Trina climbed inside the trailer and laid down towards the back, not bothering to say anything to the others. Mark grabbed the other big rafts, like the one they capsized in as well as rope stored in the back. Placing them each in the water, he tied them to each other using the rope. He worked quickly without speaking at first. Once he was finished, he found huge rocks and anchored them to each raft. As the time dragged on, he was growly, irritated and kept bitching, but he managed to keep working. He tied the rope to a huge stationary boulder under the water, covering it with bigger rocks so it wouldn’t break free and no one could pull them into shore from the water.
When he finished, he pointed to the rafts. “There’s your bed for tonight.”
Amber looked at the rafts in the water and back at him curiously. “Wait, where are you going?”
“I can’t explain it, but Trina an’ I need to stay in the trailer.”
“Seriously? You two are going to be in there fucking each other while we’re in the water?”
He growled, ducking from the sun. “Not exactly, just don’t open the door. We’ll come out when we’re ready. I can’t explain it… I just… know.”
Confused, Alex looked at the rafts. “So, you want us to hang out in the rafts until you come out? How long are you planning on being in there?”
“I… don’t know.” He jumped up on the trailer. “I made you a dry place in the water just stay in it.”
Heather looked at the room in the trailer. “Why can’t we get in there with you? Wouldn’t that be the safest, driest place?”
“No.” He pulled the trailer door down and locked it from the inside. “Hang out in the raft. If I’m not out in a few days go without us.”
“A few days?” Trish yelled. “You can’t be serious!”
Amber beat on the outside of the door. “Hey! What the fuck is going on? What do you mean go on without you? We don’t know where this fucking place is!”
“We wanna sleep. Leave us alone!” He yelled. “Get in the rafts!”
Heather groaned while looking at the raft as the sky grew darker. “Just great, now what do we do?”
Trish was already well ahead of them. “Get in the water before it gets dark.”
Alex helped get in the raft. “Good idea! Come on Amber. After all we have the rations so it’s not like we’re gonna starve.”
“Fuck it,” Amber said, getting in her raft.
Once they were in the water, the anchors in position, they sat looking around. Each one had their own, but the rope held them tightly together.
Trish sighed. “So… what do we do if they don’t come out?”
Alex shrugged. “I guess we’ll have no choice but to go on without them. We know they don’t like water, so all we have to do is find weapons. Things we can use to fill with water, so we can squirt them.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, that sounds really safe.”
“Unless you have a better idea.”
“No, but what are we going to use to fill with water?”
“This is a campsite. I’m sure there are bottles everywhere. Maybe we might even be able to find a squirt gun or two. People come ready to chop wood, so we might even find a couple hatchets too.”
Heather nodded. “Good idea. Tomorrow when its light out, we’ll look through sites and find something we can use.”
Amber shook her head. “I’m not going to shore unless I have to.”
“Then keep your ass in the raft, but the rest of us are looking for something to help our situation. We’re college girls for crying out loud, and we’re not defenseless.”
“You do what you want. I’m going to try and go to sleep.”
The night seemed to drag on. When the sun went down, they watched as people came out of the woods. A group gathered on shore, pointing at the girls, but wouldn’t get near the water. They just stared at them and grunted.
Alex watched them. “Wow. What happened to them?”
Amber smirked. “Maybe we should tell them where Mark and Trina are and they’ll leave us alone.”
Heather frowned. “That’s the most fucked up thing I’ve ever heard you say. Trina is one of us. We’re the Hatta group for a reason and we don’t desert or throw one of our own under the bus.”
“Mark’s not one of us.”
“Yeah, he kinda is now. When he saved our lives he became an honorary fucking member!”
“Regardless. You do that shit and we’ll throw you to the people,” Trish told her as she sat up, smoking a cigarette.
“Ya think we’re gonna turn into those things?”
Amber groaned. “If so kill me now.”
“Don’t tempt us,” Alex told her.
Eighteen
It was exactly five days later. Dani stretched and yawned, rolling over in a ball before opening her eyes. It took her a few minutes to realize she was still in a cell. Groaning, she rolled over on her back, trying to get her bearings.
Sitting up slowly, she looked around, dragging a hand through her hair. It was slick with oil from the sweat over the past few days. Reaching a hand forward, she gripped the side of the bench, pulling up to stand. It was too much too soon. She fell back to the floor, weak, unable to move.
Vince looked over, clapping his hands. “I knew you would make it! Welcome back to the land of the living! Well, kind of.”
“Thanks. I think.”
He chuckled. Grabbing the keys, he walked over and opened the door. “Hell of a ride you went through and before too long, you won’t remember any of it.”
“I don’t remember much now.”
He stepped in. Reaching down, he helped her on her feet. “However, you made it.” Putting his arm around her, he helped her out of the cell and sat her in the chair at the desk. “Welcome to the club!”
“I feel like my throat’s taken up residence in a desert.”
He put a bottle of water in front of her. “Drink it, but do it slowly.”
She sniffed and got a whiff of some foul-smelling body odor. “Whoa! Is ‘at me?”
