“Stay put,” Dan told the girls.
In spite of the man’s words, he still didn’t trust him. It was possible Reginald had another weapon on him.
Dan rolled the driver’s side window back up and felt for the door handle. Then he opened the door and propped his gun through the crack.
“Keep your hands in the air,” he called out.
Reginald remained in place, obedient. Dan swung his feet onto the asphalt and slowly exited the vehicle, keeping his pistol trained in front of him. As he advanced, he heard the man chuckling.
“What’s so funny?” Dan asked.
“It’s just ironic. Even at the end of the world, some things never change.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Doesn’t this feel like déjà vu, Officer Lowery? This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this situation, you and I. We’ve got a lot of history together.”
“All I’m looking for is my car.”
“How many times have we done this dance? Three?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Sure you do. You were the one responsible for sending me to prison for the first time. Back in 2008.”
“I was just doing my job.”
“And I appreciate it. I learned a lot while I was locked up, and I have you to thank for it. In a lot of ways, you’re the reason I’m still alive.”
Dan’s eyes wandered to Charlie’s body, and he shook his head. Had the man lost his mind?
“You’re delusional, Reginald.”
“No, I’m not. But I’m a lot smarter now that I was then.”
Without another word, Reginald whistled into the air. Dan furrowed his brow, still unsure of the man’s intentions.
A second later he understood.
Three men with guns had appeared from behind the red shack. They crept through the dirt, advancing toward the fence, and trained their rifles at Dan and the vehicle.
Reginald turned and smiled. “Got you this time, pig.”
Dan lay facedown in the shack, his mouth tasting dirt and grime. He’d been stripped of his weapon, and his hands and feet were bound. The girls were tied up next to him.
Quinn was whimpering. She’d originally been screaming, but the men had placed a gag in her mouth to silence her. The sound of his daughter struggling made him sick to his stomach.
“It’s OK, honey,” he said, his words were shaky and uncertain.
For the last ten minutes he’d been struggling with his bindings, attempting to wriggle free, but the ropes had held firm. Dan was hopelessly contained.
The shack that they were being kept in was small—no more than fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet across. The walls were made of natural oak; the interior was little more than a frame. Aside from the three of them, there was nothing else in the room that Dan could see, nothing that could offer them assistance.
He turned to his left to face Sandy. Her face was streaked with tears. Even though she’d begged and protested, her former comrades had insisted on tying her up, insisting that she could no longer be trusted.
“Any idea where they went?”
She shook her head.
On the way in, Dan had gotten a better view of the lumberyard. Just past the guard shack was a large warehouse where most of the lumber was stored, beyond it a rectangular structure with gray vinyl siding. He assumed the group was holing up in the latter building.
Even though Reginald had kept them alive, Dan was hesitant to believe they’d be kept that way. After what Reginald had done to Charlie, it was obvious he’d snapped.
The only thing he needed Dan for now was information.
Dan opened his mouth to ask Sandy another question, but before he could, footsteps sounded from outside. The men were returning. He turned his head away from Sandy and focused at the wall in front of him. The men hadn’t injured them yet.
The last thing he needed was to give them an excuse.
There were three voices in earshot, and Dan instantly recognized one of them as Reginald’s.
“We’ll keep them in there until we get what we want.”
“I don’t like this one bit, Reginald. Why don’t we just send them on their way?”
“The cop has information that can keep us safe.”
“What if somebody’s looking for him?”
“We’re in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse. Don’t worry about it.”
The voices hushed as the footsteps grew closer. Dan heard the creak of a door, and then the three men were inside with them. He kept his eyes glued to the wall. A second later he felt a sharp pain in his side; someone had kicked his ribs. The blow knocked the wind out of him, and he coughed and spat on the floor.
He heard the floorboards creak, and then he saw the bridge of Reginald’s nose as he leaned down beside him.
“How’s it going down there, Dan? It doesn’t feel so good when the shoe’s on the other foot, does it?”
The other men in the room chuckled. Dan craned his neck, but could make out only several blurry figures. His gaze wandered back to Reginald. The man sneered at him, eyes dark and penetrating.
“I’ve told the group all about you. It’s obvious you have something to do with this—the food in your car proves it. Everyone agreed that we should do what’s necessary to protect ourselves.”
“I have nothing to do with the infection, Reginald.”
“Funny, that’s not what you said before.”
The other men in the room murmured.
“What are you talking about?”
Reginald continued.
“I know you’re behind this. You’re going to tell us how to survive this thing, and I’m going to take every measure I can to get you to talk.”
“I have nothing to do with this. I’m a goddamn police officer, for Christ’s sake. Do these men know about your past, Reginald? Do they know what kind of man you are? You just killed one of your own in cold blood!”
He strained his head again, wishing he could make eye contact with the men behind him. He tried rolling over, but Reginald held him down.
