Hot Zone Read online

  It was really humbling to see the destruction as we went through towns on the way. It shocked me anew each time, possibly because the countryside essentially looked the same as it always had, albeit emptier. Cattle grazing, farms waiting for spring, fields and trees. I wondered how many farms would be growing anything this summer, and how much the rest of the U.S. would miss the produce we grew here. But it wasn’t my problem, or was it? I still wasn’t sure how I had become the leader of our little group of survivors. I felt like I was in someone else’s dream, and was sent here and there with no say of my own.

  And if I was a leader, what did that mean? We needed food, but just a few farms in the area would probably feed the whole town. We needed gasoline for the tractors and combines. We needed to keep the electricity working. We needed to protect ourselves.

  That might be the hardest one of all. The Gabriel Trio had told us we should stop for no one. Apparently people would stop the cars along the way and rob them of their supplies or just kill them. I felt like maybe we had gone back to stagecoaches and robbers. If we were de-evolving that quickly, how long was it until we were worshipping fire and using clubs? No, I still had to believe that this was going to end. If I believed that, then all I needed to do was make sure people talked to each other and wait it out. I could do that.

  It didn’t take all that long to get there. Obviously traffic was nonexistent until we got close to the cities. I was watching avidly now, and there were signs that roads that had been congested with cars had been cleared, and there were actually people in cars going about their business. We came in on I-35, taking the 35E option to take us to St. Paul where Gabriel had set up shop, and although we had to be routed to another road for a bridge that had been destroyed, it was mostly operational. We ran into serious trouble for driving when we got to the downtown area. Most of it was in ruins. Buildings had tumbled, and many showed evidence of fire. It was heartbreaking to see.

  I noticed many black Jeeps and SUVs driving around, and wondered if it was some kind of help system, or cleaning crews? None of us could figure it out. We turned and made our way to a large mansion that had signs proclaiming it to be the James J. Hill House. This huge beautiful mansion looked untouched by the fires and explosions. We drove in and parked in the lot. I was confused. We were going to visit the historical society?

  The place crawled with men in black jackets over their black t-shirts. The structure looked busy and productive. The trio who had brought us here led us past the surprisingly light security and into the house itself. I realized Gabriel had taken over the house, seeing that the capital building itself was not in any condition to take on the business of government. The house had once been open for tours, and some evidence of that remained, although it had been fairly well changed into a working government building.

  I began to get increasingly nervous at the sheer number of people here. Black shirts were everywhere, but there were also many people dressed in everyday clothes doing whatever they could to help. It was odd, when so much of the city needed help, that one woman was washing windows. Did Gabriel insist on daily white glove tests? I breathed deeply as our little group was taken past some grand stairs and asked to wait in a large room containing several desks—I thought this might have been the library previously.

  Randy looked so nervous I thought he might throw up. After we had waited fifteen minutes with no word, I had Evan take him to the bathroom. I didn’t know what else to do. Some leader I was.

  We had discussed our strategy in the van during the ride. It was essentially a simple choice—join them or not. The complication came if there wasn’t actually a choice. It had seemed that Gabriel wanted control of the whole area, and he wasn’t ready to take ‘no’ for an answer. We had discussed the benefits of letting him take over. Luis was the only one who didn’t think this quarantine was going to just go away anytime soon, and he had lobbied heavily for a long-term plan. After listening to him, and seeing his grim face, I was starting to wonder if he was right. The rest of us felt that this was a temporary situation, in which case why not just join up? When the quarantine was lifted, things would go back to how they were, and Gabriel would be powerless, having to get elected like any other official. In the meantime, why fight?

  If, however, the quarantine wasn’t lifted soon, or if it were never lifted, then joining with this man might be a bad idea. We were an independent group, and we weren’t particularly happy about being told what to do. We went round and round, and our only decision was to listen to what he had to say and then take it back to the town and let them vote on it. I hadn’t voiced my fear that Gabriel wasn’t going to let us leave without an answer. I had no reason to think that, and I didn’t want to scare everyone, including myself, by saying it aloud.

  We cooled our heels for another twenty minutes before a beautiful blond came out and said, “Gabriel will see the one chosen to represent your town.”

  We looked at each other. Karen shrugged. Randy looked worried, which was nothing new. Evan and Luis shook their heads at me. I stood. “We do not have one person to see Gabriel. We have a delegation.” I felt like an idiot, pretending to be something I wasn’t. Sandwich shop girl goes into politics. Good Lord.

  Blondie looked perplexed. “Which of you is the leader?”

  Luis shook his head at me, and I knew he didn’t want me to say, but I also didn’t want to be rude and start this on a combative note, so I raised my hand.

  Blondie looked immediately relieved. “You can come with me to meet with Gabriel.” She smiled at the others. “I’m sure he’ll wish to meet with all of you before you leave, but for now he only has time for …”

  But Luis was taking his job as protector seriously. I was really beginning to like Luis. Before we had been thrown together, I hadn’t known him except by sight. He was a few years older than me, so we hadn’t attended school together. But he had a calm, sure way about him that I was really starting to value. He shook his head at Blondie. “No, our group will be going together,” he said in a friendly tone.

