by Pam Jernigan
Whispers in the Dark
Copyright © 2017 Pam Jernigan
All rights reserved
Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without proper written permission from the author.
PROLOGUE
“Do you want to save the world?”
Karen looked up at the not-entirely innocent tone in her younger sister’s voice. The teenager wasn’t quite meeting her eyes, just looking around the sunlit bedroom. “I’d like it to get saved,” she said, going back to folding laundry. Just a few more shirts and she could move on to dishes. Yay. “Not sure what I could do about it.”
Katrina sat on the bed, the not-yet-bundled socks dangling off the side of her lap. “Well, like, what if God gave you a chance? Would you take it?”
Karen laughed. “If God wants to use me to save the world, he’s welcome to try, but I really don’t think it would come up." Especially considering God didn’t exist. “Seriously, I’m a preschool teacher, KitKat. Not exactly hero material. If anybody I know is gonna be a hero, it’ll be Jake.”
“Oh, right, your boyfriend can save the world.” Katrina rolled her eyes.
“He thinks it’s possible, yeah,” Karen agreed. “And the university bio lab has some actual scientists, not just students. Maybe they can cure the Mindless. That’d be nice." Also, if they came up with a cure, maybe he’d stop telling her about all his experiments. That’d be nice, too. “His latest thing is talking about this study they did on the virus, like, five years ago, before everything went completely sideways.”
Kat perked up. “Really? What’s it say?”
“He doesn’t know.” The last shirt went on top of the pile, and Karen reached for the socks lying unloved next to her sister. “They know it happened. Rumor has it there were some really promising findings, but those were lost. Drives him nuts.”
Kat deflated. “Well, does he know where he could find results?”
Karen shrugged, bundling socks. “I think he said there’s a really good library downtown, that probably has the records, but it’s outside the safe zone, by a couple of miles.” At least as far as she could remember; by the time she had gotten old enough to get a driver’s permit the Mindless were too much of a threat to allow idle trips, and gas rationing had begun. Shortly thereafter construction had begun on a defensive barricade, creating a safe zone within. She hadn’t been outside since. “Not that it matters. Pretty sure they’re not going to open the gate to let us out.”
“Yeah, but what if we could get there? I’d love to go to a library.”
Karen dumped the bundled socks into a drawer and sat beside her sister, joining this flight of fancy. The spring breeze wafted in through the open window, hinting at untold possibilities for renewal. "Well, it would be cool to get new books. Stuff for my class, I mean." She might be bored with her fiction selection but that wasn’t a good reason to risk her life, and she didn’t want to give Katrina any ideas. "Maybe some alphabet ones; give me a break from singing the ABCs all day long."
Katrina looked at Karen sideways, a smile playing around her mouth. “So let’s go do it.”
“What, visit the library?”
“Sure. I want to go.”
Karen laughed. “Well, you can’t.”
“You’re not the mom of me.”
“Might as well be,” Karen said.
“You can’t stop me,” Katrina said, a mulish look in her eye.
No, that’s what the wall was for, so why bother arguing? “Fine, whatever, but you’re not going without me. Why are we even having this discussion? We have to finish the dishes before Jake gets here. I’m cooking dinner.” She left the bedroom and headed downstairs.
“Just wondering." Katrina followed. “Why is Jake coming over?”
“Probably because I’m cooking dinner. One of the kids’ families paid me with a chicken. Bonus, they’d already killed and plucked it. I told Mom; she said she might come home in time to eat with us.” Probably not, but you never know.
“Probably not. And Jake is such a mooch. Why do you even date him?”
She shrugged, attacking the dirty dishes. “It’s the apocalypse; I can’t afford to be too picky.” Jake suited her because he didn’t demand much and was sometimes entertaining. Besides, she didn’t have the time or emotional energy to attend to a romantic relationship. Not until Katrina graduated high school, anyway. So maybe next year she’d worry about finding a better match. “Have you finished your homework, by the way?”
Katrina groaned. “Yes. Don’t try to distract me. Don’t you want to find Mr. Right?”
“With my luck, he’s probably Mr. Mindless by now. Or dead.” She grinned. “Hey, if my soulmate dies, do I get a backup soulmate?”
"I don’t know. Maybe." Katrina grabbed a cloth, wiping the dishes dry before clattering them into a stack on the shelf.
Knocking from the front room. Karen craned her neck to see, rinsing suds off her hands. “Come on in, Jake.”
He let himself in and made his way to the small kitchen, greeting Karen with a careless kiss. “Hey, Kare. Hi, Kat.”
“How are the bio-nerds doing?” Karen asked.
Jake leaned against the counter, his large frame filling much of the space. “Not too bad.”
Katrina stepped forward. “Hey, Jake. Still need that research study? So you could learn what’s-his-name’s theory of whatever it was?”
Jake grinned at the description. “That would help a lot.”
“Karen says the library downtown has it, and it’s only a couple of miles away. We could probably hike there.”
