Deserted Lands (Book 2): Straight Into Darkness

by Robert L. Slater

  “Mostly,” Jess added as one of the assistants dragged a dog, fighting and growling, into the room with a muzzle tight on his face.

  Jess turned away, biting her lip. “That was Gozer. I tried to settle him down. But after three days and this—” She pointed at a broad bandage. “He’s too feral and we don’t have the manpower or the time to do anything about it.” She walked to the window, breathing steam onto the cold glass as Gozer was dragged outside.

  Lizzie didn’t want to know what happened next.

  Jess sighed and turned away from the window. “Most of them warm up to humans pretty quick once they aren’t lost and confused anymore.”

  There had been an uproar about straight up shooting pets. So now they all came through here, and the outraged people had already forgotten. Only Jess and her co-workers, Susan, a vet, and Jen, a former dental hygienist, were left to deal with the fallout. How could Jess wake up every morning to such hopelessness?

  “But you can’t keep them all here forever, like this.”

  “We have been trying to figure that out. Obviously we are doing a lot of wholesale neutering, it’s like a testicle snipping factory in here most days. Susan taught Jen and I how to do it, it’s surprisingly easy. Sometimes we get into competitions to see who can do it the fastest.” She laughed with a touch of hysteria. “Tomorrow is our first day of adoptions, but we haven’t really had time to get the word out. We have an idea to turn some old dog parks into sanctuaries. I just need to talk to Mannie about building shelters in them and shoring up fences. That is, if he is still in charge of parks.”

  “I’m not sure; maybe.”

  Jess dragged a hand through her hair and puffed an exhausted sigh. “I’d hate to have to start all over, dealing with someone new.”

  Alfred bumped up against Lizzie’s leg and she scratched his ruff. The fuzzy cat had been there from the beginning and Jess let him wander around when she was on duty. “Nev would be the one to ask about that. Dad’s duties just got a lot more complicated. She’s his assistant now, trying to subjugate his job to her organization skills.”

  “I would rather talk to him about it personally, but he’s been kind of difficult to approach lately.”

  Lizzie wasn’t exactly sure what had happened between Jess and her dad on the road. She didn’t want to think anything bad of her father, but there was definitely something awkward hanging between them. Whatever it was, they better deal with it. There were already too many fractures appearing in Lizzie’s extended family.

  A buzzer rang, sounding more like an alarm, signaling the arrival of another truckload. Hopefully people would be ready to adopt tomorrow.

  Chapter Fifteen

  MANNIE STARED GROGGILY ACROSS THE snow. He extricated his phones from inside three layers to check for messages. A text from Lizzie flashed on the spy phone. Let Glen know what ur doing.

  Mannie hated texting, especially with cold hands. I will. Thanks. His knee screamed at him for relief from spending too much time in the same position. He popped a few ibuprofens and stretched it out.

  He needed to get better clothing if he was going to spend days out in this weather. Some real military gear would be nice and maybe a knee brace. The Militia recruits could probably use the same—minus the brace. That was his job now, if it was anybody’s. His job seemed to have morphed into if-we-need-something-ask-Mannie. What other supplies should he be on the lookout for? Hot coffee sounded like heaven. Maybe a mocha.

  He pulled his hood up and tightened the drawstring. With regret he shoved Rubi’s door open. The cold wind blew in, even more chilling than earlier.

  This weather was shit for spy work. For anything, really.

  Mannie tromped through knee high snow in the cold darkness on the outskirts of Camp Williams. He’d need to be careful once he got near the street lights.

  “Put your hands on the top of your head.” Something hard pressed into his spine.

  Mannie put his hands on top of his head, cold dread prickling his flesh where the gun barrel rested.

  His adversary lifted his hand-gun from its holster, and patted him down.

  “Now, turn around really easy.”

  Mannie turned and faced a short woman clad in gray and white military garb with an automatic weapon. He could barely make out the eyes inside the goggles, her voice was his only real clue of her gender.

