“Yes, yes, I know angel.” I tell her. Butterflies tingle throughout my body. I didn’t understand the feeling at first, but then it dawned on me… I feel happy in this moment.
Ian turned to me, a shy smile playing on his perfect lips. “I am too.” He whispered to me, reading my emotions. “I don’t know how all this came out of what happened…” He gathered his thoughts for a moment and then continued, “From what I did to you. I wish we’d met and made her under better circumstances, but I would never regret you,” He looked at Azami, and she smiled up at him adoringly, “Or her.”
I swallowed the softball in my throat, but no words followed.
He finally looked away and turned his attention to Azami. “Are you hungry, little angel?”
“Yes!” She clapped her little hands and slid down my sore body. It took everything I had not to make a sound. “Howd my hand, Mommy.” She said, reaching out to me.
“Mommy’s still pretty sore, Princess. Would it be okay if I held your hand and helped Mommy too?”
“Yes.” She said, thrusting her little fingers in his hand.
The look on Ian’s face was priceless. He closed his eyes, savoring her delicate, dainty little fingers. He turned his head away from us. “Alright, you ready?” His voice thick and uneven now.
I nodded while Ian tried to keep up with Azami and steady me at the same time.
Azami’s thousand mile an hour banter with James and Ian while we ate had me missing her more than I thought one human possibly could. She reminded me of a bright sun, shining her innocent rays on everyone around her, brightening their days.
Azami’s giant yawn had me tucking her against my side. “Are you tired, angel? Do you want to go lie down?”
The answer I received was her little arms around my neck and her tiny body cuddled against my chest. My heart filled with complete joy as I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. I knew I couldn’t carry her all the way to bed, even though walking was getting easier, but carrying anything that far was out of the question.
“Can I… Can I take her? I can carry her to bed. Please?” Ian asked quietly.
There was no other choice, I couldn’t pack her. “Yes. Thank you.” I turned slightly, trying to avoid any fast movements as I handed her to Ian.
She slumped against his chest, already fast asleep. Ian’s face was an emotional slide show, revealing the effects of holding her in his arms. His nostrils flared and his breathing deepened. If he wasn’t careful, people would start to notice the way he reacted to her.
James stood with us, helping me to my feet. “I’ll see you in a little bit for dinner.” He leaned in and hugged me softly. “You going to be okay getting back on your own?”
“I think I can handle it.” I patted his back softly. It’s as if he was moving out on his own, my boy growing up and moving on. It was enough to break my heart.
“I’ll catch up with you after I get them down for a nap.” Ian spoke quietly, as not to wake Azami.
We made our way back to Ian’s room, passing Jeff in the sleeping tunnel. His eyes were always obscured by his long, jet-black hair, but I could see them watch us as we passed. Goose bumps rose on my skin.
“What’s wrong?” Ian asked.
“Nothing.” I told him, ignoring the uneasy feeling.
“Then why are you nervous?”
“It’s nothing, really.” I tried to reassure him as well as myself. The truth of the matter was that Jeff gave me the creeps. Anxiousness coursed through my body every time I was around him.
I held the small curtain aside for them to pass. I noticed when Ian laid her down, he put her against the wall, putting him and I next to each other. At this point, it was only an afterthought, the trek back and the meeting had wiped me out. I just wanted to fall into bed and not move again.
He stood and crossed over to me, never taking his eyes off mine. “Let me help you with your hoodie. Sleeping in your tank top will probably be more comfortable.” I couldn’t have agreed more. He slowly drew each of my arms out and then pulled the material over my head, causing pinches and pain everywhere. When he finally finished, I took a relieved breath. “There, is that better?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
He trailed a finger down my arm, hesitant, as if he’d scare me away. I hated that he felt that way, but I understood it very well.
“I forgive you.” I told him. He needed to know. I needed to remind him for however long it took that I didn’t blame him any longer, that I never truly did, and that he had to forgive himself too.
