The Last Outbreak- The Complete Box Set

by Jeff Olah

  As the doors parted and Dalton stepped out, Goodwin was already waiting at the doors to his office.

  “You’re late.”

  He wasn’t, although Dalton knew better than to challenge Goodwin’s assertion. So, instead of turning his tablet around and proving his timeliness, he keyed up the video feed from Blackmore’s Building One and moved through the doors and into the office.

  Taking a seat opposite the seventy-inch flat panel monitor hanging on the massive mahogany wall behind Goodwin’s desk, Dalton mirrored his screen.

  “Okay,” he said, “it looks like they had a breach which we already knew about, but are now mostly on lockdown.”

  Goodwin shot back quickly. “Yes?”

  “And as you know, Daniels is gone; however, it looks like we have five new visitors.”

  “Have you identified these guests?”

  “Facial recognition is a little hit-and-miss due to the obvious, but what I can say is that from a few of the recorded conversations, it appears that the woman may be Daniels’ daughter and the boy … his grandson.”

  “So he brought his family out to my mountain just to watch them die?”

  Dalton shifted in his seat. “Sir, how would you like to proceed?”

  “Send out the Skatt,” Goodwin said. “I want you to survey the entire facility. Not just the immediate grounds, but also a half-mile radius. I want to know what we’ll be walking into.”

  “And our new guests?”

  “At the moment, they aren’t necessarily a concern of mine. We’ll use them as needed if Daniels continues to refuse to talk. How many of them are there?”

  Dalton split the screen and called up the cameras from Building One.

  “It’s a bit grainy, but as you can see there are two women, two men, and of course the boy. And it looks like a few from the staff took him into The Cage, so I’m assuming he’s hurt.”

  “Or infected.”

  “Marcus, Uh … Mr. Goodwin?”

  Goodwin turned away from the monitor momentarily and just stared at Dalton. He didn’t initially speak, but he didn’t need to. Dalton could feel the tension rising and just as Goodwin began to part his lips, he motioned back to the screen.

  “You’re right, they seem to be securing the boy to one of the tables, but I’m not quite sure about the man climbing up onto the table next to him. He is definitely one of the five that arrived today, but he doesn’t appear to be injured.”

  “The others,” Goodwin said. “The other three, where are they?”

  Again splitting the screen, Dalton quickly located three individuals sitting in a room with multiple workstations.

  “Here they are. It looks like they’re holed up in the Command Center. That’s Daniels’ wife at the top of the screen, the woman who I believe to be his daughter to her right, and another unidentified woman to her left.”

  “We already knew about Daniels’ wife, where’s the fifth member of this new group, you indicated there was another male.” Goodwin’s voice increased in intensity and volume. “WHERE THE HELL IS HE?”

  “Hold on.”

  Goodwin pushed away from his desk and started to stand. “WHAT?”

  Flipping between the interior and exterior video feeds, Dalton swallowed hard as he pushed the grainy video to the massive screen on the wall. Again going full screen, he pointed and began to nod.

  “Yes, that’s one of ours. He flew out with Anton last night.”

  “And the man leading him away from the building?”

  “Don’t recognize him … wait, I think he’s the guy … yes, the last of the five.”

  “You think or you know.”

  Dalton tapped through two screens and adjusted the brightness of the screen, allowing for a bit more contrast. He remotely turned the camera and snapped a quick shot as the men moved away from the area.

  “Yeah, that’s him. I believe the father of the boy.”

  “Why’s he dressed in my gear and why does it look like one of ours is helping him? I need to know what the hell is happening out there. Contact Anton and tell him that he’d better get this wrapped up by the time we land or he’s going to have to answer directly to me.”

  This didn’t quite fit into his plan, but it also wasn’t going to do anything to sidetrack what he’d already laid out. Dalton sat in silence for a moment, giving the impression that he was deep in thought before quickly shutting down the feed and remotely disengaging from Blackmore.

