by Kyle West
“I’m not going to turn,” I said, with sudden realization. “While I was asleep, I dreamed about many things. But it was more than a dream. I learned things about the virus, about xenolife, even about where it all started. Even though I learned all this, there is still so much I don’t know. Somehow, I have to find out.”
Samuel and the others said nothing, merely staring at me. I had no idea if they believed me or not. Maybe they thought I was crazy.
I went on. “I met the Wanderer. He took me to Ragnarok Crater, and showed me what was going to happen to the world if we failed. Showed me what has already happened to a thousand other worlds before ours.”
“This has happened before?”
I nodded. “You were right about the dragons. They aren’t from here. They’re from somewhere else. Somehow, the xenovirus still has genetic information taken from other planets. The dragons are one example. The xenofungus is another.” I looked at each person in turn. I could tell that my eyes were throwing them off. Those hardened, grizzled men had difficultly looking into them. “There is more to this than we think,” I said, ignoring the fear I saw. “When you guys killed that spire, it unleashed something.”
I paused as the ship slowed its descent, falling toward the ground at a steady rate. We were about to land.
“Go on,” Samuel said.
“I don’t even know what I’m saying,” I said. “I just think that whatever happened to me is different from the Howlers. Different from all the other monsters we’ve fought. After all, the Wanderer had the same eyes as me, and he wasn’t a Blighter. Do you remember?”
Samuel said nothing, only looked at me. I could not discern what he was thinking. He looked to the side, unsure what to say.
Char and Marcus just sat, listening.
“Are you two good now?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you throw punches at each other in the past five minutes.”
Char hesitated a moment before answering. A slight smile came to his lips. A large, black welt swelled under his right eye, right above the marred side of his face. “It’s a work in progress, but the attack on Vegas is giving me a new perspective. Seeing all the gangs fighting together instead of with each other for once is something I thought I’d never see. As far as what happened back then, with the dam...well, it’s a long story. It was wrong. Hopefully, Marcus and I can come to terms about that.”
“What happened to the Reds?” I asked.
Marcus shook his head. “That attack never ended up happening, as you can imagine. The Great Blight changed all that. I assume they are still back in Vegas. Either that, or they went off on their own.”
Samuel turned back to face me. “Whatever happened at the spire, just seeing and speaking to you now, you are clearly not a Howler. Something else happened, something we can’t explain, yet.”
They all paused, looking at me. In unison, all of their eyes widened in surprise.
“What?” I asked. “What’s happening?”
Marcus pointed to the mirror. “See for yourself.”
I hesitated to turn. Looking in that mirror the first time had left its scar, a scar I didn’t want to reopen.
When Char nodded at me, a thin smile on his face, I turned, and looked.
My eyes had resumed their usual brown color.
Chapter 16
I didn’t feel any different, but there was no doubt. Reflected in that mirror, my eyes looked as normal as they ever had been.
I got up from the bed. I was still dressed in my clothes from two days before, though my boots had been taken off. I stared in the mirror, looking for any sign that my eyes had been white just a moment before. But there was nothing. They looked completely normal.
“What the hell...?”
“I don’t know,” Samuel said. “We’ll keep an eye on it.” He paused. “Pun not intended.”
Anna burst back into the room. “I just spoke with Ashton, and...”
She looked up at me, her eyes widening. I looked down and away. She took a step toward me.
“Alex, your eyes are fine!”
“Yeah. They’re back to normal, now.”
Before Anna could speak again, Samuel cut in. “I’ll need to take a blood sample.” He looked at Anna. “Sorry, but I have to get started immediately. I want to have at least something to update Ashton with by the time he gets here.”
“Well, he said he’d be here in just a few minutes,” Anna said. “He’s not far.”
Samuel reached for a syringe in one of the clinic’s white cabinets. I winced as he stepped closer, wielding the instrument like a knife.
“Careful,” I said.
“Hold out your right arm.”
