Flashpoint (Book 3): Fallout

by Ellis, Tara

“You should,” Jed said stoically. “Mercy might have all she needs to keep us fed, and all the law to keep us safe, but when one little bug can sneak in and kill off fifteen people like that—” he snapped his fingers. “What we really need are more pastors to pray for our poor souls.”

  Jed sat up straight in his saddle and pulled at the reins, bringing the horse around so he was facing south again. “I’d best get going. I still have some ground to cover before I reach the next station. This is a new route for me and I don’t want to get caught out here in the dark.” Tipping his hat, Jed attempted to smile at Russell, but the unnatural gesture came out more like a grimace. “Thanks again for the assistance. I expect I’ll be seeing you in town in a few days.”

  Russell waved a hand in response and took a couple of extra steps back. The horse had ignored him for the most part, but snorted in his direction as he turned around. “Safe travels!”

  With the horse galloping out of sight, Russell eagerly retrieved his bike. The information he’d gleaned was more than he could have hoped for. While it was unsettling to learn about a killer infection, he saw it as yet another opportunity.

  As he began to pedal north again on US Route 89, Russell contemplated the beauty of nature and how it all worked seamlessly together. The trees, the sky, the gamma-ray burst, the bacteria…and Russell Rogers.

  Chapter 19

  ETHAN

  FEMA Shelter M3, Monida, Montana

  Ethan tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn and happily accepted the thermos of hot coffee from Ben. He’d never been much of a coffee drinker before the flash, but over the past day it had become his favorite beverage.

  Mist rose from the lake and spread out into the surrounding fields, so that it glowed as the sun began its journey up the sky in the east. Over a dozen horses grazed in the fog, casting ethereal shadows that stretched toward the thick evergreens which created a natural boundary between the shelter area and the river. The barbed wire fence was another barrier and it reminded Ethan that the sense of security and freedom meant something different for each of them.

  He and Ben had already fed and watered the horses before anyone else had even gotten breakfast. Ethan then showed Ben where to let the other horses loose to graze, and kept his five back for “extra” grooming that he said was needed since they’d been left with the saddles on for so long. It was a lie, of course, and he was actually prepping them for their saddles and organizing the tack so it was close by and ready to go. While Ethan knew he should feel some guilt for manipulating his new friend…he didn’t. This was a big part of his plan and Ben’s role in it was crucial for it to work.

  Besides, Ethan suspected that in addition to Ben, several of the other soldiers would also be happy to see him succeed. Talking around the campfire late the night before had been very…enlightening. Apparently, Dillinger was known as a snake long before the event. Some of the guys assigned to the shelter were having a hard time carrying out his orders.

  Rumor was that the early-morning inspection could bring some wanted change, and that gave Ethan an extra boost of confidence. His stomach clenched as he moved some more tack nonchalantly. Confident or not, right or not, what he was about to do could go wrong in so many different ways that he knew it was bordering on illogical.

  Tango turned his head to give Ethan a nudge and as he reached out to scratch his friend’s favorite spot, all of his reservations evaporated. He knew what he had to do.

  The sound of rotors slapping at the sky suddenly began echoing off the hills surrounding them. Ethan looked up, shielding his eyes against the rising sun. The sky was empty and he figured the helicopter was still a ways out, making its way up the valley. Right on time.

  “Let’s go watch it land,” Ethan suggested. “We’re done with the horses for now and we deserve a break.”

  As Ethan expected, the other young man was more than eager to see the first sign of any surviving machinery. A military helicopter, no less. “Sure!” Ben wiped his hands off on his fatigues and straightened his cap. “I’ve heard the Sergeant’s nickname is The Terminator. Can you believe that?”

  Ethan frowned as he followed Ben toward the main road and the north entrance. He already knew from his investigating yesterday that the helicopter would be landing in an open area on the far side of the north entrance. It would be away from the tents, for obvious reasons, and beyond the buildings of Monida. This would require the Sergeant to walk down Main Street in order to get to the command tent. At least, that was what Ethan was betting on. However, if the guy responsible for investigating the shelter wasn’t any better than Dillinger, then it was all for nothing.

