First Wave (The Travis Combs Post-Apocalypse Thrillers) (16 page)

The sun was cresting over the redrock mesas to the
east as Travis sat up on the edge of the cot. It was the second time in two
months that he had slept off the ground, and he looked down at the cot as if it
were an alien contraption. A purple finch was singing on a tree branch that crept
past the second story balcony of the Grand Hotel where he, Katy, Nora, and
Rachel had collapsed last night, after the helos deposited them in the parking
lot below. His ears still rang from the intense gunfire of the battle. Looking
at the three women sprawled out around the room helped serve as a reminder that
he hadn’t come off another mission in some god-forsaken hellhole, in a distant
part of the world.
Here I am in the demilitarized zone of Jerome, Arizona.
How did it come to this?

He walked over to a varnished, wood counter and
poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher that Clara had left out for
them. Sitting next to it was a bowl of apples. He couldn’t remember the last
time he had fresh fruit and sank his teeth in, with gusto, licking up the
rivulets of juice that ran past his lips. Katy was starting to stir, her face
buried beneath golden hair, still clad in her clothes and dusty boots.

Travis walked out to the balcony and surveyed the surroundings.
Beneath him was a winding, narrow street that snaked its way past dozens of
homes, carved into the hillside. Some had stilts that suspended them off the
mountainside, while others looked like they melted into the bedrock they were
built upon. Beyond the spread was the lush Verde Valley below, and sixty miles
north was the backdrop of the San Francisco Peaks by Flagstaff, the highest
point in the state. In the streets below the hotel, people were milling around
the downtown area of former tourist stores. Gone were the laid back art
galleries and trinket shops. Each of the stores had been converted into
practical facilities to fill the needs of medical, gunsmithing, dental,
tailoring, or food distribution. At the west end of town, by an old
firestation, was a corral with a few dozen horses. Every man, woman and youth had
a rifle slung over their shoulder, along with a machete or Bowie-type knife on
their belt. It looked like the town had reverted back to its Wild West days from
a century earlier, only now it was semi-autos instead of lever-actions.

Large wooden doors opened behind Travis as Crawford
walked into the room. “Quite a view isn’t it? Even if the town looks like a fortress.”

“You’ve managed to assemble quite a nice retreat
here in such a short time.”

“It wasn’t too much of a stretch. Most people in
these parts were already pretty self-reliant and knew one another. In a land
with too little water and rugged wilderness in every direction, a person living
here would be a fool not to be prepared,” Crawford said, leaning out on the
railing next to Travis. “The divide of canyons and sparsely populated towns
spared us the carnage that Phoenix and the larger cities experienced. Of
course, who’d want to live in Phoenix anyway.”

“So what’s your plan? Hunker down here in this
mountainside oasis until the world re-establishes itself?”

“My only plan is to keep my family, and the people
under, me alive at any cost. That’s nothing new in this region- it’s a part of
the fabric of this region. This isn’t too far off from the self-reliant
lifestyle most of us had prior to this in these small towns,” he said, tapping
his fingers on the railing. “We’ll keep fortifying our position so we’re ready
for anything else coming our way, along with putting to bed, with pick and
shovel, any more sons-a-bitches that pose a threat. Until I can get more intel
on what’s happening inside Flagstaff, we’ll stay put, stock up on beef for the
winter, and lay out tactical plans for the spring time.

Crawford looked at the women inside and then back at
Travis. “You and your people are welcome to join us. I can always use men of
your experience.”

“Well, I appreciate that. And these digs sure beat
sleeping in a cave,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t think there will be any
disagreement from the ladies, but I’ll talk it over with ‘em when they get up.”

“Good. In the meantime, I have to meet with some of
my men. Why don’t you all plan on coming down for breakfast in an hour, and I
can show you around the town,” he said, as both men shook hands.

“Your hospitality is most welcome. We’ll be there.”

