Catharsis: Outbreak Z: Books 1-4

by Roberts, EM

  “Yes, sir. I do.” Hector smiled at Ella, chilling her to the marrow of her bones.

  “No, Hector won’t rape you, if that’s what you’re worried about, but he will take great pleasure in giving you pain. Do you really want that?” Adams reasoned.

  “What do you want from me? I don’t have the codes, and I don’t know where Parker is.” Ella responded calmly. Her eyes followed Adams’ movements.

  Adams stood and walked over to her chair. He pulled a knife from his belt and reached down. He grabbed the bottom of her tee shirt and cut to the top causing the shirt to gape open and show her white lacy bra.

  “Well, now look at that. I normally like bigger breasts on a woman, but yours are just right. Not too big and not too small,” Adams leered. He took the knife and scraped it lightly over the tops of her breast. A small well of blood appeared over her left breast.

  Ella wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing fear. It was a woman’s worst nightmare to be in a situation like this. She knew he was expecting her to get angry or cry. She was determined to do neither. Yes, she was mad—boiling mad, and she vowed to kill him the first chance she got, but her outward demeanor stayed calm.

  “Do you like it when Parker looks at your breasts, Ella, sucks on your nipples?” Adams asked nastily.

  “Parker and I don’t have that kind of relationship. He was at our farm for a whole two months,” Ella replied stonily, as Adams reached down and cut the front of her bra causing her breasts to spill out. She continued looking straight ahead.

  “Does he grab them like this?” Adams asked, cupping a breast and squeezing painfully. He tweaked the nipple, and it was all Ella could do not to shudder in revulsion. Think of anything, she told herself.

  Ella winced and as he pulled on the other nipple. She wished the bastard would just shoot her in the head and be done with it.

  “Is that the only way you can get a woman? By force?” Ella asked, sneering into his face.

  In response, Adams backhanded her, splitting her lip in a single blow. The metallic taste of blood overwhelmed her senses giving her a burst of energy. She’d rather he beat and torture her all day than to touch her sexually.

  “No woman would want an old fuck like you,” Ella snarled, spitting blood onto the floor. This statement earned her another blow, this time under the right eye. Her face throbbing, Ella smiled up at Adams through her pain.

  “You know, Ella, you don’t really have to tell me where Parker is right now. I don’t even care. It’s just fun playing with you. I’ll meet up with him at Yucca Mountain, and then when I show him your pretty face, he’ll be happy to give me the code.”

  “Why? Parker doesn’t care about me. Why would he give you the codes in exchange for me? He was President. He knows better than to negotiate with terrorists like you.” Ella spat.

  “You can’t tell me he spent two months with you and didn’t knock off a piece of that. You see, I know Parker. I know he has an eye for the ladies,” Adams replied with a smirk on his face as he once again sat in front of her.

  “We don’t have that kind of relationship,” Ella repeated, spitting more blood onto the floor between Adams’ feet.

  Just as Adams was about to do only God knows what, the flap to the tent was pushed open and Captain Dan Spignelli entered, his face a flushed red.

  “Sir, I have to object to this,” he stated, looking in despair at Ella’s exposed body.

  “No, I don’t believe you do. You need to go back to your business,” Adams ordered standing and looking at the visitor.

  “It’s fine, Dan. Don’t worry about me,” Ella said, hoping Dan would just take the hint and leave. She didn’t want him risking his life for her. Especially since he had a daughter in this camp with him.

  “Ella, I can’t leave. This isn’t what the military is about. If I leave, then I’m not representing my county in a fitting manner,” Dan replied, walking further into the tent.

  “Captain, I’m ordering you to leave. Don’t push me because you won’t like the consequences.”

  “What are the consequences, sir? Tell me, is your killer over there in the corner going to take care of me?” Dan asked angrily.

