The radio emitted a small static signal, but nothing more. Less and less activity. So much death. She wondered how sound Daniel's plan was, or if he even had one. Something in the back of her mind questioned all the places he came across that were looted and dead. If she made a list of all of the areas she'd been in contact with, how many of them would Daniel be able to cross off? Assuming he admitted to it.
Ally had a plan, but it was far-fetched, at best. People would laugh, others would think her insane, and a few might be willing to go with her. No matter what happened, she was getting Kevin and Sean out of this place before things got out of control.
The chair next to her scratched the floor as Daniel pulled it out and sat. "Not very comfortable, are they?"
"Sorry. What with all the death and undead after us, lumbar support didn't make it on our list." She opened the logbook and scribbled a few things inside, hoping he would get the hint and leave, too.
"Ally, I'm not a bad guy. The world sucks right now and it's easy to lump people into one category or another, but I think there's a lot more grey area."
She doodled in the corner of the page. What would Sean remember of the world? If he managed to survive, would he be a good man? The definition of right and wrong had long ago ceased to exist; now things were more of a matter of survival.
"Daniel, I don't trust you, but you know that. I want to know your plan, but if you choose to buddy up to Joseph, that's fine, too. Either way, it's time for us to move on. Hell, I would have done it ages ago, but moving thousands of people is going to be tough, and that's only after convincing them it's the right thing to do."
From the corner of her eye, she caught his nod. "What about Joseph?" he asked.
"A few lackeys, but no one that matters. I do wish they'd let him play with sharp things, though. That could take care of the problem."
Daniel traced a circle on the table, and then reached for the map on the console. He flattened it between them.
"We head west, collect as many operational vehicles as we can. If we don't stop, we can minimize the need to waste ammunition."
Ally leaned forward. "That's a lot of vehicles. Four thousand souls. We'll need drivers who can stay calm. Not to mention bathroom breaks and food."
"We only get trucks or buses, things that can carry a lot of people. Two drivers per vehicle, and each one is stocked with supplies."
She put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her palm. "Still, we're talking over a hundred operational vehicles."
He bit his lip before he spoke. "Ally, you know these people. How many of them do you honestly think are going to go? I've only been here a day and can tell they're split."
Pointing to the map, she said, "Irrelevant. Even if only half decide to go, that's two thousand people. You knew our numbers before you came here, so I'm guessing you have something up your sleeve."
He laughed. "God, how do you face each day with that attitude? I want to help as many people as possible. I have no secret plan. The more who go the better, but we need to start putting things into motion now."
"Fine, so you find a magic parking lot with all sorts of trucks that run. We manage to get them here, load them up, and then move our happy convoy west. What's next?"
He jabbed a stubby finger over Chicago. "We get Neal and his group. I've spoken to him about it, and he's on board. Then we haul ass to Phoenix and hope Jerry and his buddies have been able to hold off those tough mothers."
Ally leaned back. "So you and an untrained army of a few thousand scared people are going to take on the 'bastards,' as we like to call them."
He shrugged. "After that, depending on how secure Jerry's place is, we set up a permanent camp. The bacteria doesn't do well in the arid climate, in a couple of years it should be all gone."
"Right, and what if Jerry's place isn't secure? And then there are the annoying little things like the fact the desert has been so irradiated for crop enhancement it no longer grows anything, and just because the bastards don't do well in the arid climate doesn't mean they're going to die off."
Daniel scratched his cheek then brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. "Well, that's where plan B comes in. We head north. If we can get far enough into the extreme cold there will be hardly any. No one's lived there since the war."
Ally laughed again. This guy was either insane or an idiot. "No one has lived there because it had the shit bombed out of it. The place is still glowing, it's so radioactive. Most of your plan is based on assumptions."
He glanced away for a moment. "The northern territories were never bombed. A few non-lethal ones to show on the newsfeed, but that's it. The Russian Firm had a base there, built under the ice. It was supposed to be a safe location to go in case of emergency."
Ally went to the table with the coffee cubes. She grabbed one and dropped it into her mug. She'd heard rumors about the Russian base; her old boss Charlie had told her about it. At the time it was too fantastic to believe, but after everything that happened…
"Joseph had all sorts of dirt on the other Firms and he's never mentioned it. So, if I believe you, and there is a base there, how do you know it's safe? People might still be there, and chances are they aren't going to flip the top of their glacier open to welcome us inside. And again I will point out the types of vehicles you would need along with proper clothing won't be easy to find."
Daniel shoved himself away from the table. "I know it's easy to point out problems rather than coming up with solutions, but at least I'm trying something. That base might have people, or it might not. Either way, I know the codes to get in. It's time for me to get some rest. Been a long few days."
Ally watched him go, unsure what to say, opting to say nothing. His plan did have some merit, but there were a lot of holes in it. Too many; lots of people would get hurt, more would die. She wouldn't risk the lives of Sean or Kevin unless she knew they had a better than fifty percent chance of surviving. Her idea looked better and better.
