Justice smirked. “When Candice an’ I went out to see if this was goin’ on everywhere or just here at the camp, we found out the awful truth. It’s happenin’ everywhere, or at least all o’ West Virginia.”
Zach watched him, angrily. “Yeah, we know all that, but thanks for the recap.”
“The point is, now that we know, what the hell are we gonna do?”
Montana slowly nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Ah, I get what you’re sayin’. I personally think this place is just as good as any. We’ve got everythin’ we need here. We’re back far enough from the main road so not everyone would think to look back here.”
Sitting up in her seat, Rachel nodded. “Yes, but like that might not be a good thing.”
“How so?”
“Well, like if we’re back in the woods where people don’t like look, what would like possess anyone to come back here once this like whole thing is over and done with?”
“She has a point,” Candice said, sliding back to sit on the table. “If this thing is going to end. What if this is the way of the world now and we’re stuck like this forever? We need to think of the real possibility that this is it. It’s not going to get any better.”
Montana sat back, interlocking his fingers behind his head. “We could turn this into a fort with safety measures.”
Sipping his hot coffee, Howard nodded. “I agree. Maybe we could even put a few traps out. Then we won’t have to keep watch all the time.”
Rachel looked around the table. “Like what kind of traps are you talking about? I mean like you have to make sure it’s something like we’re not going to fall in to and like get stuck.”
“Agreed. I’m not interested in being stuck out there. Knowing my luck, they’d figure out how to get to me before I figured how to get out.”
Montana looked around at each one of them. “So are we in agreement to stick around here an’ make this safer?”
Brandon nodded. “I think that’s our best bet. We can’t get any better than what we have. We just need to make it safer.”
Trevor raised his hand. “You know what would be cool? If they don’t like water, we wouldn’t have to worry about them gettin’ to us if we had a moat. A moat surroundin’ everywhere we have to be. Not only would that look bad ass, but it would protect us when we have to be outside.”
Arching a brow, Rachel looked at him. “Did you like say a moat? Like how the hell are we going to make a moat? Is that like even possible?”
Nodding, Brandon smiled. “Ya know it would be easier than ya think. We could dig a trench around the buildin’ an’ fill it full o’ water. Then make a few places that we could safely pass through. We could totally do this.”
Shaking his head, Justice looked at the three of them. “Ya do realize what you’re talkin’ about, right? Ya know how long ‘at’s gonna take an’ how much we have to dig? You’re talkin’ about a lot work outside where it’s not safe.”
Montana brought his hands back to rest across his stomach, leaning back in his chair. “Not necessarily. We’ve got the bobcat an’ the caterpillar, not to mention the dump trucks, an’ the bulldozer. We could have ‘at done in a week, if we hurried.”
“Yes, but we’ll still be outside where it’s not safe.”
Sighing, Rachel sat back. “Well, I guess like a few of us girls could climb up a tree and like watch out too. From what Erica said like they couldn’t get her when she was up the tree.”
Montana clapped his hands. “I like ‘is plan. We can start tomorrow an’ there’s nothin’ that says we can’t be finished in a week. We won’t be rushed on time. We’ve got plenty o’ machines to dig up the land. I think we can do this.”
“I think it’s like a little much, but like whatever works.”
Looking around at everyone, Howard smiled. “Does that mean we’ll only have another week for keeping watch?”
Ian nodded. “Thank God, if I have to go many more nights getting woken up for watch I think I might lose it.”
“Good, it will be nice to be able to sleep all night long. Instead of drifting off as the guy on watch comes to wake us.”
Brandon chuckled. “Look at that. The shrink goin’ crazy. Now that’s funny.”
“Okay, now that we’ve all agreed to stay here that means we’re gonna need more supplies,” Montana said. “I checked inventory an’ we should clean out the Walmart an’ bring the stuff back here. We’ve got the room an’ it’ll stop the need to go into town, plus Walmart is closest.”
Candice nodded. “Okay, so I’ll go through the stores and get the shopping done, which means I need a list of things we need. I’m the only one that can get in and out without getting killed.”