  “We’re going to walk slowly and carefully forward. If you make a move, so help me, I will shoot. I’ll be aiming for your knee, but—just so you know—I didn’t get a medal for marksmanship.”

  Some spy he’d turned out to be. “I hope you’re taking me someplace warm.”

  “Cute. Now, walk.” She gestured with her weapon, and spoke into her comm. “This is Jefferson. I got a prowler.”

  A scratchy voice answered, “Roger.”

  “That building, there.”

  They walked until they reached a building. The snow had been scraped neatly away from the entrance.

  “Open the door and step inside,” Jefferson ordered.

  Inside was definitely a mess hall. They were met by a young man in fatigues. Another gun and shaky hands. Mannie remembered being that young and that nervous; he raised his hands quickly.

  “Welcome to Camp Williams,” Jefferson said, pushing him forward. “Get out of the damn door, Hernandez, I want in out of the cold.”

  Hernandez moved aside, but his gun stayed pointed at Mannie’s chest.

  Mannie didn’t want to be fighting the good guys. Not that the folks from the city were bad.

  “I’m not the enemy, guys,” Mannie said, keeping his hands high.

  “Hernandez, point your weapon down, until you’re ready to use it. Don’t need anybody going off half-cocked.”

  Hernandez sheepishly lowered his rifle.

  “So why did I catch you skulking around our perimeter?” Jefferson pulled off her helmet and shook her head; dark braids fell down, not quite the typical military standard. “Where’s the Captain?” she demanded from Hernandez.

  “I think he’s sleeping?”

  “Then wake him up!”

  Hernandez disappeared through two swinging doors.

  “You want to sit?” Jefferson offered, motioning to a seat with her rifle.

  He remained standing but lowered his hands, keeping them in front of him and visible.

  Her eyes swept over him like he was an alien.

  A few tense minutes later the swinging doors burst open. A young man with a scraggly beard and captain bars stormed in. If this was their captain, it had to be an in-field promotion.

  He sized Mannie up and then jerked his thumb toward the door without a word.

  Jefferson prompted Mannie with her gun. They entered an office and this time Jefferson forced him to sit in a chair facing the desk. The Captain took the other side, his chair scraped the floor as he shifted. The bags under his eyes indicated that the sleep he’d been woken from was probably the only rest he’d had in some time.

  “I am Captain Pierce of the United States Army—”

  “You’re a captain?” Mannie interjected, lacing his tone with incredulity to keep his adversary off balance. A good interrogation depended on who was in control.

  “Why are you out there spying on us?” Captain Pierce blurted, face red.

  “Trying to figure out who you are. What you’re trying to do.”

  “We’re the fucking U.S. Army, dipshit. We’re protecting national resources for the government.”

  “Which government?”

  “The only one. The one that gave us orders back in October to keep this area safe, out of enemy hands.”

  “What enemy?”

  “Shut the fuck up. I am doing the interrogating.”

  Mannie gave the captain the genial smile of a man who’d meant no harm.

  “Any enemy. You for example. You and your friends.”

  The captain was tightly wound, so were his soldiers—even Jefferson was picking at her fingernails from nerves. Ha
d they been doing alternating guard shifts with a skeleton crew of survivors and no sign of relief for three months? “Well, I’m not your enemy. The people I currently work for, well, who knows what’s in their heads these days. Things certainly have gone to hell in a hand-basket since October.”

  “Tell me exactly what you are doing, if you ever want to see daylight again.”

  “Look, have you made contact with the folks out at Dugway? You seem to be in need of a little support.”

  “Dugway?” Pierce’s face flickered with a lost, helpless expression.

  “Dugway Proving Ground. In the desert. A U.S. Army research facility.” Pierce motioned for him to go on and Mannie continued, “If you don’t mind my saying, Captain, you look like you could use some reinforcements.”

  “No shit.” Pierce slammed his palm down on the wooden desk. “My people here haven’t had a break in months. They need some time off and some other human beings they’re not sick of.”

