“That'll never happen,” Wes remarked. “They drive right past the hotel with that big sign advertising their lounge. That's where the away team visitors will be spending their evening; not with us locals.”
Shelly frowned and collapsed onto a nearby stool. “More tips for Tyler, I suppose,” she said with disgust. “Do you know they don't even have a waitress working during the off-season? He's going to clean up.”
“Thinking about working for team hotel?” Wes teased.
“No, I'd rather work here where I know everyone,” she replied. “Besides, I prefer your gruff personality over Tyler's inflated ego any day.”
Wes chuckled softly.
Chapter Sixteen
Ming drove her car along Millers Road and eyed Fei Yen in her car seat through the rearview mirror. Ming smiled proudly as Fei Yen sang softly. Someone suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Ming screamed and slammed on her brakes. The car skidded and the man was thrown over the hood and across the windshield with a series of loud thuds. Fei Yen let out a shrill scream from the backseat. Ming threw her car into park, looked at her daughter through the rearview mirror, and hastily removed her seatbelt. There was a loud crash as something struck her car from behind. Her car lurched forward. Ming was thrown forward with tremendous force and struck her head on the steering wheel. She appeared motionless while slumped in the driver's seat as blood ran down her forehead. Fei Yen's shrill scream was heard from the backseat. Ming, with her head resting against the steering wheel, slowly opened her eyes to her daughter's screams. For a moment, she didn't move. She watched the blood from her forehead drip onto her hand. Ming slowly lifted her head and looked around with disorientation. Reality flooded back to her. Despite her pounding head, she quickly looked into the backseat. Fei Yen remained virtually unharmed in her car seat.
“Mommy, mommy!”
“It's okay, baby,” Ming said in a failed attempt to sound calm. “I'll get you out.”
Ming tried to open her car door. It was stuck! She sharply pushed her shoulder into the door several times, becoming more aggressive with each thrust. The car door suddenly flew open, and she fell out of the car onto the pavement. Ming slowly pulled herself to her feet while clutching her bleeding head and attempted to maintain her balance. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the car's rear panel. The entire front end of the sheriff's cruiser was scrunched into the back of Ming's car. She appeared horrified by the sight. Ming opened the back door and looked at Fei Yen within her car seat.
“Stay put, Fei Yen. I need to check on the sheriff. Be good for mommy.”
Ming hurried for the sheriff's cruiser and stopped by his door. Palmer was slumped over the steering wheel with blood streaking his face. The air bag had been deployed and was now deflated. Daniels, Milton, and Anderson were also in the car and appeared motionless. Ming pulled on the door several times before it finally flew open with a grinding metallic creak.
“Sheriff, can you hear me?” she said with concern while gently nudging his shoulder.
Palmer slowly woke with a groan and fell back against the seat. He stared at Ming with some disorientation.
“What the hell--?” Palmer dabbed the blood on his head, looked at it, and then slowly turned toward Daniels in the passenger seat. “Daniels? Hey, Daniels!”
Daniels groaned and slowly came to life. Palmer stumbled out of the car while swaying slightly and opened the back door to Milton and Anderson. Ming was obviously distressed and followed close behind Palmer.
“Sheriff, there was someone in the road,” Ming said with mild panic in her voice. “I hit him; I know I hit him.”
Ming pointed toward the other side of her car. Palmer stared at her a moment as if unable to comprehend her words while clutching his bleeding head then hurried past her car. She ran after him. There was dried blood on the hood and the windshield, but there wasn't any sign of anyone on the ground around the car. Palmer uncertainly looked around then under the car. Fei Yen suddenly let out a shrill, loud scream. Palmer and Ming turned toward the car. A badly mangled male zombie was reaching for Fei Yen in her car seat through the open door. Fei Yen frantically attempted to open her seatbelt while screaming. Palmer removed his gun and unsteadily ran toward the zombie.
