Normally they wouldn’t leave an infected to stink up the road but they had other pressing things to attend to so he simply turned and headed back to the car.
Captain Morris resumed driving and arrived at the end of Paradise Road. He took a right onto East St. Louis Avenue and then a quick left onto 5th Place. A minute later he took a left on Park Paeso.
He slowed to a stop as he approached Las Vegas Boulevard. He turned left into a shopping plaza and parked the Dodge next to a restaurant called Ocha Cuisine.
Exiting the vehicle, they moved to the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and looked left. There was no sign of the unauthorized SUV but the chapel was about a quarter mile down on the left-hand side. They moved slowly, hugging the building with Captain Morris out front.
If the mysterious SUV had not been following his friends and continued on the same course, it would have likely passed this point by now. However, it would have likely been seen by Major Bradley or someone in the wedding party.
So, thought the Captain, it had either taken another route or stopped short of the chapel.
They looked across the street and saw nothing out of place.
The area was heavily commercial and littered with parking lots. The small group used the abandoned cars as cover as they tried to stay clear of the boulevard. They passed the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel and the Thunderbird Lounge before reaching the wedding site.
They moved behind a small building attached to the chapel that served as a waiting area, photo center, and souvenir shop. It provided an excellent view of the front and side of the chapel building plus the northbound lane of Las Vegas Boulevard.
There was a long awning off of the boulevard that led to the main door and a shorter awning that could be approached from the side. Captain Morris waited for a minute looking for movement from the building or the road.
As they moved from the relative protection of the building to the open area leading to the shorter awning, Captain Morris stopped suddenly as he heard voices and the sound of shuffling feet. He hunched down, looked across the street and saw Major Bradley being led to the black SUV he had spotted earlier. The enormous man opening the car door had to be Gunner, Benton’s thug. The other man, whose back was turned was probably Benton himself. How the hell had they found them!
He froze as he considered what to do. He could run back to the car and follow the SUV but who knows who knows where they were headed. He caught sight of the deuce and a half and realized that the wedding party had arrived and were likely inside the chapel. The SUV turned around and headed back down Las Vegas Boulevard.
It was too late to run back to the car and follow the Major. He needed to check on the wedding party, maybe he could get some answers there.
They ducked under the awning and approached the entrance when Captain Morris felt the hairs on his neck stand up and his face get flush. A small amount of bile crept into his mouth. He ducked and signaled for the other two men to follow suit. He listened closely as he fought the urge to scream out loud. His breathing rapid and his pulse elevated, he lowered his head into his hand.
Timmons peeked around the Captain and saw the source of his consternation, the lifeless bodies of Sargent Emilio Sanchez and Private Gabriel Stevens and their blood seeping into the pavement. He quickly snapped his head back and leaned against the small row of shrubs lining the side of the all-white building.
Captain Morris seemed to regain his composure nearly as quickly as he had lost it. He turned around and ordered the other two to remain put while he tries to see inside the window. He shuffled his feet as quietly as he could, past the small row of hedges, wedging himself under the nearest window, and slowly moved his head upward.
The windows were covered with drapes, white of course, with very little room to see anything. He heard noises inside but no voices. He would be expecting Arch to be delivering some kind of sermon or something, assuming they were going ahead with the ceremony. Although he had not ever married, he had been to enough weddings to know how they go.
He lowered his head and moved forward to the next window, and closer to the corpses of his friends. He tried not to look but it was not easy, he felt the anger return but knew there would be time for that. Right now, he needed to remain calm.
He had reached the next window and started to move upward but stopped when he heard a voice.
“Why don’t you two lovebirds sit down … right there,” the voice said.
He didn’t recognize the voice. Worst of all it had a menacing tone to it. He needed to see inside.
Again, he moved upward. This window had a slightly better view and he could see the back of someone he couldn’t identify. The man lingered a moment before finally moving revealing Terrance Cole and Kim, Nick, and an unknown man holding an automatic rifle and looking very much like he knew how to use it.
Chapter 24
No Joy Ride
They moved across the median and over to the Land Rover. Benton opened the rear passenger’s side door and, with his weapon still pointed at him, motioned for the Major to get in the back.
“Put her in the front,” he ordered Gunner.
Gunner did as instructed, closing the door and moving into the driver’s seat. Benton slid into the backseat alongside Major Bradley, never taking his eyes off him. Once everyone was settled and Gunner had started the engine, Benton slowly moved the barrel of his gun from pointing at the Major, to pointing at Zoe. The Major looked at Benton and with no words exchanged he told him loud and clear; message received.
“Where to Major?” Benton asked.
Major Bradley was still in the same predicament he was in before; he had no idea where Dr. Sanderson was at the moment. But, bringing him to the casino was inviting the possibility of more people getting involved and perhaps more people in harm’s way. He also didn’t have any idea what Benton knew of their operation here or how long they may have had them under surveillance. It was safer assume he knew everything. He decided to take him directly to the hospital.
“Desert Springs Hospital,” Major Bradley finally answered.
Benton looked in Gunner’s direction to make sure he had heard the Major, Gunner nodded in response.
