Thinking of the story of ten-year-old Rafe in a tree, Charlie grabbed multiple rolls of paracord to add to her pack. Rafe saw her and smiled, realizing why she was grabbing it. She was trying to learn from what she saw Rafe do and the stories he told her. Charlie knew that Rafe was determined to protect her. However, she wasn’t the type of girl to sit around and hope a man did what is needed. Strong and smart, those were words Charlie thought described her. Determination sat in her heart to prove to Rafe that she could be a partner to him, not a responsibility.
They loaded the truck with their additional supplies. Rafe filled the bed of the truck with boxes of MREs he had found in the storage room of the camping supply store. Charlie laid down a tarp in the back seat and showed Storm where to lay down. The dog jumped up with no assistance and laid down exactly on the tarp. She looked at him for a moment, trying to think about what they would do with him when they got back to the compound. First, she dug into the cooler of food and gave him one of the turkey sandwiches she had made. He swallowed it before Rafe and Charlie were in the car.
“Poor pup, he’s probably not seen a normal meal in a few days,” Charlie said, looking over the seat to where Storm laid.
“He has you wrapped around his paw already,” Rafe mentioned.
“He’s been quite helpful, don’t you think?”
“As long as he doesn’t bring fleas to the compound, he’s ok,” Rafe said.
“This pretty boy doesn’t have fleas. I know it.”
Without a word, Rafe pulled into a small parking lot with a few shops. One read “Pretty Paws," a high-end pet store. He looked at Charlie with a smirk and pointed.
“We’re gonna need some supplies for a dog. I’ve never had a dog at the compound.”
Charlie was excited to shop for their new addition. Storm jumped from the truck to join them. And Charlie already found herself looking to him as an early warning alarm. The dog walked to the building as Rafe went to the front windows. The business had not been ransacked yet, so everything seemed intact. But Charlie knew that wouldn’t stop Rafe from being very sure that everything was clear. She stood back as Rafe crouched with a small pouch in his hands. After a few moments at the lock, he had the door open and Storm walked in sniffing along the way. When he didn’t bark and just came back to the doors, Charlie and Rafe entered with him.
Walking the aisles Charlie filled the cart she had. Rafe began to transfer bags of what seemed to be the best dog food out to the truck. Storm was well behaved, staying right with Charlie and never trying to wander off or pull things off of shelves. If something caught his attention he would stand near it and whine to get Charlie’s attention. She added whatever he wanted to her cart. Storm soon had a large collection of squeaky toys, bully sticks, pig’s ears, and bones. Charlie also added every bottle of shampoo for long hair dogs to the cart. Looking down at the dog covered in infected blood, she knew the process of bathing him would be a long one.
They loaded back into the truck after they scavenged what they believed the essentials were. To ensure the business would stay intact a bit longer, Rafe locked the door behind them. Charlie didn’t suspect that any business would be reopening anytime soon, but if the doors stayed locked maybe they could come back and get more items if they needed them for Storm. The dog in question put his muzzle next to Charlie’s shoulder and she stroked him softly, watching Rafe.
“He’s got skills,” Charlie said to Storm. The dog just nosed her cheek and Charlie laughed.
“So do you. Don’t be jealous,” she laughed.
Rafe climbed into the truck just as her laughter echoed in the cab. He looked at her strangely and Charlie felt blood rise in her cheeks.
“What?” He asked.
“Storm is jealous of you,” Charlie said.
“A dog? That we just met?”
“He needed people. Clearly, he’s made us his,” Charlie said, and Storm nosed her cheek again.
“Well, I don’t know that we needed a dog. But whatever you want to do,” Rafe said.
“He’ll warn if there are infected around like before. Maybe we didn’t know we needed that. But I think we know that now.”
“Ok,” Rafe answered because he clearly didn’t want to argue with Charlie about the dog she was making hers.
