PRIME

by Samantha Boyette

  “We can leave through the basement,” Grace said. “This city has a street map of tunnels underground if you are in the know. We use these tunnels to get us as far as possible. If we get a mile away from the hospital, we’ll be past the worst of it. We know those things out there are drawn to us. We can move more quickly than they do, and if we are underground they most likely won’t sense us moving until we’re gone.”

  “Sounds simple enough,” Jake said.

  “Too simple,” Zero said. Anger boiled inside Jake and he resisted the urge to slap Zero’s hand away when he reached out and turned the blueprints to look at them. “Where do these access points lead to?” Zero asked, obviously oblivious.

  “Bits of the subway system, sewer system, and other government buildings,” Grace said. “What are you worried about?”

  “Access doors mean access to the zombies too, if they are getting smarter,” Quigley said.

  Zero nodded. “Exactly. We could end up in a worse position.”

  “Without being able to go out, our food supply will last another month at best,” Grace said. “The gas for the generators probably won’t even last that long. At Coda there’s enough food to keep a full base fed for a year, it’s regulation. For us that would last at least two. Also, they have solar panels that power battery banks.” She stopped and looked around for anyone to argue.

  “It’s not going to be easy getting there,” Cale offered the closest thing to an argument.

  “Not at all,” Grace said. “But it’s our best bet for the long run. Do we all agree?”

  Alice and Quigley nodded immediately. Jake and Cale were slower to respond, both still obviously weighing the pros and cons of the idea. “Zero?” Grace asked.

  “Give me a second.” Zero sat pouring over the maps, his fingers tracing over all the possible routes.

  Jake looked with surprise at Grace. Why on earth was she asking Zero’s opinion? The damn women had all gone mad. Jake turned and walked to the window again. A hand rested on his arm. Jake almost jumped at the unexpected contact. He looked down to see Alice looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

  “You okay?” she asked softly.

  “Of course,” Jake said. He glanced over his shoulders at the others, but they were all leaning over the maps with Zero. He reached out to rest a hand gently on the soft curve of Alice’s back. “How’re you holding up, sweetie?” He managed a smile.

  “Alright.” Alice stared out the window at the dead below them, but Jake was only looking at her. He had to fight to keep his hand steady on her back. Every nerve in his body wanted to move it lower. “I’m a little scared about leaving.”

  “Haven’t we always kept you safe?” Jake asked. Alice looked up at him and smiled. God, she made him feel like a teenager.

  “Jake?” Quigley called. When Jake turned, Quigley was watching them. “Why don’t you guys come back?”

  Jake let his hand fall away as Alice turned and headed back to the others. She leaned in close to Zero, and Jake clenched his teeth.

  “I think it’s our best option.” Zero slid the map away. “But once we get to Coda we oughta look into the transmission Cale reported. We gotta find a way to end these guys. Don’t know about any of you, but science isn’t my thing.”

  “We agree then,” Grace said. “Any transmission Cale received may have been received at Coda and automatically stored, though as far as I know there is no one left there.”

  “Will the zombies have overrun the place?” Cale asked, leaning back against the desk.

  “I doubt they’ve overrun it,” Grace said slowly.

  “She’s right,” Quigley said. “We’ll find some dead men I believe, and perhaps a handful of zombies trapped inside, but so far ours haven’t shown the intelligence you witnessed at Culex. We can only assume those within Coda are there by chance. Once we are there we can seal ourselves tight into one of the main buildings. Those buildings were made to withstand an offensive strike from overseas. I am sure they can handle these things.”

  “And if not?” Zero asked. Everyone waited for the response.

  “Then we’ll be no worse off than we are here. This building was a hospital first off, we took it over because it was central and so we could stop them from burning the bodies. It was never our intention to stay here.”

  “Good enough for me,” Zero said. “Alice, you trust these guys’ judgment?”

  “They’ve kept me alive so far,” Alice said with a smile. Jake returned it broadly. “My worry is the kids.”

