Indestructible: V Plague Book 7 Page 9

  Once they had drunk their fill she helped Katie scoop handfuls of mud and smear it on her body for protection from the sun’s rays. Katie spread it on the backs of Rachel’s legs.

  “I’m sorry about Martinez,” Katie said softly as they worked, afraid to draw any attention from the infected.

  “It’s going to really hurt John,” Rachel replied. “He kind of adopted her. Like a little sister, or something.”

  “He has a way of doing that,” Katie said with a sad smile. “There used to be a woman that worked for him that was more a sister than an employee. And, I’m sorry I questioned you earlier.”

  “I’d ask questions too, if I were you.” Rachel smiled as she rubbed mud across Katie’s exposed back.

  “How did you two meet?” Katie asked.

  “The morning after the attacks,” Rachel answered, reaching for more mud. “I was in trouble. Infected chasing me through a swamp. Then, there he was. Saved me, and we’ve been running ever since. Just a few days after the attacks we were only hours away from getting on an Air Force flight to Arizona, then the second outbreak hit and what had been bad turned into a nightmare.”

  “Second outbreak? What are you talking about?”

  Rachel stared at Katie with her mouth open. She didn’t know about the secondary outbreak? How was that even possible? The infected had been a daily part of her life since the attacks. Was it really that much better to the west? She wanted to keep talking to Katie, but the females all suddenly got to their feet as one and soon they were trudging to the east again.

  Neither Rachel nor Katie was being closely guarded any longer and they fell in next to each other. Movement far to their right caught Katie’s eye and she turned to look.

  “Did you see that?” She asked.

  “What?” Rachel turned to look in the direction Katie’s head was facing.

  “Looked like a dog racing along. Paralleling us.” Katie was still looking in the direction but didn’t see any more movement.

  “Dog!” Rachel said, tamping down her excitement. After a moment she told Katie about Dog.

  “Do you think that means John is out there too?” Katie asked in a hopeful voice.

  “Maybe. John and I got separated for a few days in Arkansas, and Dog tracked me down. I think he thinks he’s my guardian angel. Well, he is my guardian angel.”

  “OK, I’ve got to hear the story. We’ve got nothing but time while we’re walking. Start from when you met John.”

  Rachel took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts as she scanned the horizon for any sign of Dog or John. She didn’t see either of them, but had no doubt that help was on the way. Just like he’d come for her in Georgia when she’d been taken, then jumping off the bridge over the Mississippi River and later finding her in eastern Arkansas.

  “Well, I was at work the night of the attacks.” Rachel began.

  “At a hospital? You’re a nurse or doctor, right?” Katie asked.

  “Almost a doctor,” Rachel smiled. “Only had a year to go. But that night I was at the job that paid the bills…”

  Rachel talked for miles as they trudged across the prairie. The sun was brutally hot, the mud they’d smeared on their bodies quickly drying and turning to a brittle shell. But it did its job and protected their skin.

  Katie was a good listener, not interrupting as Rachel relayed everything she, John and Dog had been through. Rachel told the story in a near monotone, for the first time leaving nothing out. Not even the parts where she’d professed her love to John and her attempts to seduce him. She was expecting questions, or possibly scorn, and was mildly surprised when she received neither.

  When she finished she took a breath, feeling more comfortable around Katie now that everything was out in the open. As she had talked she’d kept a close eye out and had spotted Dog two more times, ranging along beside them.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Katie said. “I’m glad he had you with him. Sounds like you two made a good team.”

  “We did. We do.” Rachel said. “We did, I guess. When we get out of this you don’t have to worry about me. You don’t need me in the picture, and honestly, I don’t think I could handle being around.”

  “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” Katie said after a long silence. “First things first. I don’t believe that whatever they have in mind for us will be a good thing. It’s going to be dark soon. You should try to get away if there’s a chance. Find John and Dog.”

  “I’m not about to leave you,” Rachel protested. “We go together or we don’t go.”

