Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment

by Konstantin, Courtney

  Sitting back in the Bronco, they sat in silence again. Alex didn't drive, her hands tapping the wheel as she tried to go over everything they had found.

  "That was weird right?" Alex asked.

  "Weird doesn't really cover it."

  "If she was tied up, but they abandoned the bus anyway, there must have been more infected on there. The blood on the door and side of the bus seem to tell that story," Alex said. She didn't really expect any response from Marcus. She was talking to herself, rolling the situation around in her mind.

  "Unless the blood was from a previous attack. Still, doesn't explain where the driver is. We know at least there was a driver. We can't guess about the rest," Marcus reasoned.

  He was right, Alex knew. The mutilation to the infected didn't sit well with her. She realized that the fall of civilized society would open doors to the most demented. Having them so close to her home made her skin crawl. If they hadn't been on watch when they left the compound, Alex would feel the need to turn around and check again. But nothing had been moving near the wall when they left. If anyone approached the compound, they would be picked up by the cameras and sensors. Alex calmed her panic by remembering their security system was second to none and Rafe had created it himself. Moments like this were the only times she really missed cellphones. She mentally noted that they needed to search again for long range radios to communicate with the compound when there were problems.

  "Let's get out of here. I think I'm going to have nightmares about this one," Alex mumbled.

  "Just going to add it to my ever-revolving terrors," Marcus replied.

  The rest of the drive into town was quiet. At times in the distance they could see the stumbling forms of the infected. When they passed any closely, the infected heads would swing toward the moving vehicle. Their bodies, strange moving, with limbs flopping with little care for control, would stumble toward the Bronco. They wouldn't get close and they would lose interest as soon as the Bronco turned a corner and they could no longer hear it. Early into the plague Alex realized the infected were drawn by sound and sight. When they didn't have a clear visual of something that made them think of food they easily gave up.

  They pulled up to the school Alex had circled on their map. It was an elementary and middle school combination, a large gym seeming to be the center point of the campus. The exterior had once been surrounded by temporary chain link fencing, hastily erected by the government officials taking over the school. Now that fencing laid haphazardly in places, some completely pushed over. Most of the doors stood open from where they sat. Alex looked around at the blood stains and destroyed tents. A small tremor of fear entered her mind, but she fought it down. She knew they could handle anything they faced in this place.

  Marcus looked more incredulous. He looked at the building then to Alex. He shook his head before looking back to the school.

  "This is really necessary?" He asked.

  "The kids need education. Just because the world is no longer civilized, doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Plus, we don't know what type of supplies could still be in there."

  "Maybe we should start at the portables over there," Marcus suggested, pointing in the direction of temporary buildings set up on the field next to the school.

  Alex studied them for a moment. The words and logo for FEMA were on the side. She assumed they were either offices or storage. Storage would be what they were looking for and FEMA would have brought supplies, if they had the chance before everything fell apart. The white outer walls of the mobile units were now stained with dark smears, an ominous sign of what they were likely going to face inside. While she watched, two infected shambled from between the buildings. They had little destination until the rumble of the Bronco caught their attention. Alex sighed, shutting the truck off.

  "Pulling any closer could be risky. I'll leave it here for now. We can move it if we find anything," she said.

  Marcus was already double-checking weapons before Alex had spoken. With the engine off the quiet was piercing. No other engine sounds, no planes, no helicopters, no other life making itself known. This was the world they lived in. The click of safeties and rounds being loaded echoed in the truck as they prepared to step out. The sound of weapons was more commonplace than hearing someone calling to a friend in town. Gunfire, explosions, and fire were normal occurrences as the living fought through every day.

  Today was no different. Alex had no doubt that they would have their hands full after they left the Bronco. However, the risk was necessary when it came to the survival of their group. The quality of life was important to Alex. That quality didn't include having to see infected dead every day or struggling to eat. So, she handled those things as often as she could.

  "Ready?" Alex asked, looking to Marcus.

  He said nothing, but his hand was on the door handle the next moment. Together they popped open the doors. They locked both before slamming them shut. The loud noises riled the infected, their howls and hisses rising in level. Alex looked around them, having an eerie feeling that these two infected were calling more to the feast. But when she glanced to the sides nothing moved but the two infected walking toward them.

  One of the infected was a small woman in a lab coat which was splattered with blood and mud. The ripped flaps of it hung from the infected's shoulders. Her head hung at a strange angle and as she got closer Alex could tell why. The side of her neck was completely missing, all skin and tendons ripped away. Without the muscles to keep her head upright it lulled to the side. That didn't stop her from snapping her jaws and stumbling toward her prey.

  The doctor's partner was in worse shape if that was possible. Alex had to swallow hard to keep bile from rising to her throat as she watched the lanky man head toward them. His stomach was an empty cavity, skin, muscle and organs completely gone. Something had feasted on him for a good period of time before he rose as a walking dead. Alex imagined the only thing keeping him upright were the bright white ribs and spine she could see even from a distance.

