Deadlocked 8 (35 page)

“What is it?” I asked once my nausea
faded.

“Everything’s set,” said Bear. He stayed a
good distance from me, following the order that I’d given everyone.
My infection was no secret. They all knew I was dying.

“Good,” I said as I leaned against the
concrete barrier, relying on it to keep me from tumbling backward.
“Any new pictures from the drones?”

“A few,” said Bear. “Same as before. They’re
still loading trucks and sending them out to the southern
town.”

“Then we’ll stick to the plan,” I said as I
looked out at the grey clouds that the wind was pushing our way.
The warmth of the past few days had faded as a front moved in,
bringing the threat of snow with it. This unsettled some of the
men, causing them to fear that we were sending families up into the
mountains in the midst of a storm, like a modern day Donner
party.

“I’ll lead the first team down to the
southern town, and you take the second out to where they holed
themselves up these past few months.”

“There’s a problem,” said Bear as he dared to
step closer.

“What is it?”

“We’ve lost some men,” said Bear as he
glanced off at the row of vehicles behind us. “Quite a few.”

“Lost them?” I asked, not certain what he
meant at first. The wind gusted, bringing the bitter promise of
snow with it. I conceded the truth, “Deserted us.”

“They’re worried that their families are
going to get trapped up in the mountains, and that we won’t reach
them in time to protect them from whatever might be up there.”

“They’ll have guards,” I said. “They’ll have
weapons.”

Bear explained further, and I knew he was
getting to the crux of the real reason the men were abandoning the
plan, “There’s also some concern about our motivation here.”

“How so?”

“Now that they know we’re not aligned with
The Electorate, there’s some questions about whether or not what
we’re doing is worth it. A good amount of the men here think
attacking the Sons of Reagan is pointless, and that we’re risking
our lives, and the lives of the women and children here, on
revenge.”

“And what do you think?” I asked.

“I think what you think,” said Bear, leaving
me to suss his meaning.

“How many men are sticking with the
plan?”

Bear was quick with the facts. He’d always
been one of my best men. “Thirty three, but I think at least ten of
them are just waiting to see if there’s going to be any
repercussion.”

“So we should bank on twenty? Just twenty
soldiers are sticking with us?”

“Somewhere in that range,” said Bear as he
stood stoic before me, ever-dependable.

“That’s not enough to risk splitting the
groups up,” I said as I considered this new development. “We’ll
have to hit them one at a time.”

“Then we should consider the south site
first,” said Bear. “From the pictures I’ve seen, the majority of
them headed there. The north camp still has a lot of weapons there,
but not as many people.”

I considered this for a moment, and then came
up with a plan. “Bear, I’ve got a job for you that I think you’re
going to like. It’s been awhile since you’ve been out on your own,
sneaking around trying to assassinate people. Do you think you’re
up for another mission like that?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“If you’re right, and they’ve still got most
of their weapons back at the north base, then a few well-placed
bombs there could be catastrophic for them, and would make our job
a lot easier when we head back out to finish them off.”

“Sounds like fun,” said Bear with an emerging
grin.

“Yeah, I thought you’d like the sound of
that.”

“How do you want me to handle the men that
are planning on leaving the squad to head up into the mountains?”
asked Bear.

“Let them go,” I said without a second
thought.

Bear wasn’t as certain. “Shouldn’t we take
some of their supplies? The weapons at least.”

“Only what we need,” I said as my nausea
threatened to return. “Tell them good luck, and that I wish them
well. Gear our men up with whatever you think they’ll need, but
don’t send the rest of them out of here without enough food and
weapons to be safe.”

“Sir, with all due respect, we might see more
of our men desert us if we don’t…”

“Doesn’t matter,” I said as I turned to look
out at the Undying that wandered the street below, bellowing up at
us. I felt myself getting sick again, and leaned out to vomit on
them. After finishing, I said, “I want them to be safe. They’re
good men. They deserve a shot at a decent life. That’s what this
has all been about since the start.”

“Yes, sir,” said Bear. “Is there anything
else that you need from me?”

