EMERGENCE: Annihilation, Book 6 (The Emergence Series), page 4
“But coming from where?” said Erica. “And why are they heading south?”
The girl sniffled, burying her head in her mom’s neck. “But they’ll be back again, won’t they? They’re never going away.”
Kelly wanted to lie and tell her daughter that she would always keep her safe—that the danger was over.
“I will protect you. Erica and Mary will protect you.” She pointed to the river. “And the mighty Colorado will protect all of us as long as we stay on it.”
Erica looked down at the miles of river in front of them. “Where to now?”
“We can’t go north—who knows how many more creatures are already up that way.”
Kelly tried to still her trembling hands, knowing they would have to find another location that was out of harm’s way. But where—where in this world is there such a place now? She watched the body of a mangled drone float by then disappear under the current.
“Yuma—we should try to link up with others. We’ve been lucky so far, camping out here all this time, but we need strength in numbers. Hopefully, this boat has enough fuel to take us all the way there.”
The two other women looked back at their sanctuary in the cattail cove then back at Kelly, nodding their heads in confirmation. Erica removed a laminated map from a console drawer then unfolded it, tracing her finger along the river. “Well, not all the way—there’s a huge dam across the Colorado about forty miles south of here.”
Kelly leaned over, studying the route, then looked up at the creatures moving along the western ridge. “We can be there in a few hours, which will give us a lead over those things. Then we will either have to find a boat on the other side or use the canoe.”
“Canoe the rest of the way to Yuma? That’s going to be a haul,” said Erica.
“Then let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Kelly set Cassie down, moving the throttle on the console forward until the boat sped into the main current. She thought of her husband Tom Ivins’ words when he had described being in a harrowing battle overseas during one of his many deployments. Hope is a survival priority as important as your rifle, knife, or med kit—and sometimes it’s the only light you have to shine through the unending darkness. Right now, she fought to keep that flicker of light aglow, knowing they were venturing down a path with no discernible end in sight.
Chapter 5
Reisner followed Runa out of the corridor on the main deck of the Lachesis. They walked past the vacant helipad at the stern, climbing down into the Zodiac. A young man named Clark who was dressed in camouflage blue navy fatigues was at the helm and fired up the engine as he disengaged the boat from the Lachesis.
As the Zodiac swung out into the ocean, Reisner felt the cold rush of air flit through his hair like a thousand tiny icicles driving into his scalp. He removed a black wool cap from his jacket and slid it over his head then glanced out at the fleet of a hundred vessels fanned out around the Lachesis. Most of them were medium to large frigates out of New Orleans or Tampa that had escaped the initial wrath of the virus during the early days of infection. They had mixed crews of civilians, Coast Guard personnel, and merchant marines. The non-military vessels largely served as storage for the fleet’s food and freshwater drinking supplies, along with housing for civilians at sea or those coming and going from MacDill. With the medley of crew on board, each had formed its own unique subculture rife with the problems that unfold when small confined groups are forced to live together under cramped conditions.
As the Zodiac bobbed along the waves, Runa looked back at Reisner. “Good to be out for a change, isn’t it?”
“That’s an understatement.” Reisner nodded up towards one of the frigates in the distance. “I imagine most people on board these ships haven’t had the ability to move around much off ship like us.”
“They all have their jobs to do, but yeah, most are living in an isolated little community of other survivors who were ripped from the lives they once knew on the mainland. Can’t imagine being confined to a dank ship out here for months—it’s not like they enlisted in the navy and knew what they were getting into.”
“Ivins mentioned something a while back about there being issues with gambling and petty theft.” Reisner looked up at the deck of a large fishing trawler to see a thirty-something man with disheveled clothing staring with a vacant gaze out at the waters. The man didn’t even notice them pass by as he stood like a gaunt mannequin, holding on to the bronze railing with one hand while cradling an empty vodka bottle.
