Them-2 - Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One – Near Pikeville, Kentucky

Jacob spotted Caitlin on the other side of the pool and just couldn’t miss a golden opportunity. He ducked underwater and swam down to the bottom and circled until he was just beneath her feet. He then reached up and pulled hard on her swimming trunks, which happened to be a pair of lacy underwear since OZ did not stock bathing suits. Caitlin let out a scream and quickly pulled herself from the pool.
Jacob’s first reaction, after seeing the disembodied underwear floating past him, was panic. He only intended to scare her, not undress her. His second reaction was to surface since he was out of air and his lungs were about to burst. He spotted Caitlin standing a few feet from the pool’s edge with her hands on her hips and anger on her face. She was, of course, naked as a jaybird.
“You scared me!” Caitlin screamed, waving her hands in the air as if she was attempting to fly.
Jacob could only gawk. Raised in suburbia and in a part of America that seethed with modesty and antique Victorian ethos, he had never seen a naked girl before. All he could do was to continue to stare. He didn’t realize that Caitlin was raised under more progressive European standards and often went naked on the beaches of Spain or France and never thought much of it.
“Caitlin Allsun Gallagher, get dressed!” Her mother yelled from the other side of the pool. “You’re giving that poor boy a heart attack.”
“At least he’s not old enough for a hard attack,” Tapitha giggled, holding her hand up to suppress her flushing cheeks.
Kayle smiled. “You’ll have to forgive Caitlin, she’s not one bit shy.”
“Jacob usually isn’t either,” Tappy replied. “I dare say he will dream about this moment for weeks to come.”
The half size Olympic pool came with the Center, along with tennis courts, racquetball courts, a bowling alley, and half a dozen other sports activities. They also had a library, both books and a massive selection of videos, and a small theater. The builders did not pinch pennies when they designed a survival country club for the elite.
There are warm towels and a change of clothing in the lounge; a voice spoke over the intercom system.
“We know, DARMA!” Kayle shouted back at the unseen computer. She was getting more and more annoyed at the constant eavesdropping from the overly helpful computer. They had tried to shut down some of her unnecessary functions, however, there was a failsafe system built into her programming that would allow no changes or modifications. It was almost like Big Sister was watching them.
They had been in the Center, or Security Base, SbOZ-13-22, which they shortened to OZ for almost two weeks. A total of seventy-six people were in OZ, at least half either military or federal personnel.
The first thing they did was to establish a chain of command. Huck assumed overall leadership duties since he was a Commander in the Navy and was following orders himself and the other service personnel were directly under his command. Huck talked Eoin into taking on the role of Director, in charge of all the civilian personnel. There were few problems since the majority of the civilians were military dependents.
Lieutenant Prestano and Kayle assumed duties as the local police force with help from Horse and two military policemen that were among the passengers. Their duties were simple since DARMA kept watch on everyone and everything for them.
First Sergeant Brett billeted the soldiers in an area that had obviously been designed to house a large military security force to protect the congress. There were also over six hundred individual suites designed for the congress, so the remainder of the population had plenty of living space to pick from. At a suggestion from Huck, they chose rooms near each other in the event an emergency evacuation was deemed necessary.
Based on the incredible amount of stores, they had enough food and sundry items to last the small group for years and a small nuclear generator that was designed to be self reliant needing only DARMA for minor repairs.
Colonel Grace and Tappy found an adequate lab facility and there was enough computer access and plenty of power to run a massive research facility.
The FOX News people, Josh Shepherd and Alicia Bentley, volunteered to assist the communications soldiers in monitoring the incoming news. The network system was state of the art and they could pick up audio and video broadcasts from anywhere in the world.
Over the past two weeks they spent time learning about OZ and trying to adapt to a new, though pleasant environment. Disliking the idea of separation, they ate most of their meals together in the large cafeteria. Several women organized a cleaning and cooking schedule while others experimented with the laundry and supply facilities.
Things begin to slow down and the initial terror induced by recent events slowly started to fade. Everyone was concerned for their extended families, especially those living in large population centers.
The news outside their secure base continued to deteriorate. As time slowly passed they received continuous updates from General McKensey at Cheyenne Mountain. The soldiers learned that their families had been taken to Fort Carson and were safe behind a wall of armor. This news helped to relieve a lot of the built up tension in OZ.
