Caldera | Book 12 | Kingdom Come Page 4

  He stood at attention as the truck bore down on him and fought the urge to smile again when the driver locked up the vehicle, screeching the tires to a stop just yards away.

  He watched as the three men studied him. Surely they were admiring his brilliantly white shirt and finely tailored suit. He squared his shoulders when the passenger door opened and a rough looking fellow stepped into the streets.

  It was his time to shine.

  Jedidiah took a deep breath and let the words of the Lord fly. “You are about to bear witness to the Lord’s wrath!” He reached into his freshly pressed coat and withdrew his King James Version of the Bible. He held it out at arm’s length. “As it was written, so shall it be!” He shook the Bible at the men and watched as the others stepped from the vehicle.

  The fellow on the passenger side yelled something to him, but he must have spoken in tongues. His words made no sense. Jedidiah cringed at the barbarians and let the Bible drop to his side. “These Holy Scriptures may mean nothing to you and your heathen horde, but I assure you, the Lord has assembled his army and they are but days away from continuing the cleansing that God hath begun!”

  He watched as the tall, dark haired man that was driving withdrew a rifle and pointed it at him, his eye pressed to the ocular of a high powered scope. “Go ahead! Use your heathen weapon! The Lord will deflect your fire and rain down upon you and yours his very WRATH!” Jedidiah spun a slow circle, his arms outstretched. “Step forth, my children! Show the wicked the strength of our Lord and Savior!”

  He stopped and faced the three men again and smirked as they all turned ashen-faced and slowly began to withdraw to their vehicle again. “Go ahead! Run! Run as fast as you can! There will be no escape for the wicked!” He watched the truck back up quickly, its tires squealing on the dry pavement. “Run away and tell all your barbarian friends that the Lord’s army is coming for you! Tell them I’m coming!” He thrust the Bible towards the retreating truck and screamed, “Tell them that Hell’s opening its gates for them, and I’m leading the way!”

  5

  “What the hell was that?” Rich asked, his voice catching in his throat.

  “Zombie Pilgrim,” Roger replied as he slid the truck around a corner. “I thought the Pilgrims were pacifists?”

  “Whatever he is,” Hatcher began, “he ain’t happy, and he’s got enough infected with him to do us some serious damage.”

  “I didn’t see any guns in their hands,” Rich replied. “If we can keep them—”

  “Shit!” Roger yelled, tapping the brakes. He glanced to Hatcher. “We still need ammo.”

  Hatcher swallowed hard. “Lots of ammo.” He patted the dash and pointed ahead. “Give them a wide berth. I don’t want them following us.”

  Rich leaned forward and gripped the sides of the front seats. “I have a question that may seem a bit ‘out there,’ but…” He glanced to the two men. “Didn’t that seem awfully staged to you? How the hell did they know that we’d be coming down that street?”

  Roger glanced in the rear view and slowly shook his head. “Could be coincidence…or maybe they’ve been watching us.”

  Hatcher shuddered. “Let’s hope not. I really don’t like the idea of them knowing where we live.”

  “I’m calling in the big guns,” Rich stated flatly. “When I radio Larry tonight, I’m telling Willie to bring everything. Even Bertha.”

  Hatcher spun in his seat and raised a brow at him. “Who the hell is Bertha?”

  Rich smirked as he sat back in the seat. “A Howitzer.” His smile slowly faded. “We could only find three shells for it, but it should knock a dent in their numbers.”

  “If they stay clustered,” Roger added.

  “Regardless, I’ll take it,” Hatcher replied as he turned to face the front again. He slowly shook his head. “What I wouldn’t give for this to have been Simon again.”

  “At least he kept the numbers reasonable,” Roger muttered as he twisted the steering wheel and pulled into a parking lot. “We’re here.” He turned the engine off and swiveled to face Rich. “How are your people on ammunition?”

