Threshold Series (Book 1): Threshold

by Luquer, David

  “I was able to outrun them,” Lorraine said. “They move fairly slowly.”

  “Still, I think it best we stay in a safe place where we aren’t faced with the need to outrun them,” Rob said.

  “You can use the hotel as long as you need to,” Emily said. “Since the guests are not here, everyone can have a room to sleep in and you can use my office for phone calls and whatever else you need, Sheriff.”

  “Thank you, Miss Sands. We will help in any way we can to ease the burden. I don’t plan for us to have to remain here long, though. I’m hoping to get help in here as quickly as possible.”

  “Call me Emily. How long before you expect the State Troopers?”

  “I don’t know but I want to call them again. I have a few ideas that occurred to me on the way here.”

  “Ron, you and Hannah get rooms for everyone,” Emily said. “Get them keys and make sure they have fresh towels and blankets. I’m sure everyone must be exhausted.”

  “Okay,” Ron said before heading toward the front desk for the key cards.

  “Doctor Blake, I would appreciate it if you, James and Reverend Brighton would all assist me in communicating with the State Police and heading up this whole operation from here,” Rob said to the doctor. “You know all the scientific details, so you would prove extremely valuable should they have questions. The other two can help cover the phones when I’m handling other things.”

  All three men nodded their agreement.

  “Shirley, I may need you as well, but I want you to get some rest first.”

  Shirley agreed, accepted a key card from Ron and headed for the stairs.

  “Everyone else can make themselves useful wherever they see fit and rest up as they need to. I’m going to take a quick walk along the halls to make sure the place is secure. I hope we aren’t stuck in this building for long before we can get out but we better make sure we’re safe while we are here.”

  The others walked away, a tired look coming over them. Shock and stress could wear a body down fast. These people had experienced both.

  * * * *

  An hour later, Rob had been on the phone with Sergeant Perkins of the State Police Department to explain the situation. Reverend Brighten, Doctor Blake and James were seated with him. Joel leaned against the wall and listened. Why he was here, Rob wasn’t sure. The young man seemed to have nothing better to do than hang around and take in everything. As long as he didn’t interfere, Rob wasn’t concerned.

  Perkins seemed reluctant to believe him until he saw for himself. Perkins and a handful of State Troopers had set up a small road-block at the edge of town on Rob’s request. One of the dead had apparently made it that far, becoming the convincing evidence Rob needed the man to see.

  “One of my men is shooting at one right now, but it won’t die!” Perkins yelled over the sound of gunfire in the background.

  “You can’t kill it that way,” Rob said. “You have to burn them until we find another way.”

  He heard Perkins yelling for them to throw gasoline on it and light it on fire. He heard a horrifying scream a few minutes later and Perkins came back on the phone.

  “That seemed to work,” Perkins said. “It thrashed around for a moment, but then it finally burned up and stopped moving.”

  “So, they’ve made it to the outskirts of the village?” Rob asked.

  “They are just making it this far now,” Perkins answered. “I just hope we can keep them contained.”

  “Can you get men to surround the town and burn them with torches or flame throwers? If you can get flamethrowers, I mean.”

  “We can call the National Guard,” Perkins answered. “They should be able to get here in a couple of hours. I’ll tell them to bring flamethrowers and anything else they can think of.”

  “We need firepower around the perimeter of town. We have to keep this contained here.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Perkins asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rob said with a sigh. “I’ll have to see if I can think of something.”

  “Just don’t take too long.”

  “A trench,” Joel said, seeming to stare into space.

  “What did you say?” Rob asked.

  Joel looked at the sheriff. “A trench. Dig a trench around the village.”

  “And just let them pile up in it?”

  Joel snickered. “No, I didn’t mean that. Fire is the only thing that will take them down.”

  “Yeah,” Rob said. “So what?”

  “So, you fill the trench with something flammable and light it up.”

  Rob stared at the young man. He may be smarter than he had given him credit for, after all. The idea made perfect sense.

  “A wall of fire, surrounding the village,” Rob muttered.

  “Keeping the dead in and the problem contained until the cavalry arrives,” Joel added.

  “I like it,” Rob said.

  “It keeps us trapped in here, as well,” Brighton pointed out.

  “We have no other options,” Rob said.

  “You still there, Sheriff?” Perkins’ voice cut in.

  “Can you get a trench dug around the entire town?” Rob asked the Sargent. “I know it’s a huge task but I can’t imagine what would happen if any get out and this goes further.”

  “That would take some time. I would need to get some bucket loader crews out here working furiously. You want a trench to act as a moat? To capture the dead in?”

  “No,” Rob answered. “I want a trench with gasoline or any flammable substance you can get ahold of poured into it. Then I want it lit on fire.”

  Perkins was quiet for a moment before answering. “You want a circle of fire surrounding a town you happen to be trapped in? Are you looking to die if that fire gets out of control?”

  “I’m looking to contain this problem until we can find a way to get rid of all the dead or get the survivors out of here and to safety.”

