Antidote Trilogy: The Complete Box Set

by Taylor Hondos

  The girl seemed to be whispering to him, and he held her hand. Then the girl looked me right in the eyes. She had a hazel eye and a cloudy gray eye, but that wasn’t what set her apart. It was the blackness all around her face. She pointed to my eye and then to hers. I didn’t understand why.

  A smell of burning skin and blood filled my nose. I tried to cover my nose, but my arms wouldn’t move. She was rotting, and the smell was so strong I began to puke. The girl looked at me and held her arm out. The boy let her walk forward, and she pulled my hair up.

  “There, there. It goes away. You get used to the feeling of death soon.”

  She punched me in the center of my belly, and I looked down. She had punched a hole through my stomach and I began to scream as she and the boy laughed insanely.

  I heard the most curdling scream, and I lunged forward onto the bed. I searched around and saw that I was alone. The scream was my own. My stomach began to turn, and I ran to the bathroom, but the door was closed. I ran to the trashcan beside the bed and threw up as I did in my dream.

  I tried to do so quietly so that Jared wouldn’t come out. I had to throw the trash bag away in the hotel Dumpster, so Jared wouldn’t find an unpleasant surprise.

  I gathered the trashcan bag and almost dropped it. In the bag, there was only blood. I looked in the mirror and opened my mouth as I examined inside. No blood at all. I searched down in the trash, expecting it to disappear like it had before in the bathroom, but it didn’t. I slumped down against the bed for a second. Phase two, I thought internally. This couldn’t be happening for real.

  I took the key that Jared put on the dresser beside the bed and walked outside the hotel door. The sun was rising, and it was beautiful outside. The trees around me had bright colors, and I smelt the crisp air. Nature had no clue about the turmoil the world was in and the cycle of life just continued as if there weren’t rotting people all around. I walked down the stairs to the trashcan. It smelled horrible. It reminded me of my dream. It felt so real to me. I closed the door sharply after throwing away the trash. The smell of the Dumpster caused my stomach to churn, and I began to feel sick again. I backed up and leaned down slowly against a car.

  I peered down at my arm. My skin was turning pink all around a small bruise that was forming. My suspicions were true. I knew they were true already, but I didn’t want to face it. Dermadecatis began with a small bruise. I didn’t cry. I had to be strong. I had the Black Sickness, just as my mother. We never did anything that we weren’t supposed to do. The doctors sent precautions out each week in the newspapers. I read them every week for the past year and a half. I never had physical contact with anyone, and I didn’t go out. My body felt weak and my head felt strange.

  I laid my head into my hands, and I closed my eyes. I was going to fight this. If not, I was going to save others from this. I was going to save them from the people setting out to destroy the human race. I got up and walked boldly to the hotel lobby where the only computer was. The lobby was dark blue inside and there didn’t seem to be anyone at the desk. I didn’t bother asking if I was allowed to use the computer. I simply walked behind the desk and sat at the stool where the employees sat yesterday. I checked all around me, and it appeared that nobody was there at all. It was odd, but I didn’t think anything of it, because I knew I wouldn’t search long.

  I typed in Dermadecatis and millions of posts came up. They each were stories of those who had died from the disease. A few links from the past three days told the stories of those who had been saved by the cure. It seemed to be going well for everyone. Nothing told me how the sickness came about or how it was spread. It was completely unknown. Some theorized that God sent Dermadecatis down to destroy the world like he had done with a great flood.

  They said that Dr. Ravana defied what God was trying to destroy. I closed my eyes and remembered my father speaking to my mom and me about the first case of Dermadecatis.

  “Lily and Lena, we are making a breakthrough. You just don’t—”

  My mother cut him off before he could finish. “Isaac will die.”

  “No, he will not,” he said harshly back.

  “Honey, what is the purpose of this?” She looked to him with sad eyes.

  “I have discovered very much about this disease and its symptoms. First off, there are hallucinations. Isaac has told me this many times. Vomiting comes next. The third symptom is that lumpy, black skin. Of course this is where the rotting comes into place.” He paused, and I felt my eyes widening.

