Jody glanced at his wife then back at Simon. He slowly shook his head before turning back to his wife. “Everybody? Really?”
“Shut up, Jody.” She hid her face as her cheeks reddened.
Simon groaned. “Fine.” He marched toward Trent and pulled him back to his knees. He pressed his pistol to the back of Trent’s head. With his wounded arm, he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled, holding him there. “This may be the only time I’ll allow a vote. Who thinks they should pay for their crimes and attempted crimes with their lives?”
Lana stepped forward. “Fuck ‘em. Kill ‘em all.” She stepped back and glared at Trent. “Come into my home and drag my man out with a gun to his head…” She turned and glared at the rest of the campers. “Tell him.”
Most lowered their heads or backed away slowly. Simon watched in bewilderment. “You realize, you let him live, he’s just stupid enough to try again.”
“I won’t TRY,” Trent shouted. “I’ll fuckin’ do it. I’ll blow your brains out before you ever wake up.”
Simon sighed and pulled the hammer back. “Are you people really this stupid?” He pressed the barrel tighter to Trent’s head. “When he’s already told you what he intends to do and you don’t want him wasted?”
“Don’t kill us!” Tommy whined. “Please god, don’t do it.” Jake shook so hard that he passed out, falling forward onto his face.
The people of the campground avoided eye contact, most shaking their heads as they backed away. Simon decocked the pistol. “Really? You want to let this raping son of a bitch off?”
“They know they owe me their lives, asshole,” Trent yelled. “Who the fuck are you to come along and in a couple days decide that you’re in charge?”
“Shut your hole before I stick this shotgun down your pants and turn you from a rooster to a hen!” Lana screamed back. “Turds like you don’t deserve to live.”
Simon shook his head before planting a foot to Trent’s back and kicking him to the ground. “He’s yours.” He pointed to the crowd. “You wanted me to keep you safe and I did. Here he is.” He shoved his pistol back into his waistband. “If you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to do what needs doing…” He spit on the ground and walked towards Lana. “Then you deserve everything he brings on you.”
Vee broke ranks and stepped forward. She bent beside Trent and untied his hands. “I’ll get the others. You do your feet.” Her voice was soft and low but carried across the silence of the campground.
Jake jerked awake, screaming as she untied his hands. Tommy rubbed his wrists as he eyed each of the campers. “Thank you.”
“We didn’t do it for you,” Vee stated. “We’re not murderers.”
Simon scoffed. “It’s not murder, doc.” He eyed the others in the camp. “It’s called justice, and we didn’t see much here.”
23
Hatcher stacked the boxes next to his office and shoved his duffel next to his chair. A quick glance at his watch and he knew that it was still early. He could search a lot of the area around the station well before dark.
He stretched and yawned, realizing he had driven completely through the night. He dug around in the boxes and pulled out a couple of packets of freeze dried coffee. As much as he dreaded doing this, he needed the caffeine.
He ripped the packets open and tilted his head back, emptying the contents into the back of his throat. He quickly drank down half a bottle of water and grimaced at the taste.
“Oh dear god…please don’t let me do that again.”
He finished off the water then stepped outside. He found one of the four wheelers parked near the station and checked the battery. “Of course it’s dead.” He walked to the shed and pushed open the gate. Inside he dug around until he found a gas can with something in it. A sniff test verified it was high octane.
He quickly filled the tank then stocked some supplies. His last step was to pull the big truck over and use one of the batteries to jump start the four wheeler. He dug through the shed again and found the jumper cables.
He quickly jumped the four wheeler then mounted the vehicle, his mind going back to the good old days again as he planted his ass in the saddle. “It’s good to be home.”
Hatcher pointed the four wheeler in the direction of the last place he’d seen Shelly. She’d been infected and had run off at high speed. Taking that into consideration and the fact that she’d had months to go anywhere the wind blew her, he really had no reason to return to the scene, except that he had nothing else to go on.
Hatcher drove slowly along the trails, his eyes scanning in every direction for any sign of life. About every mile he’d stop, shut off the engine, and listen. Before he’d start up again, he’d cup his hands to his mouth and yell for all he was worth.
Nobody replied.
Hatcher spent the day rediscovering the ancient beauty of the park and praying that Shelly would make herself known.
As the day began to wind down and Hatcher was fighting to stay awake, he turned back for the station and didn’t stop. He would start all over again in the morning. Once I’ve been over the most worn trails and roads, he thought, I’ll start going off road, check out some of her more favorite locations.
If that didn’t work…he wasn’t sure what he’d do. But he knew he wouldn’t give up.
He couldn’t.
Broussard paced slowly, his eyes locked on the woman strapped to the table. “Vitals?”
“Still steady,” Carol replied. She attached the last lead to the monitors and stepped back. “Blood pressure is normalizing, heart rate has lowered to reasonable levels. Respiration is slowed, but her O2 stats are in the upper nineties.” She glanced at him and shrugged. “It might be working.”
William stood
