Once again our anxiety is for naught. Somehow the lack of people is more disconcerting. There are plenty of houses to choose from so we pick one to crash in for the night. As we approach the front door Lucas gets all macho and tries to kick it down. It’s a big old wooden door though (not one of those cheap breakable kinds you typically see today) and he bounces off of it right onto his ass. With a chuckle and an eye roll I move around him and turn the handle. I give him a large grin when it opens.
Lucas doesn’t say anything and looks quite sheepish. I offer him my hand and help him to his feet. We step into the hallway. I flick the first switch I see and do a little happy dance when the lights flick on (and almost fall over.) This leads to my own sheepish expression when I notice Lucas’ expression of amusement. Right. He doesn’t know about my severe lack of coordination. I’m sure he will…sooner rather than later.
Lucas secures the door and moves towards the back of the house. After he’s certain that everything is secure he plops down on the couch and looks at me.
“Hungry?” I ask.
“Yeah. Let’s go see if they have anything here.”
I follow him to the kitchen where we find quite a bit of food. Some of the perishables in the fridge can’t be saved, but the cabinets provide a plethora of options. We make some mac’n’cheese and pack a few more things into our bags while we wait. I can’t help but think again that whoever lived here left very quickly. The question is: where did they go?
There’re some things you just can’t get in a cabin. A shower—for example. Blessed hot running water is a luxury I haven’t had in a while and a welcomed amenity in our digs for the night. After we eat and tidy up (it’s only right) I wander upstairs and eye the bathroom greedily. Lucas insists I go first. I happily agree. I hunt for new clothes to wear once I’m clean before I start.
I open the first door off of the hallway and step into a child’s room. It’s obviously a little boy’s room from the toys and action figures strewn about. I close the door with a shudder and my mind quickly thinks of little Nate. I hope he and Becky are okay!
The next room holds nothing personal besides an empty closet and dresser drawers. I can only assume that it’s a guest or spare room of sorts. I move on and find myself in what must be the master bedroom. In the dresser I find clean undergarments—not exactly the right size but certainly close enough. In the closet I even find some jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie and some shoes—in my own size! I grab a sturdy looking pair of boots, kicking the too-small hated running shoes off my feet. Immediately I feel the relief. I lay the clothes on the pretty blue bedspread and step into the bathroom.
Even the end of the world doesn’t keep me from appreciating this bathroom. I give the tub a longing stare and move instead to the large stand-up shower. The water starts and begins dripping from the large overhead spigot like rain. Sure we picked a nice house, but this is way more posh than anything I’m used to. It takes some fumbling, but eventually I get the water to the right temperature.
It’s so worth it. Even if I ignore the fact that I feel gross (from not having taken a proper shower in months) it’s heavenly to stand under the stream of hot water—and oddly normal all things considered. It’s funny how we take something as little as a hot shower for granted. In this new world it’s now a luxury. Just one more thing that’s changed…
When I’m as clean as I can possibly be, I towel off and get dressed into the clean clothes. I feel slightly more human and much more like myself. I go in search of Lucas so he can have his go and find him in the living room. He sits in front of the fire he must’ve built in the fireplace.
“Feel better?” He asks.
“Much, thanks. Nice fire.” I point to the fireplace.
“The heats working but I figured we could do with the extra warmth.” He looks at me oddly. “You’re surprisingly non-whiney for a girl, you know that?”
“Um, thanks, I guess?” I can’t tell whether or not this is a compliment.
Lucas hops up from the couch and heads towards the stairs. “I won’t be long.” He says before he disappears.
I look around and this place is fully technologically tricked out. With nothing better to do (and no real idea what’s going on out there) I start with the television. I’m surprised when a channel comes to life. Score two for satellite TV—just like at Jack’s…only then I have the knowledge that the people I care most about are safe.
Before I can fall too deeply into that abyss I raise the volume and quickly become absorbed in the news program. Yeah, things are bad. A lot worse actually.
