EVOLVED

by Jessica Gomez

  My focus snaps to Mason. “What?” I try to keep my voice low. “What do you mean, chained?”

  “He means chained, like in a zoo, wild animals chained. To giant boulders. If we hadn’t come for them, they wouldn’t have been able to get out,” Luke confirms.

  “Jesus,” James says. Lillie is downplaying her situation massively.

  “What’s she told you?” Mason asks.

  “Not much. She doesn’t want to relive it yet. I’m going to give her some time. She said she’ll talk about it when we return so she can get it all out at once. I think that’s for the best too. She’s already stressed enough, and I don’t want her going into labor.”

  They agree.

  We spare them a few minutes, and then get going. Night is catching up to us quickly. We have several miles to travel and Lillie is dragging so I swoop her up, disregarding her protests until she gives up and cuddles into me.

  “Pipe down and enjoy the ride.” I smile down at her. “Try to take a nap if you can.” All our manual labor pays off, allowing me to carry her without much trouble.

  We walk the first few miles in silence, each of us on edge, believing the infected will fly out of nowhere and attack us again. Carrying Lillie in my arms leaves me vulnerable, and I double check that my flank is covered. Mason, Luke, and Asher are surrounding us, protecting us from any potential threats. Asher drops back and begins to walk next to me. He glances at Lillie’s sleeping form several times, concerned.

  “You got something to say?” I ask him.

  “Are you doing okay with her?” I understand he means well, but his question pisses me off.

  “I’d carry her through hell if that’s what it took,” I grunt.

  He shakes his head, lifting his hand in a stop motion. “I mean no offense. I’m used to taking care of her. We’ve been together since she was taken.”

  I swallow the jealousy and anger down. “Thank you, for watching over her.” The rest of our group grunts in agreement.

  “It’s my pleasure.” He chuckles. “She kept them on their feet. Little spitfire.”

  A smile cracks my facade. “That’s my girl.”

  “What was it like there?” James asks what we’re all wondering, since Lillie’s kept us in the dark.

  Asher’s eyes grow dark and he glances at Lil again. “What’s she told you?” His words are cautious. He doesn’t want to reveal any of her secrets.

  “Not much.” Lil’s emotions are steady with sleep. “She doesn’t seem thrilled about reliving it. Said she wants to tell everyone at one time. Can you put some light to the situation?”

  He’s waging a war within himself. He’s loyal to her, so I know we’re not going to get much. “They held us captive. Originally, there were five smart infected, like Jeff. She named them.” He smiles. “Each one of them held a human as a slave. They used us to relearn their human traits by watching us. They could replicate our actions. Jeff relearned many things while we were there, like speaking, cooking, fishing. He was a quick learner. There were several unintelligent infected in the caves too. They did the brunt work, like retrieving wood, hunting, attacking any intruders from other packs. Becky’s pack came to our cave several times. She was hooking up with Jeff before Lillie arrived. The last time they stopped by, Becky recognized her and attacked.”

  “What?” Mason interjects, then shuts his mouth when Lillie stirs. “Shit. Sorry,” he whispers. “Was she hurt?” He watches her while asking the question, regret etched across his face.

  He breathes in deep before he answers. “Yeah, she got hurt.”

  “What happened?” I growl.

  “They kept us chained to a boulder. Jeff placed us close enough together that I could help her and protect her from others in the cave while he was away. Becky noticed her and attacked, pulling her out of the cave. Lil was still attached to her chain, dragging the boulder behind her.” He swallows deeply, remembering. His emotions are full of turmoil. “When Becky drug her out of the cave, the rock didn’t follow them easily. She dislocated her knee.”

  I squeeze her closer to me and close my eyes. “Fuck.”

  Asher nods. “It wasn’t pretty. Jeff chased Becky off and brought Lil back into the cave. I was able to set her knee back into place. She’s got some balls, that’s for sure. That shit hurts.”

  We walk a while without speaking. The small part of the story Asher highlighted is a lot to absorb. Sooner or later, curiosity starts tickling the back of my mind. “What did you find when you returned to the cave? Did you take care of Jere?”

