Eden Rising (29 page)

I wanted to get an early start this morning, so I knew I couldn’t sit there for long. I still hadn’t made a journal entry, though, and that was something I promised to do every day, so I went back in the barn to retrieve this book.

I barely remember last night. I was really tired, so I didn’t get a chance to look around. But now I noticed a workshop down at the far end. I figured there might be something there that was good to have, so I headed over to check. Didn’t make it all the way, though. As I was passing one of the animal pens the owners had turned into storage areas, I noticed several large objects covered with tarps.

I grabbed one of the covers and threw it off, and I’m not going to lie—I started to laugh. A snowmobile. In fact, there were four of them. Guess who’s not going to have to walk anymore?

I was concerned at first that I might need to make another trip into the house to find the keys, but I found a ring with keys for all four in one of the drawers under the workbench. The good news is, all four engines started on the first try. There’s no real bad news, but my problem is, I have no idea which one would be the best to take. I’ve decided to go with the one that looks newest. I’m hoping that means its engine is in the best shape.

I found several gas cans stored in the same area, and used what was left in one of them to fill the tank. I’ve strapped two of the cans that are near full to the back end with ropes and bungee cords. If I don’t run into any trouble, I’ll definitely be able to make it across the border into Illinois before nightfall. If I push it, I might even make it all the way to Chicago.

Here’s hoping for no trouble.

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

6:50 AM PST

B
EN WOKE WITH
a start. He’d been dreaming. Of what, he couldn’t remember, but his heart was pounding and his breaths were short and fast. As the rush receded, his body began to relax and his head sank back into the pillow. He lay there for a minute, trying to remember what it was that had caused such a panic, but whatever had occupied his unconscious mind was gone for good.

He glanced over at the bed where Iris had been sleeping, but it was empty. He sat up and looked around. He didn’t see her anywhere in the showroom.

Restroom
, he guessed.

Ben pulled on his shoes and headed to the back of the store, needing to use the facilities himself. After making a stop in the men’s room, he knocked on the door to the women’s.

“Iris? You in there?”

No answer.

He pushed the door open a few inches.

“Iris?” When she didn’t respond again, he said, “I’m coming in.”

A quick check of the stalls confirmed what he’d suspected. She wasn’t there.

Great
.

She’d probably run off again. The question was, should he once more try to find her?

“No,” he told himself a moment later. She knew what was going on now. Maybe she just wanted to be alone. If that was the case, so be it.  

He walked back into the main showroom, thinking the sooner he hit the road, the sooner he’d reach Ridgecrest, where, God willing, he’d find Martina. After he’d repacked the few things he’d taken out of his bag, he unzipped the pouch where he kept his keys. But his keys weren’t there.

“Son of a bitch!”

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he ran toward the front of the store, but long before he got there, he could see through the big plate-glass windows that his Jeep was not where he’d left it.

“Dammit!”

He burst out the main door and ran out into the parking area. No Jeep anywhere.

“No! No! No!”

He jogged over to the street and looked both ways. Nothing moved in either direction, nor could he hear the sound of an engine, even in the distance.

He yelled in frustration. It was
his
Jeep with
his
things in the back.

Oh, God
, he thought. The photo of his family, his mother’s favorite, it was still under the driver’s seat.

And the earrings. The ones he’d bought for Martina. They were to be the first ever Christmas gift he’d give her.

All of them, gone.

He stared down the road, numb.

25

NB219

LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO

10:31 AM MST

P
EREZ MADE HIS
way through NB219 to the barracks section used by the security forces. As he stepped into the common area, the men who saw him first immediately jumped to attention, with the rest soon doing the same.

“I’m looking for Mr. Sims,” he said. “Anyone know where I can find him?”

“In his room, sir,” one of the men said. “Keep going straight. B-09.”

“Thank you.”

The door to Room B-09 was open a few inches. Perez looked inside and saw Sims unpacking his bag.

“Mr. Sims,” Perez said as he rapped a knuckle on the door.

Sims whirled around. “Principal Director,” he said, surprised. “Did I get the meeting time wrong?”

 After spending the night in Denver, Sims and his team had arrived back at NB219 less than fifteen minutes earlier. He was due in Perez’s office for a debriefing at the top of the hour.

“No. I had something that finished up early. Thought I’d save you the trip.”

In truth, Perez had canceled a previously scheduled video conference so he could make this personal appearance. In his mind, Sims was the second most important person in the Project. He had become the hammer that reinforced the principal director’s rule. So Perez knew it was necessary to make sure their working relationship was solid. Small things, such as dropping in like this, went a long way toward solidifying loyalty.

“Thank you, sir, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“Not a problem,” Perez said. “I take it you didn’t find anything after your last report.”

“No, sir. Those first tracks we saw were it. There was a big storm up there. I’m pretty sure they’re riding it out somewhere. Once the weather clears up, we can go back out and look for them again.”

Perez had received a report on the storm. It was the same one, though diminished, that was expected to hit northern New Mexico in the next hour or two, and could possibly make it all the way down to Las Cruces at some point during the night.

“If you do go back, what do you think your chances are of finding them?”

“Fair, I guess.”

“Give me a percentage.”

“Well, if the weather clears up in that area like it’s supposed to tonight, and we leave before first light tomorrow, I’d say we have maybe a forty-percent chance. If we have to wait twelve hours or a full day more, it would go down to single digits and probably not be worth it.”

Perez wasn’t sure a forty-percent chance would be worth it. “Touch base with me this evening. We’ll make a decision then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anything else to report?”

