Protect All Monsters (17 page)

“Maybe that’s why people are eating so well here; they’re trying to die of heart disease on purpose. I’d call it fun suicide.”

They departed the cafeteria with their food trays in hand. Herman guided them to a walkway outside the kitchen. They descended a set of concrete stairs and walked onto a patio with tables shadowed by umbrellas. Deck lights illuminated the darkness. The ocean was oil black and vast. It rippled softly with the ebb of a strong current miles away.

They sat together at a table, and she ate her sundae first. She was halfway through her pita when Herman spoke, “The trick to surviving anything is distancing yourself from the horror—to answer your question from earlier. We’re not the monsters. Sure, some of us have to perform jobs that are vile and disgusting, but on our own as individuals, we’re still good people wishing for happiness and love. We have a small piece of that from our normal lives, and damn it, we cling to it. Otherwise, all we have is blood on our hands and fear coursing through our veins. I won’t live like that. Besides, it’s human instinct: pleasure over pain. Your pleasure is your chocolate sundae, and my pleasure is my sandwich.
And you know, many of these people have it better here than they had it in their normal life. Money to buy nice things, awesome food, alcohol to no end, sex if they want it at that strip club, and their jobs. They’re always secure despite the economy. Everybody’s needed.”

“You make it sound like such a nicely wrapped package.” She turned serious. “I was nearly killed yesterday. Eaten to death. And my shift manager almost raped me. That’s been my experience thus far.”

His face hardened at the confession. She’d thrown him a curve ball. “I can’t attest to those awful things. You’ve had a worse go of it than I have, obviously. Your zombies were good and dead. The dead people I worked with were like people who suffer from bad plastic surgery and have to deal with rigor mortis and the early stages of death. But they crave fun. Good times. It’s crazy. You should see them, for real. Minigolf, martinis, cocktails, slot machines, swimming, shuffleboard, basketball, checkers, chess and poker tournaments are going on all the time. It’s like I’m working on a fun ship cruise. My job is to serve them drinks and food and banter with them. I guess I’ve been spared the danger.”

“Compared to the shit I did, you’ve got it nice.” She humphed. “You got that right.”

Richard’s beeper rumbled at her hip.

“Duty calls?” Herman inquired, pointing at her waist. “I hate beepers. I always hated cell phones too.”

She apologized and rushed to the nearest phone built into the brick wall. She dialed the number, and Richard answered on the first ring. “Addey, meet me in your room. I’m waiting for you there.”

“How did you get into my room?”

“I have a key card.” He brushed aside her concern. “We need to talk now. I don’t have much time. Hurry.”

“I’m on my way.”

She said good-bye to Herman and thanked him for a temporary reprieve from her concerns. Back at her room, Richard was sitting on the captain’s chair at the desk. He urged her to close the door and lock it.

“What’s going on?”

He rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “This is a mess. I still can’t find my partners. Brenner’s killed them, I know it.”

Why is he telling me all of this?

She kept her voice down, but the anger was still present. “Have you considered the fact you’ve put me into the line of fire with this Brenner guy?”

“You’re in danger anyway.” The joking, honest, human aspect of Richard was strangely missing now. “You’ve been in the secret chamber. He’ll question you if he thinks you know something. But more importantly, you were almost attacked by vampires. More than likely, it was James Sorelli. He’s the mastermind who presented the plan of the island, even convinced the other captured monsters to turn themselves over to the authorities for deportation. The zombies didn’t need counsel, but the other vampires and wolves needed a bit of encouragement. But now we’ve been blindsided. Who would’ve thought, after fifty years, now would finally come the backlash? The truth is, yes, the island project was going to be terminated, but like I said, my men are missing, the chief of defense hasn’t contacted me—and I haven’t been able to contact him either—and a contingent of the grand plan has collapsed. The monsters have learned of our plans of ending this project, and they’re reacting accordingly. If there was any rescue mission, it’s been canceled.”

