Condemn (BUNKER 12 Book 2)

by Tanpepper, Saul

  "Up until a minute ago, it seemed like the only idea." He turned to Eddie. "Why not?"

  Eddie stood beside him. He was shorter than Jonah, yet he seemed larger. "It's dangerous." His face was pale in the wan light, though not as translucent as it had been just a few days before.

  "You're changing," Jonah observed.

  "Still no hair." He turned to Jonah. "Something bad is going on here. Our people are disappearing. First, it was Danny."

  "Danny made it back? Did he say anything to you about why they tried to get rid of me?"

  Eddie shook his head. "I never got a chance to talk to him. He was here, then gone."

  "Where?"

  "I don't know. They claimed he left on his own."

  "He wouldn't."

  "Yeah, I know. He's not the only one."

  "Who else is gone?"

  "Jonathan and Nami. When I confronted Cheever, he tried to say they'd died, but I went to the graveyard. There were new graves, but our people weren't in them."

  "How do you know?"

  "The smell."

  Jonah frowned. "You could smell them through the dirt?"

  "I know it sounds ridiculous."

  Jonah shook his head. "I guess if you could smell me at that distance, then why shouldn't you be able to smell through the ground."

  Eddie didn't respond.

  "Those nanite things really did a number on you, didn't they? The ones Bren's dad was talking about in your blood. They really did make you . . . better."

  "Some people wouldn't say so." Eddie sighed and shook his head. "They made me . . . more, yes. But maybe not better."

  "Anymore disappearances?"

  Eddie nodded. "Last night. The group's really spooked by it. We've been demanding that they tell us what's going on, but neither Cheever nor his boss will say. I was planning on breaking into their office tonight and taking a look around, but one or the other has been inside it all day. And now this." He gestured at the activity in the camp. "I'm going to try once things settle down."

  "Who was it this time? Harrison?"

  Eddie studied Jonah's face for a moment. "It was Bren."

  Jonah frowned. "Well, at least we know she's not in the cemetery. I saw her leave with a bunch of people last night. They took the bus and a truck and several motorbikes."

  Eddie's face tightened. "Dammit."

  "Why, what's the matter?"

  "I think she took them to Bunker Eight."

  Rising slowly to his feet, Finn's eyes never broke away from the creatures at the center of the cage.

  I'm so sorry, Bix. I was wrong about the nanites. Goddamn it, I was wrong about everything.

  The din from the crowd behind him began to grow. He could feel their nervous energy, their need for violence, and he wanted to shout at them to shut up, but he knew it would only make them even louder. They were looking for a show, not a quick and easy kill. They wanted blood and murder.

  They'll get it either way, Finn thought, whether I deliver it or not.

  He edged backward, moving toward the gate until his heel contacted the metal. "Give me a cattle prod," he muttered, and reached a hand back.

  "Screw you," Luke replied.

  "Adrian said he'd give me one."

  "Use yer hands."

  "Aw hell," someone in the crowd said. "At least give the kid a fighting chance. That thing isn't going anywhere near the wire."

  "Give me a cattle prod," Finn repeated.

  Something hit the ground beside his foot. Moving slowly, he reached around and found a stun gun instead. He brought the pistol-like device forward, bracing it against his belly. It was good for a single zap. But to do it, he'd have to get close enough to almost touch.

  Better not miss then.

  Luke poked him in the back with the end of his cattle prod. "Get moving, boy," he growled. "Or else I'll shock you."

  Finn shuffled forward, raising the weapon. His hands trembled. He placed his finger on the trigger and took another step.

  What good will it do? All it'll do is buy you a few seconds. Then what? There's no place to run.

  He knew with absolute certainty that it was all a charade. He'd seen the truth in Adrian's eyes when he told him as much.

  You don't know. It might work. Shock Bix and then—

  He nearly tripped on one of the buried electrical cables. It had come loose during an earlier scuffle. He caught himself and cursed.

  It's not Bix, not anymore. Bix is gone so don't call it that.

  He wanted to lie down and die.

