The Plague: Dead Solstice

by M. Scott Burgess

  The Plague

  Chapter Six

  Impasse

  By M. Scott Burgess

  Published by M. Scott Burgess

  Copyright © 2016 by M. Scott Burgess

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  More by M. Scott Burgess

  The Plague: Episode One – Dead Solstice

  The Plague: Episode Two – Zombie Sickness

  The Plague: Episode Three – A Man in the Darkness

  The Plague: Episode Four – Empire of the Dead

  The Plague: Episode Five – Valley of Death

  The Plague: Episode Six – Impasse

  The Plague: Episode Seven - Cannibal

  mscottburgess.com

  1

  “We’re screwed, aren’t we,” Kai asked as he watched Dante examine the side of the garbage truck. It was wedged pretty hard against one of the fat oaks.

  Dante shrugged, climbed up into the cab of the truck and tried the ignition. The White Whale roared to life. There were a few pops here and there. It definitely wasn’t as healthy as when they found it, but at least it was still alive.

  After giving it a few seconds, Dante yanked the shifter into reverse and gave it some gas. The truck jerked back, and the fat oak moaned, but it wouldn’t let go. Dante tried first gear and found the same result. He went back and forth in gears before putting it in park. He cut the engine and climbed out.

  “So, we’re stuck, then?” Kai asked, reiterating his pessimistic stance on the situation.

  Dante looked across the grass at the vehicles used in the battle an hour prior. They were smashed up from Dean’s rescue and were probably in worse condition than the White Whale. Still, Dante nodded at the vehicles and suggested, “These people may have more vehicles somewhere.”

  Kai nodded. “When Dean and Hector get back from wherever the hell they went; we’ll check it out.”

  In all the gunfire, only two out of the group were injured. Cliff Will had a bullet graze his face, taking a fat line of flesh out of his left cheek. And Michael Chun took a bullet through his right arm. He gritted his teeth in a smile as he tried to deal with the pain, but the tears in his eyes betrayed him. They were both sitting on a park bench. Blair and Irene were bandaging them up with Teddy overseeing the operations from the next bench over.

  “You need any help?” Kai asked as he approached them.

  Teddy didn’t look away. “Both are flesh wounds. Bullet went right through the kid’s arm. Just need to patch them up and watch for infection.” His voice was still weak from the pain of his missing arm, but the fact that he was not only conscious and coherent, but was able to actually help in this situation was remarkable.

  “Stitches?” Kai questioned.

  “We already took care of that,” Blair chimed in.

  “Good.” Kai turned away, looking out at a collection of single-wides. He swore he could see little heads staring back at him from the windows.

  “When are we going to be ready to leave this shit hole?” Irene asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kai said with a shrug. He was dreading the thought of being stuck there. Even more, he was feeling a knot tie up in his stomach, thinking that they might even have to loot the people living here. It wasn’t like they didn’t deserve it, but it didn’t make it any easier. Kai felt as if his ethics were being stripped away by the day. The world was rapidly falling back into the dark ages and the only thing worse than being a pillager was being a victim.

  Kai spotted Hector and Dean returning from wherever it was Dean took the leader of the attackers- Kai remembered someone calling him Foster. But now Foster was nowhere to be seen. Kai waited for the two men to reach him and then asked, “What did you do with that guy?” Dean ignored him, his eyes were cold, Kai could tell that whatever happened didn’t end well for Foster. Kai tried a different question, “What are we going to do with those people?”

  Dean stopped and rubbed his brow. “We leave them,” he said.

  “We ain’t got nowhere to go, Dean. We’re stranded here.”

  “I don’t care if we’re stranded. I’m not staying.”

  Kai nodded to the small store at the end of the road. “That store. You get a chance to check it out?”

  “It’s empty,” Dean barked back.

  Kai looked at Dean’s neck. The bite could be seen in clear contrast to his pale skin. A wet, black crescent of dried blood and infected pus ran from the edge of his jaw to his clavicle. The entire left side of Dean’s neck was dark with bruised and damaged flesh. “How are you still alive?” Kai asked nervously.

  Dean shook his head in response.

  Suddenly, the truck’s engine roared to life again. Kai spotted Hector inside the cab; his head poked in and out of the window to get a look at the tree that hugged the side of the White Whale. “Dante already tried to get it loose,” Kai shouted. To this, Hector gave a squinty-eyed frown and popped the truck in reverse.

  It was at this moment that Kai realized that the rope tied around Hector’s wrists was gone. Dean was back, and now Hector was free. Kai just hoped that Dean could keep him in check.

  The truck jolted back but remained attached to the tree. Hector popped the truck into drive and cranked the front wheels in the other direction. He put his foot on the gas, the truck groaned, and the tree cracked, but still, it remained wedged. Hector cranked the front wheels back around and put the truck in reverse. This time, the front of the White Whale flew away from the tree. Cheers and applause broke out as Hector put the truck in park and hopped out of the cab. He gave a smirk to Kai and said, “Guess Dante, don’t know what the fuck he’s doing then.”

