The Rotting Souls Series (Book 3): Charon's Debt

by Ray, Timothy A.

  “Well, he’d be sucking dirt right now if you had told me he was down there instead of waiting for them to regroup and fleeing down the road,” she replied, pissed.

  He shook his head in confusion, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Your best friend over there said she was told to wait until they were gone to tell me,” she responded, anger rising. “What, you think I can’t control myself? That it?”

  “Monica talked with Naima, I didn’t get a chance to,” he replied softly, not knowing he would have done anything different but not willing to admit to it.

  He wanted Robert taken out as well, for everything that he did, for everything that he might do, but he also didn’t want her taking him on alone. And after this fight, he had to be vulnerable. Maybe it was their chance to end this, and Monica had ensured they missed it.

  “She was looking out for you,” he finally said, trying to cover for his wife, who was now holding baby Ali and grinning.

  Sabrina grunted, “I lost Erik.”

  Now he knew the source of her anger and he hurt with the news of his friend’s loss. They had started work on the same day, had shared a locker for years, and the younger man always had a smile and a quick word of support whenever he saw him. If he had forced Erik into the truck the morning he’d left, if he had just tried, maybe things would be different right now.

  “The world is a darker place without him,” he said softly and noticed a tear appearing at the corner of her eyes.

  He tried to hug her, but she pulled away. “It was my fault; damn stupid mistake,” she muttered.

  He didn’t know what had happened, but he could imagine. “Shit happens. None of us are perfect. So many have already died, so many others still will. We all do the best we can and hope it’s enough,” he told her, more for his own benefit than hers. He was dealing with a loss of his own at the moment and he could feel the same guilt she was bearing.

  If he had convinced Erik, then Sabrina wouldn’t have had to stand up to Robert, which meant he wouldn’t have been gunning for them and his uncle and cousin would still be alive. Not to mention, he’s the one that sent them out to get Naima, and that made his death as much his own fault as it was hers.

  “You saved those three right there. Look at them. That little girl has a chance at life because of you,” he told her, trying to get her to let up a bit.

  She snorted. “That best friend of yours can take care of herself. You should see how she handles a gun. Plus, she’s got some spitfire in her.”

  “Don’t I know it,” he replied, watching his wife and catching a smile from his best friend. “We’ve got a couple of things left to do, then I’ll get you all back to the compounds. You should be safe there.”

  “Safe? What’s that?” she asked and the haunted look resettled on her face. There was something else going on, something that she was not willing to share with him, and he wondered what else had happened on their journey to Morenci. “Did Alicia make it all right?”

  “Yeah, Alicia and Manny were napping when I left. They seemed like they had been put through the ringer,” he told her, trying to give her some comfort.

  “Well, let’s get moving then,” she returned; she was not one to just hang out. She always had to be on the move.

  He knew why he was stalling, he wasn’t looking forward to the conversation he was going to have to have with his wife; the one that was inevitable now that she was certain that something was going on. She would not relent until she had it all. How would he be able to look at her when the cold realization hit that they were somewhat responsible for what was happening in the world and the millions that were losing their lives?

  “Let’s get your shit done and get to these compounds of yours,” she said, giving him a shove and moving towards her truck. “Enough people have died trying to get there, let’s see if it’s worth it.”

  He grunted. He was starting to question that himself.

  Chapter 3

  Relieving Tension

  Robert

  Three Way, AZ

  “Oh God, I think I’m dying,” the big man said from the seat next to him. Raleigh had been shot during the exchange back in Clifton and it had been near impossible to get him back in the truck; the man was heavier than shit.

  Now, he was wondering if he shouldn’t have just left him behind.

  The cold part of him would have no problem doing that, but there was still something inside wanting him to save the man, no matter how hopeless that seemed at the moment. They used to be friends, that had to count for something.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he responded, giving him a wary eye.

  They had pulled over to take stock and figure out what to do next. He looked upon the six remaining members of his group and felt despair for the first time since leaving the fire station. He had been so confident that his group could win, that by now he’d be in that fucking compound and enjoying the safety of its walls. Instead, he was standing in Bumfuckegypt with no clue on what his next move was.

  He got out of the truck and looked at the others with apprehension.

  Nina had a gunshot wound in her leg, which she had tied off with a belt, and she was sitting in the front seat of her truck, watching them. Her knives were hidden, but her gun sat in her lap; ready for action if needed. Juan had been riding with her and was now standing with his back against the front end; his eyes on the road they had just pulled off of.

  Walter and Dean huddled together on their tailgate and he knew that he’d have to cut them loose. Those fuckers had hidden in their truck while the rest of their buddies were gunned down; he’d never take them into battle again, he couldn’t trust them. Estella had been in the last SUV and she was standing there with a hand in one pocket while the other held a cigarette she was chugging like a damn steam engine.

  “What the fuck do we do now?” she asked as he came around the front of the truck. Raleigh was staying within, unable to move even if he wanted to. He had been shot in the stomach and was barely conscious as it was.

