“Things are gonna start getting crowded around here Eastman.”
Eastman turned to face Taylor.
“There’s a SWAT team from Burnsville and a whole bunch of State Troopers headed in here. Now the military may not ask questions about you but the others sure will.”
“Time I wasn’t here. I’d best be making tracks.”
“Hold on there, Mister,” said Anne. “You’re not going anywhere until I take a look at that arm. Can’t have you sloshing blood all over the place.”
She stepped forward and took him by his good arm.
“Anne's right Taylor, besides you’re gonna need some new kit and I’m gonna need time to organise stuff.”
“What will you do after all this, Mr Taylor?”
“I told myself a while back I’d bring Tellermine down and kill him. I guess one out of two ain’t bad. But I’m not wasting my life chasing him down, if that’s what you mean.”
“Glad to hear that. Anne, best get your bag of tricks. I’ll get sorted then we’ll all mosey up to my ranch. Taylor, you stay here, out of sight.”
Taylor jerked his head up. “I already kinda planned that.”
“Oh, Mr Taylor I’m going to need some more blood from you when we get to Brad’s.”
“Blood, blood, blood. What is it with you, Doc? I’m gonna need to wear a crucifix around you from now on.”
Eastman coughed loudly.
“When you two are done.” He pointed to his watch. “I want us all back here no later than a quarter after. We all clear on that?”
The other two nodded and Eastman left for the station house. He had a lot to do but less time to do it. Soon the town would be stitched up tighter than new boots. Then he’d have one hell of a job getting Taylor out.
****
Eastman and Taylor stood looking out across the wooden fence, taking in the view of Eastman’s ranch. The cloudless blue sky stretched on forever; the only evidence of earlier events were the black scorch marks that speckled the landscape. Everything was still, just as it should be.
“Eastman, this place is like a dream, the type of place I’ve always wanted.”
“I gotta agree with you. Helen and me built this place up over the years. Kinda let it go these last few months.”
“Sorry about your wife, still you got yourself a fine woman with the good Doctor.”
Eastman quickly held up his hand in protest. “Oh, that’s not the way it is with us. Her husband died some time back in the war and...”
“I seem to recall this guy talking about choices. Maybe it’s time you made yours. Life is a hard game, let alone playing it on your own.”
“Well you two seem to be having a cosy ‘man chat’ – anything I’d be interested in?”
Eastman whirled around like a boy caught with his fingers in the candy jar.
“No. No, nothing at all. Just shooting the breeze. You know.”
“How’s that arm Mr Taylor?”
“Which one? The arm with the stitches or the one you drained?”
She grinned at him, shaking her head.
“Really, Mr Taylor. Anyway, I’ve been watching the TV and it seems as though we’ve made just about every news channel. The town looks more like a film set, media people everywhere.”
“We’d best get this done while we still got time,” said Eastman, walking to his barn and gesturing them to follow him. He pulled open the heavy green wooden door and looked at the other two.
“What do you think?”
The white two-door Chevy convertible would not have looked out of place in a car showroom. The pristine paint job sparkled as the bright sunshine reflected off its highly polished surface.
“This was Helen’s. I got it for her birthday just before she... I could never bring myself to part with it. But now I reckon it’s time I let it go.”
Eastman produced a set of car keys from his shirt pocket, turning them over and over in his hand. Finally, he extended his arm, letting the keys tip into Taylor’s outstretched palm.
“Eastman you sure about all this? I mean...”
Eastman held up his hand and looked at Taylor.
“It’s gassed up and I’ve already loaded your kit and caboodle, with a bunch of extras.” He pointed to the trunk and then handed Taylor a brown envelope. Taylor opened the envelope and let out a shrill whistle as he looked inside.
“Jeez, did you raid the Christmas fund or something?”
“There’s near two grand. All I could lay my hands on. It’ll have to see you through.”
“Brad, what happens if he gets pulled over? I mean, he’s hardly able to show any ID is he?”
“Sorry Anne, but that’s part of the risk. It’s that or walk. As long as you don’t run any red lights, you ought to be okay.”
“Listen you two, I... Look, I really appreciate all this.”
“No, it’s us who appreciate what you’ve done.”
Eastman paused a few seconds, waiting for her to finish, lost for words. “I don’t know what to say to you.”
Lenski shook her head crossly and gave Eastman a disapproving stare.
“Well we could always start with ‘thank you’ swiftly followed by good luck Mr Taylor.”
“Who’s this ‘Mr Taylor’ guy? I keep looking around for my father. After all this, please call me Brent.”
She leant forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you and good luck Brent.”
“Say, any more of that and I could be persuaded to stay.”
He climbed into the car and started the vehicle, winding down the window. The engine purred like a cat. “About time you made that choice, Lawman.”
Anne cast her eyes at Eastman, who stood silently. “What was that?”
Both watched as the car taxied down the long track before vanishing from sight. They both waved as Taylor sounded the horn. Then he was gone.
“What will he find out there Brad?”
Eastman reached over and took hold of Anne’s hand and smiled contentedly as she grasped it firmly. He held her closely to him and breathed in the scent of her perfume. He looked across the paddock and for a moment, he thought he could make out someone on a horse. But in an instant the image disappeared – if it had ever been there at all.
