"So? What's your decision?"
"Make it quick, will ya? This is boring," Max called out.
"I...I..." Fletcher began.
"You, what? Is our friend alive?" Alex asked again.
"Yes," Fletcher squeaked.
Without hesitation, Alex pulled her 9mm from its holster. She had already turned her body so she could watch the infected from the corner of her eye. Her arm came up and a split second later she pulled the trigger. The force of the impact threw the infected back off of its feet. The walking dead was now truly dead with a perfect black hole in its forehead. The shot was all Rafe and Max needed to both end the infected they were watching. Almost simultaneously the two thrust their knife blades into the temples of the infected.
After, Rafe bent and cleaned his knife on the infected's blood-soaked nightgown. Max in true fashion came to Fletcher with her knife, black ooze coating the shiny blade. She crouched down next to the man and watched him.
"Alex, what happens if I put this black stuff in his wound?" Max asked.
"Not sure, maybe he'd get sick and turn. We could always try it," Alex said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Charlie needs more experiments," Rafe called from his post, watching their backs to ensure no other infected snuck up. Alex knew taking the shot was a risk, but she knew it was more intimidating to Fletcher.
"Stop, I answered your question, didn't I?" Fletcher said.
"I don't have just one," Alex said.
Fletcher didn't take his eyes from Max, or her filthy knife.
"What else do you want to know?"
Chapter Twenty-Four
He couldn't open his eyes. Everything was black and part of him felt a sense of peace believing he was dead. Then the pain lanced through his body and Marcus knew he wasn't that lucky. Using the fingers that hadn't been fractured by the soldiers, he swiped at his face. Something seemed to crust across his eyes. He rubbed for a moment and blinked his eyes. Looking at his fingers he realized it was blood caked on his face.
Internally, Marcus had a conversation with his body. He felt badly that it was so abused, but he needed it to help him out. As he tried to push himself into a sitting position, he moved the leg with the shattered ankle. His cry of pain reverberated around the small concrete room. He laid his face back down on the floor, trying to breathe through the nausea sweeping through him.
Worry clouded his inner monologue. He knew they brought him to the brink of death, but didn't finish the job because the Duncans were on the way. He wanted nothing more than for the Duncans to leave him. He wanted the children to have their parents. He wanted them to survive the plague but also survive long enough to take down Callahan and 'The Suit'. Marcus knew if anyone was to end the insanity of this government faction it was going to be the Duncan Family.
Laying on the concrete ground, Marcus found himself thinking about when he first met Alex. She intimidated him with her strength and the solid head on her shoulders. Immediately he had known she was a force to reckon with and he knew he wanted to be on her side. After a number of mishaps and misunderstandings between the two of them, Marcus had finally found his rhythm. Everyone had a part to play in their group and Marcus was glad he found a place in the life of the compound.
Marcus was aware that this was a form of his life flashing before his eyes. He found himself going back through the last few months. With cracked lips, he tried to smile when he thought about teaching Henry to hammer a nail properly. He remembered Billie demanding that he kiss her hand after he took out a splinter, so the owie would go away. Marcus wondered if he’d had more time, would Easton eventually trust him? The teenage boy saw through Marcus' initial attraction to Alex immediately. Marcus knew if the boy had been capable, he would have killed Marcus to keep him away from his adoptive mother.
His inner thoughts were interrupted by the door opening a lone figure stepping in. Marcus tried to focus but he could only see clearly out of one eye. The man that entered was a soldier. However, the way he looked around before closing the door, told Marcus he wasn't supposed to be in the cell with him. The soldier came to Marcus and rolled him carefully to his back. Marcus groaned through gritted teeth as he worked to make sure he didn't scream again. The soldier was older, his brown hair salt and peppered and lines branching out from the corners of his eyes. Marcus found his age interesting because it seemed most of the men following Callahan were young and impressionable.
"Jonathan Kline?"
"Who's asking?" Marcus asked.
"Do you know Easton and Candace Reynolds?" The solider asked.
Marcus leaned back, trying to get a better look at the man. He stalled, trying to think of a reason the man would be asking about the teenagers.
"I saw their names in your file. I don't know how the Major knows about them. Or how he hasn't figured it out yet, but their names are there. Do you know them? Why is my wife's name not in the file?" The solider demanded.
"Callahan hasn't figured out what yet?" Marcus asked.
"I'm Liam Reynolds. I'm their father."
Marcus gasped and suddenly realized what he was looking at. An older version of Easton. He could see it clearly now. The hair that was turning gray had once been the brown of Easton's and his eyes were critical just like his son's.
"I can see it now. Easton looks like you," Marcus said.
"Where are my kids? Are they safe? What about my wife?" Liam demanded.
"The children are safe. I'm sorry, but your wife didn't make it," Marcus said quietly.
"Didn't make it? What do you mean?" Liam's face was lined with pain.
"I wasn't with them when it happened, I met them later. But your wife was bitten and she begged Alex Duncan to take them with her. She did and has been keeping them safe ever since. She protects them like her own," Marcus explained.
