Dark Days (Book 2): Inquisition

by Dyer, Marcy G.

He closed his eyes. Why hadn't he stood with Randi when she wanted his uncle's group to strip?

  "Let me see the wound." She reached for her again. "I want to see how bad it is."

  "You're an idiot. It broke the skin so I'm going to die. Period." Candy turned to Josh. "What about you? Will you stand up and act like a man?"

  "No. We'll keep you under watch--"

  "So you'll let me turn, then kill me?" Her nostrils flared, and she shoved Randi aside. "I'm not taking that chance. If I bite the person guarding me, they’ll turn, and the disease will spread through this camp. Let me have a weapon."

  "Let's take a second and make sure the bite was deep enough to cause infection," Randi said.

  "Look at my bloody shirt, you dunce." She bared her teeth and growled. "Y'all are insane."

  Xever came flying out of the rear guard post, and Uncle Reginald ran out of the processing house to join the growing crowd. "What's going on?" Xever asked.

  Candy stalked to him and jabbed her finger in his chest. "You. You're the problem, you big oaf. Why did you insist on trusting this weasel and his family?" She stabbed her finger in the air toward Uncle Reginald. "You refused to ensure they weren't infected. Now, this is what happened." She jerked her bloody shirt to the side then pointed to Grissom's body on the ground. "This rests on your shoulders. He brought the virus inside these fences, and no matter how many times Randi warned you of the danger, you ignored her. She told you we were in a precarious situation if we didn't check out any newcomers, but you chose to allow these people to come into our home. Now, your daughter refuses to either kill me or give me a gun to do it myself. Because of you, I'm dangerous to everyone, and in an hour, or a day, or however long this disease takes, I won't be able to control myself. I'll kill as many of you as I can."

  Xever's eyes widened, and his jaw hung slack.

  Josh stared at the ground. He rubbed his tight chest. This was as much his fault as anyone else's.

  "Randi wanted to make sure they were clean." Candy shook her fist at Xever. "You never listen to her, but she's the only one with half a brain around here. Strip the newcomers, and check them for bites or scratches. We need to know if they're infected."

  "We're not--".

  "You. Shut up. You don't get a vote. Not when you brought this plague into our home." Candy tugged at her collar. "A home we've worked hard to keep safe. Do something right for a change and give me the gun you have on your hip."

  Uncle Reg shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

  Candy cursed, grabbed his collar, and pulled him close. "You listen to every word out of Randi's mouth. If she tells you to strip, do it. I don't care if she tells you to stare at the ground for an hour, you'd better listen to her. If you don't, you'll get every last person in here killed. You bunch of idiots." She grabbed his revolver, put it to her temple, and pulled the trigger.

  Everything seemed to go in slow motion, but Josh couldn't reach her in time. Had he even tried? Wouldn't he do the same in her shoes?

  Randi turned to Xever. "Josh and Ethan will take care of their bodies, and you and Mom need to inspect the rest of Barker's group." She jammed her finger in Uncle Reg's chest. "If Dad doesn't, I will. By force if necessary."

  Uncle Reginald started to protest, but Randi pulled her weapon and stuck it to his chest. "By force. Are you and your family going to strip and act like reasonable adults, or do we have to take you down here and now?"

  Aunt Mary Anne pushed Randi's gun hand down so it was no longer pointing at Uncle Reg. "That's not necessary, honey. We'll do it."

  Randi holstered her weapon and gave Aunt Mary Anne one of her rare smiles. "Thank you. I know it's intrusive."

  "You want to protect us." Aunt Mary Anne turned to Uncle Reginald and raised her eyebrow. "All of us. That could've been one of our children he attacked. You will not argue about this."

  Josh and Ethan bundled the bodies up for transportation to the pit, just as Miguel stepped out of the house.

  Ethan muttered under his breath. "You telling him, or do I have to?"

  "I will." Josh sucked in a breath. "They'd gotten pretty close, hadn't they?"

  "Yep."

  Josh suppressed the urge to scream and ran toward him. He stopped short in front of Miguel, "What happened?" Miguel asked before he could speak.