Rafe pulled the truck away from the pet store and headed away from town. Charlie stared out of the windows at the effective destruction of their city. She couldn’t believe that this one pathogen, started by one sick person, had grown the way it had. She thought about Aiko getting out of the facility. She remembered that all it took was for Aiko to have one bite and she died of the illness a day later. Death was what started the change and she came back moments after that. Charlie assumed people that died completely changed even faster, not going through the illness phase. That made the destruction faster because the infected feasted on whatever living person they could find.
“Where did you go?” Rafe asked.
“Hmmm? Just thinking. It happened so fast. I wouldn’t have thought it could spread like this.”
“No, me either. But no one would have known how to fend off the sick in the beginning. That only multiplies the amount of infected on the hunt.”
Charlie agreed and went silent again. Internally she was beating herself up over her part in this. As soon as she felt things were off, she started taking pieces of information away from the facility. But it was never enough to clearly explain anything. Her plan had always been to get more information off of the main terminal. There were always other doctors around. Thinking back, she realized she wasn’t ever sure who to trust in her lab. She knew how she had been hired and sometimes they talked about their lives and pasts. In the end, though, Charlie couldn’t be sure that none of them were reporting directly to 'The Suit' and his people.
They arrived at the compound with no additional run-ins with the infected. During their drive, Charlie could hear the sounds of gunshots and even explosions in the distance. Rafe didn’t intend on being a one man hero and continued to home. She had a feeling that not saving the people in the alley bothered Rafe, but he would never admit it to her. One thing that was clear about him was he didn’t wear his emotions easily. She knew to see his co-worker as an undead infected had bothered him greatly. But he refused to speak about it. At least with her. Inside she accepted that they didn’t even know each other.
Storm bounded out of the truck when Charlie opened the door. He ran to the nearest grass spot and relieved himself. Then he stood and sniffed. The cows mooed from their pasture and Storm’s head looked that way. Charlie wondered if he had ever seen larger animals or if he was a home animal only. She walked with him to the barn area, letting him sniff around the cow pasture, pig enclosure, and chicken coop. He barked once at the rooster who tried to attack the fence as Storm stood there and Charlie laughed. The rooster clearly liked no one.
“It’s alright, boy, that rooster is a mean thing. You just stay away from there, you hear me?” Charlie said.
Storm’s ears twitched in Charlie’s direction as he looked at her with his head cocked to the side. It was almost unnerving how it seemed he understood every word she was saying. She reached down and scratched behind his ears and his tongue lolled from his mouth. Rafe met them there with his hands full of shampoo bottles and the brushing implements Charlie had brought.
“Maybe we should give him a bath. I’m assuming you’re going to bring this beast into the house,” Rafe said jokingly.
“Of course. Where else would he sleep?” Charlie asked, her voice innocent, though she knew she was needling Rafe.
“My father never allowed animals in the house. Animals weren’t for pets,” Rafe said.
His admission made Charlie sad for a moment. Clearly, his childhood wasn’t a normal bright one that most children had. However, he didn’t seem upset over that. When he spoke of his father and his childhood it was very matter of fact.
“Well, dogs are pets. But they can also be protection. So, having
him in the house is just another level of defense. Think of it that way,” Charlie said.
Rafe shrugged and made his way to where the hose was. Charlie insisted on towels so Storm wouldn’t be too cold after the shower. After much scoffing, Rafe went into the house to retrieve old towels for the dog. They sprayed the dog down and used an entire bottle of soap on his coat. Storm didn’t help them much in the process by shaking every time they put water on him or when he was covered in soap suds. Rafe had many curse words to use as they were soaked by the dog's antics. Charlie just laughed, not only at the dog but at Rafe’s face and the soap that stuck to his short hair.
Once clean, Storm’s coat turned out to be more white and silver than Charlie had guessed. He was mostly bright white with some silver around his face and down his back.
“He’s such a beautiful dog,” Charlie said, and Storm promptly rolled around in the grass
“When he’s clean,” Rafe answered, making Charlie laugh again. Rafe smiled at her and it caught her off guard. It was a genuine smile, instead of the smirks he gave normally.