“No. Go deliver the news, and let’s get
moving. I’m not sure how much time I’ve got left.”

Another gust of wind hit us, bringing the
chill of the impending storm with it. Winter wasn’t finished with
us just yet. The grey gloom settling in hid the sun and stole our
warmth. The pallor of the world took on the color of the dead, grey
and lifeless.

* * *

Beatrice Dell

“The purge system?” I screamed my question at
the hapless twit as she tried to explain what had happened. “What
are you blathering on about? That was supposed to seal us in. The
only level that was supposed to open was Covington’s. Why are they
all opening?”

“I don’t know,” said the young, blonde
Administrator that was trying to explain why the facility’s defense
system was deactivating. Level by level, the locks that had been
set up to prevent any unwanted visitors from getting in were now
shutting off. “It’s functioning exactly like the purge system was
designed to, but just in reverse.”

We were standing in the area beside the Dawns
level, in what was known as the Administrator’s Den, where the
computers that controlled the lives of the Dawns were located. The
girl at the console was one of the few that had stayed after
Jerald’s insurrection, leaving us woefully understaffed to handle
even the facility’s basic maintenance. Adding a mechanical failure
of this magnitude promised absolute disaster.

“Then stop it,” I said as if it should be
easy.

“I’m… I’m trying, but this isn’t… I don’t…”
She stammered as she tried to decipher the program that controlled
the system. “The lab.” The girl screamed as she pointed at her
screen. The image of the facility’s layout was flashing red as we
watched the doors opening on their own. “The lab’s shutting
down.”

“What does that mean?” I could tell by her
rising panic that there was something in the lab that she didn’t
want to get out. “What’s in there?”

“Undying,” she said with a hushed tone
inspired by sudden fear. “That’s where they were doing the tests.
That’s where…”

I interrupted her, “There’re zombies in here
with us? In the same facility as the Dawn program? You must be
joking.”

“No,” she said as she pointed at the screen.
“They were doing tests on them to try and find a cure. They
were…”

“And I’m only hearing about this now?”

“I’m sorry,” said the pretty young thing as
she became more flustered each second. “No one knew what was going
on. We didn’t know Jerald was lying to you.”

“Does this mean we’re about to be swarmed by
Undying?” I asked as I watched more doors opening on her
screen.

She stuttered at first, but then answered
plainly, “Yes.”

The elevator behind us chimed before the
doors opened. The other members of The Electorate that Jerald had
captured were in the elevator along with one of the soldiers that
had been loyal to us all along.

“Gabe,” I said when I saw the red-haired man
holding the elevator door open for us. “Do you know how to stop
this?” I hadn’t been aware that Hank had enlisted Gabe, but I was
thankful he had.

“We can’t,” said Gabe. “Jerald sabotaged the
entire facility. I’ve already sent men in with the Dawns, and
another group is headed out to try and contain the Undying.”

My mind was spinning. All of my carefully
constructed plans had fallen apart. I’d wanted the purge system to
activate and lock us in because then Covington’s level would be
unsealed. He’d set it up that way so that the doctors could get to
him in the event of an emergency, but now it seemed that the entire
system was functioning the same, unlocking every door in the entire
facility. “Their doors?” I asked as I stared at the screen. “The
doors on the Dawn’s level are going to open as well?”

“Yes,” said Gabe. He was holding the elevator
door open for me, with the rest of The Electorate members cowering
behind him. “There’s nothing we can do to stop it. I have orders
straight from The Electorate to get you out of here, Ms. Dell.”

“Out of here?” I asked, confounded. “And
leave the Dawns?”

“We’re abandoning the Dawn program,” said
Gabe with only the faintest trace of sympathy. “My job is to get
you and the other Electorate to safety.”

“How?”

“We have a helicopter standing by,” said
Gabe.

“Take me with you,” said the young woman that
I’d been working with. She stood up and headed for the elevator.
“Take me with…”

Gabe drew his pistol and fired without
hesitation. The young woman fell dead, her head spurting blood from
the wound left behind. The stream wet the floor at my feet, and I
backed away to avoid getting my shoes bloody.

