Orpheus: Homecoming (The Orpheus Trilogy Book 2) (23 page)

Orpheus kept his eyes on Janine, feeling an incredible sadness that it had come to this for the poor girl. "Do we have to bring her back whole?"

Rachel relayed the question to her friend, and seemed shaken by the answer. "Jen says no, and she assumes that you know what she means."

Orpheus closed his eyes. He almost wanted to be forced to bring her back, but now that he knew he had an option, he couldn't forego the safest way. "That's what I thought." He sighed. "Go downstairs and wait for me. Close the door."

"Dad, we don't-"

"Now."

Ethan took the hint, and they both went into the hallway. He waited until their footfalls had faded away and they were clearly downstairs.

Orpheus looked at Janine and spoke softly to her. "I'm sorry, young lady. You don't deserve any of this. But we need you."

He checked his gloves and covered her eyes with his left hand, holding her firmly in place. With his right, he withdrew the tomahawk from its sheath. He placed it against Janine's throat to mark the best trajectory. He raised it above his head and struck with no hesitation. The first blow drove the curved blade deep into her neck and nearly decapitated her. Her body shuddered briefly. The second strike easily finished the job, and the blade stuck in the floor. He left it there and moved the head away from the now-still body.

He stayed there for a moment, unable to remove his hand from her face. He just wasn't ready. He'd barely known her, but he still grieved for her, raged for her. If Jen was right, this girl hadn't just been an unfortunate victim who had gotten caught up in the outbreak.

Someone had not only done this to her deliberately, but they had used her as an instrument to kill others.

He removed his hand from Janine's face. Her eyes were mercifully closed. He assumed that they'd been forced closed as soon as he put his hand over them, and had stayed that way in death. It wasn't much to be grateful for, but it was something. He grabbed a pillow from the bed and removed its case. The head went in and he tied it off with a simple knot. The bottom was already stained from the ichor. It was a different kind of biohazard now. He'd grab a trash bag from the kitchen on the way out.

The last thought made him think,
When am I going to run out of horrors?

This poor girl.

Vincent was dead. But Orpheus was sure that there were others out there who deserved a reckoning. The funny thing is that he was just about done with all of this. The zombies, the killing, the "reclamation." Now his resolve was as strong as ever. That was a mistake that someone, somewhere would no doubt live to regret.

He retrieved his tomahawk and wiped it off on the bed sheets until the blade gleamed again. It took its place by his side.

Orpheus looked around the room, taking it in. This would be the last time he'd ever see it again. There was nothing but bad memories here now. It had become grotesque.

Two steps away from the door, he saw the white album sitting on the dresser.

Jackie had been adding photos to the album on that day.

He didn't think twice about it. He tucked it under his arm and left.

At least I can take some good memories out of this shit for once.

He met the kids at the front door and led them out. They escorted him around the back of the house to get his Jeep. He put the bag and the album on the back seat, then hesitated before getting in.

The shed caught his eye. "Hold on a sec." He opened the shed door and spied the gas can on the floor. He picked it up and found that it was full.

He lugged it out and began to unscrew the top. "No sense letting any of this just sit here forever."

"That gas has got to be skunked by now, Dad."

Orpheus grimaced as he reversed the cap and attached the spout. "Wasn't talking about the gas, Ethan. And I don't need this to run the lawnmower. I just need it to burn."

Rachel was the first to understand and asked, "You want to torch your house?"

Orpheus nodded. "It, and everyone in it, deserve better. This," he swept his arm in a wide arc, to indicate the entire cul-de-sac, "
this
is a goddamn atrocity on every level. I won't just let it sit here and rot." He grew more agitated with every word. He dropped the gas can and walked several steps away, the gas can tilting on one side before coming back to rest upright. "It's just ... vile."

Rachel looked to Ethan. Both his face and silence spoke volumes in the way of assent. She picked up the can and said to her fiancé, "Find a match."

When the three of them had gotten back to their vehicles, Orpheus reported the incident to Lena over the general channel for all to hear. He fudged the facts and the timeline a bit, and he certainly didn't mention his cargo. But would they believe that he got overwhelmingly pissed when he saw his house overrun by zombies and had wiped them all out?

Anyone who knew him at all would have no problem believing that. It was the easiest lie he'd ever told.

When that was done, they'd moved on to do the second post. To Ethan's credit, he treated the responsibility with the respect that it deserved and did a fantastic job. There was no question that he had thrown himself fully into this leadership position. He'd studied, he'd trained, and when his old man rose up to challenge him, he didn't blink. He hoped that his son was doing it for himself, and not out of some misguided notion that he still had to earn his old man's approval. Orpheus assumed that it was mostly the former with a dash of the latter.

