Reset (Book 2): Salvation

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Your son,” she said to Marilee.

  “My baby,” Marilee whimpered.

  The soldier pointed to the entrance of the quarantine room and instructed them to go on in. “Not you,” he said to Marilee. “Come this way.”

  Marilee smiled, making eye contact with Nora.

  “I’m so happy for you,” Nora said.

  Marilee mouthed the words, ‘Thank you’ and followed the soldier.

  Once inside, they were told to just hold on and someone would be with them in a moment. But Nora watched. The sheer plastic allowed for her to watch Marilee go into the former store and while it was still a distance, she could see clear enough when the reunion occurred between mother and son.

  Her heart raced and she felt the emotions flood her chest. She stepped back into Jason, his hand squeezed her shoulder. He watched as well. For all that had gone wrong, at least something positive was happening.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” through the ventilator speaker the man spoke. “My name is Dr. Nelson. This is my team. We will be drawing blood samples. I promise it will be over soon. Results should be quick and we should know within an hour.”

  Nora, like the others was nervous, Hunter put it in her mind it was all a trap and she had her doubts about Salvation’s true intentions. Even though they didn’t check them for weapons … a sign of trust, Nora was still leery. The mistrust seemed to go out the window when Marilee and Dillard embraced. They kept their word. Their end of the bargain. For as scary as it was for the carriers, an outcome unknown, the vision of mother and child through that window reaffirmed that Nora and the others needed to keep their word as well.

  <><><><>

  The blood work was finished. What was going on? Malcolm watched, his eyes only leaving that plastic unit to check on Marilee and her son, who still stood by that far corner window. She held him close to her, in front of her. Like Malcolm, they were watching the happenings in that bio room. Marilee more than likely was just waiting for them to be released, so they could all leave, like planned, to start a new life.

  All appeared well and fine, but Malcolm knew better.

  He thought back to earlier when he met with the colonel.

  “Do me a favor?” Norris asked. “Shut that door and have a seat.”

  Malcolm did.

  Norris folded his hands on the desk. “I’m taking these papers and I’m keeping them safe.”

  “Of course.”

  “Listen, they are moving me and my men out. At first I thought it was in case of contamination. But another team, not my division, will be staying back. Something is going on.”

  Something was going on, Malcolm felt it. But when was it going to happen and what exactly would it be?

  There wasn’t a word spoken in the bio room in the near forty minutes in which they waited on results. Meredith paced, as did John. Nora watched Marilee and her son, then she’d turn back to look at Malcolm who just stood there.

  “Why is he standing there?” Nora asked Jason.

  “I don’t know,” Jason replied.

  “He’s watching us like a lab experiment,” John added.

  “Nora?” Meredith called out. “Is that Rick?”

  Nora’s heart skipped a beat, especially when Jason said, “That has to be him.”

  She spun hastily around to see Rick walking with a soldier. They kept their promise. They said he’d be there after she took the test and there he was.

  “My God,” John said. “He looks fantastic for his age.”

  To Nora he did. She expected a shock at seeing him older but there was no shock, only cheerful emotions that swept over her making her want to scream.

  Rick walked to the one side of the tent and Nora rushed over.

  “Nora, oh my God. Can you hear me?” he asked.

  “Yes. It’s muffled, but I can hear you.”

  He placed his hands on the plastic and the second Nora’s palms pressed against his, Rick’s knees buckled some, the solider caught him before he lost balance, and Rick lowered his head. “Oh God, I believed you were dead.”

  “I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. I can’t wait to touch you and talk to you. I just need to see that you are real. You look exactly like I remember you.”

  “You look the same too.”

  “Nora, come on,” he smiled.

  “No, Rick, you do. Is Lilly here?”

  Rick shook his head. “I’m sorry. Lilly, she wasn’t ready for this. Not yet.”

  “I understand. Please tell her, I love her.”

  “I will and …” the solider tugged his arm. “I have to go.”

  “But …”

  “Listen, I’ll see you soon. They let me come out to say hi. We’ll talk later.”

  “Okay.” Nora tried to touch him once more through the plastic, but the soldier led him away. She stood there watching as they took him into the old store and that was when she saw it. Her eyes widened. “What the hell? Guys? Marilee.”

  Marilee backed up against the window, she grabbed on to Dillard, clutching him tight and protectively, it was apparent she was frightened and tried to back up with nowhere to go. Then she was grabbed and disappeared.

  All nine in the tent vocally cried out their protest when Nelson entered the room.

  “We have your results.”

  Malcolm saw Richard enter the building and Marilee and her son vanish from sight. It was starting, just as Norris said.

  Malcolm replayed his conversation in his mind.

  “Why would they pull your team out?” Malcolm asked.

  “So there would be no witnesses. I don’t think anyone is supposed to leave here alive. This is what I think, because the team that’s here are assassins for Salvation. The sweep team.”

  “What about Rick? Marilee? Her son?”

