Time Clock Hero

by Donovan, Spikes

  “You know that small refrigerator in Cobbs office?” Alaia said. “The one in the closet?”

  “I think,” Phoenix said, though he had never seen it.

  “Grab us a couple of beers – might as well have them while we can. But not just yet. We’re coming to the good part.” She turned to Phoenix and smiled, staring at him long enough to catch his attention; and then she drew his eyes down to her ankle, and they both watched as she slowly moved her leg.

  “You know, Alaia, I really like this part of the movie,” Phoenix said.

  “The script writer just went with the flow.”

  “Inspiration?” Phoenix asked.

  “That, and she adds all the right beats at just the right time.”

  “Both of them have a ghost,” Phoenix said, rolling his eyes.

  “And both have been hurt and can’t fall in love anymore,” Alaia said, scooting her chair closer to his.

  “How could they? They’re too busy fighting all the time.”

  “Because she threatens him.”

  “That’s because he knows she is just as capable as he is.”

  “But,” Alaia said, as she put her hand on his arm, “they both come to know that they’ll never be all they can be without the other, Mr. Larger Picture.”

  “I know what you mean, Miss Attention-to-Details.”

  Chapter 21

  The next morning, when first light outlined the edges of the windows in Phoenix’s old office, the world and its imminent and deadly problems returned to NPD and pointed its bony finger straight at the building.

  “It’s not the National Guard,” Phoenix said, moving quickly between Alaia’s and Darkeem’s makeshift beds. He carefully lifted the blind on the right side of the window and looked down towards the still empty rear parking lot below. “Get dressed, we have to go. The back is clear, at least for now.”

  Alaia jumped up without a moment’s hesitation and she quickly roused Darkeem. She quickly dressed in her standard tan slacks and navy blue NPD polo shirt. Darkeem had slept in his clothes and sneakers. “What’s happening, Phoenix?”

  “I’m not sure. Looks like a private company out front – and they’re about to come through the front door. Probably to secure any weapons left behind. They think the place is empty, so I think it’s best we don’t rain on their parade.”

  Phoenix had slept in Cobb’s office, just down the hall. He’d gotten up well before morning, awakened by the sound of motorcycles, and he went to the third floor and looked out. Nothing. He retraced his steps, got dressed, and made a trip to the first floor vault, gathering up .357 ammunition for his Glock, a sniper rifle, and a new Saiga twelve gauge for Alaia. He loaded what ammunition he could into his pack and walked back up to the second floor. An hour later, while surfing the local news on a computer, he heard trucks coming up.

  “I should have known better,” Phoenix said, berating himself.

  “How could you have known anything?”

  “The Psyke Virus – it’s everywhere.”

  “I thought they had it contained.”

  “Every Guard unit around Nashville has either been overrun or pulled back,” Phoenix said. “We should’ve gotten out.”

  Phoenix’s phone rang.

  “Let me guess – Mr. Krystal is saving your rear end again?”

  “I want you to hear him this time,” Phoenix said. He shook his head, took the call, and hit speaker phone. He set his Samsung Universe on the desk and, when he spoke, his neck corded and his hands became fists. “What the hell do you want this time – Phillip Mercer? Huh? Always Johnny on the spot! Have you ever thought about giving me at least five minutes warning? Huh? Is that too freaking much to ask? Or is this what gets you excited?”

  “I really would hurry if I were you, Phoenix,” Mr. Krystal said calmly. “And you really don’t know if I am Phillip Mercer. Maybe I am. But’s that hardly important now.”

  “Why me? Yes, I get it – I helped you four years ago! alright? But why can’t you tell me what’s happening?”

  Alaia slowly moved closer to the phone. Her eyes glowed as she made strong eye contact with Phoenix.

  “Because I promised God that, if he sent me someone – someone who would help me do his work – then I would always protect that person. Be glad, Phoenix, for you will never die.”

  “Do … do you know how crazy this sounds?”

