by Max Lockwood
He handed the keys over and Bethany’s heart pounded. All she had to do was get into the truck and gun it out of there. It was so much easier than she thought it would be. This time, she wouldn’t wreck the car or get caught up in trouble. She would drive away from Mark and his fellow soldiers and never look back.
She took off in a brisk walk toward the garage. Touching the button on the remote, she heard the honk of the vehicle, somewhere along the back of the garage. She nearly ran through the rows of cars, looking for her ride out of hell.
As she reached for the door handle of her new vehicle, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
Bethany whipped around, sliding the knife out of her sleeve. But it was confiscated immediately and fell to the ground with a clank.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be down here,” Will sneered, pulling her arm behind her back.
“Let me go.” She winced as he wrenched her shoulder.
“If I did, I wouldn’t be doing my job. You’re not allowed to be around any vehicles. I don’t even know what you’re doing outside of your room.”
“The soldier gave me the keys,” she protested. “I didn’t steal them or anything. Just let me go.”
Will marched her back up the ramp, toward the general population area. “You think you’re hot stuff, just prancing around, seducing pubescent boys into giving you what you want. That’s not going to work on me.”
“You wanna bet?” she said snarkily.
He laughed in her ear. “I don’t know why I let you get to me. Before long, you’re going to be in a much worse state than you seem to think you are in now. Can I get some help over here?” he shouted at a pair of guards. “This rat needs to go back into her cage.”
Together, they walked down the hallway into the restricted section. Bethany squirmed when they walked past the laboratory but was relieved when they didn’t turn into that doorway. Instead, Will led them into what looked like a jail cell. He opened the metal door and revealed a broom closet with a scratchy blanket and lumpy pillow inside.
“Take me back to the dorm. I’ll behave,” Bethany said calmly.
“I don’t buy that for a second.”
“Give her a second chance,” Dr. Vincent’s cold voice said from behind them. “Take her to the civilian rooms, give her a cup of tea, and let her think about how she should behave in polite society.”
Bethany turned to look at the scientist, but he had already moved on.
“Fine,” Will said. He grabbed Bethany by the arm and took her to a small but much more comfortable room. He slammed the door behind her and she sat down on the bed. She was disappointed that she did not make it out of the camp but relieved that she hadn’t been sent to solitary confinement. “Next time, don’t think you’ll be treated this kindly.”
A moment later, a cup of tea was pushed through the cracked door before it was promptly closed and locked again. Bethany pretended to sip it, then discretely hid it underneath the bed.
All alone in the room, she lay on the bed and stared up at the stained ceiling. When the right opportunity stuck, she was going to try to escape again. She didn’t care how many times they tried to lock her up. They weren’t going to infect her with the virus. She would die trying to find freedom. Bethany just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
8
Melissa was unbearably groggy when she woke from her nap. A space heater was pumping hot air directly to her exposed legs in her bathrobe. Dirty dishes covered the floor and the smell of partially-eaten foods filled the air. Melissa knew there was something she was supposed to be doing, but she was too sleepy to remember what it was. She closed her eyes and instantly fell back asleep.
A short while later, her eyes reopened and she realized that Bobby Dean was no longer sprawled out on the bed. Ariel was still napping, curled up in a ball on her side of the bed.
Melisa quickly sifted through the pile of clothes she had delivered and pulled on a pair of slightly snug jeans and a sweater before knocking on Mike’s door. When he didn’t answer, she peeked inside. His room was empty.
“Ariel,” Melissa called out. Ariel stirred but continued to sleep. “Wake up,” she said, a little louder this time.
“What?” Ariel groaned.
“The guys are gone. Do you know where they went?”
Ariel looked around as if she expected to see Bobby Dean sleeping next to her.
“No. When did they leave?”
“I have no idea,” Melissa said, rubbing the drool off her face. “I just woke up from my nap.”
“We were told not to leave,” Ariel said. “How could they just get up and go?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Melissa replied. She walked toward the door and looked through the peephole. She could see the outline of a stranger, dressed in a suit, outside the door.
Melissa latched the chain on the door before opening it a crack.
“Hello?” she squeaked out.
A large man with a white beard made his way over to her. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Not really. I wasn’t told that we would be guarded in here.”
“It’s for your protection,” he said warmly. “Don’t worry. You’re not a prisoner. We just want to ensure that our healthy residents stay healthy.”
Melissa had heard that before. The last time she was promised to be in good hands, Natalia was injected with the virus by her own father.
Panic filled her chest. She knew the whole town of Safe Haven was too good to be true. No one in the age of the virus lived in peace. It would be beyond foolish to trust the too-friendly residents of the town. Even the way the man standing outside the door smiled at her when he talked put her on edge.
“What exactly are you protecting us from?” Melissa asked. “I thought this place is supposed to be safe. It says so in the name of the town.”
