Jim rested him down on the ground. “Let’s give him a moment and then we’ll walk him up.”
Rachel nodded.
“You’re bleeding,” Jim said to Rachel.
She touched her ear. “It’s fine. How about him?”
“We’ll know when we get him back to command.”
“I’m fine,” Kasper said. “I’m not even bleeding. But … ah man, poor Jack.”
Rachel looked over at Jack. “Yeah. I feel bad.”
“Let’s go, I hear the chopper.” Jim lifted Kasper to his feet. “How did this happen?”
“He went against his rules,” Rachel said. “He was being a hero.”
“But … I didn’t die.” Kasper walked with Jim’s help.
“And I thank you for that,” Rachel said. “Because I would have.”
“No problem.” He moved up the stairs and stopped. “Hey, Rach.”
“Yeah.”
“Jack.”
“What about him?”
“I guess he really was a red shirt.”
“Oh my God, you’re horrible,” Rachel said, grabbing his arm to help.
“Yeah, but … we made it. The original team. The big event. We all made it.”
“Dude,” Jim said. “You have a serious injury.”
“Injury is the key word.” Kasper winked. “But I’ll be fine. I’m gonna be just fine.”
TWENTY-ONE
TWO WEEKS LATER
Barry placed the full box in the storage section of the RV.
“So much stuff,” Rachel told him.
“Yeah, it is. I made sure I put all the stuff that could spoil inside.”
Rachel stepped into the RV. “Did you map out our course?”
“I did.”
Rigs came from the back. “Did they give us more stuff?"
Barry nodded. “Yes they did. Blame Liz.”
Rigs whistled. “They certainly are hooking us up. I mean, wasn’t Liz the one that said we were on our own.”
“Technically,” Barry lifted a finger. “Even though we’re going west, we’re still canvassing for them.”
“And,” Rachel added. “We have to come back every three months to eliminate over here.”
“Ae we sure we want to do that?” Rigs asked.
“Yeah,” Rachel nodded slowly. “Yeah, we do. We have reason to come back.”
“Not me!” Sandy said cheerful as she boarded the RV holding two cups. “I brought us Starbucks, since it will be a while until we get back.” She handed a cup to Rachel.
“Thank you, and you really don’t have to go. We won’t feel bad if you want to stay here,” Rachel said.
“No.” Sandy shook her head. “It wouldn’t be the same without you guys. Plus, we have Penny now.” She nodded at the little girl who sat at the kitchen table drawing. “She needs us. Since she isn’t immune.”
“If she can tolerate us,” Rigs said. “We are so gonna have to ‘boy in the plastic bubble’ her in certain areas.”
Barry clapped his hand together once. “We ready to shove off?”
“No.” Rachel said, opening the cabinet above the sink. “I want to go see Kasper before we go.”
“Rach,” Barry said softly. “I thought you said goodbye.”
“Yeah, but I forgot this.”
“The game console?” Rigs asked. “You’re taking that to Kasper?”
“I am. And I just need to say goodbye one more time. He’s my friend. I’m gonna miss him while we’re gone since he has to stay behind.’
“I’ll go with you,” Rigs said.
“No making fun of him. It upsets him.”
“Um, sure.” Rigs said. “No making fun.” He pushed open the RV door. “We’ll be back.” He held it for Rachel. “After you.”
<><><><>
It wasn’t a far walk from where they parked the RV to get to the Research and Operations center. Rachel cradled the game unit in her arms, spoke very little to Rigs, but pausing just as they entered the building.
“You alright?” Rigs asked.
“I just feel so guilty. This is all my fault. If I wouldn’t have left my staff on the roof …”
“Hey. Stop. Kasper dove off that catwalk. He knew what he was doing, and it isn’t your fault that he’s …”
“Crippled.”
“Yeah.” Rigs grabbed the door for her. “Say your goodbyes quickly. Drawing it out isn’t gonna help.”
Rachel nodded and stepped inside.
<><><>
“Rachel!” Dr. Stevens said cheerfully. “I thought you left.”
“We were ready, but I forgot this,” Rachel said.
“He’ll like that,” Dr. Stevens said. “I’m glad you came to see your friend one more time.”
Her friend.
Was he really her friend anymore? Rigs said he wasn’t. Kasper would always be her friend.
He saved her life and she could carry that forever.
What happened to Kasper was not expected.
He was alert when they left, stabilized at Center City One, and was doing great.
But the staff that impaled him had gone through Jack and was contaminated.
Kasper was infected.
He was excited about signing those release papers and refused to change his mind about donating his body. He held on for as long as he could, refusing to be put down, claiming he was bigger than any zombie epidemic and he would control it.
But like everyone else who was infected, Kasper turned.
Every day since then, Rachel went to visit him. He never attacked her, never tried to bite her.
“Rachel?” Dr. Stevens called her name. “Do you?”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel snapped out of it. “My mind went elsewhere.”
“Did you want to go inside?”
“Yes, I’ll show him this. Maybe you can hook it up later?”
“Oh, I will,” Dr. Stevens said. “It will be interesting to see what he does.”