“Did you see something?”
Eastman rubbed his eyes and smiled. “No. Not anymore.”
“What about us, Brad? Where do we go from here?”
“We got a lot of folks down there who need us.”
He led her to the squad car and opened the doors. “And after that, I reckon you and me got some living to catch up on.”
****
Today is the twenty-second, two whole weeks from those events at Hinckle Point. But it feels more like a century since all that madness engulfed my town. Even now it all seems like some kinda crazy dream, all except for our dead, of which there are many. Counting those at the base and the creatures, our new best friends, the military, put the number at around three hundred. The truth is, that’s something we will never know.
Today’s memorial service was the first time we’d all been together as a ‘normal’ town since the start of this. I heard a lot of talk about sacrifices and a fine speech from our new Mayor, Veronica Redman, but none of that can replace the people we lost. Fine words, but just words all the same. Gerard and Mitch were buried with full honours. They awarded Gerard and me the Medal of Valour. Since he’s no family left, I thought it best to display Gerard’s medal at the station house. That way it’s gonna feel like he’s still about.
We saw the last of the military leave today. They spent the last few days going over the old base but when the media hounds got too interested, they concreted the whole place over. They tried to make it as though it never was, but you can’t take back all the hurt that place has caused.
But some good has come out of the mess. Uncle Sam’s been throwing dollars our way as if they were going out of fashion. A major logging outfit has bought the old sawmill and that means
big investment. So along with a hefty regeneration programme, that’s all good news.
But I’d say the best news is that Britney Patrick survived the infection. Anne says the kid has the same immunity as Taylor. It may have been triggered by the bite; some kinda reaction that only occurrs in a small handful of people. But that stays with us. So the kid was right after all – she really is one in a million. Things could get complicated if she ever has to have a blood test though.
The Judge retired from office after Veronica got elected Mayor, which most folks agree was about time. Norris Zillman and the Clayton clan just upped sticks and moved out of the area. They can go be someone else’s problem. All the charges on Mary Firth got dropped. No evidence, no witnesses and most of all, she’d been through enough.
On a personal note, I’ve been seeing a lot more of Anne these past weeks. A few movies and some eating out, hardly makes for serious dating. But for the time being that suits us fine. I’m gonna sign out now, I’m taking Anne to that new Italian. A complimentary dinner for two, that sort of thing can never be bad.
Well that’s just about all I can think of for now. There’s most likely a bunch of other stuff I could say, but maybe that’s for another time.
Eastman closed the little leather bound book and glanced up at the wall clock. There was just enough time for him get out of his uniform, shower and go collect Anne. He took off his black necktie, rolled it into a coil and placed it in his hat. He’d only ever worn this formal uniform once before, and that had been a wedding. All he could recall was that it had been a hot day like today.
As he passed the hall mirror he caught sight of his new shiny medal. Appreciation from a grateful State Governor – another darn politician hot on election votes. He took a long look at the face staring back at him and dabbed at the additional grey hairs sprouting on his sideburns. Could he have done more? What if he’d taken more notice of Taylor’s impossible tale? The time for recriminations and the ‘who should have done what’ had long passed. It was no good griping about shutting the barn door. He’d done his best to bring the latch down.
There’d been no news from Taylor, but Eastman had scarcely expected a post card. General Stone on the other hand, was wall-to-wall news. Every magazine, newspaper, radio and TV station across the planet was hanging on the next revelation. The congressional hearing was tearing him apart. Just about everybody who’d ever known the guy was taking the stand. The brass wanted to nail Stone’s liver to the senate door. It’d serve the lousy bum right.
Eastman walked into his bedroom and placed the book in its safe hidey- hole. Some things were best kept a secret. Maybe things hadn’t turned out so bad after all. Jimmy Emmett was still jawing about ‘conspiracy theories’ and such, only now people didn’t think him so crazy anymore. After the incredible events, no one would ever take anything for granted again. It had been the longest few days Eastman had ever seen; still it was all behind them now. Things had to get better from now on in.
****
The man sat in the small windowless waiting room, lightly tapping his fingertips on his briefcase. His smart dark grey suit complimented the functionality of the room. It wasn’t that he was nervous, far from it, he was eager to meet his new employers. He glanced over at the receptionist, engulfed in her typing. Her long, jet-black hair was secured tightly in a ponytail. Her striking Asian features were a welcome change from the made up faces of Western women. He was conscious of this being the third time in the fifteen minutes he’d been waiting that he’d looked at her. But in such a confined space it was difficult to look anywhere else, rather like being in a crowed elevator.
It was not as if he could fill the time reading the many leaflets and information posters dotted around, he’d never mastered any foreign languages. And there were only so many times someone could check their wristwatch.
To his shock, he suddenly became aware of the girl looking directly at him. In panic, he quickly averted his eyes. What if she’d caught him looking at her earlier? Now she probably thought he was odd. He’d never been at ease in the company of females. Personal relationships he’d discovered were greatly overrated.
“I’m sure Party Member Choi will not be much longer.”
The girl smiled, staring at him, as if awaiting a response and then returned to her work.
