Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4)

by Kristal Stittle

  “You’re welcome. So, tell me, who has a key for that door downstairs?”

  Crichton shook his head. “That’s not where we start.”

  “It isn’t?” Logan wondered, a hint of laughter in her voice.

  “No, we start with what your plans are for the people if they leave their apartments.”

  “That depends on you.”

  “In what way?”

  “Co-operate, and they’ll be fine. Make things difficult, and they won’t be.”

  “So you’re willing to let us all go? Or are you thinking of taking everyone prisoner?”

  “It would be very tedious to hold you all prisoner, not to mention a drain on our supplies.”

  “It would be, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t do it.” Crichton was clearly trying to get her to say the words.

  Logan seemed to pick up on this and decided to stop dancing around it. “I would let your people go.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yes, all of them.”

  “Crichton, too?” Abby spoke up.

  “Yes, yes, Crichton, too, so long as you give me what I want.”

  “Good, then we’re clear on what I want. I’m assuming what you want is complete control of the Black Box, which includes being able to get into every room.”

  “I also want your supplies. Make no mistake, I’ll let you leave, but you’ll be taking nothing but the clothes on your backs.”

  “We’ll die out there without supplies!” Seth cried out, to Abby’s confusion. “You have to let us take something.”

  “That’s your problem, not mine. I’m sure you’ll find a way. Here, I’ll let you take this advice: break into smaller groups.”

  It suddenly dawned on Abby that Seth was very clever. Based on the way Logan spoke, she had no idea about the colony at the container yard. It was unlikely that Logan would give them boats, so travelling around the large bay and crossing the rivers would take days and be dangerous, but at least they had a place to go. It would be crowded and supplies would be tight, but they had a safe place. At least, it was safe if they had dealt with their own problem better than the Black Box had. Were the two incidents related? Based on what Abby had heard from Cameron, she didn’t think so.

  Crichton gave himself time to think, as if debating what Logan had said about not taking supplies. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

  “You don’t,” Logan shrugged. “Now, how do I get into that room downstairs?”

  “There’s already someone in there,” Crichton told her. “If I give the evacuation order, he’ll be the last to leave. Once he’s out, all you have to do is prevent the door from closing behind him.”

  “And how do I know you’re not lying to me? That that room isn’t empty?”

  “Take me to the control centre; I can talk to my man from there. I’ll get him to bang on the door as many times as you want, to prove to your men down there that I’m telling the truth.”

  Logan leaned back in her seat, considering his words. “Very well. Let’s go prove the existence of this man of yours.”

  With a gesture of her hand, a pair of guards flanked Crichton. Both he and Logan got to their feet and made their way to the door. Abby was left behind with Seth, Clive, and the two remaining guards. She didn’t dare speak a word to the others, not wanting to say the wrong thing and somehow give up the container yard. Instead, she watched Clive, who had calmed down considerably. Now that no one was touching him and his face was hidden behind his ice-filled rag, he had managed to relax. Evacuating, if it did indeed happen, was going to be hard on him. It always was.

  Abby had trouble keeping track of time in the silence. She was exhausted. The night had been long and hard, and she wasn’t as young as she used to be. With the fear-induced adrenaline wearing away, she found it harder to keep her eyes open and her head up, but she managed until the overhead speakers crackled to life.

  “Attention Black Box residents, this is Commander Crichton speaking.”

  Abby hadn’t heard him use the commander title for himself in a very long time. Certainly not since the Diana sank. She found it odd that he used it now.

  “This is an orange evacuation. I repeat, this is an orange evacuation.”

  “What’s that mean? Orange?” one of the guards asked, stepping up to Abby and prodding her with the end of a rifle.

  “It means we lost and to leave our stuff behind for you guys,” Abby had to bite back an insult. “Blue means we have time to pack, such as if there’s a slow rising flood. Red, which is usually issued via lights and sirens as you may have heard, means grab what you can and go. Black is get the fuck out as fast as possible, we’re all about to die.”

  “I feel a bit insulted we weren’t a black,” one of the guards joked with the other.

  “Mind untying us now?” Seth asked slowly. “So we can join the evacuation?”

  The one who had prodded Abby untied her, and took away the ice. Apparently, they were very literal about giving them nothing, not even the rags. Abby rubbed her sore wrists and waited for Seth and Clive to be freed so that they could go together. She’d have to find her family once they were outside.

  Clive whined and curled up in his chair.

  “What’s his problem?” one of the guards sneered. “Come on, get up.” He pushed Clive, which only made him curl up tighter.

  “Don’t touch him; it’ll only make it worse. Step back,” Seth told the guards, who hesitated, but then did as he had directed. “It’s okay, Clive. We’re evacuating. We’re going outside, won’t that be nice? We’ll be going back to your truck. Come on, I’ll make sure no one touches you,” Seth coaxed.

  Slowly, Clive got to his feet.

  “There you go. Come on, just follow Abby and we’ll be back at your truck in no time.”

  Abby moved for the door, looking over her shoulder to make sure Clive was shuffling after her. Seth tailed behind him, making sure the guards kept their distance.

