II - Secrets Unfolded
-Three Days Later-
After being surrounded by trees for miles, the three vehicles finally arrived near a small town by a river. The eerie streets during sunset felt too lonely and quiet for the group. The vehicles moved around, in search of a shelter.
"What about that one over there?" pointed out Vonda.
A long, short building stood in the edge of town, next to the river, to the right of a wide road. A neon sign stood outside of the building, its powered-off letters saying, 'MEDWAY MOTEL'. The motel was two stories tall, with an upper and lower section of rooms. It also had a large parking spot, which the group took advantage of.
The RV, Vanzilla, and the other van parked outside of the motel, alongside other empty vehicles like a red car and a white truck.
"Let's check if it needs some clearing," said David, taking out his knife.
Lori nodded. She pointed at Lynn, Benny, Luan, and Sergei, motioning them to come with her. David picked Richard, George, and Jeffrey to come with him.
"You need to pull your weight around here," David told Jeffrey. "It's one way to earn my respect."
Lori looked around inside a motel room. David walked inside another. And the other survivors entered the other rooms.
"Something's strange," said George.
"They're all empty," said Jeffrey.
The concrete in the parking lot cracked after a shot went off. Jeffrey clenched his chest as he covered his head with his other hand. George pointed his gun upwards.
"Hell yeah, they're empty," said the shooter. "Cause I cleared them. Drop your weapons."
"Drop yours first," said David.
The man with the combat helmet and bulletproof vest looked around. He noticed David pointing his gun at him and Richard ready to shoot his revolver. He then noticed their dog tags.
"I'm going to ask you a question," said the man. "If you don't answer, I will shoot you!"
"We got questions too," responded Richard.
"Are you guys involved with Quentin Black?"
David and Richard looked at each other. The man shifted his strands of hair away from his eyes, licked his lips, and kept his mouth slightly open. His light-brown cargo pants matched the color of his Ruger 10/20.
"How do you know him?" asked David.
"Answer the damn question!"
"No! Now I got a question for you."
"I'm not done," said the man as he looked at the three vehicles. "What are you doing here?"
"We're looking for a man. Sherry– I don't know if you know her– she told us that there's a man who would decipher some tapes for us."
"Yeah. There is. He lives in a cabin some hundred meters away from here."
David motioned his group to lower their weapons. The man pointed his gun downwards and placed it around his chest. He hopped down from the roof to the walkway in the second floor.
"How do y'all know Sherry?" asked the man.
"It's her mother…" George said, pointing at Vonda.
"That's Vonda? She's much older."
"We got a lotta questions for you," said David.
"Before I can answer them honestly, I gotta know if I can trust you guys," said the man.
"We really don't have the time for that."
"You don't have time to answer three questions?"
"Go."
Lori and Luan took a look at the man.
"How many roamers have you killed?" asked the man.
"What, you want me to give an exact number?" asked David.
"Just take a guess."
"I don't know. It's gotta be around a hundred or so."
Benny and Lynn stood next to each other, listening to the man.
"How many people have you killed?" asked the man.
"Before or during the apocalypse?" asked David.
"Both."
"I'm not too sure. It's gotta be at least 30 or so. But I know why I killed–"
"Bup-bup. Shush," said the man. "Why?"
"At first, it was my duty to protect my country. Now, it's my duty to protect my group. I told that to Sherry and her gang. They didn't listen."
"You're alright in my book," said the man as he held out his hand. "My name is William Brooker. But you can call me Bill."
David shook Bill's hand.
"I'm David Jones. This is Richard Bolts. She's Lori Loud and he over there is George Cane."
"George Cane? You're the guy Tim mentioned. You hunted his wife, didn't you?"
"They were separated," said George.
"But not divorced," said the man. "What happened to her?"
"We'll talk about that later," said George.
"You mentioned General Black," said David. "Know something about him?"
"Heh. I don't just know something about him," said Bill. "I study him. Him and his rogue soldiers."
"So, you know what he's doing in Houlton?"
Bill nodded as he walked down the stairs. He set foot on the parking lot and began walking near the RV, followed by the rest of the group in the motel.
"I wanna ask why you know anything about Black but I could take a guess," said Bill as he walked towards Vonda. "You're the daughter of a man who Black has a deep hatred for. Wanna tie up loose ends? Strange. I don't see Tim–"
"No, not exactly," interrupted David. "There was a safe-zone in Detroit where their families sought refuge. Until one day–"
"Black and his army slaughtered them," said Bill. "Then some of their family members were captured, then sent off to Houlton. I know about Operation Exodus."
"Is that what it's called?"
Bill nodded his head.