His entire body stiffened. His fingers stopped their pursuit up my arm. “How? How could you forgive me… when I can’t even forgive myself?”
“I forgave you a long time ago, and now I want to move on with you. Let’s just see where this can go, like a fresh start for the both of us.”
“You’re amazing.” He whispered. “I’m so happy that you both showed up here, or else I never would have found you. I can’t imagine my world now without the two of you in it.”
“I’m happy that you’ll get to see her grow and be in her life. However, you do know that we can never tell anyone that you’re her real father, right?” Ian’s expression hardened for a moment before I continued. “James knows what happened to me. I never went into detail, but he understands what happened. I don’t want him knowing that it was you. He gets so mad when he thinks about it. I don’t want him to hate you.”
He stepped into me, taking away any existing space. “He should, and so should you.”
“But I don’t.” I tell him, tipping my head back to look up at him.
“Come on.” He gently tugged on my fingers. “You need to get some rest. You look completely wiped out.”
“I am physically, but I hope by tomorrow I’ll be ready to get back to doing some work, or anything to help.” I needed it if I was going to keep up with Azami.
Chapter 9
Over the next few days, we held the Infected in the pit, attempting to learn from it. This, however, was made hard due to the fact that we really didn’t want to let it out of the pit. Anytime we came near the damned thing, it would screech up at us, almost as if yelling obscenities. Its behavior was similar to the ones we’d seen; lost, trying to problem solve to fix its situation.
After we’d sit quietly for a while, it would calm down and begin looking around for something. Sometimes clawing at the side of the wall, almost as if it knew that was the way out, but couldn’t figure out how to begin the process of escape.
We didn’t feed it or give it water. At times, this seemed completely cruel, even if it had morphed into something that was no longer human because at one point it was, and taking basic needs away felt wrong. I couldn’t bring myself to go see it after a few days. Ian and Mason began to keep me informed as to its progress, or lack thereof.
On the tenth morning of keeping the Infected in the pit, I woke to scrambling around in the hall; loud voices coming from every direction. I glance up, looking toward the curtain as Ian stirred awake next to me.
“What’s going on?” He asked groggily.
“I don’t know. There’s a lot of commotion outside.” I glanced down to check on Azami, who was still fast asleep.
“Stay here. I’m gonna go check it out.”
“Find James too.” I told him as he slipped a shirt over his head.
He was about to open the curtain into the hall when it was ripped out of his hand. Mason was standing on the other side, out of breath and his eyes wide with fright. He stared at Ian for a moment, then looked to me and Azami. He visibly relaxed after taking us in.
“The Infected escaped the pit. Dustin left the damn thing unattended while he went to take a piss. It figured out how to climb out. This entire time it was randomly digging hand ledges in the side of the wall without us noticing. We thought there was no rhyme or reason to it. We just thought it too stupid to even consider that possibility.
“What?” I sat up fast, ready to spring up and gr
ab Azami and run.
“Everything’s alright now. I wanted to make sure you three were safe.”
I smiled at him. Mason had become a good friend in the time we’d been here. “Thank you.” I patted Azami’s bottom.
“What’s going on with the Infected?” Ian asked. He was really pissed.
“Luke took care of it. He and some of the other guys are going to take it outside and burn it. The damned things smells so bad, like something died ten times and sat in the baking sun for a month. There’s something I needed to tell you guys though.” Mason came into the room and leaned against the wall, “When it escaped, we thought for sure it headed down here to the sleeping quarters to start attacking people, but it didn’t.” He chuckled a little. “The situation isn’t funny, but the damned thing scared the shit out of Sarah. She was in the kitchen early this morning making bread when it barreled in there. She screamed at the top of her lungs, sending Luke and myself to find her. When we did, she was throwing rolls at it. It didn’t even bother trying to attack her. It just wanted the food.” He paused for a moment. “I don’t know if it was just too hungry to worry about attacking her, or if it just wanted some food. I know in the beginning, when people first got sick, they attacked everyone.” Mason glanced at me. I looked down, remembering the one that broke into my apartment that first day. He wasn’t thinking about real food. He only wanted to hurt me.
