The Rectify Series (Book 3): Rectify 3

by Druga, Jacqueline

  “Guys,” Ella interjected. “The longer we sit here and debate, the more that arrive. Can you just tell me what you need and I can go get the items?”

  “No.” Tom shook his head. “I want to go in and get my stuff.”

  “Okay,” Ella nodded. “Then we stick to the plan. I go out there.”

  “Oh, can I try?” Rhonda asked. “If they don’t attack me, two of us could clear a path faster.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Ella said.

  “No!” James barked. “It’s not. It’s insane. She just gave birth, she has a child that needs her and she already has rotting flesh on her legs, and I can’t chance them getting worse before I operate.”

  “That was rude,” Ella said to him. “Bringing up her rotting flesh.”

  “What?” James blasted, confused.

  “Can you really see it?” Rhonda asked. “I mean how noticeable is it?”

  “Really?” James snapped. “You’re being vain right now?”

  “Okay. Stop.” Tom held up his hand. “Enough about the rotting flesh. And ... no, Rhonda, it’s only noticeable when someone mentions it.” He looked at James.

  “Gee thanks,” James said.

  “Back to the plan,” Tom said. “As good of a plan as it is, Ella I don’t think you’re strong enough to take more than one or two. This isn’t the movies. Taking them out isn’t easy or fast. Our best bet is for me to go to the back of the truck. Cause some noise and get their attention, James drives and pied pipers the truck far away from the house for me to make a run for it.”

  “You?” Ella asked. “What about me?”

  “I want to do this alone. You risked enough already,” Tom told her.

  “I like that idea.” James replied.

  “I still think I should try,” Rhonda said. “I need to know if I am the same as Ella.”

  “They’ll be plenty of enough time for that,” James said. “I think … whoa … wait,” he reached for but missed Ella when she passed him. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m driving. You get to the back of the truck,” she said. “Tom wants to go in there alone. We need to give them a reason to follow us. If Tom is the distraction and he gets out, they won’t follow us. If you’re hanging out the back of the truck … they will.” She sat down and started the truck. “Hey, Major Tom. Slight change,” Ella said. “I’m gonna back up and pull away from the house. Far enough to let you out to wait and watch, and far enough time for James to safely get out and get in the back. I will swing back around, get the diversion started and drive slow enough so they follow us. Radio when you have what you need.”

  “Roger that,” Tom replied.

  With a jerk of the vehicle, Ella pulled quickly from the front of the house. The Codies knew the truck moved to fast for them, they reached but only one or two bothered to try to follow. Once a good two hundred feet away, and with minimal Codies nearby, she stopped.

  Tom gave her a nod of thanks and then got out.

  He looked both ways as if darting traffic and raced across the road.

  James opened his door and paused before getting out. “For the record, I wasn’t being rude. I was stating fact. And worrying about appearance, it’s a little unwarranted to be so petty in the apocalypse. That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll go make some noise now.” He jumped from the truck and shut the door.

  “Am I being petty?” Rhonda asked.

  “Not at all.” Once Ella knew James was in the back. She initiated the plan, heading back to Tom’s barrack house to start the distraction.

  ◆◆◆

  Even for as great of physical shape that she was in, Ella’s foot cramped from keeping a steady, even amount of pressure on the gas pedal to move the truck at a constant seven miles per hour for nearly thirty minutes. That was how long it took Tom to get in his place and get what he needed. It seemed so long that Rhonda even radioed him to make sure he was alright.

  He was. He said he was taking care of things.

  When they returned to get him, he carried two large duffel bags, tossed them in the back and got in the front of the truck. His demeanor seemed different to Ella, if possible, he was quieter and more reserved.

  Something had occurred in there, she wasn’t going to ask him, but he volunteered the information.

  “A couple of my men had turned,” he told them. “I had to rectify.”

  “Were they bit?” James asked. “Scratched.”

  Tom shook his head. “No. I couldn’t see any marks.”

  “You don’t think?” Ella lifted her eyes to the rearview mirror. “They were maybe, like Bradly and they woke up as Codies, do you?”