Over three quarters of the country is now under some form of the infection. The southwest seems to be the safest area and that’s where we’re headed. Something tells me that even with me on our side it won’t be easy. Images flash through my mind—of scurvy men holding my friends at gun-point, then laying in a charred mass on the ground. An entire battalion of soldiers at a research facility are not even a challenge…and the shards of my soul I lose each time.
The hand that appears on my shoulder scares me enough to snap me out of my reverie. “Sorry,” Lucas says. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Cool about the TV. I wonder if the internet works too?”
“Wait, say that again?”
He peers at me with a questioning look on his face. “Sorry?”
“No, the other thing.” I shake my head.
“Um, I wonder if the internet works.”
Smacking my hand to my head, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. Duh! If the internet works maybe I can reach Dr. Ford! Oh, please, please, please! I jump up and race to the computer tucked in the corner of the room and turn it on. My fingers drum impatiently on the small table where it sits. The computer fires up, but that’s no reason to get excited.
I hold my breath and click open the browser. When the home screen loads I exhale loudly. With a slightly hysterical giggle I quickly get to my email and log in. There are no important new messages (though oddly enough the nanobots didn’t seem to impede the delivery of weight-loss and dating site emails.) I delete them as I go and find the one I’ve been looking for: the last correspondence between me and Dr. Ford. Once that email’s sent I open another search engine in hopes to locate an email address for Captain Jennings or even at this point General West.
Of course the government directory is a hot mess of broken links and run-arounds. Heaven forbid a citizen can actually access someone’s contact information in the military. With a resounding sigh I push away from the desk. Lucas looks at me.
“No luck?” He asks.
I shrug. “Some luck. Maybe. I don’t know. I sent an email to Dr. Ford, but I have no way of knowing if it’ll even reach him. I was hoping to maybe find a way to reach Captain Jennings—hell, even General West, but no such luck.”
Lucas frowns. “If you want, I could try. I mean my access isn’t high or anything, but I have network credentials.”
Now it’s my turn to frown, and stare at him dumbly.
“I’m in the military. I have a contact list.”
“Oh! Yes, please.” Duh.
I relinquish the chair to Lucas and move back towards the TV. I don’t really pay attention to it and instead zone out with my thoughts. Dare I hope that they made it there safely? If they didn’t…I can’t even go there. My chest feels as though it’ll implode with the mere thought. No—it’s better to keep going. I glance out at the night sky and will time to move faster so we can keep moving.
“Kat, I think I got something.” Lucas calls from the corner.
The message Lucas sent was vague: smart on his part: to not give away too much information about who he’s with and where he is. It’s impossible to tell whether the emails are intercepted or make it to their intended destination. It frustrates me because all of this unknown—all this guessing impedes our progress. The return message is just as vague. It tells us no more than we already know. I’m about to tell him to shut it down when I notice the little camera button. I scro
ll the mouse over it and a ‘start video chat’ option pops up. I glance at Lucas for his approval and get a shrug for a response so I click the button and carefully remove myself from the frame of our computer’s camera.
A screen clicks on. It’s dark for a moment then springs to life. A uniformed soldier sits in the box waiting for Lucas to say something. When he does it leaves me standing with my mouth agape, wondering where the authority in his voice came from. “This is Private Lieutenant Lucas Meyers of the 13th Brigade requesting an audience with Captain Jennings.”
The soldier on the screen takes a moment to answer. “What is the nature of this audience Lieutenant?”
Lucas doesn’t miss a beat. “Due to the classified nature of the information I’m unable to disclose it to anyone other than the Captain.”
Another lapse before the soldier’s response. “Lieutenant, the Captain is very busy. I’ll need something to pass along before they’ll give me permission to patch you through.”
Lucas looks thoughtful for a moment. “Tell the Captain…Tell him I said ‘The hills are shockingly green here.’”
