"The distillery is straight ahead, everyone," Chief McCallen announces, and I wrap my arms tighter around myself. My jacket is doing little to keep out the chill of the morning air. "Just keep going over the moorland. There'd be a much better view of the coast if it wasn't for this fog."
"I still wish we could have waited for Sam to get back on coms," Paula says with a frown, and Jody nods beside her in agreement, her brows pinched in worry.
"Me too, Paula, but you heard Janine. Stopping Jones is an immediate imperative."
"Paula, you're the best chemistry expert we have," Tom says. "If we're too late, you can at least test the water, determine if Jones used regular zombie pills or the V-Type variant."
My stomach sinks. If we are too late, there really is no hope. We have no cure with us, and it is far too late to send out a Roufflenet message to ask for some. Even if we could, it wouldn't get here in time. But we need to know if we're going to potentially have regular zoms or V-Types on our hands. With no known burn cubes left, an island full of V-Type zoms would be disastrous, especially since the red fungus is continuing to spread along the beaches of the mainland.
A part of me wonders if this is just happening in Britain or if it's happening everywhere. Is red fungus growing along the coast of America? Nicole hasn't received orders from the Torrencers or the A.M.T.B. in months. Could this be why?
I shake my head. Even if I did know the answer, or had a way of finding out, that can't be my priority right now.
Chief McCallen looks at us with wide eyes. "You really think he'd do this, Mr. De Luca? Poison the whole island?"
I have to stop myself from correcting Chief McCallen's speech of calling Tom 'Mr.' instead of 'Commander.'
"He tried to massacre an entire enclave on the mainland, Chief," Paula answers before Tom can. "The plans we found in his hideout on Niomh were clear. The island's main water supply runs under the distillery. He's going to dig down through the cellar and spike it with zombie pills."
He shakes his head in disgust. "Horrible! To do this to your own people, to the people you've known all your life!" He looks ahead, squinting through the fog. "See that cluster of white buildings up ahead? That's the distillery. I've had the entire island police force come down. He'll be surrounded."
"We don't have a moment to lose," Jody says. "Jones already has a head start on us. Come on, Five. We're not lettin' anyone else die here on this island."
I nod, squaring my shoulders and darting off with her. The fog is thick and heavy, but the white buildings are still visible. I find myself wishing the same thing as Jody and Paula–that Sam were here on coms, but he's still having his own issues and it would probably not do well for us to make him work under this stress. It would only make him sloppy.
Nicole of course could be on coms, but I think she's taking the opportunity of everyone being on the lookout for Jones at the distillery to do some investigating of her own. She has never been one to trust easily, and she always thinks there's always more to something than there is.
Although, to be fair, it has turned out that the creepy island full of secluded scientists is actually the place I was created as a clone, and my last clone who hates me is trapped there, so I maybe I shouldn't blame her for being skeptical. Plus, she can use this time to see what she can get ahold of since she has the same case of sticky fingers that I do.
She didn't tell me exactly where she was going to go or what she planned on doing while we were out and about, but she did sneak a walkie-talkie into my bag so she can call me if she needs me for whatever reason. I doubt she'd need me for anything at all. This is Nicole, after all, but it's for just in case.
But I do wish she was here. It would make things easier just in case I slowed everyone down. Paula examined the cut on my forehead from the hit I took not even twelve hours ago and said she didn't think I had a concussion. Still, I still don't want my injury to delay our capture of Jones.
Although if Chief McCallen has the entire police force surrounding the distillery, I think even if I were to slow down, it wouldn't stop us from capturing him.
If he is here, he's not getting out.
"I guess this is the main entrance," Jody says, clicking her tongue at the multiple people standing around, alert but not heading inside without the order. Our group heads inside. "Is that a gift shop by the counter selling postcards?"
Chief McCallen nods. "The distiller's always been popular. The tours used to sell well by island standards. With a following wind, they'd sometimes get as many as thirty visitors a day."