Karen rolled her eyes but focused on prepping the chicken. The electricity was usually pretty decent this time of day, so she could probably finish roasting it before the sun dipped below the horizon. After that, city lights had priority. These days, nobody liked dark corners.
“There’s an idea. Shouldn’t take too much more than, what, an hour? We could do the whole thing in one afternoon, just out and back.”
Jake couldn’t be taking this seriously, could he? “Even if you could get past the wall,” Karen commented, “there are still Mindless out there.”
“We’d be armed and on guard,” Jake assured her. “Not like they could outwit us. They’re dangerous in a pack but my dad says he hasn’t seen them in that area for a while. They usually don’t go into buildings, either.”
“Well, theoretically I guess it could work,” Karen said, trying to be fair. “If you could get outside the wall. Which you can’t.”
“Actually…” Katrina said, drawing the word out for effect. “I think I found a way.”
“Seriously? Man, if we could get that study, that’d be awesome.”
It took Karen a second to process that, then her stomach flipped over and she spun to face them. “Wait, what? Oh, no, no, no. That is not happening. You are not going outside the wall!”
Katrina and Jake were both ignoring her, their expressions animated in a way she hadn’t seen in quite a while. Hope did things to people. Made them act stupid.
“Brian and Ramesh would probably want to come. Just give us a few days to put a list together. While we’re there, we should grab other stuff, too. Like, books and journals. Too late to start today, but tomorrow for sure. So where’s this secret way out?”
“Nope, I’m not telling,” Katrina said. ”
I found it, and I want to go - I haven’t been out there since I was twelve. I only told you because I’m not dumb enough to go by myself.”
Thank God for small favors. “This is a bad idea,” Karen said, an impending sense of doom doing battle with a stubborn seed of hope. “But if you’re going, count me in.” Somebody had to protect Katrina, and that had been Karen’s job for six years now. Keep her safe or die trying.
If they saved the world in the process… yeah, that would be okay, too.
CHAPTER ONE
Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
That sentence had whispered its way into his head a few days ago and had been floating around ever since. Gradually getting a little louder, a little clearer. He almost understood what it meant. At least he thought so. He used to be able to think.
Whatever had happened to him had also affected a lot of others, judging by the blank faces and vacant stares of the figures shuffling aimlessly around the building where they congregated. Huge main hallway, big rooms with glass windows and doors. From what he could tell. From the ones that remained intact. Some of them almost whole, with rows of strange objects sitting still and silent in the flickering light. All in muted variations of a dull gray.
It wasn’t always that way. Sometimes, he could distinguish between the bright and dark shades. Sometimes he could see the colors, even feel the emotions… but they always faded away. The dying remnants of energy within him powered a sputtering spark of need.
He wanted the colors to come back. The world looked so dead without them.
He didn’t have any colors inside him, either. The grayness, the emptiness - he ached to fill the gaping void. Thought and instinct churned. There were no emotions here. He needed to go out and get some. He had done so before, hadn’t he? Those around him were also restless. He started away from the building, aware of many of the others joining him. Or maybe he was joining them. Following a well-worn path towards the sources of emotions. Time to bring the world back to life.
#
Time to bring the world back to life. Yeah. It had been two days since Katrina had instigated this, and Karen had started to like the idea. The kids she taught needed to know there was more to life than this fortified city. That if they kept on fighting and fixed the Mindless, there was a huge world out there waiting to be explored. They needed hopes and dreams. This could be a really good thing. Not that she would ever tell anyone that.
She surveyed the wall enclosing the city, mentally prepping to leave the safe zone. “Isn’t it a little late to be starting out?” Karen asked, trying to hide her anxiety. She surveyed the other faces in the group. Ramesh looked kind of uneasy, but the others remained gung-ho. They were all outfitted for a hike and carrying weapons. It should be enough.
Jake smiled indulgently. “We’ll be fine, hon. The plan allows for a delay, remember?”
“Oh, well, if the plan says so.” What could possibly go wrong?
“And there’s still plenty of time,” Katrina chimed in, bursting with enthusiasm. “The rain barely lasted an hour. Even if it takes us twice as long as we think to reach the library that still gives us hours to go before we have to be home. You know you want to go.”
True. She weakened a bit before rallying. “Yeah, well, I also want to come back,” Karen pointed out, regarding her little sister with exasperation. “And I need for you to come back with me, so forgive me for being a little cautious, okay?”
“Hey, this was your idea in the first place,” Jake said.
She frowned. “Yeah, not really.”
“Calm down, Karen,” Brian said, fidgeting.
“You do not get to calm me down,” Karen snapped at him. He was one of Jake’s friends, not hers.
“You agreed to this, Karen,” Katrina said, lower lip sticking out slightly.
Karen sighed. She could usually wear Jake down, if it was just him, but Katrina was harder to dissuade. "Yeah. I just don’t like that we’re behind schedule before we even start."
“Well, we could go tomorrow,” Ramesh suggested.
Jake shook his head. “No, we can’t. Karen’s gotta to do her daycare.”
Low blow. “Hey! Don’t call it that. It’s preschool."
