The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (30 page)

“
It
’
s not our place to understand orders,
”
Omondi
said in a tone that was both tired and rather cross.
“
We obey them.
”

The chastisement burned a little, but
Maria
refused to let it
rile
her. Too much had happened during the day to let one more thing pile on top of her already overburdened mind.
“
I suppose they split the squad for us?
”

Omondi
handed over his pad and Maria scanned the list. It took only a few seconds for her to give
Omondi
a sharp look.

“
Your squad is all SWD security.
”

“
We
’
re
all
Inferi Boon
Special Ops,
”
Omondi
corrected her tersely. Yet there was something in his voice and posture that revealed his own misgivings on the situation.

“
Of course.
”
Studying the list, Maria began to realize that she truly didn
’
t know the SWD security on the squad very well
other than Gutierrez
. They usually hung out in clusters on their own and though they did join in the joking, it was the Constabulary members of the squad that Maria interacted with on a more personal basis.

Peering over her shoulder, she
recognized
that even now, as the squad relaxed during their break, there was a visible break between the Constabulary and SWD soldiers. She returned the pad to
Omondi
and folded her arms over her chest.

“
You will continue with our original plan and eventually meet up with my squad. We
’
ll maintain regular contact and you
’
ll need to send your reports to me.
”

“
We only have one medic,
”
Maria pointed out. Denman was staying behind. She was relieved that he
wouldn
’
t
be departing, but she was also concerned about the
health of the
soldiers leaving with
Omondi
.

“
We
’
ve been out here long enough to know what we need to watch out for,
”
Omondi
said dismissively.
“
We have our orders.
”

“
And when do you leave?
”

“
Now,
”
Omondi
answered.

His expression was tense, his gaze fixed, and the lines betw
een his eyes deep.
Omondi
was deeply upset about something and it was seeping out in his features despite his resolve.

“
Tonight?
”
Maria arched an
eyebrow
.

“
You
’
ll be in charge of the wristlet timers for your squad now. The schedule will be transmitted to your pad. We
’
ll have daily debriefs after our squad goes into blackout.
”
Omondi
’
s dark eyes peered into hers.
“
Though this is an unexpected alteration in our plans, remember
:
w
e
’
re
doing this for the citizens of
The Bastion
. We
’
re soldiers in the soon
-
to
-
be
-
ended war for survival against the
Scrags
.
”

Maria nodded.
“
Yes, sir.
”

She followed in his wake as he made his way to the center of the soldiers enjoying their break. His formidable presence drew the attention of every man and woman. Maria could see trepidation fill the faces of a few while others merely looked curious.
Omondi
’
s booming voice filled the night air, drowning out the soft moans of the
Inferi Scourge
around the camp. He delivered the new orders in a strong, firm, commanding voice. Whereas Maria had sensed that he may have misgivings when he had spoken to her, there was no sign of those feelings when he
addressed
the squad. His strength, confidence, and charisma swept away the shock and dismay. By the end of his rousing speech, the
split
squad was cheering and ready for the next phase in their mission.

Within the half hour, Chief Defend
er
Omondi
and his newly formed squad
marched
into the darkness of the night, their forms slipping away into the moaning
Scourge
.

Maria wasn
’
t surprised when Denman drew near.

“
All SWD except for
Omondi
,
”
Denman said
in a discreet tone
.

“
I
noticed
.
”

“
And right after the attack by the speaking
Scrag
.
”

“
Yes.
”

Denman shifted on his feet and pretended to show her something on his med-pad.
“
In other words, they
’
re keeping something from us.
”

Maria nodded silently.

Shoving the pad in his pack, Denman fully faced her, his eyes scanning her expression.

Finally, Maria said,
“
We do our job. We keep vigilant.
”
In a much lower voice, she whispered,
“
And we try to figure out what the hell is going on.
”

* * *

Dwayne was fast asleep when his wristlet chimed. He
instantly woke
, his fingers
instinctively
sliding over the small interface. Heart pounding in his chest, he accessed the secret program. Relief filled him
when
he saw that the incoming call was from Maria.

