The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (7 page)

“No, Mama. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to call to let you know that I am going on a special assignment for
around
six months. I am not going to be able to contact you and I just wanted-”

“Where are you going?” Lourdes demanded, her eyes flashing.

“Hey, sis, what
’
s up?” Mariano leaned into view.

“All I am allowed to say is that I am on a special assignment authorized by President
Cabot
,” Maria answered truthfully.

“I don
’
t like it,” Lourdes decided. “Tell him no.”

“I can
’
t, Mama, I already said yes. I
’
m getting ready to leave now,” Maria answered, her hand sliding nervously up and down her arm.

“No, no. You tell him no. I already lost your father to the
Scrags
. Don
’
t you go and get yourself killed, too!” Lourdes wailed, slamming her fist onto the armrest of her recliner. “You almost died in that last battle!”

“Mama, I can
’
t. I made a vow,” Maria answered quietly, her voice rough with emotion.

“Calm down, Mama, and listen to her,” Mariano urged.

“I am listening and I don
’
t like it!” Lourdes shouted. “You never come to see me! I hardly see you, and then you call to tell me that you
’
re going to do something stupid and get killed!”

“Mama,” Maria exclaimed, standing up sharply. “I just wanted to tell you how much I
—
”

“If you go, I don
’
t want to hear from you ever again! I already lost your father! Isn
’
t that enough?” Lourdes sprang out of her chair and stormed out of view.

Mariano swiftly moved into frame. “She doesn
’
t mean it, Maria. She
’
s just upset. She never wanted you to go into the service,” he said, trying to console her. “And when you got wounded...”

Despite her best efforts to control her emotions, tears streamed down Maria
’
s cheeks. “I know, I know. But I need to do this. Not just for me, but for you, for her, for everyone.”

Mariano nodded, his dark eyes studying her. “Just keep safe. Come home safely. She
’
ll forgive you then.”

“Don
’
t be angry with me.”

“I
’
m not. I
’
m proud of you. And scared for you,” Mariano admitted. “Be careful, okay?”

“Tell her I love her, please,” Maria asked. “And I
will
come back.”

Mariano flashed his be
autiful smile. “I know you will. Y
ou
’
re a bad ass.
Te amo
, sis.”

“
Te amo
,” Maria answered just before the screen flashed to black.

“That could have gone better,” Dwayne
’
s voice said, startling her. He stood just inside the narrow doorway in his dark blue uniform, his expression one of concern.

“I don
’
t know why I ever expect it to go well when I talk to her.” Maria yanked her pad out of the vid-screen and
angrily
tucked it into her bag of personal possessions.

“Mothers have a way of making their kids crazy. I see it with Barbara all the time. Hell, my mother did it to me, too.” Dwayne reached out and touched her cheek lightly. “But she loves you. She wouldn
’
t be so upset otherwise.”

“I know that, but it doesn
’
t make me feel any less shitty.” Maria wiped at her face with irritation. “I just wanted this one conversation to go well and not end with her yelling at me.”

Wrapping her up in his arms, Dwayne held
Maria
close, kissing her forehead.

“And I hate crying! And she always makes me cry and feel like a stupid little kid. I
’
m not a stupid little kid, Dwayne. I
’
m a bad ass. I
’
m a decorated war hero. I shook the hand of the
p
resident! But is that good enough for her?”

Dwayne listened in silence as she raged.

Maria clenched her hands at her sides, stepping away from him. “She is always going to hold it against me for enlisting. Hell, she even blames me for getting wounded. The last time we argued she claimed I had killed her future grandchildren because I chose to become a soldier. At least she didn
’
t throw that in my face this time.”

Dwayne sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. His blue eyes gazed up at her with such tenderness, Maria felt her rage start to ebb away. It wasn
’
t his fault she had failed in all of her mother
’
s expectations of her. She had betrayed her mother by following
in
her father
’
s footsteps, and for that her mother would never forgive her. Rubbing her hand over her stomach, she could feel the ugly scars beneath her shirt.

“I don
’
t know what to say other than I believe in you and what you have chosen
to do. I
’
m scared, too. That
’
s
most likely why she
’
s lashing out at you. I
’
m not saying she
’
s right to do so, but I do understand h
ow scared she must be that she
’
s going to lose you.” Dwayne touched her hand lightly. “
I
’
m
scared I
’
ll lose you.”

