“I trust that is more to your liking?” the soothing voice says from the man sitting in the middle of the table across from Hope.
He is a well-dressed man, with silver hair that almost reflects the light. His face is old and tired even as he tries to keep his welcoming smile on his face.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” Hope says, “but who the fuck are you?”
“Where are my manners?” The man says rising to his feet, “My name is James Logan. Former Colonel of the United States military. I believe you’ve already met Lieutenants Bradford, O’Brian, and Doctor Cutter. Beside me are two civilians, Ms. Victoria Ranks and Mr. Michael Stein.”
“What do we do next?” Hope asks.
“I don’t know,” Colonel Logan says, “our resources are minimal. We’ve barely any food or drink. That’s why we placed the distress call.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Hope says, trailing off before her eyes light up, “you have a radio.”
“Yes,” Colonel Logan says confused, “I just mentioned that.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Hope says blushing, “what I meant to ask is if I could use your radio. You know contact home and everything.”
“Well sure. But how do you plan on getting us all back there? After all it was my people that saved you,” Colonel Logan says. “How did you get here anyway?”
“That’s a long story Colonel,” Hope says. “But it looks like it’s all coming to an end.”
Chapter 22
Hope stands alone at the edge of the base, her attention is completely over taken by the stone wall along the border. Her eyes follow the stone tiled wall as she slowly walks along it. She follows the complete outline of the base until she reaches Mika and Brad standing in front of a small stone podium torches burning on either side.
“How you doing?” Brad asks.
“As well as can be expected,” Hope replies.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Brad asks.
“Yeah. This is what Fanny would want,” Hope says mournfully. “Will the others be joining us?”
“No,” Mika replies, “They respectfully declined. Said they took care of enough dead bodies.”
“That’s lovely of them,” Hope scoffs rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, well let’s not be too hard on them,” Brad says, “from what I’ve heard they’ve had it pretty rough themselves.”
“Still that’s no excuse. She risked her life to be here for them,” Mika says defending his dead friend.
“No she didn’t,” Hope says with a sigh, “my father asked her to come and protect me. She never wanted to come back here. And now she’s dead, because of me, because I wanted to come here and figure out who I was. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault.”
“Hope, you can’t blame yourself for any of this. You didn’t kill her, that monster did,” Mika says getting in front of her, his hands grabbing her shoulders as he tries to get the words into her head.
“He’s right you know. It’s not a glamourous thing. Actually, this world is far from it. Death happens. Now I’m not saying don’t be sad, because that would be ridiculous. But don’t be mad at yourself because you couldn’t control any of this,” Brad joins in. “But you do have a choice in what we do next.”
Hope glares at her two companions, a flush of emotions rushing through her body, sinking deep in her stomach. She turns her back on them, walking over to the podium where she leans over, brushing the hair out of Fanny’s face before kissing her forehead. She stands with her back up straight, pulling a torch out of the ground.
“Goodbye Fanny,” Hope whispers as she brushes the flame slowly across her body.
The fire catches on her clothes, spreading quickly across her body until Fanny is completely engulfed in the flames. Hope turns her back to the roaring fire, tossing the torch on the ground.
“I’ll be in the mess hall,” She whispers as she walks away.
The mess hall is still lit brightly, the small group scattered about.
“How did it go?” Colonel Logan asks, meeting her as she walks in.
“As well as expected,” Hope snaps back at the old man.
“Good. So I’m guessing we can leave soon?” The Colonel asks.
“I don’t know,” Hope responds.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” The Colonel asks stunned. “We called for help. You came here to help us!”
Hope grabs the old man by the neck, pushing him back into the table knocking him onto it.
“Look I don’t know if you realize this, but I just watched the corpse of my best friend get burned.” Hope says as the two lieutenants pull her off the colonel.
“I do realize it,” The Colonel says getting back to his feet and straightening his clothes, “I realize it very well. I’m sorry for the loss of your friend but maybe you don’t understand that since I’ve been here I’ve lost hundreds of friends and family members. Now here we are, down to a handful of people and all I want to do is protect them the best that I can. So I’m going to ask you again… When are we leaving?”
“I don’t know,” Hope sighs.
“Well you’d better figure it out soon. Or else we’re all going to die here,” The Colonel says.
“There is nothing to figure out,” Hope yells, “our boat is docked back in Louisiana, with barely any fuel mind you. And even if we did decide to go back that way we’ll have to contend with the Zombies and those big, ugly mother fuckers.”
“Wait what?” The Colonel asks confused.
“She means Major Brick sir,” Lieutenant O’Brian says.
“Who’s Major Brick?” Brad asks walking through the mess hall door, Mika right behind them.
“Major Brick was a patient of mine,” Dr. Cutter says stepping forward. Hope looks back at her friends, a confused look on each of their faces. “I think it’s time we all sat down and I tell you the truth.”
“Oh, this is not going to be a good story,” Brad says swinging a chair behind Hope before grabbing one for himself.
“No thanks,” Hope says waving the chair off, “something tells me I’m going to want to stand.”
