Dominion of the Damned (15 page)

Hannah gathered up Noah and Abby and followed him out to the front porch. “I don’t see anybody.”

“I hear them. They’re getting closer. Carl ran out to meet them.”

Hannah listened. At first she heard nothing. Not even the expected night sounds, the chirping of crickets or other insects. Were there any animals left? Then she heard it, the soft rumble of a motor in the distance. It grew louder as it came closer, and after another minute she could make out the outline of an Army tank barreling down the road toward them. It slowed to turn into the driveway, and drove all the way to the house before stopping in front of the porch. Carl rode on top of it.

Abby pulled on Hannah’s hand. “Do we get to ride in a tank?”

“It sure looks that way.” She handed the little girl up to Carl, then let him pull her and Noah up onto the tank. “You coming, Doc?” he asked, and Hannah looked back to see Konstantin walking back to the porch.

“Just a minute,” he told them.

He reached into one of the pockets of his blood-caked fatigue pants and pulled out a flare. He struck it, and thrust it into the midst of the corpse pile. Within seconds, the bodies were all engulfed in flame. Only then did the doctor turn and approach the tank, and let Carl give him a hand up. “Let’s go home,” he said.

He climbed down into a hatch, and Carl handed Abby down to him. Hannah and Noah went next. Once they were all inside, an older-looking man with a middle-aged paunch and graying hair turned to face them from the driver’s seat. “You think we can make it back without wrecking this, too?”

“That’s why you’re driving, Ned,” said Konstantin.

The driver chuckled, but then looked the doctor up and down. His burns had healed a lot since morning, but he still looked like hell. “What the hell happened to you, Doc?”

“Damn fool decided to go and be all heroic again, that’s what,” said Carl as he climbed into the gunner seat next to Ned. “Don’t worry. He’ll live.”

“Not really something I worry about with you folks,” he said, and turned back around. “All right. Everybody get settled. Here we go.”

“Where did you get a tank?” Hannah asked as they started to roll.

“Our camp’s at an Army base. It comes in pretty handy sometimes.”

“So what happened to the Army?”

“The same thing that happened to everyone else.” Konstantin shook his head, sadly. “Humanity simply wasn’t equipped for the aggressiveness of the plague. Or of the infected.” He turned to Ned. “How are things on the home front?”

“Quiet. Not much to report. Oh, except Shelby had her calf this morning.”

Konstantin smiled. “Boy or girl?”

“Girl. Good thing, too. The kids have already made her their class mascot.”

Konstantin chuckled. Hannah tried not to stare. It was strange, seeing him laugh like that, all easy-going. She remembered what Phyllis had told her about a farm. “You have animals?”

He nodded. “Cows and chickens. We found the cows out in a field that the others hadn’t gotten to yet, and carried them in one at a time by helicopter. The chickens, we found newly hatched at a farm that had just been ravaged. Apparently shamblers don’t bother with eggs.”

Hannah shuddered at the thought of those things roaming across the countryside, like a swarm of locusts, devouring every living thing in their path.

“Are there puppies?” asked Abby.

Konstantin smiled at her. “There are no puppies, but there are a couple of dogs, and some cats. And I think one surviving family at the base managed to save their pet turtle.”

“Those damn cats are breeding like rabbits,” called out Ned. “I bet we could find that little girl a kitten, if we can catch one of the damn feral things.”

Abby grinned and clapped her hands.

“It sounds like a nicer prison than the one we left,” Hannah admitted.

“Prison?” Ned looked back at her. “I’m no prisoner, girl, and neither are you. I can drop you off right here if you like.”

Hannah leaned forward to get a better look at his eyes. “You’re human,” she said, surprised.

“’Course I am. What the hell else would I be?”

“One of us,” said Carl.

Ned stared at him a moment. Then he burst out laughing.

“Hannah’s had some bad experiences, Ned,” said Konstantin.

“Well, sure she has. Who hasn’t?”