My lips smile as I understand his code. I know that the Captain will, too. The soldier on the other end doesn’t get it, but tells Lucas to wait while he tries to get clearance. It doesn’t take long before the screen clicks and Captain Jennings appears on the screen. He looks tired—haggard since I last saw him (although it could just be the crappy videography.)
“Lieutenant Meyers, you have some information for me?” The Captain’s voice sure hasn’t changed a bit. Now that we know it’s him I go to move the camera to include me in the shot too. As I raise my hand Lucas grabs it and gives his head a small shake no.
“Yes sir. Thank you for your time, sir.” Lucas looks at me then back to the screen. “I have an important…delivery. Can you tell me if this network is secure?”
The Captain chuckles. “Son, nothing is secure these days. They tell me you’re from the 13th?”
“Yes sir.” Lucas nods.
“When you did your training you finished and went to a place before you met your brigade. Do you remember where?”
“Yes sir.”
“How long do you think it would take you to arrive there with the—er—package?”
Lucas considers this. “Honestly sir, I have no idea. There are too many variables out here to give a realistic timeframe.”
“Understood, Lieutenant…let’s say that beginning a week from today there’ll be a team at dawn and dusk. You just get there as fast as you can.”
“Yes sir. Thank you, Captain.”
“And Lieutenant? Trust no one on your way. Things are…not good on the inside at the moment.”
“Understood sir.” The screen goes black.
“Whoa.” I look at Lucas. “That was intense.”
“Things must be worse than we thought.” He says quietly. “We should get some rest. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
I half-mumble a response, more of my focus on the lack of information that the video chat left me with. Maybe it’s selfish of me. I’m no idiot—I’m aware of the dangers out there. But is it too much to hope that just maybe I can know my friends are okay? The Captain’s words replay over and over in my head. I try to decipher some hidden, cryptic message until finally my mind gives out and I fall fast asleep.
Monsters
The sun wakes me. The fire is now just a few smoldering embers in the fireplace. I stand quietly and stretch. The angle of the sun makes me believe it’s early. Lucas is sprawled on the floor next to me. Carefully I climb over him to get to the bathroom. When I return he’s sitting up and appears much more clear-headed than myself.
He smiles and I grunt a response before heading into the kitchen. After a quick breakfast we repack our bags with the most we dare carry and make our way back outside. Bright. That’s the word. With all of this morning sun reflecting off of the snow it’s too damn bright. Maybe I’m a little cranky, too.
Although really, what else should I be? I don’t know if there’s a reason to make this journey or if anything’s worth it anymore. What choice do I have, huh? That’s right. None! No flipping choice at all. Gah!
I kick at a snow mound which does nothing to relieve my anger and instead finds me sprawled on my ass in the middle of the street. I’m not hurt. If anything now I’m just more upset. So naturally (in my fit of discontent) I let loose one frustrated scream. Because honestly, who’s going to hear it?
To Lucas’ credit he doesn’t even snicker. Maybe he’s just being nice (or maybe he fears I’ll zap him) but he doesn’t say anything smart as he helps me up. “You okay?”
I nod not really wanting to speak. Lucas ignores my outburst as we continue down the main strip. He’s cautious. It begins to lighten my mood slightly—mainly because there’s no reason for it. I’m still too grumpy to say anything though, so I meander behind him and try not to fall again. My butt’s wet enough already from the last time I fell in the snow.
Lucas begins to check cars. After the first two he shoots over a look that kicks me into gear. Whatever I’m dealing with right now isn’t his fault. He’s just trying to help and my little hissy fit isn’t getting us any closer to where we need to be. I move to the opposite side of the street and begin checking cars for keys. After all of them end up keyless I spy a house and wander inside. Lucas finds me rummaging through the kitchen.
“Hey, we got enough food for now.” He’s looks at me like I’m losing it.
