Caldera Book 7: The End Is Here

by Stallcup, Heath

  Simon took a moment, breathing hard and doing his best to focus. He took a deep breath then rammed his fingers down his throat. He gagged once then turned his head and blew the contents of his stomach across the kitchen floor.

  He staggered in place and spat the bile and sour alcohol from his mouth. He could feel his sinuses burning from the acid and tried to stand up straight when the second wave hit him. He doubled over again and sprayed bile atop his first spew.

  Coming up for air, Simon gasped and clutched the edge of the table. “I’m gonna kill you bastards…” He turned for the door and fell over on the living room floor. His eyes fluttered once before they closed and he slept again.

  Chapter 14

  Hatcher watched carefully as the people within the compound slowly worked their way toward the courtyard. He knew that most were simply curious about the fabled “tame Zulu”. His eyes were locked on Patricia as she stared at the line of people, her father holding her hand as the people slowly made their way past her, staring.

  To his credit, Trevor simply smiled or nodded. Occasionally he would enter into a conversation with somebody but the talks were always brief.

  Hatcher leaned on the column and crossed his arms, his mind bouncing between the potential risk and this oddity that stood in front of him. Patricia’s kind were only known for feral behavior and a never ending desire to eat humans. Why did he find this child so endearing?

  He watched as Trevor suddenly stiffened. Hatcher’s eyes wandered through the thinning crowd and he noticed the heavy set brunette that now stood before the pair. As his mind connected the dots, he pushed off of the column and made his way across the courtyard.

  “I thought you had left for good.”

  Trevor nodded slightly. “I intended to, but then I found her and…” his voice trailed off, his eyes still unable to look at the woman before him.

  “Why’d you come back?”

  He shook his head slowly. “Like Simon always said, there’s safety in numbers.”

  “Simon,” she cursed. “That bastard ruined my life.”

  Trevor nodded gently. “Donna, I’m sorry.” His eyes were reddening as he spoke. “I heard what you said…before I left.” He looked away and cleared his throat. “I wish you had just told me up front.”

  “What could you have done? If you sent me back, he’d just shove me into his harem.”

  He shook his head slowly. “We could have just…I dunno. Pretended. So Simon would never know.”

  She shook her head. “Why did you have to come back?”

  “I’m not here for you, Donna. I just want to keep Patricia safe.” He pulled her tighter to his side and finally looked up at his ex-wife. “I won’t be trying to convince you to take me back. I promise.”

  She eyed the pair warily and slowly shook her head. “I’ll hold you to that.” She turned and marched away, leaving Trevor and Patricia standing alone.

  “You okay?” Hatcher asked.

  Trevor slowly nodded. “When I saw her again, it brought back everything I heard her say when we first got to your warehouse.” He shook his head, his eyes reddening again. “I never forced her to be with me, Mr. Hatcher.”

  “Just Hatcher.” He patted the man’s shoulder. “I wish I had words for…”

  Trevor shook his head. “We’ll be okay, won’t we Peanut?” He gave the child a lopsided smile and she smiled back. He suddenly brightened. “It seems like most of the folks came out to see her.”

  Hatcher nodded. “Anybody say anything less than welcoming?”

  “Not really. Most questions were about how I found her or if she’s ever been aggressive.” He shrugged. “What you’d expect, I reckon.”

  Hatcher nodded. “For now, keep her close.” He glanced at the few who watched the pair intently. “Let people get used to her.” He shook his head as he stared at the red-eyed girl. “I can’t believe I let them talk me into this.”

  Trevor snorted. “You and me both.” He bent low and eyed Patricia. “Do you want to take a nap now? Have you had enough excitement?”

  She blinked at him blankly.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” He stood and picked her up. “She usually sleeps during the day. It’s just easier.”

  “I understand.” Hatcher walked him to the rear gate and pulled it open for him. “If you need anything, just let us know.”

