Redaction: Dark Hope Part III

by Linda Andrews

  Everything? Had they heard about her oxygen episode? Audra hand-pressed her jacket. Good heavens, if the news had traveled this far, Eddie must surely know. She swallowed hard. He’d surely kill her. “Why wouldn’t we?”

  “Why indeed.” He ushered them around the corner. Crates crammed the tunnel. Water-logged cardboard crinkled and peeled away. “I’m sure Gavin would love to meet you.”

  Tina walked backward. “What are they doing back there?”

  “Doing?” Dirk cleared his throat and memorized the writing on the nearest box. “Um, they’re laying the groundwork to put more nets up to catch the water. Can’t have too much water, can we?”

  That didn’t seem right. “I thought the fencing was bolted to the rock?”

  At least that’s what Eddie said.

  “We’re, er, trying something new.”

  He was lying. She was sure of it, but he was a politician. Maybe he didn’t know how to tell the truth.

  Tina powered up her camera. “I’d like to film it.”

  Dirk set his hand on her camera and pointed the lens at the floor. “Sure. Later.”

  The hair on Audra’s neck rose. Something wasn’t right. Boxes filled the hall creating a serpentine narrow path. MRE boxes. Crates of…she craned her neck as she passed…ammunition.

  He caught her gaze. “The military stores their stuff over here. They’ve slowly been emptying it, giving us more room to expand, but well, there’s not many over here so I guess they’re in no hurry.”

  “I see.” Not. The ammunition was supposed to be under lock and key. She’d be sure to tell Doctor Spanner when she returned. In the meantime, she could film it under pretense of getting background. She turned on her camera and hit record. Aiming over his shoulder, she filmed the boxes as they climbed higher. “Tell us about your candidate, Gavin, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but I’d rather leave that up to him.” Dirk ushered them into a large room. More boxes filled the spaces crowding the bench seats into a corner.

  In the center of the room, a dark-haired, clean-shaven man ran a cloth along the barrel of a rifle. His rolled-up shirt sleeves revealed hairy forearms. “You can have two clips, but I’m going to have four. You know in the movies how the guys always run out of ammo.”

  “Yeah, but they’re the bad guys. We’re the white hatters.”

  Audra’s attention shot to the brown-haired man. Her muscles locked in place, her pulse pounded in her ears and black spots consumed her vision. Cole. That was Cole. The man from Payson. The man from the museum who’d attacked Sunnie.

  The camera tumbled from Tina’s fingers and clattered to the ground.

  The men looked up.

  Holy Mother of God. Audra set her hand over her heart. She and Tina had to get out of here. Now!

  Dirk set his hand on her back, pushed her deeper into the room. “Gentleman. We have guests.”

  The black-haired man’s smile wobbled as he zeroed in on her. “Ah, such pretty ladies.”

  Tina squeaked. Shaking her head, she retreated.

  Cole leapt over the boxes, gun in hand.

  “Run!” Audra twisted out of Dirk’s hold and raced for the tunnels.

  “What—” we shouted after her. “Where are you going?”

  There was a hollow thud then Tina yelped.

  “Stop right there, bitch or I’ll blow out your friend’s brains.”

  Cole. That was Cole. Audra didn’t doubt he’d kill her friend. She slipped on the damp ground and slammed into a wall.

  Gavin caught her, coiled her ponytail around his hand. “Well, well. This is a most fortunate day. The ladies we picked out in Payson have returned to us. We sure missed getting to know you.”

  He pulled her backward. Audra grabbed her hair as pain blazed along her scalp.

  “You have somewhere we can store them? We don’t want them to get away again?”

  Dirk blinked as if not comprehending what he was seeing.

  Cole had his forearm pressed to Tina’s throat and a gun at her temple. “It’ll have to be real secure.”

  Her friend’s eyes were wide and her skin like chalk.

  Calm. Audra had to be calm and think. There had to be a way out of this. “My—husband will come looking for me.”

  She mentally smacked her head. Damn. Now they’d be looking for Eddie.

