The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side

by A. S. Thompson

  Albert's gaze lifted. He looked across to the Monte Carlo, New York, New York and Excalibur hotels, laughing softly at the stranded survivors who made every attempt to flag him and his chopper to their rooftops.

  "Did you hear me, baby?" Julie repeated a little louder as she stepped out from the grandiose Jacuzzi tub.

  Lines of water and soap bubbles dripped down her tight, naked body as she strolled to the balcony. She wrapped her arms around Albert’s stomach, pressing her breasts against his back.

  "I know it's crazy to think that after only being with someone for a day, but there's something about you. The way you make me feel, it's, I don't know how to explain it. I love you."

  "Get off of me, you're getting my clothes wet," he replied, annoyed. He walked over to the desk leaving her behind.

  "So, you don't feel the same way?" she asked, timidly. She covered her nipples and stood in place, waiting for an answer.

  Silent, Albert popped open his silver briefcase and the small tower grew upwards.

  "What's that?"

  “A final test of sorts.”

  “Test? What do you mean?”

  He placed his hand on the orb and bluntly answered, "Of course I don't love you, and you don't really love me."

  "I know what I feel and I love," Julie started to say.

  At that moment, every vein and artery pulsed blue, momentarily glowing the area around her. Then she shuddered and nearly fainted.

  On her knees, she grabbed her head, cringing. "Wh-where am I? W-what's going on?"

  "You are in Las Vegas," Albert said, opening his eyes. "Specifically, in my penthouse condo."

  "W-why are we here? W-why am I naked? What have you done to me?"

  "We are here because I brought us here. To answer your second question, you are naked because for the past twelve hours we have been having sex and lots of it..."

  Julie grabbed at her vagina. What she once felt as pleasure was now, and in reality, the soreness from hours of nonstop intercourse.

  "And that should answer your last question, but to clarify, you have been the out of control nymph."

  Julie tugged at the loose white bed sheets and wrapped them around her body. "I remember now! Where is Pat? Where are my friends?"

  "Ahh, Pat Clauson. The man you are truly in love with. He's dead," Albert replied, delivering the harsh news as calmly as someone would comment on the weather.

  "You're lying! I-I remember...you said he was being monitored by your staff!"

  "I did, but I lied. Mr. Clauson is very much dead. As for the others, so is the boy named Niko, and if my staff has interpreted my instructions correctly, the rest should be joining them soon."

  "What? You killed my friends?”

  Shock and disbelief quickly changed to fury. Julie grabbed a black rectangular lamp, yanked the cord from off the wall, and raised it over her head.

  "Let the final test commence," Albert mumbled nonchalantly despite the impending assault. With a hand still on the orb, he closed his eyes.

  "You monster! I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna-"

  As Julie brought the blunt object downward, though, her promise never came to fruition. Following a full-body pulse, Julie’s head twitched and she dropped to the ground, dead.

  Albert knelt down next to her body and pressed two fingers to her neck. Satisfied in locating no pulse, he pulled back Julie’s eyelids and gazed upon her green eyes for the last time.

  "Just like a cerebral aneurysm. So quick. So effective."

  Hearing the sounds of a scuffle, four Guardsmen burst in the room, guns drawn. "Sir, is everything okay?"

  "Everything is perfect," Albert replied casually. Then an idea came upon him as nefarious as the smile forming across his lips. "All of you have had your injections, correct?"

  "Yes, sir, we have, but those things can’t reach us up here. Even if they could, we can't get infected."

  "I know, that was but one of the attributes for which I created Ambrosia," Albert said, wrapping his hand around the orb.

  “Sir, what’s going on?”

  The head Guard and his companions noticed the deep blue light emanate from their exposed sections of skin.

  "You’ll see in a moment. I just needed a larger sample size to confirm my findings."

  Then it happened.

  All four men dropped to the ground just as Julie McNally had. Without any reason or indication, they were dead.

  "Excellent,” Albert hissed sadistically. “Exactly as planned."

