The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Read online

  Ellen let out a shriek and tightly gripped Dean’s hand. “It went down.”

  “Two degrees lower. I told you it was an obstacle we just had to ...” Dean’s speech slowed down. He released Ellen’s hand and stepped back away from the bed when Frank walked into the room.

  Curiously Ellen looked at Dean then turned her head to where he stood. “Frank,” she said his name softly. “Hey.” She extended her hand. “How are you?”

  “I’m uh ...” Frank grabbed her hand and stepped closer to the bed. “How’s Taylor?”

  Dean answered. “We’ve gotten her temperature down again.”

  Ellen smiled at Dean then looked to Frank. “I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce you. This is Dr. Dean Hayes.”

  Without really looking at Dean, Frank nodded in acknowledgment, sniffed and ran the back of his hand under his nose. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. “El, I really need to talk to you.”

  Dean gathered up his things without hesitation. “I’ll leave.” He held them sloppily in his arms as he moved quickly to the door. “You need some time alone. I have tests to run.” He darted back in, grabbed a lone paper off the dresser and went back to the door.

  “Dean,” Ellen called to him.

  “I’ll be back.” Dean walked out the door.

  Ellen took a step toward Dean as he left and Frank pulled her back. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the crinkled note and brought the note into Ellen’s sight. Ellen immediately recognized the stationary. She spun to face Frank. Taking the note from him, she laid her hand on his face. “I’m so sorry.”

  Frank turned his head to bring his lips to her palm. Softly he kissed her as he laid his hand over hers. Sadly, with no words, Frank pulled Ellen against him and dropped to his knees. His hands slid around her waist grabbing her tighter as her arms cradled him. And like a lost child, Frank buried his face into her stomach and held on.

  William had a pretty decent-sized front porch, big enough for furniture and the two rocking chairs in which he and Joe sat.

  “You’re a wise man, William,” Joe stated. “I really would like your thoughts on this.”

  “I think surviving and moving on is not an option, it’s a must. If someone wants to hand us the groundwork already laid out, we’d be fools not to take it.”

  “If it exists.”

  William chuckled. “If it exists. Hey … I’m up for it. I say, just tell everyone about it. If they want to be a part, they’re a part. If not....” William tossed his hands up. “Their loss.”

  Joe let out a chuckle. “I appreciate your backup on this one.”

  A tiny little knock was heard on the screen door behind them then Henry’s voice followed it. “What about me? Can I give my opinion now?”

  Joe shook his head when he looked at Henry then he turned back to William, “Forget what I said about you being a wise man, William. You’re a masochistic man for bringing Henry into your house.”

  “Hey.” Henry defended his honor.

  “No, Joe.” William stood up. “I am a wise man because I’m working all night in the lab with my son.” With a smile and a wave, William walked to the edge of the porch and down the sidewalk. The smile stayed with him as he walked listening to the arguing that immediately ensued between Henry and Joe.

  The generator hummed, the machine buzzed, the centrifuge spun. Dean shuffled around the lab, so hypnotized by the sounds that he never heard Ellen enter.

  “Can I help?” she asked.

  Her voice startled him. After inadvertently dropping a paper, Dean jolted in surprise to face Ellen. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need a break.” She walked farther in. “You didn’t come back.”

  Dean lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “I figured you would want to spend some time with Frank. You seemed ... you seemed happy he came back.”

  “Well, I am.” Ellen watched Dean organize papers on the counter. “Frank’s my best friend. I’ve known him forever. Of course, he’s also been the other man in my life for fourteen years and ...” Ellen noticed Dean stopped moving the papers. He looked up at her. “And ... and ... oh boy. Sorry. But ...” She held up her finger. “There is a reason I am here, other than to confess the sins of my past to you.”

  Dean snickered as he finished stacking the papers. “Which is?”

  “Excuse me?” Ellen stepped to him.

  “What’s the other reason?” Dean grabbed a rack of empty tubes.

  “I want to help you tonight. You really need my help.”

