by Lake, D. K.
"What's it about?"
"Zombies."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. Whoever was here before liked sci-fi, horror, and zombies."
"Perfect, that should really help settle me down."
She patted the bed for me to get in.
I wanted to run away.
Don't get me wrong, Robin was sweet and bubbly, and Nick was friendly and still treating me, and Ross was his own character and liked to make jokes, but I just wanted to get out of here. I felt trapped underground. I couldn't even open a window.
I wanted to see Lane as soon as possible and tell him I was sorry for being such a bitch to him, for doubting him constantly, and for being so difficult. And I wanted to thank Josh for being such a good friend.
I wanted to see Drew but that wasn't going to happen. He had probably forgotten all about me and was back in Louisiana, topping up his tan, sipping beer by the bayou. I bet he hadn't even thought about me once.
"You okay?" Robin asked, giving me an odd look.
"I'm fine." I snapped out of it and climbed into the bed. Wow, this is one comfy bed. "Well, go on then, get on with the story."
She opened the book and I snuggled into the pillow that smelled of freshly washed laundry and something else...like a fresh, bursting ocean breeze, which only reminded me of a certain someone.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I ended up in the bathroom that night, sleeping in the luxury bathtub, she really did snore like a freight train.
Chapter 4
"What do you think?" Robin asked.
I gulped down another swig of beer. I had asked Ross very nicely to get his hands on something other than water, juice or tea and he had snuck me down some beer.
"I think I want to get outta here. Seriously, how are you not going insane from being trapped in here?" I asked, staring at the window screen and watching a bird hop along the window ledge.
If only it was real.
"It's safe in here. I'd rather be trapped in here than out there. Anyway, it's not that bad. You have three meals a day, a massive bed to sleep in, clean clothes, water. I think you need to relax and enjoy your stay."
"I've been here for eight weeks, including the four I was unconscious for. I don't think I can stay here any longer. I need to feel the fresh air on my face."
"Or the smell of rotting decay." Robin muttered.
"Oh, come on, you're telling me you're not the least bit bored? You can only make so many towers out of playing cards, play so many games of Twister, and throw so many darts before going mad."
We did have a TV with a DVD player that was on most of the day to keep us company, and there was an Xbox but neither one of us was really interested in it because it was all shooting games and zombies.
"This is just 'cause you miss your boyfriend." she singsonged.
I rolled my eyes just as Nick burst through the door to the apartment.
"Code red!" he whisper-shouted.
"Huh?"
Robin stood up and her tower of cards tumbled to the floor.
"Alex, code red!" Robin urged.
"Remind me again what code red is?" I asked, lifting the beer bottle to my lips but before I got to drink anything Nick snatched the bottle away from me.
"You have to hide!" Nick insisted.
"Why, what's happening?"
I tried reaching for the bottle but Nick placed it on the coffee table.
"Miriam! Miriam is code red. You have to hide. NOW!" Nick shoved me towards the bedroom.
"But you said she rarely ever comes down here."
"She wants to see Robin and I said I'd just find her but she's walking this way. Quick, under the bed."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, Alex, I'm very serious."
"What are you all doing? She's coming! I couldn't stall her any longer." Ross panicked, slamming the apartment door.
Ross ran over to me and grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bedroom and slammed the door.
"I don't see why I have to hide? I'm living proof the vaccine works. I shouldn't have to hide."
Ross looked around the room for somewhere for me to hide just as I heard a set of new voices on the other side of the door.
"Ah, here she is, our little star." said a woman's voice in a British accent.
"That's Miriam." Ross whispered, pulling me away from the door but I pulled away from him and stood next to the door with my ear against the wood.
"Andrew, this is Robin. Robin, this is Mr. Allen, he works closely with me and oversees how things are going and has traveled all the way from Washington, D.C. to see you."
"Hello." Robin greeted them both politely.
"I thought we could have a little chat. Nick, sit down." Miriam ordered.
All went quiet and I assumed they were all picking a seat to sit down in.
"So, as you know, you are very important to us and there are a lot of people excited to meet you." Miriam explained.
"Me?" Robin gasped.
"Yes. How would you feel about coming to Washington with us and meeting the new President?"
"Whoa...what, did she just say the President?" I muttered.
"Shhh." Ross covered my mouth with his hand.
"The President!" Robin squeaked as though they had just offered her a trip to Disneyland.
I removed Ross's hand and whispered, "I didn't know there was a new president. Didn't the last one get infected?"
"Errr...Miriam, I am still running tests on Robin, she can't leave." Nick interjected.
"Robin, would you excuse us a moment." Miriam said.
I heard the apartment door open and close.
"Miriam-" Nick started but Miriam cut him off.
"Nick, you have kept that girl down here for weeks. I have given you plenty enough time. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but last week you said she was on the road to recovery and we talked about presenting her in Washington."
"Yes, that was last week, and as of two days ago there are traces of the virus in her system."
"So she's infected?"
