“We drove.”
Jesus. They drove. Which meant they’d seen everything in a straight line for a thousand miles.
It also meant they were going somewhere. They had a plan. Nobody drives a thousand miles through an apocalyptic wasteland without some kind of an idea of where they’re heading. If they just wanted to survive, they’d hunker down somewhere. On the roof of a Wal-Mart, perhaps, or in a remote mountain cabin. On an island or in a bunker somewhere if they could find one.
But no. They drove all the way from Seattle to Lander. They drove away from something, sure, that was obvious, but they were also driving toward something. And there’s no way they heard about Lander in Seattle.
Which meant Lander was not their intended destination.
They weren’t planning to stay.
“I’d love to sit down with you and hear all about your trip out here,” Steele said, “but you must be exhausted. The Holiday Inn is full now, so Temple, take these three to the motel on Main and help them get settled in. Swenson, you take Annie over to Nash for now. We’ll get her a motel room next to the others shortly. I’m sure they’ll all want a shower and something to eat.”
Swenson and Temple holstered their weapons.
The black man squinted ever so slightly at Steele.
“Annie,” Steele said. “Do you happen to know your blood type?”
She swallowed hard as she looked at him. Poor girl was scared of him. Understandable. Totally understandable.
“I’m not sure,” she said unconvincingly. She was holding something back. “But I think it’s Type A.”
Steele smiled.
“Listen, folks,” he said. “It would be most unfortunate for everyone here, especially you, if anyone in town finds out that Annie’s immune. It could raise expectations. We might have thousands of people demanding a vaccine when we don’t have a vaccine. We might be able to make one, but we still don’t know for sure if this is caused by a virus or bacteria. For all we know, it’s a microbe from outer space, for Christ’s sake. So don’t tell anyone about Annie. God only knows how they might react.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” the black man said. “We get it.”
Steele had no doubt that he did.
Annie cringed as the man named Swenson escorted her down the hall to another room. He walked casually, and he’d holstered his weapon, but she knew if she broke into a run that he’d pull it out again, chase her down and drag her into a room by her hair if he had to.
So she walked as casually as she could, as if such thoughts had not even occurred to her. They both played along. It was easier that way on everyone.
He took her into a room with a table covered in exam paper and told her she could lie down. Instead she sat in a chair next to the table and said, “This will be fine.”
“Suit yourself,” he said.
She hoped he’d leave her there by herself, but he stuck around.
“Doc should be here in a few minutes,” he said.
He didn’t leave. He just stood there by the door. He wasn’t blocking her exit, exactly, but he could if he took just a half-step to his left. She knew that if she so much as stood up that he’d take that half-step and plant himself between her and the door.
He clearly wasn’t going to say anything. There would be no small talk while waiting for the doc to show up, so Annie figured she might as well make him squirm.
She studied his face as he looked around the room awkwardly. He was in his mid-forties and slightly overweight with broad shoulders and a trim haircut. His jaw had probably been square before he added a couple of pounds. He’d probably been in the army. Or maybe he was an ex-cop. Or an oil worker. He almost looked like a cowboy, though he wasn’t dressed for it. He looked like a man who once had a tough guy job but had spent the last couple of years at a desk. So what was he doing with a gun? Who was this guy?
She stared at him, and he seemed to know she was staring at him. He took pains to look anywhere in the room except at her face. She thought she saw just a hint of red in his own face. It was so easy to make a man uncomfortable, even a man like him in a position of power.
Swenson visibly relaxed when a man in a white coat finally knocked and let himself in. He looked pretty much like a regular doctor. Mid-fifties, glasses, male pattern baldness, a tad overweight in the midsection.
“Annie,” he said and smiled. “I’m Dr. Frank Nash. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi,” she said.
She liked him right away. He seemed like a regular person. He wasn’t carrying a gun and probably wouldn’t chase her if she ran away.
