The Malefic Nation (Graham's Resolution Book 4)

by A. R. Shaw

  “I’ll sedate them for the trip. It should make it easier for you to put them into place,” Clarisse said, her voice still on the edge of emotion.

  Rick nodded. “Anything to make it easier.”

  Dalton took a deep breath, “That leaves me and the other two. I’m going to head to L.A. with both of them.”

  “Dalton no! You’ll never get out of there. That’s a one-way trip!” Clarisse exclaimed.

  Dalton responded quietly, “Look, there’s no other way, but I have a plan. I may not even have to land in a public place. I’ll find something remote, and then I’ll make my way back. I’ll travel by night. It will take me a while, but I will make it back, plus it will be a good opportunity to see if the plan is working along the way. I could even hide out for a while until I think it’s safe.”

  Graham swallowed hard. The plan was suicide, and even he knew it. He glanced at Clarisse. Silent tears rolled down her face, her arms crossed over herself; she knew it too.

  Dalton studied the map, leaning over it with both hands, “I wish we could get one of them to Denver, but we only have the two planes,” he said, ignoring the emotion filling the room.

  Chapter 53 The Hanger

  Later in the afternoon, while everyone else settled in at the cabins, Dalton, Sam, and Rick boated back to the hanger on the south end of Ross Lake that they’d discovered on their last trip to see if the planes were still in working order.

  Dalton unlocked the latch on the hanger door and pushed it open; the metal clanging reverberated across the lake.

  “Well, they’re still here,” Dalton said.

  “Let me check the fuel levels,” Rick said, sliding a foot over to the pontoon of the first seaplane. Sam stood guard at the door; they were still antsy over the possibility of a dam guy.

  Dalton was thankful that Graham had agreed to keep watch back at the cabins. Clarisse was still upset with Dalton over his latest scheme to save the world. She had every right, he supposed, but there really was no other choice. He’d make it back to them—he would—and he thought he’d managed to convince Clarisse of this.

  “There’s some, but we’ve got to get more. There’s a fuel station at the end of the dock. I hope there’s enough for the trips we plan on taking. Let’s see if we can get her started up,” Rick said and continued to check out the engine.

  “Okay, while you’re doing that, I’ll go check the fuel station and see how full it is. I noticed that there was both marine fuel and aviation fuel the last time we passed through.” Rick nodded, and Dalton walked along the wooden dock as he heard the plane’s engine sputter and finally kick to life. Rick decide to let it run for a while and went to check out the other plane. Dalton’s footsteps ceased to be heard over the engine noise. The fuel station was located not far from the dam itself. Everything looked desolate. Though the late afternoon sun glowed still, there was a slight breeze of warm air. Kim had often commented that these conditions were fire weather; Dalton hoped that wasn’t the case today. The closer he got to the dam building, the more the hair on his arms started to rise.

  There was something about the building itself that bugged him. The last time they were here, the concrete and steel building was locked up tight. They could have blasted their way in, but there was no need to waste ammo or attract attention at the time.

  Dalton stopped at the fuel tanks and checked their level. Satisfied there was enough for their needs, he stood still, enjoying the warm summer breeze. He put his hands on his hips, and chuckled a little to himself. Clarisse called this his John Wayne pose. Now, ever since she’d first said that, he couldn’t do it without thinking of her smiling at him. He’d do his best to make it back to her and his boys, but if he didn’t, he’d kill himself to make this mission successful. He’d do it gladly.

  It was good to be back on his own turf. He’d missed it every day while they were in Canada. He felt like a traitor while they were there. He heard the next plane’s engine sputter to life and then turned around when he heard a metal door screeching open from behind him. He spun on his boot heel, weapon automatically drawn, and down to one knee he flew.

  “Don’t shoot!” came a voice he didn’t recognize.

  Then, of all the shocks he could have endured right then, he never in his life expected to see Sheriff running at him, full tilt.

