Forgotten Origins Trilogy - Box Set: Infected, Heritage, Descent

by Tara Ellis

  Seth and Benuk appear to be having a sort of silent face-off. I suspect Benuk uncovered something about the base, during the time he spent investigating things over the past years. Seth holds his ground for only a few moments, and then smiles knowingly at Benuk.

  “What do I know? Well, it’s a hard place to crack, which really irritated the higher-ups in the Mudameere. They only managed to get a few low-level plants inside and then lost all contact after the first couple of weeks, after the Holocene virus. If there’s anyone still there, they aren’t playing anymore.”

  “Well, that’s good to know,” Kyle says sarcastically.

  “Actually, it is,” Chris adds calmly. “Jim,” he continues, turning back to the older man. “Do you know if the lab where they’re producing the antiviral meds is shielded, too? Or could they be in the dark now?”

  “Oh absolutely,” Jim answers immediately. It’s a good thing too, because I stopped breathing when Chris asked the question. I didn’t even think of that!

  “The lab, and all of its sub-buildings, is housed at one of the other two bases I mentioned, in North Dakota. The only way the EMP is going to hinder it, is in getting the finished product back to us. I imagine they’ll figure it out though. There are some brilliant people working there.”

  “Zane said that it would take at least twenty-four to thirty-six hours to produce the first batch,” I remind everyone. “So maybe they’ll have some at the base by the time we get there.” My greatest, unspoken fear now is that while myself, Benuk, and most likely Seth are immune to an airborne version of the NephiII virus, no one else in the room is. The Holocene virus didn’t infect Chris due to his native-American heritage, but this is a completely new ballgame. We already know that this virus is much more virulent, or contagious, and has a higher initial death rate. Around 10% died from the Holocene virus when they first got sick, but so far, 30% are dying from the NephiII. At least, that’s what happened during the Mudameere experiments. We can always hope it’s not so bad in the general population.

  “I’ll see if we have some face masks somewhere,” Jim offers, seeming to realize for the first time that he’s at risk of becoming a Shiner. “And I’ll go talk with Randy and Stratton about getting four more horses readied.”

  I assume that Randy and Stratton are the two guards still here. “Do you want us to come help them with the horses?”

  “No, it would be best if you go through the kitchen and gather anything that we can take with us. I know there’s still one case of water left in the garage, if one of you can get that and then divide it up among you.” He’s already heading out the back door, calling out the last of his instructions over his shoulder.

  My muscles scream in protest as I push myself up from the comfortable couch. I guess my enhancements don’t come with the benefit of not getting sore from exercise. However, I notice that while still painful, they don’t hurt near as much as they did just an hour ago. I know that my friends won’t be so lucky. We all need sleep. First, though, we have to get prepared.

  Almost everyone follows my lead and we slowly make our way into the large kitchen, but Benuk hangs back and steps out onto the back deck. Looking up at the sky, he shields his eyes from the lowering sun and turns in a circle, searching for the ship Nibiru. I’ve been trying not to think about its presence, my mind already attempting to shut out its existence.

  “It is gone,” Benuk states simply, when he comes back in and joins us as we rummage through the cupboards.

  “Where do you think it went?” Missy asks, her eyes wide.

  “It is likely surveying the planet for mineral content and location, and perhaps engaging other EMP bursts to the rest of the world’s population.”

  “I know that RA thinks he’s being a powerful god and all,” Seth says with a hint of amusement. “But the EMP is really sort of counter-productive. It’ll slow us humans down and make life much more difficult, but it will also slow down the spread of the virus.”

  He’s right. All transportation has shut down now, so it will be just as difficult for the Shiners to get around as it is for us. RA probably figures that ultimately, it will prevent us from rallying together and make it easier to infect us all eventually. Time doesn’t matter to him. What he must not realize though, is that we are currently making antiviral meds that can stop the Nephi virus. In the end, this EMP might really help us. Smiling now, my mood suddenly much lighter, I pull out a box of granola bars and toss them onto the growing pile in the middle of the floor.

