by Harley Tate
John rubbed at his hair. “I wish you’d stop thanking us. I still feel terrible that we tried to take you out.”
“We would have done the same thing.”
“How’s Dani?”
“Healing up. The stitches came out yesterday. She’ll have a scar, but mobility seems fine.”
“Good.”
Tracy pressed her lips together. She wanted more than anything to solidify the alliance between the two families. As the de facto leader, Ben Jacobson had the ultimate say, but John’s word had to count for something. After another moment’s hesitation, she took the plunge. “Do you think Ben will want to pool our resources?”
“You’re already working shifts here.”
“True. But what about the farm operations and scavenging? With all of us working together, we could expand our search areas and build something more.”
“You mean like a new town?”
Tracy nodded.
John squinted down the hall like he was trying to see the future. “Logistics will be difficult. We’re at least ten miles apart.”
“We could use the hospital as an anchor. Clean it out and set it up as a base.”
“Too risky. When it warms up, people will be all over this place.”
“Then we should move all the drugs out.”
“That’s not my call.”
Tracy picked up on the irritation in John’s voice. “But you’d like to?”
John slowed as they reached the pharmacy door. He pushed it open. “Ben says it’s too dangerous.”
“What is?” Major James Larkin stood inside the patient waiting area, a rifle in one hand and a year-old protein bar in the other.
“Eating that, for one.” Tracy’s mouth turned down in disgust. “Did you scrape the mold off it, or are you keeping it on for flavor?”
Larkin grinned. “You know those best-by dates are suggestions only. This thing will last another year at least.”
He was no longer a member of the US Army, but Larkin still found a way to remind everyone of his ability to handle the worst conditions. He ripped another bite off the bar before contorting his cheeks as he tried to chew. After a few agonizing moments he choked it down. “See? It’s fine.”
John groaned.
Tracy shook her head. “Remind me to thank Anne for her canning skills. I’d take a jar of asparagus over that dried-out brick any day.”
“Then you should thank me for not dipping into her supply.” Larkin wadded up the wrapper and threw it in the abandoned trash can in the corner. “So what’s so dangerous Ben won’t do it?”
Tracy glanced at John. The boy didn’t volunteer, so she spoke up. “He doesn’t want to relocate the pharmacy.”
“I agree.”
“You do?”
Larkin nodded. “We can’t move it until the snow thaws. Too difficult to get trucks in here and load up with ice and freezing temps. But as soon as it warms, it should be priority number one.”
“He’ll never go for it.” John perched on the edge of the intake counter. “We tried to get him to move everything over the summer. Ben wouldn’t even have the discussion.”
“Then we need to change his mind.” Larkin motioned to Tracy. “We’ve got seven good shots and plenty of ammunition. With combined forces, there’s no reason not to move the pharmacy unless we’re clearing out the hospital to use for some other purpose.”
Tracy nodded. She’d been thinking about the hospital and what they could do with it all week. With the sheer size and limited access points, it could be the start of something larger than themselves. They could consolidate everything from a library to a general store to the pharmacy and clinic all inside.
It would take months of hard work, but the hospital’s location made it ideal as a home base. Sitting on the north side of the main road with only a small commercial area surrounding it, they could clear the entire area and set up a wider perimeter defense before the next year’s winter.
All that space, safe from the winter elements, with plenty of natural light in the exterior rooms. Safety dictated they move the pharmacy’s stash while they rebuilt, but it wouldn’t be forever. Once they secured the small commercial area of town where the hospital was located, they could move it back and expand.
Tracy lifted her head with a smile. “I’m sure if we explain our thought process, Ben will understand.”
John snorted. “You don’t know my uncle.”
The radio sitting on the counter crackled and Daniel’s voice filled the room. “Daniel to base. Daniel to base. Over.”
Larkin picked it up. “Base responding. Over.”
“We’ve got movement in the north parking lot.”
Tracy stiffened. With the temperatures hovering around freezing until late afternoon, they hadn’t seen a single person in days.
Daniel continued. “Looks to be two scouts. Bundled up for the weather.”
“Armed?”
“Rifles with scopes. They’re keeping low, hugging the cars and the east parking lot wall.”
Larkin turned to John. “Amateurs wouldn’t do that. We’re looking at people who know what they’re doing.”
Tracy spoke up. “What’s your protocol for a situation like this?”
John slung his rifle over his shoulder and checked his pistol. “Lie low and only engage if they find a way inside.”
She thought about how she and Brianna infiltrated the hospital, convinced they hadn’t been spotted. “Did you know we were coming?”
He nodded. “Saw you out in the lot. But when you didn’t come in the main way, we thought you gave up. Most people do. The morgue was a surprise.”
Tracy knew why. Even the memory brought back the horrifying smell. “What if they get in?”
“Then it’s shoot to kill.”
She shuddered. “Glad I didn’t know that before.”
Larkin pushed the radio button. “Give us the word when they reach inside. Until then, stay concealed.”
“Roger that.”
Larkin handed the radio to John. “Is the morgue secure?”