  “It’s not too far through the sewers. Most of them should be able to walk it fine,” Quigley said.

  “I know that,” Alice said. “But they will be terrified, that’s my concern.”

  “I think you’ll find those children are tougher than you expect after everything they’ve seen,” Grace assured her. “They’ll be alright. They are better off scared than dead.”

  “Right,” Alice agreed.

  Still, it seemed harsh to her. The kids were virtually alone. The adults took turns keeping an eye on them, but none had parents. Most lost their entire families; there was only one pair of siblings among the survivors. Alice wished there was more she could do to help them. She saw Simon every time she was with them. Even in the small face of the only girl.

  11

  Haven Medical Base

  Simon sat in the empty library, reading in the dying light of the setting sun. He found ‘Lord of the Flies’ with only a little effort, read the back, and then sat to skim through the book. By the time he was halfway through he had begun to actually read and was quickly sucked into the book. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and the nonstop reading, but he continued on. He was thrilled by the story and terrified that they would become like the boys in it.

  He shifted in the overstuffed armchair. He was near the end and thought he’d finish before the sun disappeared completely. Of course, he could turn on the lights, but it wouldn’t be the same, not to mention it was one more set of lights sucking juice out of the battery banks. He could still turn them on though, and daily he thanked God for the solar panels.

  He was so engrossed he didn’t notice Dodge until he sank into the chair beside him. He smiled slightly when Simon jumped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “No, it’s fine.” Simon rubbed at his eyes under his glasses. They felt hot from staring at the book.

  “What are you reading?” Dodge asked and Simon tipped the book so Dodge could see the cover. Simon blushed slightly, but Dodge smiled wide. “Ah, a classic.”

  “I don’t think I ever heard of it, you know, before everything,” Simon explained. “I wanted to know what you were talking about.”

  “You’re a smart kid,” Dodge said. “Tech and Zeke weren’t lying about that. So, do you think we’re like those guys in the book?”

  Simon thought about it a moment, though in truth he already knew his answer. “No. Maybe a few of us are. I think we could have become them, but you pulled us back from that.”

  “That’s a whole load of confidence to drop on me.” Dodge brushed a hand over his hair. “Just remember, kid, we’re all the same. Ain’t none of us any better than the others, and we’re in this together.”

  “I know that.” Simon nodded.

  “Wanna come with me then?” Dodge stood. He still wore his clothes from the service. They were a rumpled mess.

  “Where are you going?” Simon looked up at him, unwilling to set aside the book.

  “Got some things to discuss and plans to make, you know.” Dodge shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I thought you wanted to be a part of it all, didn’t you?”

  “Are you sure?” Simon looked down at the book. “I don’t want to mess anything up.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dodge frowned down at Simon.

  “You said before that I wasn’t big enough to help,” Simon said, squeezing each word out. “I guess after what happened with Noah, I kinda agree with you.”

&
nbsp; “Simon,” Dodge said. Simon lifted his head to look at him. Dodge crossed his arms and sighed. “I pushed Noah. I made that mistake. You never would have done that.”

  Simon shrugged. “I just don’t want to be in the way.”

  “You’re not in the way.” A half-smile formed on Dodge’s lips. “You’re one of the bravest scrabs I got on my side. Twice now I’ve watched you stand up to Matt, and I like that. I don’t know where this insecurity is coming from, but I need you to shove it out your ass and come with me. Okay?”

  Simon hesitated only a moment. “Okay.” Simon stood, dropping the book on the chair. If Dodge had that much faith in him, then he would do his best to be worthy.

  Dodge led the way back through the library and out into the hall. From there they moved to the front door, shoving out into the early twilight. The evening was crisper than Simon expected. He shivered in his long sleeved t-shirt. It was strange to be out after dark for the first time since it all began. The base felt bigger and emptier than before. The wind seemed to move differently than it did during the day, and the stars above seemed to go on forever. Simon had forgotten how small he felt when he looked at them.

