by Max Lockwood
Alec’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you do that for two strangers?”
Callum shrugged. “You’re the first two who want to leave.”
Just as Alec was about to turn around to consult with Thomas, Thomas doubled over and vomited in the grass. As he sputtered, tears flowed from his eyes. He had tried so hard to hold himself together. In the end, the illness overpowered his will to stay healthy.
“He’s sick,” Callum said with a surprising lack of emotion. “He needs to go to the hospital right away.”
“No, he’s okay,” Alec argued. If Thomas was dragged away to their hospital, he didn’t know if he would ever see him again. “He’s just tired. He hasn’t had any food or water in a while. He just needs rest and to refuel, that’s all.”
“Then we can certainly do that in the hospital,” Callum said. “We have a skilled staff who can handle just about anything. If he’s just exhausted, then he’ll be out in a day or two.”
Alec clenched his teeth. He was worried about what would happen to Thomas when the doctors inevitably checked his vitals or tested his blood. They would discover that there was something seriously wrong with him. Callum said they had a cure, but he wondered if the cure involved the cow pasture filled with Infected.
“Will you please take our new resident to the hospital?” Callum asked the same men who’d shoved them into the truck. “Tell the doctors to take very good care of our new arrival.”
“I’ll go with him,” Alec said in a panic. “I don’t mind. I just don’t feel right leaving him alone in a new place.”
Callum waved his hand. “Nonsense. We’ll take great care of him. Besides, the hospital is strictly for sick or injured people. It’s just one of our rules around here. It’s too small to have visitors wandering around. Why don’t you have dinner with me and we’ll wait for our medical staff to update you on your friend’s health?”
Alec began to protest again, but Thomas finally spoke up, his voice raspy.
“I’ll be fine,” he croaked. “Go have supper. I’ll go to the hospital and get checked out.”
“Are you sure?” Alec asked. He tried to communicate with Thomas that he thought it was a bad idea through his eyes, but nonverbal communication fell short. Alec wanted to plead with him, to tell him to run away, but something was different about Thomas. He had lost his fighting spirit. He looked exhausted and dejected.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Besides, if they have a cure for the virus, then they certainly have a cure for whatever is making me sick. I’ll be out of there soon. Please, don’t worry about me.”
Alec sighed. If Thomas wanted to go to the hospital, then there was nothing he could do to stop him. He just wanted to make sure that Thomas fully knew the risks of outing himself as an Infected. Even worse, whoever tested his blood would realize that he was different from the others. He could become ultra-violent at times but was also as gentle as a lamb at other times.
“See you soon, Thomas,” Callum said, waving as the men put Thomas back into the vehicle and drove him to the hospital. As the dust from the dirt road billowed in his face, Alec feared that he may never see Thomas again.
“Now, I’d like to get you a proper meal, on me.” Callum smiled. “When you’re finished, I can take you on a little tour, and we’ll get you set up in your hotel room. I think you’ll find that you won’t be so eager to leave.”
When they walked into the hotel lobby, Callum waved at people like he was a local celebrity. It made Alec wonder if there was something substantial behind his good looks and charm or if people were impressed by the glamor of the place. The hotel had a certain opulence that Alec hadn’t found in the post-virus world.
In the restaurant, Callum sat himself at a table set for two. In fact, it was the only table that was ready for any guests. Alec could hear the sounds of pots and pans rattling, but there was no one else there.
“What do you want to eat?” Callum asked.
“I’d have to see a menu,” Alec replied.
“That’s not necessary. Our chefs will prepare whatever it is you want to eat. I mean, some supplies like truffles and caviar are running low, but for the most part, any regular meal would be no problem to make.”
“Uh, how about a hamburger and French fries?” Alec requested.
“No problem,” Callum said, snapping his fingers. A chef appeared, wiping his hands on his apron.
“What’s it going to be tonight?” the chef asked, seemingly pleased to see the mayor in his restaurant.
“A burger and fries for my friend here. I’ll have the salmon and mushroom risotto with a side of asparagus. Choose a wine from our stores. You have excellent taste.”
“No problem,” the chef said before hurrying off to the kitchen.
“How is it possible to get all these foods?” Alec asked. “I’ve been eating nothing but packaged junk for months.”
Our generators are capable of keeping hot food hot and cold food cold. Plus, whatever we don’t create here, we find off-site. The truck that picked you up was on their way to restock at the area grocery stores. Many of them are solar powered, so the frozen goods never went bad. It’s pretty lucky.”
“I suppose so.”
“It’s no wonder your friend was so malnourished. I’m sure the doctors are pumping him full of fluids and vitamins as we speak.”
Alec looked down at the table. He felt guilty for taking part in such an elaborate meal while Thomas was probably scared out of his mind.
“Of all the places you could travel to, why go to New York?” Callum asked.
Alec didn’t know how to answer. He found that it was better if people didn’t know about him and his friends.
“Like I said, I told someone I’d meet her there.”
“A long-lost lover.” Callum grinned. “Hey, I’m happy for you.”
