by Maxey, Phil
“I guess you got a plan for when Holland and his goons find out that we’re not human?” said Marina without looking at him.
“The only person important to Holland is Holland. He already knows there’s a good chance Copeland will send an army of vamps towards this camp, and he’s going to want every bit of help he can get… even from non-humans.”
“Especially non-humans,” said Josh, a few feet behind Joel in the kitchen. The archeologist squeezed past Joel and walked into the yard. He immediately noticed Marina. “How you both holding up for blood?”
“Got enough for now,” said Marina. She got to her feet then disappeared back into her house.
Josh and Joel watched her go.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Joel nodded. “It’s fine.” He looked up at the tired-looking individual as Josh leaned on the wall next to him. There was something different about him.
Josh looked out into the darkness. “I’ll probably be getting that look from everyone.” He slid his hand across his face.
Joel smiled, realizing how the man’s face had changed. “Had a shave, eh?”
“New life. New look.”
“How you end up in the mountain?”
“Umm…”
“We’re past keeping secrets at this point.”
“I was part of a secret governmental group which looked into historical events and artefacts that had contemporary importance.”
Joel looked back up at him. “That’s a thing?”
“Well, it was. Me, Rachel, and Max are the only surviving members of the team that I’m aware of.”
A number of things occurred to Joel at once. “Did you know what Copeland was doing…? Did you know about the Tomb of Kings and what was inside it?”
“Yes, yes, no. We had some manuscripts from around 900 AD that mentioned what could have been in the tomb, but it was mostly just speculation. Most on our team did not think he would find it. Many had tried for a few hundred years and came up short.”
“I suspect most of them were not billionaires.”
Josh smiled and nodded.
Joel looked back to the horizon. He could feel the sun wanting to slide above it. “What do you make of what I saw when I was connected to the tablet?”
“The tablet shows you what it thinks you need to see. How it knows that is anyone’s guess…
“It’s almost as if the thing has a mind of its own,” said Max from the kitchen. He quickly poured himself some water and joined Joel and Josh outside.
The black of night was now tinged with blues and pinks.
“So, it’s like some kind of super computer?” said Joel.
“Err… we think that’s true, but it’s more than that. It’s probably an AI of some kind,” said Max, sitting on the pile of precut logs.
Joel looked surprised. “It’s a damn robot?”
“Well, the brain of one, yes,” said Max.
“Okay, but why show me the battle and what happened inside the throne room or whatever it was?”
Max sighed, shaking his head.
A noise from behind averted Joel’s attention. “You scientists sure do like waking early,” he said, looking at Rachel appearing in the kitchen.
She sleepily moved past him, and sat next to him on the step. She blinked, pushing her hair back from her eyes. “What’s the topic of this morning’s conversation?”
Josh looked at Joel. “You saw a scene of a city overrun by vamps and other things. Then you saw one of the leaders of the vamps, hybrids by what you described, arguing with another.”
“Yes, we all know this, Josh, but what does it mean for us now?” said Max.
“The tablet wouldn’t have shown it unless it meant something for us now,” said Rachel, looking back to the kitchen behind her. “Did anyone get some coffee on?”
“It’s trying to tell me something,” said Joel, looking at, but not seeing, the ground in front of him. “Tell me… that those hybrids were important…” His mind danced from one tablet-generated virtual image to another. “The sarcophagi? Could the hybrids I saw be the ones inside the sarcophagi?”
Josh and Max nodded in agreement.
“That’s a strong possibility,” said Max.
*****
Neon-orange numbers came and went increasing with each phase as the elevator plunged deeper.
Copeland didn’t bother looking at them as he stood in the specially enlarged space which was now big enough to fit a small truck. He knew when he was getting close to his location. The feeling of a thousand gnawing insects which plagued him on ground level or above during daytime was completely gone when he was at the bottom of the shaft.
The door opened to a wall of sound which instantly dulled when those contained within the cavernous space knew who had just arrived.
Copeland stepped forward past two individuals that were almost as tall as he was. They were covered in body armor and their wrists were tattooed with ‘A-21-1.’ Part of his elite guard.
Scientists looked down at their desks and microscopes as Copeland strode towards the only things that truly mattered to him.
Standing in front of them was Galen, his thin lips distorted into a fixed smile.
“You said you made—” Copeland stopped when he saw the energy flowing along guilt, gold and silver channels of the sarcophagi which sat like the prize jewels in a museum exhibit. Lights shone down from the ceiling twenty feet above their heads, focused on the five, eight-foot long, ornately crafted chambers.
Each one was alive with light, and Copeland was fascinated by what he was seeing. “When did it start?” he said, without looking around.
Galen walked closer, his hands still clasped together and resting on his abdomen. “Only a few minutes ago. I thought you would want to know…”
“You thought right.” He tentatively touched the myriad of glowing lines. “It’s warm.”
“Yes, since they umm… switched on, their surface temperature has increased five degrees.”
