With an all too familiar motion, the colonel guided the mayor toward her waiting driver. “I hope I wasn’t too pretentious ordering you the chauffeured car, Mayor,” he said as he turned his back to the four remaining guardians. An unheard exchange passed between the two before he retreated to his revving military vehicle on the other side of the church.
“We’ll see you all when this blows over,” he called, as if he were speaking about a winter storm or a spat.
As the military transport zoomed down Main Street to join the line of cars that still chugged toward the highway, the four remaining members of Carterville joined in a small circle, eyeing each other ominously. Clay still sensed that Alayna was quivering, but her eyes looked sharp; her mind was clear. When the ship began to sink, he wanted to be in her lifeboat.
“I’d like to thank all of you for staying,” Clay said, searching the glassy-eyed face of Lieutenant Daniels and the bearded, soft, folding face of Doctor Miller. A wind kicked up, whooshing against the doctor’s flannel, causing him to wrap it tighter around his thin frame. “We’re going to figure this out,” Clay continued, his own voice doubtful. “And if we don’t, at least we’ll ensure no more people die today. Is that clear?”
No one responded. Silence seemed to creep around them, filling the air with tension. The town was turning grey and blank.
Chapter 26
The four stood near the church, the wind continuing to whip around them, as Clay and Alayna began to cook up a plan to organize their next two days. They peered at a map stretched out between them, orchestrating sections for each of them to search.
“Willis, you think you could head to the neighborhood near the high school?” Alayna asked. “I know we had a few stragglers there a few hours ago.”
“Not a problem,” Willis affirmed.
Clay handed him a walkie-talkie. “As you recall, there’s no cell service, thanks to the military,” Clay said with a quick glance at Daniels. “And we’ll need these to keep in touch when we’re separated.” Clay continued to hand radios to the Alayna and Daniels.
Willis grasped the radio with thick fingers, his eyes toward the ground. “I hope they make it to Alabama,” he whispered, lost in the emotions of saying good-bye. Beside him, Daniels snorted, rolling his eyes. All sense of compassion was lost. But, to be fair, Clay knew they didn’t have time for it.
Alayna blinked rapidly, eyeing the few downtown streets. She rubbed at her temple. A single blue vein stuck out from her skin, giving her a ghoulish look. “It’s so goddamn quiet,” she said. “I’ve never seen it like this.”
Clay felt his gut churning again. Everything about the world seemed to tilt; the air tasted wrong. He knew that Alayna was saying the obvious, sure. But there was something more to this feeling—something that assured him that everything wasn’t precisely as it seemed. Colonel Wallace and the mayor had seemed so chummy, too familiar together. Almost as if—
His mind couldn’t articulate just how wrong this feeling was. He shook his head and muttered under his breath, allowing only Alayna to hear. “Something’s not right. It’s . . . it’s just a feeling.”
Alayna turned toward him, placing a firm hand upon his shoulder. “You have to stop with the ‘gut feeling’ bullshit, Clay. I know you’re my boss and all, but it’s creeping me out. You’ve told me before. We have to look at the facts of a given situation. And we have to focus on those facts. And the fact is, we need to get moving.”
“But doesn’t it seem odd to you that less than forty-eight hours ago, the town was running along just fine? Then, out of nowhere, a meteorite blasts through the night and interrupts life as we know it. Don’t you think a complete town evacuation seems a bit overkill, and in such haste? And how did the military know about everything so soon?” Clay paused to study the blank stares from everyone around him. Everyone except Lieutenant Daniels. His stare reeked of boredom. “They were already on their way before news of the catastrophe even made it out of town, almost as if they were on their way here for some other reason altogether.”
The foursome remained silent for several moments, each of their minds turning over the words Clay had just uttered.
Suddenly, a gale-force wind nearly knocked them over before it ripped the town map from their grasp. They tried to recapture the map, but the abrupt blast of cool air had blown everyone’s hair into their eyes, causing a momentary loss of clarity.