  “You’re smarter than that,” Katie said. “I’m hurt. It’s all I can do to stay on my feet. I’m feeling better, but there’s no way I can run. You’ve got a shot, especially with Dog out there, and John probably not far behind. At least I hope he is. Either way, when you get a chance, you go. Understand?”

  Katie looked at Rachel who finally lowered her eyes under the intensity of the gaze. She wasn’t surprised Katie was such a strong woman. She couldn’t be married to John if she wasn’t. Not that he needed to be told what to do, but there had been a few times she’d had to insist on a course of action and had been surprised he’d actually listened to her. After meeting Katie, she understood why. John had been trained well by his wife.

  Just before sundown they reached a small river, well shaded by the spreading branches of several large trees. Rachel hoped the females would decide to spend the night near the water, but after a brief pause to drink, they set out again into the twilight. Within a few minutes the sun had dropped completely below the western horizon, night falling as they continued their journey.

  Katie seemed stronger, but slowed as they walked, moving slightly slower than the pace of the group. One by one the females passed them until there was only one infected remaining behind her and Rachel.

  “Soon,” Katie said in a low voice.

  “What?” Rachel asked, then realized that Katie had been slowing on purpose. She wanted as many of the females in front of them in the dark as possible so Rachel could make a break and have a head start.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” Rachel said as the rearmost infected pulled abreast of them.

  “You have to,” Katie said. “If John was out there he’d have attacked by now. He wouldn’t still be waiting. If you can get away, maybe you can find a way to come back and get me. But we won’t make it together.”

  Rachel wanted to argue, but everything Katie said was right. Maybe John hadn’t survived the crash, or if he did he was hurt too badly to have come for them. Either way, it was looking like it was up to her. If she could reach Dog, she might have a chance as long as the whole group wasn’t in pursuit. She didn’t think that would happen. The majority would stay on course. Maybe three or four of them would come after her. That many… well, that was a lot, but with Dog’s help, maybe. It was a chance.

  “Have you seen Dog?” Katie asked.

  “As it got dark I saw him way off to our right.” Rachel answered.

  “Then that’s the way you go. As soon as this one is a couple more feet in front of us, just come to a stop. They aren’t paying attention, and maybe won’t notice you’re not there until you’re out of sight. Either way, you’ll have a head start. I’ll do what I can to slow them down.” Katie said.

  Rachel nodded, then said “OK” when she realized Katie couldn’t see her gesture in the dark.

  “One more thing,” Katie said. “When you find John, tell him I love him and I didn’t give up on him either. Now… STOP.”

  Rachel automatically did as she was told, coming to a halt. The group of infected, with Katie trailing behind them, continued on, starting to fade into the night. Turning to her right, Rachel began moving through the grass, failing to see the low anthill in the darkness. Her toe caught on the loose soil and she stumbled, not making a lot of noise but enough to cause several of the females to turn their heads.

  Not waiting to see what would happen, Rachel broke into a sprint. There
were several screams behind her, then a shout from Katie as she tried to slow the rush to pursue the escaping prisoner.

  19

  Joe returned quickly with water and I carefully poured some of it into Rachel’s mouth. I trickled more over her hair and onto her throat and chest, trying to bring her body temperature down some more. Watching me, he reached out and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

  “We need to get her out of the heat,” he said, standing up. “It’s only a few minutes to the river on horseback. If we don’t get her body temperature down she’s in real trouble.”

  I nodded, hesitating for a second. He was right about Rachel needing to cool down, but if this was the condition she was in, what was happening to Katie and Martinez who both had bullet wounds? Making my decision, I scooped Rachel up in my arms as Joe turned Horse to the side. Lifting, I draped her over the horse’s back, just behind the withers. Despite being moved and put into what had to be a very uncomfortable position, she didn’t wake.