“Why do you think the infection doesn’t spread to him?” Rafe asked suddenly.
The image of Storm’s teeth embedded in an infected crossed Charlie’s mind and she understood why Rafe asked. She looked at the dog for a long moment as her thoughts processed, trying to understand a pathogen she couldn’t even study. She put together what she knew from the infected mouse, to Tammy becoming infected. All it took was a bite from the mouse. For Tammy to infect Aiko, she had to bite her. But both she and Rafe had been in contact with blood from the infected. Neither of them showed any signs of the pathogen. Then there was Storm, who clearly had ingested blood and who knew what else during his fights with the dead.
“Without studying anything, I can only create a general hypothesis,” Charlie started. She looked up to see that Rafe’s smirk had returned.
“Well, Doctor, enlighten me.”
“Something mutated at the time of transfer from the infected mouse to Tammy. I guess we’ll never know what, since the mice were destroyed right after the incident. This pathogen must only pass to humans now. The mutation doesn’t go the other way. And it’s possible the blood isn’t a vector for infection. Only the bite of the infected is. Something in their saliva meeting the blood of an uninfected, creating the chance for the infection to spread,” Charlie explained.
“That’s a general hypothesis? You must be dangerous when you have real data to work with,” Rafe joked.
“I’d like to think I was good at what I did,” Charlie replied.
“I need to handle the evening chores. Why don’t you take the beast inside and let him see where he’ll be sleeping,” Rafe said.
Storm ran in front of Charlie up the steps to the house. In the mudroom, he waited patiently as she took off her boots and set her purse down. She wasn’t sure why she wanted it from her locker. Maybe someday they would need their government-issued ID’s again. For now, most of everything inside was useless. It just felt personal to her. She also found where Rafe had put a bag of dog food in the mudroom. The bags of items she had taken were all lined up along the wall. She sorted through and found the food dishes she got. Thinking, she decided Storm could eat inside the house too, so she found a place for his food mat and bowls. The dog sniffed around her and what she put down. He seemed to perk up when he realized there was going to be food involved.
Water was first, and Storm immediately began to lap at the bowl Charlie set down. She watched him for a moment, feeling satisfaction in taking care of the animal. She wondered if that was how Rafe felt about his cows. Next, Charlie filled the bowl with a few cups of food. Unsure of what Storm needed, she looked at the bag for directions. He sniffed at the food for only a second before digging in. It made her smile, feeling like she was completing such normal daily chores. Instead of feeding the dog that had helped them kill the infected just a few hours before.
Rafe had grabbed a dog bed and Charlie thought that was a sign that he liked the dog more than he admitted. She placed the big pillow in the corner of her bedroom. Being honest with herself, she felt better having him nearby. Rafe had tight security, but could anything really be better than the instincts of a dog? Storm, finished with his dinner, padded into the room. He constantly sniffed around, everything being new to him.
“Hey, Storm, this is your bed. See here?” Charlie said as she patted the cushion.
Storm came to her, pushing his head into her, looking for affection. She willingly gave it to him, then showed him the bed again. The dog got on and circled a few times before laying down. He put his muzzle on his paws and looked at her as if to say “I did as I was told. Am I a good boy?” Charlie gave in and ran her fingers through his clean, soft fur.
That night, Rafe whipped up a surprisingly delicious meal of tomato basil soup, with produce he had grown. He accompanied it with chicken thighs, green beans, fresh salad, and canned apples. Charlie moaned as the food hit the spot of her hunger. Storm was laying at her feet as they ate. He never begged and Rafe tried to argue the table was no place for a dog.
“We aren’t exactly living a typical society setting right now,” Charlie pointed out.
“True.”
“We barely know each other and we’re living together,” Charlie said with a laugh, causing Rafe to join with his own deep laugh.