  Ella was afraid that was exactly what would happen. She knew if Dan even tried to help her Adams would take care of him. Why, oh why, wouldn’t he just leave? She knew why. Dan wasn’t that kind of soldier. He was the type of man who wouldn’t look the other way. Sure, he’d had an affair with Ella while he’d been married, but that was the extent of his deceit.

  “Dan, I’m telling you I’ll be fine. Just go—take care of your daughter. Please, remember your daughter,” Ella begged, yanking at her restraints and causing them to dig deeper into her skin.

  Dan walked over purposely to Ella, intending to release her from her restraints. He seemed confident that Adams wouldn’t make good on his promise. When he bent down to loosen her ties, Adams placed the barrel of a handgun against his head.

  “Dan, I just don’t know what I’m going to do with you. I can’t trust you anymore. That’s the problem,” Adams announced, holding the gun in place at Dan’s temple.

  “Please, don’t kill him. I will do whatever you want. I will willingly go with you to meet Parker at Yucca Mountain,” Ella replied. She couldn’t bear to see another person close to her die. There’d been so much death in the last year.

  “Tell me where Parker is,” Adams ordered, looking from Ella to the man kneeling beside her.

  “I don’t know where Parker is,” Ella responded flatly. She had to be convincing, so convincing he would believe her. Besides, he’d just said he didn’t even care where Parker was at this moment.

  “I don’t believe you,” Adams stated, coldly.

  Ella closed her eyes waiting for the sound of the weapon to discharge.

  “Let me ask you something, Spignelli. Is Ella worth it? Is she as hot a piece of ass as she looks? Did you fuck her from behind? Did she get on her knees for you?” Adams laughed.

  Ella saw the flush begin at Dan’s throat and work its way to his face. She knew Adams was trying to goad him into making a move. So, she took matters into her own hands.

  “How did you know? Yeah, he did me from behind, and guess what? It was so fucking good! Do you have to pay whores to fuck you, Lieutenant?” Ella smiled up at the man.

  “This, Spignelli, is how you keep a bitch in line,” Adams stated as he backhanded Ella again in the mouth, causing her lips to split even further and blood to splatter in a mist of thin droplets.

  “Why don’t you untie me, and we’ll see how this bitch holds her own,” Ella mumbled through swollen lips. Anything, she’d say anything, to distract his attention from Dan.

  “Ella, stop it. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” Dan ordered, rising from his position beside her.

  “Adams, you’ll just have to kill me because I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you hurt her…” Dan’s words were cut off mid-sentence when the bullet caught him in the middle of the forehead.

  “See, Ella, see what happens when men are controlled by their dicks. They get a little stupid,” Adams announced, looking in disdain at Dan’s body.

  Ella bit her lip. She could feel Dan’s blood on her face. She would not cry; she would not show Adams any sign of weakness even though her heart ached with sorrow. She knew more than likely, it would soon be her on the floor in Dan’s place. She knew Adams wouldn’t let her live after she’d fulfilled her usefulness, and she was okay with that. There was a time to live and a time to die. She’d been so afraid of death this time last year, but now, she knew it was just a matter of time. Death couldn’t be stopped.

  “Hector, I’ve decided we don’t need all of these people. We’ll take the helicopter as far as we can and be waiting on Parker in Nevada. Find two men you trust and bring them with us,” Adams ordered, as he grabbed Ella up by her shoulders, causing pain to shoot down her arms.

  Adams pushed Ella out of the tent’s entrance and marched
her to the helicopter as civilians and soldiers looked on in disbelief. He climbed in alongside of her. A couple of minutes later, Hector and two other men joined them. One of the men took the controls, and within seconds the group was airborne and heading to Nevada.

  Chapter 10: No More Mr. Nice Guy

  Parker looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. He felt like a teenager waiting for his first date. He didn’t know why he was so excited to see Ella again. Yes—yes, he did. He’d fallen for her and her southern charm. When he’d heard her voice on the radio, his heart had skipped a beat. Her voice had soothed him and reminded him of all things good left in the world.

