Distinct Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Note

  Chapter 1: Gladstone

  Chapter 2: Upstate New York

  Chapter 3: Northam

  Chapter 4: Gladstone

  Chapter 5: Upstate New York

  Chapter 6: Northam

  Chapter 7: New York City

  Chapter 8: Gladstone

  Chapter 9: Upstate New York

  Chapter 10: Northam

  Chapter 11: New York City

  Chapter 12: Gladstone

  Chapter 13: Upstate New York

  Chapter 14: New York City

  Chapter 15: Gladstone

  Chapter 16: Northam

  Chapter 17: New Jersey

  Chapter 18: Upstate New York

  Chapter 19: Long Island

  Chapter 20: Northam

  Chapter 21: Maryland

  Chapter 22: Upstate New York

  Chapter 23: Long Island

  Chapter 24: Virginia

  Chapter 25: Upstate New York

  Chapter 26: Long Island

  Chapter 27: Virginia

  Chapter 28: Upstate New York

  Chapter 29: Long Island

  Chapter 30: Virginia

  Chapter 31: Northam

  Chapter 32: Long Island

  Chapter 33: Virginia

  Chapter 34: New York City

  Chapter 35: Long Island

  Chapter 36: Virginia

  Chapter 37: New York City

  Chapter 38: Virginia

  Chapter 39: Long Island

  Chapter 40: New York City

  Chapter 41: Virginia

  Chapter 42: Long Island

  Chapter 43: New York City

  Chapter 44: New Jersey

  Chapter 45: Boston

  Chapter 46: New York City

  Chapter 47: Boston

  Chapter 48: New York City

  Chapter 49: Boston

  Chapter 50: New York City

  Chapter 51: Western Mass

  Chapter 52: New York City

  Chapter 53: Upstate

  Chapter 54: Donnelly

  Chapter 55: Upstate

  Chapter 56: Farmhouse

  Chapter 57: Overlook

  Chapter 58: Conversion

  Chapter 59: Awake

  Chapter 60: Churn

  Chapter 61: The Origin

  Chapter 62: Carrie

  Chapter 63: Robby

  Chapter 64: Farmhouse

  Chapter 65: Departure

  Chapter 66: Fall

  Chapter 67: Carrie

  Chapter 68: Northam

  Chapter 69: Outpost

  Thank you for reading Distinct

  More - The Claiming

  More - Inhabited

  More - Madelyn's Nephew

  More - Migrators

  More - Accidental Evil

  DISTINCT

  BY

  IKE HAMILL

  WWW.IKEHAMILL.COM

  Dedication:

  Cover design by BelleDesign [BelleDesign.org]

  Thanks to Lynne, as always, for her edits.

  Copyright © 2017 Ike Hamill

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events have been fabricated only to entertain. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of Ike Hamill.

  Note to readers:

  This is the third book of a series. If you haven’t read Extinct & Instinct, please turn back now. If you choose to press on, I’m not sure any of the following will make sense. You can find Extinct at most major retailers, or contact me at [email protected] and I’ll help you get a copy. Enjoy!

  CHAPTER 1: GLADSTONE

  “ZIP IT, GORD,” ROBBY whispered. The moon was out, but he couldn’t see Gordie in the deep shadow of the house. He could hear him. “Stay here.”

  The dog thumped his tail against the lawn and then settled down until his belly was touching grass.

  Robby moved away from Gordie, towards the pavement.

  She was there, just beyond the bushes of the concrete house. Robby crept, trying to not make a sound.

  The house had tall, black windows. Brad had considered moving in there—the house had a good layout—but it wasn’t completely finished inside. Besides, there were too many stairs. Robby tried to forget about the house. The apparition next to it was what he cared about.

  Behind him, back on his own lawn, Gordie whined softly. Robby hissed over his shoulder, commanding the dog to hush. The ghostly shape of the woman heard him too. She turned and he saw her face for the first time.

  The woman didn’t seem surprised or frightened by Robby’s presence. She turned to the north and took a half-step into the shadow of the building.

  Robby was frozen in place. He had been in this situation a dozen times, but this was definitely the closest he had gotten to her. When she spooked, she disappeared without a trace. The wind came up at his back. It was early summer and the days were hot. But at night, when a stray breeze came off the cool ocean, it would chill Robby to the bone.

  She started to take another small step away. She was beginning to disappear into the shadow.

  “Judy?” Robby whispered as he inched forward.

  Her head whipped around. She knew the name and he knew her face. It was her.

  Back on the lawn, Gordie shouted a frustrated, excited bark. He didn’t like to be left behind.

  Judy drew back, disappearing more.

  “Judy, wait,” Robby said. He sprang towards her, determined not to lose her to the shadows again.

  She slipped backwards, away from him.

  Robby ran.

  As he rounded the corner he saw her dim shape fleeing down the length of the building. Robby sprinted after her as she ducked under a low branch. Judy turned right and slipped behind a tall hedge.

  Gordie barked as he ran after Robby.

