End of the Line (Book 2): Stuck in the Middle (28 page)

             
“The door was locked,” Joel replied.

             
“Maybe someone’s coming back.”

             
Joel didn’t respond. He moved into the room. I followed along with Steven. Grace hung back.

             
I felt around for a light switch, found one and turned it on.

             
A desk was in the center of the room. A laptop was on the desk. It was open with a blank screen, but I knew it was on ‘cause I saw a tiny green indicator light. I walked over to the computer.

             
“Tanya, be careful.”

             
“Shut the fuck up, Joel.” I was sick of him treating me like a novice. I hit a key. The monitor came on. On it, I saw a black background with long green lines that moved in waves. I looked up and saw Joel giving me a pissed off look cause I cursed at him.

             
“Sorry,” I told him. “I may not be hunting all the time, but I ain’t a beginner.”

             
Joel still looked mad, but then a big smile crossed his face. “You’re right. Why don’t you look at the computer?”

             
“There I’m gonna need a tech person. This looks like the Matrix.”

             
Joel laughed. He walked over the laptop. “Looks like some kind of program called Token.”

             
“Human token,” Steven said. “It’s that program they used to lure the zombies into Manhattan.”

             
“That means those scientists are here?” I let a little excitement into my voice.

             
“I don’t think so,” Steven said. “I can’t imagine this little thing can call all the zombies. Besides no one’s here.”

             
“We killed the zombies,” Joel said. “Let’s take the generator and go.”

             
“Not yet.”

             
“Tanya—whoever was here left and got killed. I can use this to lure zombies and kill them.”

             
“We could use the generator too. Especially one that’s biodiesel.”

             
“I don’t think they got killed,” Steven added. “I can’t imagine this generator could last more than a few days. The laptop can be charged up. It can probably run for eight hours like mine.”

             
“I don’t want to have to run back and forth charging. Tanya, you know I can have better use of the generator. You have enough electricity to run fans and a fridge. I can use this as a trap to leave on all the time.”

             
The solar panels weren’t enough and we could use the generator especially in the winter.

             
“Joel--” Steven said, but he didn’t say anything else because Joel looked mad. Not his usually annoyance but that one time he looked pissed enough to kill.

             
“How bout we share,” I said trying to calm the situation. “Let us have it in the winter, so my people won’t freeze.”

             
The anger faded and Joel smiled again. “Sounds about fair.”

             
It was fair, but for some reason I thought I’d never see that generator again.

             
I heard the sound of walking from above us. I know it wasn’t zombies ‘cause they don’t walk normally.

             
“Boss,” a voice yelled. “Someone here to see you.” I didn’t know who the voice belonged too because I barely ever heard Chris or Bill speak.

              I didn’t miss the sun while I was inside. It was still boiling. Sweat immediately returned to my brow.

             
A white guy about Mike’s age stood by a bike. His brown hair had specks of white. He wore jeans, a tee with a smiley face on it, a floppy tan hat, had on a large backpack and a rifle slung over his shoulder. He had an annoyed look on his face.

             
“Hello,” Joel said. “My men said you wanted to talk to me.”

             
“Which one of you assholes tripped my alarm and broke my door?”

             
Instead of getting mad, Joel grinned. “The same assholes that killed the zombies.”

             
“Now they can get in.”

             
“Excuse me,” I said, calmly. “I’m Tanya. My group and I live at the manor house. This is Joel, he’s a hunter. Are you from that group that dropped the bombs?”

             
“No.”

             
“How’d you get the human token thing?”

             
The man leaned against one of the broken cars. I was glad he didn’t pull his rifle. “Wasn’t hard to figure out the frequency and set something up.”

             
“What’s your name?” this came from Steven.

             
“Doctor Samuel White but you can call me Dr. White.”

             
“Doctor like medical?” I didn’t like this guy at all. Not that he was evil or nothing. Instead of being happy to find people alive, he seemed annoyed.

             
“No, I’m a research scientist.”

             
“You mean at the Harbor Center?” Steven asked.

             
“Yes.”

             
“What’s a Harbor Center?”

             
White looked at me like I was an idiot but what the fuck do I know about centers on rich white ass islands?

             
“It’s a lab that studies sea life,” he explained. White wasn’t Mr. Talkative. His answers were short and I heard disrespect in his voice.

             
“You the only one there?”

             
White rolled his eyes, like talking to me was painful. “Yes. Everyone else left or died.”

             
“Why’d you set up this human token thing here?”

             
“To keep the zombies away while I did my work. Are we done with twenty questions? I have to find a new place to lock up the machine.”

             
“How could you get inside?” Steven asked.

             
White looked flustered. “The library and firehouse’s basements are connected. The library has a back door. The zombies go in front, I go in back. Now are we done?”

