The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate

by John W. Vance

  “You only have two left,” Martin reminded him.

  “Travis, I was given the poison. I’m going to die.”

  “No, the magistrate can find a cure.”

  “There is no cure,” Martin blurted out.

  “Would you shut up!” Travis snapped at him.

  “Please go. You have to go.”

  “No, give me another minute. I’ll get you out!” Travis yelled and banged on the glass.

  “I never told you and I should have, I love you. I only wish I could go back to our days at the ranch; I should have told you then.”

  “I love you too, Lori.”

  “Those weeks were special.”

  “Time’s up!” Martin yelled.

  “Travis, I love you, but you need to go. I’m with my family now. Go, leave me to die with them,” she said, then kissed the glass.

  “No, I can’t let you die; no, this is not what happens!” Travis screamed and banged his fist on the glass. Tears freely streamed down his face, as no matter what he said to convince himself of the outcome, he knew it was over for her.

  Lori turned away from the glass and went back to her place on the soiled floor. She picked up the bloody swaddle and held it close to her heart.

  Travis repeatedly banged and banged.

  She took one last look at him, lowered her head and closed her eyes.

  Charleston, South Carolina

  The diversion had worked. They moved quickly from the fence line to the gangway of the ship without running into anyone.

  With everyone focused on the inferno still raging outside the gates, they slipped onto the ship unnoticed.

  “You know the plan. You go up, I go down,” Tess said once they stepped into the first hatch on the superstructure.

  “No change of plan. We stay together.”

  Tess’s instinct was to disagree but decided now wasn’t the time, and she liked having him by her side. “Then let’s go up.”

  “Ladies first,” Devin joked.

  She turned left, saw a ladder well that went up, and began to climb.

  A man appeared at the top, a thick long beard hung from his grungy face. He looked at Tess, then Devin strangely and asked, “Who the hell are you?”

  Devin raised his rifle and squeezed off two rounds; both hit him in the chest.

  The force of the shots sent him backwards into the passageway above them.

  “Ugh, that was loud,” Tess grunted as she pulled on her ear.

  Devin had fired his rifle just over her shoulder.

  The shots no doubt would bring others; the clock was ticking for them. At the top, they stepped over him and looked both ways. The passageway that went left traveled the width of the ship, another passageway to the right ended after a few feet, then headed towards the bow.

  “This way,” Devin said, motioning to the left.

  “You take the doors on the left; I’ll get the right,” Tess ordered.

  They swiftly and systematically made their way through every room, but nothing, not a soul, not a child.

  At the end another stairwell beckoned for them to go higher.

  Tess moved to the base of it but didn’t get a chance to climb.

  A volley of fire came down on her; one bullet ripped into her left arm.

  Devin grabbed her by the back of her vest and pulled her back just in time as another volley of bullets rained down. Pinned against the wall, he plotted a way out or around.

  “Fuck that hurts,” Tess grunted as she looked at her bleeding arm.

  “This will shut them up,” Devin said as he pulled a pin on a grenade and tossed it up.

  The grenade bounced off a couple walls, and whoever was up there went scrambling, their heavy footfalls running down the upper passageway before the explosion.

  “Think that got them?” Tess asked.

  “Let’s find out.” Devin bolted up to take a look. The white walls were now black from the grenade, and two men lay lifeless on the floor. “Looks clear.”

  Tess came up and stood beside him.

  “Same as below, you left, me right,” Tess said.

  They didn’t take three steps when the hatch at the end of the passageway burst open, and at least a dozen men came funneling through.

  “We’ve got company!” Devin yelled. He raised his rifle and let loose a volley of fire.

  Tess took a knee and did the same.

  The men fell, as there was no place for them to go in the narrow passageway. As the first ones went down, the others tripped over their bodies. But the advantage Renfield’s men had was numbers; as they fell, more came through the hatch.

  Seeing they couldn’t stay put, Tess ordered, “We have to get out of here!”

  “I’ll cover. You go first,” Devin barked.

  The few times she did listen to him, she did as he said. She stood and raced to the ladder well and slid down.

  Devin fired until his magazine emptied. This was his cue to make haste. He came down just as fast as she did.

  “Well, the hive has awakened,” Devin joked, slapping another magazine in his rifle.

  “Just one kid, any kid, I can’t leave without saving one child,” Tess moaned.

  “Tess, I want to see the other kids at home. Let’s get out of here before we’re swarmed,” Devin said and opened the hatch near them. He stuck his head out and saw no one. Over the railing and below the river coursed by. “If we go out this way, we have to make our way around to the dock side.”

  The opposite hatch opened, and men came running in, effectively shutting down other options.

  Tess fired a few rounds at them before jumping through the open hatch.

  Devin slammed it shut and said, “This way.” He ran at full speed and came to a set of stairs that led down. It was then he noticed Tess was not with him. He turned to see her standing where they had exited. She was facing the aft of the ship with her arms out.

  “Little boy, come here. I’m here to save you.”

  The boy wasn’t more than twelve. He stood like a statue, frozen to the spot. The gunfire and shouting had drawn him out. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and now he was standing face-to-face with who he thought was the enemy.

