Dark Days (Book 1): Contagion

by Dyer, Marcy G.

  Belle nodded and headed for the window, but turned to him. "What about you?"

  "I'm going to get the car and pick you up. Hurry."

  Footsteps sounded outside the door. Reginald gasped and handed Katie the puppy after she was out of the window. "Hurry." Reginald climbed out the window after his family and crept toward the front of the house. He patted the keys in his pocket. Was it worth trying to get to the Lincoln? They would be on foot without it, but how many men were in the house? Were they armed? He continued to edge his way toward the front. He had to take the risk. No telling if they would find another car with keys in this godforsaken town.

  He reached the corner of the house, and flattened himself against it as a man looked out the window. "Jude! Some jerk's been in here. Look at all the loot they've got gathered in the room, and the window's open."

  A second voice yelled, "He's going for the car, kill him."

  Reginald ran toward the carport as fast as he could. His feet slapped the hard, gravel driveway as he reached the carport. He swung the door open, but a huge man slammed him against the side of it before he could get inside. How could he fight someone the size of a bus?

  "What do you think you're doing?"

  "Uh."

  "Uh, nothing. You ain't taking this here car. I done laid claim to it. When them owners got zombified, I said this ride was gonna be mine."

  Reginald didn't say anything, but searched for a way to get out alive and keep the car.

  Someone in the house yelled for the man. He loosened his grip on Reginald as he turned and yelled back at the voice from inside. Reginald slipped the keys out of his pocket and slumped lower out of the guy's grip.

  The second he slipped out of the man's grip, he ducked into the car and started it. The big man grabbed him by the neck. "I'm gonna kill you."

  "Not if I kill you first."

  Reginald threw the gearshift into reverse and stomped on the gas. The car flew backwards causing the still-open door to slam into bus guy. Bus guy flew into the ground, but Reginald didn't slow long enough to see if he got up or not. He drove a few blocks down Main, slowed to shut his door, and circled around to the street where Mary Anne and the kids waited. He took a deep breath as soon as they were all in the car.

  "You okay?"

  He reached over and squeezed his wife's hand. "Now, I am. That was close."

  "Was it the homeowners?"

  "No. One of the men tried to stop me from getting the car. He said he'd claimed it as soon as the owners turned."

  Reginald's arm muscles quivered, and his legs tightened. They were so close. What else could go wrong?

  *****

  Josh slowed as they neared a gate a few miles from Uvalde. The gate spanned a double drive. "Look." He pointed to a sign that hung from a post next to it that read River's Edge Bed and Breakfast and RV Park.

  "What do you think?" Randi asked. "If there's no one there, we might find supplies."

  "It's worth knocking on the first door we come to," Mark said.

  "Let's try." Randi turned her hands palm up. "We're armed. What's the worst that could happen?"

  "Slide over so you can drive through if the gate's unlocked." Josh hopped out and gave the electronic gate a tug. A padlock secured it at the top and the bottom. Did that happen after the electricity went out?

  Mark climbed out of the truck. "Need some muscle, bro?"

  "Yeah. Right."

  Mark grabbed a bolt cutter out of the truck and handed it to Josh. "See if those will get through the chain or the locks."

  He severed the locks and climbed in, Randi followed the dirt road until they came to a large, two-story log house. "Let's see if anyone's here." They each unholstered their handguns and slung their rifles over their shoulders.

  Mark gave a couple of loud raps with his knuckle. After a few seconds, the door creaked open and a man peeked out. "I have a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it."

  Josh held his hands up. "We mean you no harm."

  "Then what do you want?"

  "We're out looking for supplies and checking for survivors. So far we haven't found many who've come through this unscathed."

  The man stared at him for a few seconds. "Come in."

  He opened the door and led them into a large open room with wooden beams and floor to ceiling windows along the back providing breathtaking views of the hills with red and yellow trees.

  "I'm Cooper Davis. This place belongs to my dad and stepmom."

  "Did they make it?" Randi asked.

