End of the Line | Part 1

by Levi, Casey

  “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you now since you won’t be making it out of this backyard.” The lady paused for a moment. “I never worked at the grocery store. In fact, I’m not even from Barstow.”

  “What?” Kristen asked in surprise. “And I thought you said you weren’t going to kill me?”

  “It doesn’t matter now, and you know too much. My name is Scarlett, and I am from Vegas.

  “You- You’re from the Vegas facility?” Kristen shook her head as it all began to make more sense.

  “You catch on fast. Yes, I work at the Vegas facility, and my patience is growing thin. So, now that you know who I am, would you so kindly point me in the right direction so I can be going?

  “No!” Kristen was shocked by the sound of her own voice as she yelled the words at Scarlett.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I said no. I want answers.”

  “Don’t we all though? Now, quit messing around. I don’t have time for this.” Scarlett nudged Kristen with the gun.

  “If you kill me, you’ll never find him.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Scarlett pushed the barrel of the gun harder into her side, and she froze. How could she have been so stupid to push for answers? Look at what good that had done her. Now she was faced against a mad woman who was going to kill her, and she was never going to see Reed again. Or Julie, her best friend. The worst part was that she was not able to say goodbye to them. Any of them.

  ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

  She should had listened to Julie and came after they had finished packing up the SUV. But no, she had to go help someone who did not even need help. Kristen closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, then she opened them again. If she was going to die, she was not going down like a coward.

  22

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Reed and Aran appeared from the third house down from the one they were staying in. Fear had started to consume him, but most of it was quickly being replaced by anger. He could not understand why Kristen had left without a word, and he hated not knowing what had happened. All sorts of horrible thoughts rushed to mind, and he tried to push them away because they were not helping the situation. He just needed to find her.

  “Kristen!” Reed shouted.

  “Kris, where are you?” Aran followed.

  They briskly walked down the street towards the next house, and as they walked, they both continued to shout her name but nothing, but their own echoes reached their ears. Reed was hoping that she was just in one of the other houses because if she was not, he was going to lose it. He could not imagine what he would do if anything happened to her.

  Aran stopped walking and turned to face Reed. “Dude, do you think that maybe she went into town to look for more supplies?”

  “I don’t know…” Reed shook his head doubtfully.

  “Well let’s search the other houses, and if she’s not there then we can go into town and look.”

  Reed nodded but did not say anything else. He needed to stay focused and not think of the worst, but that is all he could seem to do. He knew something had to have happened for Kristen to just up and leave without saying a word, but why hadn’t she just listened and waited for him and Aran to go with her? He knew she was hardheaded, and it was one thing he loved about her, but at what cost?

  They picked up their pace and started across the street for the next house when a fire echoed through the air. They abruptly stopped walking. Reed’s heart constricted in his chest as he looked around the empty street- all the fear he had tried to push away came surging right back to the front of his mind. Scanning the street.

  “Where the hell did that come from?” Aran spun around in a full circle.

  “That sounded a lot like a gunshot…” As the words left his mouth, Reed could feel the bile rising in his throat.

  Confusion laced Aran’s face, but it quickly turned into horror when reality dawned on him. “Shit! Shit. Shit. Shit!!!”

  “Wherever it came from, it can’t be too far.”

  “Wait! You don’t think-”

  Aran was cut off by a loud scream ripping through the air. The scream was enough to send a cold chill down their spins. “That sounds like… fuck, come on!” Reed took off running.

  They both ran across the street towards the scream. Reed could not hear anything but the pounding of his heart. It thumped heavy against his chest and caused his vision to blur. Fear was starting to take over him, and by the time they reached the gate to the backyard his head was spinning.

  Reed ran through the gate, but he stopped as Kristen’s body came into view. She laid on her side on the cold concrete ground, and she was not moving. He ran towards her and dropping to his knees he pulled her into his arms.

  “Kristen! Kristen please look at me. Oh god this can’t be happening… Kristen!” He pulled her closer, and the blood that soaked the front of her shirt soaked through to his shirt and jeans. “Baby come on; you need to open your eyes.”

  “Reed!” Aran shouted over him. “This is the lady from the mini-mart.”

  “Kristen please wake up…” Reed could feel a sob coming but he forced it down. He needed to stay strong, but how do you stay strong when the one you love was dying?

  Aran bent down and picked up the unconscious lady, throwing her over his shoulder. “Reed we need to get the back to the house, come on.”

  Reed slid his arms under Kristen’s body and picked her up off the ground. “It’s going to be okay… you’re going to be okay.”

  * * *

  Darkness began to fade as consciousness returned, and Kristen could feel an agonizing pain shooting throughout her body. A scream ripped from her throat, and she tried to move her body, but her body felt heavy and her eyes were like lead. She squirmed and fought, but hands kept restraining her and pushing her back down. Frightened, she began to kick and buck her body wildly.

  “Don’t hurt me, please!” She cried.

  “Kristen everything will be okay…” A soft voice faded into the background.