“We had it down there for more than ten days with no food or water.” Ian paused, thinking. “Humans can only go about five days without food before delirium sets in, and only three days without water before the body slows its functions. The Infected lived over a week without either.” Ian was laying everything out there, trying to solve a puzzle. We had little to no information about them except that they only now began to appear again in the last few months. Too many unanswered questions swirled in the air. Were these the original Infected or were they now just becoming Infected somehow? Had we been wrong when we believed they’d all died off?
We observed It problem solving, trying to form a solution, but lacking the understanding. There was enough of its human traits remaining to figure out how to climb out of the pit and when to do it.
Later that evening, the group held a meeting about them, discussing why it didn’t die after being left without food and water for over a week. If it was healthy, like the ones James and I saw, how long would it have taken to die? We also discussed how it learned to carve out small handholds on the wall. Had it been done intentionally, or had it gotten lucky by scratching so much it was able to climb free? Did the Infected retain more intelligence than we thought? We wouldn’t have these answers right away. We’d have to wait until we stumbled across more.
Plans were formed to keep any Infected in the pit, with new modifications, of course. We were putting a net overtop of the hole to prevent another escape. Plus, there would be a rotation of guards to make sure that whomever was on watch was only there for a period of time and would always be awake and aware at all times, and with no need for a bathroom break. We could study their behavior while alive. We wanted to prepare in case some of them got inside of the caves, which I was promised wouldn’t happen, but we all knew anything was a possibility.
After a couple of weeks, my injuries were healing nicely; only a couple of discolored areas littered my ribs. I was walking just fine, and was even helping with the gardening. Becky avoided me at all costs. Her behavior, in my opinion, seemed to grow a little stranger with every passing day. Nobody seemed to think anything about it, writing it off as her reaction to being casted out by most of the people in the cave. They may not have kicked her out, but they didn’t have to remain friends with her either. Still, there was something about her behavior that was gnawing at me.
As I watched her, I noticed that she and Jeff had some of the same slight changes. Both secluded themselves from others, only using each other as companions more and more with each passing day. They looked confused at times when they attempted to complete tasks. Sometimes their movements looked a little frantic, like they had all this built up energy, but no way to let it out. When I mentioned these things while a few of us were out tracking with Luke, it was easily explained by the recent events. Jeff was the guy that Becky had cheated on Ian with, explaining their gravitation toward one another. Once they told me that, I figured the rest was realizing nobody wanted them around anymore.
Jen and I became fast friends. She and Michael hung out with Ian and me on many occasions. We enjoyed their company, and it was nice to have another couple to hang out with. Jen was always happy, doting over Azami any chance she could. She and Michael were over the moon for one another. They’d been dating since high school.
Michael had been in medical school when the Flash happened. He was only a year in, but he was the best doctor we had. He laughed about all that time he’d wasted studying when it didn’t really matter. None of it mattered anymore. I didn’t agree, at least we had someone who could help us if we needed it.
Mason, Michael’s brother, hung around us as well. He was funny and always seemed up for anything. He didn’t talk about times before the Flash, avoiding the topic entirely. Each time something was brought up about it, he would excuse himself. I understood. My life wasn’t that great before the Flash. As a matter of fact, I would have to say it has improved since most of mankind died off. Sad, really.
On one particularly hot day, I was sweating as if I’d ran a marathon while working in the garden. Ian had Azami. He’d been finding reasons to spend his father/daughter time with her. He loved her so much already. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and boy did she know it. Jen and I worked the field that day, turning dirt for the next shift to plant.
Jen looked at me coyly and said, “I think you have an admirer,” She continued to turn the dirt in the north side garden a few feet across from me, as if she hadn’t said a thing.