  “Yeah,” Chris also agrees, after thinking it through. He looks briefly at Seth, and I can see that he’s struggling with not wanting to like anything about him. I understand how he feels.

  “I think we have enough food here for more than a week,” Nate observes, stepping back from the hoard. “Let’s put some of it in our backpacks and then we’ll need to find another bag for the rest of it. I’ll go get the water from the garage.”

  After we divvy it up and stuff the rest of it in a duffle bag, Nate comes back with the water, and we drag it all to the back deck. Jim finds us there and adds his own, large military style bag.

  “I found several boxes of N95 flu masks,” he says happily. “They’re in there, along with some camping gear. We still need to go out to the barn and get a couple of tents and sleeping bags. I talked with the guys and they’re rounding up and saddling the horses. They both agreed that the senator would absolutely want as many of his horses with him as possible. They might come in very handy later on. One or two might need to have their shoes changed out, so luckily Randy knows how to do it, because I sure don’t!”

  I’m finding myself more and more appreciative of Jim’s presence and attitude. I’m feeling like this trek, while long, is possible and we have a good chance of reaching the base in a week. Once there, we can work with the senator and his people to help distribute the antiviral meds and fight back against the Mudameere and their Shiners. We’ll show RA that we’re a race worth saving and one that won’t bow down to him.

  “So we should be able to leave in a couple of hours.” Jim’s last statement interrupts my thoughts and dampens my mood. I have to get some sleep!

  “Jim, most of us are barely running on fumes right now. We’ve had less than three hours of sleep in two days,” Chris explains, echoing my concern. “It’ll be dark in a couple of hours anyway. Don’t you think it would be better to leave first-thing in the morning?”

  Nate and Kyle throw themselves down on the stack of bags, threatening to sleep right there. Jim looks a bit sheepish, pushing his glasses back into place and rubbing his hands together. “Oh! Of course, I’m sorry. I’m just eager to get started, is all. But you’re right. It will be dark soon. Why don’t we BBQ some burgers and then get a good night’s rest? We can leave at dawn.”

  My mouth waters at the mention of meat. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. Thank God, this is a working ranch with cows. We all agree on the plan and spend the next few hours gathering all the supplies and cooking a big dinner. After stuffing ourselves with as much food as possible (most of it will go bad soon anyway), we decide which rooms we’ll sleep in.

  “I will stay up,” Benuk offers, before anyone can voice the concern that I know we all share. None of us trusts Seth. “I had a full night’s rest yesterday, and I require little sleep.”

  “If you need a break, I can take over,” Jim tells him. “I slept pretty good last night.”

  Content with the arrangements, we head for the guest rooms. Chris hugs me briefly before we part and I allow myself to lean into him, appreciating the comfort that his arms around me brings. A physical pain I don’t quite understand lingers as he pulls away and says goodnight.

  Missy is smiling at me when I enter our room a moment later. “What?” I ask her, trying to pretend as if I’m not flustered, but the flush in my cheeks gives me away.

  “Oh … nothing,” she replies, eying me closely as I lay down on the bed next to her. “I’m just glad that you have someone to
lean on. We all need that, you know.”

  “I have you to lean on,” I tease, pushing her over. “Anyway, I don’t think Kyle would mind at all, if you were to let him get a little closer.” Baxter jumps up on the bed, wanting in on the conversation, and plops down right between us.

  “Naw, it’s not the same as you and Chris,” she says quietly, looking away.

  Baxter puts a paw on Missy’s leg and then whines at her when she looks back at him. Grinning, she scoots over to give him enough room. Content now, he makes a point to lick my nose fist, and then Missy’s.

  “Eeew!” she complains, wiping at the slobber. “Your breath stinks!” Chuffing, he lays his head on his paws and closes his eyes, the discussion over.

  Smiling, I pet his head, thankful to have him with us. It helps make being separated from Mom and Jake a little easier. I know that they’re safe, but I’m still worried. I hate being away from them again.