  Alaia touched her fingertips together and then pulled her hands apart, over and over, saying with her lips, “Draw it out, draw it out.”

  “Oh ye of little faith.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Not important, Phoenix. But I will tell you this: Dr. Carson is not missing after all. He is safe in his lab and he has a cure. The sooner you get there, the better.”

  “Is he the person behind the Psyke Virus?” Phoenix yelled. “Did he kill my wife?”

  “The only person who has killed anybody is you, Phoenix,” Mr. Krystal said. “You killed DeAndre’ Cobb and that Jason fellow back in the prison. But, in answer to your question – never mind. It looks like you need to hurry.”

  Phoenix reached for his phone and Alaia started to speak when a loud, thunderous crash roared through the building, shaking it from the bottom up, rattling their teeth and nearly throwing them to the floor. Alaia helped Darkeem with his pack and then she suited up. Phoenix handed her the shot gun and together, with Darkeem between them, they raced down the hall and into the stairwell.

  Reaching the bottom floor, they slowed down; and Phoenix opened the door, slowly, and looked quickly to make sure nobody had come down the hall towards the rear of the building. He could hear people talking, hurried voices, faint and distant, and then a single gunshot, followed by others in quick succession, filling the halls of NPD.

  “Let’s go,” Phoenix said, and he led Alaia and Darkeem across the terrazzo floor, past the elevator, and through the double glass doors. They stopped where they were. The small open air carport, where Chief Cobb parked his car, was empty, and the small enclosure, protected on three sides, hid them from anybody who might be coming through the parking lot.

  Phoenix slung his rifle and took out his silenced Glock. He walked quickly towards the edge of the sidewalk, stopping before stepping out into the open. He leaned out, looked towards the right, and saw two men, both armed and both wearing black gear from head to toe. Each carried a service rifle, both equipped with reflex sights, and each one wore some kind of gas mask. The men stood at the left rear of the building where a small walk led towards the front, and they seemed anxious as they stood and listened to the scattered shots coming from the front of the building.

  Alaia and Darkeem stepped closer to Phoenix. “How do we know they’re going to bother us? Maybe they’re the cavalry.”

  “Do you want to take that chance?” Phoenix asked with a wry smile on his face, as he looked around the corner a second time. “Okay. One guy just left – that leaves one.” He looked at Alaia. “Start crying for help.”

  “And what are you going to do?”

  “If he comes for you, I’ll shoot him, that’s what.”

  “You can’t just shoot someone,” Alaia said. “Why don’t we just yell and say we’re coming out and put our arms up in the air?”

  “And what if the guy has orders to kill everyone he sees? I mean, we’re talking virus here – right? Something nobody knows anything about, and he’s wearing a gas mask if you haven’t noticed – and we aren’t. As far as that guy’s concerned, we’re infected.”

  “And which way to Carson Research Labs?” Alaia asked.

  “Any which way we can, at this point. But we have to decide on a baby step before any more of these guys decide to make a visit to the rear parking lot.”

  Alaia shook her head. “I’ll live to regret this.” Alaia set her gun down and walked to the edge of the enclosed parking space. She held her hands up and yelled, “Detective Jenkins, NPD! Can you help me? I’ve got a hurt kid over here!”

  “Alaia?�
� The man shouted. He looked up the sidewalk towards the front of the building, lowered the muzzle of his weapon, and hustled over to where Alaia stood. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and swung her back into the parking alcove. Phoenix raised his Glock and pressed it against the man’s head. “Phoenix, it’s me! Don’t shoot!”

  Phoenix didn’t flinch.

  The man removed his breathing mask. Phoenix and Alaia recognized Carl Embry, the lieutenant in charge of acquisitions and purchasing for NPD. He and Phoenix had done beer together over the years. “You guys are dead,” he said, stepping back and looking in the direction from which he’d come. “Look, I know you guys aren’t infected – but nobody wants to take any chances. These guys I’m with – they drafted me – and I’ve been told to kill anyone I see.”

