Mass Extinction Event: The Complete Fourth Series (Days 54 to 61) (25 page)

Thomas

As soon as I taste gasoline coming through the hose, I turn and spit. The stuff is foul, but this is the only way I can get gasoline from the row of parked cars, and so far I've almost filled the canister. At this rate, I should be able to get a decent little stash sorted out before I get going again.

Once the hose starts to run dry, I screw the lid back onto the canister's lid and then get to my feet. I've exhausted this row of cars, but I figure I could try a few more before I head back to the truck. Making my way along the dusty sidewalk, I can't help but look around, constantly on edge in case there's any sign of movement. I keep thinking back to that Clyde guy I met a few months ago, and the way he and some of those other creatures seemed to be just loitering in a small town. At the same time, I figure it's been long enough now, and if -

Stopping suddenly, I realize I can hear a noise in the distance. I hurry over to a nearby building and duck into the doorway, listening as some kind of vehicle comes closer. Finally I peer around the corner and see three army trucks making their way slowly along the street, but although there's a part of me that wants to call out to them, the incident with the helicopters has made me wary. I duck back out of sight and listen as the trucks pass on by, until finally they disappear into the distance and silence falls once again.

As soon as I'm certain that the coast is clear, I hurry back along the street. My plan to steal more gasoline is officially canceled; now I just want to get to the truck as fast as possible, start her up, and get the hell out of here. Now that I'm starting to feel a little better, I figure I can head back to Lake Erie and try to make things work with Melissa and Katie. It won't be an ideal situation, but it's better than nothing and if we can make some kind of life up there, I guess we'll be a lot luckier than most people these days. Hurrying the way I came, I reach the parking lot close to the main road and make my way around the side of the old shopping mall.

And then I see them.

Stopping and taking a step back, I realize that the three army trucks have stopped on the other side of the road, no more than thirty or forty meters from my track. It doesn't seem that the truck itself has attracted their attention; instead, they seem to be getting ready to take a look around the town. I quickly count ten soldiers in total, with perhaps a few more still in the vehicles, but they look to be heavily-armed and from the other equipment they have, it's clear that these are real soldiers rather than a bunch of idiots who've found a stash of army gear. Pulling back to make sure I can't be seen, I take a deep breath and try to stay calm.

“You two go that way!” a voice shouts in the distance. “McGuinness, take Taylor and check out that mall. The rest of us are going to take a look at the main street. Remember to be vigilant, and don't be afraid to use your weapons. At the first sound of gunfire, I want everyone to reassemble right here. Understood?”

I wait, until I start to hear footsteps making their way closer. Slipping around the back of the building, I duck down behind some old dumpsters and then peer out to watch as two soldiers make their way past, with guns slung casually over their backs.

“Are we seriously gonna stop in
every
hick town along the way?” one of them asks.

“You know what he's like,” the other replies. “He's nothing if not thorough.”

As they head off into the distance, I stay completely still and quiet, determined to make sure that I'm not noticed. If I can just stay out of sight, I figure the soldiers will look around town for a few hours and then get going, leaving me to get back into the truck and head off in the opposite direction, toward Lake Erie. I can't help imagining what Melissa and Katie are doing right now, and hoping that they're okay. Now that my fever seems to be passing and it looks as if I'm not infected, I realize that I should have just stayed with them, but at the time it seemed as if I was doing the right thing at the time.

“That was a dud,” says a voice suddenly, as the soldiers head back this way.

“I hope they found something in the mall,” the other soldier replies.

“They must have done. Look at this place, it's completely dead. There's not been anyone through for weeks.”

I wait and listen as they head off into the distance, and finally I get to my feet and peer around the dumpsters. I don't see anyone, but at the same time I'm determined to play it safe so I wait a few more minutes before heading along the alley, hoping that I'll find that the soldiers are already setting off. I can hear voices in the distance, but it sound as if they're way over where their vehicles parked, so I make my way cautiously around the side of the building until I can look around the corner. Sure enough, some of the soldiers are milling around by their trucks, although they clearly aren't all back yet.

“Don't move,” a voice says suddenly, right behind me.

Turning, I see two soldiers with their guns aimed straight at my face.

“I'm not one of them!” I blurt out, holding my hands up.

“Not one of what?” asks the female soldier.

“Them! The creatures!”

“No-one said you were,” she replies.

“We can tell you're not one of them,” the male soldier replies. “What are you doing scurrying around in this place, though?”

“I just stopped to get some gas!”

“You did, huh?”

“I swear, I just want to get gas and then leave. I'm not even going in your direction.”

“Where
are
you going?” the female soldier asks.

“Back to -” I pause suddenly, realizing that I don't want to tell them the truth. After all, they're probably linked to the people who sent the helicopters. “I'm just heading north,” I continue after a moment, “that's all.”

“And what do you think you're going to find up there?” she asks.

“I don't know, I swear!”

“McGuinness!” a voice shouts from nearby. “Taylor! Where are you guys?”

“Move,” the female soldiers continues, indicating with her gun for me to go on ahead.

“Please -”

“Move!”

Turning, I put my hands behind my head and walk forward slowly.

“You don't need to do that with your hands,” the male soldiers tells me wearily. “Just walk normally, and don't try anything dumb. Are you armed?”

“No.”

“Have you got any weapons at all? In your vehicle, maybe?”

“No.”

As I'm forced to head out around to the front of the building, the other soldiers by the trucks notice me, and a few of them start making their way in this direction.

