by White, A. L.
Marius sat down on a bench propped against the wall. “I don’t decide what happens in cases like this. That falls under the council.”
Katrina shrugged. “We all know who has the final word around here. If you want to hide behind the council—”
The double doors at the end of the hallway burst open and slammed into the walls on both sides. Lori stomped in, followed closely by two security guards trying to catch up to her.
Marius stood and raised his hand, telling them to stand down.
Lori’s jaw clinched, and her nostrils flared as she approached Marius. Once in striking distance, she unclenched her fists and grabbed Marius’ shirt. Lori’s blood boiled as it coursed through her veins. She was unchaining the beast just enough to make her point. She lifted Marius off the floor as easy as lifting a taco with all the fixings and slammed him into the wall, leaving the large man’s impression in the cinderblocks.
Marius tried to let his beast loose, but the medications kept it safely in a daze, trapped helpless attached to his brain.
“What have you done to Virginia?” Lori demanded. ‘What have you done with my sis—”
Katrina stabbed Lori in the jugular with a sedative then backed up while Lori’s body crumpled to the floor.
“You can thank me later,” Katrina said, scanning the room to avoid looking at Marius’ or the guards’ faces.
“This’ll complicate things,” Marius said, brushing off his clothes.
“You need to find a way to keep her here.”
Marius motioned at Lori and told the guards, “Lock her in a cell.” He watched the guards lift Lori and could feel their level of fear. “Make it one of the stringer cells, boys.”
No one would ever challenge one of Marius’ orders; they never questioned him. Even if one had wanted to today, there wouldn’t have been one. Both men saw how easily Lori had picked up Marius and smashed him into the wall. Marius weighed close to three hundred and fifty pounds of all muscle. Lori had just moved him like a feather in the way without completely transforming. He was afraid of what she could do now and wished they had never brought her into the community.
“Marius,” Katrina said. “Marius, you’re not listening to what I’m telling you.”
“I heard you. She doesn’t need the magic meds, and we need more to stay like this.”
“We need to run tests and find out why. Maybe she has something that can help us.”
“Run your tests. No one will stop you or interfere.”
“I need her help. We don’t know if what she does is chemical or something she has learned.”
Marius started to walk away, shaking his head. “Katrina, it’s been an odd morning so far. Let’s talk about this later.”
Chapter 20
Todd placed Zeus across the wagon’s front seat from the passenger door. He climbed behind the wheel and patted Zeus’ head.
Zeus wiggled the few inches and laid his bloody head in Todd’s lap.
Todd started the car and manuevered it until he was headed back to Main Street. He wanted to drive as far away from this place as he could. Something or someone was telling him to return to Charlie’s truck—get water and food for Zeus.
Todd smiled and rolled down the window. This wasn’t something he did very often, because it made him feel vulnerable. Zeus stunk so bad it was causing Todd’s eyes to water.
Todd pulled beside the truck and searched the bed for the supplies for Zeus. Not once did he check for creatures. They never entered his thoughts, not even a shadow of one.
Todd found a couple of large cans of beef stew and the five-gallon water containers and set them on the ground by his feet. He moved stuff around until he found what he thought looked like soap or shampoo. Todd didn’t read very well, so some things were his best guess. He grabbed soap and what looked like dog treats and turned to place them on the ground.
Zeus sat there with his head crooked to the side.
“Hey, Zeus! I didn’t think you could walk, boy.” Todd kneeled next to the old dog and threw his arms around him. “Look what I found for you, boy. This looks like meat. It says beef.” Todd wouldn’t even try to say stew today. If Tressa was still here, she would make him, but now it was just him and Zeus.
Todd removed the lids and dumped Zeus’s can on the ground for him. Todd watched him eat; it looked like Zeus was having a little trouble because of a cut on the right side of his face. The only thing Todd knew was to apply a Band-Aid. He just didn’t know where to find one.
After Zeus finished eating, Todd grabbed the first five-gallon water jug and poured it over the dog. Zeus started to move, but Todd grabbed him with one large hand. “I know you won’t like this, but it’s for your own good, boy.”
He poured the entire bottle of shampoo on the dog and lathered it into the blood-matted fur. A few times, he hit a tender spot, and Zeus would snap playfully at Todd. To anyone else other than Virginia or Todd, that snap would have been a deep bite.
Satisfied that the shampoo covered most of Zeus, Todd grabbed another water jug and poured it carefully over Zeus, rinsing the shampoo. “There ya go, boy. Now we can go find Perseus and Virginia.”
Chapter 21
Stu knocked on Marius’ door, applying more force with each blow. He heard movement on the other side and thought about stopping. Knowing Marius, Stu pounded harder, shaking the door.
“What the hell is going on?”
Stu started to answer then decided to keep pounding until the door opened.
“It’s open. Come the hell in already!”
Stu opened the door to be met by a half-asleep Marius trying to brew some coffee.
“What time did you get back?”
“Some time after midnight, I think.”
“Brought in the rest of her crew without any issues?”
