The Last Bunker, page 13
part #4 of EMP Survivor Series
The longer Kayla stayed locked away in this room with no idea what would happen to her, she couldn’t help but think she’d made a mistake. But doubt was the enemy of conviction, and she had to believe she had made the right choice. The only alternative was that she was wrong, and nothing would make it worse for her than going into that moment alone.
The ploy of acting friendly could have been a tactic to lure her into a room like this for them to have their revenge. And the longer Kayla stood there, pacing back and forth, the more she was sure this wouldn’t end as she wanted it to.
“Stupid,” Kayla said, muttering to herself. “So stupid.” She should have called their bluff, but each time she considered trying to pull the trigger again, to fight her way out in a blaze of blood and bullets, all she could think about was the face of the man she’d killed the last time she was here.
His face had been born into her memories. So, when the door opened and Kayla turned to look at him, she shrieked as she jumped back, unable to comprehend what she saw.
It was the man Kayla had shot. He was in a wheelchair, dressed in a hospital gown, with an IV attached to his arm, being wheeled by a woman. Kayla stood there, shocked, unable to speak or do anything. All she could do was wonder how or why this had happened. She thought she saw a ghost.
“Hello, Kayla,” the man said, offering a meek smile. “You look surprised to see me.”
“I shot you,” Kayla said, whispering. “I killed you.”
“If you would have been a few inches to the left, then you would have,” he said, tapping his stomach. “It would have struck my spine and paralyzed me, which would have been the worst death sentence I could imagine. But I only lost some small intestines. I was lucky.”
Kayla stood there, keeping her distance from the couple. “I don’t understand. Why are you here? How are you here?”
“I’m here because of you,” he answered, avoiding eye contact with her. “I wasn’t sure if I’d get to see you again. After what I did, I didn’t think I deserved to live.”
The woman who had wheeled him into the room placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he reciprocated by placing his hand on top of hers.
“But while you might have shot me, you also brought the machines back to life that saved me from death,” he said.
All this time, Kayla had been beating herself up for what she’d done, and now she discovered that this man had done the same.
“It was hard here in the hospital after the power shut off,” he said. “We lost patients left and right; people were dying at an alarming rate, faster than we could keep up with the bodies. We lost hope. I lost hope. But you changed everything for us when you showed up with that device and turned on the power. You made us believe that we could help people again. But we were greedy. I was greedy. We wanted more; we wanted what you had—”
“It’s destroyed,” Kayla said, wondering if that’s why she was here. If they still wanted the machine, they wouldn’t get it. No one would get it. “After I left here, it was destroyed.”
“Oh,” the man said, and then he frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. But that’s not why we wanted to talk to you. I just wanted the opportunity to apologize.”
Kayla was in a whirlwind of emotion. She couldn’t believe the man was still alive and that he shared the same level of guilt. She was speechless.
Eventually, the man wheeled forward, moving on his own as the woman behind him remained by the door. Kayla remained frozen in place, unsure of what the man would do. When he finally stopped right in front of her, looking up at her, he extended his hand.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Kayla stared at the man’s offered hand. She wasn’t sure what would happen if she didn’t shake it, or if she did, but she no longer believed this was some trap. The apology was genuine, so Kayla accepted.
“I’m sorry, too,” Kayla said.
The pair shook hands, the grip firm and dry, and they both relaxed when they finished. A weight was lifted from Kayla’s shoulders that she didn’t even know there.
“I’m sorry about the closet,” he said. “I was working up the courage to come to speak to you. Dr. Harrison said it would be a good idea, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Dr. Harrison?” Kayla asked.
Shortly after their exchange, Dr. Harrison walked into the room. He had been the doctor she had spoken to earlier. Unfortunately, he had also been the same doctor who had wanted to kidnap Kayla during her first visit to the hospital.
“We all owe you an apology,” Harrison said. “We all lost sight of who we are and what this hospital represented. All I can offer is a sincere apology and our help for anything you need.” He looked behind him, and another nurse walked inside, carrying her bag. “Everything you removed from the closet is inside,” Harrison said. “But if you tell us what kind of problems you’re dealing with, we might be able to offer you some additional insight into what might help.”
Kayla studied everyone in the room. It was a stark contrast to the last time she was here. Everything had changed. And despite how things had ended last time, she couldn’t help but believe these people genuinely wanted to help.
“There is a disease on my island,” Kayla said. “It’s killing people.”
Everyone else looked at one another, but Dr. Harrison remained focused on Kayla. “What kind of disease?”
“It’s like the flu, but it kills a person within twenty-four hours,” Kayla said.
That comment caused the staffers to step back, and Dr. Harrison noticed their hesitation.
“Okay, everyone, take a breath,” Harrison said. “We don’t know if she’s infected.”
“She might not need to be infected to be a carrier,” a nurse said.
Like that, Kayla suddenly felt the wind of change shift in the wrong direction. But unlike last time, Dr. Harrison retained his composure.
“We’ll put on masks, take her temperature, and disinfect the surfaces she touched,” Harrison said, looking at Kayla. “You wore a mask most of the time you were here, right?”