  “I’ll get a message over to Anton and have him handle it. We’ll move ahead according to the timeline you had originally laid out.”

  Goodwin moved away from his desk, walked to the window at the corner of his office, and looked out into the sky. When he finally spoke, his words came out slow and deliberate. “I’m not going to make another threat here because I don’t want anything to overshadow the importance of what I need from you and the others. Our trip to Blackmore must happen exactly as planned, no excuses.”

  “Yes,” Dalton said, “I understand.”

  “Good, I want you back here at sundown, and in the meantime, please have Mr. Jefferson prep the chopper. I don’t want any more delays.”

  160

  “I’m supposed to believe that you and your friends were also working for Marcus Goodwin?” Ethan remembered what Shannon had told him back at the University, but he wanted to get the story right from the horse’s mouth. See how deep this thing actually went, and hear exactly how Boone and the others found their way into his hometown.

  “You sure you wanna waste time with this? I mean we’re burning precious daylight here.”

  “Give me the condensed version and then I’ll decide what’s what.”

  Boone gave his signature half-grin, cocked his head, and motioned toward Ethan’s hip pocket. “How do you think I tracked you here?”

  Ethan looked at Mayor Gil, and then back at Boone. “My guess would be—”

  “Whatever your guess is, you would be wrong. It has nothing to do with the good Mayor. Think about something closer, much closer.”

  Ethan reached into his waistband and clutched his pistol. “Enough with the games.”

  “Hey,” Boone said. “You asked.”

  “How’d you track us?”

  “Only you, I was only tracking you.”

  “Yeah?”

  Again Boone motioned toward Ethan’s right hip. “Your phone, is it yours or was it given to you?”

  “My sis …”

  He didn’t need Boone to explain any further, it now made sense. The phone he was issued by his sister had come from BXF. It hadn’t crossed his mind before this very moment, although with the types of cargo he and David delivered on a daily basis, Marcus Goodwin would have most certainly had some way to keep track of them.

  Boone’s eyes widened. “Sort of making sense?”

  “Scumbag.”

  “Who exactly are you referring to? Me or Goodwin?”

  “Both of you.”

  “That may be true, but you and I still have one thing in common. We both need to find your sister. You for obvious reasons … and well, let’s just say that if we can get to Emma before anything—you know—bad happens to her, there’s a chance that all this goes away. And that’s why I need to locate her, why Goodwin needs me to.”

  Ethan cut him a look. “Why us, why didn’t Goodwin just go get her?”

  “Resource issue. He’s already got his hands full and I was the only one he could spare.”

  Ethan still wasn’t fully convinced. “Why do you need me? You say you tracked me with my phone, so I would guess that you’re also tracking my sister.”

  “We are.”

  “Then why come here? Why not just go after her and save yourself the headache that comes with me almost ending your life?”

  “Again resources, and if I’m being honest, it’s also numbers. I go alone and my odds aren’t all that good, but with you and your friends here, I’ve got a much better chance. I’m sorry, but that’s the bottom line
.”

  “And Emma, what does Goodwin need her for?”

  “You know,” Boone said. “I think I’ve given you enough. We need to get on the road.”

  Ethan didn’t respond.

  Boone stepped forward with his chest out and his voice now raised. “I’ve told you, Goodwin needs her.”

  Ethan also stepped forward. “For what exactly?”

  Boone pointed into the distance. “To make this right, all of this.”

  Shannon had detailed all of this for Ethan less than a week earlier, but for whatever reason, he was still having a hard time believing it. His sister couldn’t have been involved with any of this. He knew her much too well. She wanted more than anything in the entire world to be successful in her chosen career, but not like this.

  “You know where to find her?”

  “If she hasn’t gotten rid of her phone, I know exactly where she’s at. She was on the move yesterday, but didn’t go far. We can get to her if we go now.”