“With our kind, I mean.” He looked back at Hannah and held her gaze as he said, “We’re all going to have to work to earn her trust.”

Hannah looked away to focus on the baby, but she said nothing. If his actions back at the house were any indication, he was willing to work pretty hard at that. She felt nervous anticipation at the thought of reaching the camp. Ned practically made it sound like some sort of utopia. She supposed she’d know the truth about Konstantin and his camp pretty soon.

Everyone lapsed into silence. They rode for at least another hour. Hannah kept Noah and Abby entertained until they both fell asleep. She closed her eyes as well, and listened to the easy banter between Ned and Carl. They sounded like friends.

She opened her eyes and chanced a look at Konstantin. He leaned back against the wall of the tank with his eyes closed. He looked tired. More than that, weariness had etched itself into his face. She wondered how old he’d been when he became a vampire. His features seemed a little more care-worn than the others she’d encountered.

“Home sweet home,” Ned announced as the tank slowed. “Don’t mind the welcoming committee.”

Hannah heard rapid gunfire. She flinched as bullets ricocheted off of the tank. “Are they shooting at us?”

“Probably picked up some riders,” said Carl.

On a monitor next to Ned at the front of the tank, Hannah could see the problem. A thick wall of zombies stood between them and a tall chain-link fence. People stood behind the fence and fired, mowing down the zombies with automatic weapons to clear a path for the tank. A large electric gate slid open, and they started forward again.

They rode for probably another twenty minutes before the tank finally came to a halt. “How’s that for front door service?” asked Ned.

Konstantin got to his feet and thanked him as Hannah woke Abby. “We’re here,” she said.

“Do I get a kitten?”

“Probably not right now. Come on.” Hannah helped her up and guided her over to Konstantin, who lifted her out of the tank. Hannah and Noah followed him as the others came behind. They had parked in front of what looked like an administration building. Most of the buildings around them looked like they were made of stucco, with Spanish tiles on the roof. Not quite what she’d expected of an Army base. A man stood out front to greet them. He was short and stocky, with messy hair and thick-rimmed glasses. He wore a white lab coat over a green tee-shirt with white letters that said, “Biologists do it in their genes.”

“Welcome back,” he said as Konstantin went over to him. “I see you brought home some more strays.”

“Zachary,” Konstantin greeted him. He nodded toward Hannah. “This is Hannah and her brother, Noah. The little girl is Abby. Hannah hurt her head in the crash. Clean it and stitch it up, will you?”

“Sure thing, Doc. But what about you?”

“I just need to eat. And get some sleep.” He nodded at Hannah once more. “I’ll see you soon,” he said before disappearing inside.

“Don’t mind him. He’s always cranky when he gets back from Esme’s camp. He’s too busy watching his back over there to get any sleep. When he gets home he usually goes straight to bed. Come on. Let’s get a look at that head wound, and you can tell me how he got those burns.”

Hannah took Abby’s hand and led her as they followed Zach inside and down a hallway. They entered what looked like a typical exam room at a doctor’s office. “Hop up on the table,” Zachary told her as he washed his hands. He dried them off and rummaged through some drawers, pulling out tools and laying them on a rolling metal tray. At last he rolled the tray over to her and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. He picked up a small pair of scissors and cut through the gauze wrappings. “Let’s have a look-see.” He parted her hair and went to work.

“You’re human,” said Hannah.

“Yep, so far.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Ph.D. But I won’t make you call me doctor. Zach will do.”

“Where’d you learn to do stitches?”

“The doc gave me a crash course in basic emergency procedures. Don’t worry, I’ve had plenty of practice since then. Now, I’m gonna have to cut away some of the hair around the cut, but with your long hair it shouldn’t be too noticeable. When you get home and wash the blood out, you’ll need to be careful not to get your scalp wet. Wait at least three days before sticking your whole head under water.”

“What home?”

Just then there was a rap on the door, and a woman stuck her head in. “Howdy!”

“Here’s the lady who can answer that question,” said Zach. “Come on in, Paula. Meet Hannah.” He leaned close and told Hannah in a confidential voice, “She’s human, too.”

