Dee nodded her head in agreement.
“If he ran into any Variants, he may have been taken.”
Ben placed both gnarled hands on Dee’s shoulders. “Dee, I think I might know where he is. If he’s alive, he’s here.”
Dee looked at the map. Ben was pointing at the Waikato River. Next to his finger, she read Karapiro Dam.
“The dam? Why would he be there?”
“Those guys you met? Well, they used to find survivors too, only they give them to the Variants. I captured one of the traitors and extracted some information. The Variants use the dam as a meat locker, a slaughterhouse and a bloody nest!” Ben spat the last words. “Look. I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a long shot. Chances are he just got caught up in the chaos.”
Dee felt herself fall to the ground. Food? Her Jack, now food? The mere thought of it curdled her stomach. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she buried her head in her hands. Dee didn’t want Ben to see her like this. Soldiers like him were used to people holding their emotions in check.
Ben grasped her shoulder. “If we had a way to be sure, I’ll help you get him.”
“Wait. You said it’s a meat locker?”
“Yes.”
“So, that means there are other people there?” Dee said, rising to stand next to Ben. A plan was forming in her mind.
“That’s the impression I got from the traitor, yes,” Ben said, grimacing.
“Why doesn’t the army mount a rescue mission, then?”
“I’ve already asked and got a firm no. Not enough resources.”
“That’s crazy,” Dee said. “I thought the army was there to protect the citizens. To protect our way of life. Not run and hide.”
Ben smiled and nodded. “I agree with you, Dee. I must admit I don’t like this running and hiding.”
Dee paced the room, arms clasped behind her back. There were so many thoughts running through her head, she struggled to focus. She tried to calm herself and then, with sudden clarity, an idea came to her. But with no knowledge of how the electrical grid worked, it was a long shot.
She stopped walking and snapped her head up, looking at Ben. “You don’t happen to have an Android phone charger, do you?”
— 25 —
Dee watched as Ben rummaged around in the drawers on the desk.
“Is this what you mean?” Ben said, holding up the charger.
Dee looked at the end and smiled. “Yes.”
She plugged it in and ran back to the bathroom, where she had left her old, smelly clothes. When she had been resting in the boat, Dee had been surprised to find her smartphone in her pocket. She guessed she had put it there out of habit. Or, and more likely, hoping for a miracle, that Jack would call her.
Thankfully her phone sprang to life and Dee spent a few seconds scanning through her apps.
“What are you going to do? Call him?” Ben said, frowning.
Dee shook her head. “No. Tried that already. I’m going to use this app. Find my phone. Jack installed it in case he ever went missing on one of his hikes.”
“Good idea.”
“I just hope the cell towers have power.”
“I’m pretty sure they have backup.”
Dee grunted and stared at her screen. The app glowed back at her, but after several moments a tiny blue arrow blinked back. Dee swiped her fingers over the map, enlarging it. Jack’s phone was on Wiltsdown Road. Dee heart sank as she glanced over the map. That was at least thirty kilometres away from Karapiro. She showed Ben the location.
“Damn it,” Ben said. He stroked his beard and looked over his paper maps. “Dee. He could still have ended up in the dam. Look how close his phone is to the river. Maybe he ran into trouble and had to leave it in a hurry.”
“Do you think there’s a chance?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Ben replied. He tapped his fingers on the desk. “There’s always a chance.”
“I have to know, Ben. I can’t fly out of here to Mayor Island without knowing,” Dee said. “Will you help me search for him.”
Ben looked at her, a steely glint in his eyes. “I never could say no to a pretty lady asking for help.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Affirmative. We’ll need guns. Lots of them.” Ben laughed. “What about the kid?”
“I’ll ask him when he wakes up.”
Dee and Ben spent the rest of the evening making preparations. Planning a possible rescue was not something Dee had ever thought she would be doing, but the thought of her Jack being stored as food to be consumed was not something she could bear to imagine. This guy, who through kindness and a quirky sense of humour had helped her through the darkness. This guy who, through sharing his joy of movies, books and the natural world had helped Dee see the magic of the universe. She wasn’t going to give up on him. She had to know, and if she could banish some of these monsters to the pit of hell from whence they came, all the better.
As she helped Ben prepare, she checked on Boss a few times but the poor kid just slept right through. Even with all the noise they were making.
Ben spent thirty minutes showing Dee how to use an AR-15. How to load it, where the selector was. How to keep her finger on the guard, not the trigger. Dee tried to remain attentive, but exhaustion crept in. The bunks in the next room looked more and more inviting.
“Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we continue this in the morning?”
“All right, sure. And Dee, don’t worry. We’ll go find him.”
She could see the genuine belief in Ben’s eyes. It comforted her, but that old demon of self-doubt nagged at the back of her mind, threatening to pull her back down.
“Wake me for my watch, okay?”
“Sure.”
Dee lay awake for some hours, her body battered and bruised but her mind racing, thinking out all the scenarios. What if Jack is dead? Could I still go on? What chance do we have? Sleep finally pulled her into its embrace.
Dee woke to Boss shaking her shoulder. “Hey, sleeping beauty. Where are we?”
Pushing herself up, Dee struggled to shake the cobwebs from her mind. “Umm, we’re safe… Ben… saved us… his place.”
“Ben?”
Dee ran her hands through her pixie hair, pulling out the knots. “It’s okay.” She patted Boss on the shoulder. “He’s a friend.”
“What happened?” Boss said. He rubbed the bruise on his head.
“After you were knocked out, Ben shot those two rapists and brought us here. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
“Did those guys… Umm?”
“No. Ben shot them before they could.” Dee smiled.
“I’m sorry, Dee. I tried to help but he was too strong,” Boss said, wiping away a tear.
“Boss. You tried and you put yourself on the line to save me. Thank you.” She pulled Boss into a hug and held on to him.
After a couple of seconds, Dee let go. “Come, I’ll introduce you to Ben.”
Boss grinned and followed her into the war room. Ben turned as he heard them walk up. Dee could see his eyes were red and slightly puffy.
“Hey. You should have woken me for my watch.”
“It’s all right. You guys looked exhausted, thought I’d give you some rest.”
“Still, you need it too.”
Ben tilted his head to one side. “I’m used to it. Been surviving on little sleep most of my working life. This must be Boss?”
Dee smirked. “Oh yes, sorry. Ben, Boss, Boss, Ben.”
“Thank you for yesterday,” Boss said, holding out his hand.
“That’s all right kid.” Ben shook the offered hand. “Hungry?”