“Remember that trip to Chicago we took for your birthday?” Paige asked suddenly as the thought popped into her head like a lifeline.
River nodded, even though it was clear she didn’t understand the abrupt change of subject.
Chuckling—or at least as close to that as she could in her condition—she said, “You got drunk from one beer.”
Actually, it was only half a beer, Paige corrected mentally but decided not to share that tidbit with her friend. That night was embarrassing enough, as it was.
“And you had to drag me all the way to our room.” Much like she now dragged River.
She banished that thought, even though the reality of their situation was probably why that specific story came to mind in the first place.
“And the elevator was busted,” they said in unison and smiled.
River actually looked slightly better as she continued to chuckle. “You had mistaken some random guy for Thor because he had long hair. Begging him for an autograph. And he did, too.”
Groaning, Paige tried to defend herself. “He looked just like him—muscular, tall, even had leather pants on.”
“He was a biker, Paige.”
“Yes, I remember,” she replied, faking indignation. “And it was very kind of him when he offered to take us for a ride on his motorbike.”
“He offered you a ride.”
“But we are a package deal,” she countered, hugging her friend to emphasize her words. “Next time, I will definitely say yes.”
River gave her an incredulous look, which was both comical and terrifying since her bloody hand still covered her nose.
“What?” Paige asked, faking ignorance.
“The day you accept a ride from a random biker, I’ll become a prima ballerina.” River deadpanned behind the gory hand.
“You look good in tights.”
“I look good in everything, but I would rock that outfit,” River agreed.
“So, it’s a deal. But he wasn’t a random biker,” Paige corrected. She leaned in to whisper in River’s ear. “He was Thor.” They both laughed.
Continuing to tease one another, they made it to the nurse’s office. It only ever saw a few kids in a normal day which, as it turned out, this wasn’t.
Far from it.
All the beds were filled with kids who looked as pale as Chen had and River now did.
They pressed bloody tissues hopelessly against their noses in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
The medical area overflowed beyond maximum capacity, so some kids sat pressed against the wall or even lay on the tiled floor. Blood stains all around them made the whole scene look like a horror movie special.
River was still conscious, at least, and Paige released the breath she’d been holding for God only knew how long. This was the place people went to get help, to get better, she reminded herself.
That was the moment the truth hit her. Like the rest of them, Paige didn’t know anything about the virus.
How did you get it in the first place?
Is it airborne? Or did you have to have contact with someone already infected?
Either way, she was already exposed to it, she realized, looking at a spot of River’s blood that stained her jacket, mocking her.
Paige didn’t feel remorse, though, because she did the right thing getting River there.
“I don’t want to be here,” River whispered. Her breath felt hot against Paige’s skin and she didn’t like the fact that her friend also had a fever.
Knowing she was already exposed to the virus, Paige removed some of the loose strands of hair from her friend’s face, trying to soothe her. One touch on her skin confirmed her hunch. River was radiating way too much heat.
“I know,” she replied in her most soothing voice
She didn’t want to be there either, but it couldn’t be helped.
Her gaze took in all the kids who were also forced to be there. Paige hesitated when she spotted a familiar figure in the far corner of the room. It was Chen.
The first person Paige had ever seen infected with the virus.
Chen stared up at the ceiling and the light that was fixed directly above her bed. She seemed to not need a tissue anymore. A crust of dried blood had formed around her nose, but apparently, it had stopped bleeding.
There was no way to know whether that was a good or a bad thing.
Chen’s eyes flickered every once in a while, and Paige was relieved she was still alive.
Maybe the virus doesn’t necessarily kill everyone.
The school nurse, Ms. Butcher, had a paper mask on over her mouth and nose. She moved from one student to the next, tending to their needs, but by the color of her skin—or rather the lack of it—Paige knew it was too late for precautions. She was already infected.
Still, it looked like it was still in the earlier stages because her mask was spotless, without traces of blood
“Paige.” River’s panicky voice snapped her from her reverie. “What should I do?”
Paige was in the process of answering when someone interrupted her.
“Are you infected?” A deep, male voice boomed from behind her, making them both jump a little.
Paige turned, only to see a really tall man in a protective suit. Unlike Ms. Butcher, he wore a full mask with a helmet. A small plastic window in the front allowed him to look through and showed a small snapshot of his features. He looked like a spaceman, and suddenly, Paige had a vision of him walking on the moon.
Banishing those thoughts, she concentrated on the question.
“Wh-what?” she asked, a little distracted by his surprise appearance.
“Are you infected?” he repeated, and she was about to answer him when she spotted others dressed like him, walking past them and entering the nurse’s room.
She wondered what that was about but then refocused on the man before her
“No…no, I’m not,” Paige replied with confidence.
Or at least I hope I’m not, she added to herself.