  He hesitated and Miguel grabbed his arm. "What happened?"

  "Grissom was infected."

  "Ethan's loading two bodies onto the trailer."

  Josh averted his gaze and searched for the words. "He turned, and bit Candy."

  "So you killed her?" Miguel screamed and pounded on Josh's chest "You heartless--"

  "No." Josh put his hands on Miguel's shoulders. "She did it herself to keep from turning."

  Miguel shrugged Josh's hands away. "We could've put her under guard. This didn't have to happen."

  "Randi suggested it, but Candy refused. She didn't want to take any chances."

  Miguel turned away from Josh and covered his mouth. "No way. She wouldn't have killed herself." He paced. "Why?"

  "I don't know."

  He dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around his legs. "No." Wails erupted, and he folded in on himself.

  Josh put his arm around the man's shoulders.

  After sitting for what seemed like forever, Aunt Mary Anne walked up and motioned for Josh to leave. She knelt in front Miguel and tilted his face up to hers, then began to talk to him in soft words.

  Josh caught up to Ethan at the crematory pits.

  "Is he okay?"

  "I guess. He lost it, but Aunt Mary Anne sent me away and took over comforting him."

  Josh grabbed Grissom's shoulders and lifted while Ethan picked up the feet. "I'm sure she's better at that kind of thing than you are."

  "A million times. What do you say to a man who just lost the woman he loved because of the group's carelessness?"

  They lifted Candy's body. She didn't belong in the pits. This was supposed to be a safe haven not a place people came to die. Candy was one of the toughest in their group. She survived lacerations after scaling their fence, and sepsis, something Miguel said was unusual outside of a hospital. If they couldn't keep her safe, maybe they couldn't keep anyone safe. Especially if they refused to listen to Randi. He dropped his head to his chest. Grissom latching into Candy replayed through his mind like a movie clip set on repeat.

  The sun hung low shooting red and yellow streaks through the sky. Reginald could almost believe the world wasn't sick. That he hadn't destroyed many lives. He sighed, leaned back in the chair, and gazed out the guard tower window. Randi and Josh thought they'd be attacked at some point. They were probably right. He should've found a place further into the unknown. Maybe they all needed head to Big Bend. They could hike up into the mountains and try to survive. Without water. He'd read a book about hikers getting into trouble because they didn't pack in water, or otherwise prepare for the harshness of the desert. If they could make it that far.

  Cooper walked into the tower. "How're you doing, Mr. Barker?"

  "I'm good. You?"

  The young man pulled a chair out and took a seat. "Okay. I know you've caught a lot of flak from Randi and from Candy before she died about refusing to strip. I get it, though. You know if you've been bitten when you've been out there so much." He shrugged. "I wanted to let you know, most of us get it. Randi's a little intense, but she means well."

  Reginald winced. Cooper was about the same age as David. How long would his heart be empty with aching for his son? "Thanks. I'm sorry I didn't agree to have everyone checked, though. If I had, Candy would still be alive." Just one more reason to hate himself. "I doubt Grissom even realized he was sick. He had a heart condition and probably thought that's why he felt bad."

  "Could've been any of us." Cooper rubbed his neck. "I didn't want to strip, either." He chuckled. "If I'd had pull like you, I might've refused, too, but when they found me alone at my dad's place, they gave me the option to come with them if I stripp
ed. Figured I was dead if I stayed there alone much longer."

  "Thanks." He gave the young man a forced smile. "You've helped." Not really. Nothing could alleviate his guilt, but Cooper was trying, so he'd be gracious.

  "Josh and Randi said you needed samples. What can I do to help get them for you?"

  He refused to let Cooper gather samples. Not with the risk. He reminded him too much of David. "Josh and Randi are going to do it." The thought of his nephew out there felt like a gut punch, but Josh was smart. Those two could take care of themselves and each other. "I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone else risking themselves. Josh and Randi are enough."

  "Wouldn't three of us get the samples more quickly?"

  "Maybe, but no." He gave Cooper his best 'dad glare'. "Sorry, end of discussion."

