Rise of the Plague (Book 0): The Sickness (Monte's Story)

by Jeannie Rae

  “They said that there are social workers that can get me to my grandparent’s house,” Annabelle says, frowning at my lack of enthusiasm.

  “Well, that’ll be good for you… to get to your grandparent’s place. Really, it’s good news. But I won’t be going to Blue Falls. I didn’t tell them about my parents—”

  “I know, why did you do that? But it’s okay, because I told them. So yes, you’re coming,” Annabelle’s smile is huge.

  I swear I want to punch her right in the face. Why would she tell those soldiers that? Another bus ride with Lieutenant Lunatic and I’ll want to bite myself. And this ride is hours long.

  “Annabelle,” I begin, before stopping short. Combat boots are noticeably approaching in my peripheral vision.

  “Monte Barrett?” A familiar voice asks.

  I nod, looking up at the soldier. It’s Lieutenant Lunatic. It’s like this guy is our personal escort. I want to be as far away from this creep as I possibly can, yet it seems like he’s everywhere.

  “We have received information that your family may have not made it out of your home town, is this correct?”

  Looking at the intimidating soldier, I don’t want to get caught in a lie. I really have to watch what I say to this nut—I don’t want to end up like the old lady on the bus. I want to head out the back door and find my own way, but I have a feeling that these people aren’t going to let me go on my own.

  “Yeah, they had the sickness,” I say with reluctance.

  I can’t believe that Annabelle narked me out. What happened to my family is my business—not hers to go around telling everyone.

  “Sorry to hear that young lady. We are going to put you on the bus to Blue Falls. It’s where all of the orphaned minors are headed for social work help.”

  “I don’t want to go to Blue Falls. I’d rather just leave if that’s okay. A family friend works not too far from here, I’d rather head to his place and go from there.” I say

  “Unfortunately, we cannot let you leave. A social worker in Blue Falls will get it all straightened out and if your friend of the family’s place is where you should go, then they’ll send you there,” he says with a grin. “Bus leaves in ten minutes.”

  After he leaves, I glare at Annabelle, who seems totally oblivious to not only me, but to everything going on. I feel like my whole world is caving in, after all that is happening and it seems like just another adventure to her. Miss high horse over here has probably never been around shady people before. She has no instincts at all. My Uncle Samuel was in the Navy for a long time and I’ve met some of his buddies who served with him. They were real upstanding guys. But the soldiers here are different. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s like they’re acting like we’re cattle. Move here, do this, take that. There is something really off about these soldiers and this place.

  “Save me a seat, I have to go to the restroom. I’ll meet you on the bus,” I say, offering a fake smile to Annabelle.

  “Alrighty,” Annabelle says heading toward the exit at the front of the arena.

  As I enter the ladies room, there are already a handful of women inside. Looking around, there aren’t any windows for me to escape. As disappointment fills my gut, I head to an empty stall and overhear the women’s conversation unfolding.

  “I know, right. I can’t believe it either—it’s ridiculous.”

  “Danny went to talk to one of the guard soldiers, and they won’t let anyone leave. They said that further testing is needed before we can be released. But I’ve noticed that they have evacuated this part of the city for blocks and are pulling out a lot of the soldiers. There are only a few left here.”

  “Then where is that one bus going? I saw a bunch of kids loading into it.”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I heard, that they are all orphans with no place to go and no one to claim them. Just to be safe, they could get rid of those kids—ya know what I mean—to make sure that none of ‘em are sick—and no one would even miss them. People would think that they died in The Port.”

  I bolt for the restroom door. I am not sticking around to see if these women are right. They could be planning on getting rid of us all—to be safe. Even the adults in this arena could be danger. They might have changed their minds or received new orders telling them not to release anyone. If they evacuated the area, like the woman said, than big trouble is probably headed our way. I can’t get on that bus and there is no way that I’ll be able to get Annabelle off of it. It looks like I’m on my own again. I don’t want to stay here another second.