“Yep.”
“I really need a hot shower too.”
“All in due time. You’re too weak right now to even stand to take a bath. I don’t have a shower to offer you, but I do have some water for a sponge bath to get the gunk rinsed off.”
“I guess a sponge bath is better ‘an none at all.”
“You need to rehydrate, but drink it slowly with little sips. Trust me. I found out what happens when you chug down a bottle of water.”
“I’m starvin’.”
“After you get some water in you then we’ll work on getting you some food.” He reached in his pack and pulled out an apple, cutting it into little bite-sized pieces. He put them on a napkin in front of her and sat back munching on a piece. “We have to build your strength back quickly so eat little bites at a time.”
She picked up the water and took a sip, cringing from the pain shooting down her raw throat. “So, what did I miss?” She took another sip, wincing. “And why does my throat hurt so badly? I feel like I haven’t eaten in a month.”
“You’re parched and hungry because you haven’t eaten or drank anything in five days.”
“Well it was nice of ya to show me such hospitality as food an’ water while I was stuck here.”
“It wasn’t me. It was you.”
“What?”
“One thing about the virus, it doesn’t allow you to eat or drink anything during the transformation even when it’s offered.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know. When you get sick, the first thing it does is empty out your stomach because the only nutrients come from the virus. This is just a guess. We’re not really sure.” He chewed on a sliver.
“Ya couldn’t force me to drink?”
“When it was forced through IVs, the person threw up so much that one time there was a death from his esophagus exploding. Therefore, we figured it has to do with the virus. We’ve all been through this and now there
are six of us.”
She took a sip of water, setting the bottle back down. “Not the best club to join.”
“Usually about this time, I’m putting a bullet between someone’s eyes, so I think I’d go for the stench and sore throat.”
“Well, when ya put it like that, every club has its pros an’ cons. You say there are six. How do ya know there aren’t others bein’ made all over the world as we speak, an’ it’s more ‘an six?”
He grinned. “We have this radar-like ability where we can sense each other. I know where all the others are right now because of it. It’s not so much something you learn more like something that just comes to you in time.”
“Like telepathy?”
“Kind of… yeah… We haven’t figured out how to harness that power yet. It’s still new to us.”
“And you’re tellin’ me that other than the government creations, no one else on Earth has been created but me?”
“Yes.” He kicked his feet up on the desk. “You’re the only one so far. Usually my job is to go from city to city, find the survivors, and train them how to survive. How to fight these things. How to watch out for them, and what to watch out for when someone is bitten or attacked. I teach them how much time to give before putting a bullet in someone’s brain.”
“It just seems so… surreal.”
“That’s because it just happened. Give it a few weeks when the reality sinks in. You’ll be just fine.”
“You’re the boss.” She shrugged. “I feel like someone beat my head in.”
He nodded, pointing to the water. “That’s because you’re dehydrated. It’s like after you get rip-roaring drunk. They tell you drink two full glasses of water and go back to bed. This is so you give your body time to re-hydrate. That way you won’t have a hangover when you finally get up.”
“I guess so. So tell me about these things since I passed your stupid initiation.”
“You know, when I first saw you fighting with that baseball bat, I knew you were going to be one of the few to survive.”
“Uh-huh. That’s just great. Now, how did all this happen?”
“Okay, there was a group of researchers led by a famous doctor. Dr. Tiberous.”
“Never heard of him.”
“And they were looking for a special flower.”
“Wait, did you say a special flower?”
“Yes.”
“Ya can’t tell me a flower did all this.”
He nodded. “Oh yeah, but not just any flower. Show me where you were bitten.”
She turned her arm around to show him. “It’s gross. It’s like this enormous chunk missin’ outta my arm that’s gonna--” She stopped talking instantly. Her arm healed without a scar, scab, or anything else to mar the flesh. “Wow! What the hell happened?”
He shrugged, taking a drink of water. “We’re not one hundred percent sure.”
“You guys sure don’t know a lot about this.”
Reaching down, he opened the backpack, pulling out a folder. He sat up, bringing his feet to rest on the ground. Placing it on the top of the desk in front of them, he turned it, facing her. “If a person has the right genes and can connect with this virus then they survive the attack. It hits every organ by way of the blood stream. Before you ask, we don’t have a clue how to tell which genes either.”
“And what does ‘at do?”
“Quite frankly,” he paused for effect, taking a long swallow of his water.
“Let me guess. You dunno.”
“We don’t know.”
She smirked. “Shockin’.”
“However, we found it makes you invincible, so it reaches every organ, leaving a piece of it behind. Maybe it needs to leave a fingerprint as a sort of inoculation to the organ, so the virus can strengthen each one. We’re not sure. We only know what it does.”
“Get the fuck outta here! Really, what does it do?”
“Proof,” grabbing the knife, he leaned over the desk. It was so quick she didn’t see it coming. He stabbed her in the side before sitting back in his chair. “Is in the stabbing.”
She screamed. Jumping up, she lifted her shirt high. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Show me where I just stabbed you.”
