Alistair watched them in silence, his feet cemented to the floor. He didn’t even feel like he was there, he was seeing it from eyes that didn’t belong to him. He was a spectator in his own body.
“Dad!” Charlie and David cried out in unison as they rushed behind their mother.
MJ hurried after them, scooping them into her arms. “You can’t see this,” she said, trying to comfort them best she could. “Come with me.”
They resisted, but they were too overwhelmed to really put up a fight. MJ dragged them off into a room across the hall.
“I love you,” Randall said. “I…I love you.”
“Get up baby. Get up you’re fine,” Melinda cried out.
Randall smiled then his face went slack. His eyes unfocused and his arms fell limp at his sides.
“No! No, no, no!” Melinda moaned.
~~***~~
Alistair leaned back against the wall with his feet tucked under him. He crossed his hands over his knees and stared forward. He’d been sitting there for the last hour while his world fell apart all around him. Nothing made sense any longer. Nothing mattered.
“What do you want to do with him?” Hunter asked.
“Let him grieve,” Craig replied. “Pain deserves to be felt.”
Ashley walked into the room and stopped just inside of the door. She let her eyes fall on Alistair and watched him for a few moments. In silence, she made her way toward him and took a seat beside him.
She didn’t say a word. She simply wrapped her arms around him and he fell into her embrace and broke down.
“Let’s go,” Craig said to Hunter.
They turned and headed off down the hall. Every step echoed in the emptiness like a bell. Craig felt like he’d hit rock bottom, but he knew the worst was yet to come.
“What are we gonna do now?” Hunter asked.
“I think we may have dodged a bullet. Randall saved us,” Craig replied. “Get MJ…and Livingston, we’ll meet in the topside atrium. Make sure they rotate guards at the entrance and if they even think they see that asshole, it’s shoot to kill.”
Hunter nodded and rushed off. Craig continued walking, his feet taking him to the one place he didn’t want to go. He stopped outside of the door and stared at it for a few minutes, trying to find the words that wouldn’t mean anything.
Swallowing, he rolled his fingers into a fist and tapped them softly against the door. He waited but didn’t expect an answer. After a minute or two he grabbed the knob and twisted, the door swung open and he stepped inside.
The foyer was empty, but he could hear voices in the living room and the sounds of someone crying. Reluctantly, he walked further inside. He stopped at the edge of the dining room, his eyes locking on Cynthia as she sat on the floor with David and Charlie. They were both asleep with dried tears, leaving streams across their face.
“She’s in the room,” Cynthia said.
“How are they doing?”
“It’s gonna be rough for a while.”
Craig nodded then made his way to the bedroom. The door was cracked open, so he tapped lightly as he pushed it and walked inside.
Melinda was sitting on the edge of the bed. She had a blank look on her face and her eyes were fixed like she’d been hypnotized.
Craig moved closer. “Melinda,” he called in a soft voice.
“Yes?” she replied darkly.
“Are you okay?”
“Why would I be okay? My husband is dead…just died. My life, my life is,” she paused, searching for the words. “What do you want Craig?”
He let his mouth hang open then ran his fingers through his hair. It was his job to keep the facility safe and he’d failed. Now he was staring into eyes that laid that burden at his feet.
“I, um…I just wanted to check on you,” he stuttered.
“Well, here I am.”
Craig frowned and slowly moved closer to her. “He saved us you know? Randall--”
“Don’t you say his fucking name!” Melinda snapped.
“Sorry…sorry,” Craig said. “He um, he broke the phone Koran had. So…so he never could tell anyone the location. He never got the message out.”
Melinda glared at him with a malevolence in her eyes that stabbed into his bones. She clenched her fists and jumped to her feet.
“What does that mean to me Craig? What do I do with that?”
“I was, I was just trying to help.”
“You want to help me? Bring me my fucking husband back. Can you do that? Can you do that for me Craig?”
He didn’t know what to say. He stared at her with a blank look on his face and a tongue full of the wrong words. “I…I’m so sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” she seethed venom, following her poisonous words with a swing.
Craig ducked and stumbled backward. Melinda charged forward, beating her fists against his chest as she continued her verbal barrage.
“You fucking killed him! He came to you, he told you about Koran, but you wouldn’t do a thing! Get out! Get the hell out!”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Craig repeated over and over as he turned and hurried out of the room.
Slamming the door behind him, he doubled over in the hallway and caught his breath. He couldn’t blame her for feeling the way she did. He accepted his fault in Randall’s death and didn’t expect her to ever forgive him. He just wanted her to know that Randall hadn’t died in vain.
Sighing, Craig straightened up and wiped his face. He tightened his jaw then turned and headed down the hall toward the elevator. He rode the cart up one level then stepped into the atrium.
“You get lost?” Hunter asked.
Craig gave him a sideways glance and walked past him. MJ and Livingston were standing a few feet away and while the mood was somber, they looked eager to hear from him.
“We need to lock down the facility,” Craig started.
“We already have post stationed at the door and along the trail,” Livingston replied.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“You want to go dark…now?” MJ asked in surprise.
