by Nick Thacker
He went down the stairs two at a time, his body at once excited for the movement it was now allowed as well as struggling to provide it. He reached the bottom and found himself in a similar lobby.
Floor 1.
Drache Global.
No one was at the desk, but he didn’t take any chances. He found a door to the left of the stairs that was labeled L1 - Garage, and pushed it open.
A sharp snap of air hit him in the face. Six months since I’ve felt fresh air, he realized. He’d been asleep for just about all of that time, but his body knew. He drew in a deep breath and ran outside.
The parking garage sloped upward, and he now felt the strain on his muscles as he reached freedom. Ahead, he saw cars zipping by. The building must be on a busy road.
He ran, daring not look back. Closer.
The edge of the street was tantalizingly close.
Closer.
“Hey!”
He heard the doctor’s voice yelling from behind. “Stop!”
Closer.
He reached the exit of the parking garage, thankful that the gate was an unmanned, automated machine. He dodged around it and continued running, forcing his legs to move faster.
Closer.
He’d made it. He reached the street, not pausing for traffic. Cars honked and swerved as they sizzled by, but Malcolm didn’t notice.
He reached the other side, then kept running. Up another busy street.
On his left, cars raced past him. He held up a hand, waving — pleading.
Finally a car stopped. Malcolm slowed to a walk as the car’s window rolled down.
“Need a lift?”
The voice from inside was that of a middle-aged woman, raspy from a lifetime of smoking. Her hair was tousled, but she wore a huge grin and unlocked the passenger door.
“P — please.” He didn’t know what else to say. “I… I don’t know where to go.”
The woman smiled larger. “I’d guess that. I’d say we get you some clothes, first.”
Humiliation surged through Malcolm as he looked down at his body.
He was completely, utterly naked.
Chapter Twenty-Five
FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE THE hundredth time in two days, Ben drove the truck while Julie snoozed in the passenger seat. As he pulled onto the driveway that he’d known so well for so many years, he was overcome by a wave of emotion. He parked the truck just in front of the closed garage door and stepped out.
Julie rose, yawning, as she opened the passenger door and stretched on the front lawn, she and the truck casting long late-afternoon shadows on the house.
“Is this her house?” she asked.
Ben was already moving toward the front door.
“So how do you know her, anyway?”
It was the second time she’d asked the question during their time together, and the second time he’d dodged it. “She’s lived here for almost forty years. Moved here from St. Louis.”
He knocked but didn’t wait for a response. The door was unlocked, so he stepped into the house. Julie followed behind. The house was dim, with low ceilings that sported 1970’s style texture.
“Hello?” he called out.
A woman’s muffled voice came from somewhere at the back of the house, so the pair walked down the narrow hallway until they came to a closed bedroom. Ben breathed deeply, pausing before he knocked again.
When he did, they heard a hoarse voice invite them in. Ben opened the door.
“But stay away from the bed,” the woman said. “The contagion is extremely potent. Some sort of viral-bacterial combination, not unlike a bacteriophage.”
Ben rushed forward, coming to his knees at the edge of the bed. He reached for the woman’s hand and held it in his own.
“You never were a good listener, Harvey.” She nodded her head but smiled at the same time. “How are you?”
Ben swallowed, trying to find his voice. “I — I’m good. Mom, this is Julie. She works for the CDC.”
Julie’s eyes widened as realization swept over her. She, too, approached the bed.
“Stay close to the door,” Ben said. “We can’t have you getting infected with this stuff.”
“Ms. Torres? Hi. Nice to meet you.” Julie waved awkwardly from the corner of the bedroom. She stared at the large man beside the bed, doing all he could to not burst into tears.
“Mom, what happened? Was it the sample? Some accident?” And then, as if now realizing that he was in his childhood home, “Why aren’t you in a hospital?”
“Slow down, Harvey. No, nothing like that. And you two both know a hospital can’t do anything about this. It wasn’t your sample.” She took two breaths, each sharp and staggered. “I mean, it was the same strain, I believe, though not the sample you sent.” Again, a breath. “There was a man. Said he was with the CDC.” She looked through pained eyes toward Julie. “Which, I now know, was a lie.”
Ben stood and dropped his mother’s hand. “What do you mean? This wasn’t an accident.”
Tears began to form around the woman’s eyes. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, slowly.
Ben felt his cheeks flush. His eyes narrowed. “Mom. Who was it?” The words were clipped, on edge.
She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I didn’t recognize him. He walked into my office and emptied your sample in the lab sink, then… then…” Her eyelids fluttered. She took another sharp breath and tried to continue. Ben suddenly noticed how red her face was. He examined her neck and arms and found that they were covered in the same shiny, bubbling rash he’d seen back at Yellowstone.
“He threw something at my feet. Another test tube, full of some liquid. After what you’d told me about the sample you sent, I assumed this one was the same thing, but a much more lethal dose.” She took a breath again. “Listen, Harvey, I don’t have much time.”
“Stop.”
“No, listen. You know this by now, but listen anyway. There’s more to it than just a freak virus out there. The explosion, this man who says he’s from the CDC, and the strange properties that sample was exhibiting.”