  With his friend dying behind him, he stepped towards the Latina chick, his fist clenching with rage. “First, we’re going to head back to Safford, there was a sign for a hospital back by that Circle K. Raleigh needs help.”

  “Mierda, he’s as good as dead,” she sneered.

  He pulled his Walther PPQ from his back waistband and without a second thought, shot her between the eyes. The others raised their weapons but he was already lowering his, glowering at them; taunting them to try it. “Anyone else?”

  “¡Estas loco Hombre!” Juan spat, raising his gun.

  He glared at him, his own not even twitching in response. His smile grew wider and a look of confusion flashed across the other man’s face as he suddenly clutched his chest; a large butcher knife sticking out of it. Nina smiled back at him as she yanked it free, blood gushing from the Latino’s wound as he began to cough blood.

  There was a roar of an engine, followed by the sound of tires peeling out, and he didn’t have to look to know that Walter and Dean were hightailing it out of there. He didn’t bother with them, they weren’t worth the bullets; fucking cowards.

  “Don’t worry, I’m crazy too,” Nina purred, limping towards him.

  He had just survived a gunfight, his friend was dying in the truck, and he had just murdered another man in cold blood. But all of that was gone in the seconds it took to cross the distance between the trucks and embrace the woman walking his way. Their bodies intertwined in a burst of passion, their lips locking, teeth biting. Her left hand ran along the back of his bald skull, pulling him into her mouth; her right let the knife fall, forgotten in the dust.

  She gasped as he reached down and undid her pants. One hand stayed on the back of his head, the other working his own belt with frantic need. Her hips drew him back towards the open door of the truck.

  He laughed as he entered her, then her nails dug unto his ass and it turned into a growl of passion. Dust fly
ing in the air, he took her right there, letting the moment sweep everything away with unhindered aggression. She screamed in pleasure and he was right there with her. The truck suddenly stopped rocking and they breathed rapidly as they both tried to collect themselves. She giggled and the fire in her eyes matched his own; maybe he had found his soulmate after all; all it took was the end of the world.

  She reached back into the truck, took the handgun off the seat and brought it around. He suddenly had a thought that this was it after all. She had fucked him and would now end his life, his organ still impaled within her like some damned black widow.

  She brought her arm around and lowered the weapon to the ground, squeezing the trigger. The gun discharged and he lunged into her out of reflex, getting another squeal of delight out of her. He glanced down and saw that Juan had reanimated after dying from his wounds and now his head was blown across the dirt like a jar of jelly on concrete.

  She put the gun back on the dash and smiled wickedly at him. “Ready so soon?” she giggled, wiggling her hips.

  To his surprise, he was. This time it lasted longer. As they rocked the truck in heated fury, he didn’t hear the moans of his dying friend behind him. He was lost in the rush that came from taking a life and living life to the fullest at the same time. The power rolled through him and the two of them shared in an explosion that was louder than the gunfire and stronger than the hate he felt in his heart.

  In the briefest of moments, he came close to forgetting all of it, but then the moment past and it returned with a vengeance. The two of them would finish what they started; no matter what the cost.

  With a final lunge, he made her scream one more time before deliberately pulling out and getting his clothes; he had work to do.

  Chapter 4

  Grayskull

  Todd

  Compound 1

  “I’m sorry,” he told his father, not knowing how to begin.

  They had driven back to the compound in virtual silence. His father didn’t like to show emotion and even now he was trying to keep his face passive. Telling him that his brother was dead, that his nephew had been gunned down, that had been hard enough without also having to deal with his grandparents’ refusal to come with them.

  Now that his uncle was gone, they wanted to go back to their house in Clifton. It was off the main road, quiet, and they said that if anything happened, they would rather be at the home they’d built than some hole in the ground. They were in their eighties and their lives were behind them; they didn’t want to uproot and start all over again. They’d prefer to meet that end where they’d lived for the past fifty years; together.

  The older man grunted and didn’t reply. The look his father gave him was cold and he wondered if the blame had suddenly shifted to him. Then he noticed that a tear was running down the side of his father’s face and that nearly broke his heart as he looked away with shame. He could not stand the sight of his father crying; it brought home just how fucked up the world had become.

  His father coughed, then opened the truck door and got out. “Let’s just get back,” his father told him as he slammed the door behind him.

  “I’ve never seen him like that,” Monica said from the backseat and he couldn’t reply; he could only stare out the driver side window at the runway, trying to fight back tears of his own. His wife’s hand was on his shoulder, but he refused to look at her. His father was making his way towards the tunnels as the fire marshal truck pulled up next to them; its occupants hopping out to take a look around.

  “We can talk about it later,” he replied, trying to clear his mind. His boys got out and chased after their grandfather. With a look from his wife, she followed them as well. “Welcome to Rattlesnake Lake,” he told the other three, who were too busy wrapped up in what they were seeing to see the curt exit of his father.

