Transformation: Zombie Crusade VI (23 page)

“Barnes went for Fort Wayne; we should have anticipated it, but we didn’t. We had a traitor among us who sabotaged our defenses; they couldn’t blow the bridge—”

“Who?” Luke asked with a mix of disbelief and anger.

“Lieutenant Heder—Brittany’s boyfriend from Middle Bass.”

Luke was incredulous. “Red? Are you sure? I mean, we fought together—I saved his life . . .”

“He admitted it, talked about how valuable he was to Barnes and how I should treat him with respect because he outranked me. I didn’t tell you yet that he had Andi kidnapped. Heder delivered her straight to Barnes.”

Luke went white. “Are you sure?”

Jack voice was emotionless when he responded, “A crowd of us watched him dump Andi from a helicopter into a pack of hunters. I can still hear her scream, but it didn’t last long.”

Luke felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. “Andi’s dead? That son-of-a-bitch Barnes is even more psycho than I could have imagined. And Heder—if I hadn’t saved Heder—”

“It’s not your fault, Luke. There’s no way you could have known.”

“I’m so sorry . . .” Luke couldn’t find words to express what he was feeling.  “What about her girls?”

“When they evacuated Fort Wayne, a couple hundred kids and their relatives got out by train and were brought to Vicksburg. My sister and her family—I guess I should call her your Aunt Sarah—helped pull that off. Andi’s girls are here; they’re staying with Carter’s mom. She’s been like a grandmother to them, and Carter has other family here too. They’ll be well looked-after.”

“So Fort Wayne was completely evacuated?” Luke was having trouble putting all the pieces together.

“Here’s the summary—in the middle of a blizzard, Barnes sends in his army. The settlement fights as best as it can, but they don’t have a chance thanks to Heder. Andi is taken sometime during the battle. Deb and Hiram somehow manage to get most of the kids and some of their family members to the train, the rest evacuate by boat. Middle Bass was the rendezvous point, but Barnes wasn’t far behind there either. That’s where he dropped Andi, after having a little conversation with me. He would have finished all of us off, but the Canadians—the ones Father O’Brien had been talking with—came with an army of their own. They literally saved us. Turns out, Christy’s woman’s intuition was right after all—her cousin Michael led the charge.”

“So where is everybody now?”

“Our survivors are wintering with the Canadians, on Manitoulin Island.”

Luke swallowed before asking his next question. “Who else didn’t make it?”

“A lot of people, son. Father O’Brien, Hiram Anderson—”

“No, dammit . . .” A breath caught in Luke’s throat. “Give me some good news, if you have any.”

“David and Christy are fine—the due date’s only a few weeks off, and there are actual hospitals on the island. It’s a good place for them to be right now.”

Luke cocked his head. “Shouldn’t we expect Barnes to figure out a way to attack the island?”

“Someday, yes, but it presents some unusual challenges. It’s actually the largest freshwater island in the world; it’s incredibly well-organized and resourced, plus they’ve purposely not been drawing any attention to themselves. We know that Barnes has tried to transport the infected over water, and I’m sure he’ll try again, but I don’t think he even knows any specifics about where the Canadians came from.” Jack looked incredibly tired as he explained, “Barnes has other tricks up his sleeve we have to worry about—we know for a fact a settlement in Maine was told that the government had developed a vaccine, then when everybody lined up for the cure, they got infected instead.”

Luke stared at Jack with an expression of disbelief mixed with rage.

“My point is,” Jack continued, “I think Manitoulin is probably one of the safest places to be right now. We were all about to die on that lake, son; it was over. Those Canadians—”

“You said it was Christy’s cousin that led them?” Luke interrupted.

“Yeah, and the crazy thing is, Trudy had sent the message that we were evacuating the islands under pressure but got no response before we left. Hell, none of us really even considered the possibility of help arriving until those Canucks came roaring out of the Detroit River.”

“Good fighters?” Luke knew they were from everything Jack had said, but talking about battle tactics and fighting was a welcome distraction. He didn’t want to think about grieving right now.

“Damn good fighters,” Jack replied with obvious admiration. “Amazing cold weather tactics.” He leaned back in his chair. “But what about you? What have you been up to? T.C. says you arrived in style.”

Luke shrugged off the compliment. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. We’re leaving the Fox here—thought it might come in handy someday. Besides, we have three more.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You have three more? Where’d you manage to get your hands on those?”

