by Kadin, Karri
Gabby led Allison the opposite way to a picnic table under a tree in the shade of the gym. Gabby sat on one of the benches and pulled Allison down next to her.
“You obviously didn’t kill me. See? I’m alive.” Gabby gestured to herself as she spoke.
“I remember attacking you after I got sick. I attacked you in a cabin. I just came from that cabin! I found your keychain there!” Allison pulled the keychain from her pack and handed it to Gabby. Gabby’s face fell as she took the keychain from Allison.
“You did attack me, but I made it out.” Gabby’s voice was quieter now, almost muted.
“How? What happened?”
“I’m surprised you remember at all. Most former Infected don’t.”
“Gabby! What happened! How did you even end up there?”
“I lost you at the party. I saw you run into the woods with that woman chasing you but I was trapped up a tree. Nick boosted me up into a tree when the Infected attacked but he didn’t make it up with me before one of them got him.” Gabby hung her head and wiped her eyes. “I haven’t thought of Nick in a long time. He saved me.”
“I’m sorry, Gabby.” Allison took both of her hands in hers and squeezed. “He was a good guy.”
“The best.” Gabby squeezed Allison’s hands back before wiping her eyes again.
“Anyway. Where was I? Oh yeah.” Gabby took a deep breath. “I was trapped in that tree watching you run for your life. I couldn’t do anything to help you; I couldn’t even help myself. I was in that tree for over an hour before the police showed up. They wouldn’t go looking for you and they wouldn’t let me either.” Gabby’s eyes narrowed as she scowled. “The police brushed it off as a drug-fueled, satanic killing ritual. In their defense at the time no one yet knew what was actually happening.”
“The police couldn’t have helped me. I was infected quickly. It wouldn’t have changed my outcome. Don’t blame yourself.” Gabby’s eyes rimmed with tears and she squeezed Allison’s hands.
“They kept me in the hospital and the CDC came and checked me out. I saw more and more things on the news like what had happened at that party. The CDC wouldn’t let the hospital release me. But I knew I had to get out of there. So, I snuck out of the hospital, packed up what I could carry, stole a gun from a pawn shop during some looting, and went back to the area where we had the party. I had to find you.” The tears streamed down Gabby’s face.
“Why didn’t you go somewhere safe? You should have saved yourself. I was already gone.”
“You were—you are my best friend. I couldn’t just leave you. I went in the direction you had gone and I found you trapped in that cabin. No one was there with you, but when I looked in the window I saw blood on the kitchen floor and you were locked in, so I knew someone had been there. I waited outside for a few hours, being quiet so you wouldn’t hear me. I finally figured out no one was coming back so I went in. I tried to talk to you but you were already fully infected at that point. I couldn’t bring myself to kill you. So, I ran out.” Gabby gripped Allison’s hand. “I absolutely do not blame you. I’m just so happy you are alive.” Gabby hugged Allison tightly. Allison let out a huge breath as one of the weights that had been hanging on her shoulders for months finally lifted. She clung to Gabby as she began to shake, tears streaming from her eyes. She buried her head into Gabby’s neck and hair as she sobbed. Gabby pulled her close, stroking her hair.
“I can’t believe you came looking for me,” Allison said. “I thought I killed you. I did almost kill you. I’m so sorry, Gabby. I’m so sorry.” Tears flowed, soaking Gabby’s shirt and hair and shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
Matt put Morgan on his list along with some other extended family members’ names. Trevor put some of his friends on the list. Allison added three people. Her mom, brother, and dad. She wanted to know what had happened to them. If they were alive, she would have to own up to what she had become. Will they still love me? Her hands shook as she handed the pen back to the man behind the desk. What if they’re dead? She shoved the thought away, locking it deep within her. I can’t think about that. It was a catch-22 situation she wasn’t ready to face yet.
