Braving The Storms (Strengthen What Remains Book 3) (16 page)

“No. Thank you.” Again he stared out the window, but this time in dazed silence. He turned at the sound of footsteps.

“Is everything all right, sir?” Brooks asked.

“Yes … fine.” Still absorbing the news of Dr. Scott’s death, Caden felt detached and numb.

Brooks gestured toward the conference room. “The radio announcer just said that acting President Harper will speak before new congress in a few minutes. Governor Monroe is already in Denver and will hold a press conference with other constitutionalist leaders immediately after.”

“I’ll be right there.” Caden stood, swayed, and stumbled. His head ached, and his throat felt like sandpaper. He knew the cause. Kern flu.

Chapter Twenty Nine

North of Hansen, Monday, October 5
^th

The washing and scrubbing of decontamination took a while, but after that Zach received quick clearance from the doctor. As he hurried from the medical tent he spotted DeLynn slumped forward as she sat on a log, softly crying.

Mr. Hollister stood a few feet away with his gaze in her direction.

Still fearing some blame, Zach hesitated to go to them. Then after a sigh, he approached. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

Hollister nodded, but his red puffy eyes stared at the medical tent.

“They won’t release the … ah, her.” The sound of sobs cut off Zach’s words

DeLynn cried and covered her face.

“Ah … The doctor said the funeral homes weren’t taking….”

Mr. Hollister gave a slight nod as his shoulders sagged. “The deputy told me they won’t release her … body. Come on, let’s go home.”

Together the three moved toward the car a few yards away.

“Would you like me to drive?” Zach asked.

Mr. Hollister handed him the keys without a word.

Driving into the parking lot beside the hotel, Zach recalled how Mrs. Hollister disliked the hotel and didn’t think of it as home. He decided never to mention it.

As they exited the elevator on the top floor, Zach touched DeLynn’s arm. “Tell me if there’s anything I can do.”

She nodded and walked away.

Zach retreated to his room, but the silence allowed too much thought. He turned on the radio. An announcer commented on snippets from some speech that had just finished. The guy talked of an invasion and called for a declaration of war.

Zach shook his head. What was all that about? Weren’t they already in a civil war?

The guy droned on about a full mobilization.

He had no idea what he meant. Zach turned off the radio. It had nothing to do with him.

* * *

Hansen Armory, Monday, October 5
^th

Caden steadied himself. Without a word he walked through the conference room to the armory isolation ward on the floor below.

One soldier sat up in bed. “You should be wearing a mask, sir.”

“That is the least of my concerns right now. Where’s the medic?”

The young man pointed to the office at the far end.

Caden spoke to several others as he made his way across the ward. A television hung in the corner near the door. He turned it on.

Every station carried the live feed from the congress in Denver. Caden watched as John Harper, strolled into the assembly to thunderous applause. He might be only the acting president of about half the country but, Caden felt certain, the future of the nation would hinge on what Harper said to congress. Knowing it would take several minutes for him to reach the podium, Caden continued to the medic’s office.

Medic Jackson scraped back his chair and stood, then saluted, as Caden entered. “You should be wearing—.”

Caden held up his hand. “I don’t think that will be necessary. I think I already have it.”

“Sit down, sir. Tell me your symptoms.”

A radio in the corner carried the news from Denver.

Jackson took his blood pressure, checked his heart and throat, as Caden described how he felt.

Finally, the medic leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Without tests I can’t be certain, but your symptoms do indicate Kern flu.”

Caden had reached that conclusion on his own, but the words still hit like a fist to the gut.

“The good thing is we’ve caught it early. We’ll keep you hydrated and get started on antivirals. I survived it. You can also, sir.”

Caden noticed Harper’s speech had begun. “Well, if I’m going to be a patient, I want a bed across from the television.”

Jackson glanced at the radio in his office. “Yes sir. This is shaping up to be a worrisome day.”

While he waited for a bed, Caden returned to the ward, sat near the television, and phoned his XO.

“I’ve been looking for you sir. One minute you were here with us and then—.”

“I’ve checked myself into the isolation ward. I’ve got Kern flu. You’re in command.”

