Wheels' End: Book Four in the Wheels and Zombies series

by M. Van

Despite the anger I had felt before, my body decided on a different reaction at the sight of him. My heart did a double take before it started to speed up. For a moment, I indulged in the mixed signals radiating from my mind and heart, but soon my initial excitement faded, and I found it replaced by a sinking feeling. His shades hid those beautiful jade-green eyes, and there was no smile on his face.

  “You okay?” Angie asked, staring up at me from the bottom of the stairs. I slowly nodded and took the last steps without taking my gaze from Mars.

  He didn’t move from his spot and hadn’t given a hint that he’d noticed I was there, but even with his eyes hidden behind shades, I felt them on me. As I came closer, the fact of what the past few days had done to him became clear to me, because they sat edged in his face. With every step, the anger that I had felt before left my body and was gone by the time I stopped a few feet away from him.

  He pushed himself away from the van and stood at his full height. I tilted my head because Mars belonged to those that challenged my own six feet. He hesitated as if he was waiting on a scolding or something, and a couple of minutes ago he wouldn’t have been so far off from that, but seeing him like this, my heart felt as if it was stuck in a vice.

  Mars cleared his throat as he removed the glasses. Those beautiful eyes that always brought a joy to my life with his intense gazes that seemed to touch my soul and the cheekiness that always seemed to hide inside now sat filled with sadness. I breached the gap between us, wrapped my arms around him, and held him tight.

  It took him a moment to react, as if my action had surprised him, but then I felt his strong arms weave around me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said with a voice that sounded like a broken whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

  The lump that had formed in my throat made it impossible to answer, but I shook my head as I buried my face in his neck.

  I didn’t know how long we stood there like that, but it didn’t seem long enough. Ever since we had said our good-byes in Colorado, I had imagined reuniting with Mars in various ways. This would usually be some PG-13 version of possible events, because thoughts of Ash were never far from my mind. There had been some R-rated versions that usually took place a couple of minutes after our initial reuniting, but never a heartbreaking version like this. I never imagined finding this broken version of Mars, and sitting next to him in this van as he held my hand made my eyes sting all over again.

  The tension inside the van was palpable and hadn’t just come from me or the others in our group. It was evident on the faces of the men who had joined us after we had exited the airplane. Something was off, and although Ash in trouble would have been enough of a reason for me, I had a feeling it wasn’t just that.

  After our embrace, the anger inside me had been soothed, but not the fear that had taken up permanent residence inside my chest. My heart raced as I inquired whether Mars had any news of Ash, whether he was sure that she was still at the Salinas Sports Complex, or whether he had heard anything else from Dr. David. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer my questions. Instead, he pressed his cheek against mine and whispered into my ear.

  “Not here,” he said, “but soon.” The intense look that followed had me scared, but as if he could read it off my face, his eyes softened as he spoke his following words. “We’ll get her back.”

  For some reason I believed him, and it stopped me from repeating the questions that I desperately needed to be answered.

  Unable to sit next to him in silence, I placed my head on his shoulder and asked, “What happened?” There wasn’t a trace of accusation in my voice. I didn’t think I could blame Mars more than he blamed himself.

  For a moment I thought he might stay silent, but then he started to recite the story that Luke, the young soldier who had been with Ash, had told him. It didn’t come as a surprise to me that Ash would pull a stunt like giving herself over to Warren in order to keep Rowdy safe. Despite everything, it filled me with a sense of pride.

  “Is Rowdy going to be okay?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve only talked to him on the phone,” Mars said. “I haven’t told him about his grandparents yet. He was too upset about Ash.” His voice never reached over a whisper, but it didn’t stop me from hearing it crack as he spoke.

  “I should be there for him,” he said. I wasn’t sure how to feel about those last words. They almost made me feel guilty, because Mars couldn’t be with Rowdy and mourn the loss of his parents with his son, but then I felt a flash of anger spark in the pit of my stomach because he should never have left them in the first place.

  I closed my eyes at the confusion reeling inside me as Mars continued, “But he told me that I had to go find Ash, and I promised him I would.” He squeezed my hand, and pushing my confusion aside, I squeezed back.

  As the vans steered across the tarmac along the length of the landing strip, my eyes widened at the bustle of activity that we were about to reach. Several helicopters stood in a line while men and women in green fatigues milled around them. Some occupied themselves with loading gear inside the green flying machines while others seemed to be waiting patiently for what was to come or checked their gear. It looked as if they were getting themselves ready for a war.

  We drove past the helicopters and toward a pair of low, white structures with slightly tilted roofs. The vans stopped in front of the buildings, and the other passengers filed out. Mars squeezed my hand as I intended to follow, and I sat back down. Angie, who had taken a seat behind me, ushered the kids out before she faced us. They shared a look as Mars said, “Give us a minute.” The words came out as a near plea, and Angie nodded. She squeezed my shoulder and stepped outside.

  Angie hadn’t asked any questions, although I knew she must have been as eager to know the answers as I was. But she’d worked at the FBI with Mars for a long time and probably knew him better than I did. That silent understanding that they often seemed to have sometimes frustrated me, but after working with Angie these past few months it seemed we’d come to a similar understanding, and I’d come to appreciate it.