  “Sheriff?” he held his arms wide open for the dog, who flew into him and slobbered all over him. Dalton forgot the stranger for a moment in his confusion.

  When he looked up, a man stood with his arms held high above his head. He was balding and had more hair in his white mustache and beard than on his head. He stood there dressed in a neat blue plaid shirt and jeans. Dalton continued to pet Sheriff with his left hand, but kept his gun in the right.

  “Who are you?”

  “Dalton, you okay?” Sam yelled, and that’s when Dalton realized the engine noise had stopped.

  “Yeah!” he yelled back.

  “Is that Sheriff?” Rick yelled this time, but Dalton didn’t answer. Instead he waited for the stranger to say something.

  “My name’s James. I’m the dam superintendent,” he said.

  “Okay. Please don’t move,” Dalton said.

  “I won’t. I’m not armed.”

  Then, as Rick and Sam came up behind Dalton, they ran to Sheriff, who launched into another fit of slobbering welcome.

  “I never thought we’d see him again! Wait till the kids find out!” Rick exclaimed.

  “Who is that guy?” Sam asked suddenly.

  “Is he the dam guy?” Rick asked before Dalton could answer.

  “Yeah, he’s the dam guy. This is James, the dam superintendent,” Dalton said in a kind of trance as he stared at the guy. Graham was right! Holy hell!

  “Where did you find him?” Dalton asked James.

  The old man took a breath and motioned with his arms. “Can I put my arms down?”

  “Turn around first, please,” Dalton said and the old man complied. He patted the man down and found no weapons. “Okay, you can put your arms down.”

  “After you guys left the last time, a few days later I followed your tracks north for a while, I found this dog, injured, along with two others. I recognized them from the surveillance cameras I have up.” He nodded. “Yes, I watched you on your last trip through. I keep track of this place, and Ross Lake as well. It’s my job to take care of the whole area, including Ross Dam. I keep the dam running and keep the cabins in shape. I didn’t mean to scare you all that night when I turned on the power. I could see how it spooked you. Sorry about that.”

  “Are you susceptible to the virus?” Dalton asked.

  “No, I guess not. My whole family passed. Everyone who worked here, they’re all gone too,” he said with a wave of his hand as if those he knew had flown away on the heated breeze.

  “So you’re immune, then?” Sam said.

  “I suppose so but thanks for leaving the vaccine. I have them in the refrigerator.”

  Remembering Graham’s warnings Rick asked. “Do you have a problem with us here? Using your equipment?” Rick wanted to know where on the crazy meter this guy might turn up.

  “I listen to the radio. I know what’s going on out there. You’re the only Americans I’ve seen here in a long time. Use whatever you want.”

  “Have you seen the terrorists? Have they been here?” Dalton asked.

  “Nope, not yet. They’re in Seattle, and they’re closing in on the Coulee Dam. Were small fry for now, but it won’t be long,” James said in a warning tone.

  “What do you plan to do?” Dalton asked.

  “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I’ll go down with the ship, so to speak,” he said. “What do you people plan to do?”

  Dalton wasn’t sure he could trust the man. “We’re working on something.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he said with a grin. “If you need the planes, go ahead and take them. I have one more in a hanger to the west”—he pointed—“tucked a
way in the trees over there.” He pointed.

  “Look, James, may I shake your hand properly?” Dalton asked.

  “Sure,” James said, taking a few steps toward Dalton. They met in the middle. All three shook his hand, and it was more of series of embraces—acknowledgment of the living, of those who’d been through hell and continued on.

  Sheriff ran over to James and he reached down and petted his head. “He’s a great dog. The others are down below, but I thought you guys would recognize him first. He seems to be the alpha.”

  “He is a great dog. I know some kids who are going to really be happy to see him again,” Sam said.

  “How did you come about them?” Dalton asked.