Tom nods although he doesn't seem too invested into the chief's words. "Head straight down that corridor, Five. According to Jones' plans, the basement access is through the main stillhouse."
I start down the corridor, but I notice Paula staring at a picture on the wall, her gray eyes narrowed.
"This looks like a picture of the laird on the wall, but it's dated 1882."
"Oh, that's his grandfather," Chief McCallen explains as we continue down the corridor. "His family's always been big on whiskey. The old man's 92 in that picture, you know."
My eyebrows shoot up at that. In the picture he looked about as old as Laid Reid, and he only looks to be in his mid-fifties. I think the laird is actually older than he looks considering that Shona is in her thirties.
"They say the island water keeps us young past our years. You would have sworn my Phyllis wasn't a day over thirty, even as she lay on her deathbed. It's what made it so hard to believe."
"This must be the stillhouse," Tom says, not at all affected by the chief's words. I can see the determination in his eyes as he surveys the surroundings. There are two levels and lots of machinery. He turns to me. "Keep an eye on those big copper stills. Jones could be behind them."
I nod, but then stiffen at the sound of echoing footsteps. Jody's green eyes dart upwards.
"That's comin' from the gantry above us."
Chief McCallen frowns. "It's a Tuesday morning. There shouldn't be anyone here."
The redhead beside me raises a brow. "You still use this place?"
"Of course. The laird always says the community must stand by its traditions."
Tom takes a moment to listen. "That's definitely footfall. It could be Jones. If he's heard us coming, he'll be trying to escape. Everyone, up those metal stairs to the top level. Weapons out, condition red. Just run!"
He sprints off, grabbing his gun from his holster and not looking back. I quickly follow, as does Jody. Her pale brows are crinkled together as she bounds and leaps up the stairs. The echoing footsteps are getting louder, louder.
Whoever it is has given up on being sneaky, knowing they've been caught, knowing we're coming. The sounds mesh with our own pounding steps. Sweat drips down my temple as we bound up the stairs.
It's not hard to see the tension in Tom's shoulders, the desperation as the retreating footsteps continue to get louder as we get closer to the top of the stairs. After what happened yesterday, with us believing we were so close with Jones, only for him to not be there, only to fall into his trap and nearly die, I can understand why he is getting desperate. Janine was given more time because of the scientists on Dearg, but that time will run out eventually, and she'll start getting sick again within a few weeks, if not sooner.
And Jones has the Edda, something we desperately we need if we want to have any hope of stopping the V-Types. And he has found a way to evade us again and again. He's just one man, yet he has been able to slip through our grasp so many times. Tom can't stand to see him win again and again, and neither can I.
I take a quick glance at the gun in my hands. I know the proper thing would be to put Jones on trial, to make sure justice is served. But if he has the Edda on him, if he has the cure for Janine and we won't have to pry the information out of him, then we may be able to kill him right here, truly end this. After all, it's not like the islanders are going to let him live. And after all the people he's killed, it would be stupid for Abel to consider any consequence other than death.
I can still hear the footsteps on metal as we run along the gantry, but I can't see anyone. I don't even see a shadow or a glimpse of a figure.
Tom points ahead. "We need to keep going. The sound is coming from behind that door."
I peer around to see a door that's slightly ajar. Surely, we would have seen Jones if he had made it to that door while we were chasing him, and the sound of footsteps are awfully loud. If he was this far ahead, wouldn't he have gained more ground?
"That's the main admin office," Chief McCallen says. "The door shouldn't be ajar."
"Does the office have a second exit?" I ask, my face twisting. The footsteps aren't getting any softer, but he can't just be running back and forth in there.
"Something's wrong," Jody states, her eyes showing her worry. "Jones wouldn't let himself get cornered."
Chief McCallen seems to ignore her words. "Do you think he'll resist? There are plenty of us."
