All The Broken People (The Dread Series Book 2)

by Jonathan Yanez

  The guards on the walls were holding a variety of semi-automatic assault rifles. All in all not a bad job. She was looking forward to meeting this Cole.

  A moment later the gate to the fortress began to open. A large metal section rolled back on tracks to reveal a smiling man of Asian descent, in his thirties. He was handsome, with a long jawline and pearly white teeth. He strode forward with a pair of guards on either side. His dark suit matched his shoes that clicked on the pavement. “Welcome, Valery Spear. Liberty didn’t tell me you were coming or else I would have been expecting you.”

  Valery wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t known what to expect, however, Cole’s appearance and welcoming demeanor had not been it. After seeing Pete transform into the scaled beast and her own evolution into something other than human she imagined all the Dread lieutenants would manifest physical changes due to the Dread. Then there had been Liberty Echo, whose appearance intimidated all those around him but was not particularly different than any other human.

  “I’m here in advance of my own contingent of Dread,” Valery said, recovering from her momentary lapse. “They should be arriving soon. We have twenty-four, maybe thirty-six hours to set an ambush.”

  “An ambush?” Cole’s eyebrows rose and a wicked gleam crossed his eyes. “Who exactly would we be ambushing?”

  “A small group of escaped humans from the Ark. Seven in total.”

  “And Liberty sent you and an entire contingent of Dread to bolster my own forces?” Cole said, impressed. “Who exactly are these people?”

  “Those who seek to undo what we have been building for the last year and half. One of them has turned into something much more than human. It’s her that Liberty wants the most,” Valery said, looking past Cole to the interior of the encampment. “We should hurry with our preparations.”

  “Of course,” Cole said, waving Valery in with an open hand. “Please allow me to give you the tour.”

  ***

  “New Olympia is what we are calling it now,” Cole said, strolling through his base with a grin on his thin lips. “When we first started building six months ago it was nothing more than a wreckage of human filth. Aided by the slave labor force we have managed to cobble together quite a nice place for ourselves.”

  Cole wasn’t lying. Valery looked around the inside of the base in awe. It was like the Dread outbreak hadn’t touched this place at all. As if somehow the space inside the walls had been protected from the chaos that enveloped the rest of the world. The streets were newly paved, sidewalks cleaned. Each house was pristine, something out of a dream. Large porches with swings gave way to two-story houses that looked as though they belonged in a magazine instead of in the post-apocalypse into which the world had descended.

  “How…why did you choose this place?” Valery asked. Her head was on a pivot, soaking in everything from the lamplights that fought back the dark sky to the armed guards every few yards, so obviously human. “How are you controlling the human element?”

  “Awe, and therein lies the key,” Cole said. He clasped both hands behind his back, strolling along through New Olympia. “I know you are a newer member to our ranks so I’ll indulge you, the war is over. The Dread have already won. As soon as we infected sixty percent of the human population victory was ours. We needed a pool of slaves to build our new world for us. We estimated twenty percent of the world’s population would suffice. Eighteen percent have agreed to work for us as mercenaries or under our own banner like the human guards you see here. They see the bigger picture. When given the choice to be turned into Dread mindless or slaves, well, there’s really no choice at all.”

  “What of the remaining two percent?” Valery asked, doing the math in her head and finding Cole’s numbers coming up short. “What of them?”

  “They are the fools that think they can stand against us,” Cole said. “The Guardians, the Elite families, others. You’ll find out more about them as your time as one of us lengthens. They are a nuisance but one like a fly buzzing around the maw of a lion. They will all be dealt with in blood.”

  When Valery rounded the corner with Cole trying to make sense of the terms he was using like Elites and Guardians, she was hit with an odor so intense it stung her nostrils and made her eyes water.

