Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4) (53 page)

Riley watched as Nessie slid into unconsciousness, unable to keep her awake. Her own body was fighting to stay awake, weakened as it was. Riley could only hope that Nessie would survive all of this.

“What’s going on over here? Is there a rat?” Boyle limped over. Riley heard he had fallen off a container and badly twisted his ankle. She hoped that’s all it was and that he didn’t have a fracture.

“No, Gerald was strangling Nessie,” Dakota quickly told him. She had been the first to notice that something wasn’t right about the interaction between the elderly woman and the teenager. In the flurry of chaos that followed the announcement of rats, everyone else’s eyes had been on the doors.

“I was helping her!” Gerald cried pitifully from the floor with his arms bound, Hope and Peter still sitting on his back and legs.

“No you weren’t!” Dakota screamed at him. “You were trying to kill her, even Dragon knew!”

“That bird is crazy!”

“She said something about him being a zombie in a container before slipping into unconsciousness,” Riley quietly told Boyle while Dakota and Gerald continued to yell at one another, Hope joining in and taking Dakota’s side. “I don’t understand what she meant.”

“I understand. All right, calm down, all of you,” Boyle barked in an unusually harsh tone.

Everyone fell silent, including others who were watching the confrontation from a distance and whispering to one another.

“Someone move him to a holding container,” he ordered.

“But I didn’t do anything!” he cried as a man and a woman swiftly stepped forward and hauled him up as Hope and Peter scattered.

“Gag him if he won’t shut up,” Boyle ordered.

“Please don’t leave me for the rats!” he cried as he was hauled out of the community centre.

Boyle sighed and wavered a bit on his feet as he pinched his eyes shut.

“Maybe you should sit down for a moment,” Riley advised.

“Maybe you should too,” Boyle looked pointedly at the hand she had white-knuckle gripped around the IV pole to steady herself.

Hope, Peter, Dakota, and Quin all helped Riley and Boyle over to the seats they had occupied earlier. The kids had already learned to identify most of the medical supplies and immediately went back to their task, getting Quin to jot it all down and handing out things when doctors came asking for them. Dakota made sure a doctor with more focus than Riley went to check on Nessie.

“Not the best time to come home,” Boyle commented as he sat in one chair and lifted his injured leg up onto another.

“No choice.”

“I heard.”

“What are we going to do about the rats?”

“Same thing we’ve done in the past when a bunch of the buggers showed up. Keep the containers shut, guard the walls and doors of this place, and let the dogs, cats, and that mad-ass badger go to town on them.”

“It won’t be as simple with all those bodies for them to hide in and under.”

“The bodies will also distract them though. Infect them, sure, but even when made extra aggressive, a fat, fed rat is less likely to pose a threat. We just have to keep clearing the dead away, keep some of our animals around the pile still waiting to be burned, and bludgeon what we can.” Boyle winced.

“I hear it’s a twisted ankle,” Riley commented on his leg.

“I hear the same, but with the swelling and no x-ray, no one can say for sure.”

“What’s going to happen with Gerald?”

“There will be a trial. We’ll need to hold a couple actually, and the sooner the better in my opinion.”

“You want to hold a trial in the middle of all this? Does Karsten know?” Riley knew that Karsten hated trials.

“I guess you didn’t hear. Karsten’s dead.”

“What?” The words hit Riley like a punch to the gut. The German U-boat captain had been one of the first people to come to the container yard to begin setting it up for habitation. He had literally poured blood, sweat, and tears into getting this place running.

“I saw it happen. We were to fall back to another container when he slipped on some gore. Managed to keep his feet, but it allowed a zombie to get him. He knew he was done then so he didn’t fall back with the rest of us. Instead, he stayed put and brought down with him as many as he could.”

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat. She had lost people before, people far more important to her, but it still came as a shock. “How many others?”

“We don’t know yet. That infection testing board is the best we have to let us know who’s alive,” Boyle nodded in the direction of the white boards and chalkboards, “but not everyone’s been tested yet, and with the rats, some of those people are going to come back for a second or even third testing. We won’t know who’s dead for a while yet.”

“Maybe someone should go around asking? Ask who they saw die?”

Boyle shook his head. “Not everyone knows everyone’s name. Besides, you weren’t here so you don’t know what it was like. You could easily think someone was dead when in fact they’re alive and well. I also won’t put them through that. Too many people are still in shock. No, we’ll find out as we go. It’s not like any of them could’ve disappeared only to show up later.”

Riley nodded, figuring he was probably right. “So, these trials, who’s going to sit on them?”

“Me, for one. Either Crichton or Bronislav, but not both. One of them should continue to run things while we do this. I thought you might be a good choice.”

“Me?”

“You weren’t here so you can be considered impartial to a degree, and people respect doctors; it’s not like there’s much else you can do right now.”

He had a point. “How many trials?”

“There will be three; we’ll try to get through them as quickly as we can. I already have suggestions I’d like to put forth during two of them.”

“Who else will sit? Don’t you usually have five for these things?”

Boyle nodded. “I want one more person from the container yard, and one from the Black Box. We’re also going to have a sixth sit with us.”

“A sixth?”

“I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but we were warned of the zombies’ coming. A group of five people had been tracking them. Two of them are still outside the walls somewhere, but the other three are in here with us. If at least one of them is still alive, they might be able to give us the opinion of a total outsider.”

“You trust them that much?”