  Mars shifted in his seat as he held my hand in his. The look in his eyes spoke of the seriousness of the situation, and I swallowed hard.

  “We’re gonna get her back,” he said, “and I know you want your questions answered and to go get her right now—and we will—but something else has happened.” He paused, and I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stand the intensity that built around his words. Mars was right: I needed to get out there and find Ash.

  “What is it?” I asked impatiently.

  “We don’t have much time, but you need to know this going into that briefing.” His eyes shifted to the building where a small line had formed as the people from the vans filed inside. “There has been another outbreak—a big one.” I had a sinking feeling that I knew where this was going.

  “And it’s …” I said, but hesitated.

  “In Salinas.” Mars had barely spoken the words, or I shifted to stand, but he pulled me back into my seat.

  “We have to go,” I said and wasn’t able to hide the agitation in my voice.

  “They’ll tell you she won’t be a priority. If you want them to let you go, you’ll need to at least pretend that you accept that,” Mars said, rushing the words as if he were trying to make sure I’d let him finish. His attempt turned out to be futile as I raised my voice.

  “What the hell does that mean?” I said. Angry now, I felt the heat rush into my face. “Not a priority!” I nearly shouted the last bit, and I would have added a bunch of colorful swear words that would have made Ash proud if Mars hadn’t placed a hand over my mouth.

  “She won’t be to you, me, or Angie,” he said in a calm voice. “I just need you to keep that in mind during the briefing.” His gaze shifted to the door where the line had dissipated. Only Angie and Tom had remained outside. Angie’s glances at the van told me she was waiting for us.

  As Mars’s eyes returned to lock on mine, I felt his calm that always see
med to rub off on me, and I think I knew what he was trying to tell me. I had to see the bigger picture, and with an outbreak in another town in the middle of a safe zone, I knew the focus needed to be on containing the virus. At least the military focus would have to be. A lot more lives were at stake here, and I understood that Ash couldn’t be the main focus, at least not for the men and women who had just entered that building. So I did what Mars expected and nodded in understanding. I needed to at least appear to be understanding.

  “What’s the plan?” I asked.

  “Just stay close,” he said as a faint smile crept over his face, “and try not to piss anyone off.” I frowned at his statement, not sure if I liked his implication. The smile on his face grew, and it brought some of that cheekiness back to his eyes. Despite the direness of this situation, the look on his face calmed my nerves.

  “I’ll try,” I replied with a sigh.

  “C’mon,” he said as he leaned in and brushed his lips briefly to mine, “let’s go get Ash.”

  As we left the van and neared Angie where she stood waiting for us with Tom by the entrance, she gave me a questioning look.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked as we came into earshot. Mars shot me a look before his gaze fell on Tom. I realized Mars didn’t know Tom as his questioning eyes locked with mine.

  “Mars, this is Tom, and he’s a pretty decent guy once you get to know him,” I said.

  “Hey,” Tom countered as he reached out a hand to shake Mars’, “I’m awesome once you get to know me.” He shot Angie a knowing look that to my shock made her face go crimson. I raised an eyebrow, but ignoring me she turned her gaze to Mars in wait of his reply.

  “Let’s just get in there so you know what they have planned.” Mars said in a low voice, “Don’t draw any conclusions and stick with me afterward. I’ve requested that we move out together, but I don’t want to take any chances with that.”

  | 31

  Mags

  I followed Mars as we entered the large room. Nothing on his face showed the surprise I felt as I saw the number of people sitting in rows all facing the same way. Soldiers from all the different armed forces waited patiently as two of their colleagues set up a screen behind a row of tables.

  All the seats appeared to be filled, and in a single file Angie, Tom, and I followed Mars to where Preston and Gibs were standing at the front. Both of them leaned against the wall as they too watched the screen being set up. Toby and Savanna had found a spot on the floor close by, and they looked up as they spotted our approach. Savanna returned my smile as I gave them a small wave, but Toby just shot me a wary look. The kid definitely had some trust issues, but I couldn’t blame him after the stunt I had pulled on the plane.

  “I’ll be right back,” Mars said as he turned. He gestured in the direction of two men in full dress uniform. I nodded and he squeezed my arm, offering a gentle smile before he made his way to them.

  After greeting Preston and Gibs, I knelt to check on the kids. I held up a thumb and faced Savanna as I asked, “Are you guys okay?”

  “Fine,” Savanna replied but, in the same instance, wrapped an arm around Toby and drew him in closer.

  “Should they be here?” Angie asked as she looked down on us.

  “I tried to get them to go to the commissary, but they wouldn’t go with anyone,” Gibs said.

  “I guess you still hold some credit with them,” Preston said. I feigned innocence as I glared up at him. The tiny grin on his face told me he saw straight through me even with my mouth hanging open in dismay.