  I see a door across the way and head for it. The nearest guard is talking to a family a few feet away, with his back to the exit. I’m getting out of here. As I approach the door frame, I look around. There are fewer soldiers than before, and that guard is still speaking to the family. I press the door open gently and walk through opening to the outside. I’m free. I’m so sorry Annabelle. I wish that there was something that I could do to get her off that bus. Wiping a tear from my cheek, I tell myself to be stone-hearted. I have to survive. But it doesn’t work—I can’t stop the tears from falling. With all my heart I hope that those women were wrong, and I hope that I am wrong—for Annabelle. I run down the side of the building and cut behind it.

  FREEDOM

  I’m outside of the arena. I’m free. Scratching my wrist as I jog along the backside of the building—my scab feels like it’s been sprinkled with itching powder. It itches so much that it kinda hurts.

  I’m not sure where I’m going—anywhere but here. I don’t care if I have to sleep under a bridge tonight. At least my fate is in my own hands now. Thank God I made it out of that place. The air out here feels fresher, more-wide open. I finally feel like I can breathe—but I also feel tethered to Annabelle. My heart twists telling me that I am doing the wrong thing by leaving her behind. But what could I do? If I go back to that bus, they’ll make me get on it. Even if I could get Annabelle’s attention somehow—she wouldn’t get off the bus. She’s psyched about going to Blue Falls and getting reunited with her grandparents. She’ll never get off that bus, if I tell her I have a hunch that things aren’t what they seem.

  Looking behind me, I see that no one has come after me. A sharp pain surges from my scabbed wrist and shoots all the way up my arm. I keep jogging. I can’t do this, I can’t leave without Annabelle. She needs me and I need her—I have to go back for her. With my eyes on my wrist, I reach for the sleeve but my momentum suddenly stops. It feels like I have run into a wall. Stumbling backward I look at obstacle and see the very soldier from the bus ride here, the one that told me about the bus to Blue Falls. Lieutenant Lunatic. I open my mouth to speak, but he already has me at the elbow escorting me back around the building.

  “I was just—” I whisper breathlessly.

  “Trying to find the bus?” He says. “That’s alright, I’m sure you got turned around. Here, let me take you there—personally,” his voice sounds more like a growl.

  I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing. His tight grip on my elbow conveys the message that he knew what I was attempting. How did he know I made it out? He must have seen me leave and sprinted out one of the other exits to cut me off.

  The buildings and businesses surrounding the arena do look empty. It’s Saturday, these places should be abuzz with shoppers. Aside from the vacant streets, all of the businesses look closed. As Lieutenant Lunatic leads me toward the bus, I notice that there are no cars. None parked on the street, nor driving around—even the parking structure across from the parked bus, is empty.

  My mind goes back to the conversation I’d overheard in the ladies room. Those women were right, it’s like the whole area has been evacuated or something. Why would they clear out this area? We all went through decontamination and are okay.

  My wrist itches again and my whole arm aches. I can’t understand why it’s bothering me, but then again, I haven’t been able to look at it. The shooting pain that began behind the building subsided ri
ght after I had my run in with Lieutenant Lunatic, but I still feel discomfort in it. I can’t look at my arm or show any favor to my injury—while he is here—or it will be the end of me.

  There’s only one bus ahead, it’s a tour bus. Like the one I’d taken on my eighth grade trip to Funland, three hours away. Definitely a step up from the school bus we used to get here, this one will have a bathroom in the back and reclining seats with confetti upholstery. I haven’t even boarded it yet, but I already know.

  “What happened to the school bus?” I ask softly.

  “The school busses are for local transport,” he says officially. “It’s a long ride to Blue Falls—this bus will get us there with no stops.”

  As Lieutenant Lunatic and I approach the bus, he escorts me up the steps and forces me to sit in the first seat behind the driver.

  “Monte,” Annabelle calls out from the rear of the bus.

  “I’m gonna go sit with my friend,” I say, rising from my seat.

  He shoves me back by my shoulder into my seat, without a word. Waving at Annabelle to come forward, he reviews a clipboard that hangs behind the driver’s seat.