“We’ve made camp at the Red River Depot. With the inventory there, our mechanics can afford to be choosy.

“Your mechanics?”

“I’ve raised a small contingent for the Allied Resistance. Zach, Maddy, and Gracie are each in charge of a company. We’ve recruited at settlements along the river, and trained folks to stay behind too.”

“So what’s your plan, son?”

“I had one of my feelings—at first I just knew that we needed to head west. I didn’t have a plan, but things just sorta fell into place. As of now, we’re armoring up and creating a massive mobile fortress. I think Barnes is going to hit Utah hard, and I want to stop that if I can.”

Jack nodded. “I agree that Barnes has his eye on Utah—not only are they allies of mine, but I think they’re probably the largest and most organized area in opposition to him. Plus, I can only imagine what he could have rounded up on the west coast if he has any organization out there—that army of hunters could be bigger than anything we’ve seen.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Luke agreed.

“So, no offence, Luke, but do you really think you could stop something like that with your new recruits?”

Luke leaned forward and stared directly into his father’s eyes. “You ever think the string of miracles we’ve survived by are more than just a series of coincidences?”

“I know you think they’re more,” Jack replied bitterly, “but it was no miracle when Andi fell from that helicopter.”

Luke couldn’t even bear to imagine having to watch Gracie suffer such a fate. For a moment, he wondered how Jack could go on, and he wasn’t sure if this was the time to share his plans for Utah. 

“I trust your instincts, Luke. If you’ve got something in mind for Barnes, I want to know,” Jack responded, reading his son’s mind. “Hell, I need to know, for a lot of reasons.”

Luke nodded pensively before opening up about some of the things he hadn’t even shared with Gracie. “Jack, I’ve got a connection to them—some of them anyway. Not like before, when I could sort of sense when they were nearby.”

Jack studied his son. “You’re talking about the hunters?”

Luke nodded. “Most of them are still pretty mindless, running on instinct and being led around by Barnes’ choppers and biotechnology. But you know they’re evolving—they always have been.”

“What are you trying to say, Luke?”

“I’m not completely sure; it’s more of a feeling than anything. Like when I knew we had to head west. But it isn’t only a feeling—I’ve been able to communicate with some of them. And I have dreams—”

“Dreams are just dreams,” Jack interrupted. “Your brain has to dream or you’ll go crazy, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

“I think I get what you’re trying to say, but I’m telling you I’ve got some sort of subconscious connection sometimes. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s there.”

“Just when you’re dreaming?” Jack sensed there was more to Luke’s story.

“No, I’ve had a couple, well, I don’t know what to call them—encounters? Like I said, most hunters are mindless, and I don’t question why they need to be eliminated. It’s doing them a favor; it’s doing all of us a favor.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“Change is coming, Jack. Barnes has taken too much for granted. He’s going to lose control of his hunters.”

Jack looked thoughtful, then troubled. “I’m not sure that would be good news. At least with Barnes herding them up, and using them for his purposes, we know where they are. We know what their objective is. If you’re trying to say that the hunters are becoming smarter and autonomous and that they will be able to communicate with us . . .” He paused and rubbed his temples as if trying to will away an approaching headache.

Luke didn’t want to add to his father’s stress. “Geez, Jack, it’s not like I’m having conversations with every hunter I see. I just can get a sense of them, and they’re not going to be susceptible to Barnes forever. My gut tells me this is an opportunity—not a problem. At least not for the foreseeable future.”

“So you’re basically saying that this will be an issue for Barnes—something he’s not expecting, that we might be able to take advantage of?”

“It’s just one of my feelings right now, and I haven’t shared it with anyone else, but yeah, that’s the sense I get.”

“So in the meantime, you and your forces are planning to give Utah some back-up,” Jack summarized.

“Our forces,” Luke corrected. “We’re part of your Allied Resistance Army. Ultimately, we all answer to you, Jack.” He wondered if it would ever feel natural to call someone other than Jerry “dad.”

Again, Jack seemed to read his mind. “I know that Jerry raised you, and from everything I’ve heard, I know I couldn’t have asked for a better man to be your stepdad. But I’m also your father, and any time you feel comfortable with it, I’d be honored to have you call me Dad too.”

Luke smiled uncomfortably. “Ok, um, Dad? Dad two? What, uh, are your plans for the immediate future?”

