“It’s too much,” she said. “I can’t be responsible for this.”
But she was. Olivia had never practiced medicine a day in her life. She’d fallen in love with infectious disease research in medical school. Right after graduation, she’d been recruited by the military. Several years and what felt like a hundred labs later, she still worked for the government. Only now there was no name on the outside of the lab where she worked. No particular agency, at least none that she knew the name of, claimed her or her work.
For the last two years she’d been the one attempting to create unstoppable weaponized viruses. So, when her superiors came to her and asked her to do the opposite, it was a shock. Someone very good at creating killer diseases had beaten the United States to the punch.
At that moment, the virus was just a flu that spread like wildfire. No one was alarmed. No one even knew that a time bomb had been released in their midst.
The design of the disease was as simple as it was elegant. Olivia wanted to kick herself for not thinking of it first. The problem was that she hadn’t thought of it first. The virus’s next mutation was already programmed into its genetic material, and it would be the last. Liv could see it coming like a freight train, but she hadn’t yet figured out how to throw the switch and save the world.
She knew she was close. The answer was there, just under the surface of her conscious mind. It was something she could feel, but it was just out of reach.
That’s why she’d come to the cabin. Liv hoped that fresh air, quiet, and long hikes would allow her to get out of her own way. She needed the answer to emerge from her mind.
But first, she needed a shower. How long had it been since she’d had time to take a long, hot shower? As of late, most of her personal care had been done at sprint speed so she could get back to work in the lab.
Liv gathered her things and went into the cabin’s bathroom. She set her clean clothes on the counter and put her toiletries in the shower before turning on the hot water.
It was a bit chilly in the bathroom, so she sat on the toilet lid and waited for the water to get hot. Once the steam began to fill the small room, she stripped off her clothes. What Olivia didn’t notice was the trio of boys, who stood on the woodpile outside the window, looking in at her.
Chapter Seventeen
A Camping We Will Go
Evan had nearly pissed his pants with excitement when he saw the sedan pull up next to the cabin. When the slender, pale woman with a mound of dark curls piled on top of her head in a messy bun got out of the car, his body buzzed.
He’d felt it down in his marrow that this camping trip would give him his first, and he’d been right. Despite the fact that the woman was a full-grown adult, she was smaller than Evan. He and the other boys would be able to overpower her easily. Well, he and Lyle could take her.
Evan wasn’t sure about Chris. That little punk might still be a problem. He wasn’t quite like Evan and Lyle. Chris was easy to manipulate, but Evan wasn’t sure how far he would go. They might have to make him second.
Once the woman was inside the cabin, Evan led the boys down the small hill that separated them. At first, the other two stayed back while Evan looked in the windows. He knew it was risky, but if she caught them, he’d just take her right then.
It wasn’t the way he wanted to do things, but it would be good enough. What he really wanted was to take his time with the woman. He wanted to experiment with her flesh and see what he could do. Evan needed to know if he could make her whimper like the animals, and he craved the sound of her voice begging for mercy.
If he had it his way, that mercy would never come. She could beg until he cut out her tongue, and he wouldn’t care. He couldn’t care. There was nothing inside of him that even knew how to process such a thing. That didn’t bother him one bit because the woman did make him feel things.
It was as if he were blind and she’d given him sight. Her reward for that gift would be as much pain and suffering as Evan could inflict before he tortured her to death.
Chapter Eighteen
The key ring that contained the key to the cabin had a second, smaller key. I knew as soon as I’d seen the padlock that my reprieve would only last long enough for me to walk into the cabin and grab the keys.
I gave myself a little more time by feeding Trixie and giving her a fresh bowl of water. Briefly, I’d considered tying her up or shutting her in the cabin to keep her from following me into the bunker outside. Butafter everything she’d been through, that felt heartless.
“You need to stay back if I tell you,” I said, and Trixie cocked her head to the side again.
We walked back out to the door and I knelt to use the key. It slipped easily into the padlock, and my heart sunk even deeper when I heard the little click of the mechanism’s release.
The only thing that would have been worse than finding a living victim would have been finding a dead one. “Okay,” I said and opened the door.
Stench rolled out of the bunker. I gagged and quickly turned to the side in case I threw up. Puking on the concrete steps and then having to walk down them would have made the entire situation worse.
I couldn’t see the bottom of the stairs because it was so dark. Since I didn’t have a flashlight, and I knew that if I went back into the cabin I’d lose my nerve, I took out my phone and used a flashlight app I’d installed during the last storm.
As I swept the light across the base of the stairs, I caught a glimpse of what I thought was a blood pool off to the right. I also saw a light switch on the wall at the bottom. At least I knew there would be light if there was still power to the bunker.
After pulling the neck of my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, I began to slowly walk down the steps. The stench got heavier and heavier, and I had to steady myself once I’d reached the bottom.
I flipped the light on and wretched hard, but thankfully nothing came up. There was no one but me in the basement. Even Trixie had stayed at the top of the stairs.