  The sickness didn't give her pause. She immediately began to stride forward, always more willing to meet her enemy than wait for them to reach her. Marcus knew her habits and didn't protest when she walked directly toward the danger. He was close on her heels, Alex didn't even have to look to know he was ready. They had gone on other runs together and had fought side by side a number of times since the beginning. It was second nature already.

  Alex met the infected doctor first. The woman's snapping intensified, and an inhuman growl left her throat. She tried to lunge for Alex, but Alex was ready to pivot and move. As she turned away from the infected, the dead woman couldn't quickly react, and Alex easily plunged her Bowie knife into the back of its head. She swung toward the second dead, but Marcus was already pulling his blade from under its chin where he had pierced its brain. Marcus leaned down and wiped the blade on the infected's remaining clothing before looking to Alex, nodding his head.

  They didn't speak or use guns. The additional noise could attract anything else within hearing distance. Alex was sure that if they didn't come to the howling of the two infected they put down, there weren't any more dead nearby. But her mind didn't allow her to let go of even slim possibilities. Staying silent was their best option. Alex slid her own cleaned blade back into its sheath that rested on her hip. Though she knew her 9mm was ready, she quickly rechecked it before she left it unclipped on her opposite hip.

  Together the pair stalked toward the FEMA portables. Alex slid to the side as they approached a window, while noticing the door wasn't open like the rest of the school. She couldn't tell from the outside if it was reinforced. Finding anyone inside wouldn't be a large surprise. But to ensure they didn't get shot by a survivor trying to defend their hideout, Alex wanted to check inside carefully. She walked on the balls of her feet along the wall, until she was right at the corner. Marcus shadowed her, following her lead as they went.

  At the window, Alex lifted onto her toes for a moment and peeked
into the dim interior of the portable building. The light from the windows didn't shine very far, and she was only able to see vague shapes in the shadows. None of which looked like a human, alive or dead. She stayed still as possible while balancing on her toes to make sure nothing moved. Tapping on the glass a few times with her finger confirmed her suspicions that the building was empty.

  Alex looked over her shoulder at Marcus, who was watching their backs as she checked the portable. When his eyes met hers, she nodded her head toward the door once and they started moving again. At the stairs into the portable Alex slowed, stepping onto the aluminum steps carefully. There was some creaking from the stairs, but it was minimal as they climbed. At the door, Alex pulled her 9mm as a precaution. Again, possibilities were always her worst enemy. Marcus shadowed her movements, also making sure his gun was in his hand.

  The doorknob turned easily, surprising Alex. She not only expected it to be locked, but she had expected other people to be there. This was easily one of the best places to scavenge, knowing the government would have come with supplies. Alex pulled the door open slowly, her 9mm leading into the darkness. The light from the opening door gave her more of an idea what was in the room. The stacks of boxes filled the back of the portable. Alex and Marcus stepped inside and Marcus allowed the door the click shut quietly behind them.

  Marcus pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and the beam of light cut through some of the darker shadows, illuminating labels on the boxes.

  "Jackpot," he breathed.

  Chapter Four

  Alex whistled low in agreement to Marcus's reaction. It was indeed a jackpot. A part of her brain niggled, making her question why the items hadn't been taken by any survivors yet. But the rest of her wanted to rejoice in finding such a large supply of substantial foods meant for survival. Boxes of MRE's lined one wall. Another wall seemed to have boxes of canned tuna, chicken, fruits, and vegetables. In the center were boxes that were labeled with powered foods such as potatoes and flour.

  "We can't even fit this all into the Bronco," Marcus said.

  "No. Maybe we should grab another vehicle while we're here?" Alex wondered aloud.

  "And drive two to Whitefish?"

  "Thinking we could load this stuff up, hide the vehicle to pick up on our way home," Alex explained.

  Marcus agreed with a nod of his head. He stepped into the room further, popping open the first box he came to. They were taped up and he confirmed that the box he opened was full of supplies. While he was searching, Alex turned to the small desk that was in the building as well. The papers on the desk were logs of supplies, delivery schedules, and orders from leadership. Those communications caught Alex's attention the most.

  Grabbing a stack of papers, Alex stepped to the dirty window where she could get the most light. The beginning of the communications were typical coordination, set up, and guidelines. She found it odd that they were all printed out because there was no visual computer in the portable but they looked like memos. Once the Wi-Fi fell, they may not have had any way to connect and receive their orders without someone bringing the papers to them.

  The communications continued to become more panicked and erratic with the suggestions and orders. Alex looked at the dates and times and realized the memos weren't days apart like she originally assumed. They all seemed to happen over a 48-hour period of time. The panic of the communications reminded Alex of the major breakdown of services when she was fleeing her home in Las Vegas. It was clear the government hadn't been prepared for the illness. Now, having more information about where the pathogen came from, Alex found the panic even more telling. Charlie was sure the laboratory she worked at was a secret site, maybe even a black site that the top levels of government didn't know of. The smaller groups within the government weren't given any information to protect themselves or to escape in time.

