by Levi, Casey
“How much longer do you think until we get there?” Kristen asked as she moved between the driver and passenger seat.
“I’m not sure. He did not really give us much to go on. I mean, for all we know this-”
“Wait, is that it up there?” Julie leaned over Kristen and pointed at something up ahead.
“It looks like it…” Reed pushed on the gas.
Kristen and Julie both sat back in their seats, but Kristen slide more towards Julie so she could look out her window. She stared at the tall white building as it came into view. The place was massive, and she had no idea where they would be able to pull in. The building was blocked off by a twelve-foot fence, and she doubted the front gate would be wide open. There was no way of climbing that fence either, or what would they do if there was a guard at the front entrance? Would they let them in? Or even give them the time of day? She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out as she sat back in her seat.
“Oh shit!” Reed and Aran said in unison.
Kristen and Julie both sat forward at the same time to see the horror. A diesel truck carrying gasoline came flying towards them, but at the last second it swerved to the right and crashed right into the fence. The fence gave without a fight, and they watched as the truck crashed right into the side of the building. An explosion erupted on impact, and it caused all the glass to blow out of the cars’ windows. Kristen felt the stinging pain as glass cut into her skin, and she leaned forward to cradle her head with her arms. They sat there, waiting for the nightmare to be over.
25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kristen was not sure how long they had sat there in the car. She could not hear anything over the roaring flames in the distance. Buzzing filled her ears, and everything seemed to slowly drown out until all was quiet. She slowly uncovered her head and looked up. She watched as the building lit up in flames, and black smoke soared across the sky. She could not believe it. The last chance they had was now burning to the ground.
Frustration filled her from the inside, that all she wanted to do was scream. Everything that they had been through- all the losses. Their friends. It was now in vain. Where else were they going to go? Who else would have answers? What if there was no one left to find a cure? What if there was no one left at all?
“Kristen are you okay?” Reed swung her door open and grabbed a hold of her, but she could not hear anything.
She climbed out of the car. “What do we do now?” She yelled over the buzzing in her ears.
“I can’t hear anything!” Julie yelled.
“What!” Aran yelled towards her ear.
The four of them stood there in silence and stared at the fire as it grew higher into the sky. None of them could hear a thing, so there was no point in yelling and causing more noise than what there already was. They just stood there and watched as the building burned to the ground. Kristen was not sure where they were going to go from there. They had no food. No water. No nothing. It was lost back in Jean, NV and now the science facility was gone.
Suddenly a thought crossed her mind and she looked over at the burning building. ‘Why was no one running out?’
If there were people in there- people who were waiting for Scarlett and Brady, then where were they? Could their story had been nothing but another lie?
“Reed where is everyone?” Kristen turned to face him.
“What!?”
“Where is everyone!?” She shouted louder.
Reed furrowed his eyebrows but then his eyes opened wide as recognition dawned on him. They looked back at the burning building, but nothing but the roaring flames met their gaze. The four of them started walking across the now broken fence and across the lawn towards the entrance. It looked worse up close, and the heat burned into Kristen’s skin as they walked by it. It smelt like pure gas and she found it hard to breathe.
The buzzing in her ears began to fade, and slowly everything was coming in clearer. She was thankful that she was not deaf from the explosion.
Once they got to the front of the building, Kristen stopped just a few feet away from the entrance. There were people gathered around the doors, hitting, and scratching at the glass. Kristen looked around the area in a panic, but there was nothing to bust the windows open.
“We have to help them.” Kristen said, looking frantically at her friends.
“What about the car?” Aran suggested.
“That might work. Stay here.” Reed took off running towards the car.
Kristen ran forward and was trying to tell the people to hold on and to step away from the glass before Reed came with the car, but the people were not listening to her. Thinking that the glass was too thick, she tried to do hand signals to wave them back, but still nothing.
Aran suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her back as Reed went flying through the grass. She felt panicked and looked back at the people to see if they had moved out of the way, but she let out a cry.