  “I understand, Sheriff. I’ll get some men to go round up some bucket loaders and wake up some heavy equipment operators. I’ll call you as soon as I get them here.”

  “Thanks, Sargent. We’ll let you know if things get worse.”

  Rob hung up the phone and looked at the others in the room. They all looked as tired as he felt. He asked Shirley to bring a pot of coffee and some mugs for them. It was not long before morning would arrive, and Rob would remain in charge until he could go no longer function without sleep.

  “James, why don’t you go get some rest,” Rob said. “When you and Emily are awake again, I will have you two take over for Doctor Blake and I so we can get some sleep. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here before we can get out of town.”

  “Why Emily?” James asked.

  “She knows this hotel,” Rob answered. “If there comes a time we need to evacuate quickly, I want her awake and alert to show us the safest exits.”

  “Makes sense,” James said. “Call me if you need me.”

  “You should rest up, too,” he said to Joel.

  “I may wander around a little,” Joel said before leaving the room.

  Rob watched the man as he headed out the door. He and Doctor Blake settled in for the rest of the night. With fear threatening to wrap its tendrils around him, Rob needed to find a way to remain focused.

  CHAPTER tWENTY-fOUR

  Day Four

  Emily and James came into the office the next morning, wiping the sleep from their eyes. Shirley was right behind them with a pot of coffee. It was apparent that none of them had slept much. He hadn’t expected anything more than a restless sleep for anyone in the hotel, truth be known.

  “Fill us in on what we need to know,” Emily said. “Then it’s off to bed for you two while James and I take over.”

  “I don’t intend to get more than a nap,” Rob said. “Hopefully, we won’t be here much longer.”

  “You’re the only one here who has experience enough to lead us out of here,” Emily pointed out. “You’re n
ot going to be much good to us if you don’t get a little rest.”

  “Do you have anything we can use to block off the doors?” he asked, waving off her concern. “Plywood, drywall or anything?”

  “We don’t have any of that lying around,” She answered apologetically.

  “We just want to keep them from noticing we’re in her, right?” Blake said.

  “That’s mainly what we are looking for,” Rob answered. “If they don’t see us in here, they won’t try to get in. At least, that’s what I am hoping.”

  “Are they smart enough to figure out we’re here?” James asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rob answered.

  “I’m hoping they don’t learn,” Blake said.

  Rob stared at him for a moment before speaking. “What do you mean?”

  “If the neurological pathways are open, it’s possible they could learn, providing they actually have awareness.”

  “Even if they could learn, they can’t possibly pick up on much in a short amount of time.”

  “If the pathways are all open, they would learn extremely fast,” Blake explained. “They would learn as fast as a child.”

  “Don’t you ever offer any good news?” Rob asked, staring at the doctor. “What do you suggest we do in the meantime?”

  “What about sheets and blankets over the doors and windows?” Blake suggested.

  “We have tons of those,” Emily said.

  Rob thought about it for a moment. It seemed like a good idea. Anything to keep them from being watched should serve the purpose, even if it was just fabric.

  “It won’t keep them from learning, will it?” Rob asked.

  “No,” Blake said. “However, if we hide our presence before they start learning, it’s possible they won’t remember we are even in here.”

  “Emily, can you get people hanging them in every door and window while James keeps in contact with Sargent Perkins?” he asked.

  “Sure, I’ll get as many of the others as I can on that,” She agreed.

  “Then I am off to close my eyes for a few moments unless you need me for anything else.”

  “We should be fine,” James assured him.

  “Call me if you need me, no matter what it is.”

  “I will,” James said. “Now get out of here and sleep.”

  Rob stood up and started for the door, feeling a wave of exhaustion pass over him. Doctor Blake followed him out, heading to find a vacant room for a well-needed rest.

  * * * *

  Jane and Hannah brought the last of the extra sheets and blankets into the lobby, adding them to the giant pile already occupying the middle of the lobby floor.

  “That’s the last of them,” Hannah said as she threw her armful of sheets onto the heap.

  “Well, let’s break up into teams and get going, then,” Emily said. “The sooner we get these up, the better.”

  “How long is the sheriff planning on us being here?” Jane asked, unable to hide the fear that was likely plaguing them all.

  “Hopefully, not long,” Emily tried to assure her. “We need to keep the dead from seeing us until we can get out.”

  Julie grabbed an armful of blankets and Joel picked up a hammer and a box of nails. They headed to the south side of the first floor to start covering the windows there. Rob had said that they only needed to worry about the areas that were going to be occupied, so only the first floor would need to be done. The upper floors would remain dark and unoccupied.

  Ron and Helen worked together on the north side, going room by room until they would meet up with Julie and Joel. By then the entire first floor would be finished, every window covered.

  Hannah and Jane were working on the east side of the floor while Margie and Lenny hit the west side. Emily and Lorraine worked on covering the main doors and windows in the lobby area with as many blankets as they needed for the huge glass areas.

