“What is the reason for this call, officer?”
“Trying to make it to the end of the day without dying, sir. ”
A pause.
“What is your location?”
“I’m at the Stebbins Little Sch
ool. There are eight hundred people in here. None of us are infected. We have steel security doors and this building is the town evacuation shelter. ”
“The infection has spread throughout the entire town, officer,” said Dietrich. “I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, but—”
“The town, yes. Maybe. But the school is a secure facility. This is where the survivors are. We need you to come and get us out. ”
“I don’t believe you understand the nature of this event, officer. ”
“Colonel Dietrich, you are incorrect, sir, when you say that we are unaware of the nature of this event. We are very goddamn aware. And we are asking how you intend to help. ”
There was silence on the line. When Dietrich spoke his voice was tight. It was hard to tell if it was anger or fear. “There’s nothing we can do. If you’re in the thick of this then you should be able to comprehend that. ”
“I comprehend some of it, Colonel. What I don’t comprehend is why you’re not even trying to rescue or protect the uninfected. This isn’t an airborne disease. It’s spread through spit or a bite or some other fluid contact. ”
As she spoke, Trout panned the camera to show the dead zombies on the floor and the black goo around their mouths. He zoomed in to focus on the wriggling threadlike worms in the muck. Then he panned back up to Dez. In this light, with her disheveled hair, her hard beauty, her Valkyrie bone structure, she looked like a hero out of legend, a warrior woman who could have belonged to any of the great battles of history. Trout never doubted that he loved Desdemona Fox, but at the moment he felt like he wanted to shout the fact.
Dietrich said, “You are a police officer, I believe, in a small town? Not a biologist or medical doctor?”
“Yes, sir, I’m a small-town cop. I also spent a couple of years in Afghanistan taking orders from cocksuckers like you, so I know when someone’s blowing smoke out of their ass. ”
“Watch your mouth, Officer Fox. ”
“Or what? You want to come here and arrest me? Go ahead. Otherwise stop acting like you’re in command of this situation. I’m asking you—telling you—to get in touch with your boss and tell him to get in touch with his, as far up the line as you have to go. Tell them that we know who let this monster off the chain and who’s responsible for killing an entire town … and who now wants to try and cover it all up by pretending that the surviving witnesses are infected just so you can slaughter us all. You tell them that. ”
No reply.
“Colonel…?” No reply. In fact there was no further chatter on the walkie-talkie. Not one word.
Dez shook her head and stared at Trout, who was still taping. “They’re going to let us die here. God … they’re going to murder all these kids. ” Tears broke from her eyes and rolled down over her cheeks. She weighed the walkie-talkie in her hand and then with a snarl turned to hurl it against the wall but JT scooped it out of her hand.
“No,” he said, “we might need that. ”
“I blew it,” she snapped back. “I pushed too hard and blew it. God, why am I always such a bitch?”
“Actually,” said Trout, turning off the camera and lowering it, “I thought you were magnificent. ”
“Oh, shut up, Billy. ”
“No,” said JT, “boy’s right. You were great. You smacked that officious prick’s ass. ”
“That’ll look good on my tombstone. Let’s face it, I played the wrong card. He knows that we’re a liability and now he’s going to burn this town down just to keep us from telling the world. ” She glared at Trout. “Why the fuck are you smiling?”
“I taped that conversation you just had. Dietrich’s voice is crystal clear. ”
“So? We can’t do anything with it. The Internet and cell service is as dead as we’re going to be. ”
Billy Trout unslung the equipment bag he carried and bent down—hissing a little at the pain in his back—to unzip it.
“You’re not the only one who brought goodies to this party, Dez. ” He produced a device and showed it to them, his smile never wavering. “This is a satellite news uplink. If we’re going to go down, babe, then let’s at least go down swinging. ”