The Malefic Nation (Graham's Resolution Book 4) (19 page)

It was nearly dusk by the time the last of them arrived at the hideout. Again Mark and McCann guarded the entrance after they’d moved the vehicles down into the forest, keeping the prisoners secure in one of the trucks.

There were greetings and hugs, and then remorse followed because no one could forget Tala. It felt as if they were leaving her behind. Their plan was underway, but for now it remained a mystery as to how they would place the prisoners in the most populated areas to be as efficient as possible for their purposes.

After Dalton set up a tent for him and Clarisse, he found her gazing into the campfire while rubbing her sore neck.

“Let me take a look at that,” he said clicking on a flashlight.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll survive.”

He shone the light around the front of her neck and décolletage anyway, despite her protests. He flicked off the light and growled, got up and walked away.

He returned shortly after retrieving an instant ice pack and two ibuprofen with a bottle of water from their medical kit. By the time Clarisse had taken the ibuprofen and drank some water, the ice pack was getting chilly. Dalton had Clarisse hold it to her neck, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. What he had seen with the flashlight made him want to go to the prisoner van and take it out on the aggressor.

“Did you pass out?”

She looked at him and smiled, trying to ease his worry. “Nearly, but not quite. The other prisoner, the older one, he stopped her. I thought it was Sam at first, but it wasn’t. If it hadn’t been for that man . . .” She shook her head, not knowing what might have happened.

Dalton growled again and pulled her toward him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I sent you to do something far too dangerous. It’s my fault.”

“Dalton,
all
of this is too dangerous. We still have to get them into populated areas. We still have to place them. We may die doing it, but we know it must be done.”

He nodded. “You need some sleep. You’re going to be pretty sore tomorrow.”

He kissed Clarisse and helped her up. She went into their tent and he closed the flap so that she’d have some privacy. Then he went to find Rick and the others and warned himself to steer clear of the prisoner van. He didn’t trust what he might do the woman after seeing how she nearly killed Clarisse. They needed to make plans, and they needed to make them now.

When he approached the others, Rick had just shut the prisoners up for the night after giving them food and water and a blanket each.

“The boy’s definitely running a fever already. Could it be the virus so soon?” He washed and dried his hands while he talked. “The woman,” he shook his head. “I felt her head, but no such luck, she seems fine. Same as the man.”

“Do you think they know what they’ve been given?” Graham asked.

Rick shook his head, “I think the older guy does, but I’m not sure about the others.”

“Well it doesn’t matter,” Dalton said. “Tomorrow we head back to the cabins on Ross Lake, and after that we’ll need to designate the three best places to plant them.”

“There were two seaplanes in a hanger back on the south end of Ross Lake—remember? Who knows how to fly?” Graham asked. “I sure don’t.”

“Well, I do,” Dalton said. “I can take one. Rick does, and Reuben did. Clarisse also has a license, but there’s no way in hell she’s going. She’s needed with the group. Sam, I don’t suppose you fly?”

“Um . . . no.” Sam said.

“What about McCann?” Dalton asked Graham.

“He’s on watch. I don’t think so unless he flew crop dusters, but something tells me I don’t want him running this one just like you don’t want Clarisse to.”

Dalton agreed.

“I suppose one of us could take two of the prisoners.
If
we can find enough fuel, that is,” Rick said.

“In any event, I think the cabins on the lake are a defensible place to be, and we can plan from there.”

“What about the dam guy?” Graham said.

“Are we sure there is a dam guy?” Rick said.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the dam guy’s there,” Sam put in. “That didn’t happen on its own.”

“All right, let’s get some sleep before sunup. We’ll deal with that dam guy tomorrow,” Dalton said, fully aware that even in these dark and tense moments the men were again having a bit of fun with wordplay.

Everyone retired to the tents as the last rays of sunlight had disappeared behind the mountains.

Graham went over to Olivia to retrieve the baby. Although she offered to keep Tehya for the night, he wanted her with him. He didn’t mind waking and feeding her and peering into her eyes, as dark brown as Tala’s were. He found it a comfort and, above all, he wanted the baby to know
he
was her father.

