The Dead Years (Volume 9)

by Jeff Olah

  Taking ahold of Megan’s arm he said, “You’re yelling right into his face. How do you know he won’t wake up? How’d you know this would happen?”

  Sliding the wooden box next to the chair, Megan turned it sideways, dumping the remaining contents on the floor and stepped on top next to Sean. She rapped against the metal bars with the hammer, attempting to gain an audible advantage. Only inches from the semi-conscious man as he began to twitch, she continued her assault on the security bars. First his left hand, tied to the chair, pulled against the opposing force. Next his eyelids opened and closed numerous times as he muttered something incoherent and Megan felt her heart accelerate to twice its normal rate.

  Adrenaline escaped through every vessel in her body, constricting her thoughts as the woman they hadn’t seen since their first night in this hole walked out onto the porch in nothing more than a deeply saturated t-shirt. The filth obscuring her facial features ran a close second to the deranged movements with which she stepped. One or both legs were severely damaged and as she moved down the steps toward the long dirt road, she only looked over once.

  Megan continued her barrage of words as the man within striking distance slid his legs to his chest and opened his eyes. The woman began to move more quickly away from the house as Megan forced the hammer through the opening. She swung furiously at the man who began pulling away and upended the chair her brother was pinning to the floor.

  Sean rolled to the concrete and slowly backed to the opposite wall as his sister used what little strength was left in her wrecked body to convince the woman to help. Megan watched in frustration as the woman disappeared into the field, twenty feet from where they remained captive. Stepping from the box to the floor, she realized what she’d missed. The man had initially come to end this game of cat and mouse. The evidence sat just outside her reach.

  She hadn’t initially noticed the weapon he brought from the house, although she now realized her mistake. He didn’t come to throw a bucket of hot water on them. He came to kill them and rising to his feet, most likely would.

  His first three shots, still not completely lucid, tore into the ground near the opening with one ricocheting off the security bars as Megan moved away from the opening. From one knee he blasted an additional four rounds into the opening, one grazing Megan’s left hip as the others lodged in the far wall. The handgun still warm to the touch and the trail of translucent smoke fading, he leaned into the broken window. “Say your goodbyes.”

  Seconds after moving away from the window, he could be heard cursing at the task of reopening the locked cellar doors. Megan ran to her brother who’d since left this reality and sat against the rear wall, unable to acknowledge his sister’s orders. She was able to drag him only a few feet back into the cellar before it happened. The doors exploded open and bounced against the concrete footings on either side.

  He stood atop the staircase with the weapon trained on the siblings. He didn’t speak as the first deliberate step didn’t come for a full ten seconds. Was he savoring the moment or was he still too light-headed to descend the steps? It didn’t matter; Megan knew they didn’t have a way out. This was it.

  The second step came as he was pushed from behind. He came down hard, striking the staircase as his oversized frame buckled and the wood bellowed under the pressure. He took three hard blows as his body came to rest between the last step and the siblings. Megan forced her brother around the man and toward the foot of the stairs; although she was caught from behind as Sean found his way to the dropped nine millimeter.

  As Megan struggled to free herself, the woman at the entrance to the cellar who’d come back to help drifted out of sight and her shadow lifted into the afternoon air. Megan called out only to be kicked from behind and thrown to the floor. He pulled her in close and she answered with an elbow to his larynx. His gasps for air labored, and as he released one hand to clutch his throat, Megan pushed away only to be met with a right hook so powerful that she left her feet for a brief moment. Collapsing to the ground, and losing sensation along the left side of her face, Megan pushed away from her attacker. He moved in and knelt over her torso, pinning both arms to the concrete.

  The beast sitting atop his sister wrapped his meaty hands around her neck and turned with a grin to Sean. “Well,” he said. “I guess you’re gonna get to see her die after all.”

  Barely able to force a whimper, Megan’s voice cracked as she began to slip from this world. “Sean shoot him… please.”

  “Sorry, but your little brother doesn’t have it in him. Don’t worry though, he’s next.”

  Sean raised the weapon and attempted to steady himself as he pushed back every emotion that restricted what he needed to do.

  Megan struggled to draw another breath as she began to slip away. “Go ahead son, but you’re too late to help her.”

  Ending a life, no matter the reason, wasn’t something he was ever willing to do. He wasn’t who he needed to be. Sean knew the necessary action wasn’t inside him, it never was. He’d have to allow this man to kill his sister and then himself. But that was before… before hell implanted itself squarely in the middle of his life.

  Without saying a word, Sean took a step forward and emptied the weapon into the man three feet away.

