by L. T. Ryan
He turned his attention to the world around him. It looked surreal. He hadn’t been sure what to expect. The feeds into the bunker appeared normal enough, if not a little grainy. But the colors were toned down. Out here, grays were grayer, green was greener. Fall showed traces of arriving. A few trees had yellow and red and orange leaves. The sun hid behind gray clouds that skated across the sky. Turk paused, as he recognized the low, fast moving clouds as possibly being the precursor to a tropical storm or hurricane. That could work to his advantage.
Or it could kill him.
Smoke rose above the trees. It looked distant. Charleston, perhaps. He wondered how survivors within city limits had reacted. Had they banded together to fight off those who had turned? Or did they take up arms against one another? Turk had witnessed what happens when things break down. Even among trained soldiers the possibility existed that chaos would ensue.
He headed toward the woods. The men couldn’t be that far away. Marcus had found them not long after leaving. Turk scanned for trail markers, trash, broken tree limbs, beaten paths. Anything that offered a clue. He found a discarded water bottle, but determined it not valid, as it looked to have been cast aside some time ago.
He found a couple cigarette butts on the ground. Promising. He picked one up and smelled it. It had been stomped out recently. It wasn’t definitive. Anyone passing through could have left it there.
That was it, though. Nothing else offered any clue as to which direction the men had gone from that point. Turk kept moving away from the bunker.
He paused every time he heard a sound, whether that of a stick snapping, leaves rustling, or an animal scurrying. Using skills honed over twenty years as a SEAL, Turk constantly reevaluated the surrounding woods. One of those men, or worse, one of the afflicted, could be lurking behind any of the thick trees he passed.
Both hands gripped the MP7 tightly. He had the weapon set to three-round bursts. All he had to do was get close. The gun took care of the rest.
His first break came when he smelled wood smoke. He followed it, altering his path. It took a few adjustments to stay on track. The smell intensified. He wondered if it attracted other beings as well. Perhaps it had been left burning as a decoy. Or worse, a trap.
Turk slowed down, despite his excitement over coming face to face with the man who killed his brother. Of course, he realized all he had to do was look in a mirror to see the man ultimately responsible. Still, he hadn’t expected it to go down the way it did. Marcus was tough enough and street smart enough that he could have survived for quite some time.
What had the guy done to trigger that reaction from those men?
A shadowy figure darted between two trees thirty or forty yards ahead. Turk took cover. He leaned to the side and scanned the area. His rifle was equipped with a scope. He slid it off his shoulder. Further into the woods, he saw someone. A tree shielded most of their body. Turk had the shot, but he didn’t take it. He didn’t know who was out there, or if they were even a part of that group. It could have been someone lost and trying to find help.
Or it could have been one of them, in which case, he would be presented with the opportunity to kill them soon enough.
For now he had to focus on whoever, or whatever, he saw moments ago.
A twig snapped off to his left. Turk shifted his weight and peered around the other side of the tree. He caught sight of the person again as they moved between two thick trunks. He brought the MK 14’s stock to his shoulder and waited. He kept his aim at the center of the tree. The woods were silent. For a moment he considered firing a warning shot. That might attract company, though, so he decided he would only shoot if necessary.
Seconds passed. Sweat dripped down his forehead and cheeks and nose. It settled on his upper lip. Turk steadied his breath, and in turn, his nerves.
The person appeared. They ran from one tree to the next, providing Turk with a full view through the scope. It was a woman. And she was unarmed by all appearances.
Was she stalking him? Or running from something?
Turk scanned the area the woman had come from. He’d seen one man positioned a couple hundred yards away. There could be more close by. Perhaps they had been tasked with watching the woman and she had escaped from them. But why would she be hiding behind trees, leaving herself exposed to them?
He watched as she stepped out from behind her hiding spot and bolted forward. This time she bypassed several potential places she could have taken cover. She saw something. What, though? Something good that she ran toward? Or something bad that she ran from?
Turk couldn’t decide whether to follow her or push on forward. His basic calling in life, that which pushed and propelled Turk, was to help others, especially those weaker and in need.
Cursing himself, Turk headed in the woman’s direction.
He found her trail, and despite the fact that she had gained separation, it didn’t take long for him to catch up. It seemed as if she did everything in her power to be heard. This gave Turk reason to proceed with caution. More than he might have otherwise. He didn’t only have her to worry about, but also whatever she drew in closer to them.
She gave up her all-out run and took cover again. Turk watched her from this new vantage point. He studied her movements.
She wore short jean shorts and a white button-up shirt tucked into the waist of her shorts. One of the sleeves looked like it had been ripped off. Her hair was long and dark. She wore hiking boots that came three inches above her ankles. She held something in her hand. Not a gun, a device of some kind. It looked like a handheld radio. She held it up. He saw the ambient glow of a screen. It wasn’t a communication device. She held a GPS unit.