  Rich shrugged. “Before I left, we were good. Maybe not stocked enough to deal with something like what we just saw, but combined with your people, we should be okay.”

  Hatcher threw open the door of the truck. “Let’s just hope they get here in time.”

  “They will,” Rich muttered as he marched towards the store front. “If they have to drive all night, they’ll get here in time.”

  “There’s no chance your buddy would be listening now?” Roger asked hopefully.

  Rich shook his head as he held the doors open. “We check the radios at noon and dusk. Saves batteries.”

  Hatcher handed the men nylon backpacks. “Stuff ‘em full. Grab every box of ammo you can find.”

  Rich slid in behind the counter and began shifting the ammunition boxes to the others. He paused as his eyes focused in the low light of the store’s interior. He stepped away and reached under the glass counter. He slid a heavy, metal, military style ammo can out and flipped the lid open. “Oh, bless their hearts.”

  He set the can down hard on top of the counter and broke into a toothy grin. “Bingo. There’s at least five more down here.”

  Roger flipped open the top and shot Hatcher a knowing smile. “Military grade 5.56.” He pulled a round and held it up in the low light. “Green tips.”

  Hatcher gave him a confused look. “That’s good?”

  Rich dropped two more boxes on the counter. “Armor piercing good.” He bent over again and grabbed two more cans by the handles. “At least, the government called them that when they banned their sale to civilians.” He smirked as he set the last cans on the counter. “Thousand rounds per can, six cans. Simple math, fellas.”

  “I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.” Hatcher hefted two of the cans and started for the doors. “Find anything that will shoot these and grab it. I want every man, woman and child capable of squeezing a trigger carrying one.”

  Roger raised a brow then turned to Rich. “You check the rifles. I’ll collect the pistol and shotgun rounds.”

  Rich turned to the wall of rifles and frowned. He inspected the security measures before carefully gripping the cable locking the weapons in place. Planting a foot against the wall, he pulled with all of his might and fell to the floor when the anchors finally gave. He looked over the counter sheepishly at Roger as he tossed the cabling aside. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

  Andre froze when he heard the helicopter’s engines begin to spin up. He walked to the nearest window and pulled the blinds up in time to see the major and two of his cohorts pull open the side door of the craft.

  “Is Davis with him?” Carol asked quietly, her voice nearly a whisper.

  He shook his head. “I can’t tell. They’re too far away.”

  “No,” Davis replied as he stepped into the office, “I’m not.” He shut the door and squeezed his eyes shut.

  “I take it there’s another problem?” Andre asked as he stepped away from the window.

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Davis pulled his cap from his head and sat down heavily. “I’ve been ordered to personally escort you.” He looked up at the pair. “Not that I could really count on any kind of retirement from the military now, but…”

  Andre hung his head and sighed heavily. “Running is no longer an option then.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” Davis sat up and squared his shoulders. “Trust me when I say that I don’t make this decision lightly, but they’re full of shit.” He tugged his cap back on and met their curious gazes. “This virus has done enough damage to the world. They actually want to use it to destroy what’s left?”

  “So what’s the plan?” Carol asked tentatively.

  “Same as it was before.” Davis took a deep breath and turned to Andre. “It’s just now you’ll have one more in your company.”

  “I think we should include the
others. At least let them know what is happening and why we are doing what we are doing.”

  Davis opened his mouth to argue then slowly closed it. “Of course.”

  Carol reached for the door. “I’ll gather them in the conference room.” She paused and looked to Davis. “Did the Major leave anybody here that we should be worried about?”

  He shook his head. “He expects me to follow orders.” He turned to Andre. “You didn’t happen to keep those trackers intact?”

  Andre nodded and leaned across his desk. He pulled a pair of glass vials from his drawer. “I planned to study them later.”

  Davis grinned as he reached out for the devices. “I have an idea.”

  Veronica set down the test kit and smiled. “He’s O-positive. The most common blood type out there.”