  “Well, I keep tabs on things around here. I knew about the tidy group up in Hope, and I assumed that’s where you were headed. Then one day I decided to take a hike north to be sure you guys made it. I saw what looked like a scuffle before their roadblock. Shell casings littered the roadway. I assumed the worst. Then, I ran into this guy. He was injured. A bullet must have grazed his back flank, but he’s healed well now. Two others followed him out of the woods. I keep them inside most of the time. There are wild dogs around here that will eat a man alive now, and I didn’t want them falling into those packs.”

  Dalton felt for Sheriff’s injury and found he’d healed over well.

  “We, um . . . we had some trouble with the group in Canada and we thought the dogs might be dead,” Rick said.

  “Well, I’ve got a surprise for you. Not only are they alive, but one of the others multiplied a few weeks ago,” James said.

  It was Rick that finally uttered, “What?”

  “You mean Elsa?” Sam asked.

  “She had nine pups,” James said, “One didn’t make it.”

  “She had eight puppies?” Dalton asked to confirm the statement.

  James nodded. “Yes, and I’m pretty sure this one”—he pointed to Sheriff—“is the culprit, judging from the puppies’ markings. Some are white, while others are a combination of the two. Cute little things.”

  Dalton’s radio vibrated and he stepped away from the group to talk to Graham on the other end while the conversation carried on behind him.

  “Everything okay?” Graham asked. “Over.”

  “Yeah. You’re never gonna guess who we met. Over.”

  “Who? Over.”

  “The dam guy.”

  “Dalton, do you need help? Over.”

  “No, it’s okay. He’s fine, Graham, trust me.”

  “Don’t trust him, Dalton.”

  “He has Sheriff, Graham.”

  “He has what?”

  “Sheriff!”

  “He has Sheriff? Is he okay?”

  “Yeah, he’s great. Would Sheriff trust a bad guy?”

  “No never. Oh, my God. Get him back here!”

  “We will, buddy. It’s okay. There are other surprises too.”

  “Okay, be careful, Dalton. Over.”

  “Always. Out.”

  When Dalton returned to the group, James was saying, “I’ll take you guys below, if you’d like to see the pups.”

  “Sure, but we need to get back soon. If you don’t mind, we’ll take Sheriff and the others back with us. Why don’t you come with us too, and then we’ll make plans from there?”

  He could see James was a little skittish. He was an older man and had been on his own for a long time now.

  “That’d be nice. I haven’t seen too many people. Only the ones dying. I couldn’t believe it when I was the only one left. I’ve worked and lived here nearly my whole life except for stints in Vietnam and Korea.

  “Then, listening to the radio, I figured out what was going on. There are some uprisings going on, scattered here and there in the country. There’s a fight going on now in Texas. Some survivors are holding out, but they don’t stand a chance for long. There are too many of the jihadists. I was a pilot back in Vietnam. I can help with whatever you’re planning.”

  “Sounds like you got some good radio equipment in there. What else can you tell us?” Rick said.

  The old man took a deep breath to calm himself. “It’s like a cancer spreading and taking over. Those who are surviving are doing their best, but it doesn’t look good. There was a group down in Virginia, probably the first one that was well organized, like you guys. They had big coordinated plans, lots of weapons, but then they were wiped out. Every last one of them. A lady was broadcasting the events taking place. It was a massacre. Whatever you’re planning, I hope it works. I’d rather go down fighting than sit here on my ass listening to it all. That’s why I introduced myself. I figured that since you guys had come back there must be a plan.”

  They were all in a mild state of shock from James’s information.

  “At least there are some survivors left. That means there’s hope,” Sam said.

  “Yes, hope and a plan that we’d better get started on or we’ll miss our chance,” Dalton said.

  James brought them below and pretty soon the grown men were reduced to coos as cuddly round balls of fur greeted them.

  “You did good, Elsa,” Sam said, petting her. He noticed that Frank no longer wore his splint and had only the slightest limp. He’d healed well.

  Dalton could swear the dog smiled at his compliment while she enjoyed the attention.

  “Gosh, Dutch would be shocked to see this,” Dalton said.

  Sam and Rick lowered their heads and nodded automatically to the mention of Dutch.

