“For the moment,” Madison says, eyebrow arching. “So we’re definitely coming back here when we’re done in Detroit?”
Aaron shrugs. “I’m not sure. We’ll see how they react to us. They might just think we’re insane and toss us beyond the walls.”
“Do you want someone to go with you?” Madison asks.
“Nah, I think Allen and I can handle this.” He lifts up the tent flap, heading back into the room with the desk.
Todd returns a moment later, shivering and with a sour expression on his face. Madison gets up to take his place and he sits down next to her empty chair. “Where’s this hot chocolate I was hearing so much about?”
“The water is heating as we speak. When you’re all done here, someone will bring a tray of it in for you guys,” the third doctor says. He’s examining a clipboard in front of him, and he doesn’t look up when he speaks. “You’ll just have to be patient until then.”
Todd mutters something under his breath that sounds like ‘asshole’, but I don’t quite catch it. I turn my attention to Ryder instead, hoping that he gets some life back in him soon. I don’t see these people just allowing him to walk freely around their little community. At the very least, he’ll be quarantined while we’re here, away from the rest of us. I need him to perk up, if only for a moment. Otherwise, he won’t be able to fight for his right to stay with us.
“Hey,” I say quietly. “Are you with us?”
His eyes shift over, and I see so much pain and heartache in them that my own heart squeezes painfully in my chest. “What?”
I think it’s the first thing I’ve heard him say since he was screaming Reese’s name back on that road. His voice is strained, like he’s been sick with the flu for the last week. “Are you with us?” I ask gently. I notice Todd glance over, his normal sneer gone in an instant as he takes in Ryder. “They’re going to check us over for bites before letting us in. Aaron and his friend are talking to the head honcho to try and convince them you’re not a threat, but they might fail. They might try to separate you from the rest of us. You should be prepared for that.”
He looks back down at his hands, which clench in his lap, the tendons bulging beneath the skin. “I’ll be fine.” He doesn’t say anything else, but I hear the plea for alone time in his voice. I’m not sure whether to grant his unspoken request or force our company on him. I want him to have time to grieve however he feels is best for him, but I’m not sure yet how losing Reese will affect him in the long run, if he’s even safe to be left alone right now. Will he ever recover, or will he be a hollow shell of who he was before today?
Madison returns, shivering just like Todd, but looking optimistic. She turns to me. “It’s your turn.” Reluctantly, I let go of Ryder’s hand and rise. As I go, Madison leans in and whispers, “I’ll watch over him while you’re gone. It won’t be for too long,” she promises.
“Thanks,” I mumble, heading back to the curtain in the far corner. The doctor doesn’t look up from his clipboard as I pull the curtain around me, sealing me off from view of the others.
“Strip,” he says.
I unzip my coat and shrug out of it, stripping off the sweater and shirt beneath. The frigid air burns against my bare skin, and I hurry to take off the rest of my clothes. Leaving on my bra and panties, I fold my arms across my chest, rubbing my arms up and down in an attempt to keep warm. At least there’s no snow under my feet.
The doctor looks me up and down, pulling my arms away from my chest so he can examine my arms and neck. He turns me around, his efficient hands guiding me where he wants me. I try not to feel weird with him staring at my legs and ass and the rest of me, but I’m a naturally shy person and this feels a little invasive. He spins me back around, looking into my eyes, taking my temperature, and writing all of the results down on his clipboard.
“You can get dressed.”
With trembling hands I pull my clothes back on, fumbling with the zipper on my coat and the button on my jeans. My fingers are numb and not working like I want them to and I can’t stop the chattering of my teeth. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that my lips are turning blue with how cold it is in this tent. It may block the wind, but the overall temperature is still probably twenty or less.
I head back to the others and sit beside Ryder. “It’s your turn.” He looks at me, his forehead crinkling in confusion. “You have to let the doctor look at you, or they won’t let you into the community. He’s gonna ask you to strip so he can look for bites.”
He snorts and lifts his arm, pulling back his coat and showing off my quickly made bandage tied around his forearm. It’s already soaked through with blood, and before too long there’ll be yellow pus. I clamp down on my hysteria before it can even rise. Ryder is going to be just fine. We have the cure in our possession, and we’re gonna get it to Detroit. When we do, he’ll be fine. He’ll live. I won’t lose him…
I repeat it over and over again, but tears still drip down my face. My throat constricts, and I close my eyes, looking away from the bite on his arm. Even if I don’t want to admit it, there’s a chance we’ll fail in Detroit, and if that happens, Ryder won’t be able to come back to me. He’ll just turn into a zombie, and I won’t have the strength to put him down. He’ll probably infect me, if I’m even alive to see our group fail. Hell, the others will probably all be dead as well. It’s either all or nothing at this point.
If we fail, I’ll lose him.
I refuse to think about it anymore. Ryder gets up and heads back to the curtain, taking off his coat as he pulls the curtain closed behind him. I watch the curtain, almost wishing I could hear what the doctor is saying now that Ryder’s wound is out in plain sight. Part of me is thankful that I can’t though, because I don’t want to hear him tell Ryder he’s not welcome in the community.