  “Dad, can this happen to anyone?” I asked with fear.

  “Not if I can find a way to stop to the disease.” He smiled, but I didn’t feel like smiling back. I didn’t want anyone else to hurt from this disease.

  “Sebastian,” my mother spoke to him, “maybe we could talk about this in private.” She looked to me, and I frowned.

  “Anything we say, we can say in front of Lena. She is a part of this world and my discoveries.”

  He walked to me and picked up my hands and gently pulled me to my feet. “Lena,” he said and touched my shoulder. “I am working on a cure, and I want you to be responsible for it. You can do it.”

  My mother sighed audibly and walked out of the room while rolling her eyes. My father caught sight of it and turned back to me.

  “I am working on it. I am going to cure Isaac, and if I can’t, I will cure the next case. When I die, you will be responsible for it.”

  I swallowed and nodded. He kissed my cheek and followed where my mother had just left the room.

  I stared blankly at the screen. What made me so upset about the memory was that my father never found a treatment. Instead, I was left confused. He told me the antidote would be left to me, and yet, Dr. Ravana had the cure. My father never mentioned to me again about the remedy and there never was a cure made by him.

  I wanted to distract myself from my thoughts so I decided to look up the cure. I found that many people were having some complications with it.

  The cure had side effects such as black outs as well. There had been a recent story from someone with it. It said that he woke up from a black out, completely unsure what he had done, but he found himself in his home, in bed.

  Whenever the Black Sickness attacked, it took your skin with it. This was the most sickening thing to happen, but it reminded you that your time was short. I didn’t want to face the truth, but I had the Black Sickness. There was no denying it. I would save the world as my father asked me many years ago. I had to tell Jared. I had to believe these simple words—I was not weak. I was brave.

  Chapter Eight: The Bleed Out

  I DELETED THE history and logged off. I pulled the sleeves of my white shirt completely over my bruising skin, or rotting skin, I wasn’t sure which, and walked swiftly back to the room. Hopefully, he didn’t notice I had been gone.

  I braced myself as I walked in the door, but to my relief, Jared was still in the bathroom. I closed the door slowly behind me and then turned on the TV. I didn’t want to think about the disease, but of course, it was on the news.

  “This just in, a new outbreak has overtaken a small town near Winston Salem. 3,006 lives have succumbed to Dermadecatis, and nearly 7 thousand more have shown signs and symptoms of the disease. Dr. Ravana is onsite working diligently to clean up.” The screen switched over to Dr. Ravana bent over, working on a patient in the street.

  I quickly turned off the TV in disgust and sat on the bed. The door opened to the bathroom. Jared walked out wrapped in a towel. He looked startled to see me awake.

  “Hey. Did you go outside or something? Your cheeks are flushed.”

  I didn’t say much. I just nodded. He returned to the bathroom, leaving the door open. “Don’t go out in the open without me if you can help it,” he said quickly. “Are you hungry? We need to hit the road, and we could go eat before we check out. Is that okay with you?”

  “Yes, that’s fine,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t falter.

  I sat in silence as he
got dressed in the bathroom. He appeared to have taken some clothes, too. While he looked severe in his leather jacket, I found that he looked softer in everyday clothes. He wore a gray long-sleeved shirt with jeans. He kept his signature combat boots.

  We walked in silence out of the room and into the parking lot. He turned to me and asked if I was okay. I didn’t answer him, because I didn’t think I could lie. He left it alone, but his gaze lingered and he gave me a suspicious look by raising his eyebrows.

  We crossed the parking lot and entered the tiny diner for breakfast. The place was dead, except for a few people. A couple with a dog sat at the counter along with a few lone men. I picked a booth by the window and sat. I gazed outside and immersed myself in the beauty, because I didn’t know how long I would be able to enjoy the simple things. Dark clouds filled the sky. I loved the rain, because it always made me feel that we were going to get a fresh start to the next day. I didn’t know how many new days I would have if I were sick.

