by Reed, N. C.
“I doubt Miss Harper needs a guardian angel any longer,” Xavier scoffed. “If it can get by Clayton, there will be no stopping whatever it is.”
“That is my opinion of him as well,” Brick agreed. “I do not believe the betrayal will come from within,” he changed the subject suddenly.
“Nor do I,” Xavier didn’t question that there would be a betrayal. “I therefore must assume it will come from the lovely town of Jordan. Those in town who have lusted after this place for so long will see these masses as an ideal battering ram to push us aside and take what they want.”
“Indeed,” Brick nodded. “I have considered-,”
“No,” Xavier cut him off. “No, let Clay make that decision. If he wants the old man dead, he is more likely to make the kill himself than order it done. That said, he would not hesitate to order it done if it became necessary.”
“Very well,” Brick didn’t press the issue. “When the time comes, I will most likely fight from here unless Clayton wishes me somewhere else. This hill commands a good view while the leaves are gone from the trees. My rifle will travel a long way from here.”
“Let’s talk about that rifle,” Xavier looked at his brother with a smirk. “Last I looked, that particular rifle was still in development. How did you come to have one?”
“Someone who had been asked to try one owed me a favor,” Brick shrugged. “He offered me the rifle as a gift. I took it.”
“Of course, you did,” Xavier scoffed at the very idea of not taking such a beautiful rifle. “That must have been some favor you were owed, brother. I should very much like to hear about that.”
Brick looked at his brother for a few seconds, then took a deep breath.
“I was in Bahrain, working….”
-
Clay was almost home when his radio came to life once more.
“Bossman, this is Operations,” JJ’s voice came through the earbud.
“Go for Bossman,” Clay sighed tiredly.
“You are needed in Operations ASAP,” JJ said flatly. “Area Commander on the line for you with urgent traffic,” JJ added.
“Roger that. Bossman, on the way.”
Clay looked longingly at his house. Lainie was probably putting supper on the table right now. He had promised to follow her home as soon as he made sure all the watches were set and everything was covered. Sighing tiredly, he turned around to head back down the drive to Operations.
-
Jaylyn Thatcher was in Operations when Clay got there, microphone in her hand.
“Have they been separated from the rest of the group since you arrived?” she was asking, holding up a finger at him for patience.
“Affirmative,” Adcock’s voice replied. “Exposure will be limited to myself, and Lieutenant Gaines. Neither of us are sick nor exhibit symptoms currently. The men with Gleason unloaded the meat, but had no contact with anyone else here, including the rest of our unit.”
“Copy that,” Thatcher responded. “Send them back. All of them. Tell Gleason to isolate in the barracks and we will be in contact.”
“Affirmative,” Adcock replied again.
“Bossman is here now, Captain,” Jaylyn added, handing the microphone over. She looked worried.
“Come see me when you’re finished talking to him,” she almost ordered as she walked past him. “I’ll be in the clinic.”
“Go for Bossman,” Clay said on instinct, watching Thatcher’s departure with puzzlement.
“This is Adcock,” the Captain replied. “The threat is viral, repeat viral. That is what has sparked this…exodus, for lack of a better term. Some type of influenza-type illness has swept through Nashville and people are fleeing ahead of it spreading, or at least the threat of it spreading. We are all exposed as of now,” his voice sounded tense.
“Understood,” Clay replied, though it wasn’t. “Are we sure it’s the flu?”
“Negative,” Adcock replied. “Only that the symptoms are similar. Nothing more. We lack the necessary equipment to check for sure. I am sending a blood sample back by way of Gleason, for Doctor Thatcher to examine. She may be able to discover what it is.”
“What about Gleason?” Clay asked. “What about my two men? Are they exposed?”