Chapter 27
Clay surprised everyone with his sudden catlike reflexes as he snatched the map out of the whirling gust. “I think we need to find a base of operations. The church is too barren and too strange. We’ll need to find protection from the elements until we’re ready to leave town.”
“The station?” Willis asked.
“No. It’s too far from the center of the containment zone, unfortunately,” Clay said. He blinked several times and then pointed, slowly, toward the historic hotel on the corner. The Masonic Hotel on Main Street was painted a bright canary yellow, with large bay windows, giving it the appearance of a house on a Northeastern bay where he and his wife had stayed once. They’d left Maia at home with a babysitter and scouted out a brief night for themselves. Unfortunately, they’d both been so exhausted, they’d just fallen asleep in each other’s arms, with a Lifetime movie blaring on the television. Such was marriage. Such was life.
“The hotel?” Alayna asked, biting her lip. “I suppose it’s our best option right now.”
“Damn right it is,” Clay said, allowing certainty to fuel his words. “Plus, it gives us enough room to take turns getting some rest over the next three days. And I’m sure it’s well stocked with food.”
The four of them bounded toward the hotel, Alayna folding the map quickly and tucking it back in her pocket. They climbed up the porch, where four antique rocking chairs swayed in the wind, and then entered the empty foyer, looking around wide-eyed at the wonder that was a completely naked front desk, a clock that continued to tick without anyone to notice, and a phone that would sit unattended for at least thirty days.
“It hasn’t been closed in over a hundred years,” Alayna whispered, sliding her finger along the gleaming wood of the front desk. “And now, who knows when it’ll open again.”
As she spoke, Daniels swept past her quickly, nearly knocking her over. He quickly grabbed the map from her back pocket, his eyes flashing.
“Hey!” Alayna cried. The violation caused her to step back, reeling.
But Daniels had already splayed the map on the desk, stabbing his finger across the different areas. “Don’t worry about it, little lady.” He held her gaze for a moment before eyeing the rest of her taut body. “We need to get cracking. I’ve never seen such nostalgia in a group of rescuers. Out here, it’s either fight for survival or be killed.”
Willis’s eyebrows rose high with immediate fear. Clay tapped his hand over his gun, sensing this man was a loose cannon. Why on earth had the colonel left him? And on top of that, it was clear he didn’t mind being forceful and pushy with their only female attendant. His stomach tighten with anger.
But Daniels continued without pause. “We need to start from the outside and move inward, toward home base. We need to round up as many of the remaining locals as possible. We’ll meet here after dark, maybe around nine, and put together a nourishing meal.” He sniffed for a moment, turning his eyes toward Clay. “It’s clear that some of us aren’t ready to take charge of such a serious situation. Which is why I’m here.”
Clay clenched his fists, anger throttling through him. But he swallowed, forcing himself to focus. They had to find the stragglers. They couldn’t linger on small spats. And, despite finding a deep, impenetrable hatred for this man growing within him, he needed to look beyond it.
Chapter 28
Lieutenant Daniels traced out the blocks on the map methodically as the three others watched him, shifting their weight from foot to foot and feeling panic after each tick of the clock. Time was passing quickly, and the sun would dip benea
th the horizon all too soon.
Finally, Daniels began to bark orders. “I think for safety reasons, we work in pairs,” he said, daring anyone to interrupt him. “I’ll work with the woman.” His eyes crept back toward Alayna’s body, easing over her curves.
To Clay, it was apparent that the attraction was purely one-sided. Although Alayna had dated both men and women, she’d been dating primarily the latter throughout her late twenties, due to her sheer distaste for men just like Daniels.
Alayna crossed her arms over her chest, almost physically hiding herself. Her eyes made momentary contact with Clay’s, but she didn’t show her annoyance or her fear. She knew the circumstances were far greater than that.
“I’ll go with Willis, then,” Clay said, eyeing the doorway. “But we need to get going.”