  Just zap it. You can figure out what to do then.

  Zapping it would give him — what? — a half minute to come up with an escape plan? That wasn't enough time. Maybe he could use the butt of the gun to smash in Bix's head without touching him.

  It's not Bix!

  He wanted to throw up. There was no way he could do it.

  The Bix-thing slunk toward him, edging closer on all four limbs. It slid a little to Finn's left, forcing him into a corner. Finn stepped forward deliberately. He needed it to get within ten feet to be sure the darts embedded in its skin. Even at that distance, however, he didn't feel confident enough in his aim, not with his body shaking as much as it was.

  The Wraith matched his movements, and Finn instinctively edged even further to the right, keeping the distance between them constant. He didn't dare blink, afraid that it would charge at him the moment he did. He knew how quickly and suddenly they could move. He had witnessed it too many times.

  "Get to it!" the crowd screamed. Something hit the cage and bounced away, sending a ripple across the fencing. The Wraith didn't seem to notice it at all. Its focus was entirely on Finn's feet and nothing else. For every step Finn took away, it edged the same distance closer. "Zap it! Zap the feral! Zap it dead! Kill it!"

  The two boys circled each other, pivoting around Nami's body. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Luke standing just outside the cage, the cattle prod held at the ready. He slid his body toward the Bix-thing, taking advantage of its blind spot to edge close enough to reach through the wire. He really wanted to be the one to shock it.

  Outside, the storm was building. Wind battered the sides of the barn, making it creak and rattle. Someone went over and slid the door shut.

  Finn made eye contact with Luke, then twitched his head slightly to the left, directing the man to that side. In the background, Adrian shouted at him to step away, to leave them be, but his voice was lost among the many shouts coming from the crowd.

  Finn saw an opportunity in Luke's impatience. If he could draw the Wraith close enough to the fence, Luke wouldn't be able to resist. He'd strike first so he could claim credit for knocking the Wraith out. Finn actually hoped he would. With his stun gun unused, he'd still have it for his escape, or at the very least to zap the Wraith a second time. He wondered if a second shock in rapid succession would be additive.

  But what then?

  His toes nudged the cable. They had buried it beneath six inches of dirt, the end attached to the wire. He filed it away as something he might use. Maybe he could tie Bix up with it, choke him.

  It, not him.

  He stepped to the side, bringing himself closer to the fence. Luke gave him a barely perceptible nod. The Wraith matched Finn's movement, sidling closer, and Luke stepped up to meet it. Silently, he slid the prod into an opening, edging it toward the Bix-thing's back. But just as he was about to jab, it stepped away, as if sensing the danger.

  Finn tried again, circling around. He grew alarmed at how far he was getting from the gate despite his best attempts to stay close. Now he could see the crowd, could see them pressing forward. There was no barrier holding them back, none but their own fear of being touched.

  On previous nights that fear had been enough. But tonight was different. Now they pushed against one another, jostling for a better view, eager for the bloodbath or the salvation. They didn't care which.

  Luke tilted his head toward a spot in the corner, urging Finn to m
ove the Wraith closer. Adrian had climbed onto the stage behind Finn and was screaming at Luke. But the man standing just outside the wire was beyond hearing anything else now. His attention was focused entirely inside the cage.

  A smile twitched Luke's lips. Finn tried to maneuver the Wraith toward him, but nothing he did seemed to work. The creature acted as if it sensed his ploys and remained stubbornly just out of reach of the sides.

  Finn jerked a finger to the right, and Luke nodded. Finn had angled the Bix-thing so that it was completely blind to anything but him. It couldn't see the crowd behind it, though it certainly had to sense it.

  Rain lashed the side of the barn, driven hard by the wind. The men yelled even louder.

  The Wraith edged closer to Finn, stepping slowly forward on all fours, sniffing at the ground. Ten feet away, nine. Finn raised the stun gun and took aim. Just a little closer . . . .

  "Bring it over to the wire!" Luke growled in frustration, as if he could sense his chances slipping away. "Over where I can reach it!"