  “No, Ellen, don’t worry about it. See.” Dean pointed at the counter. “I’m setting up. My dad is helping tonight.”

  “You can use my help.”

  “Really, I’ll be fine.” Dean told her softly. “Don’t worry about it. You should be with Frank.”

  “I want to help.” Ellen felt bad; Dean seemed so occupied with getting things set up that he nearly ignored her. “Dean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you listening?”

  “Of course I am.” He laid another rack of tubes on the counter. “But Ellen, you go home. Why you would want to spend the evening in a lab is beyond me.”

  “You do. You are.”

  “It’s my work.”

  “It’s my daughter.” That did it. She caught his attention. Softening her voice, Ellen stepped even closer to Dean. “This is my daughter, Dean. Why don’t you want me to work with you?”

  “It’s not ...”

  “Is it my work?” Ellen asked so innocently. “Tell me what I’m doing wrong. Tell me what I need to do. I’ll learn ...”

  “Ellen.” He laid his finger on her lips. “It’s not your work. Just know that.”

  “I need to help out here. I need to be a part of this. Every step. Please.” She blinked hard. “Don’t leave me out. I have to be a part of this. I have to fight this with you. For Taylor. She’s all I have.” Ellen leaned into Dean; gazing up innocently, she locked eyes with Dean. He brought two fingers up to her face and ran them down to her chin. Ellen covered his hand with hers. “She’s my only focus. Remember? Your ...”

  “Reason.” The word slipped from Dean’s mouth without control as he found himself engrossed in his proximity to Ellen. His fingers on her chin became the hand that moved to her check, slipping behind her neck. Eyes connected, he gently brought Ellen close to him, hesitated then softly he laid his lips against hers. Their eyes closed after a heartbeat, and Dean kissed Ellen again, bringing her closer to him, holding her as his lips moved more fully against hers. A soft moan escaped Dean’s throat as he ended the kiss. He pulled back slightly, still staring at Ellen. “I’m sorry. Maybe ... maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

  The clearing of William’s throat shocked Ellen and Dean into springing apart. “No, you shouldn’t have.” He slowly walked by Dean. “Have you seen the size of Frank? Way to pick ’em, Dino.” After he swatted Dean’s back, William walked to the counter where Dean had set things up. “Look how nice and anal you are about getting things ready.” William raised his glasses to the bridge of his nose. “Now are we working?” He looked over at Dean and Ellen who still faced each other. “We are working, correct?”

  Through the tops of his eyes, his head down a bit, Dean stared at Ellen. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, acting as if he were waiting. And he was. He was waiting for something from Ellen, something that told him she wasn’t angry or upset. When Ellen gave a soft smile of approval to Dean, he exhaled loudly and raised his eyebrows. “Yes.” He spoke up with a crooked smile. “Yes, we are.” Taking hold of Ellen’s arm, Dean led her to the counter. He really did want her help, especially since he felt that they were so close to a breakthrough that he didn’t want Ellen to miss it.

  DAY NINE

  Saturday, June 6th

  Ashtonville, Connecticut

  It was a meeting of the minds in the middle of Ellen’s front yard. Tables joined together formed one long line as almost everyone sat around listening to Joe and Geor
ge who stood at the end of the table. Johnny played with Denny in the grass, the boys in their own world, occupying themselves away from the ‘stupid’ grownup conversation. Jenny had left, happily, to go sit with Taylor. Frank had wanted to sit with Taylor, but Joe emphasized that he was needed at the meeting.

  Frank walked out of Ellen’s house, hearing his father’s voice leading the meeting. He stopped by Johnny and Denny to see how they were doing then made his way to the table. He grunted to himself in disgust when he saw Dean sitting next to Ellen; he walked behind them, tapping Dean on the shoulder. “Excuse me.” He waited until Dean got the hint and moved his chair over, then Frank pulled up an empty one and wedged it in.

  Joe shook his head. “As I was saying ... Scavenger hunts. We’re going to pair off in trucks, make runs for what we need.”