Milton suddenly appeared from the opposite direction and pulled the zombie from the open door and away from Fei Yen, who continued to scream, but was now free from her car seat and against the opposing door. The zombie spun around, grabbed Milton, and sank his teeth into Milton's throat. Ming and Palmer stood motionless with horror while staring helplessly at what they were witnessing. Anderson yanked Milton away from the zombie, causing blood to erupt from his neck, and fell to the macadam with him. The sound of a gunshot rang out. The zombie's head jerked back as the bullet exploded through his skull. The zombie dropped to the pavement. Daniels stood by the car holding an automatic rifle. Palmer appeared horrified then enraged.
“What the hell? You just killed my suspect!” Palmer shouted at Daniels.
“He was already dead!” Daniels lurched back.
Daniels lowered himself to the ground alongside Anderson to assist him with Milton, but Milton had already bled out. His body jerked and thrashed. Daniels quickly pulled Anderson to his feet and away from Milton. Without warning, Daniels shot Milton in the head. Palmer aimed his gun at Daniels and immediately became enraged.
“Drop the weapon, asshole!”
“They're zombies, Sheriff,” Daniels cried out. “And there's only one way to deal with zombies. Head shot. Remember that and you'll live longer!”
Palmer kept his gun aimed at Daniels, disinterested in what he had to say. “I said drop the weapon!”
Daniels ignored him and turned to the visibly shaken Anderson, who just stared at Milton's nearly exploded head and the blood spilling onto the pavement.
“Get the bag from the car,” Daniels ordered to Anderson then looked back at Palmer.
By the look on the sheriff's face, he was debating whether or not to pull the trigger. In his current state, there was the very real possibility he would.
“They're already dead, Sheriff,” Daniels announced in a more calm tone, possibly to avoid being shot by the cowboy sheriff. “You need to listen to me or the consequences could be disastrous for your little town.”
Palmer appeared distrustful but uncertainly lowered his weapon regardless. Ming lunged for the backseat, removed her crying daughter from the car, and held her in her arms while shielding her from the gruesome sight on the pavement. Anderson hurried for the police cruiser's open trunk. Another zombie suddenly appeared by the rear of the cruiser and attacked Anderson. Anderson cried out while attempting to pry the male zombie off him as he bit him on the shoulder near his neck. Two more zombies appeared from around the back of the cruiser. Daniels fired at them and struck several in the chest and torso. It was obvious he wasn't a very good shot from more than a few feet away. A stray bullet struck Anderson. He immediately dropped. The two zombies pounced on his nearly motionless body.
“You damned idiot! You shot your own man!” Palmer cried out.
The zombies tore the flesh from Anderson's body and devoured him in a feeding frenzy. Palmer stared at the sight with a look of horror on his face.
“Sheriff!” Ming suddenly screamed while pointing toward the woods near his cruiser.
Palmer and Daniels looked in the direction she pointed. Two more zombies appeared from the woods only a few yards from them. Fei Yen saw them and screamed hysterically while clinging to her mother. Sheriff Palmer suddenly snapped out of his daze, appeared alarmed, and wildly waved his gun down the road in the direction of the distant tavern.
“Get to the tavern!” Palmer cried out.
Ming turned and ran along the road with Fei Yen in her arms. Palmer ran after her and looked back at Daniels.
“Come on, you stupid son-of-a-bitch!” Palmer yelled back at Daniels.
Daniels fired at the approaching zombies and missed with nearly every shot. His weapon suddenly jamm
ed. The zombies were closing in on him. As Anderson rose to his feet with that familiar dead look in his eyes, Daniels stared at him and appeared momentarily frozen with fear. Daniels was suddenly grabbed from behind and spun around to face the enraged Sheriff Palmer.
“I said move it!”
Palmer shoved Daniels in the direction of the tavern after Ming. Ming ran as fast as she could with her daughter in her arms. She was obviously getting too big for Ming to carry let alone run with. Palmer and Daniels ran after Ming. The sheriff was surprisingly fast despite the thumping of his cowboy boots on the pavement. Palmer caught up to them, took Fei Yen from Ming without missing a stride, and carried her as they ran. Daniels attempted to keep up with them, but it was obvious he had spent too much time behind a desk in recent years.