“Come on, Ms. Dell, we’re running out of
time.”

“We’re giving up?” I asked, stalled by
regret. “We’re just giving up on them?” I glanced back at the
computer, at the flashing symbols that represented doors opening
all throughout the underground facility, and felt a growing panic.
“Our daughters.”

“Ms. Dell, it’s over,” said Gabe. “There’s
nothing you can do for them. The transfer facilities have been shut
down, and the other Dawn programs are in the process of
purging.”

I gasped in shock. To hear that The
Electorate had reacted this way was a shock that numbed me.

Gabe held out his hand and motioned for me to
join him. “It’s over. Let’s get you home.”

I walked around the dead girl, and joined
Gabe and the others in the elevator.

Billy Hendrix

Clyde screamed out to us that he needed help.
I was outside with the rest of the Rollers, still preparing for our
assault on the airport, and I forced myself up to go see what was
wrong. Abe and two other Rollers got to him first as I struggled to
walk through the parking lot. My back ached as I went, but I
ignored the pain, as I’d been doing as often as possible for far
too many years now.

“She’s in labor,” said Clyde, and the others
muttered in concern.

“Is everything okay?” I asked as I
approached.

“Jill’s having her baby,” said Abe, and I
could tell he wasn’t certain if he should be happy or
concerned.

“For real this time?” I’d been tricked into
thinking she was finally giving birth more than a couple times over
the past month, and was used to being disappointed.

“Yeah, for real,” said Clyde. “I need some
help. Get me anyone with any sort of medical experience. And get me
lots of water. Hurry.” He left us to head back inside, and I tried
to think of anyone that might be able to help out.

“Get Adrian, and Locke.” Neither of them were
experienced medics, but they’d have to do. “I’ll go too.”

Abe did as I asked, and he had a big smile on
his face as he pat me on the shoulder. “Hero’s baby, man! I can
hardly wait to meet the kid.”

“Yeah,” I said, although my nerves prevented
me from smiling. I walked back into the rehab center, and past the
waiting room. Clyde had already run to Jill’s room, and I could
hear her quick, short, pained yelps echoing through the hall.

I knocked on the door, although it was
already open, and then said, “It’s me, Billy. Can I come in?”

“Sure,” said Clyde.

“I’ll help any way I can.” I went in and saw
Jill lying on the bed, her knees up high and her legs spread. Clyde
had removed the bed’s footboard so that he could work easier, and
was on his knees with his gloved hands on Jill’s ankles. He’d
pulled down the boards that had been covering the windows to allow
natural light in, and had opened the window for fresh air.

“Go sit by her,” said Clyde. “Hold her
hand.”

“Jill, honey, how’re you doing?” I asked as I
pulled a chair over to sit beside her bed.

“Oh, I’ve been better.” Her attempt at humor
ended with a grimace as another contraction started. She grasped
out at me for my hand, which I gladly gave her, and she squeezed
hard enough to cause me to wince.

“This is it, this is it, this is it,” she
said in a burst before holding her breath and clenching her eyes
shut.

“No it’s not, Jill,” said Clyde. “Just
breathe. Breathe.”

I echoed Clyde, but Jill wasn’t putting up
with my instruction.

She slammed my hand down on the side of the
bed over and over in frustration and said, “Damn it, Billy. Don’t…
Fuck! Don’t tell me to fucking breathe.”

I apologized, and got yelled at for it. I got
a quick lesson in bedside manner during labor. Basically, I was
there to bear the brunt of whatever anger she lashed out with, and
my job was to endure it with as much compassion as possible.

Her contraction eased, and she lightened her
grip on my hand.

“I’m sorry, Billy,” she said as she gasped.
“I don’t mean to be nasty.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I said as I used a
towel to mop the sweat from her brow. Adrian and Locke came in with
some water, and I opened a bottle to offer Jill. We propped her
head up with some more pillows, and I helped her take a drink.

I set the bottle down on the nightstand and
right then she was reaching out to grab my hand again as she said,
“Oh, I feel another one coming. Clyde, I feel another one.”