  The waitress came over to our table. If it weren’t for the blonde hair, I would have thought Kaley had just walked up. Kaley had dark red hair and walked with a confidence that many confused with conceitedness. I missed Kaley, and I really hoped she was okay. I wished I had my cellphone to tell her I was doing fine. The waitress wasn’t particularly friendly, but neither was I at the moment. She didn’t look at me because she was admiring Jared. Which wasn’t surprising. I couldn’t help but feel annoyed when she bent over more than necessary to put down our menus. Yes, definitely like Kaley.

  The waitress came back after a few moments of silence with Jared. I ordered pancakes and Jared ordered a mushroom omelet. While we waited, I tried to feel better by asking Jared questions.

  I could tell he was expecting a silent breakfast, because when I spoke up he looked strangely at me. “Well, did you ever play any sports?”

  He hesitated. “Uh, I played football until I was eleven and then I played baseball until I was fourteen. I gave up after because things came up.”

  “Like what?”

  “My father and I didn’t agree, so I quit to piss him off,” he said with a smirk before turning to the window. “What about you?”

  “Well, I never tried to make my dad unhappy, or my mom.” He looked crossly at me. “I danced until I was a senior in high school.” I felt sad inside as I remembered the last time I saw my parents. I quickly changed the subject. “Why don’t you ask me a question now?”

  “Hmm, that would require me to care.”

  “Hmph,” I said with a smile. His face fell, and I wondered why. He was the one who wanted to end the conversation, and I was kidding. Our food arrived, ending the awkward moment. While I turned my attention to my pancakes, he brought up a subject I couldn’t avoid.

  “What’s your favorite book? Or do you know how to read?” he asked while I poured the syrup over my pancakes.

  “My favorite is Looking For Alaska.” I read more than I could talk. “What about you? Or can you read anything other than television captions.”

  “Ouch. My favorite book is Fight Club. It’s a movie with Brad Pitt, if you didn’t know.”

  “And Edward Norton. You can’t forget him.” He nodded in approval.

  He reached across the table “Let me try your coffee.” He rudely grabbed my cup and took a huge gulp. I looked on in disgust. I felt a flutter of butterflies by how comfortable he was to drink after me.

  “That doesn’t taste as good as I thought.” He placed it back in front of me, and I looked at him, testing his sincerity, waiting for it to falter.

  “I don’t want it now. Haven’t you heard that the disease could spread through sharing drinks?” I sounded like my mother, but I didn’t care. Sadness swept over me as I remembered that I was just like her. Too safe, leading to sickness anyway.

  He chuckled darkly and leaned all the way over the table, and as I pushed back he whispered, “Then I would have it from kissing.” He winked at me, and I grimaced. I didn’t want to think of him kissing someone else. Then I stopped myself. Why should I care? He sat back again, watching me, and I crossed my arms.

  He held my gaze for longer than necessary and I felt the blood rush to my face as I held my breath. I took a bite of my pancakes to break the stare, then I froze as I felt the acid coming up. I covered my mouth with my hand and dashed for the bathroom. I barely made it there before I threw up for the second time. Crap, I wanted to tell Jared in a much better way than this.

  I flushed the blood down and went to the sink to wash my hands. I looked in the mirror and saw a few changes to my face. My skin color had gone to a ghastly white color and my lips were chapped and bright red. I looked down to my arm and saw there were black splotches or bruises along it.

  My forehead was covered with the white cloth. I felt so different, and the room started to spin. There was a soft knock on the ladies room, and I knew it was probably Jared waiting for me. I opened the bathroom door and Jared stayed outside.

  “Hey, I paid the bill. I bet you’re catching a bug.” Thank god, I didn’t have to tell him this way. “Let’s go check out of the hotel, and we’ll be on our way. Do you think you’ll be up for a car ride?”

  “I think I can handle it. We can take a bucket,” I said weakly and let out a steadied laugh.