Allison updated Gabby on everything that had happened since she woke up cured in the woods, minus Dr. Neff and her ragey strength. The more Gabby knew, the more at risk she would be. Allison couldn’t take that chance. Matt showed her Morgan’s picture, but sadly she had not seen her. Trevor pulled Allison to the side as Matt and Gabby went around showing people the picture trying to drum up leads.
“We need to stay here. For a little bit at least. Give Matt time to recover. Give you time to reconnect with Gabby. It seems safe here.”
“What about Morgan?” Allison tensed and folded her arms across her chest. Trevor sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“I hope we find her. Maybe she will turn up here. But the odds are that she’s dead or turned, and running around the woods that we know have Infected in them is not the smartest idea. Especially with Matt in such poor condition.” Allison relaxed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. We need to protect Matt. She leaned against his chest.
“Don’t tell Matt about Morgan’s odds. Let’s just focus on his recovery,” she said. Trevor nodded.
When Gabby and Matt returned Trevor pulled everyone into a corner. Matt’s eyes were narrowed, his lips downturned in suspicion. When Trevor and Allison’s attention turned on him he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground.
“We need to stay, Matt. Just for a little while. So you can recover,” Allison said.
“No. We need to find Morgan.”
“Yes. We need to find her. But we can’t do that with you falling apart. We could run into Infected or Collectors and be unable to properly defend ourselves or Morgan.” Trevor reached out a hand and rested it on Matt’s shoulder. “A temporary stay. We can alert the town’s security to be on the lookout for her. I’m sure they leave from time to time.”
Gabby nodded in agreement. “I have some friends that stay outside of town. I can ask them to look for her on their nightly patrols.”
“Morgan needs you at your fighting best. She would not want you to look for her right now.” Trevor squeezed Matt’s shoulder.
Tears ran down Matt’s face, leaving wet drops on his shirt. Allison wrapped him in her arms. He hunched over and buried his face into her shoulder as he sobbed. Trevor patted Matt’s back and Gabby’s eyes looked like storm clouds brewing in the distance. Sadness, but with something fiercer underneath. She’s not telling me something. Matt pulled away and wiped his eyes.
“We can stay on one condition.” Matt locked eyes with Trevor. “I want you to look for her, at least once a day. Please, Trevor. I need to know we are doing something.” Trevor nodded. Matt wrapped his arms around Trevor in a tight hug.
Once Matt had composed himself Gabby guided the group to the table where they all were assigned jobs based on their qualifications, as it was expected for everyone to contribute to the community. Gabby worked with the reunification department and helped in the community garden. Trevor was appropriately assigned to the town security. Matt was put with town maintenance but was also allowed to enroll in some medical classes designed to be the equivalent of emergency medical technician training. Allison was chosen to work in the child care facility that was for all the children in town. She didn’t think it was the best idea for her to be an influencer of children, but it was what she was given. They were also given permission to move into Gabby’s house. They were in luck as her recent roommates had left town trying to make their way back to their home state. They hoped to meet up with their family they had found using the reunification forms. Allison moved into Gabby’s room while Trevor and Matt picked a room to share as well. That first night was the best sleep of Allison’s life.
Over the next couple weeks the friends established a routine. Every day Trevor would venture outside the town looking for Morgan. Tr
evor had divided the area into a grid pattern. They searched section by section making sure not to miss an area. Allison would interview all the newcomers, showing them Morgan’s picture from Matt’s wallet, asking if they had seen her on their travels. There was no sign of her. Matt grew stronger by the day, physically and in spirit. He loved learning medical skills and grew quite the crush on Gabby.
Being with Gabby again made Allison feel like a new and improved version of her old self and she liked the feeling. The four of them—Gabby, Allison, Trevor, and Matt—seemed to fit together so perfectly, as if they had known each other all their lives. This added to her guilt about Morgan. She shouldn’t feel happy with Morgan missing.