Thirty feet separated Turk from the woman. He could take her out with any of his weapons if he wanted. He didn’t, though. He placed his rifle on the ground and slid the strap of his MP7 off his body. He clenched the gun tight. The woman took off. Turk sprinted toward her. By the time she heard him and turned, he’d reached her.
Turk pulled up, aimed the MP7 at her and said, “Don’t scream, don’t run, don’t even whisper. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
The woman breathed quickly and heavily. She bounced from foot to foot, but didn’t try take off.
“That a girl,” Turk said. “Now, I want you to ease down to your knees.”
She glanced over her shoulder.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Turk said. “I just need to ask you a few questions. Now, I think that you’ll feel more comfortable answering those questions if I don’t have a gun pointed at your head. But to do that, I need to be sure that you aren’t going to try to hurt me or run away. Nod if you understand.”
She nodded.
“All right. Now go ahead and kneel down.”
She did.
“What’s your name?”
“You tell me yours,” she said.
“Fair enough.” He lowered his weapon. “I’m Turk.”
“Sarah.”
“What are you doing out here, Sarah?”
“I’ve been wandering for days. Ever since this, whatever it is, happened. A couple days ago, I found a group of men. Or, they found me, I guess. I’d been with them up until a little bit ago.”
“You left or you escaped?”
She said nothing.
“I’m not going to turn you in to them.”
“Escaped.”
“These men, did they capture a guy earlier. About your age. Black. Cocky, maybe.”
She nodded. “They told him they were going to kill him if he didn’t lead them to this bunker. He was bragging about it, that he could get them in there and they’d be underground with everything they needed.”
Turk took a deep breath, held it and exhaled through his nose. His brother had sold him out because he had done the same to Marcus.
“Oh my God,” she said. “You’re from there, aren’t you?”
“What else can you tell me?”
“They took him away and
never came back. Everyone was on edge afterward. I heard talk of those things maybe on the prowl. I saw my chance then and took it and got away.”
“Why’ve you been hiding on one side of the tree and running toward the other?”
“What?”
“It looks like you’ve been hiding in plain view.”
She shook her head. “I’m lost.”
“You have a GPS.”
She held it up and shrugged. “I’m learning on the fly here.”
“Get up.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
She rose.
“Lift your shirt an inch and turn around.”
She did so without question.
Turk saw that she was unarmed. “Okay, good. Yes, I came from the bunker. That man you saw was my brother. They killed him. I’m out for revenge. That GPS, its left some kind of breadcrumb trail for you?”
“Uh, not sure. Here, take it.” She held her arm out.
Turk grabbed the GPS and panned out. As he studied the trail that she’d left, he said, “You know how to shoot?”
“Kinda.”
“How do you kinda know how to shoot?”
“Video games.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Look, I’m gonna take you back to the bunker. You’ll be safe there. My family is there, a few others as well. We have plenty of space and supplies to last more than a few months. We also have a plan to get out of here. Unless you want to keep taking your chances out here, we should get moving.”
She studied him for a moment. He realized he likely appeared to be no more trustworthy than those men. He couldn’t help that. It was her choice. She could take it or leave it.
“Okay,” she said.
“Good,” Turk said, reaching behind his back for his Sig Sauer P226. He retrieved it from the holster and held it out for her. “Take this. I’ll show you how to—“
She stared wide-eyed to his right. Turk spun the gun in his hand and took a step back.
“Drop it,” a man said.
Turk’s cheeks burned. He’d been conned. The girl played innocent and led him into a trap. He knew it all along, too. She stuck to the wrong side of the trees so those guys could keep track of her, not because she had no idea what she was doing.
He glanced down at her. She stared at him with tears welling in her eyes. She looked more frightened than she had when he caught up to her. She mouthed the words, “Please do something.”
Perhaps he’d been wrong about her.
“I guess I should thank you for finding that bitch for us,” the man said. “But I think we’re just as excited to have you in custody. I guess I’ll make this simple, like I did for your brother. Take us to your bunker or die.”
Chapter 39
Barbara and Emma slept shoulder to shoulder. They looked peaceful. That would change when they woke up.
Addison kept quiet. She found it hard to do. It had been over a week since she had anyone she felt comfortable talking to. So, she waited while they slept, wondering at what point one of them would be allowed to leave the cell. She noted that the others down there looked like they hadn’t bathed in some time. This kept her from getting her hopes up.
The door at the end of the hall thumped open. The low murmur of voices fell silent. The soft thud of boots grew louder, then stopped somewhere in the middle.
“Last cell on your right,” a man said. “And don’t let no one know I let you down here.”
“Thank you,” a woman said.
Addison relaxed at the soft sound of a female voice. The woman walked toward the cell. Her steps were barely audible. Addison turned her head to the left and saw Jenny, a hood covering her head, kneel down on the other side of the bars.
“What are you doing here?” Addison asked.
“Do you want my help?” Jenny said.
“With what?”
“Getting out of here.”