  “That skinny fellow with the glasses said they would run us a water hose to the camper.” He shifted Patricia in his arms and nodded toward Stanton. “If we’re gonna stay parked out there for a while, I think maybe we should look into a way to deal with the black water.”

  “I’ll mention it to Will, but if I know him, he’s already got something in the works.”

  Trevor held his hand out and Hatcher shook it. “Thanks again, Mr. Hatcher. We appreciate it.”

  Hatcher watched as the man carried the little girl into the camper then pulled the door shut. He tried not to question his sanity as he turned back to the courtyard.

  “How long before you’ll know anything?” Kevin asked as he pulled his petri dishes from the incubator.

  Broussard shrugged. “It could be days. It could be weeks.” He looked up and met his gaze. “It could be never.”

  Kevin sighed and switched out the samples. “Cross your fingers.”

  Broussard gave him a confused look. “Why?”

  Kevin paused and shot him a grin. “It’s a ‘good luck’ thing. You know, cross your fingers and hope?”

  Broussard shook his head. “There is no luck involved here. Either the science is sound or it is not.”

  Kevin thought maybe a change of subject matter. “How is Dr. Chaplain doing?”

  “She is resting.” Broussard stacked the files and placed them into the cabinet. “She sat with me in the monitoring room until the drone had to return to refuel.” He sighed and sat down heavily. “I wish I could be close to the application sight.”

  “Wouldn’t that be risky?” Kevin asked.

  “Of course. But I would really like to observe while the subjects undergo…”

  “The cure?”

  Broussard shook his head. “I am hesitant to call it that. Not yet.”

  “But you’d still prefer to observe. That’s understandable. This is your baby.” Kevin paused and turned to him. “Imagine that. If this works, you’ll be known as the man who saved the human race.”

  Broussard snorted and shook his head. “I did not work alone. And a lot of my research was based on the work of those who came before me.”

  “Still, that’s not a title I’d turn down if I were you.” He closed the door to the incubator and sat across from him. “Imagine decades from now, kids will be going to Andre Broussard High School. There will be statues of you all over the place.” He shot him a crooked grin. “Unless you’d rather not take the credit. If that’s the case, I’ll gladly volunteer.”

  Broussard laughed and slowly came to his feet. “Be my guest. I’m sure that the McAlester School of Science would sound…” he trailed off, his mind connecting dots.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Sound.” Broussard snapped his fingers. “Where is the generator that was used with Dr. Carpenter?”

  Kevin shook his head. “I have no idea. Probably still aboard the Kauffman somewhere on the bottom of the ocean.”

  “I must speak with the yeoman.” He pushed away from the table and pulled the door open.

  “Wait, what’s the deal?”

  Broussard paused and eyed the man. “They keep to the buildings during the day; we are hoping that the cure gets to them via air currents. But we can attract them into clusters with the sound generator. We could treat large numbers of infected with only a fraction of the solution.”

  Kevin nodded as he realized the ramifications. “We could potentially treat every city in a matter of days.”

  “Depending on the resources available to the government, yes.” He pushed out the door and Kevin watched him disappear into the hallway
.

  “Good luck. I’ve got my fingers crossed for ya.”

  Simon’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned as he pushed himself over. “Son of a…my head hurts.” He rolled over and sat up, pushing himself closer to the wall and leaning on it.

  He held his head in his hands and concentrated on breathing. “Bastard doped me.” He lifted his head and squinted at the sunlight pouring through the window. He lifted his arm and tried to focus on the watch on his wrist. “Shit.”

  He rolled to his side and carefully came to his feet. “I gotta find them.” He pulled the pistol from the back of his waistband and ejected the magazine. He ensured that it was fully loaded then slipped it again into the back of his pants.

  He stumbled to the garage door and made his way through his pilfered belongings. He reached into the cardboard box and hefted a large bottle of clear liquor. Unscrewing the cap he lifted it to his lips then paused.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this…” He screwed the cap back on and dropped the plastic bottle back into the box. “I gotta keep a clear head.”