I move to reassure him and see what I’ve been looking for hanging behind him on the wall. I grin and reach behind him to pluck the keys off of the hook. He tenses for a second, but visibly relaxes when I hold the keys out to him and take a step back.
Lucas’s whole face lights up when he grabs the keys out of my hand. “Awesome, good job!”
“Thanks, maybe we can save some time. Now we just have to find the car they go to.”
“That should be easy enough.” We step outside and Lucas hits the key fob. A shiny sedan beeps and flashes its lights. Just like that we have transportation. Lucas looks at me. “You want to drive? I mean, you did find the keys and all.”
“No, you go ahead. I don’t have much experience behind the wheel.”
He shrugs but opens the passenger door for me. I toss my bag into the back and move to pull my door shut when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. Lucas tosses his own bag in the back and shuts the door before he notices what I’m staring at.
“Crap! Kat shut the door, let’s go.” Lucas says brusquely, but not unkindly. I listen and can’t move my line of sight from the soldiers that make their way closer to us.
The second my door clicks shut Lucas peels out. The sedan is having trouble finding traction on the snow. Lucas manages to get us moving and right this moment I’m really glad that I let him drive. I look behind us when the rest of them come into view. I realize how close to danger we are. One of them raises their weapon. Its stream of grey fog shoots after us. Lucas sees it in the rearview mirror and almost flips the car rounding a corner on the snowy road trying to avoid it.
“We should’ve left last night.” Lucas says more to himself than me (I think). “They must’ve traced the video chat. But I don’t know how they got here so fast.”
I swallow hard and look back again while Lucas turns down another street. “General Carch?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
“Has to be.” Lucas growls. “Don’t worry, we can lose them.” He hits the main road and starts driving faster. We’re almost to the edge of town when another soldier moves in front of us, weapon aimed. Before he can shoot it, I open my window. “What are you doing?” Lucas yells over the wind.
“Saving our ass!” I let the energy pour from me. It feels good after being bottled up for so long. The poor soldier never stood a chance. Lucas races the car through the burning soldier remnants. I create a powerful sphere and toss it as far as possible behind us. There’ll be no spread of the infection if I can help it.
I feel a bit of guilt for the soldiers who may still be there. Although undoubtedly they’re one-hundred percent aware of what’s coming out of their weapons.
I sink back into my seat and shut the window. Lucas doesn’t say anything, so I fire up the radio. I’m happy to find a CD in the player and crank it up. Maybe the music can drown out my thoughts.
The gas lasts longer than either of us expect. Unfortunately it’s not far enough to find another place to refuel. Lucas says it’s probably for the best. It’ll make it harder for them to find us. While I see the logic, I’ll sure miss watching the world fly by.
The road’s long behind us and we pick our way through the snow in the woods. Lucas has a compass he continues to check, ensuring we’re heading in a southwestern direction.
“Do you know where we are?” I ask.
He pulls out a map and points to a region on it. “Somewhere in here.”
We make it to Missouri which is better than Ohio, at least for our purpose. Of course with our severe lack of transportation the going is about to get much slower.
On my own I figure I can cover around ten miles a day on foot. Lucas and I usually set a good pace, but the math doesn’t lie. Without a car this trip is going to take forever. Coincidently that’s way more time than I want to wait for some answers.
We break through the trees. The sunlight that reflects off of the snow is blinding. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust. When they do I can’t help but notice the houses in the distance. It’s not a town—just a few houses scattered along the hillside. Lucas sees them too, pulling his gun from its holster and making a shush sign with his finger.
Even though I’m obviously more effective than a gun (should we get in trouble) I humor his knight-in-shining-armor routine. I mimic his crouch and stealthy moves through the tall grass. Maybe because we haven’t seen anyone in a while or maybe because I just don’t care anymore, it doesn’t concern me. With Lucas so intense it’s far too easy to crack ninja jokes right now. I fight the urge and refrain.
Shocked (Electric Series) Page 2
