Walkers (Book 2): The Rescue (6 page)

     "Well, I plan to be far enough away when it happens to avoid it but I was just wondering what the radiation is going to do to the earth.  Are we looking at a world ending event?  Nuclear winter?  What?"

    "Dads been doing some figures and assures me it will mostly be localized with some radiation poisoning in this general area.  Further away, it won't be so bad and Montana is far enough away that it shouldn't be noticeable."

     "Good, I'd hate to spend the time and energy to fix up a paradise just to have it rendered unlivable by some safety feature."

      "Is it really a paradise, JD.  I am so ready for paradise other than the heavenly one, that is."

     I put my arm around her and as we walked to the mess hall, to eat a little something, I told her about the lodge and Montana.  I put my heart and soul into describing  my home and how easily it could become hers and her fathers.  I told her they could share one of the cabins on the property and he would have all the room he needed to run his lab.  When we got to the mess hall, her father was leaving.  He motioned her over and after she left me, I walked up to Mason and put my arm around him.

     "Have a nice visit?"  He asked after kissing my nose. 

     "Yep, I described  the lodge and our friends.  I think she might be able to fit right in but it may take a bit for Northern Uncle Bill to warm the others up.  Kinda like hell freezing over."  Picking up my tray I looked over the offerings on the buffet table. "Yuck, I think I'd rather eat MRE's."  Meals Ready to Eat are the dehydrated food in a bag the military eats.  Ever eaten freeze dried ice cream?  Get the picture?

     "I hope he has a plan to get out of here.  I don't want to wait till the last minute either.  It'll take us nearly an hour just to get off this mountain, I want to be securely buried in one of the three places we found on our way here or better yet in Montana."

     "I know what you mean, but I'm counting on them having the plans finalized before we got here."

     "Do you know when exactly the fuel will run out?"

     "According to the paperwork, the fuel runs out at 6:53 pm Sunday.  That means we need to be out of the door by 6:01 or we won't make it to the first safe house."

     "So it's Thursday,"  I scanned until I found a clock..."2:15 pm.  That means less than 53 hours to leave."

     He tilted his head smiled, calculating in his head to see if I was right.

      "The little lady can add, imagine that."  said one of the soldiers that 'captured' us when we arrived.  We'd slipped up, badly.  I turned to see the soldier in question was standing directly behind us.  I would've been alarmed if he didn't have his arm securely wrapped around George and she had a big smile on her face.  I hate complicated things and this just keep getting more so as each minute passed.

     "JD, I want you meet Riley, my husband.  This is my cousin, JD and her husband, Mason.  I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner but dad had a cow when we got married and doesn't want to hear about it." 

     I smiled, because I could just bet Northern Uncle Bill nearly had a heart attack when he found out.

     "We had to sneak off to do it, then he tried to have me stationed overseas and nearly managed it to.  When we headed here, I had been assigned to the general and he thought he had finally gotten rid of me.  You should have seen his face when he saw me.  It was priceless.  Now he just ignores me and takes all of George's free time if he can."

     "Ignore him back, it works for me.  Although, I've found joy in telling him the way it is, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you have some really good comebacks stored up.  He's quick."

     We grabbed our grub and sat at a table George indicated.  I was sure it was the most secure table in the room, so we sauntered over to it like it was the most natural thing in the world.  We talked about childhoods and friendships and marriage.  I figured they would get around to talking about the matter at hand sooner or later.  I wasn't wrong.

     "We have about five minutes before someone notices the mike is turned off at this table so this is it.  We don't want to wait till the last minute to leave.  The trip down the mountain well be miserable let alone getting out of blast range before the explosion so we want to leave by Saturday.  Why then you ask?  Because her father refuses to leave until he is sure the anti-virus will work.  We won't know until then.  The 'patient' is locked up in the lab and I'm not happy about it but if he doesn't die by Saturday noon, then we are out of here.  If he does, then I don't know how we are going to get Dr. Darling out of here."

