All The Beautiful People (A Dread Novel Book 1)

by Jonathan Yanez

  Cidney was matching her father’s longer stride with a fury of pumping legs. They would make it. Taylor found herself almost smiling. They would make it.

  Frank ran inside the elevator, unable to stop his forward momentum and colliding with the back wall.

  Captain Martin was now only a foot ahead of the doctor and his daughter urging them to run faster.

  Behind them, the infected discovered the escaping victims. It was angering them beyond degree. With a massive group howl they followed in pursuit, hounds from Hell itself, chasing their prey.

  It was going to be close. The elevator door was struggling to close every five seconds. Taylor timed their run by falling in sync with their pace. If she timed it right, they could make the safety the elevator promised with the doors closing behind them. When they were only feet from the elevator door, Taylor removed her hand from holding the doors open. “Hurry!” she yelled.

  In the next moment Captain Martin was in, then the unthinkable happened. A hand from a downed yet not dead diseased victim shot from the floor catching the doctor on his right ankle.

  Taylor was able to make eye contact with Thomas Jenkins as he fell to the floor. The doors were already sliding shut. He knew this. No scream escaped his lips as he began to fall, the crowd of infected behind him reaching to ensure a failed escape attempt. We wasted no energy on fear, and used his last strength to propel Cidney forward. The entire time, his eyes never left Taylor.

  With Cidney flying toward her, Taylor knew what the doctor was asking. Take care of my little girl. You’re all she has.

  Cidney tumbled into the elevator. The doctor went down under a pile of bodies.

  The elevator doors closed.

  CHAPTER 24

  “We should go bac—”

  Taylor silenced Frank’s suggestion with a piercing glare. As much as she wanted to go back for Cidney’s father, it was already over for him. She saw the open mouths of the diseased as he fell. He was gone. Suggesting they go back now would only put Cidney through more pain. False hope would be salt in her open wound.

  The battle-hardened leader was a mess. Not only had the captain failed his mission, he had lost every single person in his unit. The guilt of surviving the ordeal when so many hadn’t was already taking its toll on his conscience.

  The doctor was gone, and with him, the hope of finding a cure for the insanity spreading across the globe. As they ascended to the top floor, the world could be seconds away from its total destruction for all Taylor cared. All that mattered now was the trembling little girl by her side.

  Cidney’s hair was a tangled mess; her clothes were red with the blood. Varying degrees of crimson ran over her shirt, threatening to cover the pun on her top. Her head was tilted down, trying to hide her shed tears, her tiny hands fervently seeking to wipe the blood off her shirt.

  Taylor’s interaction with children was limited to giving crying babies’ parents dirty stares at her local grocery store. In floundering for something to say to Cidney, she remembered what her mother had told her while she was recovering from the loss of her best friend. Sometimes we don’t need to say anything. Sometimes just being there is enough.

  Taylor knelt on the elevator floor beside Cidney. Without a word, she drew the girl in close. Cidney melted in her arms. Her soft sobs meant more than if she were bawling for the world to hear. Her hands stopped trying to clean the blood from her top.

  “It was—it was his favorite shirt. He gave it to me.”

  Another wave of tears made it impossible for Cidney to continue. Her body quaked with grief as she wrapped her arms around Taylor.

  Taylor set her jaw, promising herself that she wouldn’t cry. Despite her best efforts, tears filled her own eyes. She was too strong to cry, she reminded herself. Although she didn’t allow a single drop to fall from her own tear ducts, she felt Cidney’s grief as though they were one.

  Everyone was lost in his or her own moment. Frank determining what they would do next, the captain in disbelief at his failure and loss of his unit, Cidney swimming in grief, and Taylor forced to revisit the experience of her own pain when her friend died so many years ago.

  Like four people being woken from a nightmare at once, the elevator’s slow, steady ascent came to a halt. The familiar ding of doors opening dropped them off at the building’s top floor.