“No, sir. That’s it.”

“Very good.” As they shook hands, the principal director said, “Tell your men I’m very pleased with the work they are doing.”

“I will. They’ll appreciate that, sir.”

26

WARD MOUNTAIN NORTH, NEVADA

11:13 AM PST

“T
RY AGAIN,” RACHEL
said.

“Okay,” Crystal said, “but the result’s going to be the same. Either their radio is off, or Matt’s not answering.”

“He’s got to answer.”

“I realize that, but I can’t make him pick up.”

Rachel’s jaw tensed. She needed to reach her brother, and try to talk him out of this insanity one last time. “Keep at it, Crystal,” she said. “You can make it every ten minutes, but don’t stop. They’ve got to check in at some point. When you do reach them, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, let me know. I
must
talk to Matt.”

“I’ll do my best,” Crystal said.

ISABELLA ISLAND, COSTA RICA

12:22 PM CST

R
OBERT MADE SURE
he was the very last person in line to receive an inoculation from the UN doctors. Renee had tried to take the position for herself, but settled on second to last at his insistence. Together they watched as the others went behind the screens that had been set up, and come back out a few minutes later, a few rubbing their arms and all of them smiling.

After Estella received her shot, she paused when she reached Robert. “It doesn’t hurt too much,” she said.

“I’m happy to hear that,” he said.

She touched his hand. “Lunch after you’re done?”

“Sure.”

She walked off, and he could feel Renee staring at him.

When he looked at her, she said, “Oh, really now.”

“Please don’t start.” Robert wasn’t in the mood to participate in any teasing. He was happy they were all being vaccinated, but he was still coming to grips with how many people Ivonne had said were dead.

Renee seemed to sense his frame of mind and didn’t say anything more.

Slowly, they continued moving forward until they were the last two in line.

After a few minutes, Helena, the UN nurse, stepped around the end of the screen and motioned to Renee. “Señorita, please come back.”

The two women disappeared behind the screen, leaving Robert the only one left.

He glanced out at the sea. It was another postcard day in paradise—blue sky, light breeze, and sunshine. It was the kind of day guests coming to the resort always hoped for as they flocked to the water, and took to the Jet Skis and snorkeling boats and surfboards. But that was Before. In the After, the water was empty and the beach deserted.

“Robert?”

He turned and found Ivonne smiling at him.

“Your turn.”

Renee was still there, sitting in a chair next to Dr. de Coster.

“Please sit here,” Ivonne said, pointing at the empty chair next to where she was set up.

After Robert followed her directions, she placed a strip of plastic against his head. When she pulled it off, she looked at it, and then noted something on the pad of paper. “Temperature’s normal,” she said. “Your arm, please.”

She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his bicep, placed a stethoscope against his arm, and pumped up the device. Again, she wrote down the results.

“Feel any unusual aches or pains?” she asked, her fingers probing under his jaw and down his throat.

“No, I’m fine. I told you, we’re all fine,” he said.

A disarming smile. “I’m sure you are. It’s procedure only.”

“Sure. I guess that makes sense.”

She opened a plastic packet and removed a swab attached to a long, wooden dowel. “If you would open your mouth, I want to take a sample from inside your cheek.”

The testing went on for another few minutes, ending with two vials of blood being drawn before she pulled out a prepared syringe with orange-tinted liquid inside.

“This won’t hurt much, but you may feel a little uneasy in the next few hours. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but if it does, don’t worry. It will pass quickly.”

She jabbed the needle into his arm and pushed down the plunger. At first, it felt like he had a knot under his skin, but even before Ivonne put a small, round bandage over the injection point, the sensation had gone away.

“That’s it. You’re all done,” she said with a smile, and looked over at Helena. “Next one, please.”

“He was the last,” Helena said.

Ivonne leaned back in her chair and began rolling her head over her shoulders. “Finally.” She noticed Robert looking at her. “Yours is the largest group we’ve had to deal with at one time.”

“We’re the largest?” he said, surprised yet again.

“By far,” Dr. de Coster said. He’d finished with Renee a few minutes before, and she had left to join the others. “The average is three or four people. Our biggest group previous to yours was seventeen.”

“It’s a miracle that all of you are still here,” Ivonne said.

To Robert, it wasn’t so much a miracle as him and Dominic making hard choices and sticking by them.

He touched the bandage on his arm. “How long until we’re safe?”

Something changed in her expression. She glanced past Robert at de Coster. When she looked back, she said, “You’re the one in charge here, correct?”

“Well, there are a few others who try to help keep things in order,” he said.

“Perhaps you should have them join us.”

Robert suddenly felt very uncomfortable. “Why?”

“There are some things we need to discuss.”

__________

N
OT WANTING TO
cause any unnecessary concern among the rest of the island’s survivors, Robert decided the meeting would be held in Dominic’s apartment, located in a part of the resort few others ever went.

In addition to Renee, Robert asked Enrique Vasquel and Chuck Tyler—the two people who’d been helping him and Renee the most—to attend the meeting. Ivonne, Helena, and de Coster were joined by the older man who had ridden in the back of the plane with them.

“Are we talking about how we’re getting off the island?” Chuck asked. “I assume that’s why we’re here.”

“Perhaps I should introduce our colleague first,” Ivonne said, motioning to the man from the plane.

“No need to be so formal,” the man said. “Name’s Richard Paxton, but you all can call me Pax. And it’s a damn pleasure to meet you. What you’ve all done here is pretty amazing. I am definitely impressed.”