Once
her face filled the small screen, he found himself speechless. Even with her grayish pallor and murky eyes, she was beautiful. His body ached for her.

“
Oh, God, Dwayne, I
’
ve missed you,
”
she said, her voice rough with emotion.

“
I
’
ve been going crazy hoping you were okay,
”
Dwayne answered.
“
What happened?
”

The face he loved so much became eerily still as Maria gathered her thoughts.
“
The Chief Defender had control of our wristlets and I couldn
’
t override it.
”

“
So how-
”

“
There have been some complications to the mission. The Chief Defender has departed with half the squad. I have control over my wristlet and
those of my squad
. Of course, the SWD could override it at any time, but at least I was able to contact you
tonight
.
”

Though the lines of her face tensed and Dwayne could tell she was overcome with emotion, no tears glimmered in her eyes. It was disconcerting.

“
Maria, I
’
ll always be here waiting to hear from you. I love you. I believe in you. I know
you
’
re
doing a damn fine job out there.
”

“
I saw Ryan,
”
Maria said at last, startling Dwayne.
“
He attacked me. He wasn
’
t like the other
Scrags
. He spoke like that other one.
”

“
Another anomaly?
”

Maria nodded.
“
It
’
s damn apparent we
’
re not being told everything. The virus must be mutating somehow. Thankfully, so far, there have been only two
Inferi
A
nomalies. The rest behave like you expect
Scrags
to act
, s
o we
’
re safe in that regard. After Ryan attacked me today,
Omondi
split off with the SWD soldiers in the squad
per the orders of the SWD
.
”

“
Suspicious.
”
Rolling onto his side,
Dwayne
stared at the image of the woman he loved. He felt helpless. It ate at him that he couldn
’
t rush out and protect Maria. Of course, he also knew she was fully capable of taking care of herself, but his natural inclination
was to rescue her from
a quagmire of hidden lies.
“
How are you handling all of it?
”

“
Doing what I learned from you. Keeping my squad focused on the endgame while keeping my eyes and ears open. Something is going on out here, Dwayne. Something is very, very wrong. I just wish they would tell us the truth.
”

“
Maybe they told
Omondi
the truth and he
’
s handling it,
”
Dwayne suggested.

“
Probably, but that doesn
’
t help the rest of us. I can
’
t help but feel
w
e
’
re
in more danger than the SWD
told us
. I
’
d rather have the truth and deal with it.
”

“
I
’
ll see what I can do to help you with that,
”
Dwayne
promised
.

“
Ah, your
mysterious connections, huh?
”
Maria lifted an eyebrow, slightly smiling.

“
I have a way of finding out the truth,
”
Dwayne said with a grin and a wink.

Her lips spreading into a wide smile, it was clear she knew what he was alluding to. They had spent hours upon hours together as they recovered from their injuries after the last push against the
Inferi Scourge
. They often worked side by side at physical rehabilitation and chatted often. He had known almost right away that he had deep feelings for her. After Barbara filed for divorce, he had decided to risk their age difference and find out if Maria felt the same way. The young soldier had been very good at keeping her feelings hidden, but he had sensed he was not alone in how he felt. It had taken him months before he had finally turned to her and said,
“
I
’
m going to kiss you now. Any objections?
”

Maria had grabbed him and given him the most passionate kiss of his life.

“
I still think that was entrapment,
”
Maria said, laughing.
“
Find out what you can as long as you
’
re not kissing anyone.
”

The sound of her laughter, though distorted slightly by the transmission, was a lovely sound.
“
I save all my kisses for you.
”

“
You better.
”
Her smile faded and she sighed.
“
I need to go.
”

“
I love you, Maria.
”

“
I
’
ll try to keep in touch, Dwayne. And I love you.
”

The transmission ended.

With a weary sigh, Dwayne rolled out of bed and sent a message to Lindsey to meet him for lunch the next day.

Chapter 22

The kiosk was packed with people hurrying to grab lunch before
returning
to work. The smell of hot vegetable oil and the spices used to turn simple bland protein into a savory dish with vegetables and rice made Dwayne even hungrier. The tea simmering in his chipped cup smelled cinnamony and sweet. The kiosk was run by an older couple and was dependent on their personal rooftop garden. They weren
’
t always open
for business, but when they were,
people rushed to drop off their daily protein ration so they could later enjoy it in a delicious dish. The proprietors soaked the protein in a
delectable
marinade that made the tasteless
lumps
into something divine.