Stu took a cup off the counter and moved closer to the coffee pot next to Marius. “Not with Lori’s people.”
“There was some kind of problem. Spit it out, Stu.”
Stu pointed toward the window. “The mob was waiting for us outside the detention center.”
Marius looked out the window and could tell the crowd had doubled in size since he had last looked. “What time did they arrive this morning?”
“Never left from last night. I don’t think they plan on leaving until after the execution.”
“We don’t even know if there will be an execution yet.”
Stu looked at the floor. “The council met last night and held a trial.”
Marius slammed his cup. “There is no execution unless I sign off on it after the trial!”
“I don’t like to get on yours or the council’s front porch, and I think you know that. Just this once, I’ll have to, I guess. It looks to me like you’re being moved out.”
“A bolder move than I would have given anyone on the council credit for.”
“Why? What the hell would make you think that? We’ve made these lists of normal people who kill hybrids like us. We caught one from the top of the list. Perfect time for them to flex some muscle.”
“Does Katrina know anything about this?”
“Fit to be tied, last I saw her.”
Marius sat to think. “Have you seen or heard anything about me being removed?”
“Nothing so far. Mind ya, I’ve been looking for you the past hour or so.”
“Stu, I need to ask you to be involved with something that you can say no to at any point.”
“I’m in.”
“Seriously, Stu, you need to stop and think about what I’m asking you to do.”
“Alright then. I’ll gather Katrina and as many men I feel I can trust. After that, I believe I’ll move Lori and her people into one holding cell. Do I have the jest of the plan correct?”
“We could end up on the wrong end of an execution or banished.”
“Yep, we sure could. Or maybe we help Katrina get Lori to stay, so she can learn how we can survive without pills.”
Marius stood
and shook Stu’s hand. “Meet you at the holding cells in twenty minutes.”
Stu knew the men he wanted; all of them were founding members of the community. A few were old humans, but the rest were new people. They held the same beliefs as Stu; things had been a lot better around here when Marius ruled alone. The more folks entered, the more they wanted a form of elected government. Stu didn’t have a problem with that; hell, he figured, in a few years, they wouldn’t have any other choice than to elect leaders. The problem was Stu saw it as things were changing too fast. The council saw the community in terms of the pre apocalypse, and that was a mistake. The issues facing them every day called for decisive action, not a lively debate followed by a vote.
Chapter 22
Todd drove at a slow and even pace. He didn’t like to go too fast and, in his head, there was no such thing as too slow. He found a map in Charlie’s truck with a route highlighted in yellow. Most of the words were too hard for him to read, while others, if time was taken, Todd could sound them out. In the end, the decision had been made to keep going straight for as far as he could. The truck pointed this way, so putting all the information available to him, Todd couldn’t see any other way. Having Zeus along wasn’t the same as having Tressa here. It made him feel safe again, and that made Todd smile. Leaving the small town behind and being surrounded by empty fields helped too. Now and then he would remove a hand from the wheel and pet the old dog on the head. Then he’d snap it back as soon as he realized he didn’t have both hands controlling the station wagon.
Zeus sat up and looked at the passing countryside then glanced at Todd. His body ached from the tip of his snout to the very tip of the tail. He felt stronger after being fed last night and again this morning. When Todd had put him into the seat this morning, he could barely raise his head. Now he was sitting upright on his own and wished Todd would stop, so he could walk around a little. Of course, more food would be nice too.
The station wagon’s engine spit and sputtered a few times before going silent. Gliding to a stop in the middle of the road, Todd fidgeted with everything he could push or turn. The starter shrieked when he tried to turn the motor over.
Looking around, the first tears raced down his cheek. In a shaky voice, Todd said, “I don’t know why we stopped, boy.” The tears fell faster until he was weeping with hands covering his face. “Tressa would know what we should do, boy. You bet she would know and could fix this.”
Tressa wasn’t with him anymore; he couldn’t hear her voice now like he had at the farmhouse.
Looking through the windows around the wagon didn’t help matters. No signs of civilization were in sight—no houses, no cars, no people, just empty fields. He grabbed the door handle and applied enough pressure to move it but not quite enough to unlatch the door. Knowing he had to leave the car behind, and leaving it was two different things. The car was safe, nothing could get to him while he was in here. Out there, he couldn’t see any place to hide or run to.
Zeus barked, startling Todd a little in his seat.
A truck approached fast on the road.
Todd’s first thought was to get as low in the seat as he could and hope they passed. Not so easy to do with a large dog sharing the front seat.
The black SUV rolled up, and a woman got out.
Zeus barked and tried to wag his tail.
Seeing this, Todd opened the door and got out.
“I knew a dog that looked just like your dog named Zeus.”
Todd smiled. “Lady, this here is the only Zeus I know.”
Pippa circled the station wagon to take a closer look through the window to ensure it was him. She opened the door and let out the old dog. “You’ve seen better days, haven’t you, boy?”
Todd grew comfortable with the woman, seeing that Zeus was friendly to her. “My name’s Todd, and you know old Zeus here. We’re looking for our friends Virginia, Charlie, and Jermaine.”