  Ethan didn’t completely trust Boone or his story, but he still had him outnumbered. And if he had actually tracked him here just using his phone, then maybe there was a chance he was also telling the truth about locating Emma.

  Ethan turned to Mayor Gil and motioned toward the two vehicles.

  “You stayin’ with us?”

  “Got nowhere else to go.”

  Then to Griffin he said, “I’ll take Boone in the SUV. You good riding with the Mayor?”

  Griffin looked at Boone, holding his gaze for a count of three and then turned to Ethan. “Let’s do this.”

  “Okay,” Ethan said, “I’ll have Ben and Carly ride with the two of you. We’ll go straight through, take the Fifteen all the way in.”

  As Ethan started back, he turned to Boone. “Gonna have to ask you for your weapon.”

  Boone’s devious grin quickly faded as he placed his hand over his left hip. “Excuse me?”

  “You haven’t exactly earned my trust. So, you either hand over your weapon or you walk back to Los Angeles. Your choice.”

  Boone scanned the lot, noticing the small group of Feeders heading toward them. “What about—”

  Ethan nodded. “I give you my word that if we get into a situation, I won’t let you go out unarmed. But for now, I just need to see what you’re about.”

  161

  Beyond Vegas, the interstate looked much the way it had before reaching the city. Wide open and nothing but a slight breeze loping across the desert landscape. Vehicles again lined the sides of the road and were pushed end to end in tightly spaced rows, most with their doors and trunks left wide open. Whatever happened out there, it happened all at once and in a hurry.

  With his window down and the roadway beginning to blur, Ethan looked into the distance. He pushed the SUV up to eighty-five as a dense grouping of clouds ran in from the south. Passing the Call Box just past Mile Marker Five, he motioned toward the side of the road.

  “We’ve got Stateline just ahead. I think we ought to stop and see if we can’t grab some supplies. Maybe wait out the storm.”

  From the passenger seat, Boone leaned out his own window and took in a long breath. “I agree, that looks pretty nasty. Frank, what do you think?”

  Frank wasn’t yet comfortable with their new passenger. He had a bad feeling about the man with the overly aggressive demeanor and hadn’t changed his opinion just yet. He couldn’t hide that fact; it was written across his face every time Boone spoke.

  “Ethan, I agree with you. There’s an outlet mall at the border. Could be a win, but the place is big, I mean real big. We gotta keep our wits about us. Maybe just you and I go in, let Griffin get to know our new friend here?”

  From the backseat, Zach’s voice came out low and hesitant. “Mr. Ethan?”

  Ethan smiled as he checked his rearview mirror and then drifted into the far right lane, watching for the Mayor to follow. “Yeah?”

  “That man, is he your friend too? I thought …”

  As the boy’s voice trailed off and the interior of the SUV fell into silence, Boone quickly turned in his seat and gave a thumbs up.

  “Hey little guy, my name’s Boone. What’s yours?”

  Zach lit up. His grin shot from ear to ear and although he stayed tucked against the left side of the vehicle, he sat up a bit taller.

  “My name is Zach—”

  From the second row and just in front of Zach, Frank leaned toward the center, nearly face to face with Boone.

  “We don’t know you just yet, so how about you keep to yourself or just run everything through Ethan?”

  Boone turned away and pushed back into his seat. Craning his head toward the open window, he almost laughed.

  “Hey Ethan, remind me not to mess with that one, he’s a real spitfire.”

  Slowing as he guided the SUV off the interstate, Ethan gripped the wheel and peered over his left shoulder. He didn’t respond to Boone and instead turned left and continued on through the coming intersection. From his seat behind the wheel, the outlet mall came into view and appeared as isolated and untouched as the roadway they’d traveled for the last few hours.

  Again checking his mirrors, he slipped his left arm out the window and waved the Mayor forward. As the white sedan pulled alongside, Ethan waited as Griffin lowered his window and nodded toward the massive shopping center.

  “That storm doesn’t look too good. Maybe we ride out the night here and then jump back on it first thing in the morning?”

