The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (33 page)

“
Vaja will keep quiet. He
’
s paranoid enough as
it is
.
”
Lindsey
’
s
eyes said much more than her words
.
Dwayne knew they would need to talk when Vaja was not around.

“
I don
’
t want the fuckin
’
government coming down on me when we
’
re this close to finally getting our home back. I want out of this godforsaken city. Do you think I
’
m going to ruin my chances of getting the fuck out of here?
”
Vaja growled. He paced back and forth, two sharp steps, then a quick turn, two sharp steps, then another turn. There wasn
’
t much room in Lindsey
’
s small flat.

Lindsey tossed the drive to Dwayne. He tucked it into his jacket and checked his wristlet.
“
I need to go. Keep this quiet. Lindsey, thanks for this, but you should probably stay out of the network.
”

“
Agreed. This is getting really...
”
she shrugged, biting her bottom lip.
“
W
hat could they do to us? If the SWD
found out?
”

Running his fingers lightly over the small drive, Dwayne stared at the young woman thoughtfully.
“
Honestly, I don
’
t know. And I don
’
t want to find out either.
”

Lindsey sighed, hugging herself.

“
Good meeting you, Vaja. Thank you for your work,
”
Dwayne said, extending his hand to the pacing young man.

Vaja snarled at him dismissively.
“
I don
’
t think I like you. You may have gotten us killed.
”

“
Vaja!
”

“
Lindsey, you need to stay out of this. We all
do. We
’
re so close to be
ing
free
of this goddamn city.
”

“
So sacrificing the truth for freedom is okay with you?
”
Lindsey asked pointedly.

Vaja stopped in mid-step.
“
No.
”

“
That
’
s all we
’
re doing. Finding out the truth.
”
Lindsey reached out and took her lover
’
s hand.

“
Why? What will you do with it?
”
Vaja rubbed her fingers, but stared at Dwayne.

“
I
’
m not sure yet,
”
Dwayne answered honestly. He had searched for the truth because of the woman he loved, but now it was much more than he had ever imagined. Lindsey had wanted to release the information to the news outlet
s
when she had discovered the truth about Maria. He had stopped her. That had been the right choice. But now, Dwayne wasn
’
t sure where the path of information they were uncovering would lead. There was enough trouble with the quickly
-
approaching food shortage and the possible evacuation to Section A.

“
What do you mean
you
’
re not sure?
”
Vaja
disdainfully regarded Dwayne, his lip slightly curled.

“
We don
’
t have the full story yet. We don
’
t know exactly what the SWD has done. When we uncover the whole truth, we will decide what our next step will be.
”
Dwayne would never risk Maria. The timing would have to be
perfect
if he were to use this information against the SWD. Maybe this was what Commandant Pierce wanted him to do.

“
Can we trust you?
”
Vaja asked, his eyes narrowed.

“
You can,
”
Lindsey assured him. Tears were brimming in her eyes.
“
He has more at stake than you realize.
”

“
We
’
ll talk soon,
”
Dwayne said, then let himself out. The night was cool and he tugged his collar up around his ears as he walked. He had only a short amount of time before the city went dark.

He wished he could tell Maria what he knew.

She was in more danger than she realized.

Chapter 24

It was comforting to be seated in the carrier at her work console once more. Cormier was in torpor in the driver
’
s seat and the rest of the squad was scattered around the interior of the carrier. Denman was slumped at his station
.
Maria toyed with the idea of waking him after she spoke with Dwayne. She wanted to discuss Jameson
’
s condition in further detail, but their mission was so mentally taxing she felt
too
guilty to rob Denman of any of his downtime.

Her conversation with Chief Defender
Omondi
had been
brief
. He had appeared rushed and not interested in discussing Jameson
’
s condition. Maria had spun
the incident with Jameson
as a men
tal breakdown.
Omondi
had readily accepted this explanation
. She supposed Jameson
’
s recent behavior had given credence to her story. She hated lying, but she was having grave misgivings about their situation. She mollified her guilty feelin
gs over not fully reporting the details of the incident
to
Omondi
because she was telling Dwayne, the Castellan of
The Bastion
.

Her wristlet chimed and she
hastily
answered. Dwayne
’
s face appeared and she noted how much more silver was threaded into his hair. He had aged in the last few months. It was arrogant of her to think it was just because he was worried about her, but it made her feel loved nonetheless.

“
Thank God,
”
Dwayne said, obviously relieved.
“
Every night I fear you won
’
t be able to pick up.
”

Maria slightly smiled at him.
“
If I can, I will. You know that.
”

“
Remember those resources I said I was going to confer with over the recent events out there?
”

Her smile faded. Dwayne
’
s expression was quite grim.
“
What is it?
”

“
What
w
e
’
re
calling the
Inferi Anomalies
are
far
more dangerous than you think. I have a feeling that
Omondi
and his squad are actively trying to track them down. You said they were
headed to the hydro
electric station, right?
”

“
Yeah. But why is that significant?
”

As Dwayne related the information he had acquired from Lindsey, Maria grew very still. Mind spinning, she swiftly pieced together the data he had uncovered with her own experiences on the field.

“
Intelligent
,
speaking
,
cannibal
istic
Scrags
…
”
Maria shook her head.
“
Unbelievable.
”

“
It has to be what
w
e
’
re
calling the
Inferi Anomalies
. A human couldn
’
t survive out there all this time,
”
Dwayne answered.

“
I agree. There is no way a human could have survived out here. Impossible. It has to be the
Anomalies
, but the ones that attacked us didn
’
t show any great intelligence. Cunning, yes. Ryan was obviously hunting us. But they only spoke one word.
”

“
Hungry, huh?
”
Dwayne
’
s frown deepened.