  The question is for the group, but Luke answers. “They tore her apart. Her foot was still attached to the chain, but the rest of her was ripped to pieces and thrown around. The entire cave was trashed. We headed back when we realized there was nothing we could do. We returned to bury Jere on the way, but there wasn’t much left,” Luke reveals.

  “When we get home, we’ll have a memorial. We could include Wendy too,” James suggests.

  Glancing down at Lillie again, I nod. “I think she’ll like that.” She moans softly in response and snuggles closer to my chest.

  “Our camp is right over the next ridge,” Luke announces, still leading the pack.

  As tiny as Lillie is, my arms are about to fall off carrying her this far, but there’s no way I’m letting anyone else hold her this intimately. We break into camp not a moment too soon. I head straight for the sleeping gear, James reading my mind and getting it ready. I lay Lillie on the thick pallet, and as soon as my hands leave her body, her eyes snap open. Panic covers her face, searching her surroundings without movement or creating a sound. Her gaze finally locks onto mine.

  “Hey, baby. You all right?” I sit next to her, leaning close.

  She breathes in deeply. “For a second, I thought it was another dream.” Tears fill her eyes. “But it’s not. You’re here.” She breaks down, sobbing against my chest, covering my shirt with tears.

  “Shh…quiet now. I’m here. James is here. So is Mason, Luke, and Asher. We’re all just fine.” Calming her isn’t an easy task, as her entire body is shaking like a leaf. Normally, we wouldn’t risk having a fire, but Lil will need one through the night. There are enough of us to split the night up into shifts. Most of the infected died, including Becky and Jeff, but there were a few of them that escaped.

  Crackling draws my attention, noticing Luke’s already gotten the fire started. Mason places a pan full of water by the fire to heat, then pulls at his shirt. “Luke, you’re going to have to help me dress this.” He gestures to Luke, then points to the top of his shoulder. “Fucker bit me before it took off. Hurt like hell.” He pulls his shirt off and turns to show me the crescent shapes.

  Lillie’s body tenses in my arms. She sits straight up, eyes wild. Her panic hits me like a locomotive, almost slamming me back. “No.”

  “What?” The tension in Asher’s question jumpstarts my heart.

  “What are we missing?” Standing, I glance between them.

  “He’s bit,” Lillie says quietly, “just like me.” Her declaration draws every eye in her direction. She pulls her shirt to the side, revealing a reddened scar in the shape of teeth.

  My heart pounds against my chest. The growl starts deep in my throat as I stride heavily over to her and pull her shirt aside to examine the grievance. “What happened?”

  “Jeff bit me.” She visibly swallows, revealing that there’s much more to the story. She locks eyes with Mason. “You’re connected to him now. Can you sense him?”

  Asher comes closer and sits next to her for support. “Jeff bit her. His way of marking and tracking her.”

  “Tracking her? What do you mean?” Mason comes closer, holding his shirt to the wound.

  “Lil, you should explain.” Asher doesn’t want to reveal any of her secrets.

  “After Jeff bit me, I could sense him, hear his thoughts. We could speak to each other in here.” She points to her head, meaning telepathically. “Our suspicion that they can communicat
e telepathically is true. That’s how they’re so deadly when they attack.”

  A chorus of cursing surrounds us as the group digests the meaning of this new information.

  “If Jeff bit you to assert his dominance, then why did I get bit?” Mason puzzles out.

  “Which one bit you?” Lillie grabs my hand and pulls herself up, studying Mason’s neck. “What did he look like?”

  Mason gives her a funny look. “I don’t know. He was infected. Does it really matter which one?”

  Lillie turns to Asher. “Did you see him? We saw Jeff and Becky go over, but did you see Big Bully among the dead?”

  Asher racks his brain, reliving the last few hours. “No, it was him. I remember Mason fighting him. How many did you kill?” he asks Mason.

  “A few, but none of them stood a chance. The one that bit me is giant and brutal,” he confirms.