"No, but the vaccine is still in the early stages, that is why she needs to stay here, so I can monitor her and watch her development."
"Can't you watch her while we're there? We're only going for a few days and then we'll be back again. I have already informed them that we will be on our way."
"Well, you need to un-inform them."
"Look, Nick, I'm the one that makes the rules around here and I have the final say in what happens, and I'm telling you that Robin will be on that helicopter tomorrow. Make sure everything she needs is packed and ready to go by 8 am. And you need to bring everything with you, documents, notes, everything you have on the vaccine as you will have to give a presentation once we are there. They want to know everything."
"Miriam, no, she can't-"
"Nick, enough! Robin will be coming to D.C. with me and there's nothing you can do about it. Now if you don't mind, I need a few minutes with Mr. Allen."
I looked sideways at Ross.
"Did you know Robin was still sick?" I whispered.
He shook his head and I heard the door open and close again.
"Miriam, that girl needs to be on the helicopter tomorrow." Mr. Allen said.
"I know, and she will. Let me deal with Nick."
"You said you were going to deal with him last week but he's still alive."
"Yes, I needed access to his files and he wasn't just going to hand everything over and give me the pin access to his lab. But, this way, everything he has documented and everything you need to know about the vaccine will be on that helicopter tomorrow. I told you I would sort it and I will. I'll have someone deal with it tonight, and then tomorrow you will have everything you want and everyone in D.C. will think you're the one that's created the vaccine."
"What about the girl?"
"Don't worry about the girl, I will talk to her."
"What about these traces of the virus in her system he was talking about?"
; "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
"Yes, but what if it is? Nick has more experience and is better trained than I am."
"Well, if it's a problem we'll just use Nick's vaccine and tweak it a little. Anyway, once we are there, there will be a whole team of scientists ready to help, we just have to deliver the vaccine and they will do the rest. It's not rocket science."
"No, it's a cure for mankind. I don't know if I can do this." Mr. Allen fretted.
"Andrew, we talked about this. It will be fine. This is my chance to get out of here, and you can finally leave your wife and we can be together. In a few days, everyone is going to think we've found the cure to the disease and our names will go down in history, and we'll be offered one of the government suites with top-level security and room service. It's everything we both want, you'll see. We just need to get through tomorrow. Now, come on, I need to pack. I don't plan on coming back. Oh, and remind me to find something for Ross to do tonight, I need him away from here while I have Nick dealt with."
"Why not just get rid of Ross as well if he may cause a problem?"
I felt Ross tense next to me.
"Because I promised my sister I would make sure he's okay, he is my nephew after all."
The door opened and closed again and I let out a breath I had been holding in.
"What just happened? Did I hear all that correctly? She's planning to get rid of Nick and pretend she's the one that created the vaccine with her lover Mr. Andrew Allen, are you kidding me?" I said angrily.
"She sounded pretty serious, and when Miriam makes up her mind to do something it gets done."
"What is she gonna do, come down here and suffocate Nick with a pillow in his sleep?"
"No, she has other people to do all her dirty work for her. We had others here, Clifford and Chen, but they both just vanished. I caught Dave snooping around the night before Chen went missing, he's not a very nice man.”
"Obviously not if he killed Clifford and Chen. So she's going to send this Dave person down here tonight?"
"It looks that way."
"So bitch Miriam is your auntie?"
"Yep, that's how I ended up with this job, she didn't want me on the field or in danger, so she lets me hang around and I get stuck with all the odd jobs. I never complained, though, I can do what I want most of the time. We need to tell Nick, and then we need to come up with a plan."
"A plan?" I asked, wondering what he had in mind.
"She wants to kill Nick. We need to get out of here and get to Washington ourselves."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Nick needs to be the one to deliver the vaccine and present Robin. We have to get there ourselves."
"Sounds like a terrible road trip to me." I muttered.
"You up for it?"
"I dunno. I just want to get out of here and find Lane."
"Nah, that's boring, you gotta come to Washington with us. We could do with another badass on the team."
"How would we even get out of this place? You said getting in was easy, but getting out would be impossible."
"Not impossible, hard, but not impossible. There are guards everywhere but I can cause a distraction and I know how to fly a chopper."
"Really?"
"Sure."
I heard the apartment door open again and we both stepped away from the door and froze, a second later the bedroom door flew open.
"They're gone." Nick said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Ross and I both looked at each other.
"Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Ross said.
"What is it? What did they say after I left the room?" Nick asked.
"Um...we may have to find a way to get to Washington ourselves." Ross told him.
I couldn't believe I was going along with this, but it's not like I could let them go on their own.
"What, why?" Nick asked.
"Nick, they're going to kill you. They want your science and they plan on taking Robin with them tomorrow." Ross informed him.
"So the rumors are true. Miriam did have Clifford and Chen killed." Nick mumbled to himself.
"Yup, and now she plans to get rid of you." Ross said, rubbing his forehead.
Nick frowned, crossed his arms and said, "Well, this isn't good."
