by Max Lockwood
“Okay, thanks,” Elaina said meekly. “Are you sure you’re up for making a third trip?”
Melissa looked over her shoulder to see Bethany jogging after them, down the stretch of the highway. She knew that this was for Bethany’s sake of spending less time in an awkward situation than Melissa’s.
“Yeah, you should spend some time with Alec,” she said. “It’ll make him feel better.”
After Melissa got shot by Will, Thomas was the only person who made her feel remotely okay. He provided excellent medical care, always making sure her vitals were in check and that her wound was clean and bandaged. But what Melissa appreciated more than anything was the way he stuck by her side, even though she was rarely coherent, even when she was conscious. Memories were fuzzy from that period of her life, but she did remember opening her bleary eyes to find Thomas stroking her hair.
Melissa wanted to be able to pass on that kind of care to her friend, Alec, but he already had someone to look after him. Elaina would do an excellent job, and because Alec received qualified medical attention right away, he would make a speedy recovery. He didn’t need Melissa’s help.
Before dropping Elaina off at the house and returning for Bethany, Melissa made a quick pit stop at the barn to refuel. As she poured the gasoline into the tank, Elaina hovered over her, wringing her hands.
“Is everything okay?” Melissa asked, noting the distressed expression on Elaina’s face.
“I–I’m not good at these kinds of things,” she said nervously. “But I understand what it’s like to experience a tough loss and I know that everyone handles these things differently. If you want space, let me know. If you want to talk about it, I can do that, too. I want to help, but I’m not great at knowing what people need.”
Melissa’s eyes began to prickle, but she blinked away the threat of tears.
“I’m not sure what I need yet, but having your support helps. Thanks.”
She nodded, her eyes locked on the target Bobby Dean had painted on the barn for his knife practice.
“I’ll just walk to the house from here,” Elaina said. “The sooner everyone is in the house together, the sooner I can try to relax.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Melissa responded. “Alec is probably still out back.”
It took a little extra effort to force herself to return for Bethany, but she mounted the bike and sped off down the dirt road. The sunrise was disorienting, as it signaled the start of a new day when the last thing Melissa wanted to do was be productive. She was ready to take a nice hot bath and tuck herself into bed and not rejoin society until it was absolutely necessary.
Melissa and Bethany managed to make it the entire journey home without saying a single word to each other. Melissa didn’t know what was more awkward—addressing the tension between them or not addressing anything at all. They rode in agonizing silence in the early morning as the warm sun beat down on their faces.
Melissa dropped Bethany off at the house before quickly turning around to store the bike in the shed. Summer had arrived early and Melissa wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. She hoped Elaina hadn’t boiled all the water yet. A cool bath sounded more pleasant than a hot one.
Shuffling her feet along the dirt path, she walked past the sprouts in the garden and the sunflowers beginning to crawl toward the sky. As she reached the front door, Elaina popped out in front of her, causing her heart to skip a beat or two.
“Shit, Elaina,” Melissa yelped. “Why would you do that?”
Elaina’s eyes were wide and her face was pale. “I just wanted to warn you before—”
“Before what?”
Melissa pushed past her to find Will sitting in her grandfather’s recliner with a smug expression on his face.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was experiencing a hallucination, likely due to the stress and lack of sleep she encountered through the night. She had to stay calm and act normal or the others would think she had gone crazy.
“Melissa?” Alec’s voice said softly. “Are you okay?”
She opened her eyes, expecting the chair to be empty. Or, she figured she’d hallucinate and see Bobby Dean smiling back at her. But when she finally peeked her eyes back open, nothing had changed.
“No,” she said in disbelief. “This isn’t happening.”
“Unfortunately, it is,” Alec said, glaring at Will.
Will didn’t seem to take offense at this. Instead, he remained emotionless as he rocked back and forth in the chair, a bag of chips and one of Melissa’s chocolate bars lying beside him.
“You can’t be here,” Melissa argued. “Did you plan this?” she asked, pointing at Bethany.
“I had no idea he was even still alive,” she said shakily. “I’m as surprised as you are.”
“Is that so?” Melissa scoffed. “Did he also try to kill you? Did you suffer a dangerous infection from an injury he caused, rendering you incapacitated for days? Did his recklessness lead to the death of a good, innocent man?”
“No, but—”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you, too, Melissa,” Will said casually. “I guess I didn’t expect anyone to roll out the red carpet for my arrival, but I didn’t think you all would be this unhappy to see me.”
“You know what you did, Will,” Alec said sternly.
He shrugged. Melissa charged at him, the full weight of the situation on her shoulders. Alec reached out with one arm and held her back.
“Not now,” he said softly into her ear. “I’m not happy with him either, but he might have some useful information. We’ll figure out how to deal with him later.”
She took a step back, collapsing onto the couch. She was too tired to fight, anyway.
“I really didn’t think you would ever make it this far,” Bethany said, still perplexed by his appearance.