  “Hey—” I say, rubbing my shoulder. He can’t push me like that or make me sit here. There has to be someone I can report this psycho to.

  “Listen, you are not going to be a problem on this bus,” he kneels down and whispers to me. “Do you understand? I remember you. We were on the same bus over here. If you become a problem, I’ll take you out behind a bush. Got it?”

  He stands back up and looks at his clip board once more. Did he just threaten to kill me if I didn’t behave? He can’t do that. But he already did—to the old lady. No one even asked questions except the driver, who really didn’t push the issue. This guy could probably kill us all and not even get in trouble for it. He could tell the cops or his boss that we all had the sickness. I’m starting to understand that my rebellious streak might work against me in this situation.

  “Right there,” he says to Annabelle as she approaches, pointing the empty seat behind me.

  Annabelle quietly takes her seat, looking at me with enormous eyes.

  “Sir,” I say wanting to vomit, but to get what I want—I guess I got to kiss a little tail. “May I sit next to her?”

  He looks up from his clipboard with a smirk. He sees right through my phoniness. “If there’s any trouble from you—”

  “There won’t be,” I say moving quickly to the seat behind.

  I am still behind Lieutenant Lunatic, but at least I’m not sitting next to him.

  “Where were you?” Annabelle whispers.

  “Long line at the restroom. I’m here now,” I say.

  The soldier tosses the clipboard onto the seat and smacks the driver on the shoulder, then takes his seat, in front of us.

  “Next stop, Blue Falls,” the driver announces, starting the bus. “Settle in kiddies, we should be there in about two and a half hours.”

  We are about twenty minutes into the bus ride to Blue Falls, and my wrist is killing me. It feels even worse than it did after the bite. I know that Annabelle can sense my discomfort—she keeps asking me if I’m okay. I can’t look at it with her right here and Lieutenant Lunatic right in front of us. The last time she asked, he turned around and gave me a death stare. I lied to them both telling them that I sometimes get a little car sick. They seem to have bought it. I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up though.

  “Hey, I’m going to use the restroom, okay,” I tell Annabelle.

  She gives me a weak smile and a nod as I get up. I head to the back and see that there are about twenty other kids of all ages in the seats on my way to the restroom. There are a few toddlers, and some of the older kids are seated alone, while others are sitting close together. Many of them are chatting quietly with each other and a few are even playing the alphabet road sign game.

  That game made me think of my little brother Sammy—we used to play that game all the time. Sometimes we’d go down to Andre Street and play it watching the license plates of all the cars passing by. I really miss that little pain in my butt. I can’t believe that he got the sickness and my parents too. It’s not like I had a lot—but everything in my whole life except me—is only a memory now.

  I would have never imagined when I woke up this morning that this is where I end up right now. I’m still not sure about this whole bus to Blue Falls, but I don’t have any options right now but to stick it out and hope that I’m wrong.

  THE SICKNESS

  I duck into the tiny restroom. After locking the door behind me, I roll up my sleeve. My wrist is infected again. The scab is soaked in the fluids leaking from the wound. A ring of redness surrounding the wound stretches up my arm. It looks grotesque and the smell is disgusting. I touch the scab with my index finger and slightly press down. Greenish puss oozes out of it the on the other side of the soft scab. I begin to choke, coughing and gagging at the same time.

  I shove my arm—up to the elbow—in the tiny sink and turn on the cold water and let it flow over the wound. The water stings a little at first, but then starts to feel soothing on my arm. I stand there for what feels like the longest time, savoring the relief that the water is giving me.

  Whatever Haley gave me, helped for a while, but it looks like nothing can beat the sickness. I think about telling someone, but I push that thought out of my head. Lieutenant Lunatic runs this bus like we’re all prisoners. He’ll kill me for the safety of the others and he’ll like it—because he is a psycho. No, I can’t think that way. This is just a little setback—I’ll be fine. Now that I’m washing my wrist, it will get better again. It has to.