Huck received a direct order from General McKensey not to leave the center under any circumstances. The new President of the United States was concerned about the welfare of his family presently in Huck’s custody.
A month after they settled into OZ, General McKensey made contact and advised them that a small armored column consisting of old M113 carriers was on its way to the center. The convoy turned out to be two dozen vehicles containing a total of one hundred sixty National Guardsmen and their families and several people they rescued in route. This brought the population of OZ up to two hundred thirty six, still a small number compared to the vast resources available in the compound.
A full Army colonel arrived with the new convoy but declined to take command of the center. Huck was hoping he would assume the burden, but as it turned out he was a finance officer and had never held nor wanted Company command.
Two months after their arrival, Huck received permission to send out reconnaissance units to check the local area for survivors. General McKensey reminded him that First Sergeant Brett and Sergeant Smith were very capable of commanding the patrols and he should not place himself in unnecessary danger. He did not openly order him not to go, but the insinuation was there.
Over the next three months they found eighteen survivors in the small towns of Coal Run Village, Pikeville, Wayland, Martin, Elkhorn City, and several smaller towns. By this time Huck was growing extremely weary of being isolated inside OZ. He decided it was time to expand the search further out. He sent First Sergeant Brett north and west with two Bradleys to check the towns of Prestonburg and Paintsville and he decided to lead three Bradleys east to Logan, Oceana and Beckley.
“Why can’t I go with you?” Kayle asked for the tenth time. “I’m bored to death here and I need something to do before I go stark raving bonkers.’
“You don’t have combat experience and besides, you need to take care of Caitlin,” Huck replied.
“I have as much experience dealing with the unknown as any one of those soldiers out there.” Kayle was getting louder. “As for Caitlin, she may as well be on the moon as far as I’m concerned. She and Jacob practically live and breathe together. Besides, Tappy said she’d keep an eye on her.”
“Oh, so you got Tappy involved did you?”
Kayle said nothing. She simply grinned up at him and batted her emerald green eyes. Over the past five months she and Huck had grown a lot closer and would be even more so if not for the constant interruptions inside OZ.
“We leave in ten minutes. Be there or be left behind.” Huck turned and walked over to Sergeant Smith who was organizing the patrol. He didn’t actually mind Kayle going with them. They had spotted very few of the giant ants lately and those they dealt with very quickly. Obviously the beasts were still living off the major population centers.
Logan and Oceana turned out to be completely empty and widely torn up. They found several government buildings where the ants had dug up from beneath to get around the brick walls and others where they had gone through the roofs. There were no signs of survivors.
As soon as they reached Beckley, located at the intersection of Interstates 64 and 77, they ran into a small cluster of good-sized towns. Most of them were destroyed but on the southern outskirts of Beckley they ran into a small crowd of people. Observing from an overpass they spotted around forty or fifty people standing in a mob in the parking lot of a church. They took the off ramp onto Robert C. Byrd drive and cut over to the area situated inside the loop.
As they pulled onto the large asphalt parking area, the mob turned as one and stared at the three Bradleys. Standing among them was a woman in a long dirty white bathrobe holding what appeared to be a six-foot long stick or staff.
As Huck and Kayle walked from the Bradley and in their direction, the mob drew back in on itself and tightened around the woman.
“Behold the minions of Satan!” The woman shouted, holding her staff up horizontal with both hands. “I command you to be gone!”
Huck glanced at Kayle who glanced back with a frown.
“Who are you people?” Huck asked.
“They are part of the flock of Father Moses,” the woman replied, still holding the staff up as if it would protect them from harm.
Huck noted that she was filthy and smelled as if she hadn’t bathed in days, probably months. She was young and extremely malnourished, signs that food had been scarce. She would likely be an attractive person with an abundance of soap and water and a few decent meals. There was something familiar about her, but he could not quite grasp it.
“And who is Father Moses?” Kayle asked. “And where can we find him?”
“The Deliverer is in his holy city.” The woman sounded like someone from a bad B-movie. “He will not comune with Satan’s minions.”
“I don’t know who this Satan person is supposed to be but I sure as hell don’t belong to him,” Kayle smiled.
“You’re from the government?” A tall heavyset man bellowed, more a question than a statement. “We don’t need no damn government. Where in hell were you when we did need you, when our families were being eaten and killed?”
“Trying to survive, just like you.” Huck replied. “We can help you now. We have a safe location where your families will have food and shelter.”