  George continued the discussion. “With our scouting trip out there next week, we should have a pretty good idea of what we’ll need to fully stock the place, especially with food. We can’t expect growth for at least a year or two. We have some ideas on that. And we hope to get a list together so the runs you make will be easier than everyone just going out on a free-for-all search.”

  “We plan on dividing people off according to areas of specialty. No one should be sent for things they wouldn’t have a clue about.” Joe said. “Armory, metals, clothing and such. Those are all things we’ll probably need. The place is supposed to be a shell.”

  After rolling her eyes in boredom, Ellen looked down at her watch. A slight smile hit her face and she leaned forward to get Dean’s attention; when she did, Frank leaned forward. Ellen leaned back, so did Frank. Huffing in irritation, Ellen stood up.

  Frank reached for her hand. “Where you going?”

  “Taylor’s new medication should be done mixing; I’m going to the lab to get it.”

  Dean turned in his chair. “Want me to go?”

  “Yeah.” Frank said.

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “I’ll go. Stay here and uh ... talk about crops and armory runs.” She backed up. “Just tell me what my part is. Taylor and I go wherever Joe does.”

  Frank held on to Ellen’s hand until she had moved too far from his reach. Instead of paying attention to the meeting, his eyes stayed focused on Ellen.

  Andrea raised her hand as she joggled Katie on her lap. “I have some concerns about these electric fences you talked about. Are they a hazard to the kids?”

  “Perimeters, Andrea.” Joe corrected. “And no. The main living section sits in the center of this compound. The perimeter runs along the outside of it. The children should be nowhere near them.”

  “Do we need protection like that?” Andrea asked.

  Joe nearly laughed. “Andrea, the world isn’t going to get better, it’s gonna get worse. The more time that passes, the more people will lose it.”

  “How do you know?” She questioned again.

  Dean mumbled. “Probably Post-Apocalyptic World Survival training film M.C. something ...”

  “M.C. I T. F. B-27.” Joe finished. “Yes.”

  Dean looked up quickly. “You saw that film too?”

  “I was CIA, Dean, of course.” Joe said.

  George tilted his head in wonder. “Wasn’t it B-22 that told of immediate mental response to all-out catastrophe?”

  Frank interjected. “No, immediate response was M.C. I T. F. B-8. That was immediate. M.C. I. T. F. B-22 dealt with homicidal tendencies with those who can’t adjust.”

  “But.” Carl held up a finger. “Didn’t M.C. I. T. F. B-22 also deal with the first through second months post-ravage.”

  “No.” Frank shook his head. “That was M.C. I. T. F. B-9.”

  “That’s right.” Carl nodded. “B-22 dealt with scavengers and wanderers in the post-apocalyptic world.”

  “So did M.C. I T. F. B-24.” Frank said.

  “You know.” Joe interrupted. “We should really get a hold of those stock films. They could come in handy for everyone. Especially M.C. I. T. F. B-13 though B-15.”

  “Building the new life?” George explained. “Good choice. There are some military installations we’ll pass. I’m sure we’ll find them there. What about M.C. I T. F. B-18?”

  “Good suggestion.” Joe said. “Law and Order in the Post-Apocalyptic World.”

  Dean tossed his hands up listening to the men ramble on letters and numbers about training films he hadn’t seen. “Why am I the only one here who was military who doesn’t know about these films.”

  Frank snickered. “They probably didn’t show them to you because they figured why waste their time. You wouldn’t survive anyhow.”

  “Thanks.” Dean shook his head.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Ok.” Joe breathed out. “Enough about entertainment. We have to finish talking about the Garfield Project.”

  A few people, Andrea and Henry especially, had their questions regarding the stock films and how they would be a valuable learning tool. But as soon as Frank realized the conversation wasn’t going to stay on something as interesting as the M.C. I .T. F. training film series, his thoughts went to Ellen and how lucky she was to be at that clinic.

