All The Beautiful People (A Dread Novel Book 1) (14 page)

CHAPTER 30

Taylor’s eyes snapped open. She was back in the small room she shared with Cidney. Everything from her dream had dissolved into reality, everything except for the loud crashing noise.

It took her only a second to adjust to her surroundings. Cidney was awake sitting upright in her bed with wide eyes. Someone was pounding on their door.

“Who is it?” Taylor asked. Mentally she scolded herself for not reloading her gun while she had the chance. The only weapon she had now was her knife and fists.

“Taylor,” Jason’s voice said from the other side of the door. “It’s me, open up.”

“It’s okay,” Taylor told Cidney with a forced smile. From the tone in Jason’s voice she could guess she was lying to the girl.

Taylor opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “Jason, what’s wrong? What time is it?”

Jason looked horrible. Bags hung under his eyes in pairs and where there should have been white around his blue iris’ redness was taking over. “They’ve broken through the outside gates. Wade’s called a meeting right away. Frank and I have been up all night reading the doctor’s journal. Taylor, the man was brilliant.” Jason took a brief moment to take a breath. “Wade also put the director of the biology department on it with us. She’s amazing. She thinks she can reverse a—”

“Slow down.” Taylor put out both arms palms facing forward. “Start from the beginning. You said the diseased have broken through?”

Jason nodded. “Captain Martin pulled his men off the gates and into the building. The steel walls and bulletproof glass will hold them off but we can’t stay here forever.”

Taylor peeked into the room to look for Cidney. The girl was already up and getting dressed. “Atta girl,” Taylor said. “Meet us outside in the hall when you’re ready.”

Cidney bobbed her head as she shoved her socked feet into her shoes.

“Do you think it’s best that she hears all of this?” Jason asked. “I mean she’s already been through so much.”

Taylor hesitated as the events in her dream flooded back. “She comes with us. She’s already involved in this whether we like it or not. And I think she has an important role to play before this is all over.”

CHAPTER 31

Taylor followed Jason down the empty halls of Lazarus Pharmaceuticals. Cidney trailed in their wake, lugging her pink backpack behind her. Prior to their departure, the little girl had been sure to pack the shirt she removed the night before. Despite the bloodstains, it was her only physical link to her now deceased father.

Jason spoke over his shoulder as the trio speed walked toward the meeting with Wade. “Like I was saying, Frank and I stayed up most of the night reading the doctor’s work. Wade brought in the director of the biology department, Dr. Valery Spear. She makes Frank and I look like teenagers.”

Jason grimaced when he realized the flaw in his analogy.

“Frank
is
a teenager,” Cidney pointed out.

“Right,” Jason said with a wink. “I realized that soon as I said it. I think the lack of sleep is finally starting to get to me.”

The group paused at the front of an elevator. Jason was going on and on about how amazing Dr. Spear was, that she and Frank had already started working on a way to reverse the effects of Vanidrum.

Taylor only half listened as he told her the meeting with Wade was being called to discuss their next step. Almost all the staff aside from security, the biology team, and any support they needed had already left to weather the storm of the Apocalypse with their loved ones.

Taylor’s mind was reliving the events of the night before. They entered the elevator and rode it to an upper floor. Jason began explaining what was happening to the rest of the world to a wide-eyed Cidney.

In the interim, Taylor remembered her dream. The mass grave of bones, Cidney’s father, Cidney herself as a young woman, it all came back.

“Taylor? Taylor, are you all right?” Jason and Cidney were staring at her. The elevator had stopped and they were already out. Jason held one of the metallic sliding doors to keep it from closing.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. I guess you’re not the only one that needs to catch up on their sleep.”

Jason led them to a large conference room. Wade, Melissa, Frank, and a middle-aged woman Taylor supposed was Dr. Spear waited for them.

The room was large enough to accommodate a group four times their size. The table they sat around was a perfect circle with a hologram interface that now reflected a 3D image of Lazarus’ buildings. An ocean of red dots surrounded the buildings like waves encircling a lone island.

Wade waved the newcomers over.