Bang followed him sleepily to his tent too and settled down with a pallet between them to keep the baby safe.

Dalton had watched as they retired to the tent. He wished more than anything that he could bring Tala back for Graham. He knew the pain: losing his own wife Kim had been excruciating, even though when she died he no longer loved her the way that Graham loved Tala. This reminded him that he’d nearly lost Clarisse today, and he found himself walking toward her before he’s intended to—if anything, just to hold her and pray that he could get them all through this safe and sound.

Early the next morning, they broke camp and eased back into the road leading to Ross Lake’s northern shore. The barge remained where they had left it, and again they spent hours transferring the vehicles down the lake to the cabins. They thought about how best to keep the prisoners, and though Rick entertained the idea of putting them up in cabin 7, where Rueben and his family had stayed the last time, Sam argued that the escape risk was just too great and he didn’t have enough duct tape left for the woman, so they would remain in the truck for now.

Graham opened the door to cabin 8, holding the baby in his arms, but without Tala by his side. It seemed lonely and quiet. Macy picked up on his melancholy and offered to take the baby for a while. He let her. As he unloaded their belongings, he found himself still in a daze. He put everything where it had once been—without Tala to tell him were it should go.
God, how I miss her.

“Graham, Dalton’s called a meeting. They want you to come by the office,” Mark said.

Graham looked at Macy. “Don’t worry. I’ve got Tehya,” she said.

“She needs a bottle in a few minutes,” Graham reminded her.

“It’s all right—really, go ahead. I can take care of her. I’ll make us some lunch too,” she said.

Graham looked around at the kids,
his kids
: Macy holding the baby; Bang watching Graham, but leaning against Mark; Marcy in the kitchen, putting things away; and McCann holding the door open for him while keeping one eye on the lake for intruders.

“I’ll watch them. Don’t worry,” McCann said.

Graham nodded. This was indeed his family now. Each of them had come to him at some point over the past year, and in such a short time they had come to depend on one another as any family would. He still hadn’t figured out how he would go on without Tala, but having this family helped him, made it possible for him to draw each next breath into his ragged lungs.

“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

~ ~ ~

“Do you think the gas in the planes is still good?” Sam asked as Graham walked through the office doorway.

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Rick said.

Then Dalton and Clarisse walked into the office as well.

“This is it, guys,” Dalton began when everyone was settled. “This is where we plan to save the world after the greatest crime of all time.”

“I know there’s not that many of us, but we’re going to do what we can and hopefully when this is all over we can find others out there who not only managed to survive the pandemic but also hid from the barbarians.”

“Who’s flying the planes, and when are we leaving?” Rick asked, “I don’t think the boy is going to last too much longer.”

“I just gave him some ibuprofen to reduce his fever. That should help,” Clarisse interjected.

It seemed odd to care for the people they were using as weapons. It seemed even odder to be in the situation they now found themselves in, but that was life. The only way to win now was to fight fire with fire.

Dalton unfolded a map of the United States. “To answer your question, Rick, you will take one of them, and I’ll take the other two. You should be able get there and back with a full tank. I’ll have to land somewhere and find more fuel for the rest of the trip.”

“Wait! There has to be another way! You can’t deposit both of them on your own and make it back,” Clarisse complained. She was certain this plan meant death for Dalton. Graham realized this was the closest he’d ever seen her to hysterics.

Dalton put his arm around Clarisse. “There’s no other way. Rick and I are the only ones who can how to fly. We only have two planes. As it stands, that’s the plan,” he diverted his attention back to the map. “We’ll leave tonight, after dark. Rick, you’ll take yours over to Seattle. That’s our first, best option”—he drew his finger along the map—“from our current position at Ross Lake to Lake Union in Seattle. Use your best judgment to get him close to population. Then, get your ass back here.”

“I’ll sedate them for the trip. It should make it easier for you to put them into place,” Clarisse said, her voice still on the edge of emotion.

