The Dark Trilogy (44 page)

Chapter 18

Jeff wheezed heavily and felt his legs burning. It felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air as he tried to keep up with the sprinting figure up ahead. It wasn’t just the running; it was the dodging and darting between buildings that was killing him. That and the fear that if he lost sight of Ben and tried to go off on his own, it would only be a matter of time before he was overtaken.

He could barely remember most of the trip, though as they hit the railroad tracks, Jeff knew that they were getting close to their destination.

“
Come on, Jeff! Keep moving; we’re almost home!”

Jeff wanted to respond, to warn Ben about the screams and what they meant. But the howling of the infected had diminished behind them, and it seemed that, for the moment, they had given themselves some distance from the ravenous creatures chasing them. Perhaps they had lost the screamer along with the rest of the slower-moving infected, but he somehow doubted that. His mouth opened, but all he could do was gasp for air as he stumbled forward.

The trees were getting closer, bouncing up and down in Jeff’s field of vision. One of his feet came out from under him, and he fell, his arms windmilling wildly. All he could see was the ground rushing up to meet his face.

Amazingly, despite the tremendous “ooof” that came out of his mouth and the pain in his palms as they hit the dirt, Jeff scrambled to his feet almost immediately and began moving again.

When Ben disappeared into the trees, Jeff wondered if he could remember exactly where the entrance to their wooded haven was. As he got closer, the small bubble of panic in his stomach grew larger. He had ridden through the entrance in the minivan, but never walked through it. His breathing was harsh, and he imagined all the blood vessels in his body bursting from the strain. He examined the tree line, trying to find where Ben had disappeared, his eyes darting everywhere. It was not until he was right next to the pines that his fear subsided. He sighed and grabbed a low-hanging branch, launching his body into the depths of the wooded glen. What did it matter where the “entrance” was when you could slip through the tightly bunched trees on foot? After a few seconds, when it was certain he could no longer be seen from the field, Jeff leaned against one of the trees and collapsed in exhaustion.

“
Drop the ladder.”

Jeff heard the words in the distance as he bounced off another tree. He had been able to pull himself back to his feet after a couple of minutes of catching his breath on the ground. Following the hum of voices, he knew it was Ben speaking and could tell the man was angry.

“
You know the drill, Ben. The kid has to stay out there. He’s as good as dead, and we can’t take any chances.” The voice belonged to Michael

Jeff groaned inwardly. More than likely, if George had survived, the camp leader was under the impression that it was Jeff who had killed Marcus. The little white lie seemed like a good idea at the time, but that was when Jeff was certain he wasn’t going to survive much longer. And yet here he was, back at the camp, about to face the music for his impetuous decision to claim credit for the murder. Shaking his head, he snorted in disdain. Whatever punishment Michael had in store for him couldn’t possibly compare to the horrors he had endured over the past hour.

He navigated through the trees, straining to hear the conversation.

“
I’ll watch over him myself, Michael. You don’t have to worry about it. There’s no reason for him to …” Ben paused, as if he were attempting to calm himself. “There’s no reason for him to be alone.”

“
I’m sorry, Ben. Sorry for Ray and what happened and even sorrier that there isn’t a thing we can do about it. But you know this is how it has to be.”

Jeff could hear the remorse in Michael’s response and shook his head in disbelief. The man was full of shit.

“
He’s already dead, man! Agree to leave his ass out there, and we’ll drop the ladder down to you. Hell! I’ll even come down there and take him out-”

The words were cut off, but not before Jeff recognized Frank’s sniveling twang. He had totally forgotten about the redneck’s existence, but his voice brought Jeff’s hatred rushing back.

“
Drop the ladder,” Ben repeated in the same calm voice.

Jeff could see them now and watched the scene unfold from the shadow of the trees. Michael and Frank lay on top of one of the RVs, staring down at Ben, who was directly below them. Ray was propped up against one of the vehicle’s tires. Ben’s fists were clenched as he stood stock still. Jeff could only see his back, but imagined the daggers he was throwing at Michael with his eyes.

