Elaina turned on her heel and stormed out of the office, back toward the lab. She fumed as she returned to her stool at the lab bench. She was so upset she couldn’t speak, so she just shook her head.
“No luck, huh?” Dr. Himmler hummed as he unloaded test tubes from a centrifuge.
“No,” Elaina croaked. “I can’t help them.”
“Oh, but you can,” he said. “And you can help many more than just your friends. If a cure is available for all, then there will be no need for armed guards. There will be no need to run and hide.”
“But we don’t have a perfect cure yet,” she moaned.
“Then let’s get to work. We cannot afford to waste any more time.”
2
“I hope they catch the guy who did this,” a soldier grumbled as he lifted a heavy support beam from the ground, tossing it into a pile. Will scooped a shovelful of rubble into a wheelbarrow, wiping sweat from his brow. The dust mixed with the moisture on his face, leaving him with streaks of debris across his forehead.
“There’s no sign of that Thomas kid,” another said. “It was clearly a planned breakout. Whoever did this must have known Thomas or known that he had recently enlisted.”
Will looked at the ground. He had a pretty good idea about who was behind the explosions. If he didn’t continue to feel some loyalty toward Alec and Elaina, he would have given their names away in a heartbeat. It hardly mattered anyway—if the militia couldn’t track them down as they fled the base, knowing their identities wouldn’t do much good. There were a million places to hide when there were no witnesses.
In the wake of the explosion, all people residing in the base were called upon to help clean up. The enlisted members were tasked with doing most of the heavy lifting and security measures, but the civilian refugees were also assigned to don helmets and dust masks while they swept debris away from their living area.
Once the dust settled, it was determined that there were three areas with extensive damage. The first explosive device hardly chipped paint off the front of the building, but one of the larger vehicles in the military’s fleet caught on fire. Then, the next explosion targeted one of the laboratories and destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of lab equipment. No one was in there at the time, but many samples were destroyed. Finally, the blast in the holding cells caused the most structural damage to the building. Entire walls were missing and the supports were dangerously weak. This was where Thomas was able to break free from his padded room.
Now, crews worked around the clock, trying to keep the base as functional as possible while keeping the rest of the building from crumbling. The attack made everyone feel vulnerable as their safe haven was no longer safe.
Tossing her militia-issued hard hat aside, Bethany crept in the shadows until she found Will. She tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to speak with her in a quiet place.
Happy to have an excuse to leave the demolition site, Will followed the girl to a spot in the grass hidden by a large piece of sheet metal.
“Yeah?” he asked, recognizing the girl as Mark’s sister, the one who’d tried to convince everyone to let Thomas remain a civilian. “You don’t look like you’ve lifted a single brick,” he said, noting her clean face and clothes.
“This isn’t my battle to fight,” she said coolly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wanted to talk to you. I know that you knew Thomas before you came here.”
“So? I knew a lot of people before I came here. Most of them are dead.”
“From what I’ve gleaned, the people you were travelling with were not bad people,” she said quietly. “Look, I don’t know you, but I can spot a brainwashed person when I see one. Maybe I can help you out of here. Maybe we can help each other.”
Will glared at Bethany. “I should report you for trying to sabotage the militia’s plans.”
“Go ahead,” she said dryly. “I haven’t been keeping my stance a secret.”
“What makes you think that I want to leave?” Will asked, wiping his face on the bottom of his shirt. “You don’t know how good I have it here.”
“That’s what they want you to think.”
Bethany took a few deep breaths, trying to keep her temper under control. She needed to figure out the best way to appeal to someone who had clearly lost his better judgment.
“You just closed your mind at the first mention of a new military,” he said. “You don’t like the idea of your own government failing you. The fact is, no one cares about us over here. We’re doing a good thing here. Just yesterday, we eliminated a bunch of dangerous infected and brought them in for scientific testing. Not only are we protecting the healthy, but we’re conducting important research.”
Bethany shook her head. “I’m afraid you aren’t as noble as you’d like to think you are,” she said. “I’ve noticed that there are some bad things happening around here. Soldiers like you are being experimented on against their will.”
She paused, letting her words take full impact. It scared her to say the words out loud to someone who believed in the militia, but once they left her mouth, there was no going back.
“I know,” Will said casually, as if it were no big deal. Bethany was shocked. She didn’t understand how anyone could be okay with this development.
“You know this and you still want to be part of it? What if they bring you in to test an unknown, potentially deadly virus on you?”
Will shrugged. “I think I know more about this than you. This isn’t the same virus that’s killing normal people. This is only temporary. It makes soldiers more efficient. Then, when they don’t need to fight, the soldier returns to normal. It’s really not a big deal. A lot of people have already tried it, and it’s pretty impressive. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
Bethany balled up her fists. She wanted to hit Will in a way that would knock some sense back into him.