I held out my arm, closing my eyes. The needle pricked my skin, and I felt a numbing sensation as my blood was drawn. After a few seconds, the sensation ended. I opened my eyes. Samuel dabbed my skin with some alcohol, and covered the skin-prick with a bandage.
“Well,” he said, looking at the syringe. “That’s interesting.”
I didn’t see anything at first. But there was something off about my blood. It was darker than usual, having a violet hue. It reminded me of the purple blood the monsters had. It was proof that this wasn’t over – that I was far from normal.
Everyone frowned as they stared at the sample.
“I don’t feel any different,” I said. “I feel normal. Healthy.”
“You need you to stay here, all the same,” Samuel said. “This can’t be good. Clearly, you are infected with xenovirus. But this strain isn’t the Howler strain. It’s something else.”
Everyone looked at me, as if I were going to transform into a Behemoth at any moment and snap off their heads.
“Seriously,” I said. “I feel fine.”
“We believe you, kid,” Char said. “Things can change quickly, though. We’re just being careful.”
Makara stepped into the doorway. She looked at me, her reaction much the same as Anna’s.
“Holy...what happened?”
“He’s back to normal,” Anna said. “We were afraid for no reason.”
“Now, hold your horses,” Char said. “It isn’t over, yet. Not until the doctor gives us his word that it is.”
“He’ll be here, soon,” Anna said. “I know Alex will be fine. Right?”
She looked down at me hopefully, but I didn’t know the answer to that. Maybe she was just trying to make up for her reaction earlier. I wanted to tell her it was okay, only the words wouldn’t come.
“We’ll wait and see,” I finally said. “I have no idea what’s next, only I think I’ll be fine.”
Anna looked at me, seeming to accept that answer.
“While we’re waiting on Ashton, we have things to take care of outside,” Makara said. “There’s an entire army out there that needs to know what the agenda is.”
“The nearest settlement is two days away,” Marcus said. “Let’s hope they can make it until then.”
Makara sighed. “We can discuss that outside.”
Makara left with the leaders of the Raiders and Exiles in tow. That left me, Samuel, Anna, and Michael in the room.
Michael stepped forward, his brown eyes earnest. I noticed, for some reason, that he was wearing that same camo brown that we both had been wearing on my first foray in the Wasteland, months ago. It seemed like another lifetime. Things had been so different, then.
Michael looked like he was going to speak, but he said nothing. Michael was your guy when you needed something done. But now, no one knew what to do about me. We were just waiting for something to happen, even if that was me snapping.
“What’s next, then?” I asked.
“Makara’s just trying to keep everything from falling apart,” Anna said. “Which is due to happen at any moment.”
“I guess Jade and the Diamonds are causing trouble.”
She shook her head. “You have no idea. If only that weasel had died back there with the rest of them.”
It was difficult to wrap my mi
nd around the fact that Vegas was gone. It must have been harder for Michael and the gang lords to comprehend it. It had been their home. And now, the xenoswarm was on our trail. They would pause at the city, but it was just a minor hurdle. How soon until the crawlers caught up with us? Could we reach L.A. in time, getting inside before we were overwhelmed?
“Is the basic plan still the same?” I asked. “Go to L.A.?”
Samuel shook his head. “We don’t know. We’re trying to restore order, trying to get all the gang lords to agree on the same damn thing.” He clenched a fist. “It isn’t easy. And there is still a lot of stuff we have to do beyond all that. Visit the northern Bunkers. Talk with Ohlan and Oasis, and any other settlement that might listen.”
“What about Julian?” I asked.
It had been over a week since I’d seen him – which seemed like no time at all. But with the amount of things that had happened between now and then, it might as well have been months.
“Julian and New America, too.” Samuel said. “And at some point, we’ll have to return with Ashton to Bunker Six. I want those other ships to work with. They’ll give us an edge we’ll need in the upcoming battles.”
That meant more trained pilots. Maybe Skyhome could help out with that.
“What about Bunker 108?” Michael asked.
Michael’s mentioning our old home brought the horrible memories; visions of exploding bodies, severed limbs; memories of my father, bathed in purple blood; Khloe, buried under the red sand. A whole Bunker, my Bunker, had become Hell in a single night.