"This is a man who's weaponized V-Types," Tom replies, his voice cold and serious. "He's trying to poison your water supply. Last time we confronted him, he nearly destroyed an oil rig full of people! If he can hurt us, he will."
"Then I'd best hope I can be of some use to you." His voice has a twinge of nervousness. "The biggest sting I ever had before was closing down Mrs. Mulligan's goat smuggling operation. I haven't been able to fire my gun since the night you arrived."
"You just need to stay out of our way," Jody commands as we reach the door. "Five, Tom, you take either side of the door."
We obey, weapons ready. Jody takes in a breath and then kicks her foot out, causing the door to slam open. I watch as the blood drains from her face and she lets out a groan before heading inside.
"No!" She shouts, and I turn to look inside. The sound of footsteps echoes throughout the office, but there's no sign of Jones. She picks up a device from the desk at the back of the room and then slams it back down. "It's a tape recorder!"
My face burns in embarrassment and anger as she clicks it off. So stupid! Oldest trick in the most ancient book and we fell for it!
"That's Al Donnelly's tape player on the desk," Chief McCallen states, his blue studying the device intensely. "He said it was missing, but he's always forgetting things."
Tom's jaw is clenched, trying but failing to keep his composure. "Jones obviously planned to distract us like this, which means he's still here."
My breath hitches. "Which means he could be lacing the water with zombie virus now. We need to get the cellar now!"
•
"Isn't this cellar where you age the whiskey?" Paula asks, panting heavily from the sprint. "I thought there'd be more than a few cases."
"We traded a lot with Dearg Island where the scientists are, and the rest with Colonel Sage for the weapons," Chief McCallen replies, and I blink. Right. Shona mentioned they made a couple trades with Sage and he gave them weapons for their armory in return. "I don't see anyone here. No sign of Jones."
"He could be hiding," Jody replies, still tense. Tom stands beside her, and I notice a look passes over his face–one of realization, and slight worry. The blonde notices it just as I do. "What is it, babe?"
"The water main runs under this floor. He'd need to dig to reach them, but the ground's untouched. He should be in a hurry! He knows we're hunting him..." His blue eyes go wide. "He knows we're hunting him. It's a faint!"
"You think this is all a distraction?" Paula asks, and he nods frantically.
"I've been an idiot. A plume of smoke from his shack after keeping himself carefully concealed? Jones let us find his camp! All that evidence he left–he knew it'd push us into panic mode. No one wants another Exmoore. He lured us here to the farthest edge of Mor Island so he can... what?"
"Whatever it is, he wanted us out of the way for it," Jody says. "He could be striking anywhere right now. He could be going after the laird or trying to finish Janine. We have to warn people!"
Chief McCallen looks at us in panic. "No mobile signal anymore, and the old copper landmines were too much to work to maintain after Z-Day. We're out of range for our walk-talkies-"
"Your walkie-talkies," I correct, before fishing my own out of my bag. "I think Nicole did something to this one to make sure we'd be in range. Wouldn't have given it to me otherwise."
"Why would Nicole need to be in communications with you if she's not on coms?" Tom asks, and I suck in a sharp breath.
"Uh... just in case my head injury was worse than we thought and we needed her for backup," I lie, although I can't be sure whether they buy it before I'm clicking it and pressing into the little button on it. "Songbird, do you read me?"
"There's an emergency communications point with its own wind generator to the west," Chief McCallen explains while I wait for her to answer. "We keep them working. Can use those to warn the others since your sister is just one lass. Come on."
I nod, following his lead with the rest as I try to call her again. "Songbird, are you there?"
"You know this was more so if I needed you than if you needed me, right?" She replies a moment later, sounding annoyed. I shrink at the raised brow Tom sends me. "What is it? I was just-"
"Look, Jones isn't at the distillery. It was a diversion. You need to go warn the others. I don't know where you are, but you need to go now and warn them. He might be going after Janine or the laird or-or who knows what! You're the only one we've managed to contact right now. Everyone else is out of range and the police force that's surrounding the distillery won't have time to spread out. I need you to get to Janine, be on guard. I-"
"Okay, okay," She replies. "I'll be heading out as soon as I..." She trails off. "What the... Singer, I'm going to have to call you back."
