Scavengers (24 page)

Bal Shem looked in on the sleeping child, and finding her snoozing comfortably, closed the door. He debated the need for barricading the door, but decided to be safe and pushed the bookcase back into place. Then, he went into the main room and looked out the window.

The infected roamed the camp. Some moaned as if in deep inner pain. Others spoke in halting speech. Some fought amongst themselves. A handful of uninfected were hanging tightly to branches, high in trees, while groups of hungry infected patients clawed at the trunks. Toward the family section of the camp, he saw healthy people holding off hordes of infected with makeshift weapons. Outnumbered, they weren’t going to last long, and because Bal Shem needed healthy people for his plan, immediate action was required to prevent wholesale slaughter.

Opening desk drawers, Bal Shem rummaged for a bullhorn. A doctor had come from this trailer with one a few days ago. He found it in the bottom left drawer.

He exited the trailer, bullhorn in hand. Surveying the pasture around the outside perimeter of camp, over the rise of a hill, he saw two cows chomping grass oblivious to the desperation on the other side of the metal fences. Infected cattle had been shot by the military in the early stages of the camp’s establishment – these two uninfected bovine had survived. Standing on the trailer steps, he pressed the talk button on the bullhorn, directing his voice toward the shambling mobs of infected. This would be the test to separate the mindless from those retaining some semblance of humanity.

“Why do you fight for just a few morsels when you can have a feast? Look! On the other side of the fence! Cattle!” he shouted, his voice echoed through the camp. “Meat for all!”

The majority of the infected snapped heads toward the fence. From various locations across the camp they came. Many ran, their bodies ricocheting from the barbed wire, tearing clothes and mottled skin in attempts to get over the fence and to the cows. The more clever ones of the bunch used the backs of the fallen to scale the wires. None of them had realized there would not be enough for all of them to eat once they got there – it was simply a rush to get to the food and fight for scraps.

But those weren’t the infected in which he was interested. Standing still, staring inquisitively, were the infected whom, instead of running toward the cattle in a wild frenzy, stood thinking about the announcement. These were the ones recognizing there was not enough food for everyone rushing the hill. These were the ones recognizing, perhaps, that they were being distracted from the human meals in the camp. From their scattered location, they regarded Bal Shem with suspicion or interest. He could see the questions in their postures.
Who is this man? Why does he attempt to draw us away?  Is this a trap?

“Excellent,” he muttered under his breath.

Bal Shem raised the bullhorn to his mouth: “The rest of you, come here.”

The infected patients shuffled toward his trailer. They stood in clusters, saliva bubbled at the corners of their mouths, skin graying, eyes sunken, but alert. He knew that a few retained speech capacities, albeit limited. He intended to find out who those were.

“If you know what I’m saying, raise your hand in the air.” Most put their hands in the air. “If you know what I’m saying, raise your left hand in the air.” Many struggled. Only a few hands were raised now.

One man limped forward, pants torn from a fight, a broken pitchfork sticking from his lower leg. The wood handle was snapped, but the metal prongs stuck through muscle and bloody flesh, bobbing whenever he moved. “Are you …in charge here?” His speech was slurred, but it was speech nonetheless.

“Yes. I am in charge. The doctors are gone now.  They’ve left us all to die, but I intend that we shall survive. My name is Bal Shem. Can anyone else speak?” He waited as a few in the group watched the killing of the cattle, while others kept their attention on him. Five more hands rose into the air. “Come forward.”

He had six who could speak: five men and one woman. The others who remained were less feral than the ones devouring the cattle, but not by much. He didn’t have a lot to work with, unless the child had the same effect on everyone that she did on him. When she awoke, he would test her powers to determine if she really had a gift or if he, in his sickened state, had imagined the regenerative effects of her touch.

The infected possessing speech stood before him at the bottom of the metal stairs.

“We must keep the others from eating the remaining survivors. The military will not send more troops now, and the officials have all evacuated the area,” he told them. “We must corral the healthy people from the camp into designated barns and tents.”

“We could leave them in their tents,” said one man in a blue plaid shirt.

“No, we need to separate them from their families, develop in them a dependency on
us
for food and protection. They are vulnerable, weaker, when without family.”

