The Mind Virus

Chapter 16 - Part 1

Once again, Terry couldn't believe his luck. A musical tone indicated a new message on Mr. Bach's phone. This one was from a number that he hadn't been in contact with before. It read:

AB, I understand you've run into some trouble. We were all told to cut off all communication with you until you reported to the office. I can't imagine their reason for this, but I can give you a hand if you promise to keep this between us. You were asking about the origins of the weapon. I don't know if you can travel easily, but there's a case with the information you seek buried at the following coordinates.

The message then included coordinates that, when Terry checked them out, led to a point in the woods just outside of Cedar Grove. Fools! Leaving important information just lying around. And how lucky that it should be right where he happened to be. Terry laughed out loud in his motel room. This was like dealing with children. Even when supposedly on lockdown, they still had idiots feeding him information. How could an organization this incompetent possibly be responsibly for such destruction when they couldn't even keep their lips shut?

Terry immediately called Ford to give him an update, but there was no answer. He started writing out a text message to him before remembering that the phone number he had was for a landline. That's no good. Oh well, I'll tell him later, Terry thought as he gathered up his keys and went out to his car.

Fortunately, he still had the shovel from when he had buried Mr. Bach or AB or whatever the hell he was supposed to call him, so a stop to a home improvement store was unnecessary. He put the coordinates from the message straight into his GPS and took off.

*

The reception bars on Terry's phone were absent, but its GPS was still working, and he'd had the forethought to download the maps he needed before he drove out into the sticks, so navigation on foot was not a problem. This area was not unlike the one where he buried Bach. He thought about that day. He wasn't sure whether the feeling of dread was from the virus tainting his memory or from the memory itself of Bach's voice haunting him. Thank fuck all of that's over, Terry thought, satisfied that it had all been nothing more than a product of intense stress in the moment and not something he'd have to live with for the rest of his life – however long or short that may turn out to be.

The walk to the location was a long one. He eventually had to leave the trail he had been following and trek between the trees. It looked like no one had been here since... well, ever. Almost half an hour passed since he'd left the trail, and if his phone was to be believed, he was standing right on the spot he was looking for. The shovel hit the ground, pulling off a layer of thick grass-covered ground. This wasn't right. Why was there grass growing on it if something had been buried here recently? He looked around confused. There was grass everywhere. Had this case been buried so long ago?

"Lose something, champ?"

Terry spun around to see where the voice was coming from. A woman was standing next to a tree, a mischievous smile trying to break through on her face.

"What? No, I'm just –"

"Digging for buried treasure, are we, Terrence?"

Terry was taken aback. "And who are you?"

The woman ignored his question. "I see you're here alone. Of course you are. Who would you call, so far from home?"

Terry didn't know how to handle this situation. "How do you know my name?" was all he could manage.

"I know all about you, Terrence. It's what I'm paid to do."

Terry stared at her in silence.

"You see, I don't normally do this," the woman continued, "but I've been asked to do something a little extra. Specifically, I've been asked by my employers to give you a message."

"There's no case buried here, is there? The text was from you."

"Well done, Terrence. You must be feeling really silly right now. Don't feel bad. You're not the first person that such a basic and obvious ruse has worked on."

"So why have you brought me out here?"

The woman pulled out a pistol from a shoulder holster under her jacket. "Take a guess."