“
I’ll drop the ladder if you agree that Ray stays outside,” Michael said, rubbing his chin in contemplation. “You can come back out later if you want to check on him, or Lydia can, if she’s willing to tend to his wounds.” The man’s calm demeanor never changed. “I’m not a bastard, Ben, despite what you might think. I have to look out for the best interests of the people in this camp who haven’t been infected. You know that’s true.”

“
Bullshit!” Jeff yelled, unable to contain himself any longer.

Michael and Frank’s heads turned as Jeff burst into the clearing. Michael’s eyes widened, but he did not look surprised. Ben must have mentioned that he was still alive.

Jeff knew he looked like death warmed over. These days, that could be dangerous. Despite his best efforts to wipe away Ray’s blood, it had smeared across his hands and bare chest, mixing with his sweat and the dirt into which he had fallen. He looked like he had crawled out of a shallow grave. The only thing disrupting the image was the long bow he carried. Ben’s giant hunting weapon looked odd in the smaller man’s hands as he moved from the shelter of the trees out into the open.

“
Jeff. It’s good to see you made it back. Looks like you’ve been through hell.” Michael produced a pained smile as he got to his knees. Jeff could see him setting down the M16 as he rose from his prone position.

Jeff sneered at the leader, his fear gone for the moment. “Well that’s great to hear, Mikey, but how about you toss that ladder down like Ben asked so the three of us can go inside? I’d personally like to grab a shower.” He moved next to Ben and reached up to put his hand on the man’s ample shoulder as he spoke, patting him like they were best buddies. Ben showed no reaction, his eyes still burning holes through Michael.

Frank, who was also rising up next to Michael and still had a grip on his shotgun, leaned over to whisper to his boss. Michael raised his hand to interrupt and said something quietly in response. Frank glared down at Jeff and then back at Michael. The greasy hick frowned and nodded begrudgingly as he slipped back out of Jeff’s line of sight.

Michael smiled. “Jeff, I think you know I have to ask if you’ve been bitten. Have you?”

Jeff shook his head. “Nope, not bitten. This is all Ray’s blood.” He returned Michael’s smile. “So why don’t you drop that ladder down so we can get back inside and get the boy some real bandages? My shirt ain’t cutting it as a tourniquet.”

Michael shook his head. Jeff had already heard enough to realize it would be a cold day in hell before the man standing on top of the RV let Ray inside the fortress.

“
Sorry, Jeff. No can do. You’re new here, so I’ll explain things reeeeal slowly for you. Once someone is infected, they are no longer welcome in our little community.” Michael shrugged his shoulders. “Call it a self-preservation policy if you want. We can’t afford to be exposed to infection, and we can’t spare the manpower to guard someone who's been bitten until they turn. Besides, it looks like you got the entire town’s attention. We can’t be dealing with another distraction with all of those bastards out there itching to cause us grief.”

Jeff kept the smile plastered to his face as he heard moans off in the distance. The infected sounded like they were inching ever closer to the hidden camp. Arguing with Michael was getting him nowhere, and time was running out. Jeff knew the smug bastard would force the issue, with the M16 if necessary, and command him and Ben to come inside while Ray died alone outside. There was no way Jeff was going to let that happen, not after everything he had gone through to get the boy back home. It was time to end this little game once and for all.

He broke eye contact with Michael and searched the clearing until he spotted his minivan. It was parked in the same spot as before. He walked toward it, ignoring Michael and Ray’s curious looks as he did.

He glanced back up at Michael, who had picked up his M16 and was walking across the rooftop, following his movement. Satisfied that he was still the center of attention, Jeff knelt in front of the bumper of his minivan and plunged his hand underneath it.

“
What the hell are you doing?”

Jeff ignored the gristle stuck to the grille and Michael’s inquiry as his hand shifted back and forth, feeling its way along the undercarriage of the vehicle.