“Yes,” Kayla answered.
“Okay, that’s good,” Harrison said. “That’ll help mitigate exposure. But we’ll need to keep a close eye on anyone in contact with her and anyone coming down with flu-like symptoms. We stick to protocol.”
Harrison’s voice seemed to calm everyone down, and then they dispersed and started to get to work, leaving Harrison and Kayla alone.
“We’re looking for a cure. My dad visited a facility where he believes he can find its vaccine,” Kayla said.
“So, this was a man-made virus?” Harrison asked.
“I think so,” Kayla answered.
Harrison sighed. “Okay. Well, if it’s all right with you, we’ll keep you in this room for now,” but he quickly added, “but the door won’t be locked. We want to ensure we limit your exposure in case you carry.”
“I think I’d be sick now if that were the case,” Kayla said. “But I feel fine.”
“Right, well, we’d still like to take your temperature and go through our motions if that’s all right with you,” Harrison said.
Kayla checked the time. “I can’t stay long.”
“We’ll be quick,” Harrison said. “I promise.”
And with that, he was out of the door, and Kayla was alone again. Though this time, she didn’t feel as trapped as before. She believed they wanted to help. But even the best intentions could go wrong, and Kayla and her family were running out of time.
23
Weber wasn’t sure how long they’d walked before Shelly passed out, but he was forced to carry her the rest of the trip in his arms.
It was an odd sensation for him. For as long as he could remember, he hated cops. Loathed them. They were the enemy, every single one of them. And, yet, he was now doing everything he could to keep this woman, a cop, alive.
The same cop who had wanted to kill him but had spared his life when she had every right to take it from him. Weber wasn’t sure if he was doing this as penance or if something had changed in him.
Perhaps it was both? Perhaps something inside of him wanted to atone for all the wrongs he had committed in his past. And with the history he was associated with, he had plenty to atone for.
“I heard about what happened to your crew,” one of the men said, walking nearby. “Those fucking coppers should all be shot.”
“How did you hear about what happened?” Weber asked.
“One of your guys passed through here a few weeks ago,” he answered. “Said everyone had died, and he was heading up north to one of his cousin’s places or something.”
Weber nodded but remembered he needed to keep up appearances. “Yeah, those bastards deserve every ounce of pain heading their way.”
The man gestured to Shelly, a wicked smile on his face. “You have any fun with her yet?”
Weber understood what the man was implying, and while he was internally screaming at himself, wanting to strike the bastard for even suggesting something so disgusting, he needed to play the part if he wanted to keep them both alive.
“This one’s tainted goods,” Weber said. “Some kind of infection. Unless you want your dick to fall off, I’d stay away.”
The man grimaced. “Shit. Good to know.”
The man fell silent after that, and Weber hoped he had squashed any notion of taking advantage of Shelly for good.
The longer they walked, the harder it was for Weber to keep hold of Shelly, but when he saw the large structure ahead, he suddenly wished they still had some ways to go because he didn’t want to face what came next.
There were dozens of men at the location, more than Weber expected, but it made sense for so many to congregate with C-Money. As far as Weber knew, he was the most powerful man in the area, and if other gangs disbanded or were killed, like Weber’s, then C-Money’s tight grip on his crew would be like a gravitational pull for others to join him.
But the large numbers were bad news for everyone on the island and anyone who wanted to survive. And it would make it even harder for Weber to make it out of here with his and Shelly’s life intact.
But when Weber arrived, he noted how the men around him were distracted. He would have suspected his presence, along with Shelly’s, would have triggered a bigger dissension, but that wasn’t the case. Most of the men whispered amongst themselves, completely ignoring Weber and Shelly.
Weber glanced around and saw a bunch of old manufacturing equipment and felled trees that had been reclaimed by the earth from which they once grew. He figured this must have been one of the old logging mills from back in the day, long abandoned and forgotten.
“He’s inside,” one of the men said, gesturing to the main structure. “And he’s in a bit of a mood.”
“Right,” Weber said, and he stepped forward, but the man stopped him.
“Leave the woman,” he said.
Weber almost protested, but he didn’t have a reason convincing enough not to betray his feelings. He nodded and then placed Shelly near the entrance, which would still allow Weber to see her from inside. Or at least, he hoped.
Weber entered the dark interior of the structure and glanced back to see the man standing near Shelly but paying her no attention.
Weber found C-Money at the head of a table set up in the middle of what looked to be where the wood was loaded from the mill and onto the trucks. Three other men were at the table with him, all concerned.
“That’s three guys already,” one man said, leaning toward C-Money. “That guy wasn’t bluffing.”
“Everybody’s worried,” another said. “We don’t know who’s sick or who’s not, and if guys start dying—”
C-Money smacked the table, silencing the worried chatter. He stared at each of his men with a stern gaze. “If they die, they die. Let this get rid of the weak and the tired. I don’t have time for such matters.”
It was here C-Money finally noticed Weber nearby, and the man leaned back in his chair and smiled, exposing those two trademark silver canines.