  The Bix-thing ignored Luke. It ignored the crowd behind it. Finn's finger tensed on the trigger. He waited for it to step forward.

  And it finally did, sliding to the side just as Luke extended his arm through the wire, once more avoiding the shock meant for it.

  It rose up onto its feet, straightening its spine. It lifted its head and looked Finn straight in the eye.

  And winked.

  Finn froze. Had it just— Had that thing actually—

  Their eyes met and locked, and for just the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a trace of the old Bix in them. But then it hissed, and something passed through its body, a spasm of some sort, and it took a step toward him.

  In a flash, their bodies crashed into each other. Skin slapped skin. The Bix-thing howled at the same time Finn screamed. Their arms went about each other and they tumbled to the dirt.

  "Kill it!" the men shouted.

  The two wrestled for a moment. The Bix-thing lowered its face to Finn's and opened its mouth beside Finn's ear. The crowd saw them jolt, their bodies arching against their spines, and they both went still.

  Finn lay underneath, his head flopped to the side, his eyes unseeing. His arm fell limp to the ground, still gripping the unused stun gun.

  "What did you do?" Adrian screamed at Luke.

  The crowd fell silent. Every man held his breath in anticipation. Wind and rain pummeled the barn and scratched at the roof. Several seconds passed before the men realized that the spectacle was already over.

  "What the hell?" someone asked. "Is that it? What just happened?"

  "We've been ripped off!" another cried. "He killed them both with that cattle prod!"

  "No, I didn't!"

  The men began to yell in anger and confusion. They pushed forward again, this time not bothering to keep away. The risk was gone. No one was going to get infected.

  Adrian screamed at them to get back. He jumped from the stage and shouted, "Move away! Make a path!" But he couldn't stop them. They swept past, crushing against the chain link, rattling it. The wire bulged inward, as if the men meant to squeeze through the openings. They were enraged. They were cheated.

  There was a clank as the gate latch was unlocked. Adrian screamed at Luke not to open it. He tried to stop him.

  Then the man was running across the cage, his feet pounding the packed dirt. Rapidly at first, then slowing as if he realized how foolhardy it was.

  "Get out of there!" Adrian shouted.

  Luke stood uncertainly over the boys, the cattle prod raised. he jabbed it into the Bix-thing's back. "They's dead all right," he said, half in disbelief, half in relief. He poked again.

  "Zap them to be sure!"

  "Botha them's dead!"

  "How could they be?" Adrian screamed. "It's not possible!"

  "Zap them, Luke!" Billy cried. He rattled the fence. "Make sure!"

  "Okay, but—"

  "Now!" Finn yelled, and aimed the stun gun just as Bix rolled off of him, snatching the prod away. The man jittered from the electricity, his mouth agape. He stumbled backward and tore the darts from his shirt.

  Bix stuck the cattle prod into Luke's belly and pressed the button. This time, the man let out a shriek of pain as he was thrown backward. Smoke rose from a hole in his shirt. He lay on the ground unconscious. A wet spot appeared on the ground beneath his crotch.

  Finn reached down and grabbed the second stun gun from Luke's belt, then ran toward the gate, howling at the men who had entered the cage. There was a unified cry of panic and they turned to flee. But they were too slow, and the gate too small. They crowded the opening, punching and kicking to get through.

  Finn aimed for the closest figure and pulled the trigger. The man shrieked as the darts bit into the shirt on his back, setting off a chain reaction of screams from the other men desperate to get away.

  Come on! Finn prayed, as he started pummeling the men with the gun. Come on, Bix! Hurry!

  There was a BOOM! and the lights above him dimmed. The stink of burning plastic and wood reached his nose. A light bulb above his head exploded, sending more sparks to the ground. Then several more blew in rapid succession. The place went dark.

  Flames rose, setting the straw on fire.

  Finn spun around. Bix was still jabbing the cattle prod at the fencing, trying to short the circuit. "It's blown!" he screamed.

  He turned back and saw Billy pushing his way through the fray, his eyes pinned on Finn. There was no panic on his face, only the sort of clarity that hatred bestows upon the manically obsessed.