  Joe bent and laced his fingers together, offering me an impromptu stirrup. With his help I swung onto Horse’s back without knocking Rachel off, got the big animal turned and moving. Dog was on his feet and trotting next to us, but he hadn’t recovered fully, his head and tail drooping. Soon Joe was riding next to me, the third horse trotting along behind us.

  As I rode I spread the shemagh across Rachel’s back and poured water on it. I wanted to press the horse to a full run and get to the river as fast as I could, but I was worried about Dog. He would push himself, not wanting to be separated from us, and I was concerned he’d run flat out until he died.

  Moderating Horse’s speed, it took us close to 20 minutes to reach our destination. Coming to a stop in the shade I jumped down, sparing a glance at Dog who flopped onto his belly in the cool mud, panting so hard his whole body shook. Pulling Rachel down I cradled her in my arms and waded into the water.

  Half an hour later her eyes fluttered open and she began struggling. I raised her head slightly and spoke to her as I rubbed water across her face. She relaxed when she heard my voice, closed her eyes for a few moments then reopened them and looked at me. The delirium that had been there earlier was gone.

  “You found me,” she said with a smile. “We knew you would.”

  “We?” I asked, unable to contain my hope.

  “Katie is still with them. She’s alive. She talked me into escaping.”

  “That sounds like her,” I said with a smile. “Goddamn woman is always more concerned about everyone else than she is about herself. What about Martinez?”

  Rachel’s face changed, a look of sadness darkening her features. “She didn’t make it,” Rachel said, then told me the whole story.

  “How long have you been out there?” I asked, grimacing at the pain the loss of Martinez was causing.

  “I escaped last night. Maybe an hour after sunset. I was really thirsty by sunrise and was wandering around trying to find water. Once the sun came up it got worse. Much worse. Dog wouldn’t leave me, either. I thought we were both dead.” Rachel looked over at Dog, his tail thumping the mud when their eyes met. He had consumed a lot of water and was lying quietly, keeping an eye on us.

  “Any idea what they want? Why they took you?” I asked.

  “None. Don’t know if they think they’re protecting us or were leading us to the slaughter.” Rachel said, finally moving and sitting up in the water. When she did she looked down and ran her hands over her hips.

  “Why don’t I have any pants or boots on?” She asked, then reached up under her shirt. “Or a bra?”

  “We needed to cool you down. Fast,” I said. “Feeling better?”

  “Much. I’m actually cold,” she said, trying to get her feet under her to stand up. “And weak.”

  I helped Rachel to the edge of the water where she sat down in the shade next to Dog. Joe had turned away to give her some privacy and I handed over her cut off pants, boots and bra.

  “How bad is Katie?” I asked as she dressed.

  “She’s not great, but she’s tough as nails. The work I did before the crash stopped the bleeding, but she’s got to be in some pretty serious pain. She’s walking, and I’m amazed she is, but we need to get her somewhere so that wound can be cleaned out and she can get started on antibiotics before an infection sets in.”

  I helped Rachel to her feet and steadied her as she pulled her pants up and fastened them. She didn’t hesitate to pull her shirt off to put her bra on, Joe looking over just as her breasts were bared. He quickly turned away, and for a moment I swear I thought I saw him blush.

  While Rachel finished dressing I stepped out from under the tree and looked to the west. The sun was heading to the horizon and I guessed we had about an hour of daylight left. Making up my mind, I turned back when Rachel touched me on the shoulder. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t fasten her bra, so I hooked it for her and helped her work her shirt on over her head.

  “Who’s you’re new friend?” She asked, tilting her head in Joe’s direction.

  I called him over and made the introductions, surprised when he couldn’t make eye contact with Rachel. She picked up on his embarrassment and smiled.

  “They’re just tits, Joe. No big deal.” She said.

  That brought his eyes up to hers and despite my worry over Katie I nearly laughed at the look of shock on his face. Grabbing my pack, I dug out two MREs and handed one to each of them.