Ryder’s examination is the shortest of any of them, and he flings the curtain back, shrugging his coat on and ignoring the concerned expression on the doctor’s face. His lips are moving, probably asking Ryder more questions about his wound, like how old it is and if there are any others. When Ryder doesn’t answer, he jots some notes down on his clipboard, his hand moving rapidly across the paper.
Ryder takes a seat next to me but doesn’t say anything. The doctor who examined us comes over, his stride long and determined. He stops in front of our chairs, looking at each of us. “He’s been infected, and he won’t give me any information about the bite. He’ll need to be removed from the confines of the neighborhood. Immediately! We haven’t had a case of anyone turning in over five months, and we’re going to keep it that way. I won’t let him put our people at risk, not when the repercussions are so devastating.”
“It’s alright.” The flap opens and Aaron returns, followed by the woman who welcomed us at the desk. “They’ll be staying with us just for tonight. Their leader assures me they’ll be on their way tomorrow morning, bright and early. For now, we can settle for quarantining him to keep our residents safe.”
“But—”
“I think you’ll find their purpose for being here very intriguing,” she says, eyeing our group with renewed interest. “I want someone to show these people to a vacant house. Make sure they’re tended to. Tonight, we’ll hold a gathering in the food hall so they can address everyone then.” She looks at Aaron, her lips turning up in a smile. “Thank you for stopping by. I hope we can be of service to you.” Before she can answer, she turns to Aniyah, who has been watching our exchange with confusion. “Make sure that girl is kept in the best possible health given her current condition. I want to be notified the moment she wakes up. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
She smiles at us. “Welcome to our community.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Allen offers to take care of us until the meeting later tonight, and I’m grateful for that. I don’t want any of these strangers who want Ryder outside the walls to be responsible for us. I feel much safer knowing that Allen is taking care of
us, and I know that Aaron does as well. The two of them talk as he guides us from the tent, taking us through everything the community has to offer. We follow along behind, sipping at Styrofoam cups of steaming hot chocolate.
“Annette is in charge around here, the top dog, so to speak. After that is me, surprisingly. Turns out if you’re willing to put in a lot of work and risk your life for everyone here, you get promoted pretty quickly. When she saw how willing we were to go out on run after run for supplies, she put us in charge of handling all of that stuff. We oversee supply runs, and we have the power to delegate it to others, as well as planning how the supplies are used.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a pretty nice setup here,” Todd says, looking around.
As we get away from the tents, the community opens up, allowing us a glimpse into what life is like for the people here. People walk along the sidewalks, shoveling the snow before it gets piled up too high, and building up tiny mounds in front yards. We spot a few children in snow pants and boots climbing over them, and a couple more throwing snowballs at one another. They’re so happy and energetic, screaming playfully as they chase their friends around the front yards on their street.
A snowball flies over the head of a small boy, hitting Todd in the back. He turns and glowers at the kids, but they just laugh and go back to scooping up more snow. Madison chuckles and wraps her hands around Todd’s arm, pulling him closer to her side. We leave the first street of occupied houses and on the next street over we come across five large buildings that have clearly been added to the neighborhood. They stand about ten feet apart, on a flat stretch of ground that covers about four houses worth of area. These buildings are massive, and it’s easy to guess just by looking at them what their purpose is.
They’re all metal framework, large pipes dug into the ground and twisting up and over in a large arch, cemented in place on both sides. Each building is about forty feet long, with clear plastic sheeting pulled taut over the framework, locking in any heat and sealing out the cold. As we pass by, I see people walking up and down rows inside the greenhouses, some watering and others examining the plants.
I can’t tell what kinds of plants they’re growing, or if they’re ready to produce vegetables, but with five full greenhouses, I’m sure there will be plenty to go around for now. They’ll be able to grow fresh produce all throughout the harsh winter months as long as the greenhouses are heated on the inside. Each probably has its own gas powered generator for heat, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much of their resources those generators take up. But it looks like they aren’t using much power anywhere else, so it probably all works out.
As we keep walking, Allen engages Aaron again in conversation, this time turning to a less happy topic. “I notice there are a couple of faces missing since the last time we met up,” he remarks, glancing at Aaron. “I know what that means, and I’m sorry for your loss. Mind if I ask what happened?”
Aaron sighs. “That helicopter went down hard, throwing most of us clear of the wreckage. Michael went partially through the windshield and died on impact. Janelle hit something when she was thrown clear, and she died a few hours later of internal bleeding. The rest of us escaped the crash with minor injuries, apart from a piece of metal imbedded in my leg. But we spent time recovering with Madison’s cousin Sam, who by some miracle found us after the crash and brought us back to their place.
“When we were fit enough to travel again, we decided to set out for Montana, the place the scientist with the cure was supposedly hiding out. We actually managed to get there without too much of a fuss. We even met some new friends along the way and helped each other out, letting everyone know about the hope the cure would bring as we went. While at the lab in Montana, we lost one of our own—Naomi. She died while we were capturing a test subject for him to test the cure on.”
“Hannah,” Allen says.