  As much as Taylor wanted to remain kneeling beside Cidney and hold her, she knew their survival balanced on a precipice. Holding his combat blade ready, Captain Martin stepped into the dark hall. Frank followed, holding the doors open for Taylor and Cidney.

  Tearing herself away from the girl was harder than she expected. She held on to Cidney’s shoulders at arm’s length. Cidney looked up at her, her eyes pools of sadness, already reddening and swelling from the intensity of her sobs.

  “Your father was a great man, Cidney. We aren’t going to let his sacrifice be in vain. We are going to stop this disease and the world will know, like you do, that it was because of him. We’ll find a way.”

  Even as the words left her lips, she wasn’t sure what she said would bring any comfort to an eight-year-old girl. Whether it was Taylor’s words or Cidney’s own internal fortitude, the girl composed her sobs and nodded.

  Taylor took her by the arm, following Frank and Captain Martin out of the elevator. Darkness cloaked the hall with shifting shadows. The only illumination came from the row of large windows to their right. Their numbers whittled down to only four, the last survivors of the night searched the floor for the roof entrance.

  Taylor’s gut twisted when Frank pointed to the end of the hall and a door that led to the stairwell. If this was going to be anything like what they had experienced downstairs they were in for another fight. Down to only her long blade and Captain Martin’s combat knife, the odds were not in their favor.

  Captain Martin stopped in front of the door. Recovered at least for the moment, his mind was struggling to come up with a solution. Putting the deaths of his men behind him was something he was capable of, however he wasn’t able to do it yet. The massacre of his men was a wound too fresh for him to simply glance over.

  Trusting Cidney’s grip to Frank, Taylor leaned forward and pressed her right ear to the door. The cold metal sent a shiver down her spine. She held her breath as she listened. Nothing.

  Even so, she needed to be sure. Her heartbeat was the only thing sounding in her ears. She strained to catch anything that would hint at danger on the other side of the door; the shuffling of feet, the clicking of teeth, anything. All was quiet.

  With effort, Taylor drew the long, wet blade from her sheath. She didn’t want to open the door and expose the group to yet another onslaught, but what choice did they have? The roof was only a few feet above them. This was the only way.

  “I’m going to open the door. If anything comes at me, you two get Cidney out of here. Get back to the elevator.”

  Frank took a long swallow and nodded. Captain Martin readied his knife without saying a word.

  Taylor took in a long, slow breath. It seemed a large quantity of adrenaline was in constant supply to her since they had left the doctor’s house. Now, as she readied herself to open the door, a new rush of adrenaline flooded her from disheveled hair to bloodstained boots.

  Her left hand made contact with the long metal handle of the stairwell door. In situations like this, Taylor found dealing with the moment of tension quickly was far better than dragging it out into minutes of self-inflicted agony. With a violent shove, she swung the door back from its jamb. Rushing in knife raised, Taylor was met with silence. Heart beating like a drummer at a rock concert, she lowered the knife. A breath of air she didn’t know she was holding escaped from between her dry lips.

  Taylor poked her head back through the doorway. “We’re good. Let’s move.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Cidney had cried herself to a level of exhaustion that was soon followed by a fitful sleep. Using her backpack as a pillow, the little girl was twitching
and muttering under her breath. Standing on the rooftop next to her, Taylor wasn’t sure what to do. Was she supposed to stroke her hair? Would that make her feel better? Maybe wake her up? Rescue the child from whatever dream she found herself in?

  Before Taylor made a decision, Frank rescued her from her dilemma. “Well, I guess that’s that.”

  “What is?”

  Frank shrugged, taking a spot next to Taylor on the empty roof. The top of the building was home only to an assortment of gray vents and air conditioning units. Captain Martin stood guard at the door that led back into the stairwell. With nothing to barricade the entrance, he resorted to using his own body. Back leaning against the steel frame, the captain stood quietly, drifting in and out of his own thoughts.