Copeland stood then moved quickly to the next one, repeating the same caressing as previously. “Do you know what this means, Galen?” he said, his eyes transfixed by the dance of light.
“No, sir, what does it mean?”
“It means we do not have long to wait.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Joel, Max, Josh, Rachel, and Bill sat around a large dining table. A guard stood at the door to the hallway while at the head of the table sat Holland. To his right sat a woman and his left a man who looked like a slightly younger version of the man in charge.
Max shifted slightly in his seat. The wooden base was proving unforgiving and he wanted the person who ran Westlands to get on with things. Even the small glass of red wine wasn’t helping his patience.
“First, let me introduce my daughter, Adeline. She takes care of all the people stuff. You know, making sure everyone is happy, and all that bullshit.”
The woman, with flowing blonde hair and slightly too much makeup, briefly smiled.
“And this here, is Boyd, my oldest. Boyd also takes care of people, but in a different way.”
The man with the square jaw and crew cut hair remained stony faced.
“Tell them how many vamps you killed,” said Holland with pride.
The man frowned. “A lot.”
“No, go on, tell them.”
Boyd looked at his father then looked away, sighing. “Fifty-six.”
Holland slammed his hand down on his son’s shoulder. “Fifty-six!” He looked at the others. “And this is why no fucking suit is going to take over my town!” He looked at Bill. “What’s your name?”
“Bill.”
“Something bothering you, old-timer? You look like you got somewhere else to be. Where you got to be, Bill?”
“I reckon I’m where I need to be.”
“You’re not scared of me, are you, Bill?”
Most eyes flickered between Bill and Holland.
“No.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because there are scarier things than you in this world.”
“Is that so?”
“Umm, if I may,” said Rachel.
Holland swung his head to his left slowly. “And who are you?”
“Rachel Frost. I’m a—”
“Yeah, yeah, I don’t care what nerd name you give yourself. Just say your piece.”
“It would seem that Daniel Copeland of—”
Holland rolled his hand vertically. “Speed it up.”
“—He’s a monster, and if he can control the infected, well, then you have to prepare.”
“I already know this! This is what Joel told me. What I need you science-types to tell me is; how do I stop him?”
“Your fence can hold back maybe a few vamps at a time, but a sustained attack will short it out,” said Max.
“And then you got zero defense,” said Joel.
Boyd looked at him. “We got guns and men. We got defense.”
“Against ten thousand vamps?” Joel’s mind slipped back to the vision he saw in the desert.
“And… there are other types of the infected…” said Rachel.
“Go on,” said Holland.
Rachel’s eyes darted to Joel then away. “Well, there are what we call Hybrids…”
A few minutes later, the microbiologist had informed Holland of what she knew of the Alkron variants.
Holland leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin. “So, these other types. They could be in the camp and we wouldn’t know?” Before she had a chance to answer he continued. “They could be sitting around this table?”
“Well, umm… yes,” said Rachel, not wanting to meet Holland’s gaze.
“They need blood?” said Boyd.
“Yes.”
Boyd looked at his father. “We increase the security on the blood. That will flush them out if there’s any inside the fence.”
“You’re missing the big picture,” said Joel to Holland.
“And what would that be?”
“The hybrids are not like the basic vamps. They’re mostly human—” Joel heard the click of a gun from beneath the table. “—And they can be persuaded to work for you. Help you stop Copeland’s forces.”
“Why would they help us?” said Adeline. Holland looked at her angrily as if she had stolen something from him, but then returned to looking at Joel for the answer, regardless.
“They want to live like you do.”
Boyd went to talk but Holland raised a finger on his free hand. “These hybrids are strong, fast. What’s stopping them from turning on the humans once Copeland is taken care of?”
Joel looked at Holland directly in the eyes. “Nothing. You’re just going to have to trust them.”
Silence fell across the occupants while the gaze between Joel and Holland remained locked.
Holland smiled, bringing his gun hand back above the level of the table. “Good answer.” He leaned back again. “How many like you are in the camp?”
Boyd’s eyes widened and he went to push his chair back when his father’s hand came down on his wrist like a clamp. “Stay where you are, Boyd.”
A ripple of discomfort ran around most at the table, and the guard at the door unslung his rifle. Holland shook his head, and the man lowered it.
“But he’s a vamp!” said Boyd.
Holland looked at his son. “And if he wanted us dead, we’d be dead. Which means he wants something else. Joel wants to do business. That, I can respect.”
*****
Carla looked through the metal links of the large fence which ran for miles around the camp and the town within. Beyond were bogs and canals with ripples of waves caused by the strong southerly wind. The landscape looked barren and unforgiving.
Perfect.
It reflected her state of mind. She had discovered two more rare Alkrons in the Jackson camp, and handed them off to another team that stayed there. As far as she knew, the camp was still operating, the people inside completely unaware of what was about to befall them.
She wasn’t sure she could do it again. The reserve of despair she was running on was wearing thin. Each face of hope she saw in these camps stabbed at her increasing the weight of guilt which made her sometimes short of breath.