  Tom looked over his shoulder to the back seat where Bradly was with James and Rhonda. He was unconscious but propped into a sitting position with his head against the window. “No,” Tom said. “There were two of my men like Bradly. Why didn’t they get up if that was the case? Besides, why would the vaccine turn them?”

  “This whole thing,” James said. “Started somewhere, somehow with a virus. A virus that infected someone, and they were then able to spread it with a bite or scratch. But we also know that the virus they carried could be caught by sharing needles, sexual contact, just like any other bloodborne virus. To make a successful immunization, often times it is made with a virus like polio. This could have been made with the virus.”

  “Which …” Tom said. “Would explain Ella’s invisibility to them. She has the virus. In a sense, to them, she’s one of them.”

  James nodded.

  “Can you check?” Tom asked. “Can you do a blood sample from Ella and see if she has the virus.”

  James laughed.

  “What?” Tom asked. “Why is that funny?”

  “Because I am an ER doctor. I’m not a virologist or epidemiologist, I haven’t a clue what I am looking at under a microscope. Maybe if I knew what the virus looked like I could try, but then, any of you could do it also.”

  “So, we’ll never really know?” Tom asked.

  “If we confirm Rhonda’s the same,” James said. “Then we factor in the common denominator. They both were bit, they both were infected, and they both were given the vaccine and it cured them. If Rhonda has invisibility, then it’s safe to say they still have the virus in them.”

  “Are we contagious?” Ella asked. “I mean, if we have it in us, then we may be contagious.”

  “I wouldn’t rule that out,” James replied. “It’s not airborne, it’s blood born. Chances are, if you have it in you, no matter how it is working on you, you’re probably contagious.”

  “Which means,” Rhonda spoke up. “I have to keep bottle feeding the baby. I can’t breastfeed. I can’t take that chance.”

  Her concern was acknowledged, and before going to James’ house, they stopped to get more formula and bottles.

  There was a certain point in their travels where everything changed.

  Even though they were still in the larger populated suburbs, there were very few Codies.

  “We took care of areas outside the city,” Tom explained. “More so than inner city. There was just too much danger to the teams going out to clear the streets. Folks like James rarely ran into them. If they did, there was maybe one or two.”

  “That’s how I knew something was up,” James said. “When I woke up and saw the Codies on our street, I knew something went south.”

  They made it to James’ neighborhood pretty effortlessly after a pharmacy stop for formula. He lived in an area south of the city and in a housing plan that wasn’t new. It was probably decades old. The trees had a chance to grew tall and thick, the streets were perfectly paved, the houses were all similar, large and bulky, too much so for each lot. The homes had very little in the form of front yards.

  James’ house was a storybook white one. A cross between a ranch and split level. It had a sense of eloquence to it. A flower lined path that led to the house. Double red doors were at center of the home, and the first floor windows were all easily acc
essible to any burglar who wanted to take a chance on his house. Ella knew instantly upon seeing it why Tom was able to peek inside and see James that morning passed out on the couch.

  There was a basketball hoop above the garage in the double wide driveway, but they didn’t pull in there. They just pulled in front.

  James handed Ella the keys. “Why don’t you open the front door, and I’ll help Tom carry Bradly. Get Baby Rodney inside.”

  Ella nodded, took the keys and shut down the truck.

  “Wait,” Tom called out. “Let me go check the house.”

  “Why don’t I go check the house to make sure,” Ella said. “You can get Bradly ready.”

  “I’d really rather it be me,” Tom retorted.

  “Why does it matter?” Ella snapped. “You. Me. One of us.”

  “Me,” Tom said.

  “Is this some kind of macho, male thing.”

  “Yeah,” Tom said. “It is. Sorry. Chivalry is not dead in my book. I don’t think a woman should have to put herself in danger.”

  Ella laughed a loud, single scoff. “A woman.”

  “Hey!” Rhonda snapped. “Guys, this isn’t important. Let’s all just get out of the truck. Get air. I don’t think Codies are in the house, the door is shut. Let’s just go.”