He scanned her from head to toe, looking for the sign of the virus and clearly trying to decide if she was telling the truth.
“Is this your friend?” He nodded at River who still stood beside her.
“Yes.”
“Then you better get out of here and back to your room before you become infected. I’ll take her from here,” he commanded, the authority in his tone denying any argument. Not that she would. Still, she had to ask.
“Where are you taking her?”
“That’s classified information,” he replied, then took a step toward her, bending slightly so she could look him in the eyes.
“If you stay in here, you will also be infected if you’re not already. So go while you can,” he advised.
“Is the virus really as bad as they say on the news?” Paige had to ask, even though she already had the answer from her dad.
The man looked at River, and that made Paige turn as well.
River’s face had taken on its blank expression once more, and she looked lost in her own world.
“Yes,” he replied more softly than she expected.
“Is there a cure?” She asked another question, not able to hide the panic in her voice.
He looked at her for a couple of heartbeats, and Paige was sure he wouldn’t answer. The silence between them continued to grow. But then, like something in him shifted, he spoke.
“We’ve not been informed. If there was, these kids would be the first to know.” There was an edge of envy in his tone.
He was right. These were the kids of some of the most powerful people in the world. So, if there was some kind of cure available, it would have been delivered already.
Paige couldn’t fault his logic. He probably had family who in all likelihood couldn’t afford anything close to the special treatment these kids were so accustomed to.
In her peripheral vision, she saw one of the people in protective clothing speaking with Ms. Butcher. She nodded in River�
��s direction but then she turned and stared at Paige.
She returned the favor and was surprised to see that Ms. Butcher didn’t have the same blank stare as the other people with the virus had, but rather, one of hope.
That lifted Paige’s spirit immediately because she was certain these people were there to help.
She looked at all the faces in that overcrowded sanctuary, at friends she thought she would never see again, and that was when she spotted AJ.
Paige couldn’t suppress her gasp on seeing his condition. He was practically unconscious, blood was smeared over his once pristine white shirt, and he looked as ill as the rest of them. Maybe even slightly worse.
Still, she was relieved to see one of the men in a protective suit tending to him.
Suddenly, AJ looked at Paige and smiled, catching her completely off guard. He looked genuinely happy. Is it because I’m not infected? she wondered.
* * *
AJ was freaking relieved to see Paige was still okay, even though he felt sorry for River. She was cool and always looked after her friend, so he liked her as well.
But the way Paige looked at him—all confused and a little flustered—left him bewildered. Then he realized he was grinning like a prize pony, but hell, he couldn’t care less.
Still looking at the duo made him wonder if River now had a friend inside her head as well and if she would try to harm her real friend—Paige.
“Take her,” the voice commanded in his usual manner. “Stop disobeying the rules and collect your Seedling.” In response, his charming one popped in once again.
Hello, Francis, long time no chat.
“Do it now, AJ.”
Nope. Why do you want her anyway?
“You must have malfunctioned when you were switched on.”
Was there a hint of frustration in that deep voice? AJ believed so.
Speaking of me being switched on—or whatever—how come I ended up with you inside my head? he asked conversationally, not really expecting an answer. He was shocked when he got one.
“It was added into your bloodline when you were a baby,” Francis replied.
AJ couldn’t believe the answer but tried to say cool. Well, lucky me.
“Yes, you are.”
Who are you anyway?
“We are the Nanos.”
What is a Nano? The voice remained silent.
Who controls the Nanos? AJ pressed, and the pause was so long he thought Francis left him again. Finally, though, when he’d resigned himself to silence, he replied.
“I do.”
And how does Paige fit into this whole picture?
“She is a threat to us all. The virus we released has a different effect on the Seedlings. It makes them stronger. You have to collect her now. Stop disobeying orders.”
A threat? He tested the words and called it BS.
You know what, screw your rules, Francis. I ain’t doing anything for you. AJ was resolved. Turning away from Paige, he closed his eyes.
* * *
Paige recalled what the man had told her about the virus. She turned once again toward her friend.
“River,” she said gently, trying to get her attention. “I have to go now. But these men will take care of you.”
She looked at Paige, seemingly quite clearheaded, and nodded. Clearly, she understood that Paige couldn’t stay and risk getting infected as well.
“Can you promise you’ll call me once you get better?”
“You think I’ll get better?” River asked, her tone laced with doubt.
“Yes,” she replied instantly, even though they both knew she was lying.
The truth was that neither of them knew what would happen next, and that knowledge was too scary for them to deal with. Although they came from two very different worlds, River was her best friend. Still, Paige needed to get out of there in one piece so she could find her sister and mother and somehow get to her father. It was better to pretend and hope they would see each other again.
When Paige hugged River goodbye, the guard looked at her with pity—like she was a complete idiot, but she didn’t care.
