by Gayle Katz
“Is he OK?”
“He’s breathing, but he’s probably exhausted. There’s a war going on in his body. Let’s let him sleep it off.”
I look over at Laura on the couch. She’s staring at us.
“I know how he feels. Horrible. Out of control. He’s turning and no matter how much he fights it or what we do, no one can stop it from happening.”
“Don’t say that,” I try to stop her.
“Just because you don’t want to hear it doesn’t mean it’s not true,” Laura points out. She was right. I didn't want to hear it.
“Liz, why isn’t he responding to the medication?” I query.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry,” Liz shakes her head.
“It’s just that I’m infected too. See?” I point out my bite mark. “And I’m doing well. I thought Jack would be the same.”
“The only hypothesis I can come up with is that the virus is mutating and each of you have different strains of it. Add to that the fact that everybody has different body chemistries. I guess what I’m trying to say is that different things affect each of us differently.” Liz is sincere, but at a loss.
It’s then that Jack pops awake. I run to his side.
“Hey, baby. How are you doing?” he manages to speak.
“Me? How about you? You had us worried there for a moment.”
“Get away!” He pushes me away just before he throws up on the floor. The gagging sound is pure horror to my ears. The rancid smell from the vomit quickly permeates the room.
I grab one of the sports drinks from our stash, twist off the cap, and go to hand it to him.
“I said go away,” he hisses as he pushes me away.
“No. I’m not leaving you,” I hand him the drink. “Remember you made me drink a ton of this shit? It helped get me through some tough times. Now I’m going to return the favor whether you like it or not. The sickness, the medication, it’s all making you crazy.”
Jack stares at the drink in my hand and then looks into my eyes. I see his eyes are tinted red. Is the red from pure exhaustion and sleep deprivation or is it because he’s on his way to becoming a full-blown zombie? I don’t know. I just don’t know. He looks back at the drink, swipes if from me, and chugs it down. After five minutes, he still doesn’t look good, but at least the vomiting has stopped. He needs to be as hydrated as possible in order to fight the sickness.
“I’ll be back soon,” he says as he falls asleep.
“He’s right on the edge,” Chris summarizes.
“I know, but being on the edge doesn’t mean he’s gonna turn.” I am defiant for both of us.
“You can’t deny what we just saw. He’s losing control of himself. He doesn’t have much longer,” Chris speaks honestly. I know his concern is for the good of the group.
“Don’t you remember how crazed I was when you found me in our basement taking a bite outta Laura? I was going to kill her. I was way worse,” I remind him.
“We weren’t in such a bad position then as we are now.” Chris sees the mounting difficulties in adding the wildcard of Jack's condition to our ever-increasingly desperate situation. He's just trying to keep everybody safe.
“I don’t care. He stuck it out with me and I’m gonna do the same for him. Just give him some time. He’s my life,” I implore. It doesn’t matter if it’s utterly impossible. We stay together or we die together.
Chris takes a moment, but knows I won't be swayed. If Marie were here, he would act no different. “Fine. Sure. I guess we all could use some down time right now. We should be safe here for a little while so it might be a good time to rest. I’m not sure when we’ll get another and Lord knows we could all use some.”
I turn my attention away from the group and instead focus on the love of my life. Jack is asleep on the bed. Rocky jumps onto the bed and lies at Jack’s feet. Rocky’s doing it. Why can’t I? I get into bed next to him, put my head down to his, and whisper in his ear.
“I’m so sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to do this to you. This sickness. It just drives you mad. You gotta fight it, though, OK? Remember when I was sick, you never gave up on me and I’m not gonna give up on you either. We’re a team, you and me. We both make it or we both... well, I’m not ready to go there just yet. I love you and I can’t, I won’t lose you.”
“You’ll never lose me,” he says.
“I thought you were sleeping.” I lift my head up so I can see his face again.
“I was, but then I felt you near me and heard you talking.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up. You have to get some rest. I’ll be quiet. Get some sleep,” I begin to stand up.
“No. Don’t go,” Jack grabs my hand.
“OK.”
“Stay with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“This thing inside me. It’s making me act... different.”
“I know.”
“I don’t feel in control of anything anymore, not even myself. That scares me.”
“What you’re going through is scary. It’s OK to feel that way.”
“I’m ashamed.”
“Of what?”
“I’m the one who’s supposed to be taking care of you. And look at us. I’m a mess.”
“Do I need to remind you that you’re infected because of me?”
“I should have anticipated. I should have known.”
“Known what? That I’d freak out and bite you? That what they told us was a cure, wasn’t one? You’re supposed to be a mind reader now? Listen. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Why don’t you get some sleep? It’ll help. I promise,” I stand up.
“Don’t leave,” he pleads again.
“I’m not leaving.”
“I’m embarrassed to admit I’m afraid.”
“I’m afraid too. Don’t be embarrassed. You have nothing to be ashamed about.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to go to sleep, wake up as someone else, and lose you forever,” he confesses.