The woman, long dreadlocks swinging over her shoulders, whispered to the man beside her. Bal Shem pointed at her. “Do you have a question?”

“I am … confused.  Will … we make them work on the farm?” she asked. “To grow food. We need food.”

Bal Shem laughed. “This is a
cattle
farm. The only thing grown here is hay. But, we’ll make it into a
different
kind of farm so we’ll have a continual supply of food.”

The man in the blue plaid raised his hand in a child-like manner. “What kind of farm?”

Bal Shem held open the door to the trailer, as they began shuffling up the stairs and inside. “We will operate a
flesh
farm. Together, we will breed, raise and ration our flesh just like herds of livestock. We will round up uninfected people from all over.”

A grin split his face as they obeyed him and entered the trailer at his invitation.

“We will never go hungry again.”

Stewart Tobias handed Dejah a foam cup of steaming black coffee. “There’s creamer and sugar over there.” He pointed to a counter in the corner of the H-Systems cafeteria-sized break room.  It was mostly empty now, except for their group and two men in fatigues, eating at a distant table.

Dejah sniffed the rich aroma of the coffee and a look of heavenly bliss crossed her face. “Oh my god, thank you.” She took the cup and crossed the room to the counter.

Stewart sat on a folding chair beside David and Shaun, handing David a coffee and Shaun a bottle of orange juice. “So, I heard y’all flew into Majors Field a couple days ago in a helicopter? Where’d you get a chopper?”

“Before all this started I was a pilot for channel IBC4 News. I borrowed the helicopter when all hell broke loose.” David blew on his coffee and took a sip. “Anyway, for all the time we’ve been here we might as well be invisible. Before now, no one’s said a word to us since we arrived except to offer us food and treat our wounds. So, enlighten us.” David smiled. “What else have you heard?”

“Well, the powers that be aren’t too happy y’all were able to fly into the airport like you did.”

“What do you mean? There weren’t even any landing lights for Christ’s sake. We had no idea if anyone was even here. Them being pissed about us flying in is a little inane. It’s not like there’s a mad rush on H-Systems.”

Stew nodded in agreement. “It’s defying the lockdown that has them pissed.”

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of the state, but I can tell you the infection is raging from Arlington to here. I hadn’t heard a goddamn newscast since the last one I was a part of almost a lifetime ago.  Besides, I don’t know what difference traveling from one quarantined county to the next makes.”

Dejah approached with her cup in hand.

“Fact of the matter is, now that you’re
here
,” Stew said. “I think they’re trying to figure out what to
do
with you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dejah’s voice cracked, tension showing on her face. “I don’t need them to
do
anything with me. I’m here to find my daughter. To be blunt, I don’t give a damn about anything else. We appreciate the hospitality, but this is just a temporary stop for me.” Dejah looked him in the eye. “I won’t stop until I find my girl.”

Stew regarded her with a mixture of compassion and resignation. “I doubt they’ll allow you off the premises. Town of Greenville’s gone insane, just like you’ve seen elsewhere. The only way through is with a military escort.”

Dejah traded worried glances with David.  Shaun screwed the cap onto his juice, and leaned forward. “We aren’t asking for any escort. We just need to find Dejah’s daughter. We’ll take our chances out there.  We’ve made it this far.”

David gave the teenager a grim smile.

Stewart laughed at the boy’s brashness. “Son, I’m afraid it’s not that simple anymore. This place is run by the military now. It’s not exactly a democracy.”

Shaun frowned, and started to say something, but Dejah shook her head, and he snapped his mouth closed, brooding as he picked at the label on his juice bottle.

“Maybe there’s a way for us to get to the hospital? My husband’s parents live near there,” Dejah said.

“There might be a way, but that hospital’s overrun and can be dangerous. I can tell from the looks on your faces you won’t be deterred, but in any event you’ll have to wait until there’s a trip going that way, and I don’t know when that’ll be. I’ll keep my ears open, and let you know what I find out,” Stew said, smiling. “In the meantime, I’m assuming you’ve found the showers and are enjoying the cots, tuna sandwiches, and the rest of our country club amenities. Not sure why you’d want to run off and leave the lap of luxury.” He laughed.