For his part, Orpheus was just trying to act like he didn't have a severed head in a trash bag on the floor of his Jeep. He was looking forward to dropping it off with Jen. She'd been right on about the missing chip or whatever the hell it was. If this one was viable, he'd bet his considerable paycheck that she could learn a lot more.

Maybe even enough to give them a real weapon to fight this madness. He was tired of playing catch up while people died.

"Is that right, Captain?" Ethan asked. He seemed to notice that Orpheus hadn't been paying attention, and bailed him out. "That the next checkpoint should be the last for the day?"

He didn't bother checking his watch. He just wanted today to be over. "Yes, that's correct. If you have no contact within five minutes of your arrival, just return to base."

Tim nodded. "Copy. Are you okay, boss? You look a little beat."

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Not the complete explanation for why he was such a wreck, but not a lie, either. "I'm sure I'm not the only one having problems with regular sleep."

"No, sir. Anything else?"

"No."

They exchanged salutes and then Orpheus was on his way back to the school.

He wasted no time in going to the morgue to see Jen. If anyone wondered what he had in the trash bag, and he imagined that everyone he walked by did, they had the good sense to keep it to themselves.

Jen was napping on the couch when he walked in. He placed the head on her desk and called her name. She woke up so forcefully that she almost rolled off of the couch. Orpheus covered the distance in time to steady her with a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks," she said, and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"It seems that you've developed a taste for naps."

"Your fault." She yawned. "I never should've broken the seal. Now my body's all like, 'Hey, naps are goooood. We should do this all the time.'"

"I'm glad, although I may need another push from you. You know, if you're up to it." He looked over on the desk, and Jen followed his gaze.

"Is that the ... her?"

"Yeah."

"Cameron," she began, her voice soft. It confused Orpheus for a moment, although he couldn't understand why. Then it hit him: she'd never called him by his full first name before. "I'm sorry you had to do this. I'm sorry you're back here. I'm just sorry about all of it. But whatever I can do to help, I will do." She took a step forward and put her hand gently on his cheek. "Now you need to get some real sleep. You look like shit."

"Where did that sweet young lady go, anyway?"

"Unfortunately, she was killed by Martin Trager. Now she's cynical, but still hot shit. Go. There's nothing else for you to do today."

"Yes, ma'am." He began to walk away.

She called after him. "What was her name?"

"Janine."

"Janine. I'll treat her well."

"I know you will."

Despite himself, he walked away from her with a smile on his face.

She gets it.

He went to his office and just sat there until the patrols returned. He made the salient points in the briefing and handed it off to Tim. When that was done, he headed back to his office and prepared for bed.

It was 5:30 pm.

He'd just gotten his left boot off when his phone rang. "Well, that fucking figures." He looked at the caller ID. Thompson. He wanted to ignore it, but he'd sent the guy on an assignment, and needed to know if anything had turned up. "Orpheus."

"Hey, it's me. I'm glad you're back. I found him. His place, anyway."

That news perked Orpheus right up. "Really? Where?" Orpheus fumbled for a pen. He was surprised because his theory about Vincent having a place on the island was half-assed at best.

"I'm not telling."

Orpheus pulled the phone away from his face and looked at it as if it had answers. He put it back to his ear. "
Excuse me?
"

Thompson apparently recognized the tone. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. I'm not going to tell you because you have to take me. I'm going to show you. You get what you want, I get to document it in case something awesome happens. I think that's fair." Thompson stopped talking, but when Orpheus didn't start, Thompson resumed. "Don't you think?"

Orpheus had been pretty sure that Thompson would pull something like this as soon as he'd tasked him with finding Vincent's place.

"Fine. If we find something sensitive or of strategic value, you sit on it until I tell you otherwise."

"I can live with that."

"How far is it?"

"A couple of miles. It's actually in an area that your guys have already cleared, but that's all you get."

"Meet me out front at 0800."

"We'll see you then."

O

Thompson had fallen asleep at his desk. He awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. He raised his head from his arms and saw a plate of breakfast in front of his face.

"Rise and shine, Scoop," Hedley said. "Chow down. We have to be downstairs in ten minutes." Hedley tossed his partner a plastic fork. Thompson grabbed it and dove in, attempting to express his gratitude in between bites.

He finished his breakfast, changed his clothes, and brushed his teeth in under five minutes. When someone did what he did for a living, you had to be able to go fast. Normally, that was because news had just broken. This time, he'd just overslept.

"Man, that was good shit. I'm ready."

Hedley grabbed his video equipment and opened the door. "After you."

They made it to the front gate with two minutes to spare. Orpheus was already out there, of course, but he hadn't noticed them yet. "Get that shot," he said to his cameraman. To an untrained eye, it would look like Orpheus was just standing at the fence, drinking a coffee. But with the proper framing, and the sun rising just over his shoulder, people would see a genuine all-American hero formulating yet another plan to save the world today.