His grin widened. “Got it.” He pulled his hand out and held up a small magnetic box. Michael glared at him. Jeff moved to the driver’s-side door and pulled up on the handle.

“
Jeff.” The word was filled with as much menace as Michael could muster. As Jeff opened the door and Michael caught sight of the spare Odyssey key in the other man’s hands, he raised the M16 to his shoulder.

Jeff shrugged. “I figure me and Ray could take off and get out of your hair. I mean, since you don’t want him here anyway.” He glanced over at Ben. “You have any problems with that, partner?”

Ben looked over at Jeff, a glint in the big man’s eyes as he realized what Jeff was trying to do. Looking up at Michael, a nasty grin formed on the bearded man’s lips. “Nope. No problem at all. Maybe I’ll join you.”

Michael’s shoulders slumped. He couldn’t care less about Jeff, but Ben was indispensable.

“
Okay, Jeff, fine. So what do you really want?” Michael’s voice dipped in register, and he sounded exasperated.

“
You know what I want. It’s the same thing Ben wants.” Jeff nodded toward the prone form of the teen, who fought to remain conscious, his face white as paste. “Let Ray come in with us. We’ll take care of him, give him some comfort. You won’t have to concern yourself with him.”

Michael appeared to think about it before he sighed dramatically and then nodded.

Ben immediately moved to Ray and knelt before the injured boy. Before Jeff had even stepped back from the minivan, Ben was already hoisting the teenager up so he could wrap his arms around the man’s massive shoulders. Ray listened to his solemn guardian’s whispered commands and nodded, his eyes glistening. Jeff had no idea if the kid was happy or simply exhausted.

Michael lowered the bottom half of the ladder, and Ben motioned for Jeff to attach it to the back of the RV.

“
You go first,” Jeff commanded. Ben nodded and smiled at him. Jeff was tired, and his head wasn’t all that clear, but he got the sense that he had just been thanked.

Ben tested the ladder to make sure it was secure, then climbed as Jeff wondered how much weight the metal bars could support. Enough, it seemed, as Ben carefully scaled the ladder with the teen latched to his chest. He made sure not to jolt Ray in the process. Jeff watched as they reached the top. Once they were out of his field of vision, he took a deep breath and started climbing.

As Jeff hit the last rung of the ladder, he saw Michael’s hand extended in front of him. He reached for it and was pulled to his feet on the roof of the RV. When he turned to follow Ben down the other ladder, Michael tightened his grip on Jeff’s hand and held him back. Ben glanced up from the extension ladder with Ray perched on his back. He gave a meaningful look to Jeff before his head disappeared beneath the edge of the roof.

Michael tugged on Jeff’s hand. Not enough to move him forward, but just enough to grab his attention, before he relinquished his grip. “I’ll be taking that key now.”

Jeff nodded and rooted around in his pants pocket until he found the Honda key and pulled it out. Michael snatched it away, and it disappeared into his jacket. The two men glared at one another for a moment until Jeff turned and walked toward the extension ladder.

“
One more thing.”

Jeff paused, but did not look back at the other man.

“
I’d be interested in getting your take on what happened out there. George and Teddy had some … interesting things to say. I would love to hear your side of the story.”

Jeff nodded casually as he began his downward climb. Things were about to get interesting, but at least he knew two things for certain: George and Teddy had made it back okay, and they more than likely stuck with the doctored version of what had happened to Marcus.

Jeff stepped off the last rung of the ladder and turned toward Ben, who was laying Ray down on one of the tables. No one else seemed to be around, and he guessed everyone had gone to their trailers when they heard gunshots coming from the town. He took some comfort from the idea that he might be able to clean up a little before Megan or any of the children, including Jason, had a chance to see him slathered in Ray’s blood.

Jeff moved toward Ben, but before he had gone three steps, he felt a pair of hands pushing him to the ground. A sharp pain followed as a swift kick crashed into his side and a thick, meaty paw grabbed him by the hair. Before Jeff could react, a knee slammed into his back and his head was yanked upward.