He allowed for Rachel and Rigs to go into the room without him, after all Kasper was restrained.
The restraints rattled and Kasper perked up when Rachel and Rigs stepped into the room.
“Say hi,” Rachel told Rigs.
“Hi Buddy.”
“Hey, Kasp. Look what I brought you.” Rachel showed him the game console. “Dr. Stevens said he is going to hook it up for you.”
Kasper just stared.
Rachel set it down. “We’re leaving Kasper. It’s not gonna be the same without you. I’m so gonna miss you and your jokes. Rigs just isn’t gonna cut it. You know. He’s dull.”
“Thanks,” Rigs mumbled.
“Anyhow, Kasper. I’ll be back and I’ll check in on you. Maybe even find a way to call.”
Rigs placed his hand on her back. “Time to leave.”
Rachel nodded. “We have to go. They’re waiting. I’ll tell you all about it when I come back. I’ll miss you, Kasper, and I love you. I’d give you a big hug, but you know … I just can’t. Enjoy the game.”
Kasper tilted his head.
Rachel sighed out. “He’s looking at me like he knows. Like he’s trying to make me feel guilty."
“No.” Rigs told her and turned her. “Let’s go. Kasper is gone Rach. He’s not in there. He doesn’t know, okay?’
Rachel took a step.
It was soft, low and deep, the groan that sounded like, “Raayy.”
Rachel and Rigs both stopped and looked back at Kasper the same way at the same time. Then they looked at each other.
“No.” Rigs shook his head.
“No.” Rachel said with a laugh. “Weird we both thought that.”
Another step.
“Chel.”
They both froze.
<><><>
Rachel and Rigs walked back to the RV with the heightened speed of Olympic power walkers. In fact, Rigs clenched tight to Rachel’s arm, nearly pulling her. “Say nothing.”
“But …”
“Rach, nothing. You heard S
tevens. This cannot get out. To anyone. If it does, people could feel threatened.”
“But he is talking.”
“Spoke. He said your name. He’s still early. He may still be retaining. Who knows?” They arrived back at the RV. “But tell no one. What would Kasper say?”
“He’d say to think of Bub from Day of the Dead.”
“Exactly.” Rigs opened the RV dor. “Whatever that means.” He stepped inside with a fake upbeat attitude. “We ready?”
Barry looked at him curiously. “Everything alright?"
“Yes, fine, chipper and dandy.” Rigs took the driver’s seat. “I’m ready to roll.”
“Dandy?” Barry asked. “Rachel, everything go okay with Kasper.”
“Yep. He’s great.”
“Rachel?” Penny’s voice peeped out and she held up a disk. “Is this your band? It has the same name as your team. Flaming …”
“Saffrons,” Rachel took the disk. “This is Kasper’s. He might want this back. Maybe we should …” Before she could finish the disk was taken from her hand.
Rigs held it. “Listen to it. We should listen to it. For Kasper.”
“Agreed,” said Barry.
“Without a doubt,” Sandy added. “Road music.”
Rigs went back to the driver’s seat. “Then we listen.”
“To Kasper’s favorite song?” Penny asked.
After cringing slightly, Rigs opened the case. “Yes. His favorite song.” He slipped it into the player, started the RV and put it in gear.
Rigs was ready to roll.
Admittedly he was shaken over his last visit with Kasper. He tried to reason it with memory retention, but he didn’t know, he just didn’t know.
It was Kasper and if anyone could change the way a Zombie apocalypse went, it was him.
Some time and distance between the team and Center City would help.
Undoubtedly, Rigs’ perspective could change about ‘what’ they were battling.
Even if it did, Rigs could not nor would not let it make him lose sight of his goals, along with the goal of the team and that was a dead free world.
They were alive and breathing because they took on the fight in the beginning to eliminate the undead.
It was not over, not by a long shot.
The fact that they were moving onward as a team spoke volumes in their resolve to the mission and to be eliminators.
Pulling out of Center City, with an annoying song blasting and everyone singing along, proved that in their strive to conquer the west, no one was truly lost or gone. Kasper was still riding along.
Perhaps his spirit was making his presence felt through the musical stylings of a defunct boy band. Whatever the case, Kasper would always be with them. The entire original team was together. And together, they could do anything.
<><><><>
ELIMINATORS Volume 2 Available July 2020
CUTE NOTE FROM AUTHOR
Okay, maybe it’s not a ‘cute’ note, but I wanted to add something here. The reference to The Flaming Saffrons is actually an inside joke that only a handful of people will get. The Flaming Saffrons are my parody boy band that I created for a film competition. I even wrote the sound track. If you are interested in being in on this joke and want to know more, please feel free to visit the website I created for them.
THE FLAMING SAFFRONS
Thank you so much for reading this book.
Please visit my website www.jacquelinedruga.com and sign up for my mailing list for updates, freebies, new releases and giveaways. And, don’t forget my Kindle club!
Your support is invaluable to me. I welcome and respond to your feedback. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]
The Eliminators 1 Page 16