“Very well,” Dr. Cutter says as the rest of the group gathers round, “before coming to this base I wasn’t always a practicing physician. Before the Omega Virus outbreak I worked at Vizor health. I used to study Virology, creating vaccines and other health additives. After the Omega Virus started to spread I found myself here at this base, taken in by Colonel Logan and Major Brick. We were in desperate need of a doctor and I was the only one qualified to medically treat our wounded.”
“What does this have to do with anything?” Brad asks impatiently.
“Sorry, I was just explaining my position so you would all understand what I have to say,” Dr. Cutter responds nervously, his hand twitching as he brushes his thin hair.
“Please go on,” Mika says glaring at Brad.
“Uh, yes,” Dr. Cutter says clearing his throat, “as the years went on I noticed a drop in our ranks, both military and civilians. The Zombies had us on the ropes; they were largely resistant to most of our weapons. They had the upper hand and it was almost like they knew it. So I came up with an idea, if we could capture a Zombie I would be able to study the virus, figure out what makes it tick… maybe even find a cure.”
“You thought you could play with this?” Mika asks getting back to his feet, his mocha colored faced turning red with rage.
“This is about survival boys and girls. I did what I thought was best for humanity. They had the upper hand, I just wanted to even the playing field,” Dr. Cutter defends.
“That’s the problem with doing the right thing doctor,” Brad mutters, “sometimes there is no right thing.”
“It wasn’t just Dr. Cutter’s fault,” Colonel Logan speaks up, “I approved of his idea.”
“What does this have to do with the Major?” Hope asks, breaking her silence.
“It took me a while, almost a year studying, examining the virus before I thought I
understood it. I was able to genetically alter the virus when I had it isolated from the host. I synthesized a vaccine and Major Brick volunteered to be my test subject.”
“You willingly injected the virus into him?” Lieutenant Bradford asks.
“Yes,” Dr. Cutter nods, “as I said he volunteered. It seemed to work, he felt fine… and then he changed. He became one of those things, but different… more evolved. He took off from the base and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Well we saw him,” Hope says her voice deep and scary, “actually it was that monster who killed my friend.”
“I’m sorry I was only trying to help,” Dr. Cutter beseeches.
“Because of you my friend is dead,” Hope says swinging her fist as hard as she can, hitting the doctor in the face, dropping him to the ground. “Apology not accepted.”
“Ok, I guess I deserved that,” Dr. Cutter says getting back to his feet, rubbing his jaw.
“That and more,” Hope says still huffing angrily.
“We can argue all that after we figure a way out of here,” Colonel Logan says stepping between them.
“I already told you, we have no way back,” Hope repeats, “and even if I did know of a way, I wouldn’t want him anywhere near it.”
“Hope, is that what Fanny would want?” Mika whispers into her ear trying to talk some sense into her.
“No of course not,” Hope says turning her back on the doctor, “she’d want him dead.”
“Well that’s gruesome,” Dr. Cutter says his pale skin turning a greenish color.
“Look I’m not saying I side with Dr. Cutter’s decision or anything,” Brad speaks, “but he made an honest mistake. We can’t just crucify him for trying to even the odds.”
“Fine he can come with us,” Hope groans, “besides, my father will want to have a word with him.”
“Now that we’ve figured that out, why don’t we try to figure out how to get out of here,” Mika says sitting Hope back down. “Is there anything near here like an old marina or something like that?”
“There is a marina just outside of Houston,” Lieutenant Bradford mumbles getting everyone’s attention. “O’Brian and I have been there a few times when we are out scouting.”
“Will the van get us there?” Brad asks.
“It probably can,” Bradford nods, “the biggest problem is the marina is a breeding ground for the undead.”
“It’s a risk we’re going to have to take,” Hope says.
“That’s suicide,” Dr. Cutter objects.
“Your vote is invalid,” Hope glares.
“Casey we don’t have a lot of choices,” Colonel Logan says to the doctor.
There is a solemn silence amongst the group. They share passing glances at each other, each one unsure what to say next.
“When do we leave?” a soft voice comes from the back and steps forward. The voice belongs to a shy, young woman. She looks to be in her early thirties with long, stringy blonde hair that is covered with dirt. There are smudges on her face, darkening her caramel colored skin. Her eyes are a sad and tired gray color that screams I give up.
“I’m sorry I forgot your name,” Hope says offering her a smile.
“My name is Victoria, Victoria Ranks,” She replies.
“Well Miss Ranks, and everyone, it’s too dangerous to leave now,” Hope starts, “our best bet is to leave at sun rise.”
“What do you propose we do until then?” Colonel Logan asks.
“Honestly I don’t care what any of you do,” Hope says walking out the mess hall door.
Chapter 23
The night air is cool and crisp as a breeze blows lightly across Hope’s face easing some of the burning sensation that has built up in her cheeks. She walks across the abandoned grounds, the light of the fire still burning behind her. Her feet shuffle beneath her, kicking up clouds of dirt with each step.
“They’re looking to you for guidance you know,” Mika says behind her.
“They don’t need me,” Hope remarks. “They’re soldiers. They can do this on their own.”
“They’ve tried that for years, and it hasn’t worked out well for them so far,” Mika says, “you however are a fresh approach.”