“I’m not giving them the power of a vote, just an opinion.” Boyle spotted Claire in the crowd that was growing and flagged her down. Since the call of rats, those too tired and weary to fight were moving indoors, as was the food that had only recently exited the building. “Claire, I need you to find some people for me. Do you know everyone on this list?” he handed her a scrap of paper.

“Yeah, I think I know what they all look like. Except for these two.”

“Ask someone from the container yard: they’ll likely know who they both are. Find everyone on that list and send them to me. Oh, and if you spot either Crichton or Bronislav, send them too, whichever you find first but not both.”

“On it.” Claire pressed into the growing throng and disappeared into it.

“I’m guessing witnesses were on that list as well?” Riley asked.

Boyle nodded. “Come on, we should clear out a small corner of this place for our deliberations.”

Riley would rather remain seated, but she got up to follow Boyle anyway. Touching her bandages, she noticed a gross dampness in them, most likely from her drainage tubes. She was going need that looked at before the day was over, but first she thought she should find a jacket to hide it for the trials.

***

“Riley? You awake?” a gentle hand lighted upon her shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” Her eyes shot open, but she couldn’t say for sure if she was lying or not. She had been in that state between waking and sleeping, able to hear what was going on around her but paying no attention to it, her mind drifting.

Riley sat in a chair in the corner of the community centre, wearing a leather jacket with a busted zipper that hid most, but not all, of her bandages. Her seat was part of a ring of eight, all of them so close together that most people’s knees were brushing. Only two remained empty for the moment. Around the ring sat Crichton, Boyle, a woman named Angela who had lived at the Black Box since before the Diana residents arrived, and Harry, whom Riley was very happy to see had survived the attack. His mind was a very valuable asset, and on top of that, his son was a good friend of Hope’s. The newest addition to the ring, the reason Harry had woken her, was someone Riley didn’t know.

“This is Tommy,” Boyle told the ring by way of introduction. “He carries no vote, but is here to provide an impartial, outside view should we need one.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be much use.” Tommy wiggled uncomfortably in his seat, but made no attempt to leave.

“Let’s get started. Bring forth the first case.”

A crowd of people stood outside the ring, watching the proceedings, but most were there out of necessity rather than real interest. Bronislav was in the process of moving people around, getting those who couldn’t work just yet to safe resting places, but for now the community centre was overcrowded. As Claire pushed through them to get someone, Riley’s eyes found Max, who was lying on a nearby cot and watching from between two people standing beside him.

Claire returned with a large blond man, whose pants were stiff with blood. His T-shirt was somewhat cleaner, but based on where the stains were, Riley guessed it was one he had worn beneath a longer-sleeved shirt that had been removed. Slung over one shoulder was a large sword that he didn’t remove when he sat down.

“This is Evans, leader of the group who attacked our walls before the zombies came,” Boyle told the circle. “We’re to decide what to do with both him, and the people who followed him.”

“Am I allowed a statement?” Evans asked.

“Yes, but generally we wait until after the evidence has been aired.”

Evans politely gestured for Boyle to continue.

“Evidence against: there’s no doubt about you leading your people to our wall in order to attack us. I saw you, as did Harry, and others in your group have confirmed that you’re in charge for the most part. Evidence for: you surrendered peacefully, obeying every command we gave. Both you and your people were a valuable asset during the zombie attack and are even now helping with the aftermath. I feel it important to note that none of us were killed during your group’s attack, not even the hostages you held, although some were injured. Also, when one of your men attempted to harm one of ours during your surrender, you personally aided in putting a stop to it. That man is dead. He continued to be uncooperative during the zombie assault and shot Nessie. His own people threw him to the undead hordes in response. Any evidence I missed?”

“I’d like to mention that when I came across him outside the wall during his assault, Evans didn’t look like he wanted to be there,” the man named Tommy spoke up, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

Boyle nodded and looked around the circle, but no one else had anything to add. “Evans, you can make your statement now if you’d like.”

“I won’t try to put my blame on someone else. Yes, I led my people here to attack. Most of them are innocent, however, especially those who went to that island of yours. My party was just scared, angry, and swept up in the idea of vengeance. Having talked with those I captured, and now seeing you here, I’ve come to believe your people had no part in what happened to mine. For all I know, they were killed by that same group who has taken over your second camp that I’ve heard others talking about. If there’s to be punishment, apply it to me, not those who don’t deserve it.”

“Very well. I’d like to put forth a resolution,” Boyle told the circle. “I believe we should allow Evans and his people to stay if they wish. Based on what I’ve heard both here and from others, this has all just been a disastrous misunderstanding, one which they’ve been working hard to make up for. Any objections?”

No one objected.

“Vote.”

All five who had votes raised their hands. No one knew this case better than Boyle, and no one was about to argue with him about it.

“There you have it, Evans: you and your group are welcome to join us. If not, you’re free to take any supplies you brought with you.”

“Thank you.” Up until that moment, Evans had been sitting like a large rock, a posture Riley had mistaken for a natural one. Now, he visibly relaxed, becoming less imposing with his relief. He had been far more worried about this than she had realized. “I’d like to talk about those who attacked your other camp if I may.”

“Once we’re done with the trials; hopefully they’ll be as fast as yours. Feel free to remain seated. Second trial is against Nessie.”

Riley frowned, as did others, finding this trial unexpected.

“Nessie is accused of having contraband materials, specifically grenades. Evidence against: they were seen in her room; in fact, she showed them to us. She wouldn’t say when or where she had gotten them from. Evidence for: in the end, she showed them to us, knowing there could be consequences, because she believed they could help us against the zombies.”