  Rita worked in the kitchen and was soon joined by Bernice and Bill. the only thing that seemed to keep her from coming apart was to start making a bunch of sandwiches and putting out coffee and juice for the others who were working to cover the windows. Bill and Bernice slowly began to assist her, both looking terrified.

  With everyone busy with their tasks, their minds were kept occupied but the fear would inevitably remain present.

  * * * *

  Julie held the blankets in place over the windows while Joel pounded the nails in, holding them in place. They had to stand on chairs to reach the top, but they were working at a good pace. They were taking only about five minutes to cover each window, but they had been working together in the lab long enough that they could almost communicate without talking.

  “Look at them out there.” Julie pointed to the parking when they got to the window in the second room. “It looks like there are even more of them.”

  “They are multiplying like crazy.” Joel agreed. “They must have wiped out almost everyone in town. This place is going to be a ghost town when this is all over.”

  “It looks like we will be on the job hunt again.”

  “I should be updating my resume right now,” he said, trying to ease their nerves with a tiny bit of humor.

  “I left my laptop back at the office, or I would be updating mine now,” she said, giving a nervous smile.

  “I’m not sure that NeurAx is going to be a helpful addition to anyone’s resume after this.”

  “I was thinking about going back to college anyway,” Julie said. “I always wanted to be a primatologist. Maybe I should just continue my education if we somehow live through this.”

  Joel stopped hammering and looked at her, surprised he had never heard her mention this before. “What are you going to when you become one? You want to study monkeys in South America or something?”

  “I don’t know what I want yet. All I want to do right now is live.”

  “That’s what we all want right now,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  She looked up at him for a moment, as if expecting him to say something. He inwardly cursed himself for not knowing what to tell her when she finally looked away again, returning to her task.

  “We aren’t going to make it out of this, are we?” she said.

  He took another look at the multitude of walking corpses as they fed on anything that moved. Rabbits, rats, dogs and other animals were bitten and torn. The site nearly turned his stomach.

  “I don’t know,” he said, realizing it wasn’t the comforting words she needed right now. “Anything is possible, though. We can’t give up. We’ve gotten this far.”

  “We’ve gotten to a dead end.”

  He was certain most of the group felt the same way she did. He wasn’t sure he felt any different. Somehow, he held on to some ridiculous hope that they were going to make it out. Still, he had no way of coming up with anything encouraging.

  He let the sheet cover the window again and pounded the nail with the hammer, fighting off the feeling of defeat.

  * * * *

  Working with Margie, Lenny hammered the nails while sneaking glances at Jane when he most likely thought Margie wasn’t looking. Jane was a very attractive girl, long blonde hair and a great body to match. Margie followed his gaze toward the young woman, noticing how her breasts filled out her white top and her backside filled out her jeans. Jealousy took over her fear for a moment and she was unable to calm her anger.

  “What the hell are you looking at?” She said, her tone gruff.

  He attempted to act as though he had no idea what she was talking about. “Nothing, why?”

  “Get your eyes off her ass!” she said. “Get your mind back on hammering these nails and not on nailing her.”

  “I was just checking their progress, that’s all.”

  “Bullshit! Get back to work.”

  She shook her head in disgust as she grabbed a blanket and headed into the next room, looking back to make sure he was following. He heaved a sigh before trailing her. It was
no secret how nasty she could be when angered. She could be nearly evil.

  Margie continued to keep an eye on Lenny while they worked, noticing that he was not only ogling at the blonde college girl when he thought she wasn’t looking, he was also glancing at Helen. She wasn’t as worried about Jane because Jane did not return his glances of interest. She was clearly not taken in by Lenny at all. She was, however, bothered by Helen because of the past that Lenny and Helen shared. She was aware that they had dated, and she didn’t like the idea of the two of them in close proximity to each other. Jane posed little threat, but Helen might have to be eliminated from the picture.

  She was struck by how quickly her fear had been replaced with other emotions, such as anger and jealousy. She wondered if she was more of a survivor than she’d originally thought. Was it possible she could not only survive this but be a hero?

  She nearly laughed at the thought. Margie was no hero and she knew it. She could, however, be a survivor. She wasn’t very big, but she had a temper and was lightning quick when she needed to be. She’d been in a few fist fights and always come out on top. If it came down to it, Helen would be no trouble at all.

  The dead outside, however, would be another story.

  * * * *

  Joel had always been a very observant person, noting everything in his surroundings from the time he was young. Not much got past him, which was one of the things that made him a good research animal technician. Not satisfied with just performing his duties, he always took in the entire picture when working in the laboratory. Julie had mentioned that she felt he had a sixth sense, sometimes able to predict an outcome of a test before it occurred.

  Because of this ability, it was easy for him to notice the situation between Margie and Lenny, as well as Lenny’s wandering eye. Margie’s reaction and dark brooding mood were what worried him, though he wasn’t entirely certain of why. Either way, he figured he’d best have a talk with Lenny, preferably without Margie present.