“I promise. No matter what happens. You’ll never lose me,” I whisper. I take his hand and place it on my heart. “I’m yours forever and always.”
He smiles.
“How are you feeling?” I continue.
“Better. I think. The shot along with the sports drinks help me feel like myself again, at least for a little bit.”
“That’s wonderful,” I smile. “If that’s the truth, I’m so happy you’re on the mend. Did Liz fill you in on what’s happening?”
“All she said is that you guys have gotten yourselves into a tight situation.”
“Yeah, I guess that sums it up. Just a heads up, though. Laura is here. Chris and I rescued her. A couple high-ranking military officials were interrogating her. They were going to kill her if we didn’t do something.”
“She should be punished. She killed John. She taunted you until you exploded.”
“And I bit you on our wedding night.”
“That’s different.”
“How exactly is that different?”
“You’re my wife. All husbands have at least a few issues with their wives.”
“Very funny, but just like us, she’s not herself. Honestly, I don’t know how she normally is. I just remember that frightened young girl in the basement of Jefferson Hall on campus. And she hasn’t been the same since. All this time she’s had the virus inside of her and all this time people have been injecting her with Lord knows what. It’s the zombie virus causing her to act this way just like it’s making you act out of character. All that shit in your body, it fucks you up. All she needs is the cure and she’ll be good again.”
“That’s a nice speech, but you don’t know that. Have you forgotten that she killed John? How can you be on her side?”
“I don’t know. I’m not on her side. I guess... I’m trying to look on the bright side, be positive.”
“That makes one of us.”
“Listen, it’s not that some part of me doesn’t agr
ee with you, but her life has been a disaster since Scarlet Peak with this virus floating around inside her. Yes, she killed John and that’s horrible. And yes, she should have to face the consequences of her actions. And then I think again. In a way, she’s already been punished far more than any jail or prison could plus she almost took a bullet in the head not too long ago.”
“What?”
“It’s a long story for another time. You need to get some rest and, frankly, I do too.”
I snuggle up next to Jack, give him a kiss, and close my eyes.
I hear the others talking.
“Hey Liz,” Chris says, “thanks for all your help. We know you’re putting your reputation on the line so I just wanna say thank you again. From all of us.”
“You’re doing it for the greater good. If the hospitals and government are in cahoots and people are suffering because of it, we gotta stop them and make it right.”
“Agreed,” Chris nods at her and then switches his attention to Jack.
“How ya doing, man?” Chris greets Jack. They shake hands.
I open my eyes. “OK. So sleep isn’t in the cards then?” I mumble under my breath.
Chris and Jack stare at me for moment and then go back to getting reacquainted.
“Hanging in there. I’m much better than I was thanks to Liz. Hey Laura.”
Laura waves at Jack.
“Good to hear. Now that we’re all here, we gotta figure out what to do. We don’t have much time before the powers that be track us down,” Chris restarts the discussion.
“We could try going to hospital senior staff. Some of those guys have significant influence,” Liz suggests.
Chris shakes his head. “No. Unfortunately we were told everyone is involved in this cover up, including hospital personnel. I’m not sure who we can trust there anymore.”
“Are you sure? They’ve taken an oath to do no harm. Participating in a conspiracy like this is contrary to that. I can’t believe they’d do it,” Liz explains, probably trying to convince herself just as much as she’s trying to convince the rest of us.
“It wasn’t too long ago that you were complicit in furthering their agenda before we ran into you,” Chris reminds her of how easy it is to be just another sheep.
Liz pauses a moment, “Well, maybe, but I’m just an intern doing what I’m told.”
As someone still struggling with morality versus honor himself, Chris’s words to Liz are almost ones of self-condemnation.
“And that’s the scary part. What makes you think the people above you are doing anything different? You can rationalize almost anything. You can bend the facts to make anything seem like you’re helping. If you’re able to examine a disease, watch the infection progress, you could come up with a cure even if it means treating people poorly, like they’ve been doing with my Marie. No dice. We can’t risk it. We gotta find people who are removed from the immediate situation.”
“Enough. I think she gets the point. Let’s circle back around to your idea of going to the media. Who are we gonna approach?” I ask.
“You and Jack are the ones in the TV world. Who do you think we should reach out to?” Chris throws the question back at me.
A face pops into Jack's head, “What about the guy from the evening news on channel 23? What’s his name?”
“Oh! Do you mean Aaron Maddock? The nice-looking middle-aged guy with the salt and pepper hair?” Liz injects.
“Yeah. Yeah. The name sounds familiar. That’s him,” I concur.
“OK. So how are we going to get to him?” Chris questions.
“I dunno,” I consider the approach.
Jack sees it as a tough challenge, “He’s a hot commodity right now. My guess is that he’s probably surrounded by security whenever he’s on the street.”
I share Jack’s understanding, “I’m sure you’re right, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get him a message. Lives are depending on it, especially ours.”