She balled up her fists. “So what the hell do we do about it? Why tell me this? Why involve me?”

“How things have been going,” he swallowed hard, “we’re going to have to save ourselves.”

“From what exactly?”

She imagined the circle of zombies, vampires and werewolves sharing the IV tubes. What did it mean? She couldn’t translate the image to a specific threat.

“Brenner’s going off the deep end, deeper than ever before. He’s paranoid and erratic. He’s arranging an excavation team to hollow out the walls and get to the bottom of their secrets. I fear the government could come along and bomb us and say the hell with risk or mutation of the monsters. We don’t have much time left.”

“Then what is it you need from me?”

“I have to be Brenner’s right-hand man. That means I won’t hear word of mouth. I felt I needed to remind you how much I need you. You share with me everything you hear. That means you’re going to have to take some risks. The vampires are after you, I can guarantee it. We have to get you in that work area. It exposes you to danger, I know, but it’s the only way. We must find out what James intends to do with these underground tunnels. The faster we can stop them and eliminate the danger, the faster we can execute these monsters and be done with this shit. Perhaps I can convince the chief of defense that if we’ve eliminated the threat, we can buy more time to get off this island before it’s destroyed.”

“That’s not going to work. If they can obliterate us, then they will. It’s the easier option, don’t you think?”

“Yes, but at least with the monsters out of the way, we’d have a fighting chance to return to America, or anywhere. I do have a plan. The next cruiser arriving on the island will be here in four days. We hijack the boat and escape, but first we have to figure out what the hell James is up to and stop it. We can’t have any of the monsters following us, wherever we go when this island is gone.”

He removed his Yankees ball cap and expelled a weary breath. “I’m alone in this. Brenner doesn’t know about the island project ending. He’s after the monsters right now. I’m up shit creek trying to save everybody’s lives. Honestly, we can’t do anything until we find out what the hell James Sorelli is up to. Whatever it is, the monsters could already be activating their plan. If the monsters overtake the US, forget about ever getting a good night’s sleep ever again.”

She couldn’t help but ask, “This island has existed for about fifty years, correct? How come nobody’s attempted an escape before? People, I mean.”

He offered a wry smile. “I knew that question was coming. I’ve been here since I was fifteen, and that makes about seventeen years on this island. I’ve seen two escape attempts. I’ve thought about running away once when we docked back in the US to pick up citizens to deliver here, but I couldn’t. One of my cohorts tried to run. His name was Cyrus Kimball. He snuck out of the cargo hold, and upon sighting, they shot him point-blank dead. No questions asked.

“There are cameras on the ships too, and they can see your every move. Brenner’s old assistant director—the position I presently occupy—hijacked one of the cruiser boats. He shot up every camera. He even had a crew of armed workers with him. The boat was fired upon by aircraft, disintegrated. I saw it all from the island. They showed everybody the video footage for weeks after it happened, to remind them of the consequences of attempted escape. They even fished the bodies out of the ocean and forced us to feed them to the zombies. The last attempt was similar. A group used an eight-person boat to escape. I assume they didn’t reach the shore and died of exposure. I never heard anything else about them, but rest assured, they didn’t make it.”

“So how do we escape?” She was confused. “It sounds impossible.”

“We have to make the battle more interesting. I’m not certain how yet. I’ve thought on it for years. I have to come up with something final soon. Our time window is short. I know in my gut the two vampires you caught in that secret chamber are up to a revolt, and now that we’re investigating them, they’ll lash out. It’s only a matter of time.”

There was a possibility of escape, albeit dangerous, but it was better than a lifetime of forced labor. “Then I’ll work with the vampires. I’ll be your pawn. I can handle myself.”

She picked up her holster in demonstration. “After yesterday, I’d gladly kill anything or anybody who fucks with me.”

It was strange, she thought, thinking about how she was attracted to him. He eyed her with dependence. He saw things in her nobody else did, and it empowered her.

She held his arm. “I won’t let you down.”