"What? No! Whatever it is you're looking into, you have to know this is more-"
She turns her walkie-talkie off, and I scream.
"That brat!"
"What is she doing?" Jody asks, and I shrug my shoulders.
"I don't know. You know how she is. She wants to know the insides of everything in case it might be useful to her."
"Sounds a lot like Amelia."
"That's disgusting," I reply with a sneer. "My sister has her own motives, usually powered by the AMTB-" I'm careful not to mention the Torrencers around the chief, "-but she's not received any messages from them in months, or longer. Whatever this is, it's because she's suspicious of something, but I don't know what. And I want to say she'll send out a message to warn the others, but I don't know if she'll go find Janine to make sure she doesn't-"
"If something happens to Jane because of your sister's negligence, she will face consequences," Tom says firmly, his features hard as he looks back at me.
I scowl at him. "I know that. And so does she, which is why I'm trying to figure out what would be so important that she would hang up on me."
"Keep going," Chief McCallen huffs, gaining our attention. "It's over the next hill. Nobody run too far ahead or we'll lose each other in the fog."
Tom doesn't like that order, given the way his jaw clenches, but he obeys. "I really thought we'd find Jones back there, you know."
"I know," Jody replies.
"And I was afraid. Not of Jones. I was afraid that the moment we got what Jane needed, I'd tear Jones apart with my bare hands."
I shrug. "I was thinking about shooting him, so you're not alone. Plus some might call it justice after what he did to Exmoore."
"But I wouldn't be doing it for them. I'd be doing it for me!" A shudder passes through him. "And I've been down that road before."
"So have I." I look straight at him, waiting for it to register. He remembers how I tried to kill him, how I blamed him for Sam's death. He gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yes, but you didn't follow through with it."
I don't tell him it wasn't because I didn't want to. Every fiber of my being wanted to kill him that day, strangle him right there in that containment cell. I didn't because we still needed something from him.
Paula points at something ahead. "Over here, near the cliff edge!"
"Ah, that's it," Chief McCallen says, picking up one of those little orange SOS boxes that I think was used for roadside assistance. "There's a handful of these on the isle, linked directly to my office. Used to be for lost tourist."
He clocks the box open, but then his face falls.
"Oh."
The phone is smashed, and there's something tucked under the broken pieces.
It's a pipe bomb covered in nails. I know those all too well after spending an hour with Steve. It'll throw rusty shrapnel in all directions at over 2,000 miles per hour, and there's only a minute on the timer.
"We won't be able to outrun it with no cover around, and it's too unstable to throw." Tom holds his hand out to the chief. "Hand it to me. I can probably carry it away if I'm careful, get you some more distance."
I choke, although I know my look of horror is nothing compared to Jody's. But before she can argue with Tom, the Chief is shaking his head and stepping away.
"No. I can drop it off the cliff into the sea. I can find my way through the fog; you can't. And I have far less life left than you youngsters. Just get yourselves clear!"
"Wait! You'll never-" Paula shouts, but he's already vanished into the fog, taking the bomb with him. "We have to go after him."
She starts to move, but Tom grabs her arm. "No time to risk it. That bomb's due to go off any second. Everyone, run in the other direction. Go!"
We take off in a full sprint, and I grab my walkie-talkie again. "Songbird, I need you to warn the others. Jones set up a bomb and smashed emergency communications. You are our only chance at getting a warning out! I need you to tell me you've sent out a warning and that you've warned Janine and the laird."
I wait, but there's no reply.
"Songbird! Nicole!"
I slap the walkie-talkie, groaning when I don't get an answer.
"Don't think about that right now!" Paula shouts at me. "Just focus on running!"
