by Maxey, Phil
Copeland turned to a gaunt, bald man. “Have we located all of the remaining human camps on the north American continent?”
The man’s face contorted to a smile, something which appeared to Adrian to be an effort. He looked down at the screen in front of him. One of which was repeated in front of the other four as well. “We have located seventy-six large gatherings of humans, big enough to be considered a ‘camp.’ Agents and teams have been sent to all of them.”
Copeland nodded in agreement. “Good, Galen. Once we have determined there are no Alkrons in these groups, we will remove these infestations, and shall switch our view to beyond. To the south and across the oceans.”
Adrian hated Galen Reynolds. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had to make sure the head of ‘special operations’ got his supply of Insulin he would have been convinced he was a vamp of some kind. He also had no idea what he actually did for Copeland, but the boss trusted him, he knew that much.
Copeland then turned to the final person seated at the jet-black table, a gray-haired woman who stoically returned his gaze. “And how is recruitment progressing, Iona?” His voice grated against the human ear drums in front of him.
Teams are capturing vamps night and day and placing them in local internment camps for transport to larger facilities. The blood injectors that Mr. Kee’s department have developed appear to be working well… for now.” She looked at Adrian who nodded and smiled, even though he knew of her dislike for him.
“Umm, we do have new information from the Canadian border camp,” said Galen. “Our informant has told us that our team have arrived, and Joel Garr—”
Copeland sat impossibly still, with his eyes closed.
Galen wasn’t sure whether to continue. “Joel—”
Copeland’s eyelids slowly slid upwards, revealing his lizard-like pupils. “Which of our teams is there?” he growled.
“The head of security, Carla Antos, sir… Should I alert our internment camps they will be needed?”
Iona looked at Galen. “Those camps are my—”
“Yes. Tell the commanders within a five-hundred-mile radius of the Canadian human nest, their occupants will be required soon. And send more of our operatives. I want more of our people on the inside,” said Copeland. He stood and walked to one of the two exits. “Keep me informed.”
*****
A featureless landscape of beige and green passed by.
“You sure you know where we are going?” said Kizzy.
“Yes!” said Amos. He had lost count how many times the young girl had asked.
“Okay, calm down just asking. So you got like a map app in your head or something?”
He could have spent some time explaining how he had pieced together the location of the border camp from various thoughts and images in Hawkins mind, but instead it was just quicker to indulge her.
“Yes.”
“Cool.”
As he looked back out into the desolate hills and plains, he began to feel a low drumming at the base of his skull. By now he recognized it as the chaos of human thought. “We’re getting close. Keep going north.”
It wasn’t long before they were passing a small red brick building. An American flag hung limp from one pole while the maple leaf hung from another a few yards further along.
“Never been to Canada before,” said Kizzy.
“Not sure there are any countries anymore. It’s places where vamps are, and places where they’re not.”
“There aren’t any places where vamps don’t be,” said Dalton.
“Maybe the moon?” said Kizzy.
Amos smiled.
Dalton frowned. “It don’t matter. What matters is who’s gonna do good, or who’s gonna do bad. America still exists. We just gotta take it back for ourselves.”
Amos and Kizzy exchanged a brief glance. It was the first time Dalton had uttered more than a few words since leaving the old man’s store.
“Copeland might have something to say about that,” said Amos.
“I ain’t scared of him.”
“He can control vamps with his mind.”
Dalton looked slightly to his right then looked back at the road.
“Like you?” said Kizzy to Amos.
“I can’t control anyone. I just can make them feel certain ways. Copeland’s different. If he says to a vamp jump up and down on one leg, its gonna do it.”
Dalton laughed. “Where as you can just make it shit its pants in fear?”
Laughter filled the cabin.
“I guess,” said Amos.
“But you can mess with humans as well as vamps? He’s just got the vamps?”
“I think so…”
Kizzy scrunched up her face. “That mean he can control us?”
“Don’t know… but… I don’t think so…” He winced. The drumming was now impossible to ignore in his head. “It’s just up ahead.”
They all saw the strip of metal that was the outer fence at the same time.
Kizzy shook Amos by his shoulder which he tried to shrug off. The girl was surprisingly strong, even for an Alkron. “Hey, you were right!”
They could see movement on the towers around the fence.
“You better slow down, they are ready to fire. Don’t want to spook them,” said Amos.
Dalton eased off the gas, and they rolled to a stop near the large metal gate. Two men on the opposite side pointed rifles at the pickup while a third spoke on a radio.
“I’ll do the talking,” said Amos, getting out.
“Fine by me,” said Dalton.
Kizzy went to get out as well, but Amos waved her back. She frowned in response.
By the time Amos was a few feet away from the metal-linked fence, he had learned that the man on the left lost his sister to the scourge, and hated being a guard, while the man on the right was stealing extra supplies for his family, and the man with the radio wasn’t what he seemed.
“Amos Reed. I’m with my two friends, we have come a long way to get here. Can we come in?”