  Ethan glanced over at the two soldiers manning the north gate and felt a huge sense of relief when he didn’t see Danny or Sam waiting beyond it. If they listened to him, they’d be far enough away that it wouldn’t matter for them if his plan went sideways. He was counting on them to make it to Mercy if it did. Ethan knew his grandma would do everything she could to get him and his dad out of there.

  “Why do you think they call him The Terminator?” Ethan asked, looking up at the helicopter that was visible as it came in low over the mountains to the north.

  “Because he’s gigantic,” Ben laughed, and Ethan relaxed some. All he cared about was the guy’s ethics.

  “Come on, Dad,” Ethan muttered under his breath, as they began to cross the road. The police station was dead ahead. He turned again to look first at the gate, and then up at the approaching helicopter. It looked enormous and Ethan wondered how it even managed to stay in the air. Under the increasing noise of the thumping blades and motor, he thought he heard a different kind of noise. Yelling. “Come on…”

  “Ben!”

  Ethan smothered a smile of satisfaction when he saw Kenny stick his head frantically outside the police department’s door. As he stepped out onto the porch, the yelling from inside got louder.

  “Man, this guy’s losing it!” Kenny waved his hands in the air as he spoke, clearly rattled. “He’s demanding to talk to the corporal, says he’s had enough and wants out. I don’t know what to do. He’s hitting his bed against the freaking bars!”

  “You better go get the corporal.,” Ethan urged Ben. Turning to him, he didn’t have to pretend to look scared. “My dad…he, um, has PTSD. He can’t handle being confined. It’s why I wanted to check on him last night. Look, get Dillinger to talk to him now, and I’m sure Dad will agree to anything. Then I’d get to stay here, too.”

  Ben pursed his lips and stared up at the helicopter, which had completed its approach and was hovering, getting into position to land. Movement from down the road caught Ben’s eye and he turned to where Dillinger was walking with a small entourage, making his way to greet the Sergeant. “He isn’t going to like this.”

  Ethan was at a pivotal point in his plan. It all hinged on getting Ben to go along with stalling Dillinger and getting his dad out at the right time. Right on cue, a loud, bellowing wail came from inside the jail and both Kenny and Ben winced.

  Ethan leaned in and pointed a finger at the building for emphasis. “I get that Dillinger won’t like being interrupted, but you need to convince him that this could be a good thing.” When Ben stared at him with obvious doubt, Ethan rolled his eyes like the answer was obvious. “What’s going to make the corporal look better; a screaming prisoner claiming injustice, or a new, strong recruit happy to be a part of Shelter M3?”

  Ben grinned. “Ethan, you’re a smart guy. Hold on!” he shouted to Kenny, and then jogged down the road, waving a hand at the corporal to get his attention.

  Ethan didn’t have time to stick around to find out what would happen. The helicopter was landing, and he estimated he had around ten to fifteen minutes. Turning on his heels, he sprinted for the horses.

  Chapter 20

  DANNY

  North of FEMA Shelter M3, Montana

  “You know that staying behind goes against every fiber of my being,” Sam complained while repositioning himself on the g
round, where he sat leaning up against an evergreen. The area north of the shelter was heavily wooded in steepening hills that were going to make walking more strenuous. Grace lay at his feet, her ears pricked, hearing something that Danny could not.

  “Sam, we’ve been over this.” Danny turned away from the man whom she considered her best friend, and then paused. Looking down at the gun she’d retrieved from Tom’s hiding place, she sighed and spun back around. “Here.” Holding it out grip-first, she shook it for emphasis when Sam only stared at her. “Take it! If I bring this back with me, I’m only going to get into bigger trouble.”

  Chuckling, Sam reached up and took the .45 loaded with its one bullet. “Somehow, Danny, I absolutely believe that.” Setting the gun next to him on the ground, Sam rested a hand on Grace’s head and stifled a cough. Even the slow, one-mile walk they’d made was enough to irritate his airway. Ellen gave him an emergency inhaler before they’d left against the nurse’s protests, but Danny told him to save it for when it got really bad.