***

It was around nine o’clock when they ventured
downstairs and had breakfast with Crawford, Clara, and six of his senior
command, who were dressed like cowboys and had weathered faces. Afterwards,
they walked around the two main streets below the hotel headquarters, while Crawford
and his wife took turns interpreting the layout and discussing their adaptive
strategies.

They stopped along a dilapidated staircase, beside a
two story building that had once been a brothel during the mining era in the 1930s.
“So, how many capable fighters do you have here?” asked Travis.

“We number around three hundred thirty men and
women, with around forty kids. The Sedona and Winslow groups have a little
less. There’s a lot of interchange between all of us, as patrols constantly
switch out. Information is shared via ham-radios and, as with any war, by
having boots on the ground. Most folks are versed in firearms use, of course,
growing up around here, but we only have about forty people with any former
combat experience.”

“And what about those RAMs?” asked Nora. “Are there
any more of those lurking around?”

“We finished cleaning out the two small towns below
within the past month. There are only two steep roads leading up to our
location and those are well-contained. There are still quite a number of
mutants we snipe below each day, but they have been reduced in the immediate
area,” said Clara.

“How long can those things live?” Katy asked. “I
mean, shouldn’t they have rotted by now? Those creatures we fought last night were
running about as fast as a normal human. How’s that possible?”

“Do you see that areal antenna on top of the hotel
where you slept?” Crawford said, pointing to the ham-radio tower looming behind
them. “We get daily reports from around the world, and everyone is saying the
same thing- that these things have a pain tolerance that is off the charts.
They’ll stop at nothing to bite you and ingest your blood.”

“Blood?” said Rachel. “Why blood?”

“The reports we’ve gotten, say they obtain
nourishment from the hemoglobin. I’ve seen RAMs drain a person in twenty
minutes, leaving ‘em looking like a piece of driftwood,” said Crawford. “And
some can move faster than a pissed-off, rodeo bull. Why, one time, I saw a
creature leap across the hoods of stranded cars on the highway and crash
through the window of a cargo truck coming from the other direction, clawing at
the driver inside.”

“But the ones we saw on the beach after our river
trip were slow moving, almost like they were drunk, while most of the creatures
at the airport last night were moving at different paces, some staggering…some
running. I don’t understand?” said Katy.

“The CDC had said it was connected with the effect
of the virus upon the nervous system. It’s believed that the virus destroys the
front lobe of the brain, which kills off the person they once were, leaving
behind this primal beast bent on devouring anything alive in its path. The
longer they have been reanimated, the more amped up the nervous system becomes
as the disease spreads further. That’s why it’s called the blood virus. Not
only do folks bleed internally before dying but, those who reanimate, return
with an insatiable bloodlust. The higher elevations might hamper the effect on
those who die, but no one can say with a hundred percent certainty at this
stage.”

Jesus, if it’s this bad, what is the
second and third wave going to look like that Jim spoke of?
Travis thought, fingering the metallic tube with the coordinates in his pocket.
“So blood virus, vampire zombies, cartel gangs, social collapse….I liked it
better when it was just radical extremists that I could dispatch on the other
side of the globe.”

“Yeah, the world is not the one you left when you
stepped on to your rafts long ago,” Crawford smirked.

“We all talked about your offer to stay and would
like to take you up on it,” said Travis.

“I was hoping you would. Let’s head back up to the
hotel and we can get you settled into one of the rooms on the lower floor, then
we’ll discuss what skills you all might be able to contribute to the community.
Everyone has a role to fill these days.”

“Four of our friends are still at a line shack in
the backcountry, northwest of Chino. We’d like to get them first,” said Travis.

“Why don’t Nora and Rachel accompany a horseback
patrol of my men, while you and I catch up on some things we discussed
yesterday,” said Crawford.

Travis looked over at the two sisters. “Sounds good.
Don’t worry about us,” Rachel said. “We know a shortcut through Hell Canyon off
the Verde River that’ll put us there and back in about a week.”