Hope chuckles softly, an uneasy look on her face, “Fanny told me that once a while ago. Said I had to be the leader.”
“She wasn’t wrong,” Mika whispers.
“It’s just hard. I’ve never lost anyone this close to me,” Hope confides.
“I wish I could say it gets easier, but it really doesn’t. All you can really do is keep moving forward, find new ways to honor her.”
“Then I guess the best thing I could do now is finish what I came here to do in the first place.”
“Seems like the reasonable thing to do,” Mika smirks, “now why don’t we find some place to get some rest.
“Are you telling me I shouldn’t go back to the mess hall?” Hope asks.
“Probably not until morning,” Mika nods.
“Then let’s try the infirmary,” Hope says turning toward the vacant building.
“Why the infirmary?”
“It’s the only other building I know,” Hope laughs, Mika rushes to catch up with her.
The pair enter the infirmary, the lights off completely cloaking the room in darkness. Mika fiddles with the light switch but the lights refuse to power on.
“Its fine,” Hope says, “I’d feel safer near the door anyway.”
Mika nods leaving the door open a crack, letting in the moonlight as Hope makes herself comfortable on the floor. Mika joins her, the concrete floor cool on his skin causing him to shudder as he wriggles around. He uses his foot to push the door closed, the click of the lock doing little to add comfort to the pair as they wait, uneasily for sleep to take them away.
Sleep doesn’t last as long as they’d like, each one waking up periodically as anxiety and fear fill their minds. Daylight comes eventually, the light sneaking through the cracks in the shelter. Hope stretches, her arms and legs cracking as she straightens them. The room is fuzzy at first as she flutters her eyes several times trying to adjust. Slowly the room comes into focus, Mika’s shadowy figure stands at the doorway peering through a crack.
“What are you doing?” Hope asks sitting up, her knees wrapped close to her body.
“Just watching,” Mika replies.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Hope wonders.
“Not really,” Mika sighs, “bad dreams kept waking me up. After the third one I figured I may as well put my free time to good use.”
“You could have stayed here with me,” Hope mumbles softly into her knees not wanting him to hear.
“How did you sleep?” Mika asks, shutting the door tightly joining Hope back on the floor.
“Not so good. I kept thinking about what you said,” Hope smiles, “these people need a leader.”
“I’m glad you thought about it,” Mika replies, “and I’m sure they’re going to appreciate it.”
“I just hope they’ll listen to me,” Hope groans.
“Make them,” Mika laughs, “we both know you can be persuasive when you want to be.”
“I’m sure going to try,” Hope says staring blankly into the darkness.
The pair sits in silence for a while until Hope can bring herself to her feet. Mika follows closely behind her as she walks out of the infirmary and back to the mess hall door.
“You ready for this?” Mika asks as Hope stands frozen outside of the door.
“Do I have much of a choice?” Hope asks.
“Not really,” Mika says sympathetically, “but I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks,” Hope smiles.
She opens the door and enters the building, unsure of what to expect. Most of the lights are off with the exception of the few security lights, which keeps a soft glow inside the small building. Hope and Mika both turn at the sound of a gun cocking.
“Here to cause more problems?” O’Brian asks pointing a p
air of handguns at them.
“Put the guns down,” Mika says, “we’re here to help.”
“Yeah, well I think we all had enough of your help yesterday,” O’Brian growls.
“Stand down,” Hope says stepping forward.
“Why should I trust you?” O’Brian asks.
“Because I’m your only Hope,” she smirks.
“Stand down,” Dr. Cutter says walking over to them.
“Doc, are you serious?” O’Brian asks, “You do remember she’s the one who cold cocked you, and wants you dead?”
“Yes I remember. I also remember that she is our best chance of getting out of here and surviving,” Dr. Cutter says.
“Fine,” O’Brian says uncocking the guns and putting them back in their holsters, “but I’m keeping my eyes on you.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Hope says, “now go wake the others, we’re leaving this dump.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” O’Brian says sarcastically giving her a halfhearted salute before walking away.
“Thank you,” Mika says to the doctor.
“Thank me by getting us out of this alive,” Dr. Cutter responds.
“I am going to try my hardest, I promise you that,” Hope says.
It doesn’t take long for O’Brian to wake the others. The small group scatters to get ready, packing the few supplies they have accessible. Lieutenant Bradford goes to the van with the civilians.
“Take as much food and weapons as you can carry,” Hope orders.
“You sure this is the best option?” Brad asks holding a large duffel bag.
“No, but I’m afraid it’s our only option,” Hope replies honestly.
They pile into the van, stuffed and cramped against each other as Lieutenant Bradford pulls out of the base. The ride is bumpy and silent. Hope is kneeling beside Bradford and Colonel Logan as she watches the scenery go by. The buildings around them are shattered, skyscrapers stand at half the height they used to be, telephone poles are toppled dead wires lay strewn around. A few stray Zombies remain scattered around swaying in the streets looking for a meal. Bradford rams the grill of the van into each one of them, a smile growing on her face with each Zombie she hits.
“How much farther to the marina?” Hope asks.
Omega Virus (Book 2): Revisited Page 21