“I thought the same about you guys. When I got here, I figured you all had died before reaching the farm. But it also seemed like someone left in a hurry. I was prepared to crash here until the food ran out. It looks like you have a pretty good supply.”
“That we worked hard to get,” Alec interjected.
“Hey,” Will said defensively, holding up his hands. “I didn’t come here to raid your pantry. I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.”
Bethany rolled her eyes.
“Hey, Beth,” he said, using a nickname she despised. “It’s pretty wild seeing you with these guys. It’s like worlds are colliding.”
“She’s not with us,” Melissa said sharply.
“I got here just a day ago,” she explained quickly.
“I thought you said you traveled alone,” Will murmured. “Or was that just an excuse to get rid of me?”
“I do travel alone,” Bethany replied. “I’m not really sure what I want right now. I’ve clearly made things weird.”
Everybody agreed, but out of kindness to Bethany, no one voiced this.
“I was hoping to find a quiet place, somewhere out of trouble,” she continued. “That’s what you told me about this place. In fact, why don’t you tell your side of the story so they’ll finally believe me?”
“If you’re looking to keep out of trouble, you’ve come to the wrong place.” He chuckled.
“Why do you say that?” Alec asked.
“I’m not sure how you don’t already know this, Bethany, but there is trouble brewing around here. I’ve heard some whispers and seen some things. You thought you escaped the bad people out west, but you’re wrong. They’ve been moving this way for a while now. I’m predicting that this farm will become enemy territory in a couple of days.”
“Over my dead body,” Melissa said. “No one is taking over my land.”
“Yeah, over your dead body, indeed,” he said casually. “Bretton Vincent may be gone, but his army lives on. Not to mention, they’re pissed off and more powerful than ever. They might not have the leader they need to create new version
s of the virus, but they’re still interested in wiping out anyone who refuses to join them.”
Elaina covered her mouth and sat down on the nearest couch. Alec joined her, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders. Bethany buried her face in her hands.
“Are you sure about this?” Elaina asked, terror in her eyes. “What do you know?”
Will pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair. “Well, I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t have a smidgen of hope that I could warn you before they arrive.”
“Go on, then,” Alec said sternly. “I’m giving you one chance to tell us everything you know.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Melissa folded her arms across her chest. She couldn’t help but feel like recent history was repeating itself. A day ago, they opened her grandparents’ home to a woman who withheld secrets that ultimately put the others in peril. Bethany had given them a clear reason not to be trusted. Now, Will was returning after what was nearly a year-long absence after nearly murdering Melissa and sending Bethany to their quiet little farm. As far as Melissa was concerned, there was no reason to trust him either. She was convinced that the two had some elaborate plan to kill them all.
Because she had no fond feelings for Will and had backup this time, Melissa didn’t have any qualms about addressing the group about it.
“Are we really going to believe a word he says?” she asked, directing the question toward Alec and Elaina. “I mean, if he’s just going to lie to us anyway, why don’t we just send him out the door now and save us some time? Bethany can go with him too, because she’s already proven her lack of trustworthiness.”
Bethany grasped onto the corners of a needlepoint throw pillow, nervously working the fabric over with her fingers. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” she said. “I told Bobby Dean about Samantha. I can tell you what I told him.”
“Don’t say his name,” Melissa growled. “If you would have told us what you knew, we might have been able to save him.”
Will opened his mouth to ask a question, but Bethany violently shook her head. “I’ll tell you about it later. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to talk first. I think it will help corroborate my story.”
“Can you do this without wasting our time?” Alec asked him.
“I’ll try,” he said. “Basically, I was going to tell you that troops are on the move. After what Bethany and I did to their fearless leader, they’re going to want to get us. You guys escaped him, too, so I guess we’re all targets. They’ll show us no mercy.”
“What did you guys do to Bretton?” Elaina asked.
Bethany abruptly stood up from her seat. “I’m just going to go now,” she said shakily. “I’m not going to sit around and listen to pointless conversation. I’ve heard everything I need to know.”
Elaina frowned, surprised by her sudden skittishness. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t go back there,” she said. “I just can’t,” she wheezed.
“I think you’re having a panic attack,” Elaina said gently. “Just breathe and we’ll get through this together.”
“There is no ‘together’,” she shouted. “I need to be alone right now. This is all too much. I don’t do well when I have to wait around for others to agree on what to do.”
“Why don’t you go to the bedroom?” Alec suggested. “Come back and talk to us when you’re ready.”
“I need air,” she panted. “I’m going out to the barn. I just need a little space.”
She rushed out the door and ran toward the barn. Melissa peeked out the window, half expecting her to run in the opposite direction.
“What if she makes a run for it?” Elaina asked.
“Fine by me,” Melissa replied. “Maybe she’ll take him with her,” she said, looking at Will.
“She’s an odd duck,” Will said. “I had a feeling she’d clash with you guys, but I thought she was a good girl. She helped me out of a sticky situation.”