“There will be weapons there,” Samuel said. “Supplies. We would be remiss to pass it up. It’s right on the way.”
“I know,” I said.
“We’ll get there when we get there, Alex,” Michael said.
“If I get there.”
“Hey,” Char said. “None of that talk, alright?”
I supposed he was right. “What’s our next stop, then?”
“Well,” Samuel said, “Makara, Char, and Marcus have their sights set on a settlement in the southwest. Called Pyrite, if I remember correctly.”
“You do,” Michael said. “I passed it on the way here.”
“Why there?” I asked.
“We need to get everyone supplied and fed. It takes a lot to feed the amount of people we have. There won’t be a steady supply of food until we are in L.A., safe. Which means we have to move quickly.”
“What about Skyhome?” I asked.
“Skyhome has a little extra food,” Samuel said. “It grows enough to sustain its current population, but that’s about it. Its hydroponics are designed to support only a hundred people. We have to support two thousand, and that number is likely to grow.”
“Pyrite’s a small town,” Anna said. “Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.”
“It still is,” Michael said. “But they have farms.”
“We’re just going to steal from them?” I asked.
“We’re going to ask, first,” Samuel said. His face was grim. He was determined to succeed, whatever the cost.
Samuel still believed that getting to L.A. and taking down Carin Black was the best way to stop the xenovirus. I was no longer convinced of that. After what I had seen, the mystery behind the xenovirus had only deepened. Yes, what I had seen was in a dream. But my white eyes hadn’t been. Somehow, I was infected, but I wasn’t one of them. Once again, I was left with more questions than answers.
If there was an answer, it wasn’t to the west, with L.A. It was to the east, with the Great Blight.
The only problem was that an entire army of Blighters stood between us and that answer. And if I told the crew what I really thought, they’d think I was crazy.
Outside, I heard the roar of an engine. Gilgamesh was here.
“Ashton,” Anna said.
She stood up from the stool she had been sitting in, casting me a worried glance. I tried to let her know I’d be fine. I avoided the temptation to look in the mirror again, to make sure my eyes weren’t white. I never wanted her to see me like that again.
Anna left the room, and Samuel still held the syringe filled with my blood. I could see the purple tinge to the red. It was undeniable. Something about me had changed genetically.
When Ashton got his hands on that vial, we would all find out the truth.
***
Ashton arrived not too long after, toting a medical bag and wearing a white lab coat. As he entered, he offered a sympathetic smile, a smile that seemed empty of meaning. Seeing his medical bag and lab coat, for some reason, scared me more than a gun would have. His blue eyes were serious, and he brushed his long, wild hair out of them. The wrinkles on his brow and at the edges of his eyes were more pronounced than ever. He forced a tired smile.
“How are you, Alex?” He asked, pulling up the stool Anna had vacated.
“Fine,” I said, eyeing the bag. “Considering the circumstances.”
Ashton’s attention turned to the blood sample Samuel now held out to him. Ashton took it, holding it up to the light. His eyes focused. He flicked the vial twice with his index finger.
“Yeah, that’s a bit strange,” Ashton said. “The first thing I need to do is put it under the microscope. I can then confirm that the xenovirus is there. I will need to cordon off the Gilgamesh until I am done. It should be safe to handle, as long as I don’t spill anything, but in case something happens, I don’t want to risk infecting anyone else. Alex...you will come with me. Understood?”
“You think I’m going to turn.”
Ashton paused a moment before answering. “If you were going to turn, you would have done it by now. It’s been two full days since the spire. I think you are in control of yourself. Obviously, we’ll need to investigate this as much as we can. We need to keep an eye on things, and make sure you don’t display any symptoms typically found in Howlers...”
“What about the eyes, though? That’s a symptom.”
“That’s what we’re working to discover, Alex. It is likely a new strain of the xenovirus. Something that is different from the one that causes the Howlers, or the Behemoths, or anything else for that matter. Whether it’s dangerous or not, we cannot say now.”
