Infected

by Justin Clay

  Somewhere up ahead there has to be a lake because I keep hearing splashes of water, of fish jumping, and choirs of frogs croaking in the distance. I watch the shadows of the flickering flames waver across Cari’s face that has begun drooping slowly. Her resolve is unraveling. The desperate weariness is sinking inside her. It won’t be long…

  I look over and see that Gavin is sitting beside Lena on a fallen log; they’re talking in hushed voices. He’s most likely asking Lena to reconsider this route, but Lena remains firm-faced, determined. She’s not one to easily give up. Especially, if it’s her idea. But is the best method? I find my own self questioning it. Should we be starving the answers from her? What if she ends up dying without saying anything at all? What will have accomplished then?

  I don’t think Gavin would let it come to that. He has his own hide to cover. He probably made some type of deal with the commander. Who’s to know.

  Rolling over, my eyes find my sister June. It’s in times like this when I’m either scared, hurt, confused or lonely — I look to her and I’m grounded again. She grounds me every time. She’s like my own bodily compass. I look to her and I feel safe. I’m reminded of what I must do. Of who I am. The blurriness clears and I know things will be okay.

  My eyes droop, heavy. The crackling of the fire, the cool breeze against my cheek and through my hair, the lullaby of the crickets: it all lulls me into arms of sleep and I disappear into that comforting darkness.

  19

  THE MESSENGER

  I WAKE UP TO a sound I couldn’t readily place. It was a low, pained sound…the sound of moaning. Blinking, I shake myself out of a daze, the commotion of voices bringing me to my senses. I am attempting to place everything in a rational order to try to make some sort of reasoning to it, but it is all too bizarre. Instead of Cari being tied to the tree this morning in her place is a man we have never seen before. His face is severely gaunt and his dark glistening eyes, deep-set. He has this scraggly black hair that clings to his forehead in sweaty clumps. His face is badly bruised and in some places cut, overspread in dried blood.

  And not only that Lena is gone. Nowhere to be found, along with Cari. Both of them are missing.

  Above us in the tree tops bird are chattering amongst one another. We all look at Terek who’s approached this stranger tied to the tree. The man lifts his eyes slowly and swallows, returning a dour glare.

  “Would you mind getting me out of here?” he says sighing. He had been the one moaning. Lena must have done a number on him.

  “Alright,” Terek says, folding his arms, “but, first, you’re going to tell us who you are and how the hell you ended up here…And where Lena and Cari are.”

  The man frowns. He doesn’t seem like he wants to tell us anything. Here we go, again. Surprisingly enough, he talks. “I don’t know who Lena is — but if she’s the one who shot me in the leg and drug me over here and tied me up, she deserves what’s coming to her, the bitch.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Terek reinforces, glowering.

  “And?” the man says rolling his eyes.

  “Well, you have two options here,” he says. “You can tell us where they are, and what brought you here and I’ll free you and we’ll see about your wound or you can remain quiet and we’ll just leave you here…for Infected to eventually come along and — ”

  “Alright, alright!!” he bellows. “Have it your way then…Jeez…My name is Vance…And I only came here, because I was sent as a matter of fact.”

  “Who sent you?”

  “That’s none of your concern,” Vance replies flatly.

  “Do you want to be free or not?”

  “Fine…A man by the name of Judas sent me here…I was only a messenger; damn, I didn’t even have a weapon on me, but whatever…”

  “What’s the message?”

  “We’ve been watching you these past few days,” he reveals. “And we know you had Cari captured, and Judas wants her.”

  “Why would he want her?”

  “You really don’t know anything do you? Judas is Cari’s brother.”

  There’s a moment of silence as the disheartening news for the rest of the group sinks in, and I look away from Vance. “When did you arrive here?” Terek asks.

  “I got here early this morning…That Lena chick had been on guard…She spotted me before I even could enter your camp…Anyway, I told her Judas’s terms.”

  “And what exactly were they?”

  “For that woman to specifically bring Cari to our camp, alone or we would move in and open fire and take what we want from you all.”

  Terek narrows his eyes, understanding the gravity of what Vance meant. “I see,” he says. “So, where exactly is this camp of yours?”

  “Just off Flathead Lake, about a day’s walk from here,” he explains.

  “How many of you are there?”

  Vance frowns once more, his brow furrowing. “There’s twenty-something of us…Enough to wipe you lot out easily.”

  Terek looks to the flushed-faced Gavin, who has remained quiet furiously, the entire time. Brewing. Thinking to himself.

  “Alright, I told you want you wanted…Now get me the hell out of here…This rope is starting to burn.”

  It’s Terek this time who frowns and he looks to Gavin. “So, what do you think we should do?”

  “Well, my number one priority is retrieving Cari — alive, preferably,” the soldier says. “But we don’t have adequate numbers to do so just yet.”

  “So what do you suggest we do then?”