  Mannie knew that feeling from his time in the desert. You had to rely on your squad to not get killed, but sometimes you wanted to kill them. He explained what he’d learned about Dugway and San Antonio. He found himself trying to cheer up the dejected young Captain, suggesting that they should work together with the crew at Dugway. Pierce perked up at the suggestion of a partnership with Jones and his people at Dugway.

  His interrogation faded into a helpful consultation and finally into a plan. Pierce would call Jones and set up an exchange. They could cross-train the soldiers, so there would be at least a break in routine.

  Mannie glanced at the clock. 1500 hours. “If I don’t report back, there may be a string of dominoes falling that I can’t stop.”

  Fear and frustration battled in Pierce’s face. “You’re free to go.”

  Mannie stood to leave.

  Pierce stuck out his hand. “Thanks for the help, sir.”

  “Take care of yourself as well as your people, or you won’t be much good to them.”

  Pierce let a long breath out, totally deflated from the puffed-up young man who had stormed in all brash and bluster.

  Lizzie’s head pounded. The stupid birthing class teacher drove her as crazy in her own way as the other pregnant girls did. Margent never gave her a break, every time Lizzie did something that seemed to surprise and please her, she came down twice as hard the next time Lizzie mouthed off.

  She headed for home, wrapping the scarf around her neck. At least Betsy had been there today. Having someone to share eye-rolls with helped. She’d even shown Betsy her drawings.

  Duke stood under the street light, watching the snowflakes coming down.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Lizzie muttered.

  “Can I walk you home?” he asked.

  “You are certainly persistent. Are those ‘do it for your country’ posters starting to get to little Duke?” she said, not sure how to handle him other than with insults and humiliation. “You know you’re supposed to ‘do it’ with a girl who’s not already pregnant, right?”

  “Look, I don’t want to be that guy!” His smile flattened. “If you want to just be friends, I’m cool with that.”

  “Ouch. That sets up all sorts of problems, don’t you think?” She laughed. “You think we can just be friends?”

  “I dunno. Problems can be solved.”

  “You can walk me to the day care,” Lizzie hooked her hand in the crook of his arm. She liked Duke, but she wasn’t all about hooking up with him. Maybe it was because things had gotten so complicated. “We’ll see how things go until then.”

  “Sounds fair to me. Keep me around as long as I amuse you.”

  “Oh, I like that. The Queen’s jester.”

  Duke bowed down. “As you wish.”

  “Hey, be careful what you say.” Lizzie’s cheeks warmed.

  “I always am, milady.” He patted her hand. “It’s cold out here and as much as I’d like to be with you anywhere, it would probably be a good idea to keep moving.”

  “Lead on, MacDuke.”

  “How are the classes?”

  “I am sick and tired of squealing voices. I swear every one of those girls was a cheerleader.”

  “Hey, I was a cheerleader.”

  Lizzie laughed out loud, tasting snowflakes as she closed her mouth. “You’re shittin’ me.”

  “Nope. Thought maybe if I hung around with girls I’d get over my awkwardness.”

  “Did it work?”

  “Not really.” He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I was really shy. And a bit shorter than I am now. Well, a lot shorter. But I was strong and had good balance.”

  “And the girls weren’t all over you?”

  “If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they thought of me as a brother…” Duke shook his head. “Sheesh. I got slapped the time I responded with, ‘Then incest is best.’”

  Lizzie grinned and punched him. “You definitely deserved it.”

  “Yeah.” He offered her a pained smile. “I was desperate.”

  “Some things never change.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you walk Saj and I home; you can cheer us on through this miserable snow.” She wondered if she could get Glen to find a picture of a cheerleader to paste Duke’s face on.

  “Thanks. Beat me up physically, then with words and then you offer me a reward.”

  “Carrot and stick.” She leaned into him for warmth and his hand slid down her back, a little too close to her butt for comfort. She jerked away. “Whoa, hoss. Probably better back off.”

  Lizzie blushed at her reaction and tried to hide her face in the layers of her coat. She hadn’t meant to give him the wrong idea, or had she?