  Kristen tried to force her eyes open at the sound of the familiar voice, but the pain she felt brought a stream of stinging tears to her eyes. “Please stop! It hurts!” She screamed.

  “I’m going to need a little help. She’s moving around too much.”

  “Stop! Stop, stop, stop…” Kristen started screaming as she thrashed her body around.

  “Kristen you need to hold still…”

  Kristen stilled her body the best she could, and squeezed her eyes shut tight. She wished for the darkness to come and consume her again, but the pain shooting throughout her body was too much. It felt like someone was taking a knife and digging it into her. The tears managed to escape her eyes, and as much as she wanted to open, she was afraid at what she might have seen.

  “Almost got it, but you’re going to want to hold her down for this part…”

  ‘Got what? What are they doing to me? Why do they need to hold me down?’

  Suddenly she felt another stab of pain flow through her body, but ten times more excruciating. Kristen’s eyes flew open and she sat straight up. Everything was a blur as she looked around the room in a panic, but as her eyes began to focus, all she could see was blood- there was blood everywhere, and when she looked down at her body, her breath caught in her throat. Her clothes were soaked in blood, and her skin was stained red. It was like something out of a horror movie. She screamed as loud as her voice would allow her to, and then everything began to blur into a dark pit of darkness.

  * * *

  Reed sat across the room staring at Kristen’s unconscious form. She had fainted after seeing all the blood covering her, and he did not blame her. It looked like something from a damn nightmare. Jesse had dug the bullet out of her upper left shoulder- the bullet had lodged into her collarbone and cracked it. The kid sure knew what he was doing though, but it was not an easy task with using a kitchen knife and whiskey. At least he was able to stitch it up,
but Reed knew that it was going to scar horribly.

  He sat back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. He did not know what to do anymore. He was never good at fixing things, and it felt like everywhere he went something bad always happened. Right now, it was Brady, and who knew what kind of trouble he was going to bring to him and his friends? Now he had a crazy woman to deal with. Who was she and how had she found them?

  “Aye bro, it’s time.” Aran walked into the room and glanced over at him before looking over at Kristen.

  Reed gave him a curt nod before standing up. He walked over to the bed where Kristen laid, and lightly kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room. Reed followed Aran downstairs and into the living room where they had taped the woman up next to Brady. He was done messing around with them. No more games. He has had enough, and this time he was going to get the answers no matter what it took.

  As He and Aran approached, the woman looked frantically at them, and then tried to wiggle her arms free of the tape. Reed casually took a seat in front of her and folded his arms across his chest. “You can stop trying to break free, because it’s not going to happen lady.”

  “Screw you!” She spat furiously at him.

  “Who are you, and why did you try to kill Kristen?” Reed bit out, ignoring her scowl.

  The woman quit struggling against the tape and sat back in the chair but said nothing.

  Reed jumped to his feet. “Why did you try to kill her?” He raised his voice, making the lady jump in her chair.

  “Hey, she attacked me first.”

  “Bullshit.” Reed snapped.

  “Look. All I wanted was to find Brady. That’s it.” She placed her palms up in a surrendering gesture.

  Reed narrowed his eyes. “You’re lying.”

  “No, I swear.”

  Reed leaned forward, and it brought him into her personal space. With his eyes narrowed he spoke through gritted teeth. “You better start talking, and I mean real quick. Or you’re going to end up like your pal there.”

  “You… you wouldn’t hit a woman!” She said aghast.

  “Don’t test my patience sweetheart.” He said bitterly. “Now talk.”

  She sat there looking between him and Aran. Fear clear on her face that he could not help but smile on the inside. Finally, they will get somewhere without having to hit someone- even though he desperately wanted to hurt this woman for shooting Kristen.

  She let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, but if I tell you who I am, will you let us go?”

  “This is no time for trying to negotiate lady. Now start talking.”

  “My name is Scarlett, and I work at…” She paused for a moment. “…I work at the Las Vegas Facility of Science.”

  The room grew quiet for several seconds, then Aran stepped in. “What were you doing at the grocery store in Barstow then?”

  “I was meeting Brady, but then we got stuck in the store together when a group of those things tried to attack us.”

  “Why did you act like you were from there? And what was the point in helping us?” Aran walked across the room and sat down next to Reed. “Especially since you just tried to kill our friend.”

  “I still have my humanity you know. I did not mean to shoot her, but she attacked me. And as for Brady, we did not want anyone to know we know each other. I was ordered to go and pick him up and bring him back to Vegas.”

  “Who ordered it?” Aran pushed.

  “I don’t know…” Scarlett let her head fall.

  Reed stared at her as he considered the information she had given them so far. He knew there was more, but would she tell them? Or would she try and lie like Brady? She knew who Brady was trying to protect? There was only one way to find out, and he was certain that Brady had told her something by now.

  He leaned forward on the sofa. “What is Brady hiding? And who is he trying to protect?”

