Immune
By: Jessica Gomez
IMMUNE
Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Gomez.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact; [email protected]
First Edition: October 2016
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Chapter 1
Ian
Morning arrives before I’m ready, and my mind churns with information. On the return trip, I was uncertain as to what I would find when I arrived. Lillie and I had just begun to work through our issues, but guilt remained the first emotion when I lingered on our past. Knowing what she was overcoming—to even look at me—was beyond my comprehension. The idea that I had a daughter consumed me. She made my heart speed with excitement and sag with sadness, both at the same time. How could happiness and regret play so well together in my chest? I love her. She’s the sweetest child I’ve ever met, and I’d helped create her. However, that was where the guilt and regret settled in, because of the act of how she was created.
Living with my guilt is probably minute compared to how Lillie feels each day. The fact that she can move forward with her life, with me, is a gift I could never repay. I’m not deserving of being a part of my daughter’s life, but greed allows me to accept whatever they offer.
While I watch them sleep, the sun shining down on their faces through the cracks in the ceiling, I can’t pull myself away. I should’ve gotten up hours ago to pack and ready the search party. No one had come to seek me out, so I guess they’re giving me time, somehow sensing I need it. Azami’s profile is almost identical to Lillie’s, as well as her blonde hair. I wonder if it will stay blonde like her mother’s, or change to match my brown.
After some time passes, I realize I can’t put off the inevitable.
I stretch my body awake and crawl from the bed without waking anyone. Moving quietly over to James, I check him. He’s progressing well. At least, that’s what Michael says. I pray he’s right. Losing him a second time would be devastating.
Running my hand up his arm, his emotions swarm me; reassuring me. His dreams are consuming him, causing him to twitch. James had always had vivid dreams, but they were now manifesting into visions. My talent doesn’t allow me to see into his mind or future events like his can, but I can see that he will survive. He’s emotionally strong and happy. A good dream. The sensation draws a smile to my lips, easing some of my worry.
“How is he?” Lillie asks, turning to her stomach to watch me.
A moment passes before I can find my words. Now that she’s awake, her beautiful green eyes shine bright in the morning light, much like her hair. “He’s good. He’ll wake up soon,” I reply, continuing to stare at her.
She smiles shyly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re beautiful,” I say.
She rolls her eyes and giggles as she turns back over. “Sure I am. I haven’t showered for some days now, and probably smell on top of it all.”
I move to sit next to her. “I’m serious. You’re the most beautiful women I’ve ever met.” I trace my finger down the side of her cheek. Just the touch of her soft skin drives me insane. “I’ve always thought so, even the first time we met.”
Her eyes begin to shine. “I love you. You know that, right?” she states in a serious tone.
I lean down and kiss the tip of her nose. “As I do you. With all my heart.”
My actions bring a smile to her lips and erase those glistening tears from her eyes. “I thought you were supposed to leave early this morning?”
“Yeah. We were supposed to leave at dawn, but when I woke up, all I wanted to do was stay here with you three.”
She smiles again, leaning up to kiss me. “Do you really think he’s okay?” She tilts her head toward James.
“Yes. He’s not in pain. He was having a good dream,” I inform her, knowing it as truth.
“That’s good. We should probably get up and help you get ready.” She turns to Azami and pats her behind. “Wake up, little lady. Rise and shine.”
Azami’s arms and legs flop around and she groans. “I’m tiwed, Momma.”
“I know, but we’re going to wash up in the big tub.” Lillie’s smiling, already sure of her reaction.
Azami jumps up, suddenly ready for the day. “Can Untle Dames come?” She reaches over and touches his arm.
“I wish, princess. He’s still not feeling well and needs to sleep. Maybe next time.” Lillie brushes her hand over the top of Azami’s golden hair. “Let’s get ready. Ian has to leave again. He’s going to bring back some new friends for us to meet.”
Azami glances over at me, then back to Lillie and whispers, “I don’t want him to weave adain.”
My heart melts. “I’ll only be gone for a couple of days, and I’ll be back before you know it. We can go play in the big pool when I get back too, okay?”
She reluctantly agrees. “Otay.”
“You’re going to be good for your mom, right?”
“Oh, yes.” She pats Lillie’s leg. “I’m always good, wight Momma?”
“Yes, my little angel. You’re the best.” She rubs her nose against Azami’s, causing her to giggle. “Now, come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”
We grab everything we need to clean up and freshen our clothes, and in no time, we’re standing with everyone else. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. The last time I did this, my trip ended disastrously, and knowing that the infected are now hunting machines does nothing to settle my nerves.
Luckily for me, the guys woke before dawn and packed all our supplies. Everyone’s required to bring a pack that holds a change of clothes, extra water, basic medical supplies, and a few odds and ends. You never know when you may have to ditch your rig and make the rest of your trip on foot. We always have to be prepared.