“I dunno if that’s a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea. Besides, I’m the only one who can do it. You guys could wait for me outside in the trucks.”
Shaking his head, Brandon looked at her. “No, we don’t know what weakness, if any, ya might have with this thing. We sure as hell don’t know how long it’s gonna last either.”
“Well, while it still works, I should go in and get everything. We can turn this into a home with all the luxuries we might need.”
“Oh this is gonna be bad ass! We can get movies, games, big TVs--”
“Beds, furniture, an’ things to help would be better.” Montana told them. “I understand ya want games, movies an’ all that, but we still have to be careful with how much we leave the generator on. Maybe you could get some battery operated games with plenty o’ batteries, but only after the chores around here are finished.”
“Yes daddy.”
As per the conversation the night before, the small group consisting of Frank, Trevor, Brandon, Montana, and Candice headed out to the Walmart for supplies. They had a rather large list of things they were to pick up for everyone. When they arrived back five hours later, they had picked up more than just supplies.
Brandon was the first one through the door and he was overly excited. “You guys aren’t gonna believe this!”
Rachel and Sophia sat in the break room and looked up alarmed.
“What happened?” The way he screamed, Sophia jumped up and ran over. She immediately checked him for any signs of infection. “Are you okay?”
“It’s not me. It’s what happened to Candice.”
“What do ya mean it happened to Candice? That poor girl can’t get a break.”
“Yeah, but hang on, she’s comin’ in an’ she’ll tell ya.”
She slapped him in the arm. “Boy, don’t do that! Ya made think somethin’ bad happened to her.”
“Oh no, it’s not bad. I mean it is bad, but we found out somethin’ that only you’ll know the answer to the question that,” he shook his head. “Hang on, she’s comin’ in. She’ll explain.”
Furrowing her brows, Rachel looked confused. “Like I hope she can explain it better than like you just tried.”
Sophia nodded in agreement, reclaiming her seat down again. “As long as I don’t need my medical bag, an’ no one was hurt.”
The door opened and Candice walked in limping. When she left, her shirt didn’t have the holes it had upon her return. Her jeans, jagged, as if she went through a shredder. “Wait till you hear what happened. While we were loading things in the truck, I was attacked by a buck.”
Sophia jumped up and raced over, inspecting her for any injuries. “Oh my God! Are you hurt?”
Montana walked in, laughing slightly. “That thing hit ‘er ten feet in the air.”
Trevor followed him in, chuckling. “I swear, I thought I saw her bounce when she hit the ground.”
Sophia looked from one to the other and back to Candice, shock written on her face. “Oh my God!”
Giggling, Candice shook her finger at Montana and Trevor. “You’re not helping here. I feel a little twinge in my hip when I walk, but I landed on it. Trust me. It’s a lot better than it was when I first hit the ground.”
“What!” Turning, she slappe
d Brandon again. “I thought you said no one was hurt!”
“Ow, quit hittin’ me! I didn’t do it!” He winced, backing up a safer distance from her. “I didn’t say no one was hurt! I said she could explain it to ya.”
She turned back to Candice. “You were attacked by a buck?”
Montana shook his head. “She wasn’t so much attacked as much as she was hit an’ then took up a flyin’ lesson until she crashed.”
Furrowing her brows, she glared at him. “I don’t think ‘at’s funny.”
Candice laughed. “The point is, it fought me and tried to gore me, and even clawed me a few times too.” Sophia’s eyes got bigger with each injury the buck caused, and Candice raised her hands in defense. “I didn’t get hurt from it. It just felt like he was pushing on me. Granted when I fell on my hip, it hurt, but I think that rapid healing is working because it doesn’t hurt anymore and it was more like a huge pressure. It’s the best way to explain it. However, when he bit into my arm--”
“Well, you’ve had just the busy little adventure, haven’t you?” She grabbed her arm. “Where did he bite ya? I don’t see anythin’.”
“There’s nothing there. Remember, I can’t get hurt.”