“We’ve all made mistakes. I’ve told these men that. Shooting Charlie was an accident. I saw a strange car and a hooded man at the gate that I didn’t recognize. I acted on instinct. I feel bad about what happened, but all I can do is move forward.”
“You knew exactly who he was. You’re a goddamn murderer.”
“And what does that make you, Dan? You’re responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, and you’re putting our entire group in danger by being here. You’re going to tell us what we need to know, and then we’re going to make sure that you can’t hurt anyone else.”
Quinn cried out, but her words died in the gag. Dan looked over at her. His heart was pounding, and he was fighting from welling up.
“I’m going to make you a deal, Dan. You tell us what we need to know—everything—and we’ll let your daughter live.”
Clearly the man was manipulating the situation, and he’d convinced his comrades that Dan was a threat.
Dan kept his eyes locked on his daughter’s, refusing to look at the man. After everything that they’d been through, everything they’d survived, he couldn’t help but feel that this was the end of the line.
With his hands and feet bound, there was nothing he could do to save himself, no action he could take to remedy the situation. All he could do was to try and save his daughter.
Reginald glared at him, still waiting for an answer. Finally Dan responded.
“Deal.”
17
Dr. Steadman dashed between the examination rooms, Meredith on his heels. Despite putting some distance between themselves and the front entrance, Meredith could still hear the incessant pounding of hands on the wood, and the sounds kept her nerves on edge.
The doctor began to hand her equipment, and she took it with open arms, glad she’d been able to spur him into action. After searching through several drawers and cabinets, the man pulled out a blac
k leather bag and handed it to her.
“Dump everything in here,” he said.
She complied, filling the bag with the sutures, needles, and bandages. When the bag was full, the doctor took it from her and slung it over his arm.
“We need to get out of here. There’s an entrance on the side of the building; hopefully we can sneak outside. Provided those things haven’t surrounded the building, of course.”
Meredith nodded. Before proceeding, the doctor looked her in the eye.
“I was afraid, Meredith. I thought I was the only one left. I’m so glad you showed up.”
“Me too.”
“Thank you for coming; I’m not sure what I would’ve done otherwise.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Now let’s get out of here. We need to get to John. Depending on how much blood he’s lost, he might be in trouble. Follow me.”
Meredith retrieved the rifle from the ground and followed him as he made his way out of the examination room. The doctor led her down a back hallway, then into a supply room filled with prescription samples and equipment. She’d been in the office several times, but never back this far.
At the other end of the room was a door with several latches. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. The doctor groped at a metal chain at the top, preparing to slide it out of the lock.
“Ready?” he asked.
She swallowed and held up the rifle. “Yep. I’ll lead the way.”
“I’m going to leave it open a few inches—that way if things get bad we’ll have a way back in.”
Meredith nodded. The doctor unlocked the door and swung it open. A wide sliver of daylight crept through the crack, illuminating the floor. Before she knew it Meredith was outside, her feet pounding the pavement.
The closest building was about fifty feet away, buffered by a row of neatly trimmed hedges. In front of her was a paved parking lot leading to the front. The creatures had started to trickle around the building toward them. She hoisted her gun under arm, mentally counting the bullets. If she recalled correctly, there were only a few rounds left.
Once the bullets were gone, things would get even worse.
The doctor ran behind her, his breath coming in spurts. Several times she glanced back, certain that he’d be yanked away by one of the creatures, but each time he was still there, unharmed.
Within seconds they’d covered the ground between the side of the building and the front—about twenty feet or so, and they were approaching the edge of the wall. Meredith could see the tail end of the pickup, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.
Had the things gotten to John?
She’d locked the doors and closed the windows before exiting, and he’d barely been conscious. Were the creatures attracted to movement? If so, there was a good chance he was safe; at the same time, everything about the infected was unknown.
If something happened to him she’d never forgive herself.
“Meredith! Watch out!”
One of the creatures careened toward her. She felt for the trigger of the rifle, but at the last second, she decided better of it.
She needed to preserve her ammunition.
Meredith rotated the rifle in her hands and swung it like a bat. Her weapon connected with the thing’s head, sending it reeling to the pavement.
Before she could catch her breath, another had taken its place. She reared the rifle back for another blow and swung, catching it with the wooden stock.
The doctor had paused behind her, and she spun to ensure he was uninjured. He gave her a hurried nod to proceed.
A few steps later the truck was in full view. To Meredith’s relief, the bulk of the creatures had congregated at the office doors, and though a few were lurking near the pickup, none had found their way inside. John’s slumped figure remained in the passenger’s seat, oblivious to the chaos around him.
“Hurry, doc!” she cried.
Having taken care of the two closest creatures, Meredith had created an opening to the truck. If they ran fast enough, there was a chance they’d make it to the pickup without another encounter.
She increased her speed. They’d almost reached the bed of the truck when she heard the man behind her falter. She spun in time to see his legs go out from under him, his face crack the pavement. His glasses burst on his face, scattering shards on the ground around him. He’d lost the bag he was carrying and it skittered to a stop next to Meredith’s feet.