Every evening they would eat dinner together and then play board games in the living room. Sometimes they would sit around the fire pit outside and simply talk about everything that crossed their minds. They felt like family.
Gabby was not the same woman she was before. She was still bubbly, cheerful, and an absolute genius. But sometimes she would disappear for a few hours with no explanation or appear to be deep in thought, but when Allison would ask what she was thinking Gabby would plaster her beautiful smile on her face and simply change the subject.
If Allison could interrogate Gabby, she could make her confess what she was up to, but she stopped herself from doing so. Forcing Gabby to come clean about whatever secret she was hiding would be hypocritical considering Allison still had not told Gabby about Dr. Neff or her freaky rage strength. Once she told her, Allison would no longer be able to pretend like everything was the same as it was before. The thought of Gabby looking at her differently made her stomach twist. Accepting that Allison was once an Infected was one thing, but having to accept that Allison was a permanent monster with unnatural strength and a scary temper was another.
The boys cornered her one morning after Gabby left. Allison was getting ready to leave to go to the schoolhouse.
“You have to tell her,” Trevor said, concern creasing his face.
“He’s right. You have to tell her. She needs to know,” Matt agreed.
“I can’t deal with that right now. I just got her back. I want to be happy.”
Trevor crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. “Coming from people who love you, people who you already made the mistake of keeping this secret from, I’m telling you to not make the same mistake again.”
“Honesty is the best policy,” Matt said with a sympathetic smirk. “We understood. So will she.”
“Look what happened with Morgan. I can’t lose Gabby too.” Allison frowned. “I’ll see you tonight. I have to go.” She walked out the door leaving Trevor and Matt alone in the house.
Matt recovered from his injuries quickly once he was able to rest instead of walking miles a day. Being in a town with a real doctor helped as well. He really enjoyed his EMT class and tolerated his maintenance assignment. He checked with Gabby in the reunification office every day after searching the woods with Trevor hoping for news on Morgan, but always left disappointed.
Trevor began giving self-defense classes along with his security duties. The security chief quickly took notice of his natural teaching ability and made the class Trevor’s primary duty. Trevor created lessons suitable for every resident in town. He even visited Allison at the schoolhouse and showed the children how to escape from holds. Trevor and Allison had not spent much time alone together since arriving at Wellspring but each day they grew closer. They had even managed an almost date night.
“Close your eyes,” Trevor said. Allison closed her eyes and Trevor raised a wooden spoon to her lips. “Taste this.” Allison sipped up the warm liquid from the spoon.
“Oh my god that’s amazing! Where did you learn to cook like that?” she asked.
“Food Network,” Trevor laughed. “Making a tomato-based spaghetti sauce is actually pretty easy, just time-consuming. Since the garden has fresh tomatoes and basil, and you brought back a box of pasta from the community store, I figured it was fate saying we needed an Italian dinner.”
“How time-consuming is it?” she asked as she leaned into him.
“Like all day if you’re doing it right.” Trevor placed the spoon on the counter and wrapped his arms around her.
“Aww, you cooked all day for me?” Allison slipped her arms around his waist, pulling him toward her.
“I’d do anything for you,” Trevor said as he leaned in, his face inching closer to hers. She closed her eyes, her heart racing, bracing herself for the touch of his lips on hers.
“Hey what is everyone doi—” Matt stopped in the door of the kitchen. Allison pulled away. “Sorry!” he said. “I didn’t . . . Were you guys . . . ? Uhhh . . . I’ll go.”
“No, no, no. It’s fine, Matt,” Allison said. She waved Matt in and half smiled at Trevor.
“Yeah, it’s cool, man. You’re here, so eat with us,” Trevor said.
“Just one thing first.” Allison grabbed Trevor by the collar and pressed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she could feel the smile on his lips as he kissed her back.
