Starting the Slowpocalypse (Books 1-3 Omnibus)

by James Litherland

  David followed the two guards out into the corridor. They turned to head toward the lobby while he trailed the sergeant in the other direction. Carruthers drew his weapon and scanned every corner of the way as they walked to the cafeteria.

  When they stopped before the big double metal doors that served as the only entrance, David spoke to the sergeant’s back. “If somebody else is in here with us, sir, who could that be?”

  Carruthers answered over his shoulder without looking at him. “How many people have the access to override security locks? There’s Lt. Miles and the other two sergeants and Chief Cameron, of course. Who else? You’re Security—you should know.”

  “Don’t forget anyone any of those people might have let into the building without telling us.”

  Sgt. Carruthers did turn and frown at him then. “You’re the one who asked the question. Why don’t we just find out who’s here and what’s going on and save the speculation?”

  David decided to keep his thoughts to himself. After all, Carruthers was one of those who could’ve let someone else in the building. “Then let’s start by finding out what’s up with Crystal. She was here at the early supper service—so if you didn’t let her out she’s still here.”

  The sergeant had already turned back to pound on the door as David finished talking. “Miss Sorenson! Are you in there? Are you alright?”

  They both paused for a long moment, but there was no response from within. David found himself shaking his head. “Sir, you’ll have to use your security key to override the lock—we’re on lockdown.”

  Carruthers frowned over his shoulder at David and reached for the doorknob. It turned, and Carruthers pushed the door wide open. “What was that you were saying, Belue?”

  “The door was locked. Ten, fifteen minutes ago when I was here—definitely locked.”

  The sergeant just looked at David a minute before nodding and turning back to the dark doorway. The dim light from the corridor was insufficient to press into the room beyond. They both stood, staring into the blackness without a word.

  Carruthers took the flashlight from his belt and held it high in his left fist and advanced slowly into the cafeteria, sweeping the beam of light to and fro across the room, still gripping the gun in his right hand.

  Not feeling comfortable drawing his own weapon, David grabbed the flashlight off his belt. Just to add his own light to the sergeant’s felt silly, though, so he used it to find his way along the wall to where he knew the switches were located. He flipped them all on and the room was suddenly bathed in brightness.

  It was quite empty, and clean. Sterile, even. At least all the shadows were gone, but it felt creepy.

  Carruthers turned off his flashlight. “There’s no one here.”

  David nodded. He’d been glancing underneath the tables but all he’d seen were chair legs. “There’s still behind the service counter to check. We should also look in the kitchen and Mrs. Hudson’s office, to be sure.”

  “Of course we’ll do a proper search. I wouldn’t have suggested otherwise.” He glanced back at David while walking around the end of the long counter. “You’d better learn to keep your suggestions to yourself until I ask for them. You may be new to the guards, but I expect you to act like one while you’re here. However long that may be.”

  David worked at keeping his cool while he followed the sergeant behind the counter. “We’re not in the military, sir. I know how to be respectful, but I am not a soldier and I won’t try to act like one.” No matter how much the other guards tried to act as if they were.

  Carruthers only gave him a long hard stare and then returned his attention to his search. They both saw there was nothing and no one behind the counter, but the wide door back to the kitchen was ajar. The sergeant gripped his weapon in both hands and eased the door open with his foot.

  David was struck by the spotless shine from the counters and floor—Crystal had certainly been here cleaning up, the question was where she had got to.

  He shifted his attention to the open door to the kitchen. It was still dark in there and David couldn’t remember where the switches were, so he raised his flashlight. He held it high over the sergeant’s shoulder and moved the beam from one side of the room to the other, stopping when it illuminated the object on the floor.

  Even though he could tell what it was and didn’t want to see it any more clearly, he turned the beam to the wall to look for the light switches. He realized he was shaking as he reached to turn them on. She can’t be dead. But there was her body lying lifeless on the cold steel floor.

  Carruthers finished looking over the rest of the room and came over to examine the corpse. David reluctantly joined him in gazing down at it. She was mostly on her back, with a hole in her forehead. He didn’t even consider the possibility of suicide, but as they looked around and saw no weapon, the fact she had been murdered was obvious. By someone who had stood facing her.

  Part of him was in shock, he knew, but another part of him was trying to take in as many details as he could. He had been training for this and he had to try to do his job, his real job, no matter how he felt.

  He noticed her FURCS pad was lying there beside her on the ground, near her outstretched hand. Was she trying to call for help? If she’d managed to contact anyone, it hadn’t been David, but there’d be a record of who it was. But she might not have had the chance.

  Whoever had shot her had been facing her and standing relatively close, and she hadn’t even tried to turn and run. It didn’t look like she’d run or put up any kind of struggle. And the killer had been in the kitchen with her. Someone she trusted.

  That was when David realized that he was himself a suspect, or would be considered one. Until he remembered that he had been with Carruthers and the other two guards when they’d heard the shot.

  David shivered. But then who shot her? Someone else had to be in the building, because all four of them had alibis for this murder. Of course, Neilson and Wagner were searching the rest of the building, so they’d find the culprit. Unless that person were still here in the cafeteria somewhere.