He had a blood draw kit with him. The needle was a little large, larger than a vaccine needle for sure, but nothing too terrifying. At least he knew what he was doing. It shouldn’t hurt much when he jabbed it into her arm. The man was a professional. He was not some random guy who worked for the mayor and put on a white coat to look the part. He was a real doctor in a real hospital. Annie wished Swenson would go away so she and the doc could have a private conversation.
Swenson did not go away.
“So, what now?” Annie said to no one in particular.
“What do you mean?” Swenson said.
“Can I join the others at the motel?”
“In a bit,” Swenson said. “The doc here must have tons of questions for you.”
“I certainly do,” Nash said.
“Temple will come back and get you when the others get settled,” Swenson said.
She and Doc Nash exchanged looks. Just for a second. Knowing looks. Like they heard Swenson’s words in exactly the same way.
He was lying. Annie wasn’t going anywhere.
Kyle smiled as he, Parker and Hughes followed Temple through delightful downtown Lander with its brick buildings, ornate lamp posts, bricked sidewalks and amazingly open stores. Beyond it was an uglier part of town just west of the historic center clotted with non-descript crap architecture surrounded by parking lagoons.
Temple’s Range Rover pulled into the lot of a dumpy-looking motel just a three-minute drive from the hospital.
The place could have been anywhere in America, Kyle thought. The area was not much of a neighborhood. Back in the old days, nobody would have stayed in that motel unless they were on a tight budget. Still, it beat the pants off the howling wasteland beyond Lander.
Two other vehicles—a banged up Ford pickup and a blue panel van—were parked several spaces apart in the lot.
“Beds,” Kyle said as Hughes turned off the engine.
Temple stepped out of his Range Rover and slammed the door.
“Don’t get comfortable,” Hughes said.
Parker said nothing, but Kyle could read his thoughts. He looked at the row of motel room doors as if a different monster lurked behind each one.
“Welcome home,” Temple said. “Y’all wait here for a sec. I’ll roust the manager and get you some keys.”
Temple headed to the office and banged on the door. Someone opened it and let him inside. The door closed behind him.
“This is fucked up,” Parker said.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “What’s fucked up about it? We get beds to sleep in. Doctors are looking at Annie. This is the safest place for a thousand miles. They have restaurants, for Christ’s sake.”
“Annie isn’t here,” Parker said.
“Of course not,” Kyle said. “The doctors are looking at her.”
Hughes looked at Kyle and raised his eyebrows. “Son, I hate to break it to you—”
“Jesus, you too?” Kyle said. “It was your idea to drive across the entire goddamn country to get Annie to a hospital. I thought you were nuts, but fuck me if we didn’t pull it off.”
“Shh,” Hughes said. “He’s coming back.”
Temple approached with three room keys in his hand. “Okay,” he said. “You’re all set. The rooms are the same, and I put you all next to each other. Place isn’t much, I know. There are a couple of bigger hotels at the other end o
f town, but they’re full.”
Hughes stepped out of the vehicle and took the keys from Temple. “Thank you kindly,” he said. “This is terrific. Absolutely terrific.”
Kyle knew Hughes wasn’t happy, but this guy Temple probably didn’t.
“What’s next?” Kyle said.
“Everyone in town has a job,” Temple said. “If you folks are going to stay, the mayor will want to meet with each of you privately. Get a feel for what you can contribute, how you’ll fit in.”
“What about Annie?” Parker said. A bit of an edge in his voice.
“I’ll bring her over in a bit when the docs are finished with her,” Temple said.
“When will that be?” Parker said.
“I don’t know, man.” Temple said. “It’s not up to me. And it depends on how much the docs need. It’s not like there’s some kind of procedure here.”
“By all means,” Hughes said. “Keep her as long as you need her. And take good care of her.”
Temple nodded hesitantly. He seemed a little unsure of Hughes. “If you need anything, just knock on the office door. Manager’s name is Max. He’ll help you out.”
Then he left.