“You won
’
t. I promise. This will work. We
’
ll kill the
Scrags
and be free of them. Then you and I will go live in that house by the lake.” Maria plopped
onto
the bed next to him, covering her face with her hands. “I just wanted to have a good moment with her before I head out there.
I wanted to tell her I love her.
”

Rubbing her back lightly, Dwayne said, “At least she knows you were thinking of her before
deployment
.”

“True. I almost didn
’
t call her. I thought about just sending her a message. But she would have killed me for that.” Maria ran her hands over her hair and turned her gaze toward him. “Did you get your errand taken care of?”

“Yes, I did,” Dwayne answered, smiling slightly. He pulled a small black box out of his pocket. “I
’
m not going to lie. I don
’
t like the idea of not having any communication with you while
you
’
re
out there.
I hate that they
’
re disabling that aspect of your wristlet.
”

Sighing, Maria nodded. “I don
’
t like it either. It
’
s going to be the hardest part of the mission.”

“Well, I went to see someone that gave me a solution.” Dwayne held out the box. “It
’
s for your wristlet. I am leaving this up to you, though. All you have to do is connect it to this device and it will download a program that will create a back door for us to communicate through.”

Maria took the small box, flipped it open, and stared down at the small device. “If I got caught...”

“Exactly. That
’
s why I said it
’
s your choice. I
’
ll download the same program, of course.”

“We
’
ll be jail breaking our wristlets,” Maria said in a
solemn
voice.

“Which is against the law,” Dwayne added, his keen blue eyes gazing into her dark ones.

Maria ran her finger lightly
over
the slim silver stick thoughtfully.
Running her hand over her wristlet
, she activated the screen and slowly tapped in her passcode. She could feel Dwayne watching her, waiting. Pulling the device out of the box, she tilted her head to gaze at the man she loved.

“I
’
m willing to risk it if
you
a
re
,” she finally said.

The corner of Dwayne
’
s mouth quirked upward as he nodded. “I
’
m absolutely ready to risk it.”

It took only a few minutes to install the program and Maria was relieved when it disappeared into the depths of the wristlet
’
s operating system. Together, they experimented with pulling up the hidden program and giving it a test run. They were both pleased when there were no problems.

“She
’
s the best,” Dwayne decided with a grin.

“And how do you know this hacker?” Maria wondered.

Grinning, Dwayne destroyed the device, grinding it under his boot. “I
’
ve been around a long time. You meet people along the way and find out their special talents.”

“She
’
s one of us
?
” Maria said.

“Maybe. Does it matter?”

“No, no.” Maria smiled as she ran her fingers over the slim wristlet. “Whoever she is she just made this job not seem quite so bad.”

“The new house on the lake wasn
’
t enough to make it bearable?”

With a shrug of her shoulders, Maria lay back on the bed. “It was enough to keep me motivated, but this actually makes me happy.”

Dwayne settled down beside her, his arms around her waist and his face tucked into the crook of her neck. “I
’
m going to miss you.”

“I
’
m going to miss you.” Maria noted the time and her stomach coiled with nerves. Rolling over onto her side, she rested her palm gently against Dwayne
’
s cheek. “I have to go in two hours and the hardest part of all of this is leaving you.”

Dwayne stroked her hair as he kissed her lips softly. “Two hours
, huh?
Let
’
s make it count.”

Laughing, Maria
dismissed
her fears, her doubts, and her heartbreak as she lost herself in making love to the only man she had ever loved.

Chapter 5

The painful scene before him reminded Dwayne of the night he had packed his bags and walked out of his old home. It held a finality that bothered him.

Maria slowly moved through her flat, checking each cabinet, the closet, under the bed, every location she might have left one of her small possessions. The tension that had settled between her eyebrows had her
forehead
knotted. Clad in her charcoal-colored
dress
uniform, her hair braided down her back, she looked lovely, yet stern.

Standing near the door, Dwayne waited for her to finish her last round through the flat. It was spotless, sterile, and empty. It made him ache to see it so barren.

For the last year, this place had been his safe haven from a bitter, soon to be ex-wife, surly teenage twins, an angry adult daughter, the pressures of his career, and the unyielding stress of knowing the
Inferi Scourge
were just outside the wall. Now it was over and he couldn
’
t help but feel afraid when he watched Maria heave her bags over her shoulder.