“I’d send the helos, but we just can’t spare the
fuel, not after last night,” Crawford said, as they walked up the switchbacks
to the hotel. “Gather any food and ammo you need and meet my men on the front
porch in an hour,” he said, looking at the two sisters. “They’ll be waiting for
you along with some fresh horses.”

“Where the hell are my Blackhawks? How am I supposed
to run this shit-show operation with an army of boot lickers and no tech
support,” said Nikki to the image on her laptop. “I want to launch the assault
on the ranchers in two weeks before the heavy snows come, and now you’re
telling me to make due!”

The clean cut man replied back, “What I said was to
improvise
.
You always do, and you’ve worked under far more primitive conditions and with
less than willing fighters,” he paused, rustling through some charts on his
desk. “My intel says that Professor James Pearson has the coordinates for the secondary
lab. Two of the other scientists have been caught and are being detained by us.
That leaves Pearson, who was on the river trip, and three others that are
unaccounted for. My other teams are searching for those men but we need
Pearson. He has the location for the potential vaccine for the next wave.”

“We’ve been through this before babe,” Nikki
scoffed. “What I need are the Blackhawks and some satellite imagery of the
enemy positions. I feel like I’m working with stone knives and bearskins up
here. I want to finish my end of the deal and get out of this one-cow town. As for
Pearson and his little Army bodyguard, I’ll take care of them myself.”

“Satellite tasking is a challenge right now. We
don’t want any attention drawn to our efforts, so Logan’s unit doesn’t pick up our
trail. He is still by the President’s side, in an undisclosed location,
assisting with keeping the remnant government intact. Logan’s covert unit
already got into a firefight with one of our teams trying to nab the first
scientist. We don’t need any more entanglements like that or our employer will
be...” he paused, taking in a deep breath, “…very put out, shall we say. The
Blackhawks and the weapons you requested are on the way by week’s end. That
will push your tactical abilities up considerably, without making it seem like
there’s a full-scale paramilitary operation unfolding.”

“I know the drill about low-pro operations- or did
you forget that we used to work side-by-side at one time, before you decided to
crawl up the skirt of the Sec-Def?”

“That’s enough Nik. I gotta.” he was interrupted by
her, “I know, I know, you gotta go blow some private,” she laughed, while the
man’s fists tightened. “Boy, I miss these chats,” Nikki said. “Let’s do this
again real soon. Until then, why don’t you work on trying out some different
brands of decaf coffee. It might soothe those jangled nerves you try so hard to
keep in check when you’re talking to me.”

“You snide bitch, do you know…” he said, while she
slammed the laptop closed on his red, ruffled face.

If I had been in charge from the start,
instead of that anemic fuck, this whole thing would have gone much smoother and
the vaccine would already be in our clutches.

Three days had passed since Rachel and Nora left for
the lineshack with a group of six fighters. Katy and Travis had to share a
small room on the ground floor of the hotel. He made sure to give his roommate
plenty of space, coming in late at night, only when she was asleep and avoiding
encounters with her in the room during the day. He needed to stay focused on
the task ahead in Durango, not on the sultry beauty that he kept averting his
eyes from. The last few weeks of fighting and evading had given him little time
to act on his feelings and, now, with other plans in mind, he couldn’t afford
the luxury. Crawford was flying to the town of Winslow in a few days to meet
with one of his leaders, and Travis wanted to be on that flight.

He was sitting in a wooden chair against the wall of
the small hotel room, pouring over the topo map, when Katy entered and sat down
on her bed a few feet from his. The vintage furniture and rustic charm of the
room cast a warm glow upon the setting.

“I haven’t seen you much lately. How did your talk
go with Crawford last night?” she said, running a brush through her long golden
curls.

“He’s still curious about why my mug shot is on a
wanted poster. I keep writing it off, but he’s too sharp-he knows I’m hiding
something.”

“How long are you going to keep what Jim told us from
him?”

