by Tara Ellis
His demeanor changing, Devon shrugged shyly. “Akuba isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met before. And I swear, I’m not just saying that because it’s the end of the world or anything.”
Laughing, Peta handed him a baggie with some leaves in it. “Sure. Whatever you say.”
Grabbing at it with mock anger, Devon then tossed the sample into the air before snatching and waving it dramatically. “If you’re just going to insult me, I’ll go ahead and take these goodies up to Eddy at the main lodge. I’m sure I can coax him into fanning my ego.” As he turned to leave, he paused. “It’s good having you back.”
Peta watched Devon walk away before turning back to her work. Without realizing it, his comments had hit on the guilt she’d been feeling about leaving the people at the CDC lab. She was a scientist, and sometimes it was easier to justify her actions based on professional reasons, versus emotional or personal ones. Dipping a collection jar into the tepid water, she allowed herself to be lost in the swirling, bubbling water as it danced around her fingers.
“You’ve been in Suriname for less than two hours and you’re already right back at the devil’s door,” Jason said as he walked up to stand next to where Peta had her supplies spread out on the ground. “You sure you want to be putting your hands in that water?”
Setting the jar aside, she turned her hands over to examine them, unable to deny the possibility that they could be covered in prions. “I’ll be drinking the tea daily, just in case any further mutations in the thermophile work their way around my natural immunity,” Peta explained, smiling up at him. “But I suspect we aren’t going to find much evidence of the prions once we get a look at it, since the springs seem to be normalizing. But either way, you know protective gear wouldn’t make a difference since any prions left in the water would pass right through everything we’ve got.”
“Exactly why I’ve chosen to stay away from it,” Jason said, rubbing at one of the spots on his arm where the scalding water burned him after the last geyser eruption.
Peta topped the specimen jar she’d just filled and then pointed to a cluster of Libi Prani floating along the edge. “Of the three plants Devon transplanted, one of them seems like it’s going to make it. That’s a good sign that the water chemistry is returning to its regular PH levels. Since there haven’t been any more eruptions, I’m hopeful that if this stuff grows fast enough, we can get a decent amount growing right here instead of having to traipse miles through the jungle for it.”
“That’ll be convenient.” Jason gestured in the general direction of the resort. “I still can’t believe you talked Garrett into letting you bring one of his electron microscopes back with you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eddy so excited about something. He’s up there now ordering people around like the good ‘ole days at the hospital, so he’s totally in his element.”
Chuckling, Peta selected a trowel and began digging out a soil sample. “There’ve been a few times recently that I’ve missed the emotionless version of Eddy. The guy can talk your ear off. And Garrett actually offered the microscope to us. Studying the prion at the source is going to be crucial moving forward, as well as having the ability to document the direct effects of the amino acids on it. Doing that with fresh samples of everything is extremely beneficial. It’ll provide some key elements for Garrett to build off of, once he has the proper facilities up and running to manufacture and distribute the treatment.”
Peta suppressed a shudder at the thought of returning to the lab. It might be where the equipment and personnel were located, but it was a dreary existence. It was so isolated and self-contained. That was the primary reason it was being used as the main base of operations in that region for the military to coordinate its efforts. She felt a familiar stirring of indecision as she thought about what they were attempting to accomplish there, and whether she would continue to be a direct part of it.
“What kind of infrastructure is left?” Jason asked. Slowly, he bent over and picked up a rock she’d unearthed and tossed it into the pool, wincing with the pain the movement caused. “It’s been hard to get a clear picture from the broken reports we’ve collected over the radio.”
“It’s not good,” Peta answered, shaking her head. “The seismic activity is continuing to decline as the crust becomes more stable, but the damage has already been done. We might never fully recover, especially if there’s enough of a climate shift to throw us into a volcanic winter. Our government and military are coming together loosely under a skeleton command structure, trying to restore key services to support the survivors being brought together into micro-communities. But even though they’re finding more people than first expected, it’s not going to be enough to restore anything even remotely close to our previous civilization. There simply won’t be the numbers necessary to rebuild and then run it.”
She watched Jason’s expression as he absorbed the information and processed it. As she expected, he immediately accepted the disturbing details and moved on to what it all meant comprehensively.
“Then we’ll be back to the basics: shelter, food and clean water,” he surmised. “If there’s enough of a temperature drop, people will be migrating in this direction eventually. Without a global or even national supply network in place, they’ll be forced to go to the food, instead of the other way around.”
“Exactly what the military heads left at the CDC are saying,” Peta confirmed. “Getting The Kuru under control and bringing the survivors together is only the beginning.”
“The beginning,” Jason scoffed.
Peta looked up questioningly at him, her brows furrowing. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel the same way. After everything that had happened, it wasn’t fair to have the goal posts moved yet again, but it surprised her to hear him admit how he felt about it. She wondered if being laid up with his injury had given him a different perspective. “It’ll never be over,” she said quietly.
He surprised her again by reaching out to her. “I actually didn’t come out here to talk to you about The Kuru.”