  “He was one we lost over in the battle of Cascade, where we came from. Bravest soldier I’ve ever met,” Dalton explained to James.

  Inside the dam building everything was neat and tidy. James showed them the radio and monitor room where he spent most of his time. Knowing James spent a lot of time locked inside, Dalton saw why the man kept busy. It was a lonely, concrete and steel tomb. Nothing about the man alarmed Dalton, though he wore the same look that they all carried, the shock of tragedy was on his face, as it was on the faces of all survivors.

  “Here’s a box we can use to transport the pups. I’ll pack a bag for myself to stay in the cabins overnight. By the way, I noticed you guys are missing five members. Did something happen over in Hope?”

  Sam and Rick let Dalton answer the question. “We lost one as she was giving birth. It was a real tragedy that none of us is over yet, nor will we ever be. Tala was amazing. And we lost a family of four due to our plans; they decided they could not live with what we are about to do on their conscience, so they took off on their own. I wish them well. I hope to hell they’re going to be okay.”

  “Well, I can understand that. So, nothing at the hands of the people of Hope?”

  “No, they’re an odd bunch, and their leader is more like a dictator, but the people there are catching on. When they learned of our plans, he tried to stop us, so we escaped—but with the guards’ help, so I don’t think they are going to put up with his antics much longer. Sure, he’s kept them alive, but that’s no life.”

  James nodded in agreement while Rick and Sam gathered the puppies into the box. Elsa sniffed at the task, and Sam continued to pet her to calm her down. “Don’t worry, mama, you’re coming too.”

  Once on the boat, the dogs seemed used to this kind of ride and knew what was happening. “I take them around with me on my rounds,” James explained. “They’re great dogs.”

  “We can’t thank you enough for taking care of them,” Dalton said.

  As they got underway, James pointed out the other hanger where the extra plane was kept, and said it was in complete working order. He ran all the planes every now and then to keep the engines in good repair.

  Once they were near the dock, they spotted McCann, Macy, and Graham; an eager Sheriff jumped out of the boat and swam the rest of the way when he spotted them.

  “Sheriff!” screamed Macy. She was reduced to tears in an instant. The rest of the group all came out and couldn’t believe their luck at reuniting with the dogs, m
arveling at the bonus puppies. It was the best form of morale booster any of them could have hoped for.

  Clarisse and McCann immediately checked Elsa and the puppies. They were all healthy, and when asked what he’d been feeding them, James admitted sheepishly to feeding them cooked chicken and rice most days although Sheriff often hunted for them too.

  “That’s the way to spoil a dog,” McCann said.

  “Well, let’s leave the dogs to the experts,” Dalton said, gathering the men in the office that was now their headquarters.

  “Graham, this is James, the dam guy,” Dalton said, wondering for a minute whether Graham was going to shake the man’s hand. Graham looked into James’s eyes as if he was studying him for something. Tentatively he shook James’s hand, but he still seemed wary. Dalton figured trust would come in time—but they didn’t have much time left. If any of them made it back, they would get to know each other better.

  In his own mind Dalton wasn’t certain any of them would make the return trip. He would die trying, but if it mean the survival of them, so be it. There was a lump forming in his throat and the closer they got to leaving the harder it was, yet he was determined, and James’s news about the state of their country made him realize they had to move now and, even so, they might be too late.

  Chapter 54 The Plan

  “How far can this plane go in one trip fueled up?” Rick asked James.

  “About 300 miles. She’s in peak condition. That would mean a half hour reserve for landing leeway.”

  Dalton blew out a frustrated breath.

  “Why? You need to go farther on one trip?” James asked.

  “Yeah,” Dalton pointed to the map. “We need to make it to the most populated areas, including Los Angeles. To drop off some, um . . . cargo. We have three subjects who are carrying a flu that will be detrimental to our enemies.”

  James put a hand up. “Wait a minute.”

  Dalton was afraid he’d said too much for a second.