  “So giving him the negative won’t hurt him?” Darla asked.

  “No, he should be fine from that.”

  “That’s wonderful news.” She came to her feet and opened the door. “I’ll round up others that are—”

  Veronica shook her head. “Unless we can get him to a real trauma center, more blood is only putting off the inevitable.” She lowered her face to her hands and tried to rub away the fatigue.

  Darla stood in the open doorway and glanced out at the campground. “So, we take him to one.”

  Veronica scoffed. “The building might still be there, but there won’t be any doctors.”

  “YOU are the doctor. You just need the proper equipment.” She pulled the door shut and stood over her. “You’re all that he has. We take you two to the trauma center, Herman or Hammer or somebody out there rigs up a gennie for power, and you do what you have to do.”

  “You mean kill him faster?”

  Darla glared at her. “You’ve kept him alive this long. Imagine what you could do with more than antiquated surgical tools in a leather bag.”

  Veronica sighed heavily and slowly came to her feet. “You’re not hearing me. I’m not qualified to—”

  “You’re all that we have.” Her voice was soft and quiet. “You’re all that he has.” She reached out and took her by the hand. “You can do this.”

  Veronica felt her eyes watering as her head slowly nodded. “Go. Do what you have to do. I’ll prep him for transport.”

  “I’ll have the boys come and move him to his RV. At least it can be driven. I don’t think it would be cool for you two to ride in this trailer as somebody else tries to pull it.”

  Veronica nodded, unsure of what else she could do. “I’ll gather my things.”

  Darla pushed open the door again and gave her a weak smile. “Santa Fe isn’t that far. Surely we can find a place to do what needs doing there.”

  Jedidiah settled in again at the manager’s office of the theater and slowly shrugged his jacket off. He hung it carefully on the wooden hanger and inspected it for any lint or debris that might have soiled its otherwise perfect black appearance. Hanging it fastidiously on the back of the door, he slipped the hat off and placed it carefully on the desk.

  “The time is nigh.” He sat slowly in the leather chair and leaned back, his eyes staring into nothingness. “Soon, we will march on the wicked and cleanse the earth, as the Lord intended.”

  He could hear his soldiers grunting and growling in the theater and new that their day’s feast would soon wear thin. He needed them to be hungry in order to fuel their bravery for the upcoming battle. With their bellies still full from the last attack, he feared they would be slow, their reactions and their wits dulled by their satiated hunger.

  He smiled to himself as he remembered the carnage they had wrought. He was so proud of his soldiers, sneaking in past the heathen’s defenses. How quietly and efficiently they had removed the two lone sentries and how quickly they’d purged the buildings of the unwashed.

  He rocked slowly as he remembered limbs being rent from bodies, blood spraying into the night air. He had listened with satisfaction as screams turned to grunts and growls as his forces devoured the unclean.

  “Very soon, Lord. Your will be done.”

  6

  Roger stacked the ammunition haphazardly into a wheelbarrow as another man waited, ready to deliver the loot to the armory. “Remember what Hatcher said.” He dropped the last of the shotgun shells onto the pile. “Everybody capable of squeezing a trigger gets their finger on one.” He eyed the man purposefully. “We’ve never faced anything quite like this before.”

  The man nodded then struggled to maintain the balance of the cart as he turned and pushed towards the armory.

  Rich appeared at Roger’s side. “That’s it for the weapons.” He wiped his hands on his shirt and stared towards the horizon. “It’s getting close. I may try to reach Larry early.”

  Roger clapped his shoulder. “I know I don’t have to stress the importance of them hurrying.”

  Rich grunted as he hefted his own bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Believe me, I’ll get the point across. I’ll see if Willie will send the fighters ahead and let the women and children pack out the belongings.”

  Hatcher appeared ragged as he practically staggered towards the pair. “I posted sentries in ghillie suits away from the perimeter. If they get close, we’ll know.”