  13

  The weathered eucalyptus folding chair and hand woven blanket Eleanor brought from home afforded her a small slice of comfort and Savannah was more than happy to spend the afternoon in her company. The memories too raw, the pain still too new, although the silence they shared was special if not absolutely necessary. The two, although generations apart and holding vastly different life experiences, began to bond in their newfound alliance. Eleanor was aware, if only for a short time, that this day would almost certainly come and having Savannah at her side lessened the impact.

  The pair sat at the family gravesite, Eleanor in the chair and Savannah at her side, both content in the moment. Eyes closed and allowing the sun to wash over them, they faced the Western skyline, Savannah holding tight to Eleanor’s trembling hand. Savannah wanted to say something… anything to comfort the woman who’d lost her entire family, although she realized it wasn’t about what she needed or wanted.

  Her calm focus interrupted by the momentary fade of the warm sunlight, Savannah shielded her eyes and squinted across the courtyard as Randy continued his afternoon rounds. He gave a quick nod, acknowledging the moment and held up an index finger indicating he’d be back shortly. She sighed and leaned into Eleanor as a single tear ran down her new friend’s face.

  For the first time in days, Eleanor broke her silence and spoke, if only to let go of the plagued memories of her family’s final hours. She released a labored breath, eased back in her chair and blotted the moisture from her eyes. Her recollection began the night prior to the infection being released into the population. She remembered the exact moment she’d seen the change in her husband.

  “April sat across the room only half listening to the reasons I gave for her and Mason to put their differences aside and give their marriage a chance. When she wasn’t checking her phone or using the laundry as an excuse, her attempt to pacify my requests became comical. At one point I asked her what she thought of my new handbag and her response nearly had me in tears.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said it was nice, while tapping away at her phone. Only problem was… I’d left my purse in the car and it was at least a year old. Her attention was obviously elsewhere and as I began to laugh, Richard walked back through the front door, the look on his face like nothing I’d ever seen. It wasn’t frustration or anger; this was something I couldn’t initially place. He looked into the room and asked that I be ready to go and disappeared upstairs to talk with Justin privately before we left. I asked what was troubling him and all he would tell me at the time was that he needed to get to Blackmore first thing in the morning.”

  “So he knew what was happening before you left?” Savannah asked.

  �
�No, not initially. I later found out he knew that these types of attacks were taking place in other parts of the world and that while he had been notified, it wasn’t until later that night and into the next morning that he saw the whole picture. By midnight as we were packing up, his phone began to ring with one call after another. He explained that one of the high level projects he’d been in charge of had taken a dramatic turn and that we may not be able to return home for quite some time. His mood quickly changed and he almost looked panicked as we finally backed out of the driveway. He spray-painted the word Blackmore across the garage door and as we left the city he drove more erratic than I’d ever seen.”

  “Blackmore… he was the one that left the trail for us?”

  “Richard said that if things went the way he’d hoped, Mason would bring the family directly here with the help of Randy. Otherwise they’d show up at our home. Either way, he wanted them out of the city and on the road to Blackmore as soon as possible. He wasn’t aware of how fast this thing would spread. He was beside himself for not demanding that April and Justin come with us the night before.”

  “I thought he warned April and Mason?”

  “When we hit the main highway out of the city, he called Mason and it went straight to voicemail three times. He was able to get April on the phone and told her to get to Mason and then out of the city, figuring Mason would most certainly bring Randy. This call didn’t go as planned. The cell reception was poor and the call kept going in and out. Richard didn’t have the time to explain all the details and the call died before he could tell her that they needed to get to Blackmore.”

  “Eleanor, I can’t imagine what the two of you had to go through just to get here. This place still gives me the creeps.”

  “The ride here was uneventful other than losing the call with our daughter. I hadn’t seen any of those abominations before we arrived here. Richard made me get into the back seat when we pulled up to the gate and I stayed there until he and a few others made sure the building was safe. The first one I saw was behind a one-inch thick wall of glass and although my heart nearly exploded with fear, I was safe. Richard kept me safe. He always kept me safe.”

  Pausing, the tears returned and she again blotted them away with the tissue she’d kept in her pocket. Eleanor needed sleep; she needed a reprieve, although more than anything she needed time.

  “Eleanor, I’m sure this is incredibly hard for you, I’ll stay here with you even if you’d rather just sit.”

  Turning her attention to the area where her family found their final resting place, Eleanor waited for the flood of emotions to subside. “Sweetheart, you’ve done more for me than you can imagine, although you need some time to yourself as well. We are all hurting and we all need time to heal. I’m going to stay a while and just relax. It looks like your attention is in high demand anyway.” She said pointing to Randy who’d already made three passes through the area.

  “Thank you Eleanor… I’ll be back to get you before dinner.”

