The Fires of Atlantis (Purge of Babylon, Book 4) (24 page)

“So there are more than just Mabry.”

She smiled mischievously. “I meant him.”

“You said ‘they.’”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

She shrugged. “Maybe you misheard. This is just a dream, after all.”

She said ‘they’…

“You sound very confident,” Will said. “Is that why you haven’t attacked the island?”

“Ah, the island,” she said almost wistfully. “Lara shouldn’t have sent out that broadcast. Why did she do that, Will?”

“I don’t know…”

“I was content to leave you alone. As long as you left me alone. Because of what we’ve been through, because of my feelings for you. But then your little pre-med doctor had to send that broadcast, blabbing about the silver to the whole wide world.” She sighed. “That complicated things, you know. It’s too bad.”

She nursed her glass of brandy while watching their reflections in the big mirror behind the bar. That mirror had been broken when he and Danny came through before—when was that? Last night? A day ago?

He was losing track of time…

Kate smiled again. That strange emotion that was at once so human and at the same time so…
wrong
.

“What are you going to do, Kate?” He felt anxious for the first time in a long time, and he tightened his grip on the glass without realizing it. “What are you planning?”

“You shouldn’t have left the island, Will. That broadcast was a mistake. You should have stopped Lara from putting it out there.”

“You’re going to attack the island because of the broadcast?”

She shrugged and said nothing.

“It’s too late,” Will said. “Even if you burned the island down tomorrow, you won’t be able to put the genie back into the bottle.”

“Maybe I don’t care about putting the genie back into the bottle,” Kate said. “Maybe I’m just a spiteful bitch. Or maybe I’m just feeling a little jealous toward that little girl of yours.”

“Jealousy and vindictiveness are human traits, Kate.”

She laughed. It was almost lyrical. Almost…
human
. “Yes, they are, aren’t they? I guess I’m still more of the old Kate than we both thought.”

“What would Mabry say if he knew?”

“You’re assuming he doesn’t already know. Mabry knows everything, Will. Everything
we
know. It all comes from him, and it all goes to him. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

She stood up from the stool.

“Kate…”

She didn’t seem to hear him and instead turned and walked away, the hem of her dress
swishing
around her legs. She wore high heels, the
click-click
of stiletto points like firecrackers in the emptiness of the city around them.

What happened to the locals? The soldiers? Where did everyone go?

It’s just a dream. It’s just
her
dream.

Or mine.

Or ours?

“Kate…”

He tried to get up in order to stop her, but he couldn’t move. Something was holding him down on the stool. An invisible force of some kind clinging to his arms and legs. He couldn’t even let go of the glass in his hand.

“Kate!”

She finally stopped at the door and looked back at him, and a ghost of a smile flashed across her ethereal face. “You shouldn’t have left the island, Will. It might not be there when you get back.
If
you make it back.”

She opened the door and stepped through. Daylight flooded inside and Will grimaced at the blinding brightness.

“Kate!” he shouted, but his words were lost in the wind, as if he had never said it in the first place.
“Kate!”

“
D
on’t tell me
, another trip to Deussen Park?” Danny said when Will opened his eyes from the dream.

“Shit,” Will said.

“The dream or our present predicament?”

“Both.”

“Then I’ll join your shit with my own shit. Talk about a double-shit burger.”

Three of the people they had met in the basement were asleep, dozing somewhere in the darkness. One of the faces visible in a small pool of LED light placed in the center of the room was the woman who had greeted them when they first entered, and who Will remembered from his dream
(Nightmare?)
.

Her name was Rachel. The kid next to her with the M40A3 sniper rifle cradled against his shoulder like a comfortable blanket was Tommy. A third person, Milch, was somewhere to their right, still awake because Will could hear him moving against the hard concrete floor.

Rachel was clearly the leader of this group, and she stared across the room at him now, her AR-15 in her lap. Dirty black hair hung over her shoulders and she gave him the kind of look that was devoid of warmth. She wasn’t entirely unattractive. Late thirties, a face lined with hard living and surviving. Her people had taken his and Danny’s weapons and equipment when they surrendered less than—how long ago? A few hours.