“Glad to meet you, Todd. My name’s Pippa, and I can take you to your friends.”
“You can?” Todd jumped up and turned in a circle. “I would sure like that, lady. I would sure like that!”
Pippa smiled. “First, I need to get the supplies from their truck and load it into this one. Do you think you could help me?”
Todd froze and then smiled from ear to ear. “I sure could, lady! Tressa says I’m the best worker. I can work really hard for a prize.”
“I’ll see if I can find you a prize, Todd. For now, can you call Zeus and get him into my truck?”
Todd called Zeus to her truck and opened the door. After he got in, Todd sat as close to the him as possible.
Chapter 23
Marius arrived before Stu and the men. A guard was stationed outside Lori’s cell who he had never met before. That wasn’t out of the question these days. So many people joined the community that it was hard for him to keep track of who they were or what jobs they had been assigned.
“Sorry, sir, I can’t let you in the cell.”
Stu smiled and said softly, “Have I been replaced, guard?”
Looking bewildered, the guard replied, “No, sir. Not that I’ve been told.”
“Then, as I said, you’ve been relieved. Stu will be here shortly with a detachment of men. I want this one well-guarded today.”
After the guard left, Marius took a deep breath and readied himself. Unlocking the cell, he stepped through the door.
Lori charged across the cell at him.
“Hold on for one minute please and let me talk,” Marius said.
Lori kept coming, looking angrier with each step.
“We both know you can kill me without much effort. We both know that won’t help either of our situation.”
Lori stopped a few inches from Marius. “You’re planning on killing my sister.”
Marius shook his head. “I’m not planning to kill her or anyone else today.”
Lori stepped back from him.
“There’s something about you that doesn’t need medications to control the beast. Katrina thinks that if you work with her—”
“You can figure out how to cure everyone.”
“Nah. She says there’s no cure to remove it. We don’t need to remove it if we can learn to do it your way.”
Lori sat on the hard bench in the center of the cell. “If I help, what happens to Virginia, Charlie, and Jermaine?”
“The two men are welcome to stay here with you if they’d like too.”
“Virginia?”
“We would sneak her out of the community, and she would have to leave the area far away from the community and not come back.”
Stu stuck his head in the door. “We’re ready when you are.”
“Well, what’ll it be then?”
Lori’s hands covered her mouth as she froze. Virginia was a wild card at best; there was no normal for her baby sister. This world had changed her into an apex predator among predators. Lori wished there was a way to get Virginia to stay here and live a normal life—go to school, meet someone, or do anything kids her age should do. The community was on its way to a normal life without fear and death peaking around every corner. The problem was Virginia and Lori knew it. Sooner than later, she would head out with the lads on a hunt, brining everything crashing down around them all.
“Walter goes with Virginia.”
“He’s too unstable.”
“That’s the deal if you want me to go along with your plan.”
Marius shook his head. “She’ll kill him. Or worse for you, he’ll kill and eat her.”
“Walter knows Virginia and the lads. Drug him until they’re far away from here, and he’ll be fine.”
Stu looked in again and motioned to Marius.
“Deal,” Marius said. “We have to move quickly now.”
Stu knew the detention center like the back of his own hand, knowing it wouldn’t make the trip from the west wing to the east wing any easier. If they had made mistakes assembling the new community, there wasn’t any m
ade in the detention center or how it was manned. The largest threats would be kept here for trial or rehabilitation into the general population. Having an easy way out was not an option. Stu and Marius had built in redundancies to the way the guards were stationed, so each would have an overview of the next.
Reaching the main hall without running into any sentries was worrisome. Stu wanted to slow down and send men forward to check for an ambush. He didn’t. Marius would have overruled him; he knew time was short. Sticking his head into the main hall, the first thing he noticed was that it was empty. Outside, about twenty guards faced away from the building. Beyond them was the fence, and on the other side of the fence was an ever-growing crowd. From Stu’s location, it appeared the size had tripled just since he had gotten here and had passed through them.
Marius passed Stu into the cavernous room and crossed into the east wing.
“Excuse me, sir,” a voice said as the rest walked by, leading Lori across. It brought a smile followed by a chuckle. They were moving a prisoner, was all. This wasn’t the one the crowd was calling for a head on a spike.
Chapter 24
Virginia was stuck in a world of fog from the meds they had given her for pain. Whatever had hit her must have been pretty big.
“Virginia, can you hear me?” Lori asked.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
“We found you!” Lori hugged Virginia close and whispered in her ear, “I love you, but we need to get you and Wally out of this place.”
Virginia stared back lost, trying to understand what Lori was saying. She had returned to find Lori and keep the family together.
“Charlie will stay here with me, but you need to go with Jermaine and head west, Virginia. Just keep going west, and don’t come back here.”
“I’ll explain it when she’s thinking clearer,” Jermaine said.
Stu interrupted them. “We need to move you out to the truck now. They’ll be coming soon.”