“Ah ….”

“You were acting as CO when I arrived, and you’ve been a great XO. Start combat preparations. I’ll be back on the job in a few days.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, one more thing, Dr. Scott died last night. Find out what’s going to happen with her body. I don’t want her buried in a mass grave.”

The medic came along side Caden with a tray, pills, and a cup of water. “Let’s start with these.”

Caden took them and then phoned Maria.

“No!” Tension and tears streamed from her voice. “I should be with you.”

“You shouldn’t risk it.”

“But—.”

“No buts. If you are exposed you could infect Adam and everyone else at the farm. I’m in good health and we caught it early. There’s no reason I can’t beat this, but it will take a few days. Then, I’ll come home for final recovery.”

He hung up and returned his attention to the TV as the aged John Harper spoke.

“… year of crisis and tribulation, America has endured brutality at its most blatant. Terrorists laid waste to cities. Hunger and pestilence sweeps the land, and now the rulers of China seized the opportunity to steal territory. As I speak the fight continues in Hawaii, but the aggression did not end there.

“Last night the rulers of China attacked Guam, but their aggression did not stop there.

“Last night the rulers of China launched attacks on Taiwan, Siberia and many islands of the South China Sea.”

As the assembly gasped, the camera swept the spectator gallery and focused for a moment on Governor Monroe. Harper would soon ask for a declaration of war, but Monroe would quickly inherit the fight.

Harper pounded the lectern. “This is aggression at its most blatant and, regardless of our differences in the past, this challenge must be met with America’s total resolve. I call upon congress to authorize a full mobilization against this flagrant attack on our people and that a state of war be declared against the government of the People’s Republic of China.”

Congress thundered with applause.

Caden sighed. Not since World War II had civilization seen a conflict like this. Everyone would be involved.

* * *

Westmore Farm, Rural Lewis County, Monday, October 5
^th

Maria sat staring out the front room window into darkness. Work often kept Caden away, but today there seemed to be a void in the house without him there. Normally she would talk with Lisa, but she had taken dinner to David, because, as the acting CO, he couldn’t leave right now.

“God, please help Caden.” Maria had repeatedly offered little prayers during the day, but Caden’s parents were still in the kitchen praying with a belief and intensity she had never seen before. David and the medic tried to reassure her every time she called, even though Caden’s temperature continued to climb. She resolved to go to him if death seemed near.

All these thoughts made the living room seem so empty. She lifted Adam from the floor and squeezed him tight. He whimpered and she loosened her grip, then kissed his plump cheeks and tried to smile.

Sue strolled into the room with baby Peter.

As they talked Maria became distracted by the squawking and bocking of the chickens. “Something must have frightened them.”

Nikki climbed the couch to look out the window, sniffed the air, and growled.

Figuring it might be a weasel or feral cat, she passed Adam to Sue, grabbed the shotgun, and stepped out onto the porch. Just outside she paused, giving her eyes time to adjust to the night.

The chickens continued to squawk and Nikki barked from inside the house.

Maria couldn’t see much of anything or hear anything useful. She stepped off the porch into the blackness of a moonless night. Thinking she heard a voice, she put the shotgun to her shoulder and moved forward with caution.

The darkness remained deep, but a gray and black world gradually emerged. The chickens continued to complain, but no threats were apparent. She lowered her gun at the barn door and pulled it open with a loud creak. “Trevor?” she said hesitantly. “Are you in here?”

Only the squawks of agitated chickens answered.

Maria let the door squeak shut and then crept around the barn toward the hen house.

Halfway there a shot blasted through the air.

Fiery pain like fire streaked along the left side of her head. Maria stifled a scream. The side of her head felt wet and warm. She lunged left to the barn wall, and stood tight against it. “It’s me, Maria!” She hoped a familiar voice would come from the night with words of apology.

Immediately a shot rang out, then another.

Anger flared within Maria. Someone had tried to kill her. She wiped blood from her eye, turned, and fired a blast from the shotgun in the direction of the shots. Then she darted behind Trevor’s pickup.

Only Nikki and the chickens disturbed the silence.

