by Bianca D’Arc
“Leave it alone, Sam. I appreciate the concern, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, brother.”
Chapter Ten
Matt Sykes dialed the admiral’s number as he drove himself to the airport. A small plane was fueled up and waiting to take him back to Fort Bragg, but he had to make his report first. The admiral had demanded a call as soon as the meeting ended, and Matt knew it was never wise to keep an admiral waiting.
The phone was answered on the second ring.
“Sir, this is Matt Sykes. I’m on my way back to Bragg. The meeting with Beauvoir’s team just broke up.”
“Good. I’ll want you to coordinate reports between the two areas of operation. Give me daily status updates on both groups at 0900 and 1800 each day until further notice.”
“Yes, sir.” Twice-daily updates? Matt was curious about the admiral’s sudden interest but glad he was taking the situation more seriously. Matt gave his report on the meeting as he drove, filling the admiral in on what he’d learned from the New York investigation.
“What is your opinion of Officer Petit?” the admiral asked bluntly.
“She is a capable officer and from all accounts lives up to the picture painted in her file. She’s faced the creatures several times and, according to Beauvoir, reacts well in combat situations.” Matt decided to stick to the facts.
“Call me a dinosaur, but I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable sending female personnel into situations where hand-to-hand combat is likely.”
The admiral’s personal observation made him more human to Matt. He didn’t really know this admiral. He’d never worked with him or for him before, though he’d certainly heard of him and his reputation as a harsh but fair taskmaster. The more Matt saw of him, the more he respected the man.
“I can understand your reasoning, sir.” Matt wouldn’t go so far as to share his own views, which marched along the same lines as the admiral’s. He wasn’t quite that comfortable with the man yet. “Sarah Petit seems able to handle herself. She and Captain Beauvoir found video someone had taken of the attack that left her immune. It’s worth watching. The woman was seriously concussed, yet she managed to fight free from two of the creatures.”
“I saw it.” The admiral’s voice was grim.
Matt was impressed the man had already viewed the digital file he’d forwarded only an hour before.
“She got lucky. If her head had hit the concrete any harder, those things would have damaged her irreparably before anyone could have found her.”
Matt knew the truth of the older man’s statement. Sarah had saved herself that day, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about that. The video only proved how very courageous she’d been in the face of dire circumstances. Even though she had later proved to be immune from the contagion, those zombies could still have killed her by slicing, dicing, clawing and biting her to death by slow degrees. Blood loss would have been the kindest way to have died but not the most likely. She would have suffered terribly before finally succumbing.
“How’s her commitment to the mission, Commander?” the admiral demanded.
“She’s in for the duration, sir. She understands how much we need her and is willing to go the distance.”
“Thank heaven for that,” the admiral muttered. “And what do you think of her personally, Commander?”
“She is what she seems. A dedicated, skilled officer, willing to protect and serve. Those were the words she used. She seems to see this mission as an extension of her oath as a police officer.”
“That’s good, but what were your impressions of her? You talked to her. Give me a feel for her character.”
Sam was surprised by the request but willing to try. “She’s smaller than I expected. Very petite. She’s also fierce and has a lively sense of humor, even under the circumstances. She saw right through my poor attempts to ingratiate myself and called me on it.” The admiral chuckled on the other end of the line, but Matt didn’t pause. “She seems to like plain talk and honesty, which is something I respect. All in all, I think she’s a good addition to the team.”
“The fact that she’s female isn’t going to be a problem?”
“The men seemed to accept her as a member of the team. They all seemed to respect her and I think Beauvoir has taken her under his wing. She told me he’d been teaching her how to work in the field and she’d been sharing her investigative knowledge with him. They’ve already turned up more evidence than the military personnel has at Bragg. I think having her on the team will cause more good than harm in the long run.”
“She looks like a pretty young girl in her file photo. No hormone issues among the men?”
Matt had to stifle a laugh at the way the admiral phrased his question.
“As I said, sir, I think Captain Beauvoir has taken her under his wing, so to speak.”
“Do you think they’re involved?”
He could hear the admiral’s frown in his voice. Matt wasn’t prepared to cause trouble over something that might or might not be going on. He didn’t really care what his people got up to in their private time, but he knew there were a lot of older officers especially who weren’t so lenient.
“It doesn’t appear so, sir. Captain Beauvoir has a reputation for protecting underdogs. In Ranger School, he helped another candidate who had fallen ill with a twenty-four-hour virus until he was over the hump and able to compete again. Beauvoir’s been known to give extra training on off-hours to those in his command who don’t perform up to his standards. The men flock to him. He seems to inspire loyalty and the desire to perform at peak ability in his men. From the conversation I had with Sarah Petit tonight, he’s had the same effect on her.” Matt privately thought there probably was something romantic going on between Sarah and Xavier, but nobody would hear about it from him.
“What did she say to lead you to this conclusion?”
The admiral sounded skeptical to Matt’s ears.