     "He can be a hard ass when he wants to be."

     "Really?  I hadn't noticed."

     "JD be nice.  I know you don't like him, but..."

     "It's not that and I don't want to go into it right now.  Time is wasting."

     Riley nodded his head, glanced at his watch, frowned then quickly said, "Meet me at the third locker from the door, at midnight.  I'll be off duty by then and I'll talk about it more."

     He gave George a kiss that made my stomach clench, then was gone.  She followed him with hungry eyes then caught me watching her.  Blushing, she picked at her lunch.

     "Don't let it bother you, I do the same with this guy ."  I nudged Mason with my shoulder who returned the favor.
I love you to, sweetie.  We need her to nudge her dad about leaving earlier.

    
You know know I can hear that, right?
she asked.  Mason muttered "Damn" then while slowly eating he 'talked' to us. 
You need to beg, plead and promise your dad anything to get him out of here earlier.

    
You don't think I haven't tried?  I even threw in some tears and guilt but he won't budge when it comes to his work.  He knows he's putting everyone's life on the line but it doesn't matter to him.  And before you get any ideas, I won't leave here without him.

     "Then get this clear and you can tell your dad.  I didn't come down here to save people who don't want to be saved.  I won't put JD's life on the line again like this for people who don't appreciate it.  For the record we are leaving here by noon on Sunday or earlier with you and your dad or without.  End of story."   He threw his napkin on the table and walked from the room.

    
He really loves you.  That's good.  I wouldn't like him otherwise.  He is right though, JD, your life means more to me than to let you risk it past noon Sunday either.

     "I've missed you, George, you have no idea.  I missed Ken too, until I had to share the truck seat with him on the way here."

     "You two still fighting over who gets the seat?  I'd have thought you two would've outgrown that nonsense by now."

     "She's just greedy is why." Ken said over my shoulder.  "I keep telling her the man gets the seat but she won't listen."

     "That's because you're still a little boy and want your way.  Not happening for sure." 

     "I have a question.  You said Northern Uncle Bill has a patient in the lab.  You aren't talking about a walker are you?  That would just be irresponsible as hell to bring one of those things in here."

     She looked guilty enough that I knew it was true.  I sat back and tried to control my breathing.  He wouldn't bring a walker in here with his own daughter would he?  From the look on her face, I knew he had done exactly that.  I jumped up and started a fast walk in the direction of the lab.  Ken managed to stop me before leaving  the mess hall.

     "You can't JD.  You have restrain yourself a day or so longer."

     George jumped in.  "I know it looks bad, but he needed a specimen to work on.  It's in a locked room, tied down and sedated."

     "Sedated?"  You can sedate one of those things.?"

    "Please, JD, try to understand.  In order to find an anti-virus, we had to experiment on an infected subject.  It's safe, I swear it is.  Please, just wait to talk to dad, he'll just argue with you and nothing will change,  anyway.  Please."

     I took another big breath and probably made the biggest mistake of my life, but I nodded.  "One day, George, one day is all I'll be able to stand being in the same area with those animals.  One day, George and then we leave.  End of story."  I turned and walked away, not really sure of where I was going but knowing I needed to be alone. 

     We'd laughed and talked for quite a while so I wasn't sure where anyone was.  I was not going to have any guilty feelings in the future over this trip so 24 hours from now I was leaving out that damn door in the mountain with anyone else or not.  I wasn't going to feel guilty about it either.  Just making that decision lined the Karma up on my side for a change, just where I wanted it.

                                                                     
Chapter 5

     I wandered around for awhile, getting lost, backtracking, walking in on people doing things no one else should see.  I finally found my way back to the Mess Hall, got a cup of lousy coffee and looked around.  I sent Mason the message of where I was and to find me when he got around to it.  That reminded me of the time Ken got into trouble for not taking out the trash.  He was around 10 or 11 at the time.  When asked when he planned to do it, he said when he got around to it.  Near dark, my dad presented him with a wooden disk, painted all pretty, that said 'to it' in the middle.  There was a bright blue, ribbon attached to it and when my dad put it around his neck he said "Now you've got 'a round to it'.  Take out the trash."  He did and never used the term again.  I wondered if he still had that pretty round disk.

