by Kirby Howell
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“We’ll need to find more munitions if we’re going to make a real difference,” Grey said as we hurried from the room, following Franklin as he shouted orders. “I suggest sending a team to Nellis Air Force Base. Daniel’s nearly through clearing a runway at McCarron Airport. He could fly us there, let us gather up what we can, and then get us to Hoover before The Front arrives. We could be at the dam with whatever weapons we scavenged well before your riders get there.”
Franklin shook his head. “Nellis was stripped clean more than a year ago. They’ve got nothing left. We’ll have to make do with what we have.”
Grey’s brow pinched, and then, as Franklin left, he called out, “What about Area 51?”
That got everyone’s attention. I’d heard of the base from movies but didn’t think it really existed. Grey was perfectly serious.
“They’ve got multiple electrified perimeter fences surrounding the base for miles out. It’s doubtful they lost power during The Plague, being so close to Hoover. It’s in the middle of the desert, surrounded by mountains and extremely hard to get to. Looters might not have been able to get in yet, or just plain forgot about it or didn’t believe it was really there. It’s not far off. And there’s an airfield there. Daniel can fly us in.”
Franklin stared at Grey for a moment before breaking into a sideways smile, “Sounds plausible. You prepared to head that team?”
“Absolutely.”
“Let me know if you find any aliens,” Franklin said, laughing.
“You know I’m coming with you, right?” I told Grey.
“That would be my preference as well.” He squeezed my hand.
“Are you sure they’d keep weapons at a place like that?” I said. “I thought the whole base was just a myth.”
“Not a myth, and yes, I have no doubts we’ll find weapons inside a secret military base,” Grey replied.
“Good to see you with your head still attached.” Shad appeared next to us with Ben and slapped Grey on the back. “How many are you taking to Area 51?” he asked.
“We’re coming with you,” Ben said.
“What he said,” Shad added.
“We can’t take any more than three. The plane isn’t large, and with Daniel, Autumn and me, we’ll need the rest of the space for any scavenged munitions we can find.”
Ben didn’t look happy with the prospect of being left behind. Neither did Shad.
“It’ll be important to have people we trust riding with Vegas,” I said, lowering my voice. “And we still don’t know who else Karl has in Hoover. He might even have people in Vegas. There’s no way to tell.”
“I’d like you both to coordinate with Franklin and the rest of the riders,” Grey said. “I think Josh was wrong. If you leave now and ride hard, you can make it by sundown, just before The Front gets there. Karl doesn’t know you’re coming. I’d like you all to hang back on the town side of the dam shortcut pass. We’ll figure out a way to signal you to start your charge.”
“Franklin and I used Josh’s radio to warn Mayor Westland,” Ben said. “We had to use the emergency code phrases in case The Front was monitoring our channels.”
“Thank you, Ben,” Grey said. “Westland will know how to prepare.”
“What about Rissi and Connie? Are we going to leave them here?” Shad asked. I’d thought about that myself. I certainly wasn’t going to drag either of them into the middle of a battle, but it didn’t sit well with me to leave them behind either.
“We shouldn’t move Connie,” Grey said. “Rissi will be safe at the clinic, or with the other kids at the Palmetto. People will stay behind to care for the patients and children we have here.”
“If we can’t stop Karl, he’s coming here next,” Shad worried. “Isn’t there some other place we can hide them?”
“There’s no time. We’ll just have to stay ahead of Karl,” Grey said.
That made me nervous. Our plan was shaky at best. A million things could go wrong. But I agreed with Grey. We had to move now, while we had a chance to arrive in Hoover ahead of Karl and maintain our element of surprise.
As he turned to leave, Ben stopped mid-stride and looked back at me. “Uh, Autumn... all that stuff from before—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, cutting him off. I put my arms around him. “You know I love you no matter what, right?”
Ben’s arms tightened around me in a firm hug, and I thought I heard his voice waver as he said, “Yeah, I know.”
Another pair of arms came around me from behind. It was Shad.