‘Oh no! Those are not people.’
She pushed away from Aran. “Reed, NO!” She screamed out, but it was already too late. Reed crashed into the front entrance at full speed, glass shattered all around the car.
Everything stood still for a split second, nothing seemed to move, but then it all happened so fast. Kristen ran towards the car to help Reed get out, but he had opened his door and practically fell out to the ground. The people who had been inside began to stumble out of the building, and some even crawled through the broken glass towards them.
Kristen reached down to grab a hold of Reed’s arm when a woman reached out from underneath the SUV and grabbed a hold of her arm at the same time. The woman bit down into Kristen’s forearm, and Kristen screamed as she ripped her arm from the woman’s mouth. She helped Reed up from the ground, and he grabbed her hand as they took off running towards the broken fence.
“Wait! Where is Aran and Julie?” Kristen turned around, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“We need to go.”
Reed pulled on her arm, but she heard their screams. She looked back, but Aran and Julie had already disappeared underneath the crowd of people. Kristen tried so hard not to cry as Reed pulled her out onto the road, but the tears would not stop.
She and Reed ran along the side of the road as fast as they could go. They needed to get somewhere safe. Anywhere. But she could not even see past her blurry vision, and she kept having to wipe her tears away from her eyes. The bite mark on her arm burned, and she tried not to think about how much time she had left until she turned. She knew that she needed to tell Reed, but the thought of everyone being gone and soon she would be gone, meant that Reed would be alone. That though only made her tears come faster and harder. She had tried so hard, but she had failed him. Failed her friends and failed herself. She could not believe that she had gotten bitten, and that this was how her life was going to end.
“Kristen it looks like there is a house coming up.” Reed squeezed her hand tighter, and even though it hurt, she welcomed his painful embrace.
They ran up the front walkway of the house, and up to the front door. Reed twisted the knob, and thankfully it was unlocked. They walked through the front entrance towards the living room that sat on the left side. She helped Reed sit down on the sofa, and he pulled her down into his arms.
“Are you hurt?” Reed pulled her away at arm’s length to look over her. His eyes trailed over her body, and she shook her head in sorrow.
“Reed, I’m so sorry…” Kristen sobbed into a fit of tears and held up her arm for him to see.
“No. No, no, no, no. You’re going to be okay… it’s going to be okay.” He shook his head and pulled her back into his arms.
Kristen sobbed into the crook of his neck. She did not want to leave him. He should not have to go through this alone, but now he would be. She wrapped her arms around him to hold him tighter, and she dug her hands into his shoulders to pull him closer. She froze when her hand ran over a warm sticky spot on his upper right shoulder, and s
he pulled away from him. She leaned up to look over his shoulder and when her eyes landed on the mouth size wound, she felt her heart break.
“Oh Reed…” Kristen covered her mouth.
Reed let out a sigh and pulled her into his arms again. “We’re in this together no matter what.”
“We’ll be gone by tomorrow…” Kristen silently cried against him, but for once it was not because she was angry, hurt, or sad. As selfish as it would seem, she was crying because now he would not be alone. “Reed I’m scared.”
“I’m scared too…”
Kristen and Reed sat there on the sofa for who knew how long. She knew that they would be gone soon and come back as an unholy creature of the dead. Her friends were gone; Brady, Scarlett, Jesse, and Even Zac were gone too. All gone. Now, she and Reed were soon to be gone. She honestly never thought dying would be so peaceful. She thought there would be more pain, but she felt nothing. Nothing at all. She had cried her tears away and anything that had been on her mind was now gone. She did not want to think about their losses, or the what if’s. She just wanted to spend her last moments with Reed.
She leaned away from him so her lips where only a few centimeters from his. She softly pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. When both began to gasp for air, she pulled away. “Reed before we go, I just want you to know that I love you.”
“I love you too Kristen…” He kissed her tenderly once more before whispering into her ear. “I’ll see you soon.”