The good-byes are always the hardest. After the Flash, losing everything and everyone we loved taught us to keep our walls up to new people. But the things we’ve done and witnessed together has bonded us all, like family. And that’s evident as I watch Luke and Mason walk over to Azami and Lillie, whispering, reassuring them in the same soft tone I’ve used all morning.
Finally, they sling their packs on and head down the tunnel, leaving me to say my good-byes privately.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I whisper in Lillie’s ear.
She nods, her words blocked behind emotion. I kiss the side of her head before squatting down to do the same with Azami.
“See you soon, pumpkin.” I kiss her cheek.
“I will miss you,” she whispers, kissing my cheek in return.
How can one tiny little human almost crush me in such a simple way? My heart squeezes, twisting all the way to my gut. “I’ll miss you both. Take care of Mommy, okay?”
“Otay.” She wraps her arms around Lillie’s leg as I begin to walk down the tunnel to catch up with the others. Each step I take leaves pieces of my heart behind.
Chapter 2
Lillie
Déjà vu.
I despise the term. Ian walking down the tunnel while Azami and I watched was a
ll too surreal. My heart hammers against my chest, cracking against the bone. The only reason I remained grounded was that I didn’t have that overwhelming sense of panic that followed one of my dreams. The apprehension was purely me. I didn’t want him to leave again. He’d only been home a matter of days, but knowing he’s going out to rescue others makes it somewhat easier to let him go.
Azami slides her hand into mine, sensing my stress. “It’s otay, Momma. He’ll be bact.”
I smile down at her, trying to hide my worry. Her bright blues hold such certainty. “I know, princess.” Reassuringly, I squeeze her hand. “Why don’t we go see if we can make some bread in the kitchen?”
“Yes!” she screeches, jumping up and down.
“I bet Sarah would love some help.”
A few hours later, and covered in flour, we have successfully made enough bread to last us for weeks. Baking keeps my mind from wandering. Azami’s curled up in the corner where she fell asleep. Wiping my hands on my pants, I give up. There’s nothing left to bake.
“All finished?” Sarah smiles as she walks back into the kitchen.
I smile over at her. “Yeah. Thanks for letting us cook all your bread.” I laugh, pointing to the numerous stacks of bread.
“No problem. Come back at dinner if you need something else to do.”
“Thanks, Sarah. I’ll definitely keep that in mind. For now, I should get her to bed.”
I scoop my baby girl up into my arms and hold her close. My steps increase the closer I get to our room, excited to see how James is doing. When we enter, Jen is still sitting next to James, changing his bandages. He looks good. The swelling is almost gone, and the discolored areas are turning back to their original pink.
“How is he?” I ask, as I lay Azami down on the mattress.
“Good. He should wake up anytime.” Excitement is etched on her face. When James arrived, he became everyone’s little brother, not just Ian’s. “How are you holding up?”
I sit next to them on the floor. “I’m losing my ever-loving mind! So much has happened in the last few days, I don’t even know where to start. The only thing making this bearable is that we’re all here. We got Az back. James is doing good, and Ian is actually alive. It all seems so surreal. Am I dreaming?”
Jen reaches over and takes my hand. “I can assure you, you’re not dreaming. He’s back.” I cover my face with me free hand, attempting to squash the emotions bubbling to the surface. “Oh, honey. Everything’ll work itself out. Just give it time.”
I swipe my palm down my face. “I sure hope so. I’m excited to add more people to our group. Ian says that Naveen, one of the girls in the group, has a baby named Gage. He’s younger than Azami, and she’s never seen another baby before. I can’t wait to see her reaction.”
“I’m excited too. Ian talked about them last night at the meeting. I think they’ll fit right in.”
“You went with Michael?” I ask.
“Yes.”
I nod. “Ian said the vote was unanimous on giving Becky mercy. How are you holding up?” Becky and Jen used to room together at college before the Flash. They’d survived together.
Jen looks away, swallowing hard. “We grew apart long before this, but my heart still aches for the girl I once knew. Looking back, I think she was always infected. She was always so angry. That’s not who I am, so it drove a wedge in between us and our friendship.” She wipes the single tear off her cheek and clears her throat. “It is what it is, though. There’s nothing we can do. Just promise me you won’t go anywhere.” She leaned in and hugged me tight.
“Sorry, but you’re stuck with us.” I hug her back just as tightly, letting her know that I mean it.
After our moment, she releases me and stands. “I’ll leave you alone. You should probably get some rest. When they bring the others back, we’ll be busy getting them settled in.”
Jen dismisses herself quietly, leaving me to watch over James. After smoothing his hair a few times and kissing his forehead, I move to the mattress with Azami. We could all use some rest.
I close my eyes, and before I know it, I’m pulled into a peaceful sleep.
~~~~
A couple hours later I wake up, and Azami’s side of the mattress is empty. My heart thuds against my chest until I hear her whispering to James. I listen as she rambles on about her day, as if he were listening intently to everything she’s saying. She pauses for a moment, quietly watching him, then she huffs out a loud sigh, sounding annoyed.