“To be expected when you thrust a bunch of desperate people together with a limited pool of resources. Dorr assigned a handful of navy personnel to each of the larger frigates to serve as a loose form of law-enforcement, but some days are still like the Wild West from what I hear.”
“Jody’s told me a few stories. Glad she’s on one of the better ships in the fleet, and at least she gets to spend a chunk of each week at MacDill when they rotate work crews.”
Runa grinned. “And most people also know who her brother is, given your reputation, and they know what will happen to them if they fuck with her.”
Reisner flared an eyebrow. “And what reputation are you talking about exactly?”
The Zodiac arced to the right, coming between two massive cargo ships.
“If someone were to ask me, I’d say the one about you being cocky and stubborn as shit most days while not hesitating to get the job done.”
“Regardless of the cost,” he whispered, letting his eyes gaze to the east.
“What happened to Nash wasn’t your fault, Will. You will have to find a way to move past what happened in South Carolina.”
He clutched a hank of rope coiled next to him. “And if I can’t?”
Runa glanced down at the waves to his right as he removed a gold ring that was tethered to a piece of leather cord around his neck. He moved closer to Reisner so he could be out of earshot of the helmsman. “You asked me once about what happened during the fall of Langley when we had to flee Virginia after the paras swept through the city.” He cleared his throat, looking back at Reisner. “It took me weeks to even think back to what happened and all the good friends I lost. Most of the agency staff were cut to pieces as we fled the building. A dozen of us made it to the company vehicles and were able to gain a few miles before we were attacked.”
Runa squinted, looking up at the sun, obscured like a gray disk behind the stratus clouds. “During the next two hours, we fought, we evaded, and we ran past destroyed neighborhoods—ran for what must have been miles until we made it to this little white house on a cul-de-sac. It looked untouched—there were even flowers still in a pot on the porch.” Runa shook his head. “By then, there were only five of us left.” He lowered his eyes, his forehead wrinkling. “The night felt like it lasted a month—gunshots and screams from the nearby streets came and went as the creatures poured like a fucking tidal wave into the surrounding city.”
Runa looked over at Reisner. “You remember Bill Caldwell from Psy-Ops—he and I had come up together in the agency. I gave the speech at his son’s graduation ceremony at Virginia Tech last year.” Runa turned away, balling his fist. “We both agreed that if one of us didn’t make it out, we’d do what we could to help locate the other’s loved ones and let them know what happened.
“When sunrise came, we thought we were in the clear. The hordes began moving out for a few hours, but then a small splinter group swept in around the cul-de-sac.” He shuddered out an exhale, his eyes narrowing into slits. “We drained all of our mags down to the last round and they still came—but Bill had three frag grenades, and he shoved me from behind into the next room and then…”
Runa stroked the gold ring while staring at the horizon. “Every day I look at Bill’s wedding band and wonder if Sarah and his kids are still out there somewhere—how I need to keep looking. And even if I don’t find them, I still have to honor Bill by hoping—by holding out for them—by carrying on, because I was somehow spared from the carnage. I’m here only because of him, and if I punish myself for surviving, then I’m not going to be of help to anyone around me.”
“To this day, I wonder if there was anything else I could have done so the rest of our people made it. I mean, how is it that I alone survived that shitstorm? Why did I live?” Runa thrust his chin up towards the approaching hull of the Nostromo then out to the mile-long string of vessels. “When agencies and governments crumble, all you have in the end is the man on your right who you fought with and the memory of your time together. That is what I live for—to honor Bill and the rest of our team who died that day and to do whatever it takes to keep you and our other warriors alive, knowing that in our line of work, now more than ever, there are going to be unbearable sacrifices.”
He rested his beefy hand on Reisner’s shoulder as the boat came to a stop. “The only question for you is: how will you honor Nash? Because guilt and anguish can consume a person’s soul to the point where they’re lost to everyone—even themselves—and you didn’t survive these past few months of hell just to wallow away on board a ship, my friend.” Runa stood up, motioning for Reisner to climb on board the Nostromo. “Don’t let this consume you, Will. You’re still here for a reason—of that I am sure.”