Dejah smiled. “Yes, someone did. Thank you for asking. And the cots are fine … it’s been so long since I – we – could sleep without fear of … anything. But honestly, we’ve here for three days now and the boredom is driving me crazy. Not knowing about Selah — that’s my daughter – is too much to bear, anymore. But, other than that, everyone’s taken good care of us.”

David nodded. “It
has
been nice to sleep, and the local medical folks took good care of me. So, thanks. Thanks a bunch.”

“Good.  There’s nothing to fear here. This place is a virtual fortress.” Stewart stood. “I’ve got to go make some phone calls. Or try to anyway. Phone and Internet service is sketchy. I’ll see y’all around. If you need anything, find me, I’ve been here for decades. Not much I don’t know about this place.”

They waved to him as he nodded and left the room. His polished black shoes clicked echoes through the corridor.

Dejah grabbed David’s arm, nearly spilling his coffee. “They can’t just keep us here, can they?  I’ve got to find her, David. This is absolutely it — I’ve got to go.  We’re too close now to be stalled like this.”

David held her hand. “Calm down. We don’t know anything yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions until we know something definitive.”

“It’s been three days!”

“I know. And I know this is killing you, but like Stewart said, this isn’t a democracy anymore. We’re under the authority of the military here. We have to go through the proper channels and hope we can learn some information.”

“
Hope?
” Dejah snapped. “I’m not sitting around hoping for anything anymore. I’ve been
hoping
that Selah’s okay for so long I just hurt inside. If they don’t help us, David, I’m leaving. I’m not helpless. Shaun and I survived on our own — and now we have you.” Her tone changed, indicating she wasn’t sure if they had him or not, but the pleading look on her face told David she wanted him to leave with them. And not just because he could fly and was good with a rifle.  Her tone said she was afraid he might want to stay here. “We do have you, don’t we?”

“Of course you do.”

“They’re not going to lock us up are they?” Shaun asked.

David sighed. “Look, everyone just calm down, okay? Right now, we’ve got a place to sleep, warm food, and apparently free-run of the place — as far as this wing of the facility goes anyway. Now, that lady — what was her name, Mia? She gave me a memo with a list of activities, movies mostly, some organized games, opportunities to volunteer for work, things they’re doing to keep people occupied while they’re holed up here. And I know there’s a lounge with a pool table — maybe we should check out that stuff until we can get a meeting with someone in charge. Dejah you have to concentrate on something else or you’re going to go crazy. A crazy mama isn’t any help to anyone — most importantly to Selah.”

“When do you think we’ll be able to talk with someone in charge?” Dejah was irritated.

“I don’t know.”

Shaun perked up at David’s mention of the movies and activities. After a day of sleeping, and a day and a half of just sitting around, he was bored to tears. “Do you have that memo on you?”

David reached into his pocket, removed a folded square of paper, and handed it to Shaun. “Why don’t you go check it out? I’ll go for a walk with Dejah and see if we can’t come up with something.”

Shaun looked at Dejah for permission. She smiled. “Go have fun. Maybe you’ll find some kids your age. Would be better than hanging out with us old people.”

“You’re not old,” Shaun said.

“I feel like it, hon.”

Shaun laughed. He exited through the double doors at the end of the room, referring to a small map of the buildings on the memo. David and Selah watched him go.

*       *       *

“It’ll be good for him to go explore,” Dejah said.

“It’d be good for you to not worry about him,” David replied. “Care for a walk around? There was a courtyard not far from here. It’s a little cold out, but it’ll be nice to be outside without fear of being eaten by some goddamn zombie.” David stood. He offered his hand to Dejah.

“Sure, lead the way.” She took his hand. His touch energized her. His grip was strong but gentle. It made her feel safe. More than that. The way he held her hand — like he really
wanted
to hold her hand. Like he really wanted to touch her. The thought stirred her deep inside. She hadn’t known that feeling for a very long time: to feel
wanted
. These past couple of days with David, not really talking, but just being with him gave her a new perspective on that part of her life she’d been missing for so long.