"Isn't good? Someone's coming down here to kill you tonight." I said, not believing how calm he was being about all this.
"They can't get down here unless they have the lift access code to this floor, and I can easily change that." Nick said.
"Oh, so that fixes everything. And what did you mean by traces of the virus still in Robin's system? I thought she was all clear. Is the virus going to come back and kill me as well?" I panicked.
"No, you're clear and so is Robin, all traces have left both of you. I only told Miriam that the virus had returned to put her off this trip she's so insistent on taking Robin on. As far as Robin is concerned the treatment worked and she's as healthy as she can be, but I didn't want to leave because I am still treating you."
"Well, I'm fine. I don't know why you're making such a big fuss about treating me still, you said it yourself the virus has left my system."
"It has but you're extremely important as well, more so."
"Because Robin turned into a vegetable after you gave her the vaccine and I didn't?"
"Well, yes, but I gave you a slightly different formula, which worked better, but I still need to keep a close eye on you because you could be holding the key to the next generation."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"OMG! Did you hear what Miriam said? I get to meet the President! Who is the President?" Robin squealed, barging back into the apartment.
We all wandered back into the living room.
"What do I need to pack? Can I take Monkey?" Robin ran into the bedroom and came back out with a stuffed monkey.
"Robin, I think you need to sit down for a minute." Nick said.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"You can't go to Washington with that crazy bitch." I said, flopping into the chair.
"Why not?"
"Because Miriam is planning to have Nick killed so she can steal all of his research, and we can't let that happen. She can't just take what she wants." Ross said, pacing the room.
"So what do we do?" Robin asked in a worried little voice.
"We have to find a way to get to Washington so that Nick can be the one to show everyone his work." Ross explained.
"Leave? As in go outside?" Robin said with big eyes.
"We don't have a choice." Ross said.
"But it's dangerous outside." she continued to fret.
"I don't like this any more than you, but I don't see any other way. Miriam will get her claws into you one way or another, and if she finds Alex down here she will most likely have her killed and I will also suffer the same fate." Nick said.
"How will we even get there?" Robin asked.
"Leave that part to me, I can map out the way we need to go and sort out a distraction, but I need you three to get ready and pack everything we need." Ross said.
I didn't like this idea at all. Going out into the open world with Nick and Robin, both of which were not used to surviving and having to fight to survive. It was a bad idea.
"When do we leave?" I finally asked.
"Dave is on guard duty between 9 pm-1 am. I'm guessing he'll pay us a visit anytime after eleven because he always spends an hour in one of the girls' dorms over at the university when he should be on watch, like clockwork every week. So we need to be out of here by 10 pm. It will give us a chance to sneak out without being seen, everyone else will be over at the university, there's a party going on tonight."
"Wow, I feel so safe with all this amazing security everywhere." I mocked.
"What if I don't want to go with you guys?" Robin asked.
"You can stay here if you want, but I'm guessing you're pretty useless to Miriam if Nick has all the important files and documents, she won't need you." Ross said,
glaring at her.
"Robin, you're coming with us whether you like it or not, I'm not leaving you behind. Now go and pack what you want to take with you, I doubt we'll ever come back after we leave." Nick said.
Robin stood up and stomped into the bedroom.
"So we have..." Nick checked his watch. "Five hours."
"What about dinner?" Robin asked, poking her head around the bedroom door.
"Dinner, you're worried about food right now?" I exclaimed.
"I'll sort some food out and bring it down, you guys just start packing." Ross urged, walking to the door.
"How are we even going to get out of here?" Robin asked, walking back into the room.
"Let me worry about that, you just get ready!" Ross said, opening the door.
"Ross...wait!" I hurried over to him.
"What about Lane? I can't just leave and not tell him."
"Trust me, I don't plan on going anywhere without Zoe, she'd kick my ass if I left her behind. I have to make a delivery to the shopping mall so I will see him and tell him to get here. I'll sort out the security with him, it will be ok."
"He's coming?"
"You don't want them to come with us?"
"No, I mean, yeah. I just didn't think there would be room on the private jet or whatever we're going in."
"It's a helicopter, top of the range one with cup holders and everything, the only way Miriam travels. There are eight seats which will be how many people are going." Eight people?
"See you tonight." Ross said as he left the room and I couldn't ask him any more questions.
Eight people...Ross, Zoe, Nick, Robin, Lane, and me. That makes six. I wondered if Josh would be joining us, but who would take up the last seat? Maybe Ross had another guy on the inside he wanted to bring along.
"Alex, you can help me in the lab. Robin, you can pack all the essentials, toiletries, things we will need." Nick said, before walking over to me and guiding me into the corridor.
"Lane's coming." I said.
"I know, I heard."
"Do you know who the last two people are? I can only count six, and possibly Josh. Can we trust this other person?"
"I have no idea, but I'm sure Ross knows what he's doing. Come on, we have lots to sort through and pack."
"Yay." I muttered, following Nick down the corridor.