  “If we aren’t back by tomorrow morning—”

  “I know,” Sam interrupted. “Get to Mercy any way I can. It’ll be slow going though. Especially without the horses and only Grace here to keep me on my toes.”

  “Look, I’m only going to observe,” Danny said, trying to sound reassuring. She already felt horrible for leaving him and Grace, though she couldn’t see any other option. Sam was in no condition to even walk fast, let alone potentially get in the middle of a fight or have to run.

  “This inspection we heard about this morning must have something to do with Ethan’s plan,” Danny surmised. “So I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be going down soon. It’s probably also the main reason Dillinger agreed so quickly to our request this morning to let us leave. Having us gone is one less complication for him to worry about.”

  “Out of sight, out of mind,” Sam muttered, shaking his head. “I should have insisted that Ethan give me more information yesterday. I could have come up with an excuse to leave the infirmary for a few minutes if I hadn’t been so tired. He’s a fifteen-year-old boy and we’re letting him call the shots?”

  “He’s smart,” Danny insisted. “Remember? You said that yourself. And besides, it’s not like we had any other options. The fact that he’s seen as only a teen and not a threat is exactly what’s allowed him to move around so freely and gather whatever information has him convinced that he can set things right.”

  “So convinced that he told us to get out first?” Sam countered.

  Danny crinkled her nose at Sam and then waved her hand in the air as she walked away. “Which is why I’m going all stealth mode, secret-agent style.” She was trying to lighten the atmosphere but it wasn’t working. Danny’s steps were heavy and she had no idea what she was going to do, only that she’d made Tom a promise, and she kept her promises.

  Grace whined, and thinking she was about to run after her, Danny looked back, prepared to tell her canine companion to stay. However, Grace was standing with her head cocked and was looking up at the sky, instead of at Danny.

  “What is it, girl?” Sam cooed, also looking up.

  Squinting, Danny raised a hand to block the sun and then gasped when something resembling a giant, dinosaur-age dragonfly flew in low over the treetops.

  “It’s an old Huey!” Sam shouted, slowly getting to his feet. Grace barked and ran in circles, unsure of how to react to the unknown creature.

  “How is this possible?” Danny asked, watching as it passed overhead and continued toward the town of Monida and the shelter.

  “I suspected some of the military aircraft might have survived the EMP,” Sam said, also watching in awe. “But it’s still pretty amazing to see one, isn’t it?”

  Nodding, Danny was startled by the surge of euphoria she experienced simply from the sight of the helicopter. It gave her hope, as well as a physical pain at the reminder of all that was lost. So much had been taken for granted. Everything from running water, to flushing toilets, and all of the tiny, small, seemingly insignificant things that made life more comfortable and easier. It wasn’t easy anymore. They had to fight for everything, and cherish the small accomplishments.

  Danny’s emotions went through a wild range in the few seconds that the aircraft was over them, and by the time it began to hover in the distance, she was feeling contempt. What was happening to them wasn’t right, and she was going to make sure that Tom and Ethan finished out the journey with them.

  “I’ll be back,” she called without turning around, and began to jog down Interstate 15. Whoever was on that helicopter had to be involved in the inspection, and therefore was also likely to have a role in Ethan’s plan.

  Pacing herself, it took less than ten minutes to get close enough to see the roadblock and the two guards. They were distracted by the helicopter that had just landed, as well as what looked like some activity inside, not far from them. Danny took advantage of it by edging as close as she dared before sneaking into the shelter of the trees. From there, she was able to work her way up next to the fencing.

  A crude barbed-wire barrier had been constructed, extending a good hundred feet from either side of the gate. At that point it turned into a combination of wood, cyclone fencing, original barbed-wire fencing, and even some buildings that were connected by the conglomeration. It was impossible for the soldiers to police the whole perimeter adequately with the crew they had. It was primarily watched over by three different sentries. One was on top of the only two-story building in town, while two others were in lookouts on the hillside, where they watched with binoculars. Danny had managed to figure that out on her own while working with the other refugees the day before. It would be risky, though not impossible, for her to sneak in. But…did she even want to?