“No, it’s not like that,” Alec said. He didn’t like the fact that Callum was making light of his complicated relationship with Elaina.
“I misunderstood.” Callum smiled.
“We were traveling together. I was traveling with a lot of different people. Many of them are already dead. She was the first one I teamed up with. She made it to New York. I didn’t.”
“Well, I hope I can help you out.”
When the food arrived, Alec was too famished to keep up with their conversation. He shoveled food into his mouth until he was too full to move. When he was finished, he started to understand why people didn’t want to leave Safe Haven. If he were always treated that well, it would be foolish to go back into the wilderness.
“Hey,” a high-pitched voice called from outside the restaurant. Alec whipped his head around to see where it was coming from.
Standing in front of him was a pale girl who looked like she had seen a ghost.
“Melissa?” Alec breathed, not entirely convinced his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. He had been resigned to the fact that she was likely dead. After all, Thomas said she didn’t make it out of the fire.
“Alec? What are you doing here?”
He got up from his seat and rushed over to her when two kids grabbed her and the guy she was with by the arms.
“Let go, you freak,” the young man said, twisting his arm away.
“Bobby Dean,” Melissa scolded. “This is Alec. I was just telling you about him.”
“Get your hands off them,” Alec shouted at the pale kids who didn’t seem to understand what the angry man was telling them.
“Boys,” Callum said gently, standing up from his seat and wiping his mouth on his napkin. “We’re okay here.”
The kids reluctantly dropped their arms and retreated into the lobby. Melissa rubbed at the spot on her arm where the boy had grabbed her. He had a ridiculously strong grip.
“Melissa, Bobby Dean, why don’t you join us?” Callum said, pulling up two more chairs to the table.
“I swear, I’m going to punch those little freaks the next time I see them,” Bobby Dean said. His face had turned a bright
shade of red.
“There’s no need for that. They were only trying to help. Please, just sit down.”
Callum snapped his fingers and ordered the best bottle of whiskey they had in house. The waiter returned momentarily with a bottle and four glasses.
“See, there’s no reason we can’t discuss this civilly, like adults,” he said.
Alec looked into the lobby. The kids were standing behind the front desk, just staring into the restaurant. Their blank expressions sent a shiver down his spine. He tried to snap out of his feeling of unease to focus on the conversation in front of him. After all, he had just discovered that Melissa was alive and well in Safe Haven.
Her eyes locked with his and he immediately understood what she wanted to say to him. Alec nodded his head an indistinguishable fraction of an inch as if to say, “I know you have a lot to tell me, and I have a lot to tell you, too. Be careful.”
15
Will grasped onto Bethany’s arm and pushed her into the hallway. She began to protest, afraid that he had reverted to the rage symptoms, but he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“Play along.”
A soldier came wandering down the hall with a pleasant look on his face. Apparently, he had not come to stop them.
“How’s it going, Will?” he greeted.
“Fine, Donovan. I’m just transporting this menace back to her room.”
“Cool. I thought I heard a noise down here. Is everything cool?”
“As far as I know. Maybe you should have your hearing checked,” Will joked.
Will sped up to get away from the soldier before he discovered what had happened. Luckily, the soldier turned down a different hallway, missing Dr. Vincent’s office completely.
Will was just turning his head to check the hallway behind them when Mark approached the two, a curious smile on his face.
“What’s going on here?” he asked. “Please tell me my sister isn’t causing problems again.”
Bethany gasped. If anyone could see through her lies, it was Mark. She didn’t know what to say to get him off her case. He had been so disappointed with how she was struggling to fit in with his cronies.
“Actually, she’s been chosen to be part of the new study Dr. Vincent is conducting,” Will said. “She’ll be the first woman to be given the new special formula. Everyone is very excited about it.”
“Excellent.” Mark beamed. “Are you excited about it?” he asked his sister.
She grimaced. “I–I don’t know.”
“Oh, lighten up.” Mark laughed. “It’s not as bad as you think. Really, you’ll feel a hundred times better once you get the shot. I’ve never had more energy in my life. I feel completely clear-headed and relaxed. You’ll love it.”
“Okay,” she whimpered, terrified of being caught. There were so many soldiers milling around the base. It wouldn’t take long for someone to realize that Bretton was dead. Every second she stood in the hall, talking to her brother, she was one second closer to being busted. Even though she didn’t kill anyone, she knew she would still have to face the consequences.
“I’m glad you’ve talked some sense into her,” Will said. “We’re actually on our way to get the procedure done now.”
Mark frowned. “Aren’t you going the wrong way? The lab’s down there.” He pointed toward Bretton’s office.
Will scrambled to cover for his mistake. “Oh, I thought I’d let her have a little something to eat from the cafeteria first. Dr. Vincent said that it’s not as hard on your stomach if you eat a little something first.”
“That’s smart,” Mark said. “I don’t remember feeling sick when I got my shot, but I don’t remember much about it anyway. I’d love to join you, but I have to prepare some paperwork for the new recruits. I’ll see you two later.”
