Turners | Book 2 | 90 Degrees Read online

  Turners

  90°

  Written by

  Ellis Thomas

  Copyrights: 2013, 2020

  Editing and Cover Design by

  Sandy Sierra

  [email protected]

  Their people will become like walking corpses,

  their flesh rotting away.

  Zechariah 14:12

  Turners Trilogy

  ~~~~~

  The Beginning

  90°

  Junction

  Releasing: February 2021

  Dedicated to my family whose support and encouragement have meant so much.

  PROLOGUE

  It wasn’t even noon yet and three people had somehow found Walters Lakeside. Leandra McCullen was drained emotionally and physically and she still had to donate blood on top of everything else.

  She’d often thought about leaving but the million dollar question always hung in the air; where would she go? As far as she knew, it was the same everywhere. She was so alone.

  She slowly walked back to the house she lived in with her Aunt Milly, acutely aware of the overgrown yards and debris blowing around. She went straight to her bedroom. Closing the door, she walked to her bed and stretched out across it. As her body began to relax, she let her mind wander to better days.

  1 Before

  Walters Lakeside was such a wonderful place to live. It was near Castle Dome Landing, just north of the Yuma proving Grounds in Arizona. Castle Dome City was a historic mining town that had been occupied for over 100 years. Now, the hundreds of caves surrounding it had made it a favorite destination for weekend explorers. Run-off from the Colorado River had filled a small crater in the distant past and now a small river flowed from that. The lake was known by fishermen for its trout and by families for the warm water in the summer where they could let kids swim without worrying about strong currents. The lake’s surface temp in the summer averaged 78°. So, with a river and a lake to attract fishing and camping enthusiasts, Walters Lakeside had become a popular jump off point for outfitters and a destination for families wanting to escape the city on weekends and find a little adventure without having to drive far.

  Thanks to the town’s council, Walters Lakeside had maintained its charm even with the growing tourism. The main street was lined with smart boutiques, cafes and a bakery. The greenbelts were lush and manicured. There was a pavilion in the center of town that hosted bands and orchestras during the summer months and parades were a common sight on all the major holidays.

  Leandra was the newest and last addition to a loving family. Her two older brothers absolutely adored her and as she grew up, she took on the task of always looking after them. Her mother often commented that Leandra would grow up to be a nurse or a veterinarian. She had a reputation of taking in all the stray animals that wandered through town but her parents allowed her to keep only one, a small mixed breed that she named JoJo. The two were inseparable. Her life was never dull as she explored the caves and old mining tunnels and enjoyed all the various outdoor sports with her brothers and friends.

  2 Change in the Air

  The headlines that Leandra’s father was reading in the morning paper were difficult to digest.

  “Faye, have you seen this article?” he asked his wife as she was making breakfast for him. It was Saturday and the kids had left early to go fishing at the lake. While Lonny used the internet most of the time, he loved Saturday mornings with the paper. There was something about the smell of fresh print and the rustling of the paper that relaxed him.

  He was a member of the Walters Lakeside Chamber of Commerce and was always scanning the news to find things that might be advantageous to their town.

  “About the new restaurant opening?” Faye asked absentmindedly as she focused on flipping the pancakes at just the right moment. JoJo was sitting quietly in front of the table waiting for Faye to toss a few cooled pieces to him.

  “That was yesterday’s news. I’m talking about this thing going on in San Francisco. No fire or anything but all of a sudden, people are just jumping out of windows. An alarm was set off and the police locked down the entire building. The weird part is that some of the people that fell got up after they hit the ground and started attacking onlookers!”

  Faye picked up the plate of pancakes she had been working on and sat down by her husband.

  “That’s impossible!” she said, shocked.

  “Here it is” Lonny said as he handed the front page to her, proving he wasn’t joking.

  Faye read the entire article, unable to believe it. No one could survive falls like those, let alone, get up and start running after people. She made a mental note to call her sister, Milly, later that day. Being the town librarian, she might have access to more information.

  “Big city, strange things” she commented when she laid the paper down. “I’m so glad we left there.”

  “This says,” Hank went on as he took the paper from his wife, “the people had an infection that has been nicknamed ‘Turners’. It’s definitely easier to say than the medical name for it! It says people die from it and then come back alive.”

  Hank rustled through the pages to find the article’s continuance.

  “It’s the newest strain of a virus that’s been causing problems for a while. This says it evolved from an old corpse that was found in the ice. It started out with a very slow progression that the infected were able to live with but has transformed over time into a highly contagious strain that has a 100% fatality rate. The kicker is that once an infected person dies, the body reanimates into some kind of ghoul!”

