Lethal Seasons (A Changed World Book 1) (25 page)

“The changes in architecture and power distribution demanded by the extreme changes in weather, decades earlier, became instrumental in the establishment of settlements. The hub system made it simpler to find and maintain suitable edifices.”

History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

Wisp headed outside at a jog. Harley and Everett were bringing the horses in. Joshua and Mary were helping to move the chickens indoors. All the animals were nervous and acting up. That was a bad sign. Long streamers of dark cloud  stretched across the sky as the temperature dropped. A few fat drops of cold rain spattered on the sidewalk.

Wisp reached out around the center. He could feel the Watch moving in from their positions. Bruno and a few other people were heading back from the neighborhood. Three children were racing from the brook. He expanded his search. Worried minds in the outliers. They heard the storm alarm. He hoped they had good shelters. He reached farther. No one by the train station. No one on the road in the opposite direction. And yet, there was a tingle over there. An animal? He trotted out to the road to clear the clutter of the minds in the center. With more space around him he could feel it. A child?

“Wisp?”

He turned to see Nick and Martin approaching.

“What is it?” Martin asked.

“I’m not sure. Something, maybe a couple people. Up this road.”

Martin radioed for someone to bring a van. Wisp started walking. The sooner he could identify what he was feeling the better they could help. Nick kept pace with him. Wisp had noticed that Nick tried to quiet his mind when Wisp was searching. It was admirable of him to try. And it was helpful.

“I think it’s children.”

“Plural. Our kids? Angus was doing a head count.”

Wisp heard Martin behind them on the radio checking on that head count. He jogged to catch up. “All of ours are accounted for.”

The wind picked up, tossing leaves and debris at them. Rain pattered down as the light faded. “How far?” Nick asked nervously.

Thunder rumbled far away. Martin looked up at the clouds. “It’s moving fast.”

One of the new vans arrived with three of the Watch, and they jumped inside. “Up ahead,” Wisp said. “More than I thought. They might be drugged or sick.”

“Or just exhausted,” Martin said as the headlights showed them a bedraggled crowd on the road. “What are we seeing Wisp? Ambush or victims?”

Wisp reached out around the numbed group searching for snipers, bandits, concentrated minds up in the trees. “Victims.”

The van approached within a few feet of the group. Martin and Nick jumped out of the vehicle just as a bolt of lightning lit the sky. Wisp and the other men joined them. There were wheelbarrows and handcarts, a bicycle and two wagons filled with small children, pushed, pulled and carried by older children. Wisp took a quick count of twenty-six, with no one older than William’s age.

A skinny boy, tall and gangly stepped forward brandishing a walking stick that was taller than he was. “Are you from High Meadow?”

“I’m Nick, you’re safe now.”

Wisp felt the boy’s uncertainty. He moved closer. The boy’s eyes found him. “You’re the finder?”

“I am.”

“We need you to find our parents.”

“The sheer numbers of dead overwhelmed all infrastructure. For people living outside of large cities, it may have seemed a calamity. However, in the cities, it was horrific. It is hard to conceive of for those who did not witness the dead lying in the streets, or the house to house search for children and elderly left with no caretakers.”

History of a Changed World
, Angus T. Moss

Thunder cracked right overhead and rain pounded down. Nick saw Martin pull out the radio, probably for a second vehicle. “We don’t have time, squeeze em in,” he yelled over the rumble of the storm. Nick grabbed a toddler and carried him to the van. Martin ushered the rest of them closer.

Reaching for the next child, Nick looked around for Wisp. He was standing back, away from the children. He met Nick’s eyes, as if waiting for the question. “Any stragglers?”

Wisp squinted against the rain, back the way the children had come, his long white hair plastered to his skull. He stepped a few more feet away. Nick hoped there weren’t any kids lying in the road back there. The storm was getting worse. They needed to get into shelter now.

“No one alive back that way,” Wisp said. He took one look at the crowded van and shook his head. “I’ll run.” He took off before Nick could argue and as he watched, Wisp settled into a ground-eating lope that looked effortless.

Nick went back for another child. He rearranged bodies putting kids on laps, some on the floor. They were exhausted and shivering from the cold rain. Too many youngsters on their own.

“All in!” Martin yelled and squeezed into the back. They drove as fast as they could back to the school. Water sprayed up from puddles on the road making the van hydroplane. Nick tightened his grip on the armrest and grumbled a warning to the driver.

“Where are you kids from?” Martin asked

The skinny boy, who had two crying babies on his lap, looked over to Nick with weary, bloodshot eyes. “Barberry Cove.”