Rick nodded. “Anything to make it easier.”

Dalton took a deep breath, “That leaves me and the other two. I’m going to head to L.A. with both of them.”

“Dalton no! You’ll never get out of there. That’s a one-way trip!” Clarisse exclaimed.

Dalton responded quietly, “Look, there’s no other way, but I have a plan. I may not even have to land in a public place. I’ll find something remote, and then I’ll make my way back. I’ll travel by night. It will take me a while, but I
will
make it back, plus it will be a good opportunity to see if the plan is working along the way. I could even hide out for a while until I think it’s safe.”

Graham swallowed hard. The plan was suicide, and even he knew it. He glanced at Clarisse. Silent tears rolled down her face, her arms crossed over herself; she knew it too.

Dalton studied the map, leaning over it with both hands, “I wish we could get one of them to Denver, but we only have the two planes,” he said, ignoring the emotion filling the room.

Later in the afternoon, while everyone else settled in at the cabins, Dalton, Sam, and Rick boated back to the hanger on the south end of Ross Lake that they’d discovered on their last trip to see if the planes were still in working order.

Dalton unlocked the latch on the hanger door and pushed it open; the metal clanging reverberated across the lake.

“Well, they’re still here,” Dalton said.

“Let me check the fuel levels,” Rick said, sliding a foot over to the pontoon of the first seaplane. Sam stood guard at the door; they were still antsy over the possibility of a dam guy.

Dalton was thankful that Graham had agreed to keep watch back at the cabins. Clarisse was still upset with Dalton over his latest scheme to save the world. She had every right, he supposed, but there really was no other choice. He’d make it back to them—
he would
—and he thought he’d managed to convince Clarisse of this.

“There’s some, but we’ve got to get more. There’s a fuel station at the end of the dock. I hope there’s enough for the trips we plan on taking. Let’s see if we can get her started up,” Rick said and continued to check out the engine.

“Okay, while you’re doing that, I’ll go check the fuel station and see how full it is. I noticed that there was both marine fuel and aviation fuel the last time we passed through.” Rick nodded, and Dalton walked along the wooden dock as he heard the plane’s engine sputter and finally kick to life. Rick decide to let it run for a while and went to check out the other plane. Dalton’s footsteps ceased to be heard over the engine noise. The fuel station was located not far from the dam itself. Everything looked desolate. Though the late afternoon sun glowed still, there was a slight breeze of warm air. Kim had often commented that these conditions were
fire weather
; Dalton hoped that wasn’t the case today. The closer he got to the dam building, the more the hair on his arms started to rise.

There was something about the building itself that bugged him. The last time they were here, the concrete and steel building was locked up tight. They could have blasted their way in, but there was no need to waste ammo or attract attention at the time.

Dalton stopped at the fuel tanks and checked their level. Satisfied there was enough for their needs, he stood still, enjoying the warm summer breeze. He put his hands on his hips, and chuckled a little to himself. Clarisse called this his John Wayne pose. Now, ever since she’d first said that, he couldn’t do it without thinking of her smiling at him. He’d do his best to make it back to her and his boys, but if he didn’t, he’d kill himself to make this mission successful. He’d do it gladly.

It was good to be back on his own turf. He’d missed it every day while they were in Canada. He felt like a traitor while they were there. He heard the next plane’s engine sputter to life and then turned around when he heard a metal door screeching open from behind him. He spun on his boot heel, weapon automatically drawn, and down to one knee he flew.

“Don’t shoot!” came a voice he didn’t recognize.

Then, of all the shocks he could have endured right then, he never in his life expected to see Sheriff running at him, full tilt.

“Sheriff?” he held his arms wide open for the dog, who flew into him and slobbered all over him. Dalton forgot the stranger for a moment in his confusion.

When he looked up, a man stood with his arms held high above his head. He was balding and had more hair in his white mustache and beard than on his head. He stood there dressed in a neat blue plaid shirt and jeans. Dalton continued to pet Sheriff with his left hand, but kept his gun in the right.

“Who are you?”