“Follow the map I’ve drawn you,” Daniels said, pointing. “You’ll take the west side of town, near the high school. And the girl and I will take the east.”
“The girl has a name,” Clay said harshly, before abruptly turning from Daniels toward Willis, noting that he still held his walkie-talkie like a plaything. “You good, Doctor?”
“You should know that I don’t know how to operate a weapon,” Willis said, looking slightly defeated. “I can mend wounds and heal broken bones and give you penicillin, but I’ve never even held a gun.”
“It’s okay,” Clay said, even as his heart palpitated. “That’s not why you’re here. You’re here in case we come across anyone wounded or hurt. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Alayna nodded beside him, bringing her hand to the gun at her side. “Clay’s got your back,” she said. “We have enough guns and know-how between the rest of us to keep everyone safe until we get out of Dodge ourselves. I’m not worried. And you shouldn’t be either.”
Willis nodded, drumming his fingers over his sweating temple. “Sure. Okay. I’ll have my medical pack, then. And if the two of you have any problems, you’ll call me on this walkie-talkie, yeah?”
“Of course,” Alayna said, her voice almost chipper. “This town isn’t big enough for us to lose track of each other. We have vehicles. We can come together in ten or fifteen minutes if need be.”
“Let’s go,” Daniels said then, bursting toward the door, his keys jangling at his side. “We need to move. Come on, Alayna.”
Alayna tossed Clay a sober glare before following after, leaving Clay and Dr. Miller alone in the shadowed hotel foyer, the ancient floorboards creaking beneath them. Clay searched his pocket for his keys, thinking they’d drive out to the farthest point on their designated side of town, and was grateful they’d have a few hours away from that wretched man.
“Who does he think he is?” Willis asked as they walked toward Clay’s patrol vehicle. “Such an asshole.”
“Think of it like this: as soon as we evacuate ourselves, he won’t be a part of our lives anymore,” Clay said. “I guess when you’re thrust into such an unpredictable situation, you can’t always choose who you’ll be surrounded by. Imagine if you were on the Titanic, sinking next to the most annoying guy in the world. It’s completely out of your control.”
Willis laughed appreciatively, clutching his medical pack firmly. He spat on the ground. “It’s so creepy around here,” he whispered. “Although I didn’t grow up in Carterville, I wanted to raise my sons here. And now—”
“We’re going to get it back,” Clay affirmed, slipping into the driver’s seat. Willis climbed in beside him without agreeing. “We’re going to get it back,” he said again, almost trying to convince himself in the midst of such desolation.
As they drove, Clay began to consider his symptoms: the hair falling out, the scabs and lesions on his arms and now his legs, and the vomiting. They seemed all too similar to the ones exhibited by Cliff what seemed like years ago. But perhaps, with the doctor’s help, he could know for certain. Perhaps he’d diagnose him with a stress disorder. He’d tell him it was common that people exhibited these symptoms when they were frightened or fighting a battle they weren’t sure they’d win. Hadn’t he heard that people lost their hair from sadness or divorce or just moving across the country?
But he held his tongue, thinking he’d tell Willis about his symptoms after they’d cleared out a few houses and inched back toward home base. Plus, he was frightened at what the diagnosis might be. What if something was really wrong? What if he was going to turn into one of the crazed, biting and thrashing? He shuddered at the thought, spinning the tires as he picked up speed. Willis was stoic, sitting beside him, clearly filled with his own thoughts and fears.
Chapter 29
Lieutenant Daniels drove like a maniac to the outskirts of town, causing Alayna’s head to buck up against the glass.
“Can you not do that?” she said under her breath, wishing she’d been paired with any other person. Daniels was clearly a mental case, a man who’d seen combat for too many years and no longer knew how to see the outside world. Everything was danger—immediate. And she—a woman—was just something to look at. It was infuriating.