Katrina turned to give her sister a quick hug. “It’ll be great, Karen. Just wait and see. God’s going to do something; I can just feel it.”
Sure he was. Karen managed not to wince. Much. “Yeah, well, just let him handle things, okay, Kat? Don’t do anything stupid.”
Katrina grinned. “Never. Come on, we’re wasting daylight - let’s go!”
Karen sighed, accepting defeat. “Okay, fine.”
#
He walked through the gray deserted streets. Earlier, water had fallen from the sky, and now his clothes were heavy, clinging to his skin. It didn’t matter. This path seemed familiar; he had walked this direction before. Towards the larger buildings where the sources of emotion could sometimes be found. They were easy to follow - glowing against the gray - but hard to catch. If they could be found at all.
They reached a crossroads, and he paused, considering. In amongst the buildings now, their route didn’t matter. Turning or going straight, they were just as likely or unlikely to find the energy. He turned to survey the options. The others shuffled to a stop around him, but they didn’t matter. They were empty - with no more energy than him, no colors.
The choices all looked much the same. The buildings sat abandoned and uniformly gray. Off to one side, the sun slipped out from behind the clouds and a beam of light touched one of the tall towers, reflecting brilliantly. Sparkling. Enticing.
Any way would be right, but this way was more right. He began walking again, towards the beacon. The others didn't follow, and he stopped, looking back. It was good to be with a group. He needed to be with them, even if they didn’t have any colors. Being alone was death. The others milled in place at first, but then began gravitating towards him, willing to shamble down this new path. Why not? It didn’t make any difference.
The world had brightened once the water had stopped falling, but not enough. Still gray. No amount of sunshine could penetrate that. He looked at a building as they passed, walking closer to it. Lots of rectangles piled on top of each other. He reached out to touch them, rough under his fingertips. He used to know the words for these things. Of all the things I’ve lost… the thought whispered. He ignored it. Not important when he had a hunger to feed.
Time passed. He didn’t know how long they’d walked before he first caught a trace. The soft orange glow of fear flickered, riveting his attention. Not very strong. Not very close, but tantalizing.
Energy, color, emotion. Life. The hunger stirred.
#
Karen felt the exertion even before they reached their destination. You’d think chasing preschoolers would keep a girl in better shape. The hike had been rough. Not even counting the effort involved in simultaneously watching your feet so you don’t fall, and your surroundings so you don’t get attacked. But here they were.
She stared at the old downtown library, smiling fiercely. Majestic stone punctuated by tall windows stretched to fill a city block. “This is awesome,” she whispered.
“It’s a lot bigger than I expected,” Jake admitted. “We’ll need to split up.”
Made sense. Staying together would be safer, but less efficient, and time was a big factor. The trip had taken longer than expected and they had a deadline: Back before dark or not back at all.
“I wasn’t planning on browsing biology textbooks, anyway,” Karen muttered.
“No point in you doing that; you wouldn’t have a clue.”
Because I’m not as smart as you, right? She swallowed the objection. He didn’t mean anything by it.
They entered the lobby through half-broken doors, penetrating the entryway before drifting to a stop, spreading out, looking around. Getting their bearings. Beginning to relax.
The l
ibrary had an old-fashioned elegance, befitting the dignity of books. The central area housed the deserted circulation desk, abandoned tables, and rows of forlorn computers. It was open under a high ceiling, a balcony surrounding it on the second floor. Bookshelves sat promisingly on three sides, on both stories.
The heat of the day hadn't quite penetrated, leaving it cooler in here than outside in the spring sunshine, and dimmer as well, but the tall windows let in plenty of natural light. The directional signs remained, still intact. The whole place looked remarkably undisturbed, dust sifting peacefully down from the second floor to lightly coat the wooden tables and dull the red cushions on the seats.
“Don’t try to take more books than you can carry,” Jake directed, keeping his voice low, with a significant look in her direction. “Meet back here in ten minutes. Non-fiction’s this way. Brian, Ram, you guys get started with those journals; I need to find a few actual books.” He went straight ahead while his two friends curved off to one side.
Karen spotted the travel section, not too far from where Katrina was eagerly scanning fiction. She absently holstered her pistol and smoothed her hair back as she neared the shelves. So many books… a treasure trove, far more than she could take. She chewed her lip, entranced by the variety. Whatever she picked, she would have to carry on the long walk home, but so what? Her normal world was one of limited resources; the need to narrow her choices was a wonderful problem to have. “Okay, Kat,” she said, too quietly to be heard. “I’m not too proud to admit it. This was a great idea.”
#
The buildings here were large and solid, closely spaced together. They muffled the reception, dimming the faint glow of fear. When it disappeared entirely, he paused, but then continued anyway. Past another building, the sensation returned, a little stronger. Was the color brighter now, or had the rest of the world faded more?
The next building caught his attention, and he slowed. The energy came from inside. At this range, he detected multiple sources, but he paused, distracted. This place felt… important, constructed from large squares instead of small rectangles. Stone, he thought, the word arising from his fog-bound memory. Of all the things I’ve lost…