“That we know of. You take just way too many chances without actually knowin’ if ‘ere’s a way for you to get hurt.”
Rachel pointed at her, nodding. “Like even super heroes have like weaknesses.”
Brandon pointed at Rachel. “’at’s what I’ve been sayin’ all along. She gets too reckless not knowin’ how long it’s gonna last.”
Pulling her arm gently back, Candice touched Sophia’s shoulder. “You need to calm down before you hurt yourself with worry. I’m fine. The point of the story is when it bit me, it keeled over and bled out of every hole it had. Or at least I think it was out of every hole. I didn’t really check.”
Sophia stopped fussing, as her face grew pale. She staggered as she sat down. Shock written on her face as she looked up at Candice. “I need to see this animal.”
Rushing to her side, Montana took her hand. “What’s wrong, baby? Ya look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you okay?”
Looking at each other Trevor and Brandon both mouthed the same thing at the same time, Baby?
Patting his hand, Sophia sighed. “I’ve had my suspicions about what this virus could be. It’s a bleeder an’ though there are a few of those out there, none that attacks so severely, an’ kills so easily. Usually this virus only attacks the human race an’ the monkeys so it confuses me about the other animals an’ how it mutates everythin’.”
“What disease are you talkin’ about?”
“The scariest disease out there; the virus serial killer: The Ebola Virus.”
Wincing, Brandon sank down on the top of the table. “Okay, I’ve never heard o’ that.”
“You’ve never heard o’ the Ebola Virus? Weren’t you listenin’ when we talked about it last week?”
“No, I’ve heard o’ the virus, but never the whole virus serial killer.”
Trevor nodded, turning back to Sophia. “Refresh my memory on ‘at.”
“Very contagious. You can get it through inhalin’ if someone with it sneezes, coughs, or even breathes on you. You can get it through touchin’, kissin’, or any other way for bodily fluids to be shared.”
“Sounds like some o’ those sexually transmitted diseases.”
“I wouldn’t be against sayin’ that a mosquito could spread it as well.”
“Now that would be a hell of a way to get an STD,” Brandon told them nodding. “Everyone an’ their brother would be usin’ ‘at excuse. Dracula gave it to me.”
Furrowing her brows, Rachel looked over at him. “Like how would Dracula give like an STD?”
“Because he was just a mosquito.”
“Like did I miss something?”
Trevor smirked. “Ignore him. As you were sayin’, Sophia.”
She sighed. “The first thing people get is a fever with chills, headache, an’ anorexia with muscle pain.”
Nodding, Candice winced. “I had that in the beginning; no eating, chills and a serious headache.”
“As it progresses, there’s nausea, vomitin’, sore throat, stomach pain, diarrhea, an’ it just gets worse. Bleedin’ occurs from multiple sites, includin’ the digestive tract, lungs, an’ gums, followed by death in seven to sixteen days. It causes severe damage to the liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, ovaries in women, an’ testes in men. The platelets an’ linings of arteries are severely damaged, which is why there’s so much bleedin’.”
Looking from Candice to Sophia, Montana sighed. “Is it possible this is another strain of it? I mean, can’t they evolve or branch out?”
“I dunno. I’m not sure what attacked Candice, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Ebola. It doesn’t cure. It kills. However, this deer, it just might have it. Was it sluggish or slow in its attack on ya?”
Scoffing, she shook her head. “Hell no. He gored me with everything he had.” Pulling out her T-shirt, she showed the many holes. “If it wasn’t for the fact I can’t be hurt, I’d be dead ten times over. He didn’t slow down or back off until he bit me and tore the skin off of my arm. That was when he couldn’t stand up and just kinda bled out.”
“That… it could be… but that’s not possible.”
“Maybe not, but I’m telling you what happened.”
“No, I mean it sounds like… did it get any o’ your blood in its mouth when it bit you?”
She chuckled. “I wasn’t getting close enough for an investigation, but he did rip a piece of my arm so I can only assume it got in his mouth.”
“I would still love to see this animal.”