  As the room entered a state of eerie silence, however, Albert finally heard a call coming through on his communicator. He traced the buzzing sound to his dress slacks and the pocket that had been lighting up the fabric.

  The screen displayed the words "DRIVER THREE."

  "Yes? What is it?"

  "Sir! This is Marco! I'm not sure what's going on, but we've been attacked! Sir, they blew up everything! I barely escaped!"

  "Hold on! Calm down!" Albert demanded. He pulled the phone away from his ear and scrolled through the updates that had been muted temporarily during his intimate sessions with Julie. There, in bright red letters, were multiple missed calls and lines of urgent messages.

  "Sir?" Marco pressed.

  "I said hold on!" Albert muted the call and listened to the messages on speakerphone while reading highlights from the script alerts sent from LIA.

  "Farm has been compromised...Multiple men...Explosives...Intending to destroy facility and production..."

  The alerts and messages continued on for multiple paragraphs. Albert attempted to contact the Farm, but when the call failed to connect, he switched back to the driver. "Tell me exactly what happened."

  Marco gave a detailed account of what he remembered then asked, "What do you want me to do?"

  Albert had been forming a response during the explanation, and his reply came without pause. "Keep driving and tell no one of this. If anyone asks, you left on time before anything happened."

  "Sir? With all due respect, shouldn't we report this to Ms. Baron?"

  "Absolutely not."

  "And you want me to lie to her if she asks?"

  "Absolutely."

  "O-okay." The response sounded more like a question than an answer.

  "Am I understood?"

  "Yes. Yes, sir."

  "And Marco, this conversation never happened. I will contact you soon, until then, proceed on course and act as though nothing happened."

  Albert ended the call and immediately dialed another number. "Pilot, I will be on the roof, ready to leave in three minutes."

  "Sir, that is going to be impossible."

  "You do not tell me what is possible and impossible."

  "I'm sorry, sir, but I mean to say we will not be able to take off. There's a sandstorm inbound."

  Albert squeezed the device and nearly cracked the screen. "For how long will we be grounded?"

  "Difficult to say. This storm system is massive. It's lighting up my instrument panel.”

  “I didn’t ask about your thoughts on the system, I asked how long until we can fly.”

  “A couple hours? Maybe more?"

  "Fine. In the mean time, plot a course back to the Farm, one that keeps us below radar."

  Eastern border between Nevada and Utah

  December 1, 2009

  2222 hours

  Craig West veered off the highway into a rest stop.

  "Steve," West said, flipping on the Suburban's high beams. The lights illuminated the stone structure ahead. "Clear the bathrooms. Nick, go with him too."

  "You want it quiet?"

  "Doesn't matter. We're in the middle of nowhere."

  Steve racked the slide of his pistol. "Let's move, Nick."

  West then picked up the CB radio and looked in the side mirror at other two vehicles. "Alright people, Steve and Nick are going to clear the area. Everyone else, let's do what we talked about. I want Dylan moved to the flatbed truck, supplies rearranged and us on the road in three
minutes. Let's move, double time."

  A moment later, every door swung open.

  Eddy began siphoning water from the large steel-cased plastic bin into four empty Arrowhead jugs.

  "Eddy," West called over, "push out the container when you're done. It'll lighten the load and give them better gas mileage. Remember to leave one of the jugs empty so we can-"

  "Use the hand pump to filter the water into, I remember."

  Next, West's eyes moved to Kim and Clint. The two Secret Service Agents were dividing and distributing the remaining gasoline satisfactorily, so West assisted the medical transportation. "What can I do?" he asked, holding open the RV’s side door.

  "Just keep holding it open. We are almost ready to bring him out," Charlie replied, moving back to the kitchen. "Matty, get his legs. We'll bring him out head first."

  Using construction fencing with long pipes interwoven between the links, Charlie and Matty carefully carried Dylan to the flatbed truck.

  "You're going to be okay, Dyl," Ally said, following closely behind the two men. She repeated words of caution regarding the two steps and the less-than-stable stretcher.