  “He’ll have to get through tons of rock to do that sweetheart,” Gavin whispered in her ear. “Until then, you belong to me.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  “Has anyone seen Chef?” Rini stared at him over a stack of dirty dishes. Her eyes matched the powder-blue shower cap containing her blond hair. The white plates clattered together like dried bones as she set them on the overflowing prep counter.

  “Not since you came in.” Manny ran a cloth over the stove, returning the military-issue equipment to a pristine state. Then he set a tray of clean bowls on the burner and stirred the beans once more before ladling a helping.

  “It’s not like her to miss serving time.” Next to him, Beth filled another tray with clean bowls.

  No, it wasn’t. First allowing him to cook with the sacred food stores, then leaving him, them, alone to see to lunch, Chef hadn’t been acting her normal micromanaging self. “Maybe she’s decided to trust me, us, a little.”

  He glanced at the clock on the screen. Five minutes until the last lunch began. She still had time to appear and frown and disapprove of everything.

  Beth rolled her brown eyes. “In your dreams. That one likes to boss us around too much.”

  Manny shrugged. Chef was a bit bossy, but that’s the way it was supposed to be. They were taught special skills. You had to be tough to learn them.

  Rini picked at the sauce streaking her arm in brown stripes. “You did save some beans for us, didn’t you? I’m so not doing this if I don’t get to sample the goodies.”

  He ladled beans into three bowls, then tucked an ice-cream scoop of rice inside. “I have now.”

  Beth jogged to the serving area. Reaching under the sneeze guard, she fished out packets of jalapeño cheese and red pepper flakes. “You did say you made them for the gringo palate, didn’t you?”

  Although he’d added spices, they were a mild compared to what he was used to. He nodded. “Good thinking.”

  Rini frowned at the plates of food on the serving table before dumping the contents into the slops bucket. “What a waste. No one’s eating the MREs.”

  “Can you blame them?” Beth joined her in clearing the old dishes. “I’m a little sick of them.”

  “It’s not a waste.” Manny moved down the rows of bowls, filling each first with beans then the rice. “The animals eat what we don’t.”

  “Animals.” Beth hissed then jerked back her hand from the warming lamps. “I’m beginning to think they’re myths, like unicorns.”

  “And fresh fruit.” Rini wiped down the empty surface. “Basia’s peaches would be ready to eat about now. They were so juicy, they’d melt in your mouth.”

  “Oooh.” Beth stacked the smeared plates up her arm and moved them to the dirty pile. “Stop talking about that. You’re making me hungry.”

  Saliva pooled in his mouth. She wasn’t the only one drooling over the idea of fresh fruits. “There’s spiced apples for dessert.”

  “Lots of them.” Rini jerked her head to the regiment of MRE pouches. “I haven’t bothered to put out half our stores. Everyone’s going for the brownies and muffin tops.”

  “Put what’s left of the apples in a dish, I might be able to make a treat for tomorrow’s breakfast.” With the ingredients the ranchers have been giving him daily, that coffee cake was practically begging to be made.

  Beth began moving the first row of beans and rice to the serving area. “If you can make something other than sausage, I will kiss you.”

  Heat flooded his cheeks. Those teachers had to be wrong. Beth and Rini couldn’t have crushes on him. He was like their brother. “How about you clean the tables off for me inste
ad.”

  She picked up the clean water bucket by the stove and winked. “Maybe I’ll do both.”

  Manny froze. Beans sloshed over the ladle and plopped onto the counter.

  Giggling, she disappeared into the dining hall.

  Rini cocked her head to the left. “You didn’t know she likes you?”

  He shook himself. “Uh. No.”

  Rini planted her hands on the counter. “And how do you feel about her?”

  How did he feel? “I—I—”

  “Geez, Manny. You should think of a better answer than that after she kisses you.” Grinning, she turned away as the first group arrived.

  Beth really was gonna kiss him. He continued filling the rest of the bowls. He liked her, but in that way? Maybe. His reflection smiled as he finished. Maybe, he did like her in that way.

  *

  “Manny, did you spike the beans?” Beth added her armful of dishes to the stack. Voices swelled around them. The dining room was full and the serving line had only two more people.