Jack laughed out loud. “I think you should stick with Jack for now. And we’re keeping most of our fighters on Manitoulin, in case Barnes decides to make an appearance after all. Right now, Tina and Marcus are planning a trip back to the Castle; Redders and some others were trapped there, but well-hidden. We’ve lost contact with them, but the Castle’s resources should hold out as long as they can get to them.”

“I would’ve thought you’d send Carter since he knows that place better than anyone,” Luke commented as the door to the meeting house swung open.

Jack shook his head, “Speak of the devil . . .”

Carter Wilson spotted Jack and Luke the instant he walked through the door. The rangy Kentuckian let out a whoop and sprinted across the room, nearly knocking over the table as he skidded to a halt next to Luke. “Ya made it, kid. I knew if anyone could do it, it’d be Luke Seifert, and here ya are.” He stepped back a little when he noticed Luke’s eyes. “Whoa Nelly, they weren’t lyin’ ‘bout them hunter-eyes of yours, not one damn bit.”

Jack winked at Luke, who understood exactly what to do. “Arrggh,” he growled, snapping his teeth together several times for added effect. Carter jumped back as Luke snarled at him, until the snarl turned to wheezing gasps for air as both he and Jack collapsed into fits of hysterical laughter.

“That ain’t funny, Luke!” Carter complained, though a smile was slowly spreading across his reddened face. “Ain’t funny at all.”

CHAPTER 19

Thelma was relaxing on the patio, under a cantilever umbrella, watching Andi swim laps in the pool. “My dear, don’t you ever get tired? I’m exhausted just watching you.”

“You should get in—it’s refreshing,” Andi countered.

“You mean cold, and I don’t swim anyway.” Thelma adjusted the brim on her floppy hat. “Besides, with fair skin like ours, we should be avoiding the sun. You’re likely to burn out there—come join me in the shade.”

“I could teach you how to swim,” Andi offered with more than a little ambivalence. She could never decide whether or not she hated Thelma—would she enjoy drowning her? She wondered if Barnes could swim . . .

“Oh, I’m too old for that nonsense. Now come sit with me and I’ll have the help bring us a late lunch. You’re still too thin—it’s not healthy.”

Andi climbed out of the pool and wrapped herself in a towel. “Either I exhaust you with my energy, or I’m not healthy—which is it?”

Thelma sighed. “You are as exasperating as a child.”

Andi briefly froze at the word “child.” It took considerable effort to live in the moment, to constantly assess possible avenues of escape, and to play the role of Andi Carrell whenever Barnes was around. She didn’t feel like Andi Carrell anymore; she wouldn’t allow herself to feel anything at all. Her goal was to live in a state of cold, calculating enmity. Sometimes, she had to pretend to be the woman who’d been engaged to Jack Smith, the social studies teacher with two beautiful young daughters, but it was just an act to manipulate Barnes and his lackeys. Andi Carrell, if she even existed anymore, was locked far, far away from this alternate reality. Sometimes, the new Andi would be caught off guard by a sight or a smell, and a memory would vie for her attention, but she wouldn’t allow it to surface.

“Are you thinking of your children, dear?” Thelma pried. “You get that faraway look when—”

“I’m thinking about lunch,” Andi interrupted. “Do you think they’ll have any of the roast beef leftover from last night? What wine should we get?”

“I’m sure they’ll have leftovers; when I inspected the kitchen yesterday afternoon they were making enough to feed an army.” Thelma was easily distracted by questions about food. “We could have them make us sandwiches with lemon-basil mayo and roasted red onions, and pair that with a full-bodied, youthful red—maybe a Shiraz.”  

Andi decided that drowning Thelma might be satisfying after all. “You’re the expert on such things,” she said with a shrug. “If you’ll arrange the food, I’d like to go upstairs and get some dry clothes on.”

“Of course, dear.” Thelma rang a little bell and a soldier seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Escort Ms. Carrell to her room so she can change for lunch.” She turned to Andi. “I’ll have everything set up out here in half an hour.”

Andi followed the soldier inside, and her eyes hadn’t adjusted from the bright sunlight when another man in uniform stepped in front of her. She recognized so-called President Barnes the instant he spoke.  “Ah, Ms. Carrell, I’m glad to see that you’re enjoying the amenities of this fine location.” The soldier escorting Andi maintained his salute until Barnes half-heartedly returned the gesture.

Andi squinted at Barnes. “Do you swim?”