  “I mean my laptop is gone. And so…” Frank took a long, sad look at Cidney who now assumed the fetal position, her arms wrapped around herself, and lowered his voice, “…so is the doctor. All we have left is what I can remember. I don’t even know what happened to his books and notes.”

  They were thirty minutes early for their transport back to Lazarus, filling the empty void of time with their doubts and misgivings. Taylor was dealing with an army of her own inner demons. Frank was only voicing what they were all thinking.

  “I don’t know, Frank,” Taylor said, gazing over the rooftop edge. The night was clear and crisp, like a million others had been throughout history. Still, this one would be different. This night would be remembered as the beginning of the end, if there were anyone left to remember it at all.

  Power was out to most of the city, leaving only darkness. A dozen or more fires glowed in the blackness, offering smoke to be lost in the vast open sky.

  “We’ll find a way,” Taylor said.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I’m not. But if we could make it this far against the odds stacked against us, I think we can make it a bit farther.”

  “Do you think he’s going to be okay?”

  Taylor followed Frank’s gaze across the rooftop to Captain Martin. It was true the man was sinking further into himself. Previously, he had stood tall with a commanding presence and air of authority. Now, with shoulders hunched and eyes down, the only thing he looked fit to lead was a funeral procession.

  Taylor had seen it too many times; a leader feeling the guilt of his charge. Either failing his assigned mission or losing men in the process. In the captain’s case, both.

  “Give him some time,” Taylor said. “He’ll be fine. It just happened. He has two choices now and he knows it as well as we do. He can mourn, then use his anger to come back stronger, or he can let this haunt him and fall into the depression of his own thoughts.”

  “That’s brutal.”

  “It’s the truth. He’s strong. He’ll be fine.”

  Frank squinted with concentration. “What’s that noise?”

  Taylor lifted the left corner of her lips in a lopsided grin. “It’s the best news we’ve had all day. Our ride is here.”

  In a few minutes, the faint noise of blades chopping through air grew. Cidney was roused from her exhaustion-induced sleep. She wasn’t afraid of the noise, Cidney was calm as she awoke. “Are they here?”

  Taylor nodded.

  Soon the group could see an array of flashing lights and a small figure in the sky took shape. The transport chopper grew larger. Two fifty-caliber guns mounted on either side of the helicopter told her Lazarus was prepared long in advance for an event such as this.

  The noise was deafening as the massive transport touched down yards from their position on the rooftop. Cidney grabbed onto Taylor’s leg and hunched over to prevent herself from being blown off the roof. Taylor and Frank also doubled over against the force of the rushing wind.

  Taylor knew better than to look for the captain. He would hold his protective stand at the door until they all boarded. One of the men on the chopper jumped to the ground in a crouch and waved them forward. Cidney’s grabbed Taylor’s hand and they bent low, dashing into the swirling force.

  Cidney, Taylor, and then Frank entered the helicopter. As soon as he saw the others were safely aboard, the captain ran from his vigil at the stairwell door.

  Less than a minute from touchdown, the helicopter was in the air again. Cidney was fearless, leaning as far as her seatbelt would allow. Frank was the complete opposite, tightening and retightening his belts to ensure maximum safety. The captain was handed a headset by one of the machine gun operators and was already barking into his mouthpiece, exchanging information.

  Though it was far too loud to hear what they were discussing, Taylor made an educated guess: the status on their mission, where they were headed, any news on what was becoming of mankind’s future.

  High above the world with a view reserved naturally for birds, Taylor didn’t require a conversation to know how the rest of humanity was faring. The scene she witnessed from the top of the building as they waited for their transport was only a taste of how bad things really were. The blackouts that seemed so small and contained, now encompassed entire sections of the city. Blocks upon blocks of blacked out buildings, deserted streets, and empty sidewalks spoke volumes on the world’s condition.

