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

by Tara Ellis

  “How about you take me out to dinner?” Seth says flirtatiously to the nurse, as she turns to go. Even through the mask and protective clothing, it’s obvious that she’s quite attractive. When she shakes her head, he follows her to the door. “No? How about bowling then, or the movies.” The final request was to a closed door, and feigning dejection, he walks over to the small window.

  “Benuk!” he calls. “You up for a game of war? I got the cards.”

  Sighing, I double-check the IV bag to make sure it won’t run out for a while before going back to staring at the ceiling.

  ****

  “Alex,” the voice next to my ear is familiar, but I can’t place it at first. I feel myself being easily lifted, and strong arms cradle me. “Alex, it’s time for you to rest.”

  Benuk. My eyes flutter open and I confirm who’s holding me like a small child, carrying me towards an open door. Away from Chris. “No!” I gasp, pushing helplessly at his arms.

  It’s been days now since Chris slipped into unconsciousness, and I’ve lost track of time. Seth was finally let out of the room a day or two ago, and then the rest of our friends, so that I’ve been alone with Chris for hours now. There’s a rotating train of visitors out in the observation room, but I’ve been ignoring them. I haven’t been sleeping well, or eating much and probably not drinking enough either, so that I’ve weakened to the point that I haven’t gotten off the bed in over a day.

  “Yes!” Benuk says more forcefully. “You can’t take care of Chris if you’re sick, too. He’s going to need you when he wakes up.” I know he’s right, but it doesn’t matter. I’m terrified that I’ll never see him again. At least, not as himself, or the person who’s been there for me through this whole nightmare. I have to be here for him, too. I’m too weak to struggle though, when he hands me off to the nurses for decon. I get one last glimpse of Chris before the door closes, and then I break down into uncontrollable sobs.

  TEN

  It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since I was carried to the barracks we’re now housed in. Mom and Missy stayed with me, comforting me until I finally fell into a heavy, exhausted sleep. They made me eat a complete meal and drink several glasses of water the next day, before I was allowed to go back and visit Chris. Those visits are now limited to an hour at a time.

  At least the barracks are aboveground, but aside from the natural light, the rooms themselves aren’t an improvement from being in quarantine. It’s basically like college dorms, with shared bathrooms and a communal family room. Missy and I are in a room with two twin beds. Mom and Jake are housed in the one next to us, and Cindy and Natalie are on the other side. Lisa has her own room across the hall, and the guys are all on the opposite end of the building, with the centrally shared space separating us.

  It was touch-and-go for a while with Chris. Three days on a ventilator is a long time. According to Mom, the longer you stay on it, the more unlikely you’ll ever come off. But his lungs were clear enough by the fourth day, (the day after I was forced to leave) to remove the breathing tube. With a reduction of the drugs, he did start breathing on his own again, but he still hasn’t woken up.

  His bodily functions have been slowly improving since then and this morning, the doctor told us they’re withdrawing the rest of the sedating medications. If he’s able to wake up, then it will happen today, but there’s no way of knowing for sure what he’ll be like if he does.

  We were all notified a few hours ago, and have been gathered around his bed ever since. Well, those of us allowed in the room are. Me, Seth, and Benuk have already proven immune, so we don’t need precautions, and they finally let Lisa suit up. She spent the past week training with the nurses on how to do it all properly.

  Doctor Paul’s situated near Chris’s head with his ever-present clipboard, and the nurse Seth unsuccessfully flirted with has been coming and going. It’s been a long afternoon. The rest of our friends and family, including the senator, are scattered around the observation room. Even Baxter is there, glued to Jacob’s side.

  I don’t know how they managed to convince the staff to permit a dog in there, but I’m thankful for it. Jake isn’t talking much again, similar to back when Dad died. He isn’t as withdrawn, but it’s still bad. I know a person can only take so much, and his threshold is less than mine is at his age. He’s gotten really close to Chris, especially from when I was missing, and he looks up to him like a big brother. To lose him on top of everything else is something Jake just can’t face.