“Yes, I know everyone’s probably told you that this is the safest settlement in the western half of the country. That’s still true. But there are still precautions we need to take to keep everyone happy and healthy. Recently, we got word that there were a few infected individuals near the perimeter. We have a few residents on duty to keep an eye out for each other. Think of it as a neighborhood watch. I know that you guys are new here and are probably very tired. The mayor is supposed to come speak with you and find job placements for you if you want to join us.”
“Yeah, about that,” Ariel chimed in, “when is this mayor coming? That’s all we’ve heard since we got here. What’s the big deal?”
“The mayor is very busy,” the man said. “But he’s good about keeping his schedule. I’m sure it won’t be long now.”
Melissa wanted to believe the man, but they had been told the same thing for several hours now. They had been told that the mayor would see them soon, but since then, they had eaten a five-course meal, cleaned a month’s worth of dirt off their bodies, and taken a nap. The mayor hadn’t arrived in that time, so why would he arrive in the next four hours?
“Hold on a second,” Melissa interjected. “You said that there are infected people outside and that’s why you’re standing guard.”
“That’s right.”
“But this town allows infected people to come inside for treatment. Why are you protecting us from people who are welcomed here?”
The man thought for a minute before shrugging. “I’m afraid I don’t have the answer for that.”
“How long have you been here?” Melissa pressed. “Surely, you know more about this situation.”
He shook his head. “Afraid not. I’ve been here for about three weeks now. It’s a great place to live. You should be lucky you’re here. I know I’d be dead by now if I weren’t here.”
The girl from the front desk came up behind the man. Melissa took the chain off the door when she saw the familiar face.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” she said. “Your companions are downstairs. I came to wake you, but I see you’re all ready to go. Come wi
th me.”
“Where, exactly, are we going?” Melissa asked.
“To the lobby. The mayor is on his way and doesn’t have a lot of time to wait around. I would have woken you earlier, but you were all so tired when you came in. I thought it would be best to give you a little rest. I’m glad you were inside sleeping and not somewhere where the Infected could harm you.”
“I was wondering about that,” Melissa said as she and Ariel left the room. “Your friend in front of our door couldn’t answer that question for me. If there are Infected running around, why don’t you cure them? Isn’t that what this town is all about?”
The girl bit her lip. “It’s more complicated than that. The patients we work with want our help. They, or their loved ones, come to us because they want to get better. The individuals threatening our town aren’t here because they want help. They’re here to destroy our little piece of paradise.”
Melissa rolled her eyes. As far as she could tell, the town wasn’t hell, but it certainly didn’t resemble anything like paradise. Perhaps all the residents had spent more time in the refugee commune than out of it. From Melissa’s perspective, nothing on the west side of the quarantine was good.
She didn’t tend to trust anyone who was this optimistic about their outcome. It seemed as though the residents of Safe Haven didn’t want to evacuate. They seemed perfectly content living on the wrong side of the border. It didn’t make any sense to Melissa. No reasonable person set up camp in a dangerous area. The new army had made that very apparent.
Melissa and Ariel made their way down the staircase to find Mike and Bobby Dean sitting in the lobby. They were sitting up straight on the leather sofa, their eyes darting around. Bobby Dean rarely shut up or displayed any sort of manners, so to see him on his best behavior gave Melissa pause. The fact that his boots weren’t up on the coffee table was shocking to Melissa.
“How did you guys leave without waking us up?” Melissa asked Bobby Dean. “I’m not that heavy of a sleeper.”
Bobby Dean shrugged. “I don’t know. We just walked out of the room. We heard voices in the lobby. I wanted to see if I could find out more about this place. I talked to a guy who just came here from Albuquerque. He’s living in the hotel until he gets a house set up for him. I don’t think he likes to talk much. He seemed eager to get back to his room, but the cleaners were in there and I think he was avoiding talking to them too.”
Melissa chuckled. Bobby Dean was probably a nightmare for the quiet people who just wanted to keep to themselves. As much as he annoyed her, she kind of liked having someone around who filled in the awkward silences.
Mike was chomping on his fingernails to the point that his cuticles were beginning to bleed. Melissa swore that his hair was graying by the hour.
“What’s up with him?” Ariel asked Bobby Dean. She may have meant to whisper, but it was much more audible than she had intended.
“I’m worried about my daughter,” Mike said. “I haven’t heard anything about her since they took her away.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” the receptionist said. “We have excellent facilities. I’m sure that your daughter will be treated within the next few days. We have a lot of patients but a good team of doctors.”
“Do you know what their treatment is?” Melissa asked.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that,” she replied, a frown on her face.
“I was just wondering if it was some type of medication or injection that reverses the virus,” Melissa said quickly, her face turning pink. “I didn’t know if someone found a perfect cure yet.”
“I don’t know about that, but whatever they’re doing is working,” the receptionist said. “I’ve seen people who have recovered. It takes a long time for the body to heal, but you would not believe the results. So, what do you guys think about Safe Haven thus far?”
“It’s nice,” Mike said.
“Yeah, this place is pretty great,” Bobby Dean said half-heartedly.
Feeling left out, Ariel chimed in too. “The food alone is amazing. I wish I could live here forever.”