“Yes. We left the lab with the cure and his instructions to stop here to rest before going on to Detroit. We stopped to help a man on the side of the road, and he invited us back to his farm for a good home cooked meal as thanks. They’re living on a nice plot of land with cows and chickens and all sorts of canned goods, even raw milk and fresh eggs. They’re in a good spot, and for the most part they’re good people. But one of them was hiding a dark secret.
“He had two girls locked away on the property, and when he got caught, he panicked and tried to convince Daisy to go with him. She was infatuated right from the start, which is unsurprising given the shortage of eligible boys her age. By the time she wised up to his behavior he was using her as a shield. Things happened, and Daisy was shot and killed. We buried her at the farm before heading here. And you know we lost Ryder’s brother earlier today. Reese.”
“I’m very sorry to hear all of that,” Allen says, stopping to put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “They made a sacrifice for a great cause, and we’ll make sure they all get the respect they deserve.”
“Thank you,” Aaron says. “I’m glad we finally made it to this point. For awhile, I think all of us were starting to have doubts. Whether it was on the way to Montana, or after meeting Dr. Richards, or beginning to lose our friends…we were all heading to a dark place. Hopefully the next day or two is going to make all of our sacrifices worth something.”
“If you’re right and you guys do succeed, everything is gonna change. Hope will be alive once again. We can actually begin rebuilding instead of just surviving. People won’t have to be afraid to search for their lost loved ones, or to fall in love again for fear of losing who they’ve given their heart to. So many possibilities, all because of one crazy scientist, and a group of kids crazy enough to go after him.” He looks back at us, his eyes shining with unshed tears and the smile on his face growing. “You’ll all have prominent spots in the community if you decide to return. Everyone will know who you are.”
Aaron’s cheeks turn red. “I don’t know about that,” he says, looking away. “I’ll be happy knowing we made a difference. I don’t need any kind of praise or validation from others. We had a duty to seek out this cure, and we did it. It’s nothing most people wouldn’t have done if given the chance.”
“You really believe that?” Allen asks, lifting one bushy eyebrow. “Huh. I can’t say I agree with you. I think most people would have either dismissed it as foolishness, or if they did believe, they would have hoped someone else would take the plunge and do what they were too scared to. Don’t sell yourselves short, Aaron. Your group is truly remarkable.”
Aaron’s cheeks turn an even darker shade of red, but he smiles gratefully at the praise, despite saying a moment ago that he doesn’t need it. All talk ceases as we approach a large house that looks exactly like the others around it. The number twenty-five has been spray painted on the front door in black paint, and I notice the brass numbers that normally adorn a house are missing. Someone must have gone through and renumbered all the houses to make it easier to place people and keep track of them.
“This is where you guys will be staying for now. Most likely you’ll be split up into two separate houses when you return. They won’t split you guys up too far, probably just next door. We’ve got a couple of vacant houses on this street to fill. But for now, you’re gonna have to squeeze together into one house. I’m sure you’re probably used to that.”
“It’s fine,” Aaron says. “Thank you. But what about Ryder? Are they going to make us quarantine him until we leave? Or will someone be watching us to make sure nothing happens with him?”
“He’s under your own watch for now.” Allen glances at Ryder over his shoulder, his blue eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “I’d be careful if I were you. Word travels fast around this place, and Dr. Newman wasn’t exactly happy that Annette sided with you and allowed him to stay. I’m sure it won’t be long before the rest of the community knows someone infected has been admitted, and they won’t be happy about it. You might face some problems from other residents, so be on your guard.”
&nbs
p; “You don’t think anyone will try and hurt him, do you?” I ask, taking a step closer to Ryder.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. Hopefully once we have the meeting tonight, things will smooth over a little and people won’t be so worked up about it. For now, just keep an eye on anyone around you and try to keep your heads down. It might be best if you just stay inside until we come for you later. We’ll come for you around dinnertime and take you to the food hall, where you can grab a bite to eat, and then you can address the community.”
“What are we saying?” Aaron asks.
“Just tell everyone about the cure. Hopefully Hannah will have woken up by then and can be seen so the truth really sinks in. Annette’s been wanting a huge morale boost for awhile now, and she thinks she’s found it in you guys. She’s expecting a hugely positive reaction, one that not only gives people hope, but makes them want to work harder to rebuild what we’ve lost. She has high hopes for this community, and plans that will take it to the next level.”
“She sounds like a smart leader,” I say.
“She is. She’s probably the best person here for the job. Very organized and practical. A little cold, but that’s to be expected when you’ve lost everyone you’ve ever loved or cared about. My point is, she’s looking to use you guys to her advantage. It just so happens to benefit you as well. Once they know of the cure, you might even get volunteers to go with you to Detroit. Added security in numbers, you know?”
Aaron hesitates, and we all see it.
Allen smiles. “I’ll be asking Annette tonight if I may accompany you tomorrow. Hopefully she says yes, because that bus would come in handy for the trip. That snowplow really clears the roads. And it’s too big and heavy to tip, even in a crowd. It’ll be our best bet for getting there in one piece.”
Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3) Page 40