  Baxter was a huge part of helping Jacob before, and I can see that same bond is being renewed. Baxter looks up at me, meeting my stare. Tilting his head, he then nudges Jake’s arm to encourage him to continue petting his back. I give him a small smile, letting him know I appreciate his love for my brother.

  “Every time!” Seth’s complaint cuts through my moment with Baxter, and I look over at him, irritated. He and Benuk are huddled on the other cot playing god-only-knows what card game. I find the friendship that has formed between the two very interesting and unexpected. “How can you win all the time?”

  “The bigger question is why you continue to play with me when you know that I am going to win every time,” Benuk states calmly, as he gathers up the deck of cards. “Perhaps you will now allow me to teach you the techniques I apply.”

  “Never!” Seth retorts stubbornly. “Just deal the cards, man.”

  Shaking my head, I try to ignore their banter and reach out for Lisa’s gloved hand. She’s sitting opposite me and hasn’t moved since we got here except to ask the doctor questions. Even through the respirator, I can see that her eyes are swollen and red-rimmed. She was cautioned about crying while suited up, because it would cause the facemask to cloud-over. I’m amazed at the emotional transformation she’s gone through in just the past two weeks and it still encourages me. It means there’s hope for everyone else suffering the same side effects from the original Holocene Virus.

  This reminds me of Missy’s Dad, Ken. He was an alcoholic. Just like Lisa, after recovering, he was no longer craving the beer. But he wasn’t his usual happy, fun-loving self. We lost him back at the labs to the Mudameere, and there hasn’t been a day since that I haven’t thought about him. I promised Missy that we’d find him and I meant it.

  “Are you sure it’s all out of his system?” The doc is confirming with the nurse.

  “It should be by now, but his vitals are all still well below where we’d expect them to be,” she answers.

  Hugging the clipboard to his chest, I can see him squinting behind his mask, thinking. “Go ahead and hit him with the Atropine. I don’t like the numbers.”

  Mom explained to me the other day, that this was a drug she would commonly administer in the hospital for bradycardia, or a low heart rate. She told me that it was what they gave him before, when the alarms wouldn’t stop going off. My anxiety increases a bit more when I see that the nurse already has the syringe ready, as if she expected it. I don’t like this.

  “What’s wrong?” Lisa asks, clearly upset by it.

  “Not necessarily anything,” Doc Paul says reassuringly. “It’s not uncommon for things to need a jumpstart after such a long sedation. This won’t hurt him at all. It’ll just increase his vitals a bit.”

  “It’s okay, Lisa,” I add, ignoring my own misgivings. “Mom told me the same thing about it before.” She visibly relaxes, easing back in the uncomfortable metal chair. The nurse dispenses the drug into the IV line, and we all wait expectantly.

  While his heart rate quickly climbs up out of the 40s and into the 60s, and his respirations increase a little … nothing else happens. The tension building, Lisa looks up at the doctor questioningly.

  “It might take a while, but this is better,” he explains. “We just have to be patient.”

  “We don’t want to push him too hard,” Benuk adds. “He will wake up when he’s ready.” He and Seth are both sitting on the edge of the cot facing us now, the card game forgotten.


  Behind them, Kyle and Nate are both pressing their faces to the glass, trying to see their best friend. Nate pushes away and then wipes at his nose, his freckles standing out a bit more than usual under the dim solar lights. Kyle turns to him and places a hand on his shoulder, and I can’t watch as they give each other a quick hug for fear of losing my composure.

  My thoughts are interrupted by a nagging sensation tickling at the base of my skull. I don’t know what it is. Sitting up a bit straighter, I look around the room, wondering if my increased senses are trying to warn me of something. My odd, visual math phenomenon I’d been suffering from, disappeared after the Nephilim ship showed up, and I’m a little worried that maybe it’s coming back. While it has proven helpful several times, it was a huge pain and I really don’t want to have to deal with it again.