“I talked with Max. He says it’s possible. Systems are all go, and we’ve got enough supplies to sustain us until we’re completely online.”
“It’s more than two weeks early. And…and with what just happened, you think everyone is ready for that? We’re talking a minimum of six months Craig.”
“I don’t think we have a choice MJ. Koran is out, we know he didn’t contact anyone, but if he manages to get word back and they send a team here…we can’t defend this place. We need to lock it down while we still can.”
MJ considered what he was saying for a moment. It was a risky decision, one they couldn’t afford to get wrong. She knew he was right, even though she didn’t want to hear it.
“Okay…okay,” she said. “I’ll let them know to start prepping.”
“Craig!” Max called out as he rushed off the elevator. He leaned over and caught his breath for a second. He looked frantic and his eyes were beaming like flashlights. “We can’t lock down.”
“Why the hell not?” Craig asked angrily.
“It’s Koran.”
CHAPTER 18
BENEDICT ARNOLD
“You mean to tell me that double-crossing asshole did all of this?” Craig asked as he glared at the flashing lights on the control panel.
Alerts were blinking on every screen. Failures from air quality to main hydraulic systems riddled the series of monitors.
“He’s not as dumb as he looks,” Max replied.
Craig groaned and banged his fists onto the table. “So how long will it take to fix all of this?”
“Days, weeks…months. There’s no way to tell. We have major faults in every life support system. I’ll need to run a full recovery just to find out how much damage he did. That’ll take the better part of two days, but then I can determine how long it will take to repair.”
“We don’t have months. We do
n’t have weeks. How long before we can seal this place off?”
“I don’t know Craig,” he replied grimly.
“Get started Max, let me know as soon as you have a timeline.”
“I…I will,” Max stammered and turned back to the monitor.
Craig walked off, followed by Livingston, Hunter and MJ. He left the room and stopped just outside in the hallway.
“We need to track down that piece of shit,” Hunter snapped.
“I’m with him,” MJ added.
“I want him dead just as well as anyone, but if we send a team after him, who’s gonna protect this place?”
“Just send us,” Livingston said. “Just the three of us. We can catch him.”
MJ shrugged. “It’s not a bad plan. Max works on the system and we go after the traitor. Worst case, if they send a team we can head them off, buy you guys some more time.”
Craig bit his lip then sighed. He wouldn’t say it, but he didn’t like the idea of sending MJ out there. She had too much to lose. “Tell me about Koran,” he said as he turned toward Hunter.
“What do you mean?”
“You knew him, right? Served with him? How capable is he?”
Hunter wrinkled his face like a skunk had just sprayed the halls. Shrugging, he stared at the floor and fumbled with his hands.
“Give it to me straight Hunter.”
“He’s capable.”
Craig cocked his head to the side.
Hunter sighed. “He’s a high-level operator. I’ve only worked with him in limited capacities, but he’s a scary guy.”
“I’ve filled cemeteries with scary guys,” MJ said as she narrowed her eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do Craig. I’m going.”
“MJ, this is not some kind of macho thing. You have Grayson. The rest of us have nobody.”
“That’s exactly why I should be going. I have a reason to make sure that asshole doesn’t make it back. And I’m sorry Craig, but this is what I do. We’re tracking down one man, not an army. You’ve got soldiers here, get them ready to protect this place. I’m going hunting.”
Craig reluctantly shook his head in agreement. “When you find him, you make sure he doesn’t make it back here alive.”
~~***~~
Alistair sat on the couch and stared at the door, wishing for his father to walk in. He thought that maybe if he wanted it bad enough, he could will it to happen. He thought that if he refused to accept his death, then he wasn’t really dead. But deep down, he knew that wasn’t true.
The last few weeks of his life had been unbelievable. Nothing felt real anymore, and he’d almost become numb to pain, almost. And that was what he wished for, that was something that he could make happen, he just had to learn how to not care.
He’d said his last goodbyes to his father as he lay on a cold slab in the clinic. That was what constituted a funeral now. There was no burial, now fancy casket or headstone. Just a few heartfelt words before they slid his body into an incinerator.
His brothers were taken in the room for a few seconds then rushed out. Seeing them fall to pieces broke his heart. And while his mother put on a strong face, he knew she was dying inside and that the best parts of her died with his dad.
There was a knock at the door and Alistair jumped in surprise. For a split-second he entertained the idea that has father had really returned. And for that split-second he’d never been happier, but when it passed he was cast back into his morbid reality.
Alistair opened the door and tried to manage a smile. Ashley was standing on the other end with Daniel, Trevor and Chase. He hadn’t known them for long, but they all shared one thing in common, they knew his pain better than he did. They’d all been made orphans. At least Alistair had one parent left.
“They’re going after him,” Ashley said with an encouraging smile. “Soon.”
“What?”
“They’re gonna get Koran. You could go.”
Alistair glanced over his shoulder then stepped into the hall. Frowning, he closed the door behind him. His heart tap danced in his chest and he took a quick breath to compose himself. His thoughts shifted to his brothers, they hadn’t come to terms with their father’s death and he knew he needed to be there for them. But there was a fire burning inside of him, an inferno of rage, an angry demon that wanted its pound of flesh.
