Waiting for the man to grab his beer, Sommer lifted his. When the others copied his motion, he grinned widely.
“White Power,” he said, bringing the glass to his lips.
“White Power,” the others echoed, mimicking his motion.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Outside of Victorville, California
Serafina looked over at the passenger seat and smiled. Daniel had nodded off over an hour ago, resting his head against the window as she drove the quiet little car along Highway 395. She was keeping their speed below thirty, which at times seemed maddeningly slow, but with all of the abandoned cars that cluttered the narrow paved road, she needed the extra time to maneuver around them without having to take drastic measures.
Though it had been stressful and time consuming, they’d managed to skirt around the edge of Victorville without issue by taking it slow and using roads that ran parallel to the highway. On numerous occasions, they stopped and hid from danger, positioning their vehicles in between or behind large trucks and SUVs as men with guns cruised by confidently, knowing few would dare to challenge them. It had been difficult to ignore the men’s brazen behavior, especially during the few times when the men shot randomly at survivors, gunning them down in the street, laughing as they did so.
Seeing the men take lives in such an unconscionable manner made her blood boil, and she’d been tempted to rise up from her hiding place and open fire, sending bullets towards the brutal killers that preyed on the weak, but she reminded herself that their mission was clear: get Isabella to the protective zone.
They had to keep her safe, and in doing so, possibly help the government find a cure for the Rage Virus.
Nothing could interfere with that task.
She also knew that the girls had experienced enough violence and bloodshed for several lifetimes, and exposing them to more would only scar them further. When this was all over, the entire family would likely benefit from counseling - if that sort of thing was available when/if the world began to recover.
Daniel had finally agreed to let her drive when she’d caught him rubbing his eyes repeatedly. The man was running on fumes, clearly exhausted from stress and a lack of sleep. Though she and the girls had managed to find peace at night, resting well, as far as she could tell, her husband wasn’t sleeping more than four hours a night. Each night after the battle at the lodge, she’d woken in the early hours of the morning to use the bathroom and found him sitting by himself, staring outward from where they slept, watching for signs of danger. After the second occurrence, she’d asked him what was going on.
‘I can’t rest, knowing that someone may try to hurt you or the girls again,’ he explained the morning they started heading north. Looking up at her, his eyes were moist. ‘I almost lost you,’ he said, shaking his head as he looked down at his cup of coffee. ‘Nothing has ever felt worse than that did.’
Serafina reached down and cupped his face with her hand. ‘Hey. I’m here, aren’t I?’
Daniel nodded, conceding her point. After a few minutes of silence, he shook his head. ‘I feel like I won’t be able to rest well until we’re somewhere guarded and secure.’
Serafina glanced back at her sleeping husband and smiled, knowing that the man’s commitment to the safety of her and the girls told more about the depths of the love he felt for them than words could ever convey.
Checking the rearview mirror reflexively, she saw the blue Prius that Logan and Paul were in following them dutifully, keeping pace as it followed in her tracks. Logan had been driving the entire afternoon since they’d found the cars, and he was likely getting tired.
Glancing towards the backseat, she saw Isabella leaning against Brenna as she slept, her head resting on the older girl’s shoulder, who was fast asleep as well. Next to the two of them, on the passenger side of the car, Ashley remained awake, looking out the window as Serafina guided the car between and around the vehicles on the road.
Noticing Serafina looking towards her, she smiled. “Pretty quiet out here.”
Serafina nodded. “Yes it is, and it’s not a bad thing. I’d rather not see people if we can help it.”
Ashley looked away, gazing out the window again. After a moment, she said, “It’s weird.”
“What’s that?”
“On one hand, seeing people would be good, knowing that not everyone has been infected, but on the other, it seems like those who haven’t have gone crazy in a different way.”
Serafina nodded. “It’s pretty scary to think after thousands of years of forward progress, it doesn’t take much for people to resort to the most basic instincts.”
The two of them rode in silence for a few miles before Ashley spoke up again.
“Want a bottle of water?”
“Sure, thanks.”
The girl passed Serafina one of their filled reusable bottles before opening one for herself and drinking from it.
“Do you think there will be a lot of people in San Francisco? Inside the protective zone?”
“Definitely.”
“I wonder if they’ll have hot food.”
Serafina smiled. “God, I hope so.”
“I know it’s all we have, but I’m getting pretty tired of protein bars, dried fruits, and canned beans.”
Serafina chuckled softly. “Actually, so am I. What do you say we break out some of our emergency rations tonight?” The emergency rations came with a self-contained chemical heating pouch that heated the food, making it a little bit more palatable.
“That sounds great.”
“Okay, we’ll do that.”Glancing at the clock on the center display, she noticed it was nearly 5:45 in the evening. They’d have to stop for the day soon, and they still needed to find a place to rest. Passing her phone to the teenager, she asked her to open the map application. Though location services were no longer available, she’d downloaded the map of the state.
“Okay, we’re on the Three Ninety Five, heading north. We’re leaving Adelanto, which is northwest of Victorville. We just passed the Eighteen highway.”