“Untle Dames. It’s time for you to wate up.” She leans forward and places her hands on his temples. “No more sweeping. I tan hear you, in hewe.”
I tilt my head and ask her, “Angel, what are you doing?”
She doesn’t let go of his face when she turns to look at me. I gasp, startled at the brightness of her blue eyes. They appear as if they’re glowing, wise beyond their years, but then they return to their normal shine. I blink hard, wondering if I’d seen anything to begin with.
“I’m bowed, Momma. Untle Dames is having fun dweams and I want him to wate up and pway wif me.”
“Baby, how do you know he’s having fun dreams?” She’s not making any sense.
“Becuz, I can see dem when I touch him. He’s dweaming of pwaying wif me. But I want to pway for weals.” She turns back to him. “I want to pway for weal, Untle Dames.”
“Angel, just because you tell him to wake up doesn’t mean he will. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to play for a while. Not until he feels better.”
As soon as I finish speaking, James groans.
In a flash I’m sitting next to him, hands hovering over him. “James?”
“Mmm…” he moans.
“Yaay! Untle Dames! Wate up!” she screams, jumping on his legs.
“Az! Don’t do that!” I grab her up and place her on my lap.
A deep chuckle draws my attention. I look down and see that James’s eyes are bright as he watches me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Hey,” he says, his voice rough.
“Here.” I hold a cup and help him drink some water. “How are you? Are you hurting anywhere?”
He takes another drink before answering. “I’m sore, and my head hurts.” He reaches back, tenderly touching the back of his head. “But I think I’ll live. How are you, doodlebug?”
“Good.” She reaches her little hand over to his forehead. “I saw yoor dweam. We wewr pwaying in da poow.” She’s bouncing around, getting excited.
James cocks his head at her. “What do you mean, you saw my dream?”
She rolls her eyes at him and leans forward. “I touch you. I see.”
She touches his arm and he stills. His facial features relax, signaling a vision. My stomach is in my throat, wondering what he’s seeing.
“She can see thoughts,” he states, while continuing to stare at her. “Anytime she touches you, she’ll know what you know, hear what you think.”
How is this possible? How long has she been able to do this? I mean, there are a lot of things she shouldn’t know that runs through my head. “What’s happening to us?” I whisper, looking to James for an answer.
He’s as clueless as I am. “I’ll take this over turning infected any day,” he groans as he sits up.
I lean in to help him and ask, “Do you remember anything?”His eyes darken. “It happened so fast…there’s not much to remember. We were asleep. Flashes of a dream I couldn’t understand were making me toss and turn, and I woke up just as he came into the room.” He pauses, looking ashamed. “He knocked me out before I could move.” Looking up at me he asks, “What happened? Did he hurt her?” His eyes are glassy as he turns to look at Azami, who’s digging through her small pile of clothes, looking for her bathing suit.
“No, but there’s something else I have to tell you.” A large smile takes over my face. He still has no idea that Ian came back to us.
He rubs the back of his neck, working out the kinks. “What?”
“Ian’s alive.”
“What?” he shouts and looks around the room, as if Ian’s hiding. “When? How?” He goes to stand, but loses his balance.
“Whoa!” I say. “Hold your horses. He’s not here right now. Let me explain everything. A lot has happened.”
He doesn’t have much of a choice, but to sit back down and relax. His pinched face shows the pain that still riddles his body. “Tell me.”
I explain to him how Jeff was able to sneak into their room and take Azami, after knocking him into a bloody, unconscious state, and Ian’s sudden arrival only moments later, shocking the entire cave. I also explain how it had taken years for the infection to take over Jeff and Becky, and that Azami has procured an extra sense of her own; a gift that could turn your mind into your own worst enemy.
Excitement runs through me at all the possibilities of adding more people to our group, along with the extra security our numbers would provide. Jeff’s still on the loose, and dangerous, and infected. No one understands how an infected’s brain works. Would he retain his memories and come back for us?
Dane began perimeter checks, as well as keeping a guard at the entrance at all times since Azami’s abduction. Before, we’d only check our entrances a couple times a day. With everyone else in the world dead, you really didn’t have to worry about a security detail. But now that the infected are springing up randomly, being overly cautious is a necessity.
James lets out a loud sigh. “That’s a lot.”
“You’re telling me. I’m still absorbing it all myself. Sorry for dropping so much on you right away. I thought you should know the entire story.”
“If Ian left this morning, when’s he supposed to return?”
“He said about a week. Fingers crossed they don’t run into any trouble.”
Azami bounds back over to us, giggling, and pats James on the arm.
“You want to come down if Michael gives you the green light? It would probably be good for your muscles,” I offer.
“Yeah, that sounds really good right about now.”
Flash Series (Book 2): Immune Page 1