“She told me she thought she’d performed poorly in her first two encounters with the creatures but that, with Beauvoir’s help, she was doing better. Her tone was clearly one of admiration when she spoke of the captain and his skills in the field. He’s definitely had an effect on her.” Matt had seen the way Sarah and Xavier had looked at each other. He’d also noticed the way Beauvoir protected her without being too obvious about it. The man was probably already halfway in love with the pretty policewoman.
Matt almost envied him. Sarah was a fine-looking woman and had a big heart. She also understood duty and honor. Such a woman would be a good match for a man in Xavier’s line of work. Matt’s line of work, too, for that matter. Too bad he hadn’t met Sarah first. Maybe if he had, he’d have had a chance with her. As it was, she’d only had eyes for Xavier.
“All right.” The admiral regained Matt’s attention with his decisive tone. “Now, what can you tell me about the situation at Bragg? Any new developments come out of your meeting in New York?”
Matt made a face, glad the admiral couldn’t see him. Frankly, he was disgusted by their lack of progress in identifying the source of the outbreak. Luckily, the number of zombies at Fort Bragg was minimal compared with what had been unleashed so far on Long Island.
“We still haven’t been able to locate the source of the contagion at Fort Bragg, sir. I’ve downloaded a lot of information from the New York investigation to my people in North Carolina and we’re scheduled for a group debrief tomorrow at 0600. You’ll have the results of that session in your 0900 report.”
“How about the creature count at Bragg? Any increase?”
“No, sir.” That was the one small blessing in this whole messed-up situation. “After the initial creature that spread the infection before I came on scene, the instance of new cases has been minimal.”
“I’m concerned that we haven’t been able to locate the source of that initial creature. Where there’s one, there’s bound to be more. If someone is experiment
ing with the contagion in North Carolina, we need to find them and stop them.”
“Yes, sir.” Matt couldn’t agree more. It was how he was supposed to accomplish that feat with not a single clue to work with that had him stymied.
The admiral sighed audibly. “All right. Keep me advised. I’ll expect your next report tomorrow at 0900. If anything big happens in the meantime, call me directly. I don’t care what time it is.”
Matt was impressed by the instruction. Very few admirals would welcome being awakened in the middle of the night by a ringing phone. For that matter, very few admirals would have asked Matt to call after a dinner meeting. Matt knew this number was the admiral’s private encrypted cell phone, which he kept with him at all times. Most likely, the man was at home right now, after having put in a long day at the office.
After a short good-bye, Matt disconnected the call. The admiral’s dedication to the mission was inspiring. It gave Matt hope that Uncle Sam wasn’t trying to sweep this problem under the rug. When this was all over, Matt might still have a career left.
That question had been running through his mind for a while now. He knew where all the bodies were buried, after all. That could either work out to be a very good thing for him career-wise, or a very bad thing. Which it would ultimately prove to be was still up for grabs.
This early in the autumn, the night air wasn’t all that cold. The campus was hopping with life in the main areas as Xavier and Sarah drove through in her patrol car. They made a quick stop at the security office to let the campus cops know they planned to conduct a search on the premises. They had a little trouble with a supervisor until Xavier placed a call and had the rent-a-cop set straight.
“Lot of people around here,” Xavier commented as they rolled slowly around the loop road that ringed the perimeter of the main areas of the big campus. There was a network of smaller roads passing through the center of the grounds surrounded by wooded areas beyond the loop road.
“It’s well-lit, too. Even at night. Chances are the zombies won’t want to get caught in the lights near the center of campus.”
“They’ll be in the woods.”
“Yeah, but where? Nearly the whole campus has pockets of dense trees.”
“Well, they need someplace to hide during the day. Are there any dorms or empty buildings near one of the larger thickets of trees?”
Sarah thought for a moment. “Over near the train station.” She swung the car around. “It’s a spur of the Long Island Railroad that doesn’t get much activity compared to the rest of the system.”
The tracks were dark. Only the small station was lit by a few lonely light posts when they arrived. Sarah parked her patrol car near the edge of the big commuter lot. There were a number of cars still parked, waiting for their owners. The school offered night classes for those who worked during the day and Sarah knew more than a few students would be either walking to their cars or catching a late train in a few hours’ time as the night classes ended.
The tracks themselves were kept free of debris. Only scrubby weeds grew here and there—those that had escaped the conscientious LIRR trimming crews this time. The trees were well back from the tracks, but dense.
“Over there.” Xavier spoke in low tones. “If I were a zombie, I’d go for a spot like that.”
She saw what he meant. The gloom was intense. And to top it all off, a light layer of fog was beginning to form low to the ground. Fog wasn’t too unusual in certain areas of Long Island, especially at this time of year, but it still creeped Sarah out.
“Will that fog get any thicker?” Xavier asked.
“Not likely. Fog isn’t too prevalent out here. Just in certain spots and under certain weather conditions. Of course, I could be wrong.”
“Great.” He shot her a look filled with concern despite his sarcastic tone. “Just stay close.”
He surprised her by grabbing her hand. Startled, she sought his gaze and found him struggling for words. The emotion on his face floored her. He was genuinely worried for her, and not in a casual way. The man looked like he was in agony. She squeezed his hand.