“Thanks a lot,” I said to her. “Some guard dog you are.”
She barked at me, but did come to me. I felt a pang in my chest when I realized that while there was no one down there at the moment, there very recently had been. Floyd had most likely killed them when I called in order to prepare for me.
It was my fault. As I looked around at the small concrete space, I tried to console myself. I told myself that he would have died anyway eventually, but I knew there was no way I could know that for sure. If given a day, hell even five minutes more, whoever he was, he might have been able to escape. Or, on a different day, Floyd could have drank himself to death or died in a car crash. I couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility.
“But think of how many you saved.” Kevin’s voice startled me.
I hadn’t even seen him appear in front of the blood-stained mattress that sat in one corner of the closet-like room. I bristled at his words. I hadn’t thought of it that way, and I didn’t want to give myself that kind of excuse.
“What happened to him?”
“He’s buried out there,” Kevin said, and I assumed he meant the forest. “If it makes you feel any better, we cut his suffering short. Floyd had plans for him that you don’t want to know. But do know that you spared him some horrific abuse.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. We cut his life short. He had a chance before I came along.”
He had no chance.
I looked around the room, but I was alone again. There wasn’t much in the room beyond the mattress. In the other corner was a bucket. The contents of which I did not want to know. There was also a dirty blanket draped over half the bed.
When I couldn’t handle the smell or the feeling of claustrophobia anymore, I made my way back up the stairs. I felt like I should stay down there longer as penance for causing someone’s death, but I knew that wouldn’t do anyone any good.
Chapter Nineteen
Olivia
She thought she wanted
cookies, but once Liv was done with her shower, the extent of her exhaustion hit her. It felt like someone had tied lead blocks to her limbs.
Her stomach rumbled, and she debated whether or not to take a fifteen-minute power nap before fixing something to eat. In the end, hunger won.
She dug through the grocery bags that still sat on the kitchen table. Her prize was a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese. It was not something she ate regularly, but it was a meal that her grandmother had made for her many times. If the world was going to end, she was not going to die without one last giant bowl of mac n cheese.
Liv pulled the long lighter out of the drawer and used it to light the burner. The electric ignition had been out for a while, but she still needed to get to Lowe’s and buy a new stove for the cabin. It hadn’t been a priority since the delivery to the cabin would cost three times what the stove cost, and it still worked as long as you had a lighter to ignite the burner.
Once she was sure that it wouldn’t blink out, Liv filled a pot with water and set it on the burner. Suddenly, she found herself overcome with grief. Looking around the cabin at everything she loved hit home. It was the end. Unless she could do something miraculous, her world would end. Everyone’s would.
After her belly was full, Liv grabbed a blanket from the closet and curled up on one end of the sofa. She knew she should probably just go to bed, but if there was a chance that the day could still be somewhat productive, Liv needed to believe that it was just a nap.
She was dead asleep in less than a minute. She didn’t even hear the doorknob turn.
Chapter Twenty
Over the River and Through the Woods
Evan was so close he could taste it. All he had to do was walk into the cabin, and the woman was his for the taking. But the light was fading. If he didn’t follow his father’s instructions, they wouldn’t be able to go hiking alone again the next day. It would ruin everything.
“Let’s go back,” Evan whispered.
“I thought we were going in,” Lyle said with a hint of disappointment.
Evan noted the other boy’s enthusiasm. It gave him the confidence that they would be able to carry out his plan. He just had to bide his time and hope that Chris kept his coward mouth shut.
“Tomorrow. We’ll come back,” Evan said as he started to walk away.
As they made their way back to the campground, Evan could hear the other boys talking, but his mind would not focus on what they said. He was too lost in his fantasy world. It was much easier to imagine what he wanted to do to the woman now that he had a clear mental image of his first victim. It had all been conjecture to that point, but he could barely breathe because it was finally real.
“Hey, Evan.” Chris’s voice cut through his fantasies.
“What?”
“What are you planning with that woman?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow. Trust me. It will be fun.”
Evan couldn’t chance telling Chris too soon. If he got scared, he could snitch to Evan’s dad.
“Don’t be such a baby, Chris,” Lyle interjected.
Chris shot him a look. They’d just been discussing the matter, and Chris didn’t like that Lyle betrayed him. Chris didn’t want to think about Evan’s plans too closely, but he couldn’t help it.
He’d hoped that he’d been overreacting. People had told him that Evan was a psychopath, but Chris wanted to believe that Evan was just a misguided weirdo. That would make them kindred spirits.
People talked about the things Evan did to animals. It had to be rumors, though. Chris had convinced himself that no one came forward because it was just stories and not because they were afraid of Evan.
Chapter Twenty-One
“She’s there,” Kevin said and pointed across the lake.
He waited just outside of the bunker for me. His face lit up with a satisfied smile. My gut clenched because I thought he had chosen another victim for me. We needed something from the woman, and I would have to kill her.
“Who is there?” I asked dumbfounded and nauseated.