             
“Not yet,” Joel said. He looked at White intently. White looked even more annoyed at answering Joel’s questions. “You have electricity?”

             
“A little bit,” he said. I thought he was lying but that I understood ‘cause he just met us. “A generator.”

             
“Then you don’t mind sparing the one you have here and the human token machine.”

             
Dr. White went from annoyed to pissed. “Sorry, that’s mine. I need it to keep the zombies away.”

             
“We killed all the zombies here. You don’t need it. I’m a hunter, I do. We can use it to help clear out the Island.”

             
“It’s mine,” he said, empathizing mine.

             
Joel pulled his handgun and pointed it at White.

             
“Put that down,” Steven yelled.

             
We were interrupted by a moan than a scream.

             
I turned to shoot, saw one of them had grabbed Rose and had taken a chunk out of her arm. Her pink long sleeve shirt turned red. She screamed both in pain and terror. 

             
Grace shot the two zombies who surrounded us. The one holding Rose flew back and dropped her. She crashed to the dirty street, holding her wounded arm.

             
I rushed over. I was pissed. Who was keeping watch?

             
“Rose—“ I said, leaning down. “I’m so sorry.

             
Blood gushed from her arm where the zombie bit. Her arm looked like a chunk of bloody meat.             

“Tanya,” she said, her voice weak. She took my hand with her good arm. “Don’t worry, I can be with my husband and kids.”

              “I can do it right now or wait till it’s over.”

             
“Right now,” she said, “Please, tell Paul I’ll miss him, and tell Felicia, it’s not her fault. None of it is—“ In the minute from when she got bit she had turned nearly white. Not a carrier for sure.

             
“Tanya?”

             
“Yes.”

             
“Come a little closer.”

             
I was hesitant since she had the virus, but she wasn’t a zombie and wouldn’t become one until after she died. I knew Rose was fading fast. She could reanimate in minutes.

             
“Don’t trust Joel—“ she said. “He’s no good.”

             
She was right. I should have seen it earlier.

             
“Do it, please—“

             
I didn’t want to. I could easily ask Grace to do it. I was leader. I had to do this for Rose. I pulled my hand gun. Put it to Rose’s temple. “I’m sorry,” I said, and fired.

             
It was the loudest shot in the world. I stayed down near the ground, looking over Rose’s half blown off face. The gore never bothered me, and death didn’t either until the day I saw my daughter’s ripped apart. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw it was Steven. He gave me his hand and helped me up.

             
I didn’t see Joel, or Bill. White stood outside the door of the fire station looking pissed. Chris was next to him, his handgun out but at his side.

             
“What?” I asked Steven. He looked to the firehouse but didn’t say anything.

             
A moment later Joel came out with Bill carrying the generator and the laptop.

             
“This is stealing,” White said.

             
“Call the cops. You said you had other generators around, right? There are millions of laptops to take. I’m sure you have a copy of your program. Think of this as a donation of the greater good. Think of how many zombies I can kill with this thing.”

             
White didn’t respond but he looked angry.

             
“Joel,” I said. I hadn’t forgotten that Chris and Bill were supposed to be look outs, but they weren’t. “This is stealing, plain and simple. Even if it works better for you.”

             
“Tanya, you’ve picked up too much idealism from Jim. We need this to fight the zombies. I promise when all the zombies are dead, Sam can have his junk back.”

             
“Don’t call me Sam.”

             
Joel smiled with his charming grin that I now thought disgusting.

             
“So sorry, Dr. White.” He had this look in his eye that he would have shot White if we weren’t there.

             
I wanted to tell Joel right then and there that our relationship was over. The only thing keeping me from saying those words was Aisha. I was disturbed that while we were dealing with the zombies and Rose, Joel used that time to steal the generator.

             
Instead I said. “I think my group is done for the day.”

             
“Oh that’s a shame,” he said. “I’m sorry about Rose, but we lose people all the time.”

              Steven hadn’t said anything on the trip back. Neither did Frannie. Once Joel threatened and stole the stuff from Dr. White, she stopped talking or trying to cozy up to him. She stayed in the back and didn’t say anything. She looked deep in thought so I left her alone. We buried Rose in a park near town. Joel didn’t help.

             
I escorted Steven to his house and left the rest waiting in the car. I didn’t see any zombs and I hope we got most of them in Harbor Heights. Joel, Bill and Chris had remained behind to finish hunting. Joel asked Grace to join him, promising to drop her off later, but she refused, saying she was hot and wanted to get back. I was proud of her for being smart enough to not go off with Joel. She might be a great hunter, but she recognized bad news when she saw it.

             
Steve said nothing as he walked to the door. He mopped his face with a handkerchief.

             
White told us to stay away from the lab and him. He grouped us together. I didn’t blame him.

             
Steven got to his door and turned around with a look on his face that I knew I was gonna get bad news.