  Ella smiled smug and opened her door. “I agree. Thank you, Rhonda.”

  She stepped out. James was right after her.

  Just as she rounded the front of the truck, Ella stopped when she heard the call of his name.

  A female, a cheerful voice, laced with a bit of relief.

  “Doctor Ung. Hey, Doctor Ung.”

  “Shit,” James whispered right behind Ella.

  Ella raised an eyebrow and looked to him. She then looked to the direction of the voice.

  Two doors up and across the street, a woman stood on the edge of her lawn waving. A thicker woman, not heavy or fat, just thick. If it hadn’t been for her breasts, Ella wouldn’t have known it was a woman. She had short, curly dark hair and wore blue, dickie workpants and a blue tee shirt. She was in her thirties, and she waved her arm high in the air, back and forth.

  “Doctor Ung. Hey!” she yelled again.

  From the front door of the house a man emerged. He wore a short sleeve dress shirt and vest with a pair of Cargo shorts. His dark blonde, Prince Valiant styled hair came to his chin, and he kept his hands in the front pockets of his pants as he stayed on the porch.

  “Shit,” James repeated. “Just wave and hurry to the house.”

  “Why?” Ella asked.

  “They’re annoying.”

  “They’re alive and survivors in an extinction level event,” Ella said.

  “Again, ignore them. You’ll thank me.”

  Ella shook her head. “Now who’s being petty in an apocalypse.” She tossed the keys to Rhonda and headed toward the couple.

  As she made her way across the street, Ella was surprised when James walked straight to his house with Rhonda. Tom, however, stood by the truck watching.

  “Hello,” Ella said, extending her hand to the woman. “I’m Ella.”

  “Ella.” With a firm grip, she shook Ella’s hand. “I’m Paula, that’s my husband Don.”

  Ella lifted her hand in a wave to Don. “I am so happy to see—”

  “Is Doctor Ung, okay?” Paula asked, cutting off Ella. “He just hurried into his house. Or did he have to use the bathroom?”

  “We have a baby with us and a sick man in the truck, he just—”

  “Wanted to take care of them,” Paula said. “He’s a good man. He helped me many times. Didn’t he Don?” she hollered back.

  “Didn’t he do what?” Don asked.

  “Doctor Ung. He helped me lots.”

  “Oh, yeah, lots.”

  “Whenever I needed anything. He would answer the door,” Paula said. “I’m so glad to see he is alright and alive. I was worried.”

  “I’ll tell him,” Ella said.

  “Good and invite him over for dinner. I’m sure he isn’t eating or has time to make food. You know, being busy rescuing you all. That is what he did. He rescued you and brought you to his house, right?” Paula asked.

  “In a sense,” Ella answered. “Okay, maybe not the soldier over—”

  “Can you tell him to come to dinner?” Paula asked. “I mean, all of you are invited. We have plenty. We went to the food bank to stock up. I work there. Well, volunteer. Technically you can’t work there. There is a lot of food there.”

  “I’ll tell him.”

  “You know what?” Paula waved out her hand. “We’ll bring it over. With the sick person and the baby, we’ll bring food to you.”

  “That would be nice. Thank you.”

  “We’d be nice to the whole neighborhood, but no one is around,” Paula said.

  “They’re around,” Don shouted from the back, still holding steady in his same position. “They’re just unconscious.”

  Paula nodded. “They are. We checked. When we woke yesterday things were weird. I went to the food bank. No one came. At all. Then when I came home, we knocked on doors. Even ... even went into a couple house. Nothing. Everyone is sick or out of it.”

  Ella nodded. “It’s the immunization that caused some sort of reaction. You didn’t take it?”

  Paula shook her head. “No. We were given it, but we’re anti-vaxxers.”

  “Oh, so you have children,” Ella said.

  “No, why would you say that?” Paula asked.

  “Usually, anti-vaxxers have kids. They are against immunizing them, so they are anti-vaxxers.”

  “No, not really.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll go tell him. Nice to meet you.” Ella quickly turned and headed across the street.