Her strength of will always amazed him. All too vividly he remembered her rousing him after the grenade had exploded and hurtled them both through
the air
. He couldn
’
t even see or hear at first. Blood had filled his eyes and he had been deafened by the
explosion. Though badly wounded and
bleeding profusely, she had kept firing at the
Scourge
streaming toward them. Unable to get to his feet, his mind numbed and his body yet to feel the full brunt of his wounds, he had
been dependent on her to rescue them
. He would never forget her expression when she had
seen the tiltrotor swoop down to airlift
them. She had been unbelievably beautiful in her joy. He was fairly certain that was the moment he fell in love with her.

Now watching her stand in silence as she regarded her flat for one last time, he
grappled with
the fear that he would never see her again once she walked out the door.

“I think I
’
ll miss this old rat cage,” she said at last.

“You
’
re what made it special,” he reminded her.

Drawing in a deep breath, she closed her eyes. As she slowly exhaled, he watched her features soften and the tension disappear from her brow. She was amazing at keeping herself calm and collected when all the rest of the world fell apart around her. Right now he felt close to
shattering
. Despite his resolve, his eyes felt damp and he folded his arms over his chest and swallowed hard.

Maria opened her dark eyes and her gaze settled on him.
S
he strode the few steps over to him. A smile slightly pulled on her lips even though her eyes were rimmed with unshed tears.

“I have to do this,” she said at last.

“I know,” he answered in a low voice, his emotions kept in check. He
wouldn
’
t
make this harder on her.

“If I can help destroy the
Scrags
in the valley and reclaim it for us, I have to. I can
’
t stand not being able to do anything but wait for the city to completely run down, or for them to get in.”

He knew her speech was more for her than for him and he let her talk without interruption.

“I will not fail,” she finally added after a long beat. “I will make this work for you and me and everyone else in this city.”

“I know you will. I have no doubt in your abilities. Hell, you dragged my ass onto that tiltrotor. I wouldn
’
t be here if not for you.” He lightly touched her chin. “Your stubbornness sets into your jaw and once that happens, I know nothing will stop you.”

That made her grin and she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Dwayne kissed her mouth, her cheeks, and her forehead before drawing her against him and inhaling the fragrance of her hair. They were almost the exact same height and she fit so perfectly against him. Despite their age difference, life experience, and backgrounds, they were perfect for each other. They completely understood each other. And because of that, he
wouldn
’
t
shed a tear in front of her or let her know how terrified he truly was.

“I need to catch the train,” she said at last, pressing her lips to his cheek.

“Keep in contact when you can,” he urged her.

“I will. I promise.” She kicked the box of provisions with her foot. “Please make sure the Roses get this.”

“Are you sure you don
’
t want to do it yourself?”

“They
’
ll ask too many questions and I don
’
t think I can deal with that right now,” she answered truthfully. “Give them my love. And if they ask you where I went, tell them I
’
m doing my job.”

“I will.”

“And can you check up on them once in a while? I don
’
t think Ms. Bergman always has the credits to get her medicine from the herbalist.”

“Did they run out of her meds?” Dwayne knew the shortages were growing more rampant, but he didn
’
t realize it had hit the medical sector.

“She
’
s on a very long waiting list. But luckily the herbalist has some sort of concoction that helps her. Even if
it is
a placebo, she swears it works.”

“I
’
ll check on her. I promise.” Once again he was reminded of how Maria tended to watch over those around her while often ignoring her own needs. It was a stark contrast to his ex-wife who always demanded so much from those around her.

Falling into silence, Maria shifted her bags and stepped closer to the door. Her shoulders set and he saw her jaw tighten. Turning toward him, he saw her strength and resolve take firm hold of her countenance.

“I
’
ll see you, Dwayne Reichardt.”

“And I
’
ll see you, Maria Martinez,” he answered in a rough voice.

Her fingers lightly caught his for a second, then she
shoved
the door open and slid into the hall.

Fighting the urge to follow her, he folded his arms over his chest and took in a deep, ragged breath. Lowering his chin, he waited as the echo of her footsteps faded away. He took a breath, released it, lifted the box of rations, and stepped out of the doorway. Looking over the empty flat one last time, he clenched his jaw to reign in his emotions, and shut the door.

* * *

“Spring rolls! Fresh spring rolls!”