Nick didn’t know it. The inside of the van was steamy from the press of bodies. Babies were crying, and some of the younger kids were sniffling. They were scared and tired. And it became apparent that some of the babies needed a diaper change. It broke his heart to think of these little ones travelling any distance without help.

Martin radioed ahead for them to open the garage. They drove straight in. A crowd of people were waiting at the entrance to the school. As soon as the van doors opened, there were many open arms for the children.

Nick moved away from the crush. He saw Jean, Melissa and Mary each carrying a dripping wet child. Angus was at the door directing traffic. “Get them to the cafeteria. Hot food first. There are blankets and towels in the cafeteria.”

Martin was on the other side of the van talking to two of his men.

“Has Wisp arrived?” Nick asked.

“Just came in the front door,” Martin said gesturing to his radio.

Nick looked for the skinny boy. Bruno had an arm around him, and they were limping away. He followed them into the building and up a flight to the cafeteria. Tilly was trying to be everywhere at once. Hot food was being brought out table by table. The children were wrapped up in blankets, all but the oldest on laps.

Angus came over. “Where did they come from?”

“The boy said Barberry Cove, but I’ve never heard of it,” Nick said.

“Where were they going?” Angus snagged a towel off the pile Tilly carried past them and handed it to Nick.

“Here.” Nick rubbed his hair and face with the towel. His wet clothes were heavy and cold against his skin. “They were looking for Wisp. Said they wanted him to find their parents.”

Angus’s eyebrows shot up. “They’re missing?”

Nick shrugged. “They’re exhausted. I don’t know where they came from, but they can’t have come very far. Angus, they had babies in wheelbarrows.” He knew the sight would haunt him, as many others still did. If they hadn’t gotten to them in time...he didn’t want to finish that thought.

Angus squeezed his elbow. “They are safe now. We will take care of them. Good job.”

Ruth, Kyle and Dr. Jameson, each carrying a baby hurried out of the cafeteria. Tilly stomped over. “They haven’t eaten all day!” Nick could see the bluster was holding stronger emotions at bay. “Where the hell did they come from?”

“I think, my dear, we will need to give them a day to recover before we get all our answers,” Angus said quietly.

Tilly took a deep breath. “Yes. Of course. I think I will bed them all down in the toddlers’ play room. Probably not a good idea to separate them yet.” She nodded to herself and sailed off.

“Nick I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these things are happening,” Angus said very quietly. “The trains shut down, people disappear. The weather center comes back online just in time to warn us of a monster of a storm. I don’t like the possibilities here.”

“I’ll deal with what’s in front of me right now,” Nick said tiredly. “How long is the storm supposed to last?”

“As I said, a monster. It’ll go through to tomorrow morning.”

“Then there’s nothing to be done right now. The kids are taken care of, the animals are safe. I’m going to get some food and hit the sack.”

Angus smiled. “Extremely practical.”

“It took years for us to establish the settlements and more time before they were organized beyond mere refugee camps. By the time many were ready to think about self sufficiency, the tools were hard to find. Racks of seeds in stores were years out of date. Seed companies were nonexistent. If you were lucky you might find a vegetable garden that had scattered its own seeds in an old neighborhood.”

History of a Changed World
, Angus T. Moss

Tilly handed off another stack of blankets and closed the cupboard. The children were fed and settled in the toddlers’ playroom. They seemed to quiet down as soon as they got back together. They were so exhausted from the travel and fear that a few had fallen asleep with food in their mouths. Her heart pounded a little harder at the thought that they wouldn’t have know all those children were in danger without Wisp. If they had arrived after the storm shutters were closed, they would have been shut out with no way to signal those inside. Tilly decided then and there that some sort of doorbell had to be devised for such events.

That got her wondering if Wisp was all right. She hadn’t seen him since just after the children arrived. She headed for the kitchen to make sure he’d eaten. And maybe she’d ask for a few volunteers to keep the kitchen open all night. Storms made people restless, and there were a lot of new people stuck inside together.

She wasn’t surprised to find a number of people sitting at tables sipping tea and talking. There was a game room, but it was rarely used. Angus would probably have a fire in the new firepit later. That always helped calm people down. She found her volunteers easily. Restless people like tasks to keep them busy. She set up some things for snacking, made another urn of mint tea and started prep for breakfast. With all those babies, she wished Nick had gotten more milk.

Just as she was finishing up, she saw a long white braid in the hall behind the kitchen and called out to Wisp. He came in and gave her a formal nod.

“Do you need me?”

“No, I wanted to thank you. I can’t even think about what might have happened to the children.”

“I’ve had some flashes from them. I think they are from the settlement that is harvesting the wood from the big blow-down north of here.”