“Father Moses will feed and protect them!” the woman shouted, noting the hesitation on some of the faces around her. “Be gone with you, devil worshipers.”
“Back inside!” Huck heard Sergeant Smith yell. “Ants!”
Huck and Kayle turned and saw several huge ants crawling in the direction of the group of people. “Come with us!” Huck yelled. No one moved.
“You’ll be safe in the vehicles!” he yelled again. Still no one moved.
“Damn!” he spat, grabbing Kayle’s arm and rushing for the closest Bradley. They barely got the hatch closed before two of the huge ants crawled up and over and around the Bradley.
They watched as the ants turned their attention to the mob of people, expecting them to be torn to shreds, Kayle started to look away. Instead, the ants stopped, appeared to smell the crowd, then returned to the Bradleys. They attempted to get inside the vehicles for half an hour, then finally gave up and move off in the direction they had come from.
“Why didn’t they attack the people?” Kayle asked.
Huck shook his head and ordered the ramp dropped. He stood and returned to the mob.
“Why didn’t the creatures attack you?” he asked, his eyes focused on the woman.
“We are under the protection of Father Moses. God’s creatures will not hurt those whom The Deliverer has baptized.” She turned to the group and continued. “Go east to White Sulfur Springs and you will be met by Angels of the Deliverer. God has found you blessed and has given you safe passage to Eden.”
As soon as she finished the group moved off as a unit in the direction of the highway. After they were well on their way, she quickly turned and headed in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going?” Huck yelled. “What about those people?”
She did not turn but continued on. “I am an Apostle of the Deliverer,” she said over her shoulder. “I must spread God’s holy word. Those people have been baptized and they will not be harmed.”
“Did you see that green slime on everyone’s forehead?” Kayle asked, glancing back at the quickly receding group.
Huck nodded, still watching the woman as she continued on across the hot asphalt. It was very hot and the sweltering heat made her shimmer as she walked.
“I’ll lay odds that green slime has something to do with why the ants didn’t attack them. I’ll also wager that she knows what it is and where it came from.”
“There’s not much we can do about it,” Huck stated.
“The hell there isn’t!” Kayle burst out. She suddenly ran in the direction of the woman, yelling and waving her hands to get her attention.
Huck signaled for Sergeant Smith to follow them with the Bradley and rushed off to catch up with Kayle. Kayle reached the woman before he did and Huck saw that the woman was angry and starting to swing her staff at Kayle. Kayle pulled one of her martial arts moves and the woman was suddenly flat on her back on the hot asphalt. Huck finally caught up with them and stood bending over and out of breath. He was looking down at the young woman.
“She’s not dead,” Kayle grinned. “She’ll have one hell of a headache when she wakes up, but otherwise she’s fine.”
Huck did not say a word but his demeanor indicated he wanted Kayle to explain her sudden violent actions.
“Look at it this way,” Kayle continued. “If this wanna-be holy bimbo knows the secret of keeping the ants at bay, then I don’t give a damn how we get it. We have far too much at stake, our lives, the lives of our children, even our future as a race. She can give us the secret or I’m sure we can get it out of her.”
Huck didn’t like the sound of it but Kayle was correct in her assessment. The well being of one person should not dictate the survival of the human race. This woman had a monumental secret that could literally save the world.
As soon as the Bradley pulled up he signaled for Sergeant Smith to help him carry the woman inside. Once inside the closed interior of the Bradley her stench started to spread. Kayle wet a rag with water and wiped her forehead where it was bruised from her fall to the asphalt.
“I know this girl,” Huck stated, a flicker of memory returning. After her face had been wiped clean of the slime and dirt, he recognized her. “Her name is Beth and I interviewed her before the ants came along. She was living in a commune with a con-artist who called himself Moses. His real name is Albert Byron Decker, a petty criminal. Obviously Moses and his so called congregation discovered something to prevent the ants from killing people and now he’s setting himself up as a tin god somewhere.”
Kayle was scrounging through a tough leather bag the girl had been carrying. She pulled out a small bottle then glanced inside the bag. “Half a dozen bottles in there.” She smiled. “Wanna bet this is the secret potion?”
“I just hope Colonel Grace can replicate it,” Huck grinned.
Kayle glanced down at the girl. “What about her?”
“She’s about to rejoin the human race, whether she wants to or not.”