Lindsey s
cooted
onto the battered stool next to him, leaning her elbows on the wooden counter. The wood had probably once been a park bench. The grain had worn over time to a smooth polish. Everything in
The Bastion
was recycled. Lindsey was dressed casually and her
blond
hair was loose. It was her day off, but she had agreed to meet him.

“
Name?
”
the cook, Sarah, asked Lindsey.

Lindsey answered and Sarah checked the list of people who had dropped off their protein ration earlier.
“
I
’
ll get it on
the
fire.
”

“
Thanks,
”
Lindsey said, smiling, then
swiveled
toward Dwayne.
“
Enjoying the news?
”
She indicated the drone passing by showing the latest government
-
released vids of the closed gate.
”

“
Exciting, isn
’
t it?
”
Dwayne answered, sipping his tea.

“
I heard the
y
pulled all the wall guards last night. No more wall duty. Our special ops team out there is all we need. Speculation is that they have some sort of nifty new armor and weapons that the SWD developed just for the job.
”

“
I heard that, too,
”
Dwayne said, his tone casual. Sarah set a bowl before him, the rice steaming beneath green beans, bamboo sprouts, and snow peas. The protein was spicy and the steam made his stomach grow
l
in anticipation. He tucked into his lunch, savoring each bite.

Leaning toward him, Lindsey said,
“
So, what
’
s up?
”

Dwayne handed her a small tablet. It was old and many of its features were broken or disabled. He had picked it up at a small street shop and entered some notes for Lindsey to study and investigate. It was a locked down device since it couldn
’
t transmit. He
didn
’
t
want any of his suspicions leaking out.

Lindsey thumbed it open, read a few lines and turned wide eyes in his direction.

He calmly sipped his tea and gave her the briefest of nods.

“
Can I have mine to go?
”
she asked,
pivoting
around.

One of the two cooks looked up from the hot stove and nodded.

“
Should I come by later?
”
Dwayne took a sip of his tea, his eyes following the drone.

“
Not yet. When I have something solid, I
’
ll let you know,
”
Lindsey answered as her lunch was set down in front of her wrapped in paper. She snatched her
meal
and was gone.

He was just finishing his tea after swallowing the last bit of his meal when Dwayne saw a flash of navy out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw the shrewd
black
eyes of the commandant staring at him. Her ebony skin was slightly beaded with sweat. He glanced around for her usual entourage. There was none in sight. It appeared she had walked alone through the city
,
a surprising move on her part.

“
I didn
’
t know you came here for lunch,
”
Dwayne said at last.

“
You weren
’
t in your office. Your assistant told me where you were,
”
the commandant answered. She sat in the same stool Lindsey had perched on earlier and set her elbow on the counter. She stared at him openly and thoughtfully.

“
I was hungry,
”
Dwayne answered with a shrug.

“
Can I have your name?
”
Sarah asked, her tired, wrinkled face neutral of any emotion, but her eyes slightly widened at the sight of the woman who
w
as a regular on the news vids.

“
I didn
’
t leave off my ration,
”
the commandant answered.

“
I can only offer a vegetarian dish then,
”
Sarah informed her. Sweat trailed down her face and she clutched her tongs in a shaking hand.

“
That
’
s fine. Make it extra spicy,
”
the commandant replied, pushing a credit across the counter to Sarah. Without irony, she said to Dwayne,
“
A penny for your thoughts, Castellan
Reichardt
.
”

Dwayne shifted his weight on his creaky stool and regarded her thoughtfully.
“
On which matter?
”

“
The mission outside the walls,
”
she answered.

“
It
’
s a massive success for the SWD,
”
Dwayne said with the shrug of his shoulders.
“
If the news vids are to be believed.
”

“
Exactly,
”
the commandant said pointedly.