  He used his hands alongside the recently acquired SUV and pulled the door open. He slid into the seat and slammed the door shut behind him. He exhaled hard and pushed the starter button, listening as the engine revved to life. He quickly rolled down the window to let the pent up heat escape and to get some fresh air.

  He slid the gear selector to drive then pulled out of the garage. He turned for the exit and goosed the accelerator. “I’m gonna find you, you little shit and when I do…”

  Simon drove out of the housing addition and turned toward down town. He slowed at each intersection, looking for signs of life. He drove to the next dead traffic signal and searched both sides of the crossroad for activity.

  Street by street he continued his search, fearing that his men had abandoned him for the Cagers. Part of him kept screaming to drive straight to their new compound where he was certain he’d find his turncoat crew. The other part of him clung to the hope that they were simply raiding for supplies.

  “Maybe they went hunting for food?” He goosed the accelerator again and pushed the little SUV to the next intersection. “Maybe they’re looking for more pain killers?”

  He snorted with derision and shook his head. “They wouldn’t have doped me if that were the case.” He pursed his lips and pushed the little SUV harder to the next intersection. “Bastards thought they’d knock me out and bail. Fucking traitors.”

  He slammed on his brakes and stared straight ahead. He tilted his head and tried to make sense of what he was looking at. He pressed the horn button and watched as the two Ragers looked up at him, lifting their bloody faces from what appeared to be a large chunk of roadkill.

  The pair sat in the shadows of a storefront, squatting in the alcove, eating. The male came to his feet and threw his head back, bellowing a scream that echoed between the buildings. The female stayed low and continued to tear chunks of bloody flesh from whatever carcass she held in her hands.

  Simon shook his head and pulled the 10MM pistol from the back of his jeans. He held it in his left hand as he slowly rolled through the intersection, the front sight of the pistol aimed in the general direction of the two pasty cannibals. “Go for it you red-eyed sons of bitches.”

  The male Rager screamed again and Simon caught glimpses of movement deeper in the shadows. He slowed the SUV and stopped nearly in the middle of the intersection. “Come on you flesh eating virus. Make a move.”

  He narrowed his gaze at the couple and it was only then that he caught a glimpse of what the female was chewing on: a human foot attached to a long bone, meat hanging from it.

  “You sick bastards…” he shook his head as he brought the pistol down to aim at the squatting female.

  For a brief moment, he considered the number of humans still alive and kicking in this shithole town. He felt himself chill when he considered the odds that the leg she was chewing on might be one of his men.

  He threw the SUV into park and opened the door, stepping into the middle of the street. “Come on you bitch. A little closer.” He leveled the pistol on her as the male continued to scream.

  He put her squarely in the sites of the pistol and gently squeezed the trigger, not wanting to pull the barrel off his target. Just before the trigger broke and fired the HP round, he caught rapid movement farther along the street.

  Simon’s head jerked around and he saw a small wave of Ragers rushing along the shadows of the sidewalk. “Son of a bitch.” He quickly aimed at the first pair and loosed two rounds. He didn’t wait to see if any of his shots connected before sliding back into the SUV and throwing the lever into drive. He slammed his foot to the floor and rocketed through the intersection, leaving the wave of Ragers behind him. He glanced to the rear view mirror and watched as they continued chasing him. “Bastards must be desperate.” He smirked at their slowly retreating forms in the mirror.

  He turned his attention back to the road and pushed the SUV harder through the city streets. “That had better not be one of my boys.” Simon shook his head as he shot through the intersections. “I’ll burn this whole motherfucker to the ground.”

  Chapter 15

  Hatcher sat at his desk, sifting through duty rosters for the sentries when a knock at his door snapped him out of the drudgery. “Somebody outside, Hatch.” Wally gave him a knowing look.

  He quickly came to his feet and walked through the door. “Who is it?”

  “Says he was one of the dudes we dumped outside of town.”