  “So—question. Does anyone ever know where they stand with you?”

  Lizzie stopped, pulling him up short. “Do you really want to know? No. Trust me, you don’t want to scratch my surface.” She grasped his arm, trying to drag him along. “Hell, I don’t know where anyone stands with me.”

  “Well, maybe I do,” Duke said, refusing to budge. “Want to know that is.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lizzie whispered under her steamy breath. “Come on before we freeze. The daycare is right there at the end of the block, and Saj is waiting.”

  He relented and let her pull him down the sidewalk.

  “You ever feel like the folks here in The Shitty are too paranoid?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “You’re asking me? I think they’re prepared. It’s why Provo is doing so much better than anywhere else we’ve been.”

  “Guess you’re right.” Lizzie sighed. “How is it? Collecting?”

  Duke’s gaze went outward across the city. “It started out pretty cool. But finding the bodies got old really quick. And the weirdness of going into someone’s house like we were shopping the apocalypse. Makes Black Friday in the old days seem human. It’s why I joined the militia. Now I’m glad to get to hunt. Alone.”

  Lizzie wished she could go explore. “I loved scavenging, back in Bellingham. Rifling through a person’s drawers, seeing what they left behind, what they considered important. What’s in that old cottage there, that you Collectors didn’t bother with?”

  “Lizzie,” Duke’s voice warned, “you’re not going into that house.”

  “Fine.” She gave a pout face and stuck her tongue out. “I know I am supposed to feel sad the people died, but it was kind of like being an archeologist, digging up the remains of a civilization. Plus saving the animals was totally my thing.”

  “I found a house with a giant Koi pond inside. I guess fish don’t need as much food as dogs and cats. They were the first live things I found other than flies.” He glanced sideways at her. “Let’s talk about something more fun.”

  “How about music and lyrics? Give me your top five songs of all time.” Walking and talking, even about the mundane things felt comfortable. She swung their hands back and forth like they were little kids, cleared her throat and sang. “Here we are, no on
e else, walked to school all by ourselves.”

  “Hhmmm… We are gonna be friends.” Duke scooped her arm and used the swinging to pull her closer. “Your voice is pretty. You have a list all ready? It’s going to take me a while.”

  “You don’t have a list ready to go?” Lizzie put on a shocked expression. She scooted out of his embrace and swung his arm back into a walking rhythm.

  “For the next time a cute girl asks me? I must have skimmed over that part of the rule book.”

  “So I’m cute now?”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it.

  “For me? Springsteen - Jungleland.” She leaned in close and whispered, “You gotta have the list, but then you pretend to think about it. Um, let me see… Melissa Etheridge - Bring Me Some Water. Collective Soul - December. Nirvana - About a Girl. Petty - Dogs on the Run.”

  “You don’t like much from this century, do you? Cool list. Never heard of the Petty song.”

  “Yeah. Hardly anybody has. Funny how a crowd gathers around anyone living life without a net,” she finished in a low soft drawl.

  “Nice line. I guess all the nets are gone.”

  Lizzie pull his arm across her body. “Not as many arms to catch you when you fall anymore.” For a moment she wanted to freeze time with his arm around her.

  “I’ll catch you.” He wrapped his other arm around her.

  Lizzie rolled her eyes. “You’re sure you’re not the one who needs catching?”

  “I’m not falling.” He glanced over at her and then his eyes twisted and crinkled up at the corners. “Well, maybe I am. Come on. Don’t pick up Saj yet.” His face came toward hers.

  She could let him hold her, caress her. “Nope.”

  “You don’t have to pick him up?” Duke’s excitement grew and he pulled her in closer.

  “No. Nope, not going there. Yeah, gotta pick him up now. Sorry.” She pushed him back to arm’s length and pulled him forward along the sidewalk. When they reached the brightly illuminated daycare, she let go of his arm. Behind the glass-front children ran, throwing, kicking and riding an assortment of 2-and-up safe toys. Their mouths were open in screams made silent by the glass walls. “You want to come in?” This ought to scare him off.