  “Again, this is my guess. I have no hardcore proof and I’m making a guess on what I see. Marilee and her son are expendable. Rick, well, in Salvation, when someone turns seventy, they are released from life. Rick turned seventy two days ago. His wife, daughter, family and friends already said goodbye to him. They think he was euthanized.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “Here’s what I know from what I have seen. Aside from the four man medical team, you have six soldiers on the sweep team. One at the gate, one in the bio room, two snipers on the roof, two inside the building, I believe to take care of Marilee, her son, and Rick. That’s all I know that are here.”

  “I need to move the van to take a look.”

  Norris agreed.

  Hands and insides shaking, Malcolm hurried to the van. He peered around. “Okay, two soldiers inside I can’t see. I do see the one by the gate.” He slowly moved the van to be near the other trucks. “Two on the roof. Where? Where? I can’t see them.” Just as he parked the van, he spotted one, rifle aimed and ready. “There’s one. Oh my God.”

  He returned to the tent, as Norris was packing up his things along with the evidence that Malcolm had given him.

  “If you left, no one would stop you.” Norris told him. “But I know you won’t do that. You’re one man. I don’t know what you can do, but God Speed.”

  Malcolm was as ready as he could be. He didn’t want to jump the gun any further and initiate something that wasn’t going to happen. There was still a chance that the sweep team was there in case they all tried to escape. He had to wait. That’s all he could do.

  Nelson and his three colleagues had entered the tent with the soldier. Their announcement that they had the results did little to instantly calm those who questioned about Marilee.

  Finally, in a stern voice, Nelson said. “If you want this over, we need to finish now.”

  Nora and the others stood before them. All nine of them waiting, they all joined hands, like contestants on some reality talent show, waiting on elimination results.

  “You’re trembling,” John whispered to Nora, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “I’m scared. I ju
st want to get out of here,” Nora said.

  “Soon,” Jason whispered in her other ear. “Soon.”

  “We ran the results twice to be sure,” Nelson said. “Good news or bad, however you want to look at it … only one of you nine is a carrier.”

  Nora exhaled, but still trembled. Only one. Only one of them carried the virus.

  Nelson looked down at his clipboard. “The carrier is …. Which one of you is … John?”

  Nora felt his hand immediately shake and her heart took a nosedive to the pit of her stomach. No, not John. He was shoulder to shoulder with her, and Nora felt his inhale of courage just before he clutched her hand tighter

  “I am,” John said.

  “Very well. Thank you.” Nelson stepped back.

  Without a pause or inkling of hesitation, the second Nelson moved out of the way, the soldier raised a pistol, extended it and fired once, point blank into John’s head.

  The execution bell rang out in the form of a gunshot.

  Meredith screamed, shrill, loud, and hysterically.

  The warm sensation of blood splattered across Nora’s face, John’s hand still secured to Nora’s pulled her down when he flew backwards. Her mouth opened and she tried to scream, but she couldn’t. Blood rushed to her ears and muffled the sound of everything.

  Thump. Thump. Thump. Her heart beat in her ears, the room spun, she looked up to Nelson.

  “Our time chasing you all is done,” Nelson said.

  The soldier aimed at Nora. At that instance, she remembered what Hunter taught her, how he told her she was quick. But Nora couldn’t react. Her body trembled in fear and shock that even with everything moving in slow motion, she couldn’t command her hand to reach back and grab her arrow gun.

  Yet, someone did. Jason. She saw him pull, then fire his weapon. The short arrow from the small crossbow style gun sailed through the suit and into the neck of the soldier. His gun went off as he flew back.

  “No!” Malcolm screamed. It was unexpected and something he didn’t have time to stop. John was killed instantaneously. And all hell broke out in that tent.

  Were the assassins there to ensure that no one fought back, or there to execute the entire bunch, Malcolm didn’t know? He would never know.

  He didn’t just have the arrow gun he also had a pistol given to him by Norris. He pulled it out to shoot, and before he could fire into the tent at the only soldier, Jason had taken him out.

  Malcolm rushed for the bio room only to see one of the medical team had drawn a gun.

  He lifted his own weapon to fire, but just as he aimed, through the corner of his eye, he saw the soldier from the gate running his way, then he felt the bullet sear into his leg and Malcolm went down.

  From the ground, still aiming on that tent, Malcolm discharged his weapon.

  One of the medical personnel took a hit to their gut and dropped his gun as he fell to the ground. Meredith clutched to John’s body as if she were protecting him. She held his head close to her body, crying out in agony as she hovered over him.

  Nora pulled her hand from John’s and watched as one of the DC lab crew, Patricia, took a bullet to the back as she raced for the door.

  They were sitting ducks, frantic sitting ducks and all that occurred happened in seconds. Blake was physically fighting with one of the medical workers, trying to get his gun, another one of the medical workers aimed, and Nelson ran out.

  She had to do something. They were armed as well.

  As she reached for her arrow gun, Jason grabbed hold of her, pulled her toward him, bodily blocked her and then reloaded his weapon. It was then a soldier entered the bio room. He wasn’t armed with a handgun; he had a rifle. An automatic rifle.

  Nora knew there was no chance against that. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

  The end was at hand.

