“You left her there?”
“Yeah, I had to warn everyone about what we saw up there. She’s capable, Flex.”
“Capable or not, she’s not back yet. Gem went to find her.”
“No way!”
“Where are you?” demanded Flex.
“I just pulled back into the parking lot. Where’s your truck?”
“It’s here at the clinic. Get out to where you last saw Rachel. I’m comin’, too.”
Nelson didn’t answer. Flex knew he was probably running as fast as he could.
“Charlie, if you’re comin’, then let’s take an insurance dose of WAT-5 and get out there and find her!”
*****
Gem had earlier managed to get to her feet, fighting against the pain as the two Mothers closed in on her, their faces intent and somehow desperate. The Mothers were normally quiet, but both of them were emitting a guttural moan of some kind that sent chills down Gem’s spine.
They also seemed less sure-footed than in previous battles, and Gem had plenty of time to reach the EB-tipped knife that had fallen out of her sheath when she fell off the scooter. The curved knife blade appeared to still have some oil clinging to the tip, so as Gem positioned her fingers in preparation, she utilized some of what Lola had taught her.
She stood facing them, now only twelve feet away. Her feet spread apart and her left hand pressing firmly against her broken rib, she drew back the knife and let it fly.
The moment it left her fingers she ran toward the powerful abnormals, fighting the piercing pain with every footfall.
As the knife sank into the chest of the creature on the right, Gem watched her body deflate. She hadn’t thrown it as hard as she intended, so the knife only penetrated the creature’s body an inch or so. As she reached the dissolving monster, Gem plucked the knife out by its handle and turned to get a bead on the other.
The muck from the melting zombie made her hand slick and the knife slipped from her grasp. Gem watched helplessly as the knife clattered away.
“Fuck!” she cried, as her eyes jerked back up at the Mother, now just a foot away and reaching out for her with ragged fingers.
Gem spun around to run, but her feet slid in the goo beneath her boots. She felt herself going down and mentally prepared for the intense pain when her body slammed the pavement.
Unable to effectively windmill her arms to maintain balance, she landed hard. Gem had managed to twist in mid-air enough that she did not land on the side with the broken rib, but the searing pain racked her body anyway.
White stars obscured her vision and her head spun. The spots before her eyes had just succeeded in blinding her thoroughly when an explosion rang out.
It was followed by cold, wet spatter on her face.
The snarling had stopped. As the intensity of the stabbing pain subsided, she felt arms around her, pulling her up.
The pain began anew.
*****
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Gem said. “Find Rachel.”
Lola glanced at Punch. He glanced back at her.
“What is it?” asked Gem.
“She was with Bug,” said Punch. “Remember they had section 48 of the fence, at Coronado and Grant.”
“I found a broken radio,” said Gem. “Was that hers?”
“I don’t know,” said Lola. “But I know Bug has one with him.”
“Fuckin’ Bug never calls in,” croaked Gem.
“He was alone for a year,” said Punch. “Solitude can make you forget to reach out.”
“So everyone’s accounted for?” asked Gem, hunched over as she walked between Punch and Lolita Lane.
Lola shook her head. She had done her hair in a red that almost matched her eyes. It gave her a strange, but somehow cool look, Gem thought.
“There are a few unaccounted for,” Lola said. “Nobody’s seen Vikki or her sister, Victoria. There are others.”
They reached a golf cart parked catawampus in the middle of the street. The electric transport usually remained parked at Scofield’s clinic. It featured two forward seats and two rear-facing bench seats. Gem sat in back.
“Can I get a gun?” she asked.
“No,” said Punch. “You can rest. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
*****
Flex nearly plowed into Gem as he pushed out the door of the clinic. Charlie ran into his back when he stumbled to a stop. Gem stood in front of him, her eyes wide.
He took her by both shoulders, held her and inspected her, top to bottom. “Gem,” he said, relief washing over his face. “You okay?”
“To be honest, if Punch and Lola hadn’t showed up, I wouldn’t be. I need to sit down,” she said.
Flex pushed the door open again and helped her inside. Punch and Lola followed them in.
Once she was resting in one of the old waiting room chairs, Flex dropped down beside her. “Jesus, Gemina. What were you thinking? Jim said he told you a bunch of times to stay the hell put.”
Gem turned toward Jim Scofield, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Narc!” she yelled. “By the way, I crashed your scooter.”
Charlie laughed. “He totally ratted you out, but you kinda deserved it.”
“Listen, everyone!” said Hemp, from behind them, his voice steady but raised so everyone could hear. “I have an important announcement. As you know, Serena is at City Hall, and she’s been announcing over the PA system for everyone to get to a secure location. The fences are overtaxed and they are collapsing. Kingman is becoming overrun.”
“No shit,” said Flex, eyeing Gem.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Sorry.”
Hemp continued: “Some of you already know that Flex and I noticed something a little while ago. The acrylic cylinder of water I mounted out front is showing a new development that may explain what’s happening. The gas flow is diminishing.”
“What gas?” asked Bug, pushing through the door with Rachel on his heels. Nelson followed both of them inside, his hair in a ponytail, making him looking thinner than ever.