“
Yes, and it gets worse.
”
She told him about Jameson.

“
The
Anomaly
bit him and only him?
”

“
Yes, and now he
’
s suffering hunger pains.
”

“
Maybe the altered virus from the
Anomaly
infected him? Can that happen?
”

“
Denman says
it
’
s
possibl
e
. If we spoke to Dr. Curran, maybe she could determine if
i
t
is
, but…
”
Maria sighed.
“
I don
’
t trust her. I don
’
t trust any of them.
”

“
And you shouldn
’
t,
”
Dwayne said
guiltily
.
“
Not completely. There
’
s something I haven
’
t told you.
”
In even tones, he told her about Gideon
’
s death.

“
They lied to me and
Omondi
!
Why didn
’
t you tell me?
”

“
To keep you focused on your
mission. I knew you wanted to be on this mission.
I felt that to tell you that the SWD was lying in some regards would affect you adversely.
”

“
It would have,
”
Maria admitted, but she was still annoyed.
“
I wish you would have told me last week.
”

“
Would it have made a difference?
”

Maria shook her head.
“
It really doesn
’
t now e
ither. I knew all along that something was wrong. I was lying to myself as much as they were. The question is does the SWD know what the
Inferi Anomalies
are?
”

“
Unknown. I assume
Omondi
hasn
’
t kept you briefed on what he and his squad are doing?
”

“
Correct.
”

“
I have my contacts searching for more information. As soon as I know something I will relay that information to you.
”

“
Thanks, Dwayne. Knowing that you
’
re working on my behalf makes this…bearable.
”
She could see the concern in his keen blue eyes and
knew that
he could see the emotional devastation in her own.

“
I love you,
”
he said.

“
I love you.
”

He was gone.

Closing her eyes, her thoughts rested on him. He was tenacious and he was a man of his word. He would do everything he could to keep her informed even though her superiors saw fit to keep her and the others in the dark. Her anger against the SWD and
Omondi
was growing. Jameson
’
s condition was a sign that not all was well and that they were all in danger.

But if Dwayne was searching for answers, she knew he would find them.

Words from a previous conversation
slithered
through her mind. He had teased
her
about how he always found out the truth. The allusion to their beginnings had made her smile. It had taken her a very short time to fall madly in love with him, but she had been keenly aware of the ring on his finger. She had avoided revealing her feelings at all costs even though she saw him every day during physical therapy. They often chatted on their return walk to their rooms. Even though she had been resolute about not emotionally investing her heart in him, she had cherished those long slow walks. One day she had noticed the ring was gone
. S
he had wondered if he had merely forgotten to wear it.

“
I
’
m going to kiss you now. Any objections?
”
he had said.

There was no hesitation as she had pressed h
er
lips to his and let him claim her heart. That kiss had been like no other she had ever shared with anyone. In his arms, she had felt so safe, so loved, and so cherished. The passion between them had been overpowering.

Her eyes still closed, she touched her lips…remembering.

Intertwined, they hid in the shadows of the building, sheltered by a giant oak tree. The scent of his freshly washed hair ming
led with the flowery fragrance
of her own shampoo. His body was hard and strong
as it pressed against her. H
is lips were both l
oving and demanding as they kissed
. She
’
d
never wanted the kiss to end even when her breath was gone and her knees shook. Her fingers dared to slid
e
under his shirt as he buried his hands in her hair.

“
We should go somewhere…private and talk,
”
he finally whispered against her lips.

They had managed to make it to her room, but the talking had
n
’
t
come
until
much later…

* * *

“
Dwayne,
”
she whispered, waking.

Sitting bolt upright in her chair, Maria stared at the console in shock. Check
ing
her wristlet, she saw
that
it had not buzzed her into consciousness. She had not been in torpor.

She had been asleep.

Confused and reeling, she swung out of her chair and stumbled to the open doorway of the carrier, sidest
epping the bodies of her squad
frozen in the torpor. Leaping to the ground, she st
ared up at the starry sky above
. Her body felt oddly alive as she processed what had just happened. A nervous giggle flitted from her lips as she felt the pleasant sting of arousal burning between her thighs.

She felt alive.

Pressing her hands to her neck, she felt no pulse. She ceased to breathe, and felt no need for air.

But she felt…aroused. She had fallen asleep.

What did it mean?

Then she heard a scream emanating from the collapsed building nearby. Anguished cries were caught by the wind and swept away, diminishing their sound, but she knew what it was.

It was Jameson crying out in hunger and pain.

He had not fallen into torpor.

* * *

The screams emanating from the collapsed house were full of desperation. Denman and Maria hesitated in the darkened doorway.

“And his wristlet alarm is off for sure?” Denman asked again.

Maria felt agitat
ed by his question. She gave him
a curt nod of h
er
head.

They had left the squad behind in torpor. It was best not to rouse them until they had a handle on the situation. Before they had left the carrier, Maria had performed a quick scan of the area. So far, Jameson
’
s screams had not stirred the
Inferi Scourge
that were within a two mile radius.

Slipping into the house, Maria heard Denman follow.

They found Jameson where they had left him. He had managed to sit up and was tucked into a corner of the dining area off the kitchen.
Reclining
against the wall, he was crying out as his body seized. Flashing a light toward him, Maria was shocked to see tears streaming down his face.

“Denman!”

“I see it!” The medic scrambled over the remains of the dining room table and chai
r
s and squatted next to Jameson.

Spit flecked his lips as Jameson wept. His red and swollen eyes stared at Denman in fear.

“Jameson, I need you to remain calm, okay? I need to take some scans and a few samples of your tissue so we can figure out what is happening to you
,
” Denman said in a soothing tone.
“I need you
to
not try to bite me. Do you understand me?”