Taylor pulled a few chairs together in the corner of the room. Stray magazines lay scattered on an end table. She grabbed one and motioned for Cidney to come and sit.

“Hey, I know it’s probably not your favorite thing to sit and wait while we talk but just one more time, okay? I’ll try and be fast. Here,” Taylor handed her the magazine, looking at the title for the first time. It was the latest edition of
Science and Technology Today
. Taylor kicked herself mentally. She really needed to get better at this kid thing. “You can read this. Wait, can you read yet?”

Cidney positioned herself on the chair and looked at Taylor as if she had asked if the sky was blue. “I’m eight years old. I’m not a baby. I’m the best reader in my class.” She took the offered magazine from Taylor and furrowed her brow. “What’s Nano Tech Nology mean?”

Taylor gave the girl a grin. “You’re close. It’s pronounced ‘technology.’”

“Oh,” Cidney gave her a shy expression. “I knew that.”

“Okay, kiddo, hang in there for me a few minutes.”

Cidney nodded, already losing herself in the magazine
.

Taylor rose and approached the rest of the group. The room ended in a large window opening to a panoramic view of Lazarus’ grounds and the city beyond. Taylor was left to imagine the mayhem and death that was spreading beyond the glass surface.

Wade motioned her to come and sit with the group. “Taylor, I think you already know Melissa from last night.”

Taylor nodded toward the woman.

“And this is the director of our biology and research team, Dr. Valery Spear.”

“Please,” the woman stood and extended her hand, “you can call me Valery.”

Taylor did her best at a smile as they shook hands in greeting. It wasn’t that she disliked the woman. To the contrary, Valery was welcoming with a warm smile and a firm but not harsh handshake. The reality of the situation they found themselves in was only becoming bleaker. Coupled with Taylor’s dream, the future seemed hopeless.

“There have been a few developments,” Wade said with a heavy breath. “I’m sure Jason has already informed you on a few, however, let me briefly recap. During the night our outer fence was breached. We’ve retreated inside the buildings and are safe for the moment, but as you can imagine, this is not a long-term solution. Captain Martin is seeing to the defense of the building as we speak.” Wade motioned to the 3D hologram of the building in front of them.

“You can see how bad the situation is. The red dots symbolize the infected literally at our doorstep.” Wade motioned to Jason.

Jason brought up a 3D control system with a few waves of his hands. A map of the world replaced the Lazarus building. Blue outlines traced the continents and bodies of water.

Jason maneuvered his hands over the holographic control panel with moves that made him look like a crazed conductor giving the performance of a lifetime. With one last raise of his hand, six green dots appeared across the globe. With these green dots splotches of bright red light oozed across every continent.

“The green dots are secured Lazarus facilities that are still operational,” Wade said. “All the red on the map you see is the continued spread of the infection.”

Taylor knew the blotches of red marked the rampage of the growing epidemic. Wade didn’t have to tell her. She heard his voice as though he were in a tunnel shouting to her. The crimson plague already covered almost a quarter of the world. Not a single continent or country was spared. The destruction of the human race would be total in the matter of days if nothing was done.

What was it Dr. Jenkins had told her in her dreams?
Taylor thought,
He had said to go—go somewhere?
The name he used was dodging her best attempts at remembering.

“Taylor?”

Taylor snapped out of her thoughts with a jolt. Everyone at the table was looking at her. With their concerned faces she knew it wasn’t the first time she had been called.

“Sorry, yes?”

Wade gave her a look of disquiet rather than annoyance. “We were weighing in on which of our remaining secure facilities would prove to be the safest. Do you have any thoughts?”

Taylor gathered herself and studied the map again. Aside from the red on the map spreading across the globe like a cancer, she located six green dots. All but one was surrounded by the mass of red. A single green dot stood alone in Alaska. A few red chicken pocks showed around the state but it was nothing compared to the red smears that covered other countries.

“I think the obvious choice would be here,” Taylor pointed to the hologram of Alaska. “It seems like the disease hasn’t hit critical mass in this location yet.”

Jason nodded along with Frank and Dr. Spear, who also voiced their agreement.