“We haven’t had a chance. I can head that way. There’s a spot in the parking lot with good cover where I can see the basement entrance.”
“Good. Then Tracy and I will take the main hallway.” Larkin held out his hand and the younger man shook it. “Good luck.”
Tracy followed Larkin out the door. Ten feet down the hall, she glanced behind her, ensuring John was out of earshot before speaking. “You ready to shoot a stranger on sight?”
He glanced at her. “Not unless he gives me a reason to.”
“What about John’s protocol?”
Larkin made a face. “I wasn’t good at following stupid orders in the Army and I’m not about to start now. We’ll assess and act as needed. Hopefully they’ll leave on their own and we can track them.”
Tracy turned in alarm. “You want to follow a couple of armed scouts back to their place?”
He shrugged. “Apart from the Jacobsons, we haven’t seen anyone worth a damn this whole winter. They could be more allies.”
“Or more trouble. The Jacobsons claim not to have shot Walter, remember? What if these two are responsible? We could walk into a hornet’s nest.”
“Or we could find another little farm to get to know.”
Tracy brought her rifle up into an easy shooting position as she walked down the hall. She was pleased about the Jacobsons, but what were the chances these new strangers were friendly? She couldn’t believe Larkin’s hopeful outlook. “Since when have you turned into an optimist?”
Larkin smiled wide enough to bring out the wrinkles by his eyes. “Maybe this is the new James Larkin. Open to possibility and adventure.”
Tracy snorted. “Let me guess. You’re just hoping for a single girl.”
“Now you’re catching on, Mrs. Sloane.”
She shook her head as they fell into a steady walk in silence. They could talk about what to do with the strangers after they got eyes o
n them. If the two scouts insisted on examining the hospital, Larkin might never get the chance to find himself a date.
Chapter Five
TRACY
Truckee Mountain Hospital
1:00 p.m.
Tracy crouched beneath the glass security window to the fire door and held her breath. For the past hour, she and Larkin had waited, hoping the pair of men meticulously inching their way toward the main hospital entrance would grow weary and turn around. But luck wasn’t on their side.
Daniel’s voice broke through the silence on the radio. “They’ve split up. One is approaching the main hospital entrance, the other is weaving his way around to the morgue side.”
Tracy tightened her grip on the rifle. Change your mind. Go back. She repeated the words over and over in her head, willing the men to leave. She didn’t want to shoot them. For all she knew, they were just like her two weeks ago: desperate and out of options. What if one of their wives were injured and needed medicine? Antibiotics or a vaccine or some critical daily pill that going without meant a horrible death?
Tracy twisted around. Larkin stood guard at the other access door a hundred feet away. Apart from those two entrances, the Jacobsons had barricaded the small wing of the hospital tight. The single strip of glass above Tracy’s head and its match across the hall were the only visuals this part of the hall afforded.
Daniel, located on the roof of the parking deck, was their eyes and ears on the outside. To keep the chatter to a minimum, he would only check in if he saw movement. Same for John, who hopefully was in position on the hospital’s east side.
The radio crackled again, barely audible on the lowest setting. Tracy clicked the button. “Daniel?”
“One is inside. I repeat, one is inside.”
Shit. Tracy rose up and squinted out the window. The hallway was clear. “Which one?”
“The heavyset guy with the beard. He walked through the front entrance.”
She exhaled. “What about the other man?”
“I’ve lost visual.”
What? Tracy steeled her voice. “Where did you see him last?”
“At the far edge of the hospital, headed to the emergency entrance.” Tracy closed her eyes and mapped out the hospital in her head. If the second man made it inside, he’d be coming for Larkin.
Tracy turned and waved to catch Larkin’s attention before holding up one finger and pointing it at him. One man, headed your way.
He raised a fist to show he understood.
Tracy twisted around and peered through the window once more. If the bearded man found his way through the labyrinth of hospital hallways and barricades, Tracy would need to defend the fire door from breach on her own. Without a visual on the other scout, Larkin had to keep his position.
Please, don’t let it come to that.
The minutes ticked by and Tracy paced in front of the doors, unable to stay away from the glass for more than thirty seconds at a time. After what seemed like an eternity, she began to hope for the best. He must have found what he wanted or written the hospital off. No way he would still be searching. We’ll be all right.
Just as she was about to call out to Larkin, the shadows in the hallway wavered. Tracy pulled back behind the glass, leaning over only far enough to see the ten feet in front of the door. Without lights, her eyes had adjusted to the near darkness, picking up the slightest hint of movement in the midday hospital gloom.
The Jacobsons had worked hard to build their defenses, propping open all the doorways outside of the barricade to let in daylight while sealing off the hallway in which Tracy now stood. For all intents and purposes, she was a shadow, a mere ghost in the gloom.
But out in the midday light, the barrel-chested man inching his way toward the firebreak was alive and in living color. Tracy’s heart picked up speed, thudding loud enough to eclipse the sound of her harried breath. He hadn’t given up. Instead, he’d found his way in and was headed straight for her.
Ten feet. Eight. Six. Four. Two. Tracy ducked into the dark.