  Marilyn and Christopher had zipped up their sweatshirts and began moving boxes of food into the military truck. Lisa and Kelly joined them and formed a line, passing the boxes from one to another, facilitating the process.

  After helping Charlie slide Dylan into the flatbed truck, Matty moved to the tailgate and grabbed the supplies as they were handed to him. One by one, he slid boxes to the back, securing them under the flat row seats next to Dylan’s unconscious body.

  "How's he doing?" West asked, helping Charlie down from the truck.

  "BP is low, but stable."

  Everyone turned as two gunshots resonated out from the female side of the rest stop bathroom.

  Charlie seized the opportunity and pulled West aside. "I don't want Ally to freak out, but tell you the truth, I'm really worried about infection. I did the best I could cleaning up Dylan’s wounds, but we didn't have much alcohol and antiseptic, so I had to use it sparingly. We need to get him to the bunker as soon as possible."

  "Then drive fast and don’t let anything stop you."

  "Will do. We'll wait for you guys there. Good luck," Charlie said, shaking West's hand.

  "And Charlie."

  "Ya?"

  "When Dylan comes around, be sure to tell him thanks for me. He saved my life."

  Charlie nodded and hopped into the back of the truck.

  West jogged to the RV and found Kelly. "How's it coming?"

  "I think we are almost done," she said, handing a heavy cardboard box to Marilyn.

  Just then, the back room partition slid to the side, revealing Alex. He raised both arms in a full body stretch, and as he yawned loudly, he announced, "I gotta take a sh-"

  But he was suddenly overtaken by hoarse coughing, so overwhelming that he had to brace himself against the wall. Pushing himself upright, Alex’s hand left behind a small but distinct bloody smear. He tried to wipe it away, hoping the others hadn’t seen, but it was too late.

  “Alex-”

  "Still me," Alex said, clearing his throat. “I’m still me.”

  He hurried past the concerned faces but stopped when West called his name a second time.

  "Now that you got some rest, we'll need you to ride in the Suburban.”

  "Ya, okay," he replied, continuing on to the male side of the rest stop.

  "Sad isn't it?" commented Kelly.

  She and West watched Alex and Steve nearly collide into one another. During the awkward moment, neither cousin exchanged so much as a word.

  “Is what it is,” West replied, and then called out, "Steve, you and Nick go get some rest in the RV. Tell Eddy to do the same as well."

  "You sure you don't need me to go over the planning?"

  "I'd rather have you rested, Nick. Sleeping in shifts will be best."

  "You got it.” Nick pointed to the military truck and said. "It would appear that David and Dennis are done."

  In fact, Agents Kim and Clint were walking over, carrying buckets.

  "We should have enough gas to get to the bunker," Kim said, handing over the larger, heavier containers to Nick; Kelly awkwardly accepted the others as Clint handed them to her without asking. "This is the rest. I estimate thirty-some gallons for two cars. Think that’ll be enough for you guys?"

  "We'll have to make it last as long as it can. Nick, you and Kelly split it up between the two cars. The RV runs partly off solar, so make sure the Suburban gets more."

  "Can you guys be any louder?" Jones interrupted rudely. He stepped out the side door of the RV, grabbing his ears. "Not only are those poor excuses for bunk beds painfully uncomfortable and claustrophobic, but I have you people yapping up a storm right near me. I swear you people have zero consideration for others."

  "Good, you're up," West said unsympathetic. "Then I guess you won't mind coming with us in the Suburban. I want to go over airports, weight allowances, flight times, and details about this storage space and what's in it."

  Rubbing his eyes, Jones replied, "I'm assuming I don’t have a choice?"

  "Nope. I think you're starting to get me."

  "I swear I regret leaving my cabin in Washington and ever getting involved with you people. Just give me a minute to collect my things."

  "Agent Kim, you know where you're going, right?"

  "Yes. The 203 south is a few miles ahead."

  "And once you cross the border?"

  "Don't worry, I double-checked. I have Utah maps inside the truck. The girls packed up one of the sat phones, too. We'll call you when we get there."

  "He knows where he's going and what he's doing," Agent Clint cut in. "I'm more worried about you and yourplans."