  “You like her, don’t you?” Izzy asked from her seat on the front porch. The two of them had come outside to watch for Ella.

  “Yeah, she’s a nice person,” he replied, a little uncomfortably.

  “Don’t act like a girl. You’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

  “She’s very pretty and extremely nice. She’s an attractive woman,” he replied, still not answering Izzy’s question. Was he so transparent, then?

  “Parker and Ella sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” Izzy sang in a little girl voice, and then started laughing at her own antics.

  “Okay, brat!” Parker protested. He felt good today. It was the first day in at least a month that he’d awakened and looked forward to the day. Somehow, he just felt that everything would be okay when all of them were together again. They all completed each other.

  He was worried though; it was getting close to dark, and Ella still wasn’t here. He hoped she hadn’t run into that horde of creatures that he and the others had fought when Linda was giving birth. They’d only made a dent in the horde of them. He knew Ella mentioned she had other people with her, but he had to wonder at their skill level in fighting the creatures.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when three vehicles came rolling to a stop in front of the house. A bright red, classic convertible held a young, bald woman and the biggest man Parker had seen in a long time. The two climbed out of the car and made their way to the front of the house. Parker didn’t see Ella, and a ball of unease gathered in his stomach. He looked at the occupants emerging from the other vehicles, and there was still no sign of Ella.

  “Hello, Parker Wallace, it’s great to meet you in person,” the bald woman held out her hand.

  “Hello,” Parker replied, shaking her hand.

  “My name is Jem, and this big guy is Amos. We’re friends of Ella’s, and I know you’re wondering where she is,” Jem replied, biting her lip. Looking at her facial expression and the unhappy face of the big man, Parker knew the news wasn’t going to be good.

  “Yes, I am,” Parker replied, impatiently.

  “Well, the New Army has her. She basically surrendered to them, so we could escape,” Jem explained.

  Parker felt sick to his stomach. What would Adams do with her? The man had tortured Parker, and he knew Adams wouldn’t care that Ella was a woman. All Adams would see was a way to get to Parker.

  “She didn’t want to lead them here, either. She said to tell you specifically She wished it could have been.”

  Parker wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but he hoped it meant what he wanted it to mean. He hoped she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her. Now, he may never know. There was a good chance Ella was already dead. He wouldn’t delude himself on that score.

  “Parker, you can’t go off half-cocked like some gallant knight to the rescue. You have a responsibility to get to that facility. Ella knew that when she was taken; I’m sure she did,” Izzy reminded him.

  “I realize it would be a death wish to go confront Adams. I’m betting he’s going to try and trade her for the codes to the facility. That would be something he would do,” Parker muttered as he angrily kicked a clod of dirt in the driveway. Immediately after this action, he felt like a child. He felt helpless and useless, and he didn’t like the feeling.

  He stayed outside while Jem and Izzy introduced themselves and took the other visitors inside to meet Roe, Jax, Carly, and Linda. He had a lot to think about, and he had plans to make. He knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t survive this final encounter. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew Adams wouldn’t let him live.

  While he was thinking of ways to rescue Ella, Parker suddenly heard the sound of a helicopter in the distance. He ran inside and ordered Roe to extinguish the light. The group sat inside the home in the stifling heat waiting for the helicopter or any other sign of the New Army to appear. After about an hour, Parker figured it was safe to go outside. Was the rest of his life to be spent running and hiding? He wouldn’t have it. As the President, he’d never really had to stand up for himself because there were advisors, senators, and congressman making all of the decisions. It was time he showed action. It was time for him to be the man he knew he could be.

  The next day

  They ran into the New Army almost as soon as they got back on the highway. There was no time to turn around before a transport truck chased them down, one of the soldiers yelling and waving. Parker was disgusted because he’d thought Adams’ group had gone on ahead of them. He’d led his party into a trap. He figured they could probably take the occupants of the truck, but who knew where the rest of the Army was stationed? They could be waiting to ambush Parker and his friends.