Ashley used her fingers to manipulate the map’s image on the phone. After a minute she said, “Okay, got it.”
“Great. Look ahead along our route. I think our best option would be to find a small hotel or something.”
“Kay. Let me see ...okay, have you passed Chamberlaine yet?”
“Yeah, just passed it a couple of minutes ago.”
“Okay. Next should be Auburn. After that is El Mirage. Exit there and there’s a small hotel on the right side of the highway.”
“Perfect.”
Serafina continued driving, her eyes scanning the road and areas on either side as she watched for signs of life. Off to the right, in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, she saw what appeared to be an infected person atop someone, beating them savagely. Swallowing, she pressed on, knowing that it was too late for the victim. It also served as a reminder that they needed to keep their guard up. Danger was everywhere, in different forms, and if they didn’t remain vigilant, one or all of them could meet the same fate as the person in the parking lot.
Finally, they reached the El Mirage exit. She put her signal on, then watched in the mirror as Logan did the same. Reaching over, she nudged Daniel, waking him. “Sorry, honey, but we’re stopping for the night.”
Blinking Daniel brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes.
“Damn, I was out. How long did I sleep?”
“Not that long. Maybe an hour and a half.”
“Wow. It felt like longer.”
“You were really tired. Probably still are.” She slowed the vehicle to a stop at the stop sign out of pure reflex. There wasn’t another car in sight, and she hadn’t seen one in over an hour, but old habits were hard to break.
She pointed towards a long, single story structure ahead. “We’re stopping at the motel, there.”
Daniel looked at it and nodded. He leaned forward in an attempt to stretch out his back. Sleeping in a c
ar wasn’t great for his back, but at least his mind felt a little clearer.
“Alright. How about we park off on one end and Logan and I will clear the place?”
Serafina nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
She drove the Prius into the parking lot of the motel, driving across the cracked asphalt until they were positioned at the near end of the building. The motel was old, with faded stucco and faded terracotta roof tiles. The windows had bars; something that would normally be a huge turnoff. In this situation, they were beautiful. Painted on the side of the building near the office were the words:
Desert Oasis Motel
A sign near the painted letters indicated the place offered ‘Free Cable TV’, ‘Free Continental Breakfast’ and a pool. The office was at the far end of the building. Like the other rooms, its windows were covered in bars. To the right of the office was a single vending machine, which sat inside a large metal cage.
Putting the vehicle in park, she heard Ashley waking up her sister and Isabella. Serafina grabbed her gun from the pocket on the car door and got out of the vehicle, followed by Daniel.
Logan stopped the Prius he drove next to them and got out. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached back into the car and withdrew his shotgun.
Daniel looked down at his Glock. Shrugging, he placed in his waistband behind his back, reached into their car and grabbed his shotgun as well.
“This our spot for the night?” Logan asked.
Serafina nodded, looking at the building. “Yeah. We’re far enough away from the city to expect some level of safety from the assholes that are running around shooting up the place, and we’ve got a pretty clear view in all directions.”
Daniel nodded. “It helps that this area is completely flat.”
“Yep.”
The girls and Paul gathered around them, listening in.
“What can we do?” The young man asked. Ashley, Brenna, and Isabella looked at Daniel and Serafina as well, waiting for instructions.
“Just stay here,” Serafina replied, looking at each of them in turn. “We’ll clear the place, then come back and get you.”
Paul looked away, disappointed. “I want to help.”
Daniel sighed, knowing the teenager was determined to prove his worth. He’d previously struggled to respond under pressure, but that was a thing of the past now.
“I need you three to watch after Isabella and each other. As a matter of fact,” he reached into his pocket and withdrew one of their walkie talkies. Passing it to Paul, he said, “Keep an eye on the roads and the areas around us. If you see anyone coming, let us know immediately.”
Paul took the radio and nodded. “Okay.” He seemed buoyed by the responsibility.
“Alright,” Daniel said, turning to the others. “Office first.”
“You don’t want to start here, at the closest room?” Serafina asked, pointing.
“Don’t feel like knocking. We can get the master key at the office.”
The three of them walked along the front of the building, looking towards the windows as they passed each room. The shades were drawn on almost every one, with only two exceptions. Looking through the dust-covered glass, they were able to determine those rooms were empty. It made sense. If anyone was there, they’d be hiding from the world, either from the infected or from the lawless.
When they reached the office, none of them were surprised when they found the door to be locked. Motioning for the other two to stay back, Daniel knocked softly on the door, then leaned in, listening. After about thirty seconds, he pulled back and walked a few feet away. The others joined him.
“Don’t hear anything inside. Might be empty.”
“Let me check something,” Logan said, before turning and walking back to the door. He shielded the door from the late afternoon sun, then used a flashlight to look along the edge of the door where the lock would be engaged. After a few seconds, he pocketed his flashlight and walked back over.
“Only the doorknob is locked. The deadbolt isn’t engaged.”