“Oh.” Tilly wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “Did you have dinner?” Wisp smiled at her. She was surprised at how warm a smile he had. His pale eyes and white hair made him look so unusual, but when he smiled, he looked almost normal.

“Yes, I am fed and dry and will probably sleep on one of the lower levels if you don’t mind.”

She was about to tell him where to get a cot and blankets when he held up a hand.

“Angus is looking for you.”

“Oh.” Startled, she left immediately. Then wondered if it was a ploy to get her to stop fussing over him. Some men are just better on their own, and it seemed to Tilly that Wisp was probably one of those men. All the same, she checked in with Angus.

His office was crowded. Martin, Nick, the new fellow Kyle, the small people and Frank were all there. She paused in the doorway wondering if she should bring some tea and snacks down. But Angus beckoned her in.

“Tilly, love, I think I want you here.”

That disturbed her. They always divided the work. She didn’t mess with his, and he steered clear of hers. She had more than enough on her hands without going to his meetings too. “If you really need me,” she said, hoping he’d get the hint.

He gave her a look of sadness that scared her. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

She took a chair to his right without another word. For a moment, everyone sat quietly while Angus sorted things out in his head. He sat forward in his chair, hands on his knees, head bent as if listening to things far away. “Hmph.” He sat back and looked around the circle of people, a look of speculation in his eyes. “Kyle, please, I would like you to repeat what you told me earlier.

Kyle glanced around the room nervously. He licked his lips and spoke hesitantly. “This is...difficult...information.”

Tilly watched the emotions cross her husband’s face, distraction, annoyance and finally compassion. It was that last shift that worried her the most.

“Kyle, I understand that you have worked for the government all your life. In that capacity, you have been required to keep confidential information secret. At this point, I don’t think there is much need for it. Secrets kept now could be lost. Too many people are dying and taking their knowledge out of the world. From this point on, I want as many people as possible to know...everything.” He flung a hand wide to encompass the world. “If I can’t act on the information you share, I can remember it and tell it to someone else.”

Kyle nodded without looking up from the floor. “The notebook you gave me. Ruth and I took a closer look at the notations. She wished to continue to work on them.” He clasped his hands together tightly, breathing out a sigh. “The virus wasn’t meant to kill. It was a carrier.”

“For what?” Martin asked.

“An upgrade.”

Martin scowled at him. “What does that mean?”

Angus patted the air in a motion to quiet Martin. “I read the journal. The man, Benjamin, was afraid of biobots. They were being engineered to be geniuses in various fields. He feared that they would eventually be running the world. In his mind, he imagined the tables being turned, and we becoming the slaves to this new brilliant elite. So he tried to even the odds by re-engineering the entire human race.”

There was a stunned silence following Angus’s explanation. Tilly tried to understand what that meant, but her mind skidded over the facts.
The whole human race,
the words repeated in her brain. Someone had tried to change her, against her will, to compete with the biobots. “That’s absurd,” she snapped.

“To a sane man, perhaps,” Angus said calmly. It was the voice he used when he had to tell her someone had died. Hairs stood up on her arms as goosebumps shivered over her. “But it appears he was equally brilliant because he succeeded.”

Nick lurched to his feet. Tilly worried that he might hit someone. His face was beet red with anger. “We are changed,” he snarled.

Angus nodded.

“And the ones that couldn’t, died,” Nick snapped. “He released that
thing
because he thought we were too stupid to survive?”

Angus tipped his head in thought. “He feared enslavement as we had enslaved the biobots. Sit, Nicky, don’t let your anger take over. There is more we need to hear.” He gestured to Kyle. “The rest of it please.”

“The vaccines we have been working on are useless...because we have been trying to do the same thing.”

Tilly bit her lip to stop the angry words from pouring out. Angus beckoned to Kyle as if to encourage him to continue speaking.

“The original virus should have infected people, implanted the engineered DNA and run its course. But it didn’t. Looking at the model and at his notes, I can only assume that the virus mutated in him, Patient Zero. What he spread was not what he expected because he had done some previous experimentation on himself and his children. I don’t think he took into consideration the fact that he might have already changed himself.”

“But you’ve studied the virus,” Tilly said. She could hear the pleading in her voice, the longing for an answer that didn’t doom them all. “The vaccines should have worked.”

Kyle rubbed his hands on his pants. She imagined his palms were sweaty with all eyes on him. “They’re not true vaccines. The virus mutates too quickly. It changes from one settlement to the other. Which might be why they shut down the trains. Spreading it now could make it worse. Or not.” He twitched a shoulder in a half shrug. “We were working along similar lines as, as, him. Trying to make people immune.”

“And Rutledge pushed it a step too far and ended up killing over two hundred people,” Nick said in a deadly cold voice that scared Tilly even more.