  Ellen neatly had the six vials of new medication on the counter in the lab. She only needed two. After picking them up, she reached over the counter to the switch marked ‘generator’. She flicked it down and the lab went dark. The humming of the generator’s motor slowed and the lab was silent. As soon as it did and Ellen moved to the lab door, she heard a crash. She stopped. “Dean?” She called out. “Dean?” Not getting an answer, Ellen shrugged and continued out of the lab, down the hall to the reception area. Stepping in there, she saw the door closing and the coat rack had been toppled. It didn’t faze Ellen much; in fact she didn’t think twice about it. Picking up the coat rack, she stepped outside.

  She wasn’t out the door and a foot away when she felt it, scaring her, causing the vials to fall from her hand and crash to the ground. Her hair was yanked abruptly and she was pulled back into the hard chest of someone bigger, someone who smelled foul. Letting out a short shriek, Ellen tried to get away when a hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped harshly around her waist lifting her feet from the ground.

  She fought and struggled in front of the clinic, biting the hand of the man who held her, fighting so hard he spun with her. Through her horror-filled eyes she caught the reflection off the glass doors as he held tightly to her. How big he was, dark. Then her shoulders dropped and her fear left her when suddenly behind him there was another figure; she knew this one and knew it could only be Frank.

  She felt herself drop to the ground and she rolled out of the way as she watched Frank grab the man, slam him into the wall, and punch him over and over. Then with fierce anger Frank threw the man outward with a loud grunt, crashing him through the glass doors of the clinic.

  Ellen shielded her head from the flying glass. She saw Frank step through and she heard it: One shot and then ... silence.

  Lifting herself off the ground, Ellen peered into the clinic to see Frank putting away his gun and stepping out.

  “El.” He reached his hand down as she stood up.

  Without taking his hand, as soon as she stood firmly on her feet she jumped to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Hold me.”

  “El, are you ...”

  “Shh.” She gripped tighter to him. “Just hold on to me and take me home.”

  Frank did.

  Heavy loud discussion and muttering filled Ellen’s dining room where everyone had gathered.

  Joe’s voice rose above the rest. “Sorry, it’s no longer a question. These people can wander in from anywhere.”

  Henry’s eyes shifted from the arguing to Ellen who sat with her face buried in her hands. “Should we ... should we hold off on talking about this?”

  Andrea slipped in the chair next to Ellen. She laid her hand comfortingly on her back. “Are you all right?”

  George stood in agreement with Joe. “You k
now everyone questioned those perimeters.”

  “Exactly.” Joe said. “This is five days, people. What’s it gonna be like in five years. I think our first concern should be the safety of the women here.”

  Frank spoke up coldly. “I think we should just shoot anyone that sneaks into town. That’s what I think.”

  Dean rolled his eyes. “You would.”

  Frank snapped his eyes Dean’s way. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means,” Dean’s hand flew out, “it means you can’t just shoot everyone.”

  Again, Henry looked at Ellen and noticed how red her face was from rubbing it over and over. “Hello? Can we ...”

  “Dean!” Frank’s voice blasted. “It’s that attitude you have that put El in the situation she was in.”

  “What?!” Dean snapped sarcastically. “You can’t possibly blame this one on me.”

  “Why not?” Frank asked. “You have her running around alone doing your fuckin’ work for you when ...”

  “Frank!” Ellen screamed his name as she stood up. “Leave him alone! It’s no one’s fault. It happened. It’s over and I have better things to do, like take care of my daughter. Excuse me.” Ellen barged her way out of the dining room.

  Frank watched her then glared and pointed at Dean. “See.”

  Dean tossed his hands up in the air in defeat.

  They still argued, and Ellen could hear them as she reached Taylor’s room. And then she heard something else: A gurgling sound coming from Taylor’s open door. With horror, Ellen rushed inside.

  “You don’t want to hear the truth!” Frank’s hand came down to point at Dean.

  Henry tried to be the peacekeeper. “Can we just stop?”

  Dean shook his head “I’m not listening to this.” He stood up and moved toward the door. “I’m going up with Ellen.”

  “Sit your little ass down!” Frank blasted. “And stay away from her for five minutes!”