  "I don't know." The man was much younger than Josh had originally thought. Maybe twenty. "They work in San Antonio. From what I hear the infected have overrun the city." He ran his hand over his shaved head. "I was home from college for the weekend when everything went to pieces."

  "You're here alone?" Randi frowned. "It's not safe."

  Cooper laughed. "No kidding. Y'all are the first ones who didn't want to eat me or rob me."

  "Come with us." Josh motioned toward the truck. "We were headed back to our compound when we saw this place and decided to check for supplies. Our bunker is the safest place around."

  Cooper narrowed his eyes. "Uh, I'm not so sure. Y'all aren't cannibals, are you?"

  "Cannibals?" Randi laughed a deep hearty rumble. "I'm sorry that struck me funny. I could imagine my sister's response if we tried to get her to eat people. She thought eating venison was tantamount to animal cruelty."

  Josh grinned. "Yeah, Adriana would crater. Or kill all of us." He turned to Cooper. "I know it's hard to trust anyone in this messed up world, but we're offering you shelter and safety. There are families and children in the camp. It's safe."

  "And the freedom to leave any time you want." Randi made eye contact with the young man.

  "I can leave if I don't like it? No questions asked?"

  "Yep. We'll try to talk you out of it, because you won't survive if you're alone." She stepped closer to the young man. "But, if you really want to leave, you're free to go."

  "Dude, we're offering you a safe place." Mark scoffed. "You're crazy if you don't take us up on it."

  Cooper hesitated for several seconds. "Okay. I have supplies here, but with the electricity out, the stuff in the freezer won't last much longer.”

  "Let's take it." Randi motioned to the truck. "We'll load the whole thing up, and put it in the anteroom to the smokehouse. There's an outlet there. We can put it next to the cooler."

  "Good idea." Mark nodded. "Lots of possibilities with the ability to freeze meat and vegetables."

  Cooper frowned. "It's a huge commercial freezer, but I think Dad has a dolly around here. Not sure how we'll get it in the truck though."

  "My truck has a lift-gate." Randi crossed her arms. "I worked construction and often had to haul heavy stuff."

  The five of them wrestled the freezer onto a four-wheeled dolly. Josh swiped at the sweat dripping off his face. They took a breather, then rolled it to the truck and onto the lift gate. Josh and Cooper steadied the freezer as Randi lifted them up, then they rolled it into the truck and locked it into place with ropes.

  "Come with me." Cooper led them to a garage off to the side of the house. "Dad's motor home is parked in here. You said there were children at the camp. We can take the RV and maybe they'll stay warmer."

  He rolled up the door to reveal a huge class A motorhome. The thing looked bigger than her apartment. Josh let out a whistle and asked Randi, "Do we have enough gas to keep the generator going for a while?"

  "Yes. There are several tanks located on the property, but maybe Mark can figure out how to hook it to the power."

  "I'll work on it. Of course the heater's probably powered by propane, not electricity."

  "It has a fireplace and a heated floor," Cooper said. "It's a top of the line. If we could connect it to some type of electricity, we can use the stove, oven, and water heater."

  The thought of taking a hot shower instead of spit baths made him hopeful he'd feel civilized once again. "Let's t
ake it. It'll at least provide us a way to get them out of the wind." Josh turned to Mark. "You ride back with Randi, and I'll ride with Cooper."

  "Do you know how to drive the rig?" Mark asked.

  The young man shook his head. "Never tried. They only bought it a couple of months ago."

  "Josh, you ride with Randi, and I'll take the RV." Mark smiled. A real smile that reached his eyes. "My stent as a city bus driver while in college is paying off."

  It couldn't be that hard to drive. People bought them all the time, but Josh wouldn't say that to his brother.

  "We still need to hit a couple of places to find flour." Randi stretched. "If we're adding extra mouths, we need more supplies."

  "We have that here. It's in the cellar." Cooper motioned for Josh to follow him.

  They traipsed downstairs into a dark, dank cellar. There were bags of supplies on shelves and covering the floor. Maybe they could stock up enough to stay within the confines of the compound for a while.