The handles on the double doors rattled. The push bars on her side of the barricade shook.
Tracy pressed back tighter against the wall. Just go away. Give up.
After a minute of hard jerking and jiggling, the vibrations stopped. Yes! Tracy exhaled, about to step forward, when a blinding flash from what must have been a high-powered tactical light flooded the hall, racing to banish the safety of the dark. She turned.
Larkin was lit up like a sentry at the end of the tunnel, exposed and unprotected.
The light switched off a second later, plunging the hall back into darkness and blinding Tracy more than the light. Her pupils swelled and tried to adjust but it would take minutes to regain her vision. She was effectively blind.
Damn it.
As she blinked in rapid succession, the doors shook, a brutal, violent rattle that knocked Tracy off balance. The man on the other side stormed the doors again and again, slamming his full linebacker-sized shoulder against the seam. The hinges warped beneath the weight.
Tracy steeled herself. I can’t let him in. If she didn’t take a stand, it would be too late.
She reached for the flashlight duct taped to the receiver of her rifle and sucked in a breath. The doors shook again. Tracy swung out to face the window head on. As she clicked on the light, she brought the rifle into position.
“Identify yourself!” She shouted the words in as strong a voice as she could manage. Direct, but not hostile.
The man rose up, snorting like a bull, his shoulders bunched and tense. Sweat glinted across his forehead and dripped off his nose. Determination creased his brow as he stared down the beam of light. His nostrils flared and Tracy’s lungs froze. He wasn’t leaving.
As he rose up to his full height, chest heaving, a roar tore through his throat and out his mouth. A battle cry.
He charged the doors.
Tracy staggered back. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
The groaning of metal-on-metal drowned out her shout. He was going to force his way in and she would have to shoot him. She didn’t want it to come to that.
She steadied her aim and yelled again. “Stop or I’ll shoot.”
The man finally stilled. “You can’t shoot through the glass. It’s bulletproof.”
His voice was even, almost calm, despite the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Bright blue eyes stared at her from beneath unkept, wooly brows. Sweat and spittle soaked his beard, hiding his face and age from view.
“I don’t want to shoot you. But if you break in, I’ll have no choice.”
“Then how about you save us all the trouble and let me in?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t see what there is to talk about.”
Tracy tried again. “Why are you here?”
He snorted. “Why are you?”
“To protect something that doesn’t belong to you.”
“Nothing belongs to anyone anymore. To the victor goes the spoils.”
“You won’t be the victor.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
Tracy lowered her head to take a shot. “Last chance.”
“That’s what you think.” The man turned on his heel and ran down the hall before turning left at the first opportunity and disappearing from sight.
Tracy sagged, lowering the rifle to point at the floor.
“You all right?” Larkin’s voice cut across the hall.
“For now.” She turned toward him. “But I think he’ll be back. Any sign of his friend?”
“Not yet.”
Tracy tugged the radio off her belt. “Daniel? Do you copy?”
She counted to ten. No response. “Daniel? Can you hear me?” Only static.
Fear lifted the hairs on Tracy’s neck. She tried the radio. “John? John do you copy?” No response.
She called out to Larkin. “Neither Jacobson is responding.”
“Let’s wait until check-in time. If you can’t make contact w
ith them before then, I’ll go out searching.”
Tracy paced back and forth for a handful of minutes, trying the radio several more times without success. It wasn’t like John to go out of range. They had been trading shifts for the better part of a week and she’d learned the habits of both Jacobson men. John kept to his rounds, checking in at regular intervals. Daniel played a bit fast and loose, sometimes edging out of range of the radio for five or ten minutes. But the pair always showed up on time.
Now they were out of contact and two men were somewhere on the other side of the doors, looking for a way in. Tracy couldn’t go out to search. Opening the doors was exactly what the two strangers wanted. No, as much as it pained her, they would have to wait for John and hope Daniel was out of range.
Every minute or so, Tracy checked her watch. Five, ten, then fifteen. They were late. She tried the radio again. “John? Do you copy?”
Nothing.
She clipped the huge radio back on her belt and hurried down the hall. “It’s been too long. One of us needs to go out.”
James Larkin propped his rifle on his shoulder and rubbed at a thin part of his beard beneath his chin. The man had more experience in combat than Tracy would ever even hear about. She trusted his judgment.
“We have to assume they’re compromised.”
“All the more reason to go looking for them. One of them could be hurt and need medical attention.”
“Or they could both be dead and the men trying to get in are counting on us to take a chance.”
Tracy ran a fingernail across her palm to focus despite the fear. “You think we stay put?”
“It’s an option. When we miss a check-in at the farm, Ben will send a scouting party.”
“That might take twenty-four hours.” Tracy shook her head. “John and Daniel need us now.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
Tracy inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. “What’s more important? The pharmacy or John and Daniel?”
“To whom? ‘Cause I’m going to bet the answer will differ depending on who you ask.”
Tracy opened her mouth to argue when the unmistakable sound of gunfire pierced the silence. She whipped around, rifle gripped in both hands, and ran back to her guard position. The radio crackled on her hip.