  Hank shook his head. “It’s just too weird to believe. I’ll bet the papers are just spinning it to get a reaction so they can sell more papers and web hits.” He laid the paper down. “Glad it’s their problem and not ours. Still, you had better make sure Milly is aware of what’s going on. I think I’ll order some solar phone chargers like the sheriff has and an antenna. If things start going sideways, the ability to communicate is going to be paramount.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  For the residents of Walters, as it was referred to among the locals, life went on as usual because of its isolation. Mothers were still seen strolling with infants, kids played in the park and visitors still frequented the shops and cafes.

  Leandra’s life was idyllic. Like any teenager, getting homework done and keeping her grades up was her primary occupation. Fortunately, it came easy for her so homework was always done quickly. After helping with dinner and the cleanup, she would curl up on the couch with JoJo and a favorite book which usually involved animals or adventure.

  When she wasn’t at home reading or enjoying the caves and river with her JoJo, she was with her friend, Regan Larkes who owned the local kennel. Regan was in her mid-20’s and treated Leandra like her younger sister. Leandra was such a sponge when it came to the animals and Regan enjoyed teaching her what she knew about animal husbandry. Regan also had a love of books and with those interests in common, they formed a strong friendship.

  Regan and her husband, Hank, had been married about three years but decided to wait until Hank was established in his new law practice in Walters before starting a family so the kennel filled Regan’s time and kept her from being too lonely when Hank had to go out of town on business. Leandra was not only a good companion, she was also a joy to teach and a great help in tending the animals as Regan’s business grew.

  3 The Arrival

  The small town’s isolation had kept the Turners plague at bay, so it was late summer before Walters felt its first touch of the infection.

  One evening Lonny came home after a long meeting with the chamber members. Taking Faye by the hand, he led her into t
he kitchen and sat down with her.

  “Aren’t you serious tonight” she teased him as she let him lead her.

  “Things are changing, hon” he said as he held her hand. “We need to start being more vigilant. We think the visitors have slowed down because of this Turners thing. We’re hearing of incidents that keep getting closer to home.”

  “Oh babe.” Faye moved to sit on Lonny’s lap. Wrapping her arms around him, she said, “Hopefully this will run its course soon.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping but until we know this is over, we have to be on our guard. It’s insanity to think bodies could move and pursue you after they’ve died so we need to watch for anything that looks like odd behavior.” He then asked, “Where’s Leandra?”

  “She’s with Regan at the clinic. They have three dogs that look like they’ll be having their litters tonight. Leandra loves those animals so much. I told her she could stay with Regan to help her out.” Then, with an inviting smile, she added “And the boys are all working late.”

  Lonny raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. “Well, since we’re all alone…” and he playfully took Faye into his arms.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  At the clinic, Leandra, Regan and JoJo were doing what they could to make the expectant mothers comfortable. From Regan’s estimation, it was going to be a long night so she and Leandra made themselves comfortable. Hank was away on a business trip and wasn’t expected back for another two days. When they had finished their rounds, they pulled out the Monopoly board, made a pot of tea and settled down for their vigil.

  JoJo decided to stay close to the expectant mothers. Leandra knew he would let her know if they were needed.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A little after midnight the excitement began. True to his nature, when the canine mothers started pushing, JoJo ran to Leandra, barking excitedly to let them know the babies were on the way.

  With a little squeal the first pup arrived followed by five siblings. Three hours later, all of the new mothers were comfortably nursing their new broods.

  With the work behind them, exhausted, Regan and Leandra fell asleep on the cots Regan had set up near the new mothers.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Dreams are often dismembered, jumping from one event to another in an instant without anything to bridge the gap.

  The day was warm and Leandra was sitting by a tree enjoying being with her family and the Larkes. An instant later she was in the woods with her brothers hiking and then wandering in one of the caves surrounding Walters. It was dark but she could see a light in the distance and was making her way towards it. She heard grunting and rasping sounds behind her and there was a voice calling to her from the distance where the light was coming from, a voice was calling to her, asking her if she wanted to come with ‘them’.

  Then the voice became stronger and louder.

  “Leandra, Leandra, wake up!”

  Sitting straight up and waking instantly, she saw Regan leaning over her and JoJo looking towards the side of the house growling.

  “Something is going on in the kennels. I’m going to check it out.” Leandra was right behind her. Making their way down the long hallway that led to the back of the clinic, they anticipated seeing a coyote or badger causing the ruckus.

  JoJo had run to the back door with his hackles raised, softly growling.

  Switching on the floodlights, they peered through the back door before stepping outside. There was something out there but not an animal unless it was a bear but to Regan’s knowledge, there had never been a bear sighting in the area.

  Turning to Leandra, Regan said, “Better call Dale and let him handle this.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  When Sheriff Dale Heathers got the call, he was just starting to wake up. His wife of 28 years lay peacefully at his side. From the first time he had seen Shar as a teenager, she had been the love of his life. He remembered the day he decided to make his move.