Chapter Ten
Kevin watched Sean's sleeping form. The boy argued with him every night about going to bed. A row of inch-thick mattresses lined the back wall of an old storage room. Over forty kids occupied most of the area, and a few adults who had lost children and volunteered to stay with these orphaned ones. Every night talking several of them through nightmares.
He eased the door shut, making sure it was secure. He glanced up and down the hall, deciding to go to the main room to catch up with Ben. The fact he passed the radio room had nothing to do with his decision. Ally sat inside, a scowl on her face as she crossed something out she'd written. In front of her were maps, but nothing like he'd seen before. Passing the door, he shook his head.
One day she'll let me in.
Ben reclined in one of the metal chairs from the dining tables. The room was eerily silent this late at night. The usual snores and coughs absent. Kevin searched the room and realized only half the usual number of people were lined up against the side wall sleeping.
"Let me guess, woman problems?"
The deep voice caught Kevin off guard and he attempted a smile to cover his unease.
"Something like that, but first tell me where everyone is?"
Ben lifted a large hand and pointed down the hall. "Doc came here and said there was some new virus going around. He wanted to quarantine everyone who was sick until they got better."
Kevin eyed the sleeping people and the empty spaces. At least five hundred were missing. He swallowed as he remembered the ghoulish doctor taking blood samples from all those who'd been bitten. For the life of him, he didn't understand why. He'd tried bringing it up with Ally, but figured she'd say he was being paranoid.
"Last time he did this, no one came back, did they?"
"People die; it's the way things happen now."
Kevin noticed Ben's face and wondered what was happening behind the dark eyes. Like everyone else, Ben had a story, one he didn't share.
"I guess so. How are you doing?
Been working a lot?"
"Got nothing else to do, might as well keep an eye on folks so they can get a good night's rest."
Kevin sat on the cold floor with his knees close to his chest. The uniforms they wore were made of durable fabric, warm, waterproof, and not the least bit comfortable. At one point, he begged Noah to run them over to try and break them in. Thinking of his friend reminded him of the doctor. He shook it off.
"You talk to Ally?" Kevin asked.
"Yep."
"And?"
"And nothing. She's not much of a talker, but you know that."
Kevin chuckled. He'd long ago given up getting frustrated with these people. One word answers, if any, were the norm. Growing up with a sister, he was luckier than most; they fought all the time as kids. When they hit their teens, things calmed down, a bit. He twisted his fingers together as he remembered the last time he saw her.
"Well, I don't see anything broken, so I guess she wasn't too upset."
"Nah, she can't get mad at the kid. Hopefully it was enough to get her to stop, but don't count on it."
"I know. God, if she just talked about it, things would get better."
Two metal legs landed on the floor in front of him. Ben leaned over and looked him straight in the face.
"Don't push, that's the quickest way to lose her. She's been through hell and back more than once. The woman's entitled to a few demons. If she shares anything with you, consider yourself a damned lucky man."
For the first time Kevin understood how one man could keep the peace in such a large group. Looking into Ben's rigid face, Kevin was terrified.
"I know…I told her I was there for her, but at the same time I won't let her go out there half out of her mind on pills. I can only do so much.
Ben returned to his chair. "You won't let her…better not let her hear you talking like that."
Kevin pushed himself up, no longer feeling like a chat. "I'm going to find something to do, see you later."
All he wanted to do was make Ally's life easier, didn't she understand that? He roamed the hallways thinking of what he could do to help.
* * *
Ally wrote down the coordinates of three possible locations. She'd have to sort through more information to figure out which destination was the best. In the meantime, Daniel and his men were her priority. She sensed his disappointment after the tour.
Normally, she wouldn't have let a stranger know how defenseless her crew was, but in this instance she thought it would work to their benefit. If Daniel was the one ripping off those who dared to give away vital information via the radio, he'd wasted his time coming here. On the other hand, if he planned to help them, he needed to know how desperate things were.
Someone entered the room. She rolled the maps and tucked the notes away in her jacket pocket. When she looked up, Joseph stood in front of her. He opened his mouth and blood dribbled out. He fell to his knees and she made a grab for him.
Blood covered the front of her shirt. The man reached up and smeared the red liquid on her face. He smiled at her then closed his eyes.
"Someone get the doctor," she yelled.
Kevin ran into the room seconds later, eyes widening at the scene in front of him. "Ally, what the hell happened?"
"I don't know; go get the doctor," she said as she lowered the dead body to the ground. A clinking sound got her attention and she lowered herself to take a closer look. She rolled the corpse over and saw the hilt of a knife sticking out of his back.
"Ah, crap. Get Ben in here too," she said, but Kevin was already gone.
"Lane, what did you do? You'll pay for this," Victor said as he ran into the room.
"You think I did this? No way, he came in here and…died."
She stood, not liking being in an easy position for Victor to attack, which she damn well knew he wanted to do.
"You expect me to believe that? You spoke against him on a regular basis, not to mention your scuffle with him earlier. I'll send you to the pit myself for this."