  I worry that I’m taking too long and Lieutenant Lunatic will come bursting in like a SWAT team, so reluctantly, I turn off the water. As soon as the water stops, my wound begins to burn again. Although it looks a little better now that the scab is totally water logged. Gently, I pat my arm dry and pull my sleeve down, covering the bite. I feel so awful, as if all of my energy is being sucked right out of me. I need to lie down and try to sleep.

  Making my way back toward my seat, I can already feel perspiration emerging from my flesh. I can’t tell anyone about my arm or Lieutenant Lunatic will take me out behind a bush and put a bullet in my skull. I squeeze past Annabelle and take a seat by the window.

  “Oh boy, you’re really feeling carsick aren’t you?” Annabelle says with a frown.

  “I’m okay. I think I’m just really tired. You know, today’s been…crazy. I think I’ll take a little nap,” I say pulling the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.

  “Yeah, get some rest Monte and you’ll feel better. I’ll wake you when we get to Blue Falls,” she says.

  Who knew that Annabelle Sanchez could be so sweet? I guess you normally needed to be in her inner circle to see that side of her. Now, due to lack of other people, she is actually worried about me. I feel so exhausted. Maybe I’ll feel better when I wake up. I can beat this. I close my eyes and lean up against the window and feel myself drifting off.

  I don’t feel like I’ve slept long, when I’m jostled awake by an explosive sound. I feel different. I see Lieutenant Lunatic standing before me with a crazed look in his eyes. As my eyes adjust to the bright light beaming in from the windows, I see that he just shot the bus driver.

  Before I have time to react, Annabelle pulls me down to the floorboard below our seats. Looking out the window on the other side of the bus, I can see that the bus is pulled over. It looks like trees outside—we’re on the interstate.

  Lieutenant Lunatic turns to the other side of the aisle and two more gunshots blast. What’s he doing? I look at Annabelle with wild eyes. She only shakes her head as tears fall from her cheeks onto the floorboard. Two more shots ring out. He’s killing kids. Has he lost his mind?

  Lieutenant Lunatic makes his way down the aisle of the bus blasting kids away. I don’t know what to do. Someone has to stop him, but we’re all kids and he has a gun.

  “You
can’t do this to us—we’re not sick!” A boy in the back shouts out, and then another gunshot sounds. I can hear the kids crying out, screaming and begging for their lives from the seats as he makes his way down the aisle.

  “There is no way to tell if any of you are infected. No guarantee that you won’t spread this disease to the general population. I can’t take that risk,” Lieutenant Lunatic says fanatically, firing another shot.

  Even with all that is happening, I feel unbelievably tired, as though I could drop dead from exhaustion alone. A fiery pain surging up my arm to my shoulder sends shock waves through my body. Gripping my shoulder as if it’s on fire, I pull down the collar of my hoodie checking for any markings. But now the pain begins to subside, almost retreating down my arm. What’s happening to me? Annabelle says something to me but I can’t recognize the words she’s using. Her sounds are all messed up, distorted. I hear more blasts from the gun, but they sound more like an echo now. Annabelle grabs me, but I can’t even get her face into focus. I see her back away, and what only looks like a shadow of her is going for the bus exit. It looks like she is pounding on the glass, the door must be locked. I crawl one, maybe two steps, when I feel a new sensation trembling through my body. I have the sickness—I’m going to be a monster soon. I can feel it. I need to get out of here before I hurt someone. Then the shooting pain returns. This time, every muscle in my body feels like they’ve tensed up in pain, as the agony seems to pulse through my entire body. I feel weak, impossible weak. I want to call out to Annabelle to get out, but the pain is severe, as if the pain is pinching off my vocal chords. Then, as everything starts to go black, I see Annabelle’s shadowy figure pull the lever, opening the door and leaping from the bus. They everything goes black.

  I haven’t quite woken up yet, but somehow I feel conscious. My eyes are still closed and the pain has left me entirely. I can’t open my eyes! I can hear sounds, like muffled voices—but I can’t understand what they’re saying. It seems as if the voices are fading away. I might be going into a deeper sleep. A…deep…sleep.