“Any of you infected?” said the radio man.
“Nope, no infected people here. We’re all clean and human.”
“Right… well, you can come in, but you will have to stay in this here area. It’s to make sure you really aren’t infected. You okay with that?”
“Sounds fine, whatever you say.”
The man nodded and the gate slid to the side. Amos rejoined the pickup and they slowly drove across a muddy dirt track, stopping beside one of the long huts.
Amos could hear a garbled mess of interest from those in the buildings around them. He and the others got out.
“Name’s Art Greene,” said Art, holding his hand out to Amos who briefly shook it looking a bit awkward.
Art decided not to shake the hand of the big man, and went to walk on when Kizzy grabbed his hand. “Umm, nice to meet you too, young lady.”
Kizzy grinned from ear to ear.
“Right, well all newcomers have to go to ‘admin,’ so that’s just this way.”
Art walked on ahead as they followed behind.
Amos tried catching the thoughts of those who were watching, but like gnats on a summer night they were gone before he could.
Art knocked on the ‘admin’ building’s door, and they all walked inside. This hut, instead of being full of beds, was full of desks and filing cabinets as well as five people who all looked up as Art and his new friends walked inside.
“Bee busy?”
“Ha! Busy bee!” said Kizzy, laughing.
Amos stifled his own laugh.
Before one of the clerks could answer, a door opened at the back of the room and Bee walked past the desks with her usual large smile. “Are these three new?”
“They are just—”
Amos’s expression was frozen on his face. Images of uniforms, not those belonging to the forces of the old government, but those belonging to the wannabe version owned by Copeland, flashed before his eyes. He looked a
t the friendly looking woman in front of him, and knew she was working for Copeland.
“—Arrived,” said Art.
“Well you all look in good health so that’s good. None of you are infected or have come in contact with vamps recently?” said Bee.
“Nah,” said Dalton.
Kizzy noticed Amos’s expression. “What’s up with you?” she whispered.
“Are you okay, young man?”
To him, this woman was an open book. He saw how she was found wandering the streets of her home town after most of her family had been killed by vamps. Copeland’s people found her, took her in, made her feel safe, then put her to work. It made him hate Copeland even more.
Amos forced a smile. “I’m just relieved to finally be here.”
“Ah, well, you are all safe now… or as safe as anyone in this world. But you will all have to stay in the quarantine area for a few days just to make sure none of you turn.”
Dalton frowned. “We told you we ain’t infected.”
Bee smiled. “And I believe you, but we have rules, and the rules need to be followed.”
Dalton nodded.
“Okay then. Let me show you to where you’ll be staying. In fact, it will be with some soldiers that arrived today, so hopefully that will make you all feel even safer!”
They all followed Bee and Art outside, and walked a short distance to the long, white painted building. One of the soldiers Bee mentioned was sitting on the steps which led to the front door, smoking.
Bee frowned as she approached him.
“Yeah, yeah,” said the soldier, throwing it to the ground and rubbing his boot on it. He then got to his feet and Bee and the others walked inside.
No…
Amos looked directly at the woman who was in charge of the ‘soldiers.’ Her mind was full of death, destruction, and Copeland.
Is this whole camp run by Copeland’s people? We’re trapped! Will they recognize us?
Amos stood rooted to the spot in the doorway as the others walked forward and sat on their allocated beds.
Kizzy bounced up and down on hers a few times then realized Amos was not with her and looked back at him with confusion.
Carla got up from her bed and walked to Amos. She held out her hand. “I’m Carla.”
Amos took her hand briefly. “Amos. These are my friends. Dalton and Kizzy.”
Carla looked at each then returned to Amos, he shrunk a little from her gaze.
Dalton sat forward, noticing Amos’s reluctance to fully enter the space. “Everything alright, Amos?”
Amos searched Carla’s mind for any hint that she knew who they were. He found none.
He smiled and walked past Carla. “Yeah, just taking it all in. Finally, a proper bed.”
She watched him in silence as he walked to the camp bed, already made with gray and green sheets.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sun was below the horizon but still provided enough light for most of the humans to see adequately.
Joel stepped out of the long hut, a satchel over his back and walked along the sodden path to the first of four pickups waiting at the inner gate.
Art was waiting in the driver’s seat. “Get your people in as quickly as you can, it’ll be dark soon and we like to have these inner gates closed by sundown.”
Joel nodded and waved the others across. Soon, the convoy was moving along the same forgotten freeway that he rode the day before, and Art was equally as quiet.
“So, how long you been in Westlands?” said Joel.
“Been here since the early days. I was an electrical engineer before it… well, before it all happened. The electric fence was my idea. Myself and two old friends managed to get the first version up and running.”
“It was a good one. If we had that in Haven the town might have survived.”
“Haven?”
The four trucks pulled onto a smaller road which headed directly past stores and businesses. The gray-blue of the coming night reflected in multiple glass windows.