  Scarlett’s eyes grew wide, and he knew then that she knew something. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  As much as Reed wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, he decided to play it cool. “Well then, I guess we’ll all just be taking a trip to Vegas.” Reed smiled sinfully and turned to face Aran. “What do you think man? A trip to Vegas to see the city lights?”

  “Oh, hell yes. I have always wanted to go to that one casino.”

  “Dude there are like a dozen casinos.”

  “No!” They both stopped and looked back at her. “I mean…”

  “Just face it lady. You either tell us what you know, or face whoever it is that you two are protecting.”

  “Alright, but please. If I tell you what you want to know, you must promise not to take us there. They’ll know we told you.” Scarlett said defeated.

  “We just want to know what’s really going on.” Aran said.

  Scarlett slouched in her chair. “It was a virus that we were working on-”

  Reed cut her off. “We already know that part, we want you to skip to the parts that you two are hiding.”

  She looked up at him and stared at him intently. “This virus was no accident.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “The government came to us about a year ago. They wanted to see if we could create a virus that could spread fast enough to start a zombie outbreak.”

  “Why the fuck would they want to do that?” Aran said.

  “Because in an event of it actually happening, they wanted us to have a cure.” She said simply.

  “So, let me get this straight. You wanted to create a cure for a zombie outbreak in case one ever happened?” Reed looked at her doubtfully.

  “Yes, but in order for us to do that, we had to create the virus first.”

  “You fucking idiots.” Aran stood up and began pacing the room.

  Reed let out a sigh. That information was not any better than what Brady had given them, and from the sound of it, it was only going to get worse. A zombie outbreak? Really? He should have guessed by the way people were being attacked and coming back to life after they had died. He did not know what to do with this information, and he was not sure he wanted to ask any more questions, but he needed to do something. He needed to keep his friends safe and alive. They were not going to die because of the government and their stupid mistakes.

  “So how did it get out of the facility?”

  “That’s why we need Brady. The outbreak got out from his department.”

  Aran stopped pacing and looked over at Scarlett. “Have you even begun finding a cure?”

  “Again. That is why we need him. It was his lab that was working on the virus, and to find the cure we need the virus.” She looked between Reed and Aran.

  “Well we’re going with you.”

  “You can’t. There is no way that they will let you in, and they will kill us. This is supposed to be top secret. The government controls this. We do what they say. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

  “Well this shit just became public lady.”

  “Look, Scarlett. We are not staying here to die, and we need to know exactly what the government has planned.” Reed stood up from the couch and stared down at her. “We are going.”

  23

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kristen sat in the front seat of the SUV while she waited for her friends. Now that they had two extra passengers, the seating in the vehicle was going to be tight. She ended up sitting in the front seat due to her shoulder, and the risk of it being bumped into. After she had fainted from the sight of all the blood, she had slept all day and night. They had lost a day from her injury, but it had given them more time to find supplies.

  She looked out the window at the early morning light. The sun was still resting behind the mountains, and all Kristen wanted to do was go back to sleep. She was tired of running. Tired of chasing after people who were trying to kill them. She just wished that she could close her eyes, and when she woke up, everything would be back to the way it was.

  Julie climbed
into the backseat of the SUV and let out a deep breath. “Well this is going to suck. I don’t want to sit next to those two.”

  “Why can’t they ride in the back instead of Jesse and Zac?” Kristen did not like having them in the vehicle period and would rather tie them to the top of the SUV.

  “I wish, but there is already no space back there with all the stuff. Jesse and Zac are the smallest, but it’s still going to be a tight squeeze.”

  “Oh…” Kristen let her voice trail off.

  They both sat there in silence and waited for everyone else to climb in the vehicle. Aran climbed in next to Julie and pulled her onto his lap. The back of the SUV opened for Jesse and Zac to get in, and Kristen wished that they would just hurry up already. She wanted to get rid of these two and find someone who was not going to try and kill them- if there was still anyone with their sanity left.

  “What’s taking so long?” Aran shouted over his shoulder towards the back.

  “We have a problem.” Reed called back.

  Kristen rolled her eyes and climbed out of the passenger seat. ‘What could possibly be wrong now?’ She thought as she walked towards the back.

  When she reached Reed, she looked down and found the problem. “You seriously have to be kidding me. A flat tier?”

  “I know, right? But at least this time we have a spare, so it shouldn’t take too long.” Reed said reassuringly.

  “Well, doesn’t that mean we have to unload everything from the back?” Kristen tried not to sound annoyed, but she was beyond.

  “Aran come give us a hand.”

  Kristen walked over to the curb and sat down as they started unloading the back of the SUV. She felt helpless with her shoulder and wished she could help just to get things moving faster. It was still dark outside, and not to mention chilly. She looked up to where Scarlett was sitting on the curb in front of the back-driver’s side door, and she seemed to be talking to Brady who was sitting behind the driver’s seat. Kristen could not help but wonder if they had something to do with this, and if they were planning to escape again. She did not want to take any chances of that happening, so she stood up and walked towards them.