“It’ll be all right.” She knew darn well she was walking into a potential lion’s den, but she had no other choice. “We’re armed to the teeth and immune. What could go wrong?”
They had restocked their ammo and added extra clips in addition to what they’d already been carrying. It was bulky but worth it, considering how many darts it took to end those infected with this particular strain of the contagion.
“Everything could go wrong, Sarah.” Vulnerability showed on his face for a stark moment. “I don’t want to lose you, mon ange. You’re clear on the use of the headset?”
He tapped the side of her face where a small microphone now rested. Sam had outfitted her with one of the unit’s miniature radios for short-range communication. She and Xavier could talk to each other as long as they stayed within about a half mile.
“Clear, Captain.” She tried to cheer him with a smile, but it wasn’t working. Xavier was as serious as she’d ever seen him. She tried a different tack. “You know there’s no other way. Our first priority has to be protecting the kids on this campus from the contagion. If Sellars or his people make a grab for me, I’ll fight like hell, but for now I have no other choice but to go in there and get the creatures before they have a chance to ravage this campus. You know I’m right.”
“I know, dammit.” He looked pained. “If there were any other way…”
“You know there’s not.” She squeezed his hand once more. “It’ll be okay. No matter what happens.”
“Dieu.” He pulled her in for a quick hug, tight, almost bone crushing, and heartfelt. “Promise me you’ll be careful, Sarah.” He let her go but didn’t go far.
“I promise.”
Xavier seemed to pull it together right in front of her eyes. His spine straightened, though there was still an echo of softness in his gaze as he looked at her. The commander was back, but he was tempered with the lover she’d come to know over the past hours. Nothing would ever make him seem a stranger to her again.
“All right. Let’s do this. Back-to-back, if we get cornered. Otherwise, stay in my line of sight at all times. I’ll do the same. We need to stay together in there, no matter what they throw at us. We can’t help each other if we get separated.”
“Roger that, Captain.” She sent him a soft smile that said she understood his worry and shared it. He nodded and off they went, side by side, into almost certain danger.
“Could this get any creepier? The fog, the trees and brambles, the lonely train tracks off to one side, rising on an embankment as the ground dipped. Damn,” Xavier mused aloud as they made their way into the unknown.
Sarah’s soft chuckle at his side warmed him. Her presence also scared the shit out of him. She was the target, and he was escorting her right into the maw of a ravenous beast intent on capturing her and taking her away. He had to be insane to allow this, but she was right. They had no alternative.
To his knowledge, there were only four people on Earth at the moment who were proven immune to the contagion. Xavier, Sarah and the two operatives working back at Fort Bragg. He knew one of them. A SEAL he’d worked with once before named Simon. He didn’t know who the other was. Whoever he was, he’d been brought in after Xavier and his team had been sent to Long Island.
There just wasn’t anyone else they could safely send against these things. Sellars had devised the perfect setup for a trap, and they all knew it. He’d be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this. Sellars might appear to be apeshit crazy, but he’d already proven he wasn’t a fool.
One good thing in this craptastic situation was that Sellars wanted Sarah alive. Even if he did manage to get past Xavier and take her, he wouldn’t harm her. He needed her alive so he could figure out what had happened in her body when exposed to the contagion to produce her results.
Sellars needed to know why Sarah was immune. For whatever reason, Sellars didn’t
seem to realize, or didn’t care, that Xavier was also immune. The rogue scientist’s target was Sarah, not Xavier. From the video, Sellars seemed to assume her so-called “military escort” was some nameless, faceless soldier who was just along for the ride.
Xavier would be only too happy to show Sellars how very wrong he was. No doubt the scientist expected him to fight, and to fall. Sellars had no idea Xavier wouldn’t go down that easily. That was the only ace in the hole Xavier and Sarah had going for them at the moment.
“I have movement to my left,” Sarah said softly. “About ten yards in.”
Xavier immediately went to high alert. “I see it. Let’s keep the railroad tracks to our left or our backs. I don’t think they’ll cross the open area where the tracks are to come in behind us.” The tracks were a good five feet above where they stood. A small hill covered with grass rose from the edge of the trees and the tracks rode its ridge.
About fifty yards into the trees, they had to halt. “They’re in front of us now and to our right,” Sarah breathed into the foggy silence.
The zombies were arranged like an offensive line. It looked like the most gruesome football team of all time. Even worse, each guy was bigger than the next—bloody, ragged and disturbing as hell. This was not going to be fun.
“As soon as you see a clear target, start shooting. We don’t have time to waste.” Xavier raised his weapon, waiting for the distant signs of movement to take form in the fog. Damn the weather. These were not ideal circumstances for this kind of mission, but they had to play the hand they were dealt. “You take the ones in front, I’ve got the right flank.”
They positioned themselves, their backs at a ninety-degree angle to each other, ready for action. It came sooner than expected as the zombies did something Xavier had never seen another of their kind do. They rushed forward, like an offensive line, faster than he would have credited.