At least they hadn’t taken his watch, and he looked down at the glow-in-the-dark minute hand, which ticked to five after midnight. He heard the
ticking
clear as day in the silence. The monsters had stopped banging on the door hours ago.

Dead, not stupid.

“Who’s Kate?” Rachel asked.

Did I say her name out loud?

“Someone I used to know,” Will said.

“Ex-girlfriend? Must not have left things in a very good place, the way you were moving around in your sleep, saying her name.”

“I shot her.”

She gave him a wry look, as if she was trying to decide whether to believe him or not. “Now that’s what I call a breakup.”

“The funny thing is? She didn’t die.”

“Just clipped her, huh?”

“No. I shot her in the chest.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes. “And she didn’t die?”

“Nope.”

“Whatever. Keep your little secret.”

Danny chuckled next to him. “She doesn’t believe you.”

“I guess not,” Will said.

Rachel looked annoyed. “You never told me what you two were doing in Dunbar.”

“We’re just passing through,” Will said.

“Bullshit. No one passes through Dunbar. It’s barely a blip on any map and we’re miles from the closest interstate. The only people who come to Dunbar are people who were
coming
to Dunbar.”

“That includes you?”

“I was born here. So were most of these guys. It’s our city. We’re not leaving.”

“Doesn’t sound like you have much of a choice anymore after last night.”

“Wrong.”

“Am I?”

“Tomorrow’s another day. We’ll start again.”

“With just the five of you?”

“There are more of us out there.”

“You hope.”

“I
know.
” She said the words with the right inflections, as if she actually believed it. “Harrison made sure we all knew where the safe houses were. There are other basements like this one around the city. We’re not the only ones left.”

Harrison was the man with the red hair, who Will had watched lead the locals to certain death last night. Probably dead now, like most of his people. There had been a lot of blood and bodies in the dream
(memories?)
.

“You can always leave,” Will said.

“And go where?”

“Anywhere but here.”

She shook her head. “Dunbar’s our home. We’re not leaving tomorrow or the day after that.”

Will nodded. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Talk of home made him think of Lara, of the island.

What was that Kate had said?

“You shouldn’t have left the island, Will. That broadcast was a mistake. You should have stopped Lara from putting it out there.”

The island. He had to get back to the island…

“What now?” he asked Rachel. “What happens to us tomorrow?”

She shrugged. “The only reason you’re still alive is because you’re not wearing one of those uniforms. I’m willing to believe you’re just passing through, but I’m not taking any chances tonight.”

Will thought about the locals he’d been forced to kill when he fled Gaine’s Meat Market with Danny yesterday.

Right. Just passing through. Totally innocent bystanders here.

“I get where you’re coming from,” Will said. He looked to his left, where Tommy and the others had taken his and Danny’s weapons and packs. The radio was somewhere back there, too. “I need to ask a favor…”

Rachel snorted. “Oh, do you now?”

“I need the radio in our pack.”

“What for?”

“I need to transmit a message to a friend about something.”

Danny looked over, concern flashing across his face.

“It has nothing to do with you or this city,” Will said. “But my friend and I had a scheduled call that I missed last night. I just want to let them know we’re okay.”

Rachel shook her head. “You can do that tomorrow when you leave the city.”

“It’s vitally important they get this message. It’s a matter of life and death.”

“That’s your tough fucking luck, isn’t it?” she said, her eyes hard.

Will glanced over at Danny and could practically hear his thoughts:
“The island? Something’s happening with the island?”

He looked back at Rachel and the sleeping Tommy next to her. There were three meters between him and Rachel. He didn’t know exactly where Milch was, just that he was (probably) still awake. That might be a problem. Tommy, on the other hand, would be easy to handle. He was obviously tired and struggling to keep his eyes open.

The real problem was Rachel…

Doable.

“Go ahead,” Rachel said, staring back at him. She placed her hand on the AR-15 for effect. “This rifle’s been converted to full-auto. All I need to do is pull the trigger once. You think you can make it across the room before that happens?”

Or not.

Will clenched his lips into a smile. “You’re right. It can wait till morning. Besides, my friend is probably asleep by now anyway.”