“Dalton, you okay?” Sam yelled, and that’s when Dalton realized the engine noise had stopped.

“Yeah!” he yelled back.

“Is that
Sheriff
?” Rick yelled this time, but Dalton didn’t answer. Instead he waited for the stranger to say something.

“My name’s James. I’m the dam superintendent,” he said.

“Okay. Please don’t move,” Dalton said.

“I won’t. I’m not armed.”

Then, as Rick and Sam came up behind Dalton, they ran to Sheriff, who launched into another fit of slobbering welcome.

“I never thought we’d see him again! Wait till the kids find out!” Rick exclaimed.

“Who is
that
guy?” Sam asked suddenly.

“Is he the dam guy?” Rick asked before Dalton could answer.

“Yeah, he’s the dam guy. This is James, the dam superintendent,” Dalton said in a kind of trance as he stared at the guy.
Graham was right! Holy hell!

“Where did you find him?” Dalton asked James.

The old man took a breath and motioned with his arms. “Can I put my arms down?”

“Turn around first, please,” Dalton said and the old man complied. He patted the man down and found no weapons. “Okay, you can put your arms down.”

“After you guys left the last time, a few days later I followed your tracks north for a while, I found this dog, injured, along with two others. I recognized them from the surveillance cameras I have up.” He nodded. “Yes, I watched you on your last trip through. I keep track of this place, and Ross Lake as well. It’s my job to take care of the whole area, including Ross Dam. I keep the dam running and keep the cabins in shape. I didn’t mean to scare you all that night when I turned on the power. I could see how it spooked you. Sorry about that.”

“Are you susceptible to the virus?” Dalton asked.

“No, I guess not. My whole family passed. Everyone who worked here, they’re all gone too,” he said with a wave of his hand as if those he knew had flown away on the heated breeze.

“So you’re immune, then?” Sam said.

“I suppose so but thanks for leaving the vaccine. I have them in the refrigerator.”

Remembering Graham’s warnings Rick asked. “Do you have a problem with us here? Using your equipment?” Rick wanted to know where on the crazy meter this guy might turn up.

“I listen to the radio. I know what’s going on out there. You’re the only
Americans
I’ve seen here in a long time. Use whatever you want.”

“Have you seen the terrorists? Have they been here?” Dalton asked.

“Nope, not yet. They’re in Seattle, and they’re closing in on the Coulee Dam. Were small fry for now, but it won’t be long,” James said in a warning tone.

“What do you plan to do?” Dalton asked.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but I’ll go down with the ship, so to speak,” he said. “What do you people plan to do?”

Dalton wasn’t sure he could trust the man. “We’re working on something.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said with a grin. “If you need the planes, go ahead and take them. I have one more in a hanger to the west”—he pointed—“tucked away in the trees over there.” He pointed.

“Look, James, may I shake your hand properly?” Dalton asked.

“Sure,” James said, taking a few steps toward Dalton. They met in the middle. All three shook his hand, and it was more of series of embraces—acknowledgment of the living, of those who’d been through hell and continued on.

Sheriff ran over to James and he reached down and petted his head. “He’s a great dog. The others are down below, but I thought you guys would recognize him first. He seems to be the alpha.”

“He
is
a great dog. I know some kids who are going to really be happy to see him again,” Sam said.

“How did you come about them?” Dalton asked.

“Well, I keep tabs on things around here. I knew about the tidy group up in Hope, and I assumed that’s where you were headed. Then one day I decided to take a hike north to be sure you guys made it. I saw what looked like a scuffle before their roadblock. Shell casings littered the roadway. I assumed the worst. Then, I ran into this guy. He was injured. A bullet must have grazed his back flank, but he’s healed well now. Two others followed him out of the woods. I keep them inside most of the time. There are wild dogs around here that will eat a man alive now, and I didn’t want them falling into those packs.”

Dalton felt for Sheriff’s injury and found he’d healed over well.

“We, um . . . we had some trouble with the group in Canada and we thought the dogs might be dead,” Rick said.