  Randy continued to pace as she approached. Savannah smiled and tossed both arms around her cousin, who neither shared her exuberance nor fought the show of affection. His indifference wasn’t necessarily unexpected as he’d never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, although she had hoped the connection they’d found over the past few weeks would have softened his resolve a bit. It hadn’t and the longer she thought about it, the more she realized this group needed him to not change.

  Pulling away, Randy spoke first. “How are you?”

  “I’m good… considering.”

  “How are you really doing? I know you’re trying to be strong for Eleanor and it looks like whatever you’re doing is helping.”

  “I don’t think I’ve had time to let it out. I still haven’t been able to sit at the graves and say goodbye. I want to, but I don’t know what to say and I keep thinking Mason will see me.”

  Laying his hand on her shoulder, Randy smiled for the first time that she could recall in days, possibly weeks. “Do what you have to, but I think Mason would be honored for you to pay them your respects. Do what feels right to you. I think everyone is trying to find their own way. I’m sure you will too.”

  She pulled him in again and this time he reciprocated the gesture, not leaving any question as to his affection for his cousin. “Randy, what are we doing next? Is this it, are we staying here?”

  “These people need us and right now we need them. For better or worse… this is our family now. Are you ok with that?”

  She didn’t have to think twice. “Yes, I’m done running. I want to stay here… with them.”

  14

  She winced with every fourth step as the blinding pain along her left side threatened to halt her forward progress. Sean helped Megan to the front door of the house, although she asked him not to follow her in. She returned less than thirty seconds later with the remaining handgun they’d brought from home and handed it to her brother. “I’m going to find the keys so we can get out of here, please go look for that woman. We can’t leave her out here alone.”

  Sean moved quickly from the porch and to the perimeter of the field as Megan reentered the home. Heading for the most likely place he’d leave the truck keys; she moved through the dining room and had to instantly look away. The savage that held them captive for the better part of seventeen days, had used this room to brutalize the others he’d captured. The bodies had been removed although the story remained.

  The table, turned on its side was where he’d kept the woman bound since their first night in the cellar. The shackles were pulled away, as she obviously upended the table before exiting the front door.

  A closer look around the room revealed the newspaper clippings that littered the floor were from the days this man escaped prison. Two years prior, he’d slaughtered his neighbors, a family of five, while they slept. At the sentencing, he spit in the relatives’ direction when asked for his last words. He was sentenced to die in jail, although three weeks ago he and another inmate escaped. The last clipping she tossed to the floor must have been a trophy for the deranged individual. It detailed his escape and a warning from the local authorities of his possible presence in society. He used a red marker to draw a smiley face over the picture of his victims.

  As Sean returned to the door, his sister had already found what she came for, sitting two feet away on the kitchen counter. “Megan, I’ve searched everywhere. I can’t find her and there’s a pretty big crowd of Feeders heading this way. We have to go.”

  He helped his sister slide into the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. Sean had driven many times before today, although most of the time it ended with the two of them at each other’s throats for one reason or another. Today, Megan only wanted off this property and out of this city. Buckling her seatbelt as Sean sped down the long dirt road, she handed him the map, leaned into the door frame and watched as the mile markers moved into the distance.

  “Sean, are you OK?”

  He didn’t answer and just stared out the windshield, pushing the truck along the vacant two lane highway parallel to the growing foothills.

  Pointing to the map she said, “Make sure you don’t miss this turnout. It’s not too far off; I’d say you’ll see it within the next half hour. I’m gonna close my eyes for a few minutes. Wake me up when we get there.”

  He said nothing…

  “Sean, you got it?”

  “Yes.”

  . . .

  Exiting the basement, Mason headed for Building One and upon reaching the rear door, he stopped and backed away. He’d been attempting to go about his day and separate the thoughts of his family from the work that needed to be done. So far it had worked, although the images of days gone by brought him back to that dark place he’d been fighting to leave behind. Hand on the door handle, he squeezed tightly and turned to William, looking for an answer. For what he was supposed to do.

  “Mason, I’ve got tons to show you. Let’s get into the Command C
enter and I can give you the run down.”

  “You know I’m not really gonna understand most of the techy stuff you’re gonna show me. So keep it really basic, I only care about the things that are keeping us safe and what our weaknesses are.”

  “You got it.”

  Moving behind the main terminal with Mason in tow, William powered up the monitors and opened up the corresponding programs to fill each of the four screens. “Just give me a minute,” William said as he adjusted a few of the video feeds. “Just a quick overview of some of the things this facility can do.”

  “OK, but will I be able to use any of this?”

  As he finished loading the last program and moved to the side, giving Mason a better view, William pointed to the screen that held twenty individual windows, each showing a different area of the facility. “These are the surveillance cameras around Blackmore. You can call them up individually one at a time. Just double click on the one you want and it will go full screen. To go back to the others, just double click anywhere on the screen.”