  The soldier lifted his weapon but before he could depress the trigger, a huge spear came from behind, plunging straight through his torso. His arms went outward, the rifle dropped and his body shook for a second. As he dropped to the ground, Nora watched as Hunter ripped through the plastic of the room. He stepped inside with a determined stride. Without missing a beat, knife in hand, he swung out cleanly slicing through the neck of one of the medical workers, then threw the knife at another. It spun, end over end, and landed in the chest of the last standing man. Hunter turned, pulled the spear from the soldier and walked back out.

  Nora didn’t even know that Hunter was in the vicinity. She believed they had left him two hundred miles away.

  He ended the pandemonium in the tent, stopping what would have been a massacre. But they were not without loss.

  Meredith was beyond consolation and Nora didn’t know if the shock of what happened to John would ever heal. She held her friend close to her body, crying from the depths of her soul.

  John was gone. He was really gone. Without warning, he was shot dead.

  Nora couldn’t speak, again, she tried, but the shock of everything for some reason caused her throat to tense up. She grabbed on to Jason.

  There was no gunfire, no other noise except for crying.

  Afraid to move, Nora didn’t want to leave Jason’s side. It may have been finished in that bio room, but what happened outside? Was it over? Eventually she would know, but for the time being, Nora stayed there frozen in the aftermath and sadness of all that had transpired.

  TWENTY-TWO – HIS FRIEND

  No one knew exactly what was supposed to happen. Everything was speculation. Worry from Hunter and concern on the part of Trey caused Malcolm to come up with a backup plan, and Norris with his further speculation, initiated Malcolm’s plan.

  Malcolm would never know if he acted prematurely, on time, or too late. His gut told him it could have been worse.

  When it was all said and done they had sadly lost John and two others from the DC lab team. Dr. Cole was spared, Malcolm was grateful because he only took a hit to his leg, and Jason was the recipient of a wayward bullet to his hand when he shot an arrow in the throat of the soldier.

  They would have lost more if it wasn’t for Hunter.

  Hunter lived on instincts and Malcolm couldn’t ignore the fact that their new friend was insistent that there was going to be trouble. When Trey also warned of that, Malcolm not wanting to alert the others, or cause alarm, tucked Hunter unknowingly in the back of the van.

  He told him, “Just stay in here. If there’s trouble you know what to do.”

  Malcolm didn’t expect to hear what he did from Norris. Norris believed Malcolm was one man, but in truth he wasn’t.

  When he moved the van he was able to alert Hunter to the possible traps that were set.

  Unfortunately, there were only two of them. If Malcolm moved too soon, it could have been worse for those in the tent.

  The snipers on the roof never fired a shot.

  Hunter had taken them out long before the blood results were in.

  Rick believed he was spared from being euthanized. He was told he was just leaving Salvation. He didn’t know, told Malcolm he hadn’t a clue that it would go any other way, until he was face to face with the barrel of a gun.

  Hunter stopped that.

  Marilee and her son were cornered. They clutched to each other believing they would be gunned down. Until Hunter arrived removing their assassin and pulling them out of the way so no one was any the wiser.

  The young man, a product of a post nuclear war, a young man who wanted to see the world, ended up being much more than anyone bargained for.

  Despite Hunter’s victories and all that he had done, no one could say, or do anything to take away the heartbreaking defeat they felt over the loss of their friend, John.

  He had not shown any emotion until then other than laughter but Hunter showed the complete opposite when he learned that John was killed. He walked into the tent, dropped to his knees, and cried out a sound from his heart and chest. One nobody else could ever make.

  He was inconsolable and shared that
only with Meredith. He requested they be left alone in that tent and they stayed there for an hour.

  When they emerged, Hunter had John’s body tightly wrapped in cloth, and he carried him to the van.

  John would need to be buried. But not there, and not then.

  They had stayed long enough, and radio chatter increased on the Aldervice. Progress reports were needed. At one point Cole replied, pretending to be Nelson, conveying that all went as planned and they were cleaning up.

  Whether it bought them more time, remained to be seen. The truth was, eventually someone would show up and they had to leave before that happened.

  They gathered what they could from the Jacksonville site and left.

  <><><><>

  Before everything went down, Malcolm was able to use the Aldervice to tell Trey to stay where he was. He’d be there. That Rantoul was their destination. After, of course, they stopped at the fort and grabbed the rest of their supplies.

  Malcolm could barely walk. Cole did a quick fix but said he’d need surgery. Jason was more fortunate the bullet went straight through his hand.

  Once they got to Rantoul, Cole would do his best. There were no guarantees.

  But Rantoul would not be a long-term place. It couldn’t be. Once the massacre was discovered, Malcolm was certain, Salvation would head there.

  They had to stay one step ahead and it would be that way for a long time.

  Rantoul was a step in that preparation. They had been canning and drying meat, all food that would help the group in survival along with grains and seeds. Also, Rantoul would be the final resting place for John.

  While Cole had helped the dying people of Rantoul, Malcolm dug graves, he used the farm equipment, and also a shovel, but he dug those graves. He never thought he’d be back to dig one more in the new cemetery placed on the grounds surrounding the church.

  When they arrived, Trey was digging one.