  “What’s this?” Rachel asked, holding it up in an almost accusatory manner.

  “You need some time to recover,” I said, working the M4 over my head and handing it to her before pulling all the spare magazines out of my vest. I still had the Sig 9 mm rifle and wanted Rachel to be armed with a weapon she was familiar with. “I’m going after Katie. You stay here with Joe and get some food and more water in you. When you’re ready, follow me.”

  “I’m good to go,” she said, stepping closer to me. I recognized the look on her face.

  “No. You’re not. You couldn’t even hook your bra two minutes ago. You need food, water and some rest. So does he,” I said, pointing to Dog who rolled onto his side and grunted at me.

  Rachel stared back, ready to argue, then wobbled slightly as a tremor went through her arms.

  “See? Now stop arguing with me.” I said as I stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug.

  Rachel’s arms circled my waist and she buried her face in my chest. We stood there for a few moments, then I stepped away after kissing her on the cheek, turned and headed to where Horse stood munching on the rough prairie grass.

  20

  Navy Petty Officer Jessica Simmons slammed the keyboard in frustration, barely suppressing a scream. She was part of the cyber warfare group the Navy had assembled, and was deep in the sub-basement of a heavily guarded, non-descript building hidden away on Pearl Harbor Naval Base. She had been tasked with cracking the encryption that protected the NSA satellites orbiting over North America that had survived the EMP, and so far she wasn’t having much luck.

  The NSA had layered multiple levels of security into the software, each one unique. So far she had identified and penetrated three levels, and suspected there were at least two more. Stuck on the fourth level, she stared at the lines of code in multiple different windows spread across three large monitors and let out a heartfelt sigh.

  “What’s wrong, Simmons?” Lieutenant Hunt asked from across the room. He was looking up from his own terminal, the light from a monitor reflecting off the lenses of his glasses, making him appear to have computer code where his eyes should be.

  “Nothing, sir. It’s just that those paranoid fucks at the NSA really locked these birds down tight.” She said, leaning back and rubbing tired eyes. She’d been working around the clock for nearly two days, trying to gain access to the command and control functions of the satellite.

  “Go get a few hours of sleep then come back to it fresh,” he said. “You’re the one that got past the firewalls
China set up for the Iranians last year. If you can do that, you can do this, but not if you’re so tired you can’t think.”

  After a few minutes Jessica nodded and pushed herself upright out of the chair, groaning as her back protested being forced to straighten after so many hours of sitting. Stretching, she winced slightly then leaned forward and pressed a key that locked her station down. Other than a combination of her personal password and fingerprint, only two senior officers in her division providing their fingerprints simultaneously could unlock it.

  Exiting the room, Jessica passed two security checkpoints before even reaching the elevator that would take her from the sub-basement she worked in to the surface. The ride up was fast, another set of armed guards nodding at her when she exited into the main lobby of the building where she worked. A final security point that checked her out of the facility after scanning her body and personal possessions and she stepped into a beautiful Hawaiian afternoon.

  The sun was bright and it would have been oppressively hot and humid if not for the trade winds blowing across the islands. The fresh air and daylight invigorated her after she got over her surprise that it wasn’t the middle of the night. She’d completely lost all track of time and couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked at a clock.

  Changing directions from the path she’d been on that led to her quarters, Jessica walked across an immaculate grass field and took a seat on a bench shaded by several palm trees that rustled in the strong wind that was blowing the smell of the sea to her. Idly noticing the massive aircraft carrier at anchor in the harbor below, she looked up when two fighter jets roared overhead, part of the round the clock CAP – Combat Air Patrol – that the Navy and Air Force was flying throughout the island chain.

  When she looked back down she was momentarily startled by the tall, ramrod straight man wearing an Admiral’s stars standing at the end of the bench. He was watching the same two jets. Jessica dropped the pack of cigarettes that were in her hand and shot to her feet, her right hand snapping up in a perfect salute.