“Good,” Wade said. “Alaska seems like the unanimous choice. There may be something about the cold element that slows the spread of the disease.”

“Plus the actual lack of human population for the disease to spread to helps as well,” Frank said.

“Agreed. The disease won’t be able to spread as wide or as quickly if there are no hosts to infect,” Wade said.

“We should get going as soon as possible,” Dr. Spear said. “We’ll need time to dissect and develop a serum to combat this…this spreading darkness. The faster Frank and my team can set up a secure lab, the faster we’ll have our answers.”

Wade gave his approval with a nod. He turned his bloodshot eyes down to his left wrist and checked the time. “Have your teams and gear ready in two hours. I’ll arrange our transport to the air hanger and then to Alaska.”

Everyone nodded, internally going through their personal lists of things needing to be done inside the two-hour window. Taylor’s main concern was Cidney. Even though the odor coming off her own clothes made her gag, the girl needed to come first.

Frank and Jason were the first to leave. Melissa remained by Wade’s side, the two going over the departure plans.

“I can grab you a change of clothes if you’d like.”

Taylor looked at the doctor with a sigh. “You can smell me too, huh?”

Doctor Spear shook her head. “No, it’s not that bad. I was lucky enough to have a few changes of clothes with me here at Lazarus when this all happened. I can lend you something if you’d like until we get to the Ark and you get your own cleaned.”

Something snapped inside Taylor’s mind. A word used in her dream. “What did you say?” Taylor asked so fast her words melded together as one.

Doctor Spear took a step back, “I—I said you can borrow—”

“No. What did you call the place we’re going?”

“Oh, Alaska. Lazarus has names for all their facilities. The Alaska compound is code named The Ark.”

Taylor’s dream was coming back to her in detail. The doctor looked at her with wide eyes. As Taylor began to form the words of response in her mind, Wade interrupted them.

“Ladies?”

Both Taylor and the doctor directed their attention to Wade and Melissa. Wade’s assistant reached behind her back and pulled out a silver Desert Eagle. She let the clip fall out from the butt of the gun, checked the rounds, and slammed it back.

If it was possible, Wade’s face was even darker. “We’re going to have to move up that timetable. Captain Martin has informed us that the infected are in the building.”

CHAPTER 32

Taylor wouldn’t call it instinct, but it did come naturally for her to carry Cidney in her arms, her legs pumping against the floor beneath her, the earpiece Wade gave her squawking with orders and reports across the Lazarus compound. All that mattered was Cidney’s safety. She was all the girl had now. Taylor wasn’t going to let her down.

“I can walk, if you want,” Cidney said over the clamor in Taylor’s ear.

“No,” Taylor huffed. “I’m good.”

Her lungs had started to burn as she skidded to a halt in front of the floor’s elevator doors. Cidney’s eyes were huge. Taylor put the child down and moved to press the button. Except for faint gunshots in the distance and the voices in Taylor’s ear, the floor was quiet.

“No, please!”

Taylor’s thumb hovered above the button, the terror in Cidney’s voice halting her motion. “What? What’s wrong?”

Cidney looked panicked. Her eyes were darting from Taylor to the elevator doors. “Please, can we take the stairs? I don’t want to go in the elevator again. Please, Taylor.”

Taylor dropped to her knees. The sheer fear in the girl’s voice would be enough to make Taylor climb the outside of the building to put Cidney at ease. “Hey,” Taylor said, “it’s okay.” Reflex took over and she reached for the little girl’s hand. Cidney’s small palm was lost inside her grip. “We don’t have to take the elevator. The stairs are fine.”

Relief visibly washed over Cidney’s face. She threw herself into Taylor’s arms. “I’m sorry. I—it’s…” Cidney’s voice faded to silence as she struggled with the right words.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me.” Taylor gently pushed Cidney to arms’ length and used her thumbs to wipe away the child’s tears. “We can take the stairs. We need to be going now. We’ll get to the roof and you’ll be in a helicopter safe where no one can get you, okay?”

Cidney sniffed and nodded.

