by JK Franks
Chapter Thirty-Six
Todd gripped Scott’s shoulder as Scott tried hard to return his breathing to normal. He was nearly overcome with relief as they watched DeVonte and Kaylie walk, carefree, up the hill and into the old church building. “You found her,” Todd said, “and she’s okay.”
“I know,” Scott said quietly, “We still have to get her out of here, though.”
Todd smiled, “We can do that. We got this far.”
“I couldn’t have come this far without you, buddy,” Scott said looking at his friend. “I’m not used to needing help, much less having people I can count on. You don't know how hard this has been for me, but thank you so much.”
Todd looked at his young friend. “Shit, dude, DeVonte is right. Your niece be ‘bangin’,” he teased, laughing.
Scott let out an amused sigh. “Yes, she is. But please don't ever say that again.”
“Deal,” said Todd, “if you stop hitting on my wife."
Todd and Scott waited five minutes before walking back and rejoining Kaylie and DeVonte. Kaylie was still all smiles, and Scott took the next twenty minutes to update her on the basics of what he knew and the last conversations he had with her dad—most of it, anyway.
Kaylie was on board with staying at the beach cottage. Scott knew she wasn’t grasping the desperation of the situation outside the campus. “Bubbles,” he said, calling her by his pet name for her, “you do need to listen to this. You could actually be safer staying right here. I can’t guarantee much of anything; it’s bad out beyond these fences. I’m reasonably certain we’ll have trouble just getting back to Harris Springs.” He sighed a heavy sigh. “We may not even be able to get you off the campus. Food and water are in short supply, and people are getting desperate. The law is unable to help. The basic social structure is breaking down, and we’re not even a week into this crisis. I promised your dad I would try and get to you, make sure you were okay. Now you need to decide if it’s best for you to stay or go.” Looking to the helpful, handsome young man next to her, Scott said, “DeVonte, where do you live? Anywhere close?”
“Yes, sir, I’m from just north of Mobile. If you have room, I’d really appreciate a ride. I know these soldiers is up to no good. Just a matter of time before it gets real ugly here.”
Todd smiled, “We’ll make room for you, friend. Even if I have to put Scott up on the roof. Getting you all the way home might not be easy, though. The bigger cities are starting to become war zones.”
"No, sir,” said Devonte, “I’m from a real small town. If you can just get me close, I’ll be okay. My brother’s a deputy sheriff—he can probably meet us if we can get in touch with him."
Kaylie was looking at her feet and fidgeting. “What is it?” her uncle asked.
“I want to go with you,” she said. “I know that’s what Dad would want.” She paused and seemed to not want to continue.
“But,” Scott prompted.
She looked at the floor, “My boyfriend, DJ,” she said. Scott looked over at DeVonte, who gave the slightest shake of his head.
Pulling out the picture, Scott pointed at the boy, “Is this your boyfriend?” Kaylie reached out for the picture and clutched it close, a pained expression on her face. “Honey, I’m afraid we can’t help him,” Scott said as firmly as he dared. “We saw the grayshirts escorting him out of the medical building earlier.”
“They were taking him over to the admin building,” DeVonte said. "Not to the Doak,” he added, referring to the stadium. Scott took his niece's hand, realizing again just how much she looked like her mom.
“Kaylie, we can’t take on the military to free your friend. I’m sorry, but we would probably all get ‘disappeared’,” using DeVonte's word from earlier.
Todd decided that if anyone was going to be the bad guy in this it should be him. “Kaylie, I have a couple of questions. Where is DJ from? Do you know if he would even leave if he had the choice? And do you have any idea what they would want with him?”
"He’s from South Florida,” she said. “I’m not sure if he wants to go or not. He hasn’t said. In fact, we’ve barely talked since the lights went out. Something he’s working on. He says it’s important to the Army guys… I don’t know what it is, but he said they come to get updates every few days. I’m sure today was just another one of those.”
“He didn’t seem too anxious to go with them,” Scott said. “In fact, he looked pretty pissed off.”