“Get up!” she shrieked.
The doctor groaned, but his cries were quickly drowned out by the moans of the creatures.
When Meredith looked left, she saw that the swarm at the front door had broken formation. One by one the things were plowing toward the doctor. It was as if they’d been waiting for the right moment to strike, and they’d chosen this exact moment to do so.
Meredith lunged for the man’s arm, hoping to pull him up, but one of the things had already reached his lower half, and it tugged on his legs and pulled him out of her grasp. She raised her rifle and fired a round. The bullet found its mark, but she was too late—others had already flooded the scene; within seconds the doctor was overwhelmed.
The man screamed in agony as his body was torn apart, blood oozing from tears and lacerations in his midsection. Meredith bit back her tears and cast a look back at the truck.
There was nothing she could do to help the man, but John still needed her. And if she were to give up now, everything she’d done would have been in vain.
The leather bag sat at her feet. She snagged it from the ground, swung it over her shoulder, and weaved around several of the lunging creatures, working her way toward the truck.
When she reached it, she flung open the door and jumped inside.
As she backed the pickup out of the parking lot, a landscape now filled with the infected, she tried to locate out the body of Dr. Steadman. The place where he’d fallen was covered in moving limbs; his body swallowed whole in the wake of the creatures.
It was as if he’d never existed at all.
“Where are we?” John asked.
He blinked his eyes slowly at Meredith, as if he were seeing her for the first time. All around them were numbered wooden posts, with grass creeping up to fill the spaces between. Directly in front of the pickup was a gigantic rectangular screen. The sides were curled and cracked, the surface marred with age.
“We’re at the drive in,” Meredith said.
John wrinkled his brow, confused. Given what he’d just been through, Meredith was glad to see him awake. It was no wonder that he couldn’t remember.
In Meredith’s hands was the black leather bag from the doctor’s office. The contents were spread over her lap, and her gloved fingers were still covered in John’s blood. She’d never stitched a wound before, but she did know how to sew, and after looking over the contents of the doctor’s bag, she’d done her best to clean and suture the wound.
A few minutes into the procedure John had passed out from the pain. Now, fifteen minutes after she’d finished, he’d regained consciousness.
She slipped off the rubber gloves and tossed them out the open window. Then she set the bag down on the floor below her and reached for his hand. He took it, locking her fingers into his.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” he said, inspecting the bandage on his leg.
“Me neither. I just hope it holds. How are you feeling?”
She could see that John was wincing.
“I’ve been better,” he admitted, fiddling with the bandage on his leg.
“Leave it alone. It’ll need time to heal.”
Although she wasn’t a doctor, Meredith impressed by the job she’d done. At the same time, she wanted to have John inspected by a professional. That was the only way to ensure he’d been treated properly.
Still, the bleeding had stopped and John was alive. And for that she was grateful.
She gazed up at the screen, recalling the many times she’d been here
during childhood. The drive-in had been closed for almost fifteen years, but she’d had plenty of good memories here. At one time, the Settler’s Creek Theater had been the largest attraction for miles, drawing in crowds from all the neighboring towns.
Now the area was overgrown, lifeless.
She let her eyes wander to the sky. In the time they’d been there, dusk had settled over the field and the stars had started to emerge. She followed the spatter of lights, her eyes settling on the largest. As a child, she’d always had an interest in astronomy, and she recognized it as the North Star. Regardless of how the earth was spinning, it was the one light in the sky that never seemed to move.
Despite the horrors that were happening to the world below it, the star remained untouched. The sight of it gave her a feeling of warmth that she hadn’t felt in a while.
“I’ve never been to the drive-in,” John said. “Can you believe that?”
“You have now.”
Meredith smiled at him, squeezing his hand.
“I’m not sure this qualifies,” he said. “Something’s missing.”
“Popcorn?”
“That must be it.”
“I thought you were going to ask where the movie was.”
“I don’t need a movie, Meredith,” he said. “All I need is you.”
John leaned over, still grimacing, and kissed her on the lips.
“I missed you, Meredith.”
She smiled. Although circumstances had uncovered buried feelings, she couldn’t forget the hurt that John had put her though.
But there would be time for that later. Or so she hoped.
“I missed you too,” she said.
The two gazed up into the sky, and for the next few minutes, the rest of the world was forgotten.
18
“The people responsible call themselves the agents,” Dan said.
The three men sat in front of him in wooden chairs, their eyes glued to his, all giving their undivided attention. Although it was unclear whether they believe him, it was obvious that Dan had captured their attention. The men listened without a word as he recounted his story.
He spoke of the attack by his former partner Howard, the raid at the salvage yard, and the information they’d gleaned from the fallen agent. He also told them about how he thought they might be immune, though he couldn’t be sure.
Contamination (Book 4): Escape Page 10