  Unsnapping the strap on his holster, David reluctantly drew his weapon. The killer had a gun as well. But the only people who went around armed inside the FURC were guards and security officers. Which means the murderer has to be one of us. As impossible as that seemed.

  While he avoided looking at the body, David did spare a thought for Crystal. Why didn’t she let me in when I knocked?

  Carruthers looked at him and sighed. “We can’t deal with this by ourselves.”

  Of course, the sergeant still thought of David as a security officer. Well, so do I. And so I am.

  “That’s alright, Sergeant. I know who to call.”

  Chapter 10

  Storm Tracking

  4:20 a.m. Monday, March 3rd

  KAT kept her foot mashed on the brake and waited for MacTierney to hand her the night vision binoculars. He was scanning Interstate 75 as it stretched to the north. Since Bart had taken one pair of the night vision binoculars as well as a pair of the goggles, and since she’d loaned one pair to Fiona, Kat now had to share with her sergeant.

  That wasn’t the only reason she felt cross. She’d argued with Fiona about what route they’d take and whether Lacey should be allowed to come with them all the way back to the FURC. As if Fiona had a say in that decision. And they hadn’t been able to leave that horrible subdivision until after midnight.

  At this rate, Kat had a hard time seeing them actually making it back home by the end of the week—they surely wouldn’t see it before dawn. That meant another long day of waiting once they found a place to stay. So while she was forced to go slow, Kat still wanted to cover as much ground as possible tonight. But safely, which was why she was taking so much time to cross the road.

  This highway was the main artery for what traffic remained on the road these days, and it was regularly patrolled by the state police—who were still loyal to Governor Roberts. Part o
f what little influence he had left.

  Sgt. MacTierney finally finished surveying that stretch of the interstate and turned to look at Grace, who sat between them in the middle of the cab.

  “Excuse me, Miss Cameron.” He blushed as he passed the binoculars in front of the girl to hand to Kat. Of course, Grace smiled shyly at him. All this flirting didn’t help Kat’s mood, and she yanked the binoculars out of her sergeant’s hand.

  She turned and scanned the stretch of the road to the south as quickly as she could. It seemed to be nothing but empty asphalt. She let up on the brake as she was handing the binoculars back to MacTierney. As the jeep slowly rolled forward, she kept one hand on the steering wheel while her other slipped her night vision goggles over her face.

  With all the interior and exterior lights off, Kat let the vehicle crawl in idle across the overpass and looked down at the dark highway below, listening to the night. She doubted she could hear another vehicle approaching over the noise of their own engine—at least not before the headlights of that other vehicle had appeared. But she liked having the window rolled down, to feel the night air, and to listen.

  She gently added some gas and watched to see she didn’t drive through the railing—over the edge. And she resisted the urge to glance back and check that Fiona was following. She’d better be.

  The stubborn woman hadn’t admitted the need to turn west and travel on the other side of 75 for a while. And then she’d argued about crossing back over before they got too far south.

  Kat kept her eyes on the road as she talked to Grace. “Whatever your mother says, the Gulf Coast is a lawless mess, and it gets worse the farther south you go. We’ll have to turn east again before we get too close to the populated areas.”

  Grace sighed. “I think it was just that she didn’t want to cross 75 in the first place. More because it’s a detour that slows us down than anything else.”

  Kat nodded. “But there are a couple of enclaves east side of the highway.” They were kind of like the FURC, only not as secure. And therefore more trigger happy. “We have to skirt around them.”

  The sound of the girl’s braids swishing said she was shaking her head. “I’m not arguing, just trying to explain my mother. What I imagine she’s thinking. If you want a fight, you’ll have to take it to her. But I won’t referee.”

  Kat wondered if Grace thought it would come to violence between Kat and the girl’s mother. Admittedly, Kat had told Fiona she’d punch her lights out if she had to—but that had just been some friendly persuasion. Which Fiona herself should well understand.

  There wasn’t a peep out of Grace or MacTierney as they traveled off the bridge and along the county road as it took them away from the dangerous highway. It was in that quiet that Kat heard the sound of another vehicle. Over the purr of the Cameron carrier it sounded like a lion roaring. And angry.

  Kat swiveled her head in all directions. But she couldn’t see the lights of whatever it was. She needed a better vantage point. Taking her foot off of the gas, she lifted the goggles from her head and handed them to Grace and reached past the girl to grab the binoculars from her sergeant.

  “Take the wheel, Grace.”

  She barely waited for the girl to grab the wheel before she was letting go and undoing her seatbelt. Then she reached through the open window to pull herself up to sit on the door frame. From here she’d be able to look out over the roof as well as hear better to make out where the sound of the other vehicle was coming from so they could avoid it.

  Grace deftly steered the jeep as the road curved to the south. The growl of the loud engine was coming from the north and getting closer. Another road came from the north and merged with the one they were on about a hundred yards up ahead.

  Kat thought what sounded like a large truck was on that road, on a potential collision course. But it might still be quite a ways away.