  "Yes, sir." Cooper stood. "If there is anything I can do to help, please let me. I'd be happy to be a research assistant to you and Miguel. I don't have experience, but I can learn the software. I know how to compile statistics."

  Computer software. Reginald closed his eyes. He didn't even have a laptop or anyway to process data. How would he break this to Randi and Josh? "Sure. I'll let you know when we start."

  "Thanks man." Cooper whistled a tune as he disappeared out the door.

  Reginald's cheeks burned, and his body went slack. Dark ages. He'd taken them back to the dark ages of medicine. They could still research, but it would go much slower than it would with computer assistance. Would Miguel give up when he found out Reginald hadn't stocked the lab with an important component?

  He slammed his fist onto the cabinet. What an idiot. He should've known he would never make it from Colorado with his laptop and notes intact. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  The door opened, and his beautiful wife walked in. "Hey."

  Time to tell her he’d messed up again. Between the virus and not protecting his son, she had to know he was the world's worst. "Hi, sweetheart."

  "You need to go eat and get some rest."

  "My shift's not over, yet."

  "I'm your relief." She pointed toward the door. "Go eat, then get some rest. The work around here's never ending. If you don't sleep, you won't be able to function."

  She was right, but he hated to sleep. Nightmares of David came most every night. "I'm sorry you have to work so hard." He stood and rubbed her shoulders. "You don't deserve this."

  "None of us do, but it's our lot in life." She smiled. "Besides, twelve hour shifts on my feet in the ER weren't anything to sneeze at. Especially when those shifts often ran over for hours."

  He smiled. The second he'd glimpsed Mary Anne in her scrubs, she'd captured his heart, and he'd repaid her love with infidelity.

  Chapter 3

  Randi watched the fence line as Ethan drove the ATV around the perimeter. He turned and something in the tree line glimmered. Sun glinting off binoculars or a scope? She watched for a few more seconds, and her heart rate soared.

  "Don't look to the right, but someone’s watching us." Randi whispered. "We need to get out of the line of sight as quickly as possible so I can sneak up on him. Any ideas?"

  "Yeah. Let's head down the inner fence, and when we reach the ATV garage, you can slip out, and Jill can take your place."

  That might work if Jill stuck on a black stocking cap. "Call her on the walkie and have her meet us. Ask her to grab a black stocking cap and cover that blond hair of hers, but do it quietly."

  Ethan made the call and Jill and Josh met them. Jill traded places with Randi, and they took off as though they were continuing to make rounds.

  "How do you want to do this?" Josh asked as Jill and Ethan drove off.

  "Let's get in the truck and act like we're going on a run. Once we're down the road a ways, I'll go through the woods and sneak up on the guy."

  Josh let Randi out about a half a mile from the drive. "Give me five minutes to find him, then back me up in case there are others."

  Her heart pounded in her ears as she crept through the trees. A twig snapped underfoot, and she paused. No noise sounded. Must not have alerted anyone. She pushed on moving one silent step at a time until she reached the fence. Nothing. What caused the glare?

  Randi took a deep breath and searched the entire area. Her family and new friends milled about inside the fences, but outside nothing moved. No trash on the ground or any other signs of someone hiding out. She walked the area again. Someone had been there, though. Her gut told her she didn't imagine the sun glint.

  Josh crept into the clearing and looked around. "Did you find anything?" he whispered.

  She clenched her jaw and shook her head. "I saw a glare coming from this area, though." The hair on her arms lifted, and she rubbed her neck. Was someone still watching?

  "There's an abandoned car at the road." Josh pointed straight. "Maybe it was the windshield?"

  Of course he thought it was her imagination. He didn't understand what she'd lived through. No one did. "Maybe." She headed back toward the road. "Let's check out the vehicle. If it's in good shape, we'll add it to our collection."

  They hiked across the land. Dried leaves and twigs popping with each step. She cringed at the noise they made. If someone had hidden in the outer area, they were loud enough to attract their attention.

  A small, green Fiat sat on the side of the road. The doors were unlocked, and the keys hung from the ignition. "A gas saver. If it runs, we'll take it back with us." She climbed in, turned the key, and the engine cranked on the first try."