“Don’t kill the messenger, Nicky,” Angus said softly. “Especially an indentured one.”

“If we are already changed, then we are not working from the correct standpoint.” Kyle spoke softly, his eyes still on the floor.

“Which is something the labs need to know,” Angus said. “And we will be sure to make certain that information gets through. However, Kyle has a bit more bad news for us. Please tell us your conclusions concerning the recent flu.”

“The information is anecdotal,” Kyle murmured as he shifted nervously in his seat. Tilly thought his posture looked very defensive, his arms folded tight against his body, head tucked. She felt sorry for him.

“All research right now is anecdotal,” Angus said calmly.

Kyle shuffled his feet. “I don’t want to cause a panic because it is a very small sample.”

“We will take it as incomplete data,” Angus offered.

“All of the flu victims here at High Meadow had brown eyes.”

“No,” Tilly found herself on her feet without realizing she’d stood. “Bruno has brown eyes, and he recovered.”

“I am still conducting my research, but it appears from the DNA samples on file here that all of the victims were brown-eye and had a non-brown-eyed mother. Both Bruno’s parents had brown eyes.”

Angus tapped his finger against his chin. “Can you give us a percentage of the population that will be affected by this?”

Kyle shuffled and shifted again. “No.”

Tilly heard something in her husband’s voice that she hadn’t heard in a very long time. He cleared his throat and folded his arms. She knew him too well. He was scared. “It appears that this flu may be a great deal more lethal than I had anticipated. Here at High Meadow we only lost twenty-three people, which is less than twenty-five percent. I fear that the death rate will be much higher in the general populace if Kyle’s supposition is correct.”

The formal way that Angus spoke frightened her to her core. His spark was diminished. He spoke staring at his papers as if looking for answers, or avoiding the eyes of his audience. The next time he spoke, it was barely above a whisper.

“If this is true, the country is losing a significant portion of its population this year. The kidnapping could be a conscription of some kind.”

“Leaving the children behind?” Tilly demanded. “That’s insane, it’s cruel, it’s...” she sputtered to a stop unable to verbalize her contempt for the perpetrators.

“They were taken for a reason,” Martin said calmly, but she saw a coldness in his eyes that for once, reassured her. “That reason didn’t want, or need the kids.”

“Wisp said he thought the kids were from a blow-down?” She offered hoping it made sense to someone else.

Nick took the cue. “The folks harvesting the wood. That makes sense. They’re not too far north of here.” He turned to Martin. The look they exchanged spoke volumes.

“I’ll get guards on the doors,” Martin said.

“Wisp will help,” Nick said. “He can give us warning.”

Martin nodded and left the room. Angus watched him go, then turned to Nick with a puzzled look.

“We could be next,” Nick said.

“Why?” Frank asked.

Nick shrugged, lips tight with anger. “Can’t answer that without knowing why the parents are missing. But the fact that they were taken, leaving the kids abandoned, says it isn’t a good thing.”

“What if they come here?” Elsa asked.

Tilly was amazed at how calmly the little woman spoke. Her own heart was pounding so hard, she could feel it in her ears.

“We’re well armed,” Nick said calmly. “The Watch is well trained.”

“We have a plan,” Tilly added. “The new people need to do a drill.”

Angus gave her a small smile. “That’s a good point, dear. We have a lot of new people here. And the children. We need to pair them off, so they have someone making sure they get to the shelters if needed.”

“I’ll put up a notice on the message boards. We’ll do a drill right after breakfast.” As always, now that she had tasks lined up, she felt better.

“Thank you,” Angus said with a fond nod. “However, I think this year’s flu may be a tipping point.” He looked at Dieter. “What are your thoughts?”

He waited, inspecting his audience before speaking. “A loss of even twenty-five percent may be more than some communities can absorb. Higher losses will most likely cause the collapse of many settlements.”

“People will be moving,” Angus said.

“In bandit season,” Nick added. “We need to warn people.”

“How would you do that without warning the bandits?” Elsa asked.

Nick rubbed his face. He looked tired. “The folks at Creamery were already attacked. They’re setting up some defenses, but I don’t think they’re ready.”

“Priorities,” Tilly said firmly. “You have to look to yourself before you can help others. It isn’t any good falling in the quicksand alongside them. Once we are sure we can defend ourselves, we can reach out to others.”

“Well said!” Angus clapped his hands. There was just a hint of sparkle in his eyes, again. “Excellent. Let’s start planning how we should—” Angus was interrupted by an alarm.

“Fire?” Nick asked.

Angus hurried to his desk to get the radio. “No, that is the lower level access alarm.”