She grabbed where he stabbed. The small incision mended itself closed immediately. “Holy fuck!”
“That’s what it does.”
She looked at Vince with wide eyes. “Invincible? For real?”
“Yeah, believe it or not, we all had that reaction.”
“Wow! So I can get stabbed an’ not get hurt?”
“You can be stabbed, shot, whipped, beaten, burned, and you won’t be affected.”
“I mean come on; so far you’ve told me all the good stuff. There has to be bad stuff with this.”
He pulled out another sheet of paper showing it to her. “Another good thing, if the infected bite us then they die and we don’t. We’re like a walking antidote.”
“No shit? I’m not sure I like that part.”
“Well it’s like some fail-safe measure to help us hunters be able to do our job without risking our lives. I’m not saying they will bite us because most of them know we’re death.”
“Hunters?”
He nodded, motioning to the paper. “This makes you a hunter and a rescuer like me. Welcome to the force!”
“And just how much does somethin’ like ‘at pay?”
“There’s no pay in this job. It’s just something we have to do. Call the payment and salary your life and surviving the virus.”
“Ya know I need to talk to the man or woman in charge to renegotiate my contract.” She half joked.
“I know, right? I get to give you a crash course in everything because you’ll become an extended part of me. That way you can go out there and find the survivors while I go back out and look for more.”
She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Wait, so now I have to go out an’ do what you did for me? Isn’t it better if we stick together an’ work as a team?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“We cover more ground apart. However, I will set you up in a protected place. That way you’ll have everything you need to lead your own people.”
“I get my own people?”
“You’ll be the leader of the pack. You’ll be the one to make the rules and have others follow your training.”
“Lucky me. Where do I find ‘ese people?”
“Any that I find in your sector, I’ll bring to you. Once I’m outside your area then they’ll get their own or be sent to another that’s closer to them.”
“How will I know you’re sendin’ someone my way?”
“I’ll make sure to keep in touch with you and let you know what’s happening.”
“I don’t like the idea of bein’ a leader. I’ve never wanted to be one, though I’m not much of a follower either.”
“Some were born to lead, others were born to follow. You were born to lead. Not many have passed this test. Like I said, I’ve been doing this for a while and it seems like I’m just a killing machine. It’s nice to find one I didn’t have to kill.”
“For a while? How long has ‘is been happenin’?” She asked curiously.
“Longer than you think, but it feels like I’ve been doing this all my life.” Pulling out another picture, he set it in front of her. “We thought we had it under control, but then it got away from us.”
The picture was an animal missing fur. There with sores scattered all over its body and oozing green pus. It looked like someone made it up for a science-fiction movie special effect. The teeth were sharp and the claws looked deadly. It had a steady stream of drool, and it just looked frightening.
Cringing, she looked closely at the picture. “What the hell is ‘at?”
“This is what happens when a dog is infected.”
“That was a dog?”
He smirked. “No, this is a dog. They lose their fur. Normally, they won�
�t come out during the day. Too many hours in the sun burn them so bad you can smell their flesh cooking.”
“Hell, find us some hogs ‘en an’ we’ll just have ‘em fry themselves in the sun. We’ll call it bacon on the go.”
“Actually, the tainted meat is ruined. It’s like meat that’s been setting out on the counter for far too long. It’s not good to eat and you definitely don’t want to smell it either. Plus, we don’t want to take the chance infecting an innocent from eating tainted meat.”
“Lovely. Ya make this job sound so great. I can’t wait to hear the negative side.”
“And sometimes they come at you in a pack. Most of the infected won’t come at you and will run from you. They can smell that you’re a walking death trap to them. You’re clean with the virus and if they bite you, they’ll die.”
“I’m clean with the virus? Didn’t it run its course and leave or whatever viruses do when they’ve done their job?”
“No. This one stays in your system until you die. Most of the infected can sense that about you. It’s one reason why you’re invincible. You know how white blood cells stop infection and stop a cut from bleeding?”
She nodded. “I vaguely remember somethin’ ‘bout that.”
“Well, that’s now the job of the virus. It actually watches out for you from the inside out and keeps you safe.”
“Okay, you keep sayin’ ‘at most won’t attack. When will they an’ why if they know I’m just a cure for their illness?”
“I’ll get to that in a moment.”
“I can barely wait. The suspense is killin’ me,” she told him sarcastically.
He handed her another picture. Dead people strung out in a myriad of positions. Some slumped over. Some lying sprawled out. Some massively torn to pieces, while a few appeared as charcoal lumps of flesh. Dead and decaying bodies piled in the sun in no apparent order.
“In this picture is a Lurker.”
“A Lurker?”
“Yep, can you spot him?”
She looked at the picture, picking it up, holding it closer. “Are ya gonna tell me anythin’ about ‘im or do I just guess?” Vince stared at her, not saying a word, and she turned back to the photo once more. “Okay, if I was a Lurker, which sounds a lot like a stalker, though not sure what one is… where would I hide?”
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 18