  Hatcher turned and stared at him. “Another one of Simon’s people?”

  Wally shrugged. “I would guess. How else would he know where we are?”

  Hatcher’s jaw tensed as he pushed through the front doors and out to the gates. He paused when he saw the small man, who was visibly shaken. He actually looked like he had seen a ghost.

  Hatcher pushed the gate open and looked down at him. “You one of the assholes that came at us with bulldozers?”

  Shooter lowered his eyes and nodded. “Yes, sir.” He quickly looked back up. “But it wasn’t our idea. Simon made us. Said he’d kill us if we didn’t.”

  Hatcher crossed his arms and glared at him. “Why are you here?”

  Shooter swallowed hard and tried to lick his lips. “I left him. He’s crazy as hell and…” He looked up at Hatcher, his eyes welling. “My partner got ate on the way here.”

  Hatcher raised a brow. “Who was your partner?”

  “Big guy we called Sinner. I don’t know what his real name was.” Shooter sniffed and wiped at his nose. “He mighta spent some time behind bars, but he was a good guy.”

  Hatcher glanced over Shooter’s shoulder and to the line of trees. “I don’t suppose one of your people are in the treeline about to open fire, are they?”

  Shooter shook his head. “No sir.” He sniffled again. “We doped Simon and split.” He seemed to get a far away look in his eyes. “Sinner had been shot…we tried to take our bikes but the ride tore open his stitches and…” He swallowed hard and looked away.

  “He bleed out on ya?”

  Shooter shrugged. “I dunno. I really don’t.” He looked up at Hatcher and his soul was laid bare. “I went back for the car. When I came back…” his voice trailed off. “There was so much blood.”

  The sentry nodded at Hatcher. “He looks like he’s going into shock.”

  Hatcher blew his breath out hard and nodded toward the inside. “Get him to Vicky. I want him checked out thoroughly. Then we’ll vet him.”

  Wally and the sentry escorted the little man inside and Hatcher continued to stare across the open land to the line of trees. “Come at me you sick fuck.”

  Roger appeared at his side. “I hear one of Simon’s men jumped ship?”

  Hatcher nodded then turned back to the compound. “One of the men we let go from the warehouse. He said that the bigger guy was eaten on their way here.”

  “Wow.” Roger shook his head. “That isn’
t an easy thing to deal with.”

  “If it’s true.” Hatcher turned at the hallway and marched toward Vicky’s station. “At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past Simon. Including sending one of his people inside to scope our strengths and weaknesses.”

  “Or the guy just switched sides,” Roger offered. Hatcher turned and looked at him. “I’m just saying, sometimes when it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s just a duck.”

  “I need to be sure.” He opened the door to Vicky’s office. Just inside the exam room the little man was seated on a table, his mouth open as Vicky probed with a wooden stick. “He clear?”

  She turned and gave him a stupid look. “He just walked in. I’ll clear him once I’ve examined him.”

  “I have questions.”

  The little man nodded. “I’ll tell you anything.”

  “Where’s Simon holed up at?”

  The little man nodded and pointed. “There’s a housing addition on the edge of town. It sits at the top of the hill and overlooks the whole area. Gated place. He’s in the far back at the end of a cul-de-sac.”

  “You could show us how to get there?”

  The little man nodded. “I can take you right to him.”

  Hatcher shook his head. “You can show us on a map. I’m not taking you out there to your own turf.”

  The little man opened his mouth to argue then quickly shut it. “Anything you want, sir.”

  “Don’t ‘sir’ me. You came at my people with intent to do harm. I’m not sure I’m willing to take the risk with you.”

  The little man swallowed hard and nodded. “I’ll go if you say so, but I can’t go back to Simon.” He shook his head harder. “He’d kill me deader than dog shit.”

  Hatcher turned to Roger. “Find me a map of the city.” Roger turned and disappeared then Hatcher looked to Wally. “Tell the boys to arm up, if they aren’t on sentry duty. We’re hunting for assholes.”