“Let’s check out these rooms,” Kyle said and took a key from Hughes.
“My room in five,” Hughes said.
The rooms looked exactly as Kyle expected, only dingier. A hard, square bed took up most of the space. Cheap wooden furniture that no one with taste would ever put in their house took up the rest. The walls were paneled with fake wood from the 1970s. Kyle’s bathroom sink was chipped, the hot water knob slightly crooked. He had one towel—thin and small—and no soap. He picked up a few whiffs of mildew and mold.
The place wasn’t great, but it would do for now. He’d stayed in worse before the infection, and it was probably temporary anyway. He doubted anyone expected him or the others to spend the next thirty years in a motel room. If they stayed on in Lander, they could upgrade to a house eventually, even if they had to build one from scratch.
Kyle wanted to stay. It would be insane to leave. The only reason this town was still holding on was because it was hundreds if not thousands of miles from anywhere of significance. It was surrounded by a nothingness so vast that Kyle wouldn’t be able to comprehend if he hadn’t just driven through it. There was virtually no chance Atlanta or any other large city was in this kind of shape. They had a better chance finding a cure for the infection in Lander, small though it may be, than going back out into the void.
It occurred to Kyle that if they did shove off for Atlanta again, they wouldn’t need to bring Parker. The only reason they’d let him come with them was because it was safer for four people to cross the country than three. They could easily find somebody else to accompany them. Thousands of people lived in Lander, Wyoming, and damn near all of them would be better traveling companions than Parker.
Kyle set his backpack on the bed as Parker and Hughes inspected their own rooms. He wondered if the motel had laundry facilities.
A door opened outside.
“Hello?” A strange man’s voice. Another refugee?
“Afternoon,” Hughes said.
Kyle stepped outside and saw Hughes next to a guy in his thirties who looked both relieved and nervous that he had some new neighbors.
“I’m Andy,” the guy said and shook Hughes’ and Kyle’s hands.
“Hughes.”
“Kyle.”
“Where you guys from?”
“Seattle and Portland,” Kyle said.
Hughes shot Kyle a look.
Parker stepped outside his own room and eyed Andy warily.
“Hey,” Andy said.
“Hi,” Parker said. He kept some distance.
“That’s Parker,” Kyle said. “Don’t mind him.”
“You guys…made it all the way here from Seattle?” Andy said.
“We drove,” Kyle said.
“How bad is it out there?” Andy said.
“Bad,” Hughes said. “Real bad.”
“Everyone’s dead and everything’s gone,” Kyle said. “This is the best place we’ve seen by far. Hard to believe it’s real.”
“Where are you from?” Hughes asked Andy. “Assume you’re not from Lander since you’re here in this motel.”
“Pinedale,” Andy said.
They’d just driven through Pinedale earlier in the day. Pinedale was dead. Nothing moved in Pinedale, not even any infected.
“How long you been here?” Hughes said.
“Couple of weeks,” Andy said. “I tried to ride it out at home. But my wife…”
“I’m sorry,” Hughes said.
Parker still hadn’t said anything.
Andy nodded. “Thanks. It’s such a relief to see some new faces.”
Kyle felt the same, though he wondered why Andy did. There were thousands of new faces in Lander.
“Listen, guys,” Andy said.
The motel manager’s door opened. Andy shut up. A man Kyle presumed was the manager stepped outside.
“Welcome,” the man said. He was short. His face was pinched like he he’d been walking around with a stick up his ass all week.
“Afternoon,” Hughes said.
Kyle and Parker said nothing.
“I’m Max,” the man said and stuck out his hand. “The manager.” Hughes shook Max’s hand as they all introduced themselves. Max didn’t bother shaking anyone else’s hand. He and Andy said nothing to each other.
“Your rooms are heated with radiators,” Max said, “so you should be warm enough even at night. I’ll bring you a fresh towel once a week. There’s a laundry room down at the far end of the building. Machines take quarters, but don’t worry. There’s a whole jar of them in there.”