  Nothing seems out of place, and everyone else is acting normal. I don’t see anything odd visually. Confused, I rub absently at the back of my neck, trying to make the feeling go away. But that’s not where it is. It’s inside my head: a presence, or consciousness that wasn’t there before.

  Closing my eyes against the mounting pressure, instead of fear I feel hope. I don’t understand it, but there is a wave of awareness and familiarity welling up inside of me, raising to the surface and breaking. Gasping, I open my eyes.

  It’s Chris. At the same moment, his eyes flutter slightly, confirming my suspicion. Leaning in close, I place my hands on his chest and call out to him in my mind.

  Come back to me, Chris!

  “Alex.” I’m even caught off guard by the raspy voice whispering my name. We all jump to attention as he slowly opens his eyes and focuses on me. While I can see my own glowing eyes reflected back at me, his are still the soft, warm brown ones that I have come to love.

  ELEVEN

  “I feel fine. I don’t understand why they won’t release me if I’m not infectious anymore, and my vitals are normal.” Sunlight spilling into the room from the wall opposite Chris’s hospital bed causes me to squint as I study his face. He just got done having this same conversation with his mom and the doctor, who left a few minutes ago.

  After nearly a week of recuperating, and numerous tests, they finally moved him into a regular room above ground. He’s been symptom-free for three days, having made a speedy recovery once he turned the corner. It’s all similar to what happened to me, except that he doesn’t seem to have such drastic changes. But there are changes.

  “Chris, you know why they want you here. The doctor can feed you the line of monitoring you for another twenty-four hours, but it’s really because they’re scared. No one understands how this virus works, or especially how the antiviral meds interact with it. You’re clearly not a Shiner, but it did something to you. They need to make sure they’re clear on what all the abnormalities are before they let you loose on the base. Everyone is still terrified of me here. You should see how they look at me and cross over to the other side of the street when they see me coming.”

  Clearly frustrated, he turns away from me to stare out the window. He can’t see in the dark, but his vision is twice as good as it used to be. I wonder what he’s looking at in the far distance, across the open fields of the dead zone. His room has a great view. We’re on the 4th floor of the base medical clinic, which is operational as much as it can be without electricity. There are several other patients though, and the appropriate staff, so that it almost feels like we’re in a real hospital.

  “What did it do to me, Alex?” he finally asks, getting out of the bed and crossing over to the window to lean his forehead against it. “And why is it different than what happened to you?

  “Great question,” I answer, with a bit of an edge. “Maybe it’s because I’m a Nephume. I’ve been thinking about it. It would make sense that if this virus was originally created with Nephilim DNA, it could have interacted or reactivated the small amount that’s in me. I dunno,” I add, shrugging my shoulders. “We might never find out, Chris.”

  Coming back to sit next to me on the bed, he takes my hand. He never said anything about what happened right before he woke up and I don’t know if he even remembers it. I was going to ask him, but seeing how bothered he is by this other stuff, maybe I should just let it go. Who knows? It could have even been my imagination.

  “I’m sorry, Alex. I know it’s been hard for you too,” he says, making me feel guilty for not being more sympathetic. He’s always the unselfish one. If anyone deserves a little self-pity right now, it’s him.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” I correct him. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to being different, Chris. But it’s something we’re going to have to come to terms with, because there are more important things happening. The senator called a meeting for this afternoon and I got you cleared to go to it.”

  Smiling now, he jumps to his feet and I notice the familiar stealth with which he does it. His agility tests indicate that he’s experienced increased muscle mass and strength and I can relate to how it feels. “Great! I’ve been feeling like a caged lion. Is the meeting room far away? Could we run there?”

  Laughing, I grab at his arm and pull him back down on the bed. “You probably feel incredible, but you really do need to take it easy. We know the virus enhanced your vision, hearing, muscle tone and agility, but we have no idea if there’s anything else affected.”

  Moving so quickly that I barely have time to react, he twists his wrist free and takes hold of both of my upper arms, pulling me in close. “You’re right,” he breathes, his stare intense. “I do feel incredible. I’m more alive and aware of everything around me than ever before.”