“As a matter of fact, I’m an excellent swimmer. I was even captain of my high school swim team. Perhaps we should start a morning ritual—a few pre-breakfast laps?”

Andi tried to picture Barnes as a high school student, but found the task impossible. “Perhaps,” she replied, “but I’ve grown fond of sleeping in. Will we be staying here long?”

Barnes pursed his thin lips. “As long as necessary. I do rather like the weather here; I think perhaps California should be the new national capitol.”

“It might be appropriate; after all, the San Andreas Fault is due for a major adjustment.” Andi shivered, “I was on my way to get dressed for lunch with Thelma—”

“By all means, be on your way.” Barnes waved his hand dismissively. “I’m due for an update from my operatives in Utah. They’re earning major bonuses for embedding themselves with such insufferably boring people.”

It was standing room only in the meeting house, with an expanding crowd outside, once word got around that Luke was back in town. While a few vocal extremists had riled up the settlement after Luke emerged from his hunter-bite fever with black eyes and a thick pink scar on his hand, most citizens of Vicksburg still considered him one of the heroes of the resistance. For many, his miraculous recovery only served to enhance his already near-mythic reputation. With several refugees from Fort Wayne added to the mix, the atmosphere in and around the massive room was beginning to resemble a mob of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrity. Harden assigned a couple dozen soldiers to crowd control.

Luke sat between Carter’s mother and sister and mostly listened as they provided details about the people his heart ached for—family and friends he hoped could forgive him for not being there when they could have used his help.

“. . . and Deb won’t leave Christy’s side now that the baby is almost here. Carter wanted her to come here to Vicksburg with him, but she wouldn’t hear of it—”

Charlotte interrupted her mother, “She’s probably getting used to running things on her own.” Carter kicked her under the table. “Oww. Deb’s a saint. So how’s Gracie? I wish you’d have brought her; I miss that girl.”

Luke grinned. “She’s running the show back at the depot. That place is massive, and we’re rounding up all kinds of vehicles and supplies while keeping an eye out for pockets of the infected.”

“That doesn’t sound like fun to me,” Charlotte said with an involuntary shudder. “So how long can you stay with us?”

“What time is it? I’d really just planned on dropping off the kids and heading right back.” Luke looked over at Jack who was talking to Harden several feet away. “I didn’t expect to find my father here.”

“Ya’ll should at least spend the night—head back at the crack a dawn,” Carter suggested.  “That depot ain’t goin’ anywhere, and we should be coordinatin’ our efforts.”

“And Andi’s girls want to see you—they’re with Sarah and her kids down the street at the clinic,” Charlotte said persuasively. “They’re meetin’ with your friends from Texarkana—you know Sarah should’ve been a doctor.”

Harden walked over and tapped Luke on the shoulder. “I hate to interrupt, but I think it might be a good idea if you said a few words to the crowd, maybe here and outside too. Seems like you’re a pretty popular fella.”

“I didn’t feel so popular when I got here,” Luke pointed out half-jokingly. “I’ll make a statement or two—thank everyone for their interest, let them know that I’m doing well and that we’re recruiting for the Allied Resistance in Texas—but then my men and I are going to hit the road.” He looked over at Charlotte. “I don’t want to worry Gracie.”

“Sounds like ya need better long-range radios,” Carter pointed out.

“We haven’t wanted to advertise our position,” Luke explained, “but we’ll make sure to have what we need before we leave Red River.”

Jack had returned to the table in time to hear the latter part of the conversation. “So you’re heading back this afternoon?”

Luke felt conflicted—he wanted to spend more time with Jack and Carter, but he didn’t want to deal with the crowd or his newfound popularity. “I need to get back tonight, but it was a pretty easy road trip. We might be able to bring some more armored vehicles your way.”

“I should come with you,” Jack decided. “I’d like to have a look at that depot myself.”

“I’d love the company,” Luke responded, “but you’re in direct contact with Utah from here, and you can get up-to-date specifics about their defenses without setting off any extra alarms. Plus, you’ve got Redders and the Castle to deal with ASAP. Give me a few days and I’ll have a better idea about what’s available at the depot, and you’ll have a better idea about what’s up in Utah and Indiana.”

Jack rubbed his chin as he considered Luke’s suggestion. “I think your idea makes sense, but I want you back here in three days or I’m coming to you.”

“Deal,” Luke agreed. “Will you let Andi’s girls know I’m thinking about them?”