Allison loved her job at the school, which shocked her. She loved playing with the kids outside, teaching them games she learned on the playground growing up like red rover and freeze tag. She would watch them, in awe of their resilience and quietly mourning the lives they could have had. They will never know what it was like before. They will never have that. Even if the disease was eradicated from the world these kids would grow up knowing it is always possible for another disaster to strike and ruin the world as they know it. Life was never going to be what it was.
Allison took many of Trevor’s classes. He would practice with her one-on-one as well, trying to make her angry so she could practice controlling her ragey strength. The more they practiced, the easier it was to control. She even found at times she could use it at will. She also stood in as a practice dummy for Matt when he wanted to practice a medical skill he learned in class. He found her veins with ease when he practiced starting IVs, he gave injections almost painlessly, and he seemed to grasp medical concepts with ease. He seemed to be a natural and Allison couldn’t help but wonder if things had been different maybe he would have gone to medical school.
Allison still wrote in her journal and reveled in the fact that most of her entries were positive and happy. Allison could even send a letter to Sandra and Dave using the reunification system. She wanted them to know she was okay, and she wanted to keep in touch with them.
Letter
Dear Sandra and Dave,
I hope this letter reaches you. I am doing well. I think about you often and I hope you are doing okay. No, not okay, great. I hope you are doing great.
I have made some friends: Trevor, Matt, and Morgan. Trevor was a Marine. Dave would like him a lot. Matt and Morgan are twins. They have had it rough. Morgan is missing right now. I’m holding out hope that we will find her alive and well. I also found my best friend, Gabby. It is so unreal. I never thought it would happen. I hope you can meet them all one day.
My original plan when I left you has not worked out so well. I hate to admit you were right. But you were right. I still want to be better, do better. But saying sorry isn’t enough. It causes more pain, which is the last thing I want to do. I don’t know where my journey will take me. But I wanted you to know I’m safe.
Thank you for everything you did for me. Especially for loving me when I couldn’t even love myself.
Love,
Your Allison
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dr. Neff
The sun hung high in the sky as Dr. Neff jogged along the fence of his new camp. His skin glistened in the sun as beads of sweat covered his body. He watched the Collectors patrolling the perimeter and going about their other duties as reggae music blasted through his earbuds. Everyone he passed avoided meeting his eye and hurried out of his way. Up ahead a gray cargo van entered the gate. Just what he had been waiting for. He adjusted his trajectory and headed to t
he side of the building where he knew it would park.
He slowed to a walk as he approached. Two Collectors opened the back doors just as he made it to the van. Huddled inside were former Infected in white cotton clothes, their bodies emaciated and bruised. Their wrists were bound together at their backs and chains around their ankles shortened their strides making walking, let alone running, difficult. All their eyes were glazed over in the same medicated haze.
More Collectors came to unload the specimens. Two Collectors to each specimen, that was the rule. Even sedated they could often be unpredictable. The last to exit the van was the youngest of the bunch and by far the greatest disappointment. He was so close to being a match for Christopher only to fail in the last round of testing. However, he was proving useful in other ways. His abilities were far greater than those of other former Infected Dr. Neff had encountered. He was the perfect candidate for advancing field applications of residual N87 infection. Natasha would love this specimen and his potential for furthering her research. The boy would be his gift to her. One step closer to getting back into her good graces. Now if he could only get his hands on that Allison, he could cure Christopher and have his family back once and for all.
The specimens disappeared with the Collectors into the building. The one drop rhythm drum beat in his earbuds stopped and Natasha’s ringtone of slow jazz filled his ears. He pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Answer,” he said as he walked into the building.
“Hello, Nicky. I was calling for an update on the procurement of Christopher’s donor.” Natasha’s voice was tight.
“I’m getting closer,” Dr. Neff said.
“That is not what I heard. I heard she killed some of your best men and Catherine in the last capture attempt. You wouldn’t lie to me now, would you?” Natasha’s voice struck like a viper. His heart pounded and his mind raced as he thought through what he wanted to say next. A lump formed in his throat threatening to make him mute.