  Blondie stopped again, fear becoming the dominant emotion on her face. “But, Gabriel wants …”

  Luis said with a smile, “Why don’t you go talk to him and tell him of our request?”

  Karen had sidled up to my side. To be honest, I’d forgotten about her possible mind-reading abilities. “She doesn’t want to make Gabriel upset. She’s nearly terrified about it,” she whispered in my ear.

  I felt bad for Blondie. “If he disagrees, then I’ll go alone. Promise.”

  Blondie nodded and walked a little woodenly out of the room.

  We clustered together to talk without being overheard. “What was that?” Randy hissed at Luis. “You want to get us killed?”

  Luis ignored this, looking instead at me. “If you go in there alone, I can’t protect you.”

  “I know, but honestly, if these people wanted to hurt us, they could. We’re vastly outnumbered.”

  Luis shrugged. “It’s your decision, of course. You don’t have to do it, though.”

  Evan agreed with him. “If you go in and they pressure you for a decision, you’ll have no back up, or advice from any of us.”

  Karen was still looking at the door where Blondie had disappeared. “She would die for him,” she said softly.

  “What?” I said, surprised.

  Karen looked embarrassed. “Okay, here’s what I’m getting, and make sure you remember that I can’t tell the difference between what I think they might be thinking and what they are thinking.” She could see we didn’t understand. “In other words, I’m sometimes wrong.” She took a breath. “She wants him happy. That’s it. She has her own life, sure, but when she thinks of him, she would do anything he asked.”

  The door opening to reveal Blondie interrupted her. That hadn’t taken long.

  Blondie looked far more relaxed now. “Gabriel will see the delegation now.”

  We followed her in, Karen in the front and Luis lagging a bit behind. We
went through a door to a smallish office. Sitting on the edge of a monstrous oak desk was the man himself, Gabriel. Next to the door stood one man with a black ‘Gabriel’ shirt on. That was it for his security detail.

  We entered the office, and Gabriel said in a soft voice that sent shivers up my spine, “Thank you, Melissa.”

  I saw Melissa’s face before she backed out, shutting the door behind her. Her expression was beatific. I swallowed and turned back to Gabriel, taking a step forward and heartily wishing someone else were the leader.

  Before I could say anything, Gabriel stood and came forward, a small smile on his lips. I had the feeling that he had done this routine so many times now that he didn’t even think about it anymore. “Welcome. Remind me which town you’re representing?” He put out his hand and shook hands with Karen.

  I wet my lips wishing my mouth wasn’t so dry and said, “We’re from Catfish Lake.”

  Gabriel’s eyes turned to me, and I felt suddenly as if I had been buffeted by wind. I looked over at Karen, and she was standing exactly where she had been, her hand still in his. Her eyes were wide and, oh God, adoring. I automatically backed up.

  Gabriel’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and I felt like he was only now truly present at the meeting. He kept an eye on me as I introduced the group. He shook hands with each person, repeated his or her name, while saving me for last. As he reached me, I couldn’t help myself, I stepped back, out of his reach.

  Now he frowned, but only momentarily. Almost immediately his little smile was back. “Thank you for coming to meet me.” This was spoken to the group at large while his eyes stayed on me. “What about joining our little organization?”

  The responses were quick and sure. Each member of my delegation agreed wholeheartedly that we should join. Evan went on to say that he was so very honored to meet Gabriel. Karen was simply holding her elbows, her arms crossed, nearly shaking, the rapt look still on her face. Randy looked calm and sure, and told Gabriel that he would do anything Gabriel asked of him. Even Luis, my protector, said softly, “You are a great man.”

  I took a breath and said clearly, “No.”

  Gabriel ignored me, as did everyone there. “My associate here will take you and arrange for you to be shown around. You can meet up with her later.” His eyes pinned me to the floor. “You will stay.”

  The generic guy in the black t-shirt opened the door, and my delegation, the ones who were supposed to back me up and advise me, left without a backward glance. The bodyguard/associate shut the door, and Gabriel and I were alone.

  He went to sit back on the edge of the desk, watching me with frank curiosity. “Your name?” he asked in his soft voice. I felt my breath coming faster.

  “I’m Madde Moreton,” I said, my hands curling into fists. I hadn’t meant to answer so quickly, but the words had just jumped out. My eyes widened.

  “You do not wish to join our group?” he asked me.

  “No,” I said through gritted teeth. I wanted, somewhere inside me, to say yes. Not only did I want to say yes, I wanted to throw myself at his feet. Oh, God, what was happening to me?

  “No?” he mused as if he hadn’t heard the word before. He left the desk and walked closer to me, stalking me like a cat. I stepped back again, putting out one hand with my palm towards him. He chuckled. “Madde Moreton, you are an unusual girl.”

  I felt a burst of joy somewhere inside that he had said my name, and that he thought me unusual. I tore my eyes from his and looked down, and that seemed to help a little. I was badly scared now. He had some kind of power over people. To see him was to love him. But I was going to fight it, although I thought I probably wouldn’t win.

  “Look at me, Madde,” he said softly, drifting infinitesimally closer.