  “It’s him.” Lil’s voice shakes. “I know it. He bit you to keep track of us.”

  “To keep track of you,” Asher corrects. “He’s obsessed with Lillie, and just because Becky and Jeff are dead, doesn’t mean he’s giving up on you. Or have you forgotten the lengths that Jeff went through to get you?”

  “Are you saying that this infected can track Mason through a bite?” Luke asks.

  “Yes and no.” Lillie confuses us more. “You both have to be receptive, allow the other in. Jeff and I barely spoke that way unless we were arguing, or I was trying to get information from him to help us escape. He could lock me out of his mind or open it up for me.”

  “How’d you get it to stop?” Mason’s nervous.

  “He died.” Lillie watches the reaction on his face before continuing. “He let us go, updated us as we ran. He’s the reason we survived until we found you. When he went over the cliff and hit the ground, something inside me ripped away. We were connected for a short time, but its permanent. I don’t understand why they want me at all!” She’s frustrated.

  The fire is the only sound snapping around us. “That’s bullshit,” Mason snaps. “Can he track us? Are you safe with me?” He checks our surroundings.

  “I don’t think so, but the infected have more intelligence than we ever thought possible. We can’t continue to assume they’ve not evolved. I think it’s time that I told you about my time in the cave.” Lillie dives into the details about her trials in the cave. Several times I grunt my displeasure, but never interrupt. By the time she finishes, my world is changed. She’ll never leave my side again.

  Mason stands, determination filtering through the air around him. “I can’t stay with you.” His statement throws us all off.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Lillie demands.

  “There’s no way I can stay with you and lead him directly to our families.” The two are standing face-to-face, torture fracturing their hearts because they both know he speaks the truth. “I’ll hunt him down and kill him. It’s the only way I can come back home.”

  Lillie’s lower lip trembles. “I just got you all back.”

  He pulls her against his chest, hugging her closely. “I know.” He doesn’t make her any promises.

  A thought occurs to me, and it’s like a light switch turning on. “Jeff’s girlfriend was pregnant when she died in the Flash. You said he scented you a lot and seemed to know you were pregnant?”

  “Yes,” she confirms.

  “I’m betting that’s why he kept you. He was remembering snippets of his human life, and his girlfriend’s pregnancy was a large part of that life.”

  “That’s terrible.” Lillie sniffles, hugging into my side, having a better understanding of why Jeff treated her the way he did. “Big Bully is mean, Mason. I don’t think he’ll have any weaknesses like Jeff did with me,” she warns.

  “I’ll fill him in, Lil,” Asher assures us.

  “We’ll leave you all the supplies you can carry.” I slap Mason’s shoulder. None of us will change his mind. Lil hugs him again before returning to me. “Let’s turn in for the night. We’ll figure out the details in the morning.”

  We break apart, and I shuffle Lillie back to her sleeping area, adding a few more layers for comfort. Once she’s settled, I double check that Asher has enough blankets and supplies for the night, and then head to bed myself. The weight of the world is on my shoulders getting Lillie back home safely, but part of the load is lifting now that she’s here in my arms.