Hedley dropped to his knee and shot for less than a minute. He got back to his feet and said, "That's a damn good shot. He should have a cape." He wound it back for Thompson.

"Man, I almost feel sorry for the poor, helpless viewer. A couple of 'em might get pregnant just by watching this."

Hedley's watch alarm beeped. 8:00 sharp.

Orpheus turned around at that exact moment, clearly looking for them. He seemed almost disappointed that they were on time. He walked up to Thompson and stood uncomfortably close to him. "You'd better not be screwing around, capisce?"

"Easy, big fella. I'm always going to treat you square. I told you that. I just want my story."

Orpheus clapped him on the shoulder, jovial. "Good to hear. Lead the way. My lieutenants will follow us."

"Wait," Thompson said. "don't they have to the run the show while you're gone?"

"I gave everyone a day off for R&R. This is a pretty stressful gig."

"Did Ralston approve of this?" Hedley interjected.

Orpheus narrowed his eyes and gave him a sideways glance. "He doesn't have to."

Hedley was insistent. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring them in on this?"

Now Orpheus turned to the cameraman. "It's a better idea than him bringing you in, which I thought would've been understood." Thompson shifted side to side, clearly uncomfortable. "Now that's the last fucking question before I leave you behind."

"All right, all right. Just concerned, is all."

"Noted. Let's go."

The seven of them climbed into their respective vehicles and headed out.

Orpheus drove while Thompson gave him directions. Hedley sat in the back seat and seemed to be lost in his phone.

"How did you find his place?"

"It wasn't a cakewalk. I kept coming up empty on him, the only hit I got was his place on the mainland. I remember that you told me who he was contracting for, Charon whatever it was. As it turns out, they have places all over the island. They were footing the bill for a lot of residences, which seems kind of odd to me. Does that make sense?"

Orpheus lied, thinking of the seemingly endless supply of Scythe agents. "Not really."

"I couldn't narrow it down the high-tech way, so I went a little more traditional."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he hired a guy to break in to the doc's place on the mainland and look around for info on the island place," Hedley said.

"My guy found a packet that listed the address."

"Hmm. Broken laws aside, that was pretty smart."

Orpheus checked his rearview mirror and verified that the other car was still with them. He took a few more turns at Thompson's direction. He drove down a long dirt driveway and parked in front of a modest split-level ranch. Orpheus looked at the picket fence and couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Hedley asked.

"You had to know the guy. I expected something with lion statues or a moat."

Orpheus got out of the car and was joined by the others. Fish was incredulous. "Dr. Death lived
here
?"

Orpheus backhanded him lightly in the shoulder. "That's exactly what I said!"

Tim asked Thompson, "Are you sure this is the place?"

Thompson confirmed that the number on his paper matched the one on the mailbox. "This is the address that I got, yeah. But now I'm doubting myself."

No, you're probably right. It's just ... never mind." Orpheus split them and they circled around the house, checking for zombies.

Fish approached the small shed. Tim aimed his sidearm at the door to cover his friend. Fish flung it open and said, "Oh, my God."

Rachel asked, "What?" and everyone turned toward the shed, concerned.

"This is a really nice snowblower."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Clown."

They made sure to check every place that could possibly hide a zombie, but there was nothing in the yard, or anywhere around that they could see.

Ethan said, "Wow, we were practically on top of this place the other day."

"Nice job clearing it out," Orpheus said. "Tim, Fish, come with me. We'll clear the place, then we can search it."

"Search it for what?"

"Anything we can find."

Thompson and Hedley joined them. Tim said, "Back up."

The reporter looked at Orpheus. "That was the deal."

"I know the deal. Just stay behind us, and don't go anywhere we haven't inspected yet."

Rachel and Ethan stayed outside to provide security. The fence would make that a lot easier.

Inside, they cleared the house in short order without incident. The second-worst part was the feel of the camera on him the whole time. The worst was being subjected to Thompson's running commentary. Orpheus wanted to tell him to shut up, but he was afraid that Thompson would ask him to clear the whole house again to "maintain the integrity of the shot" or other nonsense. A deal was a deal.

Tim held his thumb up to signal all clear.

"Okay," Orpheus said. "Let's get some light in here and toss this place." He pulled the other two in from outside to assist with the search, as they really had nothing to do outside, anyway.

They searched the house from top to bottom over the span of a few hours. The search was so far proving to be fruitless.

"Okay, grab any computers, disks, notebooks ... anything that looks like it might possibly hide something useful."

"I saw a small portable safe in the study. It's locked, but maybe we can crack it back at the base."

"Might as well, Fish. Shit, this just feels like colossal waste of time."

"You had to pursue it, boss," Tim said.

"Let's just round everyone up and get back. Lena can take a look at the tech, but I doubt there's any good news for Jen." He looked at the group and found everyone but the cameraman. "Where's Hedley?"

Thompson said, "Bathroom, last I knew."