“You don’t get it,” she hissed. “These soldiers aren’t the same when the effects wear off. I’ve seen it before. This is seriously reckless and dangerous. You’re messing around with a deadly virus. Did no one learn from the first time? This is what happens when people meddle in things they shouldn’t meddle with.”
“Who are you to tell me my business?” Will scowled. “I don’t even know you. Why do you think you need to save my soul? I’m already damned. What difference does it make if I try to do what’s best for me?”
“You have no idea what’s good for you,” she replied. “I think that’s pretty clear.”
“Don’t you want to be on the winning side? Even if you don’t like what we’re doing here, there will be a day where we are on top. It’s truly in your best interest to fall in line and bide your time until the revolution is complete.”
Bethany stood up from her seat on the ground. “This is absurd. You’re clearly so brainwashed you don’t realize what you’re saying. These people don’t care about you. They want to use your body and discard it once it’s of no use to them. I wish you knew that you were worth more than to be used as a pawn. You will come to regret this one day. Half of the country is doing just fine, and before long, the rest of us will be okay, too. I’m going to get to the safe half and I don’t want anyone in my way.”
Unable to help Will, she began to walk back toward her assigned station. Before she could get more than a few feet away, Will grabbed her arm.
“That’s not a good idea,” he warned. “I think if you understood how dangerous it was out there, you’d do whatever you could to fit in around here.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, shaking her arm free.
“The rest of the country has abandoned us. If you think they’ll welcome you to their safe space, you’re dead wrong.”
Bethany shook her head in disgust and stormed away. She’d tried her best to talk some sense into him. If he didn’t want to listen, there was nothing more she could do.
Will, on the other hand, returned to work, feeling a renewed sense of duty.
He had made the decision to enlist in the new army, and he planned on sticking to his commitment. He would do whatever was asked of him.
Moments after Bethany left, her brother approached Will with a concerned expression on his face.
“There you are,” he said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. You were supposed to be here.”
“Sorry,” Will said. “What’s up?”
“I think it’s time you get your injection. It’s only a matter of time before we’re attacked again. Reports from the east are saying that the government is planning on bombing our half to deal with the epidemic. Our guys want to make sure that everyone who wants to get a shot can get one.”
“Are you sure?” Will asked. “I thought it was still in its experimental phase.”
“Not any longer. We need all of our guys to be at the top of their game. This stuff will make you stronger, faster, and sharper. If the shit hits the fan, you’ll wish you had a little extra boost. We want all of our soldiers to survive an attack.”
“Does it hurt? Will it make me violent right away?”
Will talked a tough game to Bethany, but now that he was faced with Dr. Vincent’s new virus, he couldn’t help but worry. He knew this virus was different but it was still the virus that had killed his parents. It was the virus that had killed Natalia. He had reason to worry.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Mark reassured him. “You feel a little strange at first. It’s like when you take a strong sleeping pill and you fall right asleep. You don’t really remember much. Honestly, that’s not a bad thing for people who have seen the things we’ve seen. It’s nice not to have to remember so much. When you wake up, you’ll be groggy for a while, but then you’ll feel better than ever.”
“What about the rage?”
“That only comes on when it’s necessary for survival. Otherwise, you’ll just feel like you’re a little stronger than usual. I’ve only felt great since my shot.”
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Will asked, still a little nervous.
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t tell you to do it if I didn’t. There are so many guys here who already have the new virus in their bloodstream. Unless you had access to their medical records, you wouldn’t know.”
Will looked around. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, despite the fact that they were cleaning up Alec’s mess. That seemed to be a good sign that the new virus was safe.
“When can I go to medical to get the shot?” Will asked.
“Now, if you like,” Mark said eagerly. “I’m telling you, this will be the best decision you’ve ever made.”
Will stood up straight and nodded. He was ready to give himself the extra boost he needed to keep up with the others. He tried not to think about it as a shot of the virus but as a vaccine for the violence the rest of the world wanted to inflict upon him.
As Mark led him to the medical wing, Will welcomed the thought of losing his memory. He had changed, and his memories did not reflect upon the person he had become. Yes, there were good times that he would surely lose, but more importantly, there was a lot of bad he never wanted to think about again. With any luck, he wouldn’t have to see Elaina and Alec’s disappointed faces, Natalia’s blood on his clothes, or his parents’ corpses on the dining room floor ever again.
3
Melissa hummed a song to herself to drown out Bobby Dean and Ariel’s grating voices, but it wasn’t enough. They had only been walking for fifteen minutes or so when the two broke their promise to shut up for a little bit.
As much as Melissa wanted to yell at them to be quiet again, she didn’t want them to get fed up with her attitude and abandon her. Bobby Dean was strange, but he had no qualms about destroying any potential dangers. Melissa liked that in a travel companion. Ariel seemed to have few redeeming qualities, but at least she was a slower runner than Melissa. If they were chased, Ariel would be an easy target and a diversion for the infected.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” Ariel whined.
“I’m not looking at you. You’re looking at me,” he replied.
“You’re lying. You’re giving me a creepy look and I don’t like it.”