Paula came all the way in the room. She was a plump older lady, probably about a decade older than Hannah’s mom, with white-blonde hair cut in a chin-length bob. She wore a denim vest over a button-down plaid shirt. She seemed friendly enough, a feeling that was helped by her Southern accent. She smiled big as she took in the children. “Hi!” She covered her mouth. “Oh, I need to hush, I’m gonna wake that baby.”

“It’s okay,” said Hannah. “He can sleep through about anything.”

She stepped closer and held out her hands. “May I?”

Hannah remembered what happened the last time an older woman asked to hold the baby. But Paula was clearly human, and Hannah had a good feeling about her. “Sure,” she said, and handed him over.

“Oh, my,” said Paula in a hushed voice as she cradled Noah. “We haven’t had one this small before. Oh, you have no idea how good it does my heart to be this close to a baby. Tell you what, any time you need a sitter, you just let ol’ Paula know.”

Hannah smiled. “Thanks.” She felt a pinch at the back of her head and gave a small grunt of pain.

“Sorry,” Zach said as he laid a small hypodermic needle on the table, “I should have warned you. That was the local anesthetic. You shouldn’t feel anything else I do back here.”

There was another knock on the door. This time a younger woman, a brunette in probably her mid-thirties, entered the room. “Hi, I’m Sheila,” she said, and zeroed in on Abby. “Look at you. Your hair’s so pretty. What’s your name?” She crouched down to Abby’s level.

“Abby,” she said.

Sheila smiled and reached out to pat Abby on the arm. “Abby, would you like to come with me? I’ve got a room all ready for you, and it has toys, and books, and dolls—”

“Wait,” said Hannah. “I thought Abby would stay with me.”

Sheila looked surprised, and then apologetic, as she stood up. “I’m sorry, I guess I should have introduced myself first. I’m the foster care coordinator here. I arrange permanent homes for the orphans the doc is always bringing home with him.”

“She’s human, too,” whispered Zach.

“But Abby doesn’t have to go stay with somebody else if you’d all like to stay together,” Paula said. “I’m sure we can find a place to make her comfy tonight, and we can find a roomier house for y’all tomorrow.”

Abby moved closer to Hannah and clutched her leg. “I like
Star Wars
,” she said to Sheila. “Does my room have
Star Wars
?”

Sheila smiled. “It sure does. We can even watch the movie before you go to bed. Would you like that?”

Abby looked up at Hannah. “Will you and Noah come?”

“Not tonight,” said Sheila, and looked at Hannah. “But you’ll be able to visit her. If you let me take her, that is.”

Abby still looked doubtful. “The man in the tank said I can have a kitten.”

Sheila and Paula both laughed. Sheila stood up. “I’ll make sure you get first pick the next time a new litter is born.”

Hannah was still reluctant. The last time she’d let the little girl out of her site, it had ended badly. But she had a good feeling about these people, and the truth was that she already had her hands full taking care of Noah. “What do you want to do, Abby? Do you want to stay with me and Noah, or do you want to go with Sheila?”

Abby seemed to think it over for a minute. Then she let go of Hannah’s leg. “I want to go watch
Star Wars
.”

Sheila smiled, and held out her hand. “Let’s go, then. Say goodbye to Hannah.”

“Bye, Hannah. Bye bye, Noah.”

“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” Hannah promised, for Sheila’s benefit as much as Abby’s. “I’ll make sure they’re taking good care of you. Okay?”

Abby nodded, and took Sheila’s hand. “She’ll be fine,” she promised as she led her out of the room.

“Abby will just stay with Sheila till she gets placed in a permanent home,” explained Paula. “As for you, when Zach’s all done with you I’m gonna get y’all settled into your new home. I’ve got a house ready for you, right next door to mine. And
you
,” she looked down at Noah and tapped him lightly on the chest, “will have your very own room, and a crib, and all the toys you could want, yes you will.”