  Cole had taken her to the opposite side of New Olympia, where a massive cage had been built to hold the human slaves. Hundreds of men, women, and children huddled together for warmth against the chill Washington air. It was hard to distinguish individual bodies. They slept together swathed in ragged blankets, torn jackets, and worn gloves. The one thing Valery did notice was their gaunt forms of rigid bones and hollow cheeks.

  White puffs of breath came from most of their lips as the pitiful creatures slept. A few mouths failed to produce any breaths at all.

  She thought she should feel something; the only emotion that came was satisfaction. Satisfaction that the will of the Dread was coming to fruition. These weren’t people to her anymore. They were a means to an end, tools to be used and discarded as needed.

  “If you’d direct your eyes to the right of the workforce,” Cole said motioning Valery to look his way, “we have our standing army of Dread.”

  Valery followed Cole’s line of sight. A gigantic warehouse stood in the corner of New Olympia. The structure was massive, with an arched roof and steel sliding doors. A low hum was coming from the warehouse like a hundred feet shuffling, a hundred breaths escaping.

  “I’ve decided to keep my contingent of Dread as reinforcements,” Cole said. “They are a thousand strong waiting to do as I bid. The human mercenaries are enough to patrol New Olympia. There was no use in having those infected by the Dread walking around making everyone uneasy. The workforce is more efficient with the Dread mindless locked away. Every once in a while I throw a slave into the warehouse for amusement, the fun doesn’t last long, they’re usually torn apart within seconds. It got boring after a hundred or so slaves met their end like that.”

  “This…this,” Valery searched for the right words, “this is amazing. What you have managed to do in such a short time.”

  Walking past another street of houses and toward the middle of New Olympia, Cole said, “This is only the beginning. New Olympia will continue to grow. Already there are plans across the globe for cities like these to begin using the slave workforce the humans provide. An empire is beginning, Valery, and as Dread Lieutenants we will be at the forefront of that change.”

  “What you are showing me now is extraordinary, Cole,” Valery said looking at the graying sky. “But morning is approaching and we must make preparations for the ambush.”

  “We will,” Cole said. “One last thing. I wanted to answer all your questions in turn. You are wondering why New Olympia, why choose this town to build.”

  “Yes,” Valery nodded, eager for answers. “Why here? Why this city above any other?”

  “We chose this site because of a certain building that resided on this block.” Cole stopped in front of a brick building with a sign out front that read, Kent Bank and Trust.

  “You made a city pop up around a bank?” Valery asked, confused. “What am I missing?”

  “On the contrary, you are absolutely correct,” Cole said, clearly enjoying Valery’s moment of confusion. “Come inside, let me show you.”

  Valery followed Cole up the cement steps to the bank entrance. Armed guards saluted them and opened the doors as they approached. Cole gave them a smile. He walked inside, followed closely by Valery.

  The building was brightly lit with an entirely open floor plan. All the furniture had been removed. In its place sandbags, barbed wire, and steel barricades had been brought in. A dozen guards in body armor carrying heavy machine guns stood at attention. The strange part was that all the fortifications were pointed at the rear of the bank instead of at the front doors.

  Cole walked through the maze of barriers and guards until he stood in front of a giant circular vault door. He stood staring at the m
etal wishing he could somehow see through it.

  “The Guardians built these academies around the world. Each academy was home to a dozen or more enemies of the Dread. We found this one, spent far too long trying to get inside. It’s impenetrable as far as I can tell. Then I decided, why try so desperately to open the door? Sooner or later whoever is in there will run out of food and be forced to come out.”

  Cole indicated a panel on the side of the vault door where a beeping red light was attached to a grouping of wires and plastic explosives.

  “When the Guardians in this academy are ready to play, they’ll be in for a rude awakening.” Shaking his head as if he was being awakened from a dream, Cole said, “Now, we have an ambush to coordinate.”

  Chapter 10

  Taylor managed to stay behind the wheel longer than she’d expected. Even when the trio in the SUV were snoring, there was so much running through her mind it was easy to focus past the noise.