Intrigued, Peta took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “No? Then what? Jaguars, or farming techniques, or perhaps how many times Akuba and Jess had to rebandage your wounds?”
Laughing lightly, Jason pulled her toward the nearby trail, but didn’t release her hand after they’d started walking along it. The rain had held off since her arrival, but the jungle was saturated and misty, creating an otherworldly landscape of greenery and vines. While the threat from the jaguars had lessened, they were both still armed which was a good reminder there was plenty of danger mixed in with its beauty.
“I want to know how you’re doing,” Jason asked, glancing over at her.
“How I’m doing?” Peta repeated, feeling at a loss.
Stopping on the trail, he turned to face her. “How you’re feeling. You told me you got confirmation a few days ago about your mother’s death. I didn’t have a chance to tell you how sorry I am.”
Unprepared for the emotional reaction she had, Peta looked away, blinking rapidly. She hadn’t allowed herself to think much about her mom, and it was obvious she needed to. Jason understood how important it was to confront your grief, and she liked him even more for pushing her into it as she forced herself to meet his inquisitive green eyes. “I told myself it was okay, because I’d already known instinctively that she was dead,” she admitted, unaccustomed to how it felt to talk openly about her emotions. They were dangerous, messy things that she liked to keep packed neatly away to take out and examine in the dark when there wasn’t anyone else around to witness the chaos. “But—” her breath caught, and the grip Jason had on her hand tightened, lending her strength. “I’m going to miss her. She was my best friend.”
Peta used her free hand to wipe at her tears, but it wasn’t done with any anger or remorse at having cried. It felt good, and Jason wasn’t looking at her any differently for it. Taking a steadying breath, she redirected the question. It was a defense mechanis
m she’d mastered, and not all aspects of that part of her personality could be completely overwritten.
“Any news on your dad?” she asked.
Jason shook his head. “No, not yet. Unlike your family farm, my dad doesn’t live anywhere near a research station or military base. It’ll take a while before anyone can reach his house to check for me. I’m glad you came back.”
Peta was caught off guard by his last remark, and so she stared blankly at him.
“I know Garrett wanted you to stay and have Eddy set this all up on his own,” Jason explained. “I’m glad you decided to come back. But what I really want to know is, if you’re going to stay.”
Peta found herself wishing he wasn’t quite so good at rooting out her inner battles. It was a question she’d been debating with herself for over a week. “They’re organizing ‘recovery’ teams to find and treat survivors. Garrett and the military leader at the lab want me to head it up. They think it’s how I can help the most people.”
“And what about you?”
Peta frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”
“What do you want, Peta?” Jason asked, his eyes boring into her. “What do you need in your life to make it worth living? Because I think that if you end up directing all of your time into scraping out an existence for others, it isn’t going to be enough for you. Not in the world we’re existing in now. You’ve got to have something personally worth fighting for.”
The space between them had narrowed so that Peta couldn’t deny the intense heat that always flared whenever they touched. Like a magnet, it held her frozen in place, merciless to counter the effect.
“I want you to stay,” Jason said bluntly as his other hand cupped her cheek. The one with the scar that she’d intentionally left as a reminder of a person she never wanted to be again.
And it was okay. It was okay, because it was Jason who was touching the physical reminder of her most personal pain. Peta knew she’d always be safe with him. Safe from judgement and recrimination. Safe from her own self-loathing.
Reaching up, she covered the hand on her cheek with her own and leaned into it, certain in that moment of what she wanted to do. Of who and what was important and meaningful. “I have plenty in this world to fight for, and all of it is here.”
Bringing his forehead to rest against hers, Jason waited for her to press into him before shifting so that their lips could meet. A flash of desire coursed through her as Peta’s mind went blissfully blank. Everything else fell away so that all that was left was the sensation of their bodies merging. The heat spread, replacing the anxiety, fear, and sorrow with a lightness that threatened to carry her away and erase the rest of the world and all of its heartache.
The kiss was brief, but as Jason drew away and smiled down at her, it was full of promise. A promise of something Peta never thought she’d find again, and standing there with Jason surrounded by a wilderness as vast as her emotions, she understood that she didn’t want to be alone anymore.
Smiling back at the man who’d become her best friend, she felt hopeful. “I don’t care if we have to keep fighting, so long as we do it together.”
Chapter 26
JASON
Libi Nati Resort
Suriname, South America
The quaint bungalow was the last in a row of ten that spanned out to either side of the main Libi Nati Resort lodge. Jason’s first impression had been that it reminded him of a tiki hut, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just a little too cliché for his taste.
Crossing the wooden veranda, he reached to knock at the door but found it was already partway open. “Eddy!” he shouted as he pushed his way inside. “How’s it going in here?”
Eddy barely acknowledged him with a cursory wave of his hand, from where he was hunched over a contraption that looked like it belonged in a science fiction movie. Jason was familiar enough with electron microscopes from his grad days to appreciate the model was high-end. If it wasn’t, it would have been three-times the size, and impossible to transport there under the current conditions.