“Mom, we’re going to —”
“Harvey, knock it off.” The words were more intense than they had been, and Ben fell silent again. “I don’t care about any of that. I can’t. I’ve got hours to live. You listen to me, okay?”
He nodded.
“Harvey, I love you. It’s been over ten years since I’ve even heard from you, and you need to know that I love you.”
A single tear fell down his right cheek. He couldn’t bear to let Julie see him cry, so he kept his eyes glued to the bed and didn’t wipe the tear away.
“I love you, and I never stopped loving you. After your — your father…”
“Stop it, Mom.” He felt his voice shaking. Was it noticeable? He whispered. “I love you too, okay? I do. I’m sorry.”
His mother’s eyes were closed now, and she was trying to breathe peacefully.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
He stood up from the bed and left the room.
Julie caught up to him in the hallway and followed him into the dining room, where he collapsed on an old leather sofa.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked. “I — I’m so… I can’t believe…” she stammered, not finding the right words.
“You don’t have to do that,” Ben said. “I’m fine.”
He stared blankly toward the flat-screen television that sat on a stand in the corner of the room. “I’ll stay here today, and maybe —”
“Ben,” Julie said. She waited for him to look at her. “Ben, I know how this feels, okay? But the longer we stay here —”
“I’m staying here.”
“Ben, if we stay here, we’re going to die.”
“I’m staying here,” he said again.
“Ben! Listen to me. You know what’s about to happen. If you’re not infected yet, you will be. And then I will be. It’s only a matter of hours, Ben. You don’t have ho
urs to wait.”
Ben knew she was right, but he didn’t move from the sofa.
Julie finally came around the couch and sat next to him. “Do you need anything?” she asked.
He shook his head.
Julie sighed and retreated into the depths of the couch. “Ben, let’s at least get somewhere we can talk, okay? Somewhere we can figure this out together?”
This time, he nodded. She reached over and placed her hand on his.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“ANYTHING ELSE?” THE FRAZZLED WOMAN gazed down at the couple in the booth before her.
Juliette Richardson shook her head. “We’re good, thanks.” The woman was gone before she could finish.
“I thought diners were supposed to have great service,” Julie said to Ben over two plates of waffles and cups of coffee.
He shrugged, taking a huge bite of syrup-covered waffle.
The diner was just outside of town, on the state highway they’d taken into Twin Falls. It was called The Family Diner, and Ben and Julie — the only two guests — weren’t sure yet whether the play on words was meant to be taken seriously or not. So far they assumed it was meant as satire. There wasn’t a “family” — or even another person, besides their waitress — in sight.
“At least the food’s good,” Julie said, cramming almost half a waffle into her mouth. She guzzled coffee to wash it down, and only then noticed Ben staring at her. “What?”
He grinned. “As hard as this is…” he stopped.
“Yeah?”
“No, just… as hard as this is… I’m glad you’re here.”
Julie swallowed. “Me too. I mean, I can’t imagine… I’m sorry, Ben.” She took another bite of waffle, and this time added a forkful of sausage to it. “By the way, what’s up with ‘Harvey?’”
“That’s my name,” Ben said.
“Well, yeah, I picked up on that,” she said. “But you don’t go by that anymore. Why?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t know. Dropped it after high school. Seemed like sort of a nerdy name, I guess. Ben’s easier.”
Julie considered this. “I like Harvey.”
Ben stared blankly at her.
“I like Ben too,” she added.
He looked down again at his plate, comparing his plate to Julie’s. She can really put it away, he thought. He was almost embarrassed by how little he’d eaten.
“Hey, I have another question. Did Diana — I mean, your mom — did she have any assistants or anything? Anyone we could contact?”
“Always working, huh?” Ben’s response was blunt.
“Oh my God, no, Ben… I’m sorry —”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. Really. I’m shaken up, but this is good. Let’s keep moving; figure out what’s next.” He thought for a moment, using the lull in the conversation to take a deep sip of jet-black coffee. He winced.
“Too hot?” she asked.
“Too crappy.” He swallowed, feigning choking. “Where’d you find this place, anyway?”
“Google Maps. Never steered me wrong so far.”
“‘Bout time to start using something else. Anyway, uh, I have no idea about her work. I’ve been in the park for over a decade. Man, it’s been a long time.”
A solemn look came over his eyes.
“Ben, it’s okay. If you need —”
“No, I’m fine. Yeah, I can’t think of anything. Hell, I don’t even really know what she does. I remember she worked for a chemical company when I was a kid, but she took this job not too long ago.”
“You spoke with her?”
“No, she’d email me quite a bit. I never responded more than once or twice, I think. I kept the email account open, though. Is there any way to figure out who she was working with?”
“I tried looking it up in the company directory, but they’re pretty good about keeping their work and employees protected. I might be able to get some help from my tech guy, though.” She took a sip of coffee, this time not using it to wash down her meal. From the expression on her face, she could clearly taste it better this time around. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. This is rough.”