A white tufted head peeked out and Ally hoped the doctor would be able to clear this up. She knew enough about killing people, to know that a knife to the back had to be delivered precisely to cause a quick death. The low volume of blood meant he was killed nearby. All she needed was for Dr. Miller to back her up and get Victor looking for someone else.
The older man looked tired, but not freshly woken.
Must have been working on his miracle cure.
"Say the word, doc, and I'll have her in restraints in the blink of an eye," Victor said to the old man.
Ben entered. "You best be watching your tongue. If anyone puts restraints on someone, it's going to be me." He voice boomed around the room.
"All of you, shut up. I'm trying to work here," the doctor said.
He took a blood sample, why she'd never know. Then he checked the eyes, felt along the neck, poked and prodded a few places, then finally cut away the clothes to look at the back. A small trail of blood could be traced out of the room.
"Kevin, find out where the blood trail starts. Ben, take this knife, see if you know who it might belong to."
When the doctor pulled the blade out, it made a sucking noise. He handed it to the tall man and then looked at the body in front of him.
"Did he say anything? A scream, or perhaps a yell to indicate he was in trouble?"
Ally thought about it. She'd been absorbed in her maps, but a cry for help would have pierced her concentration, right?
"I didn't hear anything, but with the buzz of the radio…someone else might have. Ask Kevin, he showed up a few seconds after Joseph staggered in here."
"Convenient, your boyfriend is your witness. Perhaps he helped you murder–"
"Victor, shut up," Ben warned the mercenary as he towered over him.
Dr. Miller stood. "If you're finished, you might like to know he suffered severe damage to his esophagus. His voice box was crushed. Whoever did this knew what they were doing."
"The trail starts inside the room where we store packaged food," Kevin said.
Ally thought that was interesting and it made her curious. "Where's Daniel?"
Wide eyes and open mouths all around the room. "Victor, where did you assign him and his men to sleep? That's a good place to start."
"I'm not letting you out of my sight, murderer. You might have these idiots convinced you're innocent, but not me."
"Ally, you want me to go with you? I'm not sure, but I don't recognize this knife."
She saw the look on Ben's face and knew if he was worried, she should be, as well. Of course, Daniel and his men had all their weapons. Joseph didn't want to upset them by having them locked away for safe keeping.
Christ, why does this shit happen to me!
Ally felt like punching something, or preferably someone. "Fine, come with me. The quicker we find the guy, the quicker we get this sorted out."
Chapter Eleven
Ally opened the door to her room, and a hand restrained her. "I'd move that if you plan on keeping it." The menace in her voice was hard to miss.
Victor let go, but didn't back off. "I told you, I'm watching you, Lane. I know you're guilty."
Ben moved between the two. "Ally, get what you need. I've got this idiot."
She went to the corner and pulled on the thick jacket she wore for scavenging missions and clipped her belt into place, making sure the knife was present and secure. She nodded at the tall man and shoved Victor aside as she exited.
The hallway was dim, only a few lights burning at night to save power. Walking down the narrow aisle, she tried to shake off the apprehension taking hold of her. She flashed her light down the corridor on her left out of habit, and a dark spot caught her attention.
Detouring, she used her flashlight too examine it. Blood, but nowhere near the storage room. As she shined her light up and down the hallway a few poorly-wiped smudges stood out. She reached out for the handle in front of her. Every instinct in her told her to stop, bu
t she couldn't. This was where Sean slept.
Pushing the handle down let in a sliver of light from above. The rise and fall of several chests and the murmuring of random phrases to a crying child calmed Ally's thudding heart. Relief weakened her knees and Ben steadied her.
"What the hell, Lane? We're wasting time so you can check on that silly runt?"
Ally's hands were around Victor's throat and shoving him up against the wall in under a second. "First...first, his name is Sean. Second, if you actually had a functioning brain, you would have seen the blood smears. Joseph and his killer were here, or at least one of them. I want to know why."
Victor clawed at her hands, drawing blood with his nails. She let go of him, ready for an attack, but none came. "Fine, but why did your boyfriend say all the blood started in front of the storage room?"
Ally went back to the original trail and moved on following the droplets. "Let's see, a dead body, accusations flying around, and rushing to do as told…pretty easy to make a mistake."
She didn't need to look back to know Victor's face was a mask of doubt. Right now, all that mattered was finding Daniel and his men. A moment later, the trio stood outside the storage room. No sound came through the closed door. Like Kevin said, blood was pooled on the floor and a handprint smeared the handle.
Ben took position across from her and Victor crouched a few feet away. Ally knocked. Grumbled voices came from within, the volume increasing when the door opened. Daniel stood in front of her, clothes wrinkled from sleep.
"Uh, Ally. What's up?" he said, casting a nervous glance to her and Ben.
She took in his casual stance and lack of tension. Highly-skilled, the doctor had said. Daniel fit that description, and so did most of his men.
"Can you get everyone to come into the hallway for a moment? This shouldn't take long."
Daniel ordered his men out, eyes widening at the sight of blood on the handle. "Who the hell is that from?"
Z-Boat (Book 3): Z-End Page 6