     Mason finally sauntered in after about an hour and we shared lousy coffee together.  "I sure miss that stuff at the lodge.  I'm not sure what this stuff is."

     "It's wet, that's what it is.  That's about all it is.  I think the self destruct will do these people a favor if they have to live on this very long."

     Mason gave me a look and I was sorry the instant the words left my mouth.  Many of these nice people were going to die because their general wouldn't listen to reason.  We sat in silence for a bit until a stranger came over and sat with us.  Mason and I looked at each other but sat silently until some unseen signal prompted the man to speak.  The words rolled around and over each other as if he was in a hurry.

     "We know about the self destruct Sunday evening.  We plan to leave that morning and was wondering if you had any words of wisdom for us."

    I nodded to Mason and he began, "Don't go east, the winds will blow the radiation that direction.  Go north or west, California maybe but not the coast.  Stay away from high population areas because high population means a high population of walkers.  Take the state roads or even gravel roads.  Hit the army/navy stores and small mom and pop stores.  Most of the bigger warehouse stores were hit when the virus began and you won't find much except walkers.  Electronics like night vision cameras, motion detectors and weapons of any kind are a must but forget assault weapons.  After the first shot, the recoils screws with accuracy and to kill a walker it has to be a head shot.  A RV is great just reinforce the doors and paint the bottom of the windows just in case a herd comes your way you can be quiet and they won't know you're there.  Watch out for anyone wanting to be your friend, he will probably kill you.  Get as much drugs and MRE's you can carry and study survival and first aid books you can get from the library.  Education is your best friend."

     The man's mouth had begun to droop when Mason started speaking and by the time Mason was finished his jaw was hanging wide open.  He shook his head when Mason quit speaking and looked at his watch. Giving us his thanks he stood but stopped when Mason grabbed his arm.  "You planning to go out through the front?"  At his nod, Mason continued. "There's a newer model, king cab, pickup, fully fueled, parked out front, with the keys in it.   There's a map in the glove box."

     The guy looked like he wanted to say more but looked at his watch again, frowned and simply said, "OK, well it was nice talking to you."  Then he mouthed thank you and walked away.             

   
I think maybe someone in charge of the mike keeps turning them off for two minutes at a time. 

    
I agree, and I want to say how proud of you I am.  You put about all the information a person will need into practically one breath.

      "What are you talking about woman.  That was one breath."  I laughed like he intended and then we set out to find George.  Mason had a better grasp on the layout of the facility than I did, so by the time we entered the Lab, I was hopelessly lost...again.  Actually, it was the loud voices that drew us in that direction.  George had found her dad and they were going at it pretty good.

     "I won't have you speaking to me that way.  Show some respect."

     "Respect? Respect?  You want respect, you show respect or earn it. That's what you've always taught me.  But you haven't earned it.  You think just because you have a bunch of letters after your name that you can demand it and get it.  Well, I have news for you."

     "Fine, then respect me because I am your father.  Do you dispute that?"

     "There are days when I'd like to.  You spend a lot of time forgetting I'm your daughter until it suits your purpose, then you want respect. You have to treat people the way you want to be treated.  But wait, I think that is your problem, you're getting some of the ill treatment back and you don't like it."

     "I don't care what anyone thinks of me as long as they do their job."

     "Fatherhood is a job."

     "You are much too old to be acting like a hurt child.  Now I have work to do and so do you."

     "Not till you agree to leave here tomorrow at the latest."

     "That is not going to happen.  You know why.  I won't discuss this anymore.  Now, get out."

     "No dammit, I won't get out."