†
The tavern was half-filled with trucks parked out front and every interior and exterior light was on. Country music continued to blare from inside. There was no visible sign of Glenn or Herb's bodies. Ming, Daniels, and Palmer, who carried Fei Yen, approached the tavern now at a brisk pace. Ming uncertainly looked at what appeared almost certainly to be a large puddle of blood on the gravel parking lot. A drunken man stumbled past the door. As they approached, they saw it was zombie Stan with blood down his shirt and his intestines dragging in a lengthy trail behind him. Fei Yen screamed. Palmer quickly passed her off to Ming, crouched down slightly, and aimed his gun at the zombie. Zombie Stan turned toward them and snarled.
“Stop right there!”
“Shoot him, Sheriff!” Daniels shouted.
“Shut up! We don't shoot our own!”
The tavern door opened to reveal one of the patrons. Zombie Stan turned toward the man in the doorway, snarled at him, and bared his teeth. The man cried out in horror and slammed the door. The zombie turned back for Palmer. Palmer stared with his gun aimed and debated what to do.
“Sheriff!” Ming cried out.
More zombies appeared throughout the parking lot and descended upon them. Palmer looked at zombie Stan between them and the door then sneered with disgust.
“Ah, hell--”
Palmer straightened, aimed his gun with determination, and shot zombie Stan in the head. The zombie's head snapped back, and he fell to the ground. Daniels ran for the door and attempted to open it. It was locked! Palmer joined him and pounded on it with the butt of his revolver.
“Open this door, you damned yahoos, or I'll shoot it open!” he cried out with anger.
The door opened. All four hurried inside. The half-filled tavern was alive with men and women dancing and drinking. Country music blared from the nearby jukebox. The four stared at the good time being had by the patrons who appeared unaware of the situation outside.
“Listen up!” Palmer called out.
Either no one heard him or they simply didn't care. Palmer turned toward the jukebox and casually shot it. The music stopped and the jukebox smoldered. There were several startled screams from around the room. The sheriff had succeeded in getting their attention. All eyes were now on Palmer.
“I want every door and window shut and bolted--now!” Palmer yelled. Everyone stared at him with surprise but no one moved. “If you yahoos want to live, you'll do it now!”
His words chilled everyone. Wes and Shelly bolted into action and hurried across the tavern in separate directions. Wes ran into the kitchen area behind the bar. There was a loud crash. Wes could be heard yelling. Palmer ran across the tavern and disappeared into the kitchen. The sounds of gunshots echoed throughout the tavern. The room was eerily silent as everyone stared at the kitchen door with anticipation. Palmer returned with Wes, who held his bleeding arm. Daniels hurried toward them and examined Wes' injury. It was clearly a bite wound.
Daniels appeared alarmed and met Palmer's gaze. “This man's been infected.”
“What do you mean infected?” Wes suddenly asked while staring at him with a look of horror.
“In less than an hour you're going to become one of them,” Daniels informed Wes.
“One of them?” Wes suddenly asked. “What are you talking about?”
The crowd chattered softly with confusion and still oblivious to what was happening just outside.
“You were bitten by a zombie,” Daniels informed him then turned to Palmer. “You need to deal with him now.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Palmer demanded with rage showing in his eyes.
“You don't understand, Sheriff. There is no cure,” Daniels proclaimed. “Once you're bit, that's it. You saw what happened to Anderson.”
“I didn't see nothing,” Palmer snapped then turned to Shelly, who jumped at his frightening glare. “I need you to call Rosemary for backup.”
“The phones went down a little while ago,” Shelly nervously informed him. “There's no cell service either.”
Palmer stared at Shelly and appeared oddly calm despite their desperate situation, which was unusual for the sheriff who'd rant endlessly over something as trivial as spilled coffee. This was certainly worse. All things considered, he seemed to be handling the stress rather well. Palmer suddenly turned to Daniels, grabbed him by the shirt collar, and slammed him against the bar. Everyone within the tavern jumped with surprise. Glasses toppled and spilled on top of the bar from the impact. Palmer stared into his eyes with the appearance of a raving lunatic.
