The Last Handful of Clover - Book 3: The Stone in the Stream

3.54 Sunset

June 16, 8:55 pm

In just minutes, the sun would be gone.

Morgan Jensen had been hiding with Rhonda Ferguson under the metal walkway between the two helicopter pads for over thirty minutes. They crawled under there, at Rhonda's insistence, the second they saw the helicopter approaching. And now they were just waiting—peering out through the metal grating at the two figures standing on the edge of the roof. Morgan had to squint to see them clearly, since they were outlined in the glare of the setting sun, and appeared no clearer than silhouettes.

One appeared to be a female soldier in fatigues. The other was taller and dressed in a white coat. Perhaps a scientist of some kind? Even from here, though, Rhonda could see that the man's jacket was splattered and stained with blood. And from what she had glimpsed of the man's face as he left the helicopter, she thought it was mostly his own.

"It's the government," Rhonda was whispering. "They've decided to wipe us out. I know it."

"We don't know that, Rhonda!" Morgan whispered back. "Maybe they're here to help."

"How? Morgan, only one of those two is a soldier. The other looks like a scientist or a doctor. Why would you send a soldier and just one doctor? Especially one that looks like he's been through a meat grinder?"

"I have no idea, but..."

"You've seen those two black suitcases! Those aren't first aid kits, for Christ's sake! I covered the destruction of the chemical weapons at Tooele, years ago. Those are the same symbols on those cases that I saw on canisters of anthrax and mustard gas. I tell you, Morgan, I think that helicopter came from Dugway. What if they've decided we're all infected? What if they want us all dead? We were talking about that in the newsroom a few hours ago. Larry said he thought they would wipe us out, if they thought that was the only way to stop something deadly getting out!"

Morgan's mind reeled. Could Rhonda be right? The older woman had been growing ever more paranoid since they started hearing those rumors from the CDC that afternoon. Morgan herself found it hard to believe that the government would actually send a helicopter to disperse chemical agents over the city, but it was clear that Rhonda thought it was totally possible.

"Why, in the name of God, would they want to kill us rather than help us?" Morgan whispered. "And if they are doing some kind of operation, why just one helicopter? And why would that guy in the white coat be covered in blood?"

"I don't know, Morgan. Maybe Dugway's gone now too. Maybe this is a last-ditch effort of the government to save their own asses. All I know is that I don't trust them. And that I'm not going to go quietly."

"What are you going to do?" Morgan asked, crouching lower behind the steel grating.

"I don't know. But they're just standing there. They haven't looked back this way since they landed. It's been close to ten minutes. They're just staring into the sun. Maybe they have earpieces. Maybe they're waiting for orders."

"Rhonda, you're getting paranoid," Morgan said.

"Maybe. But if they're not here to do something horrible, what is there to be afraid of? We should be able to walk right up to them and say hello. But you haven't tried to do that. You're as terrified of them as I am."

Rhonda was right there. "Well, maybe they are here to kill everyone. And maybe we should let them." Morgan couldn't believe she had said that, even when the words were out of her mouth.

"What the fuck are you saying, Morgan?"

"Just that maybe they know things we don't. If they're here to wipe us out, then it must be the last resort. There must be a good reason. Rhonda, what if we stop them, and then everybody dies? The whole country. Hell, the whole planet!"