  Griffin peered out through the windshield and spoke quietly to Mayor Gil. He appeared to be agreeing with something the Mayor said and then turned back to Ethan, still smirking.

  “We’re good, but what are we gonna do about him?”

  “He’s not gonna be a problem. You and I will take turns watching him. He knows the rules and what happens if he steps even one inch out of line.”

  From the passenger seat, Boone sat back and rested his head. “Yes sir, yes I do.”

  Ethan circled the lot twice before choosing to enter off Fashion Outlet Way. He pulled in behind a grouping of three pickup trucks, each emblazoned with a triple star logo and the name Trilogy Plumbing Services. The trucks sat side by side covered in a thick layer of windswept dirt, which indicated their time alone at this end of the parking lot.

  With Griffin and the Mayor again pulling alongside his door and the first few drops of rain beginning to assault the area, Ethan slowed to a stop beside the last pickup truck, cut the engine, and hopped out.

  He waited as Griffin exited the white sedan and looked toward the mall. “Frank and I are going to check it out, try and find a way in, see what we see.”

  “Alright, what about the others?”

  “I’m going to have Shannon follow us around, stay along the outer edges of the lot, just in case.”

  “You want me and the Mayor to hang back?”

  “Yeah and I’d like to leave Boone here with you. I’m still not comfortable with him around the others, gun or no gun. Just until I can get a read on him.”

  “Me either, something about the guy just doesn’t sit right.”

  Ethan again dropped the AK-47 over his shoulder and carried his nine millimeter in his left hand. He watched as Shannon dropped to the back of the lot and followed him at a safe distance. Frank stayed on his heels as the pair jogged to the loading dock at the rear of the mall.

  With Frank covering him, Ethan moved along the dock and squatted at the first aluminum roll-up door. Attempting to pull it open, he quickly found that it, and the other three, had all been locked from the inside.

  “Ethan,” Frank said, “we’ve got company.”

  Three Feeders had become aware of their presence and were now stumbling toward the docks. Frank moved back to door number one to get a better vantage of where they’d come from and then hurried back to Ethan.

  “We’ve got another four or five behind them. Maybe sixty seconds.”

  “Alright, get Shannon on the walkie and let her know we’re
headed back to the main entrance. Have her swing by and give Griffin a heads up.”

  “What about our new friends here, and the others behind them.”

  Ethan peered over Frank’s shoulder. The trio of slow moving Feeders were now thirty feet from the docks and the next group had already rounded the corner and partially blocked the only exit.

  “No weapons, let’s go.”

  Ethan moved first, jogging quickly to the right of the first three and then straight toward those trailing. He stepped to the left as a man wearing an orange and yellow polyester uniform with half his face removed lunged forward, baring his teeth. As the former fast-food worker lost his balance, Ethan kicked him into the next two, taking all three to the concrete in a mess of flailing arms and snapping jaws.

  With only two remaining, Ethan took two steps back and waved Frank toward the parking lot. “Go, I’ll catch up.”

  Frank ran virtually undetected past the Feeders still focused on Ethan. He moved away from the docks, and sighting the SUV, held up his left hand while speaking into the two-way radio.

  “Shannon …”

  “I’m here, what’s going on, are you guys okay?”

  “We’re good, just had a few visitors. The bay doors on this end are locked, we’re headed for the main entrance.”

  “Okay, we’ll follow.”

  Frank turned to see Ethan pushing the last Feeder backward into a space between two dumpsters with a shopping cart. He nodded to Ethan, waved him over, and then keyed the radio. “Shannon, can you swing around and give Griffin a heads up, let him know what we’re doing?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Going wide, Ethan spotted the main entrance. He and Frank sprinted to a row of abandoned motorhomes that sat near the doors, and keeping their distance, just watched. Hands on his knees, Ethan was somewhat disappointed by the fact that he was breathing much harder than the man to his left—twenty years his senior.