  Josh grabbed a huge bag of potatoes and a bag flour and started up the stairs. "Your family must cook a bunch."

  "Dad's a gourmet chef at Chez Magnifique in San Antonio. He was working toward opening a restaurant here, but in the meantime, he fixes the guests incredible breakfasts.”

  Several more trips, and they had all of the flour, cornmeal, potatoes, and canned vegetables loaded.

  Cooper came up the stairs with a large jar of honey. "Y'all said there were kids there. I thought they might enjoy something sweet for a change."

  Randi swiped a hand over her dusty jeans. "There are. We're all a little on the weird side, but safe. Let's get back to the camp."

  Josh tugged his jacket closed. "Before we head back, do you have any bites or scratches?"

  Cooper shook his head. "None of those things have gotten close to me. The uninfected have posed the biggest threat."

  Randi stared at the young man. "When we get to the camp, one of the men will have you strip and check for bites. If you have a wound that resembles a bite or a scratch, you'll be allowed to stay in the outer fence for a few days until we're sure you're not infected." She touched the kid's arm. "You do understand we can't take a chance on bringing this infection into the camp?"

  Cooper scratched his neck. "I get it. Not much for stripping in front of others, but I'll do whatever I need to in order to stay safe."

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Josh stretched as the glow of the sun peeked behind the barren oaks. He rubbed his hands together and went to the kitchen area where Jill and Cooper were talking to Mrs. Martinez. He pointed at them. "Do y'all know how to handle a gun?"

  "I've had my license to carry for years." Jill zipped her jacket. "Before this, I went to the range a couple of times a week."

  The young man held his hand out and moved it side to side in a so-so motion. "I'm decent with a rifle or shotgun but not very accurate with a handgun. I've never been very fond of them."

  "Then Cooper, you'll come with us." Josh called Adriana, Mark, and Candy to join him. Between him and Mark they should be able to teach the women at least basic gun safety and help Cooper gain accuracy. "Let's go." He led the way to the vehicle storage. "Mark and I'll take the four-wheeler, and y'all can follow in one of the four-seaters."

  "If I have to do this, I might as well have fun." Adriana put her hands on her hips. "I'm riding the ATV with you."

  Josh's eyebrows shot up. "You think that's fun?"

  "Don't you?"

  He stared at the shrew for a few seconds. "You don't strike me as the outdoorsy type."

  "You don't even know me." Adriana crossed her arms. "I'm not a delicate flower."

  Yeah "delicate flower" wasn't the term he had for the hateful woman. Of course, as a gentleman, he refused to use the name he had for her. Josh forced a plastic smile. "Fine. You ride with me, then." He opened the door to the storage shed. "We'll do a perimeter check before we start the lessons." He drove until they came to a group of infected at the fence. As he rolled to a stop, Adriana gasped. Mark pulled to a stop a couple of feet behind the ATV and his passengers climbed out.

  "Are those people sick?" Adriana asked.

  "Yes. There aren't too many of them today."

  "Not too many?" Her eyes went wide. "Are you insane? There are five people standing there drooling."

  "Yeah, they're drooling because you look like dinner. Don't get too close." Mark put a hand out to stop Mrs. Martinez from getting any closer to the fence.

  Josh took a deep breath, leveled his weapon and fired off five shots in succession.

  "You just killed them!" Mrs. Martinez screamed and grabbed Josh's arm. "Those people were sick." She glared at him. "Don't you understand they can't help how they are? Why did you murder them?"

  "I do understand, but there's no help. This infection affects their brains. They don't know what they're doing, but that won't stop them from eating us. At least not until the disease progresses to the point they can no longer walk. They're dying, and, as much as I hate it, I'm only hastening that death to protect everyone else from this vicious disease."

  Mrs. Martinez shook her head. "I want to go back to the camp. Now. I must talk to Xever. We cannot randomly kill people. People who aren't harming us." She glared at Josh. "If we can't help them, we should leave them alone."