“That’s just the way he gets when he’s working or studying,” Kaylie said. “DJ is a wonderful guy, but he’s a bit of an academic. He can get wrapped up in whatever project or paper he’s working on and forget to eat, forget about me. I’m not even that sure he really knows what’s going on out here.”
Todd looked over at Scott and shook his head. This didn’t sound like someone they would have any luck in getting away from here; away from his work. “Kaylie,” Todd continued, "are you prepared to leave without him?”
She didn’t answer. Scott reached up and brushed the hair from her face. “What kind of research does DJ do? I mean isn’t he just a student?” he asked.
“DJ is quite gifted and already pretty respected in his field. He’s doing graduate studies to become a virologist. He specializes in botanical-based treatments. We did some work together in the med labs—that’s where we met,” she added, tears beginning form in each eye.
“Why would they be interested in that?” Todd asked to no one in particular. “Seems to me they would be more concerned about getting the power back on.”
“If the soldiers are interested in it, seems like it would be either to treat an existing outbreak, or they are trying to weaponize a pathogen.” DeVonte guessed.
“Biological warfare? Doubt it," Todd said. “If these guys are who we think, then they have plenty of research on that shit already. Probably have stockpiles of weaponized everything you can imagine. No need to be starting from scratch, especially not at some random college campus. Most wouldn’t even be on US soil due to the laws and potential outbreak threat. An outbreak, though, that makes more sense.”
Scott thought for a few seconds. “The only information that is even remotely related to this…” He paused trying to remember, “I saw a single headline just after the CME hit. It mentioned a BioResearch facility’s containment failing. It was overseas I think… maybe Turkey or Pakistan. This wouldn’t be connected to that, would it?”
“Shit.” Todd looked grim. “Power grid failure, economic collapse, social collapse…. Yeah. A global fucking pandemic is just what we need right now.” Todd strode back and forth a few times. The others watched with dark faces. “Still doesn’t figure why here, why this guy…DJ. Hell, maybe the grayshirts are actually the good guys, then. They could be the advance battalion for Catalyst.”
“I’ve heard that word several times, what is it?” DeVonte asked. The men looked at each other.
“Catalyst? You heard them use that word?” asked Scott.
“Project Catalyst, yeah, I heard them say it more than once,” DeVonte answered. "Never when they thought anyone was around, though. They would be saying something about protocols and not forgetting what the priorities were.
It was Scott’s turn to pace as he explained. “Catalyst is a government emergency plan to try to reestablish order in the case of a national or global disaster. We can get into it later, but the main point is that if Catalyst is in effect, it will be every man for himself for the next few years.”
“Okay,” Todd said, “let's focus on tactics here. DeVonte, you and Kaylie need to pack your shit. Everything you’re taking with you—you will not be coming back. We don’t have much room, so stick to essentials. DeVonte, I’m trusting you have an idea of how to get out of this place?” DeVonte smiled and nodded. “Is it a daytime or a nighttime plan?” Todd asked.
“It’ll have to be dark,” the boy answered.
“Okay, so we have a few hours. In that time, you need to get packed up, and we need to get ou
r gear stowed close to whatever exit point the kid here chooses. We have to be ready to move. Scott, go with Kaylie. Does DJ live in the dorms?” he asked her. Kaylie nodded.
“He lives in the building next to mine.”
“Okay, good, I’ll act as watch on the trail from the admin building, the labs and the dorms. If DJ comes back before it’s time for us to bug out, I’ll signal Scott’s radio. If it’s safe, Kaylie and Scott can approach, learn what they can from the boyfriend and see if he wants to make a run for it with us. DeVonte, when you finish up, come back here and find me. I have a few things we could really use, and you may know how to get ‘em.” DeVonte nodded, his chest swelling a little. He was clearly pleased to have Todd’s approval. Todd leaned over and spoke more quietly to Scott. “Look, man, I don’t want to try and separate you from your niece just after you found her, but remember what the boy said. That green haired, stoner punk probably ran to rat out the two guys looking for the hot girl. If so, they’re likely watching her dorm room. Let her go in alone, stay out of sight, and don’t be a hero.”