“You son of a bitch,” C-Money said.
“Miss me?” Weber asked.
C-Money laughed and quickly left the table, running over to Weber and wrapping him in a hug. Then they clapped each other on the back. C-Money was still smiling when he stepped back and called over to the men at his table. “Do you know who this is? This is one of the most feared men in all of Seattle! Fucking Justin Weber!”
The other men walked over to pay their respects, which were far more restrained than their leader’s excitement.
“What are you doing here?” C-Money asked. “Last I heard, your crew was torn apart by the Feds?”
“They were,” Weber answered. “But I managed to escape.”
“Who’s the woman?” one of the men from the table asked.
“She was the detective who set me up,” Weber answered.
C-Money snarled. “Fucking bitch.”
“Listen,” Weber said, stealing C-Money away from the rest of his crew and speaking softer, “I’m looking for some supplies to head north. That woman I have with me knows of a big score.”
“Not sure money is going to help you know, bud,” C-Money said.
“No, but guns will,” Weber said.
C-Money smiled. “Now we’re talking.”
“It’s not far from here,” Weber said. “Maybe another day’s journey, but I’m out of food and ammunition, weapons—”
“Say no more,” C-Money said. “You’ll have whatever you need. You need muscle? Guns? Food?” He gripped Weber by the shoulder and spun them around to face his men. “This man saved my life ten years ago. He helped me get started when everyone else turned their back on me. This is what a true mother-fucking-badass looks like!” He clapped Weber on the back and laughed.
Weber forced a smile, hating how all of this was turning out, but he reminded himself that all of this was necessary to stay alive. If Weber could escape this with Shelly and himself unharmed, then it would all be worth it.
But when C-Money suggested that Weber take some of his men to help carry the guns, Weber encountered an unexpected problem, but he believed he had the solution.
“Your guys seem a little distracted,” Weber said. “What’s going on?”
C-Money rolled his eyes, groaning. “These little bitches think they’re going to get sick.”
Weber frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“We came across these two guys earlier today, and one of them was sick with some flu,” C-Money said. “The other told us that if we don’t get the medicine he was looking for, then there’s a chance we could all get sick. But I think it’s bullshit.”
“What guy?” Weber asked, starting to sound desperate.
“Relax,” C-Money answered. “I don’t need you turning into a pussy, too.”
Weber realized the old him would have never allowed such a comment to be made, and he quickly struck C-Money with a hard right cross, knocking the man down. He stood over his old associate, fist throbbing in pain.
“You talk to me like that again and I’ll kill you,” Weber said, channeling his anger.
For a moment, C-Money simply looked up at Weber, his expression stoic, but then he quickly stood, almost like he was ready to fight, but then he smiled and laughed.
“There he is!” C-Money shouted. “God, I miss having you around. Fucking badass.”
“This man,” Weber said. “Where is he? I want to see if he’s one of the Feds who busted me.”
“He didn’t look like a cop, but I can take you to him,” C-Money said.
Weber walked with C-Money to another section of the old mill, and when he opened the door, Weber did a poor job of hiding his surprise. But thankfully, C-Money was more focused on the man inside.
It was Tanner. Weber didn’t know the man very well, but if Tanner was here, that meant the person who was out looking for the medicine was Charlie.
“He look familiar?” C-Money asked.
“No,” Weber answered. “I don’t know him.”
The door was shut and locked again, but it didn’t even look like Tanner was moving. He glanced around at the rest of the crew, all of whom watched them with mild trepidation. The sickness had clearly rattled them, especially with some of their own falling ill so quickly.
“I only need two guys,” Weber said. “To help me carry her.”
Tanner gestured to Shelly, who was still on the ground where he’d left her.
“Why is she so important?” C-Money asked.
Weber came up with the same excuse from earlier about needing Shelly to gain access to the secure facility. But he didn’t want to leave her here alone. C-Money had other plans.
“It could be a trap,” C-Money said.
“I don’t think—”
“You should leave her here, take my guys, and make sure it’s good and secure,” Weber said. “Plus, it’ll give my guys something to do.”
Weber wasn’t sure how much more leeway he had with C-Money’s hospitality. The man had a short fuse, and while he was buddy-buddy now, that could change. But leaving Shelly here with these men was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.
“Look, if this sickness—”
“Don’t you start—”
“Is as bad as people are making it out to be, then why don’t we do this in one go?” Weber asked. “Give me your strongest, best guys. I’ll make sure we get this done quickly, and the faster we finish this, the faster we can make sure no one else fucks with our stuff.”
C-Money was quiet as he considered the proposal. “Fine. But you make this fucking quick.” He shivered, almost like he was cold, but it was too warm outside. “I’m getting fucking restless. Need something to kill or fuck!”
Weber laughed, but all he could think about was Shelly and getting her out of there as soon as possible. But he would still need to figure out how in the hell he was going to separate himself from the crew without putting Shelly in harm’s way.
Plus, there was now Charlie to consider and Tanner, both of whom he didn’t expect to find here. It complicated matters, but hopefully, a path would reveal itself. If not, Weber would make one.