“Negative,” Adcock replied at once. “They have had no outside contact other than myself, and I am not symptomatic. Gaines is not symptomatic either, currently. Hopefully, we will remain that way, but for now, we’re in isolation. Gleason and his men, and your two men, will have to isolate in the barracks for at least three days. I must ask you to take care of them for me, Lieutenant, at least for now. Hopefully, this will pass, but until and unless it does, they will have to fall under your command.”
“Understood,” Clay replied. Adcock’s use of his former rank was the Captain’s way of ensuring that Clay would look after Gleason and the others.
“Understand, Lieutenant, that you must take every and all precautions to protect yourselves, and your command. Isolate yourselves and do not, under any circumstances, allow anyone to enter your AO. Send them this way and we will do all we can for them. I repeat, use any means at your disposal to ensure that your area remains isolated. And inform the Sheriff that he is to suspend patrols until further notice, or until this has passed in the event there is no notice forthcoming. I will include a written order confirming this with Gleason.”
Adcock was slipping into formal speech as the pressure of his situation began to bear down. It was something that the military trained their men to do in order to keep them focused on their jobs. Clay had slipped back into it more than once, himself.
More than that, Adcock had just authorized Clay to do whatever he had to do to protect himself and the many people that lived on the farm. As Area Commander, Adcock had that authority, and his using it here would prevent Clay from being lynched if he had to do anything ugly to protect himself or the people that depended on him.
“Get Doc on the line and get him up here,” Clay ordered JJ. “Then, call Greg and tell him to avoid all contact and return to base at once.” As the teen turned to the local radio net, Clay keyed the microphone in his hand.
“Orders received and understood, Captain,” he said formally. “Godspeed, sir. We are always standing by,” he reminded the man.
“Roger that. Good luck to us all, Lieutenant. Hopefully, we’ll be in touch.”
Clay set the microphone down, digesting what he had been told. He could hear Greg replying to JJ.
“He wants to know why,” JJ informed Clay. Clay took the microphone JJ was using.
“Five-oh, this is Bossman. Be advised we have learned what the threat is. Viral, repeat viral. Highly contagious and spreading. Return to the barn by order of the Area Commander, avoiding any and all contact on the way in. Have you been exposed during this patrol?”
“Negative,” Greg replied calmly, though Clay could tell his mind was racing. “We’ve not been in contact with anyone today except by radio.”
“Then come home. Now,” Clay ordered. “Don’t stop for any reason. Please acknowledge.”
“Roger that. Order acknowledged.”
Clay handed the microphone to JJ.
“Not a word of this leaves this room for now,” he told the teen. “Not until I’ve talked to Thatcher and know more about what’s happening. I do need you to have someone on the watch take an FRS radio to the barracks, though. And lay a fire in the fireplace and get it going. We need to do that and get out before Gleason and the others return. Also, see if the Troy House has anything in the way of food they can send down in the next twenty minutes or so. Tell them to call anyone they need to for help. Remind everyone that they have to be out of the barracks before Gleason and the others get back.”
“Yes, sir,” JJ said solemnly, turning to the radio.
“And call someone down here to help you,” Clay ordered over his shoulder. “Gwen didn’t work today, did she?”
“No, sir,” JJ replied. “I’ll call and ask her to
come in.”
“No, you’ll call and tell her I told her to come in,” Clay corrected. “It isn’t a request. Make sure she understands that.”
“Yes, sir.”
-
“There’s very little reason for us to have any isolation protocols for the farm residents, aside from poor Cliff and Moses,” Jaylyn Thatcher told Clay. “The simple truth is, if either Gaines or Adcock is infected, then it’s already run through the farm today. If they weren’t, then we’re clear, again other than Cliff and Moses.” She paused, chewing on her lower lip.
“We can’t let anyone through to the farm,” she sounded almost distraught as she said those next words.
“I know,” Clay nodded. He heard the door open before he could say more and looked to see Tandi Maseo walking in.
“What’s up?” the little medic asked, noting the pensive looks on their faces.
“They’re running from some kind of virus,” Clay told him. “The people on the highway are running from a virus that has already run through Nashville.”