Maria glanced over at the street vendor
s
as she walked through the throngs of people filling the market. All around her people were hawking wares, homemade crafts, or food made from their own small rooftop gardens. Refurbished battery powered fans and reconstructed lightweight clothing were the big sellers.
Children scrambled around the silent, dry fountain on the street corner while a man strummed a guitar as a woman beside him sang in a sweet, high voice.

A government drone circled the square flashing the latest updated news. The screens
showed
scenes of the
Inferi Scourge
being gunned down by the valiant defenders of
The Bastion
. Maria paused, clutching the strap of her bag. The screaming, torn faces of the
Scourge
made her skin crawl and she looked away.

The city streets were
hot, stifling, smelly and overwhelming.

Looking up, she stared at the bright blue sky visible between the tall grey buildings surrounding her. The top of the wall was barely discernible above the roofs. It was a far departure from the historical vids of people living in high rise apartments, driving sleek cars, dressed in fancy clothes, decked out in the latest tech, and living lives free from the
Inferi Scourge
.

Jostled by the crowd hurrying past her, Maria was
drawn
out of her ruminations. She swept her gaze over the people busily going about their business. She almost felt like laughing as she felt the futility of her mission wash over her. How could she save all these people? How could she even be certain that her mission would succeed?

Taking a deep breath, filled with dust, humidity and the stink of the city, she forced her doubts away. She was a soldier of
The Bastion
Constabulary. She
wouldn
’
t
doubt. She
wouldn
’
t
fear.

“No going back now,” she murmured
,
and rounded the corner heading to her destination.

The side streets were narrower, congested with people, and stifling. Someone poured their dishwater out of a high window and drenched some of the passersby. Shouts of anger rose as Maria hurried around the corner, grateful the dirty water had missed her.

Ducking down the stairs into the now defunct subway station, she shifted the bags on her shoulder. She had a few minutes before the only running subway train would pick her up. It was used exclusively by the military and would be stopping just for her. All the stations were now restricted areas. Squatters had been removed and the trains shut down as a security precaution after the
Scourge
had infiltrated the sewers.

Swiping her wristlet over the locks on the heav
il
y barred doors, she heard an ominous click as they unlocked and opened. She entered the gloom beyond the gaping doors, leaving behind the heat and sunlight. Lights flickered on as she walked across the cement floor to the platform. The doors clanked shut behind her.

It was cooler down here. She sneezed in the stale air and rubbed her nos
e
. Her wristlet caught her eye and she ran her fingers lightly over the smooth silver surface. The screen activated, flashing that it was locked, ready for her commands. She tapped her finger lightly over the edges, her password unlocking the device. She had no additional orders. Nothing had changed. Maria felt both relief and trepidation.

Noises in the pitch black tunnel startled her. Instantly on alert, her body tensed as her heart began to pound. The sound of approaching footsteps reverberated through the station.
Running?
Her hand automatically slid to her side, but she had no sidearm.

Mentally chastising herself for panicking, she nonetheless let her bags slide to the floor. The last breach of the wall had been years before when her father had died fighting the
Inferi Scourge
in the sewer system. The footsteps were moving swiftly in her direction. It had to be a maintenance crew, but why would they be running?

Maria knew that her panic was born of her experience outside the walls. Ever since the defeat of the Constabulary military forces, she had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder just like all of the rest of the survivors. A few months of therapy and drug treatment had greatly reduced her anxiety attacks, but her body was absolutely singing with adrenaline as she listened to the sounds emanating from the darkness.

Backing away from the bags, she sought out a hiding place. The old station was devoid of any decoration and all the benches and vending machines were long gone. There was no place to conceal herself. She considered calling out, but decided against it. If there was a breach, the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention.

An alarm sounded, announcing the arrival of the train within a minute
’
s time. She shot a quick look over her shoulder toward the locked doors. Should she flee up into the market and risk the
Scourge
breaching the door, or hope the train arrived in time?

“Oh, shit,” she muttered.

It couldn
’
t be the
Scourge
. They couldn
’
t be in the system.

Backing toward the doors, she drew a deep breath.

“Out of the hole, soldiers!”

It was a woman
’
s voice.

A search and destroy squad, dressed all in black,
bounded
out of the tunnel. Their heavy masks made them look like insects as they moved in perfectly synchronized motions. With striking ease, they leaped onto the platform and fell into formation. Two members of the squad dragged what looked like a body bag up off the tracks and dropped it at their feet. The leader was the last up onto the platform. She acknowledged Maria
’
s existence with the curt nod of her helmeted head.