Trevor shook his head. “Well, that’s not possible, but that’s not all she found out.”
Taking a seat on the table, Brandon nodded. “Oh yeah, what happened in the store might prove some o’ these people are pretty smart.”
“What do ya mean?” Sophia looked at Candice accusingly.
She shrugged. “The woman who bit me was there again. I ran into her. Only when I looked at her, she sniffed the air, turned, and ran from me. I had to chase her all around the store until I finally caught up to her. I killed her when I shoved an ax through her brain.”
“Sounds like ya had a pretty busy day. Are you tryin’ to get killed? You’re tryin’ to give me heart failure, aren’t ya?”
“Sophia, it didn’t kill me or even try to. It wouldn’t fight me at all. It ran as fast as it could away from me.”
“Start from the beginnin’ an’ tell me what happened.”
“Okay, I went into Walmart and I had already gone out for two trips already. I was on my third one when I heard a noise behind me. I saw her and started walking towards her. She sniffed the air, took a few steps away, and turned and ran.”
Sophia watched her. “What happened for ya to catch ‘er?”
“She tripped and fell in the Sporting Goods section and I had her cornered. She waved her hands at me, and even cried. I swear I think she was trying to talk. However, I felt this need to extinguish her and I did just that.”
“You should’ve brought ‘em both back here.”
Shaking his head, Brandon cringed. “Ew, that wasn’t on our agenda for today. Besides, you keep sayin’ it wouldn’t matter since ya don’t have a microscope.”
“I’m just sayin’ it’s too bad ya couldn’t have brought ‘er back here alive.”
“Oh that’s never happenin’.”
Chuckling at Brandon, Candice looked at Sophia. “Do you think this is almost like a case of,” she paused, thinking of the right words. “Ya know how wolves can smell if your blood is diseased?”
“That’s a new one on me.”
“No, it’s true. There have been cases where dogs detected something was wrong with their owners. Wolves won’t eat certain people because they have diabetes or cancer; spoiled meat.”
Canting her head to the side, Sophia nodded. “What abo
ut it?”
“Do you think the Freakazoid could tell I survived the virus? Maybe they know to bite me would hurt them like the buck died when it bit me.”
Waving his hand, Justice shook his head. “No, because if so why did the buck attack ya? Surely the animals can sense the same thing since their smell’s better.”
Looking from Justice to Candice, Sophia nodded. “That’s possible. The animals could just revert to animal aggression, but people could sense ‘at about ya an’ want no part of it. It could be you’re now a virus carrier, but it’s a good virus. That would mean if ya come against those with the bad virus an’ they bite ya, it’d be like gettin’ an immunization for the flu after gettin’ it. I wonder if your blood could save someone who got bit.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t ‘at interfere with the natural order if someone was gonna survive on ‘eir own?”
“Not necessarily. It’s like the flu. If ya get the flu an’ then get a shot, you’re basically bein’ given a low dose o’ the flu so your body knows it. This way it can fight it on its own. However, you’ve already got it so it’s gotta run its course. If ya get the shot before ya get the flu, the chances are good ya won’t get it.”
“That makes sense.”
Standing, Montana looked around the room. “Okay, guys get the weapons ready. We still need to unload the stuff we got today an’ sort it out because tomorrow we start our moat.”
Trevor jumped up. “That’s gonna be awesome, livin’ in a moat-filled area!”
Standing, Frank stretched. “Ugh, yeah, now we have to unload all this stuff we got. What time are we startin’ tomorrow?”
“Sometime after breakfast sounds good to me, but not too soon after.”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, since Brandon is usually up by seven cookin’, it gives us time to eat if we start about nine. That way it’s not too early yet it’s not too late in the day an’ we can get a lot accomplished.”
Walking out the door, Candice looked back. “Sounds good, and I’ll be out in the front, near the ones on the ground to protect them should anything attack.”
Taking his place in line, Ian looked up. “Candice, don’t you ever wonder just how long that super hero strength is going to last? I mean it’s heroic for you to put your life on the line when you realize one day it could just stop.”
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 27