  She was finishing up lunch in the school cafeteria, and with as much confidence as he could muster, he walked over to her. But when she looked up, all of his rehearsed speech disappeared and he choked and all that came out was a weak ‘hi’. Lucky for him though, Shar was as perceptive as she was lovely. She had noticed him watching her but she was not about to make the first move even though she was mutually attracted.

  Now that he had worked up the courage to approach her, she decided to help him out.

  “Hi” she smiled back with all her charm and sparkle.

  Dale was awestruck. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Raven black hair and crystal blue eyes. And she was talking to him!

  “Umm, I have to get to class” she said, hoping to encourage a response.

  Suddenly filled with determination, he asked “Can I walk with you?”

  “Sure” Shar smiled and that was the beginning. He never left her side again.

  They married out of high school and began their family. When the opportunity to join the police force presented itself, he jumped at the chance.

  After ten years in the city, he and Shar wanted a quieter life and made the move to Walters when the Sheriff’s position opened up. They had never looked back.

  They couldn’t have children of their own so Shar always made herself available to the young people in Walters. Dale’s deputy, Carson, was one she was especially fond of and was always cooking extra for him.

  Dale loved being Sheriff in such a wonderful place. They had one of the larger homes in Walters because of an inheritance Shar had received when her parents passed away, so their life was very comfortable.

  Dale’s life was perfect.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Realizing the call was from Regan and knowing that Hank was out of town, he quickly picked it up.

  “Regan?” he asked.

  “Sheriff? This is Leandra McCullen. Regan asked me to call you because there’s some kind of disturbance outside around the kennels. She was hoping you could come and check it out.”

  “Stay inside. I’m on my way.”

  He hastily got dressed while calling Carson to meet him at the Larkes kennel.

  4 First Encounters

  Regan and Leandra heard the Sheriff’s car pull up and then a second car just moments later. Telling Leandra to wait inside, Regan went out to the porch to meet the Sheriff. She succinctly filled Dale in on why she called.

  “Get back in the house and lock the door, Regan.” Turning to his deputy, he said, “It’s probably an animal so grab the noose out of your trunk.” Carson did as he was told and Dale opened the car door of his cruiser and pulled his shotgun off the rack behind his seat. The animal might be rabid so he wasn’t going to take any chances.

  Not really expecting anything exciting, they made their way to the back of the house but coming around the corner they realized they were wrong. They went into defensive postures when they saw the figure of a man pushing on the kennel fencing.

  “This is the Sheriff. Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head” Dale called out as he and Carson moved in closer. Carson pulled out his handgun and moved away from Dale to give them a better advantage if the person became aggressive.

  The man at the fence didn’t acknowledge Dale. He kept pushing against it while the dogs barked wildly. As Dale moved closer he could hear the grunting of the intruder even above the barking. The odd noises coming from the man didn’t sound like grunts from too much exertion. ‘Must be drugs’ Dale thought.

  When he was within twenty feet of the intruder, he called out once more for him to get down on his knees. Then the man turned toward Dale.

  Dale was shocked at the condition of him. It looked as though he had been in a terrible accident. His face and throat had chunks missing. Dale was stunned that he was even able to stand and his first reaction was to assist the man. Dale was telling Carson to call the EMT unit when he heard Carson yell at him to back away.

  Confused as to why Carson would not want t
o assist, Dale extended his hand to help the injured man. But to Dale’s shock, instead of a weak survivor, the man’s grip was extremely strong as he pulled Dale towards him.

  Unable to get his shotgun up in a position to defend himself, Dale struggled to release the man’s two-handed grasp on him.

  Then the man’s grip suddenly softened enough for Dale to break free as Carson jerked on the noose he had been able to get around the intruder’s neck and pulled him away. The man then turned on Carson but he was ready. His hand gun was up in an instant and he delivered a shot that should have immediately downed the intruder.

  But it didn’t.

  The injured man viciously struggled toward Carson. Dale couldn’t believe what was happening when Carson did the unthinkable.

  5 Walter’s First

  Carson shot the man point blank in the head!

  Stunned that he should use such drastic measures, Dale stood speechless. They were never trained to kill, only to shoot to disable the villain.

  “What the” Dale started but Carson interrupted.

  “It was the only way to stop it Dale” Carson said in detached way.

  Trying to digest Carson’s tone and his use of the word ‘it’ instead of ‘man’, he went over to examine the victim.

  Regan had turned on the lights when she heard the shots so the area where the man lay was well lit.

  Bending over him, Dale could see the head wound but he could also see the vicious wounds that had been previously inflicted. How the man hadn’t died from those, thought Dale, was a mystery and a miracle. Besides the left side of his jaw being completely exposed, a large portion of skin and muscle were missing from the left shoulder and neck. He should have bled to death within minutes of receiving those wounds.

  Squatting next to the body, Carson softly said, “He was one of those.”

  Dale looked at him. “One of what?” he asked, nonplused, thinking Carson was losing it.

  “Those Turner things.”