“You'd better tell us what the hell is going on around here--and fast, or you're the one I'm going to be shooting, compredes?”
Daniels stared at Palmer with a frightened look. “I can't tell you what I don't know.”
“You're lying,” Palmer lashed out. “I saw that biohazard box you were trying to hide in that bag in my office! I want to know what was in that damned box, and what the hell is happening to my people!”
There would be no messing around with the good sheriff now. No one within the tavern had ever seen this side of him, and there was no telling what he might do.
“It was supposed to be a harmless meteor,” Daniels reluctantly replied with a quiver in his voice while attempting to loosen Palmer's grip on his shirt to no avail. “There was another one just like it found yesterday in a field on the mainland. Our men took it back to the lab to examine it. When they went to take a sample, a toxic gas escaped and sprayed one of the scientists in the face. At first, he seemed okay. An hour later, he attacked and ate his lab partner. Moments after that, his lab partner got back up.”
Palmer loosened his grip on Daniels' shirt. Daniels relaxed and was able to straighten slightly despite the sheriff's death grip on his shirt.
“The toxin within the meteor infected him, and he turned into a zombie. He, in turn, infected his partner when he bit him. We were lucky that the biohazard was confined to the lab. It wasn't until this morning that we learned a second meteor had landed on this island. We were in the process of tracking it down when we heard radio chatter from your police scanner,” Daniels said gently. “You reported three missing people in the area near where we suspected the meteor had landed. We realized one or more people had already been exposed. We came as quickly as we could to track down the meteor and help find the potentially infected people.”
“Why didn't you just say so in the first place?” Palmer demanded and roughly released Daniels.
Daniels attempted to compose himself, but it was obvious Sheriff Palmer's iron fist tactics rattled him. “Things like that tend to alarm even the most rational people and cause mass hysteria. We thought we could handle it quietly ourselves. Besides, would you have believed me?”
“That's beside the point. Consider yourself very lucky I think we need you,” Palmer informed him. “So I suggest you make yourself useful, or I'll find my own use for you.”
Chapter Seventeen
Doc wrapped Styles' lower leg with Colleen assisting him. Stacy and Elise watched from several feet away. Styles was in a lot of pain, remained pale, and sweated profusely. Jetta sat on the arm of a nearby chair and subconsciously rubbed her chilled arms. Styles d
idn't look good. She was reconsidering having taken him directly to the mainland hospital. Doc was a good doctor, but she was concerned that there was something more going on with what she'd heard and witnessed throughout the day. It crossed her mind that Styles may have been exposed to whatever it was the government guys were attempting to conceal.
“You're going to be fine, but we should get you to my office,” Doc said to Styles with a reassuring smile. “I'd like stitch that up and make you more comfortable.”
“If it's all the same, I'd like to rest a few minutes. I'm really weak.”
Doc nodded. Elise looked at everyone and started waving her hand around like a magic wand.
“Okay, everyone back to work,” Elise commanded.
Everyone scattered as if by magic. Stacy and Elise returned to the front desk. Jetta uncertainly stood and followed Doc across the lobby.
“Maybe I should fly him to the mainland hospital,” Jetta suggested softly to Doc. “I can run back to the hanger for my helicopter. I have more than enough fuel.”
Doc offered a gentle smile and patted her arm. “He's going to be fine, Jetta. I gave him the good painkillers and started him on antibiotics.”
Jetta smiled weakly and nodded. She still wasn't completely convinced. As Doc joined Elise and Stacy at the front desk, Jetta returned to Styles. Carter and Bishop appeared from the elevator and hurried toward the deputy on the sofa.
“I just heard,” Carter said to Styles. “Is it true that Barb attacked you?”
“It's true. She came at me like a wild animal. It all happened so fast.”
“You just rest. I'll have Tyler bring you a drink,” Carter announced with a reassuring smile.
“Thanks, Carter.”
Carter glanced at Jetta and grinned while shaking his head. “Looks like you're now our medevac as well, huh?”
“Yeah, looks that way,” Jetta said with a sigh then looked around the lobby. “Could someone give me a ride back to my place? I'd like to check on Hunter.”
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