  “Rattlesnake Lake?” Naima asked him, looking around. “I don’t see any water.”

  He snickered, unable to help it. “It’s a horrible name, I know. I didn’t do it and I’m thinking of changing it to something catcher—like Grayskull,” he said with a grin.

  His best friend broke up laughing. “Yeah—no.”

  “So this is the compound huh? Where do you live, in one of those hangars?” Sabrina asked him, walking in a circle to get a good look at the place. “Seriously? This is what people are dying to get too? An airfield and a couple of gas tankers? Oh look, there isn’t even a plane in that one. And where’s the helicopter that goes with that helipad over there?”

  She was hitting on a lot of tough subjects to answer and he had to remind himself how bright and intuitive she could be. He would have to keep that in mind going forward; she would probably pick up on things his mind would usually gloss over.

  “What do you need those tankers for anyway? It’s a hell of a lot of gas,” Michael asked as he stroked his baby’s back, trying to get the little girl to quiet down.

  “We have gas generators,” he told them as he started walking across the airfield. “We only use them if the main power systems are offline; which is a rare thing because the two things Arizona isn’t short on are wind and sunshine.”

  It felt like a sales pitch, like he was taking them on a tour of a house, trying to convince them to buy it. He hated it, but they were scared, the world was falling apart, and maybe a little stability and knowledge might sparkle some sense of security in them. “I would really like to give you guys a thorough tour, but we have a couple of other unexpected arrivals and I’d prefer to only do it once.

  “There’s only one guy here,” his best friend said, jabbing him in the arm.

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m really trying to be light, but it’s been a long day—for everyone. Most of us have lost people and even though I’m trying, I just can’t be in a good mood right now,” he told her and her smile dropped away.

  She stepped forward then and hugged him. He lightly tapped her on the back, but he wasn’t in a share a moment kind of mood either.

  “Thanks, but if you’ll just let me take you over and get you settled, I promise, I’ll answer all your questions when I can. I’ll take you on a tour later when the others are awake and able to go with—deal?” he asked them, his patience barely held in check.

  He thought Sabrina would push him, she rarely had the ability to be patient and wait, but she surprised him by simply nodding.

  He led them down the tunnel system to the jeep below, and as soon as they were in, he hit the gas and got moving. He didn’t know why he was in such a hurry, there was going to be an intense conversation with his wife when he got back, but he couldn’t just stand around and be cheery either. It just felt completely wrong.

  The baby started crying and his fingers started to stroke his temple; a migraine was beginning to form.

  Chapter 5

  So much for secrecy

  Todd

  Compound 2

  “I’ve got Sabrina in with Andy and Alicia, they are using Linda and Jackie’s old quarters. I put Naima and Michael in Paul’s. I guess for the moment our local sheriff can use Sean’s rooms; he won’t ever be needing them again,” he told them.

  He hadn’t informed them about what was really up with Sean just yet, the others still thought he was dead.

  Ben was absent from the meeting, he was monitoring Joseph’s progress through New Mexico and they both agreed it was too emotional of a subject for him to be in on right now.

  He was eating Tums like they were Skittles and he wondered if Ben had a headache as large as his was right now. He popped a couple of Excedrin and hoped it would kick in soon or he was going to have to go lay down for a bit.

  Rodger coughed, “I’m sure you didn’t drag us all in here just to give us an update on sleeping arrangements.”

  He may be old, but he was sharp.

  There were a lot of places they could meet. The communal part of their underground network was just as large as the living quarters below. There were plenty of places that t
hey could all meet in private, but the strategy room had been where most of their conversations had taken place and he didn’t see a reason to change that now.

  The kids were absent from the meeting. There was no way he’d ever talk to them about any of this if he could help it. Monica was seated on his right, next to Samantha, both women eyeing him, knowing something was up. Casey was wiggling around on his left. Rodger took his accustomed seat across from him, but his wife was absent, having stayed behind to monitor Matt’s condition; it was the only way to get Rosilynn to leave his side. She now sat in a chair next to where the older lady would have sat and her eyes made him feel transparent.

  He suddenly wished he had brought something stronger than the Coke his hands were fiddling with.

  He told them about what happened while they were in Morenci, Monica filling in for the moments he was otherwise distracted and didn’t see what was going on. His hand fingered the stitches and she constantly slapped at his hand, telling him not to pick at it. It burned and itched; he couldn’t help it. Sam had reacted badly to the scar and he could tell from her eyes that their mortality was increasingly becoming more apparent the longer this all went on.

  They could all tell that this was just a formality, a way of leading into something more. They listened and nodded at the appropriate times, showing sympathy for his dead family members. He knew that sympathy only went so far, in the last day they had all lost enough to make that well pretty dry by now.

  Before the confrontation with Robert, he had been certain that what he had learned was best kept from the others, but something had changed on that cliffside. He could have died and Ben would have once again been shouldering all of this by himself. It was too much for the youth, too much for him, the rest had the right to know, so why not let them take some of it as well? Lighten the load?