Daniel smiled. “Great.” He took a step forward before Serafina reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s think about why that is. If they were bugging out, they’d lock the deadbolt, right?”
“True,” Daniel said, nodding.
“But if they were inside, hiding, they’d lock the deadbolt, too.” Logan offered.
“Something seems off.” Serafina said, looking towards the office.
“You know,” Daniel started, turning his head to follow his wife’s gaze, “if the clerk was only leaving for a second - or what they thought would only be a second - they probably wouldn’t bother locking the deadbolt.”
“Which would mean the clerk is somewhere in one of these rooms.” Logan said, looking around warily.
“But that should also mean the office is empty.” Serafina finished.
Daniel looked back towards the office, then past where they stood, looking down towards the other end of the building, where the kids waited.
“Alright, someone has to be watching the other rooms at all times. We can’t have some of the infected come rushing out of the rooms and going after the kids.”
“I’ll do it.” Logan offered.
“K. How about you position yourself in front, near the center of the building, so you can respond quickly?”
Logan gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
Daniel sighed. “Really?”
Logan grinned before turning away. “Just fucking with you.”
As the Combat Medic walked away, Daniel walked over to the office door and squared himself in front of it. Lowering his voice, he looked at his wife. “Okay, on three. One...two...three!” He lunged forward, driving his right foot at the section of the door closest to the door knob. It was a move he’d seen on TV many times but had never tried. It worked perfectly, breaking the door enough to force the doorknob’s locking mechanism out of its position. The door flew open, slamming against the wall. Daniel was inside immediately, his shotgun aimed in front of him as he entered the small, dark space.
A counter was directly in front of him. Behind that was an empty chair. On the counter was a ledger, a bell, a small TV, a dead houseplant in a chipped yellow vase. To the left of the counter was a calendar, with days crossed out on it. The last day crossed out was five days ago.
Pausing where he was, Daniel glanced towards the window. Locating the string to the blinds, he pulled the cord, raising the blinds to the top, letting light into the space. Stepping forward, he moved to the counter and pointed the shotgun over the top of it, aiming towards the area behind it. It was empty, save the faux leather chair with the duct tape over its cracked surface, and a small mini fridge on the floor in the corner. On the desk below the counter, a half-filled cup of coffee was growing mold.
Lowering his gun, he looked back outside and nodded at his wife. She relaxed visibly, exhaling before stepping into the room.
Daniel walked around the counter and opened each of the drawers on the desk until he found a series of keys on a ring. There were at least fifteen in total, and since he counted thirteen guest rooms, he felt confident the ring held a key for each one. Looking closer, he noticed numbers had been manually scratched into the face of each key. He was turning away from the desk when he paused and looked back at the fridge. Reaching down, he opened the door.
The smell of rotting food assaulted his senses, making him blink. Reaching past the decomposing sandwiches, he grabbed the sole can of soda inside and quickly closed the door.
“Jesus,” he muttered, looking back at his wife.
Serafina’s nose crinkled. “That was nasty.”
“No kidding.” He held up the keys. “Let’s do this.”
Exiting the office, he pulled Serafina aside. “Okay, when we open the rooms, I want you to stay against the wall to the left, reach around and use the key to unlock the d
oor. I’ll keep the shotgun on the door at all times. Anything happens, dive forward and to my left. Once the door’s unlocked, turn the knob and push it open, then move aside. I’ll clear the room.”
“Okay.” She took the keys from him, then looked towards the first room. It didn’t have a number. “You know, this might be the room the manager uses.”
Daniel nodded. “I didn’t even think of that. I’ll bet you’re right.”
Serafina walked to the door, then positioned herself against the wall as Daniel had prescribed. Reaching around, she inserted the key into the doorknob and unlocked it. Changing her grip, she turned the knob and threw the door open as Daniel stepped forward with the shotgun.
The smell of death flowed out of the room, making Daniel wince as he forced himself forward into the space. Inside the dark, dingy room, the bedding was thrown on the floor in a heap. The television’s old tube screen was broken, caved inward and covered with blood. Drawers had been removed from the dresser and thrown, most of them broken and lying at the base of the wall. The lamp in the corner was on the ground, its shade crumpled and torn.
At the back of the room, a pair of feet protruded from the entrance to the bathroom.
Keeping the shotgun at the ready, Daniel glanced at the window and spotted the cord to pull back the drapes. He grabbed it and pulled on it, dragging the heavy cloth to either side of the window, allowing more light to enter the space.
Reaching down, he pulled the collar of his shirt up over his mouth and nose in a feeble attempt to block out the rotting smell of decomposition before entering the room. Carefully stepping over the bedding, he made his way back to the bathroom.
When he reached where the body was, he didn’t need to get any closer to determine the man was dead. Just beyond where the man’s bloodied head lay, a chunk of the porcelain toilet had been broken away. Dried blood covered the floor around the man’s head. The smell of urine and feces accompanied the smell of flesh rotting in the summer heat of the desert.
Backing away, Daniel looked around the room.
Surviving Rage | Book 2 Page 14