  Finn stood his ground while chaos swirled about him. He didn't worry about any of the men attacking him. They still hadn't realized he wasn't infected. They didn't want to get anywhere near him.

  Billy pushed his way through until they were close enough to grapple. Finn raised one of the stun guns and pulled the trigger before realizing he'd already expended the darts. Billy grinned and charged.

  "No!" Finn screamed. He jammed the business ends of both stun guns into either side of the man's face and pulled the triggers. Billy screamed and went down. His body jigged on the ground.

  A dozen men tried to draw the barn door open, but they had to fight against the crushing weight of those behind them. As the opening grew, they poured out through it. Lightning flashed outside. Rain washed in.

  Finn spotted Adrian in the middle of the fray. He was fighting the runners, but he ended up being swept out into the night. For a moment, Finn locked eyes with his, and he saw the same hatred he had seen in Seth Abramson's a week before.

  "We need to get the horses," Bix shouted into Finn's ear. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled. "We have to get to Danny at the house before the others do!"

  "The key for the woodshed!"

  "Got it from Luke's pocket. He didn't argue."

  They waited for the men to exit, then slipped out and made their way around the side of the barn. Luke stumbled out after them, a dazed look on his face. Adrian appeared out of the darkness and tried to steady him. Through the wind and rain, Finn heard him screaming for help putting the fire out, to save the equipment, to capture the boys. Flames erupted through the roof. They raced up the side of the barn. The generator shed was fully engulfed.

  "Lightning strike!" Bix shouted, and clapped Finn on the back. "Nice job grounding the wires."

  Then they ran.

  Most of the men had scattered to the dock and were trying desperately to get into their boats. The surface of the lake was white from the downpour. A few more men ran up the main trail. They slipped in the mud and fell. The boys mounted the horses and rode after them. The pounding hooves sent them diving into the brush.

  Bix screamed at them as they passed. With each lightning flash, he seemed to become more and more like a crazed phantom, his undies hanging half-way to his ankles.

  "I thought you were going to zap me for sure," he shouted at Finn as they rode.

  Finn thought he'd fly off of the horse's back at a
ny moment. He gritted his teeth and replied, "I almost did. I actually thought you were infected."

  "I was convincing, wasn't I?"

  "That's not the half of it."

  "It's because of my mad acting skills."

  "Damn it, Bix. The immunity was just a theory!"

  "Well, now it's a fact."

  Finn slid off the horse the moment they reached the clearing for the house. He handed Bix the reins. "Get Danny and the others out. I'll meet you at the barn in ten."

  "Why the barn?"

  "We need more horses!"

  "Where are you going?"

  "To knock out the main generator!"

  He ran down the road toward the front entrance, the wind pelting his skin with rain and leaves. Careening down the path, guided only by the few lights Adrian had strung along it, he swiped at his eyes.

  Finally, he came to the path he'd seen Billy using the day after they arrived. The red five-gallon fuel cans in his hands had told Finn that there was a storage tank somewhere back in the trees. And the thick insulated cables laid along the ground betrayed their purpose. The path led to the main generator powering the house and fence.

  "Hurry your ass up, Bix," he muttered, then plunged into the wood. He prayed that Adrian and the others would remain behind to put out the fire at the barn. He and Bix needed all the time they could get to make their escape.

  The muffled clatter of a large motor grew louder as he approached the building, guided once again by the faint glow of a bulb shining through the trees. Finally he emerged from the trail.

  The lamp illuminated the front of the brick structure. He stepped up to the heavy panel door and frowned at the thick padlock. The door was too solid to force open with his shoulder. It barely shook when he tried kicking it. And there were no windows to break.

  He searched the ground within the sphere of light for a sizable rock, but there was none, forcing him to look deeper into the darkness. He could almost feel the night on his bare skin as he searched on hands and knees, sweeping his half-frozen hands over the soggy ground, sensing the invisible things that might be watching him from the shadows.

  "There's nothing out there," he told himself. "No Wraiths, so stop psyching yourself out."