Standing at attention in front of the major were two soldiers, Pete Miller, and Bobby Jackson. Pete was the one who’d accosted Dylan in the cafeteria while Jackson was the bodyguard who held a grudge. Next to the major stood Lieutenant King, his face a blank canvas.
Saul hesitated, unsure how to proceed. He’d busted into the office, confident he’d interrupt an attempted coup. Instead, he faced what looked like an ordinary meeting between a major, his right-hand man, and two soldiers.
Nick broke the silence. “Our apologies, Sir, but we’re here to save you.”
“Save me from what? Old age?” was the major’s sarcastic reply.
“No, Sir. We’ve uncovered a conspiracy involving these men. They’re planning to overthrow you and take over the base, Sir.”
“That’s preposterous,” Major Reed burst out. “Pete Miller and Bobby Jackson? No offense, boys, but they’re not smart enough to pull off something like that.”
“Maybe not them, but the Lieutenant is,” Nick continued.
“And what proof do you have of these wild allegations, Sergeant Dean?” the major asked.
“During the operation inside the lab, one of Lieutenant King’s men, Harris, tried to murder Dylan and me by separating us from the unit. When we radioed for back-up, the lieutenant delayed for as long as possible before rescuing us. No doubt, he hoped we’d be dead by then.”
“Lieutenant? What do you say to that?” Major Reed asked.
The lieutenant shrugged. “Nothing. It’s all lies.”
“I hope you’ve got something more to offer than that, sergeant,” the major said.
“We do. We have a signed confession from Harris, revealing the entire plot. It’s all on paper, Sir. Witnessed and signed,” Sergeant Dean said with a smug smile. “Even better, less than an hour ago, Dr. Bannock tried to kill Dr. Lee on orders from the lieutenant. He failed and killed Dr. Patel instead.”
“What?” the major roared. “Where’s Bannock now?”
“Waiting for his reward like a good little henchman. I’m sure he’d be happy to confess under a little pressure. He doesn’t strike me as the manly type,” Sergeant Dean said.
“Alright, it seems the gig is up,” Lieutenant King said. Faster than any of them could blink, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the major’s head.
Major Reed glared at Lieutenant King. “Is that how it is? I give you everything, and you betray me?”
“You gave me nothing but orders, Sir, and now you’re going to get me out of here in one piece.” King’s pale gaze traveled over Saul and his friends. “I’m leaving now, and if any of you try to stop me, the major will die.”
With those words, he began to edge toward a door set in the far wall, his gun trained on the major’s head. His free hand reached for the handle.
“Stop him,” Major Reed said, his face twisted with rage.
Saul hesitated. Starting a firefight in the confined space of the major’s office was not a good idea. “What about you, Sir? He’ll kill you.”
“Forget about the major. What about us?” Miller said. “You’ve got to take us with you, King.”
“Why should I?” King asked. “You’ve served your purpose.”
“You’re leaving us here? You coward,” Jackson said with a sneer twisting his lips.
King shrugged. “You know what they say. There’s no honor among thieves.”
“Screw that,” Jackson said, pulling out his sidearm. Before anyone could react, Jackson fired several shots at King. One of the bullets hit the major in the chest, and red bloomed on his jacket. He coughed and collapsed to the ground without another sound.
King fired back at Jackson, but most of his shots went wild, and Saul ducked as bullets punched into the wall above his head. Moving faster than a striking snake, King ducked through the door at his side and disappeared into the night.
Miller was on his knees, shooting at Nick, and Saul let loose a volley on full-automatic. Three of the bullets found their mark, and Miller went down like a sack of potatoes. Saul whirled toward Jackson, but either Nick or Alex had gotten to him first. The soldier lay on the ground with half his head blown away, staring into the unknown.
Nick jumped to his feet and ran toward the door King had escaped through. “Come on. He’s getting away!”
Saul sprinted after Nick, followed by Alex, and they ran out into the gathering storm. As one, they stopped, disoriented by the raging winds and icy sleet. Already it was pitch-black outside, and the temperature was well below freezing.
Saul turned this way and that, but King was gone, lost in the storm. He could barely make out the figures of his friends, let alone an escaping criminal. “It’s too late.”
“No, we have to find him,” Nick cried.
“It’s impossible. We’ll die out there, Nick,” Saul said, grabbing Nick by the arm. “We have to get to shelter.”
“No!” Nick said, unwilling to give up.
“Listen to me. He won’t get far. Not in this. We’ll find him once the storm has passed if he doesn’t freeze to death first.”
Nick hesitated. “What if he gets away?”
“Where would he go, Nick?” Saul asked. “There’s nothing out there but death and zombies. We’ve got a whole base full of people to look after right here.”
Alex added his pleas to Saul’s, and they managed to coax Nick back inside, where a grim scene awaited them. The major was dead, shot through the heart. There wasn’t much they could do about it, though, not with the blizzard raging outside.
Working fast, they dragged Major Reed, Miller, and Jackson out into the cold. It would preserve their bodies until they could be dealt with at a later stage. They could do nothing about Dr. Patel inside the lab, however.
Next, they collected a frantic Dylan and ran back to the truck. Amy and Tara welcomed them back with glad cries, kept warm by the vehicle’s heater. Somehow, despite the snow being inches thick already, Saul managed to drive