Liam stood up and paced the room for a moment. Marcus could see he was breathing deeply, trying to control his emotions. Though tears glistened in his eyes, he pushed them back and didn't allow them to touch his face. After a few more deep breaths he turned back to Marcus.
"Do you work for Callahan?" Marcus asked.
"I'm in the military. So, it's true that my kids are with those Duncan people?"
The way Liam said Duncan people told Marcus he had to be wary of what he said next.
"Do you believe in what Callahan has done?"
"The Major is doing what is needed to save the human race. The Duncans have the cure and are keeping it for those they want to have it. Have my children been given the cure?"
Marcus had to just stare at the man in disbelief. Callahan had really spun the lies to convince the military that the Duncans were the enemy. Marcus wondered if Liam would believe anything he said.
"I thought you were overseas. That's what the kids said," Marcus replied, changing the subject.
"I was. I was on the way home to surprise them, hero homecoming and all that. But when I landed on the East Coast, I was immediately brought here. The outbreak had just started and Callahan was centralizing forces to combat it."
"Didn't work out, did it," Marcus said.
"It spread faster than anyone could have predicted. The few bitten that were able to fly out and get on trains, spread it within twelve hours to all corners of the country. That was the last real communication we had. We're doing the best we can," Liam said.
"The self-appointed US Government should be able to do better," Marcus said, his speech slightly slurred around his swelling lips.
"Where are my children?" Liam demanded again.
"Safe," Marcus replied.
"So, you refuse to tell me? I could make your situation much worse," Liam said.
Marcus snorted. "Worse than this? I'm already on the chopping block, I'm sure. All I can do is keep my friends safe. And that includes East and Candace."
"They would be safer with me. I'm their father. I'm with the military," Liam said, his voice rising with each word. He grabbed Marcus by his short hair, forcing his head back s
o he had to look him in the eyes.
"If you're with Callahan, you're a threat to them. You clearly don't have all the information the Major does, or you would know exactly where the kids were. And for some reason, you're afraid to tell him about your connection. I wonder why that is."
"I'm not afraid," Liam said.
"So, you told them you were coming in here to question me? You have told them that the kids are yours?" Marcus replied, challenging him. He realized his questions hit their mark as Liam's eyes lit up with anger.
"I need to get to them," Liam said.
"Look, man, I get it. You want to be with your kids. You want to protect them. But I'm telling you, what is happening outside of these walls is not safe. What Callahan is targeting the Duncans for is not true. I realize you aren't going to believe what I'm telling you. But I care about your kids. And I want them to be safe. Not locked up here. Or worse," Marcus said.
"What's not true?"
"There is no cure, Liam. Yes, the doctor that is familiar with the plague is there. But she can't cure it. She's been trying. Callahan doesn't want the cure. He wants to destroy the proof of how the plague started," Marcus explained.
"That's absurd," Liam replied, shoving Marcus back to the ground as he stood up again.
"Is it? How did the plague start?"
"Terrorist attack," Liam replied without hesitation.
"Wrong. It was a failed experiment ran and directed by members of the government. And instead of trying to prevent the plague, they allowed the outbreak with little concern for the health of the people working for them."
"That's crazy. Our own government wouldn't kill its people. With the way this is going, there won't be anyone left to govern."
"Easier to control a smaller population. But that part is all conjecture. We only know what we've put together from Max being tortured here and the doctor's research," Marcus said. He tried to turn to follow Liam's walking, but his body wouldn't allow much movement.
"So, you're saying the Duncans are innocent of what they are being accused of?" Liam asked.
"Yes. But you don't have to believe my words. Do you know what I'm doing here? Other than being tortured within moments of my death?"
"Being questioned about the cure, I assume," Liam replied.
"I'm bait. I'm only still alive because the Major knows the Duncans won't leave me behind. They are coming here to try to rescue me. Liam, watch what happens in the next day. If this is the US Government, there should be due process, legal processes, lawyers, my rights. None of that is happening and it's going to get worse," Marcus said.
He wasn't pleading for his life. He knew that was forfeit, unless the Duncans had something really crazy up their sleeves. But now all he could think of was Easton and Candace. They had allowed Alex to become an adoptive mother to them. They all loved each other the way a family should. Marcus had admired it since the moment Alex almost kicked Marcus to the curb when he made a stupid move that put Easton in danger, it was clear she took the protection of the children very seriously. When they had been separated and Alex had been forced to leave them, it had broken her in a way Marcus couldn't even think to help with. He could still hear her wailing cries from the bathroom as they drove away from the last place they’d seen the teens.
Alex had taught them well and they survived the world on their own for over a week. When they arrived at the compound, Alex had changed, she relaxed and was as close to happy as a person could be in the apocalypse. They were a family unit that looked out for each other and took the care of their home seriously. Looking at Liam, Marcus could understand why he wanted to get back to his kids. However, he couldn't imagine putting them all at risk if the soldier's loyalties were too strongly connected to the military.
"I don't have much time. I need to get my kids," Liam pleaded.