  Without her mashing the gas pedal their speed had dropped, and she looked behind them. Even in the green night vision she saw confusion on Fiona’s face—but Kat couldn’t deal with that at the moment. She had a decision to make.

  Unable to see any lights from the other vehicle, she was going to take a chance. Sliding back into the driver’s seat, she waited for Grace to strap the goggles back over her head before accelerating again. Hopefully she could stay ahead of that truck. And if not, at least they should be able to get out of its way as soon as they saw headlights coming up from behind.

  Kat reached out the window again, this time to try and wave Fiona around her. She preferred having herself between the oncoming truck and Fiona and her girls. Nothing I can do about Grace.

  Kat appreciated having Grace along though, especially as the girl seemed to have a talent for driving one-handed from the side. Fiona passed by and sped ahead, having apparently gotten the message. Needing to keep her eyes peeled on the jeep in front now, Kat once again required the assistance of her sergeant.

  “MacTierney, use those binoculars to watch out behind us. Sounds like a truck coming. I want you to let me know the second you see it.”

  “Yes, mam.”

  Kat frowned as the roads merged and the tanks drifted over into the right hand lane. That was the direction she would want to get off when she had to. Thankfully all this land was level, and her sergeant should be able to see the approaching truck in time. Unless it’s traveling dark like us.

  It was only several minutes later when MacTierney yelped. “Lights.” He shifted around in his seat and continued, “I think they must be high-beams. I got blinded through the night vision.”

  “It’s only temporary.” Of course now Kat had to worry about whoever it was coming up behind them not being afraid to attract attention to themselves.

  It didn’t really matter who they were though. It would be best to avoid them regardless, so she started looking for a good exit. But in case we can’t avoid them…

  “Sergeant, once your vision clears you’d better grab your rifle.”

  Kat heard MacTierney twisting around for a bit and then stop. And then Grace’s voice beside her. “I should be the one doing any shooting—I’m the best shot here.”

  Kat scowled in the dark. “I need you to keep us steady while I shoot.” And there’s no way you could be better than me. “MacTierney’s just for covering fire, should I need it.” Which was what he was good for, really.

  Grace braids swished. “If it comes to that, have him take the wheel and I’ll cover you. Though your help really won’t be needed.”

  Kat caught herself grinning. The girl certainly had a high opinion of herself.

  The sergeant volunteered his own opinion. “I’ll be able to keep this tank steady, better than I could shoot at a moving target. And anyway, I’d like to see how good Grace is.”

  Kat groaned on the inside, though she knew her sergeant was only being honest. Then she remembered seeing Grace loading her gun behind the seat. “Grace, is that a fifty caliber rifle you’ve got? Must be awfully heavy. Can you manage lifting it out and firing out the window?”

  “It’s a fifty caliber tactical sniper rifle and yes, I can manage. Just watch.”

  Kat sighed. “I’ll be too busy to watch and MacTierney will be keeping his eyes on the road. Won’t you, Sergeant?”

  “Yes, mam.”

  “Then switch places with Grace so you can grab the wheel if you need to, and so she can get out the window.”

  She concentrated on trying to not get too close to Fiona ahead of her while ignoring the sounds of her sergeant and Grace fumbling as they exchanged places. When they’d apparently gotten themselves settled, she had a question for MacTierney. “How far behind us are they now?”

  “Well, mam, I don’t need my binoculars to see their lights are coming up fast.” Then the crack of a gunshot split the air and the question of their intentions was answered as well.

  Kat kept the wheel and the gas steady while she pulled off her night vision goggles and handed them to MacTierney so he could see where the
y were going. As soon as she felt him grab the wheel she was pulling herself back through the window and reaching in to pull her rifle up after her. Setting herself firmly on the door frame and bracing the stock with her shoulder, she looked through the sight to see a monster truck gaining on them and a yahoo firing a pistol from the passenger side. And a couple of men standing up in the bed of the truck with rifles.

  She glanced across the roof then to watch Grace pull her cannon through the window and flip its bi-pod and steady the barrel on the roof and adjust the sight. The girl was a lot stronger than she looked—her actions were smoothly professional.

  Kat returned to looking through her sight at the oncoming threat and noticed a second vehicle, hidden behind the first and its glaring headlights. Recalling Lacey’s description of the Aryans, Kat had a sinking feeling this was them. Though she couldn’t imagine how they’d found this little caravan.

  She had a more immediate concern however. It seemed they’d soon be close enough they might hit someone with one of their shots. Accidentally.

  Before she took a shot of her own, she called out to Grace. “Aim for the engine block, or their tires—but not the people.”

  The girl nodded in the light reaching them from the truck’s headlights behind and returned to sighting through her scope. Kat did likewise and started to control her breath the way Tony had taught her, so long ago now. When she was perfectly calm and steady and knew she would hit her target, she fired. One of the men standing up in the back of the truck flew backward from the impact of the bullet, tumbling off and onto the street. Making the truck behind swerve. She adjusted her aim to another target and focused on her breathing.

  She’d just hit the second rifle-wielder when she heard Grace’s first shot slam into the center of that truck with a screeching thunk. It slowed to a stop, and the second swerved around it to continue after them.