  While she thought she could get inside, Danny had no idea how it would benefit them. She wouldn’t be able to walk freely about. She could simply tell the guards she’d changed her mind, or forgotten something, except then she could lose the chance to leave again if something happened.

  Danny didn’t like being so indecisive. Normally, she quickly made up her mind and then acted without hesitation. She had to, in her line of work. Waffling was what led to mistakes and got people hurt.

  “I’ll wait,” she whispered out loud in an effort to convince herself she was confident in the decision.

  Danny stood half-hidden behind a pine tree, mere feet from the fencing. She had a clear line-of-sight of Main Street, so when the door to the police department opened, she immediately saw the movement.

  Dillinger was the first to emerge, with Tom following close behind. Her breath catching, Danny moved closer to the gate, trying to get a better look at Tom’s face. He seemed…complacent. Confused, she watched as the two men stopped on the steps and stood talking to each other. Tom was nodding, and then didn’t hesitate to take the hand Dillinger offered, shaking it enthusiastically.

  Frowning, Danny tried to make sense of it. Had they been wrong? Did Dillinger keep his word and just let Tom go? Feeling like a bit of a fool for all the cloak-and-dagger antics, but also greatly relieved, she moved out of the trees and walked the rest of the way to the gate.

  Danny got within ten feet before one of the guards noticed her. The young man’s expression of alarm quickly changed to relief when he saw who it was. “Danny, what are you doing back? I thought you’d be a few miles away by now.”

  Doing her best to give a flirtatious smile, Danny played with a long strand of dark hair that had come loose from her ponytail. “I saw the helicopter and thought maybe something big had happened. Did stuff start working again? Are we all going to be saved?”

  The female guard rolled her eyes, while her male partner smiled at Danny. “Nah, it’s just some hot-shot master sergeant from the Marines who was sent here to spy on us,” the soldier offered, relaxing his stance. “You sure you don’t want to stay? Hey, where’s your friend?”

  Danny was thinking up a feasible explanation when an odd
sound filled the silence left when the helicopter was shut down. The two guards exchanged a questioning look with her before turning back to Main Street. Tom and Dillinger were now in the middle of the road, and Danny could see a very large man with two other soldiers approaching them. They were coming from where the helicopter landed, behind the buildings, and were just rounding the corner of the police station when everyone froze.

  The sound was emanating from the direction of the men’s barracks, and getting louder. A pounding that was as much in the ground as the air. Danny saw Tom step away from Dillinger, his whole demeanor changing as he dropped into a crouch. It was then that the first horse exploded out into the street, rearing its head and neighing at the man standing in its way.

  The large man and his soldiers leapt up onto the porch of the police station, giving the horse room to flee across the road and disappear. It was closely followed by several others, and Danny didn’t recognize any of them. Then, a very distinct, pure white mare lunged out and stopped when Tom called out to her.

  “What the—” the soldier next to Danny exhaled and she couldn’t help but smile. Sitting straight in his saddle on Tango and handling the spirited horse like a pro, was Ethan, leading the rest of their horses on lead ropes behind him.

  “Ethan!” a man was shouting, running after him and flailing his arms frantically. “Ethan, stop! What are you doing?”

  Ethan ignored the young soldier and continued his path out into the middle of the road, stopping in front of Dillinger. Tom had already taken control of Lilly by grabbing her lead rope and was looking back and forth between Ethan, Dillinger, and the man from the helicopter, standing up on the porch.

  “We’re leaving!” Ethan shouted.

  To Danny’s horror, Dillinger pulled out his sidearm while issuing an order at the same time. “Shoot him!”

  Tom was a blur of motion as he lunged at the corporal, grabbed his gun arm, and wrestled him to the ground. Danny hadn’t even taken a breath, and the man she’d been flirting with was frozen by indecision. The other soldier, however, had no problem carrying out the order and was raising her rifle.