“Look what we found!” the female soldiers shouts. “Don't worry, he's harmless!”

“I'm not
that
harmless!” I reply, slightly irritated by the way she described me.

“Just keep moving.”

“Hello there,” says one of the other soldiers as he reaches me. “What's your name?”

“Thomas,” I reply cautiously.

“Thomas what?”

“Edgewater.”

“Well, Thomas Edgewater,” he replies, holding a hand out for me to shake, “my name is Patterson. General Bill Patterson, formerly commanding officer at Mitchfield military base. I've got to admit, it's something of a surprise to run into you out here.”

“I was just looking for gasoline,” I tell him.

“Join the club. Please, follow me.”

Allowing him to lead me over to their trucks, I can't help but notice the way the other soldiers are eying me with suspicion, as if they expect me to suddenly start trying to attack them.

“Where have you been all this time?” Patterson asks. “You don't look too malnourished.”

“Around,” I reply.

“Around?”

“Here and there.”

“Don't wanna be specific, huh?” He stops by one of the trucks and turns to me. “I get that. Hell, I even respect it. Given the way things are going, I don't see why anyone would be inclined to trust anyone else.”

“Why'd you do it?” I ask.

He frowns. “Do what?”

“Those helicopters,” I continue. “I saw what they did.”

Pausing for a moment, he seems concerned. “Why don't you tell me where you saw those helicopters?”

“You already know.”

“Humor me.”

“North.”

“I see.” He pauses again. “Would you believe me, Thomas Edgewater, that those helicopters have absolutely nothing to do with me or my men?”

I open my mouth to answer, but suddenly I realize that I don't know what to say.

“Would you believe me,” he continues, “if I told you that, in fact, those very same helicopters attacked us when we were at Mitchfield?”

“They did?”

He nod. “Three of them. They attacked the other day and killed almost everyone, and then they dropped bombs and destroyed most of the facility. The worst part is, I know exactly who sent them as well.”

“Who?”

“A group of very dangerous people who've taken up a position in Boston. Have you ever been to Boston?”

I shake my head. Spotting movement nearby, I watch as a man comes around from the other side of the truck, with several rifles hoisted over his shoulder.

“We should get moving,” he says sternly.

“In a moment,” Patterson replies, keeping his eyes fixed on me. “Tell me about the helicopters, Thomas.”

“They came to... where I was staying,” I reply, still not certain when or not I can trust him. “There were three of them. We thought they were going to help, but then they opened fire. They killed almost everyone. Hundreds of people...”

“They were sent to Mitchfield as well,” he says. “I believe they'd also been to at least one other location where large numbers of people had gathered. We had forty-odd people at Mitchfield, and now there are only twelve of us left. Believe me, Thomas, we've all witnessed some horror over the past few days, and that's why...” He pauses for a moment. “Well, that's why we're going to Boston.”

“But I thought you said -”

“We have weapons,” he continues, interrupting me. “We talked about it amongst ourselves, and we unanimously agreed that this situation can't be allowed to stand. What's happening in Boston is wrong, and if we don't stamp it out now, it'll just get worse and worse until...” Another pause. “I'm fairly certain that there are only around eight people in the city at the moment, so we figure that we have a good chance of surprising them. We're going to take that city and we're going to stamp out the cancer at its heart. We also need everyone we can get out hands on to come and help.”

“I don't think I -”

“Let me be clear,” he adds, interrupting me again. “You have every right to refuse to come with us, but you also can't stop us stripping this town bare before we move on. Now that accent of yours is pretty strong, and I'll be damned if you're not from Oklahoma. Am I right?”

“Sure,” I reply, “but -”

“And that truck over there,” he continues, pointing at my truck, “has Oklahoma license plates. So I'm gonna put two and two together here and say that you came into town on that thing. Am I right, or am I right?”

“What if you are?” I ask cautiously.

“We're taking it with us.”

“No!”

“You can't stop us,” he replies firmly. “We're going to strip this town of everything we can use, and then we're going to take that truck with us when we head off and continue our journey to Boston. You're welcome to stay behind, Thomas, but you'll be completely stranded.”

“You can't do that!”

“We can and we will. Or, you can play nice, come with us, join our little group and help out, and then we'll extend every possible hospitality to you, not only during the journey but also after you've helped us to liberate Boston. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like I'm being blackmailed,” I reply bitterly.

“Blackmail is such an ugly word,” he replies. “Think of it as friendly persuasion. Are you any good with weapons, Thomas?”

“I... I can get by.”

“We'll train you up along the way,” he tells, me holding out his hand again. “A lot of people here have scores to settle when we get to Boston. We're thinking this whole mess can be dealt with pretty fast, they've got defenses there but no real soldiers. The helicopters are the biggest problem, but we have something to take care of them. So what do you say? Are you going to do the right thing and join our little army? I can assure you, by the time we get to Boston we figure we'll have picked up quite a few people.”

I stare at his hand for a moment, before finally shaking it.

“But then I'm going to Lake Erie,” I tell him. “I'm not staying in Boston.”

“That's fine,” he replies with a smile. “We'll even give you some supplies to help you on your way. Now, I think its' about time we start picking this town apart and seeing what we can find.” He turns to the man with several guns slung over his shoulders. “Toad, maybe you can help Thomas get settled.”

“Sure,” the guy replies, clearly not too keen on the idea.

“Okay, people,” Patterson says, turning to the soldiers, “let's get this town stripped to the goddamn bone and roll out by sunset!”