“I love you guys, too!” he said mock-seriously, but I knew there was something behind it. I couldn’t stifle a laugh.
“You too, Shad,” I said, releasing one arm from Ben to include Shad in our hug.
“So, we’re totally doing a group hug here, Grey. You want in?” Shad joked.
Grey smiled and stepped forward, embracing us all. It was a moment I wanted to last forever, that couldn’t.
I released my hold on my best friends and told Ben and Shad, “I’ll see you both soon, okay? Take care of each other.”
“You, too,” Ben said with one last smile before he and Shad turned and left.
As the two of them walked away, Shad thumped Ben on the back, and I heard him say, “You know Greased Thunder is going to beat that little pony you ride back to Hoover.”
I stared after them, telling myself not to wonder if it would be the last time I saw them. Grey and I jogged to McCarron Airport. It was just south of the Palmetto, but it had been a long day, and I worked to keep up with him. When we got there, we found Daniel on the runway with a broad shovel, moving the last section of muddy sand off the crucial part of the runway.
“So you haven’t been sent to the gallows?” he called out as he jogged to meet us. “Thank God for that.” He hugged Grey, slapping him on the back as well. “I knew Autumn would save you.”
We filled him in on the plan, and Daniel ran a hand through his sweaty red hair and nodded. “It’s a solid idea. Hell, it’s so far out there, I bet no one even thought to wander that deep into the desert to loot it.”
“So you can fly us there?” Grey asked.
“Yeah, sure. It’s got a huge runway. Seen it in satellite photos before. Sounds like fun. I’m almost done here. I was hoping to see Connie before I left, just in case.” He grimaced as he said the last three words, and I knew what he meant. There was a strong chance any of us could be hurt, or even killed. I wanted to see her and Rissi one more time, too, just in case.
“You’ll need to hurry. Take Autumn with you. I can finish up here,” Grey said, taking the shovel from Daniel.
I squeezed Grey’s hand. He knew exactly what I was thinking, again. “Thank you,” I said.
“Make it fast. We’ll need to take off as soon as possible.” Grey started digging at a furious pace. He was right; at the rate he was going, it wouldn’t take him long to clear the last section of runway. Daniel and I ran.
I followed behind him, taking two steps for his every one. By the time we got to the clinic, my side was splitting. The run was even harder when we got into the thick of people near the corral at Camelot. The whole city was frantic with energy. People mounted horses, stowing makeshift spears in belts and on saddles. Others had handguns, shotguns, baseball bats and knives. With the backdrop of the castle and turrets of Camelot, they looked like futuristic knights ready for jousting.
Daniel was first into Connie’s room. She was awake and smiled when she saw us. Rissi woke as soon as Daniel pushed through the door. Before Daniel even said hello to either of them, he walked straight to Connie, leaned down and kissed her passionately. I blushed, feeling like I should turn away. Rissi’s eyes went wide, and she cringed, burying her face in a pillow and making gagging noises.
Daniel broke their kiss and ran one hand over Connie’s face and the other one over her blonde hair. She smiled at him, her cheeks flushed.
“I’ve gotta take Grey and A
utumn to get some weapons, and then we’re going to Hoover. Has anyone told you what’s going on?” She nodded. “I know you’re hurt, but keep Rissi in the room with you. We don’t have time to organize something better.”
“I know,” she said, sweetly, then clasped his hands in hers. “Please be careful. Take care of Autumn and Grey.”
“I will. I promise.” He kissed her again, and once more, I blushed. It was like watching my parents kiss in public. Kinda sweet, but mostly awkward.
“I love you,” he whispered, their foreheads touching.
“I love you, too,” she said.
“I’ll come back for you.”
Connie leaned forward as best as she could and wrapped her arms around his neck. I knew they had something quietly going on, but I had no idea they were in love. After everything The Plague took from her, her husband and her three young sons, she deserved to have happiness in her life again.
Daniel stepped back, and I took his place. I hugged Connie gently. “We won’t be long,” I promised.
“I know. Please, take care of each other. I wish I could come with you.”