I don't say anything, although my stomach is twisting in worry. This feels wrong. Nicole does have her own motives. She doesn't trust this island, but she wouldn't just not answer me when it came to something like this. She would at least tell me she's sent out a warning.
Why isn't she answering?
I keep running, glancing at my walkie-talkie every few moments, waiting for a reply that doesn't come. I resist the urge to glance back into the thick fog. There is no chance we'd see where the chief went, but I keep waiting to hear the explosion, waiting for the possible death if we aren't out of range.
Why would Jones do this? How could he be so certain we'd fall for his tricks at the distillery, that we'd go for this emergency phone box?
I did know that Jones is smarter than we originally gave him credit for, but I didn't think he'd be smart enough to predict our actions like this. How could he have planned this far? I remember when I first met him, when we were able to best him almost too easily. How is this the same man? Did being with Sage really improve his planning skills, or...
Or is he receiving help?
Tom starts to slow, glancing over his shoulder at the walls of white fog as his breathing starts to calm. "Alright. We should be out of the IED's range by now."
Jody picks at her shirt nervously. "Do you think he-"
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Paula gasps at the sound of the chief's voice. "We're over here!"
A few seconds later I see a figure emerge from the fog, and my relieved smile fades when I see the confused look on Chief McCallen's face.
Something's wrong.
"I threw it over the cliff and listened hard, but nothing happened. Must have been a dud."
"What?" I ask in confusion, and he nods, seeming equally as bewildered.
Tom rubs his forehead in thought. "Why put a timer on a pipe bomb at all? He could have rigged it to blow when we open the box."
I let out a slow breath as rage fills my body. "It was another trick. Think about it. Jones wants to do the most damage. Why would he put a bomb in that SOS box anyway when he had no idea if we all would have gone to it or just send one person?"
"He's buying time, but for what? What does he want?"
"He wants to hurt us, we know that," Chief McCallen says, and he nods.
"Yes! Yes, he does. He wants to hurt us, and we keep stopping him. If Jones had real explosives, that bomb would have killed us. If he had real zombie pills, he'd have poisoned the island. He can trick us, but if he doesn't have a way to hurt us... Chief, where do you keep your weapons? The ones you got from Colonel Sage?"
"Armory. South of here, but it's well-guarded. Always four men on the door." His eyes go wide. "Except-"
"Except when they were called away to surround the distillery!" Jody shouts, and realization hits me like a train.
There are no guards there. Nicole wouldn't tell me what she planned on doing, just that she planned on taking advantage of the fact that there wasn't going to be as much security around the island.
There's no way she'd pass up an opportunity like this.
Oh, God, no.
I grab my walkie-talkie. "Nicole, come in. Where are you? Nicole, tell me where you are, right now!"
I sprint south.
"Nicole, please tell me you're not in the armory! Tell me you didn't want to snoop around and see what Sage sent to the island!"
I don't get an answer.
No, no, no!
"Come on!" I shout, looking back at the others. They don't need me to explain. They know by the fear on my face. "We have to get to that armory now!"
•
"Keep going across the grasslands!" Chief McCallen instructs. "We're almost there!"
The wind whistles and my hair whips around as my legs carry me as fast as they can. Nicole still hasn't answered her walkie-talkie. She's a good agent, and she's fast and strong and would be able to fight Jones off if she knew he was there.
But if he took her by surprise...
"I think I see lights up ahead," Paula says.
"That's the armory, that little squat building up by the coats, just outside the-"
I'm suddenly blown back as an explosion reaches my ears. My back slams into the ground, my ears ringing as shouts echo around me. Pain erupts, an ache spreading throughout my body.
"Five! Five! Can you stand?" Paula is leaning over me, and all I can do is stare up at the sky as my brain tries to process what's happening. "I said can you stand? Let me help you up."
"Tom! Tom!" Jody shouts in panic.
"I'm alright, Jody. I'm alright," He replies. "Knocked down by the shockwave is all."