“Go,” Ashley said and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Alistair shook as he was pulled from his violent thoughts. He looked back to the room again and lowered his head.
“Go and I’ll stay with them. It’ll be okay.”
“She snuck into the supply room. Packed us these,” Daniel added and held out a bag for Alistair that was draped in an orange winter coat. “We got snow gear, boots, tents…everything we need.”
“You’re going too?” Alistair asked.
“We all are,” Chase replied and held out a tan colored pistol. “I can show you how to use it.”
Alistair took the gun in his hands and ran his fingers across the surface. “Where…where’d you get this?” he asked.
“Ashley did. Like I said, she raided the supply closet.”
Alistair took a long gaze at each one of them and smiled. He wasn’t sure why they were doing it, but he’d never felt more gratitude in his life.
He wrapped his fingers around the grip and shivered. A surge of power shot through his arm and he grinned with a sense of invincibility. Frothing, he looked up and growled, “I’m going to kill him!”
CHAPTER 19
HUNTING SEASON
“Be safe MJ,” Craig said and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“I can handle myself Major,” she replied with a grin.
Craig smiled. “I know you can, but still be safe. Did you get the canteens from the supply room?”
“No, didn’t need to. We still had the camel packs in the freezer. Besides, I’m more concerned with carrying bullets than water.”
She stowed another magazine into her utility belt and racked the slide on her Glock. After tucking the gun into her holster, she wiped the sweat off her hands and rolled her shoulders.
“You’re gonna need a little more than that,” Craig said and held out an M4. “Extra magazines are in the bag.”
MJ took it and smiled. It’d been years since she’d been in the field, but some things never changed. The rush of adrenaline, the fear of the unknown that kept her alert and the danger that called to her like a magnet. She was a hunter and that instinct was something that never died.
Grayson stepped around the corner and made a strange face between happiness and fear. There was something familiar to him about her leaving and not being able to tell him much. As long as he could remember, his mother lived a life in the shadows. Their goodbyes had become routine.
But this time he didn’t have his dad to lean on, this time he was all alone. That was the only thing he could think of as he started across the room to see her off. A palpable fear pressed against his shoulders, but he knew she needed to think he was okay.
MJ smiled at him and opened her arms as he approached. He chased the pain from his face and wrapped his arms around her.
“God, you’re getting so big,” MJ said.
They were nearly eye to eye and he seemed to grow every day. MJ grabbed the sides of his face and gazed at him. He looked so much like his father that it hurt her to stare him in the eyes, but she couldn’t look away.
“I love you. You know that? I love you Grayson.”
“I love you too mom. Do your job and hurry back.”
She teared up and felt her heart quiver in her chest. “Do your job and hurry back.” Toby’s words every time she left. Hearing them from Grayson’s mouth was like being doused in ice water.
With a pained face, MJ kissed Grayson on the cheek then turned around and grabbed her bag from the floor. She winked at him then turned to Craig, hoping to leave before her heart made her stay. He gave her an endearing look and she leaned forward and hugged him.<
br />
“Aim true,” he whispered into her ear.
She clamped her jaw tightly, still fighting back tears. Too much of what she had was gone, and the rest she was leaving behind. That was her life, it was all she knew how to do. Smiling, she stared at Craig then took one last look at Grayson before turning her back.
“Let’s go,” she said, fighting against the voice screaming in her head that told her she was a fool.
With Hunter and Livingston following along, she headed out of the main doors and started down the rocky trail that snaked along the mountain. They needed to hurry. They were chasing the wind and he already had a head start.
Craig watched them for a moment as they hurried down the mountain in their snow gear. He should’ve been the one running after Koran. He should’ve been the one risking his life in the cold. But he also had a job to do and time wasn’t on his side.
“Come on,” he said and tapped Grayson on the shoulder. “Let’s go help Max out.”
Sulking like homesick puppies, they walked back through the atrium and headed for the control room. Alistair peeked his head out from behind a row of lockers as they passed. Tip-toeing, he stepped into the clearing and slung his bag over his shoulder.
Daniel, Trevor and Chase followed him from behind their hiding spot. They glanced around the empty atrium then to the massive opening that led outside.
“Last chance to back out,” Chase said in a wary voice.
“Is that your way of saying you want to stay with the women?” Trevor asked with a grin.
“Fuck you!”
“Fuck you!”
“Guys,” Daniel said and stepped in between them. “Come on…this is for Alistair.”
“Let’s go before the guards get back,” Alistair grumbled. He tightened the straps on his bag then headed outside.
Falling into a single-file line, they started down the trail at a slow pace. Loose gravel shifted and crumbled under their shoes like the ground was moving. The slope down wasn’t severe, but there was no place for carelessness.
It was a little after midday, but the temperature had reached its peak. Wind swept across the path like a slap to the face and Alistair tightened his jacket and lowered his head.
Survivors: Deconstruction Book Five (A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller) Page 10