I nodded. I wished she could, too. But a part of me was also glad at least some of the people I loved wouldn’t be in the thick of the fighting.
“Come give Autumn a hug goodbye, Rissi,” Connie said, with one hand still on my arm.
Rissi’s head popped up from under the pillow, and she looked confused. “Goodbye?”
“Just for a little while. I’ll be back,” I said.
“I’m coming with you!”
“You have to stay with me today,” Connie said, straightening Rissi’s messy ponytail. “Maybe you can build a new tent to show Autumn when she gets back?”
Rissi swatted Connie’s hands away and said, “I’m too old for tents. I want to help. Can I go with you? Please, Autumn? I won’t be in the way, I promise.”
Daniel cut in before I could answer. “No,” he said seriously, sounding like my father when he meant business. Rissi didn’t dare ask again, but it was obvious she wasn’t happy with the answer she got.
After a moment of silence, Daniel sighed. “It’s time.”
“I know.” I smoothed Rissi’s hair, only annoying her more. She was adorable when she was aggravated, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. We said our goodbyes, and Daniel and I left.
When we got back to the airport, Grey was almost done clearing the runway, and Daniel deemed it was clear enough for us to take off safely. We hurried back to the hanger where the Cessna sat.
We all climbed into the small aircraft. Daniel cranked the engine, and the duel propellers sputtered to life. The roaring of the motor gave me instant butterflies. Daniel donned a headset, spun a few dials on the dashboard GPS, flipped a few switches and began to taxi the plane to the newly cleared runway.
“I wanna do a test run up, just to make sure we’re good,” yelled Daniel over the engine noise. Then, with the plane positioned at the head of the runway, Daniel opened up the engines to full throttle, and I felt the plane burgeoning with life, wanting to be let loose to fly. He ran the engines back down and gave us the thumbs up.
“Here we go!” he shouted. The little plane jumped forward, gaining speed with every second, and I was suddenly worried we hadn’t dug out enough of the runway. The wall of muck where we stopped digging sped closer and closer. Just before we reached the end of our runway, I felt a pulling sensation in my stomach and chest. The plane tipped back, and we were airborne.
The flight to Area 51 took less than an hour. The base was about one hundred miles away, and there was absolutely nothing but desert and mountain between it and Las Vegas. Daniel pointed to the sprawling layout of buildings surrounding a large runway in the distance.
“We got lucky!” he yelled. “Looks like the mountains protected the runway from the brunt of the sandstorms!” Daniel pointed, and I saw painted lines on the asphalt. I hadn’t thought about that before we left. If Area 51 were buried like Vegas, we had no backup plan. Next to the runway was a massive white blot in the desert that nearly doubled the size of the base. I pointed to it.
“What’s that?” I yelled over the turbine engines.
“Salt flat. Used to be a lake,” yelled Daniel, banking the plane into a thirty-degree angle.
“They used it to test planes and rockets. All kinds of things, and all highly secret,” Grey yelled in my ear. “With all the surrounding mountains, no one could see what they were up to.”
“I thought there were aliens here!” I shouted and suddenly grabbed Grey’s arm as Daniel began his descent to the runway.
“Probably just a ruse to protect all the secret aircraft being tested in the area,” Grey yelled back.
Daniel landed with a light thump that reverberated through the plane, making my body gently rock up and down for a few seconds after touchdown.
“Thank you for flying Apocalyptic Airlines, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Area 51. Please stay seated until the pilot has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign,” Daniel said in a soothing voice as he pulled the plane to a stop near a large building and cut the engine.
I stared at the base in wonder. It was so plain, so bland. Nothing about it held up to my expectations of a secret government base. It looked more like a massive public school, so much so that I expected students to pour out of it at any moment.
“Not what you were hoping for?” Grey asked.
“Not at all. I thought there’d be like, spacey buildings, and... I don’t know. UFOs.”
Grey chuckled quietly as Daniel popped open the door and slid out.