She shivered and rubbed the back of her arms.
A noise of someone walking behind her caught her attention but she ignored it. A guard no doubt.
“Hi,” said Amos, his voice being partially lost in the wind.
She turned. “Oh, hi…”
“Thought I’d go for a walk. If we’re stuck in this area, no point being stuck in the hut as well.” He smiled, she nodded.
What’s this kid want?
“So, how you holding up? Must be some change being on a military base and then here…”
“In some ways it’s the same. You have to do what you’re—”
“I’m an Alkron…”
If he wasn’t so scared of what she might do, the look of confusion on her face would have made him laugh.
She squinted at him. “What did you say?”
“I’m one of those types of infected that you are rounding up and giving to your boss—”
The confusion quickly left her face and she reached to her hip then realized there was no Glock there anymore. All of their weapons had been confiscated when they arrived.
Amos put his hands up anyway. “I just want to talk.”
“What? What about? Why—” She looked around as if someone would come to help.
“I’m not going to harm you… I… Just want to talk… okay?”
She was side-on to him, distributing her weight between her legs, no doubt some kind of fighting stance he thought.
“Keep your distance, kid, I don’t want to use violence, but I will.”
Amos looked behind to see if their display was being watched by any guards. For now, it wasn’t.
He looked back at her. “Yeah, I really don’t want you to use violence either. I don’t heal like other Alkrons do. I’m just like you in that regard.”
“What type are you?” she said, still rocking on her heels, with her hands down, but at the ready.
He pulled his coat’s arm up, revealing his tattoo.
“You’re a telepath?” She looked away. “Shit… you knew from the start, didn’t you?”
Amos sucked in his bottom lip and nodded.
She looked back at him. “Who else knows?”
“Umm… just my two friends.” It was the first time he had thought of as Dalton and Kizzy as friends, and he paused at how strange that felt.
She turned and moved a few steps away. Amos could hear the debate that was raging inside her.
“Umm… I know this might be a strange thing to say—”
She looked back at him.
“—But I want to help you…”
“Help me, how? Shit, you’re reading my mind now, aren’t you?”
Amos had to stifle his own sigh. This was proving to be more frustrating than he thought it would be. He thought she would hit him, or run. “I was a moment ago, but right now, no. I’m not in your head. You can think anything you want, and I won’t know… you have my word.”
She looked at him as if he had just said the most disgusting thing ever then looked away shaking her head. “Wait… what do you mean, you want to help me? How can you help me?”
“Well… I know you don’t want to do the things you have been doing. I know you hate Copeland, and I know that he’s going to attack this camp at some point, like his things have already done to other camps… and you don’t want that… do you?”
The last part he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of, but he hoped it was true. If it wasn’t, he and his ‘friends’ would have a problem.
Without reading her mind, he watched her physically wilt as if she couldn’t escape anymore from her past deeds. She was giving up. He had given voice to her conscience.
“It doesn’t matter what you
think I can do. Copeland is still coming. This camp and its human inhabitants will die, like everywhere else.” Her tone was flat. She looked at him. “You think this electric fence is going to stop him? You’re an Alkron, you know the kinds of creatures he has on his side. Monsters that you can’t imagine…”
He sensed her drifting away in thought once more. He took a step closer to her. “There are other Alkrons here and hybrids, I’ve sensed them, and the guy in charge, he’s like a major gangster, they got weapons, lots of them because—” He reached into his cache of stolen memories. “—His gang used to run them across the border. Warehouses full of the craziest shit… and you are key to all of this, don’t you see?”
She looked tired. “Key? How am I key?”
“Because of what you know of the corporation and their plans. If we all work together, maybe Copeland gets his ass kicked and leaves us alone.”
She smiled. “Copeland will never stop. It’s either him or us. Nothing in-between.”
“Then help me make it us.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Bee Abbott liked her life in the camp. Her daily chores made her forget what went before. The blood and terror which she found herself in the middle of a few months earlier filled her dreams though, and she would often wake in the middle of the night, her blankets damp from sweat. But then she would look at her bedroom and know she was within the walls; she was safe. And, better than that, she was secretly working to make a better life, not just for those within the camp, but for the entire country.
The Copeland corporation had saved her. Ryan, her husband, and David, her son were both taken by the scourge. The latter being the last to go, and almost taking her with him when after a period of caring for him for weeks he attacked her. Her quick thinking managed to lock him in his room, but he instantly slammed up against it. As she watched the door begin to splinter and his claws tore into the wood, she realized she was alone in the world. She briefly touched the door, mentioned how much she loved her son, then turned, ran down the stairs, picked up her grab bag, and ran out into the night.
She had only made it to the next town over, some fifteen miles away, before her supplies had run out. No matter how hard she looked she couldn’t find a store that hadn’t already been stripped of everything she needed to survive. Eventually, she started drinking from local streams and collecting the rainwater when it decided to fall.