Author: Brett Battles
Category: Thriller
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Right before they reached the main road, a snowflake hit the windshield.
Fifteen
THE BUNKER, MONTANA
8:37 AM MST
JOSIE WAS WAITING by the large door to the Bunker’s emergency tunnel as the latest search party returned.
She had spent the entire night in the chair next to her father’s bed, sleeping, her hand on his. When she woke that morning, he was still unconscious, but Dr. Gardiner had told her his vital signs were continuing to improve.
She hadn’t wanted to leave, but the doctor needed to examine her dad’s wounds, and said it would be easier if she wasn’t there. He’d suggested she go get something to eat. Though she still wasn’t hungry, she went down to the kitchen anyway. A man was having breakfast at one of the tables, a walkie-talkie sitting near his plate. As Josie was asking Bobbie for a glass of orange juice, the radio had squawked to life, announcing that Brandon’s search party was on its way back inside. That sent her racing down the hall to the tunnel.
She shifted from one foot to the other as she waited, hopeful. But when the searchers finally appeared, she could see from the looks on their faces that they had once again been unsuccessful.
She heard Matt Hamilton’s distinctive limp coming down the hall behind her. “Any luck?” he asked as he reached them.
A man from the search party said, “We didn’t see him, but there was—”
“You still have people out there looking for him, right?” Josie asked Matt.
“Of course,” Matt said. “We’re searching around the clock now. I told you we would.” He focused back on the man he’d been talking to. “There was what?”
“Tracks,” the man said. “Out on the highway.”
“Brandon’s?” Josie asked.
“Hard to say.”
“Maybe we should go down to my office,” Matt suggested.
Josie instantly knew he was trying to cut her out of the conversation. “No!” she told him. “I want to hear what he has to say.”
Matt looked as though he were going to fight her on it, but then he sighed in resignation. “Okay, okay. But don’t interrupt him again.”
“I won’t.” She looked at the searcher. “Go ahead. What about the tracks?”
The man looked at Matt, who nodded. “There were several of them. Some big. Boots, probably men. One set smaller. Could be a woman.” He inclined his head toward Josie. “Could be your brother. They were on the highway a good thirty miles from here. Whoever made the smaller tracks looked like they’d been traveling alone for a while. The larger arrived by helicopter.”
“Helicopter?” Matt said, concerned.
Josie was worried, too. Helicopters had attacked the Ranch.
“Two skid prints,” the man said. “Looked like they all got on and flew away.”
“How long ago, do you think?” Matt asked.
“Had to have been within twenty-four hours, between that last snowstorm and this morning.”
Matt pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Christina?”
Static. “Go for Christina.”
“Check the local radar archives, and see if you can find a helicopter that landed on the highway about thirty miles southeast of here in the last…” He paused. “Let’s say thirty-six hours.”
“On it.”
As he put the radio away, Josie said, “Do you think they have Brandon? It’s them, isn’t it?”
“We don’t know anything yet,” Matt said. “Let’s see if we can ID the helicopter first.” He looked over at the search team. “You all get some rest. I need you back out there in six hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the team left for their quarters, Josie matched Matt stride for stride as he headed toward the communications room.
“If they took him, what are we going to do?” she asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we know more. There’s a very good chance those prints aren’t even Brandon’s.”
“They could be. I mean, don’t you need to have a plan just in case?”
They turned onto a new hallway.
“Josie, I promised you that we’ll find him. I don’t plan on breaking that.”
“I didn’t say anything about breaking your promise. I just want to know if there’s a plan for what to do if he was on that helicopter.”
Stopping in the middle of the corridor, he turned to her. “No, there’s no plan. Not yet. But if we think he was on that helicopter, we’ll come up with one based on what we learn.”
Logically, she could understand it, but it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. “You will go after him, right? No matter where he is.”
“Yes. We will. Now, please, let me go help them figure this out. I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.”
She studied him for a moment, wanting to stay with him so she could be there the moment new information came in, but realizing she’d probably pushed her luck as far as she could for now. “The second you know something.”
“I give you my word.”
THERE WAS A knock on Josie’s door.
She opened it to find Chloe standing on the other side.
“Matt sent me to get you,” the woman said.
Josie immediately stepped into the hallway and closed the door. “They found him, didn’t they? Was he on that helicopter?”
“Matt’s got the details.”
“Just tell me. Was he on it?”
Chloe hesitated, then nodded. “We think so.”
Together they walked quickly through the Bunker to the communications room, where they found Matt leaning over the shoulder of another man sitting at a computer terminal. There was a map of a small city on the screen.
“Is that where he is?” Josie asked.
“We think it’s possible,” Matt said.
“Where is that?”
“Great Falls, Montana. It’s southeast of us.” He pointed at an airport at the east end of town. “Malmstrom Air Force Base. This is where the helicopter landed after it left the highway.”
“And you’re sure Brandon was on it?”
Matt nodded. “I had the search team out there right now follow the set of smaller footprints back as far as they could. They discovered the person had built a shelter to hide from the storm the previous night. Inside was a wrapper from a granola bar, same brand we stock in our emergency dumps. So, the same kind Brandon would have had with him. It’s not definite proof, but it seems pretty likely.”
“I want to go,” she said.
“Hold on.”
“You’re sending people out, right? I want to be one of them.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Your dad would never allow that.”
“My dad’s still recovering from surgery. Until he gets better, I represent our family, and one of us has to go. I’m the only choice.”
“No. That’s not going to happen.”
Josie glared at him. “Then I’ll go on my own.”
“No, you won’t. You couldn’t get out without someone stopping you.”
“I’ll keep trying. I will get out. I promise you.”
Matt scoffed and shook his head. Before he could say anything else, Chloe said, “I’ll be responsible for her.”
He spun around. “What?”
“She can ride with me.”
“No one even said you’re going.”
“I’m saying it, and I’m saying Josie can come along. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“This isn’t the same world anymore,” Chloe said. “You know that as well as any of us. You’ve been preparing us for it.” She paused. “Kids can’t afford to be kids now. She’s going. If you want to send anyone with us, I suggest you pick them out now because we’re leaving.”
ONE OF THE motorbikes was out with the search party, meaning there were only two available to the rescue team. Since they would need seat space for Brandon, there was only room for one other on their expedition. Mil
ler, the man who’d been with Josie’s father when he was hurt in the explosion, was the first to volunteer.
As soon as the bikes were gassed up, and Josie and her two companions were outfitted for the trip, they took off.
The ride over the snow-covered roads was cold and treacherous, but Josie barely noticed. She hugged tight to Chloe’s back and peered over the woman’s shoulder at the road ahead, sure that they would find her brother.
When they reached the spot where the helicopter had landed, they stopped only long enough for a quick look before continuing south. After a while, the road veered to the east and met the interstate. Though it also had been covered with snow, they were able to increase their speed as they drove down the wider and better maintained I-15.
About five miles before they reached Great Falls, Chloe signaled for Miller to follow her off the road.
“Where are we going?” Josie asked.
Chloe turned her head a few inches and yelled, “When I came through before, there was a roadblock not far from here. Would rather go around it this time.”
The new route was bumpy, but no military personnel tried to stop them.
It was midafternoon when they finally crossed into the city limits. The pale light of the low winter sun made the quiet town look stark and empty. Josie glanced at the houses they were passing. Though she was sure there were people inside, they all looked deserted.
About a mile from the base, they slowed to a stop.
“Was that here last time?” Miller asked.
“I didn’t get this far east,” Chloe said. “But I doubt it.”
Stopped at an angle partway into the intersection just ahead was a military truck. The disturbing part, though, wasn’t the truck itself, but the man lying motionless on the ground below the open driver’s door.
“You okay?” Chloe asked Josie.
“I’m fine,” Josie said. This wasn’t her first body.
Chloe took them forward slowly, keeping tight to the left side of the road so they were as far from the man and the truck as possible.
“Kind of looks like the vehicle that was manning the roadblock,” Chloe said.
“Well, he is wearing a uniform,” Miller said.
A nod from Chloe.
Now that they were closer, they could see the man’s open eyes staring at the sky, and under each, the dark circles that were one of the signs of Sage Flu.
“He must have been here at least half a day,” Miller said.
“Why hasn’t anyone moved him?” Josie asked.
Chloe looked around. “I’m not sure there’s anyone who could.”
They approached Malmstrom Air Force Base from 2nd Avenue. As soon as the main gate came into view, Chloe and Miller pulled to the side of the road.
“Hop off,” Chloe said to Josie.
“Why?”
“I want to check something. I’ll be right back.”
Though she didn’t want to, Josie dismounted the bike.
“Stay with her,” Chloe said. She then gunned her engine and continued down the road.
Josie stepped out into the street so she could see where Chloe was going. As Chloe neared the gate, Josie expected someone to step out of the building to greet her, but even when Chloe stopped right at the entrance, the door to the building remained closed. She waited there for a moment, then got off her bike and went inside. Two minutes later, she reappeared, hopped on her motorcycle, and raced back to Josie and Miller.
“So?” Miller asked.
“One guard. Dead. At least as long as the guy we passed.”
Josie climbed back onto the bike and they drove unhindered onto the base.
Malmstrom was a military base, so someone should have been chasing them down to find out who they were, but there was no one else on the roads, and no sign of anyone in the buildings they passed. The place had turned into a ghost town.
“Are they all dead?” Josie asked.
“If not yet,” Chloe said, “soon enough.”
They headed to the airfield where the archived radar information indicated the helicopter had landed. It was clear that a big operation, or perhaps even several, had been underway. Trucks and cars were parked in front of most of the buildings, with dozens of planes and helicopters lined up not far away, some of which looked like they were in the process of being loaded with cargo.
Chloe led them over to the nearest cluster of helicopters and parked.
The moment the motorcycle’s engines cut off, they were plunged into a chilling silence. There was nothing. No wind. No mechanical sounds. No voices.
Not.
A.
Thing.
“Check the helicopters,” Chloe said to Miller. “See if there are any logs or something like that.” She motioned at the closest building. “Josie and I will check in there.”
The inside of the building was a big, open office that had dozens of desks covered with folders and clipboards and papers. None, unfortunately, seemed to have anything to do with Brandon. Miller had similar luck with his search.
“Let’s try that next group of helicopters,” Chloe said.
They drove down to where the three aircraft were parked. These were smaller than the ones they’d just checked, and unlikely to have been the type of vehicle Brandon had been picked up in. Predictably, they came up dry again. Another building had four helicopters out front, but still no information about Brandon.
There were only two helicopters at their next stop, but their skids were about the right size to have made the indentations in the snow back on the highway where Brandon had been taken. While Miller once more checked for flight logs, Chloe and Josie searched inside the building they were next to.
“What’s this?” Josie said, carrying over to Chloe a clipboard she’d found on one of the desks.
The header on the top sheet read:
Operation Piper
Below were several names, followed by numbers that ranged between five and sixteen. Some had addresses, some didn’t. But none had any of the typical identifiers seen on other documents that indicated the names belonged to Air Force personnel.
Chloe looked it over and frowned. “I don’t know. Where did you find it?”
Josie led her back to the desk. It was Chloe who found the folder. She read through a few of the sheets inside, then said, “He was here.”
“What do you mean, ‘was’?” Josie asked.
“They airlifted him out. Apparently they were gathering up kids who didn’t have guardians.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Probably thinking they were protecting them.” Chloe looked at the file again. “It says here they were taken to Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
Josie’s heart sank. “How are we supposed to get there?”
“Getting there isn’t going to be the problem.” Chloe pulled out her phone.
“Who are you calling?”
Chloe hesitated before punching in a number. Instead of raising it to her ear, she hit the speaker button so Josie could hear, too. After two rings, Matt answered. She quickly filled him in on what they’d found, and said, “We need the jet. How soon can Harlan and Barry get it here?”
“I’m not sure that’s such a—”
“Don’t,” Chloe warned him as she shot a reassuring glance at Josie. “We’re going. So how long do we have to wait?”
A pause, then, “They can be there within an hour.”
“Good. Tell them to land right at Malmstrom. No one’s here but us.”
“All right, but the minute I need them anywhere else, they’re out of there. Understand?”
“I understand.” After she hung up, she smiled at Josie. “See? No problem.”
“HOW SOON CAN Harlan and Barry get it here?”
Matt frowned. “I’m not sure that’s such a—”
“Don’t,” Chloe said sharply over the phone. “We’re going. So how long do we have to wait?”
Matt thought for a second. He was loath to take the
jet out of circulation, in case it was needed to ferry vaccine to any survivors they might find, but he also couldn’t justify having it sit on the runway while Brandon was taken farther and farther away from his family. “They can be there within an hour.”
“Good. Tell them to land right at Malmstrom. No one’s here but us.”
“All right, but the minute I need them anywhere else, they’re out of there. Understand?”
“I understand.”
He hung up and looked across the room. “Kenji!”
The LIC leader glanced over.
“Have a load of vaccine taken to the plane right away. Say, enough for two hundred.”
Kenji looked confused. “Is there a group out there I don’t know about?”
Matt shook his head. “I need to send Harlan on a side trip, and I want him to be ready if he needs to go somewhere else later.”
“Got it.”
Matt had Christina call Harlan with instructions, then pulled his tin of ibuprofen out of his pocket and popped four pills into his mouth. His leg was really killing him today, and the stress wasn’t helping things.
“Harlan can be in the air in ten minutes,” Christina announced.
With a nod, he walked over to Kenji.
“The vaccine will be there in a few minutes,” Kenji said.
“Thanks,” Matt told him. “If something comes up, tell me right away, and we’ll redirect the plane the moment we can.”
“Nothing in our coverage area here yet, but we have identified four more groups.”
“Where?” Matt asked, anxious for some good news.
Kenji led him to the computer station a woman named Terri Wright was manning. “Can you bring up the map?” he asked her.
“Two seconds,” she said.
With a few clicks of the keys, a map of North America appeared, zooming in on a small town along the coast of Baja California.
Kenji glanced at Matt. “Santa Blanca. A little fishing village. Only ways in and out are by water and a twenty-mile dirt road. We picked up a call for help fifteen minutes ago.”
“How many?” Matt asked.
“The guy we talked to said there are fifty-seven.”
“Vaccine en route?”
Kenji nodded. “Out of San Diego. Should be there within ninety minutes.” He touched Terri on the shoulder. “Next one.”