“You aren’t wrong. Ok. I’ll let you do whatever you want with the dog.”
It was only a few minutes later that Charlie caught him passing Storm pieces of chicken.
In the kitchen, as they put away leftovers and cleaned, Rafe started the conversation about them needing to know each other better. He asked Charlie to tell him about her family since he had spilled so much about himself already.
“Well, I’m pretty much alone when it comes to family. My parents died a few years ago, a car crash. I found it sad of course, I was heartbroken. But then it was very motivating. I always wanted them to be proud of me. We were close. I don’t have siblings. That’s why I find it interesting when you talk about your sisters.”
Rafe’s eyes went distant and he looked away. Charlie caught the change in his attitude and put down the towel she was using and turned to him.
“What is it?” She asked.
“Nothing,” Rafe answered his standard response often enough.
“Rafe, I feel like at this point we have to consider ourselves friends. We have no one else right now. Tell me what’s bothering you,” Charlie said softly.
“My sisters. It’s been a few days. Alex could have been here by now if she saw the reports when we did. I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling.”
“I’m sure they are fine. Getting out of town and on the road will probably be hard. Look how bad the roads are around Kalispell. Even for a smaller place, some roads were completely blocked by cars.”
“That’s probably it. I know they should be fine.”
Charlie was about to say something consoling but Storm let out a low growl by the door to the mudroom. It stopped Charlie and Rafe in their tracks. Rafe looked at Charlie before looking at Storm. They waited to see what else he was going to do, already learning to listen to his reactions. His hackles rose, he crouched as if ready to attack, but didn’t bark.
“Infected?” Charlie asked.
Rafe turned off the light in the kitchen, allowing them to see into the darkness outside. Charlie’s eyes quickly adjusted, though she couldn’t see anything moving in the yard. Rafe walked from window to window, finding nothing. He then went to his room to check his monitors. He came back a few minutes later, joining Charlie back at the door with Storm. The dog was still growling low in his throat.
“None of the alarms have tripped, there’s nothing on camera.”
“Are you sure the alarms are set?”
“Uh, yes. I set up the system personally. Everything is set accurately. Nothing can come through the gate or over the walls without setting off an alarm,” Rafe said.
“
Not trying to insult you. But we’ve seen Storm in action. Something is bothering him.”
“Could be an animal on the other side of the wall,” Rafe suggested.
Charlie had to admit that was possible. She stood, her hand on Storm’s head, waiting to see if anything came out of the shadows. Nothing appeared, and Charlie had to coax Storm from the door. Rafe and Charlie agreed it was probably something on the other side of the wall causing him to be protective. His senses were heightened and would probably smell the rotting odor of the infected if they wandered into the trees around the compound. Charlie brought Storm to his bed and pet him for a few minutes before crawling into her own bed. She fell asleep as Storm paced her room.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Patient Zero continued her hunt through the residential area she had stumbled into. Her bite was infectious, and she had feasted on numerous bodies since she was released from her prison. The body that used to be a healthy and vibrant Tammy, was now covered in a ripped and bloodied nightgown. Her skin had grayed, and scratches were ripped through her arms where her prey had tried to fight back. She felt no pain as she walked, looking for the next attack.
Her foot was turned unnaturally inward, causing her step to falter and sway. In her dead mind, nothing told her that there was something broken. Instead, it only sent signals of feeding to the body. The woman had been clipped by a car when she tried to attack a family inside. The injury didn’t stop the need for prey. She drug the broken foot along as necessary.
Each of her limbs moved as if controlled separately, yet somehow the infected was able to stay on her feet and move forward. The noise of crying made her change her direction quickly and she almost stumbled. But the body caught itself and headed directly for where the crying sounded. She found herself with other infected attacking people that were trying to fight out of a business building. Patient Zero had no need for the infected around her. They were just in her way. She pushed her body through the throng, fighting to the front to sink her teeth and nails into warm flesh.
Alive (Sundown Series Book 3) Page 12