  “My name is Tess; I’m here to help you. I’ll take you away from these bad men,” Tess said softly, her arms still outstretched.

  Devin began to make his way back to help her when the boy raised his right arm.

  “No! I’m here to help you. Put the gun down!” Tess ordered in a subdued tone.

  The butt of Devin’s rifle found its way to his shoulder as he marched towards Tess.

  Crouched down and her arms still out, showing she meant no harm, Tess took three steps towards the boy. “My name is Tess; I’m here to save you.”

  “Tess, back away. I don’t trust this kid,” Devin said. He was a foot behind her now.

  “Devin, be quiet. He’s just a boy.”

  The small pistol shook in the boy’s grip as he processed just how to deal with the strangers before him.

  Tess took a few more steps.

  Three shots rang out.

  Tess stumbled backwards and fell down; one of the bullets had hit her in the chest.

  Devin, in shock, lowered his rifle and went to her aid.

  The boy yelled out, “They’re over here! They’re over here!”

  Devin grabbed her under the arm and brought her to her feet. “Tess, you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.”

  “Um, the little fucker shot me,” Tess said, a look of surprise on her face.

  Another series of shots rang out; one hit Devin in his left shoulder. The other hit Tess, but the bullet ripped through her right arm.

  She grunted loudly and fell back against the railing.

  The shot that hit Devin made him spin and lose his grasp on her.

  The boy walked a few feet closer to Tess. He took aim on her.

  On wobbly feet she took a step, looked at him and asked, “Why? I’m one of the good ones. I’m he
re to help save you.”

  The boy cocked his head, confused by her comment, and pulled the trigger again. The bullet hit her center mass. The force of this impact slammed her back against the rail and over.

  “No, Tess!” Devin cried out as he watched the bullet slam into her. He lunged for her but just missed grabbing her. He watched her disappear into the darkness then into the black of the water below.

  “Hey, mister,” the boy said, walking up to him.

  Devin, distraught after losing Tess, looked at the boy.

  The boy grinned devilishly and pulled the trigger.

  Denver International Airport

  It took everything to pull Travis from the lab and back up to the van. They were two minutes late, and fortunately for them, Gomez had decided to give them another five.

  Pushing him inside, Martin yelled, “You damn fool, you’re lucky Gomez gave us more time.”

  Gomez didn’t wait for Martin’s door to close; he hit the accelerator and sped off. Each turn through the parking structure put stress on the tires, causing them to squeal with every quick left. They weren’t the only ones moving rapidly to flee. When they came out of the darkened garage and onto the tarmac, they saw hundreds of people making their way to their evacuation stations.

  The reverberating sounds of propellers drowned out volumes of people racing, yelling and screaming as they hastily made for their transportation out of the airport. The blinking lights from Ospreys and helicopters that were airborne lit the night sky like the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree. Their destination was Dulce, New Mexico, a secret base used by the military and virtually an unknown location to most people.

  Travis was in a fog as he sat in the back of the van next to patient zero. He could hear Martin and Gomez talking, but their voices sounded like he was listening to them underwater. The reality of what had just happened was too hard for him to fathom. His memory raced to the day he first met Lori in the cafeteria. The first thing he noticed about her was her backside. He wasn’t a pervert, he claimed, he was just being a guy. As she made her way through the chow line, he kept a close eye on her. He saw his moment when she stood looking for a place to sit in the crowded space. Using this as his in, he had called her over. For him personality was critical for him to have lasting feelings for anyone. He was attracted to a strong woman, not because he lacked in his own masculinity but because he respected a woman who had strength but maintained beauty. His intention initially wasn’t to fall for her but to flirt. The rest was history, and now he was a man who had lost everything. He had lost so much over the past seven months; now he could add losing someone he had fallen in love with, a woman that could have been the only one who could replace the loss of Tess.

  Gomez put the van to the test and drove as fast as it could go north.

  Martin kept his eyes glued to his watch as the seconds melted into minutes and grew closer to the detonation.

  Lost in his sorrow, Travis had his head buried in his hands. A tap on his head brought him out of his haze. He looked up and saw a small delicate hand. Thinking it had just slipped off the gurney because of the turbulent driving, he softly laid it back on her stomach and went back to sulking.

  Another tap on his head.

  He looked, but this time patient zero was looking at him, her eyes half open and her hand beckoning him to come closer.

  “Guys, she’s awake,” Travis advised. He sat up and leaned in closer to hear the whispers coming from her mouth.

  “Thirsty,” she said.

  “Yeah, water, I have some. Guys, I need some water.”

  Martin tossed him bottled water.

  “Here,” Travis said, giving her a few sips.

  She drank cautiously.

  “Good?” he asked.

  She nodded and waved to signal she was done.

  “Can I get you anything else?” he asked.

  She nodded and again waved for him to come closer.

  He leaned in again.

  “Devin, please find Devin.”

  Charleston, South Carolina

  The pistol clicked, signaling the boy was out of ammunition.