Will and Bethany waited until Mark was a few paces away until they took off in a brisk walk. Will hoped that he would also take the hallway across from Dr. Vincent’s office and bypass that area altogether. They made it to the door to the general population area before Will could find out where Mark had gone.
“Run,” Will ordered, sprinting toward the patio area where Bethany had previously accessed the garage. He thrust open the heavy locked door and they sprinted down the ramp toward the vehicles. They saw the same young soldier Bethany had coerced into giving her the keys to the militia’s vehicles.
“I need the Hummer,” Will barked at the soldier, his hand on Bethany’s shoulder now.
“I was told that she was not allowed down here,” the soldier said nervously.
“I’m here, dumbass. We have to go to the place where she was picked up. She has information that will lead us to Elaina Morgan.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes widening. “Sorry, I didn’t know. No one tells me anything.”
“It’s okay, just give me the keys so we can go before the criminal gets away.”
The guard fumbled through the keys until he found the ones he was looking for. He thrust his hand toward Will, who grabbed them without another word.
In the garage, Will led Bethany through the labyrinth to the car he had chosen. They were about to get in the vehicle when sirens started blaring.
“This unit is under lockdown!” a voice boomed from the sound system. “I repeat, this unit is under lockdown!”
“They know,” Will breathed. “We gotta get out of here.”
“We’re under lockdown,” Bethany cried. “How are we supposed to drive off if no one is allowed to leave the building?”
“I don’t know,” Will said, wildly looking around.
“Don’t just stand there! Unlock the car.”
Will jumped into the driver’s seat and Bethany slid down low in the passenger’s seat. She peered up over the window to survey the scene.
“Let’s just hide out until we have a safe moment to bolt,” she suggested.
“Fine, but the first sign of danger, I’m out of here.”
Bethany held her breath as the door to the garage opened and feet stomped on the concrete floor.
“That bastard!” she heard her brother say. “He acted like everything was fine when I saw him. Our cameras clearly show him walking out of Dr. Vincent’s office with my sister. No one else was with him until the bodies were found. They killed him and now they’re trying to escape.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t violent,” the keeper of the car keys remarked.
“My sister is full of surprises. She’s around here somewhere. They couldn’t have gotten far.”
They held their breath as the footsteps came closer. Bethany knew that they would find them eventually, but she was too petrified to do anything. Luckily, Will wasn’t.
“Screw this,” he said as he popped up in his seat and turned the keys in the ignition. The tires squealed as Bethany scrambled to put her seatbelt on. Will whipped the car around and made a beeline toward the door.
“Follow them!” Mark screamed. “They’re getting away!”
The engine roared as Will drove up the exit ramp. The sensor in the car was supposed to raise the arms of the security booth, but under lockdown, the arms did not allow them passage.
“Hold on,” Will said, driving through the metal arms with a sickening scrape. He swerved to miss a spike strip laid out on the ground to thwart their escape attempt. Then they were on the open road.
“We did it!” Will whooped as he sped down the highway. “We made it out of there. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe they brainwashed me like that.”
“What happened, exactly?” Bethany asked.
“I couldn’t tell you. Honestly, I feel like I’m waking up from a weird dream. I don’t even feel like it was me who killed Dr. Vincent.”
“You looked completely out of it,” Bethany agreed. “It was like a monster bursting out of a normal person.”
“I’m glad I did it,” he said quietly. I know it’s wrong, but he deserved it.”
“I agree. So, where are you going?”
It wasn’t long before the pair could see lights coming up behind them. Will punched the gas, but he could only go so quickly down the winding roads. A couple of times, Bethany thought the car was going to crash down a ravine.
“They’re gaining on us,” Bethany said. “We have to throw them off the scent.”
“How are we going to do that?” Will asked, getting worried. “It’s dark and there’s nowhere to go.”
“I don’t know, but we have to do something,” Bethany said. “Do you have a gun?”
“Check the glove compartment.”
Bethany dug around the compartment until she found a small pistol tucked underneath the car’s manuals. She rolled down the window and leaned half of her body out the window.
“What are you doing?” Will shouted. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Ignoring his concerns, Bethany began firing at the cars in pursuit. She thought she heard a few bullets make contact with metal, but she couldn’t be sure. Finally, she hit a tire and the lead vehicle fell behind.
“Got it,” she cheered as she tossed the gun out the window. It had run out of bullets and there was no more ammunition in the car.
“That should buy us a little time,” Will said.
Shots rang out behind them. They were still out of range for a clean shot, but the militia was continuing to gain on them. Will wished he had picked a faster vehicle. At the time, he’d wanted one with enough power to blast through anyone who got in his path.
“Speed up,” Bethany cried. The headlights from the car behind them grew larger and larger.
“I can’t,” Will replied, gritting his teeth. “This is as fast as this thing goes. We’re on the straight away now, but if we hit a curve, we’re done for.”
A bullet shattered the back window, causing both driver and passenger to scream. One struck the back tire, causing it to burst. Will tried to steer the car around a bend, but the damage was too great at that velocity. The vehicle tipped over and rolled down the highway, skidding to a stop.