  “No.” He glanced over his shoulder while scrubbing the plate in his hands. “Where would I get alcohol?”

  And why would he ruin perfectly good beans by adding it?

  “People are starting to talk funny and the men, they’re winking at me.”

  He straightened and dropped the cleaned dish into the rinse water. “No one’s tried anything, have they?”

  That kind of thing wasn’t allowed. Not by him, not by Chef either.

  “No. I’m fine.” She shrugged and her oversized blouse slipped off her bony shoulder. “It’s just weird, is all.”

  Rini shuffled in with the cleaning bucket. “Anyone else notice that people are acting weird?”

  Beth laughed. “I just accused Manny of spiking the beans.”

  Shaking the excess water from his hands, he wiped them on his apron and walked to the dining hall. A line formed at the drinking station near the stage. An old woman dropped her spoon. The man in matching green and red flannel shirt rubbed his throat.

  “What the heck?”

  A black-haired teenager stood, swayed on her feet then collapsed onto the table. Dishes clattered. The girl next to the teen slid off her chair.

  Manny took off running. “Beth, call the doctor.”

  People half rose from their seats to look. A few staggered forward blinking and rubbing their eyes.

  He skidded on a bloody smear of salsa and dropped to the floor next to the teenage boy. What had those first aid classes taught him? ABC. Airway. Breathing. Circulation. He rolled the boy onto his back and tilted his head. Next, he lay his hand on the chest and set his ear near the teenager’s mouth.

  Rini stood nearby, her leg shook and she milked her fingers. “I’ve seen this before.”

  The boy’s chest rose slowly. Thank God, he was breathing. Easing back on his heels, Manny ran his fingers along the throat until he settled onto a pulse.

  “Where? In first aid?” He didn’t remember this. And he’d been diligent in his studies. After all, most accidents happen in the kitchen. People choke on food. Slip on spills.

  “I’ve got Doc on the phone.” Beth’s shout echoed over the room. “What do I tell her?”

  The boy’s pulse barely registered. That couldn’t be good.

  Flesh smacked stone. Once. Twice.

  “Something’s wrong with my baby!” a man yelled raising a child in the air. Its pale skin seemed almost blue.

  Two more people collapsed nearby. His first aid classes hadn’t covered this. “Tell him we have a medical emergency. Send everyone they can.”

  Then send anyone else who might know what was going on. “Rini, what is this?”

  “Food poisoning.” Rini’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Manny did you use any swollen cans?”

  “No, but Chef opened most of them. Why?” A chill swept down his back, borne of an idea germinating inside his head. A truly horrible idea—one that painted Chef’s absence in grim hues. “Botulism.”

  The kind of stuff women injected under their skin.

  The kind of stuff that made it nearly impossible for women to smile afterward.

  Manny jumped onto the table and clapped his hands. Heads turned to him. “I need everyone to stop eating the beans and rice. They’ve gone…” he choked on the word poisoned, “…bad. Very, very bad.”

  He watched a few more people drop before jumping down. He had to help the teenager. If he could just remember his training, maybe the toxin wouldn’t kill the boy.

  Rini squatted next to him, planting her knee in a pile of beans. “Basia used to can. One year the beans went bad.”

  “Do you know what to do?” If they could do anything.

  She swallowed hard. “We have to make them throw up.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. “Everyone, the beans went bad. You need to force yourself to throw up.”

  God. After rolling the boy to his side, Manny positioned the head then stuck his finger into the boy’s mouth. Soft, wet goo folded around his finger then muscle tensed. He removed his hand just before the regurgitated beans splattered near his leg.

  Bile soured his mouth. He forced it back down and repeated the procedure on the boy. He had to get as much out as he could. “Take care of her.”

  He pointed to the girl next to them.

  Rini wrinkled her nose. Shoving aside the plate, she crawled to the girl’s side and made her vomit. “I don’t know that I can help you any more, Manny.”

  He knew the feeling.

  Beth covered her nose as she slipped to a stop next to him. “What do I tell the medical people is the matter?”