  Devin’s range of emotions swung rapidly from fear to anger. His rifle hung from his body on the two-point sling, but he didn’t go for that. He stepped towards the boy, knocked the gun out of his hand and smacked him across the face.

  The boy fell and cried out.

  Devin whipped out his pistol and pointed it at the boy.

  “Don’t shoot, please,” the boy begged.

  The anger turned to rage as he thought of Tess and what this boy had done to the woman he cared for.

  “Please, I’m just a kid. Don’t shoot me.”

  “You’re not a kid, you’re a fucking monster,” Devin coldly said and pressed the trigger.

  After shooting the boy, Devin stood over his body, tempted to shoot him again, but he refrained.

  Several exterior doors opened.

  Devin looked behind him. There were dozens of men pouring out of the ship, and he was their target. He knew he couldn’t take them, he’d surely die, but if he jumped, he just might survive the forty-foot fall. Desperate and with no place to go, he hurled himself over the railing and into the dark water below. As he fell, he had just one moment to ponder if the impact would hurt. When he hit, he found his answer; it did hurt.

  The pain from his gunshot was aggravating, but he soon forgot about it as he held his breath and swam as hard and long as he could. He heard the muffled sounds of guns firing and bullets hitting the water. All he could do was pray that he’d not get hit again. His life was literally on the line, and if he came up once, that would be enough for them to zero in on him. When he impacted the water, he hadn’t paid attention to the direction he was swimming, he had just started to swim with all his might. Luckily for him he had picked the best direction and found cover under the curvature of the ship. He came up, caught his breath and continued swimming towards the aft. From there he swam until he reached the inlet of the creek and river.

  He had made it, but the success of his jump was dampened by the fact that he had lost Tess. His right hand was the first to warn him he had reached the muddy shore of the creek. On his hands and knees he crawled out of the creek and rested on the grassy mud just a few feet out of the water. His chest burned from overexerting himself, and his shoulder was numb now. Still lying on his back, he reached over and inspected his shoulder; just his touch brought searing pain. He thought about getting up and moving, but he was exhausted. Grabbing a handful of mud, he stuffed it into the bullet hole. He had no idea when he’d be able to give the wound the attention it needed, and this for now would stop it from bleeding, or so he hoped.

  Large floodlights blasted the river and surrounding area of the shipyard. Renfield’s men were looking for him no doubt, he thought, but he was also sure they were looking for others that might have been with him.

  His body screamed out in pain as he sat up. From his shoulder to his back, his body told him to stay put, but he knew that was impossible. Soon, he knew, they’d be looking outside the shipyard. Ignoring his body, he grunted and moaned until he reached his feet. Based upon where the ship was behind him, he figured the Humvee wasn’t far. Slogging through the tall grasses, he walked east until he found the small gravel road; there he knew he was close. The sounds of vehicles leaving the shipyard echoed over the trees and creek. This gave him the encouragement to walk faster. His assumptions and innate sense of direction were proven correct; the Humvee was exactly where he’d thought it was.

  After a slight struggle to get his racked body inside the vehicle, he hesitated before starting it. He peered through the thick windshield glass towards the ship. The floodlights were still splashing across the area in a desperate hunt for him and Tess. It was Tess that gave him pause; he couldn’t believe she was gone. He was tempted to stay and look for her body, but her voice popped in his head and scolded him for such a dumb idea.

  With deep regret and sadness, he
started the Humvee and pulled out of the boat docks and headed towards North Carolina.

  Fifty-seven miles north of Denver International Airport

  They still sped north, headed towards their new home, the missile silos of Wyoming.

  Martin had kept in satellite phone contact with his Scraps in Denver. They reported back that their mission had been a success. They had pulled it off. They had destroyed the DIA, Horton’s lab and taken patient zero, but what they failed to find was any vials that had contained the new virus. In Martin and Gomez’s search of the laboratory, they had collected trash bags of hard drives and paperwork. Their hope was they’d be able to reconstruct or find something useful.

  For Travis the mission was an utter failure. Losing Lori was something he’d never recover from, and when he heard that the bomb had gone off, he hoped that it provided her relief. Upon his return he planned to set out and find Tess. He had waited too long, and with nothing holding him down, he was free to go. Guilt entered his mind when he thought of his fiancée, but he quickly dismissed it. He decided then that he wouldn’t plague his mind or conscience with such useless emotions. He was a man who needed missions, who needed purpose, and now he had one.

  Cassidy was now awake and asking an endless stream of questions. For her the entire seven months was a dream. Her last memories were of the hospital in Indianapolis and being sick. As Travis and Martin explained the world, she couldn’t believe it. She thought that it all must be some sort of dream or a nightmare. She was important for the magistrate, as she could save the world or kill the world. However, all she cared about was finding Devin wherever he might be. Her life had been a challenge since she was a little girl, but she always found a way to survive and succeed. She would have to tap into this internal strength to find her place in this new world.

  The van crested a small hill and past the old imaginary line that separated Colorado and Wyoming. In a few hours the light of a new day would break the horizon. For all of them any tomorrow was not a guarantee but an opportunity and a blessing. Their struggle was far from over, but they could take heart that they had secured a victory in a war that had only begun.