  Parker pulled to a stop and got out expecting the worst. One of the soldiers trotted up to him, his weapon drawn.

  “Where is he? Where is Adams? You might as well take me to him,” Parker ordered. He would demand Adams let Ella go in trade for the code. And when this happened, he’d just let Adams kill him. They’d played this game before. The group didn’t need the facility to survive. He’d come to this conclusion last night. If it came down to it, he would negotiate, as much as he knew Ella wouldn’t want him to.

  “He’s not here. He abandoned us and the rest of the people with us. He killed one of the officers in cold blood, and who knows what he did to that poor woman?” the young man replied, his unease evident.

  “Maybe, you could talk to the rest of the group?” another officer replied.

  “What do you mean what he did to that woman?” Parker asked, alarmingly.

  “Well, he pushed her out of the tent, her face all swollen and her shirt ripped open. We figure he or that goon of his raped her,” the officer trailed off at the look of anger mixed with anguish on Parker’s face.

  “Listen, the rest of the group is about five miles back. We didn’t know what else to do, so we thought we’d just continue travelling. We came out scouting—just in case Adams turned back,” the first officer explained.

  “Okay, but my friends stay here. Just in case,” Parker commanded.

  He climbed in the back of the transport truck and remained seated until the truck arrived at a field on the side of the interstate. People were milling around, looking lost.

  When Parker jumped from the back of the truck, everyone stopped what they were doing and wandered over. Some looked angry, and others simply looked bewildered. They’d lost their leader and were unsure of which path to take next.

  “I know many of you disliked me before the outbreaks, and many of you blame me for what happened, but the truth is you’ve been told lies,” Parker said in a loud, commanding voice. He wasn’t sure what Adams had told these people, but he knew he had to try and dispel the lies.

  “A terrorist group unleashed this virus on the world, and since the United States was the first target, the United Nations decided to bomb the major cities. I was not given any choice in that matter,” Parker stated. It was true; he’d been given a short time frame to abandon the city.

  “Really? You didn’t just let millions of people die?” a man shouted.

  “No, I didn’t. I can’t prove that, and I can’t make you believe it, but that’s what I’m saying.”

  “What about that survival facility? What’re your plans for that?” another person yelled.

  “I plan on allowing a
s many people that will fit inside of it. I plan on helping this country get back on its feet. That’s what any decent person would do,” Parker almost felt like he was back at a political convention and running some kind of office. The truth was he didn’t want to be. He didn’t want to be the person in charge anymore.

  “I’m not your leader anymore. I know that. But, I do have information that can help you. I want to help you, and there is no hidden agenda,” he stated.

  “Where’s Adams? Have you seen Adams?” someone asked.

  “No, and I have news for you; he isn’t the leader you think he is. He is only out for himself. He’s proven that to you by abandoning you,” Parker exclaimed, looking various people in the eye.

  “He’s right. He killed my father for trying to protect innocent people! I also overhead him telling his hired killer that he didn’t care what happened to us. He said he hoped we didn’t make it to the facility,” a young girl stood up and shouted, her face streaked with fresh tears.

  “I am going back to my friends. They’re just down the road. Whoever wants to come and go to Nevada can join me. We’ll survive better in a group, and I’ll do my best to get us there. But, no one will stop me. Adams has my friend, and I’m going to get her back,” Parker stated, as he turned and started walking toward the road. It was going to be a long, rough road, but By God, he was up for it. He would do whatever it took to take Adams down.

  The End—Book Three

  Catharsis: Journey’s End

  Book Four

  Table of Contents

  Prologue: Man’s Best Friend

  Chapter 1: Scar Tissue

  Chapter 2: Ground Zero

  Chapter 3: Saying Goodbye

  Chapter 4: A New Kind of Terror

  Chapter 5: Ode to a Strong, Black Woman

  Chapter 6: Total Blackout

  Chapter 7: An Unlikely Rescue