  “I suggest that myself, along with our new friend here, and someone else return to the dam…Tell the others what’s happened and get recruitments to get Cari back — ”

  “And Lena,” I intercede, and Gavin stops, glancing my way.

  “And Lena,” he corrects. “While we’re doing that, you all will remain here...We’ll rendezvous and attack their camp together.”

  “Very well,” Terek agrees, nodding. “You heard the man…That’s what we’ll do. So who’s going to go with Gavin?”

  Kage volunteers, and that’s that.

  “Are you going to let me out…It’s not like, I’m able to go anywhere,” Vance complains, referring to his leg that’s been wrapped tightly with cloth to stave the blood flow from Lena’s arrow shot. She must have wanted to keep him alive to inform us of her whereabouts, just in case things happen to go wrong. Which they probably will.

  Damn you, Lena. Why’d you have to go and do something as stupid as that? Going off by yourself with that nutcase? It’s only a recipe for absolute disaster. She must have not been thinking clearly. Or not thinking at all for that matter. Or maybe she was. Maybe, there’s something deeper to all of this that we don’t know yet.

  She was so angry with Eli, and probably still is, for up and leaving in the night without saying so much of a goodbye. And then she goes and does the same to me. How can she allow herself to do that? Just when you think you’re beginning to know someone. Everything falls apart. Don’t get yourself killed Lena, I think to myself. Just please…don’t.

  “Do you think Lena’s going to be all right?” June asks me later that night. Gavin has already left with Vance and Kage, heading back to the damn for help. And we’re left behind. Waiting. Waiting for their imminent return. Do I want June to be apart of this war to come? I know it’s coming. It’s like seeing the dark tumultuous clouds of a storm before hearing the downpour and lightning to follow. The signs are all there…But what do I do?

  “I don’t know June,” I tell her sadly. “I hope so…I really do.”

  June’s blue summer eyes drift away, and I know the face she bares now. She knows. She knows I don’t think Lena will be all right. In fact, she will most likely die along with Eli. Two more to add to our body count of friends. I hate that for June. People come and go so quickly now.

  “June,” I say and I feel her look at me, wondering.

  “Yeah, Rian?”

  “Before we reach th
eir camp…This scavenger camp where Judas is at…I don’t want you being apart of what will happen after.”

  “What’s going to happen Rian?”

  “Bad things will most likely happen,” I tell her bluntly. “People will die and I don’t want you being one of them…So, I want you to hide.”

  “What about you Rian? I don’t want you dying either.”

  “It’s not going to me, little one.”

  “How do you know, Rian? How do you know you won’t die?”

  “Oh, I’m going to June, someday,” I tell her. “But it’s not going to be in a faraway field at the hands of some slimy Scavenger…No…I won’t let that happen.”

  “Okay, promise?” she says, and I finally let my eyes rest on my sister.

  I smile, knowingly. “I promise.”

  LENAFARAWAY

  20

  THE WILDERNESS, PART II

  THE SNOWFALL BEGAN SOMETIME before noon, dappling the grassy hills before me with an icy crunchiness. I had my crossbow held out, aimed directly at Cari’s back, urging her forward as I had been for the past few hours. We had left the camp far behind, much to my chagrin, but sometimes difficult decisions must be made. And I had made mine.

  I’m sorry Rian, June, for leaving you. You didn’t deserve that. Not after what Eli did to me. But I had little choice. Hopefully, you’ll understand that in time.

  I just couldn’t let Vance’s threat be realized. How could I live with myself? And at any rate, the sooner I found Eli — the better. Although, I’m still trying to work out the fine details of how exactly to rescue him, if indeed he needs to be rescued with just me. And Cari’s another problem. Say I do make it to the Judas’s camp, and say I do somehow manage to free Eli — if he is locked up — what do I do with Cari? Leave her there?

  No…I’ll just have to figure it out on the way. At some point.

  We still have time. After all, Vance did say the walk was about day or so. Hopefully, they will not miss that weasel either...I doubt it, seriously.

  We’re pushing further into the north and my body can feel it. The wind has become brutally cold, blowing the flecks of snow in my eyes and whipping my hair against my cheeks, stingingly so. Luckily, I was wearing one of the coats we had received from the dam. I’d be frozen stiff without it.

  True, it’s cold now, but this is just the beginning. The longer we stay this far north, the worse the weather will become. I tell Cari we’re going to stop for a bit beneath an outcropping of trees. She says nothing, as usual, plopping herself straight down on a patch of grass clear of any snow. I find a large rock, and perch myself there: thinking and watching her.

  Cari still had on the handcuffs, which had been instrumental in persuading her to cooperate. I told her if she came with me, I would unlock them. I feel the key, I had taken from Gavin last night while he was sleeping, in my left pocket, turning it over in the palm of my hand before releasing. After a few moments, I say we’re done and moving onward.