  I shook my head.

  “Are you afraid of me?” he asked disbelievingly. “I assure you that I won’t hurt you in any way.”

  My stomach tightened, and my legs trembled. I kept my eyes safely on the floor, no matter how much I wanted to look at him.

  I jumped when his warm hand touched my chin, urging me to look up. I knew I couldn’t just stare at the floor forever. I had to get out of here. I turned to run to the door, not having a hope in hell that I would be able to get out. I reached the door and began to open it, but he put his hand past me, closing it. I leaned against the door, banging my head lightly against it. I was churning inside. Part of me wanted to just do what he wanted, no matter what that was. But another part of me was screaming that this was wrong, and that I needed to resist him. The screaming part was getting louder. I took a deep breath and turned around.

  He had moved to the side to give me room to turn, his hand still against the door. He was shaking his head. “Incredible. You can feel it, but you aren’t completely rolled.”

  I looked up at him, surprised. “You know what you do to people.”

  “Of course I do,” he laughed musically, his mesmerizing brown eyes dancing. “I’d have to be one egotistical moron to think that everyone just loves me.”

  I began to feel faint at the turn in the conversation. He saw me wobble, and put his hand on my arm to steady me. As soon as he touched me, the desire to please him became stronger. I lurched away from him, retreating to the couch, sitting heavily.

  I took several breaths. I could look at him now without feeling too torn. “How do you do it?”

  He went back to sit on the desk, this time sitting fully on the top, letting his feet dangle like a kid. “Who knows?” He looked at me speculatively. “What does it feel like to you?”

  “Don’t you know?” I asked.

  “No, because no one else has ever been able to talk to me without becoming completely loyal.”

  I was feeling a little more myself now. “Like dogs?” I said with a touch of sarcasm.

  He laughed, amused. “Yes, a little like dogs. Is that what you feel like? A dog?”

  I narrowed my eyes. He smiled and looked completely innocent and guileless. “I want to know. Other people don’t seem to recognize anything has happened, even if I tell them it has. They just insist that they now see how wonderful I am.”

  I took another breath. “I can feel it somewhere inside me, and it feels like the truth, but another part of me knows you’re playing some kind of trick.”

  “No tricks. Just how I am.” He was still looking boyishly gorgeous.

  “But that’s wrong.”

  He shrugged, giving me a harder look. “Perhaps. Do you want to go out and tell them that?” He gestured to the door.

  I shook my head, mutely.

  He let the smile slip away. “You may disagree with my methods, but I have taken a part of the state that was completely lawless and turned that around in a matter of weeks.”

  “But you’ve set yourself up as dictator.”

  His eyes hardened a little, then he laughed. “I think I’ve had too many yes-men around me,” he said a little ruefully. “I’m losing the ability to take criticism.” Again the speculative look. “Yes, I have, but that wasn’t my original intention. It’s rather difficult to have a political debate when you’re loved like I am. No one will disagree with me, so I decided not to pretend to be something I’m not. I’m a dictator, as you say, but I hope a philanthropic one.”

  “It’s wrong,” I insisted.

  He considered me. “What did you do before the bombs?”

  I was embarrassed but tried not to show it. “I worked at SuperSubs.”

  “Ah,” he said. “And now you are leading town meetings. That’s a bit of a change.”

  “I didn’t force anyone to love me.”

  He tipped his head. “Are you sure?”

  I opened my mouth to tell him he was nuts, then shut it.

  “Because,” he continued, “I find myself very drawn to you. I look at you, and I think, ‘there is a person who is honest and will do the right thing.’”

  “Maybe that’s just your opinion.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed easily. “And maybe
everyone just loves me because I’m adorable,” he said mockingly.

  “Yes, you are,” I said unthinkingly, clapping a hand over my mouth.

  He laughed.

  I scowled at him. “You are not adorable.”

  “If you say so,” he said, still grinning. “But my point is that you, too, have something in you that makes people follow you. If you use that leadership to improve their lives, then have you harmed anyone?”

  Suddenly I thought about my strange visits, and asking people to move in to the house. Had I been manipulating them all along? My face must have shown how I felt about this idea, because he stood. “Don’t beat yourself up, Madde. I could be wrong, you know. In spite of what people who have met me say, I am not infallible.” He went over and got me a glass of water and brought it back to me. “You look like you could use this.”

  I looked at the water, not taking it. “Can I trust you?”

  His beautiful laugh rang out again. “Madde, why would I drug anyone when until you came along, all I had to do was look at people and they would lie down in front of a bus for me?”

  I took the water, drinking some. He was right; it did make me feel steadier. I looked up at him, back leaning against the desk. “I don’t want to be like you.”

  “Ouch,” he said, a gentle smile on his face. “Could be worse. I theorize that if there is a power like ours, which makes people like or trust you, there must be an opposite power. Wouldn’t you rather be liked than hated?”

  “I just don’t want to be manipulating people and not knowing it.”

  He shrugged again. “You know,” he said, changing the subject, “I am so glad I met you!”

  “Needed to be disliked?” I asked, knowing I was lying about disliking him.