Andy slowly made his way back into his room. Away from Max the motel manager.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” Andy said.
“Nice to meet you,” Hughes said.
“Yeah,” Andy said and shut himself inside.
“There’s a grocery store a few blocks up the street,” Max said and pointed north. “We’re out of regular groceries though now, I’m afraid. There’s only the basics. Meat and dairy mostly. No fruits or vegetables. I hope you’re not vegetarian. They have propane grills in the parking lot where you can cook.”
“Saw a couple of restaurants on the way in,” Hughes said.
“They’re closed,” Max said.
“One of them looked open,” Kyle said.
Max just looked at him for a moment, like he was trying to figure out what to say. “It’s not…it’s not open to the general public.”
Hughes and Parker exchanged glances.
“Come on down and knock if you need anything,” Max said. “And welcome again.” He eyeballed Andy’s closed door as he headed back toward the office.
A fire truck drove past the motel on Main. Hughes watched it with a look on his face like he was seeing one for the first time.
“What?” Kyle said.
Hughes tilted his head toward his room and stepped inside. Kyle and Parker followed him in.
Hughes shut the door.
“What?” Kyle said.
“What just drove past?” Hughes said.
“A fire truck?” Of course Lander had a fire truck. It probably had a couple of them. It wasn’t blaring its siren. Didn’t seem to be in any kind of a hurry. There was nothing remotely out of the ordinary about it.
“Yes,” Hughes said. “A fire truck.”
“So?” Parker said.
“What about it?” Kyle said.
“This town seems to have everything,” Hughes said. “A fire department. A mayor. A hospital. Stores. Motels. A grocery store. Lots and lots of people. At least one open restaurant even if guests aren’t welcome.”
“And?” Kyle said.
“Do either of you notice anything missing?” Hughes said.
Parker squinted. He was thinking hard. Like he was on some big case.
They were
both being paranoid now, Kyle thought.
Lander seemed to have everything, actually, even electricity. His cell phone probably wouldn’t work, and the grocery stores wouldn’t get any shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables from California and Mexico any time soon, but he didn’t notice anything missing that was unusual under the circumstances.
“Nothing’s missing,” Kyle said. “At least nothing obvious.”
“Yes, there is,” Hughes said.
“What?” Kyle said.
Hughes pursed his lips. “Cops.”
7
Hughes didn’t like cops, but he liked a town without any cops even less.
He sat on the bed.
“Sit down,” he said to the others.
There was no other furniture except a cheap dining room set crammed into a corner. Parker turned a chair around to face the bed and sat in it. Kyle scootched one away from the table so he wouldn’t have to sit next to Parker.
“We need a plan,” Hughes said.
“For what?” Kyle said.
Hughes wanted to punch him.
“To get Annie out of that hospital.”
“She’s not a prisoner,” Kyle said.
“She ain’t here,” Parker said.
Hughes thanked the lord in Heaven that he hadn’t executed Parker. The guy was a mess, and a righteous pain the ass, but he was smarter than Kyle and more reliable in a jam.
“We drove a thousand miles to get her to a hospital,” Kyle said. “We made it. Mission accomplished. You want to drive another two thousand miles to another hospital that might not even exist? Through the South?”
“Lander isn’t the Centers for Disease Control,” Hughes said. “We don’t know anything about these people.”
“We know they have a hospital,” Kyle said. “And a city hall. And security. And food. And electricity. And running water, apparently. They have kids here. Kids. Walking down the street holding hands with their parents. Like the signs said. Lander is civilization.”
“They don’t have cops,” Hughes said. “What kind of civilization doesn’t have any cops?”
Kyle said nothing.
“They drew on us in the hospital,” Hughes said.
“They thought one of us was infected,” Kyle said. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done it if you were running this town. And you don’t know that they don’t have any cops. We haven’t even been here for an hour.”
Resurrection (Book 2): Into the Wasteland Page 6