Taylor stood and offered her right hand to the girl. Cidney grabbed onto it and the pair took off down the hall toward the stairwell. Taylor didn’t even recognize her own actions. Changing the plan to accommodate how someone felt, let alone a child, was something she would have laughed at before.

She listened to the reports coming across her earpiece. If they were going to deviate their course, she needed to make sure the stairwell was secure.

Voices of men and women came over the radio constantly. Taylor caught Captain Martin’s voice issuing orders to the dwindling force defending the building.

“I need all resources to fall back to Lazarus’ main facility. We need to secure the escape of our lab team. Super One through Five report.”

Taylor could make out the captain’s words clearly despite the gunfire and screams in the background. Hearing the events take place somewhere below her as well as through her earpiece amplified the sounds of the conflict, making the events echo in her ears.

“This is Super Two,”
a steady female voice came over the radio.
“We’re falling back to your position now. Super One is down.”

“
Super Three en route to the main compound. ETA, two minutes,”
a rough male voice said.

“Super Four en route—Oh god, they’re all over the place!”
The pitch of the man’s voice sent chills down Taylor’s spine.
“We can’t make it to you.”
More gunfire echoed through the earpiece and somewhere below her. Suddenly, being ten stories above the conflict didn’t seem so far at all.
“There’s too many of them. I—”
A gurgling sound like someone was in the middle of using mouthwash ended the screams. The radio went dead.

Silence.

“Super Four and Five Report!”
Captain Martin shouted.

Nothing.

Taylor skidded to a stop in front of the stairwell door.
“Captain, this is Taylor Hart. I’m taking Cidney to the rooftop via the stairwell. Is the stairwell secure?”

“Taylor? That’s an affirmative, but not for long. Get her out of here!”

“Copy,” Taylor said. She opened the door leading Cidney by the hand. The ten stories they had to climb felt like a hundred. The only urge stronger than running downstairs to fight was ensuring Cidney’s safety.

To Cidney’s credit, the girl kept pace with Taylor. Finally, they crested the last flight of stairs and ran outside onto the rooftop. A unit of security guards met them with their automatic weapons raised.

“Hold your fire!” Melissa said. She was standing on the rooftop with a tablet in her hands. “Thought we lost you,” she said to Taylor.

“Sorry, we had to take the stairs.”

“Elevator would have been faster.”

Taylor took in her surroundings. The rooftop was a chaotic mess of lab-coated technicians piling into Lazarus helicopters. All around them orders were shouted. Taylor looked into the distance, over the rooftop edge. The sun was up, abating the chill in the air, however, it did nothing against the doom gnawing in the pit of her stomach. More pillars of smoke than she could count scattered across the city. Fires were running free, unchecked, consuming everything in their path.

“Will you be boarding as well?” Melissa asked.

Taylor tore her eyes from the scene of the burning city. “No, make sure Cidney is on the first helicopter out of here. I’m going back down to help.”

“No!” Cidney said, grabbing on tightly with both her hands to Taylor’s wrist. “I want you to come with me. Don’t leave me.”

Taylor’s heart tore inside. She fell to a knee and brought herself eye level with Cidney. “I have to go back down and make sure everyone gets out safe. Melissa is going to take you to the airport where we are going to board a plane for Alaska. I’ll meet you there.”

Cidney struggled to control herself, wiping away tears with the backs of her small palms. “Promise?”

Taylor nodded. “I promise. We have a lot of work to do once we get to the Ark.”

Cidney sniffed and nodded.

Taylor rose with one last glance at Cidney. Dr. Jenkins’ daughter was brave against all odds. Despite her age, she was a model example for most adults. The vision of the young woman in her dreams playing with the wolf faded in and out of Taylor’s mind in a quick second.

“You’ll need weapons!” Melissa shouted over the noise of the helicopter propellers that had begun to stir. She beckoned a pair of security guards armed for war. “You can take whatever you need. We have more stocked in the helicopters.”

Taylor focused on what she needed to do next. There would be no room for doubt or compassion if she was going to live to see the end of the day.

Screams pounded in her earpiece as she took stock of the weapons the two security guards held in front of her. “I’ll take them all.”