  The early afternoon eventually slips into a quiet evening; the sky once overcast has changed to wearing a reddish and violet mask. The snowfall has stopped, yet the temperature drops even more. My face is beginning to burn from the frigidness. I wince and wiggle my toes every so often to keep my muscles in check. But we need more than what we’re wearing. We need a fire.

  They already know we’re coming, so I don’t worry about us being seen. And from what’s I’ve recognized this far north, there have been hardly any Infected. The only ones we came across we’re sprawled on the ground, their yellowish eyes flung open, both of them bloodlessly dead. Must have been the cold. I suppose the Infected don’t prefer the weather to be this chilly. Who could blame them?

  Once I have a crackling fire going, I remove my boots revealing my dampened fuzzy socks, and take those off too, exposing my bare feet to the brisk air. The warmth from the fire is instantly satisfying. If you’re feet are dry and warm, you’re in good shape. I think Eli had said that to me some time back. Not sure when. I shake my head, trying to think of other things. I’m tired of dwelling on him. I look for Cari instead.

  She’s sitting distantly, drenched in the shadows of the underbrush. She looks like she’s freezing. Frowning, I ask her to join me. At first, Cari says nothing.

  “Come on, you’re going to freeze if you don’t,” I encourage her, and I hear Cari sigh as she decides to get up. She walks purposely slow, dragging her feet, before plunging herself heavily ground ward.

  “You need to eat too,” I say, as I’m rummaging through my backpack. I uncover a tin of biscuits the Caretakers had given me back at the dam and offer Cari one. She looks at my extended hand warily, before accepting, reaching out with her handcuffed hands, grabbing it. She takes a small bite and swallows.

  “This — being out here — and all would be a lot easier, if you would just talk,” I tell her.

  She gives me a look of earnest deadpan. “I am handcuffed and you expect me to be all buddy-buddy with you, Lena? Yeah, right.”

  Although she does have a point, that’s not what I was aiming for exactly. “True, but that’s not what I meant…I just want you to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “Anything you want…I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow when we reach your brother’s camp…You might die, I might die…I don’t know…So don’t you want to at least talk about something?”

  Cari occupies her attention with her feet, crossed beneath her. “No one’s ever really asked me that,” she admits quietly.

  “What? What you wanted to talk about?”

  “Well, not for a long time…It’s always been about the dam…What I could do in order to protect the dam at any cost…I guess I sort of forgot about myself.”

  Now we’re getting somewhere. She’s opening up, finally. “How long have you known your brother was up here?”

  “Not for too long,” she explains. “I had fled from him that night…All those years…I was afraid of him…What he might do to me and my children at the time…I no longer have them; I lost them to a virus that hit Cheyenne some years back; that’s when I joined the military…My daughter, Josephine and my son, Eric…God, I miss them…Both of them gone, and yet I’m still here.”

  Suddenly, Cari breaks down, her face collapses in her hands and she’s sobbing uncontrollably. I’m stunned. What do I do? Do I comfort her?

  Coming to her side, I tentatively wrap an arm around her, patting her shoulder softly. Cari doesn’t jerk herself away. She only remains there, doubled-over crying. It’s an agonized cry though…one that has been trapped inside her for quite some time.

  “I’m sorry Cari,” I attempt at some sort of consolation, “but I know how you feel…”

  “How you could possibly know how I feel!?” she demands of me, her face still hidden.

  “Because I too lost my daughter, many have,” I tell her as kindly as I can. “You’re not the only one to have lost children to this hell…Children aren’t meant for this type of horror…They’re too pure…They can’t survive it long; don’t blame yourself.”

  “But I do,” she says almost so quietly I cannot hear her. “I was the one who chose to go to Helena, my children only naturally followed me, based on my decision.”

  “Still you can’t blame yourself…Their deaths happened due to uncontrollable causes.”

  “But if I hadn’t decided to go there, they’d still be living,” she says, finally glaring at me, her teary eyes bloodshot.

  I swallow, and breathe deliberately. “But that doesn’t mean...Well, I’m just trying to say that they could have —“

  “Could have what? Could have what Lena?” she hollers at me with bloodshot eyes and I cannot seem to tear my face away. Tears well in my eyes. “Could have died another way? Is that what you’re trying to console me with...hell.”

  “Well...I...” I’m at a loss for words. All I can do is just stare forward, feeling the cold air against my cheeks.

  “I have been through
hell — hell — Lena...No,” she disagrees. “I don’t know what’s worse than holding your own child’s hand while watching them slowly fade from this world and there’s nothing you can do about…When they ask you if they’re going to be okay and you have to lie and tell them they will be, when you know they’re not going to ever get better…I’m tired of lying, Lena...Sick and tired of it...My entire life has been a lie...I’m living and breathing a lie...A lie of happiness and that everything is okay, because it’s not. I’m not okay, Lena...I’m not okay.”

  “That is extremely tough,” I tell her. “But you know for certain of your children’s’ deaths…I don’t know…My daughter could be alive, just as much as couldn’t be. Imagine living with that.”