“Definitely asleep,” Danny said. “Probably snoring like a horse, too.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Bear?”

“Shut up,” Rachel said. “You’ll get your weapons and radio back tomorrow morning and get the hell out of my city. Do anything before then and I won’t hesitate to shoot you both.”

Will and Danny exchanged a look.

“Go ahead,” Rachel said, narrowing her eyes at the both of them. “Try me. I’m having one hell of a shitty day, so shooting the two of you might just turn it all around.”

“It can wait till morning,” Will said, gritting his teeth.

She’s coming, Lara.

Kate’s coming…

“
Y
ou hear that
?” Maddie said. “Listen carefully.”

Lara did listen carefully, but after about five seconds of silence, she shook her head. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I swear it was there. And this isn’t the first time, either. I’ve heard it before. Earlier this morning; and before that, yesterday.”

“It could just be the quiet,” Lara said. “It plays tricks with your mind. Besides, it’s been more than three months. Don’t you think they would have attacked by now if they wanted the island back?”

“I guess,” Maddie said. “I’d feel better if Will and Danny were around, though.”

You and me both, sister,
she thought, but said, “What time is it?”

Maddie glanced at her watch. “Five fifteen. When is Will due to radio back in?”

“Before nightfall. We don’t have a set time, but he promised to check in with me twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening, depending on his situation.”

“You think they found Gaby yet?”

“I hope so.”

“I guess they’re good at that, huh? Tracking and stuff? They teach that at Ranger School, don’t they?”

“I’ll ask him when I talk to him again.”

Maddie went back to staring outside the east window at the long shoreline in the distance. The horizon was blanketed in a shade of orange and red, like a painting come to life. You wouldn’t know how dangerous it all was just to look at it.

Lara tried to remember the last time she had allowed herself to watch the night come with absolute serenity, but couldn’t. It had been a while.

Since Will left the island…

“What did it sound like?” Lara asked. “The noise you heard?”

“Like an outboard boat motor.”

“How many did you hear?”

“Just one, I think.”

“And you’re sure it was a motor?”

“I thought it was, but…” She shrugged. “I’m not so sure now. I didn’t see anything, so maybe you’re right; I might have just been imagining things. It can get pretty quiet when you’re all alone up here.”

“You should bring one of the kids to keep you company next time.”

“That’s a good idea, I’ll do that.”

“Until then, stay alert until Blaine relieves you.”

“Will do, doc.”

“You should probably stop calling me that.”

“Why?”

“Because we have a real doc on the island now. I don’t want her to get confused.”

“You’ll always be our doc, doc.”

Lara smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She left Maddie on the third floor of the Tower and headed down the spiral staircase. She had done a good job hiding her disappointment in front of Maddie, but now that she was alone with her thoughts, she gave in to the overwhelming anxiety. It was almost nightfall, and Will hadn’t radioed in yet. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Twice a day, Will. That’s all I asked. So where’s my second radio call?

You better not be messing around out there.

She stepped outside the Tower and into a slight chill. It always got cool around the island near sunset, something that made her look forward to the coming months. November and December wouldn’t exactly be Christmas in Louisiana, but anything was better than the daytime heat of October.

Lara did the buttons on her long-sleeve shirt as she walked across the empty hotel grounds back to the hotel. She spotted figures racing down the front patio and up the pathway toward the beach. Bonnie’s girls, trying to get in a final hour along the white sands before dark.

Even with the safety of the island, they had a curfew—everyone needed to be at the hotel by six except for the guards. Benny would be on the boat shack right now. Even limping on one good leg, the young man had proven a worthwhile addition to the group. Not that she really needed him to do much. He and the others posted out there throughout the day were really just an early warning system in case of an attack.

Plan Z, right, Will? God, I hope we never have to use it.

She slipped into the hotel through a side door and walked up Hallway A, then the short distance to an office near the lobby. It was a big room, worthy of whoever was supposed to run the Kilbrew Hotel and Resorts. The plaque on the door was originally marked “Administrator,” but someone had put duct tape over it and written in large permanent marker, “Lara’s Lair.” She suspected Carly, but her best friend refused to own up to it.