“Oh, shit,” Tandi murmured. “That means we have to isolate ourselves right now,” he added without thinking, then looked at the doctor.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he smiled weakly. “Force of habit.”
“Not necessary, Tandi,” Jaylyn smiled. “You’re right in any case. We were discussing it when you came in.”
“You two get Patricia and Kaitlin over here and get them caught up on what’s happening,” Clay ordered. “Doc, take the ATV and get Patricia. Maybe the Webb girls as well, with their knowledge of herbal medicines and home remedies. We may have to treat the symptoms if we can’t fight the disease. You guys put a plan together and I’ll see to it that it’s carried out,” he told Jaylyn. “One way or another.”
“Will do,” she promised. “As long as we’re careful, we can do this,” she promised.
“As long as we’re careful and can keep from being overrun,” Clay amended, and she nodded silently.
“I have to go. If you need me, call me. I have a feeling I’ll be awake.”
-
“So, they’re all sick,” Jose sighed. “That’s just great.”
“They aren’t sick at the moment,” Clay shook his head. “And they aren’t our concern, honestly. There’s nothing we can do for them. We have to concentrate on saving this place. We were already putting the girls onto the roster, yes?”
“Yes,” Jose nodded. “It helped replace the manpower that Greg is using.”
“You’re getting that back, as of tonight,” Clay informed him. “Per Adcock’s orders, Greg is to stand down until further notice. Also, per his orders, we are to use whatever means are at our disposal to protect this place and the people living here. Whatever it takes.”
“That gets into some pretty ugly territory, Boss,” Jose said softly.
“It does,” Clay agreed. “But if this is even half as bad as they fear, then we don’t have any other options. Rework the roster, figuring everyone back and standing watches. Go ahead and figure another one with Gleason’s men added to it. If they’re clean after three, maybe five days, we can use them, too. They’ll be here, under our care as Adcock put it, until further notice.”
“All that will help,” Jose nodded slowly, mind already working. “We…we may need to think about sending a vehicle up the road to block anyone heading this way. Up to the interstate, or near it, I mean. They can use the P.A. on the rigs to send anyone that heads our way back toward Jordan. That alone will stop a lot of them.”
“Do it,” Clay agreed. “Do whatever you need to do to make us secure. Don’t neglect the back approaches, either. We built the new barracks and dorm to be used as security posts, so use them. Gleason’s men can help stand a watch on that side even while they’re isolated, if it comes to that.”
“Yeah, that will work,” Jose mused, writing on a piece of paper. “I wish that briar hedge was finished,” he chuckled darkly.
“Same here,” Clay replied. “That would simplify our problems greatly. But it isn’t, so we have to cover up. There is still the fence along the interstate, however. Most people won’t climb that hill just to have to climb a fence and cross into an empty field. It looks barren, so there’s no need to go through there looking for help, right? At least we can hope that’s what they think.”
“Maybe,” Jose nodded absently. “We can definitely hope.”
“Thanks for making me believe that,” Clay said sarcastically.
“Sure thing.”
“I’m going to rest a bit and get a bite to eat,” Clay said, shaking his head as he moved to the door. “Call me if you need me.”
“Will do.”
Clay stopped at Operations to see Gwen Paige sitting with JJ. She saw him and waved, though she didn’t smile. She looked worried and Clay assumed JJ had filled her in.
“Remember to keep this in here until the Doctor is ready to talk to everyone,” he reminded them.
“Will do,” both said, echoing each other. Clay nodded and made his way outside. He stopped for a minute, standing in the dark save for a handful of solar lights that would work for a few hours each night. As he stood in the quiet, trying to let his mind settle down, he felt something hit his face. As his hand moved to investigate, the mystery resolved itself in the form of a small, white crystal falling right before his face.
It was snowing.