  Distance also skewed the fires Taylor had observed. As the miles lessened between the helicopter and the flames, Taylor noticed the fires were not contained to single buildings or cars but entire complexes. In one case, a stretch of vehicles that were once lined bumper-to-bumper were now on fire. Even with the chopper maneuvering around the smoke, Taylor inhaled the acrid smell of ash in the air. She could taste the smoke as much as she could smell it, the odor painting the inside walls of her mouth until she had to spit.

  The helicopter ate up the miles between their building top and Lazarus Pharmaceuticals faster than Taylor thought possible. It was apparent speed had been impressed upon the pilot previous to his departure.

  She saw the group of large buildings comprising Lazarus Pharmaceuticals first. Tall structures, beacons of light in their ever-darkening world. It didn’t surprise her to see Lazarus’ building lit while the rest of the world around them was blanketed in darkness.

  As they came closer, it became painfully obvious something was wrong. Cars were lining the streets in every direction, ending at the check-in gate she and Jason had used earlier that morning. An event that now seemed like days ago.

  Clearly word had gotten out. Any place with power and guards patrolling the grounds seemed like a great destination for anyone fleeing the infected.

  What seemed like controlled order above was not, in fact, the case below. As the pilot maneuvered the helicopter over the tallest building, the familiar sound of automatic firearms rang out. She had been foolish to think the facility had remained untouched. Despite the activities happening down there, the diseased had not breached the barriers but at what cost, and to whom?

  CHAPTER 26

  “Captain Martin briefed us on the way in,” Wade explained, his eyes on Cidney.

  The man looked older and older each time Taylor saw him. Mentally, he was bearing the events well, still in charge, still helming the wheel as they plunged deeper into the unknown. Physically, he was a wreck. His clothes were wrinkled, bags hung under his eyes, and even now he held a steaming coffee cup in his hand. Taylor found herself wondering when was the last time the man had sat down.

  “You must be Cidney Jenkins,” he said.

  Cidney nodded.

  “Well, Cidney, I’m sure you’re tired and hungry. I can have Melissa get you something to eat and maybe a bed to relax. Does that sound fine?”

  The group was in a large room with multiple assistants and techs hurrying to and fro across the carpeted floor. Screens and monitors hung from the walls every few yards. The constant chatter in the room was barely louder than a whisper.

  As Wade made the request, a tall, young female—her appearance not much better that Wade’s—separated herself from the amoeba of workers in the background. The woman dropped to a knee and did
her best at a smile.

  “Hey, sweetheart. Would you like to come with me for a bit?”

  Cidney pressed her body against Taylor’s leg.

  While asking anything from a girl who’d recently lost her father seemed nothing less than cruel, Wade needed to debrief them all and what was to come next had to be discussed. Taylor placed her right hand on the girl’s bony shoulder.

  “Would it be okay if she stayed in the same room with us? Maybe we can set her up in a corner with some chairs or something?”

  “Of course,” Wade replied. “Melissa?”

  Taylor knelt down beside Cidney and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I won’t be long. You’ll be able to see me the entire time, okay?”

  Cidney let out a quivering breath and nodded. In a quick motion, she unslung her backpack and handed a pink strap to Taylor. “Here. It has everything you need in it. My dad was such a smart man.”

  She walked across the carpet and stood in front of Melissa. The two walked to the end of the room to make Cidney a place to rest. Wade motioned the rest of the group to a square table where Jason sat in front of two monitors.

  Jason raised weary eyes from the screens and smiled at the group. “I’m glad to see you all. Captain, I’m so sorry for your men.”

  A nod was all Jason received from Captain Martin for his remark.

  “What happened to your eyebrows?” Jason asked Frank.

  “What?” The boy genius raised a dirty hand to his face, rubbing his hands over the spot. “I—I don’t know.”

  “If we could please stay on point,” Wade said, more of a command than a question.

  “Of course,” Jason said. “I’m just glad you all made it back safe.”

  Wade leaned against the table with both hands and stared at its smooth surface. “We’re in a bad spot. The doctor was our last best chance at coming up with answers and a cure for what is really going on here.”