  "They weren't planning on giving the supplies to anyone. These were specifically for the military that were stationed here," Alex said.

  "Why wouldn't FEMA try to help the public?" Marcus asked, his voice slightly muffled by the boxes he was behind.

  "No way of knowing. My guess is the military was supposed to help the public. FEMA was here to support them."

  Though her hypothesis rang true, Alex still felt as if the entire rescue situation was disorganized and chaotic. She flipped through a few more of the memos where the number of dead was noted in pen. The number wasn't as high as Alex would have thought, but if all they cared about was the military, it may have only been their numbers. On the final sheet of paper Alex scanned it like she had done before, realizing this memo was different. It was orders to abandon camp. The last line made Alex pause and stare.

  "Son of a bitch," she said, her voice louder than she had intended.

  Marcus popped his head around a stack of boxes and when he saw her face, he rushed over to join her. He looked over her shoulder and they both just stared. The name at the bottom of the memo, the one sending the orders, was Major Callahan. Alex saw red when she saw the name. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, the vision of Max, beaten and broken when she finally got the compound came to her mind. Without thinking, Alex crumpled the memo, gripping her fist as if she could smash it into Callahan's face.

  "He was calling the troops back to him. His place is called Camp U.S.?" Marcus asked as he read the memo quickly.

  "Makes it sound like the only one, doesn't it?" Alex replied.

  "That can't be true?" He replied, raising his eyebrows at Alex.

  "I'm not sure of anything," she replied.

  She stepped away from the window to toss the crumpled memos back on the desk. There was no information there worth taking home. Alex knew she needed to get her mind set straight. Thinking about Callahan's reach wasn't going to help them find a vehicle and load it up with the supplies they wanted to take. Plotting to kill a man she had never met was a distraction she didn't need when they were out in the open. Her mind had a hard time breaking away from that train of thought. Alex shook her head roughly, as if to shake Callahan directly out of her mind. When she finally looked up again, she found Marcus watching her.

  "It makes sense that you're pissed."

  "I'm not pissed," she replied.

  "Sure you are. After seeing Max when she made it home, there's no way you wouldn't be mad at the man that did that to her," Marcus said.

  "Right now isn't the time to be mad."

  "Uh, the dead aren't staying dead. Oh, and they want to eat us. There are also some crazy government guys after us. When would be a better time to be mad?"

  "Being a smart ass doesn't change things," Alex shot back.

  "Always good at the avoidance," Marcus said with a laugh.

  "Not avoidance. I just can't face that right this moment. We have other things to concentrate on. Like finding a vehicle to put this stuff in."

  Marcus, realizing he was fighting a losing battle, dropped the conversation and looked out the windows. Alex joined him, checking for any infected that may have wandered in. Nothing was moving, for now. Alex noticed a FEMA pickup that was parked next to a nearby portable. She pointed it out to Marcus, who agreed that they could fit plenty of the supplies in there. They also planned on taking a few additional things with them, just in case they found any survivors that needed help.

  Running together, they left the supply building and headed for the building the truck was parked next to. Alex checked the truck for keys. As she suspected, they weren't in the vehicle. Quickly they went up the metal stairs to the door of the building. This one had a small window on the door. Marcus hesitated, checking the inside. Before he could say anything to Alex, a bang against the door made him jump back slightly.

  "Looks like just one," he said, as he tried to look around the infected.

  "Open the door and jump back," Alex instructed. She backed down the stairs to await the infected.

  Marcus turned the doorknob and allowed the door to open a crack, before he jumped down the stairs. T
hey both waited as the infected banged against the door again. It stumbled out of the building as it found the door to be open. The shirt on the man had a FEMA logo on the chest pocket. Alex looked closely as he stumbled down the stairs, almost falling face first as he tried to get to the living at the bottom. She saw that the man had one circular bite to his hand, some of the flesh was missing. A black mark was left where blood and muscle should have been. Alex guessed that after the man was bitten, he ran into the building hoping to protect himself. Instead he probably got sick, died, and rose as an infected dead. Without the coordination to open the door, he was stuck inside until someone ended his torment.

  Alex had no problem being the person that handled that. As the FEMA worker reached the ground, he immediately focused on Alex and began to hiss and growl. He began to lumber toward Alex, but before she could lunge and end him, Marcus stepped up from the side. The infected fell at Alex's feet, Marcus's knife sliding from its skull. He bent immediately to clean the blade.

  "I had that," Alex grumbled.

  "Of course, you did. I was just handling your light work."

  When they stepped into the building, they both began to cough. Alex fought hard to control her gagging as the rancid smell of decaying meat filled her nostrils and mouth. Immediately she pulled her bandana from her back pocket and tied it around her face. The portable building was completely enclosed, allowing the smell of the infected to permeate the walls. Alex didn't know how long the man had been dead in the closed portable, but it was long enough to make it smell worse than anything Alex had encountered so far.