“Maybe you can,” the receptionist said warmly. “Excuse me, I have to speak with someone. Make yourselves comfortable.”
“Can we go look around the hotel?” Ariel asked eagerly.
“Sure,” Melissa said flatly. She really wanted to speak with the men to figure out what they’d learned about the place. Ariel seemed less concerned with their safety and more concerned with whatever was going on in the restaurant.
They walked through the gilded lobby toward the small restaurant that was currently serving hors d’oeuvres. Ariel scooped up a fried wonton and popped it into her mouth as she studied the art on the walls. They were the only people in the restaurant, though there was food being served.
“This place has an indoor pool!” Ariel exclaimed as she looked through the doorway. She ran off to get a closer look. The other three reluctantly followed behind.
“I never want to leave this place,” Ariel mused as she dipped a hand into the warm water. “Can you believe we get to stay here for free?”
“About that,” Bobby Dean said. “I don’t think we want to overstay our welcome.”
“Did you hear something?” Melissa asked. Her voice reverberated off the walls of the pool.
“Can we go somewhere else to talk about it?” Bobby Dean whispered.
“No, I want to stay here,” Ariel whined. “I’ve been through hell the past few months. Is it wrong for me to want to enjoy what we have here? This place is nicer than anywhere I’ve ever been and no one is using it to their full advantage. I mean, no one was eating at the restaurant. No one has been in this pool. I’m sure there’s a lot more going on here, and no one cares that it’s all for free.”
“Then stay here if you want,” Bobby Dean said. “I’m going back to the lobby.”
He stormed out. Melissa quickly followed behind him and Mike shuffled his feet toward the door. Ariel swiped angrily at the water before reluctantly following, stomping her feet all the way.
When they returned to the lobby, Melissa grabbed Bobby Dean by the wrist and sat him down in the furthest corner of the room, as far away from the residents as she could go.
“What did you find out?” she asked.
“Nothing, really,” he said quietly. “I just get a really bad feeling about this place. You know when your stomach feels weird and the hairs stand up on the back of your neck? It’s like that.”
“My instinct tells me the same thing,” Melissa agreed. “What do you think?” she asked Mike.
“I don’t know. I can’t leave here without my daughter. It doesn’t matter how I feel about this place. I get a bad feeling about everything these days.”
Melissa twiddled her thumbs. She wondered if her cynicism about people who truly wanted to help was keeping her from enjoying Safe Haven. After all, she was given luxuries she hadn’t experienced in months. People were friendly and didn’t ask for anything in return.
“Should we try to leave?” Melissa asked Bobby Dean as Ariel sulked in the corner.
Before he could answer, the receptionist returned. The man she had been talking to walked out the front door of the hotel, leaving the revolving door spinning.
“Sorry about that,” she said.
“Who were you talking to?” Melissa asked.
“Oh, it’s not my place to say,” she replied hurriedly. “Ah, just in time,” she said, shaking hands with a college-aged kid. He wore khaki pants and a University of Colorado sweatshirt and his short blond hair was styled with hair gel. He looked like a lot of kids Melissa knew from back home.
“How’s it going?” the young man asked, beaming at the four travelers. The receptionist scurried back to the front desk.
“Fine, I guess,” Melissa answered.
“You don’t seem convinced,” he replied. “Have you not been treated kindly since your arrival?”
“We have, but we’ve been stuck in here for h
ours. We’re just waiting on some mayor who has yet to come around. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even exist,” Bobby Dean complained.
The man chuckled, apparently amused with Bobby Dean’s exasperation. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I must assure you, I very much exist. Welcome to Safe Haven.”
“You’re the mayor?” Ariel asked. She sat up a little straighter and combed her hair with her fingers.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Callum. I’m the mayor of Safe Haven.”
9
The sound of clinking glassware and whirring equipment was so comforting to Elaina. No matter how terrified she was for the future of the world, she found a little relief in her work. Plus, after a stern talking-to from Dr. Himmler, even the military officials left them to their work.
The virologists were becoming frustrated. Every time they thought they had the cure, it turned out to be faulty. They would test a serum on the virus, only to find that the virus mutated to outsmart their efforts. Scientists would bring in new samples of the virus, taken from the field, only to discover that no virus strain was exactly alike. The mutations were out of control, making it almost impossible to figure out what to do.
“What if we just made a super-serum with as many cures as we can make?” Elaina suggested as she slumped down on her lab stool. “It won’t cure them all, but it will save some people.”
“You’re thinking too small,” Dr. Himmler said. “We can’t give up now. If you promise people a potential cure and it only works for some, you’re going to lull people into a false sense of security. What happens when you cure someone and they become infected again because they contracted a new mutation?”
“It’s like searching through a giant key ring, just to unlock one door. And if we don’t hurry, we’re in trouble. I don’t have time for this trial and error.”
“So what do we need to do?”
“We need to find the master key,” she replied. “But how?”
“We keep working and don’t get discouraged. Now, what kind of information did you get from the team in Lab C?”