  Mark leaned close to Mrs. Martinez. "If we leave them alone, they'll take down the fence. Once the outer fence goes, it's a matter of time until they find their way inside the inner fence. When that happens, we are all dead."

  Mrs. Martinez stared at him for several seconds. "I refuse to believe that."

  Josh clenched his hands into fists and struggled to compose an appropriate response without screaming. Cooper stood behind Mrs. Martinez with his eyes wide, but he kept quiet. Probably wondering what kind of freak show he'd joined.

  "I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true." Mark put his hands on her shoulders. "Mrs. Martinez, life has changed. As unpalatable as that may be, you have grandchildren in the camp. You've only seen five infected at the fence. Most days there are many more, and it's much worse away from here. Each time we leave the compound, we put our lives on the line.

  "Whether you like our method of keeping you and your family safe or not, they are alive because of what your daughter and my brother put into place. If you can think of a better way, then tell us. We despise killing sick people. Killing anyone."

  She shook her head. "There must be another way."

  "Would you like to go out of the camp?" Josh asked. "I can show you how terrifying it is."

  She sank to the ground. "It can't be that bad. We can't let children grow up in this."

  Adriana huffed out a breath. "Mom's right. This is murder."

  Candy gave a harsh laugh. "You two are a piece of work. I've been on the other side of these walls. Josh and Randi continually tell you how dangerous the world is. Maybe they need to get more graphic with you. I watched those things eat, do you understand, eat my boyfriend. They ripped him into shreds while he screamed and cried."

  She walked up to Adriana and Mrs. Martinez and shook her finger at them. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves. Instead of acting like a couple of spoiled divas, grow up and deal with life as we know it. Be glad I'm not the one in charge. Instead of coddling y'all, I would take your pampered behinds into town and leave you to figure out how to survive. Now, shut up, get in the vehicle, and listen to every word that comes out of Josh's mouth, 'cause, so help me if you don't, I'll beat the snot out of both of you. I'm sick to death of your judgmental and superior attitudes."

  Josh stared at Candy. The sweet, quiet girl had never said much to anyone. Until today. He suppressed a grin.

  "Mom, get up." Adriana put her hand under her mother's arm. "We have work to do, and if we don't go shoot with Josh, we'll never get back to camp." She glared at Candy. "I don't know who you think you are to berate us, but I will go to my father as soon as we return. He'll put you out of the camp."

  "No,
he won't. This land and compound belongs to my uncle." Mark raised an eyebrow. "You have no say on who stays or goes. If you try, you won't stay."

  Mrs. Martinez stood and turned to Candy. "It may be awful out there, but how am I supposed to reconcile murdering people with my faith?"

  Candy stared Mrs. Martinez. "If someone broke into your house with the intent to mutilate your grandchildren, what would you do?"

  "Call the police."

  "These people are trying to get in here to kill your grandchildren. There are no police. If we don't stop them, they will kill Tommy and Lori." Mrs. Martinez's face blanched, but she didn't argue. Maybe Candy could reach them.

  Adriana rolled her eyes. "Let's learn to shoot, then we'll have Miguel take us on a run so we can see how they are blowing this out of proportion."

  "Miguel doesn't go on runs." Josh glared at Adriana. "You'll go with me, Mark, Xever, or Randi. If something happens to Miguel, we won't have anyone with medical knowledge. Now, shut up and get on the ATV, or I'll leave you out here."

  ***

  Randi stretched and looked out over the land as the sun crept higher in the sky. Her shift at watch would end soon. The door opened and Josh walked through. "Morning." Randi swiveled her stool around to face him. "I thought Dad was on for this morning?"

  "He is. I woke and couldn't go back to sleep so I rounded everyone up for an early morning shooting lesson." Josh lifted a shoulder.

  "Yeah." She leaned back and rubbed her neck. "How'd it go?"

  Josh shook his head. "Don't ask."

  "Okay, but I'll expect details later. Bringing Cooper into our group got me to thinking." Randi stood and paced from one end of the room to the other. "Do we need to go on runs looking for lone survivors?"

  "That would be humanitarian."