“Your English is excellent. I’m sorry I can’t say the same for my Korean.”
The diminutive young woman looked up from her work.
“I took American cultural studies at UCLA.” She paused uneasily then swiftly added. “A frivolous waste of time, but now I devote myself to serving my country.”
“Such devotion to duty, I’m impressed. We in the West can learn a lot from you.”
He smiled at her then sat back in the fabric-covered chair. Such discipline and dedication were rare commodities in America. However, the Korean sense of punctuality seemed to need some work. Glancing at his watch, he sighed and resigned himself to an undetermined stay. His wait was short lived as the large wooden brown door swung inwards.
Two Korean men dressed in suits entered the room and walked over to him. The younger man spoke first.
“I am so very sorry for this delay. Please accept my apologies. My name is Mr Choi, Minister for special affairs. This is Mr Haan, the Director of this facility.”
The second man smiled and bowed his head slightly. “You are assured of my complete cooperation in this matter.”
“The Leader has expressed his personal wishes for the success of this project. I trust I can give him a favourable report by the end of this week?”
“I’m delighted that the Leader attributes such interest to this venture Mr Choi. I can’t wait to demonstrate the success of my process.”
“You will find us most accommodating.”
Choi gestured to the open door, extending his arm towards the brightly lit corridor.
“Please allow me to show you to your work station. You will see we have made every effort to comply with your requests.”
Haan followed after the other two into the corridor. “Is there anything you need, Doctor?”
“A constant supply of raw material Mr Haan. That will keep me engaged.”
“Raw material?” repeated Haan, his face furrowed in puzzlement.
Choi held up his hand. “This is a political correction facility; you will have all the raw material you require. And you may work without restriction here Doctor Tellermine.”
“I’m delighted. That will be so refreshing after that last episode Mr Choi.”
Tellermine adjusted his round metal spectacles and looked through the tinted glass onto the compound below. Several hundred political prisoners were exercising to music under the watchful eyes of armed guards. He smiled; at least North Korea would appreciate his work, without the sentimentality of the West. If NB33 could not be used to improve medical science then at least the Leader would find a new use for it. Yes, the new enhanced formula would speed up the mutation process. There was no time like the present to start work. Tellermine smiled, he did so enjoy his work.
The End
Read on for a free sample of Destiny Nowhere: A Zombie Novel
CAST
The Police
Sheriff Brad Eastman
Deputy Gerard ‘T’ Benteen
Deputy Eddy Joe
Deputy Mitch Chattman
Deputy Jedrey Bodien
Deputy Max Koneg
Deputy Kate Black
Receptionist Clara Benson
The Medics
Dr Anne Lenski
Coroner Jack Larson
Nurse Elle-May Wellman
Nurse Jill Paxmore
Nurse Judy Garcia
Nurse Zoë Watson
Conrad Brown (Lab tech)
Sam Cortez (morgue attendant)
Norris Zillman (Porter)
Armstrong Townspeople
Old Ben Burke (Farmer)
Mrs Erin Burke (Wife)
Bill Merka (Parks D
epartment)
Jimmy Red Cloud S/P
Clayton brothers Zach & Luke (bad lads)
George Lee (Local hunter)
Frank & Nancy Jorgan and boys – Kurt & Larry
Chris Emery (High School Teacher)
Robert Pool (Town drunk)
Al Paxmore
Pat O’Brien (Radio expert)
Sarge (War Veteran)
Vince Langley (Telephone Company)
Jimmy Emmett (Town busy-body)
Benny Arnold (Wal-Mart store manager)
Oscar Majors (General Store)
Ethan Mason (black man)
Carmille (Judge)
Lenny Kovak (Armstrong Bugle)
Will Yardman (town big mouth)
Ross Murphy (Firth’s Search Party)
Danny Hardman (Hardware shop)
Glyn McDowall (Firth’s Search Party)
Miguel Bonzzoni (Firth’s search Party)
Jim -Boy (Firth’s gofer)
John –Bob
Austen Colt (AK 47)
Abe Mcreedy (Gun shop)
Jeb Doyle (missile site)
Mr and Mrs Cornelius
Preacher Goodman
Barney Branigan (Barney’s Bar)
Henry York
Ron Virdon (Fire Dept)
Aldo Kolp (Peter Firth heavy1)
Don Breck (Peter Firth heavy2)
Murray Scott (Peter Firth heavy3)
Boulle
Roody Goldsmith (Firth’s Search Party)
James Burke
Ray Johnson
Paul Washington (ring leader at Wal-Mart trouble)
Ramon Tuco
Javier Martinez (Fireman)
Tom Price
Jane Pready (Wal-Mart Supervisor)
Joe Levine (Wal- Mart Security Guard)
Ed Callan (USMC)
Bill Gardener
Leo Spelvin (Police Radio)
Ned Horvitz (infected)
Manny Hardbuckle
Sam Lock
Cast never seen only mentioned
Pete Kronberg (Grant Park Gardener)
Father O’Donnell
Pal Yantos (Fence Post)
Joe Lester (Cinder block wall)
Mrs Kronberg (Florist)
Containment_A Zombie Novel Page 43