Benton was familiar with Las Vegas but he had no idea where the Desert Springs Hospital was.
“My GPS isn’t working Major, something having to do with this outbreak,” Benton said with a smile.
The Major was concentrating on how he could make Benton pay for what he had done to his men without anyone else getting hurt. He realized he needed to focus on the more immediate problem of keeping Zoe safe.
Benton turned his gun back in Major Bradley’s direction.
“Um … yea, turn around and head south, then take a left onto Flamingo Road,” he said.
“You heard the Major,” Benton said to Gunner.
Gunner put the Land Rover in gear and completed a U-turn around a green Volkswagen and started heading south on Las Vegas Boulevard.
They traveled in silence for a couple of minutes, Benton making sure the Major didn’t try anything foolish.
“You know what’s funny?” Benton asked, breaking the silence.
Major Bradley had been looking out the window.
“I see very little that’s funny at the moment,” he answered.
Benton continued on, ignoring the Major’s remark.
“Before this whole thing started, when asked what people feared the most, the most common response, behind public speaking, was death,” Benton said.
Major Bradley said nothing.
“Of course, there are people who believe deeply in things like Heaven, Nirvana, or reincarnation, but those things are just that; beliefs. Now, we have evidence that death may not be the end, yet we fear it even more,” Benton said to his captive audience.
“So …,” the Major said.
“So, this pill that the Doctor has been working on is very valuable. It feeds off of people’s fears. Someone in possession of that pill will have a gre
at deal of … influence,” Benton said.
“As long as there is a profit to be made …,” Major Bradley countered.
“I have poured a significant amount of resources into this project … I feel that it is mine to do with however I see fit,” Benton said.
It didn’t matter what Benton said, the Major saw him as a greedy, self-centered bastard with his own agenda. And now he saw him as a murderer.
“Take the next left,” the Major said.
Benton looked up and saw the street sign attached to the overhead traffic signal. It looked like the Major was playing ball and not treating this as a joy ride.
Gunner slowed the vehicle down, maneuvering between two cars stopped dead in the intersection, then turned left onto East Flamingo Road. He checked both sides of the road for any infected but was also very conscience of patrols Major Bradley may have sent out earlier in the day.
“It’s about a mile and a half down this road, on the right-hand side,” the Major said.
If Dr. Sanderson wasn’t there yet he hoped that Worthington would buy the fact that he was on his way. Patience and understanding were not, however, his strong suit. If he was there … well, that presented a whole different set of problems.
Zoe sat, stone-faced, looking straight ahead, thinking about her father. He would, of course, go with Benton willingly if he threatened her in any way. She felt a rush of guilt for being a pawn in the middle of this whole thing that has so many people in danger. Worst of all, if Benton got his hands on him, she knew she would never see him again.
“Where in the hospital would our doctor be?” Asked Benton.
“I think he works on the second floor, there’s a lab there,” Major Bradley answered.
“And would he be alone?”
“Probably … although he may have taken Malcolm with him today.”
“Malcolm?”
Major Bradley shot him an icy stare.
“The woman that you were just holding a gun to her head, it’s her father,” he said.
Malcolm eased his wheelchair a little closer to the Doctor, careful not to get too close. The Doctor continued to shake violently, almost as if was having some kind of seizure. There wasn’t much he could do for him anyway, given his weakened state.
Dr. Sanderson lifted his hand off the chair and the lab immediately became silent, eerily so. He struggled to reach for the pills on the counter a foot or so in front of him, his hand trembling as it slid along the counter.
At first, it looked like there were only two bottles there but as Malcolm adjusted his wheelchair, he noticed at least a dozen more. It seems the Doctor has indeed been busy this morning.
Dr. Sanderson grabbed the two closest bottles, struggling mightily to simply hold on to them. He turned a little more, now almost facing Malcolm, his face contorted in a way that frightened Malcolm.
He dropped the pill bottles in Malcolm’s lap, grabbing the wheelchair’s handle to catch his fall as he slumped even further down. Malcolm attempted to push him back up but his strength deserted him.
Dr. Sanderson amazingly started to lift himself up and was now nearly standing. He focused his attention on Malcolm, looking him square in the eyes.
“They … work,” he stammered.
Malcolm looked down onto the bottles in his lap and back up to the Doctor. He met his gaze and tried to make sure he understood. The Doctor nodded.
Malcolm knew it was too late for him, he was going to die from this damn disease but this could mean a great deal to everyone else, including Katie.
“But why is he telling me this?” Malcolm asked himself.
Dr. Sanderson read the expression on his face and half smiled.
“It’s too late … for me,” he said.
A confused look appeared on Malcolm’s face. He reached for one of the bottles in his lap and, using what little strength he had, opened it spilling a few of the white pills into his hand. He offered them to the Doctor.
Dr. Sanderson ignored him, instead, he turned back around, accidentally kicking the chair and sending it crashing into the table behind him. He grabbed hold of the workbench in front of him with both hands trying to steady himself. He pointed to the row of notebooks and binders shoved up against the wall.
“My … my … notes … easy to follow,” he managed to say.