  Outside the walls he could hear the shuffling of the zombies. The ground was dry and their feet scraped on the hard packed earth as they moved aimlessly in circles. Each waited for a crack or an opening to appear which would allow them to make their way inside. Simon worried for a moment that Dodge was right; perhaps some of the zombies out there were actually plotting a way to break through. He pushed that thought aside, finding it too hard to deal with at the moment. In the distance, Simon could see boys silhouetted against the night as they watched the things shambling below. They had bigger guns than before.

  Dodge pushed open the door to the first townhouse in a long row. The entryway was warm; the night wind couldn’t penetrate the walls, and it wasn’t cold enough for the chill to work its way inside. They entered a small hallway and crossed to the living room. Dozens of candles flickered around the room, casting barely enough light to see by. Four faces turned to them as they entered. Simon was glad to see three of them. Zeke, Tech, and Tessa smiled up at him.

  “Hey.” Dodge sat on an empty couch. Simon glanced at the group before sitting beside Dodge. “Simon, do you know Tommy?”

  “No.” Simon shook his head. He recognized Tommy though; he was one of Matt’s crew. Simon thought he was the one Matt punched that morning, which explained why he was with Dodge.

  “He has an interesting idea for where we could be safe,” Dodge said. Across from Simon, Zeke pulled the remainder of a blunt from his pocket. “Not right now,” Dodge ordered. Zeke looked confused, but put the blunt away.

  “Whatever you say, boss.” Zeke leaned back on the couch, unfazed.

  “Where do you think we should go?” Tessa asked, bringing everyone back on task before anything else could be said. Tommy looked at Dodge, as if he needed permission to speak.

  “Go on.” Dodge nodded to Tommy.

  “Yeah, alright, well,” Tommy started. Under his blond hair, the tips of his ears turned red, apparently from being the center of attention. He was fourteen or so, tall and gangly like most boys that age. “I’ve been doing some exploring around, lookin’ for food or anything interesting really. I was in one of the labs in the hospital building, and I noticed a doorway behind this bookshelf. So I pulled away the bookshelf and took a look. I didn’t open it or nothing, but I was tellin’ Dodge that if the door was hidden behind the bookshelf, then probably it was something special. Like maybe the secret labs or whatever.” Tommy smiled proudly.

  “Now I like the principle of the idea,” Dodge began. Tommy’s face fell. “But for all we know it could just be an old closet. If it is something else, then Tommy might have just saved our asses.” Tommy smiled even wider at the praise.

  “What if there is a mess of zombies behind there?” Tech asked, not one to let any detail slide unnoticed. He pushed his glasses up his nose. “We might be opening the door to Hell.”

  “Princess has a point,” Zeke said with a nod.

  Tech scowled at Zeke. “Princess?”

  Zeke shrugged and grinned.

  Simon shook his head. “But if there were a bunch, we should be able to hear them through the door. Shouldn’t we?” He glanced at Dodge.

  Dodge nodded. “Should, unless that door’s as thick as I’m hoping it is. I’m thinking if it was hidden, then it might also be extra strong and meant to keep people out. Of course, like I said, it could just be a closet.”

  “But you think it’s something else?” Tessa leaned forward, elbows on her knees and hands clasped, as she waited for Dodge’s response.

  “I think so,” he finally said. “I’ve been through that whole hospital and through other parts of this base. I think it was more than any of you knew.”

  “It’s a medical base,” Tech insisted. “I mean, I remember my folks bringing me here when I was sick.”

  “Okay, so it’s a medical base and that’s it,” Dodge said. “Tell me why there’s such a stockpile of guns then?”

  “It’s a conspiracy,” Zeke said, smiling. “I knew it.” Zeke held his hand up to Simon, looking for a high five. Simon gave him a look and shook his head. Dodge smiled at that. Zeke shrugged and lowered his hand.

  “I doubt it’s as exciting as that,” Dodge said. “But there’s a huge weapon room tucked away in a back room at the rec center.”

  “At the rec center?” Tessa’s face paled. “Where anyone could just stumble onto them?”