Lara’s Lair had stainless steel filing cabinets, shelves, and comfortable chairs along one wall. Most of the offices in the hotel were empty, the island’s chosen administrators having never had the time to settle in before The Purge. Which made sense since the building itself was never completed. Far from it, with the entire second floor still missing and whole chunks of the first floor unfinished.

She slumped down on the large executive chair behind the equally large desk, which never failed to make her feel like a fraud. It might have had something to do with the vinyl upholstery or the way-too-elegant looking mahogany wood finish. The hand-applied brass nails certainly didn’t add to her comfort level. After settling in, she picked up the pen and wrote in the ledger, recording the day’s conversation with survivors through the radio.

Japan…upstate New York…Alaska…Beecher in Colorado…and now, just recently, a man claiming to lead a few hundred survivors in London.

All this time, we thought we were the only ones still out there running against the night. I wonder if they all thought the same thing?

There were so many people still left, all of them just waiting for someone to tell them what was happening. Her broadcast had been responsible for that, and they had used her as their in-between to communicate, exchanging ideas about weapons, defenses, and even survival techniques to live off the land.

She couldn’t help but feel pride swelling whenever she thought about it. She had done that. A third-year medical student. How the heck did she even get here?

Lara looked up at the sound of Carly’s voice. “You decent?”

“No, but that’s never stopped you before.”

Carly came inside and slumped down into a large loveseat, the furniture’s mahogany finish and oxblood vinyl swallowing up her bright red hair. She rubbed her stomach as she looked contently at Lara. “Heard from the boys yet?”

“Not yet.” Lara kept writing. “You look happy.”

“I had a good meal.”

“That’s it?”

“I’m a simple girl, Lara. A good meal, good company, my little sister laughing.” She beamed. “What more could a girl want?”

“I’m thinking about making a work rotation for the kids. I know they’ve been spending a lot of time on the beach and exploring the island, but sooner or later they’re going to get bored. This should keep them busy.”

Carly smiled at her.

“What?” Lara said.

“You’re good at this.”

“‘This’?”

“Running the island. You’re really good at it.”

“It’s only temporary. Once Will comes back—”

“He’ll insist you stay in this room, doing what you’re doing now.”

“You think so?”

“I know how your boyfriend operates. My guess is that’s why he brought Zoe—so she can take over the infirmary. He has big plans for you, kiddo.”

Lara laughed. “You really think Will thinks that far ahead?”

“It’s Will.
‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,’
remember?”

“Maybe.” She put down the pen and leaned back in the chair. “He sort of said the same thing when we talked earlier today.”

“See?”

“Don’t gloat just yet. Zoe can barely stand, much less run the infirmary.”

“For now. But she’ll get better. Then you’ll be stuck in here behind that big desk. Heck, we should get you a permanent plaque as befitting your new position.”

“Are you finally admitting you’re responsible for Lara’s Lair?”

Carly grinned. “I’m admitting nothing of the sort.”

“
W
hat time is it
?” Maddie asked.

“Seven thirty,” Lara said.

“He should have called by now, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure he’s fine. He’s got Danny with him. What could possibly go wrong?”

She gave Maddie a pursed smile. “I’m not worried. Why, do I look worried?”

“Just a little bit.” Then, as if it should explain everything, “Lara, it’s Will.”

She smiled again. This time it came out more convincing. Or at least, she hoped so. “I know.”

“If they didn’t call in today, I’m sure they had a good reason.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”
God, I hope you’re right.
“Did you eat yet?”

“Sarah’s saved me something in the kitchen. I’ll grab a bite when Blaine relieves me in a few.” Maddie turned back to the night sky outside the east window and peered out with the night-vision binoculars. “Sounds like they’re still going at it.”

“Sounds like it,” Lara said.

She glanced back at one of the radios on the table behind her. It was permanently tuned in to the FEMA frequency, and although the volume was lowered almost the entire way, she could still make out the endless chatter. Beecher had signed off a few hours ago and it was now mostly foreigners. The clamor of a dozen different languages, accents, and broken English was next to impossible to decipher.

“I can’t understand half of the things they’re saying,” Maddie said. “I can barely understand the guys from New York.”

Lara smiled, then glanced at her watch again: 7:34 p.m.