  “You know, your hair is getting really long,” Missy observes, before I can respond to her comment about Kyle. Reaching out to play with the long strands, she expertly twists the ends into a quick braid. I realized right away, after recovering from the Nephi virus, that it’s fuller and healthier looking. But she’s right, it seems a couple of inches longer now.

  “Missy, I don’t know how, with everything that’s going on right now, that you can even notice something like that,” I admonish. Shrugging it off, she sleepily tells me goodnight before turning over to face the wall. I can tell by her deep, rhythmic breathing that she’s asleep in less than two minutes.

  Blowing out the candle we brought in with us, I lay back and look around the darkened room. With everything that happened today, I actually went a few hours without thinking about my abnormalities. But faced now with my night vision, I’m clearly reminded.

  I don’t know why Missy’s comment about my hair is bothering me so much. Maybe it’s because it’s just one more thing that makes me different from the person that I used to be and with who I was familiar.

  I really don’t know who I am anymore.

  FIVE

  It’s been three days since we started our journey, and I’ve never been so sick of horseback riding. If it didn’t hurt so much to walk, I’d be doing more of that and spending less time in the saddle. We’re all in pain, but we don’t have any other options. I guess it could always be worse.

  Thankfully, the weather has continued to be what you would expect in Montana during the summer. Hot during the day, and cool enough at night to be pleasant. We probably would have been just fine without the two tents we’ve been packing, but I think it gives us an added sense of security and makes it easier to sleep.

  I watch as Chris, Kyle, and Nate finish setting up the larger military style tent that the guys have been sharing. Missy and I are building our smaller dome tent, while Benuk and Seth gather firewood. We got this simple routine worked out by the second day, and we’re already getting efficient at making and breaking down camp.

  Jim spends the evenings before dark scouring his maps, making sure we’re still on track, and looking for any other possible trails that will cut off miles. He’s been extremely accurate so far. We stayed on the main road to start out, which headed East near Bigfork. Twice so far, he’s located short cuts that have taken us over hills rather than around, and we always come back out on the road right where he says we will. I guess the senator was big into hunting and pack rides, so he invested in every topographical map available for the area. Thank God for these small miracles.

  The unmistakable smell of a campfire draws my attention to a cleared area where Seth has already created a circle of rocks. He’s currently working on fanning a small flame and feeding it with smaller bits of dried pine needles and bark. Thanks to my heightened senses, I hear and smell every little thing out here. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but at least I like this particular scent. I quickly cross the space and kneel down opposite him, taking over the blowing while he continues to place increasingly larger pieces of wood.

  We soon have an impressive fire and I lean back from the heat, smiling at our success. I catch Seth watching me through the flickering flames and my smile falters. I can’t seem to help but feel vulnerable whenever our eyes meet, like there’s some unspoken secret that only he knows.

  Standing, I brush the dirt from my hands and go to help Chris and Kyle prepare dinner. What looked like so much food a few days ago is now just a random collection of snacks that don’t really fit the definition of a meal. They’ve spread out a blanket and arranged the options in the middle of it.

  “Well, we definitely have to go for the jerky,” I say, picking up the baggy of meat and tossing it at Chris. Come to find out, Senator Zane makes some incredibly good beef jerky.

  The first night we ate some thawed out hamburger patties and the second night some lukewarm hot dogs. I was a little nervous about those, but Benuk insisted that they wouldn’t make us sick, if we burned them enough. That’s all we’d need.

  “Actually,” Chris says, setting the jerky back on the pile. “We’re going to want that for lunch the next few days. We don’t have much of it left. I think we should make peanut-butter-and jelly tonight.” My mouth waters a bit, as I eye the meat, but of course, Chris is right. We have to save enough protein to last the rest of the trip.

  Reluctantly picking up a half-smashed loaf of bread, I nod in agreement. “Peanut butter is always good,” I reply, trying to stay positive.