Scott nodded, knowing his friend was right.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Bartos’ friend had been in terrible pain when he had checked on her earlier this evening. Getting her to this clinic had been her idea. He knew the hospital would have been better, but it was much farther away. With Todd and the new guy over in Tallahassee, he hadn’t been sure what would be the best thing to do for her. The clinic was close and had doctors and medicine, though.
When they arrived at the darkened building, he did not notice the broken door at first. The soft moans coming from the woman had not subsided since he had picked her up from the floor in her kitchen. He knew she was in terrible pain, and he was one of the few people anywhere who knew of the disease that had been stealing her life away for a long time. He heard Solo attack and the scream of a man at the side of the building.
Solo was in a low crouch at the corner of the building as Bartos pointed the rifle at the man’s head. The looters had apparently targeted the building for drugs; they all looked like users. All except the guy his gun was pointing at. This guy looked vaguely familiar, but in the darkness, he couldn’t be sure.
“Call him off!” the man called.
"Ummm…no.” Bartos spoke calmly as the other man’s volume increased. While many preppers expected there to be widespread social breakdown once the shit had hit the fan, Bartos had never bought into that. He felt that good people would probably remain good. When they got truly desperate, though, he realized even the best of them may do terrible things. He also knew that criminals would remain criminals, and yes, they would get worse in the absence of police. Drug addicts needed supplies, and once the narcotics pipeline stopped flowing, they would have to look elsewhere. The community clinic was an obvious opportunity for these dopers. Bartos did not like to think of himself as a violent man, but what he had seen in the last couple of days was changing him, making him hard. It’s changing everyone, he thought.
He had just wanted to get some help for his friend, not fight a damn drug war. It was apparent that no doctors or nurses remained alive in the clinic. He hated to leave it to these thugs. Through the broken door, he saw what appeared to be a dead body, female in shape, and at least three more figures alive inside the darkened space. The sounds of breaking glass and slamming doors along with the excited whoops and greedy laughs made him angrier still. Those drugs and supplies meant the difference between life and death for a lot of good people in the months ahead. The pleas of the man at the end of his gun suddenly stopped as Solo brushed his leg to get between Bartos and the man he held at gunpoint. The man looked to be scared shitless but did not say anything.
“Get your guys out of there or we will,” Bartos said calmly.
“You’re not cops… Fuck you!” the man spat out the words. “We’ll fucking kill you, man.”
Bartos smiled. “I am sorry, but I don’t have time for this tonight,” he explained as he pulled the trigger. The body of the man had not even hit the ground before Bartos gave the canine a new order. “Solo. Clear.” The dog became a shadowy streak as he ran through the front door.
Screams and a few gunshots erupted from inside, but Bartos could hear the dog working his way through the thugs. One stumbled out with a bloody arm, a cheap handgun still held limply in one hand. Bartos dropped him just outside the door with a single shot to the chest. The sounds of a struggle inside the building quieted considerably as a bloody-faced Solo appeared in the doorway. Bartos could swear the dog was smiling, although no way he could see that in the darkness. Could dogs even smile? he wondered. He took his tactical light from the truck and inspected the clinic.
“Goddamn, you psychotic dog,” he muttered as he saw the bodies of three more guys. “I’m glad we’re on the same side.” Solo’s tail wagged as he sat and watched his master, an eager puppy happy to please. One of the dead was just a kid, couldn’t have been more that sixteen or seventeen. Another one, Bartos recognized. He had worked at the shop as a temp the summer before last. Bartos had fired him for stealing copper wire. While some guys would have felt remorse at what had just happened, Bartos was not that kind of man. These guys had made the choice, he reasoned. In his mind, he had just helped the town take out some trash.