Maybe she was, but if all their assumptions were true and she was already infected, then it didn’t really matter. She would start to show symptoms regardless of this little stunt. Either way, she wanted to embrace her friend one last time before leaving.
Walking out into the hallway, Paige couldn’t help but think about that man in protective gear and what he had said to her.
It was weird how fast they all got to their school.
But on the other hand, maybe it wasn’t that strange knowing that the president’s older kid attended this school and the younger one was at Willow’s, so they were always on call.
She remembered her dad saying the government had known about this, which was why they were able to get there so quickly.
If there was no hope for them, then the rest were certainly doomed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Paige headed quickly back to her room before finally setting off to find Willow, get her mother out of the Institute, and reunite with her father.
Piece of cake, she thought jokingly to herself as she entered the common room.
It had been deserted when she escorted River out of there but was active once again.
Some girls stared at their phones, talking or texting, probably waiting for their security staff to come and pick them up. Others looked at the screen as if hoping the news would change.
Since no one was coming to get Paige—she was the one who was supposed to get to her family—she would have to get creative on her own and find a way out.
The thoughts about the journey ahead filled her with dread.
Since Brooke disappeared, she’d always had to be the strong one, but could she really do something like this?
Do I really have a choice? she asked herself, even though the answer was quite simple. No. She had to do this because she was their only choice since her father couldn’t.
Back in her room, she rechecked her backpack to see if she had everything she needed. It was impossible to predict every eventuality, so she packed a couple of additional items that could be useful.
Like the pocket knife she’d got from River when they tried going camping. After a failed attempt to spend even a few hours in a tent, they’d checked into a B&B. Afterward, River bought her the knife in commemoration of that adventure. Paige’s survival tool had been bedazzled.
She slid it into the pack and was ready to depart when an engine-like sound, coming from outside, made her dash toward the window.
Her instinctive thought was that it was Willow’s school bus, coming back full this time, but her newfound optimism was short-lived.
Through the window, she could see their own school bus parked near the entrance as infected kids were escorted to it. Those who could walk, that is.
Others were carried out on stretchers.
Paige instantly spotted AJ on a gurney loaded into the back of the bus. His face was beyond pale, but he looked toward her, and he was still smiling. Her heart skipped a beat. How could he still look so darn beautiful, even in his condition? He was probably the only boy in school who could rock the deathbed look.
* * *
Nobody is telling us anything, AJ fumed. But maybe that was understandable. How could a teacher or a college nurse possibly know anything about this virus or the voices inside their heads?
On second thought, maybe that was only him, AJ allowed, seeing that the other students around him who were also infected acted differently.
At first, he didn’t want to lie in the bed in the overcrowded nurse’s office, but over time, he realized that was the smarter choice. And when some man in a protective suit came along, he was relieved, thinking they were there to help, but they wouldn’t or more couldn’t answer his questions.
“How long are we supposed to stay here?” he’d inquired but was ignored, and that frustrated him no end. AJ would have been long gone if
the doors weren’t locked. But then he thought of Paige.
Maybe him being locked away where he was “safe” was a good thing if it meant she was safe as well.
The voice in his head ignored him after he flipped it a mental bird, refusing to do its bidding, and he was glad.
The only voice I want to hear in my head is my own, thank you very much.
Not having much to do but think and rest, he opted for the latter but couldn’t quite fall asleep, no matter what he tried.
Opening his eyes again, he let his gaze wander about, taking in all the glazed expressions of his peers until he saw River.
She had been taken to a more secluded area and was pricked and probed by the men in the protective gear while a nurse tried to soothe her. Whatever else those jerks were doing to her, she was not happy about it.
AJ couldn’t decide if that was a good or a bad thing. She definitely didn’t act like the rest of the students but wasn’t as lucid as he was.
This was some kind of an invasion. He’d managed to piece that together while chatting with Francis but couldn’t quite decide how that could be used to his advantage.
“My name is not Francis,” the Nano in his head informed him.
You don’t say, Francis, he replied sarcastically. Did you miss me that much, buddy? I’m touched.
“It is time for you to come home,” Francis insisted.
At that moment, AJ noticed a commotion around him. Some of the people on the beds were being wheeled away.
“What is going on?” he asked one of the men, not really expecting an answer.
“You are being transported somewhere else,” he informed him.
“Where?” AJ wanted to know, but the suited man hurried away, only to return with another. They immediately started wheeling him out of the building.
“Obey the orders and return home,” Francis pressed.
I would love to obey, buddy, but as you can see I am currently otherwise engaged.
They pushed him toward the school bus that would take them God only knew where, and AJ’s eyes traveled toward the nearby building. On the second floor, at the first window, he spotted Paige leaning out. She was back in her room—not that he was a stalker or anything for knowing that—and she still looked good, even healthy.
Contamination (Invasion Survivor Book 1) Page 5