  “Seven,” Paula yelled. “We’ll be by then.”

  Ella lifted her hand to acknowledge and approached Tom.

  “What did they say?” Tom asked.

  “They’re bringing dinner.” Ella kept walking and went straight into James’ house.

  TEN - PREPLAN

  Tom was going to eat that orange before it went bad. Who knew when he’d ever get another orange again. It was already getting tender spots from the heat.

  He leaned with his back against the far counter in the spacious kitchen, taking in all the activities around him. The baby cried in the other room and Rhonda tried to sooth him. It wasn’t working.

  Perhaps it was because between James and Ella there wasn’t any quiet in the house.

  Ella fiddled with the radio but was by no means quiet. She’d try the radio, fail, hit it, swear, pour some alcohol into a glass, down it and repeat.

  James, after situating Bradly in the den, paced the kitchen, seemingly more concerned with the fact that his neighbors said they were coming over than anything Ella told him about the men on the radio.

  It hadn’t been long, but since Tom missed television, it was reality entertainment before him.

  “Why?” James asked. “I mean, you met them, so you know.”

  “I know I need to get this radio working.”

  “Do you know how to fix it?”

  Ella shook her head. “Haven’t a clue. It worked at the field hospital, it has to work here. We need to get in touch with Grant.”

  “We need to stop my neighbors from coming over.”

  Ella slammed her hand on the counter. “Why? Who cares?” she lifted her drink.

  “Maybe those of us sober.”

  She downed her drink. “Maybe.” She played with the radio. “Look all I know is we are sorely outnumbered against the Codies. They’re alive. They survived. They’re people. Every life is important. Like them or not, we’re all in this together. Do you think I like everyone at Sanctum?”

  “I really didn’t think about it,” James said.

  “I don’t. Half of them I don’t bother with. But I still do what I can. It’s my part. Just like it’s your part to accept your neighbors. If we join with Sanctum, rescue them, then that’s more of a
crowd they can get lost in.”

  “Do you think …” Tom peeled his orange. “Maybe the radio works. The light is on. Maybe no one is responding or talking. Maybe Grant’s battery died. Who knows? You’re their runner, right? No one is running out for batteries now. My advice is to stop beating it and messing with it, leave it on and wait.”

  Ella sighed out and walked over to him, taking a piece of his freshly peeled orange. “I’ll do that.”

  “Wait.” James held up his hand. “We talked about rescuing Sanctum. Do we know what we’re doing after the rescue? I mean that’s a hundred people.”

  “That’s a valid question,” Tom said.

  “And I don’t have a valid answer,” said Ella. “I mean, yeah, we can all move into a neighborhood, but still, we’re gonna be a beacon for the Codies. That’s why Sanctum is so surrounded. We’ll need to find a place to go. Far away, maybe removed. Who knows?”

  “What about this guy on the radio?” James asked. “Did he say where he was.”

  “He’s safe,” Ella said. “He was far too calm and laid back. He’s somewhere with people. But he wasn’t saying. I don’t blame him. He doesn’t trust us. If I had a good, safe place, I wouldn’t announce it either.”

  “We can think of a place,” Tom said. “Transport and food are the problem for a hundred people.”

  “Well …” Ella tilted her head. “An idea from Paula, we stock up. We hit the stores or food banks. We get the food. I would assume there are resources out there right now. All of that is a moot point unless we come up with a way to rescue a hundred people.”

  “Where on the South Side are they?” Tom asked.

  “You don’t know?” Ella asked.

  Tom shook his head. “We knew of Sanctum. I’m sure someone knew where they were. I don’t.”

  “If I had a map, I could show you.”

  Tom briefly turned his back to her. “Will these work?” he extended his hand and dropped a small stack of pamphlets before her. “Tourist maps. I was thinking they might come in handy.”

  James looked at him. ‘Where did you get tourist maps?”

  “In your junk drawer,” Tom answered.

  “I have a junk drawer?”

  “Everyone has a junk drawer,” Ella said.