  “You look wiped, bud.” Roger watched him cautiously. “You should try to get some sleep.”

  Hatcher turned weary eyes to him. “Could you sleep after what we saw?”

  “It’s sleep or collapse. Trust me.” Roger gave him a crooked smile. “If there’s even a peep of activity, you’ll be the first to know.”

  Hatcher slowly shook his head. “My mind is racing. There’s too many things to do before—”

  “We can handle it,” Roger interrupted, his voice firm. “We survived while you were gone, we can handle the prep stuff while you get some rest.”

  “I’d listen to him if I were you,” Rich added. “He’s right…you look like death on a stick.”

  “Thanks,” Hatcher deadpanned.

  “Why don’t you go lie down and I’ll see if Vic has something that can help you sleep.”

  Hatcher shook his head again. “I don’t want to be drugged up if something happens.”

  “Then just go and close your eyes. Try to rest your body if your mind won’t shut down.” Roger pointed to the house. “If you’re as tired as you look, your body will get the message and take over.”

  Hatcher raised a hand in defeat. “Call me if—”

  “Trust me,” Roger said. “We got this.”

  The pair watched as he trudged towards the house and disappeared into the shadows of the garage. Rich turned to Roger. “So, what now?”

  Roger shrugged. “Beats me.” He shot him a sideways grin. “I always play this shit by ear.”

  Andre watched from the glass doors as Davis spoke with his troops. The man was obviously keeping his voice low and constantly checking that nobody accidentally approached and overheard the conversation.

  He watched as the men all slowly began to nod then he handed the glass vial to one of his senior enlisted men who slipped it into his BDU blouse pocket. The men saluted Davis and he returned it crisply. As he turned and made his way up the slight hill towards the main building, Andre turned to Carol. “I think he may have pulled off whatever he had planned. He gave one of his men the trackers.”

  She let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding and leaned in closer to him. “I hope we’re doing the right thing.” She looked up at him. “The last time we made a run for it, things didn’t turn out the way we hoped.”

  “So you say.” He smiled at her. “We’re still together, aren’t we?”

  She smiled and leaned her head against his arm. When Davis pulled the glass door open and stepped inside he gave Andre a knowing nod. “We’re set.”

  “So what’s the plan?”

  Davis checked the hallways then lowered his voice. “You, and any of your people that want to run, will pack their essentials and we’ll head the o
pposite direction of them.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Those are the men I trust the most. They’re going to start rumors amongst the troops that Canada is a safe zone for previously infected people.” He gave Carol a smirk. “That way, when you don’t return, word will eventually work its way to the president and he’ll wrongly assume that we made a break for the North.”

  “Meanwhile?” Andre asked.

  “That leaves east or south.” Davis crossed his arms and raised a brow at the man. “Either way, I see good and bad options.”

  “How so?” Carol asked.

  “East, we eventually hit ocean. It’s the United States, so…if they really want to find us, odds are they will.”

  “And if we head south?” Andre asked.

  Davis shook his head as he sighed. “I really don’t see this administration honoring borders.” He gave the man a knowing look. “We could head northeast. Get close to the border so if we smell them coming we hop over to the Canuck side.”

  Andre shook his head. “Like you said, he won’t be honoring borders.” He glanced to Carol. “Are you a snow bunny or a bikini type?”

  She snorted a laugh. “I’d rather be warm than cold, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Then south it is.” He inhaled deeply and nodded to Davis. “Any idea the safest way to do this?”

  Davis thought for a moment then shook his head. “I would say to stay off the major interstates. Use the smaller highways. There will be a lot of small towns along the way where we can scrounge for supplies. I’d rather deal with boondocks than big cities, just in case the cure didn’t make it that far.”

  “Agreed.” Andre hitched his pants up. “When do you want to leave?”

  “As soon as you and your people can get packed and ready.”

  Carol stepped forward, “Just so I’ll have an idea in my head…where are we running to?”