“What are you talking about?” I asked her, crushing some of the dirt in my hands. It was warm and hard. The dirt in the caves had to be constantly watered to keep it soft and turn able, making gardening possible.
“You haven’t noticed?” She shook her head smiling. “You are so blind.”
“What?” I threw a little clump of dirt at her. “Will you just tell me?”
“Mason likes you.” She blurted, enjoying the look on my face.
“Mason?” I looked around, searching for him. “We’re friends.” I found him loading some heavy bags onto a cart that needed to be taken to the kitchen. He looked over at me at the same time and smiled. I blushed and turned away. “What are you talking about?” I asked, still trying to settle the redness in my cheeks.
“Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean, I just don’t think it’s clicked for you until now. All the extra attention he pays you, finding ways to touch you, hanging out with us all the time, playing with Azami. You didn’t think that he was hanging out with us to be around Michael, did you?” She smiled. She knew that that was exactly what I thought. “You know… even Ian knows how Mason feels, he just ignores it because he knows that you are blind and don’t feel the same way. Makes for some fun though, huh?”
I nodded sarcastically. “Yeah, thanks. I’m so glad you brought this to my attention. Now I won’t have any trouble acting normal around him.”
We both laughed and finished turning over the dirt. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mason now. He was a great friend, as good a friend as Jen. It’s not that he’s bad looking, it’s quite the opposite. Mason is extremely good looking; dark blond hair, tan and muscular. I could see myself dating Mason, but only in a world where Ian didn’t exist. Ian is more than just looks though―we connect. His presence is enough for me, and I’m in pretty deep over him. I hoped Mason’s feelings for me wouldn’t come between any of our friendships.
As Jen and I finished our work, it was as if Mason knew I was thinking about him. He tossed the last sack he was loading onto the cart before jogging over to us.
“Here he co
mes,” Jen said in a singsong voice.
I elbowed her back, but didn’t say anything to her.
“Hey ladies. You all done here?” He asked smiling, but looking directly at me.
Jen and I both nodded. “What’s up?”
“A few of us are going to go for a dip. You ladies want to come?” He directed the question to both of us, but was still watching me. My face warmed.
“Yeah, that sounds fun. We’ll be there. Right, Lil?” Jen said.
“Yeah, sure. We’ll meet you in a few.”
Mason’s grin grew. “Cool. Can’t wait.” He gave me a hundred watt smile, turned, and disappeared into the tunnel.
“I can’t believe you!” I rounded on Jen and swatted at her arm. “You know how I feel about Ian.”
“Yeah, but who says you can’t like the attention?” She lifted her eyebrows up and down at me. I couldn’t help but smile at her. He was nice to look at.
“I hate you, you know that, right?” I said, giggling in a giddy girl voice. God, I hated myself at that moment.
Jen smiled at me. “I know. Come on.” She said, leading the way to the pool.
When we made it outside, there were a few people already in the water. Zack, Shelly, and Luke were smacking a ball back and forth across a rope in the middle of the pool.
I started to strip down to my skivvies. Ian had given me boxer shorts and a wife beater tank top for swimming.
“You guys up for a game?” Luke shouted at me when he noticed me stripping down.
“What did you have in mind?” I smiled and walked to the pools edge.
“We set up a rope for a net to play some volleyball. You game?”
“I’m game.” I said, trying to sound all tough.
Luke laughed. “Jen?”
“I’m in.” Jen was always up for sports. She was a sprinter before the Flash, being more active than we are now. She ran off to change and was back a few minutes later in her two-piece swimsuit. I couldn’t help but wonder where she found a bathing suit.
We both backed up and held hands as we ran and jumped in the water. Of course, here it wasn’t hard to just jump in, the water was always warm. The caves were made from old lava tunnels and the water was always heated.
Flash Series (Book 1): Infected Page 12
