Caldera Book 6: New World Order

by Stallcup, Heath

  He pulled her into an empty garage and they took refuge behind a counter. He pulled his trusty zippo and flashed it just long enough to read the label on a tin in his pack.

  He pulled the key from the top and opened the small canned ham. “This is the last one,” he whispered to her. “Try to eat it slowly. Enjoy it some, okay?”

  He fished the jelly covered smoked pork from the can and held it out to her. She opened her mouth to snap at it when he held a finger up, catching her attention. He made exaggerated chewing motions with his jaw. “Slowly. Chew it this time. Try to actually taste it, okay?” He handed her the canned meat and she practically inhaled it. He shook his head and smiled at her as she licked her fingers clean.

  Trevor dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small bag of gummy candy. He ripped the corner off and poured the small package out into her hand. “I was saving this for a special occasion. I guess tonight is as good as any.”

  She sniffed at the rubbery candies then turned a puzzled face to him. “Go ahead,” he said. “Yummmm…. They’re good.”

  She turned her hand over and dropped them to the ground.

  He stared at her open mouthed. “Really?” He flicked his zippo to life once more and quickly picked the candy from the ground. “I didn’t know we were so well off that you can just throw out perfectly good gummies.” He popped one into his mouth and his face puckered.

  He quickly lifted the wrapper and read it in the dim moon light. “Sour Bears.” He spat the gooey mess to the ground and shook his head. “I guess I should have listened to you the first time, huh?”

  She chuckled quietly at the face he made then stared as he pulled the last can from his satchel. “Apricots. Not my favorite, but at least they’re in heavy syrup.” He leaned close and whispered, “That used to mean they’d make you fat, but these days? It just means you can go a little longer before you have a sugar crash.”

  He pulled up the poptop and dropped the lid then drank some of the syrup, sucking an apricot into his mouth. “Feast fit for a king.” He handed her the can and this time she tilted it back and sucked the contents down without swallowing.

  “I guess I’m the one to blame for your table manners, huh?” He pulled the can from her as she finished slurping the liquid out.

  Trevor sighed heavily and glanced through the shattered doors. “We may have to hit a few houses on our trek across town. That was the last of the groceries.” He gave her a slight shrug. “The cupboard’s bare.”

  She continued to stare at him, but no sign of understanding crossed her features. Trevor slung his pack and shouldered the AR again. “Okay, kiddo. Let’s do this.”

  She took his hand once more and the pair stepped out into the cold, dark night.

  Chapter 18

  Hatcher gave a nod and Roger flipped the main breaker. He could almost hear the shouts of joy as lights came to life throughout the facility.

  “This is a good thing, Hatch.” Candy patted his shoulder. “The people are grateful, I promise.”

  Roger nodded. “Makes it feel more…like home.”

  Hatcher shook his head as he walked back to his office. “I still have a bad…” He froze and glanced to Candy. “I just hope this doesn’t come back and bite us in the ass.”

  “Will has those UV tanning lamp things on the wall.” Roger argued. “If the Zulus come sniffing, they should keep them at bay.”

  “We hope.” Candy added. “If not, at least we can spotlight them as we pick them off.”

  Hatcher held his hands up in surrender. “You’re preaching to the choir here. I know exactly what our capabilities are.” He sighed as he took his seat. “That’s exactly why I’m so nervous.”

  Roger leaned against the monitor bank. “Look Hatch, I understand your concern. We’re taking a huge leap of faith burning the lights at night but remember, we want people to feel like we’re building something here.”

  “You don’t have to convince me, Roger.” Hatcher glanced at the monitors, almost expecting a wall of Zulus to come crashing down on the main gates. “I just don’t want to announce to the infected that we’re here and have to deal with them every night. Imagine how exhausted our security teams will be if they’re all hands on deck to defend the walls at night and then have to stand duty during the day.”

  “If it comes to that, we’ll look into recruiting others to act as spotters. We’ll train the security personnel to respond quicker.” Candy offered, slipping in next to Roger. “We’ll address whatever comes up.”