  “Botulism poisoning.” Manny went back for a third time. “Tell them it was deliberate.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “Botulism?” Mavis rubbed the ache from her forehead. The explosion and collapse had caused seventeen hairline fractures in the seals to keep the radiation out and tripped some security protocol for the exit door, and now this. Dr. Jay, Johnson and several other nurses waited for the elevator to return to level twelve. Bags of medical equipment lay in piles near their feet and two wooden stretchers leaned against the wall. “Is he sure?”

  “Are you sure?” Sunnie spoke into the phone and twirled a lock of hair around her index finger. “He’s sure and it’s deliberate. Beth says they’re making people vomit to get the stuff out of them.”

  Dr. Jay stabbed the call button again. His Air Force insignia glowed in the weak lights. “That’s good. Very good. How did he know to do that?” Jay’s gaze skittered to Mavis’s. “Maybe he should be in nursing school instead of heating MREs.”

  She ignored him. Personnel assignments weren’t even on her list of things to do. At the end of the hallway, the mountain groaned. Rocks played a never ending TAPS. David couldn’t be dead. She’d feel it, wouldn’t she? She eyed the blank screen. Where was her mining expert?

  Where was her solution to rescue her lover, the father of her unborn child?

  Mrs. Rodriguez snorted. “That boy’s got cooking in his blood. You leave him be.”

  Sunnie cleared her throat. “She also says the poisoning was deliberate. Manny says the Chef did it.”

  “Of course, it was.” What was next, water turning to blood? Frogs raining from the sky? The world would not end on her watch. It would not. Do you hear that universe? Humanity will fight to the end, armed only with blood, sweat, tears and stubbornness stronger than any material ever manufactured.

  She shook her head as the elevator leveled with their floor. Nothing like channeling her inner Scarlett. “Tell Beth help is on the way and to keep doing what they’re doing. Then call—”

  She inhaled despite the bands constricting her chest. Lister was dead, David and his men were trapped. No one was in charge of security. Shep whined and placed his head in her lap.

  “Ma’am.” Sally Rogers stood at attention on Mavis’s right.

  Mavis smiled and buried her fingers in the dog’s fur. She wasn’t fighti
ng alone; others soldiered on next to her. “Sally take four security officers, find and arrest Bonnie Jardin.”

  “With pleasure, Ma’am.” Sally saluted. She pointed to four security officers waiting for orders and sprinted for the ramp. They followed hard on her heels, their M-4s swinging in their hands.

  Guess Mavis wasn’t the only one who hadn’t liked the snooty Chef.

  Johnson tossed the bags of gear into the elevator. Dr. Jay and another man neatly stacked them into towers. Mrs. Rodriguez propped one with her hand while taking over the controls. When the last one had been stowed, the medic looked from her to the cage.

  Mavis jerked her head toward it. “Go. I’ll be fine here.”

  Johnson glanced down the hall before nodding once and boarding the elevator. Metal rattled and gears groaned as it creaked steadily higher.

  Sunnie clasped her hand. “Just a little longer and we’ll know how we’re going to rescue them.”

  She chaffed her niece’s hand. “They’ll be fine. We’ll get to them in time.”

  In the shadows behind her, twenty men waited with shovels, buckets and wheelbarrows. Strapped to a rickety wagon, two horses neighed. Their hooves clomped the ground as they shifted in their traces. Sixty more men and women waited to be called up.

  More would come if they were needed.

  When they were needed. She’d been married long enough to a Marine to know that she wouldn’t leave a man behind. Her attention stuck to the bottom right-hand corner of her tablet desktop. One minute to the appointed time.

  The screen blinked. Mr. Jernigan tapped his camera. His eyes swelled behind coke-bottle lenses. Streaks of ruddy skin appeared between the layers of coal dust.

  “Do you have a solution for me, Mr. Jernigan?” Mavis leaned forward in her wheelchair.

  Behind her, fabric rustled. Shovels and axes clanged together.

  The mining engineer wiped his nose before removing his glasses. He frowned before meeting her eyes. “I’m afraid not, Doctor Spanner. I very much regret there isn’t a safe way to get to those men in time.”

  Burying her face in her hands, Sunnie dropped to the floor behind her.