  The others cut me out of rotation tonight, allowing me a full night’s sleep. With the idea of Mason running off to find this infected that bit him now at the forefront, sleep is the furthest from my mind. I wrap Lillie in my arms as she begins to snore. A light chuckle leaves my lips. I tuck my face into the crook of her neck and close my eyes, savoring her proximity. My hand finds its way to her belly and I splay my fingers. Moments later, small ripples start to dance along her skin, enjoying the touch. The expanding in my chest pushes against my ribcage. The relief at having her back before the baby is born is palpable. I can rest easy knowing the first part of our mission’s complete.

  ~~~~~

  The Sandman found me easier than I thought possible. The potion is having Lillie back in my arms, putting most of my worries to rest. The group is up and moving by dawn. Lillie’s awake, but stays curled in the blankets by the fire, lost in her own thoughts, while the rest of us divvy up our supplies. None of us attempt to talk Mason out of hunting down this infected. We all know he couldn’t risk leading another group of infected to the caves. There’re families, mine included.

  “I’m going with you,” Asher announces, loading one of the packs for himself.

  Lillie’s on her feet in seconds, shocking me with her speed. “What! Asher! I thought you were coming back with me?”

  He’s at her side, supporting her with an arm to lean on. Their bond is strong. If I couldn’t sense their emotions, knowing their feelings for one another are completely platonic, I may side with jealousy. Even now, watching him touch her, soothe her, is driving me batshit crazy.

  “He’s going to need help. I lived with him months longer than you. The rest of you should return home. This is no place for you or your Sweet Pea.” He pulls her to him, allowing her to cry.

  Mason intervenes. “Lil, he’s right. I can definitely use the help.” He turns to Asher. “Thanks for volunteering, man.”

  “Welcome,” he replies.

  “I’ll come right home when we’re done, and I’ll make sure to drag him along.” Mason points to Asher over his shoulder.

  “You promise?” Lil’s lower lip trembles.

  “Promise,” they both say in unison.

  “You got a plan?” I ask Mason.

  “Not really. We’re going to backtrack. I remember which way he escaped in the clearing. We’ll see if we can track him, and then double check their dens. That’s about all I’ve got so far. Depends on where that takes us.” Mason’s good at thinking on his feet. The outline of his plan is flexible.

  “When you’re done, hurry home. Both of you.” I shake Asher’s hand, then pull Mason into a manly hug. “Don’t go fucking dying on me, you got it?”

  “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” His Cheshire smile spreads across his face.

  We slap each other on the back and laugh, trying to lighten the seriousness of the situation. Mason’s gone out on his own before, he can survive. The unknown is what worries me now. The infected have evolved at a rapid pace. Who knows what they’ll learn next.

  After we finish loading our supplies, Mason hugs Lil one more time, then heads off with Asher.

  Since their departure, she’s sat silently, staring at the fire. We’ve given them plenty of food and water to get them started. Asher assured us that he could catch fish for them in the lake before they ran out of food.

  James and I build Lillie a soft pallet for travel, using the bedding from the night before. The trailer’s about as comfortable as the cold hard ground. When I lay the last blanket down, she waddles her way over and climbs on, using her hands a
nd knees.

  I rush to her. “I wish you’d ask for help.”

  She smiles up at me, turning to sit on her rear. “I’m capable of getting onto a knee-high trailer, Ian.”

  “I know you’re capable. I like helping you,” I admit.

  She leans forward. “I’ll tell you what,” she whispers. “When we get back, I’ll let you wait on me hand and foot. I promise you can carry me everywhere.” Her laughter is infectious and spreads around the group.

  We check the camp one last time for any sign of our presence. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to get home.” Luke hops on the quad and starts the machine.

  Mason’s emotions untether themselves from me with distance. Since Asher is new to the group, his are lost right after they leave camp, my connection to him minimal. Now that I have a better understanding of Lillie’s past few months, I want to support her. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t talk about her problems, she wants you there for support while she comes to her own conclusion. I help by pulling her into my side, holding onto her as we bounce through the day, the scenery passing by slowly.

  Excitement rushes through my veins with each mile that passes. If our trip goes as planned, we’ll arrive without incident by nightfall.

  ~~~~~

  Breaking the ridgeline and finally being able to see our terrain causes Lillie to gasp in awe. Her breathing increases, her excitement palpable. She may have disappeared for months, but she still remembers our territory.

  The last couple miles are the longest of all our lives. Anxiety crawls over every member of our group, itching to get home. Once we’re within a mile, Lillie begins to literally bounce in her seat. She’s funny to watch, my pint size angel, as she bounces around, holding her very pregnant belly.

  I trace the pads of my fingers across her cheek, pulling her attention away from the scenery and up to me. Her eyes are alive with excitement. “You excited?” I ask teasingly.

  “Of course. I can’t wait to hold Azami. It’s as if I can already feel her in my arms. I’m tingling all over.” She starts to squirm again, like she has ants on her.