Reisner stood up and reached for the first step on the metal ladder that led up to the rear deck. He inhaled the fresh aroma of salty air, barely noticing the Zodiac bobbing in the water. He looked over his right shoulder at Runa as he felt the sun warm his face. He didn’t have the words to respond to the man; instead he stared for a moment into the eyes of his mentor and friend then gave him a hearty nod before beginning his climb upward, gripping each step as if he was ascending into another realm.
Chapter 6
Annapolis, Maryland
Red slivers of dawn streaked through the grove of maple and ash trees along the shoreline as Roland stepped from his damaged boat onto the frozen embankment of Chesapeake Bay. His bare feet hardly registered the cold as he walked along the crunchy soil until he arrived at a paved street littered with derelict cars.
He reached into his shirt pocket and retrieved a half-empty vial of clear fluid, hastily unscrewing the lid and consuming the synthetic hormones inside. When he had finished, he flung the glass container onto the ground and continued walking north past shattered storefronts and the frozen remains of mangled limbs. Arriving at an intersection, he paused to scan the city in the distance, feeling the presence of his brood approaching. The shadows in the surrounding neighborhoods revealed hundreds of forms flowing out like a muddy current rushing down a mountain. Soon the pavement was barely visible under the throngs of drones and the numerous alphas that moved in around him.
In the ten days since his battle with the Others at the remote survival retreat near Jamestown, South Carolina, he had traveled up the Atlantic Coast, walking at times but mostly relying on small motorboats. His journey had taken twice as long as he planned due to the severe head trauma he had suffered in his battle with the human known as Reisner.
Roland had spent the first three days concealed inside an underground root cellar on an old plantation as he tried to direct his body’s healing forces towards the comma-shaped skull fracture above his right ear. He had diverted thousands of worms from his blood to the gaping wound until he had enough of a parasitic latticework to stem the blood loss and bridge the fissure. During that time, he had lost contact with his alphas throughout the world, intermittently communicating with the newly transformed super-alpha, Nicholas Schrade.
When Roland had finally regained enough composure to move, he headed north towards Baltimore, which had the largest concentration of drones and alphas near his location. That city’s immense network of underground tunnels would provide a suitable location to regroup his forces and regain his strength while he indoctrinated his young apprentice. More importantly, he had one of his hybrids living amongst the Others, and he would use her knowledge of the U.S. fleet in the Gulf of Mexico to strike a crippling blow when all of the elements were in place.
The lanky alpha who stood before him was a foot taller than Roland, causing him to look up into the charcoal-black eyes of the creature. It was clad in an oversized tan leather jacket whose sleeves hung beyond its shovel-like hands. The translucent skin on its face was stretched like rawhide over its high cheekbones, as if the creature was chiseled from wood.
Roland probed its mind, finding that it had once been a construction foreman named Aaron Fadala. It had evidently retained some of its higher brain functions, and Roland found that Fadala could respond back telepathically with partial sentences, more than most alphas. Fadala had a command of the city that he relayed to Roland, indicating with an outstretched hand where the entrance was to the underground tunnels that led beneath the heart of downtown Baltimore.
Have you procured more synthetic hormones from the pharmaceutical factories as the rest of our brood was instructed to do? Roland inquired as they walked east towards a set of steps on the sidewalk adjacent to an Amtrak station.
Many containers—and Others also.