She stood there, trying to control her breathing, as she figured out what to do next.

“Trevor?” Sarah walked onto the porch. “Trevor? What happened? Are you okay?”

Maria’s heart pounded in her ears.

Nikki barked frantically. Then the dog pushed the screen door open and ran into the dark beyond the clothes line.

Maria eased forward with the shotgun ready.

“Do you see Trevor?” his wife asked.

Maria shook her head.

Somewhere up ahead Nikki whimpered.

Maria stayed in the shadows of the barn as she moved forward. She spotted the dog up ahead. “What do you see, Nikki?” As she bent down Maria realized why the dog whimpered. “Sarah! Someone help!”

Blood soaked the ground in a growing pool around Caden’s father.

Chapter Thirty

Westmore Farm, Rural Lewis County, Tuesday, October 6
^th

Maria sat on the front porch, oblivious to the movement of law enforcement and others around her. She had killed Trevor, the father of the man she loved. Sobs from Sarah in the living room thundered in Maria’s ears. She wiped tears from her eyes and doubted she could ever face Trevor’s wife again. What penance could she perform? What words could she say, that would heal such a rift? If he survived the flu, how could she face Caden? She had killed his father.

An EMT pushed a gurney along the rocky driveway. A bloodstained sheet covered the body … Trevor’s body … that he loaded into the back of the truck.

Maria slumped forward as he drove away. A few minutes later she stood and stepped into the living room. Lisa and Sue huddled around Sarah with long, sad faces. Maria gently lifted Adam from the playpen, kissed him several times, and then set him back. Then she turned and wandered into the darkness.

She walked along the rocky driveway until she reached the asphalt of Hopps Road, then turned toward the highway. Minutes later she heard a car come up behind her and pull onto the gravel edge. She continued walking.

A car door shut. Footsteps crunched in the gravel behind her. “Why did you walk away? Where are you going?”

She hesitated at the sound of Sheriff Hoover’s voice. Perhaps he thought she had fled the scene of her crime. Perhaps she did. “I’m walking. I’m not sure where.”

Hoover came alongside her. “I think we’ve figured out what happened, but I want to ask you a few questions.”

Maria shrugged. “Whatever you need. Can I keep walking?”

“I suppose.” Using a flashlight he looked at his notes. “What type of firearm did you have tonight?”

“A shotgun.”

“Did anyone else have a firearm?”

“I don’t think so.”

He nodded. “The deputy that first arrived said you confessed to killing Trevor. Did you actually see him when you shot?”

“No.” Tears flowed again. “I know I should have seen what I shot at, but someone shot at me. I shouted my name and they shot again. I fired back. Then, I went in that direction and found his body.”

“Did you actually examine Trevor?”

She shook her head. “There was a little light coming from the house … I tried to find a pulse. All I could see was blood. Then I knew I … I—”

“Shot him?”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“He died of a rifle shot to the chest.”

“Rifle? Huh?” She stared at him. “Not a shotgun blast?” She stopped and turned to him. “I didn’t have a rifle.”

He faced her. “That confused the deputy and so he called me. We searched, but your dog put us on the trail.”

“Nikki?”

Hoover nodded. “It’s still dark so I can’t be sure, but I think she followed a blood trail that led to another body further out in the field. I recognized the guy immediately. His name is … was … Bachman, a career petty criminal living in a trailer about two miles down the road. He still had a .270 rifle in one hand.”

Maria gasped.

“The way I see it, after you left the house to investigate the noise, Trevor did also. He may not have known you were outside until Bachman fired his first shot and you shouted your name.” Hoover took a deep breath. “Well, I think Trevor stalked, and shot Bachman, but only wounded him. Bachman returned fire and hit Trevor in the chest. That was the second shot you heard and that was the one that killed Trevor. You fired, but apparently missed both.”

She sobbed and fell to her knees.

Hoover knelt beside her.

Several minutes passed before she could speak. “Does Sarah know?”

“I told her what I suspected, but I had to confirm a few things with you before I could be certain.” He stood and held out a hand. “Let’s go back to the house.”