Addison looked up at the faint glow coming from the ceiling. “What makes you so sure they’ll let me out? And don’t tell me you can convince Phil to do it. I saw how he talked to you. He barely tolerates you.”
Even in the dim lighting, Addison saw the woman’s eyes water over.
“I’m sorry,” Addison said.
Jenny wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She glanced toward Emma and Barbara. “They asleep?”
Addison nodded.
“I’m not talking about going out there to be part of the community.”
“Then what are you talking about, Jenny?”
“You got away from here. Sure, you made a mistake, but other than that, you escaped. If you’d have known about the GPS, you’d have never been found.”
“Thanks for destroying my hope.”
Jenny shook her head. “Quit being a smartass and listen to me. I know this land, but I’m scared to go alone. There’s a man out there who owes me a favor and will look the other way for a few seconds.”
“Why would he do this for you?”
“Because I’ve done some things for him.”
“Such as?”
Jenny said nothing.
“You know what?” Addison said. “Don’t tell me. I think I figured it out.” She paused a beat. Pointing toward Emma and Barbara, she asked, “What about them?”
Jenny shook her head. “There’s going to be an ATV waiting. Four will be too many, I think.”
“You think?”
“I don’t know which one he’s going to supply us with.”
“You get him to give us one with four seats. They don’t belong here, Jenny. Someone stole them, like they did me. They’re being forced to be here. You know how that feels, right?”
Jenny exhaled. Her hot breath hit Addison on the cheek. If the woman’s breath stunk, she couldn’t tell over the smell in the cells.
“Be ready to go tonight.”
“All of us,” Addison said.
“I can’t make any promises.”
“I’m not leaving without them.”
“Okay. We’ll make it work somehow. I need to finish making arrangements to get you out of here after dark, get the ATV placed, and the guard paid off.”
Addison nodded. She didn’t watch as Jenny rose and walked away. As far as she was concerned, the woman hadn’t even come to see her. The chances of Jenny’s plan happening were slim.
“Are we really getting out of here?” Emma asked softly.
Addison scooted across the floor and squeezed in between the girl and the cell bars. “I don’t know, Emma. She says she can, but I don’t know if she’s believable.”
“You don’t trust her?”
“I don’t know if I can, which is more than I can say for most everyone else. I know I can’t trust them. She tried to help me before I left. What happened after she did was odd, though. She said her dad, the guy that runs this camp, would listen to her. She said if I were friends with her, it would give me advantages. He came in and blasted her, though. Told me that I shouldn’t associate with her, and if I did no one would look at me for the better.”
“Maybe she needed a friend,” Emma said.
“Maybe,” Addison said.
“Or she thought the two of you could escape together. After all, that’s why she came down here, right?”
Addison nodded. “I think she’s been working on this since they came here. I can’t blame her, either. I wouldn’t want to be around her step-father.”
“So you’ll go then?”
“If she shows up, yeah.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
“What are they going to do to me?” Addison said. “I’m already locked up down here. They could kill me, I guess, but to be honest, I think that’d be doing me a favor at this point.”
“Don’t say that.”
Addison glanced at the girl. She reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m just thinking out loud. I didn’t mean it.”
Emma said nothing. The girl s
tared at the wall, unblinking.
“You’re coming with me,” Addison said.
A smile formed at the corners of the girl’s mouth.
“And whatever happens, happens. But we’ll be together. The three of us can handle anything.”
Addison hoped her words offered Emma more encouragement than they did for her. The future felt bleak no matter what they did. She decided that if she had to go down, she’d do it on her terms.
Her thoughts turned positive the more she thought about the situation. With four of them, their chances of survival increased. It wouldn’t be her alone, trying to figure out how to make it. Each of them could take a job, a specific task, and work it. They could create a camp if necessary. Hunt and gather food and supplies.
She figured she could navigate to that house again, though she quickly cast that idea aside. If she could find it, the men could too. That’d probably be one of the first places they looked. But if that place existed, other places would too. They could wait out the winter in one of them and then head south late spring.
By then, things will have changed, she thought.
The virus would be gone. Most people would be as well. Maybe even those who had turned into monsters.
And if they weren’t, who cared? Addison would rather take her chances with those things out there than live in a dirty, disgusting cell for the rest of her life.
Emma leaned forward and looked away. The girl’s long hair spilled across her legs. She made a few noises, waited a moment or two, and then leaned back. Turning to Addison, she said, “I don’t know if Barbara is strong enough for this.”
“Are any of us?” Addison said.
Emma shrugged. “I’m afraid she’ll do something to mess it up, though.”
“Listen, Emma, we’ll make her strong. Okay? We all support one another. There will be times when one of us is down, or hurt, or maybe just feels like we can’t go on another step. During those moments it’ll be up to the others in the group to pick that person up, physically, if necessary, and carry them forward. Once we do this, we are committed to one another forever. Till death do we part and all that jazz. I won’t give up on you, and you don’t give up on her. Got it?”