“Well, I’ve got a surprise for you. Not only are they alive, but one of the others
multiplied
a few weeks ago,” James said.

It was Rick that finally uttered, “What?”

“You mean Elsa?” Sam asked.

“She had nine pups,” James said, “One didn’t make it.”

“She had eight puppies?” Dalton asked to confirm the statement.

James nodded. “Yes, and I’m pretty sure this one”—he pointed to Sheriff—“is the culprit, judging from the puppies’ markings. Some are white, while others are a combination of the two. Cute little things.”

Dalton’s radio vibrated and he stepped away from the group to talk to Graham on the other end while the conversation carried on behind him.

“Everything okay?” Graham asked. “Over.”

“Yeah. You’re never gonna guess who we met. Over.”

“Who? Over.”

“The dam guy.”

“Dalton, do you need help? Over.”

“No, it’s okay. He’s fine, Graham, trust me.”

“Don’t trust him, Dalton.”

“He has Sheriff, Graham.”

“He has
what
?”

“Sheriff!”

“He has
Sheriff
? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s great. Would Sheriff trust a bad guy?”

“No never. Oh, my God. Get him back here!”

“We will, buddy. It’s okay. There are other surprises too.”

“Okay, be careful, Dalton. Over.”

“Always. Out.”

When Dalton returned to the group, James was saying, “I’ll take you guys below, if you’d like to see the pups.”

“Sure, but we need to get back soon. If you don’t mind, we’ll take Sheriff and the others back with us. Why don’t you come with us too, and then we’ll make plans from there?”

He could see James was a little skittish. He was an older man and had been on his own for a long time now.

“That’d be nice. I haven’t seen too many people. Only the ones dying. I couldn’t believe it when I was the only one left. I’ve worked and lived here nearly my whole life except for stints in Vietnam and Korea.

“Then, listening to the radio, I figured out what was going on. There are some uprisings going on, scattered here and there in the country. There’s a fight going on now in Texas. Some survivors are holding out, but they don’t stand a chance for long. There are too many of the jihadists. I was a pilot back in Vietnam. I can help with whatever you’re planning.”

“Sounds like you got some good radio equipment in there. What else can you tell us?” Rick said.

The old man took a deep breath to calm himself. “It’s like a cancer spreading and taking over. Those who are surviving are doing their best, but it doesn’t look good. There was a group down in Virginia, probably the first one that was well organized, like you guys. They had big coordinated plans, lots of weapons, but then they were wiped out. Every last one of them. A lady was broadcasting the events taking place. It was a massacre. Whatever you’re planning, I hope it works. I’d rather go down fighting than sit here on my ass listening to it all. That’s why I introduced myself. I figured that since you guys had come back there must be a plan.”

They were all in a mild state of shock from James’s information.

“At least there are some survivors left. That means there’s hope,” Sam said.

“Yes, hope and a plan that we’d better get started on or we’ll miss our chance,” Dalton said.

James brought them below and pretty soon the grown men were reduced to coos as cuddly round balls of fur greeted them.

“You did good, Elsa,” Sam said, petting her. He noticed that Frank no longer wore his splint and had only the slightest limp. He’d healed well.

Dalton could swear the dog smiled at his compliment while she enjoyed the attention.

“Gosh, Dutch would be shocked to see this,” Dalton said.

Sam and Rick lowered their heads and nodded automatically to the mention of Dutch.

“He was one we lost over in the battle of Cascade, where we came from. Bravest soldier I’ve ever met,” Dalton explained to James.

Inside the dam building everything was neat and tidy. James showed them the radio and monitor room where he spent most of his time. Knowing James spent a lot of time locked inside, Dalton saw why the man kept busy. It was a lonely, concrete and steel tomb. Nothing about the man alarmed Dalton, though he wore the same look that they all carried, the shock of tragedy was on his face, as it was on the faces of all survivors.

“Here’s a box we can use to transport the pups. I’ll pack a bag for myself to stay in the cabins overnight. By the way, I noticed you guys are missing five members. Did something happen over in Hope?”