by D C P Fox
Jize impressed Alexander, who tilted his head, thinking about this, tapping his index finger on his table. “Perhaps, but Vin has no healing ability, so it can’t work that way. Perhaps the second pathogen is a virus? Or the nanobots are only activated with the virus? Or stomach acid destroys the nanobots? Look, this is all speculation, I don’t have all the answers.”
Vin gave a mock gasp. “Is that possible?”
“Yes, Vin,” Alexander said wryly. “Even a world-renowned microbiologist can’t piece this together without more information, but the timing of the outbreak is our biggest clue.” Alexander was loath to admit that he didn’t have all the answers, but this was too important to pretend otherwise.
Now he paused because he didn’t want to say it, but . . .
“Okay,” Alexander said. “So, if Jocelyn is immune, which I suspect, since she had that multi-day fever, then she can’t transmit the virus. But she may not be immune and instead a carrier, and so we need to be careful. It is prudent to assume she is one. Also, more important, it’s possible nanobots can create the virus, and so anyone with the nanobots in their blood might contract the virus. In either case, fighting near Jocelyn is a risk, especially when she uses her sword.”
“The hilt is protected,” Jocelyn pointed out. “I won’t cut my hand.”
“True,” Alexander admitted, while looking at the hilt of her sword sticking up from behind her shoulder. “And in close combat we’re more vulnerable to zombie bites . . . Okay, we’ve exhausted that topic to death. Marty, was this the only thing you wanted to talk about, or is there something else? Otherwise, I suggest we vote on allowing Jocelyn to stay with us.”
“How can you suggest turning her away?” Janice said.
“She could be a carrier, Janice,” Vin said. “She could be very dangerous to us.”
“You heartless bastard,” Janice said.
“I’m not staying,” Jocelyn interrupted.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Day Eight
Jocelyn let her bombshell sink in.
“Well, good, that’s settled,” Vin said, after a long pause. He reached out to shake Jocelyn’s hand. “It was good to meet you, Jocelyn. I hope you have safe travels.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, Vin,” Marty said. “I’ve only just begun to fill you in on everything I know.”
“Well, we don’t need Jocelyn here for that,” Vin pointed out. “Let’s let her get on her way, and then we can discuss—”
“I will suggest we go with her,” Marty interrupted.
“Are you out of your mind?” Vin said.
“I found the zombie bartender in the saloon. He had, in fact, come home, just like Alexander suggested he would, or at least returned to his familiar work environment. Plus, Jocelyn encountered another one in his home. That was a week ago, two days after the apocalypse hit.”
“So the zombies are returning home,” Alexander said, “but not all at once. That’s two out of what, several thousand? Sheriff, what’s the population of Beaver Park?”
Marty grunted. “A bit over five thousand.”
“So that’s two out of five thousand over the course of a week,” Alexander said. “At that rate . . .” His eyes rolled upwards. “At that rate it could take 50 years for them all to come back.”
“Or,” Jocelyn said, “a mass migration could start up slowly, but gain momentum rather quickly.” Jocelyn looked around the break room at the various sleeping bags on the floor. Emily continued to sleep on the couch, her head in Janice’s lap. How would anyone want to live like this?
“Yes,” Alexander admitted. “We don’t know why or how or when the zombies will come back in significant numbers.”
Janice said, “I’d still rather take my chances here than out there. Where would we go?”
“Colorado Springs,” Marty answered.
“Colorado Springs?” Jize asked. “Why there?”
“Jocelyn heard a garbled radio broadcast. From what she made out, the government may have control of Peterson Air Force Base, which is in Colorado Springs.”
“May?” Vin asked.
“I couldn’t tell for sure,” Jocelyn said. “A lot of static.”
“Colorado Springs,” Jize said. “Hmm . . . that’s west of here, right, south of Denver?”
“Correct,” Marty said.