"Why don't you come with me to the cabin? You can keep asking me questions. Leave your vehicles here, it's not too far."
Lily slept by Leni's chest. Clyde sat on top of Lynn's shoulder, enjoying the piggyback ride while holding his crutches.
"It took you guys some time to get here," said Bill.
"Well, we ran into many obstacles in the road," said David. "The Piranhas, gangs of marauders, herds."
Becky limped slightly as she walked alongside Dana and Wavehead.
"...there were poison canisters in the road," continued David. "Think the rogues were creating obstacles in the road?"
"Nah, that was most likely Benito Quirino, another big player in this grand scheme that K.H.A.N. has," said Bill.
"I know about him," said George. "Some Cuban cartel leader that Sherry did business with. Known for cutting heads and limbs off with a machete."
"What was he doing in New York?" asked Lori.
"Probably searching for Sherry," said Bill. "Black's nemesis is Tim Crowley. Quirino's nemesis is Sherry Crowley."
George wiped a sweat drop that fell to his cheek. Vonda and Benny looked at each other while the group made a left turn in the road.
"It's so empty here… did you clear out all the roamers?" asked Lori.
"Yeah," replied Bill. "There might be one or two that pass by every now and then, so never let your guard down around this place."
"Do the rogues know you're here?" asked David.
"If they did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"I hear it being brought up often," said Lori, "but no one talks too much about it. What the hell is K.H.A.N.?"
"That tape needs some deciphering too, huh? Tim describes it."
"So, who's this guy that deciphers the tape?" asked David.
Bill stopped in the middle of the road. His fingers remained together and they all pointed towards a winding road to the right of the main road.
"Is that your last question?" asked Bill.
"No. You seem to know a lot about Black. I have more questions," said David.
Bill was ahead of the group. Lori and David spotted the cabin ahead in the road. A bike lied flat in the ground in the yard. A gray car filled with supplies stood in the driveway, picking up dust.
"The guy that deciphers the cassette tapes… is me," revealed Bill as he opened the door to his cabin. "It's just me in this town."
David and Lori walked inside the cabin, looking around, finding numerous radios and wires on tables and desks.
"What is this?" asked Vonda as she walked inside the cabin.
"Radios," answered Bill. "Some connected to any nearby channels. But this is the most important one."
Bill walked over to the right corner of the room and pulled back a chair. He tapped on a green radio with small antennas sitting on a wooden table.
"Military radio. I can access the channels that Black uses to communicate with his team."
"We're like 50 miles away from Houlton!" said Lori.
"Some radios are just that powerful," said Bill. "I'm lucky that this bad boy can capture their voices just clear enough for me to understand what they say. Just another thing I like about Medway."
The Louds pushed their way to the radio.
"So you know what's happening to our family in Houlton?" asked Luan.
"What's going on?" asked Lincoln. "What are they doing to the people they captured?"
"Please tell me they're okay!" exclaimed Leni.
"One question at a time!" stated Bill. "Yes, I know what's happening to the hostages over there!"
"Well, tell us!" exclaimed Lori.
"You sure? You might not like what you hear…. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."
"Just tell us!" said Lori. "I have to know!"
"Fine, I'm withholding some details. But it's nothing good. Black and his guys are just guarding the place. They move around the families and keep them alive while some scientists experiment on them."
"Oh god…" sighed Lori.
"The necrosis influenza… they're testing different strains on them."
"What– are they trying to create a cure or something?" asked Lisa.
"That's an intelligent observation for a little girl like you. But no. I doubt it. It seems to me that they're trying to make different variations of the flu. Mutations… they could be making different kinds of roamers. My studies aren't too conclusive but it seems to me like they want to build an army of roamers."
"That's strange," said David. "They're already an army. Why would they need an army of the undead?"
"That's what I asked myself. But maybe it's not for them. It's probably for the organization they're working for, K.H.A.N.! But I don't know! I need to keep studying them!"
David and Lori looked at each other. Lori nodded her head.
"Look, Bill, we would let you study Black and the rogues, but…"
David looked back at the group.
"We're on a mission. We gotta rescue our people and put an end to Black. I'm sorry."
"No. I'm sorry, but no, don't do that! This information… it's too far valuable! I gotta find out more about their intentions!"
"You pretty much described it," said David.
"What about K.H.A.N.?"
"What about them," hissed Richard. "You ain't tell us shit about them! For all we know, it could just be an ideology! A fantasy! A made-up thing!"
"I'm telling you guys, right now. K.H.A.N. is no made-up thing," said Bill.
"Well, what are you doing about it?" exclaimed Richard. "Sitting on your ass by the radio, hoping that you'll save the world with just information? You gotta get up and actually do something!"