Ben smiled, and he caught her gaze. He could almost feel her examining him, exploring the leathery-brown contours of a face that had rarely gone a day without being exposed to the sun and elements.
“Hey,” she said quickly. “I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Why’d you leave?”
She didn’t need to explain it; he knew what she meant. It was a fair question, but also the forbidden one, and she didn’t dance around it or build it up.
He took a deep breath. No one asks me that, he thought. It had been years since he could even remember talking about it.
A light flashed in front of the diner. Another visitor had parked and was getting out of their vehicle.
Without realizing it, Ben was suddenly engrossed in the newcomer. He watched as the rectangular, boxy headlights flicked off — it was an older sedan — and the driver stepped out. Tall, thin, can’t see what they’re wearing. No passenger.
The visitor walked quickly, heading directly to the entrance. The man — Ben could now see him clearly — pulled the door open and walked inside.
“Good evening, go ahead and sit anywhere,” the monotone voice of their waitress called from somewhere in the back of the restaurant.
Julie realized Ben wasn’t paying attention to their conversation and turned to see what he was looking at. The man continued walking toward them. Ben locked eyes with him and began to stand up.
As he did, the man sped up. Ben’s heart raced. The man was now only fifteen feet from their table and closing the distance fast. Who is this guy?
He watched the man reach into the pocket of his coat. Ben saw out of the corner of his eye another flash of lights, then another. Two more cars. He reached down and grabbed the closest thing he could find.
A salt shaker.
From the man’s pocket, a gun. Small, compact. .380. Enough to do some serious damage from this range.
Ben didn’t wait. He jumped to the side, throwing the salt shaker. It struck the gunman in the forehead, knocking him backwards a few steps. He dropped the gun, instinctively raising his hands to protect his head from further attack.
“Julie! Run!” Ben called out. He’d landed beneath some bar stools set alongside the counter of the diner. He struggled to his feet, feeling the painful throbbing in his hip.
Julie was on her feet, running toward the door, but the man was chasing after her. He overtook her at the diner’s second exit, grabbing her waist with one arm. His other hand weaved up and around her left underarm. Julie was helpless, her arm completely pinned away from her body. She tried madly to swing it at him, but the man dodged the blows with ease.
Ben rushed forward, aiming for the attacker’s lower back. Just before Ben collided with him, the man turned, exposing Julie’s belly to Ben’s tackle.
Ben was moving too fast to stop, and the three of them fell backwards out the diner’s doors. They collapsed in a heap on the concrete sidewalk, but their attacker was on his feet almost immediately. He pulled Ben up and shoved him up against the tall glass window. Ben held onto the man’s wrist, trying to wiggle free, but the man landed a solid punch to his gut.
He felt the wind get knocked out of him, and he caught a glimpse of Julie running toward the man before he was released and fell to the sidewalk. The man anticipated the attack, grabbing Julie’s hands just as they fell toward his head. He twisted them sharply, and Ben heard her abrupt cry of pain. The man twisted harder, hugging her body close to his and moving his hands to her neck.
She was turned around, her back to his, so her punches had little effect. She danced around, trying to shove her heel onto the top of his foot, but the man was prepared for this line of defense as well.
The man’s grip on Julie’s neck grew tighter.
Ben blinked a few times, sitting up against the wall.
Get up. Come on, move.
He willed his body to work. His hip wasn’t broken, but it was obviously badly bruised.
He heard Julie gasping for breath, her arms and legs flailing wildly.
Get. Up.
He forced his lungs to accept a deep breath of air. It was painful, as if someone was stabbing him in the chest.
Not as painful as getting choked to death, he thought.
He stood up. Julie’s raspy voice broke through the gasps. “H — Help,” she said.
He ran forward. His footsteps were heavy.
The man could tell he was coming. He was expecting it.
As Ben got within a foot of the man’s back, an elbow caught him directly in the nose. Searing pain shot up his face, tears coming to his eyes. Ben stumbled backwards, nearly losing his balance again.
Just then he heard a shout. The lights from the other two vehicles became clearer.
Truckers.
Two men ran toward the trio, one of them shouting. “Hey! What the hell’s going on over here?” One of the truckers saw the man choking Julie. He ran toward them, and the attacker released her neck. She sucked in cold air, falling to her knees on the rocky parking lot ground. Tears fell from her eyes.
The attacker was too late to protect himself. The first trucker had reached him and landed a blow across his face. He followed the attacker backwards as he struggled to keep his balance, but before he righted himself the larger truck driver punched him in the side. He doubled over, and the man kneed him as hard as he could.
The second truck driver had reached Julie, and he bent down to help her. Ben crawled forward, trying to regain his balance.
He watched as their attacker jumped to his feet and began to run away. He ran toward a field, chased briefly by the larger truck driver. When it was clear to the trucker that he was being outrun, he turned back to the others.
“You okay?” he asked Ben. Ben was on his feet now, swaying, still trying to catch his breath.
“I’m good. I need to get back to my truck; see if I can find him.”
“You won’t find him,” the second trucker said. “He’s fast, and he’s probably got a ride somewhere nearby. Best call the cops and let them handle it from here.”