“If I’m immune to the virus,” Jocelyn said, “perhaps the scientists there could study me to discover a cure and potentially reverse the zombies back to human.” Jocelyn looked at Alexander. “You don’t think they’re really dead, or undead, like the zombies from fiction, right?”
Alexander nodded.
“So,” she continued, “it’s possible the condition can be reversed?”
Alexander shook his head. “Possible but not likely.” He paused again. He liked to do that, it seemed. “However, there would be significant hope for a vaccine to stop the spread.” Pause again. “As long as the entire world isn’t overrun by then, but there may be holdouts in rural areas especially.”
Jocelyn looked over at Emily on the couch, still sound asleep. Beyond her was a dark soda machine.
“I’ve been given a gift, a special one, one that only a few people may have. Hell, I may be the only one like me, and I think I can help by being studied. The best place for that is the CDC in Atlanta if it’s not overrun, or somewhere else the government could set up such an operation, and the best way to start that ball rolling is to get to Colorado Springs first.”
Vin snorted. “It’ll take you a week to walk there. You’ll be cold and exposed to the elements, and who knows how long the government can hold the base? It may be overrun by the time you arrive.”
“Do you understand how cold it will get here come December?” Jocelyn asked. “I have friends in Denver that let me know time and again when temps reach twenty below, and they’re five thousand feet lower than we are . . . Don’t any of you have a working car? My battery is dead, but—”
“No,” Vin said, “I left my engine running with the key fob in the car when I ran off, so it must be out of gas by now; Alexander says his is hopelessly stuck in the ski resort parking lot; Jize’s rental car would have shut down when his son-in-law vanished with the key fob; Marty wrecked his patrol car; and Janice carpooled.”
Jocelyn eyed the bathroom door. She suddenly needed to pee, but she could hold off.
“Does anyone know how to hot wire a car?” Jocelyn asked. Everyone shook their heads.
“That’s a thing of the past anyway,” Vin said. “Most cars you can’t hot wire anymore.”
“But there are some,” Jocelyn pointed out. “The old ones. Maybe we can find an old van—”
“Won’t be easy,” interrupted Vin.
“—Besides we passed a bicycle rental place as Marty and I walked up here. There are plenty of bikes for all of us. That’ll take us, what, two to three days?”
“For all of us?” Vin said. “You expect to bicycle to Colorado Springs in two or three days? You’re insane. Maybe I could. Maybe the sheriff could. But not the rest of you.”
“Fine. A week then. Two to walk. But I should get to the military so they can study me.”
“One more thing,” Marty said. “There’s a band of survivalists in the area. They accosted us, asking us to hand over our gear and weapons. Jocelyn and I killed four of them, two ran off.”
“You faced six survivalists and won?” Vin said.
Marty smiled. “They tried to ambush us. But they didn’t count on Jocelyn here. That girl can take bullets almost as well as the zombies can.”
Vin gaped for a few seconds, then recovered. “I thought those were moth holes in your sweatshirt. But they’re bullet holes.”
“Yes,” Jocelyn said.
Vin continued. “Where are their weapons?”
“They only had handguns,” Marty said.
“Two had shotguns,” Jocelyn said. “I let them get away.”
Vin rolled his eyes. “Lovely. So if the zomb
ies don’t get us—”
“—Eventually the survivalists will.” Marty frowned as he finished Vin’s sentence. “Actually, I have a better way to get to the Air Force base. There’s a car rental place about a mile and a half north of here, and they should have all the key fobs there for the cars on the lot. We can walk north for half an hour, and hopefully we can at least find something to drive.”
“But the roads are clogged,” Vin pointed out.
“On my way over here,” Marty said, “before the crash, I could navigate the median strips, sidewalks, and empty spots in the road. We may have to move an occasional vehicle, but it will still be faster than biking. And once we’re clear of town, the roads are smooth sailing, at least until Clinton, and I’m pretty sure all the way to North Valley.”
Vin rubbed his nascent beard. “There’s a gun shop in North Valley. They have plenty of shotguns.”