  A short time later, we all sit around the fire in the gathering darkness, hungrily eating our sandwiches and some apples. The horses snicker and whinny at each other in the opening beside us, grazing on the long grass. That was one of the determining factors for our site for the night. We’re in heavy evergreen woods, deep in the Rocky Mountains, and it’s important to keep the horses properly watered and fed. Jim packed a bag of oats to help, but that will be gone by tomorrow.

  We’re alongside a gorgeous lake with spots of open meadows so it’s an ideal location. Jim explained that there’s another, smaller lake not far from here. We should be able to reach it by nightfall tomorrow, if we keep up a steady pace. I trust him now when it comes to that kind of statement. We’ll set out at sunbreak, and keep riding hard the way we have been for the past three days. We’re halfway there.

  Chris is sitting silently next to me, deep in thought. I can tell by the expression on his face. Although it’s nearly completely dark now, I can clearly see him. I’ve noticed the past couple of days that my night vision is getting better. That the darker shades of gray have gotten lighter and I can make out more detail.

  “Your eyes have gotten lighter.” Startled, I realize that Chris is now staring intensely at me. Guess I was actually the one lost in my thoughts.

  “What do you mean?” I ask warily, hesitant to discuss my physical changes. Especially if they’re continuing to change. It makes it a little harder to accept things and move on if it’s still evolving.

  Leaning in so close that for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me again, Chris reaches out to hold my face. Tilting it a bit towards the light of the fire, he nods, seeming to have confirmed his suspicions. “They’re not violet anymore,” he explains. “Well, not in the middle at least. They’re turning more of a light blue but the edges are still violet so that it makes an outer ring.”

  Curious, Missy leans in from the other side to scrutinize me. “Oh, you’re right!” she gasps, moving in front of me. “They look really cool.”

  Pulling away from them, I stand and then stagger back a step. “It’s not cool, Missy,” I manage to say, not sure why I’m so upset. “What if I’m turning into a Shiner?” I ask without even realizing what I was going to say.

  Taking my hand to prevent me from walking away, Chris stands next to me. “I’m sorry, Alex,” he says sheepishly. “That was pretty thoughtless of us, but I don’t think you need to worry about suddenly turning into a Shiner after all this time. It’s probably just your body still reacting to the an
tiviral meds. Maybe you’ll even go back to normal, eventually.”

  I know he’s trying his best to be encouraging, but it isn’t helping. I can feel a rising sense of panic, of a complete and total lack of control over my own body. Baxter whimpers softly and comes to sit next to me, leaning into my legs. Reaching down to pet his head, I try to find comfort in the gesture and fight the anxiety.

  “That Nator guy said that the Nephi virus in you wasn’t contagious anymore, when that thing scanned you,” Seth says from across the fire. Looking at him, I struggle to remember the conversation he’s referencing. “I’m sure that if the virus were still actively doing things, it would have picked up on it, right?” he asks, turning to Benuk.

  After a brief pause, Benuk nods his head in approval. “You’re right. Alex would have never been permitted to leave the quarantine scan if any active threat were determined.”

  Looking from Seth to Benuk, I want nothing more than to believe them. It makes sense. My heart slowing a bit, I take a deep, cleansing breath and try to think about it rationally. What am I really scared of? I mull it over for a moment. I guess what it comes down to, the most terrifying aspect of the Shiners are their inability to feel any emotions. That and the connection to a hive mind is what makes them inhuman and threatening. Okay. I certainly am not lacking emotions right now. If anything, it’s just the opposite. And I still have absolutely no clue how they all seem to communicate with each other and carry out the same mission or plan without any apparent guidance.

  Once I acknowledge how obvious it is, it’s my turn to feel bad. I sit back down next to missy and warp my arms around her. “I’m sorry, Miss,” I whisper into her hair. “This all just freaks me out.”

  Turning into my hug, she squeezes back and I know she’s not upset with me. Missy’s dealing with a lot right now, too. Not only is she separated from her Mom and sister, but also her dad. He was taken by the Mudameere and then infected, the day before we got to the senator’s house. I know what it feels like to lose a parent to this virus.