“I’ll tell them you had to leave on a secret mission, but that you’ll be bringing them something special very soon.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “So what should I bring them?”

“You’re staying at a supply depot—I’m sure you can find something,” Jack replied. “Better yet, just have Gracie take care of it.”

“Good thinking.” Luke reached out to shake Jack’s hand. “Now I guess I better give my regards to the good people of Vicksburg before it gets any later.”

The small convoy was making good time on the trip back to the depot, even though the sun had begun to set well before they’d reached the Texas border. Luke was riding shotgun in the lead Hummer while Jenkins drove and recounted tall tales he claimed were all true childhood adventures, “. . . so I was with my mama on Narrow’s Bridge when we heard the siren pullin’ us over. We still hadn’t fixed our headlight from when the deer ran into us, and mama was swearin’ ‘cause she figured we’d be gettin’ a ticket. She told me to double over and say I was sick for sympathy—truth is, we were so busy tryin’ to figure out how to avoid that ticket that we weren’t payin’ attention to where we was. It was common knowledge that we were in the stretch where that officer got killed in the fifties, and people had been getting’ pulled over by his ghost ever since—”

“That’s an urban legend,” Luke protested.

“It’s not when you’ve seen it for yourself,” Jenkins countered. “And fifteen or sixteen members of my family saw that officer with their own eyes one time or another. He was still drivin’ that old patrol car—”

Luke was grinning. “Fifteen or sixteen family members?”

Jenkins nodded. “I come from a big family. We’d all get together for holidays, and we’d have to rent out the church basement just to fit us all in. We had a tradition where Grandma would pour fresh cream in a jar, and we’d pass it around the table, takin’ turns giving it a good shake. By the time it got back to Grandma, it was butter.” He squinted in the rearview mirror, “Looks like they’re slowin’ down behind us.”

The radio crackled and the voice of one of Gracie’s men interrupted Jenkin’s latest story, “Find a spot to pull over when you can; Kordel enjoyed too many desserts back at Vicksburg and says he’s gettin’ the runs.”

“Jesus, can’t he hold it? We’re only about half an hour out.”

“You wouldn’t ask that if you were riding with him—just pull over and we’ll keep him covered.”

Sergeant Jenkins grumbled under his breath as he eased his Hummer to the side of the highway, “Least we’re back in farm country.”

“I’ll go back and have a word with them,” Luke offered. “I’d like to stretch my legs anyway.” He grabbed his bow and hopped out the door.

The night was crisp and cold; a full moon illuminated the area, reflecting off the patchy snow on the ground and in the trees. Luke jogged back to the second vehicle, thinking that the noisy engines disrupted what would otherwise be a tranquil scene and would likely attract any hunters from miles around.

“We’ll be back on the road in five minutes, sir,” one of the young soldiers called out when he saw Luke approaching.

“Make it four,” Luke responded curtly. He didn’t sense any immediate danger, but he felt as if they were being watched. Not threatened—just watched. He sniffed the air and decided that there were still cattle nearby from the ranches that had been common in this area. His stomach growled, and he wondered why hunters hadn’t been attracted here in droves. He decided that Barnes must have taken advantage of this region when he was rounding up flesh-eaters for the attack on Vicksburg. Thinking about Barnes made him think about all the things Jack had said, especially about Andi. Luke couldn’t help but wonder how he would have reacted if Gracie had suffered such a fate, and he wished he would have taken Jack up on his offer to come along on the trip back to the depot. For the first time, he felt an overwhelming connection to Jack, not just as the heroic leader of the resistance, but as his natural father.
Why did I leave him behind again? He needs me--

Luke’s thoughts were interrupted by a new feeling: a presence, both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time . . . He quietly slipped off the road and over a leafless thicket blanketing a mostly crushed wire fence.  About twenty feet ahead, a large alpha stepped out from the meager tree-line and took a few deliberate steps toward Luke. Even though he didn’t feel threatened, Luke subconsciously readied his bow. The hunter slowly advanced, making a strange noise, with one hand extended in front of him.

Jack had tried to slip away from the meeting house unnoticed after Luke left, but Charlotte had her eye on him. She jogged to catch up as he walked to nowhere in particular. “Did Luke look taller to you?” Charlotte asked, quickly falling into pace with Jack.

“Not taller—bigger,” Jack corrected.

“You’re right,” Charlotte agreed, still slightly out-of breath. “I’d even call him beasty but that might not be appropriate under the circumstances.”