“I’ve thought about this a great deal- it doesn’t
seem like a good idea to reveal, to a weary group of survivors who don’t know
me, that I have a potential vaccine. And, by the way- that’s why I’ve got a
bounty on my head.”

“I think these folks have a right to know about the
coming waves of the pandemic…that there could be a cure.”

“This is bigger than you and I and this place here.
There are more players in this game than just Jim, and since someone thinks I’m
tied up in this, that puts you and everyone here at risk as long as I stay.”

“Crawford seems like the kind of straight shooter
you can talk to. Maybe he and his people can help your plans move forward, rather
than just wingin’ it alone.”

He leaned forward. “Look, you’ve got a good thing
here, Katy. You can hole up with Crawford and his people until things settle
down, and then maybe work on getting back home. As soon as Pete and the rest
get back here, I’m gonna push on and try to get back to Denver on my own. The
group doesn’t need me anymore. I want to get as far north as possible and hole
up in the Four Corners area somewhere, before the heavy snows hit, then hoof it
back home in the spring.”

Katy’s hand paused in mid-brushstroke as she stared
at Travis. “What about…” her chin quivered while she searched for words, trying
to blot out her own feelings. “What about…the vaccine…the vaccine that Jim had?
What are you going to do with that?”

“I’m headed to Durango first, where there’s supposed
to be a research site that Jim told me about. I’ll drop it off there and then
my hands are clean of this affair. Afterwards, I can hopefully make it to Denver
before the next wave hits.”

“Really, a lab in the woods? And he just gave you
the address and street name while he was dying?”

Travis removed the metal cylinder from his pocket
and tossed it to her. “Those are the coordinates. That’s why I needed to get to
the airport and retrieve a topo map of the area around Durango.”

She opened up the cylinder and read the figures on
the yellowing paper with tightly clutched fingers. “So, the river trip is
finally over for you, and the clients can go on their way! Just like that,” she
said, tossing the cylinder back in his lap as she stood. “Time for Travis Combs
to burrow back into himself and go lone-wolf on his friends.” She crossed her
arms. “You can’t just be a leader one day and then toss that aside when it’s
time to pull up stakes.”

He glanced into her emerald eyes. “Look, this isn’t
me,” he said waving his hand. “What did you think I was going to do- settle
down here, carve out a home on this mountainside, and take up ranching? I
served my country for years; I served this group; I’m tired of
serving
! I
just want to get back home to my son, alright.”

“You’ve heard what the large cities are like,” she said,
moving forward. “I pray that your son is in good hands, but why don’t we do
this together. You don’t have to go it alone and be anyone’s guardian. You
always said that it’s the spirit of the people who follow, and the one who
leads, that gains the victory.”

“It was General Patton that said that and look at
what a curmudgeon he was,” Travis said, standing up and moving towards the door.

She blocked his way, placing her hand on his arm and
looking into his eyes. He wanted to pull her in to his embrace and let his
longings pour out. The muscles in his jaw tightened, then released. He placed one
hand over hers, caressing it. “You’ll do fine Katy Anders. You’re a spirited fighter
if ever there was one,” he said. Then he gently lowered her hand, while prying
his eyes away, and brushed past her on his way out the door.

Travis headed downstairs into the lobby where Crawford
and several of his men were studying maps on the wall next to an old saloon
counter. “Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time,” said Travis.

Crawford motioned to his men to continue without
him. “What’s on your mind since we last spoke?”

“I’d like to go with you to Winslow in a few days.”

“Uhm, any reason or just to tag along and see the outfit
up there.”

“I gotta be honest, you and your people have been
gracious hosts, but the thought of my son’s whereabouts keeps gnawing away at
me, and I can’t wait any longer. I need to set out towards Denver and get as
far as I can before winter sets in,” he said.

“I see. Well, that’s a surprise,” said Crawford,
rubbing his chin. “I can certainly understand wanting to get back home, but I
was under the impression that you were going to wait until spring time. What
changed your mind?”

“Look, maybe we can step outside and talk. There are
some things you should know.”