“Why don’t you start from there?” Alec said. “I have my doubts about her.”
Will told the three about stumbling back into Bretton’s camp and subsequently becoming infected by one of his many experiments. He told them what Bethany explained to him in the cell—the things that were seemingly erased from his memory. He talked about how Thomas and Bethany were brought in together but separated when Thomas was infected too.
“You know it was me who busted him out, right?” Alec said, smirking.
“I figured. I wasn’t really in my right mind then. I’m not sure if I am now.”
“He’s infected, but we still think it’s a good idea to have him in my house?” Melissa squawked.
“Different strains have different effects,” Elaina explained. “We don’t know what Bretton gave him.”
“Thomas was okay for a little while, too,” Alec said. “It’s hard to predict.”
“I feel fine,” Will said earnestly. “If I thought I was a danger to others, I would take the necessary precautions. Now, do you want to hear about how I killed Bretton Vincent?”
Elaina inhaled sharply. She had a peculiar expression, as though she could either laugh or cry at that statement.
“He took Bethany to his office to ask about her medical history. I think he was running tests on women. Anyway, I’m still brainwashed, but he started telling lies about Natalia. I guess my brain overrode the virus and I snapped. I broke his neck and we ran away. We eventually got caught, but the two of us managed to trick Bethany’s brother into letting us pretend to call you, Elaina, and I strangled him to death. We escaped, walked together for a little bit, and split up. Does that sound like the story she told you?”
Elaina was stunned. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“She mentioned you were locked up together. She did not tell us that you killed both her brother and Bretton.”
“Pretty crazy, huh?” he said with a smile on his face. “I took down the biggest criminal in the world. I’m not sure why you don’t seem happy about that. Elaina,” he said, speaking directly to his old companion, “I took him out. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“I–I guess,” she replied. “He was truly awful, but he was also the only person who knew exactly what he created. I can’t help but think if he had been captured and forced to reveal his methods, I would be able to cure his virus.”
Will’s face fell. “Well, that’s disappointing. I was excited to see your reaction to the news. I thought you’d be happy about it.”
“I don’t know what to feel,” she replied.
Every time she came close to someone who could help her create the cure, they died. First, it was Dr. Himmler. Then, it was Dr. Martinez and his vast knowledge about genetics. Although Elaina was terrified to come into contact with Bretton again, she thought that it might be possible to get the information she needed from him to understand his virus. Even if he didn’t fully understand it, she felt like he knew enough to help her crack the case.
“And you’re saying his army is carrying on without him? How is that possible?”
“From what I’ve heard, he was contracted by ex-military officers after he failed to provide the government with a cure. He acted like he was in charge, but there were others pulling strings behind the scenes. He created a whole bunch of experiments to create super-soldiers. When he died, I’m pretty sure he left a bunch of the virus to shoot people up with against their will. A hundred of their soldiers is worth a thousand normal soldiers. I heard they want to start a New World Order. I’m afraid to say, I think they have a shot.”
Alec shook his head. “What does that mean?”
“If you’re asking for specifics, I wasn’t privy to those. The general idea is that this militia wants to be the official government of the country. A military coup, if you will. There aren’t a lot of people left in this country. As far as we know, there could be major epidemics in other countries, too. These people want to take advantage of that fact and just sweep ove
r the country, conquering people as they go. They’ll take over this farm and kill whoever tries to stop them. They might even infect you for their army if they think you’re useful. They’ll remember us, though, so we’re in a bit of hot water if we’re caught.”
“There’s still a United States army, though,” Alec said. “There’s going to be a civil war.”
“I know what side I’d bet on,” Will said morosely.
“I agree,” Elaina said. “I spent a little time with the government. They’re not immune from this, either. They’re not going to be able to control the spread of infection and fight a rebel organization at the same time.”
“So, what does that mean for us?” Melissa asked. “Are we going to just lie down and let the militia run our lives?”
“You can try to run or fight,” Will said, “but the odds are against you. As for any other survivors, I guess they’ll just have to see what the militia wants to use them for. Typically, these types of people tend to set up their own government after steamrolling the current one. Things will be different if the smoke ever clears. Maybe other countries will take us in as refugees. I doubt it, though.”
Alec rubbed his forehead. “This doesn’t leave us with many options, Will. Would it do any good to stay and fight? We have some guns around here. If we hurry, maybe we can find more. If we all shoot at intruders when they come, maybe we can scare them off.”
“You can steal guns,” Will said. “Just remember, these guys have been stealing high-powered weapons, explosives, and tanks. Your home militia can’t defeat a large group with military-grade weapons.”
“It’s an option,” Alec said defensively. “It’s about as much as we have right now. Do you have any better suggestions, if you know this group so well?”
Will shrugged. “I suggest that you run for it. Find yourself a car and go. They’re at least a day’s trip away from here. You still have time to outrun them. You might have more options out east. It’s worth a shot.”