“I think we should start with that group of houses over there,” Alayna said, pointing toward the area where her mother’s parents had lived so long before. “I know a lot of older people live there. Maybe they’ve been left behind or couldn’t get out in time.”
Daniels scoffed but spun the wheel toward the houses, stopping short at the side of the road. He tapped his gun and turned toward her. “So, you’re sure you can protect yourself if we encounter any of those . . . crazies?”
“I think I can handle myself,” Alayna said, keeping her eyes toward the houses, searching for signs of life.
“Because, you know, I’ve killed many men,” Daniels said, clearly trying to flirt with her. “I can protect both of us if you want me to walk alongside you. I can even hold your hand if you get frightened.”
Alayna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her jaw dropped open. With a sudden movement, she flipped the door open and burst out, her focus on the business at hand. She heard Daniels’s heavy footfalls behind her as she headed toward the houses, and she furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to look ugly, haggard, serious.
“You know, I think you’re different than the other girls I’ve seen on forces across the country,” Daniels said, taking an easy stride beside her. “You’re definitely beautiful, for one. But you’re tough. Resilient. Many women I know wouldn’t have stayed behind like this, you know. You must have the kind of bravery I look for in a partner. In someone I could see myself with for good.”
“Hmm?” Alayna asked, hardly listening. Her eyes traced the dark windows of the homes, looking for any sign of light. The sun was drifting through the sky, casting narrow shadows along the ground.
“That is, if you could handle someone like me,” Daniels said, snorting slightly. “I only date if it’s worth my time. And, having been in the service for so long, being out in the field, saving both this country and others around the world, it’s a struggle to find women to suit my way of life.”
“Is that so?” Alayna said, marching toward the front door of the first house, rapping her knuckles against the wood. “HELLO?” she called, her voice shaking slightly. She hoped Daniels wouldn’t notice. She couldn’t look weak in front of him.
“Anyway, when this all blows over,” he continued, as they marched on to the next house, “I wouldn’t mind seeing where we could go.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?” Alayna asked, pursing her lips. She knocked on the next door, sensing no movement in the house. A neglected flowerbed sat beside the door, crackling and allowing the petals to fall. It saddened her and reminded her of another, better time: when the town had been flourishing. When they hadn’t felt the very real presence of danger.
“We could see each other. We could be with each other. I think you’d be pretty impressed with how I handle a woman in the bedroom—” Daniels began, his voice booming.
Alayna spun toward him, this last comment violating her and causi
ng her brain to burn. “Excuse me? You won’t be handling this woman in the bedroom ever.” She thought briefly of Megan, waiting for her in Austin. She yearned to wrap her arms around her, to kiss her. They’d struggled in the past, sure. But didn’t all couples? Since their latest breakup, she’d eyed couples at restaurants, bickering, tossing nasty words at each other. She and Megan had been there before, and she always regretted it after each episode. Their love had been beaten down, but they always rebuilt it fresh each time. Now she could almost feel their love for one another stretch across time and space. She felt she could feel Megan thinking about her, all those miles away—assured she would make it out of the containment zone alive.
“Don’t be so rash, baby,” Daniels said, his voice dropping. “I could really be something for you. I could fulfill you in ways you couldn’t have dreamed.”
Alayna nearly spat in his face. “Listen here, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth. And I mean that, one hundred percent.” Her eyes flashed angrily. She stomped away from him and toward the last house on the block, her fists clenched after the intensity of her words.
But when she reached the red-painted doorway of this house, she was shocked to see that the door was popped open, and she heard a radio crackling inside. She felt Daniels’s presence behind her as she pushed open the door, revealing the shadowed interior.
Chapter 30
Clay parked near a subdivision on the outskirts of town, gazing at the empty streets. Ordinarily, on a day like this, children would be cycling, people would be out walking their dogs, holding hands with their loved ones. But today, the garage doors were down, like closed mouths. Windows were latched.
Humanity's Edge Trilogy (Book 1): Turn Page 8