  Where the tree used to be, a massive vertical dent ran up the side of the truck. Kai watched silently as Hector climbed under the truck and rolled around. He climbed back out and went to another spot and gave it a kick before climbing back under the truck.

  “How’s it look?” Kai finally asked.

  Hector climbed back out and wiped his hands against his pants to get the dirt off. He looked back at the tree shaped-dent on the side of the truck. “Chassis is a little bent, but it should run,” Hector answered with a bite of his lip. “We get a little luck on our side; I say she’ll get us to Mammoth before we retire her.”

  Kai looked the dent in the side of the truck over again. “You sure? It looks pretty…”

  “It will,” Hector interrupted.

  Kai nodded then looked back at the single-wides. “How do we know they aren’t going to retaliate?”

  “I don’t think they will, Kai,” Jadon answered. He approached the truck and ran his hand against its side. “We killed their men. We have their guns.”

  “We should make sure.”

  “No,” Dean said in a cold, forceful voice. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  2

  The electronic bells rang as someone entered the store. From the desk in his office, Dante listened as the footsteps made their way to the counter where Roy was working. When he heard her voice, his stomach dropped.

  Dante shifted to his left and peered out into the pawnshop. She looked like a Newport beauty; too much plastic surgery and too large of a chest. Her nails were long and sharp – painted over with a cherry red polish. Her hair was a mane of long curls that covered much of her face. Her large
sunglasses covered even more. Roy, Dante’s dim-witted pervert of an employee was instantly taken with her. He was already pulling out the better-quality jewelry to impress her.

  She flirted with him for a moment; giggling at his cheesy jokes and brushing her fingers against his forearm. Dante knew exactly what she was doing. As soon as she had him ready to give her the jewelry for free, she asked to see the manager. Roy was taken aback; he couldn’t figure out if he had said something wrong or if he said something right. Roy tried to assure her that he could fulfill her needs. But she insisted. She said she was old friends with Dante. She told Roy to tell Dante that Lisha was here to see him.

  Dante swallowed a mouthful of spit and pulled himself out of his chair. He was wearing one of his nicer suits, adequate for the occasion. Dante straightened his tie and went to the door. He looked at Lisha and forced a grin. “Please, come in.”

  Lisha smiled wide, her teeth glowing white. She thanked Roy and then entered Dante’s office. Dante closed the door behind her as she sat down and got comfortable. Dante studied her for a moment before returning to his chair.

  “What can I help you with?” Dante asked in a cordial voice.

  “I’m here to help you,” Lisha replied with a knowing smile.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” Dante responded, deciding to attempt a bluff.

  Lisha’s eyes tightened. “Roishk, why play this game?”

  Dante gave her a blank stare. “I’m very sorry. What game?”

  Lisha sighed. She picked up the metal nameplate and read it aloud, “Dante Plozin.” She set the item back on the desk and studied Dante’s face for a moment. “Of all the places, I am interested in your choice of hiding spots. What a sewer you have chosen. Is it because you seek to rebuild your forebear’s empire? Are you seeking to become him?”

  “I don’t-” Dante tried.

  “But you do,” Lisha interrupted. “What type of fool publically registers five companies while they are in hiding? You are someone who knows better. It was fairly easy for me to find you. Did you want to get caught? Or is it because you’ve always been so proud of your genetics? That’s it, isn’t it?”

  Dante slowly slid his hand across his desk toward his drawer.

  “Don’t continue to be a fool, Roishk. As I have said, I am here to help you.”

  “And what would possess you to do that?” Dante stammered out, abandoning his bluff.

  “Have you been paying attention to what’s around you? I trust you’re aware that a Baktun has just ended.”

  “They always end eventually.”

  “Yes. But this one is different. This one ended with a tribunal.” Lisha smiled as Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Tomorrow will be a new day.”

  “What do you mean?” Dante asked, leaning ever so slightly closer- his voice ever so slightly weaker.

  “Why would I ruin the fun so early? All I will say is that you will want to be as far away from this place as possible.”

  “It is a purging, isn’t it?” Dante asked, this time in their native tongue. “Are they finally doing it?”

  “About time you shed that crude language.”

  “Why? Why are they doing this? Why now?”

  Lisha smiled at Dante reassuringly. “Who cares why they are doing it? They have their reasons and it concerns neither of us. What matters is that they have been, and will be, watching every square inch of this sewer. And there is no longer any way for you to escape without them seeing you.”

  Dante scratched his head as he thought over his options. He had many plans of escape should they catch on to his trail. But if a purge was happening, they would notice, and they could track him down. “They had you. How is it that you are here without them knowing?”

  “They freed me.”

  “To find me?”

  “No one knows you better than I, Roishk. The reward for your head is a fortune worth kingdoms.”

  Dante laughed, almost amused. Then he asked, “How long did you know I was here?”

  “Long enough.”

  “Long enough for there to be no escape for me?”

  “I have made that mistake once before. I wouldn’t dare make it again.”

  “And, so, where are they?”

  Lisha smiled and leaned back in her chair. “You know what I want, Roishk. I want more than kingdoms.”

  “And you think, I will just give you every bit of it?”