Roland’s eyes narrowed, and the bulge in his cervical region fluttered with pleasure at the latter words. Good, I have not tasted warm adrenal fluid in my veins in some time. I hope they have been well fed. The Southern creatures were too gaunt to produce enough to meet my needs. He felt his head throb with pain as he moved, hoping that a fresh adrenal infusion would speed his recovery but wondering if that would be enough to restore him. There was much to do, and his alphas around the world would need his guidance after so long an absence. His mind was so inextricably linked to theirs now that any delay in leadership could be costly to the survival of his kind. He was also concerned that young Nicholas, whose mental and physical capabilities were advancing at an alarming rate, might try to gain access to the alphas and try to locate the girl he’d known from Jamestown. She is too critical a pawn now and must be kept from him. In time, Nicholas must learn that our brood can only have one master, but he will make a formidable lieutenant of mine if his passions can be controlled. For now, I must impress upon him my accomplishments in protecting our brood by conveying my past strategies and plans throughout the world. Roland knew he must regain his strength if he was going to be able to fully exercise control over Nicholas before his position was challenged. If there was one thing Roland had overlooked in creating another being like himself, it was that a superior alpha brings with it superior ambition.
Chapter 7
Reisner followed Runa down the steps to the first level of the Nostromo, where they were faced with a figure hurtling towards them. As Reisner’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he could see Jody’s beaming face as she nearly plowed into him. He smiled, his cheek muscles feeling atrophied. She gave him a firm squeeze around his ribs, causing him to groan as he returned the embrace.
“Take it easy there, little sister.”
“OK, old man.” She stepped back, patting him on the shoulder, then glanced behind him towards Runa.
“Hey, Jonas.”
“Hey, missy.” He glanced at her toned arms in her blue t-shirt. “You look like you’ve been preparing for a triathlon.”
“The skipper has me and a friend hauling supplies and heavy boxes around the ship when we’re back here from MacDill on our days off.” She held her right arm and grinned while flexing her bicep. “So, pretty soon I’ll be able to beat you guys in arm-wrestling.”
“Never happen, kiddo,” said Will, already sensing that the constant tension in his neck had lessened. He always felt a sense of peace around Jody and was glad she had found a friend aboard the ship.
Reisner suddenly felt a surge of warmth float over the tender flesh around his forearm wound and raised his other hand to rub the affected area. They all turned when they heard the footfalls of someone approaching behind Jody. She pivoted, pressing her back to the wall, and waved towards the young woman with red hair who was moving closer. “Speaking of one of my accomplices, you guys remember Abby, don’t you?”
The sleek figure moved gracefully towards them, her green eyes illuminated by the overhead lighting. Reisner recalled meeting Abby after his return to the Lachesis following their ill-fated mission to South Carolina. As the sole survivor of the homestead near Nicholas Schrade’s cabin, she had suffered a terrible loss with the deaths of her family and friends during the battle and had been warmly welcomed as the newest member in the fleet.
“The young woman from the homestead, right?” whispered Runa while Reisner responded with a nod.
She appeared older than the seventeen-year-old Reisner remembered her being ten days ago when they first met. Her arms and figure seemed more muscular, and her face was sculpted in a way that made her appear statuesque. Abby had a radiance about her that seemed in stark contrast to the other pale-faced civilians Reisner was used to seeing. For someone who just suffered a terrible tragedy and sudden relocation to this ship, she appears to be doing extremely well.
“Abby, this is my big brother Will and my friend Jonas Runa.”
“Yes, we met when I first arrived here,” Abby said, extending her hand and shaking Runa’s first then Reisner’s.
“Geez, they must have you lifting crates 24/7 with a grip like that,” said Reisner as he pulled his hand back.
“Feels like it most days,” Abby said in a girlish tone as she shrugged her shoulders. “It beats sitting around in my berth.”
“Yeah, how are the conditions on board for both of you—everything good?” said Reisner, looking at his sister.
“Can’t complain too much,” said Jody. “Though Abby and I bunk together, and she is probably sick of hearing all my stories about my daring brother by now.”
Abby smiled. “Not at all—keep ’em coming. With all I’ve learned about you, it seems like we’ve known each other longer than ten days.” Abby lowered her eyes momentarily. “Plus, Jody has really been a good friend since I arrived here. She’s had to put up with a lot from me.”