“Her name is Olivia. She’s a virologist. Those boys you don’t want to kill are planning to assault and murder her tomorrow.”
“So, why don’t I just warn her. Why do I have to kill children?”
“Well, for one, if you tell her something like that, she’s going to think you’re nuts. Plus, Olivia needs to be kept unaware of the danger she’s in. Her mental powers are to be preserved at all costs.”
“Why?” I asked.
“No,” Kevin said. “I’ll tell you when it’s done, but that knowledge could affect the outcome.”
“Fine. It’s not like I have a choice.”
“It’s always better when people accept that.”
“So, when do I kill the boys?” I asked, completely resigned to my fate.
I didn’t want to kill a bunch of teenage boys, but something about the situation felt heavier once I laid eyes on Olivia.
“They’ll come for her tomorrow morning. You’ll have to intercept them far enough away from the cabin that she never knows.”
“What about parents? Who is with the boys?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Boys Gone Wild
Evan woke up extra early the next morning. He’d cleaned the campsite and made breakfast before his father woke up. Nothing could get in the way of his first, and if that meant he had to play the dutiful son for a few hours, then so be it.
“What are you doing?” his father, Russ, asked when he emerged from his tent. Evan could see that his dad was hung over. Russ’s face was flushed and he rubbed his temples as he squinted against the light.
“I made breakfast. There’s coffee too,” Evan said in his best impression of cheerfulness.
“Thank you,” Russ said, but he seemed a bit confused. He wasn’t sure what to make of Evan’s new demeanor. For the time being, he decided to attribute it to the positive effect nature could have on people. He even thought that perhaps it wasn’t too late for Evan.
“Dad, I was wondering if it would be okay if the boys and I went on a hike again.”
“Don’t you want to spend any time with your old man?” Russ asked, but it was half-hearted. His eyes immediately flicked to the blue cooler that contained his beer.
Evan knew that Russ wanted a full weekend of drinking as much beer as he wanted just as much as Evan wanted to make that woman his first. Russ had to at least pretend not to be a drunk when Evan’s mother was around, but out there, if the boys entertained themselves, he could drink his fill.
“Well,” Russ began, “When you guys set off, I’m going to run into town and get some more drinks and ice. Anything you want in particular?”
Evan smiled. There was nothing like the prospect of all-day binge drinking to soften his father around the edges.
The other boys began to stir in their tents, so Evan popped another can of biscuits and wrapped them in foil before putting them on the grill.
As the boys finished eating, Russ left for town. Evan went to his tent and grabbed the backpack he’d had stashed there. It contained all of the tools he needed to make his vision of the first time a reality. The bag was another reason he hadn’t gone after the woman before. He wanted his kit.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A loud thumping at the door roused Liv from the first decent night’s sleep she’d had in ages. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she hopped off the bed. A thin line of sweat broke out across her forehead. Something told her not to answer the door. All she wanted was to go back to bed and keep the world out a little bit longer.
The thudding on the door grew more intense until it rattled one wall of the cabin. “Fine,” Liv said. “Fine!” she yelled as her adrenaline-soaked agitation kicked up a notch.
When Liv opened the door, she felt like she could strangle someone. Outside on the cabin’s front porch was none other than Kyle.
“You couldn’t give me two days?” she asked with a huff.
�
�You need to get dressed, Liv. We have a problem,” Kyle said in a grave voice, and for the first time she noticed how pale and haggard he looked.
“What’s going on?”
“Just get dressed, Liv. I’ll tell you in the car. Please,” Kyle begged.
Olivia’s heart kept racing. She knew that if Kyle was here for work, it was bad. He could have just called, but if she’d driven while upset, it could have caused an accident.
As soon as Olivia was out the door, she realized that Kyle wasn’t just upset or stressed out. He was sick. His hair wasn’t just mussed; it was thinning because it appeared to have fallen out in clumps. Kyle had lost his eyelashes and eyebrows as well. It was attacking his fast-reproducing cells.
She’d only needed one more day, but the virus had made the jump. “Kyle, you should have called me. You shouldn’t have come here. What chance do we have if I get sick?” Liv tried to stay cool, but even she could be rattled with thoughts of the end of the world. And, of course, her own death at the hands of a virus that would turn her inside out before it left her rotting in the ground.
“Liv, you have to save me,” Kyle bleated like a lamb being dragged to slaughter. “I wanted to make sure that...”
“You’ve intentionally infected me so that I will work harder to come up with a solution. You’re pathetic, Kyle. You always were. So, what happens when the fever takes hold of my mind? Huh? Did you think about that?”
“Please, Liv,” was all Kyle could muster.
Liv pushed past him into the front yard area of the cabin. She needed to breathe. She needed the trees to calm her nerves. Getting upset with Kyle wasn’t going to solve anything, and could she really blame him? She didn’t want to die, either.
Maybe he hadn’t infected her yet. Liv thought that perhaps she could go back into the cabin, lock the door, and figure this out in peace. But that was bargaining. Of course she was infected. Liv knew this disease better than she knew herself.
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