  As Abby led the way toward the nearest exit stairs, she wondered how many more times in her life she’d be forced to move.

  28

  Danny’s Unsure

  Danny slept fitfully. The side he was used to sleeping on was the one with his injured shoulder, which meant he either had to lie on his other side or his back, neither of which was working well. He was in that strange zone where he was too tired to sleep. Even when he did manage to make it into the land of dreams, he couldn’t stay there long, constantly thinking it was time to get up when it wasn’t. Then there was the fact that his container was near the community centre. The people were silent as they were gathered in groups and moved to either Animal Island or to a place from which they’d be defending, yet Danny could somehow sense them moving around out there. Maybe that was just a psychological thing, but the occasional soft footsteps of someone walking over his container, and the sounds made as his solar panels were removed for safe keeping, certainly weren’t. Neither was the constant drone of the dead. He wondered if Jon was sleeping all right on the bunk bed beneath his. Jon had always been a bit of a roller, so his movements didn’t tell Danny anything, and he didn’t want to risk asking only to end up waking him with his words. Mostly Danny lay still on his back, his eyes closed, listening to the sounds of his own breathing and the heartbeat in his ears.

  At the opposite end of the container, one of the doors was opened a crack, letting in the faint light of the night sky and an even fainter breeze. When a stronger puff of air rippled across his skin, Danny opened his eyes and rolled onto his good shoulder to look at the door. It had been opened further by someone, the silhouette not quite identifiable. Whoever it was stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind him.

  “Danny?” Even when whispering, Danny could identify the German accent as belonging to Karsten.

  “Sir?” Danny whispered back.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’d like to request your help with something.”

  “Do you need my help?” Jon whispered
from the lower bunk sounding like he hadn’t been asleep at all either.

  “It’s all right, Jon, you go back to sleep, I just need Danny.”

  Wondering what was happening now, Danny slid off his bunk and carefully climbed down the completely vertical metal ladder that he and Jon had bolted on to replace the angled one the bed had come with. Once on the floor, he followed Karsten outside, glancing back to see Jon watching them from the darkness. What would they need Danny’s help with that Jon couldn’t do? He had two working arms after all, whereas Danny was temporarily crippled. Clearly it couldn’t be a physical task.

  Outside, the eastern sky had become a dull grey. The sun would be rising in maybe an hour or so. Danny tried not to think about the chaos and death that was likely to come with it. Karsten led him to the community centre and then past it. Through the open doors, Danny was able to see that only Evans’ people were left inside, huddled around a couple of gas lamps, many trying unsuccessfully to sleep. When they stopped at the containers beside the community centre, Danny figured out why he had been called over. If they were going to risk having a massive horde of zombies come over their walls, it would be cruel to keep Evans and his party locked up.

  “I’ve been told that despite what happened to you, you seem to get along with these people to some degree.”

  “I don’t think Evans is all that bad.” Danny hadn’t really realized he thought this until he said it. “I just think he made a bad call letting an angry mob decide what his group should do.”

  “I can understand that,” Karsten nodded. “It’s easier to go with a mob, than try to change their minds. Do you think they will help us? If we give them their weapons back, will we regret it?”

  Danny chewed on his lip as he thought, but he didn’t have to think for long. “I don’t think so. I mean, they wouldn’t have much of a choice would they? No one is just going to stand there and do nothing when a horde of zombies is coming at them unless they want to die, and I don’t think these people want to die.”

  “I’m more concerned about afterwards, once the zombies are gone.”

  There was no way Danny could know what would happen then.

  “Of course, their children will be on Animal Island,” Karsten continued, talking more to himself now. “I would rather not have to use them as hostages, but I could.”

  “I think we should talk to Evans. I mean, that’s why you brought me out here, right? So he has a familiar face present while you deal?”

  Such a small smirk crossed Karsten’s face, it was almost impossible to see in the dark.

  When Karsten approached the containers, the guards didn’t even bother to ask questions, they just merely stood more alert when he grabbed one of the door handles. Danny wished he had a rock for his new sling, a silent weapon to use in case he was wrong and someone charged out. When the container door opened, no one moved inside. Several sleepy eyes peered out of the darkness, while those closest to the door blinked rapidly, attempting to focus on Karsten from their seated positions on the floor.

  “I’m looking for the one named Evans,” Karsten whispered to the half-asleep people. “There’s something important we need to talk about.”

  The large form of Evans moved forward from the back, his blond hair and beard catching the meagre light before the rest of this face. He stopped at the threshold of the container, looking down on Karsten. Karsten was only slightly below average height, but beside Evans, he was downright short.

  “May we speak in private?” Karsten gestured away from the container.

  Evans looked out into the space, spotting Danny. “This door stays open and we stay within sight of my party members.” It wasn’t a request.

  Karsten nodded and led the man out of the container. Danny tailed behind the two men, glancing once over his shoulder. Evans’ party members were clustering at the door, being careful not to step outside. The men guarding the containers had grown more tense, but they kept their hands off their guns. Instead, they tightly gripped their clubs and knives, under orders not to risk a gunshot. Karsten stopped within sight of the container, but out of hearing range of both the people within it and those guarding it. Bearing in mind that they were whispering and the zombies were still moaning, they didn’t have to go very far.