  When Robby came around the hedge, her shadow was disappearing behind the thick trunk of a maple tree. Gordie caught up with him as he slowed to a stop and put his hand on the bark. She was gone, of course. There was no trace of her—no shifting shadows or any sound above the distant surf.

  “Sniff her out, Gord,” Robby said. He pointed down as he heard the dog’s nose start to work overtime. Gordie sniffed all around as Robby dug deep in his pocket for the little flashlight. The dog was decent at tracking a squirrel, or finding a quail in tall grass, but his nose wasn’t the best. The dog’s mother could follow the trail of a deer for miles from what Robby had heard, but Gordie hadn’t inherited the skill.

  Robby clicked on the light and Gordie looked up. He had already given up on the scent.

  Following his path back, Robby gestured for Gordie to stay behind him. He saw his own footprints in the dew and Gordie’s paw prints.

  He was just about to give up when his light reflected off the surface of a puddle. Robby stopped and hunched over as he looked down. Gordie moved up next to him. Any body of water, no matter how small, exerted a magnetic pull on the dog.

  “Wait,” Robby said.

  He crouched down and angled his light.

  “There. You see?”

  He reached into another pocket for his camera.

  ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

  Robby knocked twice and then let himself in.

  “Come in!” Lisa called from deep in the house.

  Robby held open the door for Gordie. The dog sat down on the welcome mat and waited while Robby got the old towel out of his backpack.

  “Wipe his paws, Robby,” Romie said from the stairs. She took them slowly, coming down one at a time as she descended from the second floor.

  Robby was already doing it. The dog’s paws were perfectly clean, but Romie always had her rules.

  “What happened to you?” Robby aske
d. “You’re moving like Brad during a thunderstorm.”

  “Nothing,” Romie said. The sour look on her face said otherwise.

  Lisa came through the doorway, drying the inside of a glass with a dish towel.

  “She’s too ashamed to admit that she hurt herself. I told her to wait for help, but she was convinced that she could move that rock by herself.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Romie said. She waved at the door. “Close that door. You’re letting all the bugs in.”

  “As if,” Lisa said.

  “You know what I mean.” Romie said. She gathered herself at the bottom of the stairs and then crossed the room without much of a limp at all. She only let out a tiny sigh as she settled into the chair.

  Done with Gordie’s feet, Robby waved him from the mat. The dog trotted over to Romie as Robby closed the door.

  “You know, you wouldn’t have to worry about all the rocks in the garden if you got Robby to set you up with the hydroponics. I don’t know why you’re so resistant to change,” Lisa said.

  “It’s not the same,” Romie said. She didn’t have to explain further. They had clearly had the argument a dozen times before. Besides, all of Romie’s attention was now dedicated to scratching behind Gordie’s ears. The dog thumped his foot against the floor as she scratched him.

  “Talk some sense into her, would you?” Lisa asked Robby.

  “No, she’s right,” Robby said.

  “Ha!” Romie barked.

  “While it’s summer, it makes sense for us to have both hydroponic and outdoor gardens. There are some nutrients better supported by dirt, and some from fertilizer. We’ll do best to have both ecosystems represented in our food supply,” Robby said.

  “Ha!” Romie said again.

  “Well, still,” Lisa said. She called over her shoulder as she went back into the kitchen. “It wouldn’t hurt to have more people know how your system works.”

  “It’s all documented,” Robby said.

  “Ha!” Romie said again.

  Lisa poked her head back through the doorway and pointed a finger at Romie. “You might want to pause and consider who you’re pissing off, Romie,” Lisa said. She disappeared again.

  Romie opened her mouth to say something and then thought better of it.

  Gordie put a paw up on her knee to remind her to keep scratching. Romie smiled at the dog and then gently moved his paw back to the floor before she resumed.

  Robby sat down as they heard another knock at the door.

  ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

  “Wait,” Romie said as he opened the door a crack and peeked in. The man paused. Only his eyes were visible.

  “You have the stuff?” she asked.

  A cautious hand slipped a mason jar through the gap.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Romie said.

  Lisa rushed back into the room as Brad let himself in. He was carrying a whole tray of the jars.

  “Did you do it?” Lisa asked. She took one of the jars from the crate as Brad closed the door and kicked off his shoes. Lisa held the jar up to the window, admiring the pink contents.

  “Time will tell,” Brad said. “I guess if we’re all dead by January, we’ll know that I screwed it up.”

  “We’ll know,” Romie said. “The jars will bloat if it’s bad. As long as you got it up to temp, we’ll be fine.”

  “I hope so,” Brad said. “Still, mind the date on the lid. From what I read, you can’t trust this stuff past a year, even in the best circumstances.”

  “Nonsense,” Romie said, pushing up to her feet. She moved slowly at first and then picked up speed as she went to Brad to take one of the jars. “I just opened a can a couple of months ago. It was fine. Let’s try some now. Robby? You liked canned salmon?”

  Robby made a face and shook his head.

  “We’ll give yours to Gordie,” Lisa said.

  Gordie thumped his tail against the floor.

  “Bullshit!” Romie said.

  ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

  “That was fantastic,” Brad said, pushing away his clean plate.