  It was only as the first glimpses of dawn stretched across the sky did Taylor realize the hour. What she wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee at the moment. But caffeine was a luxury that would have to wait.

  “Frank,” Taylor called over her shoulder trying to be quiet enough not to wake Lu or Cidney. “Frank, wake up. It’s your turn at the wheel.”

  From the corner of her eye Taylor could see Lu’s eyes open.

  “Frank,” Taylor said a bit louder.

  “What!? What?” Frank jolted from his sleep already moving into action. A line of spit ran from the left side of his lips. “Is the marshmallow man back again?”

  “What? No,” Taylor said, “I need you to switch. We should pull over and take a piss break, gather our bearings.”

  “Oh—oh—okay.” Frank wiped the spit from his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “I was just having the greatest dream about cheeseburgers, pizza, soda, and marshmallows.”

  “Ugh,” Cidney mumbled. “Stop torturing me.”

  Taylor pulled off to the side of the road. Jason and Melissa in the truck behind them followed her lead, pulling in and turning off the engine.

  It wasn’t until she stepped out of the vehicle that she realized how sore driving for so long could make you. Her joints ached. The chill air actually felt good against her skin.

  “All right everyone,” Taylor said when all six members of their party had exited the vehicles. “Use the facilities if you have to, don’t go far.”

  Taylor walked toward Jason. He was scratching his hairline again, keeping narrowed eyes on Lu.

  “I already know what you are going to say,” Taylor said, raising a hand before Jason could get a word out.

  “What?” Jason stopped scratching. “I wasn’t going to tell you that he’s not trustworthy again and that you’re making a huge mistake in taking him with us.”

  “You just did.” Taylor sighed. “You should let Melissa drive for a while, you look horrible.”

  It was true, Jason’s eyes were red, his hair disheveled, and large bags hung under his eyes.

  “I will.” He spread a map on the hood of the truck. “I want to touch base with you on our progress. We’re making some real progress. If we can drive uninterrupted like this for another sixteen hours or so, we should make it to Olympia.”

  Taylor followed his finger as he traced their route for her.

  He was right, against all odds they were making great time. Minus the run in with the kids the day before they had managed to move uninterrupted.

  “It seems too easy doesn’t it?” Taylor mused aloud.

  “What does?” Jason asked, looking up from the map. “You mean our trip?”

  “Yeah. I mean besides the Reckoners and PJ and his group. I’m not complaining, but shouldn’t the world be harder? It’s like—”

  “Like someone or something wants us to make it to Olympia,” Jason said, finishing her thought.

  “Right,” Taylor said. She rubbed her hands together and stomped her feet to fend off the cold. “I mean, I know I shouldn’t be complaining. Still I can’t deny the fact this seems wrong.”

  “Well I—”

  “We need to go!” Frank yelled, running from the forest while he struggled to zip up his pants. “Now!”

  ***

  “You just had to say something,” Jason muttered under his breath as he pocketed the map and raised his rifle toward the woods.

  “Frank,” Taylor said, searching the tree line for any sign of what might be coming. “What did you see? What’s out there?”

  “Something—something big,” Frank said. He reached through the open window of the SUV for his firearm.

  “Where are the others?” Taylor asked, her mind already going through a checklist on priorities.

  “We’re here,” Cidney said, also exiting the forest with Melissa by her side. “We heard it too. Whatever it is, it’s not happy.”

  “We’re still missing Lu. We should—”

  Motion amongst the trees caught their attention and demanded silence. With the sun only beginning to crest the horizon, deep shadows veiled whatever was coming their way.

  “Inside the vehicles,” Taylor said. “I’ll find Lu.”

  A tree branch splintered in half as a creature the size of a small car lumbered forward. Its fur was dark brown, its roar so loud Taylor felt the ground shudder beneath the force. The biggest bear Taylor had ever seen lumbered forward, spittle hanging from its jaws.