  “No. Of course not- It isn’t like you’d miss it, though. I can only imagine where you’ve hidden it. How long have you let it sit idle and waste away?”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because I know how terrified you are of it.” Again, Lisha smiled when Dante’s eyes confirmed what she suspected. “All I want is half, Roishk. Half of what is left. That is the price for a ticket away from here. Where you go after… It won’t be my concern.”

  “You said they were watching.”

  “And I am watching them. I know where the cracks are.”

  “How can I trust you?” Dante asked.

  “Why bring trust into our relationship now, Roishk?” Lisha stood up from her chair and straightened her dress. “You have an hour to pay me,” she said, switching back to English. She stole a pin from his desk and wrote an address on a nearby scrap of paper. “That’s where you’ll find me. Look for the Templar.” Lisha gave one last smile and then showed herself out of the office.

  3

  The truck bounced and jolted with every crack and imperfection on the highway. There were multiple times that Ava believed the truck would pull apart. There were gasps and held breaths throughout the back of the dumpster. The only person who seemed unaffected was Dean, whose snoring roared steadily through it all.

  One of the teenagers found the dirt bike resting against a tree at the edge of the park. Dean helped a group of men get the bike tied up against the side of the White Whale before climbing into the back, downing a gallon of water, and passing out. He was sleeping heavily- as though he had crashed after being awake for days. Quaid was with him, checking his pulse every so often, and breathing sighs of relief each time.

  Kai sat across from them with an assault rifle on his knees- one of the guns plundered from the men at Coso. The rest were in a bag next to him. He started doing an inventory of their newly acquired loot, but instead found himself staring at Dean; studying him in case he woke up as something else.

  Ava smiled. For her – for almost everyone on that truck – Dean represented hope. Hope that you could survive a bite. Hope that they might make it out of this hell that they found themselves in.

  It took them a few hours to reach Bishop. It was a quaint rural town that Ava remembered on the way up to her ski trips in Mammoth. For her, it had always been a border between the desert and the mountains - the marker that they were almost to their destination. She had never been so happy to reach it than now.

  Lone Pine, Big Pine, and the other towns they passed through were swarming with the undead. But Bishop seemed untouched. It looked just as she had remembered it; only empty of the living. Here and there, she spotted a few groups of the undead. They lurched forward and chased the truck as it drove by. But, there were no giant mobs this time. It felt like an oasis. They had finally passed out of the death that was the desert.

  The truck’s engine cut off as it coasted off the road and pulled up to a gas station. Kai hopped out with his assault rifle ready before the truck had time to fully stop. He stood outside for a moment, listening and searching for any dangers. The group sat quietly, waiting for him to give the all clear.

  Finally, he nodded and said to the group, “Doesn’t look like there’s too many in this area. Should be a while before the ones we passed catch up. Get out and stretch while we fuel up, but just make sure to stay close.”

  The group filed out of the heat of the truck one by one, helping each other down onto the hot asphalt. Ava looked closely at Dean as she tiptoed over his legs. He was still snoring, unaware of anything going on i
n the world around him.

  A cool breeze came with welcome arms as it licked the sweat on Ava’s face and shoulders. The garbage truck had been their salvation, their fortress against the undead. But Ava couldn’t wait until they could get rid of it. Everyone else seemed able to get over the heat and the stink of the steal dumpster, but Ava could hardly stand it. She constantly had to remind herself that they were almost to their destination.

  There was worry that someone would have to wake Dean up to convince Hector to fuel up the truck. But without saying anything, Hector climbed out by his own accord and began siphoning fuel into the truck. Most of the group was standing nearby in the shade of an overhang. Clark and Clint Will had gone to the side of a building to relieve their bladders. Ava wanted to do the same thing; she had been holding it all day, but she needed a little more privacy than the two boys. She saw Kai heading into the convenience store, so she went to the door and waited until he gave the okay to come in. The group had agreed to be safer since the incident with Teddy and Dean.

  Ava took a deep breath and entered the store. A pungent smell hit her in the face when she entered, but she managed to convince herself that it wasn’t anything worse than the truck. She wanted to think it was just spoiled milk and eggs, but the shelves were empty – almost everything had been looted. It was also dark, so Ava pulled out her windup flashlight, gave it a few cranks, and then headed down a dark hall toward the bathroom.

  There was only one bathroom, and the closer she got to it, the worse the smell became. The door had been kicked open, most likely by Kai’s boot. Ava didn’t need to enter the bathroom to know she couldn’t use it. From the open door, she found a rotting dead body, its head was resting on the rim of the toilet bowl. A cockroach scrambled across its face as the light from Ava’s flashlight hit it. The body was stiff and slightly bloated. It wasn’t moving- so that was a small blessing in itself. Dried vomit ran down the dead woman’s face and chest. More coated the side of the toilet. A pair of syringes and a Ziploc bag full of a crystalline substance near the dead woman suggested that rather than waiting to be eaten alive, she opted for a more pleasurable way to end things. Despite the ugliness of death and decay, she looked like she was once beautiful. Ava imagined her as a mother in her late thirties. She couldn’t blame the woman for making her decision, she occasionally had the same thoughts herself.