“It was a small town we were in before the military base, vamps overran it.” Joel looked into the shadows which resided behind the storefronts. “Any of these places open during the day? Maybe we can get—”
“Holland likes to keep a tight hand on who sells and what gets sold. You know, for the good of the community.”
“Right…”
They turned to the north to an area Joel had not seen before. Neatly cut lawns sat ahead of single-story homes, most bounded by trees. Lights shone from beyond most drapes.
Art drove left and right further into the pleasant suburban sprawl then stopped. He pointed at two houses with only darkness within. “These two houses are yours. I know there’s a lot of you, but you’ll have to make do.”
Joel smiled. “They look great. We appreciate it.”
Art handed him the keys to both residences, and Joel got out. Shannon, Donnie, with Jess and Jasper, were already halfway to the closest house which was identical to the house to the right of it, except it had wooden paneling and a tree in the center of its front garden.
“There’s candles, some wood for the burners, and some food in the cupboards. Make sure you and the others are ready by eight a.m.,” said Art.
Joel nodded, and Art drove off.
The light from the day had almost completely gone.
Joel went to walk towards Marina but she kept on walking to the first house, clutching Flint’s leash and following her daughter. He continued on to the second.
*****
“Make it quick, I’m freezing my perfect ass off out here,” said Kizzy, rubbing her hands together.
Amos got a quick flash in his mind, a version of Kizzy that was at least one clothes size bigger.
“Yeah, why you got us out here?” said Dalton.
They all stood next to one of the still unused long huts, someway from their own. Shadows covered them, but they smiled and waved at guards that would walk past.
“We got a problem,” said Amos.
“Uh?” said Kizzy.
“The soldiers, right?” said Dalton.
Amos sighed. “That’s half of it”
“I knew it!” said Dalton.
Kizzy looked at both for answers. “What’s the big deal about them being soldiers?”
“They’re Copeland’s soldiers…” said Amos.
“Shit…”
“Yeah.”
“What’s the other half?” she continued.
“The woman who works in the office. She’s working for Copeland.”
“No… not the nice old lady?” said Kizzy.
“She’s been telling the corporation about who’s been arriving in the camp.”
“Why she been doing that?” said Dalton.
“Mostly to keep an eye on what the humans are up to, but also to see if any of our kind turn up.”
“Shit,” said Dalton.
“Yup.”
“She know about us? Do any of them know about us?” said Kizzy.
“I don’t think… or if they do, they hid it well within their own minds.”
Kizzy looked away. “Maybe we should just leave. Do you think they would try to stop—”
“I ain’t going anywhere,” said Dalton. “If they know then that means the humans running the camp don’t know, and that’s good enough for now.”
“And if they find out?” said Amos.
“Then we split. Anyway, you can tell us, right? If they know about us?”
“Maybe.”
“Where we gonna get blood from?” said Kizzy. “I already got the itch.”
“Not from this section of the camp. They had a break-in a few days ago. Turned out to be a soldier who turned. They kicked him out. So we need to sit tight for a few days, and hopefully—”
“Hopefully? I’m not too good with hopefullys,” said Kizzy.
“Either we wait to be let into the main part of the camp and find blood, or we leave. That’s our choices.”
<
br /> Silence befell the small group all hating the cold bite in the night air.
“The soldier lady. The one in charge?” said Dalton.
“Carla?”
“Yeah, what’s your take on her?”
Amos thought for a moment. “She’s confused about what she’s doing, but she won’t admit it to herself. Maybe I can talk some sense into her.”
“Yeah, but not tell her about us, right?” said Kizzy.
“Of course not.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Joel awoke on the sofa in the spacious living room. He relaxed when realizing that the sun hadn’t come up yet.
Still got a bit more time before the heat.
He had gotten used to the sun feeling ten degrees hotter than it should, but it meant during the day his limbs felt heavy and he had to continuously stop himself from being irritable with those around him. When the light faded from the star in the sky, and night came, it was as if he were stepping into a pool of water. Compared to the daylight hours, he was floating. But, he was still mostly human, and he was glad to see the beauty of the day despite how it made him feel. He wondered if the others felt the same.
In the room around him was a wood burner, a large flat-screen TV, some shelves with photos in frames, and a few rugs. There was also Hardin snoring on the other sofa.
He could feel Anna and Evan in the rooms nearby, and that they were both still sleeping.
He sat up, put his boots on, and made his way into the kitchen, and then, pushing the rear door open, out into the back yard. As soon as he crossed the threshold he realized Marina was sitting on the back step of the property next to his. Flint was bounding around somewhere in the gloom.
He hesitated.
“Don’t go on my behalf,” she said casually.
He sat on his own back step. Despite the lack of light, he could see a large gravelly area with a workshop to one side and a child’s deflated plastic swimming pool opposite it. A neat pile of wood rested on the ground near him. The yard to the left, in contrast, was full of life. Small trees mixed with blooming late summer shrubs and he was sure he could make out some vegetables overgrowing in beds further back.