"We're lucky we weren't any closer. The whole armory just erupted! My God, just a smoking creator left!"
"Was it Jones?" Chief McCallen asks with a cough, and Tom nods.
"Must have been. Solid tactical reasoning. Jones takes what he wants, primes some of the armory's explosives while exiting, destroys everything else. Now he has guns, and we don't."
The older man shakes his head. "Oh, God. Liam. I left one young lad at the door. He would have been in there."
Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I shake my head. "No. No, no, no, it can't–I can't–Nicole!"
I try to run towards the smoke and rubble, but Jody and Paula are both grabbing at my arms, pulling me back. I fight against them.
"No! Let me go!" I shout, tears brimming my eyes. This can't be happening. "Nicole! Songbird!"
"We don't know she was in there, Five," Paula argues, but I shake my head.
"I do know. She wouldn't have missed the opportunity to sneak in and see what they have in there. Now let me go!" A sob leaves my lips. "Songbird!" My fighting gets weaker as tears slip past my lashes. "Katelyn!"
I nearly fall to my knees, my chest becoming so tight I can barely breathe. She wasn't supposed to be there. This wasn't supposed to happen. She came here because she thought it would be safe.
"Callista, stop!" Paula shouts. "If Nicole... if Nicole was in that building, then she's dead. There's nothing you can-"
"Help!"
Her voice cuts off at the sound of a voice–Nicole's voice.
"Somebody, please! Help us!"
I see two figures stumbling through the fog, and I damn near body slam Paula and Jody to get them to release me. My legs feel weak and tired, but they move on their own accord as I sprint towards the two.
"Nicole!" I scream, bounding and leaping as quickly as I can.
"Singer?" She calls, and as I get closer, I can make out the man slumped against her. He's young, badly burned, and barely conscious. He must be the man Chief McCallen spoke of.
And Nicole–oh, there's so much blood. It's all over her face, dripping down her neck. As soon as I'm close to her she drops, dropping Liam and nearly hitting the ground herself if it weren't for me catching her.
"Songbird, what happened?" I ask, shedding my jacket to press it against the gash that goes from the middle of her forehead down to the top of her left ear. It's going to leave quite a scar.
"I was looking around in the armory. Managed to sneak past brighter eyes here," She groans. Her eyes are unfocused. "I wanted to see just what Sage gave them for those nanites, what he thought you and Peter were worth. When you were talking to me, I heard something. I tried to go investigate, but Jones attacked me. Hit me on the head, nearly knocked me out. My vision was blurry, but he was... he was slow, weak. I was able to fight him off, but the guard must have heard. When he came in, Jones knocked him out, and then ran.
"I knew there was no way he'd just leave. I knew he'd done something and that I needed to get out of there. He saw me stumbling around and must have thought I'd pass out from blood loss, so he left me to die. But I was able to drag myself and the guard out before... before..." Her voice has become slurred, and her eyelids are starting to droop, and I quickly smack her face.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't you pass out on me. Doc! Doc, we need you now! Nicole is bleeding really bad, and Liam is horribly burned!" I glance down at the poor man lying in the grass, but I don't move toward him. I just keep ahold of Nicole.
I thought I'd lost her. I know Nicole and I have had our fights, but I thought... She's one of the few things I have left that connects me to America, to my home country.
I'm going to kill him. Because of Jones we lost Ellie, and I almost lost my sister, and we're still at risk of losing Janine.
Paula's reached us now, and she kneels to check over Nicole and Liam's wounds. "We'll need to get them to the medical center as quickly as possible. And we need to get away from this explosion site and tell the others what's happened."
She and I help Nicole to her feet, holding onto her as she struggles to remain awake. Tom has reaches us, and he picks up Liam with ease.
"That explosion will attract zombies for miles," He murmurs, glancing at the smoke and ruin. "And without the armory-"
"We'll have nothing to fight them with," I finish as the realization hits me. "The whole island. Jones just left us all defenseless."
A/N: Here you are guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!