"I have less time than you. If you hear anything of what I'm saying, hear me on this. There is no cure. Callahan is lying. And your children are safe. If you are determined enough, you'll be able to find where they are. I can only hope that when you do that, you know how to keep them safe."
Liam seemed to realize he wasn't going to get anything else from Marcus. He looked down at him once more, before moving back to the door. He opened it very slowly and peeked through the crack before sticking his head out to check the surrounding hallway. Marcus assumed it was clear, because Liam disappeared a moment later, the door locking behind him. He wouldn't be back, and Marcus knew that in his mind. However, that knowledge didn't stop him from staring at the door, waiting to see it open again.
Time wasn't relevant to Marcus as he laid naked on the floor. The pain that crackled across his senses was fading as he tried to let himself go into a dark fog again. He had never contemplated suicide before, even with the world falling apart. But as he laid broken and disfigured on the ground, he thought the end would be better than what he was facing. Would the Duncans know he was dead? Would they stop their pursuit into the military zone Callahan controlled? Now that he knew that the Major was the backer of the Dead Brothel, Marcus wondered how far his control spread. Was there any place safe?
In his mind, Marcus didn't register when the door opened again. This time it opened with force, banging into a wall as soldiers filed in before Callahan. When he was lifted into a chair, he couldn't stop the keening wail that ripped from his lips. He couldn't keep his broken ankle from getting pressure and it burned with pain. One of his eyes was completely swollen shut now and his lips were unnaturally large. When he tried to lick across them, he could feel the multiple places where they had split and were scabbing over. He couldn't stop his body from slumping to one side. The feeling of broken ribs was a distant pain in the scheme of things.
Callahan sat across from him, stiff and straight in his uniform. He looked at Marcus with disregard, clearly not concerned with any of the injuries he was sporting.
"Are you awake, Mr. Kline?"
"Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," Marcus slurred.
"Ah, I see your sarcasm is still intact. I am glad that my men didn't damage you too thoroughly," Callahan said. With that he nodded to his soldiers and they filed out of the room and shut the door. Marcus became more aware, realizing that Callahan was now alone with him.
"Do you think I'm ignorant, Mr. Kline?" Callahan asked.
"There's a lot to unpack with that question," Marcus replied.
"Do you believe that I'm not aware of how this plague started or what the situation is with the cure?"
"It seems your men have been told a number of stories. One being that the cure is in the hands of the Duncans," Marcus said.
"Mr. Kline, I have news for you. There is no cure. And I'm well aware of that," Callahan said coldly.
Marcus stared at the man with his one open eye. Marcus already knew the truth. He could put the pieces together and realize that Callahan knew the truth and was lying to get the troops to obey his orders. But to hear the man say it himself, that changed things greatly. Also, that meant Callahan didn't expect him to live to share what was said between the two of them. A rock formed in Marcus' stomach as he realized this was only confirmation that his days were numbered.
"Oh?" Marcus replied, as he had nothing else to add to the conversation. He was too lost in his own mortality.
"Yes, Mr. Kline. And honestly, I couldn't care less about a cure. Let this plague create havoc across the country. Once it's burned through the easy population, we will come back and save those that were able to survive."
"We?" Marcus asked.
"We don't have a name. I report to a man high in the government chain. Yet, our work has never been part of the government plans. We are what you would call, creative, with our solutions to the problems facing our people."
"So you are the people that had Charlie working on diseases. Those were to be weapons?" Marcus asked.
"Weapons or ways to prevent ourselves from being taken off guard. But most likely, if they had found this plague and were able to create a cure, it
could have been one of the greatest weapons known to mankind," Callahan said. It was abundantly clear that the man was bragging about what he felt he had been a part of.
"So how is your piece of the government still around? Last I heard, most of the government is dead," Marcus said.
"That's true. Just one aid, that's all it took. In the beginning, no one knew what a bite meant. The aid was bitten at the airport and rushed to the hospital. When things broke down, the aid was on the shortlist of being in a bunker with some of the main heads of state, including the President. Last communication from that bunker was screaming and the video footage cutting out," Callahan explained.
"But that didn't include people from your faction?"
"It did. But most of us were in other safe places. We had our own outbreak protocol. We are more important than the President and the normal succession of power."
"At least you are honest with your ego," Marcus replied.
"I'm honest with the truth. This is the way things are. I realize you aren't capable of understanding the great lengths we have always gone to protect the US people. And we will continue to do so, once this threat can be contained."
"So, the reason you are after the Duncans, is only to silence them?" Marcus asked. The question had been burning in him since the moment Callahan started the share session. If he knew the truth, could he somehow get it back to Alex? Could they use the information to keep themselves safe?
"They are the only ones that know how this happened. When we come out of hiding and work on fixing the country, we can't have that information tipped to any opposition. Clearly, it could be a snag in our larger plan," Callahan said.
The Major sat looking at Marcus, with a smug look on his face. Marcus couldn't be sure if it was fury or blood, but he began to see red. The egotistical maniac saw no problem with wiping an entire family from the world just to hide the truth. All so his plans didn't go awry.
Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment Page 29