Malcolm didn’t like the way he was talking.
“Maybe you should lie down,” Malcolm suggested.
There was a long table to the Doctor’s left and taking Malcolm’s suggestion, he turned and took a few steps toward it. Malcolm moved his wheelchair alongside the table and let Dr. Sanderson use it to help hoist himself onto it.
Still shaking violently and now unable to speak, Dr. Sanderson cleared the table of beakers and test tubes, sending them crashing to the ground. He rolled himself onto the table and suddenly went limp.
Malcolm waited a minute for any sound or movement from him but there was nothing. At first, he was glad the convulsions had stopped but was now very concerned.
“Doc?” Malcolm said.
Still nothing.
He moved in a little closer and placed his hand on the Doctor’s chest; it was still. He wasn’t breathing.
“Doc!” he yelled, not the least bit concerned if he might draw attention from any infected in the area, the Doctor had already made enough noise for the both of them.
Malcolm kicked the footrests aside on his wheelchair and planted his feet on the ground. With adrenaline kicking in, he used the rest of his strength to push himself up. Grabbing onto the table, he steadied himself and looked at the Doctor.
He grabbed his hand, it felt clammy and limp. He did his best to feel for a pulse but felt none. He was no doctor but there was only one conclusion; Dr. Sanderson was dead.
Unfortunately, given the Doctor’s history, he knew what likely came next. He rolled the wheelchair backward and with great effort, turned it around. After a second, he saw what he was looking for sitting on the counter just to the right of the entrance. He pushed down on the big wheels and made his way to the counter, reaching up he grabbed Dr. Sanderson’s handgun.
Major Bradley tried to see how Zoe was holding up but he was sitting directly behind her and couldn’t see much. She hadn’t said a thing since they left the chapel and she recently had a gun pointed in her direction, so he could probably figure how she was doing.
There was no way to contact anyone at the casino for back-up and he was unarmed, not to mention he made a promise that nothing would happen to Zoe; there was, he concluded, nothing he could do. He would have to wait for an improbable opportunity to present itself and then act on it.
“It’s coming up on your right,” he said to Gunner.
Gunner applied the brake and saw the big medical building come into view. It was, as medical centers go, bigger than average but had the look of an outdated medical facility. In other words, it was in need of a makeover. Gunner saw a walkway crossing over Flamingo road and checked to make sure there were no infected up there, or worse; someone from Major Bradley’s group.
“Turn here,” Major Bradley said.
Gunner turned right down the next road and then took a quick left into a circular driveway, not unlike one you might see when checking into a hotel. There were a few scattered cars positioned in the lot, Gunner avoided them with ease, checking carefully as he passed them.
Major Bradley immediately noticed the dark blue Ford Fusion that he allowed Dr. Sanderson to use so he could go to the hospital anytime he wanted. He did ask that he be informed, however, whenever he was going. He was also unsure how to feel about the Doctor’s presence here. His biggest fear right now was whether or not he could trust Benton to keep his word and let Zoe and him go once he got his hands on the Doctor.
Gunner pulled in front of the main entrance of the hospital and put the Land Rover in park. He looked back at his employer in the back seat. Benton opened his door and slid out into the bright sunshine. He moved around the back of the car an
d opened Major Bradley’s door.
The Major hesitated for a moment and then exited the vehicle, standing in front of Benton. Gunner repeated the process with Zoe so that all four were outside the Land Rover standing in front of the hospital entrance.
“After you Major,” Benton said, extending his right arm.
Chapter 25
Wedding Jitters
Chester Boone was obviously agitated. He was notoriously bad at disguising his feelings when he was annoyed, angry, or in this case, agitated. He was standing up facing Benton’s men, leaning against the first row of pews, and glaring at the bigger of the two men.
Katie Sharp had remained up by the door with the big guy right by her side. He had released her but it was clear she was not allowed to wander too far from him. The other man, having not said a word since crashing their wedding, moved away from one of the windows and now stood in front of the door, surveying his hostages.
Stephen and Lucy were sitting on two chairs in front of the makeshift pulpit, Arch Waxman, who had provided the chairs, stood behind the pulpit still holding tight to the Bible in his hand. Corporal Sinclair stood along the far left wall, trying to get a read on their captors. Jason and Danielle had moved from the bridal party to sit next to their mother in the second pew on the right. She had them wrapped tightly under each arm. Terrance sat behind them. Nick had taken a seat in the front pew next to Stephen. Holly sat in the next to last row on the right side, wiping tears from her eyes. John Bannon sat to the far right in the middle row, Ken Schaffer behind him.
Bannon had met many of Benton’s associates over the years. He, of course, knew Mikael, Gunner’s right-hand man. The other man he had seen before but couldn’t remember the name or the place. He found it difficult to believe he was having trouble remembering a man with such a menacing presence. It was on the tip of his tongue.
“Why don’t you sit down and relax,” the man said to Chester. It had the familiar sound of an order rather than a request. He surely noticed Chester’s angst and had probably already pegged him as the person most likely to give them trouble.
The Zombie Principle II Page 22