  “I hope I don’t get sick or get your weird ways. Just kidding.” I didn’t retort back. He noticed because he stopped me. Looking me right in the eyes, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

  I walked past him and said loud enough for him to hear, “I like you better when you’re sullen. Suits you better.” I knew he stopped in place, because I didn’t hear his footsteps any longer. He finally regained himself and passed me without a glance as he led the way.

  As we walked to the hotel, I noticed that it was mildly dead around the whole parking lot. I was sure most people had checked out so we walked to the front desk, where I was looking up the cure earlier.

  As we walked up, a smell hit us square on. It smelled like venom to my nose. Not again! It was the smell from my dream. We froze in place as the smell of blood captivated our senses. I would know the scent anywhere. I remembered it very clearly from the day my parents died.

  Jared and I both stopped dead in our tracks. We stared at each other for the first time since our tiny spat. Jared walked to the desk and laid the key down on the table. He hesitated as if he had discovered something and waved me back as I tried to approach him. Which only made me to want to move closer.

  As I did, the smell grew stronger, and he gave me a reproaching look. Jared stepped behind the desk, and he opened the door behind it. He shut the door fast, but I moved closer and opened it myself, as he stood stunned.

  On the ground, the woman who checked us in laid with blood spilling from her head. Her husband was next to her, facing the ground. As I began to scream, I felt a rough hand clasp over my mouth.

  My instincts took over, and I bit down hard. I felt my teeth quiver from the hardness and coldness of the hand. It didn’t feel right; it felt like I bit down on glass. The bite didn’t do much because it didn’t even move, and I heard no gasp. I jammed my elbow back as hard as I could, hitting him on his chin. Nothing happened again, but I felt a stab of pain from the contact. The hand released me. I turned around to see that Jared hit him with something that looked like an ashtray bowl. In that moment, I did the only thing that I knew could hurt any man. I kneed him right where it hurt, and he threw himself onto the floor.

  I looked down with victory and saw it was Joseph. He found us. I took off running and was surprised to see he wasn’t coming after us. Jared and I reached the car, and I threw myself into the seat as it revved to life. We got onto the highway before my heart began to slow. He began to laugh. I looked at him in disbelief.

  “What’s so funny? We could have died. He killed an innocent man and woman for what reason?” This only made him laugh even harder, and I could only think of how morbid he was to think that someone dead was funny.

  “
Lena, you kicked him.” He laughed so hard he looked aspirated. “I underestimated you. You go for the low blows,” he barely let out. He cackled hard, and I couldn’t help but join in.

  “My dad taught me self-defense, or a little. The first two things didn’t work so I tried the one thing that I knew would,” I said with a genuine smile. I missed my father, and I was glad something he left with me paid off.

  “Well, it worked. How do you feel now that you successfully took care of your self?” He smirked, but I answered seriously.

  “I feel okay,” I said with a little uncertainly. “Why did he kill them? They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and why was he alone this time?”

  He looked gloomy. “These people are not what you think. They don’t play games. They will kill whatever is in the way, and they will kill us if we don’t get to our safe house. You will be safe and you are going to survive.” He hesitated. “As for being alone. I have no idea why he was sent alone.”

  I didn’t answer because I knew he tried to keep me safe, but he just couldn’t save me from this. I would never be better, and I would die. But I felt calmer knowing that he would be in the safe house. I would risk anything to keep him safe, because I wasn’t anymore. I understood now that he was simply trying to protect me and everyone else from the horrors of the world. He had risked his life one time too many, and I owed him. I was going to save the world, and it started with keeping Jared out of harm’s way.

  “Yeah, you will be safe, too,” I said because that was the only thing I could guarantee.

  Chapter Nine: A Monster

  WE DROVE FOR forty minutes before Jared cursed because we had to stop for gas. He must’ve forgotten that we would have to take a rest. We got off the exit toward an Exxon gas station. “If we would have had jet packs, we would have been to the safe house in three hours,” he scoffed. “Three hours.” Jetpacks? How silly, I thought while shaking my head.