  Hatcher waved them away. “Go on. It’s been a long day and I’m sure you two have things you’d rather be doing.”

  Candy fought the urge to giggle. “You are correct, sir.” She tugged at Roger as she stepped into the hallway. “Come on, big boy.”

  Roger gave Hatcher wide eyes and mouthed, “Save me” as she pulled him down the hall.

  “Sorry buddy, you’re on your own.” Hatcher kicked at the door, shutting it behind them.

  He wheeled his chair to the monitor bank and watched as Candy jumped onto Roger’s back and rode him piggyback to their room. For a fleeting moment, Hatcher envied the couple.

  That moment didn’t last long as his eyes were pulled to the monitors mounted on the wall. He stared at the black and white images, expecting the worst at any moment.

  “I know you’re out there…show yourself.”

  He couldn’t know who he was talking to, the Zulus, Simon, or some threat unknown…but he knew that something was out there. Waiting.

  “And all of this is absolutely necessary?”

  Carol nodded. “Every last thing on that list is crucial. Mission critical.”

  The yeoman sighed heavily and tucked the list onto his clipboard. “I’ll run it up the chain of command but…”

  “But what?” Broussard asked, stepping closer.

  “It would help a lot if I could explain what all these things are needed for.” He held a hand up to stop them before they began. “We’ll have to send commandos out into the wild to try to find this stuff. If we’re going to commit equipment and personnel to a task out there, it would go a long way if the brass knew what we were risking them for.”

  Carol nodded. “We could explain it but I doubt you’d understand.” She paused then snapped her fingers. “What about your ship’s doctor? Surely he’d understand. Perhaps we could talk with him.”

  The yeoman shook his head. “He’s actually off-ship making a house call to another vessel. Medical doctors are few and far between so he has to cover multiple crews.”

  Broussard nodded. “I can create a summary for you, written in layman’s terms. You could use that to convince your brass, oui?”

  The yeoman nodded. “Yeah, that would help a lot. If you can write it to where I can understand it, I can explain it to the officers.” He blushed slightly. “I’m not saying they’re stupid, just…stretched a bit thin. I doubt they’d give it much consideration unless someone explained it to them.”

  Broussard nodded and sat down. “Simply tell them that we need these materials in order to create a cure.”

  The yeoman’s eyes lit up. “Cure?” He glanced at Carol. “As in…a real cure?”

  She nodded. “The easiest way to explain the mechanics is that we need this stuff to genetically modify the virus. We render it inoperative; suppress it, basically. People will still carry it, but it can’t do anything to them.”

  Broussard interrupted. “And if we have all of the materials on the list, we can re-infect the infected. The new virus will take over the genetics of whichever strain they carry and they become asymptomatic, that is, for all intents and purposes, they will appear well.”

  The yeoman shook his head. “Okay, you lost me, but I definitely heard the word cure.” He looked to both of them. “You did say cure?”

  “We did.” Carol stepped forward and pointed to the list. “But we need this stuff.”

  The yeoman smiled broadly and reached for the door. “I’ll take it straight to
the skipper. I’ll have word for you as soon as I know anything.”

  The two researchers watched as he practically ran down the hall. Carol turned to Broussard and gave him a worried look. “We CAN do this, can’t we?”

  Broussard nodded slowly. “With your help, and our grocery list, I am certain of it.”

  She sat down hard in her chair and blew her breath out, gathering her thoughts. “It would be nice to see green grass and trees again.”

  “Oui, ma chère.” He patted her shoulder. “Until we hear from them, let us double check which sequences we know will do the most damage.”

  Carol slid her sleeves up. “Back to the grindstone.”

  “Hey, boss. You might want to come see this.” Shooter called from upstairs.