Two times a day, Will. That was all I asked. You can’t even do that for me. If I didn’t love you so much, I’d hate your guts right now.

She stared at the designated emergency radio on the other side of the table, willing it to come alive, for Will’s voice to blurt through the speakers.

Instead, she heard the loud roar of an outboard motor rising in the distance. No, not in the distance.
Closer
.

Lara ran to the south window and looked toward the beach.

“Is that one of ours?” Maddie said behind her.

“I don’t know.” Lara unclipped her radio and keyed it. “Who’s at the beach right now?”

“I am, Lara!” Benny said through the radio. He was on the verge of screaming, trying to be heard over the loud noise of the outboard motor in the background. “I was about to call in!”

She could see it—a small white light moving away from the pier. It was a spotlight on one of the boats. It was moving fast, so she guessed it was one of the bass fishing vessels.

“That’s one of ours, all right,” Maddie said. She was peering through the M4 with the ACOG mounted scope. “Blaine was using it earlier to recon the area for those sounds I thought I heard.”

“What’s going on down there, Benny?” Lara said into the radio. “Who’s on the boat?”

“It’s Roy and Gwen,” Benny said. “We saw something on the lake. A white boat. It looked adrift, so they’re going to intercept it.”

“Goddammit, who told them to do that?”

“I’m sorry, Lara. I tried to stop them. What should I do?”

“Stay right where you are.”

She took a breath and tempered down the anger and frustration. What the hell were those two thinking, running off like that?

She gathered herself, then keyed the radio again. “Roy, Gwen…come in. Roy, Gwen, answer me.”

She waited, but there was no response.

“They might not be able to hear over the motor,” Maddie said. “It can get pretty loud standing right next to it.”

“Yeah, probably.” Either that, or they were ignoring her. She wasn’t sure which answer was more aggravating. “I need you up here—”

“Got it,” Maddie said before she could finish. “Go.”

Lara nodded gratefully back at her. At least she could count on Maddie, Blaine, and the others. Carly, and even the kids. They had been together since Texas. Roy and Gwen and the others had shown up on the island recently and were still wildcards, trying to get used to how they did things over here. Or maybe it was her leadership. Maybe they didn’t fully respect her enough to do what she told them
not
to do…like running off on a boat to catch something floating in the lake like a bunch of amateurs.

Will would never have this issue.

She raced through the door in the floor and sprinted down the spiral staircase. She keyed her radio as she leaped onto the second floor below and found the second set of stairs. “Blaine, did you hear all of that?”

“I heard,” Blaine said through the radio. “What the hell are they thinking?”

“I don’t know. Grab your rifle and meet me at the beach.”

“On my way.”

“What about me?” Bonnie asked through the radio. “Carly’s out here with me.”

Like all the adults on the island, Bonnie had her own issued radio tuned into the same channel and it was powered on at all times, so whenever someone broadcasted, they all heard it. It was another one of Will’s protocols, and its singular purpose was to keep everyone in the loop. It was also why she was fuming that Roy and Gwen were ignoring her.
If
they could hear her radio call, that is.

Yeah, let’s go with that. The other answer is too aggravating.

“I need you guys on the patio,” Lara said. “Everyone else, stay put inside the hotel, and anyone who isn’t already in the hotel, get there
now
.”

“Got it,” Carly said through the radio.

“Carly…”

“Yeah.”

“I need a rifle.”

“Gotcha, boss.”

Lara burst out of the Tower and jogged across the grounds, making a beeline for the beach. Bonnie was already back outside the hotel’s front patio, cradling a Remington shotgun. The ex-model waved at her and Lara waved back.

Carly jogged down the patio steps as she reached them and handed Lara an M4 rifle. “Blaine’s waiting for you at the beach.”

“What were Roy and Gwen thinking?” Lara said to Bonnie.

Bonnie shook her head helplessly. “I don’t even know what they were doing down there at this time of the night. They know better than that. The curfew…”

“They’re, uh, involved,” Carly said. The other two women looked over at her. “What, you guys didn’t know? They’ve been sneaking into each other’s rooms for the last few days. I guess they were down there doing, you know.”