“What about tweeting to him?” Liz makes another suggestion.
“Tweeting to him? I guess that could work if he pays attention to his social media,” I start to think though her suggestion.
She is confident, “He’s a journalist. Of course he pays attention to social media.”
Jack knows the pitch is important, “We’ve gotta say something to get his attention, something innocuous that no one blinks an eye at.”
“If we turn on our phones, they’ll find us. And the burner phones don’t have Internet access anyway,” Chris clarifies.
“Then we have to find another way. Maybe a public computer? Like in a library or an airport? I know we have some computers with Internet access in various waiting rooms around the hospital,” Liz says.
“Hmmm. Like I said before, we can’t risk going back to the hospital just yet, but going to the library, that sounds plausible. No one really keeps track of who’s coming and going there. By the time they figure out what’s going on, we’d be outta there,” I follow my thought process aloud.
“So what’s a good meeting place?” Liz questions.
“We need him to meet us somewhere public. How about the park? There are always people meandering around. It should be safe there,” Chris offers.
I agree, “That works. OK. What should we say in the message?”
Jack weighs in again, “Something short. Something to grab his attention. Like maybe, ‘Your next big story is only a short drive away. Don’t miss it. Meet at Center Square Park. Waiting for you now.’”
Chris concurs, “Easy enough. That works. Jane and I will run over to the local library and see if we can access a public computer. Liz, stay here and keep an eye on Laura, Jack, and Rocky. You should be safe here.”
“Sure thing,” Liz knows her place.
“And thanks for the help. We appreciate it,” Chris again conveys his gratitude.
“I just hope it works,” Liz hopes.
Chris hands her a piece of equipment, “Take this burner cell. If you need anything, call us.”
“Will do,” She tucks it away.
I walk over to Jack, who’s now sitting on the couch. I sit down next to him.
“I hate to keep leaving you.” I hug him and then whisper in his ear, “All I want to do is be with you.”
“When this is all over, we’ll be together. I promise.” He takes my hand.
“You promise?”
“Promise.”
“OK. I’m gonna hold you to that, sexy man,” I say as I caress his face.
“Get going, Beautiful. Come back safe and sound.”
I nod and smile. Chris grabs all of our paperwork and stuffs it into his coat pocket while I take a long look at Jack.
Chris lets me look at him a moment longer before pulling me back into the fray, “Time to go, Jane.”
Chapter 9
________________________________________
Chris and I talk outside the local library.
“I haven’t been to a library in years. Probably not since college,” I say.
“Me neither.”
“So how should we handle this?
Chris walks me through it, “Go in and access their computer. Login to your account. Tweet or do whatever you have to do and then get out, but keep your eyes peeled—for zombies, unusual humans checking you out, and anything else out of the norm. I don’t want to scare you, but until this is really over, you can’t relax or trust anyone, OK?”
“OK.”
“Once you’re safe back in the car, we’ll head over to the park and wait. I just hope he comes or else we might be sitting ducks.”
“He’ll come. Journalists are known for chasing down meaty stories.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Jack always says that everything will work out. I’m choosing to believe that. We’ll be fine.”
“OK. I love your confidence. Now. Go!”
With Chris’s words of urgency still echoing in my ears, I quickly hop out of the vehicle and wa
lk as fast as I can up the library’s front steps. I make my way through the revolving glass entrance and scan the area. Off to the right, I spot a row of computers. I sit down at the first one.
I click the mouse and the monitor screen flashes on. No login or anything. I guess anyone can use these computers. I open a new browser window and surf over to Twitter. The login screen appears before me and I inhale deeply. I gotta input my credentials, find Aaron’s account, tweet to him, logout, and get back to Chris in mere minutes.
OK. Here we go. I input my account details and search for Aaron’s Twitter username. Found it! I click the button to tweet and then type in our message, “Your next big story is only a short drive away. Don’t miss it. Meet at Center Square Park. Waiting for you right now.”
I take a second to make sure everything is right and then click the Tweet button in order to send it to him.
“I hope this works,” I mumble to myself.
Once I see the message is live, I logout, clear the browser history, close it, and quickly look around to make sure no one is watching me. I’m good so far. I get up and head toward the door. As I’m approaching the exit, an older woman comes up behind me. I hold my breath.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” she comments.
“No. You’re right. I haven’t been here before,” I reply. I can feel my heart beating wildly again.
“Well, let’s correct that, shall we? Why don’t you sign up for a library card? I’ll explain all the great benefits about being a member,” she asks.
“A library card?”
“Yes.”
“Not right now,” I try to end the conversation as politely as possible.
“Maybe next time then?”
“Yes. Most definitely. I just have someone waiting for me right now.”
“I totally understand. Until next time then.”
As soon as she stops talking, I bolt through the exit and sprint down the steps to where Chris is waiting for me, car engine still on and at the ready. I open the car door and hop in.
“How did it go?” Chris asks as he steps on the gas.
“Good. Good. I got the message out. No problems.”