Seeing no workers from the clinic alive amongst the carnage, he grabbed the bags of drugs and medical supplies the thugs had conveniently collected and put them in the truck. His friend looked worse. He called Solo, and they headed farther down the coast to the hospital.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
With Todd acting as watch, Scott shadowed Kaylie closely as she and DeVonte approached the dorms. They had discussed a plan in case she was stopped and questioned. DeVonte had also shown them a good place to stash their bags. Scott stayed hidden outside Thornton Hall as his niece went in to grab her stuff. She was back in fifteen minutes carrying her pink EDC bag and a large duffle. "Damn, that was quick,” he said.
“For a girl you mean,” she grinned, raising her eyebrows in playful disapproval of her uncle’s slip. Scott reached out a little sheepishly and took the larger bag from her, worried that it would draw more attention than they wanted. Sticking to the shade, they managed to stash the bags without garnering any attention. Another bag, presumably DeVonte’s, was already in the ivy-covered hiding hole.
Scott’s Bluetooth gave a series of clicks. “DorkOne this is Overwatch, copy?” Scott hated the call sign Todd had given him for the day but replied in as unbothered a tone as he could muster.
“Go for DorkOne,” he said, looking at Kaylie and shaking his head.
Todd’s voice came back, “Our spiky-haired friend is back with a couple of serious looking goons. They’re heading into Kaylie’s building now. You two need to become invisible.”
Scott grabbed his niece's hands and pulled her deeper into the brush that ringed this edge of the campus. “We have to hide,” he explained to her in a whisper. “Grayshirts may be looking for us.” Scott made sure she was well camouflaged and then did the same for himself. They were not close enough to talk, so he just lay there, breathing in the earthy smells and wondering what was probably crawling up his pants leg. Every few minutes Todd radioed in with an update. He also let him know that DeVonte had been back and was now out doing an errand. “He’s a good ‘un,” Todd added, allowing himself this small voicing of approval.
Scott found himself eventually dozing off. The warm Florida afternoon and the intense activity of the day were catching up with him. Occasionally, he heard small sounds of movement from Kaylie's direction. He finally gave in and closed his eyes.
The sunlight was more subdued when Scott opened his eyes. The soft click in his ear let him know that Todd was still on duty. Scott guessed he had slept for less than an hour, but he felt much better. “This is Overwatch; the coast is clear. Looks like they decided Spikey was lying. They slapped him around a bit when they came back out. They did an exit patrol right by your location, but
I could hear you snoring so I didn’t bother you. All three are gone now.”
“Roger that, Overwatch, thanks,” Scott said. “Any sight of Brainiac?” he asked, referring to DJ.
“Possibly,” came the reply. “Watching a subject coming from the right direction now. Looks like it could be him, but he’ll need to be closer to confirm. Give me five minutes, but go ahead and wake sleeping beauty. I think this is it.”
Todd radioed back in just a few minutes to confirm that it was indeed Kaylie’s boyfriend, and he appeared to be heading into the dorms. Scott still couldn’t figure out why any student—much less a grad student—would live on campus, but apparently the fellowship DJ had provided free room and board. He probably worked all the time, and home was only a hundred feet from where he worked if he stayed here.
Kaylie and Scott had worked their way over to the building and slipped in through the back door. They arrived at DJ’s room about the same time as he did. The tired looking young man looked very happy to see Kaylie, but his face darkened when he saw the anxious looking man with her. She quickly introduced them and Scott ushered all of them inside the tiny living space.
To describe DJ’s room as utilitarian would give too much credit to his decorating abilities. The entire room was so plain and generic it seemed as if no one lived there. I’d feel more at home in a medical examination room, Scott thought, doing his best to reserve judgment about the guy who was dating his niece. He checked the room for surveillance but found nothing obvious. In a worried tone, Kaylie asked DJ if he was okay. “Did they hurt you?” she asked anxiously. Scott looked the boy over in more detail as the couple talked. Without the glasses, Scott could tell he was a handsome guy. The dark rings under his eyes showed exhaustion and stress, though. What DJ lacked in decorating skills or outward appeal he clearly made up for with an engaging smile and understated personality.