They strolled through the hall, bathed in florescent light, until they reached a glass wall surrounding the employee courtyard and went outside. The area was deserted.

“It’s cold,” Dejah said, teeth chattering. “I didn’t bring a jacket.”

“Do you want to go back?”

“No.  No, actually, it’s waking me up a bit. Just a little jarring at first.”

David slipped his arms around her, pulling her to him. He held her in an embrace.

“That feels better,” she said.

“Yes, it does.” She put her head on his chest.

“You know what today is?” he asked.

“No, what?” She snuggled closer, her own heart racing, her flesh breaking into goosebumps, not from the cold, but from desire. She felt herself flush.

“Halloween.”

“Really?” she said. “Well, I think we got tricked, but definitely no treat.” She laughed. “It’s only been a few weeks, but it seems like a million years since this virus hit.  It’s almost like my old life is just distant memories now.  Except for Selah, it could all have been a bad dream.”

“You might say
this
is a bad dream.”

“Not all of it.”  She looked up at him, admired the lines on his face.  He stared thoughtfully up at the night sky, and then looked down at her.

Dejah gazed into David’s face. “What do you think is going to happen?”

David shook his head. “I don’t know.”

They stood in their snug embrace for a few silent seconds. Then David said: “I’ve been meaning to ask you about…your…well, the whole coming back to life thing.  I’ve been debating about it myself, worried about bringing it up. I mean, I almost feel like it’s something we shouldn’t talk about.  We’ve had the past couple days here together, but I didn’t know how to ask you without seeming…well, I don’t know. I guess I was afraid of someone overhearing us and….”

Dejah laughed. “And someone thinking you’re crazy?  We’re crazy?  Or that I’m one of the infected and just remarkably well preserved, if I might say so myself.”

“Heh, well, yes, I’d agree with you there.”

“You mean you couldn’t find a good time between me being eaten and resurrected, becoming the bride of some whack-job televangelist, or trying not to get devoured in the middle of an airport zombie infestation?” She gave him a look of mock scorn.

“You’re right, I guess I should have said something sooner.” He grinned.

Dejah sobered for a moment, pulling away from him.  She hugged herself and turned.  He walked next to her as they crossed the courtyard toward a gazebo. “About the resurrection thing…I don’t really know what to tell you. I don’t understand it myself.  Obviously, it wasn’t a
talent,
or
power
I knew I had until after I’d been eaten and killed that first time,” she paused. “I mean, I try to think way back into my childhood and connect it to something I can use to reason it out.  Some broken leg that healed quickly, maybe a gash that closed up, but the fact of the matter was, I was never really seriously injured when I was young.”

“Not a lot of room for serious injury in the world of Barbie.” David quipped with a barely suppressed grin.

“Ha.  Watch yourself, pal.  I’ve beheaded Ken dolls with my bare hands.”  She slipped her arm in his. “Seriously though, I guess I’ve always healed pretty fast from cuts and scrapes or whatnot, but never really gauged it against other kids or people. My mom always said I had a good immune system.”

“So you had no idea?”

“None at all. It’s unnerving. It’s
great
, obviously — I don’t want to be dead — but strange. Why? Why me? I just keep thinking there must be a reason for this to happen. I guess I’m immune to the virus, just like you and Shaun.  I assume I can die of natural causes, old age — maybe I just can’t be killed by anything. This ability or whatever the hell I call it, there has to be a reason for it. It can’t just be a random evolutionary accident. Can it?”

David shook his head. “I have no idea.”

“There’s more. I keep turning this over in my head, but I can’t help but wonder if what happens to me is tied in with Selah. With something that happened when she was younger.”

“What happened to Selah?”

“Well, nothing happened
to
her. But, since she was a baby, she’s been able to, well, I guess the best way to describe it is just to say it: she heals people with her touch,” Dejah said, knowing she probably sounded crazy.

“Like sick people?”

“And the dying. It can’t be explained. It just happens. Even when she was newborn and I brought her home from the hospital, every time I touched her, I felt renewed. I already healed fast because of my own…whatever we’re calling it –
ability
, I guess. But, touching her was a refreshing feeling, even when dog-tired from being up with her at night.”