He touched her hand. “You don’t fold under pressure. You’re not happy here, not like a lot of these assholes who eat, shop, drink and fuck their worries away.”

The words snuck out of her, “I’d like to fuck my worries away.”

She smiled at him now that she’d spoken her mind. Unable to take back what she’d said, and not wanting to, she wrapped her hands around his head and pulled him in for a kiss. He returned it vigorously, wanting it too, and they kept kissing, open-mouthed and hungry. They were mashed together, the embrace bumbled and rushed, and they stumbled onto the bed, rolling, grasping and running their hands along each other’s bodies. She tingled everywhere, her pulse thrumming hard behind her ears like a pleasure gong.

He kissed her cheek, and taking a weary breath, he regretted what he had to say. “I have to go, but we’ll finish this. I promise.”

She didn’t want him to go, but he was so concerned about other pressing things. “Brenner’s in that secret entrance. If I’m late, he’ll scream treason. He’s irrational. He’s already shot three of our workers dead. He suspected them of siding with the monsters. I’m the only one who’s been able to subdue him.”

He held both her hands, kissing them. “I want this very much.”

“I know.” Her smile was so big. “Go. We’ll figure this out.”

Richard walked to the door, but then he stopped. “I almost forgot. At six a.m., you’ll be working on the third floor. Your shift supervisor will be Cynthia Wells. Todd Lamberson is on the same page too. You’re my only allies. He’s acting conflicted about being here, but he’s tricking everybody. Talk to him freely—in private company, of course—about our plans. Cynthia knows about our plan too. So look out for each other.” He eyed her softly. “I wish I could myself.”

He left after the final instructions were spoken, leaving her alone on the bed, thinking what could’ve happened if they’d kept making out. Adrenaline, the pain in her stitches, and her boiling hormones—she hadn’t had sex in two years—she wouldn’t live it down for a time.

Addey checked the clock. It was already three in the morning.

She had three more hours before her shift began.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mandy Wilson loved nights like these. She had the easiest job in the complex. She tended the vegetable garden at the south end. Mandy had only laid eyes on the zombies, wolves and vampires through the pictures they showed her in a file folder. She was twenty-nine, but she felt like a seventeen-year-old enjoying her first paycheck, because the money in her hands right now was money to burn. Three hundred dollars. It could afford her a shopping spree at the apparel stores.

Forty-five minutes after her shift concluded, she showered away the scent of sea salt and rich soil off of her body. Clean, she wore a red skirt and a black V-neck top. She didn’t have a boyfriend, but with her new clothes, she was sure somebody would offer her a free drink or a boogie on the dance floor. Brandy, her next-door neighbor in the living quarters, explained she had to be loose and fun to make friends; otherwise the island could be a very lonely place.

And Brandy sleeps with about anybody—male or female—to pass the time. I’m not that outgoing. I’d rather buy a new pair of shoes than deal with immature little boys who think their hard-ons are gold.

Mandy completed the walk to the shopping district. The flashing lights from the dance floor eased the tension from the workday, reminding her she could have a social life, even in this situation. But shopping was her excursion tonight. She threw herself into the first department store and rushed the wall of dresses, active wear, nightgowns and underwear, and she came upon an orange sheath dress. She loved the bright, vibrant color. There was also a violet tunic and matching bra and panties to the right of her. Enticed, she removed the selections from the rack and headed to the fitting rooms.

She closed the door and hung the clothes on the rack, then faced the mirror. And that’s when the shape of a faded face—as if underwater and mostly in darkness—beckoned her. It mouthed,
Leave now—you must leave!

She didn’t hear the words. She was too focused on the face, drawn to it and frightened. And she recognized it. It was her deceased mother, Angie. She had died five years ago of a failed liver transplant.

“
Mom
!” She pressed her hands against the glass, trying to find her way through. “What do you want? I miss you so much. Please, Mom. Talk to me.” Mandy cried out, pounding the mirror, desperate to touch her mother. “I need you. You have no idea what I’ve been through!”