  “What are we supposed to do?” Frank asked shakily. “They have poor eyesight. We stand still, right? Or is that a T-Rex?”

  “We can take it down before it reaches us,” Jason said, leveling his sights between the bear’s eyes.

  There was so much to process at the moment Taylor almost missed Lu. He was behind the bear, unsheathing his saber, looking to her for direction. What he planned on doing to the bear with his sword was something Taylor would have found comical given any other circumstance.

  The bear roared again. This time it stood on its hind feet showing off its impressive bulk. It took a step forward.

  “Wait!” Cidney said, running toward the creature.

  “Cidney, get back!” Taylor motioned for the girl, a glowing light of explosive energy already in her hand.

  “No, wait,” Cidney said again. “She’s just protecting her cubs. They’re in the forest a few yards in.”

  How Cidney could know something like that was beyond Taylor. The only thing making Taylor keep her tongue in check was the dream she had a year and a half ago, on in which she saw a much older version of Cidney petting a wolf.

  Cidney took another step forward with her hands open on either side of her. Her ten-year-old frame was dwarfed by the behemoth standing in front of her.

  Taylor imagined she should do something yet she was powerless in the moment. A quiet settled over the entire group, everyone knew they were about to witness something extraordinary. In a trancelike state, Cidney walked forward and began speaking to the bear.

  “We aren’t like the other ones. We’re human. We didn’t know you and your family lived here. We don’t want to bother you. If you let us, we’ll go,” Cidney said to the bear as if she were speaking to a person, her tone low and unthreatening.

  Against all odds the she-bear huffed and lowered her front paws to the ground. Sounds as if it were trying to communicate echoed from the bear’s cavernous chest.

  “I know,” Cidney said, taking another step forward, placing her directly in front of the bear. “I know, they scare me too, but we aren’t like them. If you see them you hide your cubs. Keep them close.”

  Taylor was having a hard time processing the events taking place in front of her. She wasn’t the only one. Frank and Melissa’s mouths were open. Jason was looking from the bear to Cidney and back again in awe. Whether Cidney had some kind of link with animals or some kind of influence over them was yet to be discovered. Whatever was happening, it was clear they were witnessing something beyond the capabilities of a normal human.

  “Okay,�
� Cidney said. She reached out and stroked the bear’s neck as though it were merely an overgrown dog. “You better get back to those babies of yours. We have to go save some people from a vault. Oh, and Lu’s standing behind you with a sword but he won’t hurt you. He’s nicer than he looks.”

  The bear leaned into Cidney’s strokes a moment longer. Another low rumble came from the momma bear’s throat before it turned to walk away. It entered the forest, passing a stunned Lu. Without giving him a second look it disappeared into the trees.

  ***

  “So what—how—I don’t even know where to start this conversation,” Frank said from his spot at the steering wheel.

  After the events with the bear Taylor was as eager for answers as anyone, but the safety the vehicles provided and the fact that they still needed to reach the Vault were more important. It was only after they were safely on the road that the conversation on what they had all witnessed began.

  “I don’t know,” Cidney said, shrugging. “It’s like somehow I knew why she was angry.”

  “Have you been able to do this before?” Taylor asked.

  “Never like this,” Cidney said. “I mean, I would always imagine that I could talk to animals, or that I knew what people were feeling, except I thought it was my own thoughts, not what was really going on.”

  Weariness was battling for dominance over Taylor’s mind. The brief surge of adrenaline the situation with the bear brought was wearing off. She was curious to delve deeper into what kind of connection Cidney had over animals but Frank’s voice was monotone and his questions so constant they lulled Taylor right to sleep.

  ***

  Taylor woke with a start. She had fallen asleep so fast and so hard she had no idea what time it was or where they might be. She searched for any clue as to the time of day through the windshield. The sky was overcast with a thick blanket of light gray clouds. The road in front of them dotted with abandoned cars and humans infected by the Dread.