  “No,” Dodge assured her. “You get to it through a false door in the back of the closet in the guys changing room. I locked the closet as soon as I found the weapons.”

  “How many weapons are we talking here?” Tech leaned forward curiously.

  “Enough to arm everyone here at least three or four times over,” Dodge said. “Also enough ammo to keep us going non-stop for a week or more.”

  “Wow,” Tommy said, wide-eyed.

  “Yeah.” Dodge bit his lip, eyes shifting like he wasn’t sure if he should continue. “The other room back there is where I’ve been getting the burn.”

  “You mean the base had it locked up?” Tessa asked. “But it’s illegal.” She blushed as soon as she said this, realizing how naive it made her sound.

  “And naughty,” Zeke added, grinning at Tessa. “Nobody tell Santa Claus or we’ll all get coal for Christmas. Wait, I think Christmas was canceled due to zombies, my bad.” Tessa hit him with a pillow.

  “Knock it off.” Dodge grinned. “I think it served a less sinister purpose than the guns. You know how people were always saying that it helped the sick? Like people with cancer or whatever?”

  “Yeah.” Simon nodded eagerly. “My dad did cancer research here.”

  “I figure it was here for that.” Dodge shrugged. “Or who knows, maybe the docs here had a real drug problem. It’s not really important.”

  “Yeah, a better question is why all the weapons if all they were doing was cancer research?” Tessa looked at Dodge, a strand of red hair falling out of her hair band. She tucked it behind her ear.

  “Your girlfriend is pretty smart,” Dodge teased Simon.

  Simon blushed and glanced at Tessa. He looked away quickly when he saw she was still watching Dodge. The words hadn’t moved her at all. Did she really just think of him as a kid? Panic fluttered through him, and all of a sudden the pleasure of holding her hand at the funeral felt worrying.

  Dodge continued. “There’s no need for that many weapons to research cancer. It’s a military base, so I expected it to have weapons on hand, but I wasn’t expecting anything that vast. As for what they were doing, it beats the hell outta me.” Dodge shrugged.

  “You think we’ll find what they were doing behind that door,” Simon guessed.

  “That’d be it.”

  Zeke grinned. “Sounds pretty twisted. When we heading down there?”

  “I think,” Dodge paused, as if realizing h
e was losing his commanding tone. “I mean, we will go down tomorrow.”

  “I’m in,” Zeke said.

  “You guys better believe you aren’t leaving me behind,” Tessa warned dangerously.

  “Um, can I come too?” Tommy asked quietly.

  “Everyone here is coming.” Dodge grinned and clapped Tommy on the shoulder. “That’s why I called you all here. Well except you Tessa,” he said with a smile.

  “He tried to get Zeke alone, but I knew he was up to something.” Tessa smiled proudly.

  Dodge nodded and looked around the room, sizing them up. “No one else hears about this until we know what’s going on. We clear?” Everyone nodded.

  “Good.” Dodge nodded back. “Try to get some sleep. There are enough beds here for everyone. I have to go check on the watch, but then I’ll be sleeping too.”

  Dodge left the apartment. It took a few minutes for the others to get moving, but soon they filed up the staircase and began to explore the rooms. There was a master bedroom with a huge bed, and then two smaller rooms. One of the smaller rooms had a set of bunk beds with colorful rails and blankets that could have been used in a circus tent. The other room had a single bed and a futon that folded out into a double bed.

  Tech and Tommy were elected to the bunk beds while Zeke took the single bed in the other room. Simon and Tessa stood awkwardly a moment before the futon. Zeke and Tech had unfolded it for them and scrounged up a couple pillows and a blanket. Simon glanced sideways at Tessa to see her biting her lip. One of them could sleep on the couch, but the sinking feeling in his gut told Simon that if he suggested it, he would end up down there. He couldn’t handle the idea of sleeping alone down there. Finally, he took a deep breath.

  “We could both sleep here, right?” he asked quickly. His words almost blurred together.

  “Of course,” Tessa agreed even more quickly. “It’s totally big enough.”