  “I’m glad you liked it,” Lisa said, “because you’re taking home a big container of leftovers.”

  “Gladly,” Brad said, laughing.

  “Perfect dinner,” Robby said. He stood up and started to collect the dishes. “Thank you, Lisa.”

  “My pleasure,” Lisa said.

  They sat around the kitchen island on the tall stools. Robby didn’t have far to go to get the dishes to the sink. He started to rinse them and place them in the dishwasher.

  “Don’t bother with that, Robby,” Lisa said. “I don’t mind doing them by hand.”

  Robby stood at the sink and sighed. His shoulders dropped a little with disappointment. Lisa smiled at his back.

  “Lisa, don’t you know anything?” Romie asked.

  Brad shook his head. “The kid has explained it a dozen times.”

  “He even collected data,” Romie said. She reached down and gave her bread crust to the dog.

  “I know,” Lisa said with a groan. “I realize that it uses less energy and water to use the dishwasher, but I genuinely enjoy washing the dishes by hand. Would you take away my joy for the sake of a couple of precious watts that we’re not even paying for?”

  “You think it doesn’t cost time and effort to maintain the solar panels and battery arrays?” Brad asked. He mocked indignation.

  “It doesn’t cost me any time or effort. And besides, no, I don’t believe that it costs anything extra. The panels are already mounted. The batteries are already hooked up. You don’t seriously have to do any more work when I use extra power to pump and heat water, do you?”

  “No,” Brad said with a sly smile. “It really doesn’t. We have a surplus of power this time of year.”

  “Maybe not for long,” Romie said. She sat up straighter. “We should really talk. What’s going to happen if we combine our grid with the town?”

  Robby finished rinsing and shut off the water. He turned as he wiped his hands on the towel. The room was silent.

  Brad took a breath and then sighed.

  “It’s not going to be pretty,” he said.

  “Tell me why, exactly,” Romie said. “They’re going to ask again when I’m down there tomorrow and I want to have a good answer. That new woman is hell on wheels when she doesn’t get a thorough answer.”

  “You want me to go down there with you?” Brad asked.

  “No way,” Romie said, waving her hands. “You know how that goes.”

  Brad nodded, but Romie continued anyway.

  “Next thing you know, every minute of every day you would be down there hooking shit up and putting your life in danger for their comfort. They have to learn to do for themselves or it will be Donnelly all over again.”

  “Got it,” Brad said.

  “So tell me the issues,” Romie said.

  Robby moved back to his chair and Gordie returned to his feet. He pet the dog’s head as he listened to Brad enumerate the issues. On their short street, all six houses were connected with power and water. They had solar panels, banks of power cells, and well water. Brad had even buried cables, creating their own network for data and phones.

  But they weren’t the only settlers to the Connecticut coast. Other people had drifted down from the farm and taken over the town of Northam. Some of those people were handy enough, but Brad’s skills were in demand. They wanted to tap into the stability that the group of four had created. The people in the town realized that they couldn’t rely on generators and bottled water forever.

  Brad described the issues. Romie made some notes on a pad of paper that she grabbed from the end of the counter.

  “What if we use the water tower instead of batteries?” Robby asked.

  Brad furrowed his brow and stared at Robby. “How so?”

  “There are tons of panels still on top of the Hillside Mall, right? Run power from those to a pump that fills the water tower. They can plum
b the houses around that and not need constant power for fresh water.”

  Brad exhaled. “I guess. They wouldn’t have lights at night.”

  “They would still have flashlights. Electricity is a luxury,” Romie said. “They know that. As long as they can heat with wood and turn on a tap for drinking water, they’ll get by.”

  “Let me investigate the feasibility before you make any promises,” Brad said.

  Romie nodded.

  Romie was their elected figurehead.

  “I have to object,” Lisa said.

  “Here we go again,” Romie mumbled.

  “I know you all think that I’m being a Pollyanna, but I don’t see what’s so wrong about going out on a limb to help each other.”

  “It’s a numbers game,” Romie said, shaking her head. “Some of those people might not have the wherewithal to survive. If we spend all of our time propping them up, then we might not be able to survive. Until we have more numbers of competent people, we can’t afford to support every single person who reaches out for help.”

  “The world ended thirty months ago,” Lisa said. “I think anyone who has persevered this long has proven that they have what it takes to survive.”

  “Then they wouldn’t be looking for so much help,” Romie said.

  The speed and tone of their argument was familiar ground for everyone at the counter. Even Gordie seemed bored with the conversation.

  “What’s the harm, exactly? We can help them improve their lives and teach them at the same time, can’t we? We can spread the knowledge that we’ve accrued and maybe we’ll learn something at the same time, right?”

  Robby interrupted.

  “I’m leaving. Gordie and I are leaving.”

  The others went silent.

  CHAPTER 2: UPSTATE NEW YORK

  TIM TIGHTENED HIS GRIP on the handle. His sweat made his hands squeak against the foam tape.

  “Hold still,” a voice said.

  He felt a hand touch his forehead and then heard the click. The red light of his headlamp lit up the patch of grass where he was crouched.

  “Now?” Tim asked.