was a long time ago. And I was telling you about alien stuff. I don't think these guys are aliens.”
“So no probing?”
“Don't sound so disappointed!”
“Shut up, Trent!” she and Gareth said at the same time.
The man's mustache twitched. “We mostly just want to ask questions and then...go from there, uh, after your demands are met.”
Seffy pinned him with a suspicious look. He looked like a mirage, liquid in the heat.
“After that, you'll be free to go.”
“Really?” she asked. Maybe she was the one doing the liquid thing.
He nodded.
“Like with transportation and everything? We tried walking back to L.A. but it just didn't work out for us.”
“Anything you need.”
Seffy turned and looked at the others, sweat stinging her eyes. “So what do you guys think? Are we gonna get rickrolled here or are we in?”
“Looks like our leader has everything figured out.”
She glared at Addison. “Do you have a better idea?”
Addison shrugged.
“So we're all set then?” the man asked.
Gareth nodded. “We're in.”
“My name's Baxter.”
Gareth introduced the group. Once the all-important post-apocalyptic social niceties were met, they followed Baxter past the interested gazes of the guards. Seffy looked at the high concrete walls and painted cement block making up the construction of the building. “So welcoming, in a prisonish kind of way.”
Gareth shook his head at her, which struck her as funny. Laughter bubbled up within her, but she managed to keep a lid on it.
Maybe this place wasn't so bad, if her elevated mood was any indication. And if this Baxter could be trusted, there were no bitey types inside. That was a plus. There was also indoor plumbing. Another check for the the pro column. And just maybe they'd get some questions answered, followed by a way home. Yep, things were looking up.
***
“You fell flat on your face again,” Addison's bored voice appeared somewhere overhead. “I swear you're gravitationally challenged, Sef.”
Seffy groaned as someone pulled her to a sitting position.
“Are you okay?”
Gareth's worried eyes helped her to focus. “I'm fine, I guess. Did I trip?”
Seffy peered up at the circle of faces around here and struggled to rise but her legs seemed to have turned into Jell-
O.
“Miss? Are you all right? Give me your hand.”
She reached out to clasp the man's hand and was pulled to a standing position.
He stared at her, then touched her forehead. His expression froze. “You're burning up.”
“I've always known you were hot,” Trent said.
Seffy ignored him and glanced at Gareth, wondering if he thought she was hot—now that Verity wasn't there for comparison.
But Gareth wasn't looking at her. “She hasn't been bitten if that's what you're worried about.”
Baxter snapped his fingers to some guards who went running back toward the entrance of the building.
Gareth put his arm around her waist. She gratefully leaned her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
“We've been exposed to the desert,” he said, “we haven't been eating well, and are on the point of complete exhaustion. I'm sure that's all this is.”
Baxter took a couple of steps away. “You're probably right, but we have to take precautions.”
“Way to go, Sef,” Addison said in a low voice.
Lani came up and put her arm around Seffy's other side. “We won't leave you, sweetie. Don't worry.”
After being detained for several minutes where they'd stopped, two figures came rushing out of the building, wearing silver space suits. Seffy burst out laughing.
“Probably not the best response, Sef.” Gareth said in a frustrated voice.
“They look like those guys from the Intel ad,” Jared said. “Let's see you dance!”
The two suited men each took one of Seffy's arms and walked her toward the building. “It could be worse,” she said as she departed. “They could be in white coats instead of silver suits.” She began laughing again.
“She's totally soup,” Trent said.
Addison sniggered. “I know, right?”
“I heard that!” Seffy leaned her head back and watched the pinkish sky change to an industrial ceiling. She wasn't sure if she was walking or being dragged, but figured it was a dragging judging by the way she couldn't seem to hold her head up. “I've never been inside of a compound, but I must say your ductwork is first rate.” A snorty laugh escaped her.
“Don't worry, miss,” said a muffled voice next to her. “We'll take care of you.”