Maria took a deep breath, let it out, and then took his hand. One burden had been lifted, but Trevor had still been murdered, and Caden remained gravely ill.

* * *

Hansen Armory, Tuesday, October 6
^th

Reveille hadn’t yet sounded when Acting CO, Lieutenant David Brooks, walked into his office. Immediately the phone rang.

“This is the hospital morgue. I’ve been told you put a hold on the transfer of Dr. Scott’s body.”

“Yes.” Since he had no official reason, Brooks felt it best to say as little as possible.

“Ah, there’s a pandemic in progress. We don’t have room to hold bodies.”

Anger flared in Brooks. “I know about the Kern flu. I also know that mass burials will commence in a few days. Send out the other bodies, but hold Dr. Scott’s.” He hung up the phone.

When he felt calm, Brooks called and asked the medic about Caden.

“He’s slipping in and out of consciousness. His temperature is one hundred and one, but we’re working to bring that down. We’ll know more in the next 48 hours.”

“Keep me informed.” He had been in the office only minutes and the situation depressed him. As he rubbed his forehead, he wondered if Caden felt that way sometimes. Caden had been more than a commanding officer; he had been a friend and mentor. Now death lingered beside him.

Brooks read the two orders received during the night. The first established draft boards in each county, called up all guard units into the armed forces, and allowed the military to seize fuel, transport, and other resources necessary to fully mobilize for the war effort.

The next one ordered Major Westmore to establish two platoons of up to a total of 100 soldiers for a special mission. The order specified that all unit personnel were to be Kern flu survivors or those who had demonstrated immunity. Brooks would assemble the unit and pray Caden would recover and command it.

* * *

Hollister Hotel, Tuesday, October 6
^th

Zach awoke early and wondered what he should do. He didn’t expect Mr. Hollister to continue rehab work on the stores so soon after his wife’s death, or for DeLynn to help with food distribution. Vicki would work, but she didn’t know anything about the deliveries. So that left him with no clear direction. He decided to read near the apartment door and listen for movement in the hallway.

Vicki awoke and prepared breakfast for both of them.

With a mouth full of scrambled egg Zach asked, “Do you know what we’re doing today?”

Vicki shook her head. “No, and I don’t want to ask.”

“Neither do I.”

As he finished his breakfast, a few minutes later, he heard a noise in the hall. Zach hurried the last few mouthfuls and, with Vicki close behind, hurried to the elevator in time to see the numbers count back to one. He pressed the button for the lift to return.

“I’ll clean up and meet you down there.” Vicki headed back down the hall.

The whine of a circular saw filled the lobby. Zach stepped to the door of the general store. Mr. Hollister stood inside cutting plywood. Movement caused Zach to look left and through an unfinished wall he spotted DeLynn as she sat at a table near a window in the bakery. He went to her. “Mind if I sit down?”

She nodded.

Zach wasn’t sure if that meant yes, she minded, or yes, sit. He hesitated.

“Go ahead.” She pointed to the seat across from her.

When he sat, he tried not to stare at DeLynn’s puffy eyes. A plate with three slices of buttered toast sat before her. One slice had been nibbled. Zach seemed always to be hungry and the smell of bread only made it worse. He would have loved some of her bread, but he wondered if it might be her first food since the death of her mother.

She stared at the toast, but it pleased him that she had eaten some and spoke with him. “I’m sorry.”

“You tried to help. I appreciate that.”

Vicki entered and turned the radio on while she worked at the counter.

“You don’t blame me for not getting your mother home sooner?”

“No.” DeLynn shook her head. “Of course not.”

Zach sighed with relief.

“She left and traveled through a camp full of sick people. I’m glad you found her. She could have died and been buried in a mass grave. We’d never have known what happened to her.”

Vicki stood by the radio toasting and buttering bread. Then, she placed a fresh plate of it at the center of the table and sat next to Zach. “I just heard some weird news on the radio.”

“What?” Zach grabbed a slice.

“The announcer said the government is drafting guys for a war with China. When did we go to war with them?”

Panic filled DeLynn’s eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

Zach shook his head. “There’s no way.”