  The rawness emanating from him is intoxicating, and the heat from where his hands are still gripping me is spreading like wildfire. My body reacts instinctually and I lean into him, though the rational side of me is screaming for me to stop. He isn’t himself right now.

  “You’re beautiful, Alex,” he whispers, kissing me hungrily at the hollow of my throat, and following the line of my jaw. Even as the feral groan is making its way to my lips, I place my hands on his broad chest to push him away. But before I can demonstrate my incredible willpower, the door to the room flies open. Startled, we both spin towards our group of friends standing awkwardly at the entrance.

  “Ummm, we could come back later?” Kyle says teasingly, a huge grin on his face.

  My face turning crimson, I jump to my feet and step away from Chris. “Don’t be silly,” I mumble. “We were just talking about, ah…” I look to Chris for help, but he’s just smiling at me, seeming to enjoy my embarrassment.

  “The weather?” Seth suggests. The tone of his voice surprises me. Was that contempt? Or maybe even anger.

  “Anyway,” Nate interjects. “Great to see you in the daylight, man.” Stepping up to Chris, he gives him a quick hug and pulls one of the few chairs in the room up next to the bed.

  “Here,” Chris offers, leaping with ease from the bed and nearly halfway across the room. “Take the bed, I’m sick of it.”

  “Crap man,” Kyle groans, pushing past Nate to lay down. “Now we’re going to have to get used to both you and Alex acting like ninjas.” Missy smacks him on the thigh as she sits on his spread out legs.

  “Be nice, Kyle,” she says, eyes narrowed.

  “Yes, Ma’am!” he replies, turning back to Chris. “So when are they going to let you out of here?” he asks, the rest of the tension evaporating.

  “Tomorrow. But Alex just told me I’ve been given permission to go to this meeting today. What’s it about?”

  “Some scouts just got back,” Nate explains. “I guess we’re going to be briefed on whatever info they gave. Benuk is with them now. The senator’s made him some sort of special advisor, because of all the knowledge he’s got on everyone involved.”

  “Apparently, I’m not trusted enough yet to be a part of their special group,” Seth interrupts. He’s leaning into the corner furthest from the bed, his expression a mix of boredom a
nd scorn. Benuk is the only person Seth has made any sort of connection with, and now that he’s been pulled in another direction, he’s feeling a bit lost.

  “Well, isn’t that a surprise,” Kyle retorts, not attempting to hide his aversion for Seth.

  “We know that two more batches of the antvirus recently arrived,” Nate continues, ignoring the exchange. “That should be enough for all the civilians on the base, in case there’s ever an outbreak.”

  “Why don’t they just take the meds now?” Missy asks.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” I explain. “It’s not like a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to create antibodies. The Antiviral attacks the virus itself. Do you know how a virus works?” I direct the question to Missy. When she shakes her head no, I smile at Chris, remembering when he first explained to me. It seems like years ago, but was in fact only three months.

  “No one’s sure where virus’s come from,” I tell her. “They are normally made up with a few bits of either RNA or DNA. It attaches itself to the host cell and drills into it, releasing those codes. That’s essentially what DNA is: massive programs. Anyway, it hijacks the cell and forces it to reproduce its own DNA, until the cell is so full that it explodes, releasing new viruses to repeat the process over and over again. Is that about right?” I ask Chris.

  “Basically,” he confirms. “Close enough.” He’s the one that took all the advanced science and biology classes at high school. I avoided anything even remotely labelled an honor’s level.

  “The Holocene virus, and now the Nephi II virus have hundreds of pieces of both RNA and DNA,” I continue. “It’s more advanced than anything ever seen before, but it still reproduces the same as a regular virus. That process is what the antiviral meds attack. There are certain proteins and stuff that’s involved in the replication and the meds break that down, so that the virus can’t duplicate itself. This allows the immune system to eventually catch up and wipe it out. During that immune response, the needed antibodies are created by the body to prevent the virus from ever being able to attack the host again.”