“Well, if it isn’t the fuckin’ Donner party. Where the fuck have you two been?” asked Flex.
“Hey, Flex, calm down, man,” said Bug, his shirt soaked with sweat, despite the cold temperature outside. “It’s a long story, but we’re okay. Now what gas is diminishing?”
“The earth gas,” said Hemp.
“No way!” shouted Nelson. “It’s stopping?”
“It appears to be around fifteen percent of what it has been for years, as though a valve is being turned off. I must have been so accustomed to the tank being there that I didn’t notice it until Flex said something. I don’t have any idea how many times I’ve passed it and just didn’t notice.”
“Not very sciencey of you,” said Charlie, winking at him.
“No, it wasn’t. But it is good news, and it explains why the Mothers may be on a desperate push for sustenance. They seem to sense something is hindering them. Perhaps it’s affecting their brains in some way; making it more difficult to control the Hungerers.”
“They seem to be doing just fine, based on the crowds along the fence line,” said Punch.
Hemp went on to tell everyone to arm up, get back to their supply storages and get everything they’d need for up to a month. In the meantime, he said that Isis had an idea she and Max needed to investigate. It might be the answer as to where everyone should be directed for their safety.
“I need to stay here in case anyone’s injured,” said Doc Scofield.
“Jim, you know as well as I do that the kind of injuries that you can treat aren’t what we can expect from this fight. If you want to help, collect a bag of medical supplies and anything you need from your house and get over to City Hall for now. I’m sure Reeves has several locations pinpointed where people can take refuge.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. None of us will be here very long. Charlie and I will stay for now, to direct anyone else who comes in, but eventu
ally we’re going to need to go, too.”
Everyone was on their feet.
“I’m gonna need the clinic golf cart for now,” Flex said. “I have an invalid.”
Gem smile-glared at him.
“I got the grape beast outside,” said Punch. “I’ll give you guys a ride home.”
“Don’t bother,” said Gem. “I’m bringing the Crown Vic back, and we’re loading that and the cart up before we come. You go get your stuff packed and ready.”
“Sure?”
“She’s not big on changin’ her mind,” said Flex. “We’ll see you later, bud.”
“Doc? Need a ride to your place? I can take you too, guys,” he said, looking at Rachel, Nelson and Bug.
“Since Flex and Gem are takin’ my golf cart, yeah,” said Scofield. “Let me pack a big duffel full of supplies first.”
“I’ll help you,” said Punch.
“Punch,” said Rachel. “Would you mind running us over to City Hall beforehand? I’d feel better with Lita in the bunker with Kevin and the others.”
“They’re pretty tight over there, but I think they can fit a little girl in.”
Punch turned to Flex and Gem. “We all got this. You guys take care and watch your sixes,” said Punch.
“Every minute of every day,” said Flex. Together, he and Gem pushed through the door and disappeared into the streets of Kingman.
*****
Max and Isis slipped out of the clinic before Hemp was done giving instructions, and unlike everyone else who headed toward home, they began walking south. Max had his crossbow, and both were on full, mental alert.
As they made their way toward the building that Isis could not extricate from her mind, Max said, “The Kingman County courthouse?”
“Have you seen it?” asked Isis.
“Of course I’ve seen it. I’ve rummaged through the place. It’s the most ornate building in the city. Pretty cool.”
“Max,” said Isis, “When I read the encyclopedia, I learned about a group of men who once participated in a secret society of sorts.”
“Who?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there. I could hardly see the symbol, but if it is what I believe it is, we may have additional options for shelter.”
“Isn’t everyone better off just getting back to their own homes and shelters?”
“This may provide us an escape route. Everywhere else will just trap us.” Isis crossed over Pine Street and eyed the courthouse on her left. It was a large, brick building with grand, stone steps leading up to the doors.
“Isis,” said Max, pointing. Ahead of them were several dozen rotters, twitching and jerking toward them.
She cut left. “C’mon,” she said. She removed the Herstal pistol from her waistband.
“A gun?” asked Max. “Not you.”
“Right now, yes,” she said. “Have you noticed it’s harder to connect with them? Harder to push them?”
“Yeah, but it’s always been harder for me than you.”
She mounted the steps to the courthouse. It had been opened long ago, and there had been no reason to lock it. So far, there had been no need to hold court, though they did have a couple of judges who mostly operated out of Reeves’ conference room at City Hall when it was necessary.
They entered, and Isis immediately went downstairs one flight. She turned left and headed straight for a door with an exit sign over it.
“We just got inside,” said Max. “Why are we leaving?”
“I wanted to show you something,” said Isis, pushing slowly through the door, her gun raised as she scanned the street beyond.
Max held his crossbow behind her. “What?”
Satisfied it was clear, Isis held the door open and knelt down to the left of it. She reached down and wiped at the base of the building, revealing a symbol.
“I recognize that,” he said. “Freemasons.”
Isis nodded. “I saw this from the street one day and came to take a closer look. I remembered what the encyclopedia said about them and some of their traditions.”