“Well, I don’t like the look of your mug right now. Why don’t you turn your head?”
“If we all look ahead, we’ll probably go faster,” Melissa quietly suggested.
“This is the thing with you,” Ariel continued, ignoring Melissa. “You like to antagonize me.”
“Then don’t be such an easy target. People are going to ruffle your feathers when it’s so easy to ruffle them. Toughen up. Do you think girls like Melissa take crap from anyone? I doubt it.”
Melissa smiled at the ground. Though she didn’t always feel tough, she was glad that an outsider had that opinion of her.
“We can’t all be like Melissa,” Ariel muttered.
As Melissa looked down the road, she realized that there was no one there. If her knowledge of the roads in the area was correct, then they were heading toward the southeast corner of the state. For a split second, she thought about searching hospitals in the next city they approached but quickly changed her mind. If Alec didn’t come up the road on his bike within the next day or so, then they had long forgotten about her. It was too bad, too, because the thought of getting on the back of Alec’s bike and leaving Ariel and Bobby Dean in the dust was too rich.
“I hear something,” Ariel said after a few minutes of rare silence.
Melissa rolled her eyes. The only thing she had heard in the last hour was Ariel complaining about stupid stuff. Melissa didn’t like walking down deserted highways to find shelter, but it never even occurred to her to take issue with the fact that her hair was frizzy. There were just so many more important things to worry about, like staying alive.
“The only thing you hear is the sound of your gum smacking around in your mouth,” Bobby Dean said. Melissa nodded once in agreement.
“You guys don’t believe me, but I’m telling you, I heard a noise.”
“What kind of noise?” Melissa asked dully, humoring her.
“It sounded like static, like from a TV.”
“No one has a TV out here,” Bobby Dean said.
“I don’t know what it was. I’m just telling you what I heard.”
Melissa was about to roll her eyes again when she heard a faint crackling coming from down the road.
“I—I think I hear it too,” she stammered.
“Great,” Bobby Dean said, throwing his hands in the air. “Now both of you have gone crazy. It doesn’t surprise me that Ariel is hearing things, but I thought you were different, Melissa.”
“Shut up,” Melissa said, stopping dead in her tracks. She was certain she heard the same sound that Ariel described. Suddenly, the quiet static turned into a booming, monotone voice.
Melissa took off in a sprint down the road. She was certain that there was something at the bottom of the hill but just wasn’t sure what it was. There was no time to be cautious. Where there was a radio, there was necessary information, not to mention other resources. When she made it to the top of the hill and looked down below, her heart skipped a beat.
At the bottom of the hill, there was a car that had crashed into a speed limit sign. Melissa surveyed the scene, searching for any sign of infected, or worse, military personnel. But as far as she could tell, it was just an abandoned car with a working stereo.
Ariel and Bobby Dean passed her as they raced down the hill, ready to take whatever they could find. Melissa cautiously jogged after them, definitely curious about what was being said on the radio.
Upon closer inspection, Melissa noticed that the back tire had been shot out and that the hazard lights were blinking. As far as she could tell, the driver was long gone.
“Why would they leave their car on?” Bobby Dean asked.
Melissa held up her hand for him to be quiet. She wanted to hear what the voice was saying.
“The emergency broadcast sys
tem is issuing a warning for the following states: Washington, Oregon, California—”
Melissa held her breath as she listened to the list. With each state she heard, the more nervous she became.
“Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas,” the monotone voice concluded. “If you are currently in one of these states, please find shelter and wait for further notice. Rescue crews will be arriving within the next week. Do not try to leave your current location to travel past the quarantine border. Stay exactly where you are and wait for rescue crews to assist you. No one will be permitted entrance or exit through this border.”
Ariel shot a hopeful glance at Bobby Dean, but he solemnly shook his head in response.
Melissa felt sick to her stomach. She had a bad feeling that the government was lying to survivors to make them feel as if they had a chance. No one would arrive within a week to save them. The military would maybe arrive in a month to dispose of the dead. No one was going to help them. They had to help themselves.
But even if they continued walking immediately, they would be nowhere near the border. It had already extended too far. Before long, she feared that Oklahoma would be overtaken and her grandparents’ house would no longer be a safe haven. She hoped that they were still staying safe. She couldn’t lose the only remaining family she had in this world.
The broadcast repeated itself. Melissa’s legs felt weak so she staggered over to the grass beside the road and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. They had raced the border and been beaten by a wide margin. She felt so defeated.
“Hey,” Ariel said, sitting next to her. Bobby Dean sat on Melissa’s other side. “What’s wrong?”
“You heard the broadcast,” Melissa said glumly. “I don’t know if you realize it, but we’re stuck on this side of the border. There’s no way we can get to it before it moves further east. Even if we make it that far, we won’t make it across. This is serious. There will be guards all over the place. We just didn’t make it in time.”
Last Man Standing (Book 3): Zombie Decimation Page 2