  “As you can hear, the zombie horde hasn’t gone away like we had hoped,” Karsten waved an arm toward the wall. “We have a plan, but it’s dangerous.”

  “You’re not using my people as cannon fodder.” Evans’ voice was flat as he whispered, the lack of emotion making it hard for Danny to figure out what he was thinking.

  “Of course not, we would never do something like that. But there is a risk of zombies coming over the wall. I want to ask you to stand with us, to help us fight them off should that happen.”

  Evans considered the thought, his eyes roaming around the container yard and taking in the activity.

  “We’d move the kids and the infirm somewhere safe,” Danny added. “Ours have already been moved to an island, and we’re going to disconnect the bridge before anything happens.”

  “Will we get our own weapons?” Evans asked.

  “Yes,” Karsten nodded.

  Evans looked back at the community centre and the containers where his people were being held. “Can I trust there won’t be any friendly fire from your people?”

  “No one here would dare risk that. We’re not that angry with you. Can I trust the same from yours?”

  “Not all of them,” Evans spoke honestly. “There are a few that I would keep locked up for now.”

  “Then keep them locked up; that’ll be your call.”

  Danny shifted nervously from foot to foot. It seemed to him that maybe Karsten was putting too much trust in Evans, and he hoped that wasn’t because of what he had said.

  “Tell me what the plan is.” Again, it wasn’t a request.

  Karsten explained about the slings and the grenades, how people outside the wall were going to set off fireworks to hopefully draw a bunch away.

  “You know how to use a sling?” Evans looked at Danny when it was mentioned he’d be one of the slingers.

  Danny nodded, not wanting to admit that he and Karsten had only just learned that night. Evans’ eyes then focused on Danny’s injury.

  “It doesn’t affect my ability to sling,” Danny whispered, showing Evans the motion he got out of his other arm.

  “That’s not what I was thinking.” Evans said it so quietly that Danny almost didn’t hear him. “We will help you,” Evans whispered, redirecting his attention to Karsten.

  “Good. Great,” Karsten nodded again. “I’m leaving it to you to tell your people, and to decide who’s going to the island and who’s staying to fight, as well as who you think should stay locked up. Be aware that those going to the island won’t be allowed to bring weapons with them. We have a few guards there in case a zombie manages to cross the water, but also our pregnant women can handle themselves and all our teenagers know how to use the weapons they carry. It’ll be safe there, but anyone who demands a weapon has to stay here.”

  “I understand. Will my party be stationed together, or are you going to spread us out among your people?”

  “Not knowing your people’s skills, I would like to spread them out, but I can understand why they would want to fight beside people they know.”

  “We’ll compromise then. Those I know who will be all right beside your people will be spread out, while the rest stay together.”

  Karsten agreed. “When your people are ready, head toward the wall. A man there will return your weapons to you. After that, come back here and find me; I’ll tell you where to set up. Those not fighting can head straight to the bridge.” He pointed in its direction. “Someone is already waiting there to help people across.”

  Danny didn’t know what to do with himself. He felt like he had contributed nothing to this conversation, that Karsten had already known how it was going to go.

  “You’re coming wi
th me,” Evans told him unexpectedly.

  The request startled Danny to the point where he didn’t know how to respond; he just followed Evans back to the community centre. As the man stepped inside the building, he was recognized right away by those who were awake, who then had everyone else woken up by the time Evans and Danny reached the corner in which they were clustered. Evans explained the plan to his non-combatants, asking if any of them would like to volunteer to fight. Only a small handful did, the rest more than willing to cross the bridge they had never seen. With that done, Evans got them up and moving outside, wanting to make sure they had ample time to get to safety. As they left the community centre, a few glanced at Danny. They looked confused and afraid. Danny tried to smile for them, hoping he looked friendly as opposed to creepy.

  Letting his fighters cool their heels awhile longer, Evans personally led the others to the bridge. Danny figured he wanted to see it for himself, to know where it was and how far the island lay. In the darkness, Bitch Bridge looked more dangerous than ever. Its long hodgepodge length of floats, barrels, and boats bobbed on the gentle waves, bending wherever the ends of two of the overlaid boards met. They were lucky the water was as calm as it was.

  “I’ll see you all across in groups of five,” a man waiting on the shore told them. Danny recognized him as one of the veterinarians, all of whom had plenty of experience crossing the bridge. “Those two kayaks there will be pacing alongside us, so if you fall in, don’t struggle even if you can’t swim. They’ll save you, even if they have to dive in to do it, just don’t make any noise. Also, I recommend crawling if you can.”

  Evans looked at the light still slowly growing on the horizon. Danny knew he was worried about the sun rising before his people could cross.

  “It’s okay,” Danny told him. “We won’t put the plan into action until the bridge is disconnected, and we won’t do that until everyone waiting here has made it across.”

  Evans scratched his cheek beneath his short beard, and slowly nodded. “All right. Let’s go get the others then.”