  "I'll head for the truck and meet you back inside."

  Randi waved to Josh, put the car into gear, and pulled onto the road. Compared to her truck, the compact car felt like she was driving one of those clown cars they used in the circus.

  The circus. How many years had it been since she'd seen one? Raul was still alive. They had elephant rides, and he'd ridden with her because she was afraid of the elephant. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Losing Raul had broken her inside, and nothing would ever fix her.

  She parked, and her father met her at the car.

  "Mija where'd you get this?"

  The muscles in her neck and shoulders clenched into tight cords. "Josh saw it on the side of the road. I thought I saw someone watching us, so we went to check."

  "Adriana's ill. Would you take her shift tonight?" He rubbed his eyes. "I hate to ask, but she's flaring and can hardly move. You're not on duty tomorrow."

  "No problem. Did Miguel start her on something? We don't want an episode where it affects the kidneys like the last time."

  "He's giving her some IV steroids, but she's worried you'll get mad at her for shirking her duty."

  "That woman's got issues," Randi mumbled and headed to the house. Adriana was in the downstairs bedroom with Miguel at her side. "Dad said you're giving her IV steroids. Is the dose high enough? Last time she got this sick, her kidneys--"

  "Whoa. Yes, I'm giving her a strong enough dose. She's going to be fine, so go shoot something. You need to relax."

  Adriana sat up in the bed. A rash bloomed across her cheeks and dark circles etched the skin under her eyes. "I'm sorry about tonight. I know you're tired."

  Randi waved her hand in the air. "I don't care about that." Her throat constricted, and her shoulders grew tighter. Randi took a deep breath and forced the words out of her mouth, "I care about you getting better." Then she spun on her heel and walked out of the room. While it was true, she knew her sister didn't feel the same way. Was she the only person in the world whose sibling hated them?

  The sun hovered over the horizon as she took the stairs to the guard tower. Her leg ached with each step. How long would it take the gunshot wound to heal completely?

  "Hey." Mark stood and stretched. "I thought Adriana was on tonight."

  "She's sick, so I'm taking her turn."

  He pointed to a chair. "Why don't we talk for a little bit?"

  She took a seat and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

  "I know you're worried about som
eone attacking. Josh said you thought someone was watching earlier."

  "Yeah, but no one was there." She tugged on the hem of her shirt and forced her breathing to slow.

  "Just because you didn't catch anyone, doesn't mean it's not true." Mark leaned back in his chair. "I know you think I'm naïve, and I suppose to an extent I am, but I've lived in this new world long enough to join you in your concern. I think we need to make evacuation plans in case we're overrun."

  Is this someone, in addition to Ethan, who would listen to her? Even Josh seemed to be complacent about outsiders attacking. "I agree. Now, if we can talk the rest of the family into making preparations."

  "Xever's giving a sermon tomorrow morning. I'll bring up my concerns afterward." He watched her for a few seconds. "I'd really like for you to be there to support me."

  Could she force herself to face her hypocritical father while he told the others about God's infinite love and forgiveness? "What are you singing?" Mark probably thought it was an odd question, but she couldn't handle him singing "It is Well With My Soul" again. She'd lose her grip on her emotions in front of everyone instead of by herself on the tower bridge like she did the first time she heard him sing it.

  "Tomorrow? 'Worthy is the Lamb'." He frowned at her. "Why?"

  "Long story, but I'll be there."

  Randi sat on the floor next to Mark. Lori, her niece sat in his lap. Was she the only one in the world who didn't know what to do with kids? She stared at the floor. Mark had promised to bring up security when her father finished, or she wouldn’t be in this suffocating house listening to her father talk about God's love.

  Something tapped on her shoulder, and she turned to see Toni scooting toward her. She pulled the sweet child into her lap and nuzzled her hair. Tears threatened at Toni's sweet, unconditional love, but she pushed them back. They'd found Toni all alone on the side of the road. How long before an infected got to her if they hadn't found h--.

  "This disaster is man-made. While I don't understand it at all, I do know God is good, and His love for us has not diminished." Her father's Bible shook slightly as he held it. The only indication talking in front of people made him nervous.