“I’d bet good money,” Grey said in a low voice, “that I am the first alien who’s ever set foot on this base.” He grinned and turned to exit the aircraft. I couldn’t help smiling at the irony.
“So, where do you think they keep the big guns?” asked Daniel when we joined him. “I don’t exactly know my way around these kinds of places. General airports, yeah, but secret military installations? Not so much.” Daniel rooted through his flight bag and pocketed a few supplies while Grey and I scanned the area around us.
“Well, I doubt they’d keep anything in such a conspicuous building,” Grey said, nodding toward the large, sterile building in front of us. “Let’s look for something a little more off the radar.”
We walked down the runway, and I was surprised at how untouched it looked. It was as if The Plague hadn’t really happened here, like everyone had just simply vanished. There were absolutely no signs of looters, and despite the layer of dust covering everything, it looked like another day as usual for the base.
Rows and rows of F16’s stood like soldiers at attention on a ramp connecting to the main runway, and I was reminded Area 51 wasn’t as benign as it looked. We were in a place of war. A small fleet of Humvees were parked just off the tarmac in rows behind the jets, like a line of dominos. Everything here was entirely uniform.
“I was a little worried this might be some secret hiding place for government officials who knew about The Plague ahead of time,” Daniel mused as we entered the largest airplane hangar I’d ever seen in my life. “You know, some kind of big government cover up and conspiracy theory?”
“I doubt the government was in on The Crimson Fever,” said Grey. “But, it’s an entertaining idea.”
“You never wondered if there’s a pocket of people in some foreign country who went untouched?” Daniel asked. “Or maybe, it was some massive chemical weapon that was released all over the place, leaving just a certain section of the globe unharmed? With communications like they are, we’d never know about it. Not for years.”
“I’ve thought about it, but it seems unlikely,” Grey said. “The global infrastructure is fragile. Most countries’ economies depend on world trade. It wouldn’t make sense to wipe out all of your buyers.”
Daniel shrugged. “Still makes you wonder.”
I thought about what Daniel said. He was on track with his idea that The Crimson Fever was spread intention
ally. But what he didn’t know was that there were more nefarious people out there, willing to decimate an entire planet’s population, and they were possibly linked to Grey. The thought gave me chills.
“Over there,” I said, pointing to a row of short buildings built into the side of a small hill. From the air, they’d be completely undetectable, like just another rise in the terrain. Several signs perched on a fence in front of the structures that read, “Restricted – Authorized Personnel Only.” Cameras sat atop the tall fences in front of the building, pointing down at the gated entrance further protected by a guard shack.
“That looks right to me,” Grey said. He took the lead heading to the fence. But as we got closer, he froze and gestured for us to do the same.
“What?” I asked. He didn’t answer at first, but stared at the fence.
“That camera moved.” Grey nodded toward the one on the left. A small red light glowed on it.
“You think there’s someone in there?” I asked.
“Could be. Or they’re on motion sensors. Either way, we should be cautious.” Grey took a tentative step forward, but the camera didn’t move this time. He took another, and this time, the camera tracked him.
“I don’t like this,” Daniel said.
Grey stood frozen in his place and grimaced. I knew what he was thinking without asking. I didn’t want to leave without some kind of weapons to take back either. If we did leave now, we’d have wasted our time, when every second to prepare for the battle against The Front mattered.
“No one move. I want to test something.” Grey removed his sweater and balled it up. Then, in one swift motion, he tossed it at least ten feet to his left. The camera buzzed to the left, following the motion of his sweater as it unfolded and billowed out on its way to the ground. The camera’s eye stayed on the sweater, now splayed out in the dirt.
“Motion activated,” Daniel said, catching on. “No one intelligent on the other side.”
“Looks like,” Grey said as he went to retrieve the sweater. “Come on, I think we’ll be all right.”
When we got to the guard shack, we peeked through the dirty window in the door. Just inside, a desk sat with papers stacked neatly on its surface. Another desk with several blank monitors was toward the back of the room. This had to be where the guards would watch the video feeds from the security cameras. No sign of life.