-
“Hey, it’s snowing!” Lainie sounds exuberant when Clay walked in. The house smelled delicious. She had probably made some dessert of some kind from the scent in the air. She literally skipped over to him and kissed him lightly. “And you’re late!”
“It is,” he nodded, unable to match her exuberance. “And I am. Sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” she was instantly guarded.
“I just learned why there is some kind of mass migration on the interstate in this weather,” he sighed, ditching his gear as he spoke.
“What is it?” she asked, suddenly wary.
“It’s the flu, or something similar,” he didn’t sugar coat it, mainly because he didn’t know how. “They’re running from a viral infection that has already run amok through Nashville. They’re trying to outrun it by heading south, even in this weather.”
“Didn’t some of them go to Jordan?” Lainie stopped short. Her grandmother was in Jordan. They weren’t on good terms at the moment, but Marla was still her grandmother.
“And to Lewiston, and still moving southward in many cases,” Clay nodded tiredly. “Gleason and his men are returning, but they will have to be isolated for three to five days. So will Cliff and Moses, since I sent them in there to carry the damned meat we gave the town.” He sat heavily in his seat at the table. Lainie took the seat next to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently.
“It’s not your fault,” Lainie tried to smile but wasn’t quite able to. “It was her that did it, Clay. I love my grandmother, and I always will, but she did this to herself. Chose it for herself. She had it just fine living here, and Leon would have made sure she was taken care of. She chose to put herself into the situation she’s in.”
“That doesn’t make it hurt any less,” he told her softly.
“No, it doesn’t,” she agreed. “But it does mean that you aren’t to blame. I assume we can’t go into Jordan until this is over?”
“We can’t even allow anyone onto the farm until it’s over,” Clay shook his head. “Orders from Adcock personally. Protect this place with any means necessary. No one not already a resident here is allowed in until the virus runs its course.”
“That sounds a lot like-,”
“Yeah, it does,” Clay didn’t make her finish. “Because it is.” He looked down to see a bowl of chili in front of him, with fresh homemade bread on the side.
“Thanks for this,” he smiled at her. She tried again to smile back but once more she didn’t quite make it.
“I hope you like it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The snow hadn’t stopped yet, either, which just made things a bit more complicated. Ronny had taken a small blade attached to an ATV and cleared the Hill off so that the old school bus could be used to give people a ride down to the pad before Building Two, rather than having to travel in the snow.
Titus Terry drove another ATV up the Hill to get Marcy George. Marcy grinned broadly when he arrived in front of her house specially to get her. Her smile faltered when she got in, seeing the grim look on Titus’ face. She tried to ask him what was going on, but he just shook his head and told her to put on her seat belt.
When they arrived at Building Two, Titus motioned for her to follow, which she did, concerned now. Titus led her to Clay’s office, but stayed with her as she walked in.
Quietly, Clay explained what had happened in Jordan. Marcy was crying by the time he finished, worrying about her family, especially her younger siblings. She had asked if it was possible to get them to her, and Clay had to admit that it wasn’t. Not now. There was no movement allowed on or off the farm, by order of the Military Commander of their area, and all movement in and out of Jordan was being strictly controlled for now to try and limit the exposure of the rest of the area to any infection.
Marcy nodded her understanding, wiping her eyes. Clay motioned to Titus, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. Suddenly, she turned and buried her head in Titus’ shoulder, sobbing. Clay rose to his feet and softly made his way to the door, patting Titus’ other shoulder as he stepped out and shut the door.
Once outside, Clay rubbed his face with his hands, trying to get rid of the fatigue and hopelessness that suddenly threatened to overwhelm him. First Lainie, now Marcy. And the rest still to go.
The security personnel had been the first to be briefed on what was happening and what to expect. More importantly, on what was expected of them. Clay didn’t pull any punches, knowing that the time for that was gone, now. Instead, he was blunt to the point of ruthlessness, a hint of the former hunter that he still was beneath the veneer of civility that he wore like a cloak.