  “So the news is bad?” Phoenix asked.

  “There isn’t any news.”

  “But you’re going to let us go though, right? Carl?” Alaia asked, pressing Darkeem close to her.

  Phoenix said, “We’ve got to get---”

  Alaia grabbed the back of Phoenix’s shirt and tugged it. “As far away from here as we can,” she added.

  Phoenix looked at her sideways – and he knew why she’d said what she said. Maybe he was being overly worried, or paranoid, but he understood. “How many infected have you seen this morning and what does the area look like?”

  Carl walked back to the edge of the wall and looked out, raising his weapon to the ready. Then he looked back at Phoenix and shook his head.

  “That bad, huh?” Phoenix asked.

  “Not too thick here, yet,” Carl said. “But the residential area near Haywood Lane is crawling with them – and you can forget downtown. The place is a blood bath.” Carl bit his lower lip and shook his head. “Look, you guys gotta get out of here, and now. If anybody sees me here with you, they’re going to shoot me.” He put his mask back on told them to get going.

  “Why don’t you come with us, Carl?” Phoenix asked. “We could use the help.”

  “These guys,” Carl said, “I’ve seen them kill innocent people. They’re brutal – I mean really brutal. And I’m not.” Carl looked around the corner again. “Well, shoot – if we’re going to go, let’s go then.”

  Just as Carl, Phoenix, Alaia, and Darkeem started left across the lot, heading for a line of tall euonymus shrubs standing near the tall parking garage of the mall, the glass door behind them swung open. It hit the concrete wall and bounced back. Two soldiers stepped out, one a man, the other a woman, and both looked identical to Carl.

  Carl had his weapon at the ready, and he turned it towards Phoenix. “Stop, or I’ll shoot! Now! Drop your weapons and get down on the ground!”

  The two soldiers looked at Phoenix and began to raise their weapons.

  Carl swung his rifle to the left, at chest level, and he pulled the trigger. Two short bursts from the muzzle, two small flames, and he pasted the two soldiers against the wall with their own blood.

  Darkeem covered his eyes.

  Carl and Phoenix ran over to the two dead. They stripped the bodies of four grenades and eight magazines, and then they hurried away towards the line of shrubs.

  Sporadic shots, some louder than others, rang out from behind them and up towards the front of the building.

  “We ran into a small group of those infected people back up there,” Carl said. “The group I was with won’t know about what I just did until they’ve gotten what they’ve come for.”

  They reached the line of shrubs, shrubs tall and thick enough to hide them all the way to the next road, and found a small opening. Alaia got on her hands and knees and crawled through, followed by Darkeem, then Phoenix, and then Carl. They stood up on the other side and continued along, keeping their eyes and ears open and alert.

  “They’ve come for the guns, right? The ones in the armory vault?” Phoenix inquired casually.

  “Partly,” Carl said. “But, and I think I ought to tell you – they’re looking for you, Phoenix. Not because they want you, because they want the reward.”

  Phoenix stopped and looked at Carl. “Reward?”

  Chapter 22

  When Phoenix led the tiny group out of the thick, brown, woody area a few miles west of the NPD building, he was suddenly afraid when he heard the sounds of a vehicle coming up the road from his left. Twelve o’clock. The sun was blazing through the branches, branches which had begun to leaf out significantly, and the sky was a cold, clear blue. He turned to his left and saw the car approaching, slowing down as it neared a small group of infected standing in the middle of the road.

  At first Phoenix thought it was somebody fleeing from nowhere to nowhere, maybe a car with the family packed into it, or maybe a bunch of kids loving every minute of the crisis. But the car stopped. Four large women climbed out of the small Toyota with pistols in their hands. They took aim and shot every last single infected person standing in the road. Then they bent over the dead, tugged on their hands, flipped them over, and rummaged through their pockets. As they drove away, weaving in between abandoned cars, Phoenix heard a noise. He looked down and saw an infected person, a young woman, struggling out of the ditch in front of him. Her hands were muddy as they clawed at the ground.