Bill sat on the wooden chair, setting his rifle aside. He turned on the radio. However, only static came out of the radio.
"What is this thing hooked up with?" asked George.
"Car battery."
Bill switched from channel to channel, clicking buttons, and rotating tuning knobs. However, only the crackling noise of static came out of the radio.
"Are you bullshitting us?" asked Richard.
"No, it's just… no activity."
Bill stood up, moving his hair away from his eyes.
"Alright, I'll be fine with you guys risking your life to put an end to the rogues. If you make it out alive… bring me this…"
Bill opened up a drawer and set it to the group. It was a blueprint of a large antenna.
"It would help. With this, maybe I can hear as far as Nova Scotia."
"Alright," said David. "You're going to stay here, then?"
"Yeah. One more thing. If you can, keep General Black alive. Let him retreat to wherever he needs to go. He's pivotal–"
"Hell no!" exclaimed Lynn. "After everything he's done! The world would be a better place without him!"
Lori looked at Bill with her arms crossed.
"Black murdered the parents of that boy over there. He murdered people who were against him, including Tim Crowley. He's responsible for hundreds of deaths."
"What? Tim?" uttered Bill.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Lynn. "What, you thought her father was still alive? Why do you think he's not here with us?"
"How was he killed?" asked Bill.
"He ordered some rogues to hunt him down," said Lincoln. "He called him a 'terrorist'. Then, he announced it to us."
Vonda rubbed her arm and leaned on George while she looked down at the floor.
"Oh, and another thing, William Brooker," added Lynn as he took a tape from her bag. "Vonda! Do you have the recorder?"
The cassette tape recorder was passed from group member to group member until it reached Lynn. Lori watched her with wonder, until she realized why he called Bill by his full name.
"Hello. My name is Gerald Brooker. I am 48 years old and a retired NSA agent. I hope… that gives me some credibility…"
"My god…" gasped Bill. "That's… my brother."
"Yeah. You know what happened to him?" asked Lynn.
"Alright, Lynn," whispered Lincoln. "Don't push it too hard."
"He was shot!" exclaimed Lynn. "In the fuckin' skull! Left to rot in a basement! Feeling sorry for General Black now? Are you?"
David took off his shades and looked at Lynn with wide eyes. Bill closed his eyes and sat back in his wooden chair.
"Alright, Lynn," whispered Lori. "You went too far."
Bill turned on the radio again and was met with static. He continued rotating the tuning knob, encountering more static filling the silence in the room.
"Bill…" said David.
"I don't need all of you here!" exclaimed Bill. "Some of you– go back to the motel. All the rooms are empty."
Sergei turned around.
"If we cannot help him, we shouldn't be here."
Some of the group members left the cabin. Lynn handed the cassette tape recorder back to Vonda. David, Richard, George, Lori, Vonda, and Lisa stayed in the cabin.
"You're a long way from home, Vonda," said Bill. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father. He was a close friend and I know how important he was to all of us. But if Tim's gone… then where's Sherry?"
"She's gone too," replied Vonda.
"I'm sorry for–"
"No. No, she deserved it. Do you have any idea what she did to our group? Six more of us would've been here if she didn't get involved in my life."
"Like we told you," said George. "her gang of Piranhas proved to a tough obstacle for all of us. They attacked us constantly… until we fought back. We were willing to give her mother a second chance… something we regret doing."
"I'm assuming she was killed by one of you?" asked Bill.
"Yeah. Capital punishment. I didn't enjoy doing it, but it had to be done for the safety of the group."
"You know… she wasn't always a bad person," admitted Bill. "A corrupted soul. You know she served in the Coast Guard before–"
"Yeah. I know," said George. "It's a shame what she did with her skills."
"So, who told you guys I was able to decipher the other cassette tapes?"
George's mouth slowly opened, but nothing came out. Vonda looked down.
"My mother. She might've been a terrible person and a terrible mother, but she did tell me some stuff that I needed to know about this world."
"Interesting. Where are the cassette tapes?" asked Bill, while heading to his bedroom.
Vonda removed her backpack. She opened the zipper and took out two tapes. After placing it under her arm, she took out two more tapes. Bill walked back to the radio room, holding a device that resembled a heavy laptop and a small kit with tiny screwdrivers. Vonda placed her backpack down and handed the tapes to Bill. She then left the cassette player in the table next to the military radio.
"Hmm. Overpopulation. Who is General Black? Infection of the Dead. K.H.A.N. Quite the tapes you have here. Powerful, powerful information. I'm gonna go tinker with them for a little. You can go back to the motel. It's going to take a while."