Page 34 of Unrest
“What would you say if I told you I was DRI?”
I gritted my teeth and my stomach soured. Was he for real? Was he one of them? If so, I was so screwed that it didn’t matter what I said next. So I said what I wanted to, trying not to cry. “I would ask you why. Why you killed my family? Why you bombed entire towns of good, hard working people?” I clamped my teeth against the urge to rail.
He watched me carefully. “And what if my response was that those people, your family, were no longer useful to us?”
Not useful? My healthy, upstanding parents? My Abuela who could cook better than anyone I knew? “Then I would sayfuck you!” I snarled.
The man didn’t even flinch. After a moment of watching me trying to catch my breath, he let out a deep chuckle that became a laugh and a genuine smile. He stuck out his hand. “Welcome to Dugway Proving Ground, Amber Tate. The U.S. Army is glad to have you.”
What? My skin turned hot then cold with a flush of fear and anger turning to relief. I put my hand in his and shook my head, letting out a breathy laugh. “You scared me.”
“That was the point. For what it’s worth, you didn’t look scared to me. You’re just the kind of person we need around here.” He released my hand and clapped my shoulder. “I’m First Sergeant Grandstone, but everyone calls me Dog Balls. This is Puppy Nuts.” He hitched a thumb at the guy behind him. They kept straight faces, so I forced myself to do the same.
“Hi, thanks. And I was wondering about my friend, Remy. She’s—”
“Sick,” said Dog Balls . . . er, First Sergeant. “She’s being cared for.”
A smile practically broke my face, and I had to press my hands to my cheeks. “Thank you.” Could it be true? We were safe and they had meds for Remy? I couldn’t stop smiling. Then I blurted, “My dad was a First Sergeant. Top.” Top was the nickname, but you sort of had to earn the right to call a First Sergeant that.
He nodded. “I know. Let’s get some food into you and give you a tour of the compound while your quarters are being readied.” Food? Quarters? Freaking yes! “For now, you can wash up at this sink.”
I stared at the sink. My heart pounded. It had been a long time since I used faucet water.
“It’s safe,” he assured me, then he left me alone.
I turned on the water and hissed when I put my hands under. It was warm. I washed my hands, up my forearms, and then my face and neck, cringing at the pink tinge in the water. I wanted to stick my whole head under, but forced myself to hold off. Instead, I grabbed a jar of petroleum jelly on the counter and rubbed some on my lips. The immediate relief was blissful.
In the hall, Remy stood against the wall, looking exhausted. I ran to her, hugging her tight.
She pulled a Z-pack of antibiotics out of her pocket and we both smiled weakly. Two were missing, so she’d already taken her first dose.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered.For now, a voice in my head said, but I ignored it.
One by one the guys were led out of their rooms, each breaking into grins. We all looked filthy and depleted next to the other soldiers. When Rylen came out and met my eyes, I couldn’t hold back a huge smile, even though it hurt my face. Despite how frightening I must have looked, a light came on behind his dark gray eyes, like a cloud had rolled away from the sun as he soaked in my happiness. Heat spread through me, and I had to look away when Tater approached.
They took us into a sparse meeting room with a long black table and folding chairs. Then they brought in a pitcher of water, glasses, and a tray of sandwiches. We dove at the tray like a pack of wolves on a venison carcass. I’d devoured half of my sandwich before I paused to see what it even was. It looked like a loaf of homemade white bread with tuna salad and spinach. Fresh spinach? Did they grow it here?
My stomach constricted and I pressed a hand to it, feeling dizzy. I had to slow down on the eating and take smaller bites. I sipped my water and met the eyes of the other guys around the table. Exhaustion was clear on everyone’s gaunt faces, despite their smiles. We’d been left alone.
“This is legit, right?” I whispered. The guys all quieted and looked at me, then each other.
“I think so,” Tater said.
“Yeah,” Rylen agreed. The others nodded. Most of them had already finished their sandwiches and waters, and were eyeing the empty tray.
“Now we need to find out what their plan is,” Texas Harry said. “Are they just surviving, or do they plan to take action?”
We all nodded. It wasn’t enough to simply live anymore.
The door opened and Dog Balls stood there looking serious. He saw that we were done eating and motioned toward the hall. “Right this way.”
I guess trust only went so far, because we were flanked by armed soldiers during the tour, and we were told we could get our own weapons back “in a couple days.” We had to prove ourselves, and I couldn’t blame them for being cautious, though I hated feeling vulnerable.
The tour took over an hour. It would have been much faster but we had a million questions and we were dragging ass.
Dugway was a small Army base that specialized in biological warfare. The solar panel field had been up before the war began—that’s what they were calling it: The War—but they were taking full advantage of it for their electricity, which was necessary since the entire compound was underground without nature’s light. The aboveground base was now abandoned after the DRI shut it down, like every other base. But the enemy didn’t know about the underground compound. Not even most of the soldiers who’d worked at Dugway had known about it.
“So, why is it here?” I’d asked as we passed through the kitchen area. “Why the secrets?”