“It’s nice to see you’re settling in,” Jason said casually as he stared at several unpacked bags sitting on the only bed in the studio room.
Pausing, Eddy must have picked up on the intended sarcasm because he finally stopped what he was doing and turned around. It was the first opportunity Jason had gotten to talk alone with his friend since his return, and he was slightly alarmed by what he saw. Perhaps when he’d still been under the influence of the changes from The Kuru, he’d been less vulnerable to the physical effects of the emotional strain that went along with everything that was happening, and that was why he looked so worn out now. He was pale, had noticeably lost weight, and there was a sallowness to his face that had never been there before.
During their brief conversations on the radio, Peta had kept him updated on Eddy’s recovery. It wasn’t complete, and there was a good chance he might never be the same person as before, but it was going to take time to navigate his way through those changes. Resolved to be a source of support no matter what, Jason pushed back his own reservations, reminding himself that the comfortable jesting and subtle nuances in their past relationship might not be possible for a while. Maybe never.
“That was a joke,” Jason said with a grin.
The crease in his brows relaxed and Eddy smiled back, but not before another look crossed his face. Fear. He recognized the changes too, and it probably scared the hell out of him.
“Devon is preparing some slides for you already, according to Peta,” Jason said, thinking discussing the research was solid ground. “And she’s still out there collecting more stuff for you like a kid in a candy shop.”
“I’ve got it operational,” Eddy replied, without as much enthusiasm as he’d had when they first carried the microscope into the room an hour earlier. “I’ve decided I should stay here permanently, rather than the preserve.”
Thrown off by the unexpected comment, Jason tried not to let his disappointment show. “Can I ask why?”
With a sigh, Eddy stood and ran a hand over his unruly hair, and the familiar gesture from his friend was the best thing Jason had seen so far from him. “Because I’m a neurologist, not a farmer, and this place,” he spread his arms wide. “This resort has become a sort of rehabilitation center for The Cured. Aside from being a doctor, I’m also recovering. I can relate to them, I can help them to heal, and in the process maybe I can reconnect with some of the parts of myself that are still…fragmented.”
“You were head of the neurology department at one of the leading trauma centers in the country,” Jason said without any hesitation. “I couldn’t think of anyone better suited for that job.”
Looking relieved, Eddy’s smile broadened and he became more animated. “I’ve already noticed a difference in the response to the treatment between the people I helped treat at the CDC lab, and those infected here with the Kra Puru strain. Slaider has been keeping impeccable notes, and I’ve already started setting up times to interview and examine the residents here.”
“Residents,” Jason repeated. He’d been somewhat secluded while he was laid up at the preserve, and while he’d been filled in by Slaider on how things were progressing, he hadn’t seen much of it in person.
“We have over fifty people here.” Eddy picked up a notebook from next to the microscope and held it out to Jason. “That’s a list of their names and demographics. More are arriving daily. I’ve already requested additional supplies when they become available. If we can’t get the tents, we’ll start organizing teams to build more of these huts. There’s plenty of room on the grounds, and I thought maybe Kavish could lend a hand in planning out a garden space so we can work toward becoming more self-sufficient.”
Taking the notebook, Jason felt more encouraged than he had in a long time. “It sure is good to have you here, Eddy. That wasn’t a joke,” he added, when Eddy scowled at him. “I’ve missed this. Your ability to get right to the meat of
things and bypass all the normal distractions. I mean it. It’s good to have you back, fragments and all.”
Chuckling, Eddy grabbed at the rest of the stack of notebooks. “Let’s see if you still feel that way a week from now, after I’ve sucked you into helping me with these case reports. I haven’t forgotten what a good doctor you are.”
Lifting his hands up defensively, Jason backed slowly toward the door. “Woah, did I mention that I’m still not a hundred percent?” Rubbing gingerly at his ribs, he stepped through the opening with a parting smirk. “Don’t get too caught up with that microscope yet, because Akuba is preparing a welcome home feast for everyone tonight.”
Completing his exit before Eddy could successfully get the notebooks in his hands, Jason turned just in time to spot Marty loping across the open span of the resort grounds. Tongue lolling, he was headed straight for him.
Kneeling down in the overgrown grass, Jason cautiously welcomed the shepherd with a one-armed grapple. Marty had quickly learned not to slam headlong into his chest anymore, but he was still a large ball of energy that was sometimes hard to control. The transformation in the dog over the past few weeks had been remarkable. On the dreariest of the rainy days, he’d been a source of light for everyone at the preserve.
“Whatchya think?” Jason cooed, rubbing at his ears. “It’s pretty cool here, but I’ll bet you prefer those cows and chickens to chase at the preserve.”
His haunches quivering with excitement, Marty whined with the effort it took to sit still before pointedly licking Jason’s jawline once. It still blew him away how the act of petting a dog could make the rest of the problems in the world fall away for a brief moment. It was as if his friend had a magical ability to soak up his worries and make it all seem trivial.