Marty looked around the room. “So, it’s settled then, we go to Colorado Springs? First thing in the morning?” Vin nodded. “All in favor of going, raise your hand.”
Marty, Vin, Alexander, and Jocelyn raised their hands. Janice and Jize did not.
“Why aren’t you two convinced?” Jocelyn asked.
Janice spoke up first. “It is too dangerous for Emily.”
“I agree,” Jize said. “And having Emily along is too dangerous for us.”
“I think it’s too dangerous to stay,” Marty said. “And far too dangerous to leave her alone with just the two of you.” Marty must have seen Janice’s reaction to that, because he added, “No offense meant, but I barely made it by myself, and I’ve had years of training. The two of you don’t stand a chance alone.”
Jize looked at Janice. “We did lose the vote. We have to go with them.”
Janice nodded. “Are we going south first?”
“Yes, why?” Vin asked.
“Can we stop by my home? My cat has been alone for over a week. She may be dead by now, but now that we have an opp—”
“We still have hot water,” Vin said, “so you might, as well. I think we could all use a good, hot shower, right?”
Vin was the stinkiest of them all. Jocelyn guessed he knew that.
Janice started crying. “Thanks, Vin. I hope Toonces is all right. She’s pretty resourceful. She had plenty of water left out.”
Jize gave Janice a hug and let her sob on his shoulder.
Jocelyn’s flashlight sliced through the pitch black of the pharmacy. She had two hours during her watch shift to find the medication she needed. If anyone caught her, she’d say she was just looking for some thyroid pills. Once she had her meds, she would meditate to see if Colorado Springs was indeed the right path for her.
You don’t need drugs, said a voice.
What? Who said that?
You’ve gone a long time without your medicine, said another.
Oh, shit. The voices.
Vin doesn’t trust you. He’ll kill you first chance he gets, said a third.
She sat on the pharmacy floor, hoping the voices would go away. No such luck.
You must kill Vin, said a fourth. It’s best for everyone. You’re the only one with enough courage to do it.
Her head in her hands, she sobbed. Not again. Not now. The problem was, the voices made sense. She just didn’t want to hear what she already knew.
She heard a faint noise behind her. Footsteps. Oh my god, Vin is here to kill me.
She sprung up, turning around and drawing her sword. The flashlight dropped to the floor, the light facing her. She faced a shadowy figure.
“Jocelyn,” the figure said. “It’s just Marty . . . Just me.”
It sure sounded like Marty. “No, it’s not. You’re Vin. You only sound like Marty. But you’re here to kill me, aren’t you?” Is it really Vin? She was hesitating. Something was holding her back.
“Jocelyn. Listen to me carefully. If I was Vin and wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now.”
“Ah, but you’re cleverer than that,” she countered. “You’ll probably drop one of these shelves on me. Claim it was an accident.”
Vin/Marty took a deep breath. “Jocelyn, you’re not well. We need to find your medication. I came to help you find it. You didn’t tell Vin about your condition, right?”
“No.” He sounded reasonable. But it must be a trick.
“Then I can’t be Vin, can I?”
She realized what was happening. “Oh, my god,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re a shape-shifting alien. Like the others. You can even copy their brain, right? Thoughts and memories . . . Still, you’re not trying to kill me . . . What is it you want?”
“Jocelyn, I assure you I’m Marty. I came here to help. Let me do that. You’re sick. You need help. Please let me help you.”
“She needs Haldol.” A new voice. From behind Vin/Marty. Alexander?
“Shit,” Vin/Marty said.
“Quick, Alexander,” she said, still barely above a whisper. “Kill him. Kill Vin. He’s trying to kill me.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Day Eight
Alexander understood the stakes here. Although Jocelyn was shrouded in darkness within the pharmacy, he could make out the silhouette of her drawn sword.
She was having a psychotic break. It may have well been the first one in her life—she was young enough for that to be the case, the stress of the situation clearly off the charts—so it might be difficult to get her out of it.
But he was proud of himself—he’d thought of a solution.