  Simon groaned to himself and took one more long pull from the near empty whisky bottle. He stood at the base of the stairs and peered into the shadowy darkness. “What is it, asshole? My knee is acting up and I—”

  “You gotta see this.” Shooter appeared over-anxious and waved at him excitedly. “You’re not gonna believe it.”

  Simon groaned as he took the steps. His knees were throbbing by the time he reached the landing. He turned the corner and hobbled to the bedroom that Shooter had claimed as his own. Shooter was excitedly pointing out of the second story window. “Check this shit.”

  Simon limped to the window and peered through the dirty glass. “What the hell is that?” He tried to focus through the alcoholic blur. “Campfires?”

  “Lights!” Shooter exclaimed. “That place is lit up like the Vegas strip.”

  “What the living hell is that?”

  Sinner appeared in the doorway. “You wanted to know where they ran off to.” He made his way to the window and peered over Simon’s shoulder. “My bet is, that’s them.”

  “I’ll be a son of a bitch.” Simon stepped from the window and rubbed at his jaw. “You sure that’s them?”

  Sinner gave him a “duh” look. “Who else could it be? We ain’t seen nobody else around here and that’s either them or the Ragers and I don’t see those cannibalistic bastards wiring up Christmas lights, do you?”

  Simon shook his head. “You don’t suppose it could be another group of survivors?”

  Shooter shrugged. “Who cares if it is? They got power. They could have running water for all we know.” He glanced to Sinner, his eyes wide with the possibilities. “We find ‘em, we kill ‘em, we take their shit.” He turned to Simon. “That is what we do, right?”

  Simon nodded slowly. “If it’s the Cagers, we get our people back, too.” He turned and gave Sinner an evil grin. “If it’s somebody else, we recruit them that’s capable of fighting the Cagers and we kill the rest.”

  Sinner turned and stared out the window. “I think I can find that place. It’s clear across town, but…”

  “We’ll find it. Mark the spot and wait till daybreak. Maybe we can identify the buildings or someplace close to it.” Simon pointed to Shooter. “You’re doing recon in the morning. Find them.”

  Shooter smiled broadly. “I hope they have real food. I’m sick of all of this canned bullshit.”

  Simon nodded. “I hope they have women.” He grabbed at his crotch. “My anaconda is hungry.”

  Trevor smiled as he saw the industrial area come into view. “We’re almost there.” He pulled her along as he increased his pace. “I know they’re in here somewhere, I just don’t know exactly…” He stopped and turned, watching Patricia.

  She stood trembling, her grip on his hand tightening. Trevor felt a cold wave of fear as her eyes went wide and she sniffed the air.

  “Don’t tell me…” he whispered.

  She turned and pulled him behind her. He fell into step as she practically ran to a nearby house that looked as though it had been abandoned long before the world went to hell. Patricia pushed open the door and dragged him in behind her. The pair ducked low and she stared out of the cracked front window. Trevor raised his head just beside her, his eyes straining in the darkness to make out any shapes that might be out there.

  He caught a fleeting glimpse of pale bodies running through the street. He could hear the slap of their feet against the paved road; he could tell there was a small group of them. He pulled the AR from his shoulder and tapped the bottom of the magazine to make sure it was seated. She turned and gave him a wide eyed stare as if chastising him for making noise.

  The bodies in the street slid to a stop and the lead creature stood tall, his nose sniffling at the air. He turned and wailed a bone chilling scream that sent Trevor’s hair on end.

  He leaned away from the window and kept an eye on the figures outside. Patricia never moved, her eyes glued to the scene. Trevor laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her back into the shadows, away from the glass. She leaned forward, shaking off his pull, her eyes wide as she took in every detail.

  Three more figures appeared next to the lead Rager, all of them stretching tall, their noses sniffing the air. The lead Rager screamed again and took off running back the way that Trevor and Patricia had come.

  Trevor let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and pulled her closer to him. He welcomed the heat from her body as the chill the monsters had given him seemed to permeate his core.

  “Are they gone?” he whispered softly.

  She turned and gave him another blank stare. He sighed and motioned toward the outside. “Is it safe?”