“How could it not be dangerous?” I asked. “It’s the xenovirus.”
Then, I thought, what about the dreams I’d had, visiting alien worlds and running into the Wanderer? Despite the danger present, these dreams had been almost...peaceful. It was strange, because the xenovirus was a thing of violence, of blood, of conquest. Maybe my perception of those dreams had everything to do with my being infected with the xenovirus. If the xenovirus was a part of me, then of course I would think of it as unthreatening. Wouldn’t that be inevitable?
Then again, maybe I was just going crazy. A lot of questions haunted me. Questions barely remembered, yet important all the same. The Blighters had been behaving strangely in those dreams. The xenodragons had allowed the Wanderer and me to fly on their backs. Was it all a trick, a sham, something designed to let my guard down?
The xenoswarm was coming. If we stayed here, they would be upon us, soon. That swarm would leave a wake of destruction as it chased us across the Wasteland. It wasn’t just Augustus’s army we were chasing, now. We had to deal with the far more tangible threat of being ripped apart by a crawler, of being speared by a dragon’s talons or pecked to the bone by a cloud of flyers.
“Alex, I need you to come with me.”
Ashton had been looking at me for a while, along with everyone else. I felt like an animal in a zoo.
“Can you stand?” Michael asked.
“I think so.”
I put my feet on the deck. I found my boots sitting nearby. Samuel moved to help me put them on, but I brushed him away. I could do this myself. I slipped one foot in, then the other, and began to lace the boots. I still wore my pants and my shirt. My hoodie lay on the counter to my right side.
I went to it and pulled it on. I was standing, my legs stiff f
rom lack of movement in the past two days. I stretched a bit, expecting to feel a bit different. I gazed in the mirror, one last time. My eyes stared back, questioning, wondering. Afraid.
I really had to pee.
“Bathroom,” I said.
They parted for me as I went to the lavatory. As I let loose, I didn’t even look down. A full minute later, I reached to flush, surprised to see yellow in that bowl rather than purple. I wondered, while I had been out, who had been cleaning up my messes. I just hoped it wasn’t Anna.
I washed my hands, drinking deeply from the tap. I gazed at myself at the mirror, at my thin face, my haunted brown eyes, my shaggy hair. I looked, and felt, crazy.
I sighed, turning for the door. I had to put all this aside for now.
Ashton was waiting for me in the hallway.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Chapter 17
We entered the bitterly cold air, air that I felt could freeze the marrow of bones. When I took my first breath, it was like being punched in the gut. It was so cold, cold beyond my wildest imaginings. Men and women were camped out here, sleeping. How many would live to see the dawn?
Both ships were parked at the top of a low hill. Below, I could see massive fires – hundreds of them – burning in the night. The people huddled in their tents and crude shelters, in their cocoons of blankets, warm breath fogging the frigid air. Wood smoke hung in the air, not from trees, but from scavenged buildings and the ruins of civilization. Civilization, I guess, wouldn’t mind getting a little more ruined.
My face and ears were numb by the time Ashton and I reached Gilgamesh’s boarding ramp. We didn’t go up the side boarding ramp. We used the wider, lower one, directly in the ship’s back. I hadn’t even known about this one until recently. It led directly into the cargo bay, and parked in that bay was a Recon, facing out.
“That’s new,” I said.
“Michael showed us where he left it,” Ashton said.
His tone of voice said that this detail wasn’t important. Given what had just happened to me, I didn’t blame him.
Still, I was curious. As we entered the bay, Ashton pulled out a small remote, clicking it. The door began to shut behind us, and warm air blasted out of a vent above. The air warmed my chilled bones. As the door continued to close, I followed Ashton to the right side of the Recon, past barrels of supplies, tools, clothing, gas masks, and fuel. This was the main difference between Odin and Gilgamesh, aside from their obvious disparity in size. Gilgamesh had a large cargo bay that could be accessed from the outside, a cargo bay large enough to store an entire Recon.