  “Any idea what’s going on?” Preston asked in a low voice as he gestured across the room. In this room filled with at least a hundred people, we could only hear hushed murmurs, and it seemed as if even our softest whispers could be heard. Not only that, it seemed as if we’d become the center of attention in the room, and it wasn’t because we were standing at the front. These men and women knew who we were. I could tell by the knowing gestures and silent stares. The thought sent a slight shiver down my spine as I stood.

  “Outbreak in Salinas, the town where Ash is with Warren,” I said.

  “Well, that’s hardly a coincidence,” Gibs said. Angie found a spot next to Tom leaning against the wall.

  “And why aren’t we out there?” she asked, sounding irritated.

  “Well, we’re taking your friend’s advice,” Tom said. “What was it he said: don’t draw any conclusions? What kind of crap is that?” Angie shoved her elbow into his side just as the light dimmed. The room fell silent, and I turned to face the screen.

  Mars still stood with the two officers as the projector light flashed on and displayed the silhouettes of the three men onto the screen. Moments later he took his leave and joined us at the side of the room.

  I drew in a breath and held it in anticipation of what was to come. A protective hand found a spot on the small of my back, and at the warming sensation, I released the breath I was holding. Ignoring the urge to wrap an arm around his waist, I focused on Mars’ hand and hoped it would keep me steady during this entire thing.

  As an image that must have been taken from a helicopter displayed on the screen, the younger of the two officers remained standing while the other one sat down at the table. The younger man was a bit geeky looking with thick-rimmed glasses bridged on his nose, but it was the senior officer who spoke first.

  “My name is Major Franks,” he said in that authoritative way that I imagined to be mandatory in applying for a function within the military. “By now you will have heard of the outbreak in Salinas.” He sat up straighter as his eyes swept the crowd sitting in front of him. Light from the projector hit the top half of his face and emphasized the shiny bald spot on his head. Even with the lower half of his face obscured by shadows, I could see the muscles in his strong jaw flex. Satisfied with the attention he received from the room, he continued.

  “We have reason to believe that this has been a deliberate attack.” The room filled with whispers and gasps of shock, but also with an “I-told-you-so” or two.

  Major Franks cleared his throat and raised his voice as he spoke again. “We all know the stories that have come out of New York. God knows we have heard enough of the upheaval within the government, and you’ve all been briefed about the role of Dr. David Warren, but that is not what this is about. This is about saving lives,” he said.

  By the time he finished his sentence, the room had fallen silent, and he continued in his normal voice. “Nonetheless, taking this second deliberate act into consideration, we have decided on a more direct approach, which will be explained by Lieutenant Romero.” The major gestured in the direction of the younger officer with the glasses who waited patiently as he stood behind him.

  Lieutenant Romero nodded at his superior officer and turned his back to us as he faced the image on the screen. It turned out it wasn’t just his looks that made him appear geeky as he started his presentation.

  “Four separate locations have been identified as sources of the outbreak. This led us to the conclusion that this must have been a deliberate act,” he said in a nasal voice as he clicked the button on the remote in his hand. The image zoomed in on the city, and three circles appeared, which I presumed to be the locations of the outbreak. The locations surrounded an open area on the map that he pointed out as being the Salinas Sports Complex, and I felt my heart rate pick up as I realized that that was the refugee camp where Ash was being held.

  “Additional troops have been sent in to deal with the initial outbreak and to contain it as much as possible. They are pretty much cleaning house, but that is not what we had in mind for you.” The image on the screen changed to two weird gun-like devices. “There are many people in the surrounding area and especially inside that camp, and our goal is to prevent them from getting infected. That’s why you’ll be sent out with this.”

  As murmurs had risen inside the room, Romero walked to the table and picked up an actual version of the device displayed on the screen and
held it up. I raised an eyebrow as I took in the shape and size of what could have been a miniature version of a staple gun used on construction sites.

  “What the hell is that?” I asked in a whisper at no one in particular. I had seen my share of medical equipment over the years but never anything like that. The answer came from Romero.

  “This is an intradermal vaccination device that will allow us to inject anyone we come in contact with quickly and easily.”

  “Inject,” I whispered in some compulsive reply as if I needed to hear myself say the word aloud.

  “We are going to rid ourselves of that virus once and for all, and we are going to start here,” Romero said in a raised voice.

  “That thing looks as if it belongs on a construction site,” Angie said.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” I replied. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones thinking that, and a voice coming from the back suggested just that.

  “You want us to shoot people with a nail gun?” The remark by the unidentified voice was followed by some chuckles, but they were soon silenced as Major Franks cleared his throat.

  “This is actually a vaccination tool used at pig farms,” Romero continued. My mouth fell open.

  “And you want to use that on people?” Gibs asked. Lieutenant Romero’s gaze shifted in our direction, but I doubted whether he’d be able to identify who had asked the question.

  “This is a needle-free injection tool, and yes, we want you to use it to inject the uninfected with the Divus serum,” Romero answered. The six of us shared glances as another voice rose up from the crowd.

  “I thought Divus wasn’t ready for distribution yet?”

  The lieutenant began to explain the story that I was already well aware of, about the Divus serum, its origin. He even mentioned Angie and me by name. He explained how Dr. Chen had been working on it in Alaska and that they’ve had success in several test cases, including two young children.