He walked up to Marty and whispered in his ear. “Grunt and fall like you’re stabbed.” Then he thrust his hand as hard as he could into the middle of Marty’s back.
Marty grunted and fell down. Thank God Marty was smart enough to play along.
“What just happened?” Jocelyn said.
“It’s okay now, Jocelyn. Vin’s dead. You can put down your sword now.”
“Oh my God, thank you . . . Check to make sure he’s dead.”
Alexander knelt down on the tiled floor and felt for a pulse—it was racing. Marty was doing a good job of holding his breath.
Alexander looked up at her and nodded. “He’s dead. You can put the sword away now.”
He heard her sheath her sword. Thank God. He picked up the flashlight and shined the beam on her to keep her from looking at Marty.
“It’s over Jocelyn,” he said soothingly. “It’s over.”
She appeared to be calming down. He placed her flashlight on the floor, still shining on her, and risked placing his arm over the back of her neck. “Here, you should sit down. You may be going into shock.” She sat down like he asked her to. That was good.
“Let’s get this stuff off your back so you can lie down.”
“You’re my hero,” she said as she lay down. “Who are you, again?”
“I’m Alexander. Don’t worry, Vin won’t hurt you.”
He pulled the shotgun out of its holster, put her backpack under her head, and then took the sword and shotgun and placed it next to Marty, still playing dead. “You saved my life.”
“It’s all right. You stay still while I go find you something to get you to relax.”
She looked up at him and smiled.
He took her flashlight, left her quickly, and looked at the racks, finding the “H” section and the haloperidol, the generic form of the brand Haldol. The bottle contained 10 mg tablets. He really didn’t know the dosage he needed to give her, but he suspected higher than that. He retrieved that bottle, plus a 5 mg tablet bottle, and some lorazepam, an anti-anxiety medication, and then zolpidem, a powerful sleep aid.
There was water in a bottle accessible on the outside of Jocelyn’s backpack. He placed the flashlight back down on the floor, shining it on Jocelyn, and took out three of the 10 mg haloperidol tablets and a pill each of the lorazepam and zolpidem.
He hoped it wasn’t too much. “Here, this will help you relax,” he said, offering the medication and water bottle
to Jocelyn.
She resisted, acting confused. “I don’t need to relax; I have to keep watch, right? . . . Oh, and we need to bury Vin.”
“Don’t you worry about that. Someone else will do everything. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal.”
“You said I needed Haldol. I haven’t taken that in years.” She was getting more sluggish.
“You came here for some medicine, right?” Alexander guessed.
She gave him a confused look. “Oh, yes . . .”
“Then take this. It’s medicine.”
Nodding, she took the pills and popped them into her mouth, drinking the water from the bottle. She smiled at him again. “You’re my savior,” she said as she drifted off.
“Jocelyn?”
“Yes?” she said, groggy.
“I’ll stay with you till you fall asleep. As for Vin—” he looked back toward Marty. He and Jocelyn couldn’t see Marty because the flashlight shined on both of them, but he took no chances, speaking up and saying in Marty’s direction. “—he’s not going anywhere.”
Jocelyn drifted in and out of sleep for about ten minutes before Alexander judged her asleep for good.
“You can get up now Marty. She’s fast asleep.” Marty grunted and stood up. “Luckily, I have a pre-med education, which included an internship, so I knew the pharmaceuticals she required. You knew she was like this, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t think it wise to tell anyone.”
“No, you did the right thing.” Now Alexander went down to the floor, almost collapsing. This was as intense as his encounter with the zombies before he fled to the market. “I need to stick around for another hour, make sure she doesn’t wake up.”
Marty grunted. “I’ll go back and stand watch.” He picked up the flashlight and shined it on his watch. “I’ll come back in an hour.”
“Okay.”
Marty left.
About a half hour later, Vin showed up.
“What are you two doing in here?” Perhaps he expected to find them having sex, but sex was the furthest thing from Alexander’s mind. Now he had to make up a lie immediately.