“
How much do you know about their operation?
”

She lifted one shoulder.
“
Enough.
”

“
We transferred some of our best soldiers to the SWD a few months ago,
”
Dwayne said, deciding to push a little.

The commandant arched her eyebrow.

“
The special ops out there are our people, aren
’
t they?
”

There was the tiniest inclination of her chin.

“
But SWD is getting all the credit.
”

Again, the barest of nods.

“
And you don
’
t like this.
”

“
I play
the game we all participate in
.
”
It was hard to hear her over the chatter of all the people around them and the sizzling of the oil in the big skillets on the stove.

“
What do you want from me?
”

In a voice that was barely audible, she said,
“
Your help.
”

Dwayne
inclined his head toward her
. He could see the anger, frustration, and fear in her eyes.
“
I
’
m doing as you ask. You
’
ve seen my reports.
”

“
This is on another matter.
”
Her eyes met his in an almost defiant way.

Dwayne sensed she was taking a risk just by broaching the unknown subject with him, even if her words were chosen in such a way
that
people
outside their world would
n
’
t
understand the true meaning.

“
You have an uncanny knack of being one step ahead of me,
”
she
continued at a discreet volume
.
“
I
n the past I
have wondered how this happens, but my inquiries always came up short. Maybe you
’
re a man of hidden talents, or hidden methods. Or maybe you
’
re just that intuitive. Whatever the case, you always seem to know what you...shouldn
’
t.
”
She tilted her head sli
ghtly. “Continue this practice.”

Dwayne sat back, folded his arms over his chest, and stared at her.

Commandant Pierce dismissed him with a look and turned her full attention to watching the cooks finish preparing her meal. He was clearly
free to go
. Dwayne gave her a slight nod that he knew she could see out of the corner of her eye, and slid off his stool
.

He strode away into the crowd.

* * *

The carrier was not significantly damaged considering the amount of time it had been abandoned and left to the wrath of the
Inferi Scourge
.
A few of the
antennas were snapped off and a few of the outside compartments had been pried open
, b
ut otherwise
the damage was minimal. Maria was impressed by the efficiency of the security system.
Scourge
bodies were piled up around the vehicle.

“
Home sweet home,
”
Denman joked as he walked alongside her.

“
Doesn
’
t look bad considering,
”
Cormier said from behind them. She jogged ahead a few paces to get a closer view. The driver of the carrier flashed a grin their way.
“
This vehicle is so bad
ass. I want to live in it when this is all done.
”

“
We should go joy riding,
”
Mikado suggested with a grin at Cruz.

Cruz
returned the smile
, lightly nudging him with her elbow.

“
With the numbers down in this area, we could use the blades on the plo
w
to kill the
rest of the
Scrags
,
”
McKinney suggested. His boyish grin was charming when it appeared on his face.

It
had been
nearly a week since the Chief Defender had departed. The first day or two had been quiet, but on the third day it was if the pall of grim anxiety had lifted.
Without
Omondi
’
s dour presence and the reclusive SWD soldiers shadowing them, the Constabulary soldiers were in higher spirits than before. It was a relief to see them smiling and engaging in fun banter
again
.

Their duty
was taxing on their minds, but every day the valley showed the results of their hard work.
Maria had lost count of how many of the
Scourge
she had personally killed. The totals were transmitted from their weapons to the SWD and some of the soldiers kept a manual count. McKinney and Holm had tracked their every kill, but Maria really didn
’
t want to know her number. She was tired of death.

“
Clear the area
around the carrier
,
”
Maria ordered.

Dragging the bodies away from the carrier was an easier task now that the area
was
cleared of most of the
Scourge
. Only a few straggler packs remained. By nightfall, they would be gone. Joining the rest of the squad, she
helped gather
the corpses into piles.

“
Sir, I should get in there and make sure nothing is too fouled up,
”
Cormier said. Her frame was virtually vibrating with the need to check out the vehicle.

“
Give me a full systems report,
”
Maria answered.

“Yes, s
ir!” Cormier grinned and darted away.

Holm and McKinney appeared to be in a competition as they dragged four
Scourge
each over to the burn piles. Amused, Maria smiled at their cajoling. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Cormier enter the
vehicle
.