  “Did they just take those dead people’s jewelry?” Alaia asked, coming up beside Phoenix with her shotgun ready.

  “If it’s free these days, why would anyone want it?” He said carelessly.

  “So, that’s why you didn’t sleep with me last night? You think I’m free and so you don’t want me?”

  Phoenix looked up at the sky and took a breath of the cool, clear air. Then he pulled Alaia against him tightly, pleasantly surprising her, and his lips brushed up against her ear and she froze. “You’re gold to me – but I need to earn you.” He released her, letting his hand slip gently away from her waist while she quickly put her hand on his, and he stepped away.

  Alaia smiled. Then she whispered, “But don’t wear yourself out digging too long, okay?”

  “Go back and bring Carl and Darkeem up, but do it quietly.”

  “I got it,” Alaia said, and she hurried away through the brush.

  The infected person, covered in wet, black mud, her hair hanging in her face like she hadn’t combed it in over a year, dragged herself out of the water-filled ditch and came for Phoenix. He pulled out his combat knife and dispatched her quickly with a blow to the head before the others came back. He kept her from falling to the ground, catching her small, thin frame in his left arm, and he lowered her into the grass, letting her slip quietly back into the ditch.

  He wondered if people like the one he’d just killed – if they were really still people – could be cured. And he felt a sense of joy when he thought about Mr. Krystal’s words earlier, that Dr. Carson was safe in his lab, and that he did have a cure for the Psyke Virus. If he did have a cure, then this girl he’d just laid to rest would’ve lived. But maybe not.

  “We’re all here,” Alaia said. “What’s the plan for crossing this highway? I sure don’t want anybody but you digging my gold.”

  “Well, in other circumstances, we’d hop into a car and take this road to I-65, head south to Franklin, and head over to Carson Research Labs. But things have changed. The last thing I’m going to do is drive through this mess and be seen.”

  “I don’t want to burst your bubble, Phoenix,” Carl said. “But there’s half a neighborhood coming over from the other side of the road.”

  Everyone slipped to the ground. Alaia looked behind her to make sure Darkeem was still there and, when she turned around, she said, “This ain’t happening.”

  “And there’s something else,” Carl said. “This is where I head south, if it’s all the same to you, which I know it isn’t. My brother’s got a place in Shelbyville near the Duck River. He’s waiting for me.”

  Phoenix didn’t argue, though Alaia looked pretty shook up; and she looked at Carl with pleading eyes.

  “Look,” Phoenix said. “W
e owe you for what you did back there. But we’ll never see each other again. So I guess this is it.”

  Carl and Phoenix shook hands, he said goodbye to Alaia and Darkeem, and he slipped away to the left, disappearing into the brush like a fox. He’d probably follow the road south, staying just a stone’s throw away from it on the eastern side.

  “When the going gets tough, the tough get out of town,” Alaia said.

  “Sounds like me for most of my life. I like to keep things easy.”

  “That’s a lie, Mr. I gotta keep digging!” Alaia said with a smile. “Okay, cowboy – what next? Do we wait until this mess walks out of here? Or do we go towards that big old shopping center there on the right?”

  “Let’s give them a bit,” Phoenix said. “But let’s keep it down.”

  Alaia and Phoenix looked across the road and tried to count the number of infected, and each time they did, they came up with between eighty and ninety people. The crowd got worse the longer they waited; and Alaia, who’d already checked the road over on the right near an intersection, didn’t have a glowing report about that direction either.

  Just as they started to move, a heavy thump, like the explosion of a grenade, broke the silence. It came from far away and to the left.

  “Way to go, Carl,” Phoenix whispered. He looked at Alaia and Darkeem and smiled.

  “Look at that,” Alaia said.

  All of the infected, every last one of them, turned south. Their bodies seemed to come to life in a way Phoenix hadn’t thought possible. They moved quickly in the direction of the sound, some staggering and some running, but all trying to get through the tangle of trucks and cars scattered across the road.