“What’s the G for?”
“It depends on who you ask. If you were to ask a Freemason, you probably wouldn’t learn anything. But as they are believers in a higher power, it either literally means God, or it means Great Architect of the Universe.”
“So why are we here? This place is big, but not large enough to handle everyone in town. And there’s hardly an escape route.”
Isis stood and they went back inside. “Find the stairs leading down,” she said.
They hurried down several hallways and came upon a door marked STAIRS A. Isis pulled the door open. It was dark, but that did not affect them. Both had excellent vision with minimal light.
Moving down the stairs, they reached a door at the bottom. Isis pushed through it, and the darkness deepened.
This time, she pulled an LED flashlight from her pocket and illuminated it.
“Isis, what are we looking for?”
Isis turned. “Max, a man named George P. Washburn designed this building. It was constructed in 1907 and 1908. It isn’t widely known because of their tremendous secrecy, but he was a very likely a member of the Freemasons.”
“How did you even find that out?”
“I found the group interesting, so I went beyond the encyclopedia. I found Washburn’s name in three different texts, and while none of them identified him as a Freemason, several other men he socialized with were.”
“Why didn’t you mention that before?” asked Max.
Isis said, “There was never a reason to find it of any importance,” she said. “It was just tucked in my memory until I saw that symbol. It really didn’t matter until now.”
“Secret society stuff, pretty interesting,” said Max. “But I guess my next question is so what?”
“Max, Freemasons often built tunnels beneath their buildings, connecting them with other tunnel systems. I’ve sometimes gotten the sensation, walking in this area, that I was walking atop another city of sorts.”
“I never got that.”
“It could be intuition or just my imagination, but in those articles I found, Washburn was directly connected with several other men in neighboring towns who were also believed to be Freemasons. They are almost always involved in government, and have been instrumental in many construction and architectural projects, particularly during that period. The reason I’m telling you all of this is because I’m almost certain there is a hidden tunnel system originating from this building.”
“And you think it will be big enough for everyone in town to … what, hide in?”
“The tunnel systems can be extensive,” said Isis. “Yes, we could take refuge down there, but as I said, it’s possible we can escape the town entirely.”
“With the gas stopping … how long do you think we’d have to wait?”
Isis shook her head. “If what Uncle Hemp says is true – and it makes sense with what we’re seeing – it may take no more than a month, Max. This could be over.”
In the dim light of the basement, Isis saw something in Max’s eyes. “What is it?” she asked.
“I’m worried about that,” he said.
“What, Max?”
“That we’ll … die.”
“We could’ve learned that long ago, you know. A visit to the hyperbaric chamber.”
“Would you want to die if it ended all of this for everyone else?” asked Max.
Isis turned to Max. “Max, you and I are hurtling toward our deaths now, at least twice as fast as everyone we know and love. Your question is valid, but the answer isn’t. It’s not in our control. What would be the option? Capture this gaseous element, store it in tanks, and live in a bubble, surrounded by it?”
“I get your point,” he said. “Now. How do we find this tunnel? If it’s here.”
“That’s the question,” said Isis. “If there is a tunnel system, to find it we explore.”
*****
“Are we
getting a count at City Hall?” asked Hemp, looking directly at Charlie.
“I just got off with Reeves,” said Charlie. “And I didn’t mean that like it sounded,” she added, smiling.
“Because if you did, you’d be smoking a cigarette by now,” said Lola, who had offered to stand guard at the clinic door. “Kevin’s not bad for an old dude.”
“Lola, I think you should have gone with Punch,” said Charlie. “I sure as hell wouldn’t be letting Hemp go anywhere with out me now.”
“I might argue that point,” said Hemp.
“Punch will be fine, and he’ll be back,” Lola said. “Use me while you have me.” She sat in a chair placed just inside the clinic door, her foot propping it open.
Charlie said, “Reeves said they have three hundred forty people there. Capacity is around 150, so not all of them are in the bunker. They’re just crammed into the main City Hall building.”
“Echoes of Three Sisters Bar in Concord that last night,” said Hemp. “Those who are not in the bunker are hardly protected from a horde this size.”
“Concord turned out okay, thanks to Tony Mallette,” said Lola, turning to look at her friends.
“Well,” said Hemp, “I hope this has an even better outcome.”
“We got pretty damned full here, too,” said Charlie. “We had like seventeen people here before they went to get their stuff. Did anyone see Max and Isis leave?”
“I thought I told you,” said Hemp. “Isis said she thought of something that might provide an escape route, and she and Max were going to investigate. They didn’t say how long they’d be.”
Charlie stood up, her expression stern. “Shit. That was almost thirty minutes ago. Why aren’t they checking in?” She picked up the radio. “Isis, Max. You reading me?”
Silence came back. It was standard practice in Kingman that if the radio transmission was not for you, you did not answer unless you knew the intended recipient of the call was otherwise predisposed. Charlie stared at the radio, her brow furrowed. “They know I hate it when they don’t tell me what they’re doing.”
Dead Hunger_The Cleansing Page 5