  She continued to stare.

  Trevor took a chance and came to his feet. She followed suit and gripped his hand once more. He stepped to the crumbling porch and leaned out, peering around an overgrown bush. He couldn’t see or hear the creatures and, since Patricia seemed calm, he assumed it was safe to cross the street and begin searching for the Cagers and their nest. Surely he could mooch some food if nothing else.

  What am I doing here? As soon as they see her, they’ll want to put her down. I can’t let that happen. I’d have to kill them all…or get killed trying.

  He crossed the road with Patricia in tow. The wide streets of the industrial park had few places that the pair could use for cover but he knew that somewhere in here was a group of people with resources. Resources he needed.

  He kept them as close to the shadows as he could as he went up and down each block. He kept looking for something that seemed familiar. Anything that could indicate he was in the right place. Trevor stopped near a dead truck blocking the road. Across the intersection was a burned-out car; something about the two vehicles rang a bell. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt he was close.

  He tugged at her arm and led her down the street, dark warehouses lined either side of the paved road. As he approached a wide steel building with an expanse of chain link surrounding it, he had a feeling of deva-vu.

  “I’ve been here before…I know it.” He stared into the darkness but couldn’t make out any details. “I’m just about positive this is the place.”

  He pulled her across the street and hunkered low. He strained his ears to listen. A group as large as theirs had to make some kind of noise.

  After what seemed like entirely too long, he pointed to her. “Stay here. Do. Not. Move.” He stood slowly and jogged across the street. He pushed open the chain link gate and stepped into the darkness of the warehouse.

  As he walked through what used to be the Cagers’ staging area, all the pieces fell into place. This was it, alright.

  But where were all the people?

  Chapter 19

  Hatcher tried to sleep but found the Sandman as elusive as ever. He slipped from his bed, which seemed overly soft and squishy compared to the old military cot he was used to, and tugged his boots on. He marched down the hallway and pushed open the door to his office.

  Cooper turned and gave him a bleary eyed nod. “All quiet on the wall, boss.”

  Hatcher punched the button on the small coffee maker and waited while the bitter brew did its thing. “I couldn’t sleep.”

&
nbsp; “I could.” Cooper yawned and stretched, his face still glued to the black and white monitors.

  “Go ahead.” Hatcher pulled his coffee mug and wiped it out with his shirt. “I’ll cover for ya.”

  “Sorry, but no can do, boss.” Cooper leaned back in the chair and kept his constant vigil. “This is the first night with the lights on and I’m gonna do my part.”

  Hatcher sighed with the smell of the coffee and turned to the older man. “Seriously, Coop, I got this. No sense in both of us staying up all night.”

  “Any other night I might take you up on it but Candy said to stand our watch. We have to get used to the time shifts.” He turned slightly and eyed Hatcher. “That woman scares me.”

  Hatcher chuckled and fell into his seat behind the desk. “I know what you mean.” He stared at the coffee pot and secretly wished it would drip faster. “I won’t tell her if you don’t.”

  Cooper shook his head. “No sir. I’m not taking any chances with that one.” He leaned forward and shooed a bug from the screen. “I’d rather wrassle a rattlesnake than face her when she’s mad.”

  Hatcher stood and slipped his cup under the trickle, pouring the small bit of coffee from the pot into his cup. He took a sip and winced at the bitter brew. “I think the next time we’re out shopping I’m gonna hunt down a different brand of coffee.”

  “I’ll drink anything, so long as it ain’t decaf.” Cooper nodded to him and reached for the cup. Hatcher handed it to him and he took a long pull from the steaming liquid. “Oh, yeah. That’s the shit right there. That will put lead in your pencil.” He handed the cup back and inhaled sharply.

  Hatcher laughed as he took his seat again. “Tell me Coop…earlier when you all cornered me…” He trailed off, watching the man’s body language. “Do you really buy into their argument or were you just agreeing because of Candy?”