  The tone of the word indicated a general lack of faith, and a strong belief Clint himself could plan, execute and generally lead, better.

  "Guys, you really have to start working together. It's just one more truck, after that, you never have to see each other again."

  "West? We're all done," Lisa said, politely interrupting. "What now?"

  West's intimidating eyes moved from Clint to Lisa's where they neutralized. "Good work. Alright everyone, this is it. I want to thank all of your for what you've done so far. We are almost there. Make your goodbyes quick. We need to get moving."

  Sad to be leaving his friends, Matty was happy for the calm that waited at the bunker. Chris and Jenny hugged one another and exchanged promises to play card games once they reunited. The two Agents shook hands, then Clint took off to the SUV, nodding at the rest while Kim took his time wishing the others well. Marilyn double and triple-checked that Lisa and Kelly would be fine watching over Jenny, and even offered again for them to join the bunker bound group, but the girls declined politely. Eddy went from person to person and gave the gentlest hugs he could before standing next to Jenny.

  Alex hurried back over in time to wave goodbye to Charlie, Matty, Marilyn, Chris, and Agent Kim as they hopped in the military truck. "Be safe," he shouted, wrapping his arm around Lisa to keep her warm. "Charlie, tell Dylan he's one bad ass mother fucker when he wakes up. Tell him I'll get on the ice with him when he’s back on his feet."

  The truck began moving forward when Charlie waved back. "Will do."

  "And you," Alex said, looking at Lisa, "don't get too lonely without me."

  "Lonely? Talk about relieved to have some alone time," she sassed, winking back. "Just kidding, you know I can't promise that."

  "Hey, do you think I was wrong? With Steve I mean?"

  "Honestly? I can see how Steve would take it the wrong way. You have to remember he's mourning and badly."

  "Ya but I-"

  "Had time to mourn for Billy. I'm still mourning for my dad, but everyone is different, and what Steve's going through is different."

  Alex lowered his head, humbled. "You're right."

  "But were you wrong to say what you said? No, I don't think so. As in
sensitive as Steve might have interpreted it, I think he needed to hear it."

  Alex nodded, somewhat relieved. "Do you think you could," he began to say, but stopped, unsure about how to finish asking the lingering question.

  Fortunately, Lisa knew what he was intending to say. "Of course I'll talk with him."

  "Thanks."

  Inside the SUV, West honked the horn twice. "Come on, let's move!"

  "Go have fun in the boys car," she said hugging Alex tight, "and don't go missing me too much."

  Alex walked her to the RV where he smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll try not to. See you at the shift change." He closed the door behind her, and then hurried to the Suburban.

  Startled and uncomfortable, Jones slid two seats over. "Oh come on, West! You didn't tell me the dead guy is coming with us!"

  Three weeks before

  A man wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat grabbed the back of a boy’s shoulder. “Well, what do we have here, Neil?”

  Startled, the boy was speechless. In Neil’s mouth was a wad of gum so large that he could barely close his jaw. When he stopped chewing, purply saliva oozed over his stained lips.

  “Now I’m guessing you didn’t trade LT for that gum, and I know for a fact that we don’t carry Big League Chew in the store…”

  Neil spat the wet glob into his hand.

  “Which would lead me to deduce that you got this from outside, and if that were true that would make this the second time you have snuck out of town.”

  Mud clung to Neil’s blue jeans when he rose. “Please, Mr. Binky! Please don’t tell on me!”

  Binky removed his dusty brown leather hat, exposing a balding scalp. “Darn-it, Neil, you’re really putting me in a terrible spot. You know the rules; you know that going outside the gates is strictly forbidden. You know what it means.”

  “I don’t want to get sent away,” Neil mumbled, blue eyes beginning to water.

  Binky felt the sympathetic punch to his gut. “But I can’t prove it, so as far as I’m concerned, the gum was from the last time. You should count yourself lucky that it’s been me who’s caught you both times. Others in town aren’t asunderstanding. So just...just...come on now, hand over the rest.”