NINETEEN
Thick smoke hung in the air, swirling around like fog on a winter’s day. Dee stared at the scene unfolding before her as the chopper jolted onto the ground.
The husk of a large boat, still burning, was moored to the jetty. Dozens of Variant bodies lay scattered around, their rotten fruit smell overpowering the stench of death that hung in the air.
Dee shook her head. She prayed that Boss and George had made it to the bunker and were safe. She jumped out of the chopper. Crouching low, she crab-crawled away from the wash of the blades. Once the Renegades had exited, the engines hummed and the chopper lifted off, banking away out over the bay.
Jack came up and nudged her arm. “Let’s go find the boys.”
Dee nodded her head. “Please. Oh God, I hope they’re okay, Jack.”
She lifted her head to scan the far side of the bay, looking for the villa they had made their home. She could see its white paint gleaming in the early afternoon sun, like a lighthouse guiding ships to safe passage. Dee hoped that this day would end well.
A man dressed in Army fatigues walked briskly over and saluted Ben. Ben saluted back, and Dee heard them exchange some words. She wasn’t listening, though, as she could see bodies lying in rows on the boardwalk near the old hotel. She gasped, holding her hand to her mouth. Jack had spotted them too and stood with her, his head lowered. She estimated at least fifty to seventy bodies. Army personnel were making their way between them, making notes on clipboards. Dee adjusted her rifle on her shoulder and made to walk over to them.
Ben saw her moving off and held up his hand. “Dee, Jack. Wait.”
She turned and waited for him.
Ben came over, a grim look on his face. “They haven’t found Boss and George amongst the dead. At this point they are MIA. The Sergeant here counts seventy-eight dead so far, many more wounded. The Doctor is attending now. Thankfully, most of the kids made it to the bunker. It looks like Sgt. Haere and his men died protecting it.”
Dee glanced over to the bodies. “Beth? Six? What about Max? Has anyone seen him?”
Ben brought his hand up and grasped her shoulder. “Beth is MIA too. Six is wounded. He’s in the hospital now. No one has seen Max either.”
Ben looked over at Jack. “You guys go search the villa for the boys. I have to attend to things here, and sort Eric out. Stay frosty. We don’t know how many Variants, if any, are still on the island. Keep me updated via two-way, especially if you see any Variants. Don’t be heroes. We’ve already lost too many.”
Dee pulled him into a hug. His long beard tickled her face. “Okay. Thanks Ben.”
“Be back by 1800 hours.”
She nodded and turned. Grabbing Jack’s arm, she pulled him over towards the hospital.
They walked along the boardwalk, passing the bodies. Some had sheets covering them, others were lying open. She recognised a few faces. Erin, whom she’d had dinner with a few times. Henry, who had a boy around George’s age. She turned her head, looking out to sea, not wanting to see any more. The guilt threatened to overwhelm her. It gnawed at her, taunting, whispering, You should’ve been here, you should’ve been protecting the children.
The stench of blood mixed with disinfectant made Dee retch as she entered the hospital. The Doctor was furiously trying to save someone in one corner, with a couple of nurses handing him instruments. Bloody rags lay scattered around. All ten of the beds held someone. More people lay on the floor, blankets and pillows trying to keep them comfortable.
Dee spotted Six lying on the far bed. A woman wearing Army fatigues and with brunette hair was wiping his brow. She smiled at them as Dee and Jack approached.
“How’s he doing?”
“It’s touch and go. Doc stitched him up as best he could and pumped him full of antibiotics. It’s a waiting game now.”
“Can he talk?”
Six’s eyes fluttered open. He saw Jack and Dee and smiled. “Yeah, I can talk.”
Dee sat down opposite the Army woman, the bed creaking with her added weight. “Hey, Six. Still trying it with the ladies, eh?”
Six chortled. He tried to raise himself up, grimacing with the effort. “Don’t make me laugh. You’ll pop my stitches.” He pulled back the covers, revealing his heavily-bandaged side.
Jack leant over and helped pull them back up. “What happened, Six?”
“I got a call on the radio around 1800 hours. Flotilla approaching. Said they saw our lights. I reported it to the Sarg, and he okayed it. I watched out the window as they cruised in, this huge luxury boat leading. It had just tied up at the jetty when those Variant bastards swarmed out. It was chaos. They caught us totally by surprise.” Six stopped and looked away, looking out the small window. He turned back, searching out Jack’s eyes. Six lowered his voice. “I saw it… th… the big one.”
Jack exchanged a look with Dee. “The big one?”
“The one you guys talk about, the Alpha. With three heads.”
Dee scrunched up the blanket in her hand. Could it be? She’d thought they’d left that horror behind.
“Are you sure, Six?” Dee queried.
“I think so, yeah. I couldn’t see too many details, but I saw the heads. It was so chaotic, and there was this huge Variant leading them. Bullets just bounced off him.”
Dee felt Jack’s soothing touch on her hand. She looked up, meeting his gaze. Tears filled his eyes. Her worry for the boys amped up, and her heart pounded in her chest. She forced herself to take some deep breaths. She needed to remain strong and clear-headed. Nothing was achieved angry and foggy-brained.
Letting out a breath, Dee reached over and grasped Six’s hand. “Boss? George? Beth?”
Six smiled, looking at Dee. “Boss, he’s a hero, Dee. Both him and Beth led a bunch of kids to the bunker. They got cut off from the bunker by a group of Variants. I’m sorry Dee. The last I saw of them, they were running up the hill towards your place.”
Jack nudged her shoulder. “They could still be alive out there, hiding somewhere.”
Dee gave Six’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Six. You get better, okay?” She pushed off the bed and stood next to Jack.
Six waved his hand. “When you find Boss, tell him he owes me a game?”
Dee smiled. “All right, but I think you should tell him yourself.”
The shell-strewn path crunched under their feet as they strode up to the villa. The Walsh Villa, as Jack called it. Jack and his movies. She smiled at him, catching his eye. He would have likened the scene that confronted them as they approached the village to something out of Saving Private Ryan. All that smoke, bodies, and chaos. The smell of the burning flesh and cordite hanging in the air would stay with her for a long time, if not forever. In truth, the events of the last few weeks would be on a continual loop in her mind. Dee moved closer to Jack. She doubted if they would ever find peace, some sort of normal. It was only going to get worse as the Variants grew stronger and more desperate. She feared that this attack was the first of many.
Dee bounded up the steps and onto the verandah they shared with their new family. A Variant body lay slumped on the deck, its brains blown out. She glanced to her right. Two more bodies lay on the bank. Boss?
She turned to Jack. “Looks like they put up a fight.”
“He did well. Let’s check in the house. You ready?”
Dee sighed “Yeah.”
Dee and Jack moved inside. The first thing she saw was